Review of Nancy Drew Stay Tuned for Danger Deluxe

I realize that the software geniuses at HerInteractive originally created the Nancy Drew mystery games for girls...but, uh...even though I'm over 30, I just can't help myself! Stay Tuned for Danger is completely amazing! It'ssuch a thrill to pretend you're Nancy Drew and try to think like a masterdetective. There's endless puzzles to solve and clues to look for. Butwatch out for mind-boggling twists, turns and surprises--they'll keep youoccupied for hours! You truly have to see the dynamite 3D graphics tobelieve it! Each room you enter is designed and decorated with exquisitedetail. You'll also love the music and captivating dialogue between thecharacters. Beware of only one thing: you may get hooked! Everyone willLOVE this game! (I'm trying to tear my husband away from it as wespeak...he's been playing the game now for 8 straight hours!)



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Review of Rock Band 2 Double Cymbal Expansion Kit

Second Update 12/16/2008: UPS just dropped a package from Mad Catz.They didn't fix my broken cymbal, they sent me an entirely new package, cymbal, mounting hardware and all.

No note included saying what was wrong, or anything, just a new cymbal.It looks like it's been handled, which probably means that someone tested it out to make sure it worked right, before they sent it to me (or that it's a refurbished.)

I tried it out, and all seems well.Kudos to Mad Catz for the excellent customer service.Their site says 4 to 6 weeks, and it only took 12 days from drop off, to return.I'm psyched.
Update: After playing for an hour or so this afternoon, it's evident that one of my cymbals is defective.It's sometimes registering two hits, instead of one.I called Mad Catz, and the guy I got was super friendly, extremely understanding, and set me up with an RMA.He said the website suggested 4-6 weeks, but realistically, it's more like 2 to 3.I'll update again when I get the new cymbal to see if it's working properly.I'm glad I didn't just try returning it to Amazon to get another, they appear to be completely sold out everywhere I've checked today.Glad I pre-ordered mine 3 months ago.

My three pack finally arrived last night, and I was psyched to get them.Ever since they were announced, I've been excited about them.The way I assumed they worked, was actually different than how they do work.More on that later.

First, some images, to show how freaking cool they look:

The whole kitHi-Hat CymbalRide Cymbal

The cymbals certainly give the drums the look of a real drumkit (okay, at least a real electronic drumkit,) but how do they play?

They take some getting used to, that's for sure.I just got them last night, so I'm still in the adjusting phase. But right from the get go, my wife said "You look like you're having more fun."Which I totally was.It felt like I was playing more realistically than I had without the cymbals.

When I first bought the cymbals, I assumed that they would just act as extenders of their respective colors.So when you'd hit the blue, it made whatever sound the blue one should at that specific point in time. As Rock Banders know, the drums pretty much all double as cymbals or drums, depending on the part of the song.I was pleasantly surprised that the new cymbal pads are dedicated as cymbals.So, if you hit the "ride" cymbal, it makes the ride cymbal no matter what.Same for the hi-hat, and crash cymbals.

It may throw your brain off, when you hit the cymbal when it's a tom-tom in the game, and you hear the wrong sound, but it won't break your streak, or count against your overall score.As long as you hit the right color, the sound that the game makes doesn't matter.

My favorite thing about the other game, you know, that one I returned already, was that there were dedicated cymbal pads with their drumkit.The Rock Band 2 drumkit, with the Mad Catz add-on cymbal pack (a measely $29.99) is 100% totally, absolutely better than GHWT's, hands down.

The game is more fun when playing drums, with the cymbals.It's more realistic, and more creative.I especially dig that during the "Overdrive fills", you can be a lot more musical with the drums, with dedicated toms/cymbals.If you're a die hard drummer for a Rock Band band, you absolutely need to spend the $29.99 to get these cymbals, pronto.



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Review of Guitar Hero World Tour - Stand Alone Drums

I bought the GHWT full band set and those first generation drums were not of the best quality. Although they worked okay at first, they eventually stopped working properly. The bass pedal was plastic, felt flimsy and I damaged the sensor pad inside of it within 2 days.I recently bought the stand alone drums and they seem to be a little bit better. The cymbals seem to be much sturdier. All drum pads and cymbal pads are covered with a nice smooth skin that feels good and sounds a little bit quieter than the original rubber drum pad material. This drum kit is really accurate so far. Its sensitive enough and I haven't had any crosstalk issues yet (crosstalk = when you only hit the orange cymbal, the red pad also registers a hit).

My only complaint is that the same plastic crappy pedal is used in this kit. It doesn't feel too sturdy, but it has withstood a pounding by my fat and heavy size 11's.Red Octane did improve the bass pedal sensor a bit by adding the same skin material as the pads and cymbals. It looks like it is some kind of protective layer for the sensor pad underneath it. I think I am going to buy an upgraded electronic bass pedal so I can feel more comfortable bangin that thing with my fat feet. That will also give me the option to have some double bass action.

The kit comes with some cheap balsa wood drumsticks. I suggest sticking with these sticks, because heavier sticks will probably destroy this set with moderate pounding. I can bang on the set as hard as want with these sticks and because they are so light, I don't feel like I am going to break the set.

Overall, I am satisfied with this new drumset. I have had it for about a week now and it's still working well. I just hope it holds up for a while this time around.



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Review of PSP AC Adapter

this AC adaptor has 5V 2A DC output, it also can be used on Dell and HP pdas (with plug adaptor)
works perfectly
I also use it with Dell X50 charging cradle (for charging extra battery) when not charging PSP



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Review of Piano and Keyboard Method V2.0

Potentially, a computer could really help a person learn piano. However, most of this product's features fall short of helpful. The midi preview of each exercise and tune is useful for anyone who cannot read music at all, but nothing you could not get with an audio CD. The animated keyboard is just a distraction. The course includes occasional video clips, but they add little. At least one potentially useful feature, the musical accompaniment, is actually broken, at least on Macintosh. If you turn on the accompaniment, you won't be able to hear your own playing. There is a volume adjustment control for it, but it does nothing. The company is aware of the problem, but they still advertise this feature, and keep shipping the product.
The program runs in a cramped little window. A menu command lets you make it full screen, but it just lowers the resolution of your monitor, making the contents of the window larger, but blurry.
I would recommend a book and audio CD (like the Alfred's All-In-One, level 1 piano method) over eMedia's Piano software.




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Review of PSP Invisi-Shield

There's no instructions included, so you have to use your head, but treat this thing as if it was the screen itself.

Only touch the edges, and paste it on in one long uninterrupted stroke. You remove the little "peel here" thing, and it's sticky on the other end.

The way I did it was to align the upper left and lower left corners, and then stick that small side down and let it drop on the rest of the screen. I ended up with no air bubbles, and only tiny bits of air around the edges, which is completely unnoticeable. Before applying the sticker, I made sure to clean the PSP with monitor wipes (sold in Staples, anti-static, anti-fog, no alcohol). I now have a permanent, crystal clear PSP screen. Combined with the Logitech PlayGear case, it turns my PSP from a sub-par, fragile, fingerprint prone, easy-to-drop device, into something truly god-like for public transport.

This product is highly recommended, but once again - be careful with it. You only get one shot to apply it right. (As with many things in life - sucks, doesn't it?)



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Review of Guitar Hero World Tour - Stand Alone Guitar

I own the corded Guitar Hero II guitar, the wireless Les Paul from Guitar Hero III, the Rock Band 2 guitar, and this guitar from Guitar Hero World Tour.I've played these guitar games starting when Guitar Hero II came out for the Xbox 360.I play both GH and RB pretty equally and love both games so I'm not here to put RB or GH down like a fanboi.

By far this is the most responsive guitar of them all.Strumming is quick and effortless and just feels right compared to the other guitars.I'm so used to the responsiveness that when I play with other guitars it puts me at a disadvantage and I mess up more.

I also prefer how this guitar--like the other Guitar Hero guitars--have slightly raised buttons for the frets (the colored buttons on the neck) as opposed to the Rock Band guitars which are sunken.It's much easier to slide up and down with the GH guitars.

At first I thought the slider button was a stupid gimmick, but after I learned to keep my left hand on the regular frets and use my right hand (that I usually strum with) on the sliders it is a lot more fun.I actually look for songs that feature the sliders now.It really adds to the "rocker experience" when you're tapping the slider bar.

In the end, I recommend this guitar just for the simple fact that it feels better playing in your hand.I've had it the 1st day Guitar Hero World Tour came out and I've never had any problems with it.I'm not saying there aren't any problems, just saying for me this instrument has been solid and a joy to use.



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