XSReviews - our articles

Gaming - Writing about Family Gaming

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:09:18 GMT

The latest member of XSR's literary team addresses "Writing about Family Gaming" and the reason he took it up in the first place. Watch this space for his fortnightly articles on the subject.

Gaming - Incredible Hulk: My issues

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:48:27 GMT

The Incredible Hulk movie released just over a week ago, was head and shoulders above the rather odd 2003 film of the same name. However, while the game on the Xbox and PS3 didn't receive the greatest scores, they did at least have something the PC version didn't, next gen graphics. The PC version's visuals, are simply shocking, so much so, that I complained on the Sega forums. Turns out I complained in such a lengthy manner I wrote over 1200 words on the topic; and I thought they would make an interesting basis for a short write up on the game.

Industry - Channel Expo: Day 2

Mon, 26 May 2008 16:54:44 GMT

Since I spent most of the 2nd day's morning snapping pictures of the "Ladies of Channel Expo" I figured it was about time I got back to meeting exhibitors. I had a packed day ahead of me, from 3D monitors to new gaming mice, to overly tall company reps. So, here's XSR's 2nd day at Channel Expo 08.

Industry - Ladies of Channel Expo

Fri, 23 May 2008 19:49:05 GMT

In the second of my Channel Expo articles, I decided to address something that most of us love very much; the ladies. Even today, the computing industry is still mainly dominated by men, so it's always nice to see female stand attendants, and even the eye candy models that some companies hire for such events. So, here we have, XSR's "Ladies, of Channel Expo."

Industry - Channel Expo: Day 1

Fri, 23 May 2008 17:01:11 GMT

While the UK might not have anything like CeBIT or Computex in terms of scale, we do have one reasonable show to call our own, Channel Expo. Retailers and manufacturers from around the country, and some from Europe, gather in one place to show off their latest wares and in their eyes, hopefully leave with some more exposure and some extra pennies. Needless to say, XSR made an appearance and we met some great people and checked out some cool products.

Gaming - GTA IV: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Mon, 12 May 2008 20:18:43 GMT

As good as GTA IV is, in some areas, this reviewer has found it quite a let down in many others, so much so that I may not even finish the game; I haven't decided if I can soldier through or not. While some of the issues I raise might be just personal gripes of my own, many others have complained about the very same issues I'm commenting on. This isn't just an angry reviewer, taking a pot shot, these are legitimate problems.

Guides - Ways to silence your PC

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:50:32 GMT

One of the holy grails of any PC enthusiast is to have a completely silent rig, or at least, quiet enough so that it doesn't disturb the game we're playing or the movie we're watching. This article is a collection of helpful information that should help those who don't want their conversation drowned out by rumbling hard disks or whirring fans.

Gaming - 5 game concepts that should be revisited

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:23:09 GMT

The games industry - especially large studios - is often accused of "playing it safe" and sticking to tried and true concepts, leaving independent studios to try out new ideas and new ways of playing. With so many RTS and FPS clones being pumped out every year alongside yet another expansion for the Sims, many are clamouring for something new and fresh. What the studios don't realize, is that they don't need to make something new. There are already plenty of novel game concepts that just need an update, or a bit more developement. With that in mind, here's our top 5 novel game concepts that should be revisited.

Gaming - Game theme face-off: No. of enemies

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:58:52 GMT

In this, the first Game Theme Face-off, we're looking at the numbers of enemies in first person shooters. Is it better to have lots of weak enemies, or several tougher ones? How does this effect the game play and level design? Let's take a look.

Gaming - 5 PC games that deserve sequels

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 21:11:35 GMT

Age of Empires 2, Call of Duty 2, Red Alert 2, Half Life 2, the list of great video game sequels for the PC is almost endless. Why then, are so many franchises left to die at the side of the road, despite the first game having an original concept or a great fan base? Unfortunately, in most cases it probably boils down to money, but there are many reasons that games just don't get made. Still, in an effort to see our dreams come to life, XSR has come up with our top 5 PC games we'd love to see sequels to.