Games Player Blog

Sony Psp Downloads Possibilities Including Psp Video Tutorial

2009-03-03T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Lee McKenzie

If you ever loved the Sony Playstation consoles, then your definitely going to love the Sony PSP. With its portability and data storage capability Sony have really outdone themselves when it comes to the portable gaming experience. With features that include being able to play UMD music, movies and games and surf the world wide web, who wouldn't be eager to get their hands on one? As many people know these are the key points that the PSP has sold on. BUT! did you know you can also install games directly onto the memory sticks that come with it without the need for the UMD disk that the game was originally on? What a lot of people don't know about the PSP is that there are limitless possibilities to what you can make it do. Heck I've even seen someone use their PSP as a remote control. Possible because of its wireless setup and it's vulnerability to hackers.

There are numerous amounts of hacks available that can really transform your PSP into an extremely useful tool. If you look hard enough there is so much information on the net about the PSP hacks mainly tools and tutorials that can help you gain more from your PSP. The only problem you may have is with downloading content for your PSP. Sure there are a lot of download sites out there but they usually don't have what you looking for or are so complicated it makes your browsing process a nightmare. And even if you've downloaded the content there's no real way to know how to install it without having to search the net again for tutorials. However, there are sites out there that make this easy for you and you only have to do a quick search on any search engine to find them. Websites like this are a breeze to download content from because they have millions of files, tutorials and even have technical support areas in case you really get stuck. These sites usually come with a fee to begin using their content and are well worth the money. Everything you need for downloading is compiled into one website. Frustration is no longer a problem. If you really feel the need to expand your PSP experience having a look at some of these sites will really get you excited.

But for the beginners, here's a tutorial I compiled myself that describes how to put video onto your PSP. To see this tutorial visit the website: www.pspconnectonline.com Hopefully your eyes have been opened to the Sony PSP's amazing capability. So what are you waiting for get out there and start downloading.

Lee-Mckenzie www.pspconnectonline.com

Sudoku For Children Teach Them Early

2009-03-03T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Kathleen Frassrand

Teaching a child how to solve sudoku is more than just teaching them a new game. Sudoku is all about logic. Start early with your children. Allow their brains to learn logic, for it is indeed a learned skill. I firmly believe that children who learn logic early in life will excel in logic later. They will have a head start, and the logic section of their brains will develop more fully.

Now, that being said, how do you teach a child sudoku? The first step is to choose and easy puzzle. Start them with a 4x4 grid. You will need to make sure they understand the different between rows, columns, and mini-grids.

Once they understand these three components, you can begin to show them the logic. Start by locating a row that only needs one number. This should be easy in a 4x4 grid. Your child should be able to easily figure out which number is missing.

Work together on rows, then move on to columns. Again, look for columns that are only missing one number. Once your child has mastered working with rows and columns, you can work with mini-grids.

The second step is to work on rows, columns, and mini-grids that are missing two numbers. This is an important step. This is where logic really comes into play. If a row is missing a 5 and a 6, then show your child WHY a 5 must go in this spot, and a 6 must go in the other.

Also, it is important to note that when your child states that a number "must go here", it is your job to ask why. They may be guessing, and you won't know until they start guessing wrong. A child must understand the rules of sudoku in order to apply them, and it is your job to teach those rules in a methodical manner.

Once your child can routinely do a 4x4 grid, move on to a 6x6. For quite some time, you will need to stay with your child and show them where to go next. I recommend that you show your child which row or column to work on next (or which number to look for).

Before long, your child will be able to successfully complete a 6x6 with no help from you at all. That is when you move to a 9x9, and then on to harder solving techniques.

The most important thing you can do is START!

Good luck, and enjoy this special time with your child.

Ms. Frassrand is an avid Sudoku player who also loves spending time with her children. For more sudoku information, please visit http://sudoku.info-for-you-online.com

Alien Species Design And Organic Success Models

2009-03-02T12:00:00.002-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

Have you ever considered what alien species might look like? Some of us have and many of our thoughts perhaps are based on those things we see on the silver screen in Hollywood. Indeed the Sci Fi authors, screen writers, graphic artists and illustrators of the present and recent past periods have gripped movie goes and captured our imaginations. But how accurate are these depictions; I mean are they viable considering some of the tight parameters necessary for life on other planets. Living on the surface of the planet or in an ocean of H20 leaves a species with lots of options indeed.

For instance let us consider here on Earth the incredible diversity of living organisms both on land and in our water oceans. Some of the creatures we have on Earth could certainly pass for our ideas of alien creatures. However on a Planet with seas of Methane life would be much different and on a planet with an atmosphere of CO2, the species would not be soft shell like skin and bones, but perhaps hard shell like lobsters, beetles and such?

Recently in an online think tank this subject was brought up and a fellow think tanker Marv, had considered what he believed could be universal rules which would apply to species living in the realm throughout out Universe. His ideas were predicated on "survivability and adaptability" and he came up with a few thoughts of what species would be the most successful and their basic make up specifically; "Bi-lateral symmetry, Carbon based, Endo-skeletal, at least bi-sexual and ability to exploit the environment to some degree."

Indeed many of these thoughts do make sense and on the subject of an "Intelligent Alien Species" he had this to say on the matter and stated;

"The ability to deliberately manufacture and manipulate fine things like tools to manufacture other tools is necessary to achieve a culture worthy of the label "intelligent."

Of course all this would be predicated on the type of environment available on the planet although these are interesting ideas and concepts of what alien life may look like on other planets. Perhaps you have such thought on these things and if not, perhaps you might consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Role Playing Games Builders Guide 8

2009-03-02T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Dustin Schwerman

The Challenge: Above all other things, a role playing game is just thata game. And games, beyond everything else, are supposed to be fun. Where RPGs are concerned, there are a number of things that increase the entertaining value of the game. Random chance, cunning strategy, detailed character development, and so on.

But even to a group who likes die rolling, having to roll three different types of checks for every action and compare the results will get very boring very fast. Even to a strategic group, five minutes of prep work for every combat turn is excessive. Even for descriptive players, not every little action warrants a paragraph worth of detail. And to players who care less about these parts of the game, such factors will quickly leech all the fun from game play. As such, you must consider the eighth challenge of building a versatile role playing game: the challenge of promoting simplicity.

Although players like to have opportunities to use their favorite rules and styles, they should be able to do so quickly and efficiently, and with plenty of accessible support from the game rules. Players who like to come up with their own descriptions for what their characters are doing should still be able to look at their character sheets and know exactly what their characters can do. Players who like to strategize should be able to pick out their strategies swiftly and efficiently, and while they might occasionally spend significant time deliberating over a particularly crucial action, they should have easy and yet effective staples to fall back on in a staple battle. Players who like die rolls should be able to get to the die rolling faster; they shouldn't be forced to roll check after check for individual actions.

The Risk: It's easy to devise rules for a situation, and not even that difficult to come up with a detailed combination rule to handle multiple similar situations. If you have five different measures of character abilitylets say physical power, reaction time, stealth, magic, and itemsyou could very easily incorporate plenty of rules to emphasize die rolling, description, strategy, or whatever other aspect of the game you wanted to emphasize. And you could probably do so in a balanced manner, simply by making each one useful for every action in its own way.

And the result would be disastrous. Would players roll a check for each attribute? Or maybe they roll a single check and add up modifiers gained from all five attributes? To maintain character value, each attribute would have to apply its modifier in a different way, indicating more calculation than die rolling. Forgetting checks, would the player have to describe how it uses each attribute in the action? How much description would be necessary? Do this, and every player will be coming up with an entire paragraph to describe every actionand it would have to, or else it's taking a penalty due to not having as many bonuses. Does each attribute give a bonus? Now players have to remember five possible bonuses for every action.

Again, a balanced role playing game is good, but it still has to be fun. While these rules, abilities, and options are nice to have, there has to be a balancing factor. If players don't have a reason not to use every option they have available, every encounter becomes the battle of sumo bonuses. However, where choices are required, the danger comes about that each action could take excessive time as the player runs through (and tries to remember) the abilities it has, the advantages of combining certain ones, and the results of using such combinations in the given situation.

However, as with most of these challenges, focusing too much on simplicity is no help to a role playing game. Too much simplification means that there is little character variety. Take the same attribute example from above, and simplify it to what seems a happy medium. The player can choose one attribute when performing an action (incorporating it into its description, if the group has a descriptive style), and it gets a bonus on its action dependent on how high the attribute is, modified based on the attribute's merit in the situation. This seems ideal; there is potential for description and strategy, a direct correlation between stats and action success, and very little time required to get to the check and then on with the game.

The only problem is that there are really only five available character types. There is no real point in focusing on two or more attributes. It may sometimes seem so, since such a focus has a better chance of getting a situational bonus, but the fact is that one very high score is probably more useful than two medium scores. The players might be able to describe each character's actions differently, which is a good way to create stylistic customization, but there is only scant possibility for valuable statistical customization. Worse still, regardless of what your choice is, the stats are the same. Although situation may change bonuses, for a standard-fare action, choosing strength is no different from choosing speed.

Clearly, this example is an extremeas a half-page role playing game, it just about has to be!but it provides a necessary warning. Oversimplification can be just as bad as complexity.

The Solution: Of all the challenges I've dealt with in the creation of QoTR, simplicity may be the hardest I've faced. I'm still not entirely sure I've overcome it. My preference system offers a lot of abilities, and playtesting has shown that a battle between two high-level characters can drag on for quite some time. However, I've managed to make some headway against this difficulty.

The best tactic I've used is keeping things optional. Description is always optional, and the check system keeps generally to one check per action, so there is no difficulty there. Strategy is the trick, so the first thing I did was make sure that every preference has a nice, easy-to-use ability that that help out directly but decisively in combat.

Next, many abilities don't add new bonuses as much as they make it easier or more efficient to obtain existing ones. The majority of abilities in QoTR either make things easier to use or offer a different option rather than a bonus. Most bonuses also carry a corresponding cost, so at the very least players don't have to spend several minutes plotting out every action.

I have one sure-fire way to simplify combat. It requires players to put in a bit of extra effort on character creation, and honestly, some html experience is nice, but I have the character sheets set up to auto-update on power gains. Players can go into the sheet and use the variables given to add their abilities and strategies into the quicky combat options provided. Once they do so, they can simply select from their preset tactics, allowing quick strategy. This doesn't prevent them from designing an elaborate action piecemeal if the situation warrants, but can cut down significantly on time spent during standard battles.

Simplicity is an important aspect of a role playing game. If players have to jump through hoops to perform their actions, it quickly cuts down on fun. However, oversimplifying leads to stagnation. Keep different game factors optional, and give players as much accessible support as possible so they can perform their actions quickly and keep the game going at an exciting speed.

Dustin Schwerman has been playing RPGs for over a decade, using an analytical approach to critically evaluate the game systems (and so to create the most powerful characters he could get away with). He used the extensive experience gained doing so to create his own game, Quests of the Realm. QoTR focuses on unlimited character customization, relying on its author's understanding to detect and counter game-breaking power plays. Though balanced, QoTR still allows players to create highly effective characters and run them through heroic story lines. To contact Dustin, read more of his writings, or learn more about Quests of the Realm, visit his web site, Quellian-dyrae.

The Doubling Cube

2009-03-01T12:00:00.002-08:00

Writen by Levente Galambosi

In backgammon the doubling cube is used to increase the stakes during the game. The doubling cube is a relatively new addition to backgammon but it elevates the game to a new level in terms of strategy. It is important that you know the concept and strategy elements related to the doubling cube because it might be your key to great success.

Using the doubling cube

You normally play backgammon in Match play, i.e. the winner is the player who first reaches a predetermined number of points. Every game is worth one point in the beginning of the game, so in a normal win the winner gets one point.

So, every straigth game win is worth one point in the beginning of the game. At certain point during the game a player can offer the doubling cube to the opponent. If the opponent accepts the cube it is turned on the board so that number 2 is facing upwards and the game now is worth two points. The next doubling can be initiated only by the player who accepted the doubling before. If he decides to double and the opponent accepts the cube will now show 4 and the game is worth four points, etc.

Should a player to whom the doubling is offered feel that he is a real underdog in the game, he can resign. Resigning means the end of the game and the winner gets as many points as the game was worth before the doubling cube was offered to the opponent.

The doubling cube has the numbers 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 and 64 on its six sides. In theory the players could be doubling also beyond the 64 to 128, 256, etc. but experienced players don't normally accept doublings beyond 4.

Beavers and other rules

Beaver is an optional, but commonly used rule with the doubling cube. It means that the player to whom the doubling was offered can immediately re-double to 4 and keep doubling cube in his possession! This may occur if a player has made a bad judgement of the situation and e.g. prematurely offered the doubling cube to the opponent. The opponent, however, sees the bad judgement and punishes the opponent of it by re-doubling (beaver). A little later he might offer a doubling to 8 if the situation allows, in which case the opponent might want to resign with a 4-point loss..

The Crawford rule is another optional rule that states that if either player gets to one point of winning the match (say the situation is 8-6 in a nine point match) the next game is played without the doubling cube. If the match is still not over after the game the doubling cube is again in use. This rule aims at giving value to the player being one point from victory but at the same time doesn't eliminate the chances of winning for the player behind in points.

Single win, gammon and backgammon

In backgammon a single win is worth one point, a gammon 2 points and a backgammon 3 points. This is multiplied by the number shown on the doubling cube. In other words if a player scored a gammon win and the doubling cube had been used once he scores 2 x 2 = 4 points.

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Backgammon is experiencing a comeback after nearly three decades of low profile. WinningBackgammon.info is a website targeted at beginners and intermediate backgammon players, offering online backgammon tips and backgammon strategy articles.

Need For Speed Most Wanted The Most Wanted Game Of The Year

2009-03-01T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Coenraad De Beer

Most Need For Speed fans will know what I'm talking about when I refer to the most wanted game of 2005. The Need For Speed franchise has been reborn with the release of Need For Speed Most Wanted (NFSMW) on the 15th of November this year in the U.S. Fans could not stop talking about all the fantastic features of this game and the Internet was swarmed with headlines about this great title. But what is the buzz all about? What makes this title so exceptional? Take a quick tour with me and you will find out.

The main attraction of Need For Speed Most Wanted, is the return of the high speed, police chases that was introduced in the very first instalment of the series and perfected in Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. But the police chases is far more complicated that fans had become accustomed to in previous versions of the game. The cops are much more aggressive, more skilled and better equipped. Don't think you can tune your ride to be the fastest and beat the police with speed, they have some serious stuff under the hood and skilled drivers behind the wheel.

Damage models also make a return. You can completely destroy a cop's car while your own car can only be damaged visually by means of broken windows and damaged paint. Almost everything in the free roaming world can be destroyed and used to your advantage during a cop chase. Drive through a gas station, or remove the pillars of a shop's roof and see what happens to the cops. The traffic models have also been improved and they are still as annoying as in all the other Need For Speed titles, but the game will not be so much fun without this annoyance factor. The surrounding world detail has also received huge attention. HDRR (High Dynamic Range Rendering) pushes the graphics to new heights and that is one of the main reasons why the game plays off during the day and not at night like in the Underground series.

The speed-breaker is a nice innovation of EA to help players control their cars during the high-speed chases. The speed-breaker is much like the bullet-time feature of games like Max Payne and Total Overdose. One thing that may disappoint fans is the fact that the customisation of the cars is much more limited than in the Underground series. You can only modify your spoiler, hood, roof scoops and window tinting. You can purchase complete body kits that will adjust your muffler tips, headlights, etc. automatically to fit in with the specific kit you chose. You can still paint your car, add vinyls, put decals on your ride and paint your rims (but not your brake callipers). Painting your car and changing its visual appearance is vital to your success in the game. This will help you evade the cops by bringing your heat level down after each visual upgrade, or change you make to your ride.

All your performance upgrades are still available in the game and you unlock more powerful upgrades as you progress through the game. The only limitation with performance upgrades is that you no longer can choose the brands of your parts, they are pre-selected with each upgrade. EA also dropped the fairly complicated tuning of Underground 2 and brought back the simple slider tuning that was introduced in earlier titles. You only move the relevant slider to the left or right to modify your car's handling, steering speed, height, acceleration, down-force, top speed, braking, turbo and nitrous booster. This should be welcomed by gamers because they are no longer frustrated by hours complicated tuning to get the most out of their rides. The emphasis of this game is becoming the most notorious street racer and that is why EA shifted from the tuner theme to the cop-chase theme.

There are over 30 cars to choose from, including tuners, street-cars, muscle cars, sport models and exotics. Each and every car can be tuned and upgraded for maximum performance. You will find that cash is a limited resource and you need to upgrade and buy strategically. You also get the chance to win your rival's car by winning his pink slip after each challenge. But before you can challenge a blacklist member you first need to achieve a number of race wins and milestones to build respect among the racers and prove you are worthy of racing against them.

The music continues the Underground attitude, but the high-speed cop-chases introduce a brand new innovation: interactive music. The interactive music gives the game a cinematic feel. The closer the cops get, the more dramatic the music becomes. When you evade the cops the music reaches a climax but returns to a dramatic tone as soon as a cop spots you again. The changes in music are very accurate and EA has done a great job in creating the right atmosphere during these lightning-speed chases.

There are so many other great features in this game, but mentioning them all in one article is just not practical. Need For Speed Most Wanted is a blend of all the great features of previous titles and more. Great graphics, a great storyline with great actors like Josie Maran, great music and great cars. All these factors make the game the Most Wanted game of the year.

Born on 27 February 1982 in small town called Lichtenburg in the North West (Formerly known as Transvaal) province of South Africa. He graduated High school in 2000 and started doing computer programming on his own for 2 years using the C++ programming language. In 2003 he started a career in Accounting and he is currently studying BCompt at the University of South Africa.

The author is a very dedicated person in whatever he takes on in life and believes that success only comes from hard work and believing in your own abilities, the abilities God gave to you.

Coenraad is the Webmaster of LIAFIN. Pay them a visit and see what they have in store for you. LIAFIN - Your one stop Online Shop http://www.liafin.co.za

You can also visit his homepage at http://www.cplusplusgenius.wagoo2.com

The Future Of Submarine Games

2009-02-28T12:00:00.002-08:00

Writen by Neal Stevens

In the last six months, the demise of sims has been pronounced in abundance. Print mags and sim webzines have been telling you sims are being cancelled left and right Jane's A-10: Cancelled. Wolfpack II: Cancelled. Silent Steel II: MIA. M1Tank Platoon 3: Cancelled. Fighting Steel Deluxe: Cancelled. Jane's Attack Squadron: MIA. Thunder Over Europe: MIA. The list goes on.

We all know that this is a down cycle for sims and we believe there is hope that in a couple of years, things will turn around and sims will be hot stuff again. Hey, I remember in 1973 when the EPA and OPEC throttled the life out of the muscle car scene. I had a 1970 Cobra Torino that had 450 hp and ran the quarter in the high 13s. In less than three years every car out of Detroit was a smog controlled, gas economizing slug. They even started making them as ugly as they were slow! It was heartbreaking.

But over time, things change. Now you can get a high performance machine that handles and has luxuries like front/rear AC. My '99 Riviera has a supercharged V-6 that would make my old Torino proud.

So, keep the faith. Things will improve, even if no one knows when. Silent Hunter II and Destroyer Command are showing signs of life. Harpoon 4 is still under development. There are stirrings from the Sonalysts camp.

When a new subsim does hit the shore, try to remember, the developers and game producers are our friends. They make the kind of games we like because they like them too. Why would they labor over armor thickness tables, ship model physics, and torpedo trajectories for a niche market? I know a few developers and they all love the genre.

Try to keep your criticism balanced. Should you blast a sim you had trouble with or didn't enjoy with all the invective and animosity you would normally reserve for someone who stole your car or used your toothbrush? I was told by one producer that high-level executives frequently ask him about hard-core negative postings on newsgroups and forums. The industry sees us as demanding, unappreciative, and impossible to satisfy. It's much easier and more lucrative to crank out Deer Hunter and Barbie games and their users rarely flame the game company to a crisp.

I work with a CPA accountant who likes computer games and is pretty good at them. He can play a mean Age of Empires warrior. I tried to interest him in learning Jane's 688(I) for some multiplay. He took one look at the hefty manual and waved it off. He assumed he would need to learn all the material to play competitive. The blessing and the curse of a good sim is its complexity. You want to command a battle fleet or do TMA on a Los Angeles class submarine? You need to learn skills and study. And this restricts the popularity of the sim. Mass market games generally do not carry the steep learning curve a sim does. So while we hard core sim players are delighting in the minutia of seven different stations and all their controls, casual gamers are passing up the sim at a 20 to 1 ratio. Sims truly are a niche market.

Niche market games have limited budgets. This mean a small number of programmers and artists must concentrate on the basics. Don't expect to see everything you want and imagine in a sim. Oh yeah, I'm with you--I wish a subsim could have full motion crews and other fun stuff. But as one producer told me, "We don't have the money to design and integrate these features into the product. I wish we could, too."

We should be finding out the status of Silent Hunter II soon. Either Mattel Interactive is going to sign someone to complete it or it will be canned. I went through the "we are planning to do this" stage with the fabled Jane's Ice Pack add-on for 688(I), Crusader Studios' Akula: Red Hunter, Silent Steel 2, and the interoperability between Jane's Fleet Command and 688(I). I'm not passing judgment here, just stating that when the momentum dies, so does the objective. For whatever reasons, the product champions behind those sims were unable to secure the financing to start work. To get a better feel for the whole process, read my friend John Sponauer's analysis of the life and death of a sim, M1 Tank Platoon 2, from its early development as an upgrade all the way through its last couple of weeks.

Despite my previous experiences with other sim companies, I am optimistic that Carl Norman and Rick Martinez mean what they say and SSI will continue to raise the banner of the Digital Combat Series while the Jane's, NovaLogics, and Microproses around them fall like unfortunate tin soldiers. This is not to say SH2 is a done deal--that moment will come when you hold the box in your hand. We look to the next rumored subsim as our best hope for advanced underwater warfare. All we can do is stay positive, supportive, and if it's decent, buy four copies when it comes out.

About The Author

Neal Stevens is the editor of Subsim.com and contributing author of the coffee table book United States Submarines.

What Will Be The Fate Of The Upcoming Playstation 3

2009-02-28T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Matthew Evers

The playstation 3 is going to be a machine of machines. One that no other video game console can possibly match. It will have the Blue-ray drive, and have the ability to watch and burn DVD movies.

Even more, the Playstation 3 will be a mini computer, and have the ability to process information much much faster then the playstation 2 does, or even the XBox 360. All of this is great for Sony in theory, but when one sits back and analyzes the situation, it can become a bit more confusing.

When the Playstation 2 was released 7 years ago, the average number of games sold per unit sold was 5. Fastforward to the PSP; it released and has only sold about 2 games per PSP sold. This is mainly because of the multimedia aspect of the game. People are buying it to watch movies just as much as they are to play the games.

This doesn't sound so bad, but it can cause problems for Sony. A lot of Sony's income from video game consoles are the licensing fees they charge video game companies to create games on any of Sony's console platforms. Thus, when less games are being sold, less money is being paid for the rights to make games since not as many games are being bought compared to the past.

Another possible problem with the Playstation 3 is the complexity of the interface. Since the Playstation 3 is so powerful, crtics are speculating that the console may confuse consumers and give the PS3 the reputation of being complicated.

Whatever the case may be, the Playstation 3 will prove to be the biggest release in video game history.

This article is by Matthew Evers, the owner of Playstation 3 People.

Online Video Game Rentals

2009-02-27T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Daniel Boyd

In this article I will explain what online game renting entails, why it's better, and best place to use for renting video games on the Internet.

What's the deal with online game rentals anyways?

Basically it's a website you can go onto pick out the game you want to rent and they will mail it to your home. Its great in theory and even better in real live, no you can sit at home read about the game and then select the tile and next day its in your mail box. When you're done with it plop it back in envelope and put in the mailbox easy as that!

Why is it better?

That's the most common question but the answer is very simple. By renting video games off the Internet you get a better selection, no late fees, no hassle, and you don't have to drive anywhere. Its by far the best means of getting games for any real gamer.

What's the best place?

So things to watch out for

1. Bad looking website, if they aren't able to put money into a good website probably not a company you want be paying monthly for a service.

2. Check and see how fast the games actual are shipped out and if you have to pay for return postage.

3. See what their policy if you lose a game, we're all human and sometimes that happens but you don't want to be stuck paying 50-100 bucks for a game.

We review places that provide online video game rental services at: Subscription Review

Xbox Bundles Could Save You Money

2009-02-26T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Desmond Owens

You know when I first got my xbox there really wasnt to much of a selection of games avaliable. Now the way they package an xbox bundle these days, will make you want to hurry up an purchase an xbox.

What is an xbox bundle you say? Well...think of it as a Value meal for xbox.

What I mean is not only are you recieving the xbox gaming console you are getting different incentives that give you more bang for your buck.

You know when I first got my xbox there really wasnt to much of a selection of games avaliable. Now the way they package an xbox bundle these days, will make you want to hurry up an purchase an xbox.

Here are some of the current xbox bundle packages I found on the net.

Overstock.com

This Console Bundle from Xbox contains 2 free months of Xbox Live Online service, 2 free games, Star Wars Clones & Tetris, and of course, an Xbox console, controller and AC power cord.

Amazon.com

You get the console, Xbox Live 2 Months free all the power accessories and cords, and 2 free games NCAA 2006 and Top Spin. Amazon also have diffent xbox bundle packages that offer different games.

* SIDENOTE * I love NCAA 2006 thats one of my favorite games out there, I've only logged in 30+ hrs and many difficult seasons....ok just thought I would put that in there *

During my search I've found one more site that I think you may find valuable.

EBGAMES.com

Not only do they offer more variety of xbox bundle combos they offer refurbished systems. I dont know about you but I dont mind saving a buck or two but hey thats me.

I hope this page has given you some ideas on the different xbox bundle systems you can find out there. Depending on the store or site the combinations could vary. Might have even change at the time of this writing.

One last thing before I finish...

I didnt buy my xbox bundle for a while due to the fact that the controllers were just to big...It felt like I had to almost take my hand off the trigger to reach the left and right triggers on the controlls. I recommend a MadCatz controller if you want that great look and feel...not to mention it has a nice grip that you may need in an intesence fire-fight online. So keep that in mind when purchasing an xbox bundle.

Desmond Owens is a successful Webmaster and publisher. For more information on Xbox visit Xbox.com

3 Must Have Nintendo Wii Accessories Reviewed And Explained

2009-02-25T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Aaron Brooks

Gaming is a multi-pronged world with consoles, accessories and more crowding the market. apart from gaming consoles there have developed over the years a great many gaming accessories that take gaming to new never before explored levels.

With Wii Nintendo brings to the fiercely competitive market a product that has family appeal, is affordable, and encompasses great technology. Nintendo intends with the release of Wii to retain its market presence and bring to its consumers new delights in gaming.

The much awaited Nintendo Wii comes with its own batch of must have accessories:

The Wii remote is slotted for release in the US on November 19th and is priced at USD 39.99. According to pre-release information the Wii remote has a one-handed remote control design and so is more sensitive to pointing, movements, and user friendly. The remote has wireless functions and works using a short-range Bluetooth radio. One can use a maximum of four controllers at a distance of 5 meters from the Wii sensor bar. The Wii remote is multi functional and allows ambidextrous use, can be used horizontally, or like a steering wheel. According to expert gamers the design is such that experienced players will be able to hold a remote in each hand or a Nunchuk in one and a remote in the other. Technically advanced the Wii remote can sense movement and orientation. The remote can identify linear motion along three axes. The optical sensor can determine the direction. According to experts reviewers at CNET the pointer can get jerky or twitchy. And, the tilt control requires a light and subtle touch. The remote controls cannot be calibrated manually and gamers have to make do with Wii's calibrations.

The Nunchuk is also slotted for release on Nov 19th and is priced at Us 19.99. This is a device that can be plugged into the Wii remote. It has an analog stick and two buttons and can be used in games like Red Steel and Twilight Princess. Since the nunchuk has motion sensors it permits gamers to perform specific character actions, like a spinning slash attack. According to industry reports this is all set to become the most popular and "must have" accessory.

The Nintendo Classic Controller will also be released in the US on Nov 19th and is priced at USD 19.99. This is the classic-style expansion controller which can be used with the Wii remote slotted in to play games using a traditional game pad. It is to be used to play existing games, virtual console games, and multiplatform games. It connects to the Wii remote through a cord. Aimed at gaming being fun the Nintendo Wii will disappoint if graphics and special effects are what are required. The biggest draws are supposed to be the motion-sensing remote , pseudo-reality controls, and internet capabilities. The Wii in its present form will not play CDs or DVDs although this feature is in the offing.

Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for http://www.1888freeonlinegames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for Free Software Downloads Site http://www.1888softwaredownloads.com

Mobile Phone Users In Uk Mobile Games

2009-02-25T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Judith Earl

Today, the mobile gaming industry has gone much ahead from the earlier times, when it had only simple and ordinary games.

The games once created for PC's are coming up in mobile phones and a large number of people are enjoying playing those games on the move. Mobile handsets are coming up with the latest technology and they are able to cope with the latest java games with 3D graphics. With the latest handsets having 3G technologies, you can now play with real people rather than competing against "ghost opponents".

On second-generation networks, the data transfer rate is too slow to play with real people. However, after 3G networks came into the picture, data transfer rates increased incredibly and now you can have multi-player gaming and real time racing.

Although playing latest technology games became relatively easier, people had to pay for the data they consumed while playing games. Most operators currently charge users for the megabytes they use. Because of high prices charged for downloading games and browsing the web, people don't spend much time online.

However, the flat rate pricing has completely altered the Internet industry and the number of people going online and mobile gamers has increased widely.

The user no longer has to restrict himself/herself to games that fit into the size of the memory of his/her handset. You can now add memory if you want to store games that require large memory. So now game makers can think about making games that need a huge storage capacity.

Without the introduction of 3G, these games wouldn't have been possible. With the games going big, mobiles are also receiving a make over. The mobile version of NFSU2 has about 40 hours of game play in it. Another big game is Sims 2 mobile, which could not have been made without 3G. PC games can now be loaded to a handset. The experience is as good as the full version even after changing the different modes for exploring and interacting.

To bring these complex games on a mobile phone is a big challenge. But a lot of progress is being made in this direction.

webmaster
UK Mobile Phone

The Truth About Wow Power Leveling And What Our Competitors Wont Tell You

2009-02-24T12:00:00.002-08:00

Writen by Rob Bartlett

A Dishonest History
I am writing this article because I am tired of the utter dishonesty that rules many of the companies in the secondary MMORPG market today. This industry is run by anonymous companies who have to answer to nobody. You are giving your prized game account to a stranger (who is usually overseas), with the promise/hope that nothing bad will happen to it during the power leveling process. When this promise is not met, you have absolutely no recourse, and in most cases, no effective way to communicate with the company. This article will explain to you how this industry works and what you might expect from it.

In the past, placing trust in an anonymous company was a small risk. The chance of something happening to your game account was relatively small. However, with the huge success of World of Warcraft (WoW), this is no longer the case. Scamming/hacking WoW game accounts is now big business. With millions of game accounts ripe for the picking, it is far easier for deviants to target WoW accounts than it is for them to target a high security bank account. Hackers specifically write malware including viruses and spyware to target WoW accounts, which they will then completely strip in a matter of minutes, to sell on their website(s). To add insult to injury, they will then DELETE ALL OF THE CHARACTERS when they are done!

The reason I discuss anonymous companies and hackers in the same section is because it is anonymous companies who are responsible for all of the hacking in the first place. These hackers know exactly how the industry works; they have insiders who help them to distribute their malware. They can also effectively target packet sniffing to fish for account information because they know exactly where the Internet bottlenecks are for overseas power leveling operations. Once they steal account information, they can quickly sell all the gold/gear on their anonymous website and delete all the characters. In the process of doing this, they harm the reputation of the MMORPG services company that the client most recently purchased from, because they will be blamed for the action. In essence, if you buy from an anonymous company who is not accountable for their actions, you are supporting this vicious steal-strip-delete-sell-repeat cycle.

How to Research A Power Leveling Company
The easiest way to protect yourself is to research the company you are planning to place your order with:
1. Avoid websites that go out of their way to remain anonymous. If you are only given an e-mail address or an instant messenger ID, you should think twice about dealing with them.
2. Use WHOIS info to get additional information about the website, there are several different WHOIS providers. Try doing a WHOIS search for AAAInternet.com (the website of the Canadian company that founded PGMx.com) and you will see that we have been registered since 1998. If the registrar you try does not give you the contact details, it may give a link to the registrar who does when you do your search. If they are registered anonymously, that is another red flag:

a. http://who.godaddy.com/whoischeck.aspx

b. http://www.networksolutions.com/whois/index.jsp

c. http://resellers.tucows.com/whois/index_html

If you do your research, you may be able to catch the company in a lie. Do they claim to be a US business? Do they claim to be in business for several years? If they are going to lie about this, why would you trust them with your game account?

Hacking Cases are on the Rise
Hacking cases are on the rise due to Blizzard's attempts to curb the secondary market for World of Warcraft. By doing so, they are creating their own worst enemy. Instead of allowing busy players the opportunity to get help advancing their characters and/or purchasing in-game gold, they are taking the strong arm approach and suspending or banning accounts that they feel are cheating the game. Blizzard is doing far more harm for World of Warcraft than they are doing good.

While power leveling or buying gold is in fact cheating, it is a service that is allowing busy players to have fun playing a game that they otherwise would not have the time to play. The reality is that Blizzard should be embracing the secondary market and regulating it. Without the secondary market, there are literally thousands of good players who would not play their game otherwise. By not supporting these players, Blizzard is in fact alienating them, and giving them good reason to leave the game because they cannot compete with people playing 12+ hours per day.

The largest impact Blizzard has is with banning gold accounts; this is the easiest for them to track. Blizzard often bans gold farming accounts in the hundreds or even thousands. By doing mass bans of farming accounts like this, Blizzard is actually ENCOURAGING hackers. It is not easy for gold farmers to collect and deliver their gold inventory to clients, especially if all of that inventory can be erased in a single day. Instead of farming gold to sell to buyers, hackers are now stealing gold from players. Considering the time required to steal gold versus farming it, it does not take a genius to realize why hacking is such a growing problem for World of Warcraft. Many of these hackers are probably players who are bitter and angry at Blizzard for "deleting" their new online job.

Account Sharing Means Risk of Account Cancellation
If you give your account info to ANYONE, you are breaking the rules for the game, period. If you place an order for power leveling, you are putting your account at risk. If you read the terms of service, in most cases, you will find that you are not allowed to give your password to anyone. The security of your account is your responsibility.

We take significant proprietary precautions to help protect your game account. We are gamers too, the last thing we want to do is put your game account in jeopardy. We stand to gain a lot more by keeping you as a faithful client as opposed to making a quick buck. But, with that being said, you must understand that you should consider the possibility that your prized game account could be the ultimate price you pay for cheating the game. If you are not prepared to take this risk, then you should consider using a second/new account instead. Of course this also gives you the opportunity to still play while your order is being fulfilled.

PGMx has the experience, the insider knowledge, the English communication skills and the close relationship with our clients required to offer superior protection for your account. Our proprietary precautions are unrivaled by any of our competitors. If Blizzard implements changes that will put your game account at risk, we can quickly adapt to the situation to ensure that our clients will be protected for the future. None of our competitors can come even close to us.

How to Protect Your Game Account
Ensuring that your game account is protected is our top priority. We are here to help you have fun, hopefully for months or even years to come. Here are my recommendations to help protect your game account:

1. We do take significant proprietary precautions to protect your game account, but consider the possibility that the account could be suspended or banned if our services are detected. If you are not prepared to take this risk, consider using a 2nd game account to reduce your risks. This will also allow you to play while we work on your order.

2. Restrict our services to about 12 hours per day. We have the capacity to work on your order 24/7 upon request, but we do not recommend it. By playing on the account 24/7, it is possible that our services may be detected. We encourage and recommend you to play your character in between sessions so you can check out the progress or just play like you normally would.

3. Learn to use the password recovery tool before you place your order (i.e. http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/loginsupport/password.html - a new window will open). If you ever suspect that there is a security issue with your account, immediately use the tool to change the password for your account. Contrary to what some websites might claim, every single leveling service operates overseas, this is the ONLY way to offer these services at such a low price. By exposing your game account information to overseas Internet connections, you are increasing the possibility that hackers might get into your account. While the probability is still small, it is greater because the hackers are able to target Internet bottlenecks accessed by overseas power leveling offices.

Accountability, Honesty And Trust
Our ultimate goal at PGMx is to change the way people think about MMORPGs and the secondary market, game publishers especially. We are living in a global economy and we constantly outsource tasks/jobs overseas that we do not want to do. Why do our games have to be any different? Not everyone has the desire to commit the huge amount of time that is required to advance in MMORPGs. What is ironic is that the game publishers themselves outsource work for their games, and yet they don't want players to do it in their game.

What is even more ironic is that policing the game to prevent this from happening is completely unnecessary. Of course going after players who use hacks, etc. is important, but how does a player who keeps to himself and doesn't say much hurt the game? It doesn't. If anything, a player who outsources services will have to deal with the social consequences with in-game friends. Of course services can be discreet, but it is impossible for an overseas worker to act exactly how the player would. The players actually police themselves.

We want to use our years of experience as the Internet's original professional power leveling company to provide accountability, honesty and trust for the secondary MMORPG market. I hope that you have found this article informative. If you have any related questions or concerns, please direct them to rob@pgmx.com. I would be glad to address any questions, and I may consider a future article based on these questions.

Rob Bartlett
CEO & President
PGMx, Inc.
http://www.PGMx.com

A Flashback From Way Back

2009-02-24T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Zed Hayden

Relax. You're not having a flashback. Retro video game systems have made a massive resurgence in recent years, likely due to the fact that some kids never grow up. There seems to be a real affection among the techno-geeks out there for the original gaming systems. A cursory search of the internet will yield hundreds of results for websites dedicated to retro gaming. These systems were all the rage back in the day, and it appears that their time has come again.

Back when I was a young boy, these gaming systems were like a gift from the heavens. The only way I was able to play video games was to go downtown to the arcade. This posed a significant problem, as my parents were not too keen on the idea of letting me go downtown by myself. Furthermore, the local arcade tended to attract some shady characters. I skipped school one afternoon and went down to play Ms. Pac-Man, but I got caught by a truant officer. After that incident, my parents were only too eager to buy me the new Atari.

Man, I loved that system. The Atari 2600 had all the best games. Asteroids was, by far, my favorite game. Dude, I could play that game forever. Or so it seemed. What about Pitfall? I loved that game, too. Then, Kung-Fu Master came out! I don't think I left my bedroom for a month. At the time, I swore I wouldn't sleep until I rescued the fair Princess Victoria. Damn those knife throwers! To this day, my parents still blame that game for the decline in my grades that semester.

By the time the home video game market bottomed out in 1984, I had amassed a rather large collection of games. I sort of lost interest in video games around that time. I ended up giving my Atari and all of the games to my kid brother. I didn't play it much anymore, and I was too busy trying to get a girlfriend. In retrospect, I wish I had kept that system. I would love to spend an evening playing Space Invaders! Maybe I'll see if that arcade is still open. I wonder if girls ever go there

Zed Hayden held the all-time high score for Tetris at his junior high school. Nobody ever came close to beating him, except for that kid in the chess club. When he is not playing video games or working on his 1984 Trans Am, he writes for GizmoCafe.com an online consumer electronics guide that is the home of the Gizmo Guy, with the latest buzz in consumer electronics, retro video game systems and more.

Role Playing Games Builders Guide 2

2009-02-23T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Dustin Schwerman

The Challenge: The term is role playing game, not roll playing game. As one can deduce, then, a large part of what makes these sorts of games different from others is that the players are taking on the roles of others. In an RPG, each player has a character that it plays the role of. Although a large part of character design lies in statsthe character's ability to solve challenges in the game worldthe very name of the game genre indicates that at least as important are the specifics of the character. Thus we have the second challenge in creating a balanced role playing game: the challenge of character detail.

This is to say, to get the most out of any role playing game, players have to be able to know who their characters are as much as what they can do. Physical appearance. Personality. History. Nature. These are all aspects of the character that the player can choose to help make his or her character more real.

But there is more to it than that. What happens when the character uses its abilities? Does it wield paired swords in a complex series of katas? Does it work long-forgotten spells it picked out of musty tomes? Does it utilize incredibly advanced alien technology?

Detail also plays a role in stats. How great is the warrior's strength, the wizard's knowledge, the cleric's insight, or the rogue's wisdom? What about the alien's will, the robot's items, or the pilot's accuracy? How much can the barbarian lift? How far can the psychic teleport? How many soldiers make up the warlord's army?

A role playing game that focuses only on the combat stats and abilities is leaving out much of what it means to be an RPG. Some might say that these things should be the player's to decide. Well, yes, every bit as much as a player should be able to decide its skills and powers. However, this does not mean the player has free reign over every little detail. These things can matter in the game world. The designer, then, must take them into account and establish a firm base of rules for them.

The Risk: A slipshod job of details can lead to significant delays during the game as players try to figure out exactly what their characters can do. Sometimes it is importanteven critically importantto know if your character can climb a certain wall, figure out a bit of lore, or teleport a given distance. If the referee of the game has to handle all these questions with ad hoc rulings, it will create an inconsistent world, which weakens the game.

However, it is also important not to put too much into your miscellaneous rules. This leads to complicated referencing for every action a character might need to take, and may also cause contradictory rules. Also, you want to avoid situations where it takes a long time to build every character. Some players may like to spend hours thinking about every little skill and ability their characters possess. Others do not.

The Solution: In QoTR, I found that the best way to go was with a rules base that can be easily applied to any situation, and that dovetails with the core creation process. I didn't want to add extra steps to character creation unless they could be in a sense optional. The result is a broad-based system that can fit into a variety of situations, but relies on generally the same core rules for each, much as with the combat rules. It also opens up a number of possibilities for future supplements.

I use three main systems to classify details. For most of the truly miscellaneous details, there is a simple rule: describe your character how you want, provided it reflects your stats. Just because a player describes its character a certain way does not mean the character gets any advantages (or suffers any penalties, for that matter). So if a player makes a thirty-foot-tall, heavily muscled giant with a greatsword, for example, it had better select some offensive abilities.

For most non-combat actions, I use a system of attributes. Each preference (a group of related abilities) has two attributes tied to it, which the player can switch on character creation. The character's attributes determine how effectively it handles non-combat challenges. This system allows for precise character details, but doesn't require that the player spend extra time on attributes if it does not wish to, since it can just leave them tied to their nominal abilities.

However, most role playing games offer more than mere attributes and imaginative details. Special powers such as flight, telepathy, and water breathing are all common in many role playing game genres. QoTR uses a system of special ability groups much like (and tied to) preferences, with an ability point system for customization if the player doesn't want to use the default selection. These abilities are broad-based, like much of the QoTR system, so players can tweak or fit them to any character type or genre.

Non-combat actions are an important part of role playing games, and no RPG is truly complete unless players are able to describe their characters. Any RPG designer would do well to focus intently on this part of the game design process. The best tactic I have found is to design a system detailed enough to cover any situation, but simple enough that it won't bog down the game.

How To Play Games On Your Psp From The Memory Stick

2009-02-22T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Dean Saunders

I have to admit the PSP is a very nice piece of kit but the games are just way too exspensive so let me explain just how easy it is to play free games from your memory stick in the PSP.

1. First you are going to need a iso file of the game you want to play, i am not going to get into what an iso file is all you need to know is that it must be an iso file to play on your PSP. You can download all the latest games from many sites, most will charge you a one time fee and then you can download as many as you wish forever. Take a look at the bottom of this article and you will find a link to my web page where you can see the site i use for all my game downloads.

2. Right now you need a small program that will run the game from your memory stick, you can download it from http://www.psp-hacks.com/category/13 it is called PSP RunUMD UMD Emulator v0.8C. Download it and put it onto your memory stick. Follow the instructions that came with the file and put it in the exact folder it says.

3. In the instructions that came with PSP RunUMD UMD Emulator v0.8C it will have said to cret a folder called ISO this is where your psp games will go. Connect your PSP to your PC and drag and drop the files into the ISO folder. Now switch on the PSP and selct the PSP RunUMD UMD Emulator v0.8C from the memory stick. Once the program is running you should see the games you have in the ISO folder, select which one you wish to play and thats it you are playing PSP games from you memory stick!

If you buy a 2GB stick then you will be able to fit 3-4 games on it and still have room for other files.

To find out more about PSP Games Please Visit download free game for psp

How To Put Music On The Psp

2009-02-21T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Bryan Super

Are you trying to put music on the PSP? It can be difficult to do if you don't know how. Here is the simple answer in 5 easy steps.

The following is an easy way to take all of the music on your pc and put it on the PSP. Just follow the steps and you will be on your way to the joys of listening to all the music you want on your new PSP.

1. You will need a PSP video converter or cd ripper. This will allow your PSP to play music and videos. It really is pretty cool that your PSP is able to do this.

2. You will need to convert music to mp3s so you load your cd ripper of choice and extract the files.

3. To go cd to PSP MP3, use a psp video converter, load the files by clicking add button.

4. Highlight the files and select PSP Audio Format.

5. How to put music on the PSP? Just Connect your psp to your pc and copy the mp3s to the H drive on your PSP.

There you have it. You may want to try just one song the first time you do it and then convert the rest over when you know exactly how to do it. Enjoy downloading your favorite music to your PSP so you can get it off your computer and listen on the go!

How to Put Music on the PSP

Fun Fishing Games For Playstation 2

2009-02-20T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Landreau Donovan

The weather, lack of resources, and proper venue should not be seen as immovable obstacles to your fishing goals. If you truly desire to bait, hook and catch fishes today, then so you should! But this time, you'll be doing it on TV.

Wear your favorite fishing outfit if it makes you comfortable then take the best seat in the house. Choose one from the fishing games reviewed below, hook up your Playstation 2 to the TV, and you're all set to have one of the most exciting fishing challenges in your life!

Reel Fishing III
Nowadays, individuals with busy careers and hectic lives are forced to spend only a few minutes fishing and do so in artificial settings. With Reel Fishing III, however, you can fish anytime, and feel like it's the real thing. Reel Fishing III provides its users with an incomparable experience of nature fishing; a few minutes into the game, and you might forget you're not really out enjoying the beauty and peace that only Mother Nature can provides us.

There are several great features to look forward to with Reel Fishing III:
User-Friendly - Even if you're not an expert fisherman, you still won't have problems playing Reel Fishing III. But fishing veterans need not fear that playing Reel Fishing III would be a piece of cake; it won't be!

Choice of Settings - The game provides players with a variety of nature settings to choose from, so you won't get bored fishing in the same scene over and over.

Amazing Sounds - Dolby Surround Sound Pro Logic II was used in this game to give players the most realistic fishing experience.

Freshwater Fish Variety - Look forward to catching all 25 freshwater fish used in the game.

Rapala Pro Fishing
If nature fishing is too tame, then you'll probably love to join the fishing tournament brought by Rapala Pro Fishing. This is, however, a one-player game so any team efforts will be restricted to the background.

Features to Look Forward to:
Choice of Settings - If you want a virtual taste of how it is to go salmon fishing in Alaska and win the tournament, this game will provide you the means to experience it.

Fish and Lure Variety - Lots of fish to catch in this game; some are easy to bait while some will challenge every fishing trick you have

Boat Driving - Unlike some fishing games, Rapala Pro Fishing will allow you to steer the boat

Ease of Play - Even your five-year-old grandson will have no great difficulties playing Rapala Pro Fishing, which makes it a great way to bond with your family. Kids may opt for an auto-cast function if they find manual baiting too hard.

Viewpoint Options - You can choose to see how you bait those beautiful fishes with the underwater or top water lure camera mode.

Fisherman's Bass Club
If none of the previous games have whetted your appetite, then maybe you'll enjoy the tough lake challenges provided by Fisherman's Bass Club. The 3D realistic fishing experience brought by this game will make catching the toughest freshwater sport fish even more rewarding.

Features to Look Forward to:
Quiz - Are you ready to put your fishing knowledge to test? You have 10 seconds to read and answer the questions.

Tutorial Mode - Beginners can hone their skills in the tutorial mode until they're sufficiently able to join a tournament and become a winner.

Customize Settings - You can choose what type of weather and time of the day you wish to compete

Try these games out, and you may realize indoor virtual fishing is not as bad as you thought it would be!

Fishing-games.blogspot.com provide fishing games reviews. If you want to play or download free fishing games, please visit http://fishing-games.blogspot.com/

Rumors On Ps3 Games

2009-02-19T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Carver Tate

Rumors have been spreading around the internet about PS3 Games having copyrights. This means that consumers cannot re-sell the games that they already own, ergo, they cannot buy cheaper second hand games. It's really no surprise that rumors with this kind of nature spread around quickly. But the fact that it did spread around and that people talked about it, only tells something about the possible reaction of people, in case the issues are true. To even things out however, Sony has denied the rumors about the illegal re-selling of PS3 Games.

Aside from the fact that the retail price of the game console itself has been stirring up consumers who are anxiously waiting for its release, price issues about the PS3 Games itself are also being talked about.

Critiques are expecting that since Japanese released PS2 games have been selling for around $75, they are expecting that PS3 Games would come at a higher price. It would only be natural to expect that this would be the case. Sony has made a lot of efforts to raise the quality of the new product. This is of course, only their natural response to the upcoming competition from Microsoft. However, they would also have to make a lot of consideration as regard the pricing of the games. If PS2 games have been selling for about $75, should consumers expect that PS3 Games would be sold at least around $80-85. In addition to this, high-end games would definitely be a little more over that.

Another rumor surrounding the release of this new gaming console is that hard drives would not be included in some models of the PlayStation 3. This means that people would not be able to play high-end PS3 Games that feature HD quality. This has also been one of the key issues regarding the upcoming release.

High-end PS3 Games require a 60Gb hard drive to be able to function. Estimates have been predicted that the hard drive itself could easily cost around $100. With rumors that Sony would be struggling with the $400 pricing of the game console, an additional $100 dollars to the price could prove to be detrimental. Past game consoles that exceeded the $400 range did not perform as well in the market, compared to those which stayed below this mark. It seems people would not want to spend higher than 400 on the video games. The bigger question is that with the introduction of HDTV these days, would people who are familiar with the difference in viewing they would get from it, pay another $100 just to get better video quality?

Oh well! We could all be certain that rumors about PS3 Games and the console itself would continue to be around until it is actually released. I wonder why people cannot have enough patience to just wait and see how much these things would cost, and whether PS3 Games would be copyright protected. It's also good though, that people are able to talk about something while they're not doing anything and are still waiting for the upcoming release.

For more valuable information on ps3 games please visit http://www.ps3-game.com

Release Date Of The Xbox 360

2009-02-19T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Ron Swerdfiger

According to a recent news article at CNN, the Xbox 360 will be going on sale on November 22, 2005 in North America. There is a lot of speculation that the shipments of the new next generation console will be lower then expected. The expected first shipment was allegdly said to be 2-Million units, but Bank of America's Gary Cooper says that number maybe be even lower at anywhere from 1.4 to 1.6 Million units. What does this mean? It means that getting a new Xbox 360 will be even harder then you think and the price is more then likely going to be more then what it was first said to be.

Here is quote fromt he CNN article regarding this issue:

"Complicating matters is Microsoft's plan for a worldwide launch of the 360. That means those initial shipments, whatever they turn out to be, will be split between North America, Europe and Japan. McNealy said he expects Microsoft to send roughly 900,000 to 1 million units to North American retailers, 600,000-800,000 to Europe and another 100,000-200,000 to Japan."

Retail Stores in Canada such as EB and Wal-Mart are both taking pre-orders for the new consoles well into the new year. Most premium bundles which include the larger hard-drivers are sold out. However, some locations still have the core bundle available for pre-order.

For more great gaming information, check out this great Xbox 360 News site or check out this great Nintendo Revolution resources http://www.nintendorevolution.ca

Violent Video Games Do They Lead To Aggressive Behavior Or Not

2009-02-18T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Brian Vaszily

Video games for children, teens and young adults bring in $10 billion a year in the United States. Certainly some of the games offer harmless entertainment and maybe even some educational value. But the games that seem to be the most eagerly anticipated, the games that major retailer Zany Brainy says "the industry is focusing on," and the games that fly off the shelves as soon as they're released are those rated "M" for mature and "AO" for adults only.

To garner an "M" rating, the content is intended for people aged 17 and older, and may contain sexual themes and intense violence or language. An "AO"-rated game is suitable only for adults 18 and over, and may include graphic depictions of sex and/or violence.

The popularity of the games is astounding. According to a 2004 report by the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, a 2001 review found that 49 percent of the 70 top-selling video games contained serious violence. Out of all games, 41 percent required violence for the protagonists to achieve their goals. And in 17 percent of the games, violence was the primary focus of the game itself.

The violence is often brutal and degrading to women. In the game "Duke Nukem," for instance, a player can enter a room with naked women saying "Kill me," while tied to posts. In the Grand Theft Auto series, one of the most popular and also most violent and controversial of the games, a player is rewarded if he has sex with a prostitute and then murders her (the most recent of the series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, was the best-selling title in 2004).

Whether or not these games contribute to violent "real-life" behavior among their primary users (pre-teen and teen boys) has spurred major controversy. And, as with most hot-button issues, there are strong proponents and opponents on either side.

Yes, Video Games Cause Violence

Much attention was brought to video game violence after it was realized that the two teenagers behind the Columbine High School shootings played (and even created their own levels of) DOOM, one of the first "first-person shooter" video games (attesting to its popularity, a movie version of DOOM was just released on October 21).

The most recent study on the topic, to be published in the January 2006 edition of Media Psychology, found that playing violent video games does indeed cause violent thought patterns in the brain.

A team of international researchers observed 13 males, aged 18 to 26, for the study. It was found that, after playing a mature-rated game, 11 out of the 13 participants showed significant effects from the games.

"There is a causal link between playing the first-person shooting game in our experiment and brain-activity pattern that are considered as characteristic for aggressive cognitions and affects," said René Weber, assistant professor of communication and telecommunication at Michigan State University (MSU) and a researcher on the project. "There is a neurological link and there is a short-term causal relationship.

"Violent video games frequently have been criticized for enhancing aggressive reactions such as aggressive cognitions, aggressive affects or aggressive behavior. On a neurobiological level we have shown the link exists," he says.

Previous studies have also found such links. Said psychologist Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D.:

"Violent video games provide a forum for learning and practicing aggressive solutions to conflict situations. In the short run, playing a violent video game appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts. Longer-term effects are likely to be longer lasting as well, as the player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts that can become more and more accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise."

Some researchers say that violent video games are worse than watching similarly violent TV programs or movies because the interactive nature of the game makes the player become involved and learn to identify with the aggressive game character.

No, Video Games and Violence are Not Related

On the other side of the coin are those who argue that no such link exists. One recent study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign supports this case. After playing a violent video game called Asheron's Call 2 (AC2) for an average of 56 hours in a month, no link between the game and real-world aggression was found in the 75 players (average age 28).

Said lead author Dmitri Williams, "Players were not statistically different from the non-playing control group in their beliefs on aggression after playing the game than they were before playing. Nor was game play a predictor of aggressive behaviors. Compared with the control group, the players neither increased their argumentative behaviors after game play nor were significantly more likely to argue with their friends and partners."

Another study of 35 8- to 12-year olds, in which the children played a non-violent and a violent video game for 15 minutes each, found the game playing did not alter the children's previous tendencies toward aggressiveness or empathy.

Are the Game Ratings Enough?

Just as controversial as the violence issue is whether or not the game ratings go far enough. While some contend that it's up to parents to monitor the game ratings and their children's exposure to them, a study found that many parents, though aware of the ratings and of their meanings, do not take them seriously.

"Most parents think their child is mature enough so that these games will not influence them," said Jurgen Freund, chief executive with the Swiss research firm Modulum.

According to the study of over 1,000 UK adults, parents were more concerned with the number of hours their children were playing video games than with what game they were playing.

"Parents perceive age ratings as a guide but not as a definite prohibition," said Freund. "Some may have not liked the content but they did not prohibit the game."

And while the debate is likely to continue on a large scale in years to come (California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed into law Assembly Bill 1179, which prohibits selling or renting violent video games to Californians under 18), one thing's for sure -- kids will continue to be drawn to them, if for no other reason than because they're not supposed to have them.

"We called it Magic 18," said Freund. "The 18+ label was seen as promoting the content, promising adult content rather than saying 'my parents will stop me playing this.'"

This article was provided by the world's #1 most popular and trusted holistic living e-newsletter -- FREE to you right now at http://www.SixWise.com! The old way of thinking: "holistic living" pertains only to personal health. The new way of thinking: "holistic living" means prevention of the negative and adherence to the positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home environment, safety and health. With the SixWise.com e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from the world's top experts in all six of these areas -- completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a guaranteed no-spam policy!) at http://www.SixWise.com

Sms Gaming Text Paging Games That Can Be Played By Anyone

2009-02-18T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Robert Lett

Using the Physical World as a Game Board: This is not a Kinky game! SMS stands for Short Message Service.

Just like our last article, this can be fun for teens and adults. You just have to do it on a different scale.

Pick a location approximately 4 square city blocks of a favorite area where your teen group or friends like to be. Spend an afternoon picking locations from that area and creating hints that can be text paged easily. Pick at least ten locations if not more and three to five hints for each location. Put the hints in order of hardest to figure out to the simplest, which will almost tell them where it is.

You can mix the Location Hunt game with a Scavenger Hunt! Once they find the correct location they now have to find something else at that location. Either physically getting something to bring back, taking a digital photo or taking a video to bring back as proof. And this can make for a fun experience at the end of the game when everyone involved shows back up at the starting point. The best way to play it is only send one hint at a time, this way they don't know the next location or what they are supposed to do when they get there. You can give a list out at the beginning of the game, but there is a little more mystery if they have no way to plan ahead.

If you have 15 or more people, set them up in groups. Only one page to one of the phones in each group. Send the groups in different directions, i.e.: One group might start with hint number 10, another group starts at hint 7, and so on. If everyone starts at 1 and goes straight through, they will end up following each other. This only keeps it fair. And if you have one location that's hard to find, and you give the first group that looks for it the easiest hint, when the next group is trying to find that location, you must give them the easiest from the beginning. That's really the only way to keep it fair.

You need to come up with a small prize for the first group to make it to the final location. For teens, you might come up with movie tickets for that night. For the adults, hmmm, a free round at the final location would be nice! Just about anything will do, it will give them something to fight for.

Depending on the age and ability of the individuals, they may begin to getting tired, if so you can always skip to the last location where the prize might be or just end the game when they find the next location. You might want to be ready with as many locations as you can think of. You can always use them on the next hunt.

Email me with any new or better ideas on "Creating your own breaks". Thank you.

This document is under Copyright through Infinite Data. You have permission to copy this document in its' entirety and make duplicates. You may not change, add, or edit anything within the document. Thank you for your help.

Robert Lett
http://www.robertlett.com

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Beware Wholesale Playstation 3 Price Scams

2009-02-17T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Joaquin Reveron

It is impossible to get a brand new and virtually not touched PlayStation 3 at a real wholesale price, despite what many scams would have you believe- if wholesale is to be consider 50-90% of the current retail value of the first 2 years of life of the item. If you try to get a PlayStation 3 in this way, the best scenario is that you will most likely get it slightly cheaper than the retail price, but with a lot more hassle and worry.

The worst case is that you might not get your PlayStation 3, and some unscrupulous crook will get your money the easy way. Beware of early sign of supposed wholesale for Playstation 3.

Why? The first answer is simple market economics. The reason wholesale prices get to be low is because of the cost of dealing with individual customers. Any company, which is selling to individuals, will have to encounter these higher costs, and so will not be able to offer wholesale prices in the most likely events. The why of that is simple? Yes indeed, the majority of the wholesalers and distributors play the game of bulk, and only a few get to do business in single these days. These are the facts, but such kind of distributors and wholesalers are still available.

The second reason is the shortage of units of the PlayStation 3. Sony manufacturing center in Japan and China have been unable to produce enough units to flood the market at launch. Anybody who does have access to a wholesale PlayStation 3 has a strong incentive to sell on to a retailer, who will be able to get a good price for them. Finally, Sony exerts control over the pricing of the PlayStation 3 in the US market, as things are slightly different in Japan, where retailers are allowed to set their own prices. They have the legal and economic power to ensure that the PlayStation 3 is sold only for the official prices - that is, $499 for the standard version, and $599 for the premium version.

So, what are all these outlets offering the PlayStation 3 at wholesale prices? Mostly, it is just a marketing gimmick. Some of them may really be wholesalers who are trying to break their agreement with Sony and sell the PlayStation 3 direct to customers. If that is the case, they are likely to be in legal trouble fairly soon, and they are not good people to be trusted with your money as you could also be in headaches as a buyer of such possible scam.

Where do you go if you cannot get the PlayStation 3 at wholesale prices? Look for hidden distributors like most eBay power sellers and online powerhouses do. People who devote their time to wholesale businesses spend countless hours searching for such hidden distributors and single unit sales with such sources. Their prices might seem a lot higher than those of the wholesalers, but in fact some will probably be offering bundles that give you good value for your money most of the time.

You will probably be looking to get extra games and controllers anyway, so why not let shops include them in the package for you? That is the way to get your PlayStation 3, not through the wholesale 50-80% discount scam. For people who breathe and live the wholesale tangible sell- at least for now, it would be impossible to find real wholesale Playstation 3 in brand new conditions and definitely in my 7 years of experience online and with my disclaimer point of view that is, importantly.

Getting Wholesale Playstation 3 is one of the business components Joaquin discusses for wholesale purchases online. His focus today is on helping people create wealth by Starting A Wholesale Business today

New To Gaming All You Need To Know About Flash Gaming Sites

2009-02-17T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Paul W Wilson

Interested in gaming, there are sites that let you play for no cost. All you need to have is Macromedia's Free Flash Player. Whew! According to Computer Gaming World, there are 80 gazillion free Flash games sites in the cyber world.

Popular sites are:

www.games.yahoo.com -- this has card games, word games, arcade games, as well as puzzles. The number of violent games is limited so the site appeals to the "old-young" those who are young at heart.
www.shockwave.com -- a popular site with original games as well as PopCap ones. One can do a jigsaw here everyday.
www.addictinggames.com has free games that are updated every weekFriday. The site has action, arcade, puzzle, as well as sports games.
www.arcadetown.com -- has Flash games, java games, downloads and more.

Since Flash offers many advantages to developers as well as players, many games are designed using Macromedia Flash. It is by far the best game platform and has incredible features.

In an industry that's evincing exponential growth, Flash has become the universal and popular choice for multimedia intensive web sites. Flash, singly crosses most barriers

It supports complicated and wonderful graphics.
Allows download of files via the Internet.
And is compatible with playback devices.

In the world of Flash enabled games the hosting system is the web server itself. Flash enables web sites to host animated as well as interactive movies and games. There is no paraphernalia required. All that is needed is to download the game itself. The costs are minimal and not recurring.

To play on the web all that is required is: a web browser, a Flash player, and the Internet. Flash is the universal plug in needed to play games. It is installed on every PC with Windows XP and Mac.

Playing online can be fun and most games can now be played by many players from all round the world. Just keep in mind:

That there are players who cheat at games. Look for PunkBuster software on the server, this detects cheats who try and gain unfair advantages.
Play with others who have credibility and are accountable for their actions. Many online sites need verified log ins, they are actively managed gaming environments. This is a better choice for safe gaming.
Create a select group of friends and use the broadband server to host a private gaming server.
Do your research thoroughly. Seek safe and high quality gaming sites.

Gaming is in its golden phase and is set to reach new heights. Innovation, new business models, and unprecedented growth is expected to open new avenues in gaming.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for http://www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com.

10 Reasons Why Sony Playstation 3 Will Beat Out Xbox

2009-02-16T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Aaron Brooks

In the techie world the race for supremacy just got hotter with Sony computer Entertainment President Phil Harrison stating, "The Playstation 3 is a computer. We do not need a PC." And, the news is that the PS3 has reached for new horizons it is not just a game console. Although many tech gurus are rooting for the Xbox360 here are a few reasons why the PS3 may gain an edge.

According to analyst Shawn Milne, even though Xbox360 will get a head start, the PS3 will outsell the Xbox every year after 2006. Bu 2010 the PS3 will according to predictions have sold 23.3 million copies in the US.

1. The PS3 can be used to see movies, play music, and surf the web.

2. The GPU is powerful and fast. The downside is that it is bound to be hard to program.

3. The memory is 256 MB XRD for the cell and 256 MB DDR3 for the GPU.

4. The PS3 has a dual Ethernet, built in wi-fi, Bluetooth, flash memory slots, and blue ray.

5. The PS3 has hardware that is more powerful than that of the Xbox 360 and will be able to produce real to life visuals.

6. The games in PS3 will be stored on Bluray discs which store 54 gigs while game space in the Xbox360 is just 9 gigs.

7. The PS3 will have international appeal and be popular with both foreign game developers and consumers. According to market whispers games on the PS3 are all set to be exciting and different.

8. The PS3 has immense expandability and connectivity options. The compact flash, SD card, memory stick, Bluetooth, USB you name it and the PS3 will say yes please. Designed to accommodate just about everything in the universe.

9. Visionary the PS3 aims for dual screen and 1080p support. The display technology is an eon ahead of any gizmo man has even dreamed of. Imagery will be synonymous with PS3. Imagine playing games like formula 1 racing and Killzone in panoramic splendor.

10. The HD IP camera peripheral or the EyeToy 2 will transmit crystal clear images over the internet as well as feeds over the Intraweb.

What is more the PS3 is designed to be backwards compatible and so you will be able to play games old and new. The PS3 will allow playing of games on the PS1 and PS2 libraries so, even with the latest console you can boot up old favorites like Tobal or Shattered Soldier are relive old times. According to CBSNews.com Tech Analyst, Larry Magid, "The graphics processor in the new Sony PlayStation is pretty impressive. It rendered images during the game that looked almost as if they came from a movie studio."

PS3 is all set to make dreams reality. Imagine Metal Gear, Warhawk, Tekken, i-8, Gran Turismo, Killzone, and Dante among zillion other mind blowing games all coming alive! Whatever the whispers are about the reality will surface when the PS3 is launched and consumers get first hand experience.

Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for http://www.1888freeonlinegames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for the premier REVENUE SHARING discussion forum site http://www.1888discuss.com.

Useful Information About Pinball

2009-02-15T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Ross Bainbridge

What is pinball? It's an arcade game that is all about manipulating a couple of metal balls in a glass case. What you have to do is score as many points as you can. And then the danger begins, because you're hooked. And, in no time at all, you start getting withdrawal symptoms if you don't get your daily dose of "pinball high."

The game is played on a "field" encased in glass. The surface is tilted at an angle of three to seven degrees. A plunger, which is actually a spring-loaded rod, puts the ball into play and propels it upward onto the field. Thanks to the tilt, the ball keeps coming back towards the player, and the objective of the game is to use the flippers (levers that are mechanically or electro-mechanically controlled) to push the ball back onto the field. On its journey up, the ball could encounter different objects that change its course and win the player points. Sometimes, players physically nudge the cabinet in order to manipulate the ball. This is known as tilting and can be penalized when it is excessive. A violent form of this is called slam tilting.

The end of the game is signaled when all the balls allotted to the player have been "drained" or escaped the player at the bottom of the field.

When did the game originate? The first pinball game appeared in the 1930s. It was a board with pins stuck all over to direct the ball into certain scoring sections. Once the ball was pushed off, it just went and found its resting place, and where it rested determined how much the player scored. There were no flippers to push it back into play.

In 1947, Gottlieb introduced mechanical flippers in his game, Humpty Dumpty, and there was no looking back. By the 1950s, the familiar 2-flipper norm was set. Today, pinball games can be based on a sport, a character, a film, or a toy. And it's an eye-catching piece with lights, color, action.

Pinball provides detailed information on Pinball, Pinball Machines, Pinball Games, Pinball Parts and more. Pinball is affiliated with Online Bingo Games.

Building A Webgame Putting The Chrome On A Stock Simulator Part 2

2009-02-14T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Tim Morrison

Last article we detailed the first list of functions we wanted the stock simulator to do...

Buy and sell stocks in TV shows, TV channels, Studios, and stars
Short sell and cover the same stocks (Short selling and covering is the opposite of a buy or sell, if you short a stock, you hope the price drops so you can gain money on the fall.)
Rate or vote for popular TV shows
offer easy to use registration that is seamless
design the market system for extreme modularity so we can add in new features as we develop them without interrupting the market itself.

That list has now significantly expanded - this is the current list of functions and capabilities for the Stocks Online application...

buy and sell stocks
Short and cover stocks
Rate or vote for a random list of 10 stocks
easy registration process
retain modular market system for additional modules without extensive recoding or rebuilding
Display stocks not yet released so players can see upcoming stock listings or IPO's
Allow players to pre-buy IPO stocks before they go live at the IPO price
Flash-based stock ticker pulling information off of a cron-built data file that is updated every 15 minutes
hot-links in the stock ticker so players can go to individual stocks as they stream across
Generate a top 10 list of stocks so players can see what stocks are moving
A function to make a stock featured
Put a hotlink on the main page that shows a random pick of an IPO stock released that day, a featured stock that is being promoted, and the top moving stock in regards to share volume
Different stock types so there can be easy separation between categories such as shows, people, and studios or channels
cross-link stocks so if one stock goes up or down in price, all associated stocks also feel the adjustment to a smaller degree.
An admin function for stock price adjustment that allows for all cross-linked stock to be effected by the price adjustment without the cron cycle
a stock hold function with cash out ability so we can put a stock on hold and cash it out if it delists or go's onto a hiatus
Allow a player to rate individual stocks for a reward
Allow a player to write a review of a stock for a reward

We are currently finishing up the last two items on the list, at which time the application will be completed and we will begin branching out the stock sim to different niche market applications.

As the entire application is php based, we can put functions into php includes and as such modularise the system to create custom pages for Reality TV or for specific studios or shows as events occur, such as the Emmy awards.

Once the base system was completed, the real work began , putting in all the data for current television shows, the actors involved, producers, directors, creators, the studios and the channels that air the shows. Everything had to be put into the system, cross-referenced, and checked to ensure it all worked seamlessly.

That data entry took most of two months to do - but by the end, the market system had been seeded with all of the current run prime-time shows and their related actors and production studios. The market was brought out of Beta status on September 2nd and went live later that day.

We then began tracking neilson ratings so we could revalue the market as we realised the arbitrary values we had put into the stocks were far too low. Tracking neilsons back to early august, I began to compile a spreadsheet showing the neilson trends and the growth in viewership as new shows premiered and then either faded or survived.

In the last week of September, we put a hold onto the primary channel stocks, freezing and cashing out ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and The CW - and then neilson adjusted each one up to it's corrected levels based on the neilson ratings that had been accumulated. The reaction to the linked stocks was dramatic. CBS which linked to every CBS aired show gained ground rapidly. By the time the next Cron cycle had run after all neilsons had been put in, CBS stood at over $100 a share in game currency. It had started at about $2.

We examined the transaction history that had been generated as well as the link history and found that CBS's initial adjustment up to +56 had caused a cascade within it's linked stocks - they had all adjusted by about $10-$15. This backflowed and upped CBS even higher, up to around $70 a share. Then the neilson adjustments for each show went in and those also backflowed through the link bringing CBS even higher.

Since then, all stock ratios have stabilised at corrected levels and the market is stable. We don't see the need for future adjustments on the level of the first major price readjust, but if so, the market software seems more than able to cope with it. PHP is a remarkably stable application framework, and with the mysql backend, the Stocks Online application looks to be very solid and stable.

Tim Morrison is the designer of TV Stocks Online The world's first fully developed television stock market simulator. totally functional with live data from nielson figures and user interactions. Join the growing fantasy market, share your opinions on current TV and see if you can pick the winners and losers out of the current Primetime television lineups

Mahjong Tiles

2009-02-13T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Josh Riverside

Mahjong is a traditional Chinese game. There are various versions of mahjong today: the Chinese, the Japanese and the American with different rules. There are also various kinds of games like the Mahjong solitaire. Mahjong is a game that involves skill, intelligence, estimation as well as luck. Mahjong, which literally means "the game of a hundred intelligences" in Chinese, has been traditionally used as a gambling game. Ma Chiao, Mo Tsiah, Ma Cheuk, Ma Jong, Ma Chiang, Ma Chong, Man Chu, Mah Diao, Pung Chow, Mah Chong, Ching Chong, Mah Cheuk, Ma Chiang, Kong Chow, Mah Deuck, Lung Chan, Mah Lowe, Pe Ling, Baak Ling are other names for Mahjong.

Tiles are the most important part of the game. A mahjong game may contain 136, 144, 148 or 152 tiles, the most common being 136 and 144. These tiles have beautiful designs on them representing honor tiles (the winds and the dragons), suit (bamboo, circles and characters) and flower tiles. The most common designs are: the circle/wheel suit (contains circles), the bamboo/stick suit (contains bamboos), character/number suit (Chinese characters representing ten thousand coins each), wind tiles (representing north, south, east and west), dragon tiles (red, green and white), flower tiles (containing art work) and joker tiles (used like a wild card, as a substitute for any tile). A Mahjong set contains 144 tiles, 2 season tiles, 4 "red 5" bonus tiles, 1 table wind Tessera, 4 dice, scoring tallies, storage trays and a carrying case. These tiles are of 34 kinds, in five different suits or designs-wan, circle, bamboo, wind and prime (4X34=136) and 8 flower tiles.

The flower and season tiles are like the wild or joker card in card games. They are used as a substitute for other tiles and may not contain any scoring points. Plum, Lily or Orchid Chrysanthemum and Bamboo are the flower tiles while spring (fisherman), summer (woodcutter), autumn (farmer) and winter (scholar) are the season tiles. Seasons are represented by people or animals. There are three kinds of dragons: the red dragon, the green dragon and the white dragon. There are four dragons of each of these three kinds in a set. Each of these tiles has different scoring points. The stick suit, the wheel suit and the number suit contain 9 kinds of tiles, numbered 1 to 9. The wind tiles contain 4 kinds of tiles, 4 kinds of flower tiles, 4 kinds of season tiles and three kinds of dragon tiles. These tiles are made of ivory, plastics or other compounds though semi-wooden or wooden tiles are also available. Some sets contain wooden tiles with beautiful hand-engraved designs.

Mahjong provides detailed information about mahjong, mahjong solitaire, mahjong tiles, mahjong online and more. Mahjong is the sister site of Free Online Casinos.

Which Mmorpg Is The Best Part 2 Pvp

2009-02-12T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Tayman Hur

Before I get started with the second part of this article, I want to mention another requirement for a good pvp(player versus player) game; Open Pvp. I know that I have opened a large can of worms with this one. But, I want all of you reading this to realize that I am not trying to make friends. Many of the things I say will offend some (I tend to call them carebears). The plague of carebears will be discussed in another article. :) Anyway, back on topic...

Why is Open PVP so important Tay?

Open pvp/pk is the very heart of competition in online games. "Survival of the fittest" If you concentrate on the pvp niche, you will find many people who will sign up for these games. There are consequences to open pvp however. Most of the paying customers of MMORPGs despise failure(getting killed). Why? Well, many people use MMORPGs to get away from their real lives. In many cases, these lives are already filled with enough drama and failure. So, why would they want to experience failure in an artificial world as well? It's much too easy to complain about failure instead of taking the proper steps to correct the problem.

So what about the player-killers that target newbies? How will I ever level?

You can level easily in every game that you play if you take the proper steps. I personally haven't had any major problems in this area. You may get killed every now and then, but never to the point where you can't continue leveling. Read the "How to avoid getting ganked in WoW" article for survival tips. The strategies can be carried over in most games.

You can grief others in consentual pvp/pk based games much easier than an open pvp environment

So, what makes a bad pvp game?

* Heavy restrictions on the pvp/pk environment

* Item/Time based leveling

* Lack of goals, rewards, competition, and public kill/death ratio

* Overpowered classes

* Over censorship from Game Masters (Gms)

* Relying on others to advance your character - This is a pet peeve of mine. If I want to grind for 12 hours straight solo, I should be able to do that. Many will say, "But, playing online with friends is the purpose of a *multiplayer* game." That may be true, but time zone differences and other restrictions make it difficult at times. I shouldn't need to join a zerg just to continue leveling...

Many of these items were discussed in the first part of the article, so I won't regurgitate the same information twice.

How do I satisfy everyone as a developer and make money at the same time?

I will use WoW and Lineage 2 as examples. World of Warcraft has 89y67123 different servers now...but where is the open pvp server? It would be so exciting to be able to kill anyone, anywhere. Just make a few of the major towns safe zones so you can use the warehouse, etc.(Ogrimmar, Undercity, etc.)

In Lineage 2, you should get rid of the highly flawed karma system. A discussion of this topic would take an entire page... The only thing I will say is, there must be a balance. Gaining more karma from defending yourself is the most ignorant idea ever.

If you want to satisfy everyone, create a game where all of the best gear and equipment is gained through pvp. You must enter the "wastelands" in order to obtain the best items. No artificial boundaries like a karma system, unbalanced item drops, etc.

The best aspects of each game MMORPG that I have played will be discussed in the next article. In the meantime, keep killing, keep grinding, and always strive to be the best. **Failure isn't an option**

Tayman is the webmaster at http://www.karashur.net If you would like to read more informative articles like this, keep up to date with gaming news, play free online games, or view tons of screenshots vist: http://www.karashur.net

Easy Gold In World Of Warcraft

2009-02-11T12:00:00.002-08:00

Writen by Gen Mason

There are ways of making easy gold in World of Warcraft, if you know how. To make use of all the opportunities available, could take a very long time to discover, especially if you only play for a couple of hours a day. There are guides to help you make easy gold in World of Warcraft, and one of these is by making use of the Auction House or AH.

Auctioneer NPC's are able to be found in Undercity, Orgrimmar, and Thunder Bluff, if you are playing on the Horde's side. The Alliance players make use of the same Auction House, but they can find these in Stormwind City, Ironforge, and Darnassus. If Alliance players and Horde players want to sell or buy item from each other, they must ask a guard to lead them to the neutral Auction Houses in Tanaris, Booty Bay, and Everlook.

With this basic information, you can now begin to acquire items from battles and quests to make easy gold in World of Warcraft using the Auction House system. On certain levels and in certain regions, you can buy cheap items, which might be extremely useful to another player. They will be willing to pay a good price for these items, especially if it will increase their power, or help their leveling. You can easily make an awesome profit from the item you sell.

To make easy gold in World of Warcraft, might seem tricky at first, as you have know precisely what to do and where to go in order to kill as many characters as possible to take their items to sell. Don't give up though, the more you play and the better understanding of the game, you'll soon find that in no time you are raking in the gold. You are also allowed to pull players out of the graveyard, once you have various potions and skills. You can then take their money and items as well. Be on the lookout for rare and highly sought after items by many professions, such as Heart of Fire and Wildvine.

Another way to make easy gold in World of Warcraft is to enchant an item before you sell it to give it a greater value. Enchanters are also always on the lookout for resources, so you can disenchant some items and sell them the resource.

In the various quests you have to undertake, you are also able to make easy gold in World of Warcraft, because in some of the quests, like those that take place in the underworld, the corpses might have bags of gold with them. You are usually able to choose the kind of reward you would like that best suits your character and profile, so be sure to choose carefully as some of your awards could be sold for a high profit. To get a quest is easy just talk to any NPC that has an exclamation mark above his or her head. Some of these quests, require you to perform simple tasks, like collecting supplies for someone, and can become complicated, such as infiltrating a dangerous cult.

So, there you have it. It's only a brief outline to get you started on making easy gold in World of Warcraft, but once you begin, you will make even more than you can imagine, and the more quests you do and tips you pick up, the better your profile will become. So even if you start off slowly and don't play often, you can still up your levels, and become a great contender in this worldwide, popular Massive Multiplayer Online Game.

Gen Mason plays World of Warcraft almost everyday. Discover free World of Warcraft tactics and tricks at WOW Powerleveling

Video Games Therapy Or Addiction

2009-02-11T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Joaquin Reveron

If you are one of those video games aficionados currently addicted to shooter games or fighting playing games online, you are not alone. Games like "Fight Night 3" from Xbox 360 or perhaps the worldwide Xbox favorite "Halo 2", that is still making history through the fun play of both national and International audiences through online multi-gaming experiences. Not only can you start having the excitement of playing it with your brother or friend back home, if you are in the states you can play with Canada, Pakistan, China, Australia, Brazil, Puerto Rico and many other places to shout "I beat you and I will beat you again", "Wow you are really horrible, even my 10 years old brother can beat you with his eyes closed", among many other adrenaline "Who is the boss" type of rush comments to a guy thousands of miles away from you.

Personally, one of the best games for Xbox 360 right now is "Fight Night 3". That is if you are into the adrenaline mode and like to sweat when things are not going the way you like in one of those Roy Jones Jr vs. Oscar De La Hoya types of matches. In that video game you can choose from over twenty plus fighters and you get to re-live old time matches along with ESPN commentators, Madison Square Garden at your back and even pre-fight weight count rumbles. It does not get any better when you see our Oscar De La Hoya being beaten in a pre-fight weight certification area, and then you live when De La Hoya hammers and beat to the punch Joe Frazier and Ali. Not sure how that comes close in our reality world, however, I believe that is of interest to any boxing fan wishing to encounter and position themselves in matches where the differences are between 40-50 pounds between opponents. One of the most realistic developments through the game is when a fighter is delivered an uppercut upon being low on stamina and has a major cut in one of the eyes. You will hear the sound of the head currently having a 4th of July explosion while seeing all the ketchup spread all over the air in slow motion before the fighter gets KO to the floor. Some make call this game exciting and others see it just to violent even for grown ups.

Then there is Halo 2 still with a worldwide video games buzz. This game has been so successful that they are even in the final stages of finishing the production of the soon to be released "Halo 3". If Xbox 360 console was hard to get even four month and even five months later after launch, I can't imagine the best game ever to hit the Xbox market being re-released in a final version shortly. The beauty of this whole Xbox addiction remains through games like Halo and subsequent versions. Not only you get hooked one, two or three hours without having nothing to drink or eat, but time passes and immediately upon finishing or taking a break you think that you have only played 15 minutes.

Are games like these addictive or therapeutic? In my conclusion as a gaming fan and video games addict, it is both therapeutic and addictive at the same time. It is my believe that many of us mix positive therapy and addiction as equal words with the same definitions. In all, Xbox 360 games along with their many competitors will remain a force to a billion dollar market that should never stop growing. Games like Halo and Fight Night 3 are here to stay. Have fun while you have the fortune and time to enjoy them.

Video Games is one of the greatest items for buying at wholesale prices. Gaming fans are invited to enjoy Xbox 360 savings by getting a certified Wholesale Video Games List

Freedom Of Speech In Online Game Worlds

2009-02-10T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Mark Waters

In the offline world, we've seen this intersection in (among other situations) U.S. Supreme Court cases addressing private speech at privately owned company towns and shopping centers. In some cases, the Supreme Court has said that certain landowners cannot prevent speakers from speaking on their private property. However, in other cases, the landowner's property rights have trumped the speaker's right to speak on the property, allowing the landowner to "censor" the speaker.

In the online world, the speech/rights dichotomy raises equally complex issues. Online private actors routinely use their private property (such as computers and networks) to create virtual spaces designed for speech, although speaker access is usually controlled by contract. An online provider exercising its property or contract rights inevitably squelches a speaker's rights. But despite online providers' capacity to exercise their rights capriciously, courts so far have unanimously held that private online providers are not state actors for First Amendment purposes. In one representative case, AOL could refuse to deliver email messages when a spammer tried to send spam through AOL's network. In other words, in theory, courts could do something about providers squelching speech, but have sided with providers because the Constitution doesn't apply in these cases. But how do we distinguish between AOL's response to spam (which seems right) and a virtual world's decision to kick off a user? In both cases, the online provider can choose, but we're tempted to side with AOL on spam and side against virtual world providers on everything else. It's that inconsistency that I'm trying to address here.

The virtual world industry is burgeoning. Millions of users participate in such complex interactive spaces as EverQuest, Second Life, World of Warcraft, and The Sims Online. With the emergence of these "virtual worlds," we must once again consider how we balance a customer's speech against a virtual world provider's rights to squelch speech. To strike a balance, we must decide whether virtual worlds are more like physical world company towns or shopping centers, or are just another category of online providers.

Author is running free multiplayer online games portal Big Online Games and mmorpg site MMORPG Portal

How To Play Movie On Psp 2 Methods Exposed

2009-02-09T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Nash Burns

There are 2 ways on how you can get to play movie on PSP. Both options have their own advantage and disadvantages and in all practicality you can use both methods.

Play Movie On PSP : Method #1

The first method requires the use of DVD ripper program. For those that don't know what DVD rippers are; they are programs that extract you existing DVD into your computer hard disk and reformatting those files into smaller manageable files. Other than that you must have these

USB cable to connect your PSP to PC

A big enough memory stick. I usually recommend nothing less than 512MB

DVD converter. You can get free video converter at PSP Video 9. It converts video files such as avi and mpeg into PSP playable file.

Sufficient hard disk in your PC. 1 GB should be ample enough.

These method is on applicable to those that want to play their existing DVD and play movies on PSP.

1. All you have to do is insert your DVD into you DVD drive and run the DVD ripper program. Locate the video file you want to rip and hit the extract button. You will then be prompt as to where you want to store your file.

2. Once you got the ripped file, in order for you to play movie on PSP, you must convert the ripped file using the free PSP Video 9 program mentioned earlier. Specify the ripped file and convert / encode the file.

3. Now that you have the file on your computer, all you need to do is transfer the file from your PC to your PSP. This is the critical part of the whole operation. If you don't get this right, you won't be able to play movie on PSP. Create a folder named MP_ROOT100MNV01 in your PSP. Transfer your PSP movie file into the folder. Now you can enjoy the fruits of your labor.

The second method is much simpler but there is a downside to it. As always nothing is perfect.

Play Movie On PSP : The Easy Method #2

This method can be done by joining the numerous PSP download site available in the internet nowadays. Finding a download site is the easy part. Finding a good site is the tricky bit.

Ultimately this maybe the downfall of the second method, the download speed of the site. You don't want to wait too long for a download. If you have a dial-up connection (56K modem or less) to the internet, I would not recommend this method to you as it is time consuming.

The good thing about downloading from these membership site is that you don't have to do any DVD ripping which is in itself can be time consuming at the very best and downright frustrating if you don't get it right.

You just download and watch the movies. The only thing that will cost you is the lifetime membership charges. Look at it this way, by the time you download a full movie, you'll already cover the membership charges and you can download unlimited number of files and have access to games cheat, review and get free PSP tools too.

You can always store your movie files on your PC and download the movie onto your memory stick if you want to watch them.

These are two ways to get to play movie on PSP apart from your usual UMD disc which can sometime blow a hold through your wallet. Either method you choose, it allows you to watch movie on PSP without costing you too much.

Learn how you can get unlimited MP3, Games & Movies within the next 5 minutes.Visit the PSP Download Center Review for free review of PSP Download Center site

What Every World Of Warcraft Alliance Player Must Know

2009-02-08T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Mark MacKay

I have compiled a list of the most important things every WOW player on the Alliance must know and have narrowed it down to five. Read them below.

1.) If you want to go solo, get yourself a Night Elf Hunter or a Warlock.

While there isn't any one particular character template that works perfectly for soloing, this is about the best that there is on the Alliance side. First, there really isn't any equal level monster in the game that a properly tricked out Hunter can't tackle one-on-one without breaking a sweat. While Warlocks are a bit more fragile, they have an excellent complement of damage dealing spells that will let them survive - albeit while taking more damage. Unfortunately, many creatures will attack in groups if they notice one of their buddies getting pounded on (Elite creatures are particularly nasty with this).

That's where pets come in, Any "Pet" class can use their animal (or demonic) companion to do what's called "crowd control" - basically pulling one creature away from a group and a time and killing it. The Warlock's Void Walker is particularly good at this. Night Elves quest lines at low levels are also pretty self-contained within the geographically isolated Teldrassil, meaning you never have far to run to reach a quest destination or to retrieve your corpse.

2.) Gnomes have the best (worst) dancing emotes.

Trust me on this one. Simply typing /dance into the game while playing as a gnome will show you what I mean. Gnome dancing is the most offensive thing in Azeroth - rumor has it that the Horde offers 10 gold pieces to anyone who can actually manage to kill a Gnome in PvP during a dance. This makes Gnomes perfect for role-players who want to annoy other players and have a good laugh.

3.) Everyone loves a Human Priest.

This is the perfect class for players looking to group. Humans' racial talents help a Priest hold his or her own in combat and there isn't a group alive that isn't thrilled when a Priest shows up just before heading into an Elite dungeon or an instance. Priests are also pretty rare in the game, there aren't really all that many players who enjoy taking on the social/support roles, so your skills will always be in demand - and you'll level pretty fast.

4.) You don't have follow the quest lines for your own race!

One of the biggest misconceptions that new players have about World of Warcraft is that quests are restricted by race - in other words, that if you're playing a Human, you must take the "Human" quests in Elwynn Forest when you start out. That's simply not true. Players can take any level-appropriate quest regardless of their race. For Alliance players looking to level up a bit faster, there is a bit of a shortcut. Simply head to the hub cities of Ironforge or Stormwind as soon as you're strong enough to get out of the newbie zone (around level 5). From there, find the passage to Teldrassil, the Night Elf homeland and start collecting quests. Teldrassil is very small, contains the hub city of Darnassus that offers every service, and players rarely have to run far to complete quests. You'll find yourself at level 10 or even higher in no time!

5.) The Alliance means more content, but more people.

For whatever reason, the Alliance races as a whole (Humans, Night Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes) are more popular with players. This can often mean severe crowding in popular regions along with what we like to call "mass extinction events". That basically means that several quests in the area that require players to kill a particular animal may make it hard to find that animal for a while - and that you may be racing other players who are standing around waiting for them to spawn. The good news is that the Alliance has a lot more quest-based content than the Horde. While this isn't noticeable at the earlier levels, many Horde players often find themselves running low on quests around level 25-30 and being forced to just "farm" random creatures for experience.

Mark MacKay is a researcher, marketer, and an avid online gamer, including World of Warcraft and also the creator of the World of Warcraft Gold Price List Guide, a web site setup to help WOW players find the cheapest place to buy their gold.

How To Purchase A World Of Warcraft Account On Ebay And Not Get Ripped Off

2009-02-08T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Chris Yarbrough

Anyone playing World of Warcraft knows that in comparison to other MMOs the leveling time is vastly reduced. While getting a character to 60 is not nearly as hard, getting the high-end gear can be just as time consuming as any other game on the market. Even the PvP route now takes a time investment that most players can't dedicate. The solution for players who want the nice gear, but don't have the time, is to buy an account. Unfortunately, any time money is involved in an online transaction, so are the fraudsters. This guide will show you how to protect yourself against people whose sole intention is to rip you off.

Account buying is a multi-million dollar business. Regardless of the grief the top level players give to those in game they believe have purchased an account, there's nothing they can do to stop it. Some guilds will prevent people with purchased accounts from joining, but in reality, most of the high-end accounts already have the best gear you could get anyway. For every guild who would block a player from joining, there are ten who would take them just for the sheer advantage of having an end-game geared player.

If you've already decided to take the shortcut of buying an account, there are several factors you need to consider before you hit buy it now, or enter a bid. Is the server active, are there long lines for log in, and for battle grounds? Does the gear on the character equate to the price the seller wants? Is the class in high demand for the type of playing you want to engage in? How far ahead of the playing curve is the players gear (tier 2 vs tier 1)?

Once you've found an account you want to purchase, you need to run down the following checklist to protect yourself from fraud. Does the account for sale provide any screen shots to backup their character and item claims? Was the sellers account created a few days before the listing? Does the account come with the discs or the answer to the secret question? Does the seller only accept money orders, cashier's checks, or wire transfer? Is the seller located in the United States? Has the seller marked the auction as a private? Will the seller provide you a phone number if you ask?

The final process in buying an account you want, is to put as many safeguards as you can in place. It's very easy for a seller to take back an account from a buyer. There is not a whole lot you can do in a situation like this, as the seller has intended to rip you off from the start, and has planed accordingly. If you prepare yourself to get ripped off from the start, the odds are against the seller getting away with it.

Pay with Paypal. Don't use a casher's check, money order, or wire transfer. Once those have been sent, your money is gone. Paypal offers some level of protection for you as a buyer.

Use a credit card in conjunction with your paypal account. On top of the protection from paypal, your credit card company can help you reverse the charges in the case of fraud. If you don't have a credit card, open a bank account with a visa, or mastercard debit card. These offer the same protections as a credit card. Don't use a balance funded paypal account. Move the money down to your back account, and force paypal to use your credit card.

Don't even bother threatening the seller. Just file with paypal, and the credit card company. Emailed threats are of no use, just get your money back the second you try to log on and the password has been changed. You won't get your money back instantly, but you will get it back.

Turn on the flamethrowers and burn the seller in every way possible. Paypal and your credit card company will both open investigations into the transaction. You can also get your state's Attorney General, local police, and the FBI involved. It takes you virtually no time, costs you nothing, and everything can be done via email or online forms. While nothing may come of this, in many cases, sellers do get caught and prosecuted.

Keep in mind, if you try to use this guide in reverse and scam a seller, you'll be committing some pretty serious felonies. Being underage is not going to save you. Credit card companies come down on fraudsters like a ton of bricks. When you move cash around on the internet, it always comes from, and goes to someplace. It's easier to track than you think it is. Don't risk it.

Most of the time there is no problem with buying or selling accounts, but there are people out there who's plan was to rip you off from the start. If you follow this guide, you will get your money back. Between paypal's protection, and the protection the credit card companies offer, it is almost 100%.

Chris Yarbrough writes for Ebay Guides, a free resource site with hundreds of articles and guides. You can view all his guides at http://www.ebay-guides.com

Gin Rummy Rules All The Basics To Play This Classic Card Game

2009-02-07T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Robert Power

Gin Rummy Rules and Objectives

To begin with, two players are dealt ten cards each, with the remaining 32 cards placed face down, forming the 'stock pile'. To begin the game, the top card is turned upwards and removed to become the first card on the 'discard pile'. Players take turns to pick a card from either pile, discarding one from their hand in the process.

The players' aim is to complete their hand of cards, by sorting their hands into 'melds' or 'sets' of cards, comprising of three or more cards of the same value or a straight of the same suit. For example, three jacks would form a set, and so too would the ace, two, three and four of clubs.

The end of the game is signalled by a 'knock' from one of the players. A player is able to knock once the value of his 'deadwood' cards is ten or less, where 'deadwood' refers to the cards that are not used in the player's sets. Points are calculated using the face value of the cards, with an Ace being one point and 10, jack, queen and king all worth ten points each. A score of zero, i.e. having no deadwood cards, is called a 'Gin', and is the ideal outcome for the player.

Once someone has knocked to end the game, both players are obliged to show their cards, and the player with the lowest value of deadwood cards wins the hand. If the player who totalled the lowest score was not the player who knocked, then they are said to have 'undercut' their opponent.

Gin Rummy Formats

There are three main ways to play gin rummy - first-to-knock, matchplay and moneyplay. First-to-knock is extremely simple, in that the first player who reduces their deadwood cards to ten points or less can knock and win the game, as well as the money at stake. This is the fastest version of gin rummy, and relies far more on luck than the other two versions, although it can be an excellent introduction to the game itself.

Matchplay requires several hands of cards, and adopts a scoring system in order to determine the winner. Points are calculated as the difference between the winner's deadwood points and the loser's deadwood points, with the scores accumulated each hand until one of the players reaches an agreed number of points, usually 50. Points bonuses are awarded for winning with a zero-deadwood hand, as well as winning by undercutting your opponent, although the number of points you get for each achievement can vary. The winner takes the money staked at the beginning of the game, but no more.

Moneyplay is the most popular offline form of the game, and is generally played to 100 points, using the same scoring system as above. The difference is that the money is paid per point difference, opening up the possibility for some big wins. When a player reaches 100 points, they are awarded an extra 100 point 'target' bonus and a 25 point 'line bonus'. The winning player then takes the value of the difference in the points.

For example, say player A is leading player B by 90 to 84. The next hand is won by player A, with the total of his deadwood cards being 5, with player B registering 15. Player A takes the 10 point difference, which moves his score on to 100, meaning that he has won the game. Player A is then awarded the 100 point target bonus and 25 point line bonus, taking the difference in scores to 225 - 84 = 141. If the players have agreed to play $1 per point, then Player A receives $141, provided this amount doesn't exceed the buy-in, which is also agreed prior to the game

Robert Power is a Gin Rummy and Skill Gaming fanatic. Want to know more about the rules of gin rummy, as well as strategies to win? Learn more at http://www.skillgamingstrategy.com/ginrummy.html

Role Playing Gamescharacter Guide 2

2009-02-07T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Dustin Schwerman

Introduction: Its stats are low, its abilities limited. Why should your character, a mighty warrior skilled in both offensive and defensive arts, fear this foe? You strike with confidence, only for a quick augmentation to increase its defense for the action, blocking your attack. It returns the blow, scoring a solid hit and improving its damageand adding in one of its most potent special abilities to further augment the effect. Wary now, you ply your own powers to defeat its next two moves, but you can only use these abilities so often. Your opponent, however, confidently continues to activate two or three of its abilities on every attack.

In a role playing game, this sort of character type can be referred to as the "user", a character who can quickly but temporarily improve otherwise low stats and/or activate its powerful abilities very frequently. The user is not a jack of all trades, but a versatility specialist. They may not have all the powers of other specialists, but those they do have they can use nearly as well, and much more often.

In Quests of the Realm, the advantages of the user are reflected in the ARN preference.

Player Tactics: In QoTR, a userthat is, a character with the ARN preferencehas two main advantages. They can increase their stats on a by-action basis, and they can use their special preference aspects more often. Other RPGs might have characters that function as users with one or both advantages to varying degrees. Being a user is much less straightforward than being an attacker or defender. The advantages of the userespecially in the area of being able to use special abilities more oftencan vary strongly based on the game.

Thus, the first step to effectively playing a user is to understand which advantages your character has, and to what degree. If you have both, you might also want to consider which you plan to use most often, since using one might impact the other. In QoTR, for example, simply activating the action improvement is itself a special ability, and so carries a correspondent cost in and of itself.

If you expect to most frequently use stat improvements, understand that while you can probably face a character so specialized on its own terms, you are unlikely to overpower its advantage. Much like with the achiever described in article one, you are skilled in all arts, and you have a strong advantage over the standard specialist if you specialize as both a user and the other specialty. Unlike with achievers, users are not so much the masters of succeeding actions as being able to improve the value of their actions. Thus, the best way to use stat improvements, much like with an achiever, is to minimize the foe's advantages (as by improving defensive stats against a powerful attacker) and maximize its disadvantages (improving stealth skills against unsubtle foes).

If you prefer the significant ability access, use it but don't get overconfident. A user might be able to utilize its abilities more often, but that does not mean they can do so forever. A user is also more likely to tap its special abilities, which can lead to burnout if they aren't careful. You might also want to consider not overusing your abilities. Use them only as needed, and win through attrition. This is particularly effective if you also have some sort of defensive specialty.

All combinations are valid, and the user specialty combines as well as any, but creating a user/tanker (or better, a user/defender/tanker) creates a character with a very good chance of winning through attrition. Combining user with achiever and/or enhancer creates an incredibly versatile character.

GM Tactics: Users can make very effective opponents thanks to their versatility. Generally, they aren't necessarily the best fodder foes, since they don't tend to get the chance to showcase all of their talents. Also, multiple users in the same battle can make for something of a headache to run. Users, thus, are best utilized as "boss" enemies, and can be particularly effective as recurring villains. Even better, a single opponent of similar power to the characters can make for a very effective user. Such a villain can stress the characters greatly by engaging them when they separate, attacking one at a time and always using tactics that work best against them. Such an opponent should probably make use of a defensive specialty as well, and it certainly wouldn't hurt for it to also be a troubleshooterparticularly, one who can teleport away when the going gets tough.

Users in numbers can be a bit more deadly than you might want, mainly due to the attrition aspect. Such battles promise to be long, grueling, and probably overly complicated, with a reasonable chance that the characters will be slogging away through most of the fight and then be virtually unable to utilize their powers and forced to retreat or fall after an hour or so of difficult fighting. Not the most entertaining scene.

In a role playing game, users are the masters of versatility. Whether they use their powers frequently or boost whatever stat is necessary to the situation, they often seem to always have another trick or tactic to ply. Players can take advantage of this versatility to improve whatever other specialties they possess, or utilize it in its own right to claim an advantage over foes. Villains, too, can find this build advantageousespecially for thoroughly annoying the players!

Psp Features

2009-02-06T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Steve Crooks

Holding a brand new PSP in the palm of your hands is one thing but realising the potential of the Sony PSP is another. What you have in your hands is a games console, an MP3 player, a movie player, an Internet browser, a photo viewer plus a lot lot more. This article looks to highlight some of the best features of the Sony PSP and shows you how best to use those features.

The PSP arrived at the end of last year with the kind of buzz surrounding its launch that I hadn't seen since the launch of the playstation 2. This psp buzz was matched by the eagerness of everybody who wanted the psp and it seemed like an eternity before Sony manufactured enough stock to match the demand for the psp. It soon became apparent that the PSP was a whole lot more than just another games console.

PSP Wallpapers
To make the most of your PSP wallpaper you need to upgrade to version 2 of the firmware. This can be done online and detailed instructions are available in your psp manual. A wonderful feature of the psp is the ability to have an image of your choosing as your psp wallpaper. I chose a slightly blurred image of my son in close up as my psp wallpaper. I was amazed at how good this looked, while the psp wallpaper was slightly blurred it highlighted the text above it and made it clearly readable.

Of course you can choose whatever image you like as your psp wallpaper but the process of setting your psp background wallpaper is to firstly enable the psp wallpaper function under themes. You then go to your photo folder on your psp and choose the image you like and set it as your wallpaper.

PSP Hacks
There are a whole host of new psp hacks being found every day but one of the best psp hacks by far is how to run a multiplayer game when there is only one UMD game disk between all of you. It is so simple and by far the best psp hack I have come across.

Start the game on the first psp in ad hoc multiplayer mode and make sure you have unlimited time as well.

On the first psp, eject the UMD game disk and when the message asks if you want to quit answer with no.

Put the UMD disk in the next psp and start a multiplayer ad hoc game as in step 1.

Repeat the process with all players and enjoy!

I love this psp hack a lot.

PSP Downloads
This is a great feature of the psp, the ability to download utilities, software, games, music, movies onto your psp. PSP download sites are appearing everywhere, some are better than others but the ability to do a psp download is an awesome feature.

PSP Games
Of course the primary function of the psp is games. PSP games come in all genres and the catalogues of psp games is expanding every week. One of the best games for the psp so far is without a doubt FIFA 2006, it is a great game but as always it is a matter of preference. There are PSP games for everyone.

This demonstrates just a few of the amazing things the Sony PSP has given us so far. It is still very early days for this awesome product but as new psp games are developed and psp hacks are unearthed along with some amazing downloads for the psp, the future looks very bright for the Sony psp.

The author of this article runs a number of PSP related blogs. psp games, psp downloads, and psp hacks

Tekken Dark Resurrection Cheats And Codes

2009-02-05T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by David Allison

Play as Panda

At the character selection screen, highlight Kuma and press Circle. Note: Panda has a different story than Kuma.

Theater mode

Successfully complete Story mode to unlock Theater mode.

Command Attack mini-game

Successfully complete Story mode two times to unlock the Command Attack mini-game.

Gold Rush Time Attack

Successfully complete Story mode three times to unlock Gold Rush Time Attack.

Tekken Bowling mini-game

Successfully complete Story mode three times to unlock the Tekken Bowling mini-game.

Stage 0 in Tekken Dojo mode

Successfully complete all six stages in Tekken Dojo mode to unlock Stage 0. In Stage 0, you can fight against all downloaded ghost characters whenever desired.

3,000,000 G

Successfully complete the Ranking Tournament in Void Dojo to get 3,000,000 G.

Heaven Dojo

Successfully complete Void Dojo after defeating Ranking Tournament and Jinpachi to unlock the Heaven Dojo.

Jinpachi's Ghost

Successfully complete the Void Dojo after defeating Ranking Tournament and Jinpachi to unlock Jinpachi's Ghost.

Tekken Dojo Gold Rush mode Successfully complete the Wind Dojo to unlock Tekken Dojo Gold Rush mode.

Tekken 5 opening movie from PlayStation 2 version

Successfully complete Time Attack mode to unlock the opening movie from Tekken 5 for the PlayStation 2.

Tekken: Dark Resurrection opening movie from arcade version

Successfully complete Survival mode to unlock the opening movie from Tekken: Dark Resurrection for the arcade.

Check out Cheat Code Central's Tekken: Dark Resurrection Cheats & Codes page for more cheat codes, hints, tips, tricks, and our strategy guide for the game. For tons more cheats, reviews, previews, and much more for PS2, Xbox, PC, Xbox 360, GameCube, PSP, DS, GBA, check out Cheat Code Central.

Life Ii The Ultimate Virtual Reality Experience

2009-02-05T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

In the future Virtual Reality may become the future addiction of mankind and it could very well replace drug and alcohol addiction in the human race. How so you ask? Well in the future you would not need a library full of DVD Video Computer Games, as you would only need One; which one you ask? And how can that even be possible with all the selection out there and the many companies competing for the consumers gaming dollar?

Well here is how it would work. Every game would be the same game and all games could be merged. How can this ever come to be? Well consider the Fifth and Sixth Generation of video games or even the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth. Eventually you will have a holographic video game in your living room and you will be one with the game and your living room will be the CAVE.

Additionally, all the games on your xBox will all be the same game and you can move from one to the next. For instance you can be a football player in a foot ball game and then after the game get into your car and race the streets of Los Angeles. Next you can join the Army and be immersed in a war battle video game or you might drive your car at high-speed to the airport and then fly an aircraft there, take off and go to your destination or have an aerial dog-fight. You see now how you will need only one video game?

How is this technology possible? Well it is already here and it is only a matter of some smart entrepreneur putting it all together and teaming up with Microsoft Gaming. What will you call such an incredible VR Virtual Reality System? Well just call it; IT. Because IT can be anything you want it to be, anytime you want to ditch real life for the Virtual World. Can you see why people will become addicted to that? Consider this in 2006.

By Lance Winslow

Lego Building Instruction Books

2009-02-04T12:00:00.002-08:00

Writen by Wycliffe Williams

Lego Building Instruction Books are excellent educational tools developed by Lego. They also have a bevy of Lego Education Centers. They like to think that engineers, architects, scientists and designers have their genesis in these centers.

LEGO centers claim to provide a safe, inspirational atmosphere for young creative minds. They focus on and develop the following areas:

Concentration

Self-confidence

Innovation

Team-work

Spatial intelligence

Perhaps a small historical journey is appropriate at this point. The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen. He was the inventor of the LEGO bricks. Christiansen desired a total world-wide involvement by the group.

"Only the best is good enough" was his motto. The LEGO team says that 'today we still involve that spirit in every way we operate.'

With this as a backdrop, we are now faced with their recent announcement. Here is the headlines: "LEGO Says It's Running Out Of Toys For Christmas"

What a disappointing turn of events. To whom much is given-much is required. They have fallen a long way away from their stated motto, "Only the best is good enough" What does LEGO suggest we do with our Lego Building Instruction Books? We have no LEGO building blocks!

What would Mr. Christiansen say about this mess? They've been in business for almost 75 years. Did the coming of Christmas 2006 catch them unawares? How did they prepare for the other 73 Christmases? How could they run out of toys for Christmas?

Many of us were raised on LEGO toys. I had hours and hours of fun playing with my LEGO. So did my children and now my grandson. What does LEGO suggest we tell our children?

Lego Building Instruction Books are useless without the blocks. Do you want LEGO for your child this Christmas? Then get LEGO now! Grab the link here Lego Building Instruction Books

The Wonderful World Of Everquest Cheats

2009-02-04T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Mark Willigerod

There's not a popular computer game in the world that hasn't spawned an industry identifying so-called cheats that let players get ahead. EverQuest, one of the world's most popular MMORPGs, is no different: EverQuest cheats abound in the gaming literature. Whether you want to use EverQuest cheats is up to you, but when you're stuck in a shaky situation or just can't seem to get ahead no matter what you do, they can be undeniably attractive.

EverQuest cheats: cheating, or not?

You might think that "cheat" means cheating, but it ain't necessarily so. In the gaming world, "cheat" refers to any way to get ahead aside from standard hack-and-slash game play; special strategies, built-in "Easter Egg" codes, and exploits of known bugs are all clumped under the term. EverQuest cheats are no different. Though admittedly many EverQuest cheats are "illegal" in game play, not all are. For example, the practice of using real-world money to buy in-game currency is one of the most widespread of the purported EverQuest cheats. Though some believe it's contrary to the spirit of the game, it's accepted practice, and Sony even encourages it. On the other hand, some EverQuest cheats, especially those that let you duplicate money or objects, are not only illegal, they could get your account deleted for good.

Climbing the EverQuest ladder

Most EverQuest cheats involve increasing your money and experience points. This makes sense, because in any EQ scenario, you'll require both to advance in level and purchase snazzy new equipment. EverQuest cheats are easy to find on the Internet and in magazines; you can even subscribe to compilations that are updated on a weekly or monthly basis. How and if you use cheats is up to you, but choose your EverQuest cheats carefully! What's the point of building a 50th Level Paladin if it gets deleted for cheating?

No need to kill 10,000 rats to make your first Everquest platinum: for just a few bucks, you can be on your way to top-notch training and the kind of weapons you thought you'd never be able to afford. So don't hold back: discover some EverQuest 2 gold now

Go Digital And Groovy And Save Trees

2009-02-03T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Kathy Heslop

Have you inherited your Dad's trading card collection - ie. pieces of printed cardboard that come with a piece of gum that looks like it tastes like cardboard too? Well today's trading cards have evolved to include, wait for it... (cue bells and whistles), holograms and foil..! Wow, riveting isn't it. And the corporates complain that there has been a decline in demand..?

So if you are a groovy member of Generation Y who cares about your sports, are used to being stimulated on all levels and demand decent, multi-dimensional content, (ie. you like your MTV, Gameboy, PS2, music and video etc), then you need to Get Serious about your trading cards - literally!

Serious are the ever so clever and extremely contemporary people behind CD and DVD Trading Cardz TM - the hip, digital descendents of your dad's deforestating and now dust- collecting baseball cards! Stick a paper card into your PC/Mac/PS2/XBOX and what happens..? Diddly squat, that's what, except that you get a bill for repairs. Stick one of the Serious cardz into your hardware and immediately welcome to stacks of interactive content all about your favourite sportsmen, that includes full screen action videos, bios, stats, photos, music, downloadables, trivia, games, email postcardz... you name it! With over 60 officially licensed cardz to collect in the debut releases for both the NFL and NBA and additional cardz promised throughout the season, what is there to wait for? News about the cardz is spreading like wildfire right now and they are hot among celebrities too, with Dick Stockton no less doing voiceovers on the NBA collection!

Coming soon - Manchester United DVD Trading Cardz - so get in touch with your inner Red Devil... and 2 billion other Northern Souls that make up Man U's worldwide TV audience!

So welcome, come and join the express train of shiny, happy people and get yourself a shiny new Cardz collection!

Want to join the fast lane? Do you love sports, have a high self esteem and expect bang for your buck? Of course you do! So come join the savvy in-crowd at http://www.serious.com and Get Serious!

Need For Speed Relaxation Or Obsession

2009-02-02T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Kenneth C. Hoffman

We used to play Solitaire or Hearts to relax and spend a couple of hours zoning out to recharge our mental batteries. I found a new way to waste a couple or hours - Need For Speed. It's a PC or X-Box game. You trick up your compact boy racer with big tires, turbochargers and radical paint schemes and race against up to four other racing fools. Race choices range from the drag strip to drifting and point to point racing through an imaginary city at night.

Most fun is the tournament in which you graduate through different and more difficult street venues as you improve your racing skills. Winning garners points that you can spend on even more horsepower and bigger tires. Your opposition has no mercy if you get in their way and have no compunctions against bumping your rear end at 150 miles per hour as you screech around corners and fly though the air over bridges.

The scenery is completely believable, smoke comes out of your tail pipe and water splashes as you tear around the course. One variation causes the last man around the course to drop out, leaving the others to go around again until there is one winner. I don't have a joy stick so I have to make do with my keyboard for navigating the courses.

The latest variation is called Need For Speed Underground II and is an updated version of the original NFS Underground (which I prefer). The main attraction to me is the challenge to my computer racing skills and the infinity of variations of games. Like Solitaire, there are no two games alike so I never get bored.

My real life Honda Civic HX never had it so good.

Retired portrait photographer with too much time on his hands.

Sapphire Tipped Uavs For Midair Collisions To Defeat Enemy Uav Swarm Threats

2009-02-02T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

Defeating enemy UAV Swarms will be a challenge for our Net-Centric Blue Force Team. When our enemy launches 1000 UAVs at our forces in the battlespace, will we be able to shoot them all down? The answer is most likely no. Even if we match each incoming UAV with a rocket intercept response or use a new technology THEL response to focus it's beam individually to take out each UAV, will we achieve our goal? Is the kill ratio an acceptable answer? In other words is it acceptable to admit we will have UAVs, perhaps single mission UAVs get through to our troops, Aircraft Carrier, encampment or political building? What is in those UAVs? Biological threat, C4, lesser explosive or grenade type munitions? The idea of 1000 incoming model airplane size threats at relatively slow speeds, under 100 Knots is a real problem. In a Carrier Battle Group we have capabilities of defending against such things and perhaps could prevail. But what about "Tent City" in Iraq or along the North Korea Border?

I propose Porcelain tip rounds, which once they hit their first target and go right thru it, they then open wings and start circular patterns back to towards the direction fired and swarms direction of movement. Continuing ramming of swarming UAVs and disabling them. These swirling UAV defenders will be within the original rocket round and pop out after first direct hit impact. The wings will fold out from the tube and start raising havoc on the enemy's incoming single mission UAV Swarm. These porcelain tip units will have one job and that is to cause mid air collisions and ram each incoming member of the swarm. In UAV swarm theory UAVs will be controlled autonomously thru directions from individual units of the swarm. Perhaps one in three or one in five or one in 20 UAVs of the swarm will provide information to the rest of the nearby swarm units. As more and more units are taken out, the guiding UAVs of the swarm will be rendered useless and the swarm will be without direction and therefore no longer a threat. The Porcelain Tipped defenders will also have various and very simple EA Electronic Attack components and once inside the swarm will attack, ram and electronically disable the UAV swarm, shorting out the units. A few larger EA units might be sent in first or last to either decrease the numbers of the swarm or to mop up after.

There are many advantages to defending in this matter. If the enemy is using their attack in the fire them and forget them mode and watching on radar or satellite as to what is happening, they might be led to assume something other than what just happened. For instance they might assume that there was a catastrophic malfunction with the swarm? They might assume that the swarm found it's target, turned around, crashed or that their systems are giving them a false reading, which adds to the fog of war within the enemy's command and control.

Lance Winslow

Ncaa Football 07 Cheats And Codes For Playstation 2 Ps2

2009-02-01T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by David Allison

All Impact Players "In The Zone"

Enter "ZoneOut" as a user profile name, then select Practice mode. After the first play, all Impact Players will be "In The Zone".

Reggie Bush

Successfully complete Dynasty mode with USC to unlock Reggie Bush as a historic player.

Cheat mode

At the Pennant Collection screen, press Select, then enter one of the following codes to activate the corresponding cheat function:

1st and 15 pennant; opponent gains 15 yards for first down: THANKS

2004 All-Americans pennant (#273): FUMBLE

Blink pennant; ref spots ball short for opponent: FOR

Boing pennant; opponent drops passes more: REGISTERING

Crossed The Line pennant: TIBURON

Cuffed pennant (#206): EA SPORTS

Extra Credit pennant; 4 point interceptions, 3 point sacks: TOUCHDOWN

Free Play pennant; five downs: IMPACT

Get points when your player is injured (#211): HEISMAN

Improves catching ability for one game (#208): IN THE ZONE

Increase chance to break tackles for one game (#213): BREAK FREE

Increase DBs chance of jamming receiver at line of scrimmage (#227): DEFENSE

Increase opponent's fatigue for one game (#212): GAME TIME

Increase opponent's fumbles for one game (#205): WITH EA

Increase pass rush: TURNOVER

Increase wind in your direction on field goal attempts (#229): SIDELINE

Nike Magnigrip Gloves; increases chances of pass interception: HAND PICKED

Nike Pro Apparel; improves your quarterback's passing accuracy for one game: NO SWEAT

Nike Speed TD Shoes; increases your receivers chances of burning the coverage deep: LIGHT SPEED

Quarterback Dud pennant: ELITE 11

Check out Cheat Code Central's NCAA Football 07 Cheats & Codes for PlayStation 2 (PS2) page for more cheat codes, hints, tips, tricks, and our review for the game. For tons more cheats, reviews, previews, and much more for PS2, Xbox, PC, Xbox 360, GameCube, PSP, DS, GBA, check out Cheat Code Central.

Video Gaming Concepts And Theory Of Super Hero Uniforms

2009-01-31T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

We know that most all comic book style Super Heroes have special outfits to protect them. Consider if you will Spider Man, Super Man, Super Woman, Batman, Flash and Aqua Man. Even the more modern versions of the Super Hero motif all have special uniforms, which allow the characters to go beyond the human abilities. Without the suits the Super Heroes are mere mortals and unable to access their super powers.

Okay this is the known part of the equation now let us discuss the possible philosophy and human psyche behind it all for moment. Most all Super Heroes and outfits indeed are similar. Consider if this helps the reader or viewer of a Super Hero to better relate with and believe the storyline.

Have you ever wondered if the viewer or video gamer allows this concept of believability due to this fact allowing them to relate with it or enjoy the storyline all inclusive of the super hero suits because they know that in the human form with the soft shell they themselves are vulnerable and yet with a Shield or body armor they can believe the invincibility concept. Maybe this has something to do with humans and their inherent belief in limits, natural laws and such.

You know with NanoTech skins, coatings and such humans will have advantages in the future that humans currently do not have now. Also it will make things nice for Space, those clumsy suits are not doable and inefficient even though they are less cumbersome than before. Carbon Nanotubes and other future material may make these Super Hero suits a reality within the next couple of decades.

Personally I look forward to the day I can build a wing, which can take 100 lbs per square inch of wing loading and only weight 2 lbs per square meter. Material Sciences are coming a long way. It is only a matter of time when we can make Carbon NanoTubes with enclosed elements inside nearly non-penetrable. And consider the number of elements we can structure to make stuff. Any video gamer worth their salt needs to be thinking here in advance of the foreseeable future. Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Another Title By Atari Released On Starforce Protected Dvds

2009-01-30T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Ksenia Zakharova

"Atari has selected StarForce to protect their brand-new game called Race Driver 2", a supervisor from StarForce has stated today.

"Race Driver 2" is produced by Codemasters and distributed by Atari. It was released in Taiwan in July 2004. The game is designed for both PC and Microsoft Xbox platforms. The product is distributed on DVD discs protected by StarForce.

Atari is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive entertainment for both gaming enthusiasts and the mass-market audience. The company's products are based on internally created intellectual properties or products licensed from third parties, and include most recognizable names in popular entertainment industry.

This is the second case of Atari's cooperation with StarForce. Earlier they used StarForce to secure their hit game "Desert Rats VS Afrika Korps".

Both titles are protected using the StarForce Professional 3.0 solution. StarForce Professional 3.0 utilizes latest copy protection know-how and provides a high level of security yet being a very usable solution for end users. StarForce Professional is designed to assist software developers and publishers to suppress high-volume industrial piracy as well as illegal copying by end users. The protection technologies implementation doesn't require publishers to use any special tools for a licensed disc production, quality control, or other procedures.

Pleased with the quality of StarForce service and proven effectiveness of the company's technologies, Atari is planning to continue its cooperation with StarForce in the nearest future.

About The Author

About StarForce (www.star-force.com)

StarForce is a leading provider of software protection solutions designed to fight piracy and assist software developers and publishers to effectively protect their intellectual property and safeguard their revenues. The company is well-known among industry professionals for its state of the art software-and-hardware-level encryption technologies. StarForce provides a broad range of high-quality and cost-effective protection and licensing solutions for business, educational, and entertainment applications

Great Games Youve Never Played

2009-01-29T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Chris Campbell

Do you know what you're missing?

Some of the best computer games ever made are likely games you've never heard of. Created by individuals and small companies working in relative obscurity. They don't have million dollar budgets, some don't even have hundred dollar budgets. They don't have dedicated marketing departments, research analysts, sales teams, fancy offices, and cutting edge tools. They scrape together whatever tools they can, often discarded by the ultra rich game designers of big shiny game studios.

Making Miracles.

In spite of these deplorable working conditions, they create some of the most amazing games around. How do these game gems get created, and who are the miracle workers creating them. They're independent game designers. Sometimes called Indies for short. Working out of their bedrooms, garages, spare offices, and basements. They have a passion for what they do. They love games, they love the act of creation, and are relentlessly committed to their vision of what a game should be. They often build games they themselves would love to play. Simply because no one else will. These kind of games you won't find at the big box electronics store casting it's shadow over your end of town. These passionate Indies could care less what the marketing boys up on the 26th floor have to say about the latest game trends. Probably because their garages don't have 26 floors. They just know their love of games, and how much they enjoy playing.

Where do Indies come from?

Indie game developers come from all different areas. They're often former artists, programmers, or designers of some big name software companies. Maybe that quiet little programmer in that tiny corner cubicle dreams of being an Indie one day. Tired of the corporate rat race, and looking to express themselves creatively they become Indies. Some of been lucky enough to avoid the corporate avenue altogether and make a living doing what they love from the beginning. Regardless of their origins, they all have the passion and desire to create. To be able to put their name on something really great. They want to be recognized for their abilities and worth. But more than that, they want you to play their games, and have fun doing so.

Why are Indie games so good?

Indie games are good first and foremost, because they're fun. It's a game after all, and if it's not fun from the get go, then what's the point. They're also highly original, sometimes mainstream funny, sometimes just weird funny, sometimes morbid, sometimes creepy, and sometimes just downright gross. But, thats OK. Games should be a departure from the everyday. They should make you think in different, fantastic ways. So many big name games are just rehashed ideas done a thousand times before. Another sequel of the same old games from last year. Indie games are adventurous and risky. Indies take chances and devote their time to making something unique. So, take a look around, and try a few, till you discover the one that matches your own bizarre and fantastic interests.

About the author
Chris Campbell, is that quiet little programmer in the tiny corner cubicle harbouring dreams of an Indie life. He likes to surround himself with his gaming masterpiece and those of other Indies at his website http://www.SunAndGames.com

Guitar Hero Review Ps2

2009-01-28T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Henning Hoffmann

Guitar Hero is a fun music based game for the PS2. The developer of Guitar Hero, Harmonix, had previously created Amplitude and before that Frequency. All three of these games are music based games where you have to strum or button your way through a song. Frequency was the first, and in my opinion (and that of my friends) better than the sequel Amplitude. While Amplitude had a much better shared multiplayer view, the songs weren't as good and the sense of actually playing the music was much decreased in Amplitude. So when the guys come over to play games at my place, we usually plop in Frequency and not Amplitude.

Guitar Hero carries on the tradition, and I think is an improvement over Amplitude. It actually includes a guitar controller, which is a half-size plastic guitar with five coloured buttons on the neck. You "strum" a two inch long lever, and the guitar even includes a bendy bar. But you don't have to use this peripheral if you don't want to. Using the controller feels very much like Frequency or Amplitude, except that you sometimes have to hold down the notes over time, which wasn't a feature in the previous games.

But the guitar peripheral makes it so much more fun, you'll want to use it. The joystick ability really only comes in handy when you play in two-player mode against a friend and can't afford to buy a second guitar.

But how do you actually play a song? Easy to learn, difficult to master. The coloured buttons on the neck correspond to coloured dots on the moving score of the song. The score actually approaches you, and as coloured dots approach and cross a line right in front of you, you have to have the correct coloured button held down as you strum the guitar. Then the note will change to a different one, so you have to change your fingering before your next strum. It is easier than it sounds. Check the IGN website for Guitar Hero videos.

How is it? Fun fun FUN! This is one great game with great songs, and great multiplayer action. I've only played it multiplayer with a controller, but getting a second guitar in there would be even more of a blast. I had my friends over to play this game and they all raved about it. If you like listening to music and have a PS2, then you owe it to yourself to at least try this game.

Problems? Yes, a few. My biggest complaint (though not that big in absolute terms - this is a great game) is that the mapping of music tracks to game tracks isn't as fun as many of the tracks in Frequency and Amplitude were. In those game you'd really get into a groove and really enjoy how the tracks were arranged by the developers. Guitar Hero doesn't have quite the same creativity when it came to laying down the tracks. As well, the game ramps up in difficulty way too fast. The hardest setting is clearly impossible for everyone without a genetically enhanced metabolism. (This was also a problem with Frequency and Amplitude.)

But don't let those things distract you from what is otherwise a very fun game. And if you don't want to splurge on the full price right away, you might want to try Frequency. It's an older game so is now in many bargain bins. It's a true gem, and you can try out this style of gameplay for less than $10.

Henning Hoffmann is the publisher of PS3Blog.net, a great resource for PlayStation 3 news and opinion.

Kingdom Hearts Ii Cheat Codes

2009-01-28T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by David Allison

Sora's Ultima Weapon

Sora's Ultima Weapon is obtained through item synthesis. Once you have obtained seven Orichalcum+s and the other ingredients, you will be able to synthesize it if you have an Energy Crystal. Note: You must be at least a level 2 Moogle to use energy items (for example, shards, stones, gems, and crystals). The items required are as follows:

Ultimate Recipe

Go to the mansion in Twilight Town. This is towards the end of the game when you go with Sora. Once the machine is up and running to go to Roxas's Twilight Town, do not enter it. Instead, go through the other room where you went to fight Axel with Roxas at the start of the game. Then, go into the next room with the hallway with the pods where Goofy and Donald were found. There are a few chests in there; the Ultimate Recipe is the in the chest next to Donald and Goofy's pod.

Seven Orichalcum+

1. Clear Atlantica.

2. Clear 100 Acre Wood.

3. Find the chest in The World That Never Was at the Brink Of Despair just before you go into the castle. There will be a big chest next to the save point. This is not the Orichalcum+. Turn around at this location and follow the short path across from the save point with the Orichalcum+ chest.

4. Clear Goddess Of Fate Cup in the Underworld Coliseum.

5. Chest in Twilight Town, in Sunset Terrace where you went earlier in the game for the Seven Wonders. Jump on top of the train and you will see a chest on the roof of the big building (the one closest to to the sunset station).

6. Chest in Space Paranoids during the second visit there, just before you fight Commander Sark and the MCP.

7. Collect all Material in the game and give it to the Synthesis Moogle. He will give you an Orichalcum+. You need every single Material (shards, stones, gems, and crystals, including a regular Orichalcum).

Other ingredients

Energy Crystal: Required to halve the amount of Orichalcum+s you need. Dropped by Bookmasters in Radiant Gardens (Hollow Bastion) near Merlin's house. These are the characters that float with green hats and books.

Twilight and Dense Crystals: Nobodies on Naught's Skyway. Go to naught's skyway just after the Hall Of Empty Melodies. Fight the Nobodies there and they will drop Twilight and Dense items.

Serenity Crystals: You can get these from the Moogles for giving them complete sets of Materials.

Mythril Crystals: Found in random item chests.

Gummi Ship bonuses

Berserk mode: Reach Metal Level 30.
Gummi Ship Level 2: Successfully complete Level 1 with "S", "A", or "B" ranks.
Gummi Ship Level 3: Successfully complete Level 1 and 2 with "S", "A", or "B" ranks.
Special Models: Get an "S" rank in the Gummi Ship missions.

Synthesis Moogle bonus items

Give the following items to the Synthesis Moogle to get the corresponding bonus item:

AP Boost: Give all Mythril Materials
AP Boost: Five 25 types of Material
Defense Boost: Give all Bright Materials
Elixer: Five one type of Material
Free Development: Give 5 types of Material
Free Development 2: Give 20 types of Material
High Drive Recovery: Give 10 types of Material
Megalizer: Give 15 types of Material
Serenity Shard: Give a total amount of 50 or more Materials
Serenity Shard 2: Give a total amount of 100 or more Materials

Donald's enemy items

Nobody Lance: Kill the flying Nobodies that carry spears until you get the Nobody Lance. This is best done in the Beast's Castle.

Shaman's Relic: Go to the Pride Lands, then go to Wildebeest Valley. Equip Lucky Lucky to all your party members, then kill the Shamans until you get the Shaman's Relic.

Goofy's enemy items

Akashic Record: Kill the book-wielding Heartless in Radiant Garden (Hollow Bastion) until you get the Akashic Record.

Heartless Shield: Go to Port Royal and kill all the enemies until you get the Heartless Shield.

Nobody Guard: Find and kill the Gambling Nobodies until you get the Nobody Guard. Note: This may take some time.

Check out Cheat Code Central's Kingdom Hearts II Cheats & Codes page for more cheat codes, hints, tips, tricks, and our strategy guide for the game. For tons more cheats, reviews, previews, and much more for PS2, Xbox, PC, Xbox 360, GameCube, PSP, DS, GBA, check out Cheat Code Central.

Games Mtg Deck Help

2009-01-27T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Michael Russell

Deciding to build a Magic the Gathering deck is easy. But what type of deck do you want to build? The better question even, is "how" to build it. There is a multitude of things to consider before you start to "slap" cards together. The first thing you must do is decide on the color(s) you want to be present in your magic deck. Remember, each color (black, blue, green, red and white) has its own theme. Each color also has its own strength and weaknesses. The more colors you decide to place in the deck, the larger the deck may become.

After choosing which color(s) that you will set in your new magic deck, you now need to set a term for victory. Do you want lots of creatures to overrun your opponent? Or perhaps you want to pummel someone with spells. You could even pick to win by using a combination of cards. The choice that most beginning deck builders is to construct a deck that overwhelms the "enemy" with a multitude of small creatures; it is also easier for them to play with. Intermediate builders will tend to lean towards control or suppression with the use of Spells and/or combinations. That's all nice and good but what do the advanced builders do and how does it help them win?

There is three differences between the Advance builders and the other two builders listed. Those three (fundamental) differences are: ratio management, cost efficient cards and archetypes. It sounds simple but it isn't. Ratio management, for example 1:1:1 creature land spells. Simply it means that for every one creature, you will have one land and spell. Each of their decks (Pros or advance builders) maintains a balance similar to that. Sometimes they'll even do: every 1 creature they'll have 1.8 lands and .2 spells. I'll try not to contradict that but ratios are just one part of the equation.

How do you know a creature is good or just plain bad? Is it how much it costs to put into play or how much damage it can do when put into play? Those questions are usually decided by the player. Some players prefer to have lots of small "quick" creatures deal damage early on but those decks lose momentum mid to late game. Other players prefer to play a big creature and mow right through the small ones. Simply put there really is no bad creature per se but for the creature to be good it must add to the deck. If you are looking for quick creatures, they will tend to be very cheap to put into play; the larger creatures will cost high but usually do damage and have an ability that'll make them worthwhile.

In the previous paragraph I mentioned briefly two archetypes. So what is an archetype? Archetypes are rough outlines for decks based on ideas that have been successful in past tournaments. There are really on three types of decks but they can be mixed and matched to achieve the desired result. The three main types are: Aggro, Combo and Control. Aggro decks will try to deal as much damage as possible within the shortest amount of time. Combo decks will use a plan of two or more cards to instantly win the game or deal a large amount of damage. Finally, Control decks will lock the entire board down and then win after that.

There are plenty of resources on what beats what. Or what is the best deck to use.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Golf

Free Online Games Will The Bubble Burst

2009-01-26T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by CD Mohatta

Online games are a new rage on the Internet. Everybody believes that there is a lot to be earned with online games. I wonder how? You develop games, or license them create a website and try to make it popular amongst millions of others. Lot of money and effort is needed to get noticed on the Internet. And after all that you offer free games. Where is the money?

Online games and advertisements - Look at this scenario. A player has arrived to your website. He/she has downloaded a game and begun playing it. Some advertisement banners are running around. Do you expect the player to click on the advertisements or play the games for winning?

Obviously the players are focused on the game and are totally unaware about the rest of the web page. I don't believe they will click on the advertisements. If they do that, it means that your games are not good enough. The other method of getting revenue is subscription based website. With so much of free stuff floating around, why should I visit your paid site, pay you and play? Why should I not save money by searching for free games?

Internet is very deceptive in some ways. Most of the people believe that if one subject is very popular there is lot of money in that. But this just is not true. Money does not come from popularity of the subject. For getting, money, you have to make people pay. for that your content has to be extremely unique, your advertising expense huge and your running cost quite big. If after that you make money, you should consider yourself lucky.

The author, C.D. Mohatta writes for http://www.ecarduniverse.com/ which has free ecards on holidays, birthday, love, friendship, family, expressions, celebrations and all events and occasions. He also writes fun quizzes and fun tests at http://www.funquizcards.com/ on topics like love, personality, dating, relationships, friendship, movies, tv, music, business, etc. One more site associated with the author is http://www.yourfungames.com/ - it has lots of free flash games which anyone can play online.

Hitman Blood Money Cheats And Codes For Xbox 360

2009-01-25T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by David Allison

Infinite money

Successfully complete any mission and earn as little money as possible. Save the game, then replay that mission again. Earn as much money as possible and create a save point immediately before escaping from the level. Then, escape from the level and the mission review screens will appear displaying your new account balance. Any additional money earned from playing the mission the second time will be added to your account balance. Next, press B to return to the first screen, then press Y replay the mission. A message warning that your progress will be lost will appear. Ignore this message, as your save points and account balance will not be reset. When the mission begins again, load the save point created immediately before escaping from the level. Escape from the level and the additional money will be added to your account balance again. Repeat this process as much as desired to get an unlimited amount of money.

Infinite saves in Normal and Expert mode

While saving during a mission on the Normal or Expert difficulty setting, press Start before the "Save Complete" message appears and it will not count towards your limit of saves. Note: This will not harm your saved game.

Free intel

Purchase all the intel when a mission starts. Make a note of it, then pause the game and choose to restart the mission. You will have your original starting money, and the intel will now be available for purchase again even though you know what it contained.

Alternate background

Successfully complete the game to alternate the main menu background.

Newspaper headlines

After completing a mission, the newspaper headline will vary depending on how you did. If you did poorly, the paper will say so in the paragraph. If you shoot very little and use mostly hand to hand it will say that there is not enough information to make a ranked description of you. If you completed the mission with high accuracy, it will state that you are a well trained marksman. Try completing missions differently to see different headlines.

License plates

Look at the license plates of cars in different levels. In the "A New Life" mission, the license plate of all the cars reads BADBLOD (Bad Blood). In the "A House Of Cards" mission, the license plate of the first limo at the casino reads "L1MONEY", or something similar.

Alternate ending sequence

In the final level "Requiem", Diana will give you the antidote to the death serum. You will fade in and out of life (power bar rises and drops to the beat of Agent 47's heart) while the credits roll. If you do nothing, the game will end. However, if you press the Left Analog-stick Up and Down (or any other buttons) repeatedly, you will come back to life and your mission will be to leave no witnesses.

Check out Cheat Code Central's Hitman: Blood Money Cheats & Codes for Xbox 360 page for more cheat codes, hints, tips, tricks, and our strategy guide for the game. For tons more cheats, reviews, previews, and much more for PS2, Xbox, PC, Xbox 360, GameCube, PSP, DS, GBA, check out Cheat Code Central.

Solitaire Card Games

2009-01-24T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jimmy Sturo

Solitaire is a card game that originated in Australia. In the US, it is known as 'Solitaire' and in British English it is referred to as 'Patience.' This card game has over 54 variations. There are multiplayer solitaire card games too.

It is a game generally played with a deck of 52 cards. Solitaire games involve dealing cards from a shuffled deck in a methodical arrangement on a table. A player tries to re-order the deck by suit and rank through a series of moves, transferring cards from one place to another. There are prescribed restrictions that have to be followed. All the cards of a certain rank form the guidelines on which the suits are built. The moves proceed until the game is won or a further move is impossible. This is known as making or breaking the game. Some games allow re-shuffling of the deck or the placement of cards in a new or empty location.

Solitaire has its own terminology. There are many types of solitaire games, but the term solitaire is often used to refer to the most well known form called 'Klondike.' The other types of solitaire have been adapted into two-player competitive games. As mentioned earlier, solitaire has many variations using either one or more deck of cards with rules of varying complexity and skill level. Many of these have been converted in to electronic games and are available on computers. There are about 150 solitaire card games that have been devised.

The term solitaire is used for single-player games of dexterity and the ability to play the game. The games use a set of layout of tiles, pegs and stones, instead of cards. This card game is played all over the world and enjoyed by people of all ages.

Card Games provides detailed information on Card Games, Online Card Games, Free Card Games, Poker Card Games and more. Card Games is affiliated with Mahjong Tiles.

Working In The Gaming Industry

2009-01-23T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Adam Nolan

As time passes, more and more countries legalize gambling, more casinos are opened in new and varied places around the world and more areas become legally approved by the authorities for gambling as a form of social entertainment.

If you ask people outside the business about career opportunities within the gambling industry, they will automatically think about the frontline roles such as dealer, bartender or cocktail waitress as these are the people immediately in the public eye. It is not something that is regularly examined, however the casinos industry holds a vast amount of job opportunities in numerous different areas of the entertainment arena. For example, around the casinos are often built Hotels, entertainment areas, and many more businesses that enjoy the gambling crowd and their business potential. As gambling becomes an increasing popular option for social entertainment, both following the population growth and increased disposable income trend, most of the countries that legalize gambling enjoy an increasingly stable economy around these environments.

A casino is like many other businesses or companies, in that it also has an infrastructure of management members, administrational staff, security officers and artists such as singers, musicians and dancers. If there is a hotel complex attached, then additionally all of these hospitality and catering roles will also need to be filled. Although generally most of these positions do not require any direct interaction with the casino floor, to have a working knowledge of casinos and customers alike is a necessity in order to complete the job roles more competently. One particularly interesting and challenging role is the casino manager. This role is extremely varied and is responsible for the organization, direction, planning, controlling and coordinating of both the table games and the staff operating them. They are also responsible for recruitment, training and scheduling of all the casino staff. Casino managers also need to know all of the game rules, detecting any game that might put the casinos income at risk. Master Statistical and market analyzing methods are always monitored with regards to the gaming and predicting income growth or decline in the economy both locally and nationally is also a vital part of this role to keep the income of the establishment stable.

Salaries for Casino managers can vary hugely depending on a number of factors including region, however on average, the annual salary is $61000 a year according to a well known journal. Another challenging role is the casino supervisor. They are responsible for ensuring that all gaming tables and the operating staff in a specified area are running to maximum optimization throughout any given shift. They are also there to support the casino patrons and can sometimes need to interpret the gaming rules and deal with any escalated customer issues. On occasion their role can also extend to organizing activities for casino guests staying in the hotel, outside of the gambling arena.

A gaming supervisor must possess exceptional communication skills, interpersonal skills and charisma in order to be able to both deal effectively with staff and employees alike. They also need these skills to try and maximize return patronage. Supervisor's almost always gain previous casino experience working in other casino positions for several years before they can apply for promotion into this role.

In charge of the Slot machines area are the Slot key persons, also known as slot attendants or technicians who manage all slot area machines and staff. Their job description includes verifying winning payouts to casino patrons, resetting slot machines after winnings, and slot money refilling. An educational degree is not needed for this position but knowledge in slot machine operation and the games themselves are necessary. Previous work experience in casinos either in other positions or as slot attendant is also considered an advantage or having attended a slot operating course. According to statistics published in 1999 a Slot technician can make on average 12$ an hour. Casino cage workers; these staff are in charge of all monetary transactions for the casino patrons. The cashier workers will be the people in charge of exchanging real money for chips, tickets or tokens and on occasion credit applications for both deposits and withdrawals within the casino.

The role most commonly associated with a casino is of course the dealer. They manage each game table such as roulette, blackjack, baccarat and poker, dealing out cards, rolling dice, collecting chips and enforcing the game rules. Dealers must master the game rules thoroughly to be able to pick up on inconsistencies. They must also possess very strong customer service skills, a professional look, and sharp calculating abilities as it is the dealer who declares the winner and is in charge of the winning payout or lost money /chip collection. This is a position in a very demanding and fast moving environment and most dealer job requirements demand at least two table games to have been mastered as a minimum.

Most professional dealers are certified. This is achievable through a two to four year course during which the participant will master gaming itself and also customer management fields as well. Experienced dealers are in great demand and it is a highly appreciated job. Dealers practice at first on low limit tables and they move up to high roller tables as they gain more experience. According to statistics published in 1999 a dealer can make on average 7$ an hour. More general job requirements are also asked on top of these specific points mentioned, such as any gaming position applicant should be above 21 years old and with a high school certificate. In the United States casino workers must also have a specific license issued by the government for a fee each year, which also includes background investigations prior to issue. Almost every casino has its own training process in addition to requiring certification. As with any job, there are both positive and negative sides. Some people love the buzz of the environment which can also be conceived as glamorous and the fact that every day is different, however on the opposite side of the coin the hours can be very unsociable which can put some off but whichever side of the fence you are on there are thousands and thousands of applicants each and every year who cannot wait to join this ever changing and challenging environment.

This article was published by: BTD Casinos

http://www.bethedealer.com

Pandora Tomorrow X Box Guide

2009-01-23T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Arjun Mukherjee

Introduction

"Pandora Tomorrow" is one of the most interesting and enchanting video game play delivered in the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series. The game was originally titled as the "Shadow Strike" and was later renamed as "Pandora Tomorrow". The game is an external player oriented "Stealth-based" video game that has already gained popularity. This game is the second in the series of video games of Splinter Cell.

What the game provides

As in case of other games in the Splinter Cell series, here also the hero is Sam Fisher, the lone splinter from Third Echelon. Voiced by popular TV artist Michael Ironside, the character Sam Fisher works for the black ops branch of NSA and indulge in covert activities in the line of a James Bond. The background music is provided in the video game by Lalo Schifrin and the popularity of the game is quite evident from the fact that it has been translated in multiple languages and distributed all over the world.

The game play

Although the name has been changed, the game play remains nearest to the original Splinter Cell game. A few graphical improvements have been inserted here and there. Minute game play changes have been affected too. For example the collectible health kits are no longer an inventory item. Another such example of minor game play change is the addition of a laser sight to the pistol that Sam carries. Sam Fisher can now open a door while carrying a body on his back. He can shoot hanging in a reverse pose and can also perform a jump that is half split.

The multiplayer version

Originally the "Pandora Tomorrow" was a single player game. But one notable change has been introduced lately by converting it to a multi player game because it can accrue the advantages provided by the popular Xbox Live device. Even the Play Station 2 and Personal Computer versions have also been made multiplayer compatible. But the Game Cube version continues to be a single player one. The two combatants in the fray are very well equipped and armed mercenaries against stealthy Shadownet spies. Mercenaries are played as first person and spies are played as third person. The charm of the game is that mercenaries have fast shooting power but spies can hide in the dark and attack with stealthy moves. In some cases they may just sneak past the mercenaries. The maximum number of players that can participate in a multi player game is limited to four players. There are three versions of multiplayer game in "Pandora Tomorrow". The first one is "Neutrilization" in which the spy tries to deactivate the devices and mercenaries try to protect it. The second one is "Extraction" where the spy tries to locate the ND133s and mercenaries try to protect it killing the spies. The third and last one is the "Sabotage" where a modem is to be placed near the wall where the ND 133s are located that would neutralize the device when the timer on the modem stops. Spies try to place the mode, and mercenaries try to prevent it by killing the spies.

The story

Finally, we may have a brief glimpse of the story on which the game is based. The curtain raises at Indonesia 2006 where the militant leaders Darah Dan Doa and Suhadi Sadono have planned a suicide bombing of the U.S military base. The task of Sam Fisher is here in two phases, first infiltrating U.S Embassy and retaking it by Delta Force and then tracking down Sadono in Indonesian soil. Fisher finally finds Sadono and the bomb and Shadownet spies are deputed to neutralize it and catch Sadono alive. Fisher succeeds but is entrusted a further assignment to trace and eliminate Norman Soth, a CIA defector. How? You will know by playing the "Pandora Tomorrow" yourself.

Learn more about this game at : Splinter Cell for PlayStation 2

Arjun is an ardent lover of travel and music. Get to learn more about him at ARJUN

Wii Wins

2009-01-22T12:00:00.002-08:00

Writen by Jason Pullara

So, we got our grubby little hands on a Wii yesterday, and I have to admit that I'm very impressed.

Of course, I'm not impressed with the raw horsepower (as Microsoft and Sony soundly thrash the Wii in that department). Instead, I'm more impressed with the overall product: it's sleek, elegant, well presented, and a joy to behold.

Now, I'm not going to bore you with everything you've already read about the Wii (yes, the controller is cool, the console is really small, and there is a ton of potential to be exploited), but I will bore you with details -- details that give this console that little extra something the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 just don't have.

The blue light. Lots of people have talked about it, but you don't actually notice that darn thing. That's because it's always off, unless you insert or remove a disc. It's a very small, yet useful feature. Oh, and it makes friends go "ooh!"

Rumble on menu items. It's such a small thing to add, since all menu items blow up and shine when your pointer is over them, but there's a small rumble that occurs when you mouse-over a menu item. When I first heard about this feature I scoffed at it, thinking it wasn't important, but now I realize that the feedback actually helps make navigation with the Wii remote easier than it already is.

Everything is automatic. Some people have complained that you need to do some configuration with the Wii in order to use it properly. In my case, though, I didn't need to set anything up: I just plugged everything in, turned the system on, and started to play Zelda. "It just works" is a great motto.

Small is the new black. When I saw images of the Wii sensor bar, I almost choked. The darn thing looked humongous in those images. But, now that I've actually held it in the hands, I realize that the sensor bar is a teeny-tiny little thing. In fact, it's smaller than the bezel on the 15 inch monitor I'm writing this article on. It's small enough that it will fit on top of any television set, even those nifty LCD and Plasma displays.

This thing is beautiful. I'm serious; the Wii is really nice to look at. Sure, it doesn't have that "futuristic shine" but it doesn't need it. The Wii is small, white, and can fit anywhere in any entertainment setup.

Weak rumble, strong fun. I never realized how much a strong rumble motor sucked until I played The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and then picked up my Xbox controller and played a game of Halo 2. The difference was staggering: after playing with the Wii's remote, I found myself having difficulty playing Halo 2, because of the strength of the motor in the Xbox controller. Quite honestly, calling the motor in the Wii remote "weak" isn't fair, instead it should be labeled "strong enough."

The speaker in the remote. This isn't just a "oh, neat" kind of thing: the speaker in the Wii remote actually helps immerse you in the game you're playing. Sure, the sound quality isn't on par with your uber sound system, but it's "just enough" to make you think you're actually pulling that slingshot back, or reeling in that fish.

It's quiet, too quiet. The Wii is a quiet thing. Next to the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360, it's downright mute. Yes, you may hear the drive spin when the game loads, but that's about the only thing that console ever makes its presence known.

Overall, the Wii has a lot of polish. OK, maybe the exterior isn't polished to a mirror finish, but the whole package is presented in such a fantastic way that you feel as if this is the Lexus of the game consoles. Sure, the Playstation 3 may be the Ferrari of this console generation, but it's just not as elegant of a ride as its luxury counterpart.

I tip my hat to you, Nintendo. Kudos. You've done extremely well.

A gamer for 24 years, Jason Pullara write articles and game reviews for This Week in GAmes, a site dedicated to the gamer in us all.

Game Cheat Advice

2009-01-22T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Eriani Doyel

If you are wondering about using a game cheat to bump your online, computer or video game playing there are lots of resources available to you. When you are first beginning to play a game, especially an online game, you may be frustrated by your lack of skills and experience. You may be matched against much more experienced players who take advantage of you lack of knowledge and skills to beat you. A game cheat program can even out the playing field. On the internet you can download game cheat software which will give you the cheat codes and other information that you will need to make you competitive with the best players.

It takes a lot of time and patience to learn many of the online games and video games on the market today. Most people do not have the time or patience to do that, but they enjoy playing. When you play online you will be matched against players who have access to the game cheat codes and software already. Give yourself that advantage by getting the codes and software for yourself.

It is very easy to find a cheat program for nearly any game. You simply type in "game cheat" on your search engine and "voila" a whole list of sites will come up. Many of these sites offer free trials of the software so that you can try it out before you buy it. People you are playing against will not have any indication that you are using game cheat software. Not only do these online companies offer game cheat codes for online games but also games for systems like PS 2, X-Box, and the Game Cube. The lists and codes are constantly being updated as new games and versions of games become available.

A lot of the online game cheat software is interactive. You simply put it on before you begin to play and it will tell you about upcoming opportunities and obstacles as well as analyzing your opponent's moves to tell you how to counter them. You can find out about hidden treasures, powers, and properties. If you like you can even go to different cheat code sites to try out different software products to know which one you like the best.

No one likes to lose. It is just a game, but winning is still the object. Make yourself equal to your opponents and take advantage of all of the tools that are available to you. As you improve you can rely on them less and on your own skills more. It will get you going.

Eriani Doyel writes articles about recreation. For more information about using a game cheat visit farogame.com

Mah Jong Game Rules And Procedures Explained

2009-01-21T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Simon Oliver

An ancient and traditional Chinese game, Jah Jong has gone global in many forms. There are Chinese, Japanese, and even American versions of the rules. The game, no matter which way you play, involves a little luck, some skill, and a dash of intelligence. In fact, the name actually means "the game of a hundred intelligences." The game, traditionally, has been used as a gambling game in China.

Usually, Mah Jong is played by four people, however; it may be played by as few as two or as many as five people. In a full game of Mah Jong, there are 16 hands played. They are played in four rounds. Each round is named after a direction: east first, then south, then west, and finally north. Each of the players actually as a direction or wind corresponding with the order they play. The first player, or east, is determined by a roll of the dice.

The next part of Mah Jong game rules and procedures explained is to build the wall. This is done by arranging the tiles in stacks. There are 18 stacks formed once the tiles have been mixed well. The stack is broken and tiles are handed out among all of the players so that each player ends up with 13 tiles. The rest of the tiles will stay in the middle and are known as the wall.

Maj Jong game rules and procedures next include each player discarding tiles and drawing from the wall. The idea is to get 4 sets and a pair of tiles. A set is a sequence of three in a row of the same suit, known as a CHOW (like a mini straight flush in poker). You can also get three of a kind, or PUNG. Finally, four of a kind is also a set and is known as a KONG. Once a player has gotten four sets and one pair, the game ends. If nobody wins and the wall is gone, there is ad raw. There are many scoring variations depending on where you are playing and with whom you are playing.

There are a number of mah jong rules that have been formulated for international competition. There are world championships held around the world. Not only is it now a gambling game, but also an international sport. The international rules were used for the first time in 2002, which is when the first World Championship tournament was played. This new set of rules combines traditional scoring with many of the modern elements that have formed through the years.

Mah Jong is a game that is sweeping the world. Though simple, its tradition reaches far into Chinese history as a gambling game. Today, though, the game is played to gamble, for fun, and for sport. With the development of world tournaments, the game of mah jong has become global and a part of popular world culture. So pick up some tiles and be part of the movement. Sit down at that table and you will be addicted to the skill, intelligence, and luck of it in a matter of just a few hands.

Simon Oliver has an interest in Recreation & Hobbies related topics. To access more information on mah jong match or on free online mah jong, please click on the links.

Pogo Game Cheat

2009-01-21T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Omar Vega

Play Buddy offers a program which will allow you to get pogo game cheats. This will give players an edge in the games they play. Programs like Tripeak are designed to keep track of every card which is played during a game of Solitaire.

If you are a player who has a difficult time keeping track or would prefer not to because you lose concentration, Tripeak will keep track of the cards for you. Tools like this make the game of Solitaire and other games much more rewarding to play.

Pogo Buddy is a tool which covers a wide variety of games. This includes Chess, Checkers, Freecell, and Spades. Chess Buddy is a software tool which is indispensable to those who play Chess. If you are apprehensive about the game of Chess, you won't be after using this software.

Chess Buddy provides you with hints, and will automatically make moves for you. It generates the best series of moves, and is very reliable. It cannot be detected, and can be used in tournaments against more advanced players.

You will also be able to make periodic upgrades after purchasing the game. If you need help, technical support can be contacted online and they will assist you. If you want to become a skilled player with any game without spending hours learning it the pogo game cheat will be perfect for you.

There are some system requirements you will need. You will need to be using Internet Explorer 6 or higher and will also need to have Java installed on your computer. These are minor system requirements that anyone one can get easily.

Pogo game cheat is the tool that will make you a better player. It will electronically show you the types of moves you need to make in a variety of different games in order to become a winner. Online games are becoming more and more popular everyday.

Some people are discouraged when faced with strong opponents they are not able to beat. Pogo game cheat is able to level the playing field, giving you the tools necessary to increase your odds of beating anyone. Because technology is constantly advancing, you will need to upgrade your software often.

Upgrading your game software will keep you up to date and ready to challenge anyone in any game. If you have difficulty with any game, but want to learn and become better, pogo game cheat is for you.

The writer of this article is the owner of the http://www.totalgamecheats.com Total Game Cheats Website. On this website you will be able to find a great viriety of cheat software for the most popular online games. You can try free most of the software before you decide if you want to buy.

Nintendo Ds Online Gaming

2009-01-20T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Thomas Heaney

Every gadget that comes along these days can't be without the latest technology buzzword, Wi-Fi. For those who don't know, this allows a device to connect to other compatible devices without the traditional mess of wires by using a radio connection. Nintendo's hand held console, the Nintendo DS, is no exception to this.

And why have they done this? So you can play Nintendo DS games online for free. There are a number of Nintendo DS online games available including Mario Kart that let you pit you gaming skills against other DS gamers all over the world.

On its own the Nintendo DS has a wireless range of only 30-100 feet so you can only play with other gamers who are close by. But in November 2005 Nintendo launched a service called Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection that lets you connect to other DS's over the Internet. Not only that, but this service is free!

How can you connect to this free service? Well, you can do this using one of several different methods. First off, Nintendo have set up a network of wireless hotspots in public places such as cafes, libraries and they have arranged a deal with McDonalds to set up hotspots in some of their restaurants.

You don't even have to leave the comfort of your own home to access Wi-Fi Connection. If you have access to a wireless router you can you can set up your Nintendo DS to connect to other gamers online. There is room on your Nintendo DS to configure and store up to 3 of these connections.

Don't worry if you don't have a wireless router. You can still play Nintendo DS games online with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection if your PC has a broadband connection. All you need is Nintendo's USB Connector. This plugs into your one of your PC's USB sockets and doesn't even require you to set up the connection like a wireless router does.

With an ever growing list of online games your Nintendo DS has become the gateway to a whole new gaming experience you can share with others all across the world.

Thomas Heaney is the webmaster of Nintendo DS Gamer and has been playing video and computer games in one form or another since he got his first computer, a ZX Spectrum back in 1984.

Warmongers And Gaming Strategists Contemplate Us Expansion

2009-01-20T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

Recently in a roll playing and gaming strategy session at a think tank two teams pitted up against each other to play the game "Risk" using real world scenarios as if war planning for the Pentagon, but really over Pizza and Beer. The game was set with a WWIII scenario where each Region of the World was under fire and attack. The objective of the game was to control the most land surface for your team. The first team immediately said;

"You know we think we need to take everything West of Manitoba, Ontario border for United States since Canada is on drugs. The people in all the Western Provinces hate the Eastern folks in the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as they think they are in LA LA LAND; besides we like the vast amount of resources for the United States. Our ancestors do not appreciate Canada claiming that land really, nor do they deserve it with only 8,000 in your military. Face it, you have no Army, Navy, Air Force worth talking about. It is a friggin joke and they exist and are protected on our good nature. Then the Canadian Government talks negative about the United States?"

Wow, those were some harsh words; fighting words in fact. Yet when we ran the scenario it turns out the team came up a winner. We checked recent surveys of Canadians who were from Western Provinces and 72% were unsatisfied. Canada has a small army and no one in Europe would come to their aid, so the scenario words for the first team and the United States instantly doubled its territory. Team one gets a heck of lot of points and with the resources does not need to worry about a half burnt down Europe or hostile Asia for resources or even the Middle East for oil anymore. Now then the rules are such that we also look at the downside of such an action.

Team one would have left the Ontario, Quebec Provinces, which would be hostile towards them, but with re-enforcement on the North East State Borders this was easily curtailed and Canada Surrendered. Now then we don't know if running right over and taking half off Canada off their hands was a smart move but the strategy worked. The political US Liberal Blue States went along with the attack as well, because it would prevent the crossing of insurgents over our borders from Canada and add more liberal leaning populous to vote in elections. Canadians in the Western Province were very happy to be part of the United States and increase their trading without tariffs, quotas or restrictions and this added more Mexican and Central American trade as well.

Among the Team One comments to defend their actions they said that; "Canada needs a reality check big time and they need to stop talking negative about America. It is not Ego when the US says they are better, it is the truth look at the Canadian weakness and pathetic military? They would fold faster than Poland and France did in WWII and certainly faster than Iraq. The costs of the war would be nil as it could be a training exercise with few casualties."

Indeed on review the Team One plan worked in every regard and they won additional points for their plan. If you like doing war planning or thinking in the abstract, perhaps you might join us online. Anyway think on this.

Lance Winslow

Nintendo Outpacing Pda Wifi Gaming

2009-01-19T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Damian Julien

Nintendo's WiFi plan for Nintendo DS handheld gaming is pushing it a few leagues ahead of the pack.

According to the TechNewsWorld site, Nintendo DS WiFi gamers on the move will partake of free online WiFi gaming in areas of Asia and Europe.

This will allow Nintendo DS owners to find online users at WiFi hotspots, even jumping in with home-based wireless configurations.

Nintendo has already one-upped Pocket PC WiFi gamers with their recent wireless access deal for McDonald's patrons.

The former delivered a knockout punch in the industry by making 7,500 available hotspots in the UK.

Some free access to fortunate Nintendo DS owners who are probably thanking the gaming gods at the moment.

It'll be sheer WiFi hotspot overload for WiFi PDA gamers who were already there, technology-wise.

Nintendo DS users are not only gaining ground-- they're passing the WiFi PDA game community. At least for the moment.

Selecting the wireless connection mode on this handheld is simple next to the comparatively encryption-saddled Pocket PC.

Third-party PDA apps help somewhat, but base WiFi configuration on the Pocket PC can be an exercise in frustration to some users.

It seems to get easier with each subsequent Winows Mobile release.

It's for these reasons that some say Pocket PC gaming is for the more technically savvy.

Let's instead hold out for easier WiFi gaming on Pocket PCs to level out the playing field.

Damian Julien is a Pocket PC gaming authority and long time general gaming hobbyist and reviewer.

He is an IT specialist by trade and has posted numerous articles on Pocket PC emulators, gaming and trends in the industry.

http://www.pdagameguide.com/

Pocket Pc Game Sexual Content Proliferating

2009-01-18T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Damian Julien

For some reason, Pocket PC game sexual content is starting to creep into our PDA downloads.

I can certainly understand why. A study on Handheld Computer Use in a Psychiatric Outreach Program found that PDA users were likely to be male physicians under 35 than to be female or older physician.

If these statistics apply to the population at large, I'm willing to bet that there may be some merit to it.

I mean, I'm smack in the middle of this age range myself. It figures that PDA game developers will target whatever demographic their market surveys happen to target.

Targeted, niche-based marketing in gaming is where it's at, my brutha. I mean, chances are, you're male.

That's not to say that my entire Pocket PC game readership is made of solely of males. Females seem to have a proclivity toward non-thumb injuring games.

My wife loves my site, is an avid PDA gamer and is also an extremely zealous Bejeweled 2 Pocket PC puzzle gamer.

By the way, Jessie, hats off to you for your 23,142 Classic mode and 1,294,750 Action mode scores. She simply won't admit that she's been following the tips that I've posted on my site.

Kudos if I can put you squarely in the PDA puzzle game clique-- iPAQ thumb from excessive button mashing can be painful at times. The joint of my thumb aches when I press down at an angle.

This was compounded by s-video based desktop PC gaming which is performed with the same Logitech wireless controller that I described in my September 19th blog entry.

My extended, fairly incessant Pocket PC gaming may also be attributed to this.

My latest site update involved an article detailing the brand spanking new Ultimate Bowling Fighter release. Not that there's spanking involved, but there may as well be for the skimpy outfits some of those female pro bowlers wear.

Add a picture-in-picture screen with bouncy women holding up "Strike!" signs and low riding pants, and you've got a most unique PDA sports game download with some degree of sexual content.

Does this mean that we're on the cusp of a sexual Pocket PC gaming revolution? Only time will tell.

________________________________________________________________

Damian Julien is a Pocket PC gaming authority and long time general gaming hobbyist and reviewer.

He is an IT specialist by trade and has posted numerous articles on Pocket PC emulators, gaming and trends in the industry.

http://www.pdagameguide.com

Best Video Games Or Best Example Whos Your Mentor

2009-01-17T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Cheryl Hall

The violence in video games is an issue on a deeper level. Do you want your child to emulate these "ways" for a kid to make money?

Grand Theft Auto has been banned from our home. I suppose in retrospect that a game whose title is also a felony should have been my first clue, but in an attempt to "stay cool" I allowed it.

The premise of the game is not just to steal cars however. The main character, which is who your child becomes as the player, is a gangster who has been released from prison. He needs to make money and he needs to accomplish different missions in order to make any REAL money; all of which include violence. The main character steals cars obviously, but also beats up and robs prostitutes and police officers and anyone on the street. If they have anything worth stealing, the better it is for him.

Besides the obvious messages condoning criminal behavior, what is this game teaching your child about money values - that if you don't have money, stealing is a valid way to get money. Not only is it valid, but cool and glamorous; much more exciting than something as dull and mundane as work.

When you combine this game and all the other video games promoting the same sentiment; and the music, TV shows and movies whose messages are screaming, blaring and drumming these ideas 24 hours a day in the media, it's a powerful and almost hypnotic combination. "Being rich is cool. Being rich is important. It doesn't matter how you get that way. Stealing, in any form, is just fine. The ends justify the means."

Does this mean that any child who plays video games is destined to become a felon? Of course not.

Does it mean that we should lock up the games, cancel the cable TV and never let our children read another magazine or download another song? We can't shield them from ideas.

However, we can fight back in a powerful way: We can be a mentor.

Reading any success literature, you'll find every millionaire or anyone who has reached the pinnacle in their field will stress the power of having a mentor. We change our mind when we change our friends. We are what we think, do and say. We all have the ability to rise to the occasion, given the proper motivation.

So who do you want to be your child's mentor: you or Grand Theft Auto?

The only way that Grant Theft Auto or the popular rapper of the moment or the TV show where you'll win a million dollars if you stab enough people in the back have a chance is: these people seem to love what they're doing. It's exciting, it's dramatic, it's working for them and everyone wants to be productive.

How productive are you? How excited are you about your work? Do you LOVE what you're doing?

Who are your friends? What do you read, listen to and watch? What do you feed your mind and soul with?

In other words, are you creating an atmosphere where work is honored and creativity is treasured? Are you creating a success story in your own life?

Your attitude about your own success can be the most powerful motivator in your child's life. Forget the good bass line, the flashy clothes or the blaring commercials. Your child has been inundated with these all of their life and has been programmed to tune them out. What you think, say and do has the ability to reach them, inspire them and command their attention for the rest of their life.

And if you're not commanding their attention, they've got plenty of video games that will be happy to show them the way.

Make a commitment to mentor your child about money starting right now. Love what you do and make it a success. Involve your child in your successes and encourage them to find their own. Never underestimate how interested your child is in ways for a kid to make money. Expose your children to your own mentor's materials. Rather than purchase the "best video games" choose to purchase and invest in material that inspires. Teach success at home and give your children a foundation for real wealth.

Cheryl Hall (http://www.MillionaireKids101.com)has the keys for parents to help their children become financially successful. She has created 3 courses to help children learn how to think about money and start on the road to wealth and independence; Millionaire Kids 101, 201 and Millionaire Masters. Cheryl is a successful real estate investor and has been helping new investors start on their way to financial freedom.

Are Gaming Laptops Worth The Price Of Admission

2009-01-16T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Jordan Hall

For years, the idea of a proper gaming computer has conjured up the image of a hulking desktop system, one that towers over the player and hums with the sound of the fans required to cool its powerful components. Notebook computers were always seen as the "little brothers" of their desktop counterparts: great for general computing, word processing, and web browsing on the go, but nowhere near powerful enough to run the same software as your desktop.

Much of this perception has changed in recent years due to the overwhelming advances in micro-computer technology. Notebook computers have grown more and more powerful and advanced even as their size and cost has been reduced. Today, the idea of a true gaming laptop is a feasible one, and plenty of companies have offered their units onto the marketplace as proof of this. While it may not be as convenient as gaming on a dedicated desktop computer, it is now possible to enjoy the latest computer game releases on a portable system.

What are some Benefits of Gaming Laptops?

Why, you ask, should you bother with notebooks for gaming when desktop systems are so readily available? Gaming laptops do have their decided advantages. Obviously, their reduced size can be a huge plus for gamers. By the time you factor in a computer case, monitor, keyboard and mouse, speakers, printer, and other peripherals, a standard-size desktop computer system can fill up an entire desk or table surface. Laptops today have become so advanced that they can realistically be seen as desktop replacements. As everything from speakers to keyboard is incorporated into the body of a notebook computer, the space required for it in your home is comparatively minimal. In fact, a dedicated computer desk becomes largely unnecessary when talking about a system as small as a laptop; any table or surface will do.

The smaller size of laptops also lends itself to their portability, which is another of their obvious advantages. There is something to be said about having the ability to use your computer in any location that you like. Laptops allow you to work or browse the web wherever you like, and gaming laptops take that idea even further by allowing you to play the latest games wherever is convenient. After all, Unreal Tournament is probably a more worthwhile distraction for many people than Hearts. Moreover, the portability of laptops makes them ideally suited for community gaming. As anybody who has ever dragged their desktop system to a LAN party can attest, gaming with other people locally is not always the easiest or most convenient thing to accomplish. Having a smaller-scale, self-contained gaming system makes this process exponentially easier. In addition, the wireless capabilities of many laptops make connecting to other systems locally or online a cinch.

Which Gaming Laptops are Best?

Given the advantages of gaming notebook systems, then, what are some of the more successful entries into the marketplace? Upon first glancing at a laptop's specifications, it is not always immediately evident whether or not it is suited for gaming. CNET (cnet.com) is widely considered to be an industry leader in terms of computer and technology reviews, and they list several models as the best options for laptop gaming.

- Dell XPS M1710 Dell's XPS laptop line was designed specifically for high-end gaming, and the M1710 model is testament to that fact. The XPS M1710, when configured to the highest degree, carries such lofty specifications as a 2.13GHz dual-core Intel processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 512MB mobile nVidia video card. Dell even takes the unheard-of step of including an internal subwoofer to the mix. In terms of raw power, this is one of the most powerful gaming laptops on the market todayand one of the most expensive, clocking it at just over $4000 fully configured.

- Toshiba Satellite P105-S921 Toshiba's offering into the laptop gaming fray is priced considerably lower than the Dell XPS, but its performance is nonetheless admirable. At just about $2000, the S921 includes such features as a 1.83GHz dual-core Intel processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 256MB mobile video processor. While the S921's performance pales in comparison to the Dell M1710's, it has more than enough power to run the latest games at medium to medium-high graphical settings, and it represents a substantial value at $2000 less than the Dell.

- Alienware m7700 Though this Alienware model is not listed on CNET.com, and though Alienware itself was recently acquired by Dell, its name has long been synonymous with high-quality gaming hardware. This notebook model is no exception. For roughly the same price as the Dell model, you can take advantage of such features as a 64-bit dual-core AMD processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 256MB nVidia mobile graphics card. Moreover, the external casing of Alienware models is generally quite a bit more interesting than most companies' offerings. As with the Dell M1710, you will be able to run most games at their highest graphical settings.

So, What's the Catch with Gaming Laptops?

Surely there are some drawbacks to gaming on laptop computers, right? As you have undoubtedly noticed above, the cost associated with a high-quality gaming notebook is generally quite a bit more than a corresponding desktop. For as much as it costs for the Dell M1710, you could purchase a monstrous, dual graphics card-powered gaming powerhouse. And in most cases, you can easily find a suitable desktop gaming rig for under $1000.

Another detriment of including such advanced technology in such a small package is that gaming laptops tend to be quite a bit heavier than their non-gaming counterparts, and their battery life is generally nowhere near as long. It's not unheard of for gaming notebook systems to clock in at eight pounds or more, and when you're toting this weight around for significant amounts of time, it can be prohibitive. Additionally, it is rare for the battery in a dedicated gaming laptop to last for more than a couple of hours; the technology inside puts such a drain on the battery that it usually goes dead within a short amount of time. If you plan on using a gaming laptop specifically as a desktop replacement, this ceases to be an issue. However, anybody who plans on using their laptop exclusively on the go might find the reduced battery life slightly off-putting.

Jordan Hall is an avid computer gamer, owner of best-gaming-computers.com , and technology enthusiast who enjoys providing consumers with advice concerning gaming and custom computers, gaming laptops, and computer hardware and construction.

Video Games

2009-01-14T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Steve Valentino

In earlier days, the most popular form of video games was computer games. Initially, computer games were essentially computer-controlled. Players would interact with the device to achieve predetermined targets and goals. Video games too are a form of computer games wherein a video display with interactive and vibrant visuals is the main focus. The display itself is designed to provide a player with feedback as the game continues.

Video and computer games have become immensely popular during the last three decades. However, this was not always the trend. These games came into existence almost five decades earlier but were never in demand in their initial years.

Video games have been ever evolving. Modern technology and innovations have helped create realistic and interactive games. These entertainment games were not as sensible when the concept was first being experimented with. Just like other forms of technology, video games too have had to evolve through many generations. This itself is testimony to the fast development of video games.

The 32-bit/64-bit era was the fifth generation of video game consoles. The 16-bit era was the fourth generation of video game consoles. The year 1983 and 1984 were blacklisted in the history of video games. It saw the unexpected fall and abrupt crash of the video game business. Numerous home computers and video game manufacturing companies declared bankruptcy. This crash also brought an end to the second generation of video gaming.

Today, the video game market is stable and booming. The popularity of video gaming pervades all age groups. Certain games are designed to attain goals and learn while playing. Video games are usually played to provide relief or as just plain entertainment. However, numerous game options are proving to be addictive. A number of parents and family members are complaining of compulsive and addictive behavior. This trend is noted especially in children and youngsters, who at times may lose sense of time because of the video games.

Video Games provides detailed information on Video Games, Video Game Rentals, Video Game Cheats, Online Video Games and more. Video Games is affiliated with Video Poker Software.

Review Sony Psp

2009-01-13T12:00:00.002-08:00

Writen by Alex Mayo

I'm fairly certain there are folks at Nintendo feeling some serious self-loathing right about now. You see, back in the mid-90's Nintendo contracted Sony to develop a CD-ROM drive for the Super Nintendo. As the project progressed, a number of factors (one of them being the spectacular failure of the Sega CD and its' followup the 32X) led Nintendo to can the project. Sony was left holding the bag, with a CD-based gaming system but no one to sell it to.

Making proverbial lemonade from lemons, Sony turned around and produced what is perhaps the most successful game console in history, the Sony Playstation. The result? For the first time in history, Nintendo took second place in the video game console market, while fellow rival Sega got out of the console business altogether.

One segment of the gaming market Nintendo still has a stranglehold on, however, is the handheld sector. Beginning with the original Gameboy, the name Nintendo has been a veritable synonym for handheld gaming. This dominant streak has held sway through several subsequent iterations of the Gameboy. Some have claimed Nintendo's dual screen DS handheld system to be a revolutionary step forward in portable gaming. Others have decried it as gimmicky. Whichever side you fall on, there's no doubt Nintendo execs are fingering their collars as Sony prepares to rain on their parade with their new Playstation Portable - aka the PSP.

Comparing the two systems, I'd say there's a real chance Nintendo may finally have a serious challenger to the portable gaming throne. Most assuredly, Nintendo will claim that they are pursuing a different demographic than Sony (read 'kids'), and to their credit the pre-teen crowd will probably favor the DS over the PSP. But for anyone over the age of 12, the PSP is definitely a serious contender for your pocket change.

Okay, so enough Nintendo-bashing. Review the damn thing already.

The first impression one gets from the PSP (once you've ravenously clawed your way through the packaging) is just how sleek the system is. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the PSP is one seriously sexy piece of cutting-edge tech. The system's faceplate is fashioned of one glassy piece, interrupted only by the protrusion of the various buttons. The backside is just as nice, with the UMD disc door featuring a prominent PSP logo inside a silver metal ring set flush against the backplate. The two shoulder buttons are clear plastic, and the perimeter edge is accented in silver giving the whole thing a very streamlined look.

Of course, looks are one thing, but how does it actually play? I'm happy to report that the PSP delivers very well in this regard. For a portable system, weight is an important factor, as it is by nature handheld. The PSP is fairly lightweight, especially considering all the hi-tech goodness crammed into it's slim chassis. In fact, it weighs just about the same as the Nintendo DS, if you need the comparison. You could easily play this thing for hours straight without feeling weighed down.

One thing that takes a little getting used to is the somewhat cramped form-factor. While the PSP's controls may be perfect for Japanese gamers, most Westerners will find that having a go with the PSP will involve a short learning curve while hunting for a comfortable grip. Really, though, it's no worse than any handheld system before it, and there's no denying that Sony designed the PSP with ergonomics in mind. The back of the PSP has a very subtle curvature on each side, creating a natural shallow channel for placing one's fingertips...it's a small detail, but it counts.

Sony smartly modeled the PSP's controls on the PS2's Dualshock controllers, minus two of the front triggers and the right control stick. Replacing the left stick is an analog 'nub', which works much better than it sounds. Rather than tilt on an axis, the nub moves gently in a horizontal direction, giving you the same control as a stick but without the height a stick would require. It's actually a small bit of genius, and works great in action.

As you've probably heard, the PSP's main selling point is its' 4.3-inch hi-def screen. While 4.3 inches doesn't sound like much on paper, the PSP's screen really must be seen to be appreciated. Both games and feature films look absolutely fantastic, and since the screen is formatted to a 16:9 ratio both applications can be appreciated in full widescreen, high-definition glory. Watching Spiderman 2 (which was included in the first million units sold in the US) is a remarkable experience; when I first booted it up, I laughed at the game store manager and proclaimed 'It looks better than my television!'. And sure enough, it does. The screen is bright and crisp, and you may find yourself picking details out of the image that you might not have noticed the first time around.

Of course, movies are one thing, but the PSP is primarily a game platform. You wouldn't think so, but games benefit from the PSP's hi-def screen moreso than films. Watching something like Wipeout Pure in motion is amazing; not only is the image in razor-sharp hi-definition, it's also widescreen, allowing a larger view of the playfield than ever before. Again, you'd think a 4.3-inch screen wouldn't capable of very much, but it just isn't so. Without a doubt, the PSP's screen is one of the greatest single innovations the handheld gaming world has ever seen.

Powering the PSP is a single 333mhz processor, which may not sound too impressive up front, but visually, the PSP stacks up favorably with it's bigger sibling, the PS2. All the flourishes you've come to expect from the full-size gaming platforms, sharp textures, lens flares, hi-poly models, can be found on a device roughly the size of a scientific calculator. Pick up Ridge Racer, perhaps the most visually impressive title in the PSP's launch lineup, and you won't miss the PS2 iterations one bit. Ditto for the aforementioned Wipeout Pure, which actually manages to overtake the PS2's Wipeout Fusion by a fair mile...and not merely by virtue of it's portability. It's actually a better game...if that doesn't say anything to you about the power of the PSP, nothing will.

The PSP also lends itself to other applications, such as viewing photos, watching videos, and playing music. Though these are definitely secondary uses for the PSP, they are no less good selling points, as the PSP handles them well enough to be a serious consideration for anyone looking for a secondary media display device. In each instance, simply connecting the PSP to your PC with a 5-pin USB cord will let you drag files from your hard drive onto the PSP's Memory Stick. Pictures and music are fairly straightforward, while video is less so, requiring you to convert it to .mp4 format and set up a separate folder on the Memory Stick.

Picture viewing is a breeze. The PSP interface is set up in a horizontal heirarchy displaying each function; you simply navigate left or right to choose the application and then vertically to choose the source. Selecting 'Pictures' and then 'Memory Stick' will let you browse whatever images you have stored on your Memory Stick. Since the PSP uses standard Memory Stick Duo format chips, if you have a digital camera that uses MS Duo sticks, you can simply slap the stick from your digican into the PSP and browse to your heart's content. The PSP allows you to zoom in or out and pan the photos in any direction using the nub.

Music is just as easy...you just drag your ATRAC (ech!) or .mp3 (yay!) music files onto the Memory Stick, and then navigate to them the same way you did the photos. One thing the PSP is not, however, is an iPod...you have to set up folders for each group of tunes you want, though you can assign tracks to song groups and play them back at will. That said, the PSP's music playback functionality is great. The PSP comes with a decent set of earbuds and a remote extension allowing you to control the PSP's music functions without having to dig the unit out of your pocket. More importantly, it sounds great. If you know how to edit .wmu playlists, you can even assign thumbnail images to the tracks which will appear when you play back the tune on your PSP.

Videos are the biggest pain in the arse, mainly because you have to do the most fiddling. Luckily, homebrew PSP programmers have already jumped to action, and there are already a number of freeware apps available online which will let you drag 'n drop video onto your PSP with little or no trouble.

The biggest drawback to all this media fun is the fact that the PSP ships with a measly 32mb Memory Stick. By the time you start messing around with music and video files, you'll be sorely aching for a big 'ole 1GB Memory Stick.

So okay, I'm sure you're wondering whether or not any of the horror stories you've heard about the PSP are true. One of the bigger points of contention that's hounded the PSP is the dreaded 'dead pixels' issue. Reports have circulated widely that a number of PSP units have been plagued by 'dead pixels', pixels which are either permanently light or dark, depending on how they're stuck. My unit does indeed have a handful of these dreaded dead pixels, but seriously...I think you'd have to be a real anal-retentive type for it to be considered truly bothersome. I'm certain that a handful of PSP's have some serious issues, and Sony has agreed to repair or replace these units at no cost. However, seeing the problem first-hand, I can honestly say that it doesn't seem to be that big an issue. In fact, over the last week or so, some of the 'dead pixels' seem to have disappeared, leaving only two barely noticeable spots. The other standout problem with the PSP's screen is that it is a veritable magnet for smudges and fingerprints. Sony thoughtfully includes a microfiber cleaning cloth with the unit, and believe me, you'll get a lot of use out of it. If this really bothers you, be aware that for less than $5 you can buy a number of PSP 'skins' which protect the screen from smudges or (gasp!) scratches.

The second biggest concern about the PSP has been the battery life. So far, in my experience, the power supply is adequate for what the PSP is...a portable gaming system. With average use, you should expect to get between 4-5 hours of use between recharges. I generally use the PSP to while away lunch breaks or spare moments in the evening when I've got nothing better to do, and I have yet to encounter a situation when I've been left with a fully discharged PSP. If you really expect to put some time into the PSP, you will probably want to get into the habit of carrying around the included 5v power supply or invest in a secondary power source (Pelican currently sells a 'power brick' which will recharge your PSP twice on a single charge for a mere $10). Other reports, from UMD's ejecting from the unit when its' twisted, to poorly fabricated 'square' buttons, have really been overblown. I'm sure you can find faults with the system, but overall, it's very well manufactured and should withstand years of use provided you take care of it.

A minor issue of mine lies with the UMD movie lineup. While I'm all for enjoying fan-favorite fare like Hellboy and Kill Bill, I wonder if film studios will truly embrace the format. Will we ever be able to enjoy Citizen Kane or the works of Jean Cocteau on the PSP? I think not. Considering the highly proprietary nature of the UMD format, I can't imagine the studios taking a risk on less bankable material for consideration for UMD release. I suppose those of us who enjoy the occasional foreign or classic film will have to resort to storing flicks on the Memory Stick. Oh well...least common denominator, I suppose...

Film snobbery aside, the PSP is truly a remarkable piece of engineering. When the PSP's specs were first unveiled a mere two years ago, it was widely believed that Sony's handheld system was vaporware in the making, and that the final product couldn't possibly deliver. Amazingly, they have. Nearly every point on Sony's ambitious list is intact. With numerous hardware and software improvements on the way (digital camera attachments, installed web browser and chat clients, PSP MMORPG's), Sony has crafted the first true challenger to the handheld gaming throne...and suddenly it feels like 1995 all over again.

Alex Mayo is a graphic designer of Irish/Filipino descent who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was raised on comic books, punk rock, and grade-B kung fu movies, which explains his complete and utter inability to deal with real life in a rational manner. He is reasonably well-educated (if Art school counts), reasonably well-read (if graphic novels and the 'Letters to Hustler...' columns count), and reasonably well-fed (if Sliders from White Castle count).

Alex currenty supprorts himself as a freelance graphic designer and as the helmsman in charge of http://destroy-all-monsters.com a popular Asian-American Pop Culture webzine.

Nintendos Punchout

2009-01-13T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Michael Russell

When Nintendo was still making games, one particular unique boxing game was released in two formats called Mike Tyson's Punch-out and Punch-out boxing. There is a slight different between the two games and it's dealing with the final boxer you face. Mike Tyson's game has him at the end of the game and he is tough to beat, while the other game has Mr. Dream. Punch out's Mr. Dream character acts just like Tyson, so choosing which game you want depends on whether you want to fight Tyson or not. Both games; however, have all the same boxers that you must face to reach the final bout.

There are many different boxers to face, but the fun part is finding their weaknesses. The first boxer is really easy to defeat and his name is Glass Joe. It does not take long to put him down for the count, but things get tougher when you reach Bald Bull. This boxer starts the fight at a normal pace, but when he jumps to the back of the ring you better watch out. This is when Bald Bull does his charge attack and if he hits you, you're going to hit the mat hard. The best part about this game is you can earn power ups just by hitting and connecting with your opponent. If you're successful, you earn a super uppercut which completely lowers the other boxer's health meter. This skill will come in handy for Bald Bull, but do not use it during his charge attack, it is best to dodge it, but you can time a belly punch to knock him down. This is a great game with many characters that have unique weaknesses that you must discover in order to win.

When the Super Nintendo was released, an improved Punch-out debuted call Super Punch-out and many of the old boxers were replaced with new ones. The first boxer in this game is Gabby Jay and he is easy to defeat because of his age. Bald Bull is one of the returning boxers from the older game, but this time he is rather easy to knock out. He still has his bull charge; however, he is not as tough to knock down when he does this like in the Tyson game. Many of the newer boxers are difficult to defeat and some of them don't belong in a boxing match.

In the second circuit, after you beat the first boxer, you face Dragon Chan; he is a kick boxer and he uses his feet to kick you during the match. There also is an old man in the last circuit that uses a stick to fight you and you will have to learn his moves to win. The final boxer, Nick Bruiser, is hard to knock out in this game, but before you reach him, you have to face his twin brother, Rick Bruiser. Once you defeat Rick, you're going to have to work hard to knock out Nick Bruiser, because he acts like a steel man. He has ways to block all your punches and his hits will lower your health a lot. Once you beat him you can play the other modes in the game like the time trial. This mode keeps track of your best time for knocking out a boxer and wining the match. You can now challenge a friend to see if they can beat your time or just try to top your own time. This game has many boxers that all have their own style of boxing, which make this game fun to play.

Punch-out games are awesome to play no matter which one you choose. Mike Tyson's game has boxers that get tougher the more you advance through the game. Super Punch-out has better graphics and the boxers start out easy, but once you pass the Minor Circuit the boxers fight you with more skill.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Games

Ingredients For A Great Game

2009-01-09T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Daniel Westerstal

There are millions of computer games out there on the market, how do you make your game best selling? What features have to be included? I have taken a look on previously best sellers trying to determine what makes a great game.

Set the player in focus

The player wants to be in focus in the game, he or she wants to feel that he can control the outcome of the game. It doesn't have to be easy, or it shouldn't. The harder the game is the better the player will feel when he has completed the game and won.

For example in Sid Meiers Civilization the player is set in focus and can affect the outcome of the game. She knows that it's up to her if she wins or loose. This concept is seen in virtually all best sellers, Doom, Civilization, The Sims, Sim City, Warcraft, Command&Conquer to name a few.

This can also be done in games that are heavily built on a story. For example in several adventure games by Lucas Arts the concept of that the player can control his or her destiny is used frequently. Developers should look out for basing the game too much on what the computer does or other factors.

Simplicity

Never underestimate simplicity; a gamer does not generally like to read hundreds of pages to be able to play a game. Sure advanced features could be included, but still the player should within ten minutes be able to understand what the game is about and how it is played. If the gamer doesn't the game will probably be turned into a dust collector in the basement.

Here the design of the menus and the interface comes in. Avoid having strange controls, like the firing button on F for example. If you were making a 3rd person shooter you would want to use the same set of controls as other games in the sector do.

The menus should be easy to understand, I have reviewed a lot of games were the menus are made out of symbols without any text. This is not recommended since the interpretation of a symbol is highly subjective; try to mix symbols with text.

Action

With action I don't necessarily mean violence. There should however be something happening in the game, and when it happens the player should really notice it. For example killing an enemy in a 3rd person shooter should generate blood, building a police station in Sim City should reduce crime, killing the last enemy in Warcraft should generate victory, ok I guess you got the picture. Perhaps this seems quite basic, and it is, but still some developers don't think in these terms.

Story

Never ever underestimate a game story. If you read any gaming magazine today you notice that there is an awful lot of focus on the graphics. The graphics are important but they mean nothing if the background story sucks. Of course this isn't true if a game is ground breaking. Doom didn't have a very well developed story but still it was ground breaking because people had never seen nothing like it before.

But generally the story is important, sometimes a player wants to feel part of something bigger.

To name a few examples we could start with virtually all role playing games. However don't do the mistake of writing the story too complicated. A simple story or shorter story should work fine as long as the story is good.

Graphics

Yes well I have to mention it. Graphics serve one purpose as I see it; they enhance the game play and all the other factors I have mentioned. They are important in the sense that they communicate the game to the player. They don't have to be stunning but they should serve a purpose.

A recent example of this is Command&Conquer Generals, the graphics are good, they serve a purpose and they enhance the gaming experience. However the game in question was not that long-lived for various other reasons.

There are several games with bad graphics that are still fun to play for example Warcraft 2 or Sid Meiers old classic, Pirates.

Things that people can relate to

A bestseller game has to include something that the player can relate to in some way. The Sims that is the world's best selling game right now have several factors that people can relate to in real life. However remember that different people relate to different things.

Say that a person just saw a science fiction movie and thinks "I really want to fly a space ship like in that movie", so the person in question starts a search for such a game. This is also one of the reasons the Warcraft series become very popular, the Orcs and other characters in the game people remember from reading Tolkien's book.

Developing a game about solving equations will probably not be a hit since far too few people relate to it. These are the main factors that create a good game, if these factors are followed you will probably have a pretty good game. There are of course other elements that make a difference; marketing is one of them that will be more important as the gaming scene grows.

Daniel Westerstal is the editor of: http://www.uziana.com/ which features many reviews and other PC gaming related content.

Everquest 2 Gold A Virtual World With A Realworld Economy

2009-01-09T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Mark Willigerod

If there's a demand for something, the market will respond. For proof, you need look no further than EverQuest 2 gold. Although EverQuest 2 gold has no existence in the real world and probably never will, for more than a year hordes of people have been buying it like it's going out of style.

How's that work again?

Back in 2001, a gamer named Edward Castronova noticed a curious thing: that the economy of his favorite game, the MMORPG called EverQuest, was doing better than the economies of a lot of real-world countries. Since Castronova was also a professional economist, he did a few calculations and came to the startling conclusion that people in Norrath, the EverQuest gameworld, have a better per-capita income than real-world Bulgarians. In fact, Norrath ranks as the 77th richest nation in the world -- or would if it were real. Real or not, EverQuest's platinum had become a valuable commodity on the Internet; and EverQuest 2 gold, the currency of the EverQuest sequel launched in late 2004, has become more valuable still.

The scramble for EverQuest 2 gold

It may seem like a fantasy (and a decade ago it would have been), but the rise of the Internet has made even virtual cash like EverQuest 2 gold worth trading. Internet commerce has become so simple that it's a snap to purchase EverQuest 2 gold online. Whereas EQ platinum goes for a mere $0.54 per thousand, you'll have to pay an average of $0.17 per EverQuest 2 gold -- and it takes 100 EverQuest 2 gold to make a platinum. Not too shabby, that. Of course the value of EverQuest 2 gold varies from day to day and from site to site.

If you're in the market for EverQuest 2 gold, come vist us.

How To Win At Internet Backgammon Learning For Free

2009-01-08T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Stephen Todd

The first backgammon web site came online in 1994, but now that there are fast Internet connections, online backgammon has become extremely popular.

Before you challenge a human opponent to a game of online backgammon, you need to build up your playing skills - here's how to do it for free:

1. The basics of the game are easy to learn, and there's plenty of information for free on the Internet.

2. Download some Shareware and freeware backgammon programs from the Internet - these programs are often weak - but that's a good thing - you can learn to play against these programs without getting discouraged - everyone likes to win now and then.

3. When you can regularly beat the Shareware and freeware backgammon programs it's time to download a freeware version of a top-notch backgammon program - jellyfish.

JellyFish uses artificial neural networks, and the program was developed, by having the program play against itself!

A search for "Jellyfish Light" will lead you to the download page.

The freeware version of Jellyfish has had some useful features disabled but the playing strength has not been tampered with.

On the highest playing level, it is quite capable of beating top backgammon players.

You can decide later, whether to purchase one of the other three versions, in order to gain access to the disabled features.

Playing Online

When you are competent at playing against the Jellyfish program at the higher levels, it's time to challenge a human opponent to a game of Internet backgammon.

After you have located an Internet backgammon site, you will be able to choose from playing against a computer opponent or a human opponent that could be located anywhere in the world. The options surrounding Internet backgammon include the choice to join a league; play in a tournament; play for cash prizes, as well as move ahead in the ranking between a host of Internet backgammon players.

Internet backgammon is offered by a variety of websites that you may be familiar with, including MSN and Yahoo Games.

With MSN, a player could choose to play Internet backgammon, as well as other enjoyable games. Internet backgammon matches can be played either under Rated, Standard or Short play options. Friends can play amongst one another or could choose to challenge the computer to an Internet backgammon match. Many have praised the graphics that are used on this website, including an array of realistic, bright colors and graphics.

Yahoo Games offers numerous Internet backgammon rooms to wander about, displaying fun and interesting names such as the Veteran Vortex. Players can choose to initiate an Internet backgammon game in a variety of different levels of play, including beginner and advanced.

There is also an option to play a social game of Internet backgammon where players can chat with one another. For an extra charge, leagues can be established where members are allowed to join and challenge one another.

This website offers unlimited game play against the computer and human challengers.

For more information on backgammon and online gaming please visit our web site: http://www.net-planet.org

Starwars Galaxies Pc Review 2006

2009-01-08T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Misty Pathster

Starwars Galaxies (SWG) is an ambitious Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPG) from Sony Entertainment. It is a game surrounded by history and controversial views. The actual product itself has been around now for a number of years but has been significantly re-invented by Sony twice since going live.

These large changes that Sony made have often been open to fiery debate by both old and new players. For the purpose of this review I will treat the game as new and try only to refer to the game in it's current form.

The Starwars Galaxies starter kit has everything a new player needs to get up and running. You start by choosing from a set of races and then pick one of the available iconic careers. They are iconic because each career is based on a starwars character. A career may have you searching the galaxy as a bounty hunter or if you prefer learning the path of a Jedi. You can even customize the look of your character and give them a name.

Once your finished with the character generation you can launch into a specially designed training level that helps teach you the basics of your chosen class. During this level you will run into the likes of Han Solo and even Boba Fett.

Your character develops by gaining experience levels. With each level new skills and rewards become available. The maximum level is 90 but even with a regular player it will take many hours of gameplay to reach this.

The galaxy itself consists of planets from the star wars films and books. A recent addition was the volcanic planet Mustafaar which was seen in the final Star Wars film. To play on this planet you will need to purchase the online expansion.

Each planet has it's own eco system and day / night cycle. As you grow within the game you will eventually be able to purchase your own home and vehicles. As well as the land based game you also get to fly around in space. The vehicle you fly in will depend on both your alignment (Rebel/Imperial/Neutral) and your piloting skill level. You can upgrade various components on your starship such as it's engines, shields and weapons.

Both the land and space areas contain a wide range of missions. Some are short while others are lengthy but all will give some kind of reward for completing them. One way of completing difficult missions is to create a group with other players.

Starwars galaxies is set at a time somewhere between the first (A new hope) and the second (the empire strikes back) films. Throughout the game you will come across reminders of the clone wars. In one mission it is even possible to obtain some old clone armour. There are rumours of the time frame moving on for the game but so far nothing offical has appeared.

Combat takes place in real time whether it is ranged, melee or force powers. The combat system shows by a simple colour icon as to whether or not you are likely to win a fight.

For myself the verdict is not out yet on this game. I know that Sony are planning on making many improvements and additions in the near future. Star Wars fans will be at home in the SWG universe. All the favourite places are there like the Mos Eisley Cantina and the waterfalls at Naboo. The social aspect of this game creates the potential for all kinds of adventures. Although it's good to make alliances in SWG it also works just as well if you prefer to take the single player approach.

I would like to give this game a higher score but as I feel it is still yet to be improved I shall lower it.

MMORPG fans may find this a disappointment where as hardcore Star Wars fans are more likely to stick with it.

Misty Pathster's Score - 7/10

Gamers Diary

My current in-game experiences.

Playstation 3 Delayed

2009-01-07T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Jason Hahn

Sony's original plan was to unveil its new PlayStation 3 in Japan this spring, but due to difficulties concerning its production plans, it seems that Japan will not see the new PS3 until August. One of the main production difficulties is related to the Blu-ray Disc drive in each console.

According to a Sony spokesperson, the company is waiting for the final specifications on some of the technology that is being used in the PS3, which includes the Blu-ray drive as well as input and output video and sound.

Sony's stock took a hit on Monday after Merrill Lynch released a research note last week which indicated that the PS3's launch may be postponed by six to 12 months, and that the cost of materials used in the console's production could be around $900 per unit at the outset.

Yuta Sakurai, a senior analyst at Nomura Securities, estimates the price of the unit to be around 50,000 yen, which is about $420. "I don't think it matters when Sony launches in the U.S. as long as it's in time for Christmas," he added.

Sakurai expects Sony to aim for an early summer launch, which would be in time for the big selling season around July, which is when schools are on holiday.

Little is known for sure about the PS3 as of yet. Price estimates by analysts in Japan vary greatly, ranging from 40,000 to 300,000 yen. The console will allow up to seven players to play at once, and will be powered by the "Cell" chip, which is more powerful than Intel's Pentium 4.

Other features include an enhanced graphics chip, a built-in Ethernet port, and Blu-ray, which is a next-generation DVD format that is backed by Sony.

Since the technology specs for the PS3 are being delayed, game developers are forced to develop games with guesswork. "Game makers are developing games according to their guesses on what the final specifications might be," said BNP Paribas analyst, Takeshi Tajima.

Sony's PS3 will compete with the likes of the recently-released Xbox360 and Nintendo's Revolution console, which is expected to be released later this year.

http://www.sourceforvideogames.com

Can The Playstation 3 Help Sony And Friends Win The Hd Format War

2009-01-07T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Gary Ruplinger

Quiet as things have been, it'd actually be hard to tell that there is a format war going on right now for high definition discs. There's Toshiba (among others) on one side with its HD-DVD format and then there's Sony (among others) with its Blu-ray format. Both offer far higher disc capacity than standard DVD players and much high quality images and sound.

So far neither HD-DVD nor Blu-ray has made much progress making it into consumers' homes.

However, that's all about to change.

With the release of Sony's third generation gaming system, the Playstation 3, millions of homes will have a Blu-ray player in them. Sony made the decision to include its new Blu-ray player in the Playstation 3 rather than go with a PS3 proprietary format or a DVD player that it included with the PS2. Although Sony's decision to include a Blu-ray player in their new PS3 has caused them many problems, including forcing the company to take a much higher loss on each unit than expected* and with production problems due to shortages of the blue diodes needed to make the players, this strategy will likely pay off in the long run for Sony.

In fact, one would have to wonder how Toshiba could even compete with Sony's ability to get Blu-ray players into the homes of millions of Americans. Toshiba has no game system that people will line up to buy.

Given what's likely to happen, it would seem that the answer is no. So far neither format has really shown to be leaps and bounds better than the other. In fact, both are about equivalent. Are consumers who already have a Blu-ray player with their PS3 really going to go out and buy an HD-DVD player from Toshiba? Not likely. However, many owners of one of Toshiba's players will likely go out and buy a Playstation 3 to keep up with the latest gaming technology. It would seem as if Toshiba's HD-DVD format is destined to be another technology relic like betamax and DVD-Audio.

Also, it appears likely that the PS3 will help to drive increased sales of Blu-ray movies since PS3 owners will have a Blu-ray player and will likely want to own their movies in a higher quality format since they have the player. Even those who don't have the high definition equipment will likely buy some in the hopes that in the future they will have the equipment to fully take advantage of the new technology or even merely for bragging rights.

*It is customary for game system manufacturers to take a loss on the sales of the gaming units when they're first released in order to allow more people to purchase the system. The companies know they can make there money back when consumers purchase games for these systems. Also, over time, the prices of the components to make the systems come down so that eventually the manufacturers do make a profit on each system sold.

Gary Ruplinger is the editor of PS3ASAP.com and BluRayTips.com. If you are one of the many people who want to purchase a Playstation 3 but aren't willing to pay $2,000 on eBay for the item, then visit PS3ASAP right away to learn how to get a PS3 before Christmas.

Mmorpgs World Of Warcraft A Review

2009-01-05T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Stefan Pratter

Introduction

If you're into computer games, you probably have heard of World of Warcraft, the latest hit produced by Blizzard Entertainment, and you're probably aware what an MMORPG is. If you're not, let me explain it quickly. A MMORPG is a massivly multiplayer online roleplaying game that allows thousands of players to play in a persistant game world.

World of Warcraft currently entertains close to 7 million people world wide. It has drawn many of the mmorpg veterans but also introduced a lot of new people to the genre. Why is world of warcraft so successful? Well. I think it comes down to more than one thing.

First of MMORPGs are usually not that easy to get into, often the player is presented with a akward interface, tons of options and a lot of things going on around them in general the first time the log onto the game. Blizzard has done a pretty solid job in keeping the interface simple and stupid, allowing even newbie players to get into it at a quick pace. Hints and Tips help guide the true MMORPG newbie along as well. When the developers of the game created the interface, and gameplay in general their goal was for it to be easy to get into it, but to be hard to master.

They have definitely accomplished the first part, the second part can be argued about. What defines a good player in an MMORPG basically comes down to two things.

1) Does he know his character and the abilities

2) Does he pay attention

There are no twitch skills involved, and in my opinion if youre looking for a competitive game, current mmorpgs - including WoW - are not the place to look at. If you want skillbased competition stick to RTS and FPS games.

The second thing that makes wow so successful is mostlikely the name of the producer and their huge fanbase - which they deserve by all means - after having released such great games as the diablo and warcraft series, which were all huge hits.

Let's get to the review part :)

Character Creation

Like every MMORPG or MUD out there the journey always begins with the character creation. You get to pick your site - alliance or horde , your race and a few visual features. Character customization is definitely one of the game's weakest points, the diversity and amount of features to select and change for character remind of Everquest which was released almost 8 years ago. You get to chose

* between a handful of faces

* skin tone

* between a handful of haircuts

* between a handful of facial hair styles

* hair color

It is probably not a huge deal, and its certainly nothing game breaking, a bit more would have been nice though.

First steps

As you take your first steps within WoW, getting used to the user interface, you will quickly notice that the game is very quest driven. You can earn most of your character's experience via quests, you will still be grinding mobs for exp once in a while though.

The starting quests also lead you along nicely, out of the starting area to the bigger towns and into the deep dungeons

The world

The amount of detail that was put into the world of warcraft is amazing and stunning. The cartoony style may not be everyones cup of tea, but whether you like it or not you cannot dismiss that the world has a lot of character. It is filled with content too, and you will find yourself stumbling from point of interest to point of interest.

The dungeons

The dungeon instances, which are zones that belong to you and your group, while pretty linear most of the time are also amazingly done. The boss encounters are fun, and the best loot is gotten from doing instance runs. The dungeon instances are supposed to be the group part of the game (aside from pvp) and it would be unwise to enter them alone unless youre like 20 levels stronger than the mobs inside the dungeon.

The way to 60, and beyond

Most people ive talked to tell me they have the most fun leveling their characters to level 60, because it is quick paced most of the time, and only slows down rarely. The quests are done well, and there is just so much to discover.

Once you hit 60 youre basically stuck with three things to do though

a) do instance runs (raids) for items

b) grind monsters for money

c) pvp

Now this might sound as if it should be enough. But the core problem is this: there is no character advancement beyond 60 other than getting items. These items are gotten by raiding elite dungeons with your guild, playing the bazaar game or by gaining rank while pvping.

Right now, if youre a raider, you raid so you can raid more. There is no reason to take that super dagger of stabbing into a normal 5 man dungeons and just carnage stuff left and right, other than for the sake of carnageing - is that even a word.

The game at this point, 2 years after its release, direly needs some alternate advancement, luckily the expansion (The Burning Crusade) is right around the corner, so that should help out some for now.

Server Issues

This is were i have an axe to grind, so pardon my rant

Ever since wow was released , the game has had severe sever stability issues. I guess they did not expect the kind of amount of people to buy the game back then and got surprised. Not a big deal, most of the MMORPGs face server issues the first few days of the game's release, even if is not as popular as wow.

But even after 2 years of development it is sad and annoying to see that the same server problems still exist, while not as severe, and the servers need to go down for maintenance weekly.

Content Updates

We all know it, Blizzard likes to do things correctly, and they always take their time. The thing is, that this is a MMORPG. People need to be handed new content almost constantly, waiting 3-4 months between content updates that deliver content that was promised to be in the game when it was released just seems weak. Then again i can certainly appreciate the amount of work that must be needed to create the content. It wouldnt be so bad if there was actually some way of alternative character advancement.

This review may sound a bit harsh and dont get me wrong, WoW is an amazing game, and what the artists did is just mind boggling. I leveled 3 characters to level 60, and as i was progressing along through the vastly different world zones of the game there was always this thought on mind.

Wow is an amazing online world, but it is as if they do nothing with it. Where is the dynamic world, that i imagined when i first read about WoW in 2002. There has been a world event of the opening of a raid instance that involved the players gathering resources for a month or two and then battling in a war like scenario to unlock the dungeon. While this is definitely a step in the right direction it is not enough. Next generation MMORPGs need to be developed with dynamic behaviour in mind. The world needs to change and feel less static.

Fazit

World of warcraft is a great game, and you will definitely enjoy leveling your character. After that it is uncertain, you will have to see for yourself. Doing raid instances can be fun, unless you dont like to rely on people. PVP can be fun too if youre into that kind of thing. Heck, even trying to amass huge amounts of virtual money can be fun to some people.

Stefan Pratter is a developer of the free browser based MMORPG Lands of Kazram - http://www.landsofkazram.com

Enigma Rising Tide Review

2009-01-05T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Neal Stevens

SINGLE PLAYER REVIEW

Enigma lives! Tesseraction has released a single player offline version of their upcoming massively multiplayer naval game and it lives up to its potential and then some. Playing Enigma offline gives you a chance to see what this game is all about and train for the upcoming Virtual Battle of the Atlantic (and Pacific, since the Japanese/British are part of this).

Enigma is set in an "alternate history", "one that begins in 1936 but in a world as it might have been had Germany won World War I". The Germans drove the British Empire from Europe and into alliance with the budding Japanese Empire. Together, the Nippo-Anglo faction faces off against the German monarchy and an expansionist United States joins the war to make a unique three-sided conflict. No Pearl Harbor, no Hitler, no Nazis, no Soviet Union. With each mission you are kept current with newspaper headlines and briefings from HQ.

There are over 35 single training missions and six separate campaigns in which you play as a destroyer, corvette, PT boat, or a submarine, for a total of over 90 missions with two difficulty levels, easy or difficult. The campaign structure is scripted and to progress you must complete each mission and live to tell. Each mission is an instant encounter at sea. There is no Aces-style hunting or tracking. The mission starts just after your lookouts make contact and the action is about to begin. The single player version does not have time compression, nor an in-game save feature. When you start a mission, you have to finish it. Getting pinned by escorts and waiting them out can take hours--real life hours. Like any good captain there were occasions where I was forced to take her deep, cut the engines, and trust my luck while I was away from the room.

Enigma makes no pretensions about being a full-blown simulation and it isn't. Be that as it may, the level of combat and the essential elements needed for an authentic naval game are there. Enigma is no arcade game by a long shot. Enigma allows first-person control of guns but all other stations are integrated in a command-style interface. Firing torpedoes is done by casual aiming, there's no TDC to operate. While I personally would be more satisfied with some kind of tangible input into target-motion analysis other than just "eyeballing" it, with all the pace and lethality of Enigma battles, it's sufficient. No player-controlled method of damage control is present, nor can you send radio messages. Aside from this and the lack of TDC, Enigma gives the simulation player most of what he could wish for in a naval game.

Enigma has AI that makes you say, "Ouch!"--enemy ships can put the hurt on you. Poke your periscope up in the middle of an armed convoy and you are plastered with tracer fire so dense, you can feel the hate and desperation of the crews aboard the merchants. Destroyers behave aggressively with tenacious, if somewhat predictable, tactics. The ships and planes are based on historical models with some modifications. Subs carry a realistic loadout of around 22-26 torpedoes. They reload much quicker than real WWII subs could, usually in a couple minutes. However, being that this is an alternate history, that can be explained by hydraulics that were actually employed on the German Type XXI U-boats that were developed at the end of the war (the real war). Destroyers, corvettes, and PT Boats (motor torpedo boats) have varying kinds of armaments-depth charges, torpedoes, hedgehogs, and guns.

All ships contain a small radar/sonar screen that gives you updates on surrounding vessels. When you play as a submarine, the screen can be interpreted as the sonar map usually found on subsims like Silent Hunter and Aces of the Deep. I was pleased to note that the indicated positions while submerged are not precise and the closer the range, the better the contacts. Tesseraction did a good job on finding the middle ground between giving the player information and withholding information he should not have depending on the tactical situation. Combined with the alarm bell that rings every time your sonar guy detects an incoming torpedo, you are equipped with fair and accommodating sensors.

Enigma has an easy mouse/keyboard interface to learn and it has the best voice control I've ever experienced in a subsim (in the same league as Sub Command). With no special mike set-up I was able to change speed, headings, depth, fire weapons, and more just by muttering into a mike. It allows you to keep one hand on the mouse, one on the keyboard, and simultaneously issue helm and weapons orders.

Graphics are a strong point for Enigma--especially the ocean wave effect. It is as close to looking out a porthole in a real ship as anything I have ever beheld. The ocean surface has very good textures, motion, and definition. The waves have sharp, white crests that are several notches above Silent Hunter II. Your sub or ship is a constantly moving platform on the surface and adds to the challenge of hitting targets with the guns or holding your binocs steady. The ocean battlefield varies from calm seas, to heavy seas, to flat-out gales with rain and blustering wind sounds. Just incredible.

Ships and subs are rendered with great detail. Not only are lifeboats, guns, portholes, screws, and antennas illustrated with inspired detail, but the decks, windscreens, and surfaces have a weathered look that straight away adds to the sense of watching a real ship in a real ocean. Hard-charging escorts part the seas with a frothy bow wave and subs leave foam on the surface when they dive (although the foam lingers too long, as if it is designed as a targeting key). Along with the voice control, Enigma graphics earns high praise.

An ample sound suite accompanies the good graphics. I enjoyed the whistling of falling bombs, changes in engine sound linked with vessel speed, ocean sounds, interior sub sounds, especially the sonar pings, and ricochet sounds. When your sub is damaged by depth charge attack, you can hear breaking glass and light bulbs and threatening water leaks. Sounds are directional, too, a plus. I noticed enemy screw sounds when in a underwater submarine were missing. Some of the best sound effects include the death scene, when your boat is fatally wounded. Water rushing in, rivets popping, and hull creaks accompanied by the slowly dimming lights... the effect is appropriately stark and eerie. Finally, you're treated to a musical score with different anthems for each faction.

This wouldn't be an adequate review without noting the physics of the Enigma. It's easy to see that Tesseraction put a lot of effort into making the ships interact with the ocean in a convincing fashion, and they succeeded. Ships appear to be engaged in a constant dance with the ocean surface. Smaller boats such as the PT boats require a constant hand on the helm--they are pitched about by heavy seas. I also noted that when you are using the binoculars and en enemy ship hits you with a round, your view is drastically jolted, requiring time to readjust your sighting. Same for the sub cabin under depth charge attack. The display is visibly shaken after near misses. That's realism, simulation or not.

One thing Enigma has going for it in spades is ambience. The graphics are so good and the action is so compelling you will not mind repeating the same missions over and over. Some scenes caused me to marvel--watching my sub advance on a squadron of distant escorts and seeing the flash of their muzzles followed an instant later by a streaking, smoke-trailing, death-tipped shell and an audible whi-zzz! The color and moodiness of the stormy skies and towering waves touches the seadog in you. When the action really gets going with circling destroyers, skulking subs, merchants burning--planes dive bombing! torpedo bells ringing! shells splashing!--Enigma rules the ocean. While it is an action game, in some ways Enigma is more simulation than Silent Hunter II. When you are in the control room, you really are in a control room. Executing a crash dive makes the room tilt noticeably. Tesseraction knows how to suspend your imagination.

With the development emphasis on the eventual multiplayer action, there is no random mission generator, scenario editor, or dynamic campaign. Offsetting this is the implied assurance that since Tesseraction will be releasing upgrades on a three month cycle, that could include new mission packs. And when they get the online version completed (Dec 2003, we hear and hope), most players will be facing off on the Internet.

It's funny but much of what separates Enigma from Fleet Command is the first-person view from the bridge; and Enigma is distinguished from Fighting Steel by a vastly superior representation of the ocean. Yet, a host of other details and engineering touches make Enigma superior to most naval games that have come before it. The AI is better, the pacing is geared for action, the voice control works, and the environment is thoroughly engaging. Enigma promises fun and action in a superior ocean landscape and the single player version delivers completely. If Tesseraction is able to forge ahead and bring new versions and enhancements to Enigma as promised, including the massive multiplayer component, Enigma will have a lock on the naval game community. If you like naval games in general, you'll like Enigma. If you love good naval games, you'll love Enigma. This is truly a good naval game.

Neal Stevens is the editor of Subsim.com and contributing author of the coffee table book United States Submarines.

An Overview Of Online Games

2009-01-04T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Michael Colucci

Online games are becoming more popular with each passing year. As more people connect to the internet and install Shockwave or Java on their computers, a huge market will open up for free online games. The prices on computers are dropping, and this means that more people with have access to independent games. Many seasoned gamers are annoyed by the politics which often exist in large video game companies.

Many gamers are also looking for games which allow them to interact with other players. Even with the success of online fighting games, many developers have not bothered to create them. MMORPGs are becoming more popular than ever before. Players want to interact with each other and create their own identities in the digital world. This is the direction in which I believe free online games are headed today. As the internet becomes more widely used, people want interaction more than graphics.

Because the video game market of today is so saturated, the cost of these games have dramatically decreased. It doesn't cost much money to develope a quality game if you know where to look. This will open the door for many independent game companies to design games which are an alternative to the mainstream console games which currently dominate the market. Shockwave and Java are tools that have allowed many people to cost effectively produce free online games.

As the graphics, gameplay, and storylines of these games continue to improve, more people will play them. While the PC game market declined at the end of the 1990s, it is expected that independent online games will fill this void. Multiplayer online games should be free or very cheap to play. Because the cost to produce them is so low, there is no reason why players should have pay $60 to buy one game. The low cost trend for online games can be seen at the Shockwave website, where they charge as littles as $9.95 for a game.

Many online games can be downloaded directly onto your computer. There is no need to go out to the store or order them through the mail. The games are available to play as soon as you download them. In addition to interactivity, people want things quickly. We live in a society in which virtually everything moves fast. When people want to play games, they want them as soon as possible. This is a demand that free online games can meet.

Michael Colucci is a technical writer for http://www.dustgames.com - A site that offers free online games.

How You Can Find And Download Psp Emulator Software

2009-01-04T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Allen Stevens

Anyone and everyone who owns a PSP games console is getting fantastic value for their money. The PSP games console is not only the latest in gaming technology, but it can also play music, movies and TV shows.

However one of the best features of the PSP is that you can use it not only to play PSP games, but you can also load and play other console games on it (for example Nintendo Gameboy games), provided that you download PSP emulator software.

Let me explain. A PSP emulator is a relatively simple piece of software that you can upload into your PSP, (emulators are sometimes referred to as a 'homebrews').

Once this emulator software is on your PSP, it causes your PSP games console to act as though it were an alternate games console, such as a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis.

Once you download PSP Emulator software and upload it onto your PSP, the emulator will allow you to play other gaming console games on your PSP. Also legally, there is nothing wrong with using a PSP emulator on your own PSP, as creating an emulator isn't illegal.

SO HOW CAN YOU GO ABOUT FINDING AN EMULATOR FOR YOUR PSP GAMES CONSOLE?

Well, first of all, before you can begin to search for and download PSP emulator software, you need to check what firmware version your PSP games console has.

This is because, the only PSP firmware versions that you can download a game onto are versions 1.0 and 1.50, as currently the firmware versions 1.51 and above, won't allow you to run an emulator.

You can check the firmware version on your PSP console, simply by scrolling left on the PSP's main screen and selecting the options in the following order: SETTINGS > SYSTEMS SETTINGS > SYSTEM INFORMATION > SYSTEM SOFTWARE. The SYSTEM SOFTWARE option should show you your PSP's firmware version number.

Now that you have checked that you have the right firmware version, you can now go about looking for an emulator.

The best option for PSP games console owners, is to start by searching for large official PSP downloading websites. They offer you the opportunity to download emulators for your PSP (as well as downloading a wide range of legal games, music and TV shows).

You can also try doing a search for your required PSP emulator (for example, typing in Nintendo PSP Emulator into a search engine). Although be warned, that the software you download from small unofficial websites may do more harm to your PSP games console, than good.

Did you know that you can find and download PSP emulator software within the next 5 minutes? As well as gain access to hundreds of PSP games, movies, music and tv show downloads?

Visit http://www.PspDownloadGuide.blogspot.com to find out how you can get all of this, and more, for your PSP console.

The Game Tester

2009-01-03T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Mary Beim

It's not easy to be a hardcore gamer. It's hard. Wouldn't it be easier if you had a job in the videogames business? Think about it: working for a software company, being able to play games during office hours, with people who share your passion. Free games, industry parties, lots of fun and good money.

Well, think again; working in the PC Games business is nothing like that. Chances are you'll end up dealing with people who just care about the financial success of the company, with marketing executives who don't give adamn whether the game is good or not because "We'll put two-million bucks behind it and it'll sell like donuts", with programmers who cannot understand why an arcade-style racing game cannot have the intricacies of a complex simulator. Still, you'll get some free games plus a decent salary.Still interested? Good.

The easiest way to get a chance to work in the videogames industry is to start as a game tester. Mind you - the job is actually tougher and less exciting than you think. While it is true that you'll spend most of your day playing games, you must bear in mind that this means testing to death the same game again and again, since the earliest days of development until it's finished, and this can get really boring.

The game tester starts working as soon as either the graphic engine or some of the AI routines are ready (and even earlier in some occasions: sometimes testers have to check the game design documents in order to make sure that there aren't weaknesses in the game structure.) It means checking the graphics and the control system or testing the AI routines, moving around coloured dots (it's often the case with sports games) or extremely unappealing chunks of graphics around the screen to check how the code reacts.

Reporting bugs is not an easy or exciting task either. You need to assess the exact circumstances (if any) of a bug taking place and its consequences on the game. More often than not this means playing the same bit of the game again and again and again until you are able to repeat the same bug whenever you want to (or better: whenever the programmers ask you to) or until you're sure that it was a one-off bug, something which happens in situations which cannot be repeated.

If you don't like PCs, you'll probably find an absolute nightmare having to cope with all the compatibility issues (does the game work fine with all the graphic accelerator cards? And what about the sound cards? And the joypads/joysticks?) but you'll get used to it in a matter of weeks. Other downsides of the job is that office hours can range from your usual 9-5 to a very stressful round-the-clock when you're under deadlines and you don't have any guarantee that you'll be mentioned in the credits unless you're one of the lead testers. (Let's face it; you want your friends to know that YOU were part of the team who made that brilliant game, don't you?) Put in the frustration coming from dealing with programmers and/or artists who don't know what does make a good game (the industry has many such people...) and you'll get an even worse picture of the job.

Being a game tester is not all that bad, though. It's the perfect way to get into the biz for many different reasons: the first one and more obvious being that you'll be constantly in touch with both the programmers and artists. In a few weeks' time you'll understand problems concerning polygons (polys, for friends...), frame-rate and its relationships with the responsiveness and precision of the control system, how to address RAM-related problems and much, much more. Hold on - let me make myself clear: you will NOT become a programmer but you will understand which compromises you must have in the game in order to have it work in its best possible form, given the capabilities of the system it is working on and the skills and talents of the developers.

Another obvious plus of the job is the money. In Europe, an internal tester is usually paid somewhere between US$15,000 to US$23,000, assuming he's employed full-time. However, some companies have part-time testing jobs, so that you don't have to leave school to be a tester.

The real highlight of being a game tester is that in many occasions you'll be required to play an active role in the making of the game: rather than limiting your task to just testing existing code, sometimes testers are asked to suggest alternative solutions to problems in either playability or game structure. It often happens that, during the development stages, the game feels and plays differently from what it should according to the game design document. It could be the control system which is too complex, the physics model, the AI or any other element of the game which doesn't work as well as it should. The testers' main task is to flag any problems arising but they are often asked to give their precious input in order to improve the game.

It sometimes happens that the most critic and capable testers move onto design positions, which is a much more rewarding (both in terms of financial success and self-fulfilment) job with many more responsabilities. Another way to climb the ranks of the company is to become Quality Assurance Manager, supervising and directing the work of several testers for one or more titles. Therefore, starting as a game tester can take you to higher floors while making many interesting contacts in the industry. The perfect game tester can express himself quite well in both written and oral form, knows how to work in a team and know games inside out - both new and classic titles. Needless to say, to do this you must play a lot: explore all the possibilities of a title, do things the developers couldn't think you would do (such as killing a friendly character, throwing away a useful item, going out of the track in a racing game or standing in particular areas where you're not supposed to stay) and see what happens. Be curious while playing, and be critic.

If you have what it takes ring the bell; this industry needs you. Don't let the first negative replies write the word END to your career in this industry. Keep trying until a door opens, then put your foot in. Start writing your cover letter now (keep it short, nobody likes lengthy cover letters)) and be ready for the interview. Sooner or later you'll have your chance, so don't waste it.

Mary works in US for a media company, occasionally writing for the biggest PC Games Reviews portal, and drinking too much coffee.

Free Arcade Games

2009-01-02T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Ken Marlborough

Arcade games are an age-old tradition. They have existed as a term since the heyday of the pinball machine, and even earlier in many cases. There are several websites that offer free arcade games including solo player, multi-player, action, adventure, card/casino, racing or skill games. Some of the popular free gaming sites on the Internet are game.co.in, free-games-online.com, freearcade.com, ultimatearcade.com, Cnet's download.com, and freeclassicgames.com. Arcadenut.com, Funny-games.biz and GameAlbum.com are other great entertainment sites which offer free arcade games.

Free Games (www.free-games.au) is an online directory of free games on the Internet, which also reviews and ranks the most popular games. Per their lists, the five most popular games available on their site are The Mafia Boss, Real Mud the 4th Coming, Runescape, Aegis and Terraworld. All these games are massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG).

Some popular arcade games from the 1980s are available at Triplets and Us (http://www.tripletsandus.com/80s/80s_games/arcade.htm). These include PacMan, Frogger, Space Invaders, Mario Brothers, Asteroids and Tetris. The site also contains links to several Java arcade emulator game sites.

Flash Games (http://www.t45ol.com/flash-game/arcade-games.php) offers all free arcade games in Flash. The site contains the traditional arcade games in flash format like Space Invaders, Pong, Super Mario Brothers, Tetris, Donkey Kong and Street Fighter.

Arcade RockStar (http://www.arcaderockstar.com/) is a free gaming network where members participate in daily tournaments, and win cool prizes like cell phones, iPods, gift cards and Sony PSPs, among others. Since it is an ad-supported network, the members must be prepared for different forms of ads such as sponsorships, sweepstakes, banners, text links or pop-ups.

Arcade Games provides detailed information on Arcade Games, Free Arcade Games, Online Arcade Games, Real Arcade Games and more. Arcade Games is affiliated with Online Computer Games.

Building A Webgame How We Made A Stock Market Simulator Out Of Nothing And Php Part 1

2009-01-02T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Tim Morrison

The development of a web-based game such as a stock simulator starts with an idea. Not just 'I want to make a stock market sim' but the idea 'I want to make a different and new stock market sim, one that is better and more unique than anything already out there'

Then comes research - seeing what other market sims are already out there and functional and seeing how they work from an end-user's point of view. There are stock market sims that run using java and server-based engines such as The Hollywood Stock Exchange, sims that run using SSI and ASP modules, and open-source stock sims such as the Futures Exchange. We looked at all of them and determined where the opening lay in regards to the market and where demand should be.

We determined a large void was sitting in regards to prediction markets and futures exchanges for stock market games and simulators in regards to television. There were plenty of websites where you could vote for your show's popularity, and other sites where you could even vote for reality TV shows and try your luck at predicting who was next to go. But no site existed that treated TV as a stock market. so we decided that would be our niche game.

Television is a growth industry - Every year they sell more TV sets than the year before. TV studios work tirelessly to produce new and different shows to put over the airwaves and cable networks to entertain hundreds of millions of people in North America alone. All of those viewers have an opinion about what they like and do not like - that is a market unlike any other.

We sat down and crabbed out a checklist of what a TV stock market would be able to do...

Buy and sell stocks in TV shows, TV channels, Studios, and stars
Short sell and cover the same stocks (Short selling and covering is the opposite of a buy or sell, if you short a stock, you hope the price drops so you can gain money on the fall.)
Rate or vote for popular TV shows
offer easy to use registration that is seamless
design the market system for extreme modularity so we can add in new features as we develop them without interrupting the market itself.

That was our original list of features. At the end of the article series - I'll show a list of the current features and show how the market system has grown in complexity but still retains all of the basic modularity we developed into it.

The most important thing to start with was to build a method to buy and sell shares, to track the actual buy and sell process, and to empower the market itself to adjust pricings as product is bought and sold.

We decided to go with mysql for databasing, and also to implement a cron job to do the background calculations and market balancing.

By using the php language, we could more easily implement mysql access and also allow for more flexibility in the goal of keeping the Stocks Online application as modular as possible.

MySql and php have been modified during their lifecycles to work as close to seamlessly together as possible, so it made sense to use the two components to make our stock system as it would enable easier maintenance and future development.

Beginning from a basic math code of

Buy price = Stock price x (Number of shares + commission)

We developed a simple buy and sell process that would enable the player to buy shares or sell them. with the system automatically calculating commission and adding that to the transaction.

We realised that we needed to limit the shares able to be bought by a single player, so set a ceiling of 25,000 shares per stock. This would ensure no one player could hold a monopoly on shares. and also limited the effect of a single bulk buy or sell.

What started as a simple formula and tracking system rapidly ballooned into a complex math function algorithm that now looked something like this:

  Number of shares available  = (max shares available - number of shares held by player)  IF  player shares are less than max allowed  THEN  process buy transaction  Buy  current price * number of shares available + commission (1.5%)  Transaction complete - do market calculations  Stock price adjust by (+0.01 x 5,000 shares or fraction thereof)  cron runs, checking transaction and adjusting 0.01 for every 10,000 shares moved  cron also checks if more than 50,000 shares have moved  then stock adjusts slowed to .01 per cron cycle to ensure a run-on stock does not occur.

To ensure this happened properly we had to add in multiple mysql table entries for the cron and the system to track the stock transactions so not only could we gain a history of transactions and stock movements, but also the system could cross-check itself to maintain balance in the event of data corruption or a bad stock transaction.

The sell transaction was pretty much the same process but with negatives instead of positives.

We also implemented a voting system whereby players could vote for their favorite TV shows - thereby adjusting the value of that show stock up or down depending on their vote. If you liked the show, vote yes, if you don't like it, vote no. We set up a random generator to pull 10 show names from the database every time the vote page was loaded so no show would get more weight than any other show. thus ensuring a even spread of votes. The vote system also rewarded the player by adding game cash to their account for each vote clicked. If you voted for all 10 options, you gained $10k. Thereby, greed became a factor - get more $ to play by voting.

Building the player portfolio page was just a matter of setting up an if/then loop to pull every stock held one after another and displaying them on the page with their buy price, current price, price difference, and so on.

Nest article will explain how we built the stock ticker and other features, and the future directions the Stock Online application will go in.

You Dont Have To Be Rich To Be A Pc Gamer

2009-01-01T12:00:00.002-08:00

Writen by Nathan Holsing

There is a common misconception that you have to take out a second mortgage on your house if you want to get a computer that will run all of the latest and greatest games. I don't know who started the rumor that you need to spend $3000 to get a gaming computer. The truth is, if you are smart about it, you can easily afford to get a high-end gaming computer. Here are a few simple rules to follow to put a gaming computer within reach.

Rule 1. Never buy the newest technology.

I know we all want to be the guy or girl with the newest toy, but you will never be able to keep up with technology. That top-of-the-line graphics card that came out today will be old news in just a couple of months and a new one will be released that is "so much better". Guess what happens to the price of the new graphics card you just broke the bank on? It dropped by about 50%. If you would have just been patient you could have purchased it for a fraction of the cost.

Rule 2. You only have to keep up with the software.

Rule 2 closely correlates to Rule 1. It usually takes software companies two years, give or take, to develop a new game. During this time there are new technology breakthroughs. If they went back and re-engineered the game every time a new processor or a new graphics card came out, the game would never be released. Another important factor is that they want the game to be available to the largest number of consumers. For this reason they do their best to make sure the game can be played on a wide variety of systems. Check out the system requirements for some of the more popular games. A 1.8GHz processor and a Direct X 9 compatible graphics card will run just about everything out there. Granted you might have to turn some of the settings down but it will run it.

Once you reach a certain point the added performance of the new technology is noticeable. For example, the Athlon 64 chip has been out for more than a year, yet there are very few applications that require a 64 bit processor. If you check out benchmarks on the new PCI Express graphics cards you will see that they are running games at 300+ frames per second. When you watch a movie it runs at roughly 60 frames per second. A game will still run relatively smoothly at 20 frames per second. Basically anything over 60 frames per second likely will not be perceived while playing the game. You will only see the difference in your benchmark programs.

Rule 3. Build Your Own Computer

This is important for two reasons. First, you can be assured of better quality components when you pick everything out on your own. When you buy an off-the-shelf system, chances are you are getting a big name CPU and everything else is most likely generic. Do you know what motherboard, power supply, or type of RAM you are getting? This of course, is my personal opinion, I'm not saying every manufacturer builds sub standard machines, but from experience I've had greater longevity from the computers I've built myself. I've also noticed that you will often get little system memory, unless you pay a great deal more for it. You will often get 256MB of RAM with these base system. Windows XP will run, but likely with problems, on 256MB of RAM. It seems to be the most stable with 512MB or more. Other areas they cut costs is by using integrated graphics chips. This saves them having to put in a graphics card, but you will pay the price for it when you try to play a game.

The second reason to build your own computer is that you can cut your costs by stealing parts from your old computer. You can save hundreds of dollars by reusing the drives, case, monitor, keyboard and mouse. Plus, you don't have to worry about calling a technician to install RAM or a new graphics card because you'll already know how to do it.

How Much Can You Build A Computer For?

I just checked out some pricing and you can build a very nice midrange gaming computer for around $600-$700 using an AMD Athlon 64 3000+. If you can steal a DVD drive from your old computer and maybe the case, you can bring the cost down even more. You can build a high-end machine for under $1000. The internet is full of useful websites about how to build computers. Look around and you'll find all the information you need. There are several books published about the topic as well. If you follow these simple rules and do a little research you can enjoy all of the best computer games even if you are on a shoestring budget.

Nathan Holsing is the editor of Gaming-Computers.net, a website that provides information on building computers, hardware buying guides, and product reviews.

Backgammon Early Game Strategy

2009-01-01T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Levente Galambosi

The early game targets

When you play backgammon it is very important that you are able to change your play at once. From time to time you will need to take it easy and play constructive, sometimes you will have to go ahead with full speed. In the beginning you are required to play real aggressive and quick game. If you dont reach your early game goals you are certainly going to have problems in the rest of the game.

1. Make points in the homeboard

There are two reasons why this is important. First, it will mess your upponent's game by limiting his chances to enter from the bar if you hit his checker. If you make to additional points his chances are much worse to get back to the game than if you would have only the six-point. Second, by making points in your home board also means that you those checkers are already ready for bearing off when the time comes.

Please remember that some points are more important than others. If you maneuver your checkers to the edge of the board or very close to it you limit yourself as to which checkers you can move. On your home board the most important points are the 5-point, then 6 and 4-point and then the 3-point in this order.

If you are unable to make points in your homeboard, make points as near to the homeboard as possible. If you manage to block points 7 through 12 you'll see how difficult it is for your opponent to escape his back checkers. In addition, making any points between 7 and 12 are excellent storage points for bringing the checkers in to your home board.

2. Move your back men

You should keep an eye on your back checkers - if you let them get blocked you'll have a hard time winning the game.

Move your back men gradually forward from the beginning of the game so that you keep them in contact with the other checkers. If you create a large gap between your back men and the rest of your checkers, your back men will be vulnerable during their escape towards the home board.

Tips on moving your back men: If you happen to roll a double you should use half of the roll to bring up your back men. That way you move both the same amount of points eliminating the possibility of them getting hit. Use the other half of the roll to make points elsewhere on the board.

Split your back men when you can't think of a good move. That can be a little risky but well, backgammon is about taking calculated risks. Once you have split your back men try reunite them as soon as possible.

Final words

As mentioned above, if you won't reach your early game targets you'll end up in trouble. Your troubles will seem the get worse as soon as you have a few dollars at stake. You'll be thinking hard whether there was something you could've done differently and if you do manage to get out of trouble, well, then you were pretty lucky.

When you accomplish your early game targets you are in a far better position. You can start concentrating on the work to be done and you won't have to tackle problems each time as they arise. So don't loose your head, maintain your focus and work hard towards your early game targets and you have much better chances to win the game.

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Beginner backgammon players might find useful the online backgammon tips and instructions at WinningBackgammon.info. Upcoming backgammon sites are also reviewed and the backgammon strategy article listing is regularly being updated.

Not Just A Game Its An Adventure

2008-12-31T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Robert Emler

Getting in the game is just that. As a game player my self I can find no other joy as close to the hart as being in the game. It is a felling of excitement and an overwhelming thrill to compete against some minds that are way above the average mind.Or just well trained I should say.

What happens when I get in the game is really like a second nature and my mind just takes over and the competitive nature in me is totally peeked. I can start playing a game on line against some brilliant players and get so immersed that before I know it five or more hours has gone by. It gets that intense. And when I am done playing my mind is working at a higher performance of awareness. For quite a while after I get out of the game.

I would really have to say that because of the intense gaming programs and the greatly advance technology. And add into the mixed some absolutely brilliant opponents. That being in the game is actually a very good way to heighten the senses. Really it's quite the therapeutic training.

Think about it the military has been using the gaming programs for training purposes for years. Why? Because the simulations are so in depth that there people will benefit from the heightened awareness, of any situations that may accrue. It just would stand to reason that if the game is being used for that reason in the military. Then the game can do the same thing outside of the military.

There are some games that don't offer this type of mind stimulation. But those games are for the slow started the unenthusiastic gamer. Used for the sole purpose of getting them started.

It's really the action games and some of the high tech roll playing games. That are what I call the mind openers. The brain teasers if you will. They are the games that offer more value then just enjoyment. Think about it if you are an intense gamer. Someone who likes to play these butt kicking ground pounding hart throbbing eye opening action packed games. Then you have probable honed your skills, and really increased or heightened your awareness up to a pretty high level. So how dose that help you or use when you're away from your game. Well the one most important place I would have to say is driving. If you have a heightened sense of awareness wouldn't that make you a better defensive driver? I think so. Wouldn't a heightened sense of awareness give you the upper hand in a situation that's going on around you. A situation that you should be aware of? I think so too.

If you are one of these brilliant gamers that I have had the pleasure of going head to head with, and are a student or a teen in school. All I have to say is bravo and thank you for the intense gaming in the game. But please remember that the game is just a game. You should never let the game come between you and your ability to advance quite far in this world that is also very competitive in its on game. Use your abilities that are greatly advanced, and take the time to increase your learning and knowledge. So that you may have a better chance of gaining greater things then you could ever imagine. In this game, in the real world that is known as life. Believe me if you are one of those brilliant players then you have the ability to adapt and advance far in this world. Use the tools at your disposal to achieve the same level of greatness in the game of the world as you have achieved in the game it self

Robert Emler: I too enjoy the trill of the game and have benefited from the gaming experience. I have a Harley and really Like to ride it a lot. Being in the game has given me a heightened awareness of my surroundings when I ride. That has saved my life more then a few times. I would have to say that if where not for my enjoyment of gaming my sense of awareness would not be what it is today. http://extreamgamers.com. For tools that you can use to help achieve success in the game of life. Go to http://kidsarepeople2.com bob29tie@neo.rr.com

Increasing Rates Of Climb In Fighter Aircraft Like The New Joint Force Strike Fighter

2008-12-30T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

We know from studying aircraft like the F-8 Crusader, in which my dad had the fortunate to fly while in the US Navy stationed in Puerto Rico, that when the wind was tilted upward on the aircraft that it had a lower takeoff speed and much higher initial rates of climb. At which point the wing came back to position and it was a pencil shaped rocket with wings. Now then let us take the newest discoveries in wind tunnels about life, weight, thrust and drag. We know that the reletive wind pushing on the bottom of the wings forces the aircraft up.

Well then if you have a thruster forced on top of the wing at the center of gravity with the exhaust forced outward, pushing on the aircraft while the aircraft is positioned in a climb. This aircraft will therefore be put in a situation where the it is forced into the relative wind faster and faster and that wind deflected off the bottom of the wing would force the aircraft upward at an incredible rate of climb without significantly using up any more fuel than a standard climb out. The rate of climb will be much faster and the angle of climb very substantial.

I bring this up as we discuss some of the NASA lifting bodies and other designs to fly into orbit or for trans-oceanic flights using the upper atmosphere or space to reduce the friction and increase the speed to hypersonic levels. We are doing similar things on the Strike Fighter, but those nozzels are faced down for vertical landing and take off or extremely controlled and fast STOL. If the wings can hold the increased stress from the bottom of the aircraft against reletive wind. Now then you can try this on a skateboard. Carrry a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood and when going down a hill tilt the plywood to a 45 degree angle and you will leave the ground like a kite. If we have nozzel and directional thrust why not try it at the center of gravity on top of the wing forcing the exhaust outward and back wards at the same angle of incidence to a horizontal plane.

You actually do not even need to test this in a wind tunnel, because we already know this will work. If you look at the chracteristics of the Concorde where the nose faces forward and air is forced under the wings you can see the increased efficient use of the airfoil. The increased leverage from the ram air under the wing is more than the total combined forces of lift from the differences between low and high pressure as the air makes it back to the trailing edge of the wing. Just some thoughts on increasing the flying characteristics of jet aircraft and directional thrust aircraft to maximize all known characteristics of flight.

Lance Winslow

Mahjong Online

2008-12-29T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Josh Riverside

Mahjong is a traditional Chinese game, which literally means "the game of a hundred intelligences" (in Chinese). There are various versions of mahjong today - the Chinese, the Japanese and the American, each with its own set of rules. Mahjong is a game that involves skill, intelligence, estimation as well as luck. It has been traditionally a gambling game and is still played today in clubs and special mahjong houses. There are also international mahjong tournaments held across the world. Ma Chiao, Mo Tsiah, Ma Cheuk, Ma Jong, Ma Chiang, Ma Chong, Man Chu, Mah Diao, Pung Chow, Mah Chong, Ching Chong, Mah Cheuk, Ma Chiang, Kong Chow, Mah Deuck, Lung Chan, Mah Lowe, Pe Ling, Baak Ling are other names for Mahjong.

Mahjong is a very popular online game today. The earliest electronic version was created in 1981 by Brodie Lockard but it was officially released in 1983 by Control Data Corporation as a paid online game. The 1986 version released by Activision by the name of Shanghai made the game very popular, which was later converted into many platforms.

Online versions of mahjong are available over the Internet. There are several kinds of online mahjong, with attractive options that are sure to keep you hooked for hours. Ever Mahjong, Mahjong Quest, Mahjong Medley Solitaire, Ultimate Mahjong 10, Mahjong XP Champion, Gekko Mahjong, Mahjong Towers,, NingPo Mahjong, Mah Jongg, Emperor's Mahjong, Mahjong Tower II, The Rise of the Shanghai etc are some of the different kinds of online Mahjong available. These games contain hundreds of challenging tile layouts for up to 9 levels, different game types and layouts (360 or even more), and tile sets. They also have interesting choice of backgrounds and background music.

The tiles are also being designed innovatively to be more attractive in designs like: flags, astrology, marine life, nature, traffic signs, medieval fantasy, space, Egyptian, warning signs, bugs, music, communication, buildings, Chinese zodiac, tools, colors, food etc. The game can be customized with these options according your fantasies. The best part of online mahjong are the undo; shuffle and hint features, which, ensure you, don't get stuck.

Mahjong provides detailed information about mahjong, mahjong solitaire, mahjong tiles, mahjong online and more. Mahjong is the sister site of Free Online Casinos.

To Xbox360 Or To Not Xbox360

2008-12-28T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Sean Ryan

I finally gave into the "evils" of Microsoft and invested in their Next Generation console. Why. the delay in ps3 coupled with the delay in Ghost Recon on PC. The more reviews I read, the more it convinced me that 360 was made up of excellent hardware that was finally being used. So I blew up my credit card, pissed off my wife and invested in more computer hardware that I may not need. But hell I work at it, so keeping up to date with all technology is my job (or so I keep telling myself).

First impressions: As you install the 360 the first thing that hits you, is the physical weight of the machine. Small but weights much the same as a concrete block.

The desktop and configuration of the systems immediately shows you there is so much more to this machine than simple game play. It feels like a simplified computer (but in a good way). No messing about with patches and upgrades. You logon to Xbox live and it tells you when you need to upgrade. Easy to navigate, ability to jump in an out of games easily.

Loading times are also very impressive. I expected to be starring at the screen during my first run of war fighter and was very pleasantly surprised.

Xbox live is the ace in Microsoft's deck. Their killer app for the machine. Think of it as their internet in the internet. It is free to just use. But you have to upgrade to gold (and pay) to play games online and get hold of some downloads. But ALL games will have an online mode. Meaning you will get more value and a different experience. Microsoft have also insisted on achievement sin all the games.

The more you achieve the better you rating and points (rating can also be improved by visits, friend, helping, messages etc). Basically they want you to play and get involved and will reward you for such. Nice ideas. Getting people to play more of what they paid for - rather than the modern obsession of owning more and not actually using, is a good one.(as these games aren't cheap - 75 euro for war fighter!!!).

This page will be updated, the more I get to actually use the system. (oh to have free time).

I will be sticking simple no B.S. reviews here, of the games that interest me on the 360 platform. The physical build is impressive, although the size of the power supply is staggering. Simple little things impress: The size of the wireless controller: perfect. The 360 button on the controller, brings you back to the "desktop", as well as powering on/off the machine (a simple feature I know, but works).

The more I mess around with this machine, the more I like it. It seems that playing a game now that does effect you score rating or unlock achievements is less of a, well achievement.

I have downloaded a lot of demos such as fight night 3 and Battlefield modern combat (very impressive, with no lag in sight).

Updates: A few weeks of usage

I signed up for xbox live gold: 60.00 for 12 months unlimited use. The amount of media and the ability to download clips and demos, means you really need this to make full use of the machine.

Also from what I can tell, people are playing games to just build up their game score: offline play (even single player) is just the same these days if you don't improve your rating as a result.

Very clever option. Actually, it is quite amazing how much time you actually spend browsing, downloading and playing with items in Xbox live.

Extending the experience: Media Centre

I built a Windows Media Centre 2005 (repaired an old fried motherboard). And tested the interface between this the 360. Amazed to see you get the full Media centre console on the 360 when you have a machine to connect to (across you network). You can only stream video in WMV format at present. But you can find an app on the web that will allow you to convert divx to wmv on the fly.

Tested streaming video, images and music from one side of the house to the other. Easy to config and use and impressive interface/image quality.

Basically transform you 360 into much more that a gaming machine. You can do music and images only connecting to extender on an XP machine. But to make full use you need windows media centre 2005.

Combining the power of the 360, with Xbox live and the media centre options; Sony really have their work cut out for them. As there is so much more to Microsoft's machine than playing games.

In all, a great "home entertainment system". Great for gaming, online play is easy and solid, god support for music, images and other media (particularly is you own a media centre PC). Only downside: just don't be surprised when you are using your gaming console for a lot more than just games.

What I would have liked to see:

The biggest omission is the ability to browse web pages. Granted, doing such with a controller or remote with an on screen keyboard would have been a pain. But considering the experience is dependant on you already owning a PC (to get full potential), why not have the option of a 360 browser and the ability to sync your favourites sites from your PC? That way you don't have to type your www.mywebsite.com just browse a list and update as you wish.

The limitation of media extender to just music and images is a sadly lacking. They should provide some way of copying video to and from the 360.

The ability to benchmark your machine to insure it is running 3 cores etc etc. A simple benchmark app would do the trick.

Support for more formats like Divx, mpeg4 etc. I Know Microsoft is saving money by not including these codecs. But imagine using a PC that would only play WMV movies?

High Definition:

The image quality on a standard TV is good, but to make full use you really need a High Definition television. the 360 has become the "killer app" for high def tv's; meaning more high def tv's are being sold now, purely to use with the 360. Think 32 "" + screen on your PC and you get an idea of the difference it will make (and you can also plug your pc into one).

DVD player:

The movie player is very impressive player all brands of DVD's without a hitch. Easy to manage interface and excellent image/sound (this is also a progressive scan unit for improved image quality). Only pity, no multi region support.

Tips:

Did you want to download different Xbox live content? Go to system and change you locale to American and log out/on to Xbox live and away you go (you also need an email address with mail address in that location) . Different demos and trailers.

Xbox Live arcade:

A strange addiction indeed. The ability to play older arcade games that use little or none of the power of the worlds most powerful console. But, it works. Allowing you to play exact arcade emulations such as joust, gauntlet etc adds another dimension to your 360. My four year just loves playing Marble Blast on live.

Online Play:

I have tried many multiplayer games on the PC platform and mixed enjoyment has been had. Get a good server and all is well. but often or not you waste time looking and waiting for a "none lagging" game. So far I have only tried (briefly) advanced warfighter online. A quick half hour game using a headset with some blokes from the UK. Was it any good. Amazing! Great game, very little lag, no time wasting just simple game selection and a couple of minutes wait and away you go. Voice over IP works well: no silly button presses, just talk.

Although a strange experience allowing everyone hear you shout at yourself when you get killed (usually swear words in disgust). But will have to try it again as this single game ranked as one of the best gaming experiences I have had on any platform.....

Wish List:

Give us a browser and means to copy Favourite bookmarks from PC to the 360.

Ability to stream and play Divx (and other supported codecs).

Some way of playing multi region DVD's: but why of why does this even still exist?

MORE Xbox Live content: trailers, tv programs, shorts etc etc. The announcements of future possible releases are exciting: but need to start happening soon, to be imbedded and in place before Ps3 and the Sony machine gets into motion. Perhaps a nice partnership with apple and quick time would do the trick.

Conclusion:

Well how do I feel about the 360 six weeks after purchase? To be honest, very, very impressed. Excellent build quality, fantastic interface. Wealth of multimedia and gaming options. Xbox live is great. Software updates that show they actually listen to the users (all those features that you wanted in or removed appeared in the June update. But what about the games: what it was built for?

Online play with the head set is excellent. Easy to jump in and out of "friend" games. Achievements and game score is a master stroke. Gaming without these feature feels a little pointless now. I have played games such as Advanced Warfighter, Table Tennis, Battlefield 2, Top spin 2, Dead or alive 4 and to be fair, have had some of THE best gaming experiences I have had on any system (and I have been playing since the days of zx-81: yes I'm and old fart).

The future releases also look VERY bright. Gears of War, Dead Rising and Lost World to name a few, all look amazing. Incredible to see how quickly developers and getting these type of results considering how new this system is. Perhaps it is testament to how good a platform it is to develop for. Also Xbox live anywhere looks very interesting indeed (allow 360 and pc users to play and use Xbox live together: as well as mobile device options).

Without Xbox live the 360 is an amazing piece of kit. Combined with the Xbox live option it is indeed the killer app of the next generation consoles.

My advice?

To borrow their own catch phrase. Jump in, you'll have a ball and hats off to those you developed this machine. I for one am glad you did. THE single most impressive piece of hardware I have EVER purchased.

Wrote a full review with images at:

http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanryan/Pages/xbox360%20gaming.htm

Database manager with Bsc in computing, who writes screenplays and studying Msc.

Movie, games and screenplay work @ http://www.seansshack.com

Super Dragon Ball Z Review

2008-12-28T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by David Allison

There are those that are thankful that the Dragon Ball Z series continues to continue, and there are those that wonder how the hell it can continue since it doesn't seem to evolve. There really is no need to wonder anymore my friend. As long as the first group I mentioned continues to buy the continued series, the series will continue to continue. How many more Dragon Ball Z games can we expect in the future? To be continued

Those that do appreciate Super Dragon Ball Z don't need any excuses. They are a diehard bunch that won't be satisfied with just any old fighting game. Even if they aren't into the whole anime thing, Super Dragon Ball Z is built on a solid fighting platform that few games can match. It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles such as tons of different modes and unlockables that a lot of games rely on, but fans appreciate this game for what it has and that seems to be good enough for them.

It's not enough for me however and while I can appreciate the responsive controls and the depth of combat, the game lacks magic. I want more than just a fighting game, in fact, I demand more. Dragon Ball was already established as a great fighting game years ago but little has changed with the series since the start of the millennium. You could almost say that some things have regressed with this title. There isn't as much combat depth as was seen in some of the earlier titles, even though this version is taking a slightly new course and focusing more on close-range combat. You would expect more moves with such a format but moves such as counters and reversals are the exception and not the rule.

In all there are 18 characters. A dozen of them have been ported from the arcade version and six are exclusive to the console version. Goku and Gohan are back, of course, and you can also expect the androids, but no particular character stands out in terms of personality or ability. The ability issue I can understand because you can upgrade each character much like an RPG, but the lack of personality is unforgivable. Did the developers think that we're already too familiar with the characters and that anything further would be overkill? Imagine overkill in a Dragon Ball Z game. Ridiculous, I know.

Using the core of a particular character you can upgrade him by acquiring moves with points that you are awarded in combat. This will give you some flexibility with the characters but you can end up with the same result regardless of which character that you begin with. The moves are basic and the super moves are relatively easy to pull off. The combos require some quick button configurations which gives the combat more depth than your average button masher. With the trend toward more close-range combat you will spend less time in the air doing aerial combat, and the two main combatants will be within striking distance of each other so there will be more a focus on fists and feet than long-ranged power beams. You also won't see a lot of the dramatic, special attack animation that has been a staple of the game and cartoon series. Super Dragon Ball Z attempts to distance itself from the cartoon by paying homage to the comic book style which is a little more mature, which means it's less colorful and over-the-top.

The 3D environments can be used strategically for cover. They are interactive and destructible and add some more dimension to the gameplay as they add multiple levels that you can jump up to or down from. The collision detection system however makes things a bit messy. You will hit the odd invisible wall that hinders your movements and occasionally you'll get trapped between these planes and find that you can't attack your opponent even though they can attack you.

Regarding the AI in the single-player mode, you won't be disappointed by how convincingly they are programmed. They put up a good fight that is natural and best of all, unpredictable. Each character has some special attribute that is exploited. It's not enough to give them a nuanced personality; they become a stereotype, or caricature of a character. The two-player mode is more than just the icing on the cake, it's the main ingredient. The single-player mode is just a prelude to the multi-player mode, but only if you can find a worth adversary. Playing against someone that lacks the passion will be an agonizing experience. You'll find yourself yearning for the challenge of the single-player mode.

The music is an amalgam of remixed old and new tunes. The sound effects are decent but nothing special. The voiceovers are functional but do little to further the plot or define the characters.

Overall Super Dragon Ball Z would be best described as "slightly different" than "new and improved." Not everyone will agree that this is a waste of money but be sure to rent it first if you have any doubts.

Check out Cheat Code Central's full review of Super Dragon Ball Z, which includes our scores and screen shots for the game. For tons more reviews, previews, and cheats for PS2, Xbox, PC, Xbox 360, GameCube, PSP, DS, GBA, and more, check out Cheat Code Central.

New Online Slot Machine Games From Microgaming

2008-12-27T12:00:00.001-08:00

Writen by Gregory DeVictor

The 3 major software providers for the online gambling industry are Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, and Playtech. Microgaming was the first software company and has been the market leader ever since. Over the past two years, Microgaming has launched over 50 new slot machine games, each with its own unique theme. This article summarizes 5 of these new slot games, including Mermaids Millions, Cabin Fever, Major Millions 5-reel progressive slots, Cashville, and Bush Telegraph.

Mermaids Millions is a 5-reel, 15-pay-line video slot machine with an oceanic theme. There are plenty of mermaids, treasure chests, sea horses, and even King Neptune himself. Two or more King Neptune symbols on the pay-line create winning combinations. Two symbols pay out $2, three symbols pay out $500, four symbols pay out $2,000, and all five King Neptune symbols pay out $7,500.

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, Cabin Fever is a game that might appeal to you. Cabin Fever is 5-reel, 20-pay-line video slot machine with the theme of winter. The minimum coin size is 1¢, which makes the game appealing to low rollers. Two or more Wild Blizzard symbols on the pay-line create winning combinations. Two symbols pay out $15, three symbols pay out $100, four symbols pay out $1,000, and all five Wild Blizzard symbols pay out $5,000.

The 5-reel version of Major Millions complements the original 3-reel version. Major Millions, with a jackpot starting at $250,000, is by far the largest progressive slot on the web. Major Millions is the only progressive slot that has ever paid out jackpots exceeding $1,000,000. Your win the jackpot if you hit 5 Major Millions symbols on the 15th pay-line.

Cashville is a 5-reel, 20 pay-line video slot machine that has the theme of success and old money. Cashville now has the largest "non-progressive" payouts of any slot machine on the net. Two or more Wild symbols on the pay-line create winning combinations. Two symbols pay out $4, three symbols pay out $180, four symbols pay out $1,500, and all five Wild symbols pay out a whopping $50,000.

Originating in Australia, Bush Telegraph is a 5-reel, 15-pay-line video slot machine with a game park theme. Now one of the most popular online slot games, Bush Telegraph accepts coins from 1¢ up to $1.00. Two or more Wild Bush symbols on the pay-line create winning combinations. Two symbols pay out $5, three symbols pay out $200, four symbols pay out $2,000, and all five Wild Bush symbols pay out $7,500.

Whether you play slot machines online or blackjack in Vegas, remember to only gamble with the money that you can afford to lose. Don't exceed your spending limit should you lose, and never gamble when you are tired or irritable. By following these simple rules of gambling, your casino experience - online or at a land-based casino - will be more enjoyable.

Gregory DeVictor is a consultant who has been developing and marketing web sites since 1999. You can learn more about slot machines at: www.Slot-Machines.name

Uav Geobat Balloon Radar Decoy Strategies

2008-12-26T12:00:00.003-08:00

Writen by Lance Winslow

A GeoBat small UAV might be the perfect platform for an enemy radar decoy and disruption balloon concept. A swarm of GeoBat UAVs could be hand launched and sent into enemy territory and travel using tiny amounts of fuel. Please read this report first:

http://worldthinktank.net/wttbbs/index.php?showtopic=387

The GeoBat would fly into the enemy's area and land in water or land. If it landed in water it would sink itself using a small hook and fishing line to take it below the surface of the water and anchor itself floating in the water. In the wings of the GeoBat would be a deployable balloon, which would inflate via satellite command and the GeoBat would surface in the water and float up into the sky or arise from the land where it last landed. The balloon would be made of thin aluminum foil and contain a gas which was used to inflate the GeoBat stored in a small compressed tube on board.

As the GeoBats floated into the air they would register many different signatures on the radar, which would be quite significant depending on the swarm, each rising to a relatively random height and floating with the wind. The GeoBats could be turned off and on, rising and lowering, deflating and re-inflating over and over again. They can even start up the motor and fly around in any direction needed, overwhelming the enemy. Attached to the GeoBats would be any number of sensors based on the mission needs, such as video feed, sonar altitude controls, whistlers, etc. These units would have a Tiny OS - Operating System, which could be pinged by the satellite to do various tasks, easy yes or no, one or zero commands.

A small pulse of sound could emit inside the balloon to make the enemy radars blink on and off, simultaneously or all at once. With this amount of disruption there would be no way to tell what is what. In a planned attack of a large region they could fly to their intended points prior and in many locations surrounding the region. A set of complex schemes and tactics could render the enemy in a disrupted and chaotic state, making them hesitate, second guess equipment, make mistakes and generally causing the human operated command and control center to become relatively useless as a serious of Smart Munitions zero in and are launched at key pre-designated targets.

Lance Winslow