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Mobile app stores are heavily populated with shameless Super Mario Bros. clones, but the latest entry in the series of the original imitator is now officially headed …
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It’s December 2012, which means we’re rapidly approaching the end of the Mayan calendar and the possible end of the world. While others …
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Developer Might and Delight has announced that it plans to make its puzzle-platformer, Pid, more accessible by adding an Easy Mode to the game’s existing Normal and Hard …
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The recent appearance of Mensa Academy (purportedly American Mensa Academy in North America) on the Xbox Live Marketplace seems to indicate the title is finally ready to put your mind to the test …
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This week’s Deal of the Week gave Xbox Live Gold Members the chance to pick up Deadliest Warrior and Deadliest Warrior Legends at 50% off:

• Deadliest Warrior  – 400 …
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The transforming d-pad conversions are available exclusively at QuickdrawMods.com, and are available in three variants. Consumers can receive a full replacement shell with transforming d-pad for USD $26.99, get just the top and transforming d-pad for $19.99, or send in their controller for modification for $18.98. Conversions were provided for review purposes.

It’s no secret that amidst the great elements that together make the Xbox 360 controller there’s one gaping flaw. It’s a flaw that all the comfortable fit, intuitive layout and visual appeal can’t fix: the horrid d-pad. It’s utterly evil that such a thing of beauty can be brought down by such a completely flimsy design flaw. It’s rigid, it’s unresponsive, and it feels like there’s a gap the size of the grand canyon between the plastic and the circuit board.

Microsoft sought to clean that blemish on an otherwise perfect reputation during the holiday 2010 season with the transforming d-pad controller. It promised more precise controls by allowing players to have the standard 8-way “flat” design they were used to, or to raise the d-pad up into a 4-way “plus” position for tighter digital control. It worked. It’s not a perfect fix, but it addresses some of the precision issues players have with the controller. The problem is that there isn’t a lot of choice when it comes to these new controllers. It’s silver or a special edition Halo 4, Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3, or Fable 3 controller.

I bought one of the silver transforming d-pad shells on eBay. It was a pull from a working controller, but was apparently never actually in use. I quickly got to work installing it on one of my controllers, which aside from needing to purchase an inexpensive special screwdriver, was incredibly easy. I kept my original black Start and Back buttons, colored A, B, X, and Y buttons, and intalled black thumbsticks to finish it off. After just one night I was hooked. This new d-pad felt amazing. I wanted all my controllers to have it.

So I set to work hunting down YouTube do-it-yourself videos as I do when nearly anything in my house breaks or I want to customize something. I quickly realized that I’d much rather see if there was a professional alternative. I didn’t want to hack up my shell and have nothing to show for it but pieces in the end. I found only one company who provides a professional system for modifying the shells, QuickdrawMods. I contacted them and soon an agreement was made in which I would send my white, black, and red tops (above) in for modification.

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We’ve been talking a lot about Guardians of Middle-earth over the past few months, with a steady stream of character reveals and tutorial videos for the Tolkien-inspired MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) title. Though beyond the multimedia fanfare preceding its imminent release, Guardians of Middle-earth carries weighty ambition as the first true title of the genre developed specifically for consoles.

The MOBA is a notoriously delicate genre, requiring nearly constant post-launch supervision in order to maintain the balance of character power as player strategies evolve over time. That balance necessitates regular updates and patches, the kind of support that’s seemingly at odds with the “closed system” of a console, which normally requires any changes be vetted by the manufacturer’s certification process.

When we spoke with producers Bob Roberts and Ruth Pomandl last month, they briefly touched on their plan to issue real-time updates without needing to repeatedly pass through the lengthy and expensive, recertification process. In an interview with VG247, Roberts further explained the importance of fine-tuning character balance and how they intend to continue those tweaks after the title has gone live.

“We did also build a system for having a lot of our balance database saved in cloud storage, that you’re going to download every time you launch the game. It’s a very small, quick update that doesn’t have to go through certification, so we can update it every day, every week – however often we need to if we see critical balance issues.”

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Over the course of the past month, Zen Studios has released a new blog post each week detailing the various character types players can expect to see in the upcoming CastleStorm. With the final entry posted last Wednesday, we’ve compiled all four entries right here for your convenience. Be sure to check the links to each blog post to learn more details about these characters and even tips on how to use them in-game.

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Weekly Roundup compiles all the biggest news stories, reviews and features from the week into one handy post on the weekends.

Another week of Xbox Live Arcade brought to a close. It’s been a relatively quiet one, compared to the mad dash of last week’s seasonal sales. Though there isn’t much to write home about in terms of marquee XBLA titles, there’s quite a bit to look forward to in the coming weeks and months on Xbox Live Arcade. With so many big games coming down the pipe, what are you looking forward to getting your hands on?

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