I’ve been playing the Walking Dead game from Telltale Games and I’ve decided that not only is this a pretty good game but I’m also learning life lessons. A big part of the game is making decisions about what to do. It is a strongly story based game.

I’m hot and cold on the game. Sometimes it is really fun and the story is gripping, but at other times the mechanics feel cumbersome and I get frustrated.

I am learning thought the game that some decisions are the right decision outside the game also.

At one point I decided to remain loyal to a little girl who saved my life. It seems to be the right thing in the game, but the fact of the matter is that in real life being loyal to someone because they saved your life ends up not always being the right thing to do. This is the kind of decision that the player has to make. These aren’t simple decisions that don’t matter. These are decisions that have to be made, mostly in a certain order, and they affect the game as it plays out.

The last thing we need is drama out there…

I got the chance to play the new Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise the other day with John Sweeny of 505 Games and I enjoyed it very much. According to John, “this version has all the fan favorites from the first one and we improved all the things that needed to be improved. We really listened to our players.”

There is a storyline:
When the bears of Perfection Island go on holiday to the fabled resort of Paradise Island, they do not invite Naughty Bear.
Angry and ready to exact revenge, he manages to secretly travel to the island with the other bears while duct-taped to the exterior of the bus.
Armed with a hit list of bears who have wronged him in his hands, Naughty is ready to make them pay… one by one.

And make them pay he will. Across 30 missions with an awful lot of bears to hunt down and kill, Naughty Bear is damn naughty. He’s got combos, special attacks, blocks, ultra kills and counters. He induces fear in his victims. They actually sense the danger and get scared and run away. This enhances the stealth aspects of the game. And it teaches valuable life lessons like how to grab other bears, drag them into the woods, and cut their faces off so you can wear them like masks. Plus the major lesson that part of being a good serial killer is biding your time and then embracing the terror that you spread. Hey – it’s all cool because it’s just a teddy bear!

In addition, there’s an almost RPG-like customization where you outfit Naughty Bear with clothes and weapons before each mission, choosing the most appropriate accoutrements for each level. Plus, there are lots of pop culture references and I really enjoy the way all the police officers look a bit porcine and have names reminiscent of pork products. I mean, who wouldn’t like hunting down cops named Pork Chop and Pork Shoulder?

Funny gruesome kills that remind me a little of a fantastic scene in God Bless America where they are pistol training with teddy bears.

Naughty Bear will cost $15 and is rated e10+. It’ll be out in October on XBLA and PSN.

Mixamp 5.8

ASTRO Video Gaming Equipment, http://www.astrogaming.com

$129.95

Score: 9 out of 10

The Astro Mixamp 5.8 is one of those rare products that cross the chasm between Matt the Reviewer’s life and Matt’s life.  In other words, I like this little wireless audio system enough that I want to use it.  It’s not that I’m forced to write reviews, but there is a difference between products I use long enough to review and products that become part of my life.  I usually say, “It takes 10-20 hours of playing/testing to get enough info for a good review.  If I find myself coming back to a product or game even after it’s reviewed, then that is one helluva product.

So there you have it.  That’s my review.  One helluva product.

Astro already had a product called the Mixamp on the market that has been high successful on the pro gaming circuit, but it is a wired amp.  The next logical step was a wireless amp and transmitter.  It was insanely simple to hook up.  I just used the included optical cable to connect to my Rotel A/V controller and powered the unit on and I was in business.  I used a pair of Astro A30 headphones during my testing – they are really good gaming headphones, maybe the best I’ve listened to in the sub $100 market.  I also used my beloved Etymotic ER-4P in ear headphones.  Both sounded great with the Mixamp 5.8, although the Bass Expander feature (which adds the equivalent of a subwoofer’s rumbling bass) worked much better with the A30’s.  The A30’s have a built in mic so with another cable to the PS3 I could have the full game/voice experience.  Incidentally, the MixAmp 5.8 and A30 bundle is available for $199.95 until 1/11/11.

The MixAmp 5.8 has only a few controls: volume, the game/voice balance control, on, and surround on.  Game/voice control comes in handy because it allowed me to fine tune the volume of the other morons who were yelling at me during multiplayer Call of Duty.

Overall, I love the MixAmp 5.8 and the A30 headphones.  This is the best wireless audio setup I’ve listened to.  I think that it’s well worth the $229.95.  And I’ll let you in on a secret.  The other night I set them up for my girlfriend to watch some Real Housewives crap on TV – and then I didn’t have to listen to the insipid bantering.  Oh, that was sweet!  I think that if the MixAmp 5.8 can save me from that assault (plus save her from my assault on Khe San), then the utility far surpasses the cost.