Electronics Gadget Reviews

Rayman Raving Rabbids

Rayman Raving Rabbids is the edgiest and most off-the-wall gaming experience in the history of the Rayman franchise. This new Rayman game features the funniest, zaniest, wackiest antics ever when hordes of nasty bunnies invade Rayman’s world. They enslave him, forcing Rayman to participate in a series of gladiator-like trials. In order to win his freedom, Rayman must entertain and outwit these crazed, out-of-control bunnies.

Beat the bad bunnies and become a superstar!

Unlock mini-games to play with friends. View larger.

Innumerable uses for the Wii Remote allow for creative game modes. View larger.

How many Raving Rabbids can you take out in 30 seconds? View larger.

Multiplayer games are as fast as they are hilarious. View larger.

Welcome to a new generation of Rayman
You’d be hard-pressed to find a game with as much character as Rayman Raving Rabbids. From the creative minigames to the quirks of the bunnies, this game packs an immense amount of entertainment on one disc. It’s rare in games that failing during a competition can bring you as much joy as actually succeeding, but Rayman Raving Rabbids does an admirable job of rewarding your failure with a large dose of comic screams, flying plungers and crossed eyes.

Of course, the point is to succeed and not let the bunnies laugh at your failure. Rayman Raving Rabbids may have a lot of style but it has very little plot. Each level consists of four minigame challenges and one “boss battle,” so to speak. If you complete at least three of the minigames, the main gate opens, allowing you to take on a greater challenge. Once you play a minigame in the Story Mode, you unlock that minigame and can play it at any time and against friends.

Exercise your Wii Remote
Hand it to Ubisoft’s development crew as they really took advantage of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers’ capabilities. Some minigames are as simple as twirling the Wii Remote like a lasso and pushing a button to launch a cow as if you were in a hammer throw competition. Some minigames really test your coordinating, asking you to swing the Nunchuk like a jump rope and flicking the Wii Remote up to make Rayman jump.

Each level has one consistant challege, however: a rhythm game. As a song plays, the bunnies approach a spot on either stage left or right. When they hit that spot, you’ll shake the Nunchuk (if the bunny is on the left) or the Wii Remote when the rabbid hits the mark.

When you take on the boss stages, you’ll find yourself, more often than not, playing a rail shooter. The Wii Remote becomes your light gun, firing plungers at the horde of oncoming rodents. When your plunger supply runs out, shake the Nunchuk to reload. In recent years, the rail shooter (where you don’t control the movement) has been forsaken for the first-person shooter and free movement. The Rayman boss experience will make rail shooter fans rejoice. If other shooters can perform as well as the plunger-fueled firing action of Rayman Raving Rabbids, the genre will come back with a vengeance.

Impressive replay value
There’s extra incentive to play the many minigames of Rayman Raving Rabbids. When you complete a game in Challenge Mode, the game gives you a code that you can enter at the Rayman Web site which basically gives you access to special features on the site.

The minigames of Rayman Raving Rabbids skew toward a younger audience, and at first, an above-average gamer should find the games to be pretty easy. However, once the minigames are unlocked, a big challenge awaits you to get the highest scores and blast your friends in multiplayer challenges. That’s when the real party begins! Rayman delivers exactly what the Wii promises: fun and lots of it. Here’s hoping the bunnies come back for multiple invasions!

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars I’ll get you, you rascally rabbid!
This game is a crowd pleaser. It’s so much fun playing this with a group of people or by yourself. You get to be mean to rabbits and do crazy things like milk a cow or race on a bull-hog looking thing. The games seem endless and the fun is non-stop when you’re shooting crazy rabbits with plungers…

5 Stars Great Game, Great price
Got this game for an Easter gift. I heard that this is the best Rayman game.

I even got it for a better price. You can’t help, but laugh. Our friends come over, and want to play this all the time. It is a good party game.

5 Stars Love it!!
We love to play this game as a family. There are some parts that I am good at other my husband and others that only my kids can pass. Favorite game so far.

5 Stars bought it as a gift
Bought it as a gift, the kids enjoyed the game and find it very fun. Great party game for kids of all ages.

4 Stars I like the TV party better
I like the TV party better, but I got this one AFTER that game. This one is the beginning and has the variety and fun. I haven’t been able to “save” if I don’t get through an entire round of challenges so I need to figure that out. I’m partial to being a Rabbid character rather than Rayman (that is the character you are in this game) but overall, for the price, it’s a great deal!

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Wii Perfect Shot Gun

Traditional one handed pistol-like grip / Aiming sight increases accuracy / Wii Remote easily slides into grip and locks into place

User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Fun
These are fun put you have to look at the target on the screen instead of looking down the sites of the gun.

5 Stars Excellent!
For many years I’ve kept my Sega Dreamcast around for one reason: the awesome light guns and House of the Dead 2. Now I’m afraid that my DC is going to be gather dust on the shelf. The Wii Perfect Shot Gun has proven to be a great addition to my arsenal of controllers. The Wiimote snaps in tight, and the Nunchuk plugs firmly into the pistol grip. Unlike the Wii Zapper, this controller can be used one-handed. Since it used the Wiimote, it is compatible with all of your shooting games: Resident Evil, House of the Dead 2 and 3 Return, and House of the Dead: Overkill just to name a few. Highly recommended.

5 Stars great family fun
I really like these they keep our hands from getting sore when playing chicken shoot!

5 Stars Makes you wanting more Shooter games ! (n__n)
I purchased this gun to go with my Ghost Squad game and it totally enhances your game play. The gun is a pretty good size that you can still keep your aim steady by placing on hand on the barrel while the other works the trigger. I am looking forward to getting me some more Shooter games cuz this gun enhances them and I paid $10 bucks for mine. So price is very affordable. I’d recommend it for sure !!

4 Stars worth every penny
Great product, very easy to handle and perfect for light rail shooters. I wasn’t a wii shooters fan until I picked up this device and house of the dead. Much better than the wii zapper.

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Brain Age 2 More Training in Minutes a Day

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Some changes from the first BrainAge
There are new puzzle challenges and some set up changes from the first BrainAge game. I think both of these games are well-made and well thought out.

5 Stars Great game
I purchased this when I ordered the new DSi. I have Brain Academy for Wii and was looking for something different. I’m still opening new training games but overall a very good game. I like Suduko which this has too.

The only negative is that you can only take the brain age check once a day.

5 Stars Love it!
I really get into this one. The more you play the more extras it opens up. Very stimulating. My 11 year old likes to play this before going to school, she says it makes her feel more alert and awake at school. I feel the same.

3 Stars Wish it was more fun.
First off and most importantly, I don’t think you should bother buying this game.

Just rent it and see if you like it like I did first. It’s OK but it gets boring kinda fast.

There are various games to play but only some of them are fun. I have yet to unlock all of the games but I must say that the “Piano Player” mini game is by far the worst. It doesn’t feel intuitive and I was actually looking forward to it.

“Rock Paper Scissors” is fun though once you get the hang of it. But it drags out too long.

One of my favorites is “Memory Sprint” which basically has you following one of the men as he is in a race. Many men will pass him and you have to see what place he finishes in. He will be passed first and then he will gain speed and fall back again over and over until he hits the finish line. I could play that game for a while.

But really, don’t waste your [...] bucks on this.

3.2 stars.

1 Star Hard
Ummm Why am I hurting myself trying to play a game. For me this was very complicated. I don’t want to think when I don’t have to! Not what I thought it would be.

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Sony BDVIS1000 5 1Ch Blu ray Disc DVD Home Theater System

Fusing full 1080p high definition with Blu-ray Disc performance and S-AIR wireless technology, the BDV-IS1000 is ultimate choice in home theater systems. In addition to a great picture and BD-Live capability, this home theater system delivers amazing sound from one subwoofer and five golf ball-sized speakers. With Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD sound formats and dual HDMI inputs, you will experience astounding HD video and audio performance. Clear the clutter and enjoy wireless rear surround sound as well as music in multi-rooms. You can also expand your listening options via the digital media port input and enjoy music stored on select Walkman and iPod MP3 players, PCs and Bluetooth devices. This home theater system is equipped with automatic calibration for fast and easy room set-up.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars S-Air works— Tinfoil- Sounds good, small footprint-
I bought one elsewhere and it works great for the price and the included Blu-ray player. Not Top of line but over all a good box for normal people with modern inputs.

For those who are having S-Air problem. (It is not Broken, its your enviornment)

1. HDMI cable causes interference, route away from S-air card and Wrap in tinfoil.

2. Turn off Wireless, WII, Home,etc due to interference.

3. Sync S-Air plugged in next to reciever. You can unplug the S-Air Rear Receiver after it is synced up when i moved it to the back of the room, plug it in and it still should keep its Wl-Partner.

One i got the S-air to link it has been stable for over a month.

1 Star Buyer Beware
I have been buying Sony products for 40 years and this is my first disappointment, although it may turn out OK. I bought this system because the DVD player seemed to rate very highly (one glitch with Warner Brothers DVDs noted in another review but that is all), when compared to other models and brands, including less expensive ones from Sony, and the extra cost for the speakers seemed to make sense. Most of the setup was easy, but at the end I had the same paring problem for the rear speakers that lots of people have noted. The quality of the sound on the front four speakers seems to be quite good. On my second call to Sony, which lasted about 45 minutes, they finally agreed to send me the part after trying to get me to try the paring routine again, which I was not willing to do. The arrival of this part should take care of things. I am not willing to keep the set without that part no matter what, because the problem seems to recur without the signal booster. I don’t have it yet. We’ll see.

Post script: I got the extra part (signal booster) after way too much follow up time, and it worked like a charm. On another front, in the manual it says you can upgrade to 7.1 system by buying an extra receiver and two remote speakers. I tried to do that by calling Sony parts (I had the part numbers) and customer service and tech support, and no one had any idea what I was trying to do and there was no way to get it done. So, there is a lack of coordination at Sony between what their manuals say and what is communicated to their people. I would rate this product a 5 if they included parts to make it work right and had their act together on responding to what the manual says, but they now get a 3. Also, the price is really coming down – I paid close to $700. If you can get past the one or two glitches it is worth it. For a company like Sony, though, this shouldn’t happen.

5 Stars All in One Theater without wires
Works great – once you set it up – out of the box settings will do the trick. Very full sound for such tiny speakers, with just a touch of directionality from the mid-range in the subwoofer. Most important, use high quality HDMI cable (Version 1.3b Cat 2), if not, the interference will prevent the wireless from acquiring – also helps to wrap the HDMI and calibration mike connector in tinfoil.

The Bravia Sync is a little finicky – you’ll need to play around a bit to get the Sony TV and BDV to react to the remotes the way you want.

Won’t process 5.1 broadcast sound, though I’m putting free cable to the TV and optical from the TV to the BDV. Cable/Sat box might be able to pass full 5.1 sound to the BDV.

Great Overall Value – highly recommended.

4 Stars VERY GOOD SYSTEM!
Before buying this system, I had read all the reviews and still had decided to go for it. I have liked Sony for some time now, and think they put out great products. When I got all the components out of the box it looked quite intimidating to put the system together. The main unit is gigantic – don’t be fooled – it really is the biggest thing I have ever seen. On the other hand it is also the most beautiful piece of equipment I now own. After about 45 minutes of hooking everything up, it was finally time to sync up the wireless rear unit to the main unit. I was getting very nervous as everybody said how much trouble they had with it. First try – nothing. Second try – nothing. I turned off all the wireless devices that I had around and had the units next to each other — still nothing. I restarted the whole thing — still nothing. Beautiful sound from the three front speakers but nothing in the back. I called Sony to tell them that I was clueless as to what to do next and they just reiterated everything I had already done. No help! I hung up. I had bought a cheap HDMI cable from Amazon and thought maybe that was it. I finally switched that cable with the one Microsoft supplies with the Xbox Elite and voila —- works fine. The wireless rear speakers synched in 10 seconds and have never since lost connection. So people — it really is the HDMI cable. You have to have a decent quality shielded cable when using this system.

I’ve had this system for about a month now and I love it. Everything sounds amazing. Blu-Ray works great. 5.1 surround sound is really cool. Get this system. You won’t be sorry!!!

5 Stars Happy with Sony BDVIS1000
Bought the Sony BDVIS1000 for a good price on Amazon. Ordered it along with a new Samsung LCD TV. Everything arrived on-time, undamaged and all works well together in house family room.

Thanks a bunch,

Mehrdad

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Nintendo DSi Matte Black

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars This looks awsome
i am only 12 but i have been reasearching this and guess what it looks like it is worth the money. My mom thinks this is a great devise and she doesnt like video games that much i hope you get it because i know i will

5 Stars A Nice Upgrade, Better Than the PSP
We really like the camera–takes photos as good as our digital camera. Sound, WiFi/Internet, and shop features great, too. No Gameboy slot, though there are rumors the games will be available for purchase later. ***All DS systems are great for kids and adults alike because of the number of clean games available. ***Beware of accidentally purchasing counterfeit games on EBay, etc. because they do not work on the new DSi. All legitimate, undamaged games for previous DS systems ought to work on the DSi except for a very few. Overall a very good system if you can part with the Gameboy slot and better than the Playstation Portable.

4 Stars Awesome Downloadable Content… Soon?
I’ve been tracking how the Nintendo DSi was playing out in Japan and I couldn’t wait to see the system here in the United States. I was particularly interested not in the cameras or the improved sound, but of DSiWare. The thought of Moving Notepad, an equivalent of Dokodemo Wii no Ma (doubtful, but I can dream — it’s a Wii-to-DSi Video Streamer that can also hold barcode-scannable product coupons), other titles, and the possibilities for the system intrigued me, much like the possibilities of the Wii and the original DS intrigued me. Plus, my poor music player broke so I needed another one.

Hardware-wise, save for the added cameras, the new volume control and power button, the rearranged status lights, the added SD card slot, and the lack of a Game Boy Advance slot, it’s essentially a DS Lite. It is marginally thinner and lighter than the Lite, but the Lite has never had problems fitting in places one wanted it to fit anyways. The sound of the built-in speakers are much better than the Lite’s, but I would still recommend a quality pair of headphones for people planning to utilise DSi Music (like I do). The cameras, they won’t win any awards in picture quality, nor should you be taking them for high resolution images, but they’re good enough for the casual picture now and then when socialising with friends.

The firmware has been redesigned and resembles channels found on the Wii (sort of). Channels can be arranged as a user sees fit. The camera and picture manipulation features are fun, but are pretty much just toys (I never really use the edit feature, but I take loads of quick pictures). The music player does what it should, though it only plays unprotected MPEG-4 audio files (M4A, AAC, 3GP, and the ilk.). The music effects are just as fun as the camera edit features, but, again, are toys. The toys aren’t bad, but I found that I never really use them in day-to-day activities. PictoChat and Download Play have gotten a few very minor tweaks, but nothing really major to scream about.

The main feature worth reviewing, however, is the Nintendo Store for the DSi. Long story short, people can purchase points at 100 points per USD, and use these points to download software titles. The titles are grouped into four tiers: Free, 200, 500, and 800+. The process of adding points is incredibly painless (either buy a 2000 point card or purchase directly from the store using a credit card), and the process of purchasing a title is equally painless. Very Nintendo of Nintendo to make this process easy.

My only disappointment about the system came when I browsed through the DSiWare titles and realised the initial offerings were mostly uninteresting at best, and frustrating at worse. WarioWare: Snapped was fun, but only when the ideal conditions (which were hard to achieve) were met for the camera to recognise people. The Art Style offering was too much style over substance, and the Master of Illusion: Express title isn’t worth the money. Brain Age Express, however, is worthwhile even if one already has one of the titles, and Birds and Beans is an insanely fun game title which reminded me when I used to compete for high scores with friends. The Opera Browser in the DSi, possibly one of the titles that I was looking at when observing the Japanese DSi, has finally become usable.

A few months after I got the system, more game titles and applications were available in the Shop, but very few have managed to impress me yet, as if Nintendo is being careful, or trying to see what people want to purchase for their handheld. There are some fun gems in there (Mixed Messages, Dr. Mario, and Real Soccer 2009 are three of these), but downloads still fail to impress.

That said, I do find myself carrying my DSi around everywhere. I use the Calendar feature to write schedules and make memos, use the cameras to take pictures of interesting things that happen in day-to-day life, use the music player to listen to music, and use the browser when I need to quickly check GMail or find some information on Wikipedia. In short, I use it because it’s useful.

I don’t recommend the DSi for people who cannot find ways to make a device useful for one’s self, nor can I recommend the DSi for people looking for a hardcore portable gaming and downloading experience (yet, especially if the DSiWare titles continue to be unimpressive, and if a DSi-Exclusive title isn’t made soon). Like much of Nintendo’s game offerings in their G-Touch Generations, the DSi is only fun and useful if and only if one makes useful the DSi’s features. The best recommendation I have, if you’re considering a DSi, is to find someone that has it and to play around with it. If you already have a DSi, just wait. Good things will (hopefully) come.

5 Stars what are you waiting for?
this is one of the neatest things to come out of japan. i got mine as soon as they became available. you have to own one and “play” with it to appreciate how sophisticated and fun it is. its lighter,brighter and, it seems to me,more colorful. is the sound better? oh,yeah. p.s. the downlode “wario snapped” is a great party game. thank you, nintendo!

5 Stars Rocks!!!
Well this thing awesome duh anyhoo it better cleaner with a matte finish.

the cameras rock even if the pics are a computer it is strong droped it 4 times on title it rocks now buy one u will be happy and u rock and jealus peaple

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