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Saturday, October 8, 2011

Guild Wars 2: The Future Of Online Role Playing Games

Guildwars 2 is considered to be the most anticipated online game for 2011, but it seems it won't be release this year. ArenaNet, the developer of Guildwars 2 is still tweaking the game to its full potential. As they always say in any press releases, "It will be out, when its ready." That statement will bring more hype and as it always did in other online games, it will also raise the curiosity level a bit higher.
As an avid fan of massive multiplayer online role-playing games or mmorpg for short, I'm always on the look out for some of the most innovative games on the market. To tell you the truth, every online game gives the premise that they are the most unique among the pack.
Being different and offering more diverse features makes Guildwars 2, a step higher among the other games out there. What makes it different? Almost every part of this game is revolutionary on its own right. Take for example - "dynamic events" - where there are no designated npc (non player character) to get your quests and no scripted events that are expected to happen. It's all random and it will depend solely on world events, that's a fresh approach to the old questing method that we have known before.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

The SWTOR Scoundrel Skills and Abilities

Star Wars: the Old Republic (SWTOR), offers a total of eight main classes. Each of the main classes offers an additional two advanced classes. Any gamers who choose to play as a Smuggler gets to choose between specializing as either a Gunslinger or a Scoundrel early on in the game. Given they branch from the same main class; attire, weapons and general appearance are rather similar between the two advanced classes. They also share one abilities tree and have two advanced class specific skill trees each.
The SWTOR Scoundrel class is known for its healing abilities and burst ranged damage which is reflected by the Scoundrel's weapon preference and abilities. Unlike the Gunslinger, the Scoundrel deals with damage using a blaster shot gun and offers gamers with skills and abilities such as Stealth, Cover system and Medicine.
The advanced class shares the Dirty Fighting skill tree with the Gunslinger specialization. This ability tree offers a variety of skills and abilities but is focused on using tricks and skills that takes advantage of the situation. Example abilities offered by the skill tree are those that lowers cool down time by a lot and deals extra damage on opponents when they're weak. This ability tree best depicts the tricky, opportunistic nature of smugglers in the vast Star Wars universe.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

A Wii-Lii Good Time (Groan!) - Why You Should Keep Hold of Your Wii Beyond 2011

The Nintendo Wii is a machine of seemingly limitless possibility. By bringing arcade-style gaming back into the home, with all its immediacy, coin-op simplicity and potential for public humiliation intact, Nintendo have discovered a very basic, and very profitable, piece of information; video games are supposed to be fun. Somewhere, along a derelict road littered with multi-disc epics, hyperbolic adjectives and a rampant desire to prove that games are a 'legitimate' source of entertainment, home gaming forgot the fun. Stories had become impossibly po-faced and ponderous; heroes metamorphosed into whiny navel-gazing wankers and video games became as over-the-top as an Axl Rose funeral, directed by Michael Bay. In the rain. Wii games to the rescue, then.
By the time the Wii hit centre stage, video game sales were up, but the simple, iconic 'plug-in and play' titles, with no console to support them, had been relegated to the back alleys of the Internet, the exclusive domain of bored net users in between porn-site excursions at 3AM. The Wii announced, in enormous neon letters for all to see, that games for the sake of gaming were back. It was like going back in time to 1974 and watching The Ramones play CBGBs for the very first time. Maybe you aren't ready for that stuff yet, but your kids are gonna love it.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Tetris Axis - Nintendo 3DS

No matter what gaming platform you find on the market, Tetris has a version for it. Nintendo hasn't forgotten the legend that led the way forward in gaming and recently released Tetris Axis.
No one can deny that the first Tetris kicks serious butt and just about everyone played it, whether you were a gaming fan or not. Even my grandmother played Tetris, and she can't even use a calculator. With over 20 years of existence and hundreds of new versions appearing since then each featuring new modes and gameplay, Axis needs some spectacular gimmicks to make it worthwhile. Almost everyone already played it to death and what incentive is there to play a 20 year old game?
Axis has over 20 modes to play the world's favorite block game. Besides the classic mode you can revert to Tetromino mode, which is a fast paced crazy action which will send your brain into overdrive. Stage Racer is another mode that will have you building blocks in a scrolling downward maize of mayhem. Tower Climber lets you stack blocks around a cylindrical tower. Bombliss lets you trigger explosions to clear blocks.
It's true that all modes will not appeal to everyone, hence gamers will find their favorite mode and stick with it. With such a vast variety it's unlikely to find fault with the game. The game is still as addictive as ever and provides endless fun for the whole family.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Use The Xbox to Learn Piano Or Keyboard As Well As Your Games Console And Get The Most Out Of It

Although the Xbox has been mainly used for gaming, because of its connectivity to the internet it can be used for so much more these days including learning to play piano or keyboard.
Most people have their game consoles set up in their spare room or study room, and this is the room where people chill out after a long day at the office, so it's a perfect area to set up a piano or keyboard.
The Xbox is a fantastic gaming console, and is very popular with both the younger generation and adults.
There are so many features to the Xbox, including, being able to connect it to your iPod, to play music, play audio devices streamed from your PC for example films, music videos photos and mp3 files.
You can also play games through the internet for free.
There are many more educational products available now too, so why not use it to learn how to play piano or keyboard yourself?

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Flight Simulator Games and Your Game Controls

If you enjoy playing flight simulator games, you will find that force feedback controls have a lot to offer in order to increase your enjoyment in game play. Everyone has different needs and wants in their flight simulators and these controls can help fulfill some of those.
Your preference may be the opportunity to be a combat pilot facing enemy aircraft in dog fights or going on long range bombing missions. Others may enjoy just sitting in a cockpit of a large aircraft, miles above earth traveling the globe.
Something as simple as a force feedback joystick can bring much more realism to your game play. To really experience the feeling of power and speed of your chosen aircraft, this is the way to go.
Being able to get that feedback through your hands gives you the feeling of being more in control, as the controls are the heart of your system. To make it even better, what you need are a high quality pedal set and yoke and below are some of the best available today.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Educational Games Help Prepare Your Kid's Future

What kids do in their childhood may have a major role to the way they are going to be in the future. If they have been doing nonproductive activities then most likely they will not be very successful when they grow up. It is important to direct children on their activities. As a parent, you need to assess if what they have been doing are productive and if it is not, it is your responsibility to not let them spend too much on such activities. You need to redirect them to things that are beneficial to them. For example, instead of letting them play too much time on unhealthy and nonsense games, you could let them play educational games.
If you want your children to be more successful in the future, you ought to provide them stuff that they can do which are helpful for their development. Of course, you will also have to make sure that they can enjoy these things because forcing them to do something that they do not like is not right; however, you still need to encourage them. Show them that these activities can be fun and you can do this by playing with them. This way you can boost their level of interest for such activities.
Finding the right resources is not really a problem because there are a lot of fun and creative educational materials out there. There are many educational games available but the question is which one of these your children will truly enjoy. Ask your kids about the type of educational games they like to play and proceed from there. Or you can buy a variety of these materials so they will have many educational game alternatives.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Battlefield - Bad Company

This is the best multi-platform shooter EVER, HANDS DOWN! Whereas CoD has you sprinting off by yourself, drop-shotting, and camping with some twitch-shoot mechanics, Battlefield encompasses the features that made people play First Person Shooters to begin with -- the feeling of being in a battle. Several factors contribute to this. The graphics are not the best out there, but they're very solid, much better than the first Bad Company which suffered from a grainy effect and low view-distance. Atmospheric effects (sand, debris, smoke) are done brilliantly and are wonderfully varying. One second you can looking down your scope in the desert and see everything laid out clearly. The next, looking in the same exact spot, your vision can be distorted by a rogue burst of wind and sand.
The sound quality is even better, arguably unrivaled in gaming. Distant sound occurs a second or two after the event, giving the impression of a larger battle. Guns sound real and powerful, as do the bullets hitting various surfaces. Explosions are deafening and disorienting, and almost everything sounds.. deep. It's almost hard to describe, but the sound in this game is unlike most shooters on the market, and really do contribute to the feel of a great fight. Destruction is back, and is much improved. Buildings can actually topple, though not without a very fair amount of damage. No longer can trees and doors be cut down with your infantry knife, so it doesn't have the feeling of being stuffed in your face that its predecessor did. Unlike CoD games, every building can be a shelter without reducing the experience to hide and seek. You're never safe inside; every wall surrounding you can be shattered down. Vehicular play is smooth as ever, and manages to feel both powerful and vulnerable to an organized team. The blackhawk especially is a blast to ride in with a squad of friends, and the helicopter controls are much smoother than in the last game. The maps are larger and more varied, with a combination of urban and outdoor combat.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Virtual World for Kids and Safety

Online Worlds are demonstrating that they can be excellent, safe online locations for kids to have a pleasurable time as well as interact with other people. The appealing safety features which online worlds are giving are well-liked among parents searching for internet to safeguard their children. However these security characteristics aren't the sole reasons why virtual world subscriptions carry on developing with new virtual worlds for kids continuing to pop-up.
Online worlds truly appeal to kids with their three dimensional animation, vibrant worlds waiting to be discovered, and also the capability for kids to construct their unique avatars. In contrast to watching television, inside an online world a young child can completely interact with others.
Virtual worlds are not only a entertaining spot for kids, but parents seem to be comfortable with the sites usually ending up being educational helping children to understand and develop whilst nevertheless enjoying on their own. They create keyboard abilities, practice reading through chats and guidelines, mathematics, business, and also allow them to take part in imaginative role playing. The cooperative character of online worlds assists children in developing important sociable skills whilst helping them gain a deeper knowledge of their part as individuals in a community.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

History of Game Design

Arising as a prominent branch of game development in the 1970s after the huge success of arcade video games, game designers as we know them today were tasked with designing the bulk of content for the game, including the rules, storyline, characters and overall appeal. Today, game designing is a multi-million dollar industry that's only expected to grow larger as technology advances. Take a look at the timeline below to see how the industry has evolved and expanded over the years.
1952 - Willy Higinbotham creates what is commonly referred to as "the first video game." Similar to table tennis, this 2 person game was played on an oscilloscope.
1961 - A MIT student, Steve Russell, creates the first interactive game, Spacewars, played on mainframe computers.
1971 - Computer Space, developed by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney (founders of Atari), becomes the first video arcade game released. Although it was instantly popular, many people found the game too difficult.
1972 - Realizing the potential of video games, Magnavox released Odyssey, the first home video gaming system. Most notably though, Atari is founded and quickly recognized as the leader in the video game industry. Their first released game, Pong, was wildly successful and soon became available as a home version.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

RPG Dice and Cheating

Brand new roleplayers should be warned about a certain kind of gamer. You'll figure this out yourself eventually, but there's no reason you should learn through the school of hard knocks. A certain highly competitive type of roleplayer tends to fudge their die rolls.
I'm not talking about the gamemaster who is rolling particularly hot and who fudge on the die roll to keep something horrible from happening to the group. That's white hat dice tactics. I'm talking about the player who out-and-out cheats on their dice rolls. Here's a few of the tactics to look out for.
Dice Tactics
The d100 is a big source of cheating in tabletop roleplaying. Since most people don't have an actual 100-sided die (they exist), most people use either two d10s or two d20s (using the last digit in double-digit numbers) to simulate the d100 experience. In either case, one die represents the single digit or single numbers (0-9) and the other represents the double digit numbers (counting by ten: 10, 20, 30...).
But if you have two dice in a roll, which one is the 1-digit number and which one is the factor of 10 can become mixed up. That's especially true if both dice are the same color or nearly the same color. My friend would roll two blue dice. While they weren't the same color, they were nearly the same color, close enough that the others at the table weren't likely in the middle of simulated melee combat to pay much attention. This created the opportunity to cheat.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Bratz Games: A Young Gal's Best Friend

Bratz are fashion dolls that enjoyed rampant popularity in 2001. They are MGA Entertainment's long overdue response to the very popular Barbie dolls. The creation of Bratz was quite a brave move as the prominence of Barbie can never be denied after all these years. But despite that, the Bratz made a very impressive impact on the American market a short time after their release. From simply being dolls, they penetrated all other media, merchandise, and industries. And that is how the Bratz games are born.
Welcome Cloe, Sasha, Jade, and Yasmin. They are the four original Bratz dolls that made it big for MGA. Unlike Barbie who is a full grown adult, the Bratz are teenagers. They look much younger and love fashion, make-up, party, and music. They have heads larger than their bodies. Their eyes are almond-shaped and their faces all dolled-up with eye shadow, lipstick, and blush on.
Bratz enjoyed immense popularity in 2005. That is also when the first few video games that featured them prominently were released. And not very soon after, the Bratz games penetrated the internet, all to a young girl's delight. There are all types of Bratz games offered online these days and they're easily accessible too.
Most of the Bratz games available over the internet are dress-up games and it's easy to understand why.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

The Undeniable Success Of Superman Games Online

Superman was created in the 1930s. Then it hit the movies a few decades later. But it has also penetrated the radio, television, and the animated world in the process. Then the video games fad came. Superman figured well in that arena too. It is actually what sealed Superman's monumental success. Superman games became a hit worldwide since then as they had effectively captured the interest of console players around the globe. And when the internet grew into such a big craze, Superman games online turned into a high flying success.
If you go online right now, you'll find not just dozens of Superman titles but hundreds of them. Good choices are Superman Metropolis Defender, Superman Training Academy, and Superman Kryptonite Game. If you actually try to play all of the games available, it would take you months before you get to finish them. Superman games online are popular for many reasons. But it is mostly because this superhero is well identified with the Americans. Everybody in the USA knew about him - he even looks like them. When anybody says his name in America, everyone would have fair idea who he is. After all, he's a cultural icon in this part of the world.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Play Sonic Games: The Choices You Have and What They Can Do For You

Studies show that games, more particularly video games, can actually be used to treat certain health concerns such as depression, addiction, and anxiety. So if you feel some stress in your body, maybe you should play Sonic games and you will be free of them almost immediately. For those who don't know Sonic, he is the cute and cuddly hedgehog that had served as Sega's mascot for the longest time. Sonic is also the protagonist of several dozens of media offerings.
If you want to keep your mind off your worries even for a short period of time, try playing the classic Sonic the Hedgehog game. There's also Rad Mobile, the racing game where Sonic first appeared. Since the release of the first Sonic platform game, more than 50 titles hit the market with all of them following the same feel and strategies included as the original one. Play Sonic games now and compare it with how they did it in 1991. You'll be surprised there won't be much difference across the versions at all.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Top Racing Games: Hours of Racing Thrills on Your iPad

Can an iPad become the next Nintendo or PlayStation? This device is a cool platform for many popular games of various genres. It goes great with racing games that are both fun to play and not very expensive to download.
I used to love the Mario Kart racing game on Nintendo DS and Need for Speed on my computer. But now I am more in love with the iPad games such as Shrek Kart HD, Need for Speed Hot Pursuit for iPad and Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD.
I can play them for hours, and I hope you can also enjoy hours of racing thrills on your tablet computer with these best, on my opinion, racing games for this iOS device.
1. Need For Speed Hot Pursuit for iPad: This racing game offers you a cool competition and a big challenge. It can really blow you away.
Are you able to outrun the law? Will you get away from police on a supercar? Or maybe you will choose to play the cop yourself and use roadblocks or EMP lock to fry racers. You can play for whoever you want. Either way is amazing and interesting.