PC & Mac Games: Dec 20, 2009

Spore (Mac)

Create universal wonder in Spore, an exciting new simulation game that lets you develop your own personal universe. Work your way through five evolutionary phases, including Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization and Space, that offer unique challenges, thrills and goals. For example, you can start in Cell and nurture one species from a simple aquatic organism all the way until it becomes a sentient life form. Or you can jump right in and begin building tribes and civilizations on multiple planets. What you do with your universe is totally up to you.

The powerful creation tools of Spore are easy to use, allowing you to effortlessly design every aspect of your universe. Creatures, vehicles, building and even starships are all within your grasp. While Spore is a single-player game, your creations and other players' creations are automatically shared between your galaxy and theirs, offering a nearly limitless number of worlds to visit and enjoy. You can also go online to view the incredible things other players have made and can even pull those items into your universe. Spore gives you the chance to make worlds and beings that evolve, grow and delight you every step of the way.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

PS2/PS3/PC 2.4Ghz T-Wireless 3-in-1 Gamepad

By phoenix "only left handed people are in their... (ohio United States) - reviews

I'm a southpaw player who couldn't play many modern AAA titles due to not being considered when the games were designed-enter this FULLY PROGRAMABLE

controller. You simply press map then the button / stick direction where you want it and vola it's set how you want it.

If there's an issue with the pad at all it's the overall size is smaller

than a regular dual shock which is great for left handed kids but will take

some adjusting for those used to standard sized controllers...not a deal

breaker since without it i can't play ratchet,dead space,assissans creed,metal gear or gta 4.

ANYTHING that requires 2 analog sticks i need southpaw to play and thrustmaster's controller makes this possible and more...so i highly reccomend to any left handed gamer to pick up this pad.

It's easy to adjust to the size but impossible to play with default as a lefty so again this pad fixes that.

Genius MaxFire G-08XU, PC gamepad. 8-Button USB Game Controller for PC..

By John Prothero - reviews

I use this controller for Windows XP which locates and installs the driver right away. There doesn't seem to be much need for calibrating it that I've noticed, but to get the most out of this controller I recommend a free program called "Xpadder" which will allow you to assign keyboard functions to the D-pad and the eight buttons. Xpadder can be downloaded from the Major Geeks web site at majorgeeks.com. If you use the Firefox web browser, you can find a plug in for that web site for your search bar using Mycroft Project. You'll be able to play games which normally use the keyboard much better.

PS PS2 USB Dual Controller to PC Adapter Converter

By D "broadbandfreak" (CO, USA) - reviews

OK, so the packaging does in fact not say it works with Windows Vista. However, I tested it on both Premium x32 and Premium x64 and it works great! The driver is a 2006 driver, so any games created after that time period will not be compatible with the gamepad (at least directly from the game). I was able to find a key-mapping software to help me be able to use the controller and overcome this frustrating issue (vibration feedback is supported as well!!!) Also, I noticed my Logitech wireless PS2 controller does not work with this adapter; however, my wired Sony PS2 controllers work just fine with it. If you plan on buying this for games newer than 2006, start searching for a program that'll allow you to remap your keyboard and mouse to your gamepad.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows

By R. Arrigo (California) - reviews

I've owned the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows device for about a week, and the only thing I am unhappy about is that I waited so long to buy this controller.

Combined with Xpadder, a free program that lets you emulate key presses and mouse movements directly from the controller (google the program), the 360 controller has become a great way to websurf, play games (e.g. Gears of War, Resident Evil 4), and even control media applications such as Cyberlink PowerDVD. If you don't want to bother programming the Xpadder software yourself, you can download predefined profiles for each of your programs and modify them as you see fit. The range of the controller is sufficient for me, but I have a pretty small apartment :-) I do not know how long the batteries will last and I am considering getting some kind of rechargeable setup. I've run this controller on both Windows XP and Windows Vista without any bugs or other problems.

Overall, I rate this product a 4.5/5.0 stars. The only modification I would make to the controller is to disable it's 'auto-off' feature that shuts down the controller automatically after around 10 - 15 minutes of disuse. When you are reading a web page for a long period of time or watching a movie, having to hit the 'on' button on the center of the pad before you can use the controller again is a minor annoyance. However, for most people who will use this controller primarily for gaming, this is not a problem at all and is instead a battery preserving feature, thus the deduction of only 0.5 stars.

I highly recommend this product.