Another game release, another controversial ending. Following in EA's footsteps with Mass Effect 3, Square Enix has now pulled many of the same punches with the latest entry in the long-running Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XIII-2. And as with my Mass Effect 3 review , this ending warrants a separate review of its own. If you want my opinion on the game itself, then here it is: Final Fantasy XIII-2 is possibly the best game in the series since 2002’s Final Fantasy X. I’m not sure if I would give it a perfect score as Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu did , but it would certainly come very close. And in terms of Final Fantasy sequels, this being one of only two thus far, XIII-2 far outdoes X-2, no doubt about it. That said, we are here to discuss the game’s surprising ending, which has deservedly drawn a lot of attention from gamers and critics alike. But is it as much of a blunder as that of Mass Effect 3? (Spoilers to follow! You have been warned.) What makes a good sequel? E...

What you are looking at is nothing more than an ordinary USB drive that has been removed from its plastic shell, covered with electrical tape for waterproofing, and then mounted into a wall with cement. At least, it appears to be nothing more than this on the surface. The full story behind what this little memory stick is doing in a wall and why you should be interested in others like it is bound to get the treasure-hunter and/or secret agent in you very, very excited. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Dead Drops. Say what? Though you may not be familiar with the term, dead drops have actually been around for an indefinite period of time. In the past they’ve always been tools for espionage; rather than exchange information in person (i.e. a live drop) and risk having both the information and the identities of those carrying it compromised, spies would arrange a ‘dead’ drop where the information would be stored in a certain location known only to the deliverer and the recipient, and us...

Recently I had the opportunity to try out the latest model in a popular Android tablet series, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 (7-inch). At just $250 for the WiFi version of the device, it is a bargain in comparison to the accepted industry standard, Apple’s iPad, and even several competing Android tablets. But can such a comparably affordable tablet live up to the demands of customers expecting a $500-700 tablet experience? (Note that this review was based off of the 8GB, WiFi-only model of the Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch Tablet) The Hardware Though the Galaxy Tab 2 may not come packing the very latest in Android hardware, it is certainly no pushover. The modestly-priced tablet proudly sports a 1.0GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM, 8-32GB built-in storage (buyer’s choice), and a MicroSD card slot with support for an additional 32GB of space per SD card, along with standard-fare technologies such as WiFi (b/g/n), Bluetooth (v3), and an Accelerometer. Rear and front cameras on the tablet clock in at 3MP a...

In my last post , I gave what I referred to as a ‘technical overview’ sort of review of BioWare and EA’s latest epic: Mass Effect 3. However, as most anyone familiar with the game is well aware, there has been much controversy over the game’s ending. Therefore I found it necessary not merely to review the game as a whole, but to specifically spend some time talking about the game’s ending in particular. Unlike so many others out there, I don’t intend to rant about BioWare’s alleged laziness and ignorance or how EA is the worst company in America (no joke!) but rather to give ME3’s conclusion a fair evaluation and present both arguments for it, and yes, against it. To start things off, I will warn you that this post most definitely contains spoilers, and rather major ones at that. If you haven’t completed the game yet, I would recommend you do so prior to reading this post. However, if reading of the controversy and seeing that it’s not as bad as all that may help convince you to buy t...

So I know good and well that chances are high you’ve already read a dozen Mass Effect 3 reviews if you’re going to read any Mass Effect 3 reviews by now, but I really felt I had to give this one the time to experience it as fully as possible before making or sharing any opinions on it. Although I knew going in this was a controversial entry to the series for long-time fans, I refrained as much as possible from reading about what the issues were so I could have as objective an experience as possible, both for my own sake as a participant in this epic storyline, and for your sakes as you read my opinions, which I am inclined to believe aren’t exactly on line with most others out there. Take that for what you will, and read on if you are so inclined! First off, let me explain how this review works: under normal circumstances I’d think one post was sufficient to review a game, but with so many rants out there about Mass Effect 3’s ending, I figured it deserved a post all of its own. I’ll d...