monster

New book highlights Pixar's fantastic art

If you're a fan of Pixar's many wonderful movies--and who isn't?--you've no doubt spent years caught up in the studio's terrific storytelling. But you've probably also been glued to your seat again and again by Pixar's terrific artistry.

Now, you can dig deep into the history of that work. With the new book "The Art of Pixar," Amid Amidi takes us inside the creative process behind Pixar's long list of hit films--"Toy Story," "Finding Nemo," "Monster's Inc.," "Ratatouille," "… Read more

The dead rise again!

Zombieville USA 2 is a side-scrolling arcade shooter that expands on the potential of the original Zombieville USA by adding tons of weapons, more unlockable content (including playable characters), and an upgradable skill system that makes for some fun RPG elements.

The gameplay has remained gratifyingly simple: you run from left to right, kill as many zombies as possible in 2.5 minutes (or longer, if you want to push your luck), and smash boxes and other objects for money and ammo. The RPG elements come in as you choose your buildout for each level, picking three weapons and three … Read more

YouTube plays host to Canadian Loch Ness Monster

We here at CNET love a good monster sighting almost as much as we love a good iPhone 5 rumor.

Earlier this year, a 24-year-old kayaker by the name of Tom Pickles used his cell phone cam to snap what he claimed was a picture of "Bownessie," the lesser-known, English cousin of Scotland's headline-hogging Loch Ness Monster.

Now a Canadian man has video that he says could prove the existence of "Ogopogo," another member of (Loch) Nessie's ever-larger extended family of marine mischief makers.… Read more

Mining is your craft

Crafted lets you play a 2D version of the megapopular game Minecraft, using many of the same sounds and graphics--so much so that we're surprised it's still available in the iTunes App Store.

Mojang's Minecraft has achieved a huge following for its open, sandbox style of gameplay, letting you manipulate every block in the world. Once you've gathered the right materials, you can make picks for mining, axes for chopping down trees, torches so you can see at night, and a whole laundry list of other items.

Crafted offers a similar experience, but all in 2D. … Read more

It's Apple iPhone Day

Sprint has signed a $20 billion dollar deal for 30.5 million new iPhones, and Adobe releases Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 with accelerated 3D graphics support, and check out CNET.com's live coverage of Apple's announcement of the next iPhone(s).

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Apple iPhone coverage Spring buying 30.5 million iPhones Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 launch Microsoft cleans up Hotmail inboxes Microsoft axes the Zune Nintendo partners with Dreamworks Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS HD

The 404 910: Where we are baked fresh every day (podcast)

When Steve "The Audiophiliac" Guttenberg tells us he has ideas for the 404 Podcast, we listen. We invited him to sit down with us today to talk about Netflix splitting in half, which "high-end" audio manufacturers are making impossible claims about their products, and the headphones that just earned Steve's award for "Worst-Sounding Audio Ever."

Be sure to keep checking The Audiophiliac blog on CNET for the latest hardware reviews and news, and follow up with Steve on Twitter @Audiophiliacman.

The 404 Digest for Episode 910

A $25,000 'bookshelf' speaker from Magico. The award for 'Worst-sounding audio product' goes to... Steve endorses these $74 5.1-channel home theater satellite speakers. And these $1 HDMI cables from Monoprice, too.

Episode 910 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

4x4 freedom

4x4 Jam is an off-road racer that lets you drive wherever you want--an ongoing and changing landscape continues in every direction. This game is from the early days of the iTunes App Store, and while the gameplay is still pretty fun, it's easy to tell the graphics haven't been updated for the latest iOS devices.

Even so, 4x4 Jam still manages to be fun and worthy of a download if you've never tried it. Steer by tilting your iPhone left and right and you have several options for control sets depending on how much control over gas … Read more

Monster truck racing

Monster Trucks Nitro 2 is the sequel to popular game Monster Trucks Nitro, both with the object of racing through courses littered with obstacles to compete for the best time. In Monster Trucks Nitro 2, you're challenged to work your way up through the ranks by completing early novice courses on up to championship races using different types of vehicles depending on the race. The control system gives you a throttle control across the bottom of the screen (which you'll rarely change from full power) and the accelerometer to control flips while in the air. Though MTN2 is … Read more

Monster trucks and off-road racing for iOS

A new monster truck game came out this week and it got me thinking about off-road games on the iOS. I remember playing and writing about a few early on, like 2XL ATV Offroad and then later Reckless Racing (both are definitely worth checking out), but hadn't really seen that many off-road games recently.

In my search to complete this collection I found that good monster truck games are underrepresented in the iTunes App Store, but still managed to find a couple of old favorites that are worth checking out.

This week's collection of iOS apps is all about 4x4s. The first is an oldie but goodie with excellent off-road physics. The second is a side-scroller with huge jumps and four different types of vehicles. The last is a new monster truck game with tons of jumps, stunts, and destruction.… Read more