Ad: Manage updates with the Download App
ie8 fix

shock

Sick of endless game sequels? 2008 might be your year

In a year dominated by game sequels, movie tie-ins and brand extensions, original video game ideas (referred to as original IP, or intellectual property) are hard to come by. Grand Theft Auto IV was on target to be one of 2007's biggest games before its recent delay, but two other franchise entries, Halo 3 and the latest Madden game, will clearly dominate the holiday shopping season. One of the reasons 2K's BioShock, released at the end of August, has generated such positive buzz among gamers is that it represents a rare high-profile stab at an original game.

Fortunately, … Read more

Make sure your PC doesn't get BioShocked

It's no big news that video games are a major, mainstream entertainment force, racking up more than $7 billion in U.S. software and hardware sales last year. Still, it's unusual when pretty much everyone in the industry, as well as the general public, all get behind the same game.

Last year, it was the free-roaming RPG Oblivion. This year, it's the underwater action/adventure BioShock, combining influences from Ayn Rand to Jules Verne. Collecting a spate of rare perfect scores since its release earlier this week, BioShock is a curious commercial hit that's neither a … Read more

E3 2007: BioShock

Easily the most-anticipated game of 2007 that doesn't have either 'Halo' or 'Grand Theft Auto' in the title. Since we first got a glimpse of the eye-catching underwater city of Rapture behind closed doors at last year's E3, the grass-roots buzz (as opposed to marketing-fed hype) for BioShock has been building.

Students of gaming history already know that BioShock's producer, Ken Levine, is best remembered for the System Shock series, which combined first-person shooting with puzzle-solving, adventure and RPG game elements. His company, Insomniac, couldn't nail down the rights to produce another game in the series, … Read more

Hello Kitty is taking over our keys too

Lest you think we've been exaggerating when warning that the evil Hello Kitty is permeating every aspect of our lives, consider this: the "Hello Kitty Static Electricity Key Holder" uncovered by Uber-Review.

Now why, pray tell, does the dreaded feline need to make an appearance on something as innocuous as a key cover that prevents electric shocks? The only explanation can be that its relentless drive toward world domination is beginning to invade our homes. It gets worse: This item is the unholy product of the power axis between the cursed cat and the insane inventors of Brando. … Read more

Another game not meant for pacemakers

We don't consider ourselves squeamish at Crave, and we're open-minded about all lifestyles--even those of the sadomasochistic variety. But we can't help but feel a bit uneasy about what seems to be something of a trend we've noticed lately: games that punish losers with electronic shocks. It's one thing to buzz your opponent in battle-oriented play such as laser-tag tanks, but we're somewhat disturbed by this "feature" popping up increasingly in otherwise tame games.

Take the "Shocking Quiz," for example, a simple game of 600 general-knowledge questions. Since when is … Read more

An electrifying game of endurance--literally

If this becomes a trend, let's hope it doesn't reach the level of extreme gaming. Just after we cited an alarm clock that shocks you awake, we learned of the "Shocking Duel Novelty Game," which is described rather frighteningly as "a pain endurance test to see who can hold on longer."

It gets worse: The electric shock, according to Chip Chick, intensifies every 5 seconds. We hope, for the sake of the poor contestants, that the intensity level tops out at some point. Otherwise, people with pacemakers won't be the only ones who … Read more

Shock clock jolts you awake

The alarm-clock sadists are at it again. Someone somewhere is having a grand time thinking up ways to rudely awaken us, literally, whether it be making clocks that run away or force us to disarm fake bombs.

But this new one crosses the line into a bizarre experiment in cruelty, if you ask us. (Which no one ever does, of course.) The "Shocking Alarm Clock" does just what its name implies: When you hit the button to turn it off, it gives you a "minor electrical shock" just for kicks--and you pay $30 for the privilege … Read more

MacBooks need love too

As we were just noting in our usual cranky way, iPod cases are becoming the Starbucks of consumer electronics--a new one comes out seemingly every day, whether we need it or not (usually the latter). But what about its older and bulkier sibling, the MacBook?

As with many senior family members, the Apple laptop arguably needs more help in the injury-prevention department while the spry iPod goes on its merry way jogging or clubbing. Poor MacBook.

Luckily, RhinoSkin has come to the elder's rescue with a hard case to protect the laptop through the harsh winter months. MobilitySite … Read more