Life without Modern Tat?

Whats the real meaning behind modern tat?

As I sit here in my cave, I realise even in the most basic of environments today's kids are surrounded by what we'd describe here at MT as Tat. Be it my iPhone, or the Sony CMT stereo I've got it docked into leaving my 
ears pleasantly occupied by Jimmy Eat World, it's all signs of consumer integration into today's lifestyle.

We buy things to make our lives easier. Everyone does; a house for instance, keeps you off the streets, a car to get you around town, or a bus ticket for a fraction of the price. An espresso machine that may save you a couple of minutes and all the effort. The list is endless.

So what am i rambling on about? Asking myself the same question I reach to refill my glass of Jack and contemplate where I'm going with this one.

Success.

I may have these gadgets in front of me, and yes they really DO make my life easier and in some parts bearable. So what would i do without them? I don't honestly know, which gives me a great idea. Beginning at 00:01 on the first of January for a week at a time I will go without a gadget or gizmo I use on a daily basis and document how or IF I manage to cope without.

Now I have many things I use for both business and personal reasons, that weren't always there to people whom did my job or lived the lifestyle I do. But they must have done it some how right? This ranges from the apps I use on my phone to keep myself punctual (as simple as the alarm), to items that offer a failsafe should I be late, Sky+ for example. In fact I use Sky+ all the time for programs throughout the day while i'm either at work or simply watching something else that I deem more entertaining at the time.

And so it shall begin, I think i'll make that my first. The first week of January minus my sky+. Now I know there is a wide variety of shows beginning come the turn of the year so i'll need to find a more primitive means of recording my evenings watch. Wheres the old VCR.

Apple Planning Completely Redesigned iPhone for Fall 2012 Launch?

The latest news over at Macrumors, here....

Touch OSC mixing

Fed up of using your generic, midi powered controllers with your favourite digital mixing software?

In need of a more bespoke set up without forking out what seems like millions for custom made hardware or specialised controllers like the JazzMutant Lemur Modular Control Surface?

If so then we may have a solution for you, providing you have a little know-how of music technology and own smart phone (practically everyone now-a-days right?)....

TouchOSC

On the left we can see a simple mix template.

According to developers Hexler, TouchOSC is a "modular OSC and MIDI control surface for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad" and according to Music Radar "The best iPhone music making apps in the world today". Big claims, but we can definitely agree with them! Check the link to the TouchOSC site above or here and see for yourself what the big deal is.

So back to the topic, using TouchOSC to control mixing software, in particular Native Instruments Traktor. With TouchOSC's free layout editor it is possible to make practically any layout of controllers imaginable. Rotaries, faders, buttons, the lot. Making it possible to easily create a fully fledged touch screen controller with nearly every Traktor parameter mapped. Of course this is fine and dandy on a large screen android tablet or apples iPad, but on smaller smartphones having every possible parameter on one screen can be a bit overpowering, not to mention hard to use!

Here at Modern Tat we have created a basic, simple, streamlined template for use alongside a conventional midi controller like our personal favourite the Native instruments Traktor Kontrol X1.

The template features everything the Traktor X1 is missing. Dedicated EQ controls, filters, x-fader, monitor selection, EQ kills and BPM division. The most used controls have the most screen real estate, allowing easier control in quick situations (been to the toilet and not got a song cue'd and ready?!). Look out for a free download of the template, along with a quick how-to in a future post.

Heres a little mix we made using our Traktor X1 and TouchOSC on iOS.

Our Top Ten Video Games of 2011!!

What did we play and love the most in 2011?


Click on the post to read more...


2011 was one of the busiest years in terms of news, we had a royal wedding, riots up and down the country and the shocking deaths of both heroes and villains of the modern age. In the world of gaming Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 smashed every record in the book, Wii U was unveiled, PSN got hacked, 3DS launched and got a massive price cut a couple of months later and iOS became the biggest gaming platform on the planet (according to Apple).







2011 was also a massive year gaming in terms of sales and the amount of the games that were actually released. It seemed at one point that we were getting A-list titles on a weekley basis. Some were good, some bad and some were just bloody awful.


So here at Modern Tat we've picked our top 10 favourites of the year;


10. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS)

Playing Mw3 is a underwhelming experience to say the least. It looks the same as the last one, it plays the same as the last one and the story is forgettable but a game that sells 6.5 Million copies in 24 hours and grosses $400 Million has to have something going for it right? Well Mw3 has, it has great multiplayer (when it works), the campaign's fun, there's tons of content and the overall sound, polish and gameplay exceed that of the previous installments. Overall this year's Call of Duty is a fun but slighty frustrating gaming experience.


9. Shadows of the Damned (PS3, Xbox 360)

Not many of you will have played or even have heard of Shadows of the Damned, which is a shame because it's an extremely fun and satisfying third person shooter that has more sexual innuendo's than an episode of Are You Being Served? It star's a demon hunter named Garcia who goes home to find his girlfriend Paula has been abducted by the lord of the demons Fleming. So he and his demon sidekick Johnson must travel to the underworld to find and save Paula. Simple Right? Whilst in the underworld there is an array of unforgettable and colourful characters and enemies. Despite getting mainly postive reviews, Shadows of the Damned only sold around 24,000 copies in it's first month. Despite the poor sales Shadows of the Damned is an enjoyable experience that we at Modern tat would recommend to anyone.

8. Rage (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

id Software took many by suprise with Rage, when it blended a first person shooter with a semi open world and extremely enjoyable races in a post-apocalyptic world set in the year 2029. Starting with an incredible opening sequence Rage was the suprise hit of the year. Combat is satisfying to say the least, visuals are stunning, the AI is advanced and smart and it also has a highly addicitve multiplayer. Rage also has numerous side missions which are well worth your time playing including Mutant Bash TV which see's the player just earning money by creatively killing and making your way through various stages off mutants. Despite the lacklustre end boss fight and the poor ending, Rage is an experience that everyone should have a go at.

7. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC, Ps3, Xbox 360, Mac)

Deus Ex recieved crictal acclaim when it was released back in August and rightly so. It stars Adam Jensen who is out for revenge after he is attcked and injured. After the attck he undergoes extensive augmentation which allows the player to add numerous upgrades later on in the game. This first person shooter also showed off something it's developers call 'The pillars of gameplay', these are Combat, Stealth, Hacking and Social. These dictate the way the player takes on each situation they are involved in but never punish the player if they choose a different way. The story in Deus ex is what makes the game. Its main quests and side quests have multiple different layers to explore and several possible outcomes all of which are interesting and smart. The only thing that lets Deus Ex down is the boss fights which all feel out of place with extremely over powered enemies and boring bland set-pieces.

6. Gears of War 3 (Xbox 360)

We all know the Gears of War franchise by now right? Massive men with chainsaw's on there guns do battle with the locust? Well this installment doesn't change that opinion really but to be honest it shouldn't. Gears of war 3 is easily the best shooter of the year because it's so similar to the others. The horde and beast modes are brilliant and extremely fun, the multiplayer is highly addictive and the story is cinematic and quite emotional at some points and really puts an end to the story of Marcus, Dom and the rest of the gang.

5. L.A. Noire (Ps3, Xbox 360, PC)

So did we enjoy playing as a 1940s detective? Hell yes! Although LA Noire didn't reach the emotional heights of Heavy Rain and wasn't as fun as Grand Theft Auto 4 or Red Dead Redemption it didn't mean LA Noire wasn't great. It has an immersive single player starring Aaron Staton (Mad Men) as Cole Phelps a detective in the LAPD. In LA Noire the player must go round solving crimes in Homicide, Arson, Vice and Buglary. There's also a running themes of a serial killer thoughout and also Phelp's miltary history which adds a lot to the overall story. The motionscan used on the actors to capture facial expressions accounted for the best looking faces in a game we've ever seen, although we could never tell if someone was lying or not.

4 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3)

Nathan Drake and his sidekick Victor Sullivan came back in easily the best game of the Uncharted series and the best console exclusive game of the year. This time around around its all about Sir Francis Drake's ring so Drake, Sully and Elena jump, climb and shoot there way through some spectacular set-pieces including the desert (which was amazing), we saw a 14-year old Drake which was cool. Our highlight of the game is the Indiana Jones esque chase through the mountains. Superb.

3. Batman: Arkham City (PS3, PC, Xbox 360)

Batman: Arkham City (the Sequel to 2009's Arkham Ayslum) was highly anticipated this year and righty so, it delievered on every front. Exploring Arkham City was amazing, the side missions were awesome, the new gadgets were great and the new enemies were as cool as the last ones. We also got to play as Catwomen which was nice but also a bit underwhelming as she's no way near as powerful as Batman. The story, the voice acting, the set pieces, everything was great in Arkham City. Holy great game Batman! (Sorry).

2. Portal 2 (PC, Mac, PS3, Xbox 360)

Despite inital concern about the difficulty of turning Portal into a full sequel Valve proved everyone wrong and delivered the fantastic Portal 2. The game's writing, pacing and black humor are outstanding, all of which are helped by fantastic voice acting from Ellen McCain (GLaDOS), Steven Merchant (Wheatley) and J.K. Simmons (Cave Johnson). Yet again the campaign see's the player try to escape from Aperture Science but only walks into room after room of puzzles. Personal highlights in the campaign include the GLaDOS potato and dropping Wheatley but the where the real fun in Portal 2 lies in the coop. Starring two robots P-Body and Atlas the players can not only solve puzzles together the can also have there robots hug, high five and even play rock, paper, scissors. Genius

1. Elder Scrolls V Skyrim (PC, PS3, Xbox 360)

Of course Skyrim's No.1 it had to be didn't it? Bethesda's follow up to 2006's Oblivion is awesome quite frankly (Despite the lag issues on PS3 and the texture scale down on the Xbox when its run from hard drive). It see's us take on Dragons, Trolls, Giants, Mammoths.. the list goes on. The main quest missions are immersive, the side quests are entertaining and the misc objectives are also really fun. When I finished the main quest my play time was 80 hours and that's all down the size and scale of this wonderful title. I personally cannot wait for dlc!

That's it then that was 2011. We cannot wait for 2012 and the games it brings but for now thanks for reading and have a happy new year.

Peace

Road to 100,000 Gamerscore

Come and the read the first instalment of my road to the six figures of gaming glory.

When I first started using the Xbox 360 in late 2007 I had no idea that the novel concept known as the achievement system would completely change and dictate the way I play games and the games I actually buy. Four long years and over 100 games later my current gamerscore is 79819 and I still cannot get rid of the fact that I still am what is known collectively as an achievement whore.

Still a long way to go.

Achievements add numerous positives to a game like replay value and bragging rights over your friends, but they can also have several negatives such as stress when you cannot do what is required and also boredom (seriously who there right mind's gonna go and shoot 300 pigeon's for 10 gamerscore, eh Grand Theft Auto 4?).

Now, I'll admit I have bought my fair share off questionable games solely for the purpose of boosting my gamerscore (King Kong, Eat lead:The Return of Matt Hazard, WWE Legends) and forced myself to finish many underwhelming games to boost my gamerscore (Mini Ninjas, Brink and most recently Spiderman: Edge of Time). I've also spent hours and hours grinding on games just to get a few measly gamerpoints (LA Noire's Magpie achievement I'm looking at you again!) but I can honestly say I don't mind one bit.

At the time of writing my gamerscore is 79819 and I'm hoping to get into the 100,000 club around summer(ish). Between now and then there's many a game I want to play and exploit for gamerpoints including 5 games that are currently sat on my shelf (Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Saints Row: The Third, Sonic Generations, Fallout:New Vegas and Halo:Anniversary) and the numerous other games to be released.


So from now until I reach 100,000 gamerscore I'll be blogging and updating my progress. So keep reading and I'll be there in no time!


Merry Christmas everyone


Peace

Star Wars: The old Republic first gameplay impressions.

Itchy trigger finger.

Ok, the first things to notice about Star Wars: The old Republic are the artistic stylings of the environments and characters. Now having looked around the official forum threads (via http://www.swtor.com/) this seemed to upset ALOT of people who expected a more photo realistically rendered environment, however these people are a minority to those of us who appreciate the lush, not quite cell shaded but casually cartoonish looks.

Every Cutscene adds to the epic storyline.

From the outset the player is also introduced to the reason we waited so long for release, the 100% voice recorded quest conversations. Every single quest in game has its own cut scene with multiple choice answers that ultimately effect your characters reputation be it with NPC's or your companions (more on those in a later instalment). Certain class story quests may offer you Light or Dark side answers, or simply an aggressive reaction to the Jedi councils decision to send your character on a suicide run to Korriban. The fruit of all this effort is ultimately total immersion and the feeling that while not in a group that your simply playing a single player RPG.

As for my wannabe attempt at Han Solo I'm finding the smugglers mechanics somewhat interesting. Rather than simply rocking up to a bunch of Imperial troops, standing in the middle of the road getting your face blasted off, the class integrates a cover system, where rock formations, containers and various other scenery objects can be used to pop up and down from, avoiding seemingly 99.9% of all incoming lasers. There is also a nice amount of abilities to be learnt from the off. At level 5 these already include charged shots, the rapid "flurry of bolts" and grenades. Win.

The cover system in action.

Literal Modern Tat - Kinder egg

Everyone loves a Kinder egg toy. Watch the video and see how we get on with one of our favourite pass times.

Discoshrew's poor attempts at building a Kinder egg toy.

Star Wars: The Old Republic First Look!

The MMO that will bring the most rehabilitated gamers back to the keyboard.

Almost 3 years after original conception, BioWare and EA finally put Star Wars: The Old Republic to market. With BioWare's experience on the highly acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic players worldwide eagerly awaited their next plunge into the Star Wars universe.

However, days of late haven't been kind to the MMO community, with many developers being forced to make their titles Free to play to compete with the current market giant, Blizzards, World of Warcraft. With almost 7 years of up time and a player base of Millions, Blizzard's regular content patches and expansion releases keep its die hard fans loyal to the cause. However it would appear even the keenest of Azeroths inhabitants are looking to change their colours. In only April 2011, Blizzard was able to boast 11million+ subscribers, 2 million more than its recent holiday TV spots can claim. That many people don't just decide to up and quit playing though, there has clearly been an uprising. A revolt. A rebellion?

The setting: 4000 years prior to George Lucas' original imagining of a galaxy far far away.

The plot: well that's where The old Republic gains its first few light side points, and a large chunk of the online Role Playing community. Of the Eight classes available upon release, each has it's own individual story line that casts the player out into the Universe. This unique take on the often boring grind of quests to get the player to the level cap means each re-roll of secondary or alternate characters offers the player an almost completely different game each time. Of course the sequence of the planets visited will remain the same due to their character level requirements, but then again this tried and tested system of level based areas is vital in most MMO's so as to allow similar levelled players the chance to play together.

Creating a character offers the first of many challenges, firstly, faction. The game revolves around the waring Galactic Republic and Sith Empire. With four classes each, both factions options mirror that of the others. For example the Jedi Knight uses similar mechanics to the Sith Warrior. The Jedi Consular with the Sith Inquisitor, Republic Trooper with the Bounty Hunter and finally the republic's Smuggler with the Imperial Agent. Meaning both sides accommodate the option to play as a melee, caster or ranged dps.

At the time of writing I seem to have scaled the first hurdle and taken the plunge rolling a Twi'lec Smuggler. Keep a keen eye for forthcoming gameplay and player analysis over the coming weeks as I delve deeper into my quest to save the Galactic Republic and ultimately The Galaxy. May the Force be with you!

Buy buy buy!

There are currently some amazing deals to be found on the iOS app store.

Due to the app store team taking some well deserved rest over the Christmas period (22nd - 29th) we won't be seeing any price changes on apps until the new year. Bad news for new app submissions but great news for gamers feeling the financial crunch this year.

 So, what have we got to play with?:

Gameloft are offering 17 of their iOS games for just £0.69 ($0.99). Games include N.O.V.A 2, The Settlers, Silent Ops and more big name games that are usually 3-4 more times more expensive than currently offered.

EA have also joined in with Gamelofts Christmas cheer, also offering games at £0.69. EA has practically every title they have (they are claiming 100+ games) on sale. Since EA's acquisition of Firemint studios in may of this year we can also see the fantastic Real Racing series included in the sale. 


Square Enix have got their range of games on a 25 - 67% sale (excludes newer titles such as Chrono Trigger).

Finally Rockstar have dropped the price of GTA 3 down to £1.99 after being released for just a week!

If your going to get only one or two games this christmas, then definitely have a look at GTA3 and if your sporting a new 4s model iPhone, splash out on Real Racing 2. Featuring 4s only ultra high graphics settings, you can show off your new phone to all the Siri haters out there.

Moderntats tip for the holidays is to go get as many of these bargains as you can before the 29th of December because after that date the publishers are garuanteed to ramp their prices back up to take advantage of all the excess iTunes store credit left over from all your Christmas gift cards.

Retro gaming with a new age feel?

Fed up off playing the same old finger tapping, bird flinging, block dragging games on your iOS device?


Is a nostalgic blast from the past just what the gaming doctor ordered? Then you might be in luck because recently a fully fledge MAME game emulator called iMAME has popped up on the app store. For those uneducated in the emulator world, MAME is a popular emulator system that revolves around an arcade experience, allowing users to play games from most consoles from the last 4 decades.

The app comes preloaded with 9 ROMs and has support for most available MAME ROMs. Oh and did we mention it's FREE? Get it quick because here at ModernTat we aren't expecting the app to be available on the store for long. Emulators and ROMs are a highly debated topic in the world of piracy and copywrite law and not something we expect to see Apple getting tied up in.