reviews

Wake up, gamers, Darksiders II has saved your summer

I know I've used this tired cliche a few too many times, but the summer really does suck if you're a gamer. It used to be that the summer was reserved for indie titles on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network to rise to the top in, but in 2012 it's seemed that's not necessarily the case.

With just about a month to go before the industry begins to pick up again, Vigil Games' Darksiders II may just be the piece of software that saves your gaming summer. The follow-up to 2010's sleeper hit, Darksiders II delivers a lot of what I'd expect to see in a proper sequel.… Read more

This week in Crave: The Mars-struck edition

Too busy professing your love to "NASA Mohawk Guy" this week to keep up with Crave? Look this way, starry-eyed Mars watchers, and catch up on what you missed.

- Mohawk man wasn't the only part of the Curiosity story that had us curious. Do you think the rover will find signs of life? And why on earth (and the Red Planet) does the rover have measly 2MP cameras?

- As Lego turns 80, it seems no major modern news event can escape being Lego-ized.

- Evolta stackable battery lets you build a tower of gadget power.

- Got home-networking questions? We got home-networking answers. … Read more

Apple calls Samsung a copycat in court

Apple is using Samsung's own words against it in their high-stakes patent-infringement trial.

Apple pointed to an internal Samsung document highlighting the weaknesses of the Galaxy S1 compared with the iPhone as further evidence that Samsung has copied its work. The document, a "relative evaluation report" on the Galaxy S1 and iPhone published in March 2010 and unearthed by Apple, highlights where Samsung's flagship phone fell short of the iPhone.

Apple will draw on this document as proof that Samsung actively compared its products against the iPhone, and made strides to better mimic the blockbuster device. … Read more

There's a DJ in my Vita and its name is Sound Shapes

Since its relatively impressive launch last February, there's been a disconcerting lack of quality software titles available for Sony's powerful portable. Sure, there's a few notable games on the horizon including LittleBigPlanet, Call of Duty, and Assassin's Creed, but it's the downloadable efforts that really hold the true potential of the system.

Sound Shapes first debuted at E3 2011, where it headlined Sony's debut of the Vita. Since then it has slipped under the radar, quietly being developed by Queasy Games and Santa Monica Studio.

Now with the game ready to go, we're wondering if Sound Shapes is the shot in the arm that the Vita needs or if it's a disappointing casualty of its own hype machine.… Read more

This week in Crave: The shipping-now edition

Too busy decorating your new disaster-zone shipping container to keep up with Crave this week? Have a seat on your Cat Tunnel Sofa and take a moment to catch up on what you missed.

- Google Nexus 7 teardown reveals more hits than misses.

- Stop-motion Batman video stars action figures as actors. Eerie.

- Even eerier? A 3D-printed replica of your fetus.

- Ever start a sentence by saying "hashtag"? Stop that right now, says Eric Mack.

- Our gold-medal comic Low Latency goes to the Olympics. … Read more

Another tough week for Facebook

It's been another brutal and busy week for Facebook, which saw its stock dip below $20 a share for the first time since its May IPO. And the bleeding just won't stop.

Facebook closed on Thursday just above $20 a share -- almost half the debut price. This despite Facebook's latest wave of selling, which began when Zynga spooked investors with its lousy earnings report last Wednesday and continued with Facebook's own unspectacular earnings. And word that some big boys have dumped the stock hasn't helped. The Wall Street Journal reported that Fidelity, one of … Read more

Tablets with the best screens

The importance of a tablet's screen quality cannot be understated. The vast majority of your interactions with a given tablet takes place on its screen.

This year we've continued to see tablet screen quality jump by leaps and bounds, especially from the perspective of clarity. Expect tablet screens to at least maintain the current level of quality for the next year.… Read more

The 404 1,098: Where our punishment must be more severe (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Bane voice: What does the 'Dark Knight Rises' villain sound like?

- First 3D printed gun signals the end of gun control.

- Pornography in public takes the next seat.

- Apple reportedly to unveil iPhone 5, iPad Mini on September 12.… Read more

Bravo! Thespians deliver dramatic Yelp readings

Film adaptations often don't live up to their source material. A new YouTube collection titled "Real Actors Read Yelp Reviews" actually enhances it.

You may recognize professional actor Chris Kipiniak from his appearances as Evan Goode on "The Good Wife," Clerk #2 in "Headcrusher," or Cop in "The Poker Club." Now, he's also the guy who gave a dramatic interpretation of a one-star Yelp review of Stratford Diner.

Kipiniak's powerful reading, set to a dramatic score, really communicates the reviewer's angst directed at the restaurant's manager. It elevates a simple Yelp review to a higher level of heart-rending existential conflict full of emotion, confusion, and crab cakes. … Read more