santa

A no-brainer for being one of 2010's most anticipated games of the year, God of War III looks to end the trilogy with an explosive tale of vengeance as Kratos launches a final assault on Mount Olympus.

With enough action, violence, and special effects to make James Cameron do a double-take, does God of War III bring the franchise to the next level or is it merely button-mashing eye candy?

Jeff: PlayStation 3 owners have a new game they can brag about. God of War III is by far one of the most dazzling, technically superior titles to hit game consoles since Uncharted 2. Fans of the series need not worry, as God of War III delivers on multiple levels.

While it may not innovate in terms of actual gameplay, God of War III does things in-game that we have not seen before. Blurring the line between cutscenes and gameplay, we're thrown into a brutal world of Greek mythology that's filled with enemies the size of skyscrapers and vast lands rendered to the finest detail. The sense of immensity and chaos comes across so well in certain scenes that we found ourselves replaying sections of the game just to feel the rush a second time around.

As evident in our discussion with the game's lead designer, Todd Papy, the Santa Monica Studio team has pushed the PlayStation 3 arguably further than any game before it, casting plenty of doubt that the 35GB powerhouse could survive on any another platform. … Read more

This week on preGAME, hosts Jeff Bakalar and Mark Licea take a sneak peek at God of War III! Join us as we play it live on the show and talk to the game's lead designer, Todd Papy. We chat with Todd about wrapping up Kratos' epic saga, some of the new elements found in the game, and pushing the PlayStation 3 to its limits.

But before the demo, we kick off with some headlines that include a breaking announcement about a new game in the Rock Band franchise. That's right; Rock Band 3 will be hitting consoles … Read more

Rudolph's Kick n Fly is the iPhone and iPod Touch adaptation--and expansion--of another 2D Flash game from developer Donut Games, a classic catapult game in which you launch a wee Santa into the air to see how many Christmas decorations (candy canes, gingerbread men, snowflakes, etc.) he can grab.

The interface (and gameplay) of this app is pretty limited: you touch and drag to determine Santa's trajectory (timing your release with a fluctuating power meter), and then once your elf is airborne you can tap the screen to get two separate, flatulent "bursts" for more altitude. … Read more

I just saw this amusing holiday tradition mentioned over at AppleInsider. Apparently the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has for the past 50 years taken calls from children who are eager to find where Santa is. It was started by directory Harry Shoup, and made its way to Google Maps starting in 2007.… Read more

It's less than 12 hours before I will be leaving on a jet plane for a holiday in Ohio with my family, so I'm gonna keep this short: I figured for the Xmas Eve edition of this video blog, I'd present something fun and festive, and I thought this little video from 2000 would suit the bill. Basically what we got here is a 12 Hours of Sebring race car float was morphed into a bright and cute "Santa's Sleigh" for a Xmas parade in Sarasota, Florida. The beginning of the vid shows some … Read more

I once sent a letter to Santa Claus. He never replied. The bruises, like an ill-timed tattoo commemorating a one-night stand, have never really gone away.

However, AT&T offered me a little hope. The company has a service that allows you to text Santa with all of your wishes. All you have to do is text "SANTA" to 1224 if you are an AT&T subscriber.

"Bah, humbug," my innards whispered. "Santa doesn't care about you. He won't write back."

However, some strange hope inside me stirred and I … Read more

This is not your "War Games" fan's NORAD.

If the picture in your head of the North American Aerospace Defense Command's operations center is straight out of that 1983 Matthew Broderick movie, you may need to replace it.

That real-life command center, where personnel from the militaries of the United States and Canada keep a watchful eye out for threats from the sky, is no longer buried deep under Cheyenne Mountain. It is, however, still in Colorado Springs, Colo. Today, it is housed at Peterson Air Force Base, and it is a joint venture with the … Read more

The North American Aerospace Defense Command isn't messing around this year.

Each year since 1955, the military agency--a joint U.S. and Canada operation--has been providing data on Santa Claus' annual trek around the world for kids (and non-kids, I guess) who really, really, really want to know when those coveted electric hamsters or whatever the big material sensation of the year will be getting shoved under their Christmas trees.

For 2009, the NORAD Santa Web site will also have offshoots on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google Earth, and Flickr. A partnership with navigation company OnStar also means that subscribers … Read more