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Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends

2011-09-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Tecmo Koei has sent two Dynasty Warrior on game consoles this year, but the publisher feels like there is room for at least one more for 2011 came out. Currently, the Japanese company announced that the Omega Force developed seven Dynasty Warriors: Xtreme Legends will be available for the PlayStation 3 on November 15.

Three Kingdoms legend knows how to pose.

A stand-alone expansion to Dynasty Warriors 7, which is for the Xbox 360 and PS3 in March, Xtreme Legends brings a new playable character, among a few other tweaks. That is, players will be able to fight in the Three Kingdoms as a strategy of Cao Cao and Guo Jia Han Dynasty warrior woman Wang Yi. The Warlords Pang Han dynasty, which appears as a playable character in Dynasty Warriors 5, also returned.

In terms of gameplay enhancements, Omega Force, a new "ultra-strong" version of certain weapons that can be unlocked by playing. Xtreme Legends also introduces new Legends mode, which offers gamers the chance to meet the new scenarios and challenges of more competitive than the previous installments in the franchise.

Challenge mode will also be introduced, where players can try to complete various missions, and then compare their results via the online leaderboards. Additionally Mixjoy mode provides a "powered up" version of Dynasty Warriors Story mode 7 and the method of conquest. Finally, Tecmo Koei says that the Xtreme Legends, including voice over the choice of Japan.

Tecmo Koei does not indicate how many 7 Dynasty Warriors: Xtreme Legends will cost. However, Amazon.com is currently listing the title for $ 40.

Driver: San Francisco

2011-09-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

Chasing criminals in high speed chase, run deadly feats of driving, or dropping the entire criminal organization can be a bit much for the average cop, but drivers are introduced: San Francisco, John Tanner is in step. When you control him and began to hit the streets of your average San Francisco, the reason is clear: Tanner exceptional ability to "pits" in the civilian body lets you do things from the other agents may not like the hard right of every vehicles in the city, the instructions of the passenger of criminal conviction, or using the car as a ramrod, to name a few. While the idea behind this ability is ridiculous, though it makes sense when you hover over the living, breathing city for the first time, immediately take you to a new mission and quickly jump between cars to take criminals. Drivers shift coup de grace, which features the memories of mediocre Driver 3 put up for peace and rekindle the franchise.

Driver: Driv3r San Francisco up where left off, the story of criminal mastermind Tanner and Jericho continues. After his escape from Istanbul, Jericho refuge in San Francisco, only to be followed and put in prison. However, a routine prison transfer gave him a chance to escape. Tanner and gives chase - after the explosion-filled action scenes part Michael Bay - catch a criminal, to walk down and left comatose. This coma-induced dream Driver Tanner has occurred; battle with commas manifests itself as a hunting Jericho and real life news stories on TV in the hospital room affects his actions. While the story is really absurd and sometimes really confusing, allowing drivers to free themselves from the shackles of the real world and the unique effect of the underlying shift in the game introduction.

The shift allows you to control a vehicle to be taken by simply pressing a few buttons. Activate a shift lets you float above the city, a variety of zoom levels that allow for close-up view of the road all the way to the top. You can highlight any car you want, and with another touch, you're in the driver's seat, ready to take the criminal gangs. The size of the city of San Francisco, game world is huge, and there are hundreds of miles of roads for you to ride and explore. Fortunately, there are concerns about driving tiring to the mission laid to rest in shifts away. Zoom out to a bird's-eye view you can see all the missions on the map, marked with the icon is clear that, when hovered over, detailed content. You can zip from one side missions in other cities in a few seconds, to minimize downtime and get straight into the action.

There are numerous missions available, with wealth types to choose from. Even for something as simple as racing, there are several types, such as checkpoint races, where the route and the unmarked, to destroy race where you must destroy the objects along the route for the time given, and the racing team, where you should shift between the two competitors to ensure they are ready in the first and second place. Then there are the police mission where you must hunt criminals by increasing your ability to ram them off the road or the traffic to move to ram them head on, with repetitions you can splendid massacre in slow motion. The mission of the most exciting action: you must dare to performance, such as drifting, handbrake turns and jumps on moving vehicles operate.

Each major mission has a tale. Sometimes, they relate back to the main story, while others involve ordinary citizens in trouble spots such as parents whose children are abducted or irresponsible teenagers who have entered the race in the streets. These stories are not very interesting, thanks to dialogue clichés and only passable voice acting, but references to the kitschy '70s cop shows and games history driver to let you know the game itself never takes too seriously. To progress, you should most of the story missions for a mission Tanner, who says more about the history of Jericho and the current conditions to open. There are also stacks of optional missions throughout the city. The completion of these awards you with power points will, which is also given to you dare to drive, as overtaking on the wrong track or a big float.

Dead Island

2011-09-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

From a distance, Banoi as a vacation paradise: a tropical island in the blue ocean, home to a luxury beach resort. Come closer, though, and you'll see the blood in the sand (and on the walls, and in the pool). Zombies stumbling around the beach bar. They chew the corpse of the Surf Shack. Time to reconsider the holidays.

Like a beautiful location, the island of the dead is not what it first appears. It has zombies, but it's not survival horror game. It is played in first person perspective and shooting, but it is not first-person shooter. And everything that slows the movement of the trailer would have you believe, it is emotionally disturbing experience. The island is dead, schlocky open-world action-RPG, in the terrible melee preferred above all.

Sandbox off widespread around the interior of the island, the Royal Palms Resort in the city and the surrounding forests. RPG character of the excellence of the quests clear, given that the victims in shelters, in violation of the quest hubs. Equally remarkable is the subject of RPGs, like the talent trees and figures, the number statistics on, weapon damage and the point value of the experience of popping enemies as you chop. There are also the devil improvised weapons, upgrades and modded creative and powerful online system supports four player co-op, where the game is best enjoyed.

The failure of many small, but for the most part. Visual quality is uneven. Ditto's voice acting. The characters are weak, and the story is thin hooks to hang the action. The battle is cleaned, and never more than the boring pits you against enemy fire to man barely smarter than the equivalent of their body. The prevalence of boring quests in the sewers in the second round is repulsive. Any number of missteps and failures, often Ropey game, but thanks to the ambition and scale, almost always entertaining. Nothing is perfect, what is the island died, but not so much, and does well enough to give you a good time.

Most of the time you spent on exploration and quests Banoi roaming from one stroke to stroke a building in search of food or weapons to the mission. Zombie sometimes unavoidable: you can often walk around, gathering behind a drooling, running zombie horde. More exciting, but in a multi-person vehicle jumping game, the corpse along the road cut on the island of speed. Some Dead Iceland has to offer is the best time spent gliding in a truck with three friends in a collaborative fashion, zombies pouring experience shows how they bounce off the hood.

Iceland is also dead gorgeous in the mission, you have to risk life and limb in a surprise attack on the station, and is the best experience in co-op. You can park in the front yard and then fend off wave from the dead walk, your friends while filling gas cans and throw them on the back of the truck. On the way back to base, riders can travel between the damaged cars. You may have to come to a bunch of vehicles and goods to defend, while the driver was working like crazy to get to go again. Island of death is a kind of game stories from a natural scenario, pleasant emerge - unlike the zombie-bashing Co-op pioneers, Left 4 Dead.

So yes, Left 4 Dead: Zombie elephant in the room. If the mission of collecting fuel-mode 2 Left 4 Dead sounds like a leg, it's there. Deadlift island free of Valve Zombie Shooter elsewhere, and clearly the resemblance. His main enemies are like the rest of the casting Left 4 Dead, infected close to a variety of specialized in the game. Among them is the nature of the loader, digger type, and the nature of the boomers. However, it is difficult to play because of the derivatives in the horror genre as a derivative as a zombie envy, one might even say: a loving tribute, when the boss is better rip-off - nothing is as scary as creepy as a tank or a witch.

Weapon system is similar to other zombie games too - this time, Dead Rising 2 Despite the fact that no weapons, they came relatively late, melee weapons and throwing is the order of the day, with an emphasis on cutting the enemy and press . Here are the basic weapons such as knives lying around, sickles and baseball bats. You can not craft from scratch, but you can upgrade and change them at workbenches are found to make it into the hub, for example, nail spikes clubs and machetes, delivers a paralyzing electric shock. Unfortunately weapons quickly boring from time to time can be a valuable weapon that you upgrade modded to the max and not long after the lid quest hub, so you are caught breaking the paddle and improvise hangers.

Dark Souls

2011-08-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

While the game world can be to short, simple game mechanics, it is refreshing to see how the old school Namco Bandai will be when it comes to the Dark Souls. "This game will be more difficult than the soul Demons, '" said our representatives. To demonstrate the fact, albeit in an unintended way, died the other Namco Bandai representatives repeatedly during our demo of the new content of the game. So in summary: Dark Souls is so loud that the people who create it, not even play without dying.
Our demo began roughly in the middle of the game, with our characters trapped in a prison cell. Slept outside the station, so you can kill him and steal the key to be released from prison. But things are not good after the meeting, which seems to be simple. Soon, octopus monsters from the field and to kill all living things to roam. While you can walk and even climb up the ladder to avoid them (octopuses can not climb) when you get to the top of the stairs, waiting for the monster snake to come back to earth.

The answer, it seems, is a device that monster snake guard and then kill the enemies of the larger snakes to find to take control over them. However, it took much effort to get to this stage, as we continue demonstrators were killed while trying to get there. Namco Bandai is a character who is very polished, but in an age when most publishers are only deceiving their way through a game demo, we loved the fact that Namco ready to show off the game is difficult.

Difficulty is definitely a problem that the Dark Souls follow around. While not a direct sequel to Soul Demons ", he inherits many features of the game, like for example the possibility to leave clues for other players to find, when you die. However, there will be new features, such as the ability to encourage other players to help you complete a difficult task, as well as games, to attack others from a distance.

This game will be on 4 October in North America and 7 October in Europe, and was offered on the show floor with 16 units Gamescom. Stay GameSpot for more information about Black Soul, as we get them.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

2011-08-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

While Nintendo made a fuss about the 25th Anniversary of The Legend of Zelda during E3 2011 Press Conference, it shows the next few precious new entries in the franchise honored: Sword of the sky. Fortunately, the show things differently in the Nintendo booth at the E3 floor, where three different demo offers three different experiences. Battle of the prison and the boss will sound familiar to any who wore a green tunic before, but to birds? Well, that's another story. We have also put a few new details about the ability of the sword Link snagged from Nintendo Executive Roundtable to paint a picture for this exciting new adventure.
All demonstrations take place in the chain of small islands floating on a cloud. Settlement on this land mass is a small town seen is reminiscent of other Legend of Zelda launch site, and the ground seemed to make steep, as if she had emerged from the soil below. In the first demo we played three great birds stripe across the sky, so that contrails of red, blue and green. When they come together in formation, they summon the three goddesses Gold (Din, Nayru and Farore) in the other Legend of Zelda games, which is the land of Hyrule and the Triforce created displays. God has been given magical powers to link, so maybe this is a sign of the bird sees the same ability to heaven sword.

The trio took over the lighthouse and the camera panned to stand in line to link the show together with three other residents of the city. Obviously not been asked to protect the soil and Hyrule Hylian Shield was link-casual dress with dark green pants, brown vest, embroidery and cream-colored long-sleeved T-shirt. Three old city stood before him, announced the start of the ceremony bird riders. The first competitor to catch up with the birds, and crowned grab the golden statue of the dog to be champion this year. When the hunt began, we were running on the ledge, jump from forgotten, and press the D-pad to call our birds in demand. Reckless leap into freefall turns out, have fun, so we stayed at the waterfall a little longer than our competitors, enjoy the sensation. You do not want to linger, we are whistling and immediately swept away by our winged mount.

Agility demo link on the last pit boss named Ghirahim. He is slim, light-skinned man dressed in white spandex diamond pattern. He stood with a smug grin on his face and a sword in hand, directly attack defenses many of us easily, and sometimes going so far as we pick up our swords with their bare hands. Throwing star, rushing down steps, and the ability to disappear in a flood of diamonds makes it a formidable opponent, we have used the tactic to block and dodge diligently to avoid death. Is this one of the major villains in the Sky Sword, Link has his hands full to do for him.

Is different than whether three demos on the show floor is not enough, the same day Nintendo unveiled further details about the new adventure of Link. Series producer Eiji Aonuma, Nintendo executives at the round table held in the one night of E3, said that against the bad guys do not link things that are only able to do with the sword.

Whereas, the Round Table from the sky demoed Aonuma Sword of the Japanese version of the game. In the first demo, two humanoid creatures found molelike link (provisionally called mogmas) talk about how they broke the key to a large door at the level of the five pieces and buried in different places. After sending two mogmas joined Relate the flush mode. This switch perspective to see the first screen with a sword sticking out of the center left. Move the Wii Remote back and forth to make a link to move the sword. When he was closer to the location of the buried key, the sound is even more urgent and the light from the center of the screen is larger. Once found, links to change the flush and began to dig (with special gloves that you need to be found in the game, Aonuma said), was the first piece of the key. During the first part of the castle was easy to find, turned out to be the next challenging and requires some clever lateral thinking (and use a bomb placed flowers).

Aonuma second demo shows how the environment - and how well the players know it - is an important component of the sky his sword. This demo starts in a wooded area shown in the E3 demo last year. Links plunged his sword into the ground, a move that transformed the area into one version, a strange sound of her own. While it has basically the same layout, color, the environment and the population is changing - the police this area is a large group of statues called guardians. As the sword handle link is still in the ground that he was not armed in this section is the only way to escape from her guardian. Link a temporary job in the world is a mirror to collect a number of green balls, and though he was unarmed, he was not entirely helpless. Scattered throughout the neighborhood torn shaped objects, which, if collected, frozen all the guards in place for a short time. Aonuma said this kind of game is regularly in heaven sword, the players must deal with the environment is a better title for their ability to deal with the limited world of mirrors.

And, although you might not guess it from the Nintendo press conference on Tuesday morning, The Legend of Zelda: Sword of the sky has a major show at E3 2011th By flying in a magnificent new creatures to manipulate your environment with the power of your sword, there are a lot of new things in store for adventurers candidates. Sword of the sky is slated for release this season, towards the end of 2011.

Devil May Cry : Rebirth

2011-08-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

If you connect to the Capcom fighting action know-how with the experience of storytelling, that Ninja Theory, you get DMC: Devil May "rebirth" with a recognizable style combat twisting story of the origins of anger, Scrappies, brown-haired Dante Cry. The area, at least. DMC makers are backing tracks here Gamescom 2011 with the first look at the battle of their game and take a closer look coiffed hero controversial.

Fluidity control characters is the number one position on a development team, the must-have list. "We have the most resources we nail them to be spent," said co-producer Motohide Eshiro. He also tells us how the experts Capcom action game in Japan is working closely with a team in Cambridge, Ninja Theory, the "every two months," visited the studio at this point in development. It is not possible to feel as fluid or to fight (this is a hands-off presentation) to say, but looks the part, with more emphasis on the air moves from the previous Devil May Cry titles.

Dante whip enemies into the air and make it up with a quick fire double from his pistol. Even there, she started her turn upside down and shoot the bad guy in Hang Time. The key to the combo-fighting system DMC-, air-focus Dante between three forms: humans, angels and devils. In this case, Dante access to different weapons and a series of movements that we see him swing the scythe into the arc spectral width in angel mode, a fire ax in daemon mode, and swords and guns out of the ordinary human form. The changeover takes place on the fly with a trigger controller made. It looks nice, but in game action, feeling is everything. We are itching, Dante Ninja Theory even put through its paces.

How to tell stories and "world building" that Ninja Theory, brings the project, DMC occurs both in the real world and the balance. Limbo is a demon dimension that runs parallel to and disturbing the lives of people. Dante, with the legacy of the devil himself, spent some time at any place in the demo Gamescom, he was drawn to a limbo dimension into battle with a thin, pale-skinned, black-clad creatures swinging big-edged sword to do. At some points, he also discovered the spirit of a golden girl - who apparently back in the real world people who can speak with Dante while he is in limbo. In the demo, he went to Dante's guide through the area around the balance, if they themselves help turn like a funhouse wicked. United States-are looking for, narrow streets and sloping, irregular cracks, falling to reveal a lava pit, or back, while the buildings destroyed on both sides of the press him. "The city itself is trying to stop you," she said to him.

You can see the fingerprints at Ninja Theory protagonist Dante DMC and light, the "sarcastic" limbo. The history of the game ", as Dante was the way he" and how the game starts, "he added was younger ... much more aggressive, angry ... more than just a street fighter than the previous Devil May Crys" , says creative director Tameem Antoniades. Dante as a disenfranchised youth Ninja Theory "has a lot of anger," together with "no job and no prospects." Ninja Theory limbo under community supervision is the CCTV camera housing with the evil eye balls packed. And in this kind of secret-level regions, away from the city, free-floating Dante navigate streets. He was also a fight with, in the tradition of Devil May Festival, the barriers that handed down by the enemy must be brought Cry. Here we see a pumice stone, a huge banner of red and orange-leaved trees growing in the kind of lush colors are reminiscent of parts of the Ninja Theory of the enslaved.

Yet to see "familiar faces" the developer promised the fans of Capcom's fighting series and rating system, which is the style, variety and damaging scores of each battle rewards. Not only that, says Antoniades, as is increasing the ranks of the battle, more elements of music are layered onto the scene, the chorus enters the highest rating. We would expect to see that in action as soon as we caught the DMC.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker HD Edition Hands-On

2011-08-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

Just now in E3, Konami announced Metal Gear Solid Collection HD: high definition collection remasters Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 and last year's PSP game Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, was released on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in November. We sampled the Xbox 360 version of the Peace Walker on the floor of the E3 2011 show, see how it stacks up against the re-definition original PSP is very good.
E3 demo led us to our mission to recognize the start of PSP games. Maps and purposes looks exactly like the original game: Amanda trace, leader of the Sandinista rebel group, the Steal Thing (or vice versa) through a network of bite-size, guard-monitored areas in the Costa Rican jungle. High definition visuals, the main difference, of course. Although the original version of the handheld is far from ugly, 1080p picture remakes are easy on the eyes, has more texture detail and character models are less yellow. Charging time is shorter in the transition between one area and the next is another advantage of the Peace Walker came to a more powerful platform.

Peace Walker checks on the benefits of a second analog stick on the Xbox 360 controller (or the PS3 controller). You use the right stick for camera control now, instead of the face buttons on the right side of the PSP, which felt much more complicated. Other checks were less than impressive. It seems strange that triggers both the right and left handed to the windows menu item to open, with the objective mapped on the left bumper to bumper and proper shooting - shooting with the right trigger will certainly feel more natural.

For those immersed in the game clock and repeat the mission of the Peace Walker on the PSP, grow and hone their personal armies, Peace Walker HD Edition is a treat in store in the form of "transfarring," means an awkward name that you will be able to keep your game on both PS3 and PSP. Transfarring, a sort of cross-platform transfer of the store lets you progress to take on the PS3 version and then convert to a version of the PSP for portable play.

Although not in the E3 demo, multiplayer Peace Walker concerted action will the transition from the handheld to the home console versions. We have more on that when our hands and the Peace Walker HD Edition is generally on time, in anticipation of the launch of Metal Gear Solid Collection HD in November.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

2011-08-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

In this Assassin 's Creed: Revelation, a gray Ezio left Italy for the secret behind the Altair in Constantinople and find Masyaf. E 'on the hunt for the five main Altair Library Masyaf - relics, it seems, like every feature of Animus, Ezio go back in time to relive the memories of his fellow assassins. So you play as Desmond, Ezio play, play as Altai mainsail play as Desmond, Ezio play, play as Altair.
Ezio get one of these buttons Leandros, a captain with a cup of the Templars mocking disfigured mail and armored. This is the man who tries to hang in the debut trailer Ezio, and Ezio killer on top of a tower in the snow Masyaf fortress. The fort is attacked by "forces, a faction of the Byzantine Knights Templar, who suffer the death of the hidden blade, of course, but also explosives, each made in Revelations Leandros bomb crafting new system.

The system is accessible from stations around the city bomb crafting Order Murderess, where the co-developer of the bird used to your team of trainees murderess Assassin Creed manage compares Set: The Brotherhood. Here players can use stolen from boxes of ingredients, such as thorns and splinters, to build bombs in three categories: fatal, tactical and distraction. The bombs are made by combining a shell of material, a material powder, and a material "effect". If the material effect thistles, for example, the result is a bomb caltrop, Ezio can be used for the spiked ball into the path of a pursuer spread. If the garnet material effect, the result is a bomb shell - a shell, in fact.
Besides crafting occupation bomb in his old age, the Ezio gray beard perfected his vision of eagles - the mode colored auras of enemies and objectives - if eagle. With this version of the advanced skills, Ezio track and predict the path of a target, the better for tail and track victims. There is the odd nod to the years of Ezio advanced verbal ("It was so easy," grumbles, ending a climb), but for the rest of the murderess Florentine furniture seems forever - maybe more, with the addition of hook blade, the hidden blade that uses changed the zipline and acrobatic combat moves.

And then by Ezio elderly postadolescent Altair. In the demo Gamescom, we see the relic of this key transport Ezio back in time, in memory of the young Altair before the events of Assassin Creed first. Here, at the foot of Masyaf murderess first game, the fresh faces, Altair is betrayed by a former ally, armed with a crusader who took hostages assassin Altair and mentor cohorts. Cue a period of Assassin Creed classical free-running and high-dive-style killing family castle back in the context of a murderess much of the original Assassins Creed. It ends with the mentor to think about how quickly her mentee Altair has grown. "It is your father's shoes, as if tailored for your feet," he said, referring to his father's assassin Altair.

The five keys that let you Desmond, as Ezio, nip back in time to review Altair is a gimmick, but it is worth, the design of the franchise, along with three conductors and three times what we hope for a final assembly. A final, that is, by Ezio - Ubisoft sees Revelation as the last part of his trilogy. Look in the month of November.

Battlefield 3 : The military first-person shooter

2011-08-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Battlefield 3, from Electronic Arts' own digital distribution service for PC gamers set on playing the military first-person shooter, regardless of how they get the game.

Global Battlefield community manager Daniel Matros confirmed the Origin prerequisite through Twitter this week. When asked by a Twitter user about rumors that Battlefield 3 would require Origin even for players who had the DVD copy of the game, Matros simply replied, "Yes those 'rumors' are true :)"

The tactic to push EA's new social networking store platform is not a new one. Valve has been requiring Steam to be installed on PCs for its games since Half-Life 2 launched in 2004, regardless of whether the game was acquired digitally or through a retailer, while Blizzard insists World of Warcraft and Starcraft II players use Battle.net to get their game on.

Grand Theft Auto IV

2011-08-14T17:14:00.000-07:00

GTAIV is a game with a compelling and nonlinear storyline, a game with a great protagonist who you can't help but like, and a game that boasts a plethora of online multiplayer features in addition to its lengthy story mode. It's not without some flaws, but GTAIV is undoubtedly the best Grand Theft Auto yet.
One of the many things that set GTAIV apart from its predecessors is Liberty City, which is more convincing as a living, breathing urban environment than anything that you've seen in a game before, and bears little resemblance to its namesake in 2001's GTAIII. Liberty's diverse population believably attempts to go about its daily business, seemingly unaware that several criminal factions are at war in the city. Niko has no such luck. He's compelled to start working for one of the factions shortly after arriving, when he learns that his cousin Roman has some potentially fatal gambling debts. Niko's military experience makes him a useful freelancer for employers in the business of killing each other, and though his reluctance to carry out their orders is often apparent, he does whatever is asked of him in the hope that completing missions for other people will ultimately give him the means to complete his own.

When you're not running missions for criminals, taking part in street races, stealing cars to order, or randomly causing trouble, you'll find that there are plenty of opportunities to unwind in Liberty City. Some of these optional activities offer tangible rewards that can prove useful in missions later on, whereas others are just a fun way to kill time and take in more of GTAIV's superb humor. For example, you can watch television, listen to numerous different radio stations, check out some genuinely funny shows (including some big-name acts) at cabaret and comedy clubs, and use a computer to surf the in-game Internet.

GTAIV's Internet is filled with spoofs of all the kinds of Web sites that you'd only ever look at accidentally or when you know there's no danger of getting caught. Some of them can be found only by clicking on links in spam e-mails, whereas others are advertised prominently on the search page. There's plenty of amusing stuff to find if you spend some time in one of the "TW@" Internet cafes, but the most interesting site by far is an online dating agency through which you can meet women who, if they like your profile, will agree to go on dates with you. Dating and socializing with friends is something you can spend as much or as little of your time doing as you like, and though the people you meet can occasionally be demanding to the point that they become irritating, keeping them happy invariably benefits you in some way.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

2011-08-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

This Year, Electronic Entertainment Expo, Konami unveiled Pro Evolution Soccer 2012's new feature set, promising--among other things--improved animation; AI updates for more realistic player positioning; and tighter, more accurate controls. Last year saw PES catching up with its archrival FIFA but not surpassing it--at least in terms of critical reception. Is this year's string of updates enough to see PES to glory or is it destined for a humiliating relegation?

Before you jump into a match, PES asks you to create a player that you can make as realistic or as horrifying as you like. There are lots of customization options, ranging from your player's body and facial characteristics to his kit color and poses. Such is the wealth of options that it's all too easy to create some horrific-looking players. There's a simple pleasure to be found in seeing a big-eared guy with a perm, blue goatee, and a bright pink strip run around the pitch, even if your opponents might not agree. On the more serious side of things, you also have the option of adjusting the level of pass support; that is, the degree to which passes automatically home onto receiving players. This is a welcome addition, particularly given how tricky the new passing system was in PES 11. Tweaking extends to the AI too, so you can specify if it should automatically pass, shoot, or clear the ball when you're not in direct control.
While this year's updates aren't entirely revolutionary, they build upon the substantial improvements introduced in PES 11. Matches were smooth, exciting, a lot of fun, and felt noticeably faster than those in FIFA. It remains to be seen whether PES can catch up with FIFA's excellent online features, but we were left suitably impressed, making this year's battle between the two football games that little bit closer. Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 is due for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 14.

King Arthur: The Role-playing Wargame

2010-03-04T21:01:00.000-08:00

King Arthur. The sword in the stone, the lady in the lake, and the knights of the round table are all present and accounted for in King Arthur: The Role-playing Wargame. But this mix of role-playing, real-time strategy, and turn-based grand strategizing doesn't quite work out as smoothly as the infamous accident that resulted in Mr. Reese's blending of peanut butter with chocolate. Hungarian developer NeoCore Games has created a compelling epic here that delves deep into Arthurian legend and builds a strong fantasy role-playing atmosphere but at the expense of some of the strategy. So even while you can easily get hooked on guiding King Arthur to the throne of Britain by vanquishing enemy monarchs and negotiating with watery tarts throwing swords at you, taking armies into battle is more problematic because of balance issues and grueling difficulty in the campaign. While the overall game is well worth playing because of the outstanding development of the Arthurian theme and some innovations on both the role playing and strategy sides of the fence, the flaws that mount up after a while will leave you hoping for a patch.

In the beginning, however, King Arthur is one impressive game. Visuals strike you right away. The rolling green fields of the countryside and the sunshine glimmering off the sea really provide an old English atmosphere. The detailed soldier models and the ability to zoom in for close-ups of battles also lend wargame credibility. It's all a bit more grim than one would expect from a King Arthur game, with a Warhammer influence evident in the painted art seen on loading screens, although it still sets a great dark mood. Only the occasional typos in the onscreen text, along with the forgettable music and sparse voice samples detract from the otherwise immersive atmosphere. And even then, the game sometimes surprises you with some spooky sound effects during battles or when scrolling across the map screen of Britain.

Even more interesting is a quest structure that runs alongside the battle events. Quest locations are marked on the main map with glowing scrolls. If you visit one with a knight, you take on a story mission told by interactive dialogue sequences. Quests play out like one of those old Choose Your Adventure books, with you answering questions, choosing between sneaking and fighting, and so on. Most quests are exhaustive and span a dozen or more questions that take you through a whole adventure. Some recount new stories about dealings with your rivals to the throne, while others delve into key tales of the Arthurian mythos, such as finding the Lady in the Lake. All are enthralling, and the final results always have an impact on the game in an important way. Actions are tracked on a wheel of morality that shows how you've been behaving as both a ruler and a religious leader. If you stand up for a friend, you gain a point or two toward righteousness; but if you betray him, you drop a point or two toward being a tyrant. The same goes for old-faith paganism and Christianity. If you spend too much time helping the druids, you gain points with the pagans; if you commit to making a Christian province, you earn points with churchgoing folk. All of this influences how you are seen by others and changes how you go through the game because pagan tyrants have different options from nice guys who are keen on Jesus.

Even though King Arthur: The Role-playing Wargame can hook you for a great many hours in its present state, you can't escape the notion that the game could use a pretty comprehensive patch. This is a great concept but only a good execution, which leaves the end result sort of dissatisfying even while you find it hard to stop playing. Let's hope that NeoCore Games keeps at it until the game is brought to its full potential.

Way of the Samurai 3

2010-02-19T10:36:00.000-08:00

Like soul of samurai, Way of the Samurai 3 is a unique action hybrid with role-playing elements that immerse you into the ancient world of the samurai. Its most distinctive feature is its interesting focus on cause-and-effect relationships, which it promotes by rewarding you for good behavior and punishing you for acts of reckless villainy. Unfortunately, the gameplay is complicated by an annoying camera and an occasionally sluggish frame rate, while repetitive combat and quests severely lessen your motivation to replay. Its core mechanics and interactivity options also remain primitive and outdated, culminating in a substandard samurai adventure.
The game opens in feudal Japan during the Sengoku era, with numerous warlords vying for territory. You're cast as a wandering samurai who stumbles into Amana, a once peaceful countryside torn apart by war. There are three main faction storylines to explore, with each being distinctly different and satisfying to unravel. There are plenty of townsfolk to interact with, and their witty dialogue can trigger subplot storylines that drive you to continue playing. The most intriguing aspect of Way of the Samurai 3 is its design as an open adventure that gives you total control over your destiny; you're completely free to join any faction or make a living out of beating villagers with sticks. The game capitalizes on a cause-and-effect mechanic, prompting you to perform certain actions during key moments, such as bowing in apology or sheathing your weapon. This makes something simple, such as drawing your sword, problematic because it has both immediate and unforeseen consequences. This also keeps the action enticing because it affects potential alliances and endings. It's disappointing that your interactive options are so limited and recycled from previous games, but this is still the franchise's most novel and exciting facet.

Combat is challenging, but its exacting nature is relentless and not for the impatient. A single slipup usually leads to death, which is frustrating when these mistakes are caused by elements out of your control, such as slowdown or the irritating camera. The game also starts slowly because it takes a good deal of time to finish jobs, unlock skills, and improve your weaponry before you can tackle major opponents. You'll also stumble across random cutthroats and ninjas that can finish you off in a single lucky strike, which is quite vexing for the unprepared.

You won't find breathtaking visuals in this samurai journey, but detailed feudal architecture dots the landscape. Decent texturing enriches buildings and pathways, but noticeable jagged edges and clipping create an unrefined aesthetic. Character models are less detailed and employ some ridiculous motions, though some of this is for comedic effect. The soundtrack is pleasantly tranquil, mixing modern elements with traditional Japanese instruments to impart a dramatic tone. Ambient noises--such as chirping birds and crickets--also work with the music to set a believable exploration backdrop. You can finish the game in less than 10 hours, but you'll spend three times as long unlocking everything and triggering all the different events and endings. However, limited areas and repetitive quests drastically undercut Way of the Samurai 3's replayability. Though the game's cause-and-effect focus is highly distinctive, its gameplay comprises mundane, barebones mechanics that seem almost archaic, while a troublesome camera and choppy frame rate further limits its appeal. Way of the Samurai 3 has its entertaining moments, but its lackluster next-generation debut provides little advancement over its predecessors.

Avatar : World of Pandora

2010-02-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

Avatar of place on the planet Pandora, which control the development of human resources Administration (RDA) is the stripping of resources - many concerns Pandora native, blue-skinned Na'vi. Meanwhile, the RDA is set on a transfer of the human consciousness into the artificially created / vi The hybrid '-called avatars. You play as Ryder, the RDA in place as soon and found themselves (or she, if you choose a female persona) on one when he received the consequences of the destructive presence in her RDA. About one hour in the campaign, you will be forwarded to the choice: side with the RDA, or life as your avatar and take the opportunities Na'vi. However, no matter which way you are winding down, you will see a series of unmemorable characters, unexceptional voice actor who plays poorly written lines available without trace of enthusiasm or urgency.

More disappointingly responsibility, the knowledge of the nature of game avatars. Cutscenes suddenly, and as a memorial should carry weight, as the first time you come in for massive avatar blue body, which is presented without the slightest question. Your own character covers the same issues-facts approach, read the interview in a monotone, even as events suggest that most people do 'jaws drop. With few exceptions, people appear as resource-hungry fools, and reduced to monosyllabic native Na'vi stereotypes. And no matter who you align with dhruid, the soft end of the sequence to make you Wonder why you bothered to see the document through the story. It seems that a combination of Sci-fi and Fantasy conceptually solid, but the ideas of the treatment was so arrogant that it is impossible to care for the destiny of the world, from the people, and your own character.

You will not be more magic in the world of Avatar on the story, as though that is also conceptually similar to crowded, was also reduced by lack of energy. Pandora is the first look at a beautiful place, filled with lush foliage and filled with wild animals well and obedient. If you follow the route of RDA, the number of plant spewed toxic múiche exhaust even scary to you now or over you with a powerful swipe leaves (in fact). An attractive environment in a way that most forests, and the scenery flying over the animal head and grumbling in the distant waterfall to make Pandora's beauty as well and was good. But over time, the environment loses allure. Dark green and dark green melted into one another, and the visual starting to feel heavy, which makes you long for a change of scenery. Some of the areas you visit provides a variety of acute need, but even so, the atmosphere grows tiresome and ultimately wears out its welcome.

Avatar's multiplayer modes aren't quite as useless as Conquest, letting up to 16 players compete in a variety of modes like Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and Capture the Flag. The multiplayer suite feel less like a throwaway than you might expect for a movie tie-in but the factions play so differently that weird imbalances become quickly apparent. A Na'vi player can crush an RDA player with a single swipe of his club, while an RDA player can jump in a mech suit and mow Na'vi down without much fuss. (Though oddly, the swarm of insects Na'vi players can unleash make short work of those big hunks of metal.) The factional differences make for some initially appealing variety, but the disparity is too great--and the basic mechanics too bland--to support long online sessions. The mechs don't feel heavy enough to make them fun to pilot, and the cavorting camera renders buggies as uncomfortable to drive in multiplayer sessions as they are in the campaign.

One of Avatar's main selling points is its use of 3D technology, so if you own a high-definition television equipped with stereoscopy, you may get a kick out of seeing Avatar pop out of your screen. Yet even if you're one of the few lucky enough to see the game this way, no TV yet has the capability of making James Cameron's Avatar: The Game play any better than it does. It's not a bad game, and portions of it are competent, if not quite remarkable. But Avatar wears thin quickly, and the story is too fragile to compensate for the deficiencies.

Left 4 Dead 2

2010-02-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

Last year Left 4 Dead unleashed a harrowing and entertaining vision of what it's like to be on both sides of the zombie apocalypse. Whether you were shooting your way through hordes of infected (the preferred nomenclature) en route to possible rescue, or scheming with your fellow superpowered zombies (an acceptable colloquialism) in an effort to choke, eviscerate, and otherwise kill the intrepid survivors, Left 4 Dead was enormously fun. The only real drawback was the shortage of content. Left 4 Dead 2 does not have this problem, offering five new campaign maps that can be enjoyed across five uniquely engaging game modes. These campaigns are more diverse, more atmospheric, and more exciting, thanks largely to the stellar level design. Left 4 Dead 2 also improves on the original in almost every other way, featuring new weapons, new items, new enemies, and new survivors that make the game richer across the board. Though the core action remains largely unchanged, the widespread enhancements make Left 4 Dead 2 even better than its impressive predecessor. This is one zombie apocalypse you do not want to miss.

Rounding out the package are two modes that offer all the excitement of Campaign and Versus play in a fraction of the time. Survival, introduced as downloadable content for Left 4 Dead, is like playing a last stand in which rescue never comes. Survivors try to stay alive on a well-stocked map against endless waves of infected, and they earn medals and leaderboard-worthy times for their troubles. Without the joy of escape, this mode isn't as satisfying as its longer counterparts. The same is not true for the new Scavenge mode. Here, survivors try to collect gas tanks from around a map and pour them into a generator to add more time to the dwindling clock. A team of infected try to stop them and kill them. This mode more adeptly mirrors the frustrations and rewards of Versus mode. On the one hand, you have the challenge of survival and the thrill of each can successfully deposited; on the other, you have the task of foiling the survivors' well-armed efforts and the grim satisfaction of taking them down. Each team plays both sides per round, and the first to three round victories wins. The short format makes it easy to enjoy in quick sessions, though more than likely you'll be tempted by rematch after rematch.

Though it comes a mere one year after the original, Left 4 Dead 2 is a much better game and much better value. The new campaigns and unique game modes offer more variety and more longevity, while all the other additions and tweaks make the already great gameplay even more enjoyable. Even the AI has improved a little bit, and while they still aren't big on using pipe bombs or Molotovs and are prone to missteps, they seem to have a better grasp of tactics and will follow you a bit more closely. Still, Left 4 Dead 2 is best enjoyed with friends, and every mode is seamlessly integrated online. Though the core gameplay remains pretty much the same, there is more than enough new content and improved action to make this zombie apocalypse highly recommendable.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey First Impressions

2010-02-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

Has released in Japan, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey on the Nintendo DS is another addition to the long-running SMT series. Taking on a more sci-fi approach, Strange Journey revolves around a soldier who is assigned to examine a massive void in the South Pole. Atlus stopped by our office to give us a quick look at the game and how it plays, but we'll be able to update you with more details regarding the story at a later date when we get to play the game for ourselves.

As the human in the party with no special powers but a nifty demonica suit, you must rely on guns and elemental attacks. There are apps that you'll come across--which are like key items--to help you find components for crafting or unlocking specific doors. Sub apps are special items that can increase the chances of getting an item after battle, but these apps take up space--sometimes more than one slot and you have 10 slots. Your demonica suit is what you'll use to access your mission logs, side quests, and tutorials. A forma search app is inherently in the suit, which can detect and track down stuff to trade later.

Demon fusion returns, and you'll be able to create all kinds of combinations; you'll even be able to throw an item into the mix to create a special demon. We didn't have time to go into all the details of this process, but we will once we receive a build of the game. The turn-based battles are self-explanatory if you're familiar with any kind of turn-based Japanese role-playing games. As you get to know the demons you encounter better, an analyze bar will fill up so that you can eventually determine their weakness and use it against them. If you're grinding away and don't particularly want to pay attention to an easy fight, you can hit the X button to have the battle play out for you. It won't make any special adjustments, though, so you have to be sure you'll win if you choose the option to have the battle play for you.

Our demo ended with a boss battle against a giant minotaur-like creature that had an extremely low opinion of humans and decided to tell us all about it. It took awhile to take it down because it had the ability to scare and confuse our demon party members. But it was nice that the target reticle changed to red if the enemy was near death because it allowed us to plan accordingly, which was a helpful feature.

Like all the SMT games before it, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey has a lot more to it, and it can take several hours to really get a handle on it all. We only had 20 minutes with it, but once we get our build of the game, we'll be sure to post updated impressions. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is scheduled to be released in March 2010.

World of Warcraft

2010-01-24T11:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome back!, though massively multiplayer online role-playing games have been around for years, it has taken this long for the genre's breakthrough hit to finally emerge. Here is the online role-playing game you should play, no matter who you are. This is because World of Warcraft brings out all the best aspects of this style of gaming, if not many of the best aspects of gaming in general. It also features many of the specific characteristics that have made Blizzard Entertainment's previous games so entertaining, memorable, long-lasting, and successful. Of course, the company's past track record did not guarantee that World of Warcraft could have turned out this well. Such high quality simply cannot be expected, nor should it be missed.

World of Warcraft is amazing in many ways, but above all, it's a really fun game.

In World of Warcraft, you create your alter ego by choosing from a variety of colorful races and powerful classes, and then you begin exploring, questing, and battling in Azeroth, the fantasy setting featured in Blizzard's Warcraft real-time strategy games. Fans of those games (especially Warcraft III and its expansion pack) will spot tons of references here, and they will be impressed at how faithfully World of Warcraft translates so many of Warcraft's little details and even some of the finer points of its gameplay into such a seemingly different style of game. Meanwhile, fans of other online role-playing games will be impressed at the sheer breadth and volume of content on display in World of Warcraft, whose setting seamlessly connects a bunch of wildly different-looking types of places and somehow makes them appear as if they all belong as parts of a whole.

World of Warcraft also sounds uncharacteristically excellent for an online RPG. Subtle ambient effects work wonderfully in concert with the visuals, making the world seem that much more alive. Excellent audio cues highlight key moments, such as when you level up, when a friend of yours comes online, or when you accept or accomplish a quest. Beautifully composed symphonic music punctuates your travels, perfectly synchronizing with the sense of wonder you will likely experience as you set foot into the game's different, colorful regions. The music truly is outstanding, but by default it plays rather softly, mostly just for an extra bit of ambience. Meanwhile, Warcraft III fans will feel right at home during battles, which feature many of the same hard-hitting effects, as well as plenty of new ones. The game even makes great use of stereo effects as well as other audio tricks, resulting in clear and resonant echoes within cavernlike environments, in audio distortion when exploring or fighting underwater, and in other such things. World of Warcraft also makes good use of speech, both for player characters' occasional outbursts and also for all non-player characters, who'll verbally greet you, which helps evoke their personalities. Many of the enemies you'll face also make some rather memorable noises when you manage to draw their wrath.

The worst thing about World of Warcraft is that you can't just play it all the time. After all, chances are if you start, you'll never want to stop. Again, though, part of what makes this game so remarkable is it doesn't assume that all you have to do in your busy life is play this one game, and so it delivers a high-quality experience regardless of how much or how little time you're able to invest. Paradoxically, then, it can become the last game you'd need to play for weeks, months...who knows? The point is, World of Warcraft features an overall level of quality that's typically reserved for the best offline games, which have always had a leg up on online games in their ability to present tightly-woven, story-driven settings. But World of Warcraft achieves this in the context of a massive, evolving world populated by thousands of other players who you may choose to interact with, which makes the proceedings seem that much more meaningful. This is a stunning achievement that will make you feel privileged to be a game player.

Tony Hawk Ride

2010-01-24T11:21:00.000-08:00

Do you like Sport? Tony Hawk Ride is the ultimate triumph of gimmick over game. The concept: Build a skateboard peripheral that lets players simulate skateboarding in their living rooms. The result: half-functioning hardware that fails to function with consistency and a shallow game devoid of excitement. Vert skating and free skating are the only sources of mild enjoyment here, but the fun is too short lived to justify the whopping $120 price tag. The Birdman was once associated with video game greatness, but this is the worst game yet in a declining franchise, and the result is a massive train wreck.

It's impossible to separate the board from the game. After all, Tony Hawk Ride must be played with the included skateboard peripheral, and for the time being at least, the peripheral cannot be used with any other game. It takes some time to get used to the feel of the board, though your skating career begins with a number of tutorials that help you get on your feet, so to speak. From there, it's a matter of completing races, performing tricks for points, and nailing short challenges as you trudge your way through Ride's single-player experience. Fortunately, the peripheral is easy to set up and physically solid. It also feels weighty and resilient, as if ready to withstand hours of punishment.

Tony Hawk Ride's flaws don't end with the lousy controls. The game feels half finished, offering up the most bare-bones experience possible. Don't expect skater-specific specials or large, high-concept levels. You can free skate, but most of the areas are small and none of them offer the fast-paced freewheeling of previous Tony Hawk games. This is partially because Ride seems to fancy itself a simulation, though it's hard to take it seriously as a sim when you inadvertently skate across the ceiling or happen upon pedestrians that exclaim their surprise when you almost run into them…in the middle of a skate park. You'd think a leaner game would at least be easy to navigate, but the T-Mobile-branded menus are poorly organized. For example, when you are in the main challenge menu, you can't escape to the main menu from there, but must instead start the challenge before you can access it. You can navigate most of the menus using the board, but to save your score after an event, you'll still need to reach for a controller. You even have to indicate your stance (regular or goofy) before every event. Why not allow players to save their preferences to the skater profile?

You see Tony Hawk Ride's shallowness everywhere. You see it in its bare-bones online modes, which very few people are playing. You see it in the visuals, which get the job done without a lick of energy or personality. And you see it every time you have to endure the rest of the challenge, even if you're bound to replay it because you failed the first trick. Tony Hawk Ride is a waste of money.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

2010-01-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for the PC needs no introduction. Not only is this game in many ways better than its amazing predecessor Grand Theft Auto III, but it's also technically superior to the original version of Vice City that was released on the PlayStation 2 a number of months ago. Like GTAIII for the PC, Vice City is identical to the original PS2 version in terms of content, so if you've already played that version to death, you won't find the PC version to be much different. However, the PC version of Vice City does offer enhanced visuals and controls, improved loading times, and a few extra frills. More importantly, it offers the same refreshingly open-ended gaming experience, which has occasionally been reviled for its controversial subject matter, but has far more often elicited much-deserved praise. Simply put, if by some chance you've put off playing Vice City up till now, don't wait any longer.

Despite all its other great qualities, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City's audio turns out to be one of the best things about it. Like all the other GTA games before it, Vice City features a soundtrack that consists of the various radio stations you'll be listening to as you drive around in stolen vehicles. These are themed after the sorts of stations you'd expect to hear in '80s-era Miami: There's a new-wave station, a rock station, a rap station, a metal station, and even a Spanish-language station, plus a couple of talk-radio stations for good measure. Suffice it to say that there are hours upon hours of recognizable radio hits from all genres of '80s music on this soundtrack, so even if you never touched the game's controls, you'd practically be getting your money's worth out of this game just by virtue of its being an excellent compilation of '80s tunes. The radio stations all have their own DJs, many of whom are very well written characters in their own right, and you'll even hear radio spots that cleverly mock the sorts of products that made the rounds in that era. Vice City's audio ultimately deserves most of the credit for establishing the game's atmosphere, and other than the soundtrack and voice acting, the sound effects for all the various vehicles and weapons are spot on.

Like GTAIII for the PC, Vice City offers an instant-replay feature that you can use whenever you manage to pull off a truly one-of-a-kind stunt, escape, or killing spree. You can even save your replays if you want. You can also create new skins for Tommy, if you want to change his appearance for some reason (though you'll see him wearing a variety of outfits over the course of the game anyway). And, if all the '80s music isn't good enough for you, you can load up a bunch of MP3 files and listen to those on the radio instead. All this is icing on the cake.

After the incredible success of GTAIII, it was difficult to imagine Scotland-based developer Rockstar North following up with a comparably outstanding game, especially after just one year. But that's what Vice City is. It's similar to GTAIII only as much as necessary, and it boasts so much new content and so many new types of vehicles to drive and exciting missions to experience that it is certainly not just an attempt to further cash in on GTAIII's success. No, this is an exceptionally good action game, whether you consider it on its own merits, or measure it against the incredibly high standards of its predecessor.

The Sims 3 Review

2010-01-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

There's a very good chance that you've heard about The Sims. It's been difficult to escape the popular franchise's web, what with two full games and a seemingly endless stream of expansions. The first thing you may be asking, then, is whether The Sims 3 is worth playing, or if it's just more of the same. Well, it most certainly is worth it, and yes, in some ways it is more of the same. But in this case, that's a very good thing. For anyone who's played The Sims or its first sequel, this familiarity will let them ease into it, feeling like a welcomed guest rather than an outsider. But this doesn't make The Sims 3 a simple rehash of what's come before. Instead, returning elements have been energized and extended by a number of terrific improvements, such as expanded customization tools, additional tools for interaction with other sims (and other players), and more tangible goals and rewards. Most importantly, the free-to-explore town makes you feel like part of an entire virtual society--a feature approximated but never fully realized in the previous games. By blending together the old and the new, developer Maxis has created the best, most charming game yet in the series.

One of the reasons for the franchise's success is how easy the games are to run on a variety of computers, and The Sims 3 is no exception; it's very scalable, so chances are that if you have a relatively modern PC, you'll probably be able to run the game. The visuals are colorful and crisp, and a noticeable step up from The Sims 2. Sim movements continue to be the highlight of the presentation, and zooming in close is always a fun treat, especially when your sims are engaging in a particularly animated exchange, such as telling a joke. Buildings like the theater and city hall look attractive, and the soft sway of trees and bushes makes the town look pleasantly suburban. Nevertheless, the game's performance does continue some unfortunate trends of Sims games past. Performance is a bit sluggish when you scroll across the town or follow your sim as he or she travels. And though the pathfinding has improved, sims sometimes still have difficulties getting from point A to point B without going through some odd animations or complaining that there's someone in the way. Unsurprisingly, the game sounds absolutely charming. The jaunty tunes that accompany the Build and Buy modes and the tunes that play when you turn on the radio are terrific, perhaps the best in the series. Some sound effects are recycled, but The Sims 3 doesn't feel cheapened as a result; it strikes a chord of familiarity that works to the game's benefit.

So what is it that makes The Sims 3 even more addictive than its predecessors? It's partially due to the deft handling of rewards; it doles out new social options, new aspirations, and the possibility of better furniture and wood flooring at a slow but even pace, which keeps you tied to your computer for hours at a time. It offers the element of surprise, showing off its abundant charms through funny social interactions that make you want to be part of the improved virtual community. Although it could have offered even more right out of the box, there's still an awful lot of content here, and it's bound to put a smile on almost anyone's face.

Naruto Shippuden CoNR 3

2010-01-01T11:29:00.000-08:00

Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 is a good fighting game, with a wide cast of balanced fighters and a combat system that lets button mashers have some fun while also offering just enough depth for more serious players. This is an entertaining one-on-one couch-friendly fighting game that hides some surprising depth beneath its relatively simple exterior. While Story mode and the much-heralded online versus play don't quite meet the same standards, Revolution 3 is a good-looking and well-made fighter for the Wii.
Versus mode is the standout element of the game. The fights take place in 3D arenas plucked from the Naruto universe, and combat is either one-on-one or between two tag teams of two. Characters can all use chakra to activate some abilities while trying to beat the life out of the enemy. Swapping tag-team characters or activating powerful, chakra-devouring secret techniques requires only a single button press, as does evading. Although each character has a strong and weak attack, a throw move, paper bombs, and secret techniques, the vast majority of actions require only one button press--but one button press timed very well.

Story mode kicks off at the beginning of the Shippuden series, with Naruto returning to the Hidden Leaf Village after several years of training with Jiraiya, the Pervy Sage. From there it follows the Rescue Gaara arc, with its clashes against the Akatsuki and plays for possession of the tailed beasts. While you usually play as Naruto, you also hop into the ninja shoes of everyone from Granny Chiyo and her puppets to Kakashi. Regardless of whether you followed all that or not, don't worry about Story mode. Beyond being a Cliffs Notes version of the storyline that requires a decent understanding of the Naruto mythos to begin with, it's too incomplete to hold the interest of anyone familiar with Naruto and too incongruous to make sense to anyone else. More damningly, Story mode is imbalanced. As you jump from scenario to scenario, you might find yourself and two computer-controlled allies against one enemy, making the fight a cakewalk. You also fight alone against a computer-controlled tag-team pair, which is just as ridiculous as it sounds. As excellently balanced as the combat is, Story mode falls flat on its face.
Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 sits heads and (nine) tails above most licensed games, and also most fighting games. While Story mode isn't anything to write home about, and the wireless connectivity has some lag issues, Revolution 3 is a good fighter that should please any fan of the titular anime who is in a position to play it with friends without needing to go online.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

2010-01-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Throughout the years, the Resident Evil series has played host to a number of first-person shooter experiences, some of which were more ill-fated than others. Sticking close to the successful story-driven, on-rails formula it established with 2007's Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, developer Cavia has crafted a more coherent but ultimately less impressive follow-up in The Darkside Chronicles. Though fans will certainly appreciate the plot--especially the never-before-seen story of Leon S. Kennedy and Jack Krauser--extensive overuse of a terrible shaky-cam perspective and cheap surprise tactics make this a hard sell on a console not exactly starving for quality on-rails shooters.
When Leon and Krauser are sent to a small South American village to stop an ex-drug lord suspected of being in league with a researcher from the sinister Umbrella Corporation, things get out of hand fast. As in nearly every populated area that Umbrella touches, zombies and much worse are on the loose, forcing the duo to shoot their way to answers. Along their journey, Leon briefs his partner on Umbrella's dark history by recounting through playable campaigns how he survived the fall of Raccoon City and how his last partner, Claire Redfield, escaped the Rockfort Island detention center. These abbreviated visits to the events of Resident Evil 2 and Code: Veronica are sure to please series fans with some nostalgic moments. But even if you've never battled with a Mr. X Tyrant or visited Umbrella's Antarctica base before, the three story campaigns are thematically linked together in such a way that your newfound knowledge of the past can help make sense of the present.

Because Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles is an on-rails shooter, you have very few choices to make in its world outside of the occasional branching path. Instead, you travel along a preset route entirely within the confines of a first-person perspective meant to make you feel as though you are really in the action. While on some level the shaky cam succeeds at this by amping up the tension, it's mostly just annoying because it constantly moves in unrealistic ways, making precision shots almost impossible. This is especially egregious during boss fights when you have only narrow windows of opportunity to save yourself from damage with an accurate attack. Though Darkside tries to make up for the camera shortcomings with an auto-lock feature that lets you lock on to a target you hover your cursor over, this is available only on the easy difficulty setting, and there are times when it doesn't work effectively.
Darkside authentically re-creates some of the more memorable locations from the Resident Evil history and successfully captures much of what made them so distinctive the first time you experienced them. Visually, it's a noticeable improvement over its predecessor, and the gritty look of the various locales further help to establish the game's atmosphere, as does the return of a cast of familiar voices and theme songs that any fan will recognize.

If you're looking to take nostaglic trips through locales like the Raccoon City Police Department and the Ashford family mansion, The Darkside Chronicles has you covered. Even the new South American scenario appears crafted primarily to cater to series aficianados. This is not to say that extensive knowledge of the Resident Evil universe is required to jump into the adventure, but the motion-sickness-inducing camera and inconsistent gameplay are huge hurdles to overcome for someone not already invested. On a platform where great on-rails shooters like Dead Space Extraction and House of the Dead: Overkill are boldly taking the genre forward, The Darkside Chronicles feels a little too much like a trip back in time.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

2009-12-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

As one of the most critically acclaimed shooters of all time, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a prime example of a tough act to follow. Yet, amidst a raging storm of anticipation and expectation, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has done it. The new campaign is chock-full of intense action and dramatic moments, and though it is more muddled than its predecessor (in more ways than one), it's still an absolute blast. The new Special Ops mode allows you to experience some campaign-inspired thrills with a friend and it's an engaging challenge to coordinate your maneuvers and tackle the varied objectives. Last but not least, the competitive multiplayer that took the online shooter community by storm two years ago is back and better than ever. Though the addictive action remains the same at its core, there are a host of new elements that make it more accessible, more strategic, and more rewarding. This all adds up to a thoroughly excellent package that is sure to thrill shooter fans and deprive them of sleep for months to come.

The result of all these multiplayer tweaks is a richer, more customizable experience and a busier battlefield. Fortunately, the action generally remains on the good side of hectic, and the stream of rewards is as satisfying as ever. Two new elements, title and emblem, are little graphics and titles that you earn through your match performance, and these range run the gamut from serious to totally goofy. While not exactly in keeping with the serious tone of the campaign, they add an amusing way to further customize your online presence. With a robust variety of playlists in which to ply your deadly trade, Modern Warfare 2's competitive multiplayer is the best in the series and one of the best available on consoles. The inelegant campaign plot may make you feel like you're just along for the ride, but it is such an intense, roaringly great ride that you will be glad just to have played it. The cooperative missions provide a uniquely fun angle on the action that rounds out the package superbly, making Modern Warfare 2 thoroughly entertaining, thoroughly rewarding, and thoroughly worth the wait.

God of War II

2009-12-11T10:11:00.000-08:00

Very hard to imagine a better swan song for the PlayStation 2 than God of War II. Though it's not destined to be the very last game for the system, it doesn't seem likely that anything else will come along in the coming months to trump what God of War II achieves. As the sequel to 2005's megapopular action adventure set within the basic confines of Greek mythology, it continues the agonizing and rage-fueled odyssey of the world's angriest man-god, Kratos, as he goes on another epic vengeance bender. It's an altogether familiar adventure in many ways, with a lot of gameplay mechanics held over that haven't necessarily been improved in any meaningful capacity, but that's not to suggest the game isn't better overall. God of War II is a brilliantly paced, tightly crafted piece of work that's as intelligently designed as it is thrilling to play. In short, it's exactly what you would want from a sequel to God of War.

Kratos is back, and he wants to stab something.

God of War II picks up not terribly long after the original game's end (meaning if you haven't played the first game, you ought to before checking this one out, both for story continuity purposes, and because God of War is awesome), with Kratos having exacted his revenge upon the previous god of war, Ares, and assumed his role on Mount Olympus. But even with all these newfangled godly powers, Kratos is unsatisfied. He continues to command the Spartan army and directs them to tear through the known world, conquering city after city. This utter disregard for the other citizens of Greece displeases the pantheon, and Kratos suddenly finds himself on the outs with the Olympians. Betrayed by Athena and seemingly killed by Zeus, Kratos is rescued by Gaia of the Titans, the old race that the gods felled to eventually take power on Olympus. Gaia instructs Kratos that his fate can be changed, but only if he can reach the ridiculously remote temple that houses the Sisters of Fate. What follows is an epic and daunting journey that has Kratos suffering through trials that make his last outing seem like a lighthearted romp in comparison.

You could easily tag God of War II as "more of the same," but while the game definitely feels familiar, there's more to it than just a simple rehash of what made God of War fun. Its tighter, more focused pacing and dedication to creating vast, memorable levels sets it apart from the last game and makes it a better overall experience. Simply put, it's easily one of the best action adventure games of the last console generation, and it even trumps much of what has been shown in the current generation. For fans of the first game, and fans of bloody, violent, exciting action in general, God of War II shouldn't be missed.

Left 4 Dead 2 Review

2009-12-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

The story, Last year Left 4 Dead unleashed a harrowing and entertaining vision of what it's like to be on both sides of the zombie apocalypse. Whether you were shooting your way through hordes of infected (the preferred nomenclature) en route to possible rescue, or scheming with your fellow superpowered zombies (an acceptable colloquialism) in an effort to choke, eviscerate, and otherwise kill the intrepid survivors, Left 4 Dead was enormously fun. The only real drawback was the shortage of content. Left 4 Dead 2 does not have this problem, offering five new campaign maps that can be enjoyed across five uniquely engaging game modes. These campaigns are more diverse, more atmospheric, and more exciting, thanks largely to the stellar level design. Left 4 Dead 2 also improves on the original in almost every other way, featuring new weapons, new items, new enemies, and new survivors that make the game richer across the board. Though the core action remains largely unchanged, the widespread enhancements make Left 4 Dead 2 even better than its impressive predecessor. This is one zombie apocalypse you do not want to miss.

Into these grim landscapes come four new survivors. This new crop is more lively and talkative than the first bunch, and Ellis' good-ol'-boy stories about crazy stuff that he and his buddy Keith did one time are bound to make you chuckle. There is a new crop of guns as well, including multiple versions of pistols, shotguns, submachine guns, and assault rifles. These different flavors go a long way toward spicing up the gunplay, but the standout new addition is the melee weapons. A fire axe, a crowbar, a cricket bat, and a frying pan are just some of the objects you can use to slice, bludgeon, and decapitate your enemies. They take the place of your secondary weapon, but you still have a sidearm you can whip out if you are incapacitated. Using these weapons forces you to get up close and personal with the infected, affording you a better view of the carnage but also putting you at higher risk. Still, nothing stops a horde like a katana-wielding survivor standing tall in a doorway. Melee weapons are a great new strategic asset and add a very enjoyable new dimension to combat.

Though it comes a mere one year after the original, Left 4 Dead 2 is a much better game and much better value. The new campaigns and unique game modes offer more variety and more longevity, while all the other additions and tweaks make the already great gameplay even more enjoyable. Even the AI has improved a little bit, and while they still aren't big on using pipe bombs or Molotovs and are prone to missteps, they seem to have a better grasp of tactics and will follow you a bit more closely. Still, Left 4 Dead 2 is best enjoyed with friends. Every mode allows two-player splitscreen and is seamlessly integrated online. Though the core gameplay remains pretty much the same, there is more than enough new content and improved action to make this zombie apocalypse highly recommendable.

Ninja Blade

2009-12-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

In action game lets you dress up in pink pinstripes before carving up hordes of gruesome mutants, you know it doesn't take itself seriously. Ninja Blade is such a game, but it's so ridiculously over the top, so rambunctiously insane, that it's hard not to get a total kick out of it. It's an uneven product, both technically troublesome and derivative to the bone. And yet Ninja Blade maintains a breakneck pace while throwing you into one preposterous scenario after another until you need to catch your breath, simply because the onscreen action is so absurdly dazzling--or because you're laughing too hard. So don't expect deep combat, extreme visual prowess, or a finger-breaking challenge. Instead, just prepare for lots of good, frivolous fun that will keep you entertained in spite of some technical flaws.

You should also prepare for more memorable moments than you can shake a katana at. Ken, the star of Ninja Blade, is so sensationally acrobatic that he makes Dante's antics in Devil May Cry seem practically mundane. During the course of the game, he'll sky-surf on missiles, perform gravity-defying stunts on a motorcycle, and ride a wrecking ball to glory, among many other gymnastic feats that would make even Ninja Gaiden's Ryu green with envy. These glitzy, cinematic scenes are laughably ludicrous, and yet they're an absolute hoot to watch and bound to get your pulse pounding. However, you aren't relegated to being a simple observer. Most of this visual insanity is accompanied by quick-time button events, which means that you'll need to keep your eyes glued to the screen even when you'd rather than sit back for a breather. A close-up of Ken's keen eye signals these events, so they'll never catch you off guard--and should you miss a button press, the scene will rewind (a cool-looking effect) and let you try again. Unfortunately, Ninja Blade's QTEs are all too frequent, taking up a huge chunk of gameplay time and all but requiring you to use a controller (hammering on keys and mouse buttons isn't very satisfying). These are fine-looking QTEs, but as well implemented as they are, the game relies on them so often that they become tedious after a while.

And then you have those unlockable costumes, a common extra found in these types of action games, but delivered here in an uncommonly hysterical manner. You can dress Ken up as an evil ninja and scowl while you play if you prefer, but for a curiously ridiculous treat, don the clown costume and mess around with its color scheme. Such a look doesn't befit a proper ninja, of course, but then again Ken does prefer to leap around Tokyo with flair, so unless you insist on high levels of seriousness in your ninja games, you'll enjoy kicking bad-boy butt in purple paisley. But even if you keep Ken looking prim and proper, Ninja Blade is so much fun you'll want to return once you've vaulted your way through the eight or nine hours it takes to complete it.

Even if the amount of content here doesn't rival what you can find in the best action games, Ninja Blade still delivers plenty of boisterous entertainment. This is derivate fun, delivered with panache and a touch of lunacy. While it suffers from a few too many technical flaws, Ninja Blade is still a blast to play.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Flutes and Choo Choo Trains

2009-11-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

The new look at The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks when we went to visit Nintendo's office, but now we have our own build to play with, and we're able to share a few more details about the game. We'll have more impressions late next week, but right now what we're allowed to share with you is Zelda's Spirit Flute, which is a pan flute that can be played by moving the stylus and blowing into the DS. The flute takes up both screens, and to play it, you use the stylus to slide the pipes left and right to align the right colored pipe to the yellow line. Colored notes will be displayed at the top screen, so you'll have to listen for the timing as well when you blow. It's as close as you can get to mimicking playing a real flute on the DS--it's just unfortunate that your DS doesn't have a spit valve. It's an interesting mechanic, and the first time we used it was to play a beautiful duet, so if you appreciate music and Koji Kondo's score, this is a lovely addition.

For those of you who are wondering about how the train works, we did get to travel across Hyrule a little bit on Link's locomotive. Using the touch screen, you pull levers to change the speed of the train or put it in reverse. Train stations are marked on your map, and you'll see them as they come up. You just have to use some finesse and park at the gate without overshooting it. Similar to how the ship works in Phantom Hourglass, you can set your route ahead of time and just let the train go on its own. However, there is wildlife to avoid on the tracks, so you need to periodically pull the chord to blow the train's whistle to scare cows or large spiders out of the way. Your train does have its own health meter, so it's not wise to leave it on autopilot. By mapping out your route ahead of time, you don't have to worry about switching tracks because it'll be set for you. The first time we got on board, however, we had to learn how to switch tracks manually as a test, as well as avoid other trains on the track. Riding the train is fun but sometimes you wish it had a fast-forward button. The bright side is that it beats making the trip on foot.

For more detailed impressions of the first few dungeons, check out our last preview here. Stay tuned for more updates on The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, which is set to come out on December 7.

Undead Knights Review

2009-11-21T01:48:00.000-08:00

These days, if you want to create instant fun, it seems as if the solution is to "just add zombies." Undead Knights for the PSP, from publisher Tecmo, takes this philosophy and runs with it by injecting a healthy dose of reanimated rotting corpses into mundane, screen-filling hack-and-slash action. The idea of transforming hordes of enemies into your own personal army of shambling doom is an intriguing one, but in the case of Undead Knights, the end result is little more than a Dynasty Warriors-style game sauteed in extra zombies.

You play as one of three pallid, undead warriors hell-bent on revenge. They were once loyal knights serving under King Gradis in the kingdom of Cavalier, but because the knights suspected the king's beautiful (and overly buxom) new queen of foul play and witchery, they are murdered at the behest of the king. After their deaths, a mysterious being known as "The Beast" offers to revive them as undead and grant them the power to turn their enemies into zombies under their control. Though there's a twist or two thrown in for good measure, the plot mostly serves as a straightforward excuse to make a soldier-slaying and zombie-making mess.

Undead Knights offers you three difficulty levels from the start, allowing you to go through any of its 20 chapters on "Hell" difficulty if they get too boring. It also has its own list of achievements (dubbed Revenge Titles) that unlock for such things as throwing a certain number of zombies, turning a certain number of soldiers or larger characters into zombies, destroying a certain number of structures, and the like. They've been given amusing names, too, with some favorites being "Boom Goes the Dynamite", "Tenacious Z" and "World's Greatest Boss" among others. The game allows you to revisit any chapter to improve your rankings and throws in three multiplayer modes for good measure as well. These are actually more interesting than the main game: One mode has you throwing zombies at a second player to see who can score the most hits; another has you racing through several areas before fighting to the death; and the last one is a token Survival mode. The amusement of chucking corpses at each other or pummeling each other after a race isn't necessarily worth playing through six hours of the single-player game just to unlock every multiplayer map, but it's nice to have these options.

There's nothing entirely terrible about Undead Knights, except for maybe the soldiers that infinitely spawn out of nowhere. It's just disappointing that the action remains so simple and unremarkable when many similar games exist for the PSP. This is especially true when you consider that creating a zombie army--its one leg up on such games as Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi--doesn't let you do anything much more exciting than demolish an iron gate.

Dragon Age: Origins v1.01b Patch

2009-11-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

From:Electronic Arts
Filename:DragonAge1.01b.exe
Size:15.6MB
Posted:Nov 18, 2009
Downloads:271

This patch includes bug fixes, easier easy difficulty, and more. Read the readme for details.

DOWNLOAD

Download Details
Patch details:

* fixed potential corruption of character statistics
* fixed portrait appearance sliders when importing a character from the
downloadable Character Creator
* fixed import for preset face settings from the downloadable Character
Creator
* made Easy difficulty easier
* slightly increased attack, defense, and damage scores for all party members
at Normal difficulty
* fixed video issues when running on a very wide screen display, including ATI
Eyefinity displays
* fixed an issue with Vista and Windows 7 Game for Windows Explorer
* fixed an issue with Dragon Age and Windows Game Explorer
* updated Visual C runtime libraries

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories Hands-On

2009-11-18T02:25:00.000-08:00

The original Resident Evil has already benefited from a remake (that originally appeared on the GameCube), and now, its survival horror rival, Silent Hill, gets in on the act with Shattered Memories. But Shattered Memories features more than just a visual upgrade over the original. In fact, not only have some aspects of the storyline been reworked, but many of the original's mechanics have also been completely changed to accommodate the Wii's control scheme.

The most significant of these changes has to do with the fact that Shattered Memories doesn't feature any sort of traditional combat. When Harry Mason--who ventures into Silent Hill to find his daughter after a sudden car accident--encounters enemies, his best strategy is to make a mad dash for the next room. If one of these enemies happens to get its creepy hands on him, you can make a motion with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to throw the enemy to the ground. The trick is that the motion required to fling these creatures depends on which position they grab you from--if they grab from the side, then you need to make a side motion; if they snatch you from the back, then you have to gesture a throwing move toward your body.

Many of the puzzles in Shattered Memories seem to revolve around numbers and deciphering codes, but there are quite a few that also involve simply finding a key to open a specific door. Additionally, Harry comes across a variety of mementos scattered and hidden throughout the different parts of town. In the early portions of the game, these mementos don't seem to serve any specific purpose aside from adding some background to the events transpiring in the game.

One thing we'll be interested to see pan out in the final version of Shattered Memories is the role of psychology. Near the beginning of the game, Harry finds himself in a psychologist's office discussing events that happened in Silent Hill. One of the very first things you do is take a psych test that asks some rather personal questions, and it isn't the last test you'll take. Later, you'll have to color in a picture and then rearrange a completely different set of pictures into one of two categories. Your answers on these tests inevitably affect things happening in the game. Needless to say, it adds an extra layer of weirdness to what is shaping up to be a supremely creepy game. Look for more on Silent Hill: Shattered Memories before its December 8 release on the Wii.

Assassin's Creed II Hands-On

2009-11-17T01:30:00.000-08:00

After two years in the development oven, Assassin's Creed II is finally ready to be served next month. To celebrate the game's completion, the development team from Ubisoft Montreal flew out to meet with us in Florence, which is the first city featured in the game. It was a no-holds-barred gameplay session--they let us tear through the first few hours of the game while remaining on hand to answer questions. The game is looking very impressive, with the new locations and the historically accurate setting, and the hours flew by as we played. But, before we begin our preview, here's a substantial SPOILER ALERT: This preview contains some major plot reveals from the beginning of the game.

As has already been revealed, ACII starts out almost immediately after the first game. You take control of Desmond moments after Assassin's Creed ends, and he's lying in his room when Lucy enters in a panic, covered in blood. She has just minutes to get Desmond onto the Animus, the machine that can visualise his genetic memories. This time, though, instead of heading back to the Third Crusade, he wakes up in Renaissance-era Italy. He is literally born as the new character Ezio Auditore, at which point you have to use the face buttons to kick your feet and shake your hands. Just as your father enters the room to meet his new son, Lucy is interrupted and you both have to escape from the lab.

Much has been made about the new setting of ACII, and as anyone who played the first game would expect, the environments look stunning. More than 30,000 images were taken of the real buildings in Italy, many of which have made it as textures in the finished game. The buildings are also much bigger than before, such as the Duomo in Florence, and many of the characters actually existed in the time the game is set. No attempt has been made to hide the seedier side of 15th-century life, either. Characters swear at each other and use extremely crass terminology, and you can hire prostitutes to distract enemies if you so desire.

Assassin's Creed II is set for release on November 20 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in the UK, November 17 in the states, and 2010 on the PC. We'll have a full review for you in the coming weeks.

Dragon Age: Origins

2009-11-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Incredible storytelling, great characters, and exciting battles are just a few of the things that make this fantasy role-playing game so extraordinary.

When was the last time you felt totally lost in a fantasy gameworld? When was the last time you played a game with such a well-crafted and enjoyable story that you knew you’d remember it for a long, long time? Dragon Age: Origins is that kind of game, so rich and involving that you are powerless to resist its wiles and whims, so touching and triumphant that your mind and heart will be moved. In the fictional land of Ferelden, you meet memorable characters and fight for a cause you believe in, and it's this backdrop that makes developer BioWare's newest role-playing game so extraordinary. Dragon Age is more than a well-crafted story, however: It's a lengthy, intricate, and thoroughly entertaining adventure that's easy to fall in love with.

Dragon Age's plot, which deals with the impending invasion of a horde of demonic creatures called the darkspawn, isn't where the story's biggest surprises lie. The shocks, the joys, and the disappointments spring from the repartee among a number of remarkable characters; they lurk within books of lore and stories of martyrs; and they burst forth during spine-tingling moments when you must choose from a selection of difficult choices that affect the tale's direction--and the way your associates interact with you. Ferelden is a colorful and fascinating kingdom that takes enough cues from well-known fantasy tropes to be familiar, but bends enough conventions to feel original. Dragon Age features dwarves, but their caste-based society and the social paragons that rise above it twist the norms enough to keep you intrigued. Mages remain under the constant watch of templars, a restriction that doesn't sit well with those who view such policing as virtual slavery. The role of religion in human circles is of particular note. Chantries provide refuge to those worshiping the all-powerful Maker, and chanters recite the holy word near their houses of prayer. But lest this world sound too serious, don't despair: One such disciple slides food references into her chant, and a few dwarves warn you not to fall into the sky. Small, humorous touches like this are plentiful. Even if you aren't the literary sort, Dragon Age may inspire you to read every note, every character bio, and every creature description, thanks to the richness of the world and the consistency with which it's presented.

You'll learn even more from the companions who join you, and you'll grow to care about them on your quest for glory. There's Morrigan, the cynical apostate mage bound to your cause for reasons that become clear only late in the journey; Sten, the strong, silent type who isn't so quick to reveal his innermost thoughts; and Zevran, a darkly mischievous would-be assassin with a wild streak and a playful disregard for the law. There are others too, including Alistair, a wisecracking, vaguely insecure member of the Grey Wardens, an elite group of champions that recruits you early on. Great dialogue and fantastic voice acting make these characters leap off the screen as if they were real friends, and the way they interact with one another feels authentic. Morrigan and Alistair banter about the role of templars in the lives of mages, and the sweetly devout Leliana tries to communicate with your trusty canine cohort in some amusing exchanges. You may even develop a romance (or two) before all is said and done. The course of love isn't always a smooth one, though it can be a bit steamy, in a PG-13 sort of way.

Final Fantasy XI: The Vana'diel Collection

2009-03-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

Final Fantasy XI: The Vana'diel Collection gives you an entire continent to explore, complete its own climates and kingdoms -- even monsters and dangers to face. Players return to the world of Vana'Diel, where you'll join other adventurers around the world for a massive-multiplayer online adventure. In the Great Crystal War, the forces of darkness were defeated, but they've regrouped and are now marching on the cities of Vana'diel. Create a Character and join the fight against an unspeakable evil. Free iTunes Collector's Card for a free music download from Final Fantasy Tunes

Dark-Warriors : STABLE Engine

2009-03-23T21:09:00.000-07:00

You stay awake at night wondering what it would be like to live the life of a Dark Warrior. Imagining the mystical creatures, battles and adventures you would experience and the many riches you would be rewarded with. As you continue to wonder, you look up to the night's sky and see a faint message written in the stars. It says "Join the elite, proud and strong Dark Warriors and you shall not be disappointed". Your destiny awaits...

You are The Manager

2009-03-23T00:02:00.001-07:00

Xpert Eleven is the game where you can challenge your friends in the noble art of coaching a football team. Get your friends together and create your own league system.

It is completely free to play Xpert Eleven. You can either create your very own league or join an existing league.

If you want a greater challenge you can join one of our official Xpert Leagues and try to make it to the Xpert Champions League and ultimately our Hall Of Fame. Show everybody who's the real Xpert!

We consider Xpert Eleven to be a social game that everybody can play. It's easy to play, but hard to master.

Create your own league and invite your friends, co-workers, classmates and anyone you want. Everybody can play the game. There are no limits for how many teams your league can contain. The league can have unlimited number of divisions.

The Xpert leagues are our official championship where you can show your skill as manager against the rest of the world. If you win the Xpert Champions League you will become a Hall-Of-Famer.

Welcome to The Travian

2009-03-22T23:31:00.000-07:00

Travian is a game using a browser that provide the world with thousands of other players. Starting with the lead a small village.

* No need to have downloaded, this game can be played directly.
* You play with thousands of other players in the ancient world.
* To build villages, trade with or battle other players.