@FarmboyinJapan: I agree. I played the Japanese Demo. While the surrounding story and presentation are top tier, the gameplay is awful. They should remove it altogether if they want the game to be a visual novel.

So psyched. I was bummed when FROM said they had no plans for a sequel, which of course sounded crazy given the popularity of Demon's Souls (really, when was the last time a Japanese developer won so many GOTY awards?).

The essential app that doesn't exist is a serious document editor. The notes apps featured above are fine for just that, but not so great for long-form writing of any kind (nevermind anything that needs formatting).

@pandafresh: Generally speaking, companies enforce intellectual property infringements to A: Ensure their copyright claims continue to be enforceable (i.e. so that they can sue other companies/people for use of WoW trademarks/tech/assets) and B: Because at some point Blizzard might want to sell gold, or something like…

You made the right choice. I'm not a big fan of the GTA series, but this game flat-out recreated the Wild West. It doesn't fall back on gimmicks, but relies on the slavish labor of artists, programmers, and writers to create the nearest experience to virtual reality currently possible.

@Ash Paulsen: I couldn't finish FF XIII and am a huge fan of the series — it was a horribly misguided game that happened to have an immense budget.

I'm surprised it's not mentioned here, but I'd like to be able to download files — ANY FILE — regardless of whether I have an app that can read it (or an app that allows you to import downloaded files rather than sync through iTunes). Simple example. I wanted to download a free ebook, but iBooks and Kindle won't…

Yes, astrology is most likely 100% bull, but it's also bull to make statements like: "The universe does not care about you," or "[Stars] determine nothing in your life." Those statements are speculative, representing a belief system, not science.

As a gamer, I'll just come right out and say that most of the acceptable behavior online is obnoxious, never mind the trolling. I avoid MMOs, but what experiences I've had with them made me realize what a massive step back they are from tabletop and live action role playing if your'e at all interested in make believe…

Apple needs to understand the percentage of iPad use that occurs whilst on the commode. An iPad laid flat on one's lap is an iPad that cannot orient itself correctly.

Very neat. Any chance Apple creates a lock screen orientation gesture (assuming they won't budge on the physical switch)?

@geolemon: You can't switch apps with a swipe (many apps use the single finger swipe to change pages or whatever). Also, before you needed the home button to minimize an app.

This show was in in San Francisco's Japantown not so long ago (at the New People mall). I recommend it if you're in the area - -he does cools stuff with the sort of glitter paint you use to finish cars. Not at all like most of his illustrations (loose colored pencil/watercolor).

You're not committing the "alarmist," really, as the presence of the machines is alarmist in the first place (they're entirely unnecessary). Also, even the studies that claim they're safe will point out that yes, of course they're outputting a certain amount of harmful radiation, just not enough to do damage. Assuming…

I like the notion of looking at the pleasure generated by an input system as opposed to its efficiency. I'm all for Tai Chi spreadsheets.

The point that really needs to be emphasized in this article is how cumbersome the iPad is when playing any reflex games (platformers, shooters, etc.). Worse are these games upscaled from the iPhone. Why? Because unless you have massive hands, many games are more difficult to play on the iPad than they would be on the…

@lordargent: The touch screen would be nice, but at the same time I kinda like not having to clean the screen off every minute.

Anyone who would consider buying a color LCD reader needs to give the new Kindle a long, hard look (it's now in retail stores). I'm not an Amazon shill — I'm just saying that black and white eink is pretty amazing looking. I have an iPad, but I find myself reading on her Kindle with increasing frequency (which,…

The problem, of course, is that reflex is a distant second in importance to strategy in most ostensibly reflex-based games (FPS, fighters). I don't think the dividing line between great and good players has all that much to do with quickness of execution.

What the fuck is up with Dora's arm. Is she a burn victim?