HP nabbed a ton of attention at CES 2012 with its HP Envy 14 Spectre “Ultrabook”. One of several laptops competing with Apple’s MacBook Air, the Envy 14 Spectre stands out with its premium build. However, it also has a slightly higher-than-average price and weight for this product category. This $1,399 laptop packs a 14-inch screen in a package that’s 0.79-inches thick and weighs 3.9 pounds. As with most HP premium laptops, the Envy 14 Spectre boasts Beats audio. Here are the full specs:

• Processor: Intel Core i5-2467m 1.6GHz
• Screen: 14-inch Radiance display, 1,600 x 900 resolution
• Memory: 4GB RAM
• Storage: 128GB mSATA SSD
• Thickness: 0.78-inches
• Weight: 3.9 pounds
• Dimensions: 12.87 inches x 8.7 inches x 0.79 inches
• Ports: USB 2.0, USB 3.0, SD card reader, Mini DisplayPort, Ethernet
• Keyboard: Chiclet, backlit with sensor to brighten when you approach
• Wireless: 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, WiDi
• Battery Life: 9 hours estimated

After opening the laptop and messing around with keyboard, I was impressed by its luxurious feel. The lid, screen, touchpad, and palm rest feature Corning Gorilla Glass for a premium feel and great durability. The keyboard felt very comfortable; while I’d need more time with the machine to say for sure, my initial impression is that it’s as good as the one on the MacBook Air 13 but with a stiffer feel (really a matter of preference). Clicking, dragging, and two-finger scrolling on the touchpad felt very smooth.

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The lid of the Envy 14 Spectre is gorgeous…until you touch it. It is, by far, the biggest fingerprint magnet I’ve seen in years. Considering that it’s black glass, I shouldn’t have been surprised, yet I was still taken aback by the amount of smudges the lid picked up. If you’re the least bit affectionate with your electronics then you’ll be cleaning the Spectre every three minutes or so. The running joke among tech writers is that this is a security feature being tested by HP since the laptop picks up fingerprints easily. (Tech writers are generally not that funny.)

The Spectre’s screen is bright and beautiful, with broad viewing angles for sharing. The 1,600 x 900 resolution is unusually high for a 14-inch screen. Some people love the extra pixels and detail. Others, particularly those with bad eyes, might end up enlarging the text size to make things usable. Personally, I loved the display, despite my eyes sucking. The high res “Radiance” display adds to the premium look and feel of this notebook.

The HP Envy 14 Spectre stands out from the crowd with its liberal use of Gorilla Glass and beautiful screen. However, with other vendors aggressively pricing their Ultrabooks, will people be willing to pay a bit more for a laptop that’s a bit slicker and heavier? I’d love your take on this product. Please let me know if you’re interested in the HP Envy 14 Spectre and if you think it will be a top-selling Ultrabook.

- In the original show, the ThunderCats left their dying planet to begin life anew on Third Earth. This time around it looks like the planet is set. The ThunderCats are the most powerful race on the planet and rule from their kingdom of Thundera. In the original it was clear that the ThunderCats were the good guys and the mutants were the bad guys. Things are a bit cloudier in the modernization. These ThunderCats seem elitist and snobbish, while the other races seem oppressed by and fearful of them.

- The voice acting is solid so far, with some cool highlights. I immediately recognized Clancy Brown as Grune. Brown totally owned as Kurgan in Highlander and Lex Luthor in Superman the Animated Series. It’s going to take me a few episodes to get used to Emmanuelle Chriqui as Cheetara. She did a good job in the episodes I saw, but I kept hearing Sloan from Entourage in my head. Part of me was looking for E and Johnny Drama whenever she was in a scene.

- Here are two minor changes for you. First, Tygra and Lion-O are brothers. Lion-O is the true son of King Claudus and heir to the throne. Tygra is adopted, but starts off the series as better equipped to ruile. The second change is that Cheetara belongs to the cleric class. I’m not sure what religious purpose they serve, but all the clerics shown possess super speed. Perhaps they’re a warrior clan?

- Here are two major change for you. Snarf doesn’t talk. This makes him five-billion percent better than the original, annoying-as-hell Snarf. Secondly, Jaga kicks all sorts of ass. In the original, he was an old warrior that spouted fortune cookie wisdom (also a total Obi-Wan Kenobi rip-off). The new Jaga is leader of the clerics and still spouts the fortune cookie stuff, but kicks ass with super speed! Considering his namesake (jaguar, for any stupid kids reading this), it makes total sense that he’s a speedster.

- The classic chants and battle cries are in the show. Of course they are. The fanboys would have rioted without, “ThunderCats ho!!!” and, “Ancient spirits of evil, transform this decayed form…”

- WilyKit and WilyKat look to be much improved too. I hated both of them in the original (though not as much as I hated Snarf). Either I’ve gotten softer in my advanced age or the new WilyKit and WilyKat are much more endearing than their forerunners. (Both are probably true.) The re-imagined siblings are poor thieves that steal to survive. They appear to be orphans or runaways. Think of them as twin Artful Dodgers…but with tails…and cat ears…and, oh never mind.

- Panthro is old. I haven’t seen the “real” Panthro yet, but his shots in the press materials make him look considerably older than the other ThunderCats. Since he hasn’t appeared yet, I don’t know too much about him. What I do know is that he’s a general, he uses nunchuks, and he needs to join Hair Club for ThunderCats.

- Jaga referenced a prophecy that said that the greatest lord of the ThunderCats will possess sight beyond sight. Make what you will of that.

Anyway, let me know what you think of the new ThunderCats when you have a chance. Are you intrigued? Or are you afraid of one of your childhood memories being tarnished? As for me, I’m definitely going to keep watching the show. I wish I could say more, but I’m muzzled like a good ThunderDog at the moment. Stay tuned for the full review next week!

From the gameplay I was shown, as well as the beautiful intro movies, it’s clear that Lara has been trained but hasn’t been battle tested. She’s capable, but not yet confident. I liked seeing the vulnerable side of her character…though she did a bit too much moaning and whining when she was attacked. There were times I wasn’t sure if she was under duress or on the verge of an orgasm.

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The gameplay had plenty of exploration and puzzle solving — two hallmarks of the Tomb Raider series. Exploring the caverns and outdoor areas was lots of fun. The graphics I saw were beautiful and it was a pleasure watching someone else play the game. The early puzzles I saw played up fire and water. Lara would have to manage her torch (stop thinking about her managing your torch) and relight as necessary. The caverns were full of streams and pools, making torch management an interesting gameplay facet.

While I didn’t get to see any of Lara’s famous gunplay, I saw her engage in a number fights using her limbs, a dagger, and a bow (with arrows…duh!). The back-to-basics fighting was appropriate for the early portion of the game as she was freshly shipwrecked, but I imagine she’ll be dual-wielding pistols towards the end of her adventure.

A lot of the fight scenes implemented quick time events. The amount of them surprised me. The developers are trying to give the combat a cinematic feel while also appealing to casual gamers that are familiar with the Tomb Raider brand. It’s an interesting gambit that potentially gives the game a broader appeal and also differentiates it from a more traditional title like Uncharted.

My demo session of Tomb Raider left me wanting more. The graphics were impressive, the story was interesting, young Lara is hot, the puzzle gameplay looked like fun, and the combat was different. My chief concern at this time is the combat. It was definitely atypical, but it wasn’t as fun to watch as the other facets of gameplay. Will the fighting be fun to play? That’s what I want to know…and I’m willing to watch Lara Croft for hours in order to find out.

BioShock Infinite takes place on the floating island of Columbia in 1912 — a stark contrast to the underwater world of the original game. Columbia is like a traveling World’s Fair, but armed to the bone. It flies around the world terrorizing other nations. Within Columbia there are two factions vying for power: the Founders and the Vox Populi. You play the role of Booker DeWitt, a disgraced Pinkerton detective that has been tasked with the job of rescuing a young woman named Elizabeth.

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During the demo I noticed a lot more characterization than in the previous BioShock games. Booker and Elizabeth talk a lot. Some of it is idle chatter that helps you learn more about the characters, the world, and more. Some of the talk gives you combat cues. Elizabeth has mysterious powers that can be used for combat combinations.

One portion of the game had Elizabeth using her powers to heal a horse. Instead she ripped space and time, causing the game to fast forward to 1983. A movie theater playing Revenge of the Jedi was in the background. I’m going to guess that time travel, choices between the Founders and Vox Populi, and your treatment of Elizabeth are just some of variables that will help determine which ending you get.

The action was very fast, with a great sense of speed and scale. In addition to shooting, Booker can use telekinesis, electricity, and other powers. There’s a substantial role-playing element behind the action, as you’d expect from an Irrational title. What was different and surprising was the skyline system. Booker can use this above-ground rail system to zip around environments and reach optimal positions for combat. Swinging on the skyline via grappling hook is super fast and gives you an exhilarating feeling. You really get a sense of each level’s size and the art style does a great job of conveying a “sky” feeling that’s a sharp contrast to the “water” feeling of the previous games.

BioShock Infinite looks like it will deliver outstanding quality on several levels. The graphics, powered by a modified version of Unreal Engine 3, are stylish and technically impressive. The gameplay looks thrilling and deep. Although only a few details of the game’s story and setting have been revealed, it’s already more compelling than standard videogame narratives. Like I said earlier, it’s shaping up to be the ultimate realization of what gamers currently consider a videogame to be.

I’m a big fan of Irrational Games and Ken Levine. With that in mind, I was surprised that my expectations were exceeded by BioShock Infinite. It was so good that I caught the demo twice — I didn’t do that for any other game at E3 2011. Even though I only caught a small portion of the game, I’m confident that BioShock Infinite will be great. Hell, there’s a good chance that it will end up being one of the best games this console generation. I can’t wait to see more!

If you enjoyed games like Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, X-Men Legends, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance then you’ll likely dig Bastion. The perspective and gameplay mechanics are similar to the ones in those games. You run around, fight things, nab loot, fight more things, get new weapons, and fight some really big things towards the end of each level.

I was surprised by the diversity in Bastion. Changing weapons and abilities really give the main character a different feel. Whether you like getting up close and personal with melee combat or enjoy firing away from a distance with ranged attacks, Bastion has a fighting style for you.

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The game’s art is really striking. WBIE refers to it as “painterly”. The artists use a cartoon-like art style and a bright palette of colors. Check out the screens above. If Bastion’s art style doesn’t make you feel happy then there’s no hope for your soul. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but the art should be able to elicit some degree of warm fuzzies…or at least a hearty grin.

There are more than 40 levels for you to play in, which is surprisingly high for a downloadable game. WBIE promises up to 10 hours of gameplay, not including a “new game plus” mode that allows additional ways to experience the game.

Bastion will be released this summer. On Xbox 360 it will be part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade, which kicks off on July 20, 2011. On Windows PC it will be part of…the Windows Summer of Haywood Jablome (not an actual event). I’m super psyched to play it. It feels familiar and looks cool. Let me know if Bastion is something you’d be into.

In terms of story, not much has been revealed. The game takes place a few years after FFXIII ended and Lightning, the protagonist in the first game, has disappeared. The game’s trailer implies that she has been displaced to an alternate dimension and only her sister Serah believes she’s still alive. In my hands-on time, I controlled Serah and newcomer Noel. Serah appears to be the main character — at least in the early going — and it was implied that other FFXIII characters will join the party.

The biggest change to the game is that it’s more open than the original. I’m not talking about Elder Scrolls-like or anything, but there’s definitely some exploring to do. The levels I was shown had hidden paths and alternative branches. You’ll have the opportunity to explore levels instead of just marching down a straight line. I’m very interested to see how far the dev team will take this aspect of the game as the strict linearity was the biggest complaint of the original.

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Adding general cuteness and aiding your exploration is a new moogle companion. Moogles are awesome and I’m happy that one will be accompanying me in FFXIII-2. In addition to making cute sounds, the moogle will reveal some hidden objects and use his powers so that you can nab them. It seems like he rips the fabric of space, perhaps revealing the dimension where Lightning is stranded…but that’s just conjecture.

FFXIII’s excellent battle system is back, with a few changes. As with the original, you’ll have to change your team’s behavior during the course of the fight (damagers, healers, buffers, etc.). After you defeat certain monsters, they’ll join your party. Different monsters will appear by your side, depending on what role you’re using and each monster has their own special ability.

Battles now have short quick time events. Some QTEs I saw were just simple finishing moves. Others had gameplay consequences. For example, some QTEs will buff up your party if successful and cause your party to take damage if failed. I didn’t see enough of these to see if they really add to the gameplay, but it appears to be part of a larger trend of quick time events infiltrating all sorts of games.

During my demo, I saw a brief portion of the game featuring Lightning that was not playable on the show floor. She engaged in a cool fight while riding her Odin eidolon. Horsey fights looked like a nice change of pace from standard melee. They felt faster and seemed to implement quick time events better. Plus, Lightning just feels more bad-ass than her dainty sister and her boy toy companion.

I’m psyched for FFXIII-2. Keep in mind that I really liked the original game. It builds on a strong base and expands the world of FFXIII. Gamers that were disappointed in the original should keep their eyes on this game. It appears that Square Enix will address some of the complaints that turned off longtime RPG fans. If the devs add a mode that lets you torture wussy boy Hope Estheim then everyone will be happy!

All 4 One is a four-player cooperative affair starring Ratchet, Clank, Captain Qwark, and Dr. Nefarious. You can play alone, accompanied by character AI, but it’s much more fun playing with another player or three. Multiplayer can be done on the same console or online through PlayStation Network. Players are free to drop in and drop out of the game.

As expected, there are traditional platform elements that require players to work together to solve puzzles. I was pleasantly surprised to see driving and shooting portions that played up the cooperative aspect of the game. I wasn’t expecting that kind of diversity.

Another surprise was the amount of storytelling involved. I was expecting the game to focus entirely on multiplayer gameplay, with no storytelling at all. Honestly, I should have expected more from Insomniac — of course there’s story in the game! The events pick up after Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. Ratchet and Clank are tired and want to retire. Qwark has become president (though he’s still a lovable idiot). Nefarious is plotting evil schemes. Naturally, they end up involved in a larger plot that requires the four of them to work together in order to survive and — wait for it — save the world! Sony showed off a bunch of cutscenes that revealed a bit of the game’s plot. They were full of the humor and charm you’d expect from Insomniac.

While the game requires cooperation, it also has competitive aspects. For example, there are boxes that can only be opened by two players. I had fun frantically racing to boxes in order to get a higher score than my companions. Some cooperative actions result in players getting a score multiplier. Not only will you be racing to get more collectibles, but you’ll be racing to work together too. The mix of cooperative and competitive gameplay was way fun in the brief time I had with the game.

My companions and I had to tackle environmental puzzles that required us to work together to advance. For example, some ledges or objects are too far to reach by jumping. To reach these areas, one player has to power up a vacuum gun and another has to jump into it. Once the player is shot over the chasm, the rest of us could swing over to him via tether lines. Of course there are the typical (and fun) Ratchet & Clank activities of running, jumping, and beating/shooting the crap out of enemies.

I got to play the game in stereoscopic 3D and “normal” 2D. I definitely preferred playing in 2D. 3D was novel for a minute or two, but after that it added more eyestrain than enjoyment. While the eyestrain was mildly annoying while I was playing, it felt like someone was jamming toothpicks into my eyes when I took the 3D glasses off. For me, 3D didn’t add enough to the experience to make the discomfort worthwhile. The game looked great in 2D…and didn’t leave me with the toothpick-jammed-in-they-eyes sensation. I think I’ll stick with that.

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One looks like the super-fun game I imagined it to be when it was announced, but with more diversity and storytelling than I expected. I’m definitely going to pick it up when it’s released later this year. I hope some of you grab it as well. It would be awesome to play with you in an RPad.tv Invitational. If you have any questions about the game, please ask away in the comments section.

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My initial Speedtest.net results were crazy good. I was getting download speeds over 11Mbps and upload speeds over 37Mbps. From what I understand, Speedtest.net is probably doing something funky with the upload test, so I’m not really buying those results. Still, the speeds are fantastic in terms of real-world usage — better than what I’ve been getting on Sprint’s WiMax network and T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network.

Check out the video when you have a moment and let me know if you have any questions about this hot new phone for Verizon. Expect a full review next week.

Before I give you more details on the demon hunter, let me give you an idea of the kinds of action-RPG characters I enjoy. In Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance I loved playing as the sorceress and exploiting her ridiculously powerful ball lightning attack. In Marvel action-RPGs like X-Men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, I use characters like Cyclops, Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, and Spider-Woman — characters with awesome projectile attacks. Diablo III’s demon hunter fits into my play style perfectly.

The demon hunter plays like a projectile-hurling rogue with a bit of magic thrown in. She’s armed with dual crossbows that fire all sorts of ranged attacks. The projectiles can be imbued with various magical properties, which allow for exploding shots, slow shots, and more. The demon hunter can set traps and has the ability to jump across large distances with her “vault” ability. Obviously she’s not meant to be a hand-to-hand combatant.

Mixing and matching the demon hunter’s attacks was lots of fun. Hitting enemies with slow shots to decrease their speed, setting traps, and vaulting away as the traps blew the enemies to high heaven was one of my favorite tactics. Other times it was just fun to run-and-gun through levels. Firing off spread shots and exploding shots then jumping away for some mana recovery time was a joy. The demon hunter’s style and abilities give the action a sense of chaos; sure, my goals included killing enemies and snagging loot, but controlling the chaos added a layer of gameplay that’s not necessarily there for the other characters.

I was pretty high on Diablo III before BlizzCon. It’s Blizzard. It’s Diablo. Of course the game is going to be great. That said, playing as the demon hunter took my expectations to another level. I want to play this game (NOW! ) and I want to play as the demon hunter.

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Crackdown 2

- Crackdown 2 takes place 10 years after the original game. Some areas of Pacific City are prosperous, while others have become slums populated by the mutated “freaks”. The city’s network is the same, so it will feel familiar to gamers that played the first game. However, a lot of the buildings are different or have changed, so it will feel different as well.

- As expected, the game has a big vertical feel — the exaggerated high jumping returns, but this time around it’s accompanied by underground levels. Since it would be a little odd to greatly expand the width of Pacific City, the developers expanded downwards. There are several underground areas populated by the freaks. Some of the areas are connected to the ones above them, expanding the vertical feeling.

- There’s an interesting day/night mechanic that changes the feel of the game. During the day, humans walk the streets freely and you have to be careful not to kill too many of them (assuming you’re playing as a good guy). At night, the freaks come out and terrorize the streets. You can attack them with reckless abandon since the humans are inside.

- Jumping out of a helicopter is totally fun. You’re able to glide around the city quickly. In some cases it’s the most convenient way to move from area to area. More importantly, the sensation is cool. It reminded of Goliath from the Gargoyles cartoon.

- Naturally, there’s a huge sandbox element to the game. I spent about five minutes knocking down lamp posts with various weapons and vehicles. I’m pretty sure I was having flashbacks to Animal Crossing; my friend James and I used to visit our friends’ towns and chop down all their trees. Good times.

- There’s a lot more hand holding in the early stages of the game. Apparently some features and mechanics were not obvious to some players of the original. The issue has been addressed with a series of straightforward tutorials. There are also missions that help lead players to new areas. For example, you’ll be tasked to find absorption units that can take out freaks. After finding beacons that lead to the unit, you’ll find it tucked away in a central area.

- The magnetic grenade will be a fan favorite. In addition to blowing things up with them, you can create tethers between two objects. There are all sorts of fun ways to experiment with this weapon. You can create a slingshot to launch cars at your enemies. In a cooperative setting, players can attach them to a helicopter and a car. This allows the player in the chopper to tow his/her friend in the car to other areas.

- Turrets are a pretty fun weapon. While manning one is completely straightforward, they can also be ripped out at higher strength levels, allowing you to run around town with a powerful turret. In cooperative mode, multiple turrets can be attached to trucks, allowing a gang to operate a wheeled death machine.

- Collecting orbs was always fun in the first Crackdown. This time around it won’t be so easy. There are power-ups called “renegade orbs” that flee from the player. While they don’t exactly use an advanced AI, they are smart enough to alter their flight pattern depending on your actions. Early renegade orbs are easy enough to catch, but they get tougher to snag as the game progresses.

- There’s a freak-specific weapon called the UV gun. It’s awesome for blasting away freaks…or getting a tan.

In my mind, Crackdown clearly inspired other action games like Infamous and Prototype. With that in mind, the sequel has to work harder than its forerunner to impress people. From what I saw last week, Crackdown 2 certainly has the potential to dazzle gamers. The single-player aspects looked like great, ridiculous fun. If the cooperative elements are similarly engaging then this should be the summer blockbuster game. Heavy action, ridiculous weaponry, and monstrous explosions — sounds like fun, hey?

Anyway, let me know what you think of the game. Did you dig the original? Are you looking forward to the sequel? Do you think it will be on your summer wish list? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!