The Prince George Citizen – Thursday, January 8, 2009 – 37 2009 video games coming soon to a monitor near you

by LOU KESTEN ✔ “Brutal Legend” (Electronic Arts, 360, PS3): ity-powered superhero — or is he a supervil- France’s Quantic Dream. The Associated Press Jack Black provides the voice of Eddie Riggs, a lain? ✔ “MadWorld” (, ) and “” Real news from the virtual world: roadie who dreams of being a rock god, in this ✔ “Prototype” (Sierra, 360, PS3): Alex, the am- (Sega, 360, PS3): Platinum Games, the studio be- Most gamers spend the early part of the year adventure from “Psychonauts” mastermind Tim nesiac protagonist here, not only has superpow- hind this pair, was formed by veterans of the cult catching up on software they couldn’t get around Schafer. ers, but can also change shapes and take on his classic “Okami.” So you know they’ll be stylish, and to during the holiday glut. Maybe you’ve been ✔ Harmonix’s Beatles game (MTV, systems un- enemies’ powers. Will he use them for good or “MadWorld” promises to be the goriest Wii game meaning to check out “Fallout 3” or “Fable II,” or known): The creators of “Rock Band” are build- eee-vil? yet. dig in and finish up that “LittleBigPlanet” level ing this rhythm game based on the Fab Four’s ca- ✔ “Champions Online” (Cryptic, 360) and “DC Of course, there are plenty more sequels in you’ve been working on. reer. Meanwhile, “Guitar Hero” fans will learn Universe Online” (Sony, PS3): Speaking of super- the pipeline, including “Killzone 2” and “God Take your time. You still have more than a how much abuse their fingers can take with a heroes, you’ll be able to build one from scratch in of War III” (Sony, PS3), “Halo Wars” and “Halo month until the first major game of 2009 — Metallica edition (most systems). either of these massively multiplayer virtual 3: ODST” (Microsoft, 360), “Street Fighter IV” Warner’s “F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin” — drops. Af- ✔ “Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars” worlds. (, 360, PS3) and “Pokemon Platinum” ter that, the deluge. Here are the games I’m wait- (Rockstar, DS): Return to Liberty City in the ✔“Alpha Protocol” (Sega, 360, PS3): “Neverwin- (, DS). ing for this year. first “GTA” title for Nintendo’s handheld. Also ter Nights 2” developer Obsidian updates the role- And this may be the year we finally see long- ✔ “Resident Evil 5” (Capcom, for the , due soon: “The Lost and Damned,” a download- playing game, substituting sword-and-sorcery with awaited games like ’s “Final Fantasy PlayStation 3): Chris Redfield, hero of the origi- able new chapter for last year’s “GTA IV.” the cloak-and-dagger of modern-day espionage. XIII,” Rockstar’s detective drama “L.A. Noire” or nal “RE,” goes to Africa to find the source of an ✔ “Infamous” (Sony, PS3): Sucker Punch, ✔ “Heavy Rain” (Sony, PS3): Fans of the dis- Microsoft’s psychological thriller “Alan Wake.” infection that has wiped out most of the human the studio behind the delightful “Sly Cooper” turbing “Indigo Prophecy” can look forward to Even without them, the competition for your en- race. series, lets you try on the leotard of an electric- being creeped out again by this thriller from tertainment dollar will be intense. Innovation seems recession-proof

Consumer Electronics Show has stuff worth seeing

by PETER SVENSSON The Associated Press The recession figures to tone down the flashiness of this week’s International Consumer Electronics Show, but the lineup of innovative products likely will measure up to those of past years. The CES product list still looks intriguing partly because startups haven’t yet been hit as hard by this downturn as they were when the Internet boom collapsed in 2000. And bigger companies haven’t yet had time to adjust to con- sumers’ belt-tightening. But most of all, competition in consumer electronics is still fierce, and innovation counts. Name-brand manufacturers still need to differentiate themselves by introducing features AP photo that keep them ahead of value-price brands. Mattel’s new toy, Mind Flex, comes For instance, Sony Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. and LG with a brain-scanning headset that Electronics Inc. will introduce new flat-panel TV sets that enables users to guide a ball floating on provide smoother-looking action scenes, 3-D capabilities a stream of air through an “obstacle and Internet connections that can download movies, weath- course" of hoops. May the Force be er data and screen savers. With high-definition TVs now in with you when it hits stores in the fall many homes, Ross Rubin, an analyst with NPD Group, also for $80. expects to see more high-definition camcorders and new players for high-def Blu-ray discs. Other the things to expect out of the show: ☛ Ever fantasize about moving things around with your mind? Mattel Inc. is going to make that fantasy come true with the Mind Flex. This toy comes with a brain-scanning head set. Concentrate, and a fan spins up to levitate a ball. Relax your thoughts, and the ball descends. For a chal- lenge, guide the ball through an obstacle course of hoops. May the Force be with you when the Mind Flex hits stores in the fall for US$80. ☛ Nvidia Corp., a leading maker of graphics chips for computers, will be touting $199 glasses that turn compati- ble monitors into three-dimensional displays, spicing up games like “Far Cry 2,” “Spore” and “Left 4 Dead.” The wire- less glasses come with an adapter that plugs into a regular USB slot. Gaming in 3-D, with and without glasses, has been possible for years, yet has never caught on. The sup- port of a big name like Nvidia might make a difference. ☛ Companies have promised for the better part of the decade to rid us of the cables snaking around the entertain- ment centre. At last year’s CES, there were a few TV sets, mostly prototypes, that could receive high-definition video There are 15 people at the University of signals wirelessly from a transmitter in the same room. Northern B.C. who are going above and beyond There will be more this year, but this will be a feature only in the most expensive sets. the call of duty when it comes to going green. ☛ An Australian startup made a splash in 2007 when They are 15 members of the Go Beyond Club, a it announced it had developed a technology called provincial group that also has members at the Memjet that would allow a home printer to spit out a colour page every second. Nothing much has been University of Victoria. heard of it since then, but the company will be at CES, Nadia Nowak is the organizer of the group. Club showing printers that it says will be available this year. member Jon Rudolph said they started the ☛ Stereo maker Blaupunkt will show what it says is “the first Internet car radio.” It’s a potential competitor to satel- group last semester and raising awareness and The Go Beyond Club at the University of Northern British lite radio, but needs to be connected to an Internet-enabled putting the call out for more members was the Columbia just got organized last semester and will phone to receive audio streams. first goal. This semester, starting now, the group ☛ TV stations will be at the show to present details of continue to build on their environmentally-friendly theme their plans to broadcast signals for cell phones, in-car sets expects to see more growth and development of this semester and other portable gadgets. Transmissions could start this strategies to improve how the university can be year, but it’s unclear whether there will be any compatible less wasteful and operate more efficiently, while receiving products, particularly since the cellular carriers have their own solutions for mobile TV. considering the environmentally friendly part of ☛ Computer makers and their suppliers will be showing going green. Currently there is an initiative to go into local off ways to shorten boot times on computers, mostly by Go Beyond is a large-scale campus climate action secondary schools to help raise awareness about loading them with non-Windows software. Phoenix Tech- nologies Inc., which makes the software that underlies campaign, supported by B.C. Hydro and the B.C. environmental issues, and there was a recent lecture many large laptop brands, will be demonstrating an operat- government’s Climate Action Secretariat. series on subjects including food and climate change, ing system that boots up in 15 seconds and comes with a Though still in its infancy, Go Beyond has a and food and indigenous people. Web browser. Users who need other applications can switch The group recycles and offers simple ways to create a over to Windows at the touch of a button. strong network of student proponents who ☛ Small, cheap laptops known as “netbooks” are the believe that campuses should not only become composter to reduce waste -- a bucket with a lid is hot new category in computers. Last year at CES, carbon neutral by 2010 -- as mandated by the the first simple step. Asustek Computer Inc., the pioneer in the field, was province -- but also go beyond that goal. The One of the first places the group would like to start nearly alone in showing netbooks, but this year it will have company from practically every other computer goal is to create a culture of sustainability that reducing waste is in the UNBC cafeteria, said manufacturer. does more to solve the problems of climate Rudolph, and the Go Beyond Club is partnering with ☛ Intel Corp. will be showing a new version of its Class- change than it does to create them. the Northern Undergraduate Student Society to mate PC, a netbook for kids. It has a touch-sensitive screen that can be folded over the keyboard in a “tablet” configura- Rudolph said the local club will soon invite the begin the process. tion. community to become part of Go Beyond, “We’re going to have a positive impact on the ☛ Lenovo Group Ltd. will trot out a large laptop that expanding its impact further than the campus. school,” Rudolph said. looks as if it swallowed a netbook: it has a 17-inch main screen, from which a second, 10-inch, netbook-sized screen slides out. Price: around $5,000. ☛ Palm Inc., the maker of smart phones that has been overshadowed by BlackBerrys and iPhones, has promised a big announcement. It’s widely expected to reveal a replace- ment for the dated software that drives Palm’s Centros and most of its Treos. ☛ Cisco Systems Inc. will show off a wireless stereo system, probably something more sophisticated than the simple Web radio player its Linksys division has been selling. Learn how at www.LiveSmartBC.ca

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