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Modern Warfare 2

2009-05-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, is in development and set to release on November 10, 2009. It was officially announced by Activision Blizzard on December 3, 2008.

No co-operative play will be included in the campaign of Modern Warfare 2, unlike the previous installment. In the Game Informer article, Infinity Ward stated that co-op campaign detracted greatly from the cinematic effect of the game no matter how they tried to implement it. However, a new mode of gameplay, called Special Forces mode, will include co-operative play. Special Forces mode will include several fast-paced action missions similar to Mile High Club which will be of much higher difficulty than normal campaign missions and will lack real stories.

It has also been stated that NPCs will carry customized weaponry, similar to multiplayer.

In at least one mission, enemy soldiers will be amongst non-combatant civilians, forcing the player to discern between civilians and militia soldiers.

Modern Warfare 2 is to feature Russia once again in political turmoil. Makarov, a political leader coming from the shadow of Imran Zakhaev, plots to cause a chain of events that would threaten global security. The plan made by Makarov is deemed dangerous enough for Task Force 141, led by Cpt. Soap MacTavish, to be deployed to Russia. There, the force must fight its way through near-white out conditions. After escaping the scene on snowmobiles, Task Force 141 is later deployed to Rio De Janeiro to capture an arms der linked to the plot, eventually being led to the barren lands of Afghanistan. But the intel Cpt. Soap MacTavish and the rest of Task Force 141 is receiving is likely inaccurate, as even they do not understand the danger of the sinister plot.

On May 10th, a promotional video for Modern Warfare 2 was unveiled on TNT. Multiple weapons were shown in the video, all of which are listed above, along with weapons shown in the Game Informer article. On May 21st, a second promotional video was shown on GTTV. Both of the two videos were pieces of the large trailer that was to be released on May 24th, to which an Infinity Ward developer responded, "The extended trailer which launches on ModernWarfare2.com on Sunday will be 5x the amount of content.".[3]

Sure enough, the full length trailer topped off at around 2 minutes with more gameplay than was previously shown. The trailer's debut was so popular that the official Infinity Ward forums were crashed for nearly ten minutes, due to the flood of people.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine UNCAGED Edition (PS3)

2009-05-10T18:22:00.000-07:00

Making certain superhero videogames must be difficult. Some guys, like Batman, are just regular people with lots of money and awesome gadgets, and they can still die. But what about nearly immortal characters, like Superman? The Man of Steel has kryptonite to make him a little more "human," but Marvel's undying bundle of anger, Wolverine, can survive almost anything (or at least put himself back together after being torn to shreds). Wolverine's latest adventure X-Men Origins: Wolverine, does a great job of making you feel like the nearly invincible mutant, but it doesn't quite provide a story to match.

Like the title indicates, Origins details Wolverine's beginnings...well more of the origin of his name and adamantium frame. The character's true origin began in the 1800s. Regardless, Origins' five-chapter tale alternates between the present (mostly the Weapon X facility) and three years in the past (in an African jungle), setting up a frame story that slowly but surely drives the narrative forward. After act three, however, things start to get weird; for every question the game answers, it brings up two more. Other popular mutants, like Gambit and the Blob, make brief appearances, but their cameos only confuse the tale of flashbacks further. By the end, the game has set up so many loose plot threads that it leaves no choice but to try and wrap them up in a confusing mishmash of explosions and overlong battles.

But you're playing this game for one reason and it's not for a Dickensian retelling of Logan's history; it's to do what "he does best": tear people in half with reckless, bloody abandon. And that's what Origins gets right. The camera cinematically sweeps around the battlefield, and the game throws the action into slow motion whenever you execute an especially violent decapitation. And almost every enemy can succumb to getting ripped apart at the torso or a messy decapitation. The combos are simple, and button-mashing usually works just as well as any type of strategy. But the game always makes you feel like an effective killing machine.

The guys you're killing, however, get old pretty fast. Both the "past" jungle levels and "present" facility chapters pit you against the exact same enemies, reskinned to fit their surroundings. It's even more off-putting when you start fighting mutants. How many blade-wielding, four-armed dancers exist in Wolverine's world? Apparently several hundred. Boss encounters, while they force you to change up your battle strategy a little, are simple exercises in running around in circles, leaping on your opponent's back, and slowly whittling away at their health bar.

But to ease the grind of fighting the game's endless parade of cloned grunts, Origins incorporates a few adventure-like qualities (leveling up, equipping new powers, choosing which skills to power up). While it adds a sense of purpose to the slaughter, it's also a bit misleading. You can constantly upgrade your strength and stamina, but the enemies always seem to take the same amount of punishment. And it makes the cut-scenes, where Wolverine effortlessly slices through skin, bone, and concrete walls that much more jarring. How do the same enemies take so much more damage when they're in-game? By the end of Origins, I was hoping to have created a Wolverine who could swing a fist and immediately send limbs flying, rather than a character that feels about the same as he did at the beginning of the game.

Origins also occasionally throws in some nonsensical platforming sections to slow things down. Suddenly, the camera feels like less of a thrilling addition, and more like an annoyance whose purpose is to make you die. Leaping precariously between platforms or girders with Wolverine's inexact jumping is one thing, but some scenes force you to run toward the camera, away from some cataclysmic danger, usually while avoiding obstacles at the same time. Screw up: You die, and start over (though invisible walls tend to keep you from taking too many unnecessary leaps to your doom).

The game has unlockable costumes, which is a nice change if you get tired of looking at Logan's A-shirt attire, but neither costumes nor battle damage carry over to most of the game's cut-scenes. One second you're dressed as the classic, yellow-and-blue suited Wolverine, the next you're looking at your character in jeans and a white shirt -- all the more strange since most of the scenes take place in-engine, not as separate, high-rendered cinematics. It's the oversight to little details that ultimately detract from the game the most. Sure, Wolverine takes battle damage, exposing gaping chest wounds, protruding arm bones, and a bare skull. But his pants are always perfectly intact. Maybe Levi's Jeans has a secret deal with the Wolverine game: the pants can get a little bloody, but they can't sustain damage -- like a racing game where none of the cars can show any scratches or dents.

While Origins doesn't seem to have any game-breaking bugs, I still ran into spots that had me walking in mid-air or grabbing onto invisible ledges. Even the final boss encounter forced me to spend part of the battle running around in the sky, just trying to get back to the battlefield. The game never locked up or dropped me through a floor, but it still has some pretty big glitches for a finished product. And, this is a minor detail, but Origins doesn't have subtitles. If you want to turn down the game's constant shouting and battle noises, you'll also miss out on everything the characters are saying.

As a mindless, button-masher that puts you in control of the eternally angry Wolverine, the game provides some simple fun. But it quickly devolves into a mediocre Tomb Raider/God of War mash-up of balancing across precarious ledges, quick time events, and moving crates around to solve "puzzles." Origins isn't bad at what it does, but what it does isn't very ambitious.

Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason

2009-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

The game story develops with help of a unique system called Mental Echo - the ability to penetrate another character's memory and change the actions taken by that character in the past. This can involve saving people's lives by taking over their bodies in their memories and changing the course of history.

One of the available gameplay videos shows the protagonist enter the memories of a cow carcass, thus reliving the final moments of the animal in a slaughtering house before being decapitated.

The game, being set in an arctic setting, employs body heat as a health meter - the player must use heat sources (such as lights or stoves) to replenish health.

Cryostasis takes place in 1981 on a nuclear icebreaker called the North Wind, which has become shipwrecked near the North Pole. The main character, Alexander Nesterov, is a Russian meteorologist who must investigate what happened onboard the ship. But he’s not alone, and the North Wind is now plagued by dead crewmen who have undergone a bizarre metamorphosis due to the effects of the incredibly cold climate. Alexander must try to unravel the mystery of the ship captain’s death and discover whether it was the cold or possibly, something far more sinister.

The game is the first to make use of Nvidia PhysX real-time water physics as displayed in a tech demo of the game engine.

Cryostasis has so far received mixed reviews. Resolution Magazine described the game as "tense, frequently innovative and attractive," and claimed that "its shortcomings are definitely outweighed by its strengths," awarding it 78%. Eurogamer was slightly more critical, awarding the game 6 out of 10 and stating that "it's not quite creative enough - its environments fall into a monotony of samey rooms and bulkheads - and its combat is too clunky to be delicious." PC Format meanwhile award the game 83% and called it "A beautiful, yet flawed gem that offers up a thoroughly unique experience."

Cryostasis doesn't utilize multi-core CPU support, and thus makes it difficult for many players to play the game smoothly. This is uncommon as most modern games take advantage of multi-core CPUs. The issue has been discussed in the official game forum.

Square Enix Says FFXIII to Use "Nearly 100%" of PS3 Power

2009-04-01T00:37:00.000-07:00

Final Fantasy XIII Trailer - NEW!

Final Fantasy XIII is looking to be a showpiece for the PlayStation 3, and Square Enix is confident that it will push the system to its limits. Kotaku reports that, speaking to Japanese magazine Dengeki PlayStation 3, producer Yoshinori Kitase addressed some questions about the game. "Doesn't the demo use about 50 percent of [the PlayStation 3's] power?" he said. "Of course, I think the retail version will make use of nearly 100 percent."

As a comparison, he commented that this game will be to the PlayStation 3 what Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy X were to the PlayStation and PS2, respectively. But, he reassured that the game won't require disc swapping, at least on the PlayStation 3, due to the capacity of Blu-Ray and PS3 harddrive space.

Sony CEO Kaz Hirai recently made waves when he commented that the console was made "hard to program for" in order to pace the flow of taking full advantage of the console. Square Enix has usually been a trendsetter when it comes to packing punch on Sony's systems. If Final Fantasy XIII does take almost full advantage of the hardware, we can bet other developers will take it as an example to follow.

The other elephant in the room, of course, is the Xbox 360 version. Since it will be ported after the PlayStation 3 version is finished, it probably isn't on the minds of the developers. But if the game is really pressing the PS3 that hard, we'll have to see if any compromises are necessary for the 360.

Mana Khemia: Student Alliance

2009-03-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Mana Khemia: Student Alliance (PSP) US Debut Trailer

It seems like it was only last year that the PS2 version of Mana Khemia was getting mediocre reviews - oh wait, it was just last year. A PSP port already? Ok, we'll roll with it. Nothing wrong with putting a little alchemy in your pocket, especially when there are multiplayer battles with exclusive rewards to be had. Sadly there are some technical issues that make the port pretty undesirable unless you're really that keen on the ad hoc additions.

Back to School
For those of you who didn't jump at the original, it's basically a guild-style RPG (where you accept quests from a front desk) except in this case you're a student at a magic academy signing up for classes. Each semester you need a certain amount of credits to pass, and you earn them by going on quests to gather certain items, kill a specific monster, or synthesize a particular item. Along the way you can also complete "free time" quests to learn more about your character, Vayne, who has a predictably hazy past, and his workshopmates: alchemically ambitious Jess, cat-girl to the max Nikki, and (cue theme song) Flay, with the big sword.

Character progression is somewhat frustrating, but also oddly compelling. You can't just grind in the field and level up. You earn points for defeating enemies, but those don't go into stat upgrades until you fill out your Growth Book (sort of like the license board in Final Fantasy XII) which requires that you synthesize items. I.e. crafting is not optional in this game, and in fact, it's probably the main draw (if you're into that sort of thing), although the battle system (transparently turn-based, with ways to strategically screw with the order) is pretty fun.

Underachiever
Actually, despite the somewhat generic look and sound, I would describe Mana Khemia as fun in general. The PSP version, however, has this incredibly unfun, dual-pronged fork-in-the-eye problem of too many pokey load breaks paired with one...h-ell of a...won---ky, fra-me...rate. There were so many times until I got used to it that I thought the game was just going to crash altogether. The Jump Start install might ameliorate this somewhat, but only if you have enough room on your memory stick. I know there are definitely people who will be hooked enough to grin and bear it, but it's too bad this couldn't have been a more polished product.

PROS: Fun combat, compelling character progression, new multiplayer battles
CONS: Horrible optimization

Retro Game Challenge Review

2009-03-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

Where were you during the 1980's? Whether you were a burned out stoner, a soulless Wall-Street investor, or just a gleam in the eye of your sex having parents, you probably spent a lot of time in front of a television with a Nintendo Entertainment System hooked up to it. Unless you were one of those weirdos that owned a Sega Master System. Regardless of certain life choices, I think we all spent countless hours playing those old 8-bit games. With Retro Game Challenge for the DS, Namco, with the help of XSEED's smart localization, warps us back in time to the days when 8-bit was king and creates a sort of video game period piece. For in this one DS game card, you are given eight separate and complete games created in the classic 8-bit style (technically, two of the games are sequels and one is a special edition you win as a prize). These are not mini or micro games; each included title is just about as deep as many stand alone NES games from way back. Rather than just throw all these games at you from the start, you are introduced one by one to each new game; the twist is how you go about completing objectives in order to progress and unlock more games through a series of challenges.

You begin the game after being transported back to 1984 by the evil entity known as Arino. Apparently, he was horrible at current-gen games and chooses you to try and complete his many increasingly difficult challenges. The challenges range from completing a certain number of stages without dying in an action platformer, to performing a certain racing technique in another title. The bottom DS screen actually shows your character with a younger, human version of the villain, while the top screen is where the actual games are played. While navigating the bottom screen you can make small talk with your friend, use the memo pad to take notes, and most importantly read the different gaming magazines acquired as you play. As the games become more sophisticated and the challenges more difficult, these magazines sometimes hold the key to victory. For an example, one issue has a special developer interview but also happens to include an invincibility cheat code for the space shooter in case you were having trouble with that pesky mid boss on level two. Complete enough of the challenges presented for one game and Arino will send you head first into a new title with all new feats to accomplish.

Before I go any further explaining the details of the individual games, I should talk a little about the basis of Retro Game Challenge. The game is actually based on a Japanese television show called Game Center CX, in which the focus of the show involves the lively host, named Arino, who must play through a difficult old video game (many times from the 8-bit era). I'm sure that watching the usually helpless host reminds many people of when they were frustrated at the sheer brutality and unforgiving nature of those older games. No continues and one hit deaths? Really? With the help of his coworkers, strategy guides, and sometimes even a few cheat codes, he soldiers on and completes the game to see the ending sequence. There has been some talk that the show is being prepped for an American DVD release, but nothing is definite at this point. Of course, most anything can be found on the Internet so if the idea for this show interests you at all, I suggest you explore that further. The show is so popular in Japan that it has spawned multiple DVD sets, books, and now even its own video game. Those somewhat familiar with the show will pick up on certain references in the game, such as the fact the evil “villain” forcing you to face each challenge is actually a deranged, digital version of the program's host. However, don't think this game is all inside jokes and references to a show that hasn't made it out of Japan yet.

When localizing the game, XSEED seems to have had a lot of fun bringing this game to an American audience. As you complete certain stages in the game, you will be reminded of the amazingly bad translation work from those early NES games (in the vein of "a winner is you"). The magazines you receive throughout the game feature short articles sprinkled with clever pop culture references that seem a little restrained but still funny. Surprisingly, some of the funniest moments occur when you choose to chat with your roommate. It's never a necessary action but chatting with the young Arino will give you some random, quirky dialogue that is always good for a laugh. Not surprisingly, XSEED managed to take what might be considered a uniquely Japanese game and make it work with a brand new Western audience while keeping its original spirit in tact. The company has become known for bringing over games that otherwise might never see the light of day outside of Japan and they do not disappoint with their treatment of Retro Game Challenge.

At this point, I should get back to the actual games that make up this collection and explain a little about each one since no matter how funny or clever the setup, the games are what truly matter. You start out playing Cosmic Gate, otherwise known as the Galaga clone. Your ship moves left to right and enemy bugs attack in waves. Next you are introduced to Haggle Man, where you play as a robot ninja trying to rescue a princess. This game is more of an action platformer with puzzle elements; you can jump on enemies and throw ninja stars, but the key lies in how you enter the various doors on each level. Later in the game you receive Haggle Man 2, which updates the original by adding some depth and increasing the difficulty. Even later in the game you are given Haggle Man 3; this is the third in the series but completely changes the gameplay from the two before it. Haggle Man 3 is a straight up side-scrolling action game with a much faster pace. Rally King is the game's racer; it has an overhead view and reminds me of the classic Micro Machines games by Codemasters. You will need to learn the "drifting" technique, which is all about timing, if you want to start winning challenges in this game. There is also a special edition of Rally King, appropriately called Rally King SP that seems to focus far too much on product placement, to the disappointment of our in-game characters. The game Star Prince takes the basic shooter formula from the Galaga clone and turns it into a full fledged scrolling shoot-em-up, complete with intricate bullet patterns and hidden powerups. Guadia Quest is the game's resident role playing game in the original Final Fantasy mold where grinding is the name of the game. The collection of games is diverse with clever touches and all seemed to have been created with a lot of love. Playing through the different games and reading the magazines, I had a feeling there was a sense of history throughout the game's development. The games are given to you as you progress through the different challenges and eventually unlock in a free play mode where you can just enjoy them at your own leisure.

I really enjoyed playing through Retro Game Challenge. I love how the developers created all of these separate games that live and breathe 8-bit nostalgia yet seem fresh and new. The music, the graphics, and the gameplay will take older players back, but still give younger players a whole new experience not available many other places. The challenges can become pretty testing at points, but thankfully there are useful tips and cheat codes available if you really find yourself stuck at a certain point. Part of the fun is being given a challenge that just seems too great, only to find that with some patience and focus you manage to overcome it. The game does a great job of explaining what you need to do next to progress and keeps track of all the challenges for you. Retro Game Challenge is the type of game you don't see very often but can be enjoyed by all types of players. Casual gamers will most likely enjoy the short bursts of fun found in the quick challenges, while the hardcore gamers might find joy in making their way to the various games' end screens without using any cheats.

Overall, Retro Game Challenge is well worth your time and well worth adding to your Nintendo DS collection. Whether you want to relive the eighties or just play some fantastic 8-bit games, there truly is something for everyone that enjoys gaming in its purest form. Now, I need to go back to playing some Retro Game Challenge, since later tonight I will be organizing my cassette tape collection while doing some other hilarious eighties cliché. Retro Game Challenge for the DS gets a 9/10

Review by Sheep at videogamenews.com

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

2009-03-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars- First Official Trailer

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Hands-On
While Grand Theft Auto has previously been on Nintendo's Game Boy platform, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars marks the first time the franchise has appeared on the Nintendo DS. The good news is that from our hands-on time with CTW so far, it seems the game not only captures the unique tone and flavours of the much-heralded series, but does so while introducing new and genuinely entertaining ways of interacting with the gameworld. In our hands-on time with a preview build of the game, we used the DS touch screen to do everything from nimbly racing timers to creating Molotov cocktails, hot-wiring cars, and assembling a kit-form sniper rifle.

The game takes place in the Liberty City you've come to know and love, complete with Dukes, Broker, Bohan, and Alogonquin boroughs. While the locations are familiar, you're going to be looking at them from an entirely different perspective. The most obvious change in GTA:CTW is the game's camera. It falls halfway between the classic top-down view of the original Grand Theft Auto and that of an isometric third-person action game, with the camera zooming in and out as dictated by the action onscreen. The environment initially appears quite flat, but once we found out we could twirl the fixed camera, we saw buildings and vehicles rendered as full 3D objects. Our Rockstar tour guide explained that while the city is modelled as closely as possible on the maps from its console big brothers, some minor tweaks had to be made to accommodate the new gameplay. Therefore, while you'll drive under overhead train tracks (which become transparent as you pass below) there are no split-level roads. Progressive game streaming also means that despite the city's enormity, you'll never bump into a load screen while crossing zones or driving across town to complete a mission. Pedestrians have their own individual AI routines, and following them around you'll observe them heading to and from work, eating hotdogs, and getting into fist fights with total strangers on the road. Full day and night lighting cycles and dynamic weather effects are also present here.

As the game's name suggests, Chinatown Wars focuses largely on Asian crime syndicates and rival gangs scrapping for turf control. You play the role of Huang Lee, the son of a syndicate boss who is killed during a triad power struggle. The game opens with you returning home to Liberty City to meet with your uncle, Wu "Kenny" Lee, to pass on the family's Yu Jian sword--a priceless family heirloom Huang's father won in a card game.

Animated cutscenes with accompanying text explain the backstory as you make your way home. On arrival at the airport, you meet some of your uncle's bodyguards, but before you can even get your bags off the carousel, a bloody shoot-out takes place and you're hit. Left wounded and presumed dead in the back of a car, you regain consciousness in time to find out you're being disposed of as your vehicle careens off the road and plummets into the harbour. It's here that the actual gameplay begins, and you'll immediately be introduced to some of the new stylus-driven interactions with the game. Naturally you'll need to escape the rapidly sinking car, and with doors notoriously difficult to open underwater, you opt to smash the rear window. You'll do this by rapidly stabbing at the DS's touch screen to chip the glass. Though it didn't appear to be velocity sensitive, a few strikes were enough to get us out of our waterlogged coffin and back on dry land.

Naturally, the first thing you want to do is get to your uncle's place and fill him in on the details. This is a GTA game, so there's no real surprise that since your ride is totalled you need to liberate one conveniently sitting at the docks. During our time with the game we stole some cars with screwdrivers, but we also found some with electronic security systems that needed to be hacked before they could be started. Once you get to Kenny's restaurant, Sum Yung Gai, you'll find out that the family sword has been stolen. A subplot unfolds, and though he's family, Kenny seems set on finding the sword not to rightfully return it to your kin, but to pass it on to triad mob boss Hsin Jaoming, with the purpose of winning his favour so as to assume his role when he retires.

Kenny hooks you up with an apartment that you use as your central hub for day-to-day activities. Here you'll be able to manage your contacts, take jobs, and store your drug stash. Once completed, any mission can be replayed at will using the whiteboard at your apartment. Though we didn't see the stats and scores in action, we were told that they will hook directly into the Rockstar Social Club, so you can compete with and compare yourself to friends as well as share in-game items. Given that the mission length tops out at around 10 minutes each to maintain the portability of the game, you'll also have a PDA that lets you save while out and about as well as line up missions without retuning to home base.

All the vehicles we came across included GPS to help point you towards where you need to go. There's also the option to turn on a giant yellow arrow indicator so you can stay focused on the road and not your minimap. The GPS will calculate the fastest legal path to your objective, but you can always take your vehicle off-road through parks or back alleys. The system is also smart enough to redraw on the fly if you deviate from the suggested path or take a wrong turn. Burnouts make a return, and by holding the B and Y buttons you'll streak fire and whip the rear of the car around with a temporary speed boost. It's incredibly useful for getting out of a pinch in a hurry or to take out errant rival gang members who are in the way. Multiple radio stations make an appearance in each car, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding cruising or fleeing tunes to suit whichever situation you find yourself in.

Controls are handled using the face buttons. X will let you enter or exit vehicles, B accelerates, Y reverses, and the right shoulder button locks up the handbrake to perform tight turns. The D pad is used to steer. When you're on foot, the A button shoots your selected weapon (chosen by opening a submenu on the touch screen), which can also be fired while inside cars for drive-bys. The right shoulder button locks onto targets. Like the gameplay, the city is interactive, and if you take the time to search red dumpsters scattered around the capital, you'll often find weapons and other goodies.

We saw several missions during our time with Chinatown Wars. The first, Streets of Rage, introduced us to a crooked cop named Wade Heston. Trying to both crack the Korean Wonsu Nudong crime family and keep the Internal Affairs department off his back, he seeks out your help. A hot tip tells you the gang might have your family sword, so it can't hurt too much to team up with Wade even if you have different agendas. After finding his apartment abandoned, we got an e-mail from Wade telling us that he was caught in an ambush. Once we located him, we faced a miniboss fight of sorts that saw us pinned down behind a wall in an alley as a guy with a minigun ripped the place apart. Since running out would get us shredded, we used grenades to stun the guy before scampering between cover and eventually taking him out. It's not the most complex puzzling we've seen, but it's a nice addition to straight run-and-gun shooter gameplay.

The second mission we played had us protecting a shopfront from a firebomb attack by rival gang the Spanish Lords. After barricading the street by stealing cars and parking them strategically at the choke points, we waited for the gang to turn up. The action kicked off pretty quickly after their arrival, and we were involved in a heated gun battle. Setting cars on fire with a hail of bullets proved to be particularly helpful to keep them at bay. It was then simply a case of picking them off from range with our assault rifle.

The third mission, One Shot, One Kill, saw us driving a limo to a hotel to perform an assassination. Once we had parked and entered the building, we found a briefcase. Inside was a rifle in pieces and in need of assembly. By dragging and dropping the pieces together with the stylus, we got the basics assembled, but we still needed to rotate the stylus to screw in the barrel, insert the cartridge, and attach the scope. Moving into a first-person perspective, we were given instructions on acquiring the target--a man in a white shirt--and lining up our shot. Naturally, once we had completed the deed we attracted a little unwanted attention. We were immediately awarded a three-star wanted rating and needed to find a car to get the hell out of Dodge.

The wanted system for CTW has been changed up a bit. Instead of outrunning cops until they get bored and go away, each star rating you add increases the number of police cars you'll need to destroy before you can get away. Running them off the road or into oncoming traffic to cause head-on collisions usually does the job, and you'll be off scot-free soon enough.

Drugs play an integral role in this game. They're your primary source of income, and by buying and selling them across the city you'll build up your cash reserves, which you can then use for buying weapons. Illegal trafficking isn't without its dangers, though, and the game features its own mini-economy. Buying low and selling high has never been easier, and by following the upwards-pointing green arrow when trading one type of drug for another you can turn a tidy profit. Video cameras scattered around the city make trading near them risky and increase your chances of being caught but also up your profitability. Like with GTAIV's pigeons, you will need to destroy the cameras to achieve 100 percent game completion, and while doing so reduces your risk of getting busted, you'll also bring down your ability to earn. Trading with other dealers is never smart when within eye line of the police, but wherever you do a deal there's a possibility it could go sour, forcing you to flee if you want to keep your wares.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars looks to be a unique take on the well-worn franchise while adding a new twist to the control system and interactivity with the city itself. You don't have long to wait now, with the game due to hit shelves in mid to late March this year.

Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition Hands-On

2009-03-08T03:02:00.000-07:00

Although it has been a few months since EA released Red Alert 3 for the PC and Xbox 360, the publisher is just now putting the final touches on the PlayStation 3 version of the real-time strategy game. While the game has trailed the other versions, EA has taken the extra time to polish up the conversion and add content to give PlayStation 3 owners some love. We recently had the chance to get a look at a work-in-progress version of the game, dubbed Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition, and get our hands on it for a bit to see how it's shaping up.

If you missed Red Alert 3 last year, here are some highlights. The game is the third entry in the Command & Conquer spin-off series that takes the real-time strategy action and drops it into an alternate past. This time out, the game's story has a lot of fun with time travel and mixes up the technologies of the different playable factions. Thanks to a time-travel-fueled assassination, the American, Russian, and Japanese nations have taken some interesting development paths. Mechs, cyberbears, and all manner of borderline-zany units are tossed into the game's pool of infantry and vehicles.

The PS3 game will have all the content found in the original 360 and PC games, so plan on campaigns for the Allies, Soviets, and Rising Sun factions, each with increasing difficulty levels and high-quality video cinematics starring some big-name talent. In a welcome twist, the campaigns will support online co-op play, replacing your AI co-commander in offline play with a human one. In addition, the game will feature an online skirmish mode for you and three friends, which is just two shy of the PC game's six-player support and is on par with the 360 multiplayer. On top of all the content found in the original 360 and PC games, the PS3 version will feature the content found in the PC Premiere Edition of the game, which includes documentaries, a soundtrack, bloopers, video unit profiles that offer useful information, and excerpts from the Battlecast programming the team has been running for a while now. The meaty additions actually come close to filling up the game's Blu-ray disc.

Beyond the game content, there are a few extra odds and ends of note in Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition. First, the game will feature trophies, 50 in fact, which are the same as achievements in the 360 version and are spread throughout single-player, skirmish, and online play. Second, the game doesn't contain any of the content from the upcoming expansion pack for the PC. We asked about DLC for the game and were told it has yet to be determined. Finally, our third bit of info is a heads-up on the game's install, which is shaping up to be 3.8 gigs.

Control is on par with the approach taken in the 360 game. The game uses a radial menu and it maps controls across the Dual Shock in an intuitive fashion that works really well. While it's still not a replacement for a good old keyboard and mouse, it's probably one of the best ways to do an RTS on a console.

Though Red Alert's controls haven't seen much tweaking, the visuals have. The Xbox 360 game was basically fine, but it was a bit muted. The PS3 game, however, benefits from sharper textures and a markedly brighter color palette, putting the game closer to the impressive look of the PC game. On the performance side of things, the action looked to be smooth and didn't hiccup, although we didn't get a chance to flood the map with units.

Based on what we saw and played, Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition is looking like a shinier conversion of the PC game with a good number of extras. Given that the number of real-time strategy games on the PS3 can be tallied on one hand, the game is a welcome addition to the system's library. Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition is slated to ship at the end of March for the PlayStation 3.

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 Ultimate Edition Trailer

Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Review

2009-03-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

With all the critical acclaim for the Watchmen comic series and all the hype surrounding the new movie adaptation, it's possible that folks might have certain expectations for the new video game set in the same universe. However, if you are hoping to find some of the comic's depth and maturity here, or are looking forward to reliving your favorite scenes from the movie, you will be sorely disappointed. Watchmen: The End Is Nigh is a shallow beat-'em-up game set years before the events of the comic. Its narrow scope may disappoint some, and the Watchmen veneer isn't very deep. Yet thanks to lively, brutal combat and impressive visuals, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh is a fun, fist-flinging romp for the few hours that it lasts. The $20 price tag is a steep one, but for anyone who enjoys a good old-fashioned beat-'em-up, The End Is Nigh delivers.

Pretty much all you do for the entire game is beat up bad guys, and the combat is good enough to stay fun throughout. Whether you're playing as Rorschach or Nite Owl (the only two playable characters), the fundamentals are simple: light attack, heavy attack, block, and throw. Peppering your opponent with attacks works well, and there are some nice animation touches that make even this basic combat enjoyable. Throwing enemies is particularly delightful, whether it be into a crowd, off of a ledge, or into a wall. As you progress, you'll encounter tougher enemies that block your basic attacks, so you have to use the various combos you learn along the way in order to stun them or knock them down. These combos add new animations to the mix and are generally a bit nastier than your normal attacks. However, the best animations are the finishers, which you activate by matching the button prompt that appears over the head of a weakened enemy. The camera zooms in during these brutal flurries, allowing you to appreciate every blow. While Nite Owl's no slouch, Rorschach is the clear standout here: his finishers are so manic and so vicious that you can't help but cringe and cackle with delight as he just keeps hitting a guy who is clearly unconscious.

Basic attacks, combos, throws, and finishers make up the bulk of your fighting move set, but Rorschach and Nite Owl have a few other tricks up their sleeves. They can each counterattack easily, disarming any armed opponents and positioning themselves for a strike. Rorschach will even hold onto these weapons, and his brutal finishers get even nastier when there is a crowbar involved, though watching him wield a knife like a bludgeon is a bit silly. Each hero also has two special attacks that drain energy from a meter in the corner of the screen. Rorschach can do a short bull rush or freak out and do more damage for a short period of time. Nite Owl's grenade stuns anyone nearby, and he can use the electric charge in his suit to zap a large radius of foes.

As you fight your way through the rough areas of town, you'll encounter a few different breeds of thug and lowlife, some tougher than others. It's easy to die if you get yourself surrounded and try to punch your way out, but judicious use of counterattacks and special moves should be enough to get you out of any tight situation. There are throwaway actions here and there, like lever-pulling or valve-turning, and an oddly tricky lock-picking minigame that seems a bit out of place in a game that's all about brute force. Despite these extraneous tasks, a creeping sense of repetition looms over The End Is Nigh, and it's possible you'll grow weary of pounding your way through wave after wave of goons. Though the game mixes up your enemies' fighting styles in order to make you use your entire arsenal, the action can often teeter on the edge of button-mashing boredom. Those inclined to revel in the perverse joy of cracking skulls will be able to keep repetition at bay, but the relatively simple gameplay will quickly wear thin for others.

For all its merits, the combat wouldn't be nearly as fun if it wasn't paired with top-notch graphics. The sharp character models are fashioned after the movie costumes, and the smooth, realistic animations make the action exciting and extremely satisfying. You'll chuckle when Rorschach jams his hands in his overcoat immediately after furiously maiming an entire biker gang, and both he and Nite Owl pack a wickedly pleasing punch. There are occasional physics-based oddities, especially when throwing your enemies, but the animation is still consistently impressive. The detailed environments provide a rich setting for your beatdowns, and stark lights and deep shadows (occasionally too deep) create a dramatic look. The quasi-animated cutscenes provide a few pages' worth of story across the six chapters of the game, and the sinister machinations at work fit nicely into the Watchmen universe.

Though you can have some split-screen fun with a friend, it's baffling that there is no online cooperative mode. That would have made the $20 price tag a little easier to swallow, but as it stands the price feels a bit greedy. Those inclined to tire of repetitive gameplay will find the price of entry too high, but there is some value here. The impressively animated combat is fun and brutal, and the sumptuous environments provide the perfect pugilistic playground. The many unlockable combos and achievements provide some replay incentive, and the combat is surprisingly fun to come back to even after you've beaten the game. Though it may be shallow, overpriced, and likely to disappoint anyone hoping for more weighty fare, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh is ultimately a simple, well-crafted game that will please those looking to dish out some good old-fashioned beatdowns.

Review By Chris Watters, GameSpot

The Sims 3 Preview - What's Really New in Sims 3, Plus Goals and Ambitions

2009-03-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

The Sims 3 is finally coming this year, and with it, the renewed hopes and dreams of everyone who's ever wanted to make little computer people have little computer one-night-stands, or make them die horribly in little computer kitchen fires. The third installment of this phenomenally popular series will bring with it new features and improvements to the older stuff--such as better graphics, with enhanced lighting and shadowing, and tons of expressive new animations--but what exactly will be different between The Sims 3 and The Sims 2? We'll take a look, and also dive into the enhanced goals and ambition system, which, if used properly, may grant your sims superhuman powers--such as the mind-blowing ability to never have to go to the potty again. (No, seriously!)

Let's start with the game's customization and editing tools, which are being expanded greatly for The Sims 3. In The Sims 2, there were only two body types ("normal" and "fat"), a handful of preset skin colors, and a handful of preset hair colors. There was a fairly robust set of tools to tweak facial features, primarily based on preset options (a bunch of preset eyes, preset noses, and so on); the most detailed likenesses were created by advanced players using tools outside the game (such as Adobe Photoshop). However, in The Sims 3, facial features will pretty much all have various sliders that will offer much more in-depth tweaking options.

The Sims 3 will also have sliders that will let you choose customized gradients for skin color (to better represent different ethnicities, as well as blue-skinned aliens, green-skinned witches, or what have you); gradients for primary and secondary hair color (for those talented stylists who really want highlights in their hair); a slider for body type that will let you choose how lean, muscular, or fat your characters are; and the new "create a style" swatch tool, which will let you edit and save various color patterns, and then apply them to anything in the world that has a pattern. If you care to, you can make a sim with a leopard-print shirt, a rideable leopard-print bicycle, and a leopard-print refrigerator. (We actually checked on this last part, and we're pleased to report that the leopard-print bicycle totally works.)

Buy and Build modes have been tweaked in The Sims 3, and neighborhood lots will also work differently. Previously, furniture for your house was sorted by function and type; now they'll have a revamped room-specific sorting list as well. The larger part of the story of the Buy and Build modes will be the use of create-a-style to paint all of your furniture, as well as your house, with whichever patterns you want as freeform wallpaper and carpeting--such as with, let's say for the sake of example, leopard print. (We tried this, and you can absolutely have leopard-print sofas in a room with all leopard-print walls.) Swapping in custom-built items created by the fanatically loyal Sims community will also be made easier in The Sims 3 with a built-in application that runs out of the game's launcher (as opposed to having to quit the game, open up a Web browser, and pulling up the "Exchange" community site, which is being updated to include YouTube-like and Facebook-like functionality, such as blogs, friends lists, favorites lists, and user ratings). In addition to uploading and downloading furniture, customized sims characters, and housing to and from the community site, The Sims 3 will have an in-game movie-making tool that will let you upload and download videos to and from the Exchange. More details on that at a later date.

Furthermore, outdoor lots have been changed so that there will now be only one huge, continuous neighborhood (rather than the separate neighborhoods of The Sims 2), within which time is constantly running. Likewise, your neighbors' lives are constantly changing concurrently. The neighborhood view in The Sims 3 has been changed to be an actual real-time 3D space that shows context-sensitive icons that tell you exactly where you need to go if you plan to go out to a gym, restaurant, store, recreational area, or wherever else. Like in The Sims 2, there will be outdoor "lots" outside of your sims' homes where you will still, in fact, send your sims to work out, have a romantic dinner date, buy groceries, or just play in the park. The difference is that in The Sims 3, the neighborhood view is actual 3D space, so you can seamlessly move from your house to a lot, or from one lot to another, without having to hit a loading screen. In fact, if your have a bicycle or car, your sims can immediately hop on and take a ride; if not, sims will be equipped with a mobile phone that they can use to automatically call a taxi to whisk them away to where they're going in real time (not by sitting on a loading screen until they magically reappear at their destination).

There will also be new public events in The Sims 3, such as music concerts, movie premieres, pool parties, barbecues, sporting events, outdoor fishing, and the most civic-minded public activity in a Sims game to date, attending a public protest at SimCity Hall, where your sims can voice their discontent with the administration's legal mumbo jumbo by angrily shouting their own nonsensical "simlish" mumbo jumbo.

The management of sim characters and relationships will also be tweaked and streamlined for the sequel. Previously, you had to manage each of your sims' "motives" (personal needs) such as hunger, fatigue, and needing to go to the bathroom; many of these needs are now automated, and if neglected, sims will take care of themselves. You'll also be able to drag and drop garbage items into the trash to keep your house clean (rather than having to order your sims to manually pick up each old newspaper and clear each dish).

And previously, your sims would start relationships with their neighbors by using "socials," various types of social interactions such as chatting, telling jokes, and so on, and you'd raise or lower your relationship with another character by repeatedly doing either something that the other character liked, or didn't like, until your relationship number reached 100 (the highest level) or -100 (the lowest). In The Sims 3, as we've mentioned in our earlier coverage, you can't simply choose to "chat" with another sim 87 times until he or she falls in love with you; you'll have to vary up your responses, and you'll have different conversation options available depending on your character's personality traits (for instance, having the "evil" trait will let you literally steal candy from a baby) and even on your character's career path (for example, aspiring politicians can ask for campaign donations).

One of the biggest changes in The Sims 3 is the "traits" system, which helps you determine your sims' personality (previously, you used sliders to select how messy or neat; active or lazy; shy or outgoing they were, and that combination would assign your sim an arbitrary horoscope sign, such as Leo or Taurus, that determined personality). Another of the biggest changes is the new-and-improved goals system, which has expanded way beyond The Sims 2's "aspiration" system (which gave sims a handful of daily goals to work toward filling a fulfillment meter to "platinum" level).

You can choose up to five "traits" for your adult sims that will define their personalities, how they interact with their neighbors, what kind of career paths might be more suitable for them, and which characters might be more or less compatible with them. EA's Sims team has done a great deal of fine-tuning on the design of these traits to ensure that they work for different kinds of Sims players. For ambitious players who want all of the advantages, traits such as "ambitious," "schmoozer," "charismatic," and "genius" can give you a head start along certain career paths and put you in a better position to be popular in the neighborhood; for players who are more interested in either creating purposely disadvantaged characters, or creating characters who resemble people they know in real life, there are disadvantageous traits such as "absent-minded," "inappropriate," "unlucky," and of course "insane."

In fact, here's a full and complete list of the 65 traits in The Sims 3 for you to look over: absent-minded, ambitious, angler, artistic, athletic, bookworm, brave, can't stand art, charismatic, childish, clumsy, commitment issues, computer whiz, couch potato, coward, daredevil, dislikes children, easily impressed, evil, excitable, family-oriented, flirty, friendly, frugal, genius, good, good sense of humor, great kisser, green thumb, grumpy, handy, hates the outdoors, heavy sleeper, hopeless romantic, hot-headed, hydrophobic, inappropriate, insane, kleptomaniac, light sleeper, loner, loser, loves the outdoors, lucky, mean spirited, mooch, natural cook, neat, neurotic, never nude (yes, from Arrested Development), no sense of humor, over-emotional, party animal, perfectionist, schmoozer, slob, snob, technophobe, unflirty, unlucky, vegetarian, virtuoso, and workaholic. Enough traits for you?

Along with new traits for your sims, The Sims 3 will have a revamped life-goal system built around "lifetime wishes"--a single long-term goal that you can choose for each of your sims that will eventually grant that character ultimate happiness. You build up to lifetime wishes with periodically updating regular "wishes," which take the form of basic tasks that will unlock minor rewards and increase your sim's overall morale with a "moodlet"--a minor condition that contributes to your characters' overall mood. Evil sim just stole candy from a baby? Ahh, that's a good moodlet: +15. Having to listen to the annoying sound of the crying baby? Ugh, that's a bad moodlet: -15. Working toward your lifetime wish will win your sims "lifetime happiness points" that can be spent on extremely powerful items, such as a teleport pad, or on astoundingly superhuman abilities, such as iron bladder, a complete immunity to having to go to the bathroom. No, seriously.

And here's a full list of the game's 32 lifetime wishes: professional author, world-renowned surgeon, become a superstar athlete, CEO of a megacorporation, hit movie composer, heartbreaker, rock star, the tinkerer, become a master thief, forensic specialist: dynamic DNA profiler, become an astronaut, master of the arts, perfect mind/perfect body, gold digger, star news anchor, living in the lap of luxury, jack of all trades, surrounded by family, renaissance sim, chess legend, the culinary librarian, golden tongue/golden fingers, international super spy, super popular, presenting the perfect private aquarium, celebrated five-star chef, illustrious author, swimming in cash, the perfect garden, leader of the free world, the emperor, and become a creature-robot cross-breeder.

And that's a lot of new stuff going from The Sims 2 to The Sims 3. We're looking forward to playing this new sequel and trying out everything that it has to offer--and it'll offer quite a bit. The Sims 3 is scheduled for release in June.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope Review

2009-03-06T06:06:00.000-08:00

Since its advent nearly 13 years ago, the Star Ocean series has challenged the role-playing game norm with its real-time battles and sci-fi trappings. Despite what appeared to be the series' conclusion with the unconventional revelations seen in Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, it has returned in prequel form on the Xbox 360 with a newly overhauled and better-than-ever combat system. Though it features a weak, cliche story and characters you may want to launch out of the airlock, its fantastic and engaging battles, simple yet fun crafting system, and bevy of bonuses make Star Ocean: The Last Hope worth your time.

In the latter half of the 21st century, humankind all but nukes itself into nonexistence, forcing the survivers on Earth to look to the stars for a new home. As Edge Maverick, a first-generation member of the Space Reconnaissance Force, you start off on your mission to explore the galaxy for a suitable new home and are drawn into a battle for the fate of the galaxy when you encounter a mysterious and destructive force that threatens all life. Of course, that's nothing that a can-do attitude, the support of your friends, hidden inner powers, and the occasional all-too-convenient plot twist can't handle as you race off to save the day. Sound familiar? Star Ocean: The Last Hope doesn't have a very original story, and its frequently ridiculous plot points and consistently dreadful dialogue don't help to make it any more memorable, especially when it forces half-hour-plus cutscenes on you with alarming frequency. Luckily, you can skip these epic events at any time (though oddly enough, they can't be paused) and read through condensed text synopses to make sure that you didn't miss anything too terribly important.

The formulaic nature of the story is further compounded by the cast of characters, themselves an off-the-shelf mixture of walking, talking space opera and anime cliches. You've got the hopelessly idealistic leading man, who is full of an infinite (and often misplaced) trust in others; the self-deprecating childhood-friend-slash-possible-love-interest; the emotionally repressed, scientifically minded space elf; the busty, scantily clad staff-wielding sorceress; the overly affectionate underaged cat girl; and more. Though the members of your misfit crew do undergo some fairly heavy changes as the game progresses--both as part of the standard narrative and in optional cutscenes and events--it's always in extremely predictable ways that ultimately fail to break them out of their original molds.

Despite these shortcomings, The Last Hope is a fun and engaging game thanks in great part to its deeply engrossing and highly addictive combat system; if the story is the heart of a Japanese RPG, then the battles are its soul, and Star Ocean's shines brightly. Monsters appear on the field, and once engaged, they're fought completely in real time with a party of up to four characters. You actively control one of your crew members and navigate him or her around a wide-open battlefield, dishing out damage at your own pace, while the others act according to basic AI routines that you've given them. At any time, you can switch over to manually control anyone who you have deployed, and you can even swap out active characters with reserve ones at your discretion. Every single character plays vastly differently, and it's fun and engaging to experiment with each character in order to find the play style and party combination that works best for you.

Though the battles can get frantic, they don’t all come down to button mashing, especially when you're taking on bosses. These major battles in The Last Hope often play out like simplified versions of encounters in an massively multiplayer game such as World of Warcraft. Each boss has a specific strategy that can be followed to take it out--though it's not necessary to follow these tactics if your party is powerful enough--and figuring them out during the fight will make your life a whole lot easier and dramatically reduce battle times. Another concept taken from online games is monster aggro, or aggression. Though enemies will wander around the battlefield, you can draw aggro from them with attacks or by using specialized skills for doing so, which is useful for pulling a monster off of your physically weaker magic-slingers to give them a chance to cast their powerful spells. Once you have aggro and the monster gears up for an attack, if you dodge out of the way with the right timing, you can break its line of sight on you, leaving it temporarily confused and open to special counterattacks called blindsides. Another powerful tool at your disposal is Rush mode, which can be activated once you've taken or dealt enough damage to grant you an array of bonuses and the ability to chain attacks together with other party members.

Perhaps the most interesting part of battle is the bonus board. By performing specific tasks in combat, such as defeating enemies using only skills or killing two monsters with one blow, you add a tile to this onscreen grid that grants you an extra reward at the end of battle based on your achievement. You can have up to 14 such bonus tiles active at any one time, and these carry over from fight to fight; by carefully manipulating the types of bonus tiles you have, you can customize extra rewards that are given after every single encounter. With this, you have the flexibility to power level your characters, grind for cash or skill points, minimize the number of restorative items that you need to use, or all of the above in any combination. It's possible to lose your bonus tiles, but if you exercise good judgment in combat, they shouldn't be too difficult to keep for as long as you like.

When not in battle, you're exploring a series of open, outdoor locations that range from beaches to deserts to snow-capped mountains and beyond, as well as the occasional puzzle-filled dungeon. These beautiful-but-dangerous environments often contain resource nodes that provide valuable plant life or raw materials if you've got a crew member who can harvest them. These supplies and others earned through battle (or bought from stores) are then used to fuel your research in the simple-but-powerful item creation system. By finding item formulas in your journey or forming research teams and thinking long and hard enough, you can invent recipes for new weapons, armor, items, and even decorations for your ship. Once you gain the right ally, you can further customize your equipment by synthesizing the properties of other items in your inventory to generate some truly powerful gear.

The Last Hope features some top-notch visuals in its huge, open, and highly detailed environments, its abundant cutscenes, and its anime-inspired character models, but it also has a few notable issues. Sadly, the game has only a handful of unique monster designs, and it palette-swaps and reuses them ad infinitum. It's also exceedingly difficult to play on an SDTV thanks to incredibly hard-to-read text and muddied graphics. Sometimes just looking around you is an exercise in frustration thanks to the awful camera system; it zooms in ridiculously close at times and doesn't seem to know what to do whenever you're in a narrow hallway or traveling down stairs or a steep decline. Perhaps the most disturbing thing about The Last Hope is that all of the game's characters have a doll-like, glossy-eyed dead look to them, further accentuated by their complete lack of human emotion or expression. Besides being creepy, this makes supposedly emotional scenes unintentionally hilarious or just plain awkward to watch.

The game’s frequently awful voice acting makes it even harder to connect with the characters. At its very best, The Last Hope's cast will make you groan. At its worse, they're absolutely unbearable. Anyone hoping to escape the lackluster dub will be disappointed to hear that the original Japanese audio is not preserved here, though you do have the option to turn off battle quips from individual characters. Celebrated composer Motoi Sakuraba returns to lend his talents to the Star Ocean series once again, and though the voice acting doesn't work, his soundtrack is perfectly suited to the various locales visited, situations faced, and battles fought.

When it's all said and done and you've finished the game, there's still plenty more to do. Besides offering two unlockable difficulty settings, there are tons of side quests to complete, items to create, recipes to discover, bonus dungeons to explore, and bunnies to race. The Last Hope also has Star Ocean: Till the End of Time’s coliseum system, which lets you sign up for solo or group fights to battle your way up the ladders for prizes. You can collect dozens of battle trophies for each character by performing specific tasks with them in combat. And if you actually are interested in the story, there are multiple endings to see based on the relationships that you form as Edge Maverick throughout the game.

If all you're looking for is a strong, narrative-driven role-playing adventure, Star Ocean: The Last Hope isn't going to do much to satisfy you. But despite its deficiencies in this area, its huge number of extras and its addictive, deeply strategic and tactical combat system make it a lot of fun.

By Lark Anderson, GameSpot

Star Ocean: The Last Hope Opening

Big Bang Mini by DS Review

2009-03-03T16:35:00.000-08:00

At first glance, Big Bang Mini doesn't seem like a traditional shoot-'em-up. Given that the genre is best known for tiny spaceships blasting their way through thick fields of alien fire, you'd be forgiven for wondering where fish skeletons, pirate snowmen, and fireworks fit in. But don't let the charmingly oddball presentation fool you: Big Bang Mini is an evolutionary step forward for the genre. Ship movement and shooting are completely independent of each other. You can launch shots from anywhere on the touch screen, regardless of where your ship is positioned, and this innovation breathes new life into the frantic action. The smooth learning curve makes the game very accessible, but later levels and extra modes provide a tough test of your stylus mastery. Bound together with wonderfully vibrant visuals and an infectious soundtrack, Big Bang Mini earns its shoot-'em-up stripes and a place among the top games on the Nintendo DS.

The unique controls are at the core of Big Bang Mini's appeal. Unlike traditional shoot-'em-ups in which projectiles are fired from your ship, Big Bang Mini lets you launch fireworks from anywhere on the touch screen. Simply flick the stylus as if you were lighting a match, and a shot will light out along that trajectory. As your foes appear on the top screen, you are free to bombard them from any and all angles with fireworks galore. Shots that destroy enemies will explode in a colorful spectacle; however, shots that don't hit anything will explode when they hit the edge of the screen, raining down dangerous debris on your vulnerable ship. This danger pushes you to make more accurate shots, a goal easily accomplished thanks to the responsive and accurate stylus controls.

In fact, the controls are so responsive that errant strokes can get you into trouble. In addition to launching fireworks, you control the position of your ship with the stylus: just touch it and drag the stylus to move it wherever you like. If you try to launch a shot too close to your ship, you may end up moving it inadvertently. Likewise, a desperate swipe to move your ship out of danger can result in a badly aimed shot and a dangerous explosion. Big Bang Mini demands precision in both firing and maneuvering, two separate but equally important tasks. And you won't just be moving your ship to avoid danger: each destroyed enemy releases a falling star. If you collect enough stars to fill up the meter, you pass the stage. Balancing the necessary firing, dodging, and collecting is engaging and exciting. It can also be tricky, but fortunately the first few levels provide a smooth ramp-up in difficulty, ensuring that Big Bang Mini doesn't have the difficult point of entry that many of its genremates boast.

As you progress through the nine levels of the Arcade mode (each with nine stages and a boss), you'll encounter new power-ups and hazards. In one level, you can create a vortex that will absorb enemy shots by swirling the stylus around, but stiff winds will affect the trajectory of your fireworks. In another, you can lay down a reflective mirror shield with a horizontal swipe of the stylus, but certain clouds (which normally absorb your shots) will reflect your own projectiles right back at you. The beauty of these power-ups and hazards is that they are complementary, so as you become more powerful, the level becomes more dangerous. Big Bang Mini gives more as it demands more, and this makes each new level freshly challenging.

In addition to new challenges, each level brings a new, wildly different presentation. From the neon techno pixel landscape of the Egyptian-themed Luxor, to the bawdy colors and trippy musicians of Rio de Janeiro, each level in Big Bang Mini is a treat for the eyes. Attractive backgrounds scroll by smoothly, and the unique (often bizarre) enemies and explosions are a pleasure to look at when you can spare a moment. Underscoring these impressive visuals are some excellent musical tracks that range from snappy electric beats to mellow atmospheric melodies. The level of artistic quality and variety in Big Bang Mini is truly impressive, and the presentation alone is reason enough to recommend the game.

As if stellar presentation and exciting core gameplay weren't enough, Big Bang Mini offers a number of extras to keep you interested. At the completion of each stage (bosses excluded) you'll get the chance to complete a bonus stage. These are connect-the-dots minigames that will light up the top screen with a firework constellation should you succeed. Each level features a different twist (some quite clever), making these bonuses a pleasant palate cleanser between stages. Completing the Arcade mode is no easy feat, but doing so will earn you access to the Mission mode. This mode imposes tough challenges on stages you've already played, so you might be charged with clearing a certain stage within a time limit, using a certain number of shots, or never missing a shot. These conditions force you to adapt your well-honed strategy, so even skilled players will find a challenge here.

For those players who prefer to match their skills against human opponents, Big Bang Mini offers two ways to do so. The Challenge mode harks back to Big Bang Mini's shoot-'em-up roots and is the only mode in which you'll earn points. The core gameplay mechanics are the same, but the enemies, visuals, and music are completely new. Once you perish, you can post your high scores to online leaderboards and see how you stack up. If you prefer a more immediate competition, the Versus mode lets you challenge another DS owner to a shoot-out with only one game card. In Versus, you hold the DS sideways and shoot volleys of fireworks at your opponent on the other screen. Various power-ups and environmental hazards spice things up, and battles can get very heated, especially given that players can tap each other's projectiles to send them rocketing back where they came from. These extra modes provide great opportunities to flex your competitive muscle, while the unlockable Relax mode (watch and control fireworks displays) and Alarm Clock (actually cool, thanks to the stellar music) offer fun rewards for dedicated single-player play.

Big Bang Mini is an excellent shooter with an innovative control scheme that will please newcomers and veterans alike. To fully experience each level's uniquely awesome aesthetic and face the delightfully clever end boss, you simply must play the game all the way through. Once you've done so, there is plenty more to do whether you thrive on competition or just want to live it all again. Add it all up, and you've got one of the most accessible, most entertaining, and most attractive DS games in recent memory. Then consider the $19.99 price tag, and it's a no-brainer: Big Bang Mini is a must-buy.

Review By Chris Watters, GameSpot

Shippin' Out March 1-7: Halo Wars

2009-03-03T16:26:00.000-08:00

The first-quarter siege on gamers' wallets continues this week with an array of high-profile releases, but none is bigger than Halo Wars for the Xbox 360. Set for a March 3 release, the real-time strategy take on Microsoft's sci-fi first-person shooter franchise marks a bittersweet milestone for developer Ensemble. Halo Wars will be the Texas-based studio's first foray onto consoles, but also its final finished game, given that Microsoft shut down the developer in January.

Although that sad news could assure Halo Wars a place in gaming history, Sega's new real-time and turn-based hybrid strategy game is guaranteed to be historic. Developed by The Creative Assembly and set for release on the same day as Halo Wars, Empire: Total War for the PC is set in the 18th century. Beyond allowing would-be world conquerors to muck around with the history books, Empire also introduces naval combat to the studio's trademark Total War franchise.

Empire: Total War isn't the only game that Sega has up its sleeve this week. The publisher is also shipping Phantasy Star Portable for the PSP and Sonic and the Black Knight for the Wii, both with a March 3 release. The latter game adds sword-based combat to the Sonic franchise, whereas the former tells a new story in the Phantasy Star Universe series, nestled between the events of the original and the Ambition of the Illuminus expansion.

Those aren't the only games on deck this week; Major League Baseball releases are stepping to the plate on every major system. 2K Sports has MLB 2K9 headed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, and PlayStation 2, and DS owners are getting a swing at MLB 2K9 Fantasy All-Stars. Sony is also swinging for the fences with MLB 09: The Show on the PS3, PS2, and PSP. All of the baseball games are set to charge the retail mound on March 3.

Also taking off on that packed launch day is Tom Clancy's HAWX for the Xbox 360 and PS3, the first installment of the author's Ubisoft games to take on air combat. Set in the near future, HAWX lets players fly the unfriendly skies in a variety of high-tech jet fighters. The PC edition of the game is expected next week.

For a full list of the week's game debuts, check out GameSpot's New Releases page.

Killzone 2 Review by GameSpot

2009-03-03T05:25:00.001-08:00

No one could have suspected that the sequel to 2004's Killzone would be this good. Killzone 2 is a tremendous package, offering an exciting campaign and terrific competitive online play, neither of which create new paradigms for first-person shooters, but rather set new standards in subtle but significant ways. From groundbreaking visuals to well-crafted multiplayer maps, most of Killzone 2's individual elements stand out in a crowded genre, making its meager attempts at storytelling easy to ignore. PlayStation 3 owners looking for a shooter to keep them busy for the rest of 2009 and beyond need look no further: The fierce action will keep you glued to your television screen for some time to come.

What makes Killzone 2's single-player campaign so much fun? First and foremost, the weapons are a lot of fun to shoot, even the standard assault rifles that form the core of your loadout. The M82's effective scope makes zooming in on your target a breeze, yet this rifle is effective at close range as well, establishing itself from the beginning as a formidable firearm. The LS13 shotgun is also powerful and rewarding to fire; though you may only shoot off a foe's helmet with other weapons, you'll watch entire heads explode with a single blast from this close-range powerhouse. The bolt gun is another favorite, skewering enemy soldiers onto surfaces and exploding a short moment later. Though you're traversing a sci-fi setting, your weapons are decidedly modern-day, from the sniper rifle to the vicious flamethrower, with one exception: the lightning gun. This mighty instrument showers enemies with overpowering jolts of electricity, and though it's not available for long, it makes short work of robotic and humanoid foes. Each of these weapons feels just right; fantastic spurts of blood, outstanding animations, exquisitely detailed weapon models, and explosive sound effects fuse seamlessly and give a satisfying sense of impact every time you land a shot.

Although there's a great variety of weaponry, you won't encounter that many different kinds of enemies as you fight your way across the war-torn landscapes of the planet Helghan. As in the original Killzone, your enemies consist largely of Helghast soldiers, yet though this limited selection led to monotony in the past, an assortment of factors in the sequel hold tedium at bay. The action is constantly pushing forward, leading you from one quality scripted event to the next and pitting you against bright AI opponents that have a remarkable grasp of battlefield tactics. These soldiers put up a fight and exhibit authentic behavior as you rain bullets on them. If you set your sights on a soldier peeking from behind cover and fire off a few rounds in that direction, he'll patiently wait until all signs of fire have vanished. Helghast will flank you and shoot blindly from behind cover, and should you toss a grenade in their direction, they'll quickly scatter. You'll normally be fighting alongside a computer-controlled teammate or even entire squads of fellow infantry. Enemy AI is just as concerned with your comrades as it is with you, so you'll never feel as if you have a bull's-eye plastered on your forehead, as is common with many other team-based shooters. As a result, Killzone 2's thrilling large-scale battles unfold dynamically and offer a legitimate challenge while rarely feeling unfair--a frustrating rocket-heavy final battle serving as the only exception.

Some excellent turret sequences and other segments also provide welcome variations on the shooting theme. At one point, you'll climb into a robotic shell and mow down infantry and tanks with machine gun fire and rockets. The way your transparent protective shield exhibits cracks as you take damage and the remarkable fire and smoke effects that light up the screen add to the excitement of the level. In another fun and visually stunning sequence, you'll use an antiaircraft turret to take down squadrons of enemy fighters. Even operating a standard turret is more appealing than you would expect, which is a result of great map design and well-scripted enemy entrances. If you're just using your standard arsenal, missions are diverse and engaging. You'll take aim at tanks (and in one boss fight, a hovering aircraft) using Killzone 2's potent rocket launcher, and you'll fight your way through a besieged air base in which winding corridors and intersecting passages have you battling multiple enemies on multiple levels.

Most levels take their cue from the usual first-person shooter formulas, and though it takes place in the spacefaring future, Killzone 2 feels more akin to a modern-day day FPS by way of its standard weapons and mostly humanoid enemies. It's an interesting blend of two disparate sensibilities that works far better than in the original, and it's further ripened by gameplay touches that feel authentic within that framework. Movement and turning speeds have a real feeling of weight, which is appropriate considering the heavy armor burdening you. This can make the controls feel somewhat sluggish at first, given that you take a moment to gather momentum. It doesn't take long to get accustomed to this sense of overall bulkiness, though, and it's consistently delivered across multiple mechanics. For example, when you jump, the way that you bend into the leap and cushion the landing with another slight crouch feels surprisingly realistic. That weight also informs movement in and out of cover. Killzone 2's cover system is solid, and it never removes you from a first-person viewpoint. Though some objects can obscure your view if you try to take potshots from behind them, sticking to cover and leaning out from behind walls is generally effective and intuitive.

Whether you go for a pop-and-shoot approach or just gun your way through, the mission design keeps you constantly moving from one objective to the next. The quick pace is one of Killzone 2's finest facets; battles don't wear on too long, and they aren't so brief as to be anticlimactic. Like many other shooters, mission objectives often involve turning a crank or pushing a button. In Killzone 2, this may mean rotating the controller to simulate the onscreen activity. These moments feel unnecessary and ironically disrupt the sense of immersion, but as tacked-on as they are, the actions are too brief to be especially annoying. You'll also use your gamepad's motion sensitivity to stabilize the sniper rifle, though the implementation here is subtle and therefore relatively harmless.

It's a real pity that there is so little context for the exceptional action. If you're familiar with the original Killzone, you'll at least have an idea why the ISA (International Strategic Alliance) is attacking the Helghast homeworld; if not, it's clear that as Thomas Sevchenko, you are on the side of the good guys--just not clear why they are the good guys. The dialogue is rudimentary (a discussion regarding sandwiches jumps immediately to mind), the characters forgettable, and the plot serves purely as a thin framework to move you from one environment to the next. Yet the cutscenes are top-notch, and unlike their counterparts in fellow PS3 shooter Haze, there's nothing intrinsically offensive or wearisome about the fist-pumping grunts at the core of the story. The story isn't deep or involving--it's just there, neither enhancing nor diminishing Killzone 2's action.

That action is enhanced by groundbreaking visuals that elevate Killzone 2 to the head of its class. Both technically and artistically, this is a real stunner. You'll first notice the obvious expressions of its technical prowess: environments jam-packed with objects and textured architectural details, pipes and crumbling rebar jutting from dilapidated buildings, and gorgeous lighting that drenches market squares and sandy battlefields with an incandescent glow. As you peel away the visual layers, your appreciation will only grow. Soldier animations are the best in the genre: Enemies move so fluidly during battle, and shift from cover to firing stance so smoothly, it's clear that meticulous attention was given to making each limb move authentically. Even the smallest details are striking. Raging fires react to the wind as it blows through the level, lightning flashes across the gloomy skies, and billows of smoke so thick you could choke on them cloud your view--but never so much as to be a gameplay annoyance.

These visuals coalesce beautifully to give Killzone 2 a cohesive look that relies as much on its art design as it does on its technology. A subtle grain filter, a good amount of motion blur, and deep color saturation give most levels a dank, overcast ambience, and asymmetrical architecture and other small stylistic touches make Helghan feel more like a grim alternate-universe Earth than a completely foreign world. The sound design offers an equally intense palette. Explosions are obnoxiously loud, and the din of gunfire spreads across the map. The largest battles, such as one that rages across a decrepit bridge, sound intensely chaotic, and the crack of lightning bolts on Blood Gracht may cause you to jump out of your seat. The stormy soundtrack rages at all the right moments but gets a bit overwrought, which befits the hammy voice acting more than it does the layered sound effects.

Although the campaign is over in eight or nine hours, many levels are eminently replayable thanks to tough enemy AI and multiple difficulty levels, and the game makes it easy to revisit specific sequences within its mission menu. But what gives this shooter legs is its fantastic online play, a fun and competitive extravaganza that issues a constant stream of benefits. Like the most recent Call of Duty games, Killzone 2 rewards you with bonuses as you play, which in this case can mean new weapons, extra grenades awarded upon respawning, and most intriguingly, entire classes. This is done not only via a leveling system that pushes you ever closer to the next reward, but also with ribbons earned by completing specific tasks, such as getting a certain percentage of your team's kills. These bonuses are earned separately from leveling, which makes for two layers of online play enhancements to keep you ever addicted.

These dividends flow in a seemingly endless current, though they aren't the only facet of online play that will keep you gripping your controller; the team-based gameplay itself is outstanding, which serves as reason enough to stick with Killzone 2. The modes themselves offer few surprises, what with variants on Team Deathmatch (Bodycount), Conquest (Capture and Hold), and Capture the Flag (Search and Retrieve), among others. Rather, matches are unique because these modes are strung seamlessly together, forcing teams to move from one objective to the next with barely a breather in-between. Up to five modes mesh into a single game, which keeps teams on their toes and spreads hotbeds of action about the maps. In a single match, you're likely to band with teammates in an exposed courtyard, navigate tight walkways as battles rage in the artificial gulley just beyond, and defend an objective in a claustrophobic alcove. It's unlikely that you'll have trouble finding players online to join you in one of Killzone 2's 32-player engagements, but should you be so inclined, you can fill out the games that you host with up to 15 AI-controlled bots. You can even practice offline in one-off matches with those same bots if you prefer.

The eight maps included are exceptional, largely because they are flexible enough to make every mode feel like a natural fit for the precise layouts. Aspects such as the varying spawn points of the propaganda speaker in Search and Retrieve, and the vulnerable locations of capture points in Capture and Hold, provide focused hot spots and send you to every nook and cranny of the maps. Be prepared to think vertically because the pathways wind up stairwells, through hidden tunnels, and across balconied walkways. The addition of techniques available to each of Killzone 2's seven classes makes the ensuing action even more dynamic. An engineer's turrets can make Pyrrhus Rise's natural chokepoints even more treacherous, whereas a cloaked enemy may pounce on you as you navigate Tharsis Depot's constricted walkways. All the while, visual flourishes such as floating embers on Visari Hammer and distant artillery fire on Salamun Market keep the mood oppressive.

Additional features flesh out the robust online play. You can join other teammates in a squad, a la Battlefield 2 and Enemy Territory, a feature that lets you coordinate attacks with ease. Full support for clans and clan challenges should make Killzone 2 a natural destination for competitive teams, and you can use killzone.com to schedule clan matches and tournaments. But whether you're a lone wolf or a clan enthusiast, you'll be happy to find a mostly smooth online experience, with only rare and short bouts of visual slowdown and online lag. In light of this extraordinary suite of online options, it's a pity that there is no cooperative play, and the single-player campaign seems ripe for such an addition, given that you're usually accompanied by an AI teammate.

You'll have to look to the inevitable Killzone 3 to find out if developer Guerilla can dig any diamonds out of this series' rough narrative. Otherwise, Killzone 2 is an exceptional first-person shooter, not because it does anything particularly new, but because it does everything extraordinarily well. There's certainly no doubting its graphical superiority, but though its moody visuals invite incessant superlatives, it's the tight, electric action that will make this an off- and online haven.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy

2009-02-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

Dissidia: Final Fantasy is an action game produced by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the campaign of the Final Fantasy series 20th anniversary. Information on the game was first released during the "Square Enix Party" event of May 2007. The game features characters from different Final Fantasy games and centers around a great conflict between the heroes and villains, as the god of discord, Chaos, tries to wrestle control of their worlds from the forces of good.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy's genre has been described as "dramatic progressive action" and its graphics are in three dimensions. It has wireless one-on-one multiplayer and fights revolving around the use of individual special skills of characters to do damage to opponents. Players can also customize their characters with equipment.

Character movement is fully functional within the three-dimensional field map. Characters are able to perform special maneuvers using the environment, similar to the Reaction Command feature of Kingdom Hearts II. Traps with a variety of ill effects can be found throughout the arena.

Similar to many fighting games, the aim is for the player to reduce their opponent’s HP to zero. A character's offensive (and, to a lesser extent, defensive) power is shown in numerical form called BP or "Brave Points". Both characters start out with equal BP, and each must steal BP from their opponent by attacking them with the basic "assist attack" to add it to their own total and gain the upper hand. Players can then use the "HP attack" to cause direct damage to their opponent; the higher their BP, the more damage they inflict. However, once an HP attack is used, the character's own BP is reduced to 0 and then recovers to its starting amount. A character whose BP total has been depleted (past 0 BP and into the negatives) is forced into "Break mode", where, aside from not being able to cause HP or BP damage, all attacks made against them cause critical damage, and the opponent gets a large boost to their BP.

One main feature of the combat system is the "EX Gauge", which can be filled in a variety of ways, such as inflicting damage on opponents, taking damage from opponents, and obtaining items scattered around the field of play. Once the EX Gauge is filled, the character can enter their "EX Mode", significantly increasing their power and enabling new attacks, including the "EX Burst", an unavoidable special attack similar to the Limit Break mechanic seen in many games in the series.

In Dissidia, there is an ongoing conflict between two gods: Chaos, the god of discord, and Cosmos, the goddess of harmony. The two gods have battled for eons, until Chaos summoned a number of villains from other universes to serve him. These villains built an army and overwhelmed the forces of good, and the balance of power tipped in Chaos' favor. The few survivors of the forces of good have banded together to strike back at Chaos and his forces and return order to the universes.

Characters

The game unites both protagonists and antagonists from installments of the main Final Fantasy series, their stories narrated by the first Final Fantasy game's Cid of the Lufaine (voiced by Bunta Sugawara). Chaos (voiced by Norio Wakamoto) also makes an appearance as the god of discord, while a new character, Cosmos (voiced by Sumi Shimamoto), appears as the goddess of harmony. The game has an overarching storyline that requires playing through all of the characters to complete. The game contains twenty-two total playable characters: eleven heroes and eleven villains, one of each representing Final Fantasy through Final Fantasy X, and two secret characters: a heroine representing Final Fantasy XI, and a villain representing Final Fantasy XII.

Characters' equipment can be customized, and they can gain EXP and gil from battles.

Many of the characters can transform into different forms, mostly as part of their EX Modes. For example, Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII transforms into his One-Winged Angel form as seen in Final Fantasy VII Advent Children when entering EX Mode, whereas Cecil from Final Fantasy IV can switch between his Dark Knight and Paladin forms at any time. All characters have an alternate costume; examples include a design for the Onion Knight that makes him resemble Luneth from the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy III and Squall's SeeD uniform as seen in Final Fantasy VIII.

Summons are accessible using Summon Stones. There are over 50 different summons, each with a different effect.

[PSP] Final Fantasy Dissidia New Trailer

Call of Duty 5: World at War

2008-11-11T09:41:00.000-08:00

Call of Duty: World at War is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 2. It is the fifth installment in the main Call of Duty series. The game is set in the Pacific theater and Eastern front of World War II. The game shipped in North America on November 11, 2008, and will ship in Australia on November 12, 2008, and in Europe on November 14, 2008.

The story focuses on the final battles of World War II in the Pacific and Eastern Europe involving the United States, the Empire of Japan, the Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany. It is told from the perspectives of a Marine Raider and a Red Army soldier, and is based on several historical battles, including the Makin Island raid, the Battle of Peleliu, and the Battle of Berlin. The multiplayer portion of the game contains various game modes, and contains a leveling system that allows the player to unlock additional weapons and rewards as they progress, which was originally implemented in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. A new feature to the Call of Duty series is the co-op mode, which can support up to four players online and two offline.

Story
One part of a level entitled "Makin Raid" shows an Allied prisoner of war being tortured by the Japanese before having his throat slit by a katana. The player's character witnesses this scene and is later rescued by US Marines who liberate the camp. Two other levels show the player using the machine guns on a PBY Catalina to attack a Japanese naval fleet, and the beginning of the Russian campaign. In that level, the player and a Russian sniper attack German troops under the cover of a bombing raid.

Gameplay
World at War will feature a more mature theme than previous installments in the series. Swimming will be introduced to the series. While in water, the player cannot sprint and will only move at half speed. Flamethrowers, introduced in Call of Duty: United Offensive, will appear alongside flammable environments. Vehicles (i.e. Tanks) will also be reintroduced in this edition of Call of Duty. The game will be more open-ended than previous games in the series, as there will be multiple ways to complete objectives.

Multiplayer
World at War will have cooperative gameplay with up to two players via split screen on consoles, or four players online, for the first time in the franchise. In addition, the Wii version will also feature splitscreen multiplayer. All console versions of the game will use a perk system similar to that in Call of Duty 4. Activision has also confirmed that vehicles will be usable in multiplayer. Six multiplayer modes have been announced including team deathmatch and capture the flag, among others.

A special online co-op mode involving Nazi zombies is unlocked once the player completes the single player campaign. In it, up to four players must attempt to defend themselves from limitless waves of undead Nazi soldiers. With each kill and successful hit, players earn points that can be used to purchase weapons and fortifications to further defend themselves.

Call of Duty: World at War Trailer (HD)

Create Your Own Flash Games At Sims Carnival

2008-11-11T01:41:00.000-08:00

EA has launched Sims Carnival, a collection of Flash-based games that can be played, modified, and shared with friends. Users are free to play pre-designed games, or to create their own. To celebrate the launch, Sims Carnival has also opened a “Galactic Game Challenge” that will award the best designer a cash prize.

The site offers a number of options that allow users to build their own games using tools that require no programming experience. Users can utilize a wizard that streamlines the creation process down to a few simple questions (What genre? How many enemies?, etc.), or they can choose to create a more customized game using the site’s downloadable editor (Windows only for now). They can also use the Swapper, which allows users to exchange a game’s default images for their own.

The site also allows developers to upload games that they’ve created in Flash independently, while retaining all of their links and branding. This could be a boon to developers looking to gain exposure in the somewhat-saturated Flash games market.

Each completed game can be embedded in social networking sites or blogs, and users can stitch together games to create a playlist. The site will soon introduce an API that will allow game creators to tabulate high score rankings, which can be distributed through email on a regular basis.

Gamers looking for a tie-in to the hit Sims series will be disappointed - it seems that the site is affiliated with the brand in name only. That said, Sims Carnival will likely appeal to much of the same audience. Many of the games are fun but not particularly complicated, and there’s good deal of satisfaction to be had from making your own game, even if there wasn’t much effort involved.

Site: simscarnival.com

Gears of War 2

2008-10-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Gears of War 2 is a tactical third-person shooter video game in development by Epic Games and to be published by Microsoft Game Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360. It is the sequel to the critically acclaimed best-seller Gears of War, and was announced by lead designer Cliff Bleszinski during the February 20, 2008 Game Developers Conference. The game will use a heavily upgraded version of the Unreal Engine 3. During E3 2008, a worldwide release date for the game was set for November 7, 2008.

In Gears of War 2, the Locust have found a way to make giant emergence holes capable of destroying entire cities at once. Marcus Fenix and the rest of the COG Delta Squad are now drilling underground to "take the fight to the Locust." In a teaser of the first scenes of gameplay of Gears of War 2, COG soldiers engage in battle with a large army of Locust as they travel to drill into the underground region. Comic book writer Joshua Ortega says, "The stakes are raised. This is humanity's last stand. Everything is at risk. Nothing is safe."

Gameplay
The demo at the Game Developers Conference indicated that much of the core gameplay elements that were central to Gears of War (a third-person game that has a heavy emphasis on using protective cover rather than "run and gun" style game play) would be present in the sequel.

John DiMaggio, the voice actor of the game's main character, Marcus Fenix, confirmed to IGN that players would be able to fight the large Brumaks in Gears of War 2. He also revealed there will be a deeper story with new characters, new weapons, and new enemies. The game will also include the ability to duel with an AI or human opponent when both use the chainsaw attachment of the Lancer rifle, as seen in the 2008 Game Developer's Conference promotional video, later confirmed in informal interviews with developers and a Game Informer preview. Epic released a gameplay video which revealed the player may now use "downed" enemies as shields. Bleszinski confirmed also that players who have been injured can crawl as a final desperate attempt at life. Players would tap the 'A' Button to crawl faster. The level of blood and gore will also be increased, for example, when the player is close to death, wherever he moves there will be trails of blood behind him. This is the same for enemies, and the opponents who've been used as a meat shield. There will also be more ways to kill an opponent, such as punching them while they are downed, using the sniper rifle as a sledgehammer, or using the torque bow as an axe.

The cover story in the May 2008 issue of Game Informer revealed several new gameplay features. Players can now play on individual co-op play settings. One player may, for instance, play on Casual difficulty while the other teammate plays on Hardcore. A "communal combat system" will adapt to give a player at a lower difficulty an equivalently fair challenge as the player at higher difficulty. The player will be able to maintain multiple save files that work with the drop-in/drop-out co-op features. There will also be a fourth difficulty level that is a level below Casual; senior producer Rod Fergusson admitted that — for the first game — "We overshot on [the Casual] difficulty and a game that was a little harder than we intended." Some of the Xbox Live achievements can be completed through both play in single player and multiplayer mode, such as achieving 1,000 headshots. New enemy creatures are planned on being added, including one described by Cliff Bleszinski as one "that [makes] the Brumak look like a baby panda bear." In a developer's video, Cliff Bleszinski stated that Gears of War 2 would feature "drop in and out" co-op in the campaign. Another feature included in the game is an optional mature content filter, which when active makes blood appear as sparks and removes harsh language from the dialogue.

The collection of COG tags has been expanded to include the collection of story-based items such as personal letters and medical records, and a "war journal" will track which collectibles have been found and where missing ones can be located. The cut-scenes will also use the better facial rendering technology of the Epic engine, and will use more dramatic angles for the conversation, as well as using a video screen on Jack (the all-purpose robot used by Dom) to talk with their commanders "face-to-face."

New weapons have been announced as well as the return of weapons from the previous game. The accuracy, function, and power of several weapons has been altered, and all grenades can now be used as mines by placing them on walls or floors, and will detonate when approached by enemies. In addition, players can now be knocked over by the concussive force of a nearby detonating grenade. Cliff Bleszinski has also announced that there will be more vehicle missions in the campaign than before, such as the Centaur Tank which Cliff describes as a "tank with monster truck wheels." Players will also be able to ride a Brumak in the game; previously, the Brumak could only be fought by the player as an enemy.

Multiplayer
Gears of War 2 features an upgraded multiplayer mode that will allow up to ten users to simultaneously play. X360 magazine reported that Gears of War 2 will contain at least three new online multiplayer modes, called "Guardian," "Wingman," and "Submission." "Guardian" is essentially a modified version of "Assassination" from the original Gears of War, but allows players to continue fighting after the leader has been killed, but losing the ability to respawn. "Wingman" splits all ten players into five teams of two, where both members of a team play as the same character. "Submission," formerly known as "Meat Flag," is a version of capture the flag in which players attempt to "down" an enemy controlled by the game's AI and move its body to their team's base to earn points. A Halo-like matchmaking system will be utilized for the online multiplayer. In a GameTrailers TV E3 special, it was confirmed that bots will be available in multiplayer, but this feature was not elaborated upon.

A new co-op game mode was confirmed during Microsoft's E3 2008 press conference; called "Horde," this mode allows up to five players to fight off waves of attacking Locust together.[1] Horde Mode will not feature bot support as in competitive multiplayer, and can be played alone. The Locust attack in waves of multiple enemies which become more difficult as players progress.

Cameras in the multiplayer modes have also been improved significantly. Rather than static views from different points on a map, the new Battle Cam allows players to pan around a map as the camera focuses on areas of intense fighting, and the Ghost Cam allows a player to roam freely around a map. A photo mode will also be featured, with each photo taken by a player rated on the amount of action in the shot.

Regarding multiplayer-specific achievements, certain achievements such as getting a defined number of kills with a weapon have been altered. For example, to get an achievement which requires 500 kills with a weapon or 500 headshots, only the first kill or headshot made by a player in a given multplayer match will count towards the achievement. Cliff Bleszinski mentioned that this change was to emphasize the objectives of a multiplayer mode.

Awards
Gears of War 2 won several awards following its presentation at E3 2008. IGN gave it Overall Best Shooting Game and Overall Best Graphics Technology of E3 2008. Game Critics Awards gave the game Best Action Game of E3 2008.

Gears of War 2 Trailer HIGH QUALITY

Street Fighter IV

2008-10-21T04:48:00.000-07:00

The long-awaited fourth entry in the Street Fighter series. Street Fighter IV features a mix of returning favorites such as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and Guile along with new characters created for this game, such as Crimson Viper, Abel, El Fuerte, and Rufus. Characters and environments are rendered in stylized 3D, while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. Six-button controls for the game return, with a host of new special moves and features integrated into the input system. Mixing classic genre-defining game mechanics the franchise is known and loved for with all-new, never-before-seen gameplay systems, Street Fighter IV brings a brand new fighting game to fans the world over.

October 9, 2008 - Street Fighter IV represents a throwback of sorts to the style of gameplay players may remember from Street Fighter II. We had a chance to sit down with Capcom general manager Yoshi Ono to discuss some of the changes with the home versions of the game, which will be appearing this winter on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. To specify, that means before spring 2009, not necessarily this year.

He says Street Fighter IV is an attempt to give the franchise more of a mass appeal. Speaking through a translator, he said, "By the time we got to 3 and the refinements of 3 and all the way to Third Strike, we kind of shrunk the market on our own by increasingly aiming for the hardcore gamers, making it increasingly harder to get good at it ... Third Strike was kind of the pinnacle ... this is what we can do with Street Fighter, we've done it, we really couldn't go any further. We just put a lid on it and set it aside. To be honest, inside the company the general way of thinking was that it was probably done and that there probably wouldn't be a new Street Fighter." Ono went on to describe how during interviews for other games he was constantly being approached by the press and asked when a new Street Fighter was going to be made, and others within Capcom heard the same questions.

"Eventually we did manage to convince management that people really want to play it, it's not just the hardcore. By the time we finally got them convinced the gears started turning and we decided ... I don't want to use the word 'casual' because that's a loaded word, but we decided to make the game less hardcore, less focused on the true experts, and something a wider variety of people could pick up and play."

To accomplish this, Capcom decided to implement a 'focus system' which would allow for a different style of gameplay without making things too complex. Essentially, the system requires players to hit two buttons which work to absorb or an incoming attack and then, depending on timing, dish out another. Ono says lessons were learned from Street Fighter III's parry system. "That was a really cool system and it was fun as hell if you actually know how to do it and you actually are able to use it properly. Unfortunately the amount of players that really know how to use it and can do it every time on purpose, and can go from the neutral stick position to tapping forward in that literally a fraction of a second timeframe, it's really fun but there's not so many people that can do it. So we wanted something that would be a little more accessible to more people."

Ono continued, "The three keys for going into the focus attack system, one would be that it's easy to execute. Rather than relying on split second timing ... let's just make it two buttons. Anyone can push two buttons. Secondly you had to see immediately on the screen the results. You had to know that you did something. Parry wasn't such a flashy effect. If you did it wrong, you would just get hit and you wouldn't really know anything had happened. So it had to be visually obvious to the user." Activating a focus attack in Street Fighter IV is made quite obvious, as the character changes color along with other special effects. "Thirdly, it had to have depth. It couldn't just be as simple as hitting two buttons and watching something happen. There had to be multiple ways to use it. You can string it together in the midst of other moves, you can cancel out of it, etc., so it's really where the depth comes from."

The conversation then turned to what elements of Street Fighter in general were important to preserve for this version. "Street Fighter has always been about ... reading your opponent's moves and predicting what they're going to do next, kind of a rock-paper-scissors thing. So with this guy, every time he's landed from a jump he's thrown a fireball, he'll probably do that again so I'm going to do this to counter that. It's all about that kind of gameplay, so the focus attack system takes that to the next level. You have another tool in your toolbelt to trick the other player."

As for how the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions could differ, Ono said the idea was to give everyone the same experience at home. "It's been so long since there's been a Street Fighter, we don't want to mix up the message and make multiple versions of it ... We're not going to have hardware A is going to have this extra character and hardware B is going to have this extra character."

Ono did mention Capcom was leaning towards Games for Windows -- Live support with the PC version. "We're leaning in that direction ... It's a little too early to say for sure," he said. Downloadable content is definitely on the schedule, though it won't be in the form of other characters. "We don't want it to be something that affects gameplay or balance ... something more cosmetic, perhaps. If you look at the arcade game it links with Japanese mobile phone networks so you can earn points in the arcade ... and then purchase items, but nothing that affects gameplay. We really want everyone to have the same balanced experience."

Though for the home version several new characters have been revealed that aren't in the arcade version, such as Sakura, Capcom is still keeping a few up its sleeve. More will be revealed in the future, so keep an eye out. It also sounds like a few extra modes will be in the game for the home versions. Ono said it won't be just arcade and versus, but whatever is eventually included is still being worked on and therefore he didn't want to say anything. Bonus stages, such as barrel or car smashing, won't be in the game, however, as Ono says there isn't enough time to get it in there and Capcom would rather get the game out than delay it to add bonus modes.

Before the interview was over, Ono gave us some perspective on the Street Fighter franchise in general. "Looking at the pattern up until now, it seems the even-numbered Street Fighters have the casual appeal, the odd numbered Street Fighters are more hardcore. [Street Fighter 1] doesn't necessarily have a hardcore image, but try and throw a fireball on purpose in that game and you'll see just how insane the timing is. Then SFII spread out a little more and was easy to play. SFIII kind of went back to the roots and got hard again. IV is easy. Maybe if there's an SFV we'll go back the other direction and be more hardcore again. It's kind of early to say. Looking at the pattern right now, that would make sense."
by Charles Onyett on IGN.com

Street Fighter 4 E3 2008 Trailer

New MMORPG : Blade and Soul

2008-10-14T23:58:00.000-07:00

NCsoft announced it's new MMORPG Blade and Soul on July 31. This new game is aimed at expanding the action aspects of the MMORPG genre to a never-before-seen level. As demonstrated in the video, there are some very interesting and intensive looking action scenes which seem to integrate in to the actual game play flawlessly.

The characters' oriental style arts are designed by popular Korean artist HyungTae Kim. Blade and Soul is being developed by the same development team that created Lineage II.

After watching the trailer, be sure to check out this extremely detailed breakdown! There are many secrets and clues within the video to be discovered. Click here to official site

Blade & Soul Gameplay(High Quality)

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

2008-10-11T05:15:00.000-07:00

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is an upcoming 2008 real-time strategy video game in the Command & Conquer series published by Electronic Arts, and the first game in the Red Alert sub-series since Yuri's Revenge, released in 2001. Announced on February 14, 2008, the game is currently under development by EA Los Angeles for Microsoft Windows-based PCs and Xbox 360. A PlayStation 3 version was announced, but EA stated that the production for this version had been "put on hold", and now may not be released, due to difficulties with the system's architecture.

The game takes place in a parallel universe in which World War II never happened and the Soviet Union rose instead as a threat in the 50s. A massive world war is ongoing among the Soviets, Allies and a new third faction known as the Empire of the Rising Sun, which is derived from Imperial Japan.

We're still months away from the release of Command And Conquer: Red Alert 3, but that's not stopping EA from trying to work fans into a lather with these new, gorgeous screenshots of the series' trademark Soviet war machine in action.

EA has yet to reveal a proper release date for the game, but they have mentioned that the title is planned to appear on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as well as its native PC platform.

These new screens look great and the water effects are gorgeous, but am I the only one noticing the Tesla Boats in the first picture? Who was the genius who signed off on adding electrical discharge weapons to a vehicle that floats on millions of gallons of ridiculously conductive fluid?

Red Alert 3 features a fully co-operative campaign mode where the player can team up with another player, or one of several AI characters such as Major Giles, a stiff upper lip British commander, to complete the campaign. The game has been promised to retain both the style and action-oriented gameplay of the Red Alert series, and the fast-paced gameplay of the latest C&C titles.

The first Red Alert revolved around an alternate World War II between the Allies (including Germany) and the Soviet Union, with some high-tech esoterica, such as GPS, weaponized tesla coils, force fields and limited time travel. Red Alert 2 featured a Soviet invasion of USA with tanks, conscripts, gargantuan airships and psychically dominated anti-ship giant squid; its expansion, Yuri's Revenge, escalated matters up to UFOs and communists on the Moon. Executive producer of Red Alert 3, Chris Corry, has confirmed that the game will further differentiate the playable factions from each other and "[play] up the silliness in their faction design whenever possible". The Soviets and Allies have a mix of old and new units and technologies. New Soviet units include armoured attack bears, Tesla boats known as "Stingrays" that can also travel on land, making them a replacement for the Tesla Tank, anti-infantry spider-like tanks called "Sickles" that have the ability to jump over terrain elevations and an amphibious transport unit called the "Bullfrog" that evacuates its passengers using a large "man cannon". The Allies receive a new Tanya unit that is equipped with a "time belt", allowing her to transport herself to the past in order to regain health, and "Cryocopters", unarmed helicopters equipped with powerful freeze and shrink rays. The Empire of the Rising Sun has giant transforming mecha, ninjas, a psychic schoolgirl and submersible planes.

Secondary abilities are to be common to each and every unit in the game, although how each ability is employed may vary slightly between units; some may be toggled on and off, others may apply instantly and some may have a cooldown, requiring a period of time to pass before the ability can be activated again.

Naval warfare is still present. Corry has stated many units are now amphibious, trading effectiveness for increased flexibility compared to ground-only units. In addition, the unit called MCV featured in almost every Command & Conquer RTS, is now able to move and deploy on water; this makes placing buildings on bodies of water (excluding barracks and war factories) possible and players who "ignore the ocean [are] likely forfeiting a significant part of their potential economy to their opponents". Further stressing this is the fact that, despite some campaign maps being entirely land based, all multiplayer maps will have significant bodies of water in them.

Full motion videos featuring real-life actors will be featured in the campaign mode. Filming has begun since the scheduled date of April 2008.

Red Alert 3 Official Trailer

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Spore (2008 video game) Preview

2008-10-07T03:29:00.000-07:00

Spore is a multi-genre massive single-player online metaverse video game developed by Maxis and designed by Will Wright. It allows a player to control the evolution of a species from its beginnings as a unicellular organism, through development as an intelligent and social creature, to interstellar exploration as a spacefaring culture. It has drawn wide attention for its massive scope, and its use of open-ended gameplay and procedural generation.

The full version of the game was released on September 4, 2008, in Australia and the Nordic region, but Australian stores prematurely broke the street date on September 2, 2008. The game was released September 5, 2008 in Europe, Japan, South America and New Zealand, and was released on September 7, 2008 in North America and Asia Pacific territories. Spore is also available for direct download from Electronic Arts. A special edition of the game, Spore: Galactic Edition, additionally includes a "Making of Spore" DVD video, "How to Build a Better Being" DVD video by National Geographic Channel, "The Art of Spore" hardback mini-book, a fold-out Spore poster and a 97-page Galactic Handbook published by Prima Games.

The name Spore was originally a working title, suggested by developer Ocean Quigley, for the game which was first referred to by the general public as Sim Everything. Even though Sim Everything was a first choice name for Wright, the title Spore stuck. Wright added it also freed him from the preconceptions another Sim title would have brought, saying "...Not putting 'Sim' in front of it was very refreshing to me. It feels like it wants to be breaking out into a completely different thing than what Sim was."

Civilization IV lead designer Soren Johnson joined EA Maxis to work on Spore.

The procedurally-generated music for the game was designed by Brian Eno, an artist famous for his work with ambient music. The music is generated by the editors depending on which parts (eg: limbs, battle items, hands, feet, etc) are placed on the creature, vehicle or building. For example, something dangerous like a battle spike will give the music more of a ferocious feel, while something peaceful like a herbivore's mouth will give the music a more relaxed feel. Music can also be created by users in the form of a short national anthem for their tribe, civilization or empire.

Gameplay
Coined Creatiolutionism, the game allows the player to develop a species from a microscopic organism to its evolution into a complex animal, its emergence as a social, intelligent being, to its mastery of the planet and then finally to its ascension into space, where it interacts with alien species across the galaxy. Throughout the game, the player's perspective and species change dramatically.

The game is broken up into distinct yet consistent, dependent "phases". The outcome of one phase affects the initial conditions facing the player in the next. Each phase exhibits its own style of play, and has been described by the developers as ten times more complicated than its preceding phase. While players are able to spend as much time as they prefer in each, it is possible to accelerate or skip phases altogether. Some phases feature optional missions; when the player completes a mission, they are granted a bonus, such as a new ability.

If all of a player's creations are completely destroyed at some point, then that player's species will be respawned at its home base.

Unlike many other Maxis games, Spore has a primary win condition which is obtained by reaching a quasar placed in the center of the galaxy, and facing a large NPC race. However, the player may continue to play after the goal has been achieved.

Community
Spore's user community functionality includes a feature that is part of an agreement with YouTube granting players the ability to upload directly from within the game a YouTube video of their creatures' activity, and EA's creation of "The Spore YouTube Channel", which will showcase the most popular videos created this way. In addition, some user-created content will be highlighted by Maxis at the official Spore site, and earn badges of recognition for their work. One of Spore's most social features is the Sporecast, an RSS feed that players can use to subscribe to the creations of any specific Spore player, allowing them to track their creations.

There will be a parental control toggle which allows the player to restrict what downloadable content will be allowed; choices include: "no user generated content", "official Maxis-approved content", "downloadable friend content" (named "buddy" in the final game), and "all user-created content". Players can also ban any creature in-game, at any time, and Maxis monitors creatures with notable numbers of player bans.

Interplay
The game is referred to as a "massively single-player online game" and "asynchronous sharing." Simultaneous multiplayer gaming is not a feature of Spore. The content that the player can create is uploaded automatically to a central database (or a peer-to-peer system), cataloged and rated for quality (based on how many users have downloaded the object or creature in question), and then re-distributed to populate other players' games. The data transmitted will be very small — only a couple of kilobytes per item transmitted. This was due to procedural generation of material.

After reaching the space phase, players can visit other players' planets, and interact with other players' species, tribes and civilizations. . Via the in-game "MySpore Page", players receive statistics of how their creatures are faring in other players' games, which has been referred to as the "alternate realities of the Spore metaverse." The game reports to the player on how other players interacted with them (for example, how many times other players exterminated their species). The personalities of user-created species are dependent on how the user played them.

Start of life
The game opens using the scientific concept of panspermia. A meteor plummets toward a planet and into an ocean. The meteor, now a geode, then splits, from which a tiny organism emerges.

Cell
The first phase of existence, the cell phase, is sometimes referred to as the tide pool, cellular, or microbial phase. The player guides simple microbes around in a 3D environment on a single 2D plane, reminiscent of flow, where it must deal with fluid dynamics and predators, while eating weaker microbes or plants. The player may choose whether the creature is a herbivore or a carnivore prior to starting the phase. Once the microbe has eaten several cells, the player can enter an editor in which they can modify the appearance, shape, and abilities of the microbe by spending "DNA points". A player may choose to remove a part, which will refund the full price. If the creature dies, the player restarts from wherever it died. The player must also seek out special "golden shields" from meteor fragments and other organisms that provide new parts to use in the editor, such as spikes, mouths or limbs. The phase consists of five stages, which are halved themselves; every half-stage, the creature grows larger. As the microbe grows, objects that are in the background move to the foreground, which can mean being eaten by a microbe that had previously been swimming in the background.

The player may also encounter Epic Creatures. An epic creature is a larger, tougher version of its normal counterpart. In later phases, it is actually user-created content that is increased to giant size.

The creature's behavior directly influences its role in the creature stage, and only parts that are fitting for that creature's evolution will become available. The ocean floor becomes more prominent as the player progresses, and once the player decides to progress to the next stage, the creature editor appears, prompting the user to add legs before the shift to land.

At the end of the phase, the player receives one special "bio-power" in each later phase based on whether the creature ended the phase as a herbivore, carnivore or omnivore. For instance, herbivores are given the "Siren's Song" power in the Creature phase.

Creature
The creature phase is similar to the cell phase, but with several important differences. Principally, the environment is now truly 3D. Other creatures will inhabit the world, and most of them will have been created by other players. Creatures will automatically be introduced into the environment to maintain a balanced ecosystem. If the player creates a bigger, tougher creature, the predators that are downloaded will likewise be stronger than average.

In this stage, the basic goal is the same: earn DNA points, reproduce, and avoid being eaten by predators. In order to reproduce the player must locate a mate.

Another difference introduced is the social aspect which provides means by which a player can earn DNA points. Socialization is the nonviolent alternative to consuming creatures for DNA, as befriending other creatures earns DNA points, allows access to their nests for resting, and makes them allying against attack more likely.

Every time the player interacts with a creature, the game will create a quest depending on what stance is used. If the player is in a social stance, it will give them the goal of befriending a certain number of that species. If they are in combat stance, the goal will be to kill a certain number of that species, and therefore, render that species extinct. If the player's creature kills off or befriends a species, the creature will be able to heal at their nest.

Creatures have stats for Abilities, Attack, and Social, using a numeric rating system. Adding specific body parts grants the ability to perform actions, such as "Call" and "Jump". Creatures can be given a name, description and tags. Body parts can be found during gameplay, which add that part to the editor for future use. These come from preying upon alpha creatures, finding bones of dead creatures, and socializing with other creatures. The only body part a creature requires is a mouth (or it will starve to death). If a creature has no feet, it will slide across the ground with the lower section of the torso, in a similar fashion to a slug or worm. Creatures also may have a limited ability to fly: gliding. A creature's ability to stay aloft is dependent on two factors: the jumping ability (how high in the air) and gliding ability (how slow the descent is). Also, a creature may have the ability to sneak, sprint, charge or spit poison.

This stage will evolve the creature's social behavior, as the creature may make friends and form a herd or pack. Will Wright referred to this as a simplified version of the friend-making mini-game in The Sims. This mini-game is implemented by mimicking the other creature's behavior such as singing or dancing until their level of friendship with the player's creature rises. Creatures may also make friends with other species. The player may also encounter spaceships from other players from this phase onward, which may abduct the player or other creatures. The evolutionary goal of the creature phase is to increase the creature's brain capacity which is done by gaining DNA points. Once the creature becomes intelligent, the player may progress to the tribal phase.

The creature phase has night and day cycles, with very short nights. There are also weather effects such as short rainstorms and meteor showers.

Tribal
After the player's species evolves its brain far enough, it enters the tribal phase. Physical development ceases, as does the player's exclusive control over an individual creature, as the game focuses on the birth of division of labor for the species. The player is given a hut, a group of fully evolved creatures, as well as two of six possible "super powers". These are unlocked depending on the species' behavior in the previous phases.

This stage begins with a cutscene parodying 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this phase, the game is similar to an RTS (real-time strategy game). The player may give the tribe tools such as weapons, musical instruments, and healing or fishing implements. Food now replaces "DNA points" as the player's currency, which the player can spend on items and structures, or use to barter with other tribes. Creatures also gain the option to wear clothes, the editing of which replaces the Creature Editor in the 'Tribal Editor'. If creatures of a different species (Rogues) were added to the player's pack in the Creature phase, they are now used as pets. Additional creatures may be domesticated in the Tribal phase, which provide eggs for food. Contact with other tribes of the same species, or even different species, can take place in this phase, and creatures also learn to speak. Their language is dependent on the type of mouth they possess; primate-type mouths, for instance, result in Simlish. Creatures, as with The Sims, also "speak" with icons embedded in word balloons.

Tribe members are assigned roles such as fishing, gathering, or hunting. The creatures' behaviors are affected by the way the player utilizes them. If a player uses them aggressively, their autonomic behavior will reflect that; conversely, if the player uses them peacefully, allying other tribes, say, with music, their behavior will be more kind. Even their idle behavior will reflect this; warlike tribal members will practice combat while docile members will practice instruments and throw parties.

There are five other tribes along with the player's, which can either be destroyed or befriended. For every tribe befriended or destroyed, a piece of a totem pole is built, which may increase the population limit of the player's tribe. When the totem pole has five pieces, the player may move forward to the Civilization phase.

Civilization
The goal in the civilization phase is to gain control of the entire planet, and it is left to the player to decide whether to conquer it militarily, economically, or religiously. When entering the phase, the player's tribal camp is now a city. Players now have two new editors: the building and vehicle editors. The player can build four buildings (City Hall, House, Factory, and Entertainment) and up to 9 vehicles (Religious, economic, and military in sea, land and air). To earn income, players can capture spice gysers, conduct trade, or arrange buildings (see below).

In constructing vehicles and buildings, as with most real-time strategy games, there is a capacity limit; building houses will increase the cap, and constructing various buildings adjacent to one another will provide a productivity bonus or deficit: for example, building an entertainment centre next to a house will provide happiness, but a factory will decrease happiness and increase production. Like Civilization III and IV, the player's territory is marked with a colored border that increases as the player gains more power through militarism or influence. The main unit of currency is "Sporebucks".

Instead of military conquest, players with a Religious trait construct special missionary units that convert other cities via propaganda. Likewise, Economic players communicate solely by trade and have no weapons. Players also have access to superweapons, each of which have devastating effects on other rival civilizations. Players can also form alliances with a rival civilization, and when the entire world has been conquered by both factions, the rival faction will join the player's.

When the player has conquered or allied with all the civilizations on the planet and decides to move on to the Space Phase, the UFO editor appears. At this point players are allowed to view the planet from space.

Space
The space phase provides new goals and paths to follow as the player begins to spread through the galaxy.

The player may now terraform and colonize neighboring uninhabitable planets with special tools (water tool, volcano tool, etc). Although these tools start off limited and very expensive, the player can obtain infinite versions. Terraforming tools include a heat ray which can create more favorable conditions on, for example, an ice planet. Left unchecked this can cause oceans to rise, then eventually to evaporate and transform the world into a desert planet, followed by a molten rock in space. These tools may also be used as weapons, sucking out the atmosphere or altering the temperature of a planet in order to kill the inhabitants without a pitched battle. The ultimate terraforming tool is a technology called the Staff of Life, dubbed the 'Genesis device' prior to the game's release, which instantly transforms a dead world into a habitable one, although it is limited to 42 uses.

The player may cause ice comets to crash into a planet to create water, or force volcanoes to erupt to increase atmosphere. Players may build colonies on the surface of an inhospitable planet once they gain the ability to create bubbled cities, similar in function to self-sustaining arcologies. When establishing colonies on alien worlds, players have to take care of them as they would any other city and keep morale up.

The player may also abduct creatures and transport them to other planets to test a planet's habitability (During earlier phases of the game, it is possible to see other creatures on the planet being abducted for this or other purposes.) The player may utilize various tools such as fireworks to interact with primitive lifeforms, or place a monolith (in the style of 2001: A Space Odyssey) on a planet, triggering evolution of intelligence. On some worlds, the player may also find strange "artifacts" with functions varying from terraform coloring tools to treasures which can be sold for a relatively large price. Artifacts can be present on lifeless worlds and inhabited worlds, although taking them from planets occupied by sentient beings will anger them.

There are more than 50,000 planets in the game's galaxy (including Earth and the Solar System).

Players can make contact with other civilizations, called 'empires', most of which are created by other players. Intelligent species can be found, and when the UFO visits that world, they may impress the beings with fireworks or a 'happy ray', attack them with weapons, or cast crop circles. The player may beam down a holographic image of his/her creature to interact more directly with an alien species. A user-created civilization's AIl reacts depending on its behavior and personality, both of which are based on the play-style of its user. The player can unite or conquer the galaxy by creating a federation or sparking an interstellar war. As a show of great force, the player may even completely destroy a planet (similar to the capabilities of the Death Star from Star Wars), which may bring retribution from that species and its allies. The player is sometimes called upon to fight off an invasion of their home planet, colony, or an ally's planet, from space pirates, environmental collapse, or attack from enemies.

EA has stated that there will be a storyline and 'secret ending' which can be found within the Space stage, and that 'only the most hardcore gamers' will find it, which is some kind of energy source in the middle of the galaxy guarded by the Grox.

Sandbox
The space phase is sometimes referred to as a sandbox, because the player eventually gains near-complete control of everything, though in the initial stages of the Space phase, the player inevitably must interact with other civilizations as in previous stages. It has been mentioned that the space phase works on two axes: a horizontal axis (the ability to interact with many planets in a variety of different ways) and a vertical axis (the ability to revisit different phases of gameplay).

Editors
User-generated content is a major feature of Spore; there are eighteen different types of editors (some unique to a phase), and even a music editor which allows players to create and share songs to be used as a national anthem in the Civilization stages and above. Will Wright has stated that in addition to being simple, all the editors will be as similar as possible so that skills learned are easily transferable from one editor to the next.

The editors start simply in the cellular phase and move to higher levels of complexity, acting as tutorials for progressive levels of gameplay. For example; the cell editor demonstrated so far has nine choices and a two-dimensional environment while the creature editor has dozens of options and a 3D environment. The structure ranges from a spine and body model in the creature editor to more free-form editors for the buildings.

For example, the creature editor allows the player to take what looks like a lump of clay with a spine and mold it into a creature. Once they have molded the torso, they can then add parts such as legs, arms, feet, hands, noses, eyes, mouths, decorative elements, and a wide array of sensory organs. Many of these parts affect the creature's abilities (speed, strength, diet, etc.), while some parts are purely decorative. Once the creature is formed, they can paint it using a large number of textures, overlays, colors, and patterns, which are procedurally applied depending on the topology of the creature. The only "required" feature is the mouth (otherwise, the creature will die from starvation). All other parts are optional; for example, creatures without feet will, as said before, slither on the ground like a snake or slug.

Other editors are used for buildings and for vehicles. Eventually, players can edit entire planets, using various in-game processes. Electronic Arts has promised new editors to be released after the game's release, such as a flora editor. However, a beta flora editor and expanded cell editor are available in the game code and can be accessed by changing the target parameters for the shortcut executable.

There are also simple means of creating visual media: such as a screenshot facility that captures the screen without the surrounding user-interface; and a 640x480 video creator with a built-in YouTube upload service. Maxis has also partnered with a third-party to provide a Spore-branded Comic Book Creator service, which was live at launch.

Spore E308 Trailer

Online Tower Defense : Ultimate Defense 2

2008-10-04T00:24:00.000-07:00

Tower Defense games are one of the most popular types of online flash games today. Headlining this genre are tower defense games with titles like Desktop Tower Defense taking the spotlight. However, most of this genre is filled with bad to mediocre games that have limited play value. That is not so with Ultimate Defense 2, which with a polished interface, well-done graphics, and several different play mechanisms easily stands out from the rest of the field. Graphically, this game alooks alot like Protector and indeed it has a lot of the same game-play mechanisms like unit level upgrades based on XP and spells.

This game may take some getting used to but its well worth the learning curve. One thing that new players should be aware of is unlike traditional tower defense games were the towers fire at anything within a certain AOE of them, towers in this game only fire in one direction so be sure to make your defenders face in the direction where they will be able to fire the most shots. You can rotate your defenders once and plan on doing this or you will not be able to beat the level. Most of the units can only shoot two squares when they are purchased so be vary that you may need two defenders to reach across an entire lane which is usually 3 squares wide. Since you are allowed to rotate your defenders once on each level, be sure to put strong defenders at the turn positions and make them face the weaker side first so when the enemies get past the weak side, you can rotate them to the strong side where they will be permanently. This takes a bit of skill and micromanaging to master, especially if you are managing several rotations at once. For an easier walkthrough look to the end of this article for a more in-depth walkthrough.

Also, unlike traditional Tower Defense games, you do not purchase upgrades for your defenders, rather they gain XP according to the number of enemies you kill. You can use this to your advantage as it is possible to place towers so that one tower gets most of the kills thus giving you once super-strong tower, which is very helpful in single-handedly killing enemies. You can also unlock new defenders by completing levels and gain extra goodies by digging for treasure.

Spells and items are also an important part of this game. Watch your mana because you’ll need to have some in critical moments to prevent creeps from getting away. Early on the poison spell is great to pick creeps off but be sure to cast it early on in the level as it is a damage by time spell and takes a while to kill an enemy. If your looking for an easy direct-kill spell, go for lightening instead. The lightening spell is unlocked shortly after the game begins.

This game is a breathe of fresh air in the genre of tower defense. It is the first TD where micro-management is an important part of the games and is required for success. This alone makes the game a little more involved than traditional TD’s as you can’t just sit there and watch after building your defenders. You always have to be active rotating your defenders and using your spells to slow the enemy down.

The one complaint I do have about this game is that it is a bit too hard in the beginning and the learning curve is steep as it doesn’t quite play like a traditional Tower Defense game. But besides this small complaint, Ultimate Defense 2 is a solid all-around game.

Okay, still can’t beat it? I’ll take you through the game. Its actually quite easy to beat. You are basically going to use 4 defender types to beat the game. Archers, Mages, Ninjas, and Dragons. You never have to build knights and warriors(and they suck with only 1 in attack range). In the first two levels, build mainly archers and build lots of them. Building as many archers as you can while throwing one or two mages in there will do the trick. Be sure to use the pivot spots so you can use rotation. Digging for treasure is key, dig up all the squares that are not bordering the path as you won’t need to use them. You will get treasures for spinning the slots and more important in the early going, you will get mana potions to cast spells. A few creeps may get past your archers but with the spells of poision and lightening you should be fine(actually I never had to use more than these two spells the entire game). Starting at level 3, you will need ninjas. Ninjas have a range of 3 so one can cover the entire lane, place them at the pivot point(s) so you can rotate them. Usually one Ninja accompanied by a few archers in the right positions and the use of a few spells will be able to get you through level 3. On level 4, you will probably need two ninjas, some mages, and archers. Try to dig as much as you can for Mana potions as this will allow you to save money you will need to get through the levels until you can get dragons. Do not build warriors/knights as you don’t need them, Ninjas are better. I found that usually 3 strategic placement of ninjas accompanied by 2-3 mages and several archers were all I needed to get me through to the point where I unlocked the dragon. Try to save as much money as possible. You should be having a little bit more money at the end of each level. Don’t build extra defenders if you don’t need them. By the time you unlock dragons, you should have about 2500 or so to start the level with. Dragons take up four squares so after you get them, scout out the map for places that you can place them on. For the first level or two after you get dragons, build 1 dragon immediately, 1 ninja, and 1 mage(you should have enough start money to do this by this point in the game). That should kill everything perhaps until the last wave(but with spells it should be able to kill the last wave as well). After a level or two, you will have more than enough start money to buy 2 dragons. Basically at this point you’ve won the game as 2 dragons and one ninja is enough to handle all enemy creeps until the end. Never stop digging! I dugg every square I didn’t need to place on and ended up with 10+ mana potions at the end.

So lets recap — Until you can get dragons, build mainly Ninjas and archers and save as much money as possible while digging for treasure and mana potions.

After dragons, build only dragons and Ninjas and keep digging. Save as much as you can. If you can start every level with more than $3800(which is easily doable), the game is pretty much beat.

Overall, this is one of the easier TD games I’ve played. Took me about an hour to figure out how to beat it.

Play Ultimate Defense 2

MMO Web Game: Meetoto

2008-09-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Meetoto is a web-based gaming world which introduces a novel and exciting way to enjoy the fun of casual online gaming with the benefits of serious social networking. Targeted mostly at teenager and young adults, male gamers (called Meetoos) and female gamers (called Meetees) easily interact in a virtual world.

There are many things to do in the cities of Meetoto - Immerse yourself in this virtual world of your own! Every citizen in the world of Meetoto can play interior designer to their own apartment. Use costumes and other personalization options and let your Meetoo and Meetee become extension of your virtual personality.

Just like in the real world, shop and buy clothes, or visit the salon to change hair style. Earn meecoins, the currency of Meetoto, by getting a job playing casual games, becoming a performance star, or by just hanging out with your friends in game. Making an (in game) living has never been more enjoyable!

All you need is a web browser! The core of Meetoto is its world-class video and audio streaming technology delivered via Flash straight to your browser. Using advanced features, Meetoo and Meetee can showcase their talent and become a star in live virtual concerts using only a webcam and microphone!

In short, Meetoto is a web-based, anime-remixed, combination of Second Life and YouTube Live; where you can broadcast your world and your imagination. Best of all, there is no download client needed- any internet browser with Flash installed will allow you to play Meetoto anytime, anywhere!

Look out for unique Malaysia and Singapore maps, the first in this region, created by our very own in-house GoPlayPlay Meetoto team! There is so much to look forward to in this world of entertainment and enjoyment- So come in to Meetoto, and bring out the Star in You!

--> Play Meetoto now

Catch the Buzz! PSP World Review

2008-09-24T01:08:00.000-07:00

The Buzz! trivia series was a huge hit on the PS2 and created as much of a stir in the gaming community as the board game Trivial Pursuit did way back in the 1980s. There's absolutely nothing original about quiz titles but the average gamer’s fascination with all things trivial means that a ready made audience is always available. Clearly the drawbacks of converting any Playstation title to a handheld format means compromises have to be made and, while games like Killzone have wisely changed genre during their transition to the PSP, the nature of Buzz! means that the PS2 game has remained mostly intact. The key factor though is whether it's still as much fun to play as the more grown up versions on the consoles. So, is it?

Buzz! allows for three separate users to save their trivia progress from the start and each new games starts with the same gaming grid with just three categories to begin with: Snapshot Challenge, Top Rank Challenge and Quickfire Movie Challenge. Then you'll be forced to take on the Time Challenge, after which the selection branches out to three choices which cover music, celebrities and just about everything else you can think of. When you strip all the fancy titles away though, there are only really a handful of different quizzes using a combination of text, pictures and even video. There are supposedly 5,000 questions packed into the tiny UMD so the first few runs should provide more than a challenge for the old grey matter.

The quizzes themselves are mostly straight forward, although the Virus Challenge has the added element of both time and negative answers eating away at your score making speed and accuracy very important. The Snapshot Challenge is a little more arcade-like so after answering a question you'll be taken to a grid where you may select one square to reveal. If it makes any sense to you then you may opt to answer a question otherwise you can simply pass and attempt to uncover more of the image. All this is compered by your energetic host (played to perfection by Jason Donovan) who pops up everywhere giving both encouragement and sarcasm in equal measures. This really adds personality to the whole thing and the voice acting really is superb and incredibly hammed up. The presentation is good too, with clear text and a very user friendly interface.

The scoring system is pretty straightforward, with speed rewarded and all your high score are saved for you on the cart. The replay value is provided with a collection of awards that can be won as you fulfil various criteria such as answering a question in under a second, 20 questions correctly in succession or even if you attain Gold Medals across the board. Multiplayer fans are also catered for even if you only have a single PSP. The Quiz Host mode allows a player to become the quizmaster, asking questions which appear on the screen whist up to six players can battle it out. The various challenges can be very entertaining too, with our first game asking 'who can touch their nose with their tongue?' The self explanatory Pass Around also supports six players and is designed to fit almost any scenario so you can decide on the questions’ difficulty or even the length of the game itself. The other method allows you to enjoy the game on up to four PSPs thanks to the game sharing option.

There's no question that your first few plays of Buzz! will be a joy. It’s very entertaining and quite a challenge too. Unfortunately, as much as it tries not to, it still suffers from repetition so that by the time you've attained gold on each of the sections you may have answered the same questions on multiple occasions. It's all still good stuff though and the Multiplayer is especially entertaining and, given that this is being sold as a budget title, it's well worth a purchase.
By Andrew Blanchard on pspworld.com

Koei Has Big Plans for the PSP

2008-09-24T01:04:00.000-07:00

After the runaway success that Capcom has enjoyed with their Monster Hunter franschise, other Japanese software publishers have taken notice of the PSP. Sega's Phantasy Star Portable has enjoyed similarly strong sales, while Square Enix has a whole bunch of great things lined up for the system. In a recent interview with Gamasutra, Koei boss Kenji Matsubara stated that his company would also like to jump into the fray. Koei, which is most widely known for its Dynasty Warriors brawler, has something a little bit more cooperative in mind for their next PSP project. Even better, the company has Western gamers in mind specifically for this new game:

"One problem is that in the States, it's not so popular for people to get together and have team play with the PSP," said Matsubara. "Some people say that such team play will grow in the Western market, but some people say that Western people are not so much interested in team play. That's why we'd like to see if such team play could be popular in the Western market."

All of this sounds great to us, and we can't help but wonder whether the company will draw on existing properties like Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Disgaea, or whether they will strike out to explore new territory with thier planned PSP game.
By Kris Erickson on pspworld.com

Final Fantasy Agito XIII Details Emerge, Includes Online Multiplayer

2008-09-24T00:59:00.000-07:00

The most recent issue of Famitsu contains quite a few interesting details about the upcoming PSP game Final Fantasy Agito XIII. The title began life as a mobile phone spin-off, but somewhere between the orignal announcement and the recent Square Enix press event, plans changed. According to Famitsu, the developers were unhappy with the current state of mobile gaming and decided instead to build the game for the more popular -- and more capable -- PSP.

The magazine revealed that the game will also use a similar battle system to the one found in Crisis Core. The so-called ATB system allows players to freely move around the battlefield, block and attack at will (even though they must wait for a counter bar to fill before attacking). Agito will use an advanced version of this system, however the developers also revealed that it will be possible to control more than one character in Agito XIII.

The third bit of juicy news to escape the Japanese publication is that Agito will also support online multiplayer for up to 3 players using online Infrastructure, a rarity for Japanese games.
By Kris Erickson on pspworld.com

Capcom to Show Devil Kings PSP at TGS

2008-09-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

With the Tokyo Game Show just around the corner, there are some exciting announcements coming up for PSP owners. Last week, we heard that Square Enix will be showing playable versions of Dissidia and Kingdom Hearts at the event. Today, Capcom have revealed the list of upcoming titles that they will be bringing to Tokyo, when the convention kicks off on October 10th. The confirmed games on show from the company are:

- Resident Evil 5 (PS3, Xbox 360)
- Bionic Commando (PS3, Xbox 360)
- Street Fighter IV (PS3, Xbox 360)
- Monster Hunter 3 tri- (Wii)
- Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom (Wii)
- Dead Rising (Wii)
- Fate Unlimited Codes (PS2)
- Mega Man Star Force 3 (NDS)
- Gyakuten Kenji (NDS)
- Devil Kings : Battle Heroes (PSP)

Devil Kings: Battle Heroes is a spinoff of Capcom's successful PS2 hack 'n slash battlefield franchise. In the console game, players took on hordes of enemy soldiers in a manner similar to the Dynasty Warriors series. For the PSP game, Capcom has scaled back the combat a bit to make it a 2 on 2 arcade fighter. We expect that fans of the PS2 games will be excited to see if their favorite characters made the cut for the PSP verison, and we look forward to hearing more about this game from the show floor in Tokyo.

Japanese Adventure game: Nanaca † Crash

2008-09-17T21:32:00.002-07:00

A remake of last year's Penguin tossing games, Nanaca † Crash adds depth to the original by featuring nine (9) different characters that affect game play in unique ways. The characters are actually from a Japanese PS2 adventure game called Cross†Channel: To All People, developed by Flying Shrine and targeted at the mature market. This game, however, is definitely safe for all ages.

Nanaca†Crash begins with a click of the mouse. Simply click and hold the mouse when the meter shows the desired angle, release it at the desired power. Nanaca will then come barreling in on her bike from out of nowhere to send Taichi flying via her AERIAL CRASH! ability. The object is to make Taichi travel the farthest.

Once in the air, Taichi's flight may be influenced by any of the characters standing on the ground when a collision occurs, or from additional aerial crashes you can activate with a click of the mouse. When the word "AERIAL" highlights in red or blue, clicking the mouse will summon Nanaca to teleport in and give Taichi an additional boost. Red aerial crashes launch him upward, blue aerial crashes boost him at an angle towards the ground.

You have only three (3) Red AERIAL crashes, use them wisely. You may use as many Blue aerials as you wish, but they take some time to regenerate.

Under certain conditions, when Taichi hits Miki, Kiri, Touko, and in rare occasions, Misato, an alert signal will sound and the word "SPECIAL" will appear. Clicking the mouse within this special condition will activate that character's special ability. Some characters summon other beings, others use the character following her for a special combo. And there is much yet to discover about this very unique and unusual game.

Each character will affect Taichi roughly according to these rules:

When Taichi hits Kiri, she gives him a boost. Her normal boost accelerates him up at a 45 degree angle.

Misato will usually force Taichi to stop, so avoid colliding with her if at all possible. However, if you are able to activate her SPECIAL, she will boost him with the highest power of all.

The first time Taichi collides with Youko, she does nothing ("Through and Run"), but the next time Taichi hits a female character, Youko will block that character's effect.

When Taichi collides with Miki, she gives him a boost at a high angle of elevation. Power is a little stronger than Kiri.

Hitting Sakuraba Hiroshi simply changes Taichi's angle. There is no change to his speed.

When "AERIAL" highlights in red or blue, click the mouse to summon Nanaca to boost Taichi using her AERIAL CRASH ability.

When Taichi collides with Touko, she gives him a boost at a low angle of elevation. Power is a little stronger than Kiri.

When Taichi hits Tomoki, he just slows him down. Avoid the male characters if possible.

There is a lot of fun packed into this deceptively simple looking game. Summoning, combos, special abilities, and some real nice graphic effects. My record so far is 7,650.16 meters. How far can you make Taichi fly?
Review by Jay on jayisgames.com

Click here to play

Card RPG Games: Governor of Poker

2008-09-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

Play Texas Hold 'Em against skillful computer opponents in Governor of Poker by Youda Games, creator of the previously reviewed Youda Camper. Build your reputation and wealth in a dusty western town by winning at poker and buying up property. You start out in the small Texas town of San Saba with money in your pocket and the ambition to climb up in the world. The game directs you to a poker tourney starting at the local saloon. As you win at poker you are able to buy property and increase your reputation. The higher your reputation, the more poker games you get invited to, and so on, until you own the whole town. You even make headlines in the newspaper! And best of all, if you're not in the mood to download, give the free Flash demo a try and see what you think.

The bulk of the game is spent at the poker table displayed in overhead pov, but those ten-gallon hats have a bunch of personality. Hand and body movements mimic real play, which is a nice touch. The most fascinating thing to me was that the characters had verbal and visual "tells." When he twirled his chips, was he strong or weak? Did the crack in her voice just tell me she raised with pocket Aces? Did the guy staring straight ahead when he made a quiet all-in bet mean he had made his flush? Usually. I called a bunch of hands just to see if I could figure out the code. If you show some bluffs, you might make someone start to steam or go on tilt! You can see the steam coming out of their ears, and they start to play badly.

Once you build your wealth and own houses, you'll have keys with you at the table in cash games, and you can bet the worth of those houses. But be careful, because other players have keys too, and when the short stack throws in his key, suddenly you'll be calling a much bigger bet than you expected. If at any point you don't have enough money to join a game, you can sell a house, or click on the "next day" button a ton of times and earn rent on your properties until you have enough to play. You can also win a series of 24 medals for various hands and situations, like "Busted A Player," "Won All-In Against Two Players," "Won 1st Place," etc. You can eventually own the town and are offered to play heads-up against the best player to win a horse. Once you win the horse you can mosey on to the next town and take more players to the cleaners all over again. You'll have thirteen towns and cities to conquer with your poker prowess, buying up all the houses and saloons as you go until you run all of Texas!

Analysis: Simple with few frills, Governor of Poker focuses on gameplay and creates a superb experience as a result. The AI is really pretty satisfying, even at just this first town. There are three skill levels to choose from, and a couple of the opponents are quite challenging. It's up to you to figure out who's the bluffer, who's betting true value, and who's betting their house on the nuts.

If you're new to Texas Hold 'Em, you won't find the instructions very helpful. But you can see a hand ranking chart on what beats what. There are lots of onscreen tips which you can turn on or off, and all the people in the town seem to want to give you poker advice every time you talk to them. You'll also get used to how the "blinds" (forced bets) go around the table and learn plenty of poker lingo as you play.

Governor of Poker has a nice feel for a computer poker game, a bit more like playing against people than other casual AI poker games I've played. The graphics and animation are very appealing, and the added goal of buying up property is a strong incentive for playing well. Too bad there isn't a multiplayer version!
Review By StaceyG on jayisgames.com

Try the Game of Governor of Poker!

Flash Games: Bomb It Review

2008-09-12T01:47:00.001-07:00

Bomb It is one in a growing trend of Flash games based off of classic SNES-era games. What makes it worthwhile is that it's very effective in emulating its predecessor, the Bomberman series. However, it does not take the easy route of simply imitating the game down to the last detail. It brings a number of interesting new ideas to the table, and a catchy visual style.

That said, the graphics are very clean and soft. The only reason I hesitate to rate them more highly is that they don't really exceed my expectations in any case. Animation is limited to the bare bones, and an abundance of gradient shading may be compensating for a lack of detail in some areas. Nonetheless, very effective in their own right.

The sound was on par. It didn't feel like any sounds were missing, and the music suited the mood quite well. Although the overall quality of the audio was arguably inconsistent, more sounds were high-end than low. The option to turn the sound off was nice, but a few select sounds still played even with this feature in place.

The game's control was not unlike Bomberman itself. As you collect pickups, there's a lot to do with very few keys, so you might end up accidentally blowing yourself to pieces a few times before you really get the hang of them. Navigating the grid might also take some getting used to. Players might find themselves boxing their character off in a dead end when they had meant to turn a corner. Still, if this control issue existed in the original, it wouldn't be fair to condemn this Flash game for sharing it too.

The presentation in Bomb It was perhaps the most professional-feeling aspect of the game. The menu was easy to navigate and the instructions were very straightforward. Perhaps some further instruction might have helped the players unfamiliar with the Bomberman series, but it's a pretty easy concept to teach yourself anyway. The menu functionality had a few quips, such as being unable to toggle audio on and off while the game is paused, but these problems are minor and don't really hurt the overall presentation of the game.

There are several Bomberman-inspired games speckled across the Flash gaming world, but this one offered more fun than any other I've played. If you're not worn out on this type of game, or if you've yet to play any like it, Bomb It is definitely worth a shot.
Reviewed by NegativeONE from negativeflash.com

Click here to play Bomb it

Bomb it Video

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (X360)

2008-09-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

Finally, with the conclusion of the Star Wars films, the rise of the Empire can be explored. The entire Star Wars universe has been unleashed, and the first major story will be that of the Secret Apprentice. Recruited by Darth Vader, brought into power, and sent out to hunt more than just Jedi, you will play that Apprentice. And whether you're a Star Wars nerd already in an uproar because there are more than two Sith or if you don't know Han Solo from Kit Fisto, in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed you will get to see LucasArts deliver on a tempting promise. With amazing new technology and the full power of the fully operational LucasArts licensing machine, you will get to "kick ass with the Force." The developer invited me out to its San Francisco studio to show me how.

That's not true! That's impossible!

As the Apprentice, you'll secretly serve Darth Vader. These aren't the gentle teachings of Obi-Wan; it's more like torture. Concept art shows the Apprentice's arms bound with chains, forced onto his knees. Darth Vader watches as the Apprentice assembles a lightsaber with only the Force. Later, more fully in touch with his power, the Apprentice is tooled up and armed with his lightsaber but still has shackles on his neck and one of his arms. The shackles, like the ones binding Obi-Wan in Episode II, have blue energy bolts shooting from them. Throughout the game, Darth Vader's influence will haunt you.

But Vader isn't recruiting because he's a sweetheart and thinks you deserve superpowers. The Sith lord is recruiting because he needs lots of dangerous people found and murdered. Executing Order 66, Vader will send you on missions to eliminate the remaining Jedi in the galaxy. During my demo, I got to see the Apprentice take on enemies in some sort of TIE Fighter construction facility. The facility floated in space, numerous horizontal rings stacked one over the other. Two group were at war inside of it, and so was the Apprentice's first target.

The familiar white insect-samurai armor of the Emperor's elite, the Stormtroopers, flashed everywhere in the space station. In fatigues and coveralls, a group of so-called "proto-rebels" was attacking them. All around the interior of the facility, the two groups were at war. Vader didn't want anyone, in particular the Emperor, finding out the Apprentice was there, so the Apprentice had to wipe them out ("all of them"). It's in the methods of murder that LucasArts' new technologies will really let you feel the power of The Force.

As in a few highly regarded Star Wars games, at some point moral choices will come up, but the gameplay of destruction has never been pushed as hard as this before. Morals, schmorals, this is what we've always wanted to do with Force powers. Psi-Ops was cool, but using Force Pull, Push, Choke, Lightening, Dash, Storm, and your lightsaber in tandem creates more potential for sheer heinousness than ever before.

A number of intertwined technology systems help sell the action. Each character has, essentially, a central nervous system. LucasArts calls this Euphoria, and it grants the enemies a real self-preservation instinct that plays out dynamically, instead of through a small set of action/reaction pairs and canned animations. Meanwhile, a tech called Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) allows many physical objects to behave with nearly absolute realism. That means wood splintering, metal bending and then snapping, railings snapping under too much weight, and so on. These two systems will interact to create dynamic behaviors like enemies grabbing out to save themselves from falling (and perhaps failing to get a grip because they're too slow or their armor too heavy), enemies fearfully backing away when you slash wildly with your lightsaber, and so on. All of this realism should help sell your powers like never before; plenty of games have let us play as Force users, but never has it felt so potentially out-of-control and deadly as it does here.

Back in the facility's interior hangar, Stormtroopers threatened the character with a peppering of blaster bolts from above. The Apprentice simply reached out and ripped the support struts out from under their walkways a section at a time: DSS in action. The Imperials didn't even have time to react before they died, but their comrades on the ground of the TIE hanger moved in to avenge them. While being picked up with the Force, the first armored warrior flailed, trying to get some leverage. The Apprentice flung his lightsaber; the game's targeting system makes it easy to make sure that the lightsaber goes to the same target that the Apprentice is floating. Even as the crimson red saber pierced the soldier, the Apprentice fired a searing series of Force bolts, the electricity tearing into the victim's body. With a last downward command, the Apprentice slammed the doomed Imperial into the deck in the midst of his fellows. The trooper finally exploded via a Force Lightening bomb, which wrecked horrific harm on the other cowering shooters.

The level provided other chances to deliver on what the concept art and E3 pre-vis video have promised. Rising into the air, power surging around him, the Apprentice effortlessly cleared a group of closing proto-Rebels with a blast of Force energy in all directions. The sealed blast doors warped and bent under the impact, but held. The Apprentice stalked to them, his animation already iconic, and smashed them open with a Force Push. The metal doors literally bent, although in this early build their glass can't shatter. That's coming, though.

Out in the massive TIE construction area, a mass of empty space was bounded only by the far exterior walls of the facility. Rails full of nearly-done TIE fighters spanned the massive room. This is one thing that'll be in every stage: piles of renewable resources to trash with the Force. To make up for the missing glass in the blast doors, the demonstrator wandered to the edge of a walkway where active TIE fighters screamed across the facility. (Yes, it was so large inside that space fighters were the patrol craft.) It took a few tries and more Stormtroopers than the few that were nearby, but eventually he succeeded. Throwing one of the nearby crates smack into a TIE fighter, the ship exploded as it fireballed down into darkness.

Power! Unlimited Power!

Although the TIE stage is far from complete, it's just one example of some of what's coming in Spring '08. Other environments will include the organic world of Felucia and the junk world of Raxis Prime. Each world will give the Apprentice different weapons - in the TIE facility, Stormtroopers and crates were common ammunition. On the junk world, stories worth of debris and wreckage will provide plenty of choices for destruction. The world of Felucia is nearly a mystery, although I'm already dreaming about flinging enemies into the maws of carnivorous plants.

New characters will include the samurai-themed Jedi General Kota (whose hunt took us to the TIE facility) and the female Zabrak (that's Darth Maul's race, newbs) Maris Brood. She wields dual lightsabers with tonfa-style hilts, whereas the Togruta Jedi Master Shaak Ti will command rancors against you. Your ship, the Rogue Shadow, will be piloted by a female Imperial officer named Juno Eclipse, who will also fulfill the role of love interest at George Lucas' suggestion that one be included. In Star Wars style, a wise-cracking robot will be involved in some way, although I hope that it's funny in an "I'm an assassin droid" way, not in a "Not funny Jar-jar Binks" way. In any case, if you like the new characters, you'll be pleased to hear that there are book, toys, and comics on the way as well.

It's hard to overemphasize how much potential DMM and Euphoria bring to the equation. Merely flinging an enemy towards, say, the ruins of a ship on Raxis Prime isn't necessarily enough. Euphoria will have him grabbing at his environment as he flies, desperate for purchase, and DMM means that if he gets a grip, he may well bring whole walls down. Force-pushing a heavily armored soldier into a wooden pillar could result in a lot less pillar, possibly bringing down the building around them (and possibly you).

A Rose By Any Other Name...

One concern, simply because it's so nebulous at this point, is the story itself. You will play as Vader's apprentice. You'll be recruited to help him slay Jedi, and also to aid him in overthrowing the Emperor, but we don't even know your name yet. We do know, however, that Force Unleashed will begin bridging the gap between Episode III and Episode IV. We know your lightsaber style uses a strange reverse grip, like a knife-fighter, with the blade pointing behind you when in neutral stance (although reflecting blaster shots happens unimpeded and automatically).

And although this is most assuredly, "not an RPG, not the next Knights of the Old Republic," you will still face moral choices throughout the game. This will let you follow story paths in which you gain control of the Empire, lead the Rebellion, cast your own lot, or possibly other choices. It's easy to see potential here and get excited, but getting excited about Star Wars stories based on their astounding technologies has burned me the last three movies, so I'm withholding judgment for now.

For those playing on the PS2, PSP and DS, the situation is a little different. Without the muscle to run Euphoria or DMM, the "last-gen" versions will instead offer unique perks. The PS2 and PSP versions will have an identical extra level, and their gameplay looks remarkably close to the previously mentioned Psi-Ops, but with the option to hurl a lightsaber at people. You'll still follow the same story, and play the same even-in-the-beta-build awesome looking Apprentice. ODE physics will be in place, counting in at five soft bodies and ten rigid ones.

More interestingly, in a spat with a mini-boss, the player gets to cut down an AT-ST in a God of War style button-pressing mini-game. In this sequence, the Apprentice slashed the AT-ST off balance, then leapt up, grabbed hold of the huge walker, fired a blast of dark lightening at the cockpit, and then simply reached in through the pilot's cockpit window with an ignited lightsaber and slashed open anyone unfortunate enough to be inside. It was impressively dramatic and powerful, even without the power of next-gen driving it. The DS version will likewise have "cool stuff" with the touch pad, and the PSP will definitely include ad hoc multiplayer.

Last year's E3 trailer was just a teaser for what we'll see in SWFU. The Euphoria engine and DMM should combine together with Havoc physics to create an unreal experience. Even last-gen games should have something worth looking forward to. George Lucas' green light and direct input means this isn't just the next Star Wars game, but the next chapter in the Star Wars saga. If LucasArts can live up to the promise of its new technologies and story, Force Unleashed could even be the best Star Wars game yet.

By Patrick Joynt-GameSpy.com

Star Wars The Force Unleashed Launch Trailer

STAR WARS The Force Unleashed - GAME PLAY

MMO FLASH: Totem Destroyer

2008-09-03T23:55:00.000-07:00

We've all played that game. You know, the one with the wooden blocks stacked up like a tower that has the uncanny ability to turn the most reserved of adults into a group of six year olds on a sugar rush while you nervously load test each and every single block as you try and remove it without sending the whole tottering structure collapsing with a magnificent crash.

Now, thanks to the efforts of Gabriel Ochsenhofer, the very same who brought you Armor Picross 2, you can savor the very best of the classic party game without all the annoying side effects. Side effects like spending half an hour just stacking the tower in the first place, or chasing down that last wayward piece after a particularly good crash, or, my least favorite, having to endure your brother in law jumping around the room screaming, "IN YO FACE!" for a minimum of twenty minutes.

Totem Destroyer is, to say the least, an ironic name for this little jewel of a puzzler, considering that the very last thing you want to do is destroy the totem. The goal of each level is to instead retrieve the tiny golden little idol unharmed. Doing so is easier said than done, however. Keeping you from your prize is the precariously stacked structure upon which its perched. Your goal is to selectively destroy the required number of blocks for each stage without letting the totem touch the ground.

You will find in your hunt for priceless totems black blocks which can't be destroyed, normal brown blocks which can be destroyed, and green blocks which are equally destructable, but throw some added challenge into the mix with their bounciness. Whips, Fedoras, and the ability to outrun giant boulders won't be needed on this expedition, just your wits and a little luck.

Analysis: There's very little to find wrong with this game. The physics upon which it is balanced (heh) are incredibly well done. I did eventually find it unusual that the longer blocks landed so easily standing up, but even this little hiccup is one that I didn't notice until after level twenty. Beyond that, the physics really make the game; providing a natural feeling reaction to your every move that is predictable enough to plot your moves yet provides just enough randomness to keep you second guessing. Also, the dead time between when you can destroy blocks at first feels like a game flaw until you realize that it forces you to slow down and find a logical way to reach your goal as opposed to just clicking like mad and hoping the totem lands on one of the indestructable black blocks.

One criticism is the fact that successfully completing a level is determined by destroying a requisite number of blocks. For many levels this works fine, but for many this puts you in a situation where the totem is safe and low and you are just gratuitously clicking blocks that are out of play. Further, once you've reached the goal, you aren't allowed to destroy any more blocks, which sometimes puts you in a situation where if you could just destroy one more your totem is safe, but instead you have to watch as it slides down to the deadly grass below while you remain helpless to do anything about it. An alternative possibility might be to have a line below which you could bring the totem so that you could "reach" it.

The other quibble I have with the game is that it's just too short. At 25 levels, you should be able to work your way through in a relatively brief amount of time, and while we are promised at the end that more is to come, by the time the game is over you're going to be wanting some more NOW! And indeed, this game screams for a level editor option where players can build their own devious towers for others to try and deconstruct safely.

But these are minor annoyances and won't take away from the game's inherent charm and seemingly infinite possibilities. Thanks to the underlying physics, there are numerous logical solutions to each puzzle, as well as a few that can be reached through some good old fashioned luck. And when you're done, you don't even have to hunt down all the blocks so you can put them away in your closet.

Play Totem Destroyer.

Role playing MMO: Anarchy Online

2008-08-27T07:18:00.000-07:00

Anarchy Online is an online role playing video game published by Funcom Productions. Funcom is also credited with the critically successful The Longest Journey, Dreamfall, and Age of Conan titles. Development of the science fiction themed game was headed by project director Gaute Godager and story developer Ragnar Tørnquist at a time when most role playing games made use of a more traditional fantasy setting.

As a Massively Multiplayer Onling Role Playing Game (MMORPG), customers log into a virtual world that persists indefinitely with or without player interaction. Players create custom characters that they improve by killing enemies, collecting resources, fighting each other, and various other activites. The game's ongoing storyline takes place on the distant planet Rubi-Ka, and its ravaged extra-dimensional twin.

Anarchy Online is often referred to by the infamous stability and registration issues present after its release in June 2001. The problems left users unable to register or access content for several weeks. It has since garnered positive reviews from major outlets overall, not least the Shadowlands expansion pack which was awarded with several Editor's Choice awards.

Gameplay
Gameplay in Anarchy Online is generally based on its predecessors and successors in the MMORPG genre. Players assume the role of a newly arrived colonist to planet Rubi-Ka where they create a unique character based on several professions, breeds, and sex. After crash-landing on the surface, they must choose to align themselves with either the Omni-Tek corporation, the rebel Clans, or to remain neutral. There is no specific goal that must be realized to win, nor is there any rigid gameplay structure. Instead the general object of the game is to continually improve the character's skills and abilities with, or against, other players. Each character's status is measured in "levels" ranging from 1 to 220. Progression through these levels comes as players earn experience points in a variety of ways.

In addition to killing creatures littered about the game world, players also complete quests or missions to gain experience. Missions are dynamically generated on-demand by the player who adjusts options such as how powerful its enemies will be, which tactics they prefer to use, and whether enemies are more likely to be humanoid or creatures. Other more difficult objectives, such as raids or encounters, are designed to require the cooperation of large groups of players to complete.

While progression is measured in levels, it has almost no direct impact on the player's abilities. Those abilities are determined by the game's skill system. At each new level, the character is rewarded with "Improvement Points" which are spent to increase skills of the player's choice, although the cost to increase is determined by their chosen profession. For example, the "Electrical Engineering" skill is much cheaper to members of the Engineer profession than it is to the Doctor profession. Characters are also rewarded with "Perks" after reaching certain levels which further augment skills. Following a free-form style progression system, Perks are chosen from tiered groups that increase specific types of skills. In a third method to augment skills even further, player's can designate a percentage of earned experience towards "Research." This type of progression is derived from the popular real-time strategy genre where resources, in this case experience points, are invested into research which eventually yield improvement to skills.

Players can attack each other by requesting a duel, or by entering areas where fighting is allowed. "Tower fields," found throughout the game, are one example of this type of area. Any formal group of players known as an "organization" that acquire a field can build "towers" on it which give skill bonuses to all members. The number of fields is limited, which encourages groups to fight the incumbent owners for control. Another venue for players to fight each other are the battle-stations, a series of enclosed domination style games that take place between the two factions. Each side must capture and hold points on a map to increase their score until the winning score of 500 is reached. Anarchy Online enforces a limit on the range on levels that players may attack each other. This is because of the relatively large difference between character abilities at different levels.

Daily administration of the game is managed by paid employees know as Game Masters. This staff is supplemented by an official group of volunteer players called Advisors of Rubi-Ka (ARK). Advisors help administrators answer problem reports in-game, provide new player orientation, and help coordinate both official and player-run events.

Story
Anarchy Online's plot revolves around the fight to control the fictional planet Rubi-Ka. Its original four year storyline was written and later directed by Ragnar Tørnquist, who also developed the stories for Funcom's The Longest Journey and Dreamfall titles. It was designed to be played out as a series of in-game events lasting from 2001 until 2005.

According to the game's official website, hyper-corporation Omni-Tek was granted a one thousand year lease to the desert planet on Jan 01, 28708 shorty after its discovery. It was a seemingly useless arid landscape far from civilization until the discovery of the mineral notum. That mineral's properties led to major leaps forward in nanotechnology that made possible the large-scale manipulation of matter, energy, and even resurrection from death. The first five hundred years of Omni-Tek's unfettered control of Rubi-Ka were marked with an exemplary worker treatment record, but as time passed the company's policies degraded into near totalitarianism. It was then that a significant number of poorly treated colonists rebelled and began to trade stolen notum to a rival corporation. These rebel groups, collectively calling themselves the Clans, fought a series of wars with Omni-Tek in the centuries leading up to the in-game timeline.

After the game's release, Tørnquist published his short fiction novel Prophet Without Honor (Anarchy Online Book 1) that serves as a historical primer. The story has since been extended beyond its original conclusion, but a second book was never written.

Role-players were often encouraged to participate and influence the outcome of the story during the first four years. This is evidenced in a New York Times article, published in 2003, about a well-known player named Rick Stenlund who used the game's message boards to organize an in-game rally in protest of a proposed change to gameplay. Administrators responded by preparing a role-play event with official characters and incorporating the rally into the official timeline.

Development
Development for Anarchy Online started as early as 1995 at Funcom's Oslo, Norway studios. The company was then only two years old with a relatively small number of developers, and the MMORPG genre was a niche market with few popular titles available. Management at Funcom believed that this genre would grow quickly in the following years, but some developers such as former project director Gaute Godager were not convinced. He later described the development team as "ambitious" in most facets. Virtually all MMORPGs and MUDs at that time including the two most successful, Ultima Online and EverQuest, were based on a more traditional role playing fantasy theme. Funcom chose to use a science-fiction theme instead, and the official announcement was made in 2000. The company grew substantially during the late 1990's, and by the time the game was released over 70 developers were employed to the project.

Anarchy Online's servers officially opened on June 27, 2001 after a public beta test that lasted several weeks. In its first month online the game suffered heavily from stability, registration, and billing issues. Customers reported they were unable to register using product keys provided with the installation discs. Others were accidentally billed the registration fee twice, although they were never billed for the second charge. Players were unable to access large portions of the game's content once logged in, as servers struggled to stay online. Funcom later announced that no customers would be billed for play time until the issues were resolved.

Initial release problems were eventually fixed, and by the second quarter of 2002 subscription numbers began to rise again reaching 150,000. Four expansions have since been published that customers can buy to extend the original game: The Notum Wars (2002), Shadowlands (2003), Alien Invasion (2004), and Lost Eden (2006). Periodic free updates are also released which fix bugs, add features, and release new content.

Reception
Anarchy Online's unique proposed features such as the science fiction setting, large playable area, and dynamic missions created significant interest leading up to the release date. The game was one month away from launching when it made its second appearance at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2001, and video game websites such as GameSpot had written pre-release articles. At the European Computer Trade Show that same year it was awarded Multiplayer Game of Show.

The game's launch problems had a strong negative effect with initial critics. Many larger video game sites chose to wait a month or more before publishing a formal review, and the troubled release is often briefly mentioned in later reviews of the game as a juxtaposition. It went on to be received favorably from most outlets, averaging a 7.6 out of 10 from GameSpy, GameSpot, and IGN. Caryn Law of GameSpy called it "a promising game with some big technical flaws." IGN descibed it as "a brilliant, engaging, profound MMORPG," but they added it came with "atrocious technical problems." PC Gamer magazine awarded it with Best Massively Multiplayer Game and described it as "the next great MMORPG."

The Shadowlands expansion was the most critically acclaimed by far, winning several Editor's Choice Awards from IGN, CNet, GameSpot, GameSpy and others after its release in 2003. Critics applauded the size and scope of the expansion, such as Andrew Park of GameSpot who called it "absolutely enormous." Craig Morrison of IGN praised the artistic style of the six new themed areas calling them "visually stunning." Micheal Lafferty of GameZone wrote that it "has depth in spite of its linear nature."

Alien Invasion's release in 2004 was not taken as well as the Shadowlands, although most scores were above 7 out of 10. The expansion, in critic's eyes, was not designed for new players. GameZone wrote, "...this is definitely targeted toward in-game organizations." They went on to say that it "certainly brings new depth to the title."

Most popular gaming websites chose not to review the Lost Eden expansion pack released in 2005. The expansion's content itself was well received, but critics pointed to the overall game's aging interface and visuals. Sarah Borger of Games Radar wrote that it "make[s] the world hard to interact with," but she went on to acclaim the new features.

Subscription
Anarchy Online uses a variation of the industry-standard Pay to Play business model. Customers must buy one month of access to the game for a flat rate, or multiple months at a discounted rate. The subscription model is broken down into three tiers. Users have the option of paying to play all of the game's expansions, paying to play only the Shadowlands expansion, or playing only the original game for free.

Funcom began offering the game's original content including the Notum Wars booster pack for free on December 15, 2004. In exchange, players are shown in-game advertisements provided by the Massive Incorporated advertising company. Images and videos are shown on static billboards placed in high traffic areas of the game. Paying customers have the option to replace these ads with ones for fictitious game-world products. The Free Play Program was originally advertised to last one year, but Funcom has extended the deadline every year since then as of 2008. These free players, known colloquially as "froobs" (free newbies), have become so common that Funcom incorporated the phrase into the game as a wearable t-shirt. Other online games have since offered indefinite free play with restricted content.

3D MMORPG: World of Kung Fu

2008-08-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

The World of Kung Fu is a 3D MMORPG for the PC. Based on the traditional Chinese culture, the game takes place in a mythical land founded on the ancient Kung Fu moral values of justice and heroism.

Breaking away from the limits imposed by 'professions', each player starts the game as the martial artists of old, studying Kung Fu in a remote village. Having perfected certain chosen skills by completing extensive training and undergoing numerous tests, players set out to take part in the creation of the Wulin, a classic Kung Fu society. As they travel throughout the various territories of ancient China, players will be able to demonstrate their valor and bravery as they strive to become martial art legends.

As in the real world, World of Kungfu is a complex network of various interconnecting systems. Unlike other games in which the point of the experience is to defeat monsters and enemies, this game invites the martial artists to become deeply involved in the development and establishment of a society which interweaves economic and social systems. The game also enables the players to enjoy the emotions of a private life filled with romance and drama. Furthermore, as they increase their skills, the players can establish their own school and master their own style of Kung Fu which they will then be able to pass on to others.
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World of Kung Fu Online CG Video

Flash MMOSTR: McDonalds Videogame

2008-08-17T02:34:00.000-07:00

The McDonald's Videogame is the newest Flash creation of Molleindustria, an Italian design team dedicated to the discussion of the social and political implications of video games.

The game is a simulation and parody of McDonald's where you are in charge of creating profits for the company by managing the four sections of its business: Agriculture, The Feedlot, Fast Food and Headquarters.

The Agriculture Section is where soy is grown for fodder for the feedlot and where cattle are raised to maturity.

The Feedlot is where mature cattle are fattened up and slaughtered for hamburger.

The Fast Food Section is the actual restaurant itself where you control employees and sandwich production.

Headquarters is where the executive decisions are made in relation to advertising, public relations and profits.

Your job is to balance all areas of production, make profits and keep the business running smoothly for as long as possible. Occasionaly consumer and public problems pop up for you to deal with due to your business decisions. The game ends once you have accumulated a debt of around $30,000.

The game provides a decent tutorial and a reasonably intuitive point-and-click interface that unfortunately doesn't compensate for a steep learning curve and high difficulty. This shouldn't stop you from giving it a try though. Overall the game is an entertaining distraction that is definitely worth it for the satire and laughs or if you enjoy a challenge. Click here to play

The article is from jayisgames.com by By Kate

Flash MMORPG: Robokill the Titan Prime

2008-08-15T03:14:00.000-07:00

Those of you Crimsonland fanatics are in for a treat. And if you've never heard of Crimsonland or the RIP series (top-down [WASD] shooters), you're in for an even bigger treat. Rock Solid Arcade's newest release, Robokill, is an extremely well-polished shooter game that's as fun to play as it is easy to learn. You play the role of a mercenary robot hired to investigate and eradicate the hostile forces that have taken over Titan Prime, a space station orbiting Mars. On arrival, you're dropped off in the first level of the station, equipped with dual miniguns attached to your shoulders. Sound enticing? It only gets better...

Each level of the station features around two dozen rooms where all the action takes place. You have a mission objective in each level (such as destroying a particular target or finding a vital component to progress). Your job is to blast through room after room, destroying everything that gets in your way, all while gaining experience to boost your stats, and finding money and upgrades to enhance your robot. Any fan of top-down shooters will embrace the familiar controls instantly: [WASD] or [arrow] keys to move and the mouse aims and shoots. For those of you not familiar with this style of shooter gameplay, you have a top-down view with the ability to move in all directions while simultaneously aiming with the mouse and shooting enemies while you move. As always in this kind of game, if you stand still, you die. Veteran players know the key to staying alive is to keep moving, especially in a game like this where most of the enemies fire projectiles back at you. The key is keeping a bead on your enemies as you fire at them while strafing around the room to dodge incoming fire. Luckily some of the rooms in Robokill provide non-destructible cover for you to hide behind if things get too hot. On the other hand, lots of barriers can be destroyed, sometimes revealing items or traps.

Each room in a level is kind of like its own mini-level. Once you enter a room, all the doors around and behind you slam shut and won't open again until you've destroyed everything in the room. Enemies are varied and unique, with a decent AI. Some enemies like little robot spiders merely chase you around, trying to damage you by exploding on impact. But most of the enemies are equipped with some heavy firepower, from mini-gunners to rocket launchers to flying drones, there's a sizable array of bots trying to take you down. There's even some stationary turrets thrown in for good measure. As you blast apart these enemy bots, you'll need to collect drops such as shield power-ups, wads of cash and even new weapons and items (more info on these later). In some rooms, enemies spill out of spawning nodes that resemble holes. Even though there's only a limited number of enemies in each node (eventually they run dry), you'll want to destroy them as quickly as possible or you'll find yourself overrun and out-gunned.

As mentioned, each level consists of around a couple dozen inter-connecting rooms, some of which have doors you can move freely through, while others require a key to open (usually found in adjacent or nearby rooms). You can bring up a snazzy-looking map by pushing [M], which shows your location relative to the entire map, as well as other areas of interest. Checkpoints in Robokill are lighted tiles that you'll find in certain rooms. Before the checkpoint is activated though, you'll need to clear the room first by destroying all the enemies in it. Once you've cleared the room, the checkpoint is activated so that if you die, you'll respawn back at the nearest one. The checkpoints also give you the ability to instantly teleport to and from each other, accessible via the map screen. This is a convenient feature so you don't have to waste time re-tracing your steps through empty rooms. You can also teleport back to the shop, which is available in every level to sell weapons and items you pick up, and buy new ones.

The items, upgrades and level progression of your character by experience is what launches Robokill above and beyond the myriad of Crimsonland clones released in the past. First of all, your robot has a total of eight slots available to equip guns and items. Four of these slots are reserved for weaponry, such as a couple miniguns mounted to your shoulders and a grenade launcher and shotgun on each arm. The four lower slots are for items such as shield boosters, health-regeneration packs and more. All of these weapons and items can be obtained either by drops from enemies or purchased at the shop with the cash you collect in each level. Some items even have enhancements on them, like a boosted rate-of-fire, a knock-back effect or the ability to freeze enemies in place briefly. Access your inventory by pressing [I] to see what you've got and swap out items. You can also upgrade your base stats (like shields and damage) by gaining experience to level up, which you're awarded by killing enemies and progressing through rooms.

Analysis: Robokill is one of the best top-down shooters I've seen in a long time, maybe since Crimsonland itself. The graphics are great for a two-dimensional game, giving an emulated 3D depth effect in some rooms where you can accidentally fall off the floor and into space below. Graphics aside, the game just plain rocks. Our main man Jay said it best when he played it, describing the gameplay as amazing and gratifying. The controls feel just right; even projectiles hit with satisfying accuracy and damage. The only negative thing I could find after a few hours of playing is that the death penalty might not be strong enough. Once you die, you're returned back to your nearest checkpoint with full health. Sometimes half the enemies you destroyed in a room before you got killed will still be gone when you return. So what's your incentive to stay alive? Just a few seconds of wasted time as you walk back from the checkpoint? The developer might have considered taking away a percentage of cash with each death, or re-spawning all the enemies in rooms between where you died and the checkpoint. Other than that, it's hard to find many flaws in Robokill. The progression of new enemies, items and weapons keep things fresh, and the level designs (in terms of difficulty and the attention-span factor) are spot-on. Play Robokill!
By Josh at jayisgames.com

FLASH MMO ACTION GAMES: Final Ninja

2008-07-25T06:13:00.000-07:00

Final Ninja, created by the same Nitrome team (Simon Hunter and Aaron Steed) that brought us Dirk Valentine, has just been released! This side-scrolling action adventure has plenty of tricks up its sleeve, and the word "ninja" alone will grab many players. In Final Ninja's case, however, I'm happy to say that it's one of the few ninja-based titles that really is fun (and faithfully ninja-like, for that matter).

In Final Ninja you play an anime-inspired ninja armed with throwing stars, a grappling rope, and the ability to stealth-hide into the shadows. The stealth mode is a pretty fun tactic, as you'll be met with lots of security systems and enemies that will require a delicate touch to overcome. The grapple is definitely the key mechanic that makes this game shine. Without it, it'd be just another run-and-gun ninja platformer (although still noteworthy).

You're charged with the task of completing each level by reaching a black data access card, all with the intent of facing down your nemesis, Akuma. It's the classic "student tries to rebel against old-and-wise master" story, as you're called into action once again after 10 years of meditation to don the special ninja suit and vanquish your arch rival. You can use the [arrow] or [WASD] keys to run and jump, while the mouse button fires your throwing stars and grapple (aimed by the mouse cursor). Pressing [down] or [S] will let you enter stealth mode, a state in which you'll become virtually transparent except for your cool green, glowing eyes. This state allows most enemies and security lasers to pass you by you undetected. And it wouldn't be a ninja game without wall-jumping, would it? You can push against any wall to latch onto it, slowing your fall until you jump in the opposite direction.

The real acrobatics come from using the grapple. Throwing stars can be fired in quick succession by tapping the mouse, but if you click and hold it instead of releasing, you'll fire the grapple that hooks onto most surfaces and lets you swing from ledge to ledge. The grappling system will be most familiar to those who have played the Worms series. Once deployed, you can climb up and down the rope by using the applicable directional key or gain momentum by swinging back and forth. You can even gain enough momentum from a standstill to pull a complete 360 (if you can master the right timing between the up-and-down and side-to-side movement).

Analysis: Nitrome didn't stray off the beaten path when it comes to the look and feel of Final Ninja. The cartoonish pixel graphics are exactly what we're used to seeing and they're just as good as ever. Aside from a seemingly "sticky" wall jumping mechanic, I was a bit hard-pressed to find many faults in Final Ninja. Level progression tempo is tuned perfectly, introducing new elements level by level with signpost tutorial hints along the way. Within each level, no matter where you are, you'll never find yourself far from an arrow indicating which direction you should follow so you don't get lost.

As you get past the fifth level or so, a larger variety of enemies and security systems are introduced, keeping your environments interesting and dynamic. Things get a bit tougher when electric platform edges are introduced, limiting your grappling options. Tto quote the game, "Even a ninja cannot defeat electricity...I respect its ability to bring death to those who are slow".

An interesting, atmospheric and all-around fun grapple-based platformer from Nitrome!
(By Josh on jayisgames.com)
Play Final Ninja.

MMORPG: The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar

2008-07-24T02:38:00.000-07:00

The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar is the world’s first and only MMOG based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Players can experience the most famous fantasy world of all time, exploring and adventuring their heroes through the vast reaches of Middle-earth in the fight against the forces of the Dark Lord Sauron.

KEY FEATURES:

Experience Classic Tolkien: Meet famous characters like Gandalf and the Fellowship. Explore legendary locations like the Prancing Pony and Rivendell! Battle deadly enemies, including Nazgûl, Trolls, and Uruk-Hai !

Defeat the Shadows of Angmar: Join with the Fellowship and fight against the forces of Sauron. Confront the forces of the Nazgûl Witch-king in the North. Protect the Shire and root out evil on Weathertop.

Explore Ancient Lands: Journey through Middle-earth to collect valuable Tolkien lore, knowledge, and artifacts that bring your hero greater powers. Complete ambitious quests of courage and exploration that bestow compelling character traits.

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Create a unique character: Adventure as a Man, Elf, Dwarf or Hobbit. After choosing where your character hails from, select region-appropriate color palettes for skin, hair, eye color, and more. Equip yourself with items like sturdy Dwarven armor, intricate Elven mail, or weapons created with the knowledge of past Ages. Choose one of seven classes: deal massive damage as a Champion, protect your fellowship as a Guardian, beguile your enemies as a Burglar, or try a Captain, Hunter, Minstrel, or Lore-master.

As your character advances and grows, customize it using Traits - interchangeable abilities which modify your character’s skills to give you greater control over its specializations. Gain new Trait slots by leveling, and unlock new Traits by completing Accomplishments.

Fight alone or with other players: With hundreds of hours of gameplay, there’s plenty to do in LOTRO as a solo player or in a fellowship. Follow the storyline on your own or form a fellowship with other players for epic battles against creatures like Orcs, Wights, and even Balrogs. Coordinated fellowships can use group combo moves do incredible damage, heal their fellowship, or restore their energy - how they harness the power of a combo is entirely up to them to decide! LOTRO will also include a consensual Player vs. Player combat system (details forthcoming), allowing players to fight against each other for glory and honor!

Create items both legendary and mundane: Farm in the Shire or forge weapons and armor in Thorin’s Halls. Players can craft arms for the fight against the Dark Lord Sauron, or enjoy more peaceful activities like cooking and farming. Those who dedicate themselves to becoming master crafters can create legendary items of surpassed quality.

Dramatic sequences: LOTRO offers an expansive, open world, and incorporates cinematic technology to present the player with movie-like sequences which further the storyline. Experience epic challenges like the depths of the Great Barrow, the siege of Fornost and the battle to retake Weathertop.

Interact with others: Meet and socialize with thousands of other players and fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s works. Relax at the Prancing Pony in Bree, the Green Dragon Inn in the Shire, or any of the many other social centers throughout the land. Express yourself through emotes and chat - wave hello, bow, or dance with a friend!

Journey through Middle-earth: Experience an epic storyline through hundreds of quests created as a companion to The Lord of the Rings. Adventure in familiar areas as well as new ones, created for the game, which were only briefly touched on by J.R.R. Tolkien in his master works. Experience Middle-earth as never before as you swim the Brandywine River or make your way through the mists of the Old Forest. Turbine, working closely with Tolkien Enterprises, has created what Gamedaily calls "...a must have title for fans of Tolkien lore.

Website: Click here

The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar trailer

Metin 2 Oriental Action MMOG

2008-07-21T04:26:00.000-07:00

Metin2 is a massively multiplayer online game which is packed with great features including quests, guild battles and nation wars. Metin2 players from all over the globe will be able to play at no cost!

With a completely revamped Battle System, Metin2 is one of the best in any real time FPS/TPS MMORPG to date. The action is fast and furious, while attacking anything your weapon makes contact with. Such a battle system is a new kind of fighting style as the player is able to attack multiple targets simultaneously. Fighting moves include cut, split, bent, prick and projectiles. Metin2 simulates the speed and fierceness of real world fighting.

Oriental Characters and Architecture in a Fantasy-Empire of exotic martial-arts

Move through realistic villages in the far east and let the atmosphere of the Asian warriors take hold of your mind. In the near future you not only will fight with sword and bow, but you will also have the ability to use the refined way of the Bells and Fans.

Intelligent monsters will attack you in groups
You can inflict heavy wounds to multiple enemies at once. But be careful: When one monster is defeated, the others will not leave you alone. You must be especially wary in areas around the Metin Stones!

Create or become a member of a powerful guild and take complete control your empire.

As a member of a guild the results of your Guild Fights will have effects on both every guild member and the guild itself. You must fight to gain possession of one of the rare strongholds. As your guild´s might rises, you will get the chance to use Non-Player-Characters in your stronghold and train them to be more effective.

Fight other empires in the middle of the continent.
In hand-to-hand combat you will fight against other players from different empires for the domination of the continent. The victorious empire gains possession of money and land. You will gain Glory and Honor, as well as, earn a higher military ranking and lead other guild members in future fights.

Experienced warriors ride into battle!

As a reward for the successful completion of tasks you will earn a horse. While riding you will move much faster over the continent and gain advantages in battles.

There are many river, lake, and seashore locations for fishing
As your fishing skill increases, you will be able to fish for increasingly valuable things. You can brew potions from the things you fish, for the regeneration of health and spell power. Your results will depend on your skill level, fishing rod, and the bait you use.

Crafting and many other tasks will entertain you.
As your crafting skill increases, you will be able to upgrade your items in many ways.
Tasks will teach you how the game works and you will be challenged in difficult fighting tests.

Office site: Click here

Metin 2 MMOG Trailer

Armed with Wings

2008-07-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

One of the most aptly-named casual games ever, Armed with Wings by Sun Studios for Armor Games is an enjoyable platformer with some innovative twists. You play the role of a fallen hero, brought back to life from the "blackmist" in search of vengeance, armed with a katana and an eagle. That's right, an eagle. Designed to augment the typical start-to-finish run of platformers, you have control of an eagle that helps you reach your goal in a variety of ways. In most levels, that goal is simply to make it to the end flag by chopping your way through enemies and solving various environmental puzzles, like getting bridges to extend, distracting enemies and more.

You will want to run the tutorial stage your first time playing because there's a slight learning curve (mainly using the controls) to this game. The first thing you'll notice is the monochrome environment, reminiscent of the classic N. The levels are stylish enough to hold your attention without getting tiresome, especially when you consider that according to the story, you and your eagle are manifested in the "blackmist," an alternate reality of sorts. Controls take a bit of getting used to: move with the [arrow] keys, [Z] to attack, [X] to block, while the [A], [S] and [D] buttons control your eagle.

The sole aspect of this game that sets it apart from any other typical action/puzzle platform games is your pet eagle, which lets you to interact with both the environment and enemies in some fun and interesting ways. You release the eagle by pushing [A], allowing it to fly around under your control for a certain time before it's summoned back to you. Using [S] allows the eagle to pick up various items like rocks and keys; things that you need to advance through the level but can't reach yourself. [D] sets the eagle to an idle mode, returning control to the hero while the eagle stays in place. All of this adds up to a variety of uses such as distracting enemies while you slice-and-dice them from behind, scouting locations up ahead, picking up items you need to advance, and much more. In early stages, reaching the goal flag can be as simple as cutting your way through a few opponents. In later stages, you'll have to rely on your puzzle-solving skills, even when it comes to certain boss fights. The attacking mechanic is pretty fun; basic attack is a three-swipe sword combo. There's also an uppercut swipe that leaves enemies reeling, giving you some breathing room. Then there's the ultimate; a charged attack that can devastate enemies (as well as some objects in the environment).

Analysis: At its core, Armed with Wings is an action/puzzle platformer, and no amount of glitz and glamor is going to change that. But even if you're sick to death of platformers, this game offers something special: an innovative game mechanic with polish and style. Snazzy cut scenes before and after boss fights add some great eye candy, while an evenly-progressing difficulty system keeps you from throwing in the towel. Control would have been better if configurable (for fans of WASD movement), but it works. The ability to jump would also have been a nice addition, although many of puzzles rest solely on your inability to do so. Check out the built-in walkthrough on the menu screen if you get stuck and again, be sure to check out the tutorial stage in the "How to Play" section or you'll be flying blind.
By Josh at jayisgames.com
Play Armed with Wings.

Combat Arms -MMOFPS Action

2008-07-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

JOIN THE ARMS RACE
Prepare to drop into an ever-changing theater of conflict, where you are in control of your gameplay- from your fully customizable character, to your lethal arsenal of weapons to the scenarios you want to experience. Experience fierce battles online with up to 15 of your friends (and enemies) in dense jungles,frozen tundras, industrial wastelands, and more! Grab your gear and get ready for battle!!

Character customization
If you forget to bring it with you onto the battlefield, you've only got yourself to blame! Over 30 real word guns, from assault rifles, SMGs, to shotguns, are all at your soldier's disposal, along with secondary weapons such as different grenades, LAW rockets, and mines. In addition to weapons, your soldier can be tricked out with various camouflages, helmets, vests, and cosmetic items such as berets, bandanas and sunglasses. Every month new items will be added that can give you a new tactical advantage on the battlefield - so keep your eyes out for them!

Modifiable Weapons
Combat Arms is a free to play, online multiplayer first-person shooter. It features a wide range of stages, multiple weapons, customizable characters, and exciting gameplay. You can also customize your weapon, form clans, and see how your skills stack up against other players with our robust stat-tracking and player profile system. It's a game that's easy to learn, and hard to master.

Clan system
Just because you're a soldier of fortune doesn't mean you have to go it alone! All the tools you'll need to build a top squad are at your disposal in-game, from managing applicants to putting up notices for your members. You'll also be able to easily find matches with other player clans through our Clan Match system, and battle to become the top mercenary outfit!

Constant Content Updates & Events
COMBAT ARMS is a live, constantly evolving game. Every month will bring new weapons and gear, new game modes, and new maps. Even after the game launches, we'll be listening to player feedback on what new content you'd like us to add. We'll also be hosting live events where you can win in-game items and other offline prizes.

Free to Play
Best of all, COMBAT ARMS is Free to Play. What does this mean? It means you'll never have to pay a cent unless you want to. What you get at game launch will always be available for free, and new free content will be added as well!
Official site: Click here

Combat Arms -MMOFPS Action Trailer

MMO: Socio Town open beta

2008-07-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

SocioTown is a 100% web-based 3D Social MMOG (Massive Multiplayer Online Game). It's playable in a browser with no downloadable client required. It utilizes Adobe’s Shockwave Player, which most browsers already have installed.

SocioTown can best be described as a cross between The Sims and Nintendo’s Animal Crossing. It’s not simply just a virtual world, it truly is a social massive online game. There are game elements such as completing missions, leveling up, fighting, and advanced interaction with NPCs (Non Playable Characters). At the same time, there are unique features that are designed to enhance and visualize the social relationships between players.
Game site: Click here

SocioTown Official Trailer

Description: This is the first official trailer of SocioTown. It contains some footage from the previous video clips as well as all new footage.
The trailer shows several aspects of the social system such as the Social Network interface and Inner Circle. The trailer also shows the music mode in action.

Navyfield a 2D MMO

2008-07-11T02:51:00.000-07:00

Be prepared to experience intense naval battles against large teams of real opponents from across the globe. To help you on your quest to be the ultimate commander of the sea, almost 100 different WWII era naval vessels are available to use. Start with a humble frigate as you again experience and points for superior classes of ships including: destroyers, battle cruisers, and aircraft carriers. Each model reproduced in painstaking detail. Equip your vessel with a massive selection of historically accurate naval guns, torpedo launchers, Fire Control Systems, engines, and armor.

Chose from four nations; the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany. Each balanced through a variety of strengths and weaknesses.

An RPG style sailor leveling system exists to provide extensive replay and strategic value. 75 different sailor positions are available so you can take command of your vessel in the manner that best suits you. The possibilities for customization are almost endless.

The way you advance through Navy Field is up to you. Special missions are available for new players to develop their skills. Clans and fleets are able to be formed so you can work together as a strategic team. With new game modes and features on the horizon, Navy Field is the ultimate choice for authentic strategic naval simulation.

Navyfield is a 2D tactical naval simulation MMO set in World War 2. Navyfield plays like a real time version of Gunbound, but on the open seas. The game has an immense amount of ship customization, as players can actually distribute armor plating across individual parts of their ship. Blast your way through massive 64 vs 64 battles and fight over 100 different types of ships.

Navyfield Information
Game Title: Navy Field
Genres: 2D, Shooter, MMO
Publisher: SD EnterNet
Developer: SD EnterNet
Area: Global
Official Site: Click Here
Platforms: Microsoft Windows

Navyfield Reviewed by mmohub.org
Navyfield is a tactical naval simulation game that is set in World War 2. You start the game off in an incredibly weak starting ship. Before you can start playing the game with other people the game introduces a series of tutorials which are highly recommended, as without playing through them you’ll have no idea what to do. Navyfield doesn’t play like your average shooter. Aiming and moving around can be incredibly difficult at first so its wise to get some practice before you actually start playing with people.

One interesting aspect of Navyfield is that the game offers a series of missions which can be completed alone or with friends. Although you only need to complete the first three missions, which are tutorials, before being able to play with other people, it’s a good idea to play through a handful of missions before actually trying to join battles, as new players will find them selves out gunned in every game they join. Luckily, even if you get killed in battles, you’ll still earn experience, so long as your team did well.

Battles are organized in a simple way. As soon as the game host hits begin, the game automatically divides up whoever is in the room into two sides and they square off. I can’t emphasize enough how weak your starting ship is, so prepare to be disappointed upon entering your first few battles. You’ll likely be destroyed by your enemies before you can even land a single shell on them, but at least the game still gives you experience for being in the battle. It’ll easily take a few hours of getting destroyed over and over again until you can finally start being useful in battles.

Another downside to Navyfield is the game’s incredibly small community. In my hours of play, I haven’t seen a single new player other than myself, which made battles incredibly challenging, as nearly everyone would be able to sink my ship from a huge distance, and I wouldn’t even be able to reach them. The game’s developers did create a mode where you can only play against other beginners, but unfortunately there aren’t enough beginners in Navyfield to start a battle with.

One interesting aspect about Navyfield is that every ship in the game is modeled after a real life vessel during the World War 2 era. Weapons and parts are also historically accurate. Another interesting feature about Navyfield is that players can actually select one of four nations which each have their own advantages and disadvantages. The four nations are United States, Germany, Japan and United Kingdom. The game also has a unique set of RPG elements incorporated to the ship customization. Players have to place sailors on their boats to operate guns and repair their ship, but each sailor can level up and grow more proficient at specific tasks. The game has 75 different sailor positions like gunner, mechanic, scout, etc.

It’s clear that the game developers spent a lot of time polishing the game for historical accuracy, but that doesn’t make up for the games drawbacks. Navyfield doesn’t even explain how to upgrade your ship or what each attribute does for your sailors. The only game that’s even remotely similar to Navyfield is Gunbound, and thats turn based.

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Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - NDS

2008-07-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

The Final Fantasy franchise had never been one to hold continuity close to heart. Until recently, it used to forsake the idea of direct sequels and instead focus on creating entirely new universes that share similar themes, names, and icons. However, the world of Ivalice has been one visited several times, and with Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, we return once again to follow the adventures of Vaan and his friends in the skies above. Their latest adventure is--in a drastic departure from the norm--an RTS game that manages to successfully blend the potent storytelling and signature style of Final Fantasy with the lightning-quick action of Command & Conquer, and the result is one of the more unique and memorable outings in the series' history.

One year after the war with the Archadian Empire, Vaan has fulfilled his dream of becoming a sky pirate and flies through the heavens in a ship of his own with Penelo as his trusted navigator. When he and his friends Fran and Balthier uncover a treasure known as the Cache of Glabados, the legendary sky continent of Lemurés is unveiled, and it's up to them to protect the winged inhabitants of that floating world from the sinister Judge of Wings and her illusionary armies. Along your journey you will encounter friends and enemies both old and new, and experience an adventure that becomes surprisingly introspective and questions what it means to truly be alive.

Revenant Wings is divided up into 10 chapters, each of which consists of roughly five missions. Each mission will provide more detail on the deep and engrossing story with both in-game and prerendered cutscenes, and between them you'll be free to travel across Lemurés and beyond in an airship of your own christening that serves as your base of operations. You'll be able to take side quests from Tomaj and his notice board, engage in skirmishes with local fauna or other sky pirates, craft new weapons from materials gathered in your journeys, and look at trophies earned through battle. You will also be able to spend crystals called auricite that you earn through missions to forge pacts with summoned monsters known as espers. Though your main characters will take to the battlefield themselves, your espers will make up the bulk of your combat forces, so it's important to forge as many pacts with as many types of espers as you can to bolster your army.

At the beginning of a battle you are given your mission goals, which can vary from defeating all enemies, to sneaking to a specific spot, and more. At that point you're presented with the chance to analyze your enemy's strengths and weaknesses and tailor your army accordingly. Characters and espers are classified as ranged, melee, and flying units, each of which is part of a rock-paper-scissors relationship. These relationships, along with elemental resistances and weaknesses, are vitally important to pay attention to when selecting which party members and espers you will use, given that you can only field up to five characters and summon from a troupe of up to five types of espers.

When combat begins, your selected characters will each become the leader of a group of espers. Though Revenant Wings is an RTS, there is no resource gathering or management to speak of, and as long as you have control of a summoning gate, you can call forth new espers which are added to existing groups and makes unit organization a snap. However, enemy leaders can also summon espers in this way, and you'll have to work diligently to capture their summoning gates to help you control the flow of battle. Combat is extremely fast-paced, and as such it's important to make sure that your ranks are constantly refilled if the need to do so arises.

Beyond their normal attacks, espers have special abilities that are automatically used whenever they come available. Your characters themselves will learn a slew of their own as they gain levels, one of which can be assigned at any time to be their gambit, which shifts it into automatic use in the same manner as the espers. Each character will also learn a super ability called a quickening that can be used to turn the tide of a battle. Micromanaging in Revenant Wings is essentially reduced to keeping track of which character abilities and quickenings are ready and making sure that they're effectively used. This streamlines combat and makes it much more action-oriented, while keeping it easily accessible to those not well-versed in the RTS genre.

Control during battle is handled using a simple and intuitive combination of touch-screen use and button presses. The top screen displays a map of the entire area for quick reference of the positions of both your units and your enemy's, and the bottom screen is a close-up view of the action shown from an overhead isometric view. Leader portraits, which indicate the status of a particular character and his or her grouped espers, can be tapped to select the entire group. Individual units can be selected by tapping them, and you can also tap the screen and drag across to select a large group of units. You can then use a single tap to order those selected units to move to a specific location or to attack an enemy unit. Tapping and holding down the stylus will let you move the screen around, or you can use the directional pad to do the same thing.

Graphically speaking, Revenant Wings is one of the most impressive-looking games on the DS, and the prerendered cutscenes that play at times are of the same level of quality that one has come to expect from Square Enix. The assorted locales you will travel to are vivid and lively, and the unit sprites, however small, are highly detailed and expressively animated. For the most part, battlefields are designed to complement the fixed isometric camera, but there are times, however rare, that units or monsters may be concealed behind tall environmental objects, though this is a minor complaint. Likewise, there is some graphical slowdown when massive groups of units gather onscreen and enter combat, but not so much that it becomes even remotely unplayable.

Fans of the music of Final Fantasy XII will feel immediately at home with the soundtrack of Revenant Wings because the style is completely identical. In fact, many of the songs, such as the theme of the Rabanastre Lowtown, are straight-up ported across. This sense of familiarity that fans of other Final Fantasy games will feel is not limited to the music, either. There are many other throwbacks to older games in the series, such as the return of Namingway, and all in all, fans will be pleased with the game's self-referential nature.

Ultimately, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings successfully takes the role-playing game flair and style that the franchise is known for into the RTS realm. With an excellent combination of game design and control-scheme implementation, the fast-paced battle system is easy to keep up with and difficult enough to challenge you for roughly 25 hours, not including all the extra time you could put into completing side quests, forging pacts with espers, and earning all of the trophies. Revenant Wings is easily one of the better games on the Nintendo DS, and whether or not you're a fan of Final Fantasy games or the RTS genre in general, it's a worthy purchase if you're looking for a fun and entertaining experience.
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings is the second direct sequal to a final fantasy game. Final Fantasy XII, on Playstation 2 (released March 16 2006 in Japan) was a major hit for the FF series selling 1,764,000 copies in the first week in Japan. The story of FF12 follows a young orphan named Vaan as he becomes involved in a war to fight the empires rule over the world.

Well in Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings, set a year after the events of FFXII, you again play as Vaan. Vaan is now a fully fledged Sky Pirate with his own ship and Penelo as his navigator he flys across the sky as free as he had once dreamed. He meets Balthier and Fran at an old ruins, and after finding a mysterious stone, things start ti get heated. They rush out of the colapsing ruins but Vaans ship is lost.

After returning to town, the others console Vaan, but he hasn't a care, for he has adventure in his eyes. When a strange ancient ship arrives in Rabanastre, Vaan jumps at the chance to steal it. With Kytes and Filo tagging alone, Vaan enters the ship and just as Penelo and Tomaj jump onboard, the ship auto takes off. The ship takes the crew, as well as a unwanted visiter, to the Floating Continent of Lemurés, where they meet an undiscovered race of people called Aegyl and a deadly foe. So its up to Vaan to stop this new evil from taking over Lemurés and the rest of Ivalice.

The gameplay in FFXII:RW is different to FFXII but mixes with it to create the effect of FFXII on the DS. The touch screen is used to control Vaan on the map or in the ship, and it is also used in battle to control your team. Similarities to FFXII includes a gambit system, where a single skill can be used automatically and espers from FFXII are included in RW. The characters do not need to be told to attack, just sending them near an enemy will initiate an attack. On the world map, going close to a place will allow you to choose a mission to complete. There is also synthesizing, where you can not only buy weapons, but make them to be more powerful. Although you play as 2D characters, the game features stunning movies that bring the DS to its limits with its graphics.

This game should be a definite buy for any final fantasy fan, and if you loved FFXII's story, then this game will contiune the much loved story and is a must get. The touch screen provides a new level of interaction that other final fantasy's have not. This game will provide a good 30 hours of pure entertainment and an incrediable story that will make you never wanna put your DS down.
By gamespot

Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings - NDS Trailer

GiG Online

2008-06-30T06:59:00.000-07:00

Get in to the Game Online (GiG Online) is casual action MMORPG game developed by Thai Game company 'AIM Advance' www.aimadvance.com
GIG Online has an unique visual display technology that is different from ordinary game online in the market. The company team chooses the "3D Flat" graphics display technology which combines the best of 2 and 3 dimension graphics display technologies together so, the GIG Online's cheerful and cute characters is in 2D perfectly inside the 3D background scenery.

GIG Online has many different and outstanding games formatting system from ordinary game online for example:

Time Changing System
The game uses real time system that enables day/night time in the game and changing of cloud’s color in various time of the day. The effect is not only change scenery and environment in the game, but also affects NPC role. For example, various normal shops will open during the day and close at night. However, night market or night bazaar will open at night to welcome customer instead of those normal shops.
There are some places that can be entered only in some period and some shop that will sell some particular items depending on the time period.
To avoid the confusion, inside the game is designed to have 5 different time periods in each day.

The appearance of monster is also impacted by time. Each monster type will appear in different time period. Monster that appears at night is stronger than the monster that appears in daytime.

Weather changing System
Despite the time changing system, inside the game also has weather changing system which is as follows:
• Normal : the normal weather in the game
• Fog: foggy weather results in low visibility
• Rain: being in the rain will reduce player’s power
• Snow: If the player doesn’t wear coat or use item to protect himself from the cold, the player’s HP will be affected.
• Dark: the weather has devil’s haze resulted in stronger monster.

Some Monster and NPC only appear in certain weather such as NPC which sells umbrella only appears in the Rain weather.

Season Changing System
Inside the game has Season Changing System which changes environment inside the game according to the season. There are 4 seasons in the game as follows:
- Spring season (1 January– 31 March)
- Summer season (1 April– 30 June)
- Autumn season (1 July – 30 September)
- Winter season (1 October – 31 December)

Season changes directly affect the scenery. For example, in Spring season, flower blossom, grass and trees bear fruit. On the other hand, in winter, trees are covered with snow and the lake freezes.

The most outstanding features of Season change is landscape changes in each season will open secret passage to secret region in the game. For example, cave in summer will have vine covered. The player cannot get inside, but in Fall season, vine will be dry enough for player to use the sword to cut which allows the player to get inside the cave. The player cannot normally get across the lake to the other side. However, in winter, water in the lake turns to ice, the player then can walk across. In secret region, there will be special monster that will only appear in such place or NPC that sells special item that normally cannot be sold in the game.

GiG Mobile is the mobile phone version of this game that connects to the system on PC Online version.
The developer team created GiG Mobile on the mobile environment and can connect to the game on PC version. This opens the new dimension of game online playing that doesn’t need to be played on PC screen. The player can take GiG Mobile to various places: when travel or waiting for friends. The player can also transfer item from the mobile to PC version.

1st Job Advancement
 Warrior – is the profession that emphasis on close range fighting, has shortest attack distance because of the close range fighting, also has the highest HP and fast rehabilitation and can wear heavy armor.

Magician – is the profession that emphasis on attack using spell, has high destructive power but low self defense power and has the lowest HP in the game

Ranger – is the profession that emphasis on long range attack, can attack from the farthest range comparing to other professions.

Adventurer – is the profession that emphasis on flexibility in mobility, can attack both from short and long range, is the profession that suit the player that likes to create quest because there will be quest especially for adventurer to play

Technician – is the profession that not emphasis on fighting but is good at trading, can create new item himself.

This game still on Alpha-Test phase in Thailand and have first press release on Tokyo Game Show 2007

GiG Online Opening

Stone Age 2

2008-06-29T23:23:00.000-07:00

Long ago, before the age of stone we know so well, was the world caught up in an Ice Age that left everything covered with a freezing frost? Was it instead an age of fire, with twisting rivers of lava coursing like veins through the barren land? Or…was it something completely different?

StoneAge 2 takes us back to an age when humans lived alongside the realm of spirits, and walked in the shadows of towering dinosaurs. Using the power of the spirits, humans learned how to predict the weather, be forewarned of danger, and call mighty dinosaurs to be their allies. There are even those who took dinosaurs as pets, raising them in their own homes as family.

In time, some dinosaurs learned how to understand human speech and express their own feelings in words. No sooner had they learned how to talk than they became as chatty as any human, sending secret messages to their owners from time to time.

Although humans banded together to create a better lifestyle, nature remains a savage force, unleashing its power through storms, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes. These natural forces shaped the terrain, altering the layouts of dungeons and turning vast fields into arid desert scrubland. But when a great number of people gather in the same place, they can exert their force on nature, changing barren wastes into fields of flowers and even sometimes receiving strange gifts sent down from the sky.

Within the wide world, it is known that each person has a destined partner, bound soul-to-soul by the power of the Stone of Fate. Those who discover the Stone of Fate will see their future partner on their map, and when they find their partner, the Stone will grant them a new power, enabling them to gather more strong allies and battle harsher foes.

This is an ancient world of stone and legend, where around blazing fires, tales are told of phantom flowers that never blossom, places where the moon never waxes, and a legendary treasure guarded by a fearsome pterosaur.

What adventures await beyond the rainbow on the horizon, unfurling in the soft blue sky after the raging storm has passed? Crawl out of that cave, find your destined partner, sharpen your flint spear, and head out on a new adventure in a world where dinosaurs are still king

Have a question about the wonderful world of Stone Age 2? Well, gather around the fire and receive answers from those who have come before!

Where Do I Get Food?
Most foods can be bought from the Merchant located outdoors near the town square in each village. They’ll have a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other foods on-hand, with different foods being offered in each village. To buy meat (or sell meat you’ve received from defeated enemies), go to the Butcher’s Shop, available in most towns. Prices and selection will vary.

However, if you just bought ALL the time, that’d end up costing a good bit of money, so why not take a shot at the hunter-gatherers’ way? Nature can provide for the food-related needs of you and your Pals!

Meat: Meat is one of the easiest foods to obtain in Stone Age 2. You can get it to drop as an item after many fights. Meat comes in many types – drumsticks, meat on the bone, and big dino-steaks! Meat will restore a lot of HP when you use it, so you’ll often use it to heal yourself. Although many of the starting Pals prefer the vegetarian way, some of them also enjoy smaller meat, like the drumstick types.

Fish: You can get fish by using a fishing rod wherever fishing rods are usable, such as in the village pond of Harbol. The type of bait you use can influence which type of fish you catch most. Also, you can often find fish washed up when you walk along the seashore.

Fruits: Fruits aren’t found as commonly in the wild, but they can still be found if you know where to look. The town of Seafa has trees that produce many oranges, a tasty treat for your fruit-loving Pals! Sometimes wild pals like the Sron will drop a strawberry when defeated in battle.

Grass: You can find some types of grass washed up on the beaches. Other types of grass are dropped by enemies, such as those in the Nazuth Rocks cave.

Item Management
The item menu can be a bit confusing at first, but never fear – here’s how it works. When you open up your item menu, you can see four different tabs: one for food, one for items you can equip on your character (like weapons and armor), one for materials you can use in crafting, and one for miscellaneous items, like those you get for quests. The important things to remember is that you start with 40 spaces in your inventory, but each section shares that inventory space. So you could have 40 pieces of food but not be able to carry anything else, or you could have 10 items in each category – any combination of the four categories up to that total of 40 items. If you start not being able to pick up items after battles, check your inventory tabs – chances are, you picked up some unexpected things over time, and they’re sitting in your inventory collecting dust. Keep an eye on what you’re toting around with you and you shouldn’t have any trouble!

If you find you have too much stuff and you just don’t want to use or lose any of it yet, your den has a storage bin that you can use to hold 16 items, with larger sizes purchasable from your “Den Items” menu.

How to Feed Your Pals
Pals love to eat, and a well-fed Pal will perform better in battle, and even be more loving to you and your other Pals at home in your Den. But how do you feed Pals? It’s simple!

While you’re out and about and you have Pals with you, open the Pal menu from the main menu (which you can open by hitting the sun button in the upper left corner). Near the bottom-right of the Pal window, you should see your Pal sitting there, waiting for any food or attention you might like to give it. Now, open your Item menu from the main menu. Click and hold on the food you want to feed your Pal and drag it into the other window, then release the mouse button. You can also feed Pals (and yourself) by simply clicking on a piece of food and dragging it to the party bar with their name and picture.

When in battle, have your character choose “Item,” then select the food you’d like to use, and the Pal you’d like to feed it to, and on your turn, you’ll toss them the food, which will restore some of their Endurance (HP) and Guts (MP).

When in your Den, you can release Pals to run around inside with the “Release to Wild” command (but only do this when you’re in the Den). When Pals are running around inside your Den, all you have to do is drag the food items from your Item menu and drop them on the floor of your den! Hungry Pals will eat what looks good to them. But do keep an eye on them, to make sure some of the greedier Pals don’t eat the food you’ve been saving for your other Pals to eat. Sometimes, it’s best to feed them in smaller groups, arranged by the type of food they like to eat. That way, you know all of your Pals will get to eat foods they like!

The Den Management Menu
When you’re relaxing in your den, take a look at the top-right of your screen. You’ll see a row of five buttons – these are your den options, and they’ll help make your home life easier, let you shop for the finest in den decorations, and help you keep tabs on your Pal friends! Here’s what you can do:

Pal Picture Book – The first button lets you view “snapshots” of the Pals you have in your den and store them for handy reference. You can take snapshots by right-clicking a Pal and choosing the option on the right. Snapshots you store record the elemental mix, stats, and other details on a pal at the time and level they were taken. You can chart how your scaly and furry friends are progressing over time!

Pal List – The second button is the Pal List, which lets you keep tabs on the Pals you currently have released in your den. From here, you can check to see if they’re tired or hungry, so you’ll know just when to feed them and let them rest. A well-loved Pal is a happy Pal!

Album – The third button is your Album, where you can collect and organize all your Stone Age images and screenshots! You can add screenshots from your hard drive, organize your pictures by categories, and send your favorites to your friends!

Diary – What did you do today? Did you discover fire? Catch a new species of Pal for the first time? Go on a shopping spree for accessories? Witness the birth of a baby Pal right in your very own den? Whatever it is, be sure to chart it in your diary, which you can open by pressing the fourth button. You can look back on it and relive your many adventures – just like making history!

Den – Want to turn that rocky room into something a little more like home? Do just that with the fifth button, the Den button. This option allows you to buy furniture and accessories to customize your den! With everything from storage bins to Pal food dishes to punching bags, the Den shop can add fun and variety to your living space. You can also use this button to sell off den items you don’t want anymore, and move items you’d like to relocate in your den.

Site: http://stoneage2.aeriagames.com/

Diablo 3 Officially Announced

2008-06-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

After weeks of speculation, Blizzard has officially announced Diablo III at its World Wide Invitational event in Paris.

Said to feature more quests than ever, the anticipated sequel will stick to its roots by being "first and foremost a cooperative game."

Diablo III will feature old standards such as the quotable Deckard Cain, as well as a new version of Tristram and a fresh class dubbed the Witch Doctor. The jungle-born warrior will use ancient tribal magic to cast disease and mind control spells, in addition to utilizing pets such as locust swarms and mongrels.

The game will also include several control improvements, including full zoom capability and a hotbar to easily access skills. Players will be able to quickswap between skills using the mouse wheel or tab key.

Armor will now be class-specific, designed to provide each character a unique look. Classes themselves are more diverse, as it was noted that there will be female versions of both the Barbarian and Witch Doctor.

In a demo of the Barbarian class, the company noted that less of an emphasis will be placed on potions for health. Instead, red orb-like items will drop that immediately recover health once the player picks them up.

Environmental destruction was also shown off, with a character at one point busting through a solid wall. The environment can also be used to kill enemies, as in the case of objects that fell from a wall, killing a group of monsters.

Enemies were shown to be larger in scale than in past games, with giant evil trees and a massive demon called a Siegebreaker.

Blizzard has released a set of official features and a story description, which can now be conveniently viewed below the fold:

Two decades have passed since the demonic denizens, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, wandered the world of Sanctuary in a vicious rampage to shackle humanity into unholy slavery. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils directly, the memory fades slowly and the wounds of the soul still burn.

When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram's Cathedral seeking clues to new stirrings of evil, a comet from the heavens strikes the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. The comet carries a dark omen in its fiery being and it calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells--and even the failing luminaries of the High Heavens itself.

Explore a fully-realized Sanctuary--the living, breathing gothic fantasy world of Diablo III rendered in gorgeous 3D.

Battle the unholy forces of the Burning Hells with all-new character classes like the otherworldly Witch Doctor, or with re-imagined warriors from Diablo's past: such as the fierce Barbarian.

Rain Hell on your enemies wielding the interactive environment as a weapon: lay cunning traps, turn destructible objects against your foes, and use environmental obstacles to your advantage--all powered by the Havoc physics system.

Experience the intensity of multiplayer Diablo III over an all-new, wickedly-enhanced Battle.net platform with numerous enhancements to make connecting with your friends easier--and cooperative gameplay more fun.
by Nick Breckon on shacknews.com

Diablo 3 Official Trailer

How to use Skype to make PSP as PSP phone

2008-06-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

This article is about how to use Skype to make PSP as PSP phone and add DVD to PSP phone with DVD Ripper software. Skype is an instantly communicate tool that can change PSP to PSP phone to call homely telephone. Can you image that the authentic game player can be use as a phone to make common call to your friends? Skype for PSP can call other Skype user free, including PC Skype, mobile phone Skype and others.

Recently, after Sony update firmware to version 3.90, we can use Skype on PSP and make PSP as PSP phone is an easy job.

The article has three parts, list as follow:
Part one.How to use Skype make PSP as PSP phone (requests 3.90 firmware, Mic phone )
Part two.How to Rip DVD with DVD Ripper software on PSP phone (on Windows )
Part three.How to go to internet on PSP (The basic to use Skype for PSP)

Let s go to overthrow PSP.

Part one: How to use Skype make PSP as PSP phone.
Skype just can be use on PSP Slim firmware version 3.90 and above, so if you don't have the right version, please go here to download the firmware v3.90.

1.Update PSP Slim to V3.90.
After download the firmware above, extract the PSPV3.90 rar file and find the file named EBOOT.PBP.
Connect PSP to PC with USB, open the memory stick, go to the 'GAME' folder, create new folder name 'UPDATE', copy the EBOOT.PBP and put it on.
Now, turn on PSP, go to Game ? Memory Stick, you'll see the update file as picture follow:

Press 'Enter' key to run the file. It'll show your instructions about how to finish the update issue.
Notice: Must make sure the battery at least has 50% power when you begin to update.
When finish, you can go to Settings -- System Settings -- System Information to check the version of your PSP. If you do the right update, it'll show System Software Version 3.90.

2.How to use Skype on PSP Slim.
Skype need special earphone to call ordinary number. There are three ear phones: Single Pack, Twinpack, Lepo PSP Slim & lite -Headphones & Mic With Remote Control, anyone of them is OK.
First, after update PSP to V3.90, you can find the 'Skype' logo at 'Network'.
Second, press 'enter' button to run 'Skype'.
If you can't see Skype logo after update to V3.90, then you should active Skype function as follow:
1)Turn off PSP, press R button and turn on PSP at the same time.
2)Go to 'Configuration', change Fake region to America or any other just not Japan. Return to open Skype again.

Remember create internet connection on PSP before you run Skype on it. If you don't know how to do, please go to Part Three first.

Third, create new account.
When you run Skype, it'll turn background to blue, and ask Log in or Create New Account.

Here we choose create a new one.

1) Choose create new account, enter your nick, and then enter another user name, it's your Skype account that can be use to log in, different from nickname. Enter a password and email, accept the condition like register at forum.
2) Now, it need connect to internet, select the network we do at Part one.
3) Now, Skype auto check your register info.
4) OK, if you do everything right, then register succeed.
Now, you have your Skype account, run it and fill the log in info. Before you can use the Skype, it requests 'Skype Test Call'. Insert the earphone mentioned above and follow the instruction to have a test.
After finish the test, enter Skype main menu. It'll take you some times to sync 'Contacts' info.

Choose a contact who online now or you can use two PSP to log in, of course, with different account. Press enter button to call the one who online.

The one who was called can press 'Enter' to accept or 'Back' to refuse.
When you calling, you can keep the call, cut the call and check the info of the opposing party.
The dial keyboard can make you call ordinarily number if your Skype account have enough money.

Part Two: How to Rip DVD with DVD Ripper software on PSP phone (on Windows)
Besides Skype, as you know, PSP have many other functions such as play video, movie, music and take photos. The part one is make PSP into PSP phone, now let’s rip DVD on PSP phone with DVD Ripper software.
I have many DVDs, and it's rebarbative to download movies from internet, I think many people feel that boring. The reason I choose this DVD Ripper is that I think it’s one of the best DVD Ripper that rips DVD with high quality and fast speed I even used on my PC. If you already have other dvd ripper software, you can rip dvd with what you have but not the follow steps.

1.Install Daniusoft DVD Ripper and load DVD.
2.Select the right format you want to rip and the output folder.

3.Press 'Start' to rip DVD movie to the right format.

This DVD ripper software can also set twice volume of output file, capture photo from DVD and save to computer. I capture photos when preview, it's much convenient for me. It can rip DVD to all popular players, so I can use it for iPod, too.

4.After conversion, copy the file and put it to the 'Movie' folder or 'Video' folder, now you can enjoy DVDs on your PSP phone. Don't forget, you can rip DVD just as personal not commercial.

Part Three: Go to internet on PSP.
If you have known how to do that, please go to part one.
If you still a freshman, please follow the steps to go to internet with your PSP.

1.Turn on PSP and go to Settings.
2.Find 'Network Settings' and enter.
3.Choose 'Infrastructure Mode'.
4.Select 'New Connection'.
5.Make it 'Scan'. It will take seconds to scan around for wireless router.
6.After scan, choose the SSID you want to enter, before you can go to internet, you should enter your name and press 'Enter' to quit.
7.Go ahead. Select the network and enter it, then you need to input a 'WEP Key' before you can go to internet.

If you have Notebook and use wireless router, then you can import your wireless router 'WEP Key' here.
If you enter a wrong 'WEP Key', it will warning 'The characters you entered are not valid',that means you should connect again and get a right key.

FINAL FANTASY XI - The world of Vana'diel

2008-06-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

The world of Vana'diel stands at the brink of war. Three powerful nations, united in their plight against the beastmen forces, look to their last hope-brave adventures like you! will the beastmen gin the upper hand, and thrust the once-peaceful Vana'diel into another war? Step into the world of Vana'diel and journey forth on grand adventures with players from all across the globe!

FINAL FANTASY XI is the first online game in the award-winning FINAL FANTASY series. How you play it up to you, with limitless possbilities for adventure. set out on your own to discover the countless secrets of Vana'diel, or form a party with your friends to purge the beastman forces and bring home sensational spoils!

Create Your Own Original Character
The first step in your adventure is to create your character's traits, including race, gender, face, hair color, body size, job, and nationality. This will become your on-screen "alter ego" in the world of FINAL FANTASY XI. The classic Job System of the FINAL FANTASY series returns in FINAL FANTASY XI. You can acquire a wide variety of abilities with various jobs -- and even discover new jobs as you play! Rumor has it that with the proper training, Vana'diel adventurers can become paladins, bards, and rangers. What other jobs will you be able to discover?

Communication
The world of FINAL FANTASY XI consists of an international community that exists without borders. Hook up with your existing friends, or meet and greet new adventurers from around the world.
Communicating with other players is the main feature of FINAL FANTASY XI.
Communication is a snap with user-friendly chat, messaging systems, and easily-managed friend lists.
Teaming up with others is the key to success, so don't go alone!

There's More Than Just Combat
In Vana'diel, your existence is not limited to battling the menagerie of dangerous creatures that lurk outside the city walls.
You can also fish, synthesize items, and spend your time participating in a number of non-combative activities. Crystals, the origin of all energy, are scattered throughout Vana'diel. By collecting them, you can use their powers to create new items and become a famous craftsman in your own right.
Many other activities await. You can spend the day fishing, surrounded by the rich wilderness of Vana'diel. Try creating new recipes for fine dishes for your friends.
Aim for riches by synthesizing fine jewelry. Scour dark mines for precious ores. In FINAL FANTASY XI, combat is just the tip of the iceberg -- if you'd rather enjoy a peaceful life inside the walls of the city, nobody will stop you!

Beyond Platform Boundaries
Both PlayStation 2 and Windows players can coexist in the same worlds.
Vana'diel is looking for citizens -- no matter what hardware they own.

Final Fantasy XI - Opening trailer

Batman: The Dark Knight in 2008

2008-06-24T01:13:00.000-07:00

The Dark Knight opens with Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent beginning to succeed in rounding up the criminals that plague Gotham City. They are unexpectedly challenged when a mysterious criminal mastermind known as the Joker, appears in Gotham. Batman's struggle against the Joker becomes deeply personal, forcing him to "confront everything he believes" and to improve his technology to stop the madman's campaign of destruction. During the course of the film, a love triangle develops between Bruce Wayne, Dent and Rachel Dawes.

Batman raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. The partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker. Written by Peteagassi

Right after taking out Ra's Al Ghul's plan and the mysterious disappearance of Dr. Jonathan Crane AKA Scarecrow, Batman continues his seemingly-endless effort to bring justice to Gotham's crime and corrupt with the help of Lt. James Gordon and new appointed District Attorney Harvey Dent. But this time, The Dark Knight faces a rising psychopathic criminal called The Joker, who's eerie grin makes him more dangerous than what he has yet to unleash. It becomes an agenda to both enemies that only one of them remains and are willing to break every part of what they believe in to stop the other. Written by Anonymous

Set within a year after the events of Batman Begins, Batman, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent successfully begin to round up the criminals that plague Gotham City until a mysterious and sadistic criminal mastermind known only as the Joker appears in Gotham, creating a new wave of chaos. Batman's struggle against the Joker becomes deeply personal, forcing him to "confront everything he believes" and improve his technology to stop him. A love triangle develops between Bruce Wayne, Dent and Rachel Dawes. Written by Leon Lombardi

THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: Christian Bale
Following triumphant performances in “American Psycho” -- in which he played a deeply disturbed and ultra-violent socialite -- and “Equilibrium” -- in which he played what can most easily be described as a super ninja -- Christian Bale was identified by clever DC Comics fans as the plainly obvious and best choice to portray on screen one of the publisher’s most enduring icons, the Batman. Warner Bros. Pictures gave audiences their wish in 2005, when Bale along with writer-director Christopher Nolan rescued the Batman movie franchise from limbo with “Batman Begins.”

The studied retelling of Batman’s origin went on to be hugely successful both critically and commercially, and saw Bale depict a grim, brooding and vengeful Bruce Wayne who endeavored to save the city of Gotham from total destruction at all costs, no matter how radical. At the expense of his own identity, home and happiness, Wayne’s creation of the Batman did succeed in rescuing Gotham City -- or did it?

In this second of a series of interviews with the cast and crew of the "Batman Begins" sequel “The Dark Knight,” CBR News along with other members of the press asked Christian Bale that question and more, discussing with the actor the theme of escalation, the work of his co-stars, his new costume, and how much fun it is to be Batman and beat the hell out of a lot people.

Batman - The Dark Knight Trailer HD

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

2008-06-22T01:28:00.000-07:00

Hellboy II: The Golden Army is a 2008 film directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is a sequel to 2004's Hellboy, also directed by Del Toro. Hellboy II: The Golden Army is written by Guillermo del Toro and Mike Mignola. Universal Pictures finances and distributes the film, which has a target release date for July 11, 2008.

"Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" Begins Principal Photography
Principal photography has begun on the action-thriller "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" from writer/director Guillermo del Toro and film producers Lawrence Gordon (Hellboy, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Die Hard), Lloyd Levin (Hellboy, United 93) and Mike Richardson (Hellboy, Gone). The film will be released on August 1, 2008.

Del Toro, who most recently brought the Oscar(R)-winning elaborate fantasy Pan's Labyrinth to the screen returns to helm the second installment, starring Hellboy alums Ron Perlman (Outlander, The Mutant Chronicles), Selma Blair (The Fog, In Good Company), and Doug Jones (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Pan's Labryinth).

With a signature blend of action, humor and character-based spectacle, the saga of the world's toughest, kitten-loving hero from Hell continues to unfold in "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army." Bigger muscle, badder weapons and more ungodly villains arrive in an epic vision of imagination from del Toro.

After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman).

Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development -- pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann -- the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

The screenplay for "Hellboy 2" is written by Guillermo del Toro, from a screen story by del Toro and Mike Mignola, based upon the Dark Horse comic created by Mike Mignola and the 2004 motion picture Hellboy. The first installment, released by Revolution Studios in 2004, earned $100 million at the worldwide box-office and became a cult sensation when released on DVD. The character continues to be a top-seller in publishing and collectibles and has been expanded into best-selling animation and games.

The film also features British actor Luke Goss (Blade II, Undead) as the ruthless leader of the underworld, Prince Nuada, and actress Anna Walton (television's "Out of Hours," Vampire Diary) as his compassionate sister, Princess Nuala.

"Hellboy 2's" behind-the-scenes team includes Oscar(R)-winning director of photography Guillermo Navarro (Pan's Labyrinth, Night at the Museum) production designer Steven Scott (Hellboy, Doom), costume designer Sammy Sheldon (V For Vendetta, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) and editor Bernat Vilaplana (Pan's Labyrinth, La Monja). Chris Symes (Eragon) is the executive producer of the film, with Mike Mignola serving as co-producer.

"Hellboy 2: The Golden Army" will film in both Budapest and the United Kingdom, with post-production based in London.

Synopsis

The Golden Army begins when an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken; Hell on earth is ready to erupt. Hellboy II tells the tale of a ruthless elven prince who treads the world above and the one below, defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. It's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders.

The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD) will travel between the surface world and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal, along with his expanding team pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann Krauss (John Alexander & Seth McFarlane), the newest member of the BPRD. Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who is accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.

Production
In May 2004, the sequel to Hellboy entered development at Revolution Studios with the first film's writer-director Guillermo del Toro returning with producers Lawrence Gordon, Mike Richardson, and Lloyd Levin. The comic book creator of Hellboy, Mike Mignola, was reported to develop a story with del Toro for the sequel, with actor Ron Perlman to reprise the role of Hellboy. The following September, del Toro expressed interest in making Hellboy into a trilogy with Mignola, with the first sequel slated for a 2006 release.

In August 2006, with Hellboy II being orphaned by the now-defunct Revolution Studios, the studio Universal Pictures acquired the project to be slotted for a summer 2008 release. Production was slated to begin in April 2007 in Budapest and London. del Toro, who had been in negotiations to film Halo, instead chose to stay with Hellboy II for "artistic and personal reasons." In October 2006, del Toro shared his plan to recreate the classic versions of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Wolf Man. The director also reiterated plans for a third Hellboy to create a trilogy.

With the success of del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, the director was able to fast-track production of the sequel to Hellboy. Guillermo del Toro began filming Hellboy II in June 2007 in Budapest and concluded in December 2007. The official trailer for Hellboy II was available from Thursday, December 20th.

Neil Gaiman spent several days on the set to get pointers on directing from del Toro for use in his own upcoming directorial debut, Death and Me.

In February 2007, Mignola described the story he had developed with del Toro as one that focused on folklore and fairy tales, rather than the more pulp elements of the first film.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Voyage Century

2008-06-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

Game Background
Around 1480 A.D., with the development of industry and commerce and the progress of ship building skill, countries in Asia and Europe began to realize the importance of the sea. Some fleets came up. Soon, countries on the Mediterranean coast started to explore their own sea route. Blue and deep sea was considered as the passage to the gold kingdom, waiting for men to explore.

In late 17th century, for each of their own interest, countries in the west built new battleships, made up great fleets. And then ballets of large scale for sea hegemony started.

Game Features
Sea Battle System
In voyage century, you will experience the excitement that hundreds of warships combat in simultaneity. The verisimilar and perfect ocean waves represent the grand scenes of sea battle and bring you extraordinary experience.The combat patterns are various. You can choose any one, the grand far-forth cannon firing or the exciting grappling. The battles between countries, guilds and parties will break out at any moment.

Trade System
There are more than 160 kinds of merchandises. Genuine Finance System is embodied in the game. The prices fluctuate according to the change of the supply and demand, and the dynamic price system tests the players’ commercial mind. The realistic voyage line and distribution of the merchandises represent the flourishing maritime trade of the 16th century and bring you to the true voyage world.

Adventure System
Adventure and exploration is where the charm of the voyage works. Experiencing the adventure of discovery, fighting against the pirate and cruel nature environment on the broad sea will prove your competence of dominating the sea.
More than 1000 kinds of mysterious findings are waiting for you, which will fully satisfy your curiosity. The exploration on the Pyramid of Ancient Egypt and search for the lost secret of Beirut Palace will give you a sense of presenting on the scene and the pleasance on discovery. Voyage Century is not only a game, but also an encyclopedia that broaden your knowledge in geography and history of 16th century.

Figures
There are altogether four different basic characters, whose appearance can be changed according to one’s own favor. There is a large pallet at weapons and articles of clothing, for which one must control certain in each case talents. The most important companion of the player on the ocean is naturally the ship, which can be upgraded and changed in Voyage Century.

Missions

In the game, there is an enormous selection of sequential missions. One receives these from the respective contact men, in addition, of the NPCs. If a player successfully brought a mission to end, the player receive a reward in the form of cash or a treasure, construction or draft sketches and a higher reputation. The accomplishment of a mission brings you the sense of success.
Games site: http://vc.igg.com/

Voyage Century Online Trailer

Ghostbusters Preview

2008-06-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

Though it was announced a few months ago, it wasn't until recently that we finally got to see Ghostbusters with our very own eyes. At Sierra's press event we got our first look at Ghostbusters for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

We were told from the get go that what we were looking at was a very early build and served more as a tech demo that anything. One of the first things we noticed was that there was absolutely no HUD on the screen. The producer informed us that the Proton Pack would actually work as the in-game HUD with various lights and meters representing health, power etc. The tech demo that was shown took us to the New York City Library where books and chairs as well as tables were being thrown around the room with the beam from the Proton Pack. Everything was rendered exceptionally well and we were shown how breaking down chairs and tables resulted in random destruction – meaning that if you destroy three tables, they will all break apart differently so it becomes very life-like. At one point, extra cars, books and other items were dropped in from the ceiling to show us that the Infernal Engine could handle everything without hiccups. There were no dips in frame rate and the action remained smooth. A slime tether was used to fling cars and bodies around the room while also demonstrating how you could tether various items at once. I must say that this portion of the demo was pretty impressive and graphically, it looked very good.

Towards the end of the tech demo, a monster was created using hundreds of books in the library's basement and you have to use the Proton Pack to break him down piece by piece. After defeating the monster, we were taken outside of the library to the New York City streets. The game showed over 1500 people all at once on the screen, each with their own individual A.I. As people walked down the street, they all had different movements, never bumping into each other but reacting to everyone around them. The producer simulated some action on the screen that caused the crowd to panic. Some of the people ran away while others moved away, giving you room to do your dirty work.

After the tech demo, we were finally shown some real gameplay from various portions of the game. The Stay-Puft Marshmallow was shown roaming the streets while the Ghostbusters blasted away at his arms and chest. Just like a marshmallow, Stay-Puft burned and roasted wherever he was being attacked – cool stuff. We were then shown a demonstration for catching ghosts. The PK emitter will detect ghosts which is when you Proton Pack gets put to good use which includes features like the Dark Energy, Freeze Beam, Shot Blast, Neutron Generator and the Slime Tether. Of course before you can capture ghosts, you have to beat them down and wear them out while making sure they don't take over certain objects which give them powers. In the PS3 version, you can get a hold of a ghost and shake the Sixxaxis controller to shake them about and slam them against the ground or walls.

You can play with three other A.I. members or you can get some multiplayer going with online co-op which includes specific missions as well as mini-games. Whether with A.I. teammates or real life friends, the other Ghostbusters can help you out by throwing down ghost packs or adding their beams to yours – sometimes necessary to catch certain ghosts.

The game will also feature all of the voices from the original cast though I'm sorry to say that ECTO 1 will not be drivable in the game.

Though the demo was brief, what we got to see from such an early build looked very good and appears to be headed in the right direction. The producers tell us that they're aiming for a Halloween 08 release. We'll have further impressions of the game when we get some hands-on time with it.

This preview original from 411mania.com Posted by Ramon Aranda

Ghostbusters The Video Game Trailer

Preview: Star Ocean 4

2008-06-17T02:11:00.000-07:00

Star Ocean 4 Description
The newest Star Ocean follows Edge Maverick and friends in this epic sci-fi RPG. Though little is know about the specifics of the game it looks as though up to four party members can enter the battle field, a change from the series's usual three. With the ability to control your own space ship and land on multiple planets, SO4 looks to be a rich adventure.

The Star Ocean series is making its debut into the "next-gen" era. So far, things are looking out of this world.
One of the more surprising parts of Tuesday night's Xbox 360 RPG event in Tokyo was Star Ocean's new graphical style. Developer tri-Ace has made the transition from PS2 to Xbox 360 mean quite a lot, by using the hardware to achieve a more realistic, Final Fantasyish (think fantasy armor made of sci-fi materials) look, as producer Yoshinori Yamagishi explained:
"...Star Ocean for PSX only had 2-D characters and then for the PS2 the characters were made in 3-D because the hardware enabled them to evolve in that way. For the Xbox, this is next generation hardware and obviously there's brand new technology and new abilities that can be put into the game that tri-Ace had held off on prior [to now] because the hardware was not able to handle it."

The story is not a continuation of Star Ocean 1, 2, and 3, but rather a prequel to the trilogy, "...depict[ing] how Star Ocean came to be." In fact, during development the dev team was calling it Star Ocean 0, but changed it to 4, with the official subtitle of "The Last Hope" to avoid the negative connotation of zero. WWIII pretty much levels the world with a heaping helping of "weapons of mass destruction" so mankind heads out into the stars to escape. Looking at the amazing view from the spaceships in the CG trailer, you can't help but think how unrealistic that portrayal is-a zillion stars glowing brightly in what is scientifically mostly empty space-but it's so breathtaking you don't mind.

When asked whether the title was Xbox exclusive, Yamagishi replied, "I think your question probably translated to, 'Would it be coming out on the PS3 as well?' and the answer to that is here are really no plans, nothing set in stone at the moment. We can't say right now that it will come out or it won't come out for sure. It could go either way." He did confirm that it will be on 360 first, sometime in 2009 for Japan.

Preview by Emily Balistriery

Star Ocean 4 Trailer

Valhalla Knights 2

2008-06-16T06:04:00.000-07:00

Pitting war machines against pink-bowed Chihuahuas.
by XSEED Games

May 23, 2008 - The original Valhalla Knights offered PSP owners a chance to customize a party of six characters and head into real-time battles with monsters and baddies galore. Now that Valhalla Knights 2 is on the way, we asked the folks over at XSEED Games to break down some details on the upcoming title's story, job classes and some prominent gameplay features. Check out your options for character creation below, because with Valhalla Knights 2, you can opt to play as a rocket-toting machine warrior or a dog. No joke. That, combined with the fact that the game features a melancholic goddess losing her wings in battle, means Valhalla Knights 2 could be quite an intriguing title.

Story

On the Day of Judgment, the gods abandoned mankind. Yet on that sorrowful day, one goddess descended from the Heavens and wrought destruction that tore up the land and parched the oceans. Despite this, mankind refused to accept such a miserable fate. A lone witch fought against the Goddess and managed to cut a wing from her back. But the Goddess could not be so easily defeated. Feathers from the fallen wing pierced both plants and animals and twisted them into monsters called Hostiae, which struck at the land and people in retaliation. Once this was done, the Goddess escaped into the heart of the world to recover. In the wake of such chaos, the witch left behind the White Crystal that would one day reveal where the Goddess slept, so this divine conflict could be brought to a close.

A thousand years passed, and two organizations rose to power. One, the Obviam Deis, seeks to destroy the Goddess, while the other, Decem Pennae, wishes to coexist peacefully with her. The two groups race to uncover the White Crystal so they can carry out their respective desires.

And now, the Kingdom of Weiselheim is recruiting Latroci, those born with the will of the witch and a destiny to protect the people from the Hostiae. One Latroci, an orphan brought up during the hardest of times, rises up to this challenge and yearns for the title of Royal Latroci of Weiselheim and quests to find the Goddess, wherever she slumbers.

Valhalla Knights 2 Trailer-PSP

Races
Human: A well-balanced, all-purpose character. Can use any job type.

Elf: Race with high intelligence that excels in using magic.

Dwarf: Excels at close-range combat due to incredible physical strength. Weak magic users.

Halflings: With their unsurpassed weapons skills and incredible speed, Halflings run circles around their enemies.

Machine: Race armed with heavy armor and powerful weapons. They can't switch job classes, but they're the only race that can utilize guns and rocket launchers.

Akatoki: Race highly trained in hand-to-hand combat. Good match with the new job class Monk, which is capable of unleashing devastating combo attacks.

Canine: This one's a mystery. But it looks like a bunch of puppies.

The original Valhalla Knights offered PSP owners a chance to customize a party of six characters and head into real-time battles with monsters and baddies galore. Now that Valhalla Knights 2 is on the way, we asked the folks over at XSEED Games to break down some details on the upcoming title's story, job classes and some prominent gameplay features. Check out your options for character creation below, because with Valhalla Knights 2, you can opt to play as a rocket-toting machine warrior or a dog. No joke. That, combined with the fact that the game features a melancholic goddess losing her wings in battle, means Valhalla Knights 2 could be quite an intriguing title.

Job Classes

Low-Level
Fighter: Good at close-range combat and can equip shields.

Mage: Good with black (offensive, elemental) magic.

Priest: Good with white (defense, healing) magic.

Thief: Extremely agile and good at close range or long range attacks. Able to equip bows.

Monk: Good at physical combat and able to execute combo attacks.

High-Level
Anchor: Magic user that can use both Mage and Priest magic spells.

Knight: A Fighter class that can use Priest magic. However, the time required to cast spells is longer then a Priest. Able to equip shields.

Samurai: Uses two-handed swords and has a higher chance of unleashing critical hits.

Ninja: An upgraded Thief class. Able to use bows as well as special Ninja weapons.

Enchanter: Magic user that specializes in inflicting status abnormalities such as Poison and Paralysis on groups of enemies.

Specialized

Machine: Race-specific job class available only to Machines. Able to equip almost all weapons, as well as special machine weapons such as guns and rocket launchers.

Guard: Race-specific job class available only to Canines.

Game Features
Customization
In Valhalla Knights 2 you can customize not only what you equip but also select the face and hair style of every character you create, along with gender, race and job class.

Skill System
You can set two different legacy skills for each job: an Action Skill and a Base Skill. Action Skills have immediate effects whereas Base Skills are inherent to the job class in question.

Attribute and Tuning System
At the "Fountain of Modification," it's possible to modify weapons and armor. Also, there's a tuning system so that a player can make improvements to the Machine job class.

Mix and Match Job Classes
Each character can equip up to three different job classes simultaneously. Although the effects of the sub-jobs aren't as immediate as the main ones, the character will have access to all of the sub-job's Base Skills.

Ys Online: The Call of Solum

2008-06-16T05:44:00.000-07:00

Falcom reveals details, confirms American release.
by IGN Staff

December 16, 2003 - Japanese PC developer/publisher Nippon Falcom has revealed new details on Ys Online, a game which takes the company's flagship Ys (pronounced "ease") series Online for the first time. The game is being developed by Korean Online developer eSofnet and will be managed by Plenus Entertainment, who holds 21 million members in its Online portal sites.

Today, Falcom revealed that contract negotiations between the three companies have been completed. According to the terms of the contract, Falcom will receive one hundred million yen in closing fees from the Korean companies giving them the right to develop and manage Ys Online. The three companies will split production costs and profits.

Online service for the game will begin in Korean in 2005 via Plenus Entertainment's Net Marble portal. Following that, service is expected to begin in Japan, China, Taiwan and, finally, in America.

This marks the second time in as many weeks that news of something Ys related coming to America has been announced. Fans of the classic, largely Japanese series, should be pleased.
Official Site: http://game4.netmarble.net/ysonline/

Ys Online Trailer

Legend of Golden Plume

2008-06-16T05:34:00.000-07:00

Have you be tired of Turn-based MMOs? Or you love to tame monsters? You really should try the new cartoon-style MMORPG Legend of Golden Plume, it is waiting for you! Legend of Golden Plume is a cartoon-style real time strategy MMORPG where you will find a wonderland - all of your friends, NPC, monsters are very lovable! You can change your appearance easily; even disguise yourself to a pet, jumping here and there in the street to attract a lot of attentions!

Since the game is still in development, we've only get a few wallpapers for our readers. The game will start its closed beta in Q2, 2008. If you are interested, please keep an eye on our MMOsite and we will expose more details and deliver the closed beta game accounts for you. Now you could sign up the Alpha Test for LGP online, do not regret until you lose the chance.
Official Site: http://lgp.enjoymmo.com/forum/

Bleach Heat Of The Soul 5 Vs. Espada Review

2008-06-12T18:14:00.000-07:00

Tell me something gamers? Would you risk it all to go to the ends just to protect your friends? I mean even though this is the fifth time you had to put your neck on the line? Well guess what you will have to face down the Espada in one big battle. You will have to team up with the unlikeliest of allies or enemies in search of Orihime. Once again they have made an awesome fighter and now to the bleach series is Bleach Heat of The Soul 5 vs. Espada for the PSP. Soul society is going to shake with triumph.

Welcome to the Hueco Mundo realm where you can visit the fabulous Los Noches Plaza. They have fine dining of souls and of course tea parties on the regular, but stand clear of the GrimJaw! As you have noticed the Bleach video games has been keeping up with the anime series very nicely, offering the abilities and story modes that follow what is out now. In this fifth installment you are in the Los Noches realm and of course dealing with the Espada, they first appeared in the game when Bleach 4 came out last year, however in this version you get a massive amount of Espada and other Shinigami characters you couldn't play with before. From Ichigo's Hollow Soul form to the Vice Captain Shinigami's with some of their Bankai modes. You have a healthy supply of characters to play with.

Now the next thing that would come to mind is, "What makes this game different then the sequels?" Well i am so glad you asked because if you are a fan of the tag battle system, well you are in luck. In this version you have the option of choosing two playable characters for huge combo mixes. As did the vs. series of capcom you can now do a double super finisher that will end in a 30+ combo hit or switch back and forth between characters. What I do like is that they made sure people don't abuse the switching of characters by adding a switch meter. It does regenerate fast and if you want to pull off the super finisher then you can hit both the right and leftt shoulder buttons to perform an inifinite meter that will last a lot longer. Once in this mode depending on the characters you have choosen, they will perform and in sync finisher or a seperate one that will happen in a turn. However you can do a double combo by using the soul move by pressing the square and triangle which will toss both characters out for a combo move.

The modes of the game are pretty linear with a few added additions. You still have your story mode with the rank system and having to perform certain deeds during fightso so you can obtain that perfect score. Then you have the Tag battle system, once inside you can make an entry of your name and pick two playabale characters to battle it out kind of like a survival mode but you can always continue. As you progress you can upgrade your team and soon enough become a Tag Battle Master. The other modes are Single Battle, Tutorial's 1 and 2, the Appendix and the Options. Yes you can merge your old Bleach data into this version as well which I always thought was a great feature. The unlocakables are fairly easy and you get the standard of movies, gallery pictures. There is a nice little easter egg in the game of footage to the new Bleach Game with a new way of playing, so I would say get cracking on unlocking that or go to youtube if you are too lazy to do it yourself lol.

Thanks to Gametrailers.com we can show you gameplay footage that will make you drool all over your keyboard. Just take a look!

That gameplay footage was very hot. As you can see you can transform into your bankai form when you reach level two and once you have powered up just hit that nice left shoulder button to gain the advantage. In a tag match with two bankai powered characters the finishing blow will be amazing.

Yes I know I am praising this game too much, but you are wondering about the flaws of this game? Honestly the only flaws that I see are the fact that SCEI has not yet brought this over for American fans. The game alone is worthy and they have enough fans of the genre to import it over to the english language. I mean naruto is here now and we have many games so far the only system that is getting Bleach love is Nintendo and I find that odd. Another thing is in the first area where you press start they have a home page option to go on the net. Now if they can do that why not add infrastructure to the mix? That is just me personally wanting to take on players over seas because I know there are many out there playing.

Time to wrap this up Bleach fans. You have a good story which hopefully some of you can read it, and even if you can't the game is user friendly so you will not have a hard time figuring out what to do. The addition of more characters especially being able to play with other shinigami and espada also adding the transformation feature makes it a superb sequel. Add a new fighting mode which you can switch off characters to create a better and more challenging game. The unlockables are a treat especially get a first look at the new side scroller coming out for the PSP. th eonly cons I see is no infrastructure and I just want the game to import over for English translation. So in closing you have a massive fighting game with many characters and hours of replay value with many characters from the series and challenges to defeat. I am giving Bleach Heat of The Soul 5 a perfect 5 out of 5 bankai transformations. Thanks again and check back for more reviews gamers "Stay Frosty".

Writen By Naquan Baity

Bleach: Heat the Soul 5 - trailer

Super Robot Wars Portable announced

2008-06-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

Good news for Super Robot Wars fans

It's time for Japan and importers to get their mecha on. Super Robot Wars A has been announced for the PSP, courtesy of everyone's favorite developer, Banpresto. Not your favorite? You don't count. If you're unfamiliar with the franchise, imagine a game where you could pick any of dozens of gigantic mechas from different anime, games, or whatever and see who is, after all, the most super of robots?

Two weeks ago Super Robot Taisen producer Takanobu Terada kindly informed the gaming public that his team was working on two Super Robot Taisen games, a remake and an entirely new installment. He promised, the former would be announced shortly, and indeed Banpresto released an initial batch of information today.

Titled Super Robot Taisen A Portable, the game is a PlayStation Portable-based remake of 2001's Super Robot Taisen A for GameBoy Advance. The remake will feature enhanced visuals, full voice acting for all characters in battle and various system-related improvements (addition of skill parts and a trust-related parameter). In addition to original Banpresto-created mechs, robots from 21 anime series are set to make an appearance in the game. The game is currently 65% complete.

The game, originating on the old Game Boy in 1991, brought about a tactical role-playing style weaving in multiple storylines that are too complex for us to get into -- mostly because we don't understand Japanese. Importers should note, however, the menu system for the games are always simple enough for non-Japanese speaking players to understand. So when it releases in mid-June, don't be afraid to get your hands on this one.

Super Robot Taisen A Portable will be available in Japan on June 19th.

Super Robot Taisen A Portable Trailer

Super Robot Wars A Portable New Screens

Hellgate London Overview

2008-06-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

From Flagship Studios – creators of the award-winning Diablo® series and the fathers of the action role playing genre – comes HellGate: London, the next benchmark in the evolution of the RPG genre.

Combining the depth of traditional RPGs with the frenetic, visceral feel of first-person shooters, HellGate: London offers infinite replayability with dynamically created levels, monsters, items and events that gives each player their own unique hack-and-slash experience.

A post-apocalyptic London has been overrun by hordes of terrifying demons, leaving the city desolate and scorched by hellfire. Those who were unlucky enough to survive now gather in the only sanctuary left, the Underground, banding together in order to gain a foothold against the minions of darkness and ultimately save the bloodline of humanity.

It is no surprise that these sole survivors come from three of society’s most elite factions, each of whom are masters of a robust number of skills and weapons essential to demon-thrashing.

The Templar, a secret society preserving the rites of the original Knights Templar, mix futuristic technology with ancient artifacts to create powerful weapons and armor perfect for short-ranged and melee attacks.

The Cabalists are students of the dark arts and edges of science which often leaves them standing right on the line between good and evil. Their mystifying spells make them suited for mid-range combat.

The Hunters are mysterious, highly trained ex-military operatives who lay waste to their foes with hyper-advanced weapons that blend theoretical science and the latest in technology – and their bullets can come from almost any distance.

HellGate: London delivers an amazing gaming experience to PC gamers of all types – delivering the eye-popping DX10 visuals demanded by the hardcore, and scaling to ensure the masses of casual RPG players can still get the best performance on older PCs.

Key Features
The RPG Authority – Flagship Studios was founded by the core creators of Diablo, one of the biggest PC gaming franchises in history with over 13 million units sold worldwide – they are the first, last and only voice in the world of action RPGs.

Beyond RPG – Experience new layers to the traditional hack-and-slash forumla by experiencing the action RPG from the first-person perspective and through nontraditional character classes and playstyles.

Have it your way - Three unique factions with their own visual and gameplay style, offering something for every type of gamer, whether they prefer the longer-range blasts of the Hunter or want to get up close and personal with the Templar.

Infinite Replayability – Dynamically generated levels, chance events and massive quantities of randomly created items makes for infinite replayability -- no two experiences will ever be the same and every game will be it’s own unique event.

Mad Skills – Each faction has two character classes that contain a wide variety of skills and spells that are fully customizable.

London Calling – Explore post-apocalyptic London, even darker and gloomier than usual. From shattered cathedrals and landmarks to the ancient ruins buried beneath the shell of a once-great city, players will need to scour all of London in search of the unknown.

Misery Loves Company – Don’t be a glory hog – fight online. Gather with friends or recruit strangers in Underground stations and venture out into mean streets of London together to erase the Demonic threat.

Hell Never Looked Better – HellGate: London features all of the latest next-generation technology to deliver a true, DX10 experience, while being fully scalable for optimal performance on older PCs.

Game site: http://www.hellgatelondon.com/

Hellgate London trailer

Warlord Online

2008-06-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

Game Introduction:

Warlord is an MMORPG with a large war system. Many heroes that exist in ancient China and Korea will appear in the game. Players will feel excited when combating the enemies. You can destroy hundreds of enemies with the skills you learned and can fight monsters in the way of 1v1. You will enjoy yourself in the game.

The operation of this game is very simple. Players can use W.A.S.D to move the characters, "1" to attack, "2" to give a special attack, "3" to protect yourself. And 4.5.6 are the skill keys.

Warlord Online trailer

The Guide is from MMOsite Forum.

Then follow the pictures below to register a Warlord account. Warlord is still in Closed Beta.

Company Main page: http://pmang.sayclub.com
Warlord Official Site: http://pmang.sayclub.com/warlord/warlord_home.nwz?ssn=319
Registration page: http://pmang.sayclub.com/pmang_agree.nwz

Dragon Ball Online

2008-06-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Dragon Ball Online, a massively multiplayer online game based on the Japanese comics Dragon Ball, is nearing the open beta testing phase.

According to an anonymous source, Korean game development company Ntl Inc. is developing a massively multiplayer online game based on Dragon Ball. Having high completeness, Dragon Ball Online will start is open beta in the first half of 2007. However, an official announcement has been withheld because the Korean operator for the game has not been selected.

The above image is a screenshot of Dragon Ball Online in its development phase, so it may be different from its public beta version.

Dragon Ball Online is not a casual game but a MMORPG set in the Dragon Ball world 250 years after the original work. In the game, players will take adventures in Dragon Ball world. The game graphics fully reflect the comic style of the original work. The characters in Dragon Ball Online are made in 3D, and the game has introduced quite a number of innovative game systems including world martial arts tournament and marriage system.

The world martial arts tournament is an online counter strike system which produces the strongest player in the game.

The marriage system is a system characterized by alternation of generations, where players can get married and have their children and they rely on their offspring to continue their adventures in the game. Players can only acquire new abilities through alternation of generations.

It is said that Ntl. Inc. is supported by Bandai in developing Dragon Ball Online and that Akira Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball, has been keeping an eye the development of the game. According to the source, due to the author's excessive interference, some of the contents in the original work will not be incorporated into this game, for example, players will not be able to play as Monkey King.
Official Site: http://www.ntl-kk.com/dbo.html

In-Game Information:

Marriage System : When Dragon Ball Online , was first being developed at that time no other martial arts MMO had a marriage system, so they thought it would be a bright idea to implement it then , well unfortunately times changed, and now its very much a normal thing in MMO`s, Dragon Ball Online has a marriage feature and apparently from our reports its a very in-depth one!

Player Vs Player : If any of you are familiar with the party finding system in City Of Heroes / City Of Villains then this will ring a bell for you , there will be an option to show you all the people who are online, their level , if they have the PVP acceptance on and the chances of winning against them , this would have revolutionized MMORPG`s , but it seems like other MMO`s hit it before Dragon Ball Online.

Dragon Ball Online Official Trailer

Mass Effect Review

2008-06-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

When Mass Effect was originally released last November on the Xbox 360, it unveiled a vast, beautiful galaxy populated by diverse, fascinating alien races. Players stepped onto this stage as Commander Shepard, a hero at the vanguard of humanity's ascension in the arena of galactic politics, and thus began an epic story bolstered by engaging characters and rich, branching dialogue. Exciting combat and robust skill management completed the package, but it was not without flaws. Many small issues have been addressed in the PC release, and the result is a more streamlined, more playable version of one of the best role-playing games in recent memory.

None of the changes are drastic overhauls, but they do have an appreciable effect on the gameplay. One of the biggest tweaks is to the combat system. In the 360 version, you have to temporarily pause the action to use any weapons or biotic/tech powers beyond the one you currently have equipped. On the PC, this pause is still available, but weapons and powers have been consolidated onto one screen, along with squad commands which you can now issue inidividually. Pressing the space bar will bring up a heads-up display where you can change weapons or powers and issue commands to your squad. Odds are you'll use this pause very rarely, because your weapons are mapped to the function keys and your biotic/tech powers can be assigned to the number keys.

Without frequent pauses, Mass Effect further distances itself from the ponderous, tactical feel of combat in previous BioWare role-playing games. Instead, it feels like a bona fide third-person action title. Gunning down small groups of enemies while barely breaking a stride is still immensely satisfying, as is blasting your way out of larger pitched battles--only now you can unleash multiple tech or biotic attacks on the fly. You can dart out from cover, take down enemies' shields, and explode their weapons--all while shooting them--and be back behind cover in a matter of seconds. The real reward of this faster, more fluid action is the sense of power it imbues. Wielding your formidable abilities with ease really makes you feel like the badass warrior you were meant to be, and it makes combat more exciting and fun.

Unfortunately, all those tech and biotic power animations flying around can cause the frame rate to suffer on less than godly computers. This will really only happen during battles with numerous foes, and though it isn't much more than a brief stumble, it's distracting. Slightly more distracting are the frequent in-game load screens. Masked by long elevator rides on the 360, load times have actually decreased in length but increased in frequency for the PC version. Elevator rides are shorter, but you'll often be ambushed by a two- to four-second pause (the screen dims and a small "loading" icon appears) when you're coming up on a battle or entering a new area. Again, these pauses are brief enough that they don't bring things to a screeching halt, but they are a bit of a nuisance.

A few other tweaks have positive effects on the game. The inventory system is much easier to manage with a mouse and keyboard, and long lists of items won't reset to the top every time you sell something near the bottom. The Mako vehicle sequences are easier to manage thanks to the implementation of dedicated forward and reverse buttons in place of the 360 version's viewpoint-dependent controls. A new hacking and decrypting minigame, in place of the old button-matching one, is both more interesting and more suited to the game: You must move a small arrow through concentric circles to reach the core while avoiding stationary and rotating barriers. It's generally easy to accomplish once you get the hang of it, but the time limit and tricky perspective shifting help keep it entertaining. Keyboard hotkeys allow quick access to the map and squad upgrade screens, and the quicksave button is a great way to ensure you won't have to do too much backtracking. They aren't big changes, but the aggregate benefit is definitely noticeable.

All the things that made Mass Effect great on the 360--the story, the conversations, the galaxy, the combat, the soundtrack, and the characters--are still great on the PC. The changes that have been implemented don't radically alter the game in any way, but they have enough of a positive impact to make it easy to recommend the PC version over the 360 version. On top of that, BioWare is offering the downloadable expansion "Bring Down the Sky" free to PC players, though at the time of this review that content was not yet available. Whether you're a seasoned Spectre looking to suit up again, or a newcomer who has never set foot on the Normandy, the refined PC version is your best choice for experiencing this excellent game.

By Chris Watters, GameSpot
Site review: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/masseffect/review.html