Here is the recorded version of the TECHGEEK Podcast Live Election Edition. This podcast was broadcasted live during the hours of 7.30PM to 8.30PM via Ustream to the world. This podcast has a mix of election news, results, tech news and rantings. With us today is Terence, Stewart, James and Tom.
We apologise for the limited organisation of this podcast and the spontaneous internet drop out at our recording location. Next week’s podcast should be much more organised and return to normal.
Enjoy!
While Climate Change remain a top issue, so does the NBN and the filter scheme. However, we might not know the outcomes of these ideas as we are left wondering who will be forming a government, as we wake up knowing that we may have a hung parliament.
And we are getting some conflicting predictions. Seven is say 72-71 to Labor, while ABC is predicting 70-72. AEC, however, is reporting a 71-71 seat each (all of these are as of writing time).
Yes, welcome to TECHGEEK.com.au Election 2010 LIVE! We are going to be having an audio stream ready at 7:30PM, but you can also see our live blog with all of our editors.
Don’t forget you can contribute via Phone, SMS, Twitter (using hashtag #tgelection), Facebook and our liveblog).
Well, as previously stated, TECHGEEK.com.au is covering the election with our liveblog. With executive editor Terence Huynh and the team from TECHGEEK.com.au, we are making election coverage easier with us keeping track of the entire election in a simple live blog. And by election night, we will cover what is happening on Seven, Nine and ABC (and possibly Sky News) with their predictions and pundits speaking.
So it seems that the Australian Election is on tomorrow and TECHGEEK is having a very special podcast for it.
We have decided it will be a live podcast where listeners will be able to interact with the presenters via SMS, Phone and Twitter. The podcast will feature the latest in the election news and also feature tech news throughout of week. However, we will be recording another podcast on Sunday with a full wrap of Election News.
So join in the fun tomorrow at around 7.30PM with the Live Edition of the TECHGEEK Podcast for the 21st of August 2010.
Find out more information after the jump.
The pink balloon is back, well… sort of…. Kirby is back in action but not as a pink balloon that we come to know, but as a piece of yarn. Regardless on how Kirby looks now, Kirby still retains its ability to change shape.
The layout the game is just like the other Kirby games before it, as a platformer game. However, the background uses the appearance of different types of fabrics to complement Kirby’s yawn appearance. As the game’s background is based on fabrics, stray threads will appear. This threads allow Kirby access behind the background and will bend and warp the background to show Kirby’s location.
Throughout the game, varies gems and collectibles will appear. So far, Nintendo has not released information about the collectibles and their purpose.
Kirby’s transformation will be have new members. Since Kirby is a piece of yarn, Kirby is able to transform into vehicles. When Kirby dashes, Kirby transforms into a car and in water, a submarine. Sometimes Kirby is able to transform to into a tank and into a UFO.
The game will include a mulitplayer mode, but it is limited to two players. Regardless on which friend you want to play with, both players with be able to complete the entire game together.
Kirby’ s Epic Yarn is will be released on the Wii, during the Fall this year.
It looks like tha
t Wii Music was not the last of these games. The new game is called Wii Party. Wii Party will include 14 party games and above 70 minigames (sounds like it going to compete with the Mario Party series). Like all Wii games, this game will be family based, so it would be G rated.
In some the party games, players have to interact with each other to obtain the results the players want to get. (sounds like Mario Party’s 2 vs. 2 and 1 vs. 3 games) Some multiplayer minigames include finding the Wii Remote that is emitting the animal sound from the animal that appears on the television, and playing Hide and Seek with the Wii Remotes.
Miis makes an appearance in the game (Duh…) and are the avatar of the player during minigames. Each party is either co-op, such as Balance Boat; while others are competitive, such as Board Game Island.
In the competitive party game, Board Game Island, players have to compete with each other in over the 70 minigames included into the game, such as shooting balloons carrying gifts while the Miis ride a rollercoaster (again, balloon are used because of the G rating), and players have to navigate their Mii in a virtual game of Tag.
Wii Party will be release on the Wii (Duh…) and will be release this year in the Fall.
After the success of the first 
game, Scribblenauts, 5th Cell has decided to make a sequel. Super Scribblenauts is using the same gameplay as the first game, using varies words to obtain a ‘starites’, a star shaped object to complete a puzzle.
Unlike the first game, Super Scribblenauts has implemented adjectives into the game’s vocabulary. Now you can finally get a purple monkey. The adjective system will include over 10,000 adjectives and the object will behave real life behaviour, characteristic, and personality. Also, the new system will allow the player to combine two or more adjective to create a interesting and allows the player’s creativity run wild.
As well as the adjective system being implemented, the game’s dictionary has been updated. From the roughly 22,000 words being from the first game, Super Scribblenauts will include roughly an extra 800 words. I guess the more the merrier applies here.
The game has implemented 120 levels that will involve varies tasks, like delivering a cure for a plague, or identifying animals with shells. A returning feature in the game is level editor. Level editor allows the player to create from scratch either an action or puzzle level. So you can make your own level as easy as you want it, or as hard as you want it.
Other implementation in the games are a hint system, that allows players to cash in their Ollar to unlock hints for the puzzle; and a whole reword on how the player controls Maxwell, the protagonist. The overhaul allows the player to control Maxwell either by the D-pad or the touchscreen. Also buoyancy, friction and weight have been reworked and now objects will have a better reaction to the player’s input.
Super Scribblenauts will be release on the DS, during the Fall this year.
The mascot of Pokémon, Pikachu is g
etting its own game…. again. Even though Pikachu is the main character of the game, this game is not the sequel to Hey, Hey Pikachu and Pokémon Channel.
The main plot of the game is Pikachu is invited to an adventure park called PokéPark (How original…) by the Legendary Pokémon, Mew. Here at the PokéPark, Pikachu has to locate pieces belonging to the Sky Prism to save to the day.
In the PokéPark, Pikachu has varies attractions to visit and participate in Skill and Action games. In action games, Pikachu can call other Pokémon to help Pikachu play the game and help obtain a piece of the Sky Prism. While in skill games, the player has control over Pikachu’s attacks and movement to obtain a piece of the Sky Prism or tp defeat other Pokémon to use in the action games.
Players use the Wii Remote to navigate around the PokéPark by holding the Wii Remote horizontally, while different actions with the Wii Remote allows the player to navigate in both Skill and Action games.
A feature in the game is to take photos during the course of the game and these photos are able to be stored in the SD Card, like other games.
PokéPark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure is due to be release on the Wii, during the Holidays this year.
Once again Square Enix has reveal another Final
Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XIV. For you Final Fantasy fans, you do not have to wait for 3 years, unlike Final Fantasy XIII, as this game will be release this year. Like Final Fantasy XI, this too will be a MMORPG game. The game is set to be released on both PS3 and PC.
When there is good news, there is always bad news, and this game is no exception. Unlike Final Fantasy XIII, this game will not be release on Xbox 360. Sorry Xbox 360 players.
As with all MMORPGs, the game includes a class system which is called disciplines. There are four different types of disciplines: Disciples of War, Disciples of Magic, Disciple of Land, Disciples of Hand. Disciples of War tends to focus in combat, hence the word ‘war’. Disciples of Magic focuses on things that are esoteric. Disciples of Lands focuses on resources from the land. Disciples of Hand focuses in synthesis and industry. Unlike most MMORPGs, Final Fantasy XVI allows each player to focus on the multiple disciplines.
Well Final Fantasy XVI is just any gamers, ranging from causal to hardcore, as said by Square Enix.
For all you otaku people, there a new Pokémon 
game for you, Pokémon Ranger Guardian Signs. As with all Pokémon Rangers games, in would involve you draw circles to temporary capture Pokémon (How fun…) to prevent a villianous group from taking over the world, and find a partner Pokémon.
Well this game is no exception. The villainous group will be called, Pokémon Pinchers. (How original…) The partner Pokémon you get to follow you around during the course of the game is a Pichu who carries a Ukulele. (It is just me or it sounds that the Pichu is a stalker who lures you with music)
A new feature called Ranger Signs is added to the game. Ranger Signs are symbols that are draw onto the touchscreen of the DS to call special and Legendary Pokémon, such as Raikou, Suicune, and Entei. These Pokémon summoned by the Ranger Signs are used to help the player to progress through the game.
Also, for the first time in the Pokémon Ranger series, multiplayer has been added. Players can play with each other via the DS Local Wireless Connection, to complete varies co-op missions.
Pokémon Ranger Guardian Signs will be released on the DS during the Fall.
Square Enix has once again released inform
ation about another Kingdom Hearts game, Birth by Sleep. Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep is planned to be released on September 7th in America, on the PSP.
Birth by Sleep is the prologue of the game series, roughly ten years before the start of the first game. As the main protagonist of the game series, Sora is too young, the game has implemented new protagonists. These protagonists are named Aqua, Terra, and Ventus (It looks like Square Enix enjoys Latin – see Final Fantasy Versus XIII).
The plot of the game is that all three protagonists are looking for another Keyblade Master called Xehanort, and have to venture to worlds location him, while fighting against a new enemy called the Unversed.
Anyway, this game will explore never before seen Disney based worlds, such as Drawf Woodlands, Deep Space, and Castle of Dreams; as well as newly created worlds that are non-Disney based, such as Land of Departure. As will new worlds, old characters will be making an appearance, such as Mickey Mouse, Stitch, and Snow White; while new characters will also make an appearance, such as the Seven Drawfs, Experiment 626 (Sparky), and the Magic Mirror. For those who are sadden by the fact the Sora will not be the protagonist will not be disappointed, as Sora, and both Riku and Kairi will be making a somewhat brief cameo.
As the game has three protagonists, the game has offered three different scenarios, but all three are intertwine to each other. Each protagonist have different strengths combat wise. Aqua is gifted towards the used of magic, Ventus for speed, and Terra for strength.
The game promises at least 15 minutes per scenario, which seems short, but will three scenarios, the game will offer at least 45 minutes of gameplay, excluding multiplayer, which makes the game the longest game in the Kingdom Hearts series.
At E3, Square Enix has released information about a so
mewhat new game to the Kingdom Hearts series, Re:coded. Similar to Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, the game will be a release on another console than the original, in this case the Nintendo DS.
Kingdom Hearts coded was a mobile game released in Japan over a couple of years, ranging from 2008 to 2010. Re:coded will have a similar plot to the original game, in which you play as Data Sora and have to relive the adventures of the first game. Sounds like a bore, right? In actual fact, you have to find this bug blocks to advance through the game.
Well the plot is after Kingdom Hearts II, and Jimmy Cricket has been looking at his journal about the adventure and finds something was added. Mickey Mouse has the journal digitalised and Data Sora begins his adventure.
Well not actually, but somethin
g close. As the Nintendo 3DS being announced, of course Nintendo would have made games for the new system. The actual name for the game is called Nintendogs + cats. As the name suggest the game will include both dogs and cats, a first for the Nintendogs series. Unlike the prequel, the dogs and cats will react to the information being presented by the internal camera, such as mimicking head tilting, and jump towards the screen to lick your face if you till forwards.
In the press release, everything that made Nintendogs an international known game will be returning. Multiple breeds of dogs will be included, as well the accessories feature returning, and to train your dogs to complete in activities and challenges.
Ahh… it looks like N
intendo is milking the DS again with the newly officially announced Nintendo 3DS at E3. For all you Avatar fans, you will happily to know that 3D gaming has finally arrived, and without the clunkly glasses.
The Nintendo 3DS has minor changes from the latest DS product – Nintendo DSi XL, with the change is weight, size and the screen size. The Nintendo 3DS has decreased in from 413 grams (approx. 11 oz) to 230 grams (8.1 oz). That means good news for you gamers who does not like lugging the heavier DSi XL. The dimensions of the 3DS is from 161mm x 91.4mm x 21.2mm to 130mm×74mm×20 mm. Screen size is the biggest change for the 3DS with two completely different screens. The upper or top screen is 3.53 inches while containing 800×240 pixel resolution, in which 400 pixels are allocated to each eye, giving the 3D vision without 3D glasses. For the lower screen is now 3.02 inches with 320×240 pixels and touchscreen (of course).
Now for the new features included in the 3DS. Firstly, a ‘slide pad’ which allows a 360-degree analogue input. Secondly, a third camera, as two are never enough. The third camera is located on the outer part of the 3DS. Another new feature is the 3D depth slider, which allows the user to change the 3D effect, either by scaling the effect down, or completely disable the 3D viewing effect completely. Other new features include motion and gyro sensors.
As usual, Nintendo has once again revolutionise the gaming world, and hopefully the fans (and Avatar fans) will not be disappointed.
