Posts Tagged ‘video’

The Top 10 Video games of 2009

2009 was a great year for gaming and so after being asked by a member of the community I put together this video showing, in my opinion, the best games of 2009. Any missed out? Some you thought shouldn’t have been there? Let us know in the comment box below!  Btw these games are in no particular order!

Assassins Creed 2

Sequel to the award winning Assassins Creed from 2007, this time the setting is renaissance Italy. The game offers a wider variety of mission types and new RPG elements like purchasing armour and weapons.  A must buy from 2009.

DiRT 2

Growing on the new engine from DiRT 1, DiRT 2 in my opinion, gives the best rallying and off road driving experience available.  Stunning graphics combined with an amazing cockpit view make you feel right in the action.  A lean towards a more arcadey feel may not please everyone but it sure makes this title a lot of fun!

Batman Arkham Asylum

A huge surprise from 2009, Batman Arkham Asylum renovates fighting mechanics and is arguably the best Batman game to date.  Take on the power of the dark knight as you complete objectives inside the Asylum either by stealth or just brute force.  Definitely worth a try for everyone interested in action games!

Dragon Age: Origins

Developed by Bioware, who have huge experience in the RPG market with the successful Mass Effect, Dragon Age is a dark heroic fantasy story.  Create your character and lead him/her to victory.  If you love RPGs and like the fantasy slightly magical world, then you’ll be interested.

Left 4 Dead 2

Coming only a year after the acclaimed original Left 4 Dead, the quality of this release comes as a surprise.  The sequel is still set during the aftermath of an apocalyptic pandemic as you and three survivors fight throughout the city to defeat the endless hordes of zombies.  The game is a great laugh both offline and online with mates.  Take all your anger out on those zombies right now!

Resident Evil 5

Now running it’s seventh game, Resident Evil continues to involve you.  The survival horror third person shooter looks great graphically as Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar investigate a terrorist threat in Africa.  If you’ve ever played any of the Resident Evil games then put this one right up there.

Killzone 2

Even after that controversy about rendered/actual gameplay showed on a teaser a few years ago, Killzone 2 manages to beat the original easily.  You fight on the home world of the Helghast and lets just say the graphics are mouth watering accompanying a frenzied campaign.  Oh and don’t forget the addictive multiplayer.

The Sims 3

Still going strong, The Sims 3 brings the series its strongest version yet.  We’re still obsessed with controlling our little Sims lives and this version is no different.  A nice UI overhaul and a good focus on travelling around a town makes the game feel less narrow and more than just watching your Sim watch TV in one house.

Halo 3: ODST

Although it runs on the Halo 3 engine and also the name, don’t expect ODST to be as easy a ride as it was with Master Chief.  This time you play a soldier who is more vulnerable and you have to play this game more tactically.  Navigating the streets of New Mombassa provides a wanted change to galaxy moving Master Chief.  And for a great multiplayer experience don’t forget Firefight mode.

Modern Warfare 2

Undoubtedly the most anticipated and deserving game of 2009 is the successor to Call of Duty 4. Modern Warfare is brilliant all over and for the most part satisfies the hype.  Yes the single player is captivating and really makes you feel in the thick of it but multiplayer rocks.  Amazing.  No other words.  If you don’t at least try this game this year you are missing out!

Peace out.

How to convert videos to watch on your Xbox 360

After compiling a guide how to convert videos for popular formats using the freeware software Handbrake I was requested to do a specific post concerning the Xbox 360.  It is very simple and from my experience has worked perfectly!

  1. Choose your Video or DVD file and load it into Handbrake. Choose the Xbox 360 preset and start the conversion process.
  2. Once the .mp4 file is outputted, copy it across to a USB memory drive or USB external drive that is connected to your Xbox 360.
  3. Turn on your Xbox 360 and go to Video and choose your USB memory. Then just select your file and play it to your hearts content!

I’m pleased how Microsoft have made it easier to play files on the Xbox 360 and it’s useless if I want to show it to a friend on their Xbox 360.  I must admit though it is rather pointless for movies as if you have the DVD it would be quicker, and better quality, to just load up the movie that way rather than the whole conversion process. However for short clips or those special movies you want then this isn’t a bad alternative.  There is always the other option of streaming the files over your wired/wireless conection but I won’t go into that now…

The best way to convert DVD Films for your iPhone,iPod Touch,Xbox,PSP,PS3

Picture 1.pngThe media revolution continues today and video is being embraced around the world shown in the success of YouTube and other video streaming sites like the BBC iPlayer.  This has spread to consumer devices with the likes of Archos and Apple.  The iPhone and iPod Touch have revolutionised the control interface and capabilities of portable devices but due to Apple’s top down restrictions many customers have problems copying video across.  Well thankfully there are loads of software options to choose from but which one is the easiest and best to use?

I’ve tried several leading pieces of software and a simple Google search will bring up tons of shareware to try.  Here is where I’ve finally come to a decision for the most reliable in the form of Handbrake for Windows, Linux and Mac.  It’s freeware and boasts many functions including:

  • Rip from DVD straight to a compatible movie format for your iPhone or iPod Touch and many other devices
  • Convert from VIDEO TS folders to a compatible movie format for your iPhone or iPod Touch and many other devices
  • The ability to queue up several jobs

Although the user interface isn’t a work of art like many pieces of software I’ve tried are, the job works and offers a wide range of output options not only the iPhone format.  These presets easily allow you to convert your video/DVD to formats including the rarer PSP, PS3, Xbox 360 and Apple TV.  Where this application really packs is its features and ability to get the job done and that’s exactly where it counts.  I’ve converted many of my personal DVDs through Handbrake and when converting from my ripped VIDEO TS files it took about 3 hours in total.

All you have to do is simply tell Handbrake what to convert, then choose the iPhone or iPod Touch preset on the right and finally where to save it! Simple. When it is saved just import to iTunes and sync to your device and you’ll be able to enjoy it without having to be taped to your television screen. So I hope you are able to back up and put your films onto your iPhone as easily as I have with the freeware Handbrake.

Do 3D Glasses work as well at home?

IMG_0110.JPGYou’ve all been to an IMAX cinema or alternative where the film you’re watching is in 3D and so requires you to wear some funky glasses.  Now I recently got some free in some spam mail so thought I’d have a look around on the net to test them out.

After constructing the cheap glasses I found some samples to watch, I literally watched loads but so many either failed or were just less than impressive.  Many people had tried to make their own as all you need is to split red and blue outlines to a specific gap and it should work however I could see many people hadn’t followed the instructions properly…

See this example from YouTube which I found.  The best bit was with the bullets and the cartridge cases after he fired the gun.  If you have any 3D glasses why not give it a go and see if they work for you, if you don’t have any have fun trying to watch it.

However after testing some samples it became clear there were too many parameters which I had to fulfil before I got the IMAX type 3D video.  They recommend you are in the dark as well as far enough way so the 3D effect is calibrated correctly with your glasses.  So unless you have your own cinema with a 50″ screen and the ability to stand at least 8m back in pitch black you’re not going to enjoy the experience that well at home.  That being said the technology still works but its apparent weakness is easily shown unless you have the optimum conditions.

YouTube Channel Views Update

Hi all, I thought I would come over and thank you for your increased support on my Youtube channel. Since I started this site two months ago (yes it wasn’t that long ago) I have had over 27,000 new video views on my YouTube videos. I would also like to continue the push for subcribers, it’s really easy, just press the subscribe button on my YouTube channel or next to any of my videos and you’re done! Then you don’t have to go trawling through the internet to see my latest videos as you’ll get an email every week linking directly to all my new videos. You know it makes sense!

That’s enough publicity from me – short and sweet.