It's been a while but Tagged Blog is back!
Check out this blog every day from February 13 for something new in the land of technology and gaming!
I hope you enjoy reading what is posted as much as I will enjoy writing it!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Tagged Blog Update - Social Midia...Facebook Page!
We here at Tagged Blog are true supporters of social media to enhance the experience of just about anything...so based on that we now have a Facebook Page! Just press the like buttone on the sidebar to show your support and to possibly be notified of competitions and special updates only on Facebook.
Edit: Here is a direct link to the page - Tagged Blog Facebook Page
Edit: Here is a direct link to the page - Tagged Blog Facebook Page
Friday, June 10, 2011
E3 Wrap Up
Now I know I didn't post during E3 but remember I wasn't there and all of teh press conferences were very early in the morning (eg 2am!)...and I was sleeping. So here is a wrap up of what went down at E3 2011.
Nintendo:
Nintendo focused on 2 key key areas...portable gaming and their evolution of the home game console.
In terms of Portable gaming nintendo showed off a bunch of titles that are comign later this year to the Nintendo 3DS. Almost all of these were ports of older games such as Star Fox and Legend of Zelda. But the new Kid Icarus game was also shown and it adds speech to a Nintendo game...yes speech...Pit actually says words...wow! They also highlighted the launch of the new Store which has come to the 3DS.In the store you can buy a bunch of titles and one key feature that was highlighted as the porting of old Gameboy and Gameboy Colour games to Nintendo's portable platform. This, hopefully, will see a bunch of new gamers playing age old Gameboy classics for the first time.
In terms of the Home market Nintendo didn't say much about the Wii and what was coming to teh WIi in the near future...instead they introduced their new console the Wii U. Aside from the interesting name...the console will feature HD graphics and caters for hardcore gamers as well as the casual gamer. It features a new controller which has a 6.2 inch touch screen inbuilt as well as classic nintendo controls and accellerometer, gyroscope and rumble. The new console will also be fully backward compatible with the Wii in the same was that the Wii was backward compatible with the Gamecube. In terms of games for the Wii U, Nintendo showed off what is coming, including high end games such as Darksiders 2, Dirt, Aliens Colonial Marines, Ghost Recon Online, Metro Last Light and the first ever Tekken game to hit a Nintendo Console...oh and also Ninja Gaiden 3! There were also hints that Assassins Creed, Battlefield and a new FPS from Ubisoft.
The console will come out next year and it will be interestign to see the reactions of gamers, both hardcore and casual alike.
Sony:
Sony showed off some new stuff as well...but also built on past successes and expanded the gamebase for teh PS3. They showed off a new portable platform called Playstation Vita. The PS Vita will be the successor to the Playstation Portable adn adds a sleeker design, better processing and dual touch screens. What this will mean for gaming is yet to be seen but we will all find out at it's launch later this year.
Sony kept emphasising that they are sorry for the PSN disaster but also showed how they have learnt from it...mainly in the fact that they have a large core fanbase who are unhappy. Overall Sony's press conference was good but not groundbreaking.
Microsoft:
Microsoft showed off more than just Kinect enabled games at their press conference. While there was the usual Dance Central game they also previewed a major games that will be released next year...Halo 4...because Microsoft is so XBox 360 focused I am expectign it to be an Xbox exclusive but as a PC gamer I would love to see it hit PCs as well. Gears of War 3 was also shown and so far it looks great but we will have to wait and see what the final product looks like when it is released.
EA:
Electroninc Arts showed of a huge number of upcoming games but the clear highlight was Battlefield 3, a direct successor to Battlefield 2 and one of the most visually amazing games I have ever seen. The game runs on DICE's new game engine, Frostbite 2, and builds on many of the features of the recent Battlefield games such as destructible environments, expansive playing areas and dynamic lighting. The game comes out in September and is sure to be an amazing experience to buy.
Activision:
Activision showed off yet another Call of Duty game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Every year we see a new CoD game but MW3 looks like it might evolve the franchise into a more cinematic experience while still maintaining the core CoD gameplay. The game looks visually appealing (but not as much as Battlefield 3) and should hopefully not be just another CoD game that will sell millions and disappoint gamers around the world. Also hopefully it will actualy work and not be plagued with performance problems.
Well, that is my E3 Wrap Up! Express your opinion in teh comments section below and remember that in October we are going to the EB Games Expo on the Gold Coast here in Australia and we have updated the site banner to reflect this.
Nintendo:
Nintendo focused on 2 key key areas...portable gaming and their evolution of the home game console.
In terms of Portable gaming nintendo showed off a bunch of titles that are comign later this year to the Nintendo 3DS. Almost all of these were ports of older games such as Star Fox and Legend of Zelda. But the new Kid Icarus game was also shown and it adds speech to a Nintendo game...yes speech...Pit actually says words...wow! They also highlighted the launch of the new Store which has come to the 3DS.In the store you can buy a bunch of titles and one key feature that was highlighted as the porting of old Gameboy and Gameboy Colour games to Nintendo's portable platform. This, hopefully, will see a bunch of new gamers playing age old Gameboy classics for the first time.
In terms of the Home market Nintendo didn't say much about the Wii and what was coming to teh WIi in the near future...instead they introduced their new console the Wii U. Aside from the interesting name...the console will feature HD graphics and caters for hardcore gamers as well as the casual gamer. It features a new controller which has a 6.2 inch touch screen inbuilt as well as classic nintendo controls and accellerometer, gyroscope and rumble. The new console will also be fully backward compatible with the Wii in the same was that the Wii was backward compatible with the Gamecube. In terms of games for the Wii U, Nintendo showed off what is coming, including high end games such as Darksiders 2, Dirt, Aliens Colonial Marines, Ghost Recon Online, Metro Last Light and the first ever Tekken game to hit a Nintendo Console...oh and also Ninja Gaiden 3! There were also hints that Assassins Creed, Battlefield and a new FPS from Ubisoft.
The console will come out next year and it will be interestign to see the reactions of gamers, both hardcore and casual alike.
Sony:
Sony showed off some new stuff as well...but also built on past successes and expanded the gamebase for teh PS3. They showed off a new portable platform called Playstation Vita. The PS Vita will be the successor to the Playstation Portable adn adds a sleeker design, better processing and dual touch screens. What this will mean for gaming is yet to be seen but we will all find out at it's launch later this year.
Sony kept emphasising that they are sorry for the PSN disaster but also showed how they have learnt from it...mainly in the fact that they have a large core fanbase who are unhappy. Overall Sony's press conference was good but not groundbreaking.
Microsoft:
Microsoft showed off more than just Kinect enabled games at their press conference. While there was the usual Dance Central game they also previewed a major games that will be released next year...Halo 4...because Microsoft is so XBox 360 focused I am expectign it to be an Xbox exclusive but as a PC gamer I would love to see it hit PCs as well. Gears of War 3 was also shown and so far it looks great but we will have to wait and see what the final product looks like when it is released.
EA:
Electroninc Arts showed of a huge number of upcoming games but the clear highlight was Battlefield 3, a direct successor to Battlefield 2 and one of the most visually amazing games I have ever seen. The game runs on DICE's new game engine, Frostbite 2, and builds on many of the features of the recent Battlefield games such as destructible environments, expansive playing areas and dynamic lighting. The game comes out in September and is sure to be an amazing experience to buy.
Activision:
Activision showed off yet another Call of Duty game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Every year we see a new CoD game but MW3 looks like it might evolve the franchise into a more cinematic experience while still maintaining the core CoD gameplay. The game looks visually appealing (but not as much as Battlefield 3) and should hopefully not be just another CoD game that will sell millions and disappoint gamers around the world. Also hopefully it will actualy work and not be plagued with performance problems.
Well, that is my E3 Wrap Up! Express your opinion in teh comments section below and remember that in October we are going to the EB Games Expo on the Gold Coast here in Australia and we have updated the site banner to reflect this.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
E3 2011...and a possible special!
It's been a long time since my last post here on Tagged Blog but I was focusing on other things...including my own personal blog.
E3 2011 is here and I will be giving you my opinions on the announcements, trailers and more as the event progresses. Unfortunately I can't be at the event personally but luckily there is the interwebs!
On a side note, the EB Games Expo is coming in October this year to the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tagged Blog has applied for media entry and if we are successful then we will provide ongoing and live coverage of the event as it proceeds as well as video footage and maybe even interviews! Even if we are unsuccessful in our media bid we will still provide coverage of the event but it will not be as intense and awesome as if we got media passes!
Stay tuned for our E3 opinions starting tomorrow here at Tagged Blog and a dedicated EB Games Convention Page coming soon to Tagged Blog!
E3 2011 is here and I will be giving you my opinions on the announcements, trailers and more as the event progresses. Unfortunately I can't be at the event personally but luckily there is the interwebs!
On a side note, the EB Games Expo is coming in October this year to the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tagged Blog has applied for media entry and if we are successful then we will provide ongoing and live coverage of the event as it proceeds as well as video footage and maybe even interviews! Even if we are unsuccessful in our media bid we will still provide coverage of the event but it will not be as intense and awesome as if we got media passes!
Stay tuned for our E3 opinions starting tomorrow here at Tagged Blog and a dedicated EB Games Convention Page coming soon to Tagged Blog!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Windows Live Messenger 2010 - Wave 4 Update
Windows Live Messenger is by far the most popular instant messaging program but it has never had social capabilities. This week Microsoft unveiled the latest iteration of it's messaging client and to everyone's surprise it had integration with some of the popular social media like Facebook and Twitter.
This new feature will be placed in a separate frame inside the messenger window, reducing the width of the contacts list. This separate frame looks very disjointed because of the separate scroll-bar which is in the default style for Windows. This makes the application less sleek and makes me wonder if Microsoft can ever perfect a product.
Apart from the disjointed look it also sports HD video which is a big plus as it puts the product in an area which perfectly sits between business and consumer products. Business users will use the HD video and consumers will use the social feeds. HD video is not new in IM clients with Skype already supporting this feature but to see it in a Microsoft product makes.
There will also be an iPhone version of teh software which, if accepted to the App Store,will be one app worth downloading. It is somewhat of a surprise that Microsoft is releasing an iPhone version considering that they are trying to pitch their new Phone OS, Windows Phone 7.
All of this is part of the upcoming Live Wave 4 update which is expected to have a final release in the 3rd quarter of this year. This update is looking like a much needed freshening up for the Live platform but if the disjointed nature of clients seen in WLM remains in the other software than this will not be the sleekest update for Microsoft.
To me it seems like Microsoft has learnt from it's UI and functionality mistakes of the past and are genuinely going to release a polished product. When I can get my hands on a build I will tell you more but for now I recommend checking it out at http://windowslivepreview.com/ (Note: This website occasionally redirects to the Live Home site)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=522fe758-c893-4363-9e5a-fd7b9cc24a4c)
This new feature will be placed in a separate frame inside the messenger window, reducing the width of the contacts list. This separate frame looks very disjointed because of the separate scroll-bar which is in the default style for Windows. This makes the application less sleek and makes me wonder if Microsoft can ever perfect a product.
Apart from the disjointed look it also sports HD video which is a big plus as it puts the product in an area which perfectly sits between business and consumer products. Business users will use the HD video and consumers will use the social feeds. HD video is not new in IM clients with Skype already supporting this feature but to see it in a Microsoft product makes.
There will also be an iPhone version of teh software which, if accepted to the App Store,will be one app worth downloading. It is somewhat of a surprise that Microsoft is releasing an iPhone version considering that they are trying to pitch their new Phone OS, Windows Phone 7.
All of this is part of the upcoming Live Wave 4 update which is expected to have a final release in the 3rd quarter of this year. This update is looking like a much needed freshening up for the Live platform but if the disjointed nature of clients seen in WLM remains in the other software than this will not be the sleekest update for Microsoft.
To me it seems like Microsoft has learnt from it's UI and functionality mistakes of the past and are genuinely going to release a polished product. When I can get my hands on a build I will tell you more but for now I recommend checking it out at http://windowslivepreview.com/ (Note: This website occasionally redirects to the Live Home site)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Former Infinity Ward heads create new studio
Yesterday an interesting but not surprising move happened in the Activision vs Infinity Ward story. "Jason West and Vince Zampella, creators of the multi-billion dollar Call of Duty® franchise, announced the formation of a new development studio -- Respawn Entertainment." and they have "awarded Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS), through the distinguished EA Partners program, exclusive worldwide publishing and distribution rights to future games." This is great news for all Call of Duty fans because it looks like the same people who made Modern Warfare 2 will be making new games which should be just as good and running on some better managed servers.
Despite the fact that this is no real surprise, what really bugs me is that West and Zampella would have the guts to do this in the middle of one of the biggest lawsuits. By defecting to EA and making their own studio they are only going to get Activision madder and make the situation a whole lot worse for themselves and the embattled Infinity Ward. If I were them I would have waited until the situation blew over and the court case resolved before making such a shocking and bold move as this.
If you still aren't sure what has been going on then take a look at the links below and if you want to have a say then use the chat box ion the left column or comment on this post.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9ecf2d2f-69ad-4038-8a48-30f1a2ca7fe3)
Despite the fact that this is no real surprise, what really bugs me is that West and Zampella would have the guts to do this in the middle of one of the biggest lawsuits. By defecting to EA and making their own studio they are only going to get Activision madder and make the situation a whole lot worse for themselves and the embattled Infinity Ward. If I were them I would have waited until the situation blew over and the court case resolved before making such a shocking and bold move as this.
If you still aren't sure what has been going on then take a look at the links below and if you want to have a say then use the chat box ion the left column or comment on this post.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Why iPhone OS 4.0 should have come sooner
This wwek Apple unveiled iPhone OS 4.0 to teh developer community. This major OS upgrade includes many new features such as multitasking, app folders, iAd (in-app advertising) and even 5x digital zoom. All these features are what iPhone and iPod Touch users have wanted ever since the first generation devices. SO why couldn't Apple have done this sooner, like with OS 3.0? As far as I can see there is no reason.
Yes there were hardware constraints when it came to the iPhone 3G but the 3GS had better hardware and more to the point will be able to run OS 4.0 in all it's awesomeness.
Apple could have released all these features with OS 3.0 because the latest hardware, the iPhone 3GS had the capability to run it but Apple wanted to focus on speed and not on features that would attracts people away from Android and Windows Mobile and give them incentives to make the switch. Instead what Apple chooses to do is announce these features at an awkward time when people aren't really paying attention to the smaller devices and focusing on the iPad. If Apple really cared about their customers they would have released these features with OS 3.0 but instead they want to give customers much needed and wanted features when nobody gives a crap.
If Apple is serious about business then they will forget about advertising and instead focus on what they have always focused on...the customers.
Yes there were hardware constraints when it came to the iPhone 3G but the 3GS had better hardware and more to the point will be able to run OS 4.0 in all it's awesomeness.
Apple could have released all these features with OS 3.0 because the latest hardware, the iPhone 3GS had the capability to run it but Apple wanted to focus on speed and not on features that would attracts people away from Android and Windows Mobile and give them incentives to make the switch. Instead what Apple chooses to do is announce these features at an awkward time when people aren't really paying attention to the smaller devices and focusing on the iPad. If Apple really cared about their customers they would have released these features with OS 3.0 but instead they want to give customers much needed and wanted features when nobody gives a crap.
If Apple is serious about business then they will forget about advertising and instead focus on what they have always focused on...the customers.
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