The Latest Hype, The Best Gear - Plug & Play - Super Street Magazine

Essentials


Ipad
From: Apple, www.apple.com, $499 And Up
Rating: 1/2
Forget the lack of Flash support, multi-tasking capabilities and killer apps. With a 9.7-inch touchscreen, more 3D processing horsepower than the iPhone and support for almost all existing apps, let's level. This wireless broadband-enabled computer - weighing just 1.5lbs, emphasizing both productivity/multi-media and offering elegant eReader options through its iBook storefront - could do for tablet PCs what the iPod did for digital music.

Super Street Fighter 4
For: Playstation 3, Xbox 360
From: Capcom,
www.capcom.com
Rating:
Old-school, one-on-one martial arts action lives again in this ass-whuppin' remix, which adds more brawlers (see: the return of T. Hawk, debut of female Taekwondo master Juri), play modes (i.e. eight-man team battles) and car-crushing bonus stages. Between stunning hand-drawn characters and furious button-mashing brawls, its mix of manic beatdowns and splashy ultra combos has us pining for our misspent high school days of yore - minus the cigarette burnt arcade machines and putting quarters up for the next play.

Other Must-Haves

Heavy Rain
For: Playstation 3
From: Sony,
www.playstation.com
Rating:
Love a good murder mystery? Check this gripping adventure (an experiment in novel control methods, context-sensitive commands and your patience for convoluted storytelling) that sees you shadowing a serial killer's trail from multiple characters' perspectives. While the unique approach and pacing may not resonate with all, its moody narrative will.

Major League
Baseball 2K10
For: PC, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
From: 2K Sports, www.2ksports.com
Rating: 1/2
Boosting the popular franchise's overall batting average, its latest ode to America's national pastime reins in the ridiculous scores and homerun streaks somewhat, putting greater emphasis on strategy and skillful play-calling. Nonetheless, enhancements aside, various control hiccups and sketchy opponent AI leave plenty of room for improvement in the off-season.

Boxee Box
From: D-Link, www.dlink.com
Rating:
Every dweeb knows you can wirelessly beam audio, video, photos and yes, even pr0n, straight from PC to HDTV. Only now, with this user-friendly streaming media extender, it doesn't take a degree in technical engineering to accomplish. Using the QWERTY keyboard-equipped remote, owners can effortlessly download YouTube clips, Facebook updates, Pandora tunes and more.