COMPUTER GAMES

Driving Games - An Ideal Means of Entertainment

2008-08-25T07:19:00.001-07:00

Driving Games have been a fascination for gamers since the time video games started to surmise. Attractive games have thrilled gamers with their never ending race course and different levels of the same game. Car racing as well as bike racing has been the most common among these games. Several other such games have been introduced from time to time and that has made gaming a lovely option for entertainment reasons.
The latest additions in the driving games are thrillers such as Cosmo Cabs, Micro Racers, Blood Car, Indestructotank, desert rally and more. These games are great means of time pass for the people. The players find them to be a good means of entertainment for they can easily overcome boredom and loneliness in their lives.
Such games can be installed on any compatible device that is supported by a large memory space. Thus such games can be installed in computers, mobile phones or gaming consoles and the user can retrieve the gaming files in order to play the games. The best thing about driving games is that, while playing the games the user gets the feel of driving a real car. Moreover, cars, trucks, traffic police and other hindrances on the way are a great excitement for gamers.
These games do not consume much of a battery charge and so can be played for a longer duration of time on any device that supports such games. People are known to play these games while they travel as it becomes easy to overcome the boredom that one faces while travelling. The controllers that enable gamers to change the speed of the car and the track of the race course make it possible for gamers to have total control over how the game is to be played. Moreover, on successful completion of a certain level, the gamer is transmitted to a higher level of the game where racing can be a little more difficult and the path to be tracked is more arduous. This fills the entire gaming experience with excitement and the gamers are constantly thrilled while playing the games. Thus driving games are a great source of entertainment for people everywhere in the world.

Age of Conan Gold Guide - How to AOG Gold Fast With AOG Guides

2008-08-25T07:18:00.001-07:00

For the past 5 years or so World of Warcraft has dominated the MMO gaming scene , that was until Age of Conan arrived which has totally taken the MMO world by storm with thousands of WOW addicts joining in droves. The game has picked up numerous awards including "Best MMO of E3 2008" and has scored high reviews from many gaming magazines.
Like World of Warcraft or any MMO game the ability to farm gold is paramount, having more gold allows you to buy better items like armor, weapons, spells, and other equipment if you're not able to get enough gold you'll find it tough going and end up been killed by more experienced gamers.
Fortunately there is a Age of Conan Gold Guide on the internet that show you how to gather gold quickly. The AOG gold guide will reveal various techniques on how to gather, trade, and craft gold while playing online.
There are other advantages as well, you will be shown how to avoid Chinese farmers that spend all day farming gold and selling for $12.99 a piece. You will saves tons of money and learn from real methods how to gather up to 5000g everyday using legit techniques - there are no hacks, bots, or exploits used just real life strategies that have worked for Pro Age of Conan gamers. In a matter of hours you'll be mining thousands of gold pieces and staying ahead of the pack.
Now you don't have to worry about Chinese farmers stealing your money and have a guide that can teach you how to do gather gold quickly and for free!.

Making Gold in World of Warcraft Quick Tips - 6 Quick Tips For Making Gold in World of Warcraft

2008-08-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Making gold in World of Warcraft is easy if you have a strategy. The better the strategy, the more gold you will be making. In this article I have put together 6 quick tips that can form a simple but successful strategy for making gold in World of Warcraft.
1. Know what the Auction House prices are on your server. If you can buy low and sell high when other players make mistakes pricing, you can make gold very quickly.
2. Sell transmutes. Players with high level alchemy or tailoring can use transmutation to sell profitable items in the auction house.
3. Sell recipes. Sometimes great recipes will drop while you are out grinding. Some of these are rare and will sell at the Auction House for big money.
4. Drop your crafting profession and take up two gathering professions. You should always take up skinning because it doesn't require a tracker, and at least 25% of the mobs you kill while leveling are beasts and therefore are skinnable (you can also skin the corpses that other players have left for you that are not skinned). Skin any mobs that you kill and sell the hides or leathers in the auction house.
5. Fish for Deviate Fish. The Savory Deviate Delight is a favorite cooking recipe for many characters because of the random effects it has. A stack of Deviate Fish, which is the main ingredient, will sell very well on the Auction House.
6. Keep the meat you find on dead animals. Some of these stacks can sell for a surprising amount on the Auction House because players need them for cooking. Check the prices on your server to see if it is worth it.

The Survival of Computer Gaming

2008-08-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

Our industry is dying. We all know that the so called "Next Generation" consoles are driving our beloved PCs out of the market. I could list the reasons why this is happening...I could even list the reasons why it should not be happening, but to those of you who are interested in reading this, I know that you're already intimately familiar with our predicament. It really has crept up on us. Honestly, there have been some great PC games released over the past couple years that have satisfied my gaming needs; but a few days ago, I had a rude awakening into this new world of "console only" games that has unleashed a beast inside of me. As a side note, I should say that I really don't have any problem with the Xbox360, the PS2, or the Wii other than the fact that they are killing the industry that I love...the industry that I grew up with. Anyways, back to my rude awakening. Many of you have heard about LucasArt's new title "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" which will be released this fall. Many of you have also heard that it will not be released for the PC. Not now, not ever. Judging from the trailers and new technology that has gone into this game, it looks like it would be addictingly fun and could possibly even be my favorite of the year. However, according to the producers of the game, the PC market is not stable enough for this title. In other words, there aren't enough people out there with computers that would be able to handle the game. (Ironically enough, it is being released on the Nintendo DS and the Wii, neither of which are high performance gaming systems.)
What has happened? I've been playing Star Wars games on the PC for over ten years back when the X-Wing series and "Rogue Squadron" were just coming out. And now LucasArts won't even port their major release to the PC for their most loyal of fans? The situation is bad and on course to get much worse. After all, this is just one of the many games that have been excluded from the PC already. So is it time for PC gaming to become extinct? Should we give up our fully customizable gaming platforms and surrender to the standardized systems accepted by corporate stooges? I say NO!!!
But what will it take to survive in this industry. How can we regain our prowess in the world of video games. We have to be smart. We can no longer rely on our superior numbers to guarantee acknowledgment and preferential treatment in the biz, so we must rely on our superior brainpower to win this war (That's right console fans...I said it...we're smarter than you). We can no longer rely on unorganized petitions that half of us won't even see anyways. What Should We Do?!?!
We must get organized. We need to understand that we are an extremely marketable, niche group of people that should be catered to by game development companies. Lets face it, computer gamers are generally pretty nerdy...I'm guessing there's not one of us who couldn't set up a simple website if need be, not one of us who isn't doing some serious online surfing every day, not one of us who wouldn't love to work for Tom's Hardware full-time, and the list goes on. Yes, there are only a few hundred thousand of us, and compared to the millions of console gamers out there, it's pretty hard for us to get attention these days. But we are all interested in the same thing: Computer hardware and games, and as a unified community we could become very powerful again. Remember, 500,000 gamers times $40 equals $20million, plenty enough to make some pretty awesome games.
So here are some ideas for what the computer gaming industry needs:
A database of all the computer gamers in the world and the systems they have.
A well-maintained forum to discuss important events and plans.
Elected leaders to attack those who deny us.
A website devoted to keeping PC gamers informed on industry news.
Polls to decide which games we will support and which we will protest.
A group of ninjas to kill console gamers..............ok maybe not that one.....but maybe.

World of Warcraft - Wrath of the Lich King Beta Acheivement System

2008-08-25T07:15:00.002-07:00

As usual plenty of new factors will be added to the game with Wrath of the Lich King (WotLK). One of my personal favorites is the new Achievement System. The achievement system is just another way for you to proclaim your characters veteran (or noob if it is applicable) status. There are many different areas for accomplishment, and each player should find one thing they enjoy to focus on at least. At this time the areas in World of Warcraft for achievement are:
General
Quests
Exploration
Player versus Player
Dungeons and Raids
Professions
World Events
Reputation
Feats of Strength
As you can see, these accomplishment categories span every aspect of the game, so there is a little something for everyone.
So what is the Achievement System and exactly how is it going to work you say? When the game launches there will be over 500 individual achievement for players to unlock. These tasks will range from fun for everyone to truly epic accomplishments that will take time and devotion. Completion of some of these will lead to rewards such as tabards, titles, or even a noncombat pet.
Most important is the "Feats of Strength" section, as many if not all of these items will have been completed prior to the Wrath of the Lich King Launch. Things such as becoming "Champion of the Naaru", "Hand of A'dal", or completing the Bear Mount run! This is the last few month's you can accomplish these tasks, and if you need help as always we have just the guides for you!!!
To get started you can find the achievements in a brand new character window. In this window you will see that you can earn points for completing specific tasks. The more points you earn, the more accomplished you are...duh!
This system is meant to be a great tool to show off the time and effort you have placed in your character, and it should also be a good gauge when it comes to guild recruitment. Players with many meaningful achievements will obviously be more highly sought after than those who have done little to nothing in the game.
Overall this should be a great and exciting tool that all players can value!

Make Money in World of Warcraft! Use These 6 Quick Tips to Make Money in World of Warcraft Easily

2008-08-25T07:15:00.001-07:00

If you need to make money in World of Warcraft rapidly, then this article is for you. Let's face it, there are better to do in this game than farm gold, but you need to make money in World of Warcraft for your character to function. Even the essential stuff, such as gear, skills, and travel, costs money. Here are 6 quick tips so you can use today to make money in World of Warcraft quickly and spend more time in game on other things.
1. Stock up on items off the Auction House for cheap on the weekends. There are more players listing items so prices tend to be cheaper. Resell what you bought during the week at a higher price.
2. Do daily quests. You can make a lot of gold doing these quests everyday.
3. Download the Auctioneer add-on. This add-on keeps track of prices of items on your server. You always know the best price to sell your items at.
4. Transmute items for other players. You can either make and sell the transmuted items yourself, or transmute other players' materials for a fee.
5. Kill humanoids and selling the cloth that they drop on the Auction House. This tip is good starting from early on in the game all the way up to the level cap. Cloth always sells well to tailors trying to skill up their profession.
6. Sell rare pets. Alliance non-combat pets sell for a lot of money to Horde players (and vice versa). You can transfer an Alliance pet to your own Horde character using the neutral auction houses (in Gagetzan for example).

Burning Crusade Gold Farming Quick Tips - 5 Quick Tips For Burning Crusade Gold Farming

2008-08-25T07:14:00.001-07:00

Burning Crusade gold farming is easy if you have a strategy. The better the strategy, the more gold you will be making. In this article I have put together 5 quick tips that can form a simple but effective strategy for farming more gold in the Burning Crusade.
1. Disenchant cheap green items. Sometimes the dusts and shards that are created by disenchanting are worth more than the original item. Also, it doesn't cost any fees to list enchanting materials on the Auction House.
2. Sell at the Auction House. Other players will pay more for your items than vendors, so check the prices and see what you items are going for before you run to the vendors to sell them
3. Fish for Deviate Fish. The Savory Deviate Delight is a favorite cooking recipe for many characters because of the random effects it has. A stack of Deviate Fish, which is the main ingredient, will sell very well on the Auction House.
4. Buy up items on the Auction House for low prices on the weekends and reselling them during the week. Since a lot more people play and list items on the weekends, prices tend to be cheaper.
5. Sell recipes. Sometimes great recipes, schematics, plans, etc. will drop while you are out grinding. Players with crafting professions love to get a hold of new recipes. If you find one of these, you can sell it for big money. Sometimes you can even buy these from a vendor and sell them at the Auction House for a profit. Don't forget about the neutral Auctioneers. If you know of a recipe that your faction can buy from the vendor that the other faction cannot, buy some and auction them to the other side.

Beginner Guide to Dominate the Auction House in World of Warcraft

2008-08-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

I rarely used any consumables; I never bought any upgrades in the Auction House. This was what I was like when I rolled my first toon more than three years ago.
Three years later, I still see many new players struggling to make much WoW gold. I want to share a few tips that will help you guys get started. I still remember vividly my first time entering Stormwind City on my level 10 human rogue. I remember entering the Auction House for the first time, drooling over a 90g dagger when I had 14 silvers in my pocket. I was one poor rogue, but I was thinking big things, the simple idea of buying low and selling high arose in my head.
There was one predicament though, I gambled on the items that I purchased. I never knew if a profit could be made from any of the items that I bought. Surprisingly, I was still making a profit.
I made a level 1 character; I ran her to the nearest Major city and just sat her in the Auction House. I would log-on to this alt 2-3 times a day to buy/sell in the Auction House. As time went by, my brain became more familiar with the items, I was remembering item prices and I was profiting a lot faster. When my main character turned level 40, my alt had turned 30 silvers into more than 100 gold.
The majority of my purchases were items with very low deposit fees. This reduces the overall gold lost if items don't sell through the first listing. Shards and Dusts were my ideal target because they are in high demand and they require NO deposit fees.
When the add-on Auctioneer came out, it saved me so much time. I did not have to sort through pages of Auctions; the add-on automatically scans the entire Auction House and provide you with recommended list of items.
I bought a lot of items that never ended up selling. One case that I still remember til this day was the purchase of Mass of McGowan (1 year pre-BC). I remember listing this item more than 10 times and it just wouldn't sale, I just gave up eventually because the deposit fee was killing me.
There are always risks involved when bidding in the Auction House, but in order to make the big profits, there will always be some risk.

Farming Gold in World of Warcraft Quick Tips - 6 Quick Tips For Farming More Gold Tonight!

2008-08-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Farming gold in World of Warcraft is easy if you have an approach. The better the approach, the more gold you will be making. In this article I have put together 6 quick tips that can form a simple but useful approach for farming gold in World of Warcraft.
Tip 1: Download the Auctioneer add-on. This is a really versatile money-making add-on that keeps track of prices of items on your server. Not only do you always know the best price to sell your items at, but you can spot items that other players have priced too low. Buy these items and relist them for more money to make a profit.
Tip 2: Transmute items for other players. You can either make and sell the transmuted items yourself, or transmute other player's materials for a fee.
Tip 3: Move around the map faster. The less time you spend traveling, the more you can farm items. Ways to do this include getting your mount as soon as you can (level 30 with the latest patch), getting the Ghost Wolf ability (for Shaman), or taking Feral Swiftness (for Druids).
Tip 4: Sell your stuff at the Auction House. If all you are doing now is selling to vendors, you are missing out on the action.
Tip 5: Fish for stacks of Deviate Fish. You can either sell stacks of them on the Auction House, or learn the Savory Deviate Delight recipe and cook up the fish to sell.
Tip 6: Kill animals and beasts for their meat. Sometimes stacks of these can fetch a lot of gold, because players need them to level up their cooking skill.

Diablo III Too WoW Like For Hardcore Fans?

2008-08-25T07:11:00.002-07:00

Ok, so I know it's a little early to be judging the newly announced Diablo III as it will likely not be released for a couple of years. That being said, the trailers, gameplay videos and screenshots Blizzard has released have many hardcore Diablo fans scratching their heads and wondering what Blizzard is thinking?!?
I know when I was glued to my screen watching the trailer and the gameplay video I thought the graphics were really nice, some think they are perhaps a little too nice. We all remember our beloved Diablo being gritty and realistic with most of the game set in dark and dismal dungeons in which you could only see as much as your character's light radius would allow, the rest was a mystery! The released screenshots and videos for Diablo III, however give us a look into a much more polished environment with brighter colors and smooth textures, not really indicative of a world which has been battling the forces of hell for decades. But, because the videos contain merely a small glimpse of a pre-alpha release version of this much anticipated sequel, I will turn my attention to the concept art. Most of what I find there seems to very closely match the images conjured up in my head when I think of Diablo. They are raw, creepy and dark. Also as far as pure unabashed gore, it doesn't get much better than monsters biting the heads off players! The thing I think we would all like the developers to keep in mind is that WoW and Diablo are two very different games with very different concepts and storylines. Many hardcore fans are concerned that due to the massive worldwide success of WoW they will lose site of the tradition of Diablo and make it too much of a mirror image of WoW. Some people are so upset about it they have started a petition to show Blizzard people disagree with their artistic choices thus far which now has nearly 50,000 signatures (some of which are duplicates, I'm sure). I guess if this is what you need to do to pass the time then more power to you! I, however will sit back and relax and wait for Blizzard to deliver yet another amazing game which I will thoroughly enjoy sinking endless hours of my time into, after all they seem to be pros at that!

Used Computer Games' Sheer Thrill at Half the Price

2008-08-25T07:11:00.001-07:00

Computer games are a rage in the world of virtual gaming, attracting youngsters as well as people of other ages. It has presented a window to the vicarious experience of all the chills and thrills that you would be dreaming of experiencing.
There are many animation companies which have pitched in to bring out the most exciting and ingenious computer video games in recent times. These brands have made a name for themselves among the lovers of these games. However, for the active gizmo's and computer game freaks, nothing seems to be enough. There are many games which also tax you with high prices. In fact there are new computer video games coming up everyday which cost lots of money.
Therefore the best way perhaps for you to enjoy the maximum number of games and buy them is looking for used computer games. They have many benefits.
The benefits of these games are very apparent. Firstly there is the reduction of the price of the computer games to half the original price simply because they are second hand. Secondly, they include all the games you would be looking for. The fact that it is used does not mean that only the less known or less favored ones will be available. You even get used equipment related to them. Right from the Xbox, PSP3 and Play station to the hardware and softwares, you get all that you want from the online stores which sell used computer game related goods.
As we can understand from their amazing popularity, they are easily available in the market stores but at best they can only get you discounts after a passage of time. However if you are willing to wait long enough why not buy them from the Internet stores. Among other benefits, you also don't have to worry about delivery. They are delivered at your door, so you have a good home shopping experience too.
One doesn't have to think hard about too many benefits of these games. They are in any case preferable over the first hand ones available in the market, if you are looking for reasonable rates. You can get your best Xbox games for yourself at the most affordable prices, thanks to the online stores. Imagine getting the most fantastic The Superman Series packed with all the thrills at half the price! This is very possible if you buy the used ones. So don't mull over how to get your favorite computer video games. Just latch on to the used games to enjoy untarnished entertainment.

PC Hunting Games are Getting More Interactive and Real

2008-08-25T07:10:00.003-07:00

If you are the type of person who gets thrilled by hunting moose, ducks and rabbits, then you should try hunting games. PC hunting games have a long history. They first started as a way to pass time. The games in the past were of very low quality. They had poor sound and graphics, poor game play and received a lot of bad reviews. A lot of gamers wouldn't even give hunting games a second look.
However this was all in the past, and as technology improved, so did games. PC hunting games in particular have made a lot of improvements since their humble beginnings. No longer must you trudge through low quality graphics and sound. They now have better game play and the fun factor has greatly increased. Today, there are a lot of great hunting games out there and a lot of people are getting addicted to them. These types of games are great for all ages and for both hunters and non-hunters alike.
The great thing about PC hunting games today is that developers aim for realism. It is actually a unique experience to be able to kill your first boar in the comforts of your own room and hanging its head on your virtual living room in the game. There is nothing like being able to choose the best gun and being able to select the you choice of bullets to load in the cartridge. A long time ago, hunting games didn't offer much realism as they do today. In the past, you would only see the nozzle tip of your shot gun and a poorly pixilated image of an animal to shoot at.
Due to the recent advancements in technology a lot more people are buying PC hunting games. If you haven't tried one out yet, then you should! Even real live hunters find these games very enjoyable and more importantly realistic. Be careful though, because once you have your own hunting game, you'll surely become addicted to it day and night.

World of Warcraft Leveling Guide by Zygor

2008-08-25T07:10:00.001-07:00

Zygor's leveling guide was actually my last guide to try. When I got my hands on this beauty and installed it I was absolutely blown away, or blown apart by it, whichever you prefer.
I thought it would be something similar to Brian Kopp's Alliance Guide and Joana's Horde Guide, but it was much different.
First of all it is much easier to use than the guides I mentioned earlier and the quality of the guide is just unbelievable. You will be walked like a baby (if you want to) from point A to B, and eventually to Z, in so fast; you would just see yourself Level 1 and then you would hear "bzzoom!" and you are Level 70. You will level faster than you ever dreamed of (now hat sounds cliche, but it is true)!
The leveling guide is actually an add-on that you need to install. It is 100% legal and it was works with all the add-ons that you might have installed. It actually comes with a video to show you how to install it. The guide is exceptionally clean looking and user friendly. The alt-tabbing is the thing of the past with this piece of art. And thottbot.com might just miss you as well.
One thing that this leveling guide takes into consideration is that World of Warcraft is not World of Hunters, there are other classes too and as such your leveling might be very different from another class' leveling. Zygor's Guide will guide you through your class specific quests, not just hunter quests Brian Kopp's leveling guide and Joana's leveling guide do.

Getting Information on the Newest PC Games

2008-08-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Some gamers say that games for the PC have diminished in importance because of the advent of gaming consoles, such as the Playstation 2 or Xbox. As such, if someone wants to get information on the newest PC games, it can be difficult as the community of devoted PC gamers declines. Even using popular search engines like Google, it can hard to sort through the results to find the information that you are truly looking for.
Despite the migration to gaming consoles, there are still others who are as hooked to PC games as they were before PS3 and Xbox360. These are the kind of people who are usually interested in getting information on the newest PC games. While it is not that hard to find a list of the most current games along with their prices, finding quality reviews about these games is a different story.
There are limited sites that provide reviews on the newest PC games and among the best are: IGN, Gamespot, Gamezone and Gamespy. On these sites, PC gamers will be able to score not only the best reviews of the current PC games but also the latest information on the latest videogames for consoles.
Although these sites may not possibly satisfy all the information needs that a number of people could want from the latest PC games, they are still quite good in dishing out basic information like the genre, hints, cheats and user reviews of a certain game. Just through this information, anyone who is looking to buy a PC game will be able to know which ones to buy or avoid, before spending their money.
Anybody who is into PC games knows that it is best to get a number of reviews for the newest PC games. A game that is perfect for one person, may be disliked by another. System requirements for each game vary, so you'll also want to make sure that your PC has the processor and memory required to run the game.
It is not a very smart move to buy a PC game that could cost $50 or more and then finding out that it has a badly conceived plot and a number of bugs. As such, getting information about a PC game before purchasing it is really the wisest move that any PC gamer can do.

Download Top PSP Games Now

2008-08-25T07:08:00.002-07:00

Do you want to find a website in which you can download all your favorite PSP games, movies and music without having to break your bank? It is not that hard really. All it takes is a little time and patience to find the perfect site to start downloading from. If you really want some PSP games, then take the time to look at the Internet and its many websites that offer "free" programs. If you want to save some money, the Internet is really your only chance of doing so. Now that you know that there are free sites to get your games from, then the only thing you need to do is find those sites and find the ones that are worth your time and patience. Remember that life moves fast and you shouldn't have to search long and hard to find a site that gives you what you want.
PSP Accessories Option One
Even if you are not a computer guru, you have heard of peer to peer sites or similar websites that offer free, no fee games, music, movies and much more. However, these sites need to be approached with caution. Understand that these sites can cost you a computer and even a PSP if you download spyware, adware and malware with the files. These sites do not regulate the kind of files that are uploaded to it. Consumers should be aware of this fact. On top of that, the speeds you get from these sites are rather slow. If you want a lot of games to choose from, then you might as well forget looking at these sites. They have a limited amount. Not worth the risk you are taking.
PSP Accessories Option Two
Look out for sites that allow you to sign up free of charge. These are the sites that allow you to look at their list but want to charge you for any download you want to do. It's a ploy by the website administrators to lure you in and get you so involved that you are willing to buy their games.
PSP Accessories Option Three
If you find a site that gives you unlimited access for a small one-time fee, then you need to continue looking at these sites. Chances are their website has plenty of games, lots of themes and wallpapers, movies and music to choose from. You also get files that have been checked for spyware, adware and malware so there is little chance of you infecting your computer or PSP. If you want to download a bunch of files in a short amount of time, these sites can help you do so. Remember that free is not always best and if you are wanting to save money, you need to look at every situation. Though the last option forces you to pay upfront before you download, what you get is much better than the other options. Don't forget that these good sites will give you the software that you need to transfer those files onto your PSP.

WoW Gold Secrets Guide Review - What Are the Best Wow Gold Farming Techniques?

2008-08-25T07:08:00.001-07:00

Are you searching for the best Wow gold farming techniques? Gold farming is a method of earning Wow gold that is very popular amongst experts and newbies alike, yet players achieve radically different results with gold farming. I will be explaining some of the advantages and disadvantages of Wow gold farming in this article, and what I have learned from the Wow gold secrets guide that I purchased over the internet.
1. Why Farm Gold In Wow?
Players will always come to a stage where they find that they require more gold to buy the weapons, armor or epic flying mount that they need. One of the ways is to farm for it, and there are positives and negatives to this method.
2. What Are The Drawbacks to Gold Farming?
This method is probably the most time-consuming of all gold making methods in World of Warcraft. It is also the most idiot-proof way, and it is certainly a great method when executed correctly. My previous gold farming methods took an extremely long time, but since then I have invested in gold making guides that have improved my gold farming skill drastically. Some of the methods I learned were directly from Chinese farmers whom I would say have the most time-efficient farming methods around.
3. Use The Right Techniques with the Right Professions
This is another key aspect that many players miss out. Most newbies assume that gold farming is about one technique, when in fact it is not true. You should use the most effective techniques that suit your profession. For example, you should be targeting monsters that drop useful herbalist items if you are a herbalist, and kill monsters at areas where you can skin them if you are a skinner.

Upcoming PC Games of 2009 & End of 2008

2008-08-25T07:07:00.003-07:00

What to look forward to in 2009/ end of 08
There are a lot of games that will be coming out in 2009/end of 08 for PC gamers to look forward to. As this year's E3 companies such as Activision-Blizzard revealed their latest offerings for the PC gamer and while it may not be the bonanza it was in years passed there is still much to gossip about.
Here are some of the top games being released in 2009/ end of 08:
•Rise of the Argonauts - Focusing on Greek myths, this offering from Liquid Entertainment promises to bring in characters and creatures from the most popular Greek myths and presents them in a format that allows for fast-paced combat and rich storytelling.
•Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - This time around, the conflict escalates as the Empire of the Rising Sun enters the fray. With an entirely new faction, the game promises to be even more exciting and satisfying than any Red Alert title to date.
•Crysis Warhead - Don the nanosuit of Sergeant Sykes, aka "Psycho," and experience a storyline parallel to the events of the original game.
•Left 4 Dead - Using the Counter-Strike Source Engine, Left 4 Dead has a group of four unlikely heroes band together to battle hordes of infected.
•S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky - Clear Sky is the prequel to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl and takes place a year earlier, when the unstable Zone is causing anomalous activity galore.
•Alpha Protocol - Sega and Obsidian are reteaming for this role-playing game that eschews sci-fi and fantasy for a Bourne Identity-like world of high-tech espionage.
•Spore - Spore is a simulation game created by Will Wright that allows players to control various life forms from the cellular to the galactic level.
•Far Cry 2 - The sequel to the much-acclaimed island shooter aims to make a big splash in 2008.
•Empire: Total War 3 - The Total War series takes to the seas with 3D naval combat in this 18th century strategy game.
•Fallout 3 - After being cancelled at Interplay, this sequel to the cult post apocalyptic role-playing game was resurrected by Bethesda, where it is currently in development.
For me left for dead appears to be very promising as it has my all favourite mode of all time - COOP! The thought of battling it out with hundreds of monsters with friends is a very promising prospect. Coupled with the fact that it is being produced with the source engine makes this the highlight of E3 for me.
Crysis warhead will also have high expectations considering how much of a success its predecessor was. It will be interesting to see how Far Cry 2 compares to this title in terms of graphics and game play considering Crysis was supposed to be a sequel to far cry in the first place.
I will also be looking forward to Empire: Total War 3 as I always find this genre of PC game very enjoyable as well as the extra challenge that will come with 3D naval combat.

COD4 Call of Duty 4 Dictionary and Abbrevations For Common Words

2008-08-25T07:07:00.001-07:00

For players new to Call of Duty decoding all the sayings and lingo players use can be a difficult process. Knowing what these words mean is critical to communicating with your teammates and discussing Call of Duty 4 in other venues. To help make it easier I have compiled a list of the definitions of commonly used Call of Duty 4 slang.
Nootube - The grenade launcher attachment for assault rifles. It is called the noobtube because some players feel the attachment is overpowered and only noons use it.
203 - Another name for the grenade launcher.
Martynoob - A player who can only get kills via the Martyrdom perk, which drops a grenade when a player dies.
Juggernoob - A new player who is equipped with the Juggernaut perk. Some players feel the addition of extra health is overpowered or stupid, opinions which are largely unfounded.
Reflex Sight - The red dot sight attachment for weapons.
HC - Abbreviation for the Hardcore game mode where players have lower health and no crosshairs.
TDM - The Team Deathmatch game type.
FFA - The Free For All game type.
FF - Friendly fire, if it is on players can be killed by bullets from their teammates.
These are the most common phrases, but other more obscure ones do exist. If you know all these words already and truly want to flaunt your Call of Duty skills you may consider buying a T-shirt or mouse pad to show off. An example of a funny a T-shirt like this is in the link below, but many others exist.

What's Nice in a Virtual World? Virtual Success, by Sharing

2008-08-25T07:06:00.001-07:00

Studies have shown that playing computer games makes surgeons more skillful. They find it easier to control extremely delicate movements during surgery. If computer games are good for surgeons, maybe they are good for students. Online gaming trains the mind, and lets teenagers make new friends.
Computer game players have to remain focused for long periods of time. They have to develop strategies with the intention of outwitting their opponents.
Game-playing teenagers are given the chance to think outside textbooks, focus on something other than examination papers
SADLY, there is some bad.
As technology develops, it becomes easier for players to cheat. This creates a lack of trust within the gaming community.
Players are only interested in their own success, and will do anything to succeed.
SADLY, this is bad
In addition, the fact that many games require a monthly fee, gamers try to play the games longer and get the most of their money. Some even commit to playing for 20 hours straight.
While some people claim that having will power is enough to avoid becoming addicted, many players, especially teenagers, will find it very hard to resist the attraction of the games.
Game addiction will have a negative impact on your life and personal relationships.
YOU must have heard these lines from YOUR parents
This is a result you can expect; if you are indiscipline and you 'sacrifice your future' for this form of entertainment. YOU WANT TO JUSTIFY YOUR ACTIONS and regain trust from your peers, always play with DISCIPLINE and WILL in mind.
So, you should start winning and spend less time repeating an action and be unsuccessful. Then, you will have the discipline.
Stanley Lai is a cancer survivor who applied The Law Of Attraction in his life. He now writes articles to inspire others and help them to overcome challenges in life.

Online Video Games - A World of Their Own

2008-08-25T07:05:00.002-07:00

Online video games are one of the biggest growth areas in interactive entertainment and are mostly designed to acquire prospective clients. These games are considered to be excellent advertising strategies for video game businesses. These games are also free from deterioration. These games are not just restricted to ones based on traditional video games and are on our computers, televisions and even cellphones. GameFly is the leading online video game rental service in the United States and currently delivers the widest selection and availability of games for the Wii, Playstation 3, and Xbox.
Video games came along shortly after computers were created and have revolutionized the entertainment for many people. Video games that you can go online and connect with other people are very popular.These games are not necessarily just for children anymore, according to a recent AOL poll. They have become a part of our society and this is shown by how many people play them, kids and adults alike. These games were born over thirty years ago and they have been all over consumer's TVs, computers and cell phones ever since.
Online games have thousands of users around the world and have become so popular in recent years that an alarming number of gamers have become addicted to them. Game playing combined makes up about three hours a week on average although this increases to 5 hours among younger adults age 18-34. Online video games and social networking sites both allow individuals to communicate even if in very different locations, both allow individuals to interact while hiding behind a computer screen, and both allow individuals to "friend" one another for future conversations. These games are becoming incredibly popular because they are easy to access, often free, and are reaching new heights in graphics and overall quality.
Playing an online video game can give you a simulation of real life events and occurrences which may never take place.
Because people are having so much fun, they tend to spend considerably more time playing video games online than they would if they were the only player. Traditional games do not present the same opportunities to interact with other people or form friendships, so most people who play these games by themselves spend less time playing them than those who are involved in multi-player games.
Online games are far more popular among young male Internet users than among young females -- and it's a global phenomenon. They are one of the best inventions of todays generation and are becoming increasingly popular, but they usually require a broadband connection either very good DSL or cable -- so make sure a broadband connection is available if you're going to play on the computer.

Unreal Tournament 3 - The Truth of the Matter

2008-08-25T07:05:00.001-07:00

I have been playing this series of games for more years than I care to remember, and when I first heard about the impending release of this game, I was ecstatic. This was enhanced by the unbelievably gorgeous graphics used for the teaser trailer for the game, and my heart skipped a beat.
However, this is all before the actual release of the game, and for me, I guess it proved that the hype-ing up of a game, and movie for that matter, does not necessarily guarantee a great game.
Undoubtedly, those reading this have read reviews of the game from games magazines and websites, that state just how 'amazing' this game is. These are undoubtedly the same individuals who said that Halo 3 was brilliant, despite the fact that in fact, the Halo series is a poorly programmed video game that is only as popular as it is due to the fact that Microsoft makes it. But I will write about my opinion on the Halo series when I next get the opportunity.
You see, the truth of the matter is that Unreal Tournament is in fact, not a very good game at all. Putting aside the glitchy graphics and textures, the actual game play is no where near as good as previous games, and in fact there are even some game modes that are missing or have been modded, and it is for this reason that the game does not succeed in appeasing me. In fact, it left a sour taste in my mouth that could only be diminished by playing Alone in the Dark.
This game was delayed for about a year, which in itself is ridiculous when you consider just how poorly made the game actually is. Sure, it uses the unreal 3 engine, but if this is what we are to expect from this engine, then I am seriously considering boycotting most other games that utilise this engine, unless I see that they are using it to its full potential, otherwise, well you end up with Unreal Tournament 3.
One of the other issues that I had with the game was the fact that they have tried to give a game that is basically based around death matches, a storyline. This concept is ridiculous. If I wanted a storyline, instead of just beating the crap out of the nearest opponent to me, then I would just throw in Gears of War into my 360. Basically, they should have left the stories to Unreal, and not Unreal Tournament.
Now, the greatest criticisms I have with this game are the graphics. I don't care what anyone says; this game is 100% NOT pretty. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that it is ugly. The textures are flat, the characters lack any sense of reality, and everything is shiny. The game is no where near as pretty as it pretended to be in the teaser trailer. And believe me, I know pretty when it comes to video games, and even with the best settings on my HDTV, this game is still appalling.
Now, don't get me wrong, it's not all bad. There are some redeeming points for this game, though not enough for me to want to keep this travesty of an unreal game on my shelf, but you never know. Whilst it has in fact mutilated the Unreal Tournament game, this is still basically a game of death and destruction, and if you are looking for a game where you can kill twenty people in about 10 minutes, then I guess this is the game for you.
I certainly (in hindsight) wouldn't pay full whack price for this game, but about £30 is an acceptable price. Though be warned, this game is set to disappoint, which it has done many of my friends who have been fans of the series for many years.
My advice to one playing this game is to not listen to the hype and false reviews written in magazines. Do not expect this game to compare in any shape, way or form to its' predecessors, as quite simply it does not, and will leave you ever so slightly dead inside.

Online Puzzles - Popularity Sailing Further High

2008-08-25T07:04:00.002-07:00

Today, the internet medium is used for so many things. You can watch news, listen to music, communicate with people abroad, do shopping etc. One such very interesting role that internet plays is of a gaming console. Irrespective of the age group that we fall into, internet brings along the opportunity to be child again.
Online puzzles are one of the most popular internet games. Mainly so, because they are interesting and challenges ones intellect. Be it those jigsaw puzzles or crosswords, different forms of online puzzles still attract a huge list of visitor's everyday.
Though they are especially popular amongst kids, online puzzle games can be played by people of any age group. Different puzzling games, with varied levels of intricacy, help in developing skills partaking to attention and problem solving aptitude among growing children.
What Makes Online Puzzles Popular? Online puzzles are increasingly clinching the interests of gaming enthusiast. They come in various designs, colorful backdrops, and advanced level of challenges while becoming increasingly appealing for everyone. Some puzzles are a bit complex in nature and ask gamers to think hard to solve the query. While solving these types of games, gamers learn to be patient.
For children, game developers provide the options to select various cartoon characters, places of their interest and foods of their choice. Evidently, there is a lot for every one, irrespective of the age group, to enjoy from an online puzzle game. Puzzles, like every other question that has intrigued human psyche for centuries, challenges humans ingenuity. The challenge that question come to offer with and strive towards finding an answer to the question is the basic reason behind growing followers of puzzles. By being online, they have just become very easy to be availed.
Online puzzles and their popularity are not so hard to be understood now.

Hell's Kitchen Game Review

2008-08-25T07:04:00.001-07:00

This is a reality TV show in a pressure cooker restaurant- Hell's Kitchen which has been given the game treatment. Gordon Ramsay is the master chef who heads the actual restaurant and famous for his quick temper and foul mouth. His favorite word is four-letter-word or the "F" word, "idiot", well..you get the idea. Ha! But it's so exciting to watch his TV shows as well as playing his version of game.
Hell's Kitchen is different from most of the games available as we can get real recipes from the game and print it out from our computer. There is one menu for a week. That means total 7 recipes from Monday to Sunday. You will work as the restaurant runner and your ranking will be from apprentice up to the master chef.
Everyday when the Hell's Kitchen's door opens, you have to greet the customers and take them to the sitting place at the table. Once the customer puts down the menu, they will be ready to order food. So you have to attend to them in a short time. After that you have to run the kitchen to cook the food. Then rush to take the cooked meals to the customers. Phew...after they have finished their meals, you have to take the dirty dishes and put at the designated place. And while you are doing all this, remember that there will be more than a couple of customers who visits your restaurant.
If you take too long to cook the meal, the food will need to be thrown away automatically as they are burnt. And Ramsay will scold "YOU IDIOT!" Hahhahaha! So better be fast..get those errands finish faster!
A very enjoyable game. Ramsay look very real in the game and it sounds like his actual voice too. His face expression is always the same which is so tensed up and fierce expression. It's pretty much like I'm working in his restaurant. Getting scold every now and then, like his student chefs. Play Hell's Kitchen and I'm sure you like it too.
- Mabel Lee
I am a PC and online game reviewer for casual games. Playing PC and online games have many advantages and keeps an active and healthy mind. Visit the collection of the downloadable PC and online games' review site. The games are free to download and have fun!
http://www.mabelgames.com

Download Computer Games Software and Have Fun and Thrill at the Same Time

2008-08-25T07:03:00.002-07:00

Games have always been popular among human beings. There have been different kinds of games in human history. As human developed games also went on changing, improving in their content and reach. In the modern times science and technology have revolutionized every field of human activity. Games are no exceptions.
In the place of the old games there came video games and then computer games. They have so completely transformed the world of games that the old ones are no longer found. People of all ages have been attracted by video games and computer games. We even find children who spend hours in front of the computer playing their favorite games.
Though computer games give us enjoyment and diversion from our concerns, too much of it is surely harmful. It is not only harmful to the eyes, but also to the mind. So we should be careful about allowing our children to play computer games. There should be a strict time frame for them.
As computer games have become increasingly popular, they have become costlier as well. Though we are enchanted by newer varieties of games we can't afford to buy them. In this context the best way out is buying them online or downloading them.
If you buy them online you have a few advantages. You can have a trial before you decide to buy one. That way you can verify the quality of a game before you buy it. It also provides you with the opportunity to test a large number of games before making a decision. You will be acquainted with newer varieties of games.
It is easy for you to download and enjoy your computer games. For that you have to download the necessary software. There are a large number of sites which allow you to download games freely. You can search for the best games and then you can download them. With that your favorite games will be there in your computer and you will be able to play them whenever you like.
You can also play them any number of times. When you are tired with them you can naturally uninstall them and go for newer ones. So at no cost you can renew the games occasionally.
Among the games that are available for downloading, some famous games can be mentioned which are easily available and are top ranking among all the games available. The World of Warcraft, Command and Conquer 3, Universe at War, Crysis Demo, Squad Command, Mysterious Island, Titan Mode, Portal Ren Test, Sam and Max, Modern Warfare, Tom Clancy Rainbow Six, World in Conflict, etc., are just a few games that can be downloaded easily from the websites. A host of other games are there too that can be downloaded. The games like the Play Station have been modified often are designed keeping in view different tastes of the players.
All kinds of war games, construction games, child games and the mind games are very easily downloaded and enjoyed. This state of downloading the computer games software has been spreading so rapidly that everyone is joining the mania of downloading and playing these games.

Merits of Using Jamie's Horde Leveling Guide

2008-08-25T07:03:00.001-07:00

If you want to win the games of Warcrafts then it is imperative to understand the strategy of playing the game. You have to counter several characters like magicians, goblin orcs, dwarfs, etc. if you want to become a master in these games then it is essential to consult a guide before proceeding towards the game.
If you want to learn from the basics of WoW games then it is recommended to go for Jamie's horde leveling guide. This guide is modified in such a manner that it can provide all the necessary skills to you within a short period of time.
Many of the guides provide good instructions till the 60th level but fail to assist the player after that. With Jamie's horde leveling guide you need not to face such circumstances. The best part of this guide is that it clarifies all the things to the player with the help of video references. Each guide in it has a preference either for a horde or an alliance character. It has the capability to suggest you all the places where you can easily locate the gold. It is not possible with all the other guides.
Sometimes it happens that even after crossing several levels you fail to get the relevant output. This makes the game quite hard and frustrating. With Jamie's horde leveling guide you can definitely reeks success as proceed forward in the game. Hence, if you want to achieve a unique position in the Warcraft games then convert virtual into reality by going for Jamie's horde leveling guide but you should also look for alternatives.

The New World of Computer Gaming

2008-08-25T07:02:00.002-07:00

Gaming Epidemic Roots Set In
By the late 1990's, personal computers were the growing trend. More and more people were jumping on the bandwagon to bring home that new desktop or laptop home computer. As this trend continued, so did the development of better and more plentiful software. This software included numerous games programmed for various operating systems to broaden the number of potential consumers. Good graphics, solid 3-D backbones and a wide variety of games helped to fuel the growing epidemic of computer gamers.
The Next Generation of Gaming
Shortly thereafter, the new millennium hit and much more changes were on the horizon. Now, in today's world, the advancement of technology and graphics since the 1990's have been astonishing. Can you ever remember feeling like you were "in the game" or felt as though the game you were playing was "real"? Probably not, but there is no shortage of that sensation with just about any game you play in today's games. Along with the amazing progression in game quality, there has also been an enormous explosion in game quantity. Selections and game genres are unlimited, further contributing to the growing numbers of computer game players.
Today's Unbelievable Gaming Experience
Game designs and game graphics however, are not the only culprits for this booming trend. As the software itself has improved, so have the computers that drive it. Modern day computers are so much faster, more performance-oriented and are overall "better" than before. Mix those ingredients together a bit and now, let us add the internet! Yes, the internet was around in the 90's, but sites and servers as a whole are much more advanced and yes, faster! What an amazing group of tools to utilize in enjoying a remarkable new batch of computer games. In closing, get out there (if you have not already) and see for yourself how much fun that awaits you in a gaming world that is now for all ages.

The Best German Style Board Games

2008-08-25T07:02:00.001-07:00

German style board games are a type of themed game which is catered to a wide age range of potential players. They usually require a healthy amount of thought and strategy but less tactical maneuvering than a game such as Chess. With a highly stylized board, simple rules, and a generally modest length of play, German style board games allow players to experience a fun, competitive environment without having to follow complicated rules and an exhaustive set up time. Because of their popularity and accessibility to a large range of players, these types of games can be found the world over, in any number of countries.
The best German style board games are multi-player games which can be learned quickly and played in a relatively quick time frame. They usually require some level of socializing but are not usually combat related, meaning that players usually do not have to confront one another head-on. Strategy against other players usually comes in the form of building one's own game up and using any possible resources available that might benefit other players. Face to face fights between players are usually rare on a German style board game. These games are always loosely themed, giving a suggestion of what the goals of the game actually are without being so heavy that they weigh the game down. Many different popular themes have to do with either building a city or governing an area.
One of the best features of German style board games is that they are tailored for everyone. They have easy to understand rules and a format of play that is simple to follow. Being competitive doesn't stop the social aspect of this game, allowing players to sometimes constructively help other players if the intent is there. They are also fluidly designed to generally be able to support between 2 and 6 players, with some games being able to accommodate up to 10. Each player in a German style board game generally plays the game for themselves, partnerships and teams are rare. Most of the games generally run for about an hour's worth of playing time, and many games feature a component to the game which will end it after a certain amount of time.
Another one of the best features of a German style game is that there is typically no player elimination. Having players be forced to drop out of the game before the end is generally seen as a counterproductive move, as it usually only gives the leading player an advantage. By keeping all of the players in the game until the end, the game remains competitive and the outcome isn't predictable.
The games are made for an international audience, usually having a board which is designed mostly with pictures. The rule book usually comes in a variety of languages, allowing players from many different nations to enjoy the game. The best German style board games are geared toward these multi-national audiences and feature elements which any player speaking any language will be able to understand. All of these elements combine together to make a great game, and when searching for a suitable German style board game, an interested player should take all of them into mind.

Where to Get the Best World of Warcraft Gold Farming Guides? - Wow Gold Secrets Guide Review

2008-08-25T07:01:00.002-07:00

Have you been searching for the best World of Warcraft gold farming guides? Whether you are an Alliance or Horde player, new or experienced player, you will find that you will need a lot of gold to be able to afford the best items. Gold farming is one of the best ways to make gold fast, and ever since using the Gold Secrets Guide, I have found the best places to farm for the most gold with very little time.
1. What Is A World of Warcraft Gold Farming Guide, and Do You Really Need It?
Because there are so many ways and locations to make money from farming, there are plenty of Wow gold farming guides being sold on the internet. Only a few of these guides are really good and have met my expectations. There is also gold, silver and bronze to farm for, and the Gold Secrets Guide that I use shows me all the best spots to farm for them. With these strategies, I am making more Wow gold at much faster speeds than I was doing before.
2. What Are Some Other Benefits I Experienced After Using Wow Gold Secrets Guide?
With the increased amount of gold I make, I can now buy better weapons and gear that I could never afford in the past. This has definitely made playing World of Warcraft more fun. Whichever character that you are using, you would find extra gold to be very helpful for doing whatever you want to do.
For example, if you are a warrior, you are going to need gold to get armor and weapons, and you will need to get gold to train your pet if you are a hunter.
3. Making Gold with The Auction House
The auction house is another place that I have learned to use to make massive amounts of gold from. With the strategies in Wow Gold Secrets, you can get huge profit margins on many of the items that you sell.

Bloom Busters Game Review

2008-08-25T07:01:00.001-07:00

Ever feeling hateful towards someone annoying? Get Bloom Busters to play with. Main purpose of this game is to squash as much monsters as you can. Squash squash squash! Treat the monsters as your enemies and you will be relieved after playing it. Muahahaha!
Visit Bloomland, the farm of two loving couple: Jimmy and jessie. The neighbor Mr Zorg is a strange isolated person and he worked on getting all the monsters out to eat the whatever Jimmy has at his farm: vegetables, fruits and animals. Protect them from all the annoying creatures. Once you get into the beating mood, they are really annoying as more and more of the ugly monsters will appear. You can either squash them at near distance or put out a water hose at them if they are at a distance place.
Collect the valuables like rings, diamonds, hearts as they are points and power ups. Click once to get to the things you want to collect and double click to get the speed up the walking pace. But when I double click, I still feel that the walking speed is still slow. This makes the games challenging as the monster comes at a faster rate.
Bring the cabbage and apples that you grow to the right spot. While doing that, guide your vegetables and fruits from the monsters. These creatures really enjoyed themselves and have a great time when they manage to hurt your plants or animals. Different types of monsters like those pink colored ones and creature called lemon face are what you need to look out for.
In Bloom Busters, there are 3 modes of play, Easy/ Medium/ Hard. The one at Easy is really too simple. So I change the mode to Medium. Well, I tried to click on Hard but it says that need to pass through 20 levels of Medium first before can change to Hard. The first two levels are pretty simple. More multitasking are needed when coming to deeper levels. Plant the seed, water the plant, collect it, place it at the right spot, feed the animals with the vegetables.....and keep an eye on the baby plants, away from the hungry creatures.
The story line is not detailed and the game structure is pretty simple. Just keep squashing and squashing. Repetitive and have so many click on the mouse. Good if you would like to treat it as your sand bag to actually beat it on your imaginary enemies. Haha! Try Bloom Busters out when you in the mood.
- Mabel Lee
I am a PC and online game reviewer for casual games. Playing PC and online games have many advantages and keeps an active and healthy mind. Visit the collection of the downloadable PC and online games' review site. The games are free to download and have fun!

Online Games For Happiness and Brain Agility

2008-08-25T07:00:00.002-07:00

This may be a cliché but really health and happiness are things that money can't buy. Health issues come with age. It is expected that as people mature mental and physical abilities would start to wane. Brain performance and muscle functions would decline. People would ensure that a physical fitness regimen is followed to ensure muscle build up. What most people don't recognize is the need to exercise the brain too.
The word exercise often has a negative connotation. For some people exercise is synonymous to profuse sweating and hard work. An online brain game however is pleasurable. Some would even say that it is addicting. It is a known fact that as people reached the age of thirty; the brain would start to age and deteriorate. Mental stimulation is necessary arrest the deterioration and to minimize the effects of brain aging that often leads to mental disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
A brain game is a pleasurable way of enhancing the functions of the neurons and building mental agility. In order to scale the progressing levels of this brain game, the player would need to be alert and to be a quick thinker. Regularly playing the brain game would therefore improve cognitive control as well as enhance attention and memory. Because processing speed is developed the player will be able to ascend the next level. This would give an excellent sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Wouldn't it be super if you can help your loved ones attain mental fitness? Put a smile on their face...make them happy too. Introduce them to online brain games!
Yes, you can make a difference in your life by playing scientific brain training games from today! Click here to grab a Free Trial of these happiness games!

World of Warcraft - Basic Blizzard MMORPG WoW Power Leveling Guide

2008-08-25T07:00:00.001-07:00

If you are an MMO fan, especially a blizzard Warcraft gamer, then you may have tried to buy gold and power leveling services from different online resources in the past. Well, I at least have been through the rounds of different gold farming and fast powerleveling companies which were slowly gaining my character the said WoW gold or experience points level up.
What soon became quite clear was the realization that the gold farming and level powering up was something that should not be paid for, in fact, a gamer can even increase the amount of Warcraft gold and gain power levels more efficiently and effectively than the paid services. Of course, this requires a certain level of skill to maintain a consistent leveling speed and gold gathering pace.
Most of the "powerleveling" guides that are out there on the web and in different MMORPG online resources and player forums do provide a good deal of information and WoW strategy for any newbie to veteran blizzard gamer to take advantage of. Most of the "warcraft guides", though highly informative don't really include every single sought after game item and skill that any character can pick up, be they Alliance or Horde races.
Many of the free warcraft leveling guides, although free to use, do not provide directions or any guidance to the highly sought after advanced items such as the magical flying mount every Warcraft gamer seeks, different 6 tier items worth so much gold in trade or sale, and really just all around map quest secrets and areas that provide treasured goods and gear sets coveted by the most savvy of WoW 'ers.
If you have a Warcraft account and have been plugging away trying to gather as much gold as you can and level up as quickly as you can, there are some basic WoW tips and techniques that you can use to speed up the rate of power leveling and increase the average WoW gold cash you pull in, without endless farming and while building xp at a powerful pace.
The truth that veteran players, myself included, have stumbled upon is the fact that there is no "magic bullet" or "perfect solution" to power level quickly or gather gold. In fact, it is actually a combination of several different techniques and strategies that when combined can develop a fast paced warcraft power leveling guide that can be used to boos XP through both group and individual quests, grinding away on NPC's and mobs, and more.
In my own experiences getting from level 1 to 70 most efficiently as possible as a paladin and warrior, night elf race and orc, there are a few major strategies which can ensure that you make the most xp during any given quest or mob grinding. First of all, you need your character to be fully rested and have enough rest in your leveling bar as well, this will maintain a 200% xp gaining percentage when killing mobs.
Grinding away is one sound technique that will definitely get you there, but it can just take so long and even get boring! So, to avoid this you want to incorporate as many quests as you can as they each have a set amount of XP points awarded for their completion. Because the quests have their xp set, this will get you to level 70 quicker than that of simply grinding away.
Group quests in particular are some of the most powerful xp point leveling missions that any player can take part in, but there lies a problem in finding group quests. The major issue is that because there are so many different people on the various servers in the world of warcraft, it can be difficult to find gamers to link up with you who are at the same mission or level quest as you. The best way to always maintain a group when you need them is through joining a WoW guild.
Guilds are great because you can have players help you complete quests here regardless of your individual characters level. Certain guilds require that your character already be leveled to a certain experience power, but others will take any level player so be sure to ask around amongst the members and see how they usually run group quests and members actions, also you can always reach the guild master at his/her office. A good way to assess how well any guild may fit with your characters skill set is to see how many players they have and at what levels are their characters, a guild with many towards 70 will be highly skilled.
There are some famous guilds like team iDemise warcraft guild or resource providers like thottbot, but more than likely you will find the best skill set and cooperation in smaller guilds with dedicated WoW gamers who can really help any player with group warcraft leveling guide quests. Whether or not you are playing alliance or horde, there is always going to be guilds available and new one's being created all of the time, you can even consider developing your own as you progress through the ranks.
Remember that even if you utilize the value of a world of warcraft leveling guide it is still up to you to actually use the knowledge and information that you have paid for, or found through a free power leveling guide. It takes more than just some leveling guide paddling to keep your character moving through their power xp updates regularly, not just for the world of warcraft, but any MMO for that matter.
What is important for any world of warcraft power levelers playing on new dedicated servers is to stay persistent. There is no way to continue upgrading your characters war craft power level if you are not logging in and playing the game, consistency is key to moving your warcraft power level 1-70.
With the amount of information that is available online through different free WoW resources and guides, it is no longer necessary for players to pay for monthly warcraft power leveling services or even look for ways to cheaply power level, with the right guide a single investment into your character can develop a long term beneficial relationship that sees you swiftly moving through the power levels and reaching most players final goal, level 70.
Most blizzard game masters out there develop their own WoW power leveling guides, such as Brian Kopp, or James power leveling, Warcraft Magic and so many more. But the true elite players, although they may rely on a wow power level guide just like the rest of us, still put in the time to make the most of any service or guide they utilize. WoW power leveling has become an industry in itself and the most skilled gamers out there know where to look and what it takes to implement long term power leveling strategies. To make the most of your characters game play, take advantage of one of the many different power leveling guides out there.

Driving Games - Unique Kind of Excitement

2008-08-25T06:59:00.001-07:00

Nowadays, the video games have become an alternative of amusement especially for the ardent game lovers. The electronic gaming consoles are available both for children and adult people. There are several companies across the world manufacturing gaming console and games. Apart from consoles, thrilling games are also played in the Computers. Currently, the gaming consoles come with various user friendly features like joysticks, controllers, large size buttons etc. by which the gamers feel the ultimate thrill of playing games. Interactions between the gaming platform and the players help in the development of motor skills and tactical knowledge.
There are several categories of games which are available both for playing in the gaming console and for playing in the computer. These includes strategy games, action games, racing games, driving games etc. Among them, one of the most popular types of games with the game lovers across the globe are the driving games, which falls under the category of racing game.
As the primary motto of playing video games is to get entertainment, the leading game developers prepare games which are sophisticated and user friendly. This is no exception when it comes to the driving games. These games, instead of focusing on the lap racing, focus on the arcade style driving with goals, tasks and mini games. But there are some arcade style driving games which have replaced lap with checkpoints.
The popular and best selling driving games are 18-Wheeler: American Pro Trucker, Crazy Taxi (series), he King of Route 66, Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions, Motor City Patrol, Driver (series), Emergency Mayhem, The Italian Job, Spy Hunter, Super Runabout: San Francisco Edition, T etc.
The driving games offer outstanding excitement to the gamers. These types of games are easily available in game stores and also can be downloaded from the Internet and these are also preferred genre in the Online stores. By downloading from the Internet, the gamers get the facility to select their preferred cars and drivers. Apart from that, there are also different kind of track configurations to select from.

Trivia Games - What Do You Know?

2008-08-25T06:58:00.004-07:00

Trivia Games have become all the rave today. Many television shows, online games and board games have many thousands of people answering questions that cover many different topics from pop culture to food.
One example of a trivia game is Trivial Pursuit. This is a classic board game where players aim to make their way around a board, answering trivia questions to earn pieces. The first player to collect a different colored piece from every category makes his/her way to the center of the board. Then, if the player correctly answers another trivia question from a category chosen by the competitors, this player is considered to be the winner of the game.
Trivial Pursuit is just one of the trivia games that is offered world wide for people who love trivia. There are a variety of trivia games that are geared to the audience that buys it. You may find trivia games that feature different topics such as music, television, or fashion, each focusing itself on knowledge and popular trivia, allowing players to test their skills when it comes to brain power.
Many trivia games have cards that are numbered or some that are color-coded by category, such as the classic edition of Trivial Pursuit which features six different types of categories, each with its own color. Geography questions are denoted by the color blue, while history is seen as yellow. Entertainment questions are pink, and science and nature is green. Arts and Literature is denoted by brown, and sports and leisure is orange. These six categories make up the thousands of questions that Trivial Pursuit can provide its players, giving them a number of ways to challenge both themselves and friends. Only through a broad base of knowledge can players get any advantage over their competitors.
Some games have questions on a variety of topics which can include pop culture, music, drama, and a ton of others. Trivia games made for beginners will have only a couple of hundred questions on very easy questions. However, the more advanced the game, the more the questions available to stump even the most advanced trivia player.
Many trivia gamers use some sort of marker on their board to show who is winning. An example of this are the game pieces used for Trivial Pursuit. Each player uses a circular token as his/her piece during the game. Each one of these pieces is divided into six sections, with space for different pie slice shapes. As the players make their way around the board, they aim to land on a certain, central space for each of the main six categories. Players who land on this space and correctly answer the question, fulfill one of the requirements for the game and earn themselves a pie slice for the corresponding color of the category.
The goal is to fill the game piece with each color pie slice before heading to the central starting location on the board. Once there, if a player can successfully answer a question from a category chosen by the competitors, that player is considered the victor of the game. Collecting the pie slices can be challenging, however, for many people are often strong in one category and weaker in others, making the potential for the game to turn competitive, high.
Many of the trivia types of games have various versions that enhance the game or offer you more options. The original versions of the games usually contain the classic categories, with newer versions adding other categories. There are many different versions of games like Trivial Pursuit available to suit any number of people or fans and interests. Special editions of the game are available that are specifically geared toward a certain icon, such as The Simpsons, Star Wars, or even Lord of the Rings.
By the same token, versions of trivia games are available that are geared toward younger players, or specifically for literature, film, or even periods of time, such as the 80s or the 90s. No matter what the players' interests are, there is a trivia game available to suit them.
These classic, challenging types of games have become one of the most popular entertainment options for people because they rely on skill and knowledge, not just random luck. It takes a degree of intelligence to play, often making it the chosen game type for a number of groups. After all, trivia games are some of the rare types of games that allow you to ask: "What exactly do you know?"

World Cup Slime Soccer - My Favorite Computer Game

2008-08-25T06:58:00.003-07:00

World Cup slime soccer is a two dimensional computer game which you can play real professional soccer virtually. Because of the popularity of the sport, game developers created such slime games intended for fanatics particularly kids who love the sport.
These games are simple but fun to play. It uses simple controls that even kids can easily learn to play it. The game can be played individually and set the computer as the opponent. It can also be played in multiplayer mode and enjoy the game with your friends.
The objective of the game is to beat opposing teams from professional leagues from different countries. You control your own slime with the keyboard and move it like jumping and grabbing the ball. You can choose whatever team you want to use. As you win different levels of the game, the opponent becomes more aggressive and intelligent which becomes more difficult to beat. The duration for each round can be configured depending on how long you want to play. The game consists of qualifying round, semi-finals and finals.
The final round of the game, you will have to beat teams from South Korea, Tunisia, Sweden, Brazil, Germany and England. These are the top teams in the game. As an additional fun, it includes a team called Night Elves.
World cup slime soccer is really a nice simple game which you would really enjoy playing. You will love to play it over and over again. So what are you waiting for, ask a friend to play with you and enjoy the game.

Diablo 3 - The Adventure Will Soon Be Upon Us

2008-08-25T06:58:00.001-07:00

Anyone who has walked the realm of the first two Diablo saga's knows that the soon to be released Diablo 3 will be the complete adventure of role-playing adventure. From the cutting edge graphics to the suspense filled story line, D3 is a complex non-linear RPG packed with hours of challenging fun. For the D&D lovers of old, this is the next evolutionary step,brought straight to your monitor.
The jist of this latest version is of course to confront and defeat Diablo, which promises to be no easy task. There are five total characters at the gamers disposal, each with their own unique ability. Solve challenging tasks,explore and learn from your environment,defeat the bad-ass foes that stand in your way in a whirlwind of bloodshed to level up. Confront the brothers evil of Diablo,Baal and Mephisto, to earn your place in the annals of war!
Along the way your character will meet many NPC's that will assign the player quests and send you well on your way to gaining the necessary experience needed to face something as terrible as the Diablo. The types of quests are similar to those of the second Diablo but D3 uses an enhanced user interface and added chat codes. If you thought the either of the first two installment of this series were addicting, wait until you load up this version! Powerful weapons are aplenty waiting to be discovered and the magic abilities unique to each class make the user wonder why we were cursed to live here in our nine to five world and not defeating the horrors of the underworld.
An exact date has yet to be determined from the team at Blizzard but we are getting close my friends. If you have yet to play either of the first two Diablo quests, go out and purchase them now. You will not regret it. For those of us that have played, patience, D3 will be upon us shortly. We can lock ourselves in front of the monitor for hours at a time and slowly but surely strengthen our characters until it's time for the final confrontation!

The Race Game Review

2008-08-25T06:57:00.001-07:00

The Race is one of the most exciting hidden object games that I have played so far. Very innovative game and I haven't found one hidden object as good as this one. Normally you need to squint your eyes to find the hidden object games. But you don't have to strain your eyes if you choose not to. Well, it's easy when you want it to be, it's also challenging when you want it to be! Well, how could this be? Read on....
You get to choose between two modes. Challenging mode when you want to be in a race play. And World Explorer mode when you want to play in a relaxed play. I've tried both but I prefer to in relaxed play since I can take my time to solve the levels.
The Race is about traveling around the many exciting and famous places in the world. When you reach certain places like Hollywood, Las Vegas casino or Grand Canyon, there are lists of items on the side. Just as the usual classic hidden object game, you need to find all the list of items. What makes this game special is that you have different types of tools to help you to get to your items. How about a Magnifying Glass to enlarge your vision to see clearer? You won't have any problem to see those tiny little object cluttered somewhere among all the other things anymore! This makes this game so nice and additive. The Magnifying Glass tool is available all the time even though you haven't gain any points.
There are other three tools to help you through The Race too. There is this helpful Hot and Cold Cursor that burns when you are near the first object on the list. While another tool, Compass, points to the list of object on list. Other than the Hot and Cold Cursor and Compass, there's another tool which I prefer which is the Revealer. It shows the exact location on the first object on list which is very useful one! But you need to find the items on the silhouettes before you can gain access to these three tools.
If you play in the relaxed mode, you can have more access to the tools whilst if you play the challenging mode, you still can use the tools but with restricted access to the tools (except Magnifying Glass which have unlimited use in both mode of games). For The Race, if you over click or spam click on the items, you will be penalized. Your screen will be black out and no cursor for 5 seconds. The penalization is different from the rest of the games and quite a nice twist.
During one particular level, where Statue of Liberty is concerned, quite an original idea from the developer which hides things on the statue bu just differentiating the color and shades which blends to the color of the statue in blue-ish and gray shades. At first I wonder how do I detect all it, but then I found out the easier way to find the object. Guess what? I just random clicked on the body of the statue which has narrow space and most of the items you will be able to detect! By just pure luck. Haha! But it's not always this easy with other levels.
The music is nice and in line with the theme. This game is about racing and exploring the world, so the music they play here is quite a suspense and catchy one. The graphic is great too! A very recommended game to play with. The Race has originality and nice refreshing change in the hidden game genre.

Cheat Planet - How to Win at Your Favorite Game!

2008-08-25T06:56:00.002-07:00

Nothing can be more frustrating than getting stuck on a level in your favorite game and you just can't figure out how to get any further. Your gamer instincts tell you there must be a simpler way to battle the ugly demon standing in your way or a clue you're missing out on. Try as you might, you just can't figure out what to do. Should you give up? Or join the thousands of members of cheat planet, the gamers who know how to get the best out of their gaming by visiting the increasingly popular cheat sites.
Getting the Most Out of Game Cheat Sites You may think that resorting to a cheat site could take the fun and skill out of gaming. But many of the best sites also offer guides and tutorials to help you figure out where you're going wrong or something you're missing. All you have to do is find a site, search for the game you're playing and find a tutorial. Then search within the site for the level you're at. Once you've found the answer you were looking for you can carry on with the rest of the game.
If you still can't work out how to proceed, then you can find real cheats in the form of codes which you can enter. Whether you're using an Xbox, Wii or Playstation, or a handheld PSP or Nintendo DS, cheats are available for pretty much any game or console.
The best cheat sites also offer trailers and demos for the latest releases, as well as news of release dates and the latest consoles.How to Choose a Cheat Site
Be aware of paying a monthly subscription - there are plenty of free game cheats with no need to pay a monthly fee. The other alternative if you can't find the cheat you want for free is to pay a one off fee.
Cheats are most useful to overcome the end of a game level, where the biggest battles and hardest obstacles are found. Try to have a good go at beating the game yourself, or you'll be relying on cheats to get through every single level!
As well as cheat codes, these sites show you hidden passages and secret weapons which will help your game become even more exciting.
Be aware of scam sites - especially if you're paying a fee. Look for blogs and chat rooms for customer cheat reviews to check you're not about to be ripped off.

Top 5 Things Required to Make a Good WOW Gold Guide - WOW Gold Guides Reviews

2008-08-25T06:56:00.001-07:00

When talking about WOW Gold Guides a lot of people tend to confuse them with the "free online gold guides". Those free guides were written by WOW gamers, and posted mainly on WOW forums and WOW personal web pages.
While there's anything "wrong" with them, and as much as we encourage any effort of players helping each other, those amateur products should not be compared with paid WOW gold guides, and should not dictate the standards upon we should judge products that are bought with good money. That's why it is essential to look for certain things in a paid WOW Gold guide, to make the Gold Guide good and worth the money spent.
WOW Gold making potential of 250+ Gold/ Hour. There are quite a few heavy competitors of the field at the moment. The basic standard of a WOW Gold guide should be around that amount of Gold/ Hour. Anything less would be outdated.
Updated with Outland, and covering a lot of Gold Making Methods. While this may sound obvious, as Wrath of The Lich King is practically around the corner, it isn't. You'd be surprised how many WOW Gold Guides still have info relating to level 60 grinds that no longer hold ground, because that Items you would try to sell are today wanted by no one. How come those guides are still mentioning those Tips in their guides today? Could be either laziness, or bad editing. Either way, these guides are highly dangerous to new players unable to distinct between new or old game content. In addition, not all players like to do the same thing in WOW, there for the Gold Guide should offer many different alternatives to making this Gold: Farming, Auction House play, Daily Quests etc.
Proof of Success The Gold Guides Offer should include some kind of proof of their own success in making money, like the very recommended Millionaire Gold guide offer page (A guide which excelled in all the criteria mentioned in this article). The proof should be a Video captured one, and not stills, since still images can be manipulated with graphic programs easily, plus a video capture can prove the writer of the guide actually managed to make the Gold on a regular server, and not a private one.
Good Reading Experience. This criteria is neglected by a lot of guides. WOW Gold guides are just as a reading and instructing material as any other Professional Guide out there. The explanations should be fluent, easy to read, simple, and be accompanied by rich pictures and screen shots to help explain what you need to do, when and how you should do it. Not many guides attend to this at all, and some are just one, big, long "Wall of text" that is just too over-whelming for gamers to us properly, especially the new ones.
Pricing. Last criteria should be the price. Since good WOW Gold guides were written by professionals who do this for living, the product is very high quality, and therefore costs money. However, the pricing should be reasonable, and not be hundreds of dollars.

Hard Decisions About Software - How to Choose the Best Games & Educational Software For Your Kids

2008-08-25T06:55:00.002-07:00

With so much software on the market these days choosing the best games, learning activities, and other computer materials for your kids can be tough. Sure you want your kids to have fun. But the best software should do much more than just entertain. And you certainly don't want to waste your money by purchasing something that isn't developmentally appropriate for your children.
So how can you be sure you're making wise choices when it comes to software?
For starters, read reviews of any software you're thinking about buying. You'll find reviews in a variety of places. Many computer and parenting magazines feature new reviews in each issue, and online software companies usually provide reviews of any products they carry. But aside from that, consider these five elements when choosing software for your kids:
1) Educational Value - Most good software programs explain the skills the program teaches or reinforces. You'll want to make sure a variety of skills are taught with any program you purchase. Also make certain the learning activities are age and developmentally appropriate for your kids. If you aren't sure what this means, this is where reviews will help, and look for software packages that contain a user's manual which gives basic information about child development as it relates to the software. And, of course you'll want to choose programs that encourage creativity, imagination, and exploration.
2) Design Features - First, you'll want a program that is easy to install and has several playing options. For example, a SAVE option so the game or activity can be saved each time the child plays it, and maybe even a PRINT option so the child can print out portions of his work. Next, check to see that the program offers the learner (your child) clear directions and on- screen help. If your child is a pre-reader you'll want the software to include icons or audio directions, as well. Finally, look for outstanding graphics and a program that offers animation and sound. After all, computer programs are competing with television for your child's attention and interest every day, so they must look and sound as appealing as possible.
3) Fun Appeal - If kids don't like a program it doesn't matter how educational it is. Again, read reviews to see what other kids and parents say about it. Also, check to see that the program offers positive feedback and methods for teaching children that could not be experienced in a different media (through books or by the teacher at school, for example).
4) Value vs. Cost - Some programs can seem quite expensive, yet they're really a good value because they can be used over and over again (without the child losing interest), plus they teach or reinforce a variety of skills. Also, most high quality games and actitivites offer a variety of levels appropriate and interesting for children of many different ages.
5) Scary Images and/or Violence - Emily J. Johnson, Ph.D, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Wisconsin in La Crosse, advises parents to "avoid scary images and violent themes found in some software. Some children have particularly difficult times with scary images - even if you don't see them as scary. And regarding violence - it isn't that the child will necessarily turn around and become violent, too, but he/she learns that violence is a way to solve problems. Plus, do you really want your children 'killing off bad guys' just to learn a math concept, for example?'"
Computer games and activities are quickly becoming part of the educational experiences at childcare centers and schools across the country. Talk to your children's teachers to see which programs they recommend, and also find out which programs your children are using at school. There may be other programs you can purchase that would coordinate well with these.
Donna Nelson, M.Ed., preschool teacher at the Francis Institute Child Development Center in Kansas City, says, "the best type of computer programs for young children are ones that offer a child many choices and many ways to get to the right answer." And Linda Bell, M.S., Coordinator of the Francis Institute, reminds us that "wise parents and teachers will view computer programs as another tool to use to help children learn - and not use them as a replacement for other developmentally appropriate activities."
Once you get the hang of it, choosing the best software for your kids shouldn't be that difficult. It just requires a little time and research.

Ciao Bella Game Review

2008-08-25T06:55:00.001-07:00

If you are a fan of Adventure game, you mustn't miss Ciao Bella as it is an engaging game to play. Play as the sophisticated young lady in city called Ciao Bella who is trying hard to juggle many roles in daily life. All aspects of life has to be taken care of such as work, health, harmony, family and at the same time, try to improve the relationship with Ciao Bella's boyfriend, Elio. Phew! Not an easy task huh!
This game needs some time management skills as there are some 13 levels to play, each level represent a week. Each level has different goals aligned for you and you have to complete each level to unfold the next story. It feels like I am Ciao Bella herself as it is about juggling daily task in the limited 24 hours a day. Earn money by working in the family cafe and in your uncle's construction company. Working in uncle's company earns more money than the family cafe. However, work for too many hours in a stretch without resting and eating will take it's toll on health. So make sure you plan ahead and watch the clock to eat and rest when it's time to do so.
Family members need the attention too! Clean house will bring harmony to the house and family while helping to sort out family problems will get their affection too. Sister and her boyfriend is having some relationship problem and postponed her marriage. So when mother comes in to seek your help, go and talk to the boyfriend to find out the root cause to the relationship issue. You will get clues along the way.
Also Ciao Bella's future mother in law is has demands to fulfill too. Her intention is to bring Ciao Bella and Elio together with the ultimate goal of getting them married and bear grandchildren for her. She also set up the place and venue for the two to meet up. But before going to meet Elio, Ciao Bella has to make sure that all area of her life is scoring high points and all rounded before Elio is attracted to her. Meaning that she has to be pink in health, high IQ and EQ, strong family bond, capable and earns a lot money and beautiful at the same time! If any of these quality lacks, Elio will vanish in a split second when he meets Ciao. So Ciao has to do her best to get do well in her life first before able to maintain a stable relationship with her beau. All important tasks are set as the reminders in the PDA.
Life in the city revolves around exercising in the gym, working, shopping and entertainment in the nearby shopping complex. Also at the home and family cafe that opens 24 hours a day. For the rest of the buildings like the gym and the workplace, they are not available round the clock, so you've to prioritize your task to get the full out from your resources. Also there is a church beside your home for the spiritual need and this will add up marks to the harmony criteria.

How to Build a Gaming-Racing Wheel Yourself to Play Your Favorite Computer Games

2008-08-25T06:54:00.002-07:00

Hello friend. Ever wished you could drive the cars the way we do it in the real world? Here I will give you a brief guide for building a steering wheel which has got not just a steering brake and gas pedal, but a Clutch, and yeah a gear box too. It wont cost you more than $10, if you have the most essential tools readily available like saw, screw driver and the like.
It's not only damn cheap, its very much like the same gaming / racing wheel that you purchase for 100+ dollars. The only major difference is that our gaming / racing wheel has got no force feedback mechanism. Its no big deal unless you are a very serious gamer and has got enough money to spend on a Logitech G25 or the like. Here go the highlights and features that the gaming / racing wheel you build will have
· Steering wheel with around two full rotations (720 deg) in both directions as in a real car
· Separate Gas, Brake and Clutch pedals
· A gear box with sequential shifting
Constructing the Steering wheel:
Fetch a plastic / PVC pipe of 2cm diameter (approx) and length 80cm (approx). Light up a candle and heat the pipe from one end to the other end. While heating, slightly bend the tube in increments so that when the whole length gets heated and bent, it takes the shape of a gaming / racing wheel, with open ends. Now heat one of the open ends of the pipe and push it on the other end, so that the ends overlaps and the pipe closes into a wheel. Let it cool. Now wash the pipe and dry it with a towel. Apply super-glue to the joined ends to strengthen the bond.
Take a plywood piece of length 20cm and width 5cm and place it at the center of the wheel. Use M-seal or any similar hard mass forming adhesive (used in plumbing) to fix the plywood to the ends of the gaming / racing wheel.
Constructing the Steering Base:
Now that the gaming / racing wheel has been made, lets build the steerings base. Take a card board box of approx 30cm x 20cm. Make sure that the box is firm enough. Now take two metal pipes (aluminium preferably). The larger pipe should have around 3cm diameter and the smaller one having 1cm diameter. The larger metal pipe should have a length not less than 20cm and the smaller pipe should have a length not less than 30cm.
Make a hole at the center of the box and pass the larger pipe through it so that only 1/3rd of it remains outside. Place the pipe slanting slightly upwards. Fix the pipe on to the box using the hard adhesive (Mseal). When the adhesives cures, you can pass the smaller metal pipe through the larger one attached to the box. Attach the smaller pipes outside end to the wheel's plywood base. Now you should be able to rotate the wheel freely on its base. If the rotation is not smooth, you can put more adhesive and file it up near the contact points where the larger pipe meets the smaller one.
Building the steering wheels Internal Assembly:
For constructing the steering wheels internal assembly we need a few more components. We need a 10K potentiometer and a pair of gear wheels. The 10K POT you can purchase from any electronic spare parts shop. The gear wheels you can either purchase or get from some old toys. The gear wheels should be such that one is at least four times larger than the other, but at the same time their teeth should couple well.
The large metal pipe extends to about half of the boxes inside. Cut plywood pieces and fix them on to the box using adhesives to support the metal pipe very firmly. The plywood has to be extended to the other end so as to support the potentiometer. The smaller gear wheel has to be mounted at the end of the small metal pipe (passing through the large metal pipe). A thin but strong metal rod can be made hot and pierced through the gear wheels other end so as to act as a pivot. This pivot rod should extend out through the other side of the box. The potentiometer needs to be mounted on the plywood using metal braces. The larger gear wheel has to be glued to the handle of the potentiometer.
Solder a pair of wires to the POTs terminals (center terminal and either of the other). Once the smaller gear wheel is fixed, we can align the larger one so that the teeth are coupled properly. First rotate the larger gear in both directions and find the approximate center position of the potentiometer. Keep the potentiometer at that position. Now adjust the plywood pieces used as support so that the teeth of both the gear wheels are aligned for a proper coupling. They should be tightly coupled. Using sponges below the base plywood support, can give adequately pressured coupling between the teeth.
In order to give the steering a spring force to keep it centered, attach a pair of rubber bands to the pivot that protrudes out of the other side of the card board box.
Building the Pedals:
All the three pedals of the gaming / racing wheel are identical. A 50cm x 30cm plywood piece will be needed to make the pedals base. Three 10cm x 10cm plywood pieces are required for making the pedals. Also three 10K potentiometers, small hinges and three 10cm long thin rectangular wooden bars are needed.
Place the pedals using a hinge to a base plywood piece. Attach one potentionmeter to the hinge of the three pedals, so that when the hinge rotates, the potentiometer also gets rotated. Attach a rubber ball below the pedal so that it provides a spring action. Solder wires to the potentiometer.
Building the Gear box of the gaming / racing wheel:
For building the gear box, you would need a sufficiently large and stable card-board box. (Go for a plywood box if you can afford it). Make sure that the box has sufficient height so that the gear knob will be at a comfortable position when you start racing. Also get a handle like thing (old joystick handle) to act as the gear knob. You need to make a small rectangular slit on the cardboard box for the gears metal stick to slide up and down in it. Attach two metal plates at the top and bottom ends of the slit so that when the gears metal stick touches it when you shift up or down, they act as switches.
Use a thin metal pipe as the gear stick of the gaming / racing wheel and attach the gear knob on top of it. Provide a hole in the gear box for taking in the wires, if your joystick handle has buttons on it.
Provide sufficient support to the gears shaft at the bottom and arrange rubber bands or spring mechanisms to keep it centered.
Steering Wheel Interconnection:
The steering wheel that we build is basically a joystick and hence it connects to the game port of your computer. The gameport has a 15 pin D connector and is located at the back side of your system (mostly near the audio jacks). The pin diagram of the gameport you can find in my websites detailed step by step tutorial to build the wheel. (My website address you can see the the references section or in the authors details)
You need to buy a male gameport connector (DB15 male) to plug into the female connector present at the back of your cpu. The joystick (gameport) interface is a very simple - to - implement interface which houses a few switches and axes. All you need to do is connect your potentiometers to the axes X1, Y1, X2, Y2 and switches to S1, S2, S3 and S4. See the table given to the left. The variation in potentiometers when you turn the wheel or press gas pedal will be measured by the game port and can be used to control your game. You can assign the axes of the gaming / racing wheel and configure them using the windows control panel.
Switches S1, S2, S3 and S4 can be used for connecting to gear up, gear down, horn and hand brake switches respectively. When you shift the gear shaft up, the metal comes in contact and switch gets closed. Similar is the case with the other switches. +5 is nothing but the 5V dc that is available from the game port and G stands for ground.
Configuring the Steering wheel:
The first step is to assemble the three units of the gaming / racing wheel together. Mount the steering unit on to your PC table. Keep the pedal on the floor and the gear box to your side. Connect together the units to the gear box using connectors (relim connector or the like). Connect the 15 wire cable with the male DB15 connector attached, to the gameport at the back of your computer. Once the position is set well, we can proceed to configure the steering wheel in Windows.
Open Control Panel in Windows and open the Game Controllers. This brings up the Game Controllers dialog box. Please note that the steps being mentioned vary in different versions of windows. Hence illustrative diagrams are not given.
In the Game Controllers dialog box, click on Add. This brings up the Add Game controller dialog box. Click on Custom. In the dialog box that appears, choose Race Car controller. Choose the Axes as 4 and Buttons as 4. Enter a name of your choice in the Controller Name field and click OK. Now the new controller should be displayed in the previous dialog box. With the new controller selected, click OK.
If the device works fine, the game controller dialog box will display OK beside the controller's name. If anything went wrong, a 'Not connected' status will be displayed for the device. If that is the case, read the section in the yellow box below. If the gaming / racing wheel is working well, click on Properties button, with the device selected. This brings up the Testing and calibration dialog boxes. If the wheel is not centered in the test area, go to Calibrate and follow the instructions to complete calibration.

WOW Leveling Add-Ons - The End of Written WOW Leveling Guides

2008-08-25T06:54:00.001-07:00

World of Warcraft had known its share of Leveling products over the years since it's release. If you want to make a wise decision when searching for the best one, it is best to stay up to date with the most recent development in this field.
But before we go on, note that if your goal in WOW is to level at your own pace, discovering everything there is to discover and taking your time, the products I'm about to discuss are not meant for you. If you intend to power level yourself to endgame this is exactly what you need to know.
A good Demo of the products I intend to discuss will help you get a general insight of how WOW Leveling add-ons work.
There are a lot of reasons to want to get to end game as fast as possible:
A. Players that have already reached the endgame with one character and now are leveling an Alt, so they are bored with the old content. B. Players that just joined the game and have friends waiting for them in endgame, and they don't feel like leveling for months. C. Players that are going to level new main character especially for Wrath of the Lich King, be it a death knight or any other character. D. Working people or players with families that don't have much time to spend on WOW, but do want to experience End Game.
All of these and more are valid reasons to want to level as fast as possible, and the first products to make that happen were written leveling guides, basically written archives listing the different quests in the game.
Those leveling guides were good at the time of making, but they required a lot of reading of PDF files and other online site that required the players to constantly ALT +TAB out of the game. This was not comfortable, and also time consuming. That's when Add-ons came into the picture.
What Are Add-ons?
Add-ons are an addition gaming scripts that a player can add up to his game. These additions usually manipulate the interface of the game: change the colors and shapes of certain elements, show text on the screen and so on.
What exactly do WOW Leveling Add-ons do then?
WOW Leveling add-ons function much like Cars GPS function in real life. They put an arrow on the screen next to your character and that arrow directs you to your next quest arena. The leveling add-on will chose the best quest to do next in order to cut down the over all time needed to level, and even give other "short cut" tips such as which spec is recommended for leveling, or when you need to hearth to minimize traveling times.
Some leveling add-ons are manually operated, meaning you get a "task list" to perform and when you finish that task to manually go to the next one, and other are fully automatic, meaning they interact with the WOW Quest log, and when you finish a certain task or quest they will automatically jump to the next task on the list, as can be seen in the demo.
Lucky for us these leveling add-ons will work perfectly fine with Death Knights as well, and all offer free updates when WoTLK Comes out, so purchasing one now will actually make a good investment.
Conclusion
When considering the massive benefits of WOW Leveling Add-ons over written guides it is easy to understand why WOW Written Leveling Guides are not wanted as they were in the past.

Be Playful and Become a Skillful Gamer

2008-08-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Computer games are a unique attraction for young and old alike. The small children have a lot of time to be spent remaining indoors and what better relief for their mothers then the fact that they are happily enjoying the computer games and gaining variety of skills at the same time, unaware about the learning part themselves.
The games not only help their muscular efficiency , but also their mental skills. They are not laying around lazy, but sitting alert on the computer table, busy and happy instead of feeling bored and fed up.
However there are always two sides of a coin. In the developing of games all sorts of interesting things were taken in, which means a variety of general social life conditions are depicted in the games that many play. One problem that arises is that a lot of violence is shown happening in the games and the vulnerable minds get very much affected. It is a fact that what you can see has a very deep impression on you, and it sticks in your memory more deeply then what you read or hear about.
The games in which a lot of violence is shown leave a deep impact as do all other games. In the prisons a rule was made that violent games will not be allowed to the prisoners as they may do more harm than good. Only prisoners with the highest privileged category will be given such games, as they are in better balanced state, and will not be adversely affected.
Similar is the case for very young children. They enjoy the games but wrong depictions of things might make their innocent minds poisoned against somethings which are not rightly so. So it is imperative that the games are so designed that they help in the building of social norms rather then giving wrong notions and techniques to the players.
As it happens there are two groups with distinct opinions about this issue. Those who are very much in favour of playing video and computer games; and those who oppose these games. Quite sure that the negatives are more then the positives in computer gaming. A third group is of course of those who are indifferent, but they are no solution to the problem, i.e if we consider it a problem.
Everything has two sides and the balance is required. Only good people do not inhabit the world, there are some, call them sadists if you wish, whose enjoyment lies in the tormenting of others. But as social beings this has to be kept to the minimum and a moral lesson for a better society can add to the usefulness of these interesting games.
Creating a good society just by enjoying life. This is an opportunity as computer games are played by very young children, and if the impact of these games is good on them they will naturally appreciate such social behavior that sociologists feel will make a heaven here on earth for all of us.

World of Warcraft - A New Market For Hackers

2008-08-25T06:52:00.002-07:00

What is World Of Warcraft? Why is it having such a craze in the international arena? Why do the hackers, professional or amateur, remain attracted to it? The questions all these can be found if we concentrate on the essence of World Of Warcraft. There is no doubt in it that World Of Warcraft is one of the most discussed games in the recent days and has therefore attracted a large number of gamers in the global spectrum.
It is nothing but a pay-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) and was introduced to catch the attention of the common people who remain interested of the warcraft universe. Nowadays, you may not believe but it is true, that World Of Warcraft has over 9.3 million subscribers, if not more. To many it is the best lively, breathtaking saga of online adventure published hitherto. For this reason it has over 7 million players only. What all you have to do is to simply log on. Once you log on you will enter into a new online world of legends, supernaturalism and unbounded adventure.
This game, quite naturally, is able enough to arrest the attention of youngsters for hours. What is more it changes constantly and on each week there is a new update. There is no doubt that the World of Warcraft is a fantasy game populated with elves, dwarves, and other fantastic characters. The players can select their games according to their own whims.But World Of Warcraft is no longer safe as the new age hackers are targeting it. In the recent days this information has created a storm in the whole globe and it has been found that an increasing numbers of viruses are entering into the domain of this game.
Now why is this being done out of the blue remains a strong question. But without a doubt this perplexed situation has made the users most vulnerable before the hackers. To the latest findings in the last few months there has been an astounding increase in the amount of worms and Trojans and by 145 per cent. These are specially fabricated so that they can invade and set the ruin. It is competent to encroach upon a horde of computers and steal passwords of Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games. But why is this all? Is it profitable?
The first and foremost reason behind this new industry of hacking is that the theft of virtual property and game characters is an efficient business. This is certainly a recent phenomenon since even at the commencement of 2007 there were no universal algorithms for stealing online game passwords. But at the end of the same year there were plenty. This success has resulted into to the emergence of eight to nine new worms targeting MMO passwords daily throughout the globe. Furthermore there is also the appearance of five to six Trojans every hour.
The basic reason behind the attack of Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games is that it brings before a quick and simple financial bonus. The hackers, as a result, become able to sell 'virtual gold\' and items from the game steadily and also can slowly drain accounts, which go on unnoticed. The accounts being linked with the characters have good prices in the black market.

Strategy Game Sterility - An Exciting Genre Dumbed Down

2008-08-25T06:52:00.001-07:00

I love strategy video games and in particular military strategy games. I like feeling like I have won a victory through a display of cunning, tactics and careful planning. I also enjoy these building games where you start something from scratch and develop and grow your town/park/hospital, deciding where to point your resources and where to place new creations. I've become a little disheartened though, by seeing the same ideas and format reshuffled and re-packaged into new products.
So many of these military building strategy games revolve around deciding how to organise your resources: you decide whether to build military units, buildings, focus on farming or learning new trades. Then you conquer other players if you wish by sending troops to batter away with health bars over their heads. And you eventually win by defeating everybody or acquiring a certain amount of money or building an ultimate something-or-other.
All this is a neat idea but too many games are repeating themselves and I can't help but feel strategy as a genre has much more to offer. I personally don't get much sense of achievement from merely amassing a vast number of units and then marching them off to watch them fight amongst themselves with a just one army strength versus another to decipher who wins. It's nice to watch the game animate all the violence, though I hate the health bars that are so common. They spoil the visuals a bit for me in these instances. But I know there is an enormous amount of strategy in warfare and almost none of this seems to be considered worth tackling. I know these games are meant to be accessible to everybody and you don't want to be bogged down with too many details and complications but surely, a lot of this can be done automatically.
In the same way a driving game calculates your speed, strength of breaking, surface type, suspension, acceleration, camber etc etc when you thrash your car around the track, why can't a strategy game keep it's details under it's hood. I don't need to know the numbers being chucked around when I drive, I just get on with it and accept it when I skid around a corner instead of turn. With a strategy game, why not let the player choose how to organise his troops, dictate direction, pace and objectives and then watch it play out with calculations regarding terrain, skill, visibility, weapons etc. so the result is far more rewarding when you see what happens as planned, what didn't work as you thought it might and what was more successful than you anticipated. This is how you learn, and the more you learn the greater the sense of accomplishment when you win.
More strategy games where it is possible to win against a vastly stronger side if you can outwit your opponent, would be extremely welcome. I would like to see players channeling opponents into advantageous positions, disguising sizes of units, hiding flanking troops, utilising reserves etc. You only have to take a look at some famous historical battles to see how much tactical employment is not being used in games which try to replicate these scenes. I'm not sure I've ever played a game where I felt like I had achieved a victory through cunning. What a joy that would be!
And with regards to the building side of things, I think this is generally done much better than the combat, but a lot of games seem to exclude the best bits about this. Something as simple as deciding where things should go can add enormous replay value. If your initial planning is important with accessibility, nearby utilities and use of space having significance, it is great to play it all through again with a slightly more acute idea of where things will go and gradually work towards what you feel works most efficiently. Theme Hospital by Bullfrog is one game that I remember doing this really well. I loved starting again each time, trying to allow for future development in my opening layout of diagnosis rooms, waiting areas and toilets. Another game that comes to mind is Settlers which I had on the Amiga.
The placement of roads was important because you had to make sure your people could transport materials as quickly as possible between building that used them. One of the greatest joys of this game for me was watching everything being acted out and constructed. You could see the lumberjack hack down a tree and carry it on his shoulder down the road to the saw mill and then, after a bit of sawing action, another chap would carry the planks of wood further down the road to a construction site. You would then see your church beams being put up and stonework being applied after that. The visual development was very involving and there were plenty of decisions you had to make to ensure it all ran smoothly.
Really I would like to see a combination of all these things: much more underlying detail, planning and design involved. Settlers Hospital with some kind of war game adaptation with a gradual learning curve. Perfect! I don't think it would be inaccessible, it just needs a healthily sized manual to explain the maths that go on behind the scenes. That way when you get thrashed on a battlefield you have some reference material to understand why if you can't work it out yourself.

The WoW Leveling Guide - Massive Headache Relief

2008-08-25T06:51:00.002-07:00

Ok, if you're new to the World of Warcraft everything is fresh and exiting and you're probably having a blast exploring. Or you're completely lost. In either case, leveling is fun, even if it's a bit frustrating, and the quest to reach level 70 is a blast.
Now, if you've done it many times before... the thought of leveling yet another character through that long leveling grind makes one want to reach for the Maximum Strength Excedrin. Same quests, same mobs (monsters,) so what's the problem?
It's the sameness. Once you're blasted through the leveling process a couple of times you've experienced pretty much everything. Then you have to do it over again for every new character.
In pursuit of the headache relief people turn to a couple of easy solutions.
1) They just buy a character off of eBay. The upside is they get a brand new high level character, with good gear and maybe some gold, for only a few hundred dollars of real money. The downside? There's a downside? Blizzard will ban your account if it finds out, since buying characters is against their terms of service.
2) Another method is Power Leveling. All you have to do here is pay a few hundred dollars (real money) to a power leveling company. They will create a character (or you will) and then they will level it for you. You get a complete, high level character, with gear and gold (depending on how much you paid) all ready to go. But there's that darn Terms of Service thing again. Make sure Blizzard doesn't find out.
There are a couple of other issues with the above methods, neither of which is as important as the headache relief. One, you will have to spend some time learning how to use your character. This isn't a problem if you level it yourself, but getting your hands on one that's already 70 is a whole other story.
Two, people hate to team with people who are clueless about their own characters.. Join a team and ask them how to play your new character and you'd better be wearing your flame proof underwear.
Still, you have a brand new level 70 character. Spend some time, learn to play, practice, and you'll be all right.
But what if you can't (or don't want to) afford the character buying or power leveling, or you don't want to risk your account? Yet, you're not looking forward to endlessly grinding your way across the land?
The solution is to treat yourself to a WoW leveling Guide. Here's why: part of the headache of questing is that the quests are frequently confusing or they take you all over the world or both, and it's hard to come up with a good order in which to do them.
Sometimes you even have to take the time to visits sites like Thottbot.com to look up quest details. Not to mention the fact that the in-game map doesn't exactly show you where to go, much less give you hints.
A good leveling guide has taken all the annoying parts out of the equation. What's left is a step by step guide that shows you where to go and what to do every step of the way. Lots of useless quests are skipped and the rest are grouped into logical patterns
With the guide you can just blast from quest A to B to C and skip the mindless grinding, get all those quest rewards, and level way faster than ever before. You'll also save your sanity and experience far less pain. Leveling might not exactly be fun again, if you've done it a few times before, but it will be far more efficient and far less agonizing.

Future Developments in Game Graphics

2008-08-25T06:51:00.001-07:00

I love it when a video game kicks off and makes you go wow! When your eyes are amazed at what's before you and you find yourself completely absorbed into a beautiful new world. I love peering up round the edge of a dark canopy and being blinded by the digital sunlight streaming down on you, with perfect fluffy clouds drifting overhead. Or when you hurl your car around a corner and gravel shoots from your spinning tyres while reflections flash over your bonnet and light bounces off your windscreen. It's amazing! So many techniques are being employed by artists working on video games these days. Light, shadow, reflection, textures, transparency, cloud, water, gravity...the list goes on for varieties of visual representation and, when it's all done well, an interactive game becomes truly immersive.
Many of the above mentioned things are done brilliantly and, in many games, I wouldn't dare fault anything. The brilliance of some optical aspects can, however, highlight the weakness in other areas. One thing games developers seem to struggle with still is modeling decent faces. I have seen this done well, Fight Night Round 3, for example, has some superb fighter models. The skin is perfectly matt, until they start sweating (genius!), and the shape and detail of their faces is just like their real-life counter-part. But far too many games present characters with skin and face like a mannequin. They are far too shiny- the contrast between light and dark is far too great, and they have generic features that look like they're plucked from a fashionably attired shop window. If I draw a face without referencing somebody real, I can only create something that looks like this, however hard I try. I'm not a professional artist but I still feel like it would be harsh to expect anyone else to produce a believable face from their own mind. But why, if this is the problem, don't they just use a model? Grab mister Calvin Klein and replicate his face for a more believable .
Hair seems to be another issue. There are plenty of nice examples of flowing long hair that moves quite believably but once the hair is cropped a bit shorter it suddenly becomes rock solid and usually shaped into some horrible blocky concoction. I would love to see a football game where the players hair changed as soon as they got sweaty. So we could see a fluffy, fair-haired striker gradually become darker and straighter once he's made a few runs. That would be great!
Another item on my personal wish list is a realistically animated fighting game. We have some fine spectacles in this genre with Soul Calibre IV and Virtua Fighter 5 which both have some gloriously shiny, flashy aesthetics, but what we don't have is a more simulation-style fighting game. I would love to see the kind of gritty, faded colours from Gears of War and Ghost Recon, accurately modeled characters and a completely different approach taken towards the animation. Most fighting games have a very arcade-ey style with lightning quick animation. When you batter several buttons, your character hurls limbs about at such speed you can barely appreciate the fluidity of it. And it doesn't look remotely real, particularly when flashing green explosions light up the fighters when a blow hits home. I'd like to see some real-time, smooooth animation that looks like an actual fight! So when a weighty blow lands on your opponent it really makes you flinch. I want to see blows causing impact wherever they land and visual clues as to the severity and location of injuries. Fights can be quick and responsive but with slight delays for recovery of balance and poise. I wouldn't mind at all sacrificing a little immediacy of control for some more realistic movement. The reward for seeing a poorly timed swing putting your opponent off-balance and unable to recover before a kick to the back of the leg sent his knee to the floor, would be enormous! A believable exchange with timing, technique and decision-making being the winning traits and everything played out like a pub brawl or an artful competition would be awe-inspiring. This must be a hefty challenge because I've never seen anything remotely like what's playing though in my head, but one day it must surely happen.

GTA 4 PC Game

2008-08-25T06:50:00.002-07:00

Gameplay on PC
Rockstar Games have announced that GTA IV will be arriving on the PC on November 18th and 21st in North America and Europe. Gameplay in GTA IV will be a little different on the PC than it is on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, principally because gamers often use keyboards and mice instead of specialized controllers. However, Rockstar is adding what it calls a newly expanded multiplayer system just for the PC. On PlaysStation 3 or Xbox the multiplayer system is follow:
There are 15 multiplayer game modes in GTA IV. PSM had an opportunity to play 7 of them. The rules of each game are determined by the host.
Multiplayer supports upto 16 players.
Your online character is fully customizable. You can alter his race, sex, hair, clothing etc.
One of the big draws for PC gaming is multiplayer, so if they can create a unique PC-oriented multiplayer experience, it could pull more people in. If it's something substantially different, and it's great, it could even convince some of the people who bought the console version to buy the PC version just for the multiplayer.
The map The Grand Theft Auto 4 map is the one big city, it consists of five boroughs - Broker, Dukes, Bohan, Algonquin and Alderney. These are based on Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan and New Jersey, respectively. You start off in Broker and the other borougs are locked by "teror alert". These areas will be unlocked gradually as you progress through the story.
Predicted System requirements
GTA 4 for PC is a possibility the system requirements could be something like Crysis or Call of Duty 4. Minimum requirements:
CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 2.4 GHz or AMD(R) Athlon(TM) 64 2800+ processor or any 1.8Ghz
Dual Core Processor or better supported
RAM: 512MB RAM (768MB for Windows Vista)
Harddrive: 8GB of free hard drive space
Video card (generic): NVIDIA(R) Geforce(TM) 6600 or better or ATI(R) Radeon(R) 9800Pro or better
Recommended requirements:
CPU: 2.4 GHz dual core or better is recommended
RAM: 1GB for XP; 2GB for Vista is recommended
Harddrive: 8GB of free hard drive space
Video card: 3.0 Shader Support recommended. Nvidia Geforce 7800 or better or ATI Radeon X1800 or better
These specifications are not official system requirements. Stay tuned for further updates.

Want a Second Chance - Why Not Settle For a Second Life?

2008-08-25T06:50:00.001-07:00

Nowadays people live stressful, busy lives - you may want to correct me and say that it was always like this, but I would rather contradict you. See, back in the old days - say 200 years ago - most people were mostly working physically, carrying stuff and doing everything with their hands. When they got home, they were only tired and not as stressed as to finding solutions because their job mostly involved physical strength and operations. Since in the world of today everything is run by machines it is left to us humans to worry about logical operations, situations and so on. I could be a bit ironical and say that finally humans are used as beings with brains and not with muscles. However, since the stressed applied on the brain is now greater we find ourselves very often very stressed.
Since we covered the subject of why we are stressed why not talk about a method to get rid of stress - why not a game for example. And now you may make the cliché mistake and say that game are for children. Not actually - you can easily join a game that is built for an adult's mind and that is meant to get your mind off your typical daily problems - a game such as Second Life for example. Mainly the game offers you exactly what the title tells you - a Second Chance through a Second Life. You get your own piece of land that you have to take care of and so on. If you remember the game The Sims you may make a few connections. Of course, the Sims was rather limited compared to Second Life that has the advantages of having more opportunities, more similarities to the real life and of course, an online platform. Basically, what Second Life offers you is that chance many hope for - a dramatic change without actually having to make too many changes in your real lifestyle - and it can be a very useful therapy.
What a second chance or just something to make you forget all your problems? Why not consider Second Life as a therapy game - it will not only put your mind off all the issues you have to solve and seem unsolvable but it will also work great as a new beginning illusion.

There is Still One Area - PC Games Dominate the Consoles

2008-08-25T06:49:00.002-07:00

With all the debates between the proponents of the consoles versus the PC games, there is still at least one area where it is safe to say the PCs still dominate over the consoles and that is in the grand strategy games. Even though Civilization IV has made its debut on the console, it is still limited in its ability to deliver the true strategy gaming experience. The portal of Civilization IV to the console is not a bad one, but is kind of what I call a "lite" version.
There are just too many titles available for the desktop PC for the consoles to even attempt to overcome. The competition among the strategy games for the PC is fierce and the true strategy game aficionado will not give up his PC gaming experience easily for the "lite" versions that will be offered by the consoles.
The main reasons that PC's still out power the consoles in the strategy gaming genre is that the consoles are built for fast action games the end in one sitting. I can remember long games that carried on for days sometimes, playing the PC strategy games. Another reason is the limited controls. There are only a few buttons on a console controller, and anyone that has played any types of strategy games knows that having a lot of hot keys assigned sure makes game play a lot better and easier.
The PC game is not dead, and for the enthusiast strategy game player it will be around for years to come.

Turbo Pizza Game Review

2008-08-25T06:49:00.001-07:00

Wanted to own your own restaurant in your own neighborhood? Well, Rebecca and Robert did it...in their own unique way! In Turbo Pizza, Rebecca found an old castle on sale which is very cheap. So she bought the place to develop it into a pizza restaurant. It's unique and no other dining places selling pizza so...business can be quite brisk if you help Rebecca to manage it well. In this game, Robert's relationship to Rebecca is not defined but I assume he's Rebecca's father. He is supporting Rebecca in her business operation too! Helping her to paint the place, making the dough, buying more machines, well...you name it, and you'll have it.
First learn some basics of customer service, then learn how to make pizza before getting to full scale. I like it when Rebecca is picking some pizza dough to put it in the oven, as in the background, Robert will automatically make some more dough to replace the one that is taken. Very nice graphic and cute sounds too.
Same with other time management game, if you make a combo move, you will earn extra points. Take two items to serve the customers, like the coke and cake at both hands, left and right. In this way, you will serve the customers in short time too. Or take the same items together, like the money paid by two or more customers. The coffee machine and the pop corn machine need some time to churn out the stuffs you need. So turn on the machine first thing when you open the fast food restaurant. To get Turbo Pizza really 'turbo' and fast, make sure you get the oven heated too! Take care of the youngsters who come into your shop as they can get pretty impatient. Serve them fast and prompt!
Can be very exciting, holding many things and serving the customers at the same time. The money that you earn at every level can be used to buy new decorations to your restaurants, change it from dingy place to a warm and beautiful one. Get the money to upgrade your pizza making skills or buy some newer and greater machine! This is very engaging as it is interactive by involving you as the gamer to upgrade the restaurant.
Turbo Pizza is a good one to play with. Enjoy and make your fastest pizza in the world. Be creative in handling the food and some customer service skills counts to make it to the top level. I had a greaaaatt time with it. And how about you? Try Turbo Pizza.
- Mabel Lee is a PC and online game reviewer for casual games. Playing PC and online games have many advantages and keeps an active and healthy mind. Visit the collection of the downloadable PC and online games' review site. The games are free to download and have fun!
http://www.mabelgames.com

The Clumsys Game Review

2008-08-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

Despite the game's title of The Clumsys, Grandpa is the brilliant scientist that invented the super modern time machine. He tries to hide his invention from the kids as he knows that kids are very hyperactive and who knows what trouble they will get into.
During Tim's (his grandson) birthday party at the backyard, grandpa and Helen went to take the birthday cake and upon return, they found all the kids are missing! To Grandpa's horror, he realized that TIm and all of his 20 friends were playing with his time machine and transported back to the past and scattered in different eras of the time zone. And now, even the few gadgets are missing and couldn't be used to track the kids! Gosh!! How on earth to get them back?
So Grandpa get Helen's help- Helen is probably TIm's mother or aunt. The relationship is not very clearly identified in the game. Gamers play as Helen and will have to travel into the different eras of the time zone to collect back all the missing kids. Before you are able to help Helen to do that, you have to solve few inaccuracies in few sections of The Clumsys.
First, there's Time Travel Map which shows where the inaccuracies are. Go into every era in the map and solve one by one. Remember in other hidden objects games where you sometimes see items that are not supposed in the picture, such as a dog in the library? Or baseball cap in the jungle? Well...in The Clumsys, the items are misplaced there purposely. As all the missing boys clumsily place all the items that they bring from the future and scattered them around in the olden era, like cellphones and guitars. In Trojan Horse- the city of Troy, find all the items that do not belong and fix them. At First Printing Press, find all the misplaced items in the printing room and put back in the original place.
Then you will go to First Moon Landing, which is the famous Apollo mission to land on the moon. And places like The Hindenburg and Area 51. Area 51 is the secret military installation. A bit on the historical places eh? Again, find all the toys and items the kids left behind.
While you find the improper items, you have to find the missing gadgets. After finding all the Gadgets, go to the Gadget Assembly Screen to assemble the gadgets into Tracking Device, Heart Beat and Heat Sensor. Thank goodness the game do not have time limit and do not penalize for clicking furiously on the hidden objects. Only occasional warning that if clicked too many wrong items, the Time Machine will overheat. Ha!
The Clumsys is a new twist to the hidden object and puzzle where stories are linking to each other. There's even a Photo Album on all the mischievous kids that you need to rescue.
- Mabel Lee is a PC and online game reviewer for casual games. Playing PC and online games have many advantages and keeps an active and healthy mind. Visit the collection of the downloadable PC and online games' review site. The games are free to download and have fun!
http://www.mabelgames.com

Fashion Dash Game Review

2008-08-25T06:47:00.000-07:00

Fashion Dash, the name caught my attention. If you think this is a game just for kids, you're in for a shock. This time management game is so challenging as to pass each levels, the goals are set high. Thus, to get it pass the levels, practice makes perfect. More practice will let you get used to the features of the game, but it's still challenging nevertheless. Are you ready? Sit tight while I just go through the review.
This game is similar to Diner Dash, if you have played Diner Dash before, this will be easier. Except Diner Dash is on restaurant management while Fashion Dash is on clothes and accessories shop. I have played the one hour trial that I have downloaded, I have just passed the third level, going on to fourth. Have used too much time on the third level which I need to reach the goal of the money earn.
Okay...here are some tips. To serve the customers that comes in to the shop, sit them down at the matching color of the changing room. If the color of their shirt does not match the changing room's color, they can be served as well...it's just that the money earn will be lesser. The cash earned can be used to upgrade the changing room.
Then take the catalogs for the customers and wait for them to review. Once they are ready, take the measurements and send the order to the seamstress. After that take the ready made clothes to the customers and get the payment from them in return. After the customers have left, take the hanger and place it at the right place. Well...it seems easy if there are just a couple of people to attend to. But with four or more customers, you have to juggle more task and do multitasking at the same time.
Not only that, some customers feel inadequate without accessories. So take the watches, necklaces, bags or shoes to the customers if they want the accessories. Try not to keep them wait for too long, else they will be dissatisfied. And then, you've guessed it, they will pay you less or straight away run out from the store!
Try out Fashion Dash and you'll not be disappointed. Just need a little bit of perseverance to get the game going. You won't get bored with all the running around here and there.
Mabel Lee is a PC and online game reviewer for casual games. Playing PC and online games have many advantages and keeps an active and healthy mind. Visit the collection of the downloadable PC and online games' review site. The games are free to download and have fun!

Arcade Games For Free - Flash Can Spice Up the Fun

2008-08-25T06:46:00.002-07:00

Arcade games are interesting and refreshing catch; this is especially true if you are highly mobile, and with the electronic game frontier experiencing an upsurge, flash games maybe the next big thing. Developers are always at war, adding nifty features that promise unlimited fun.
Conventional arcade games are coin operated, activated by dropping coins in the game console slot. Arcade and flash game centers abound in plenty, travel around the country or globally and you are sure to find them clustered around shopping centers and recreational parks.
The internet has opened a whole new frontier to the world of arcade games, enabling accessibility to millions around the country and convenience of use; that means you no longer have to leave the comfort of your home to enjoy the game. All you need is an internet ready PC and you are accessible to thousands of arcade game variety. Though there is a plethora of modification and feature add-ons to the sweet old game, majority are still similar to the arcade games available in your home gaming system so you won't be lost.
There are also plenty of new arcade games that are not available in your gaming system at home. Some of the novel features you are sure to encounter in the new arcade games is the addition of mouse and keyboard as control tools, this could be strange in the beginning but with time, you'll definitely become accustomed to them. Some of the game categories, you'll find in the new arcade games are as follows:
• Side scrolling games.
• Memory games.
• NES games.
• Racing games.
• Casino games.
• Flying games.
• Classic Games.
• Action games.
• Shooting games e.t.c.
Some of these games come free while others require a subscription plan. An example of arcade game that requires subscription plan in order to download and play is the action game - Cocoon Island. The Advantage of download-based arcade games is that you don't actually need to be online to enjoy the fun. They are also convenient than purchasing a game disk.
There are plenty of websites that offer these games absolutely free like Yahoo games. Such sites let you play with others worldwide at no cost; such sites incorporate a ranking system which fairly ranks you with other players of your skill level.
To those that are skeptical about downloading software, flash-based arcade game is the way forward. This type of arcade game enables you to play straight from your browser, so you don't need to worry about computer viruses anymore.
The convenience of flash arcade games mean that you can play anywhere at any time, the only disadvantage is that such games require broadband connection, and can be very slow to those that use dial-up.
So, irrespective of your occupation or location, with online arcade games you are never alone, whether you choose flash browser-based arcade games or the download version you are assured of a complete fun package with plenty of company. Try arcade games today and feel the difference.
Arcade games have undergone great transformation and flash technology is the greatest of them all, embrace the fun today and feel the games difference. Visit the site to have a great gaming experience.

Starting Out With Warhammer Fantasy Battle

2008-08-25T06:46:00.001-07:00

Warhammer Fantasy Battle is a tabletop wargame, where two (or more) players take command of an army of model soldiers. Games take place in a fantasy settings of unparalleled detail that has been developed over the past 25 years. The world is one where warriors and wizards of great power vie for supremacy over the other and you and your friends can dictate their fate.
In each game of Warhammer you will pit your army of model soldiers against the army of another player. The aim is to defeat the opposing army through either wiping out a sufficiently large proportion of their force or by controlling predetermined objectives. All games of Warhammer will provide a series of entertaining challenges in which you try to out-think and out-play your opponent.
What you need to play a game of Warhammer Fantasy Battle
An army of miniatures: The models used in games are manufactured by Games Workshop and are made to a 25mm scale, meaning that a model of an adult human would measure 25mm. Miniatures made by other manufacturers can be used as long as both players agree on this in advance, however at official tournaments you must use Games Workshops models.
An opponent: In order to fight a battle you need an opponent, this could be a friend or someone you only know through gaming, Warhammer can bring a wide range of people together through having a common interest.
The Warhammer Fantasy Battle Rules: Additionally in order to fight a battle you need the game rules. These are available in two ways; it is important to know what the two options are as one is very different from the other and choosing the wrong version could spoil the game for the player. The two ways of learning the rules are as follow:
The Battle for Skull Pass boxed set: An easy introduction to Warhammer is through the Battle for Skull Pass boxed set, it contains everything you need to begin fighting battles in the world; including the full game rules, some plastic scenery, over 100 plastic dwarf and goblin soldiers and a series of introductory gaming scenarios to play through. Each scenario in the boxed set is designed to introduce new elements of the game making it easy to learn the rules a bit at a time.
The Warhammer Rulebook: The second option is to buy the hardback rulebook; players may choose to do this if the two armies that come with the Battle for Skull Pass set don't appeal to them or if they plan to build their own army from scratch. The stand alone rulebook doesn't include the introductory scenarios from the Battle for Skull Pass boxed set. The scenarios it does include throws players in at the deep end so it could be considered an option for experienced wargamers or people that are willing to spend a lot of time learning the rules before they start to play.
What are you waiting for?
Now that you know what you need to play a game of Warhammer and have learned the two different ways to get to know the game what are you waiting for?
I hope you enjoy the game.

The Newest Freshest Look With Bratz Makeover Game

2008-08-25T06:45:00.002-07:00

Find your own unique fashion and style with these cute teenagers where fabulous is the number one term to describe them- the Bratz! The Bratz have a very busy celebrity life and yet they make each moment of their lives the best. Want to join with their dashing and expressive fashion? Join them in bratz makeover game!
Cool teenagers who are simply sweet, cool, and glamorous, Bratz give a big bang in the dolls fashion world as these pretty girls have their adventures at their TV series!
There is classy Cloe - the beauty editor of Bratz Magazine. A romantic pre-teen at the heart and total lover of chick lit with happy endings. She is an advisor in her "Ask Cloe" column. Then we have Sasha - the girl with the big dreams - her ambition is to be a record producer with her own billion dollar fashion line. As the music editor, she's got the inside track on all the cool clubs, parties, bands and dance moves. Next is Yasmin - she writes the features and have the expertise in social issues. She's so totally into worthwhile causes. Lastly we have Jade. She is the one who is always seen in the coolest outfits among the four, though all of them are fashion conscious, unsurprisingly she's the magazines fashion editor.
Now join their breathtaking lives and be a star also with bratz makeover game! Nothing can be more exciting than seeing your favorite teenage stars in their dashing and awesome dresses as they prepare for the ramp! Choose one of the Bratz in bratz makeover game. Change her dress, give her some make up and put on the jewelry. Give her the newest makeover, freshest look and see the artistic side of you!
A total make over would not be complete with just the dress and the make up. What is missing? How about the hair? See what can be done with the highlights and the lowlights. Choose a new hairstyle and viola! A new fresh superb fashionista get-up!
You may also try to give Bratz the sizzling hot look and a darker skin tone for that healthy tanned look. Learn how to put up flirtatious glance and let them project themselves with oozing confidence. It's so exciting to play the bratz makeover game!
Though the Bratz can have a very hectic schedule with their lives, now you can have a handy experience with them with just a single click. Play bratz makeover game and catch a glimpse of the new glam that you gave them.

RealArcade - Download Free Games Online

2008-08-25T06:45:00.001-07:00

Have you gotten your free RealArcade download yet? If you haven't what are you waiting for? RealArcade is THE most popular online gaming site in the country and has thousands of games to choose from.
It is a great site because you can search through the huge selection of games and get some short samples to see what you like and which games are too boring for your interests. Once you find something you like you can buy the RealArcade download for the full version of the game.
Once you pay and become a member of the site you can get discounts on the various products and earn rewards and credits for buying even more games. If you play a lot of games online, then this is definitely the best site for you.
But what if you are interested and just don't want to pay to join? There is a solution for that problem. They recently added the GamePass 30 day trial program, and that is what you are looking for. You need to sign up for the GamePass trial, and use your credit card to register, but you are NOT charged right away.
After you join you get to pick a FREE game and get the full version from the RealArcade download page. You can check out the other features on the site and get whatever you want. Once the 30 days are up you are charged for your membership. If you like the site, then you might want to keep your subscription there and get even more games.
But if you don't want to pay for anything, you can cancel your membership before the 30 days are up. This way you are not charged anything, and you still get to keep your FREE game forever! It is a great deal since you don't have anything to lose, but you can get some cool games for free!

Free Downloadable Online Games - Get Your Free Games Now!

2008-08-25T06:43:00.000-07:00

Do you enjoy playing computer games? Are you interested in trying new games? There are many sites out there that have quickl little Flash games right on the site, but these are usually pretty basic games and not as much fun.
But, if you want free downloadable games online that are FULL versions, then there is only one place to go. RealArcade!
Even if you have not checked out this site before, you have most likely heard of the Real company. They specialize in everything related to entertainment on the computer. They branched off to make RealArcade (gaming site), RealRhapsody (music site), and you probably already have the Real player on your computer to watch videos or listen to music. This is a famous company so you know it is a great site.
Why would I recommend this site among the others available? Easy, it has FREE downloadable games online. Yes, the site is a paid service and you have to pay if you want permanent membership. BUT, even if you don't pay you can get free short samples of games.
The best part of the site is the new GamePass offer. Basically this is a free trial for the site. You pay to join, but aren't billed right away. You have a free 30 days as the member of the site and can use it as much as you want. You also can pick a full version of any game you want for FREE! At the end of the 30 days you can decide to stay (and only then will you actually pay), or leave. If you leave you will NOT be charged anything, and you will be able to keep the game you picked for free!
As you can see, there is no harm in trying the trial period since you will be happy no matter what you do. If you want to stay, you will be happy to access thousands of games, and if you leave you still get a free game!

How to Make Money in Wow

2008-08-25T06:41:00.000-07:00

Making money in World of Warcraft isn’t hard, but many players struggle in their early levels with barely enough gold to pay their bar bill at the Pig & Whistle (Stormwind). They get caught up in the daily grind for experience or simply hanging out with friends at the Darkmoon Faire and lose site of the fact the making money in the world of Azeroth is a fundamental part of the game.While some players are happy to muddle through levels 20 and 30 cash poor, they suffer a crisis of gold as they approach level 40 when they realize the amount of gold they must farm if they are to purchase their first mount. For many players, this results in hours of grinding mobs in a given zone in the vain hope of making enough wow gold before they hit the magic level 40. Players can avoid this trap if they ease back on the free ale at brewfest and invest some of their time in learning a little about the wow economy.Now listen closely, friend, for the secret of plenty of wow money is to learn about the wow economy from the start and to adopt one of the many money making strategies that Blizzard has built into the game. Simply put, the wow economy follows the same basic rules of supply and demand as with any other economy. Blizzard have been clever in the design of the game and has built in demand for many items. All it takes to earn money in wow is to supply those items to a hungry group of buyers.But what items are in demand in wow?In general, items in constant demand are those that are classified as ‘Trade Goods’ in the Auction House. You’re probably familiar with most of these which include items such as Cloth, Stone, Ore, Hide and Gems. These are all the basic materials (mats) that players need on a fairly constant basis for their crafting professions. Tailors need cloth, Leatherworkers need hide and Engineers need a mountain of metal made from the ore.You get the general idea!Those players that choose one of the gathering professions (Mining, Skinning and Herbalism) early on in the game will always have a ready market for their gathered mats at the Auction House and will generally earn more money than they would from simply grinding.When Blizzard brought out the Burning Crusade, they introduced a new type of gathered material needed by high-end crafters called Primals. Now that many players have taken up arms against the Burning Legion and joined the Burning Crusade there’s a great demand for Primals and the basic units needed to create them called Motes.I’ve written elsewhere on the subject of Primals and the making of wow gold once into level 60 and beyond on my Blog where you will find many more articles on the making of easy money and the wow economy in general.So here’s a tip, as one old Mage said to his apprentice upon leaving the tavern with an empty purse: “Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy beer!”

Big World of Warcraft Bags

2008-08-25T06:39:00.001-07:00

Since reaching level 70 and buying my epic flying mount, I’ve been on the look out for bigger World of Warcraft bags to hold all my loot. When it comes to grinding and making gold, it’s best to take heed of the Horde in this matter who have a saying: ‘Da bigger da bags da better’!As I’m hanging out less in the Pig & Whistle these days and spending more time in Outland, I’ve decided to partake in the hospitality of the World’s End Tavern in the Lower City of Shattrath and pose at the bar with the likes of Haris Pilton - socialite (someone who likes to pose in bars). Since patch 2.4.3 Haris is now able to sell you a 22 slot "Gigantique" Bag. This nifty looking number, hangs nicely off the shoulder and is perfect accessory for all level 70 Mages - but only if you can afford the 1200 gold!If you have been following my blog over the months you will know that bags play an important part in game. Big bags allow players to grind for longer without the need to keep running back to town to sell the goods they hold or the nearest auction house to auction off gathered materials and loot. The "Gigantique" bag is now the biggest general purpose bag on the market (excluding carfting bags which do come bigger), but if you don’t think a Haris Pilton original is worth the 1200g, there is still the option to go down market and opt for a 20 slot Primal Mooncloth bag which sells for around half the price at auction, depending on your server.Now the nice thing about general purpose bags is that they are not tied to a particular character level. This means even low level characters can equip high-end bags with many slots such as the 16 slot Netherweave bag (around 4-5g at auction) and the 18 slot Imbued Netherweave bag (around 50g at auction).Interestingly, the "Gigantique" bag is bind on equip, which means that in theory it can be traded in the Auction House. I’m sure that as more players with plenty of gold visit the World End Tavern and find Haris Pilton we may well see some of these bags up for sale. So far they have yet to appear at auction on my server.