Review & Contest: Darkest of Days for Xbox 360

We're trying something new here at Realm Media Networks, video reviews! These aren't going to be real high production values, but they will let you hear what we think about the games we play. Our first video review is for Darkest of Days, a recent release for the Xbox 360. Take a look at part 1 and 2 of the review, and then leave an appropriate comment to be entered to win! You'll have to watch the video to know what kind of comment to leave, but be sure to tell us what you think of the videos as well.

All comments must be made by Noon on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 to be eligible for the contest.

Other links:
Buy Darkest of Days at Amazon.com

Review & Contest: Exo-flex skins

We received some Exo-Flex skins in the mail, and have spent the last month with some of them on our devices. Now that we've had some real hands-on time with them, it's time to give them a short review, and give them away!

It's hard to review what is basically a big sticker. They all looked nice when they arrived, and seemed like they would hold up well. Let's go through each of the claims they make for their skins, and see how well they do.

[Update: Congrats to our winners: jen, Spike116, Icreatedyou, and gbaker386 Hope you enjoy the skins!]

1. NO Smearing or Fading
By smearing, I believe this refers to the printing on the sticker itself. I used the DS Lite skin they sent for quite a while, and never noticed any deterioration it the quality of the printing. It also didn't seem to fade, but I didn't leave it out in the sun for long periods trying to fade it.
Verdict: TRUE

Tekcase for DSi Giveaway

We received an extended battery case for the Nintendo DSi, but without an actual DSi to use with it, a full review is impossible. Here are some quick impressions.

[Update: Congrats to our winner, FreakGenius! Hope you enjoy the case! ]

Positive

• USB charging through mini-USB means that finding a place to recharge is pretty easy.
• The small size contains your DSi and extra battery in a package about the same size as a DS Lite.
• The claimed 2.8 times battery life takes your DSi from providing a full days' amount of playtime to a whole roadtrips' time.
• Included compact USB charger can be used for cellphones, MP3 players, or any other USB device.
• A manual switch to turn on the extended battery gives you more control on when and how long you charge.
• Hard shell provides a little more protection for your DSi.

Negatives:

• Manual switching means you could forget and lose power to you DSi, even when the Tekcase is charged.
• The protruding connector from the back of the case ruins the sleek look they were going for.

Overall, there are more things to like about this case than not. The USB charging is a big deal for me, as it removes the need for another proprietary wall wart when going on a trip.

Be sure to check out our TekCase for DSi image gallery for more pictures.

And now we're giving it away! To win, just leave a comment saying what you like most about this case.

Limit one entry per person. All entries must be submitted by Wednesday, September 30, 2009, at 12PM (Noon) Central US Time.

Other links:
Buy the Nintendo DS Lite Tekcase from Amazon.com
Buy the Nintendo DSi TekCase from Amazon.com

Review & Contest: The Beatles: Rock Band

It's been a while since the last major entry in the Rock Band series has been made, with only track packs to hold us over in the mean time. Most of those have been pretty well received, but those are not really any more than a collections of songs that can be downloaded one by one off the Rock Band music store. Rock Band: The Beatles is a distinct departure from the Track Pack idea, with an entire game based around a single band. The Guitar Hero franchise has done similar type games for Metallica and Aerosmith, but some may argue that The Beatles have a much broader appeal, and are more well known. Will Harmonix do them the justice they deserve, or fall just short of the mark? Read on for our review.

[Update: Congrats to our winner, Kaza2929! Hope you enjoy the game! Look for more contests coming soon! ]

Review & Contest: Elite Forces - Unit 77

Squad-based combat is not a new idea for video games, but it has been ruined over the years by poor controls, too many units to control, not enough units to control, and sometimes unrealistic goals. A new entry into the genre has come to the Nintendo DS in the form of Elite Forces: Unit 77. Will it succeed in it's goals, or flop like so many before it. Either way, we're giving away our copy to one lucky reader, so read on for the full review!

[Update: Congrats to our winner, gbaker386! Hope you enjoy the game! ]

QuakeCon 2009 - A look inside

Every year Dallas plays hosts to a convention for gaming geeks, dorks, nerds, and enthusiats. Id Software, makers of the popular Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake games, hosts the event which draws gamers from all over. There are always new announcements from id, prizes to be won, and plenty of games to play.

The annual event started off with a quick 30 minute press conference and welcome by some of the top people at id. Unfortunately, the press conference started 30 minutes late, causing confusion and frustration for most in attendance. Once it began, all was forgiven as the announcements began flowing. A discount was announced for Wolfenstein and Doom: Resurrection on the iPhone, and more titles were teased as forthcoming. Quake Arena and Doom 2 were announced for the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA), and would be available to play on the exhibit floor. A new trailer for Rage got everybody excited about the new shooter/racer game, even though specific details would not be shown until Saturday. One more quick welcome to everyone, and then everyone was treated to the annual keynote by John Carmack.

QuakeCon 2009 - RAGE Demo impressions

For an hour this past Saturday, the guys at id demoed their upcoming FPS/Racing game RAGE, much to the delight of those in attendance. When you're presenting to a group of people that, all combined, have spent thousands of hours traveling to your event, you want to make a good impression, and there's no doubt they did. RAGE Creative Director, Tim Willits, and lead Designer Matt Hooper took the main stage at QuakeCon 2009 to take everyone through some of the different parts of RAGE, introducing us all to the story and gameplay that they hoped we would love.

Use the read more link to read our full demo preview