Sonic is back. Today of course is Sonic's 20th birthday. The hedgehog hasn't been doing so well in recent years. After a lot of lacklustre games, Sonic Generations is Sega's makeup present to fans. Sega has managed to achieve what they never could, a game that actually plays like the original.

You get blown way back to the past in the demo. Sega has included the first act of the game; a reimagined Green Hill Zone as "Classic Sonic."

You'll notice some major changes from Sonic 4. The jumping mechanics and speedy rolls are back in their full glory. No more lead lined physics thanks to the new Havok engine.

Generations is a little faster paced than Sonic 1 but the basic gameplay remains the same. The emphasis is more on platforming than raw speed this time around. That's how a Sonic game should be. Run a bit, platform a lot, jump on robots, repeat.

The graphics look absolutely spectacular. Though not a big leap from Sonic 4, things are more squared off this time around. Overall, it just looks better than past games. They've finally got the 2.5D visuals to perfection. One minor issue is frame rate and resolution. You can tell Sega has capped it to 30 frames per second. Sonic can actually outrun the frame rate at times in speedier areas. This causes bad motion blur at times. It's also locked to 720p. There's really no reason why they can't bump it up to 60fps at 1080p. Maybe they will when game gets released in November.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the demo. My only issue was how short it is. I would have liked to see at least one "New Sonic" level included. At least it's good to see that Sonic is finally back in true form. This will be a day one buy for any Sonic fan.

Hurry up and get the demo off XBLA and PSN. It's time limited and will only be playable for the next 20 days.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

What works
-Classic Sonic returns in true form
-Good platforming over raw speed finally makes a return
-Physics greatly improved from Sonic 4
-Spectacular visuals nail the 2.5D gameplay perfectly

What doesn't work
-Frame rate capped too low for this type of game
-Resolution could be 1080p
-Short demo, want to see New Sonic too.

If you're wondering why there have been so few updates lately, I've been on vacation. I've also started working on some other, unrelated projects. I've also been swamped at work. Us blog writers have day jobs too you know, because lord knows this pays nothing. MMNTech has been on hiatus in the mean time. I'm trying to put some stuff on E3 together. Check out @mmntech on Twitter for updates!




Image courtesy of BevWire

Sony allegedly didn't ensure your data was secure. Moreover, they acted slowly in alerting customers when the Playstation Network was hacked. The ball was dropped in this case.

If we've learned anything from this, it's that your data is never safe. No business can be trusted to keep it in good hands. It's not for lack of trying. Hackers are just becoming more sophisticated. Any computer connected to the internet is at risk, even large data centre servers. It's just a fact of life in our online world.

That's not to say there aren't steps you can take to keep your identity secured. At least as secure as humanly possible. A little common sense goes a long way. Now that PSN is back on line, here's some easy tips to help protect you from a future attack.

Use prepaid credit cards and gift cards online
Thieves can't get access to your credit and debit card numbers if you don't use them. Cash is king, but obviously you can't use it online. That's where prepaid cards come in handy. For example, PSN, Xbox Live, and iTunes have gift cards you can use with their respective services. The cards have a set value and can be bought at most convenience stores. They work like any other gift card.

Prepaid credit cards are offered by companies like Visa and can be used almost anywhere. They're not credit cards exactly. They can't be used for pre-authorized payments. They do, however, work like a more versatile gift card. You can put as much or as little as you want on them, and you can top them up too.

If the numbers of either of these get stolen, you're only out the value of the card. Once that's gone, thieves can't access more funds. Think of it as insurance. Better to pay a smaller deductible than the full value of your car if it gets stolen.

Set up a spam email account
Never use your personal email to sign up for services. That's where the deluge of spam usually comes from. It's also another piece, all be it small, in the identity theft puzzle. Leaked emails can be used for all sorts of nefarious things. Setting up a separate email account keeps thieves and spam out of your personal inbox. With so many free services out there today, there's no reason not to.

Limit the personal information you broadcast
Privacy policies mean squat if someone breaks into a data centre's server. Try to limit the amount of personal information you put online. Facebook is a thief's dream. They can get your address, phone numbers, birth date, email addresses, where you work and go to school, who your friends and significant other are, and even where you've been recently. If the service doesn't require that information, don't post it. Keep as little information online as possible. You wouldn't go walking down the street shouting that stuff, so why do it on the internet.

Trust nobody online
The internet is a wrenched hive of scum and villainy. If you don't know the person in real life, don't trust them. Of course the vast majority of people aren't criminals, but you never know who is. Don't wall yourself off, but don't go spreading too much information either.

Trust your instincts
If something seems fishy, it probably is.

What a month it's been for Sony. They've been scrambling to get PSN back up and running, before gamers loose their patience. A firmware update for PS3 has just been launched that will address some security issues. So what does this update do exactly? Crap all, at least until PSN is restored. Once they get it up and running, this mandatory update forces you to change your account password. It's sort of like locking the vault after the bank's been robbed, but I guess it's better than nothing. You can download it now to get yourself ready to go back online. You don't need to log into PSN to grab it. Full press release at the bottom.

There's a lot of talk about compensation for the downtime. US gamers will be getting a month of free Playstation Plus, and complementary identity theft protection. Europeans will get two free PSN games of their choosing. No word on whether other territories will be included.

We have been working on a new PS3 system software update that requires all PSN users to change their password once PlayStation Network is restored. The update (v3.61) is mandatory and is available now.

If using a PS3, your password can only be changed on your own PS3 (or a PS3 on which your PSN account was activated), as an added layer of security. If you have never downloaded any content using your account on the system, an email will be sent to the registered sign-in ID (email address) associated with your account when you first attempt to sign-in to PSN. This e-mail will contain a link that will enable you to change your password. In this email, click on the link and follow the instructions to change your password. Once you have changed your password you can sign-in to your account using your new password.

We strongly recommend that all PSN account holders with PS3s update their systems to prepare for when PlayStation Network is back online. The release of this update is a critical step as we work to make PlayStation Network significantly more secure. Thank you for your continued support and patience.

Capcom is tasting a bit of UBIsoft's bad medicine. Sony's Playstation Network is currently suffering from a massive outage. Normally, this would mean no more online noob-bashing for a while. That is unless you own Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2, or Final Fight. Capcom started using a DRM system that requires you to be online to play the games. Yes, even for single player mode. With PSN down, gamers cannot access what they've legally purchased. Capcom has yet to comment on the issue.

Sony is working on repairing the problem, but says it may be a few days before PSN gets back up and running. Early rumours that pointed to another denial of service attack have been denied by Sony and the hacking community.

Source: Kotaku

The first MMNtech gaming challenge is honouring a retro gaming hero. Classic Sonic is making triumphant return in Sonic Generations, due out later this year. To commemorate this, we're going to play through the chubby blue blur's classic Genesis games in one run. For this challenge, you must play each game in the original series, in order, from start to finish.

This is purely for fun. There's no prize, but you do win extra gaming cred if you use a Genesis and an old CRT TV, or get all Chaos Emeralds in each game. Enjoy.

Your iPhone knows what you did last summer. Ever since Apple released iOS4, a secret file has been storing your movements. It works by triangulating your cell signal instead of the GPS. It's far from accurate. However, it does show the general vicinity of your travels. The scary part is how easy it is to access this information. Programmer and ex-Apple employee Pete Warden has developed a Mac OS app to access the data. It shows everywhere you've visited as a collection of dots on a map.

For it to work, you need iOS 4 installed on your iPhone or iPad 3G. During the brief three-month period I had it on my iPhone 3G, it shows the general areas I've travelled to. In some cases it's spot on, in others it's miles off.


Regardless of the accuracy, it's a serious privacy concern. Apple doesn't appear to be collecting or using this data in any way. However, they won't say why they're doing it. It's stored only on the phone itself and any computer you synced it to. This kind of information has potential benefits for law enforcement. We've all seen them do it on CSI. This information could be a huge advantage for darker elements too: stalkers, overzealous cops, lawyers, shady government agencies, and private detectives.

Today we mourn the loss of the PSP Go. A Japanese blogger, who claims to work for a Sony partner, says the portable is no longer in production. Sony Style Japan no longer lists it on its website. A while back, Amazon listed the Go as "discontinued" on their website. Sony has neither confirmed or denied the reports, only saying they'll support the PSP line as long as it's in demand.

The PSP Go had a difficult life. The system was released to compete with Apple's widely popular iPod Touch and iPhone. It was the first gaming handheld to exclude physical media. The results proved disastrous. Since it couldn't play UMDs, it wasn't compatible with the vast majority of games. Sony was slow to expand the PSN Store to accommodate. Furthermore, gamers complained about its awkward control layout. All this compounded by a $250 price tag for the system alone. A significant jump from PSP value packs which came with games and a memory card for $50 less.

Sony has not released sales figures. However, they have admitted it suffered from a lack of consumer interest and poor sales. Learning from their mistakes, Sony returned to physical media with their successor system, the NGP.

UPDATE: Sony has confirmed the PSP Go has been discontinued. The PSP-3000 will remain in production as long as people still buy it.

Source: Eurogamer
Image: Averaging Wrathy

There's packaging, then there's too much packaging. Some companies are trying to reduce their containers to cut on shipping cost and environmental impact. Others, not so much. Take my recent order from Newegg.

I picked up a single SD card from them. They shipped it in a colossal 8''x8''x6'' cardboard box filled with packing peanuts. Like the other items I covered on this subject, a padded envelope would have been more than enough. I thought their $10 shipping rate seemed awfully high for such a small object.

A lot of us are digital hoarders. We have to take everything with us. Sadly, the iPad has one serious flaw. Similar devices allow you to expand storage via memory cards. Apple users are stuck with built in storage. They'll sell a 16gb iPad for $500, but they know that's not enough. What if you could skirt this limitation? Thanks to jailbreak app iFile, it's easier than you think.

iFile tickles open the darkest corners of your iPad. It allows you to view the file system, access previously closed off information, and select files like you would on OS X. Once you start thinking outside the box, you can expect big things from this app. Those big things being extra storage space for all your media files.

For it to work, you'll need to buy the Apple Camera Kit and jailbreak your iPad. Load up some media onto an SD card and slot it into the adapter. Fire up iFile and you should see it mounted under devices, labelled "Flash Drive". Click the file you want to play, select the app you want to play it in, and enjoy.

iFile opens up your device to unlimited storage space for media files. It also works with other files, including documents. You can also use third party card readers via the USB camera dock. There are some caveats though. iFile will not work with USB thumb drives due to the iPad's power limitations. The iPad doesn't seem to like powered hubs either. Nor does it support hard drives. If you can get them to work, more power to you. You also cannot store apps on flash media.

With flash cards so cheap these days, iFile is well worth the $4 entry fee. With double the storage or more, you'll have plenty of room for all your music, movies, photos, and documents. Add more cards and capacity becomes limitless. Perfect for those of us who travel, or just like to lug our giant film collections around. Download iFile from Cydia.

Score: 9 out of 10

What works:
-Opens the door to limitless media capacity for your iPad.
-Allows you to choose what apps you want to open the file in
-Works with all file types supported by both first and third party apps
-Mac OS X like interface for easy navigation

What doesn't work:
-No support for USB thumb drives, though this is a hardware issue
-No support for external hard drives
-Price a bit high