Super Smash Bros Brawl is a Blast! - Review

By Eric Ha

Super Smash Bros. Brawl has been out for a few days and after having played it plenty of times, I'd have to say this is the best Super Smash Bros. yet. However, that doesn't mean everything feels improved over previous versions but almost everything is. I'm referring to the characters especially. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way about the characters they like to use. There is always some kind of change to your favorite character going from one installment to the next. It may be better and it may be worse.

One of my favorite characters from previous installments is Donkey Kong. He seems slower now and less effective than before. On the other hand, his charged up power punch can be released sooner like how it was in N64. Mario's water spraying fludd pack also seems useless to me for now until I figure out how to use it better. Bowser is now faster than in Melee and is actually fun to use. I'm sure there are a lot of character changes that you like or dislike, but I think we just have to get used to them again and we'll discover the new advantages that were added to each character.

A gameplay change that affected me in a major way is the lack of the ability to easily drop down from a platform while running. I enjoyed using this ability to drop down real quick to deceive the opponent into believing that I'm actually going down, but then I'll jump back up and attack. Throws are not as strong as before, so the focus wouldn't be on trying to grab all the time like I did with Melee. These changes may be to balance gameplay, but I sure do miss them.

There are now tons of items you can use to your advantage. We all know about the final smash ball that gives you a tremendous advantage over your opponents. Depending on who you use, the final smash can be fatal. Link can take care of you quickly if you get caught in his triforce attack. The fun part is when everyone is fighting for the ball and you are the one that gets it. If someone else gets it though, it's cheating and not so fun. There is also a clock that slows down time, an assist trophy that spawns a helper to fight for you and a whole lot more items to affect gameplay.

Characters are abundant now so you can always find someone you like to play as. There are many to choose from in the beginning and many to unlock. The new characters are balanced and fit well into the game and the veteran fighters went through some changes for better or worse like I mentioned. Each character is different and have their ups and downs. You'll have to get used to the characters' moves and find out the advantages and disadvantages of each move so you'll know when to execute and when and what your opponent will execute.

The graphics are better of course, but not by much. Sometimes the game will even remind you of Melee especially if you play in a Melee level. The stages and the characters are more detailed and you'll see cool effects that's not possible in Gamecube during a final smash. Super Smash Bros. Brawl will definitely remind you of Melee, but there are enough changes and enhancements in graphics and gameplay that you'll know you're playing Brawl.

Multiplayer is a feature that wasn't available in previous Smash Bros versions and is a blast to play in Brawl. You can now test your skills against the world and see how good you really are. There are plenty of good players out there that can humble you. You can easily find friend codes on the internet if you don't have many friends. Lag can sometimes be a problem when someone has a slow connection and that's when you're not able to play at your best. The positive is that if you lose, you can blame the lag.

Besides playing with your friends through friend codes, you can also let the system search out a match for you. This is great for people with no friends or for older folks who are too embarrassed to ask friends for friend codes. One feature I wish they would have added is online tournaments. This feature would make it easier for friends to set up tournaments without leaving their homes. Tournament is available in offline mode however, but who goes out these days when you can easily communicate over the internet? I'm joking, but tournament on Nintendo WFC would be icing on the cake.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a great game and one of the best on the Wii. It can be a great party game or even to play alone with all the unlockables and Nintendo WFC. It's not a dramatic upgrade over Melee but it's enough to warrant a purchase. The Nintendo WiFi mode alone automatically makes this game a must have. Add in all the cool new characters, levels and items, plus enhanced graphics and this game will be a solid fighter that will last for several years just like the previous Super Smash Bros. games. Melee was already great and you can't go wrong building on that and you can't go wrong buying Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

By Eric Ha at nHotspot.net, a Nintendo WiFi Games Site Get Super Smash Bros. Brawl Friend Codes

Xbox 360 Live Call of Duty 4 Builds Relationships

By David W Miller

This past Christmas my son's purchased me an Xbox 360 and the Call of Duty game as a gift. My son's are all older and living across the country and this has been a great way for us to spend quality time together on Xbox live. I am really amazed at how we are able to play people from around the world and build friendships. I enjoy meeting and making new friends and this has been a great opportunity to meet people.

There is no visual contact with the persons you are playing, only speech. This really breaks down any barriers and you are able to see the person for what he is and not what he looks like. These guys could be people you would see in line at the grocery store and not give the time of day too. I enjoy playing with a person from El Salvador whom speaks very good English. I play daily with a soldier in the army whom was wounded in Iraq and is now recuperating in Germany. I have met numerous guys in the UK and we have become great friends.

As I am older (in my 50's) I enjoy playing with guy's from all walks of life. I play daily with two guy's from Wisconsin who live on dairy farms and in the process have learned much about the dairy industry. It has been a great way to build relationships and continue to learn. I would encourage you to checkout the fun and comrades across the world.

More Info on Xbox Live Friendships More Info on Xbox Live Pedophiles

How Guitar Hero For Wii Changed Family Friday Nights

By Chris Copeland

For almost three whole months, all I ever heard was "can we get a Wii, please?" You see I have a family of three kids and the oldest even had the little one begging for it. I hesitated for a long time as I didn't want them simply laying around a TV all day with a little controller in there hand when they could be outside having real fun instead. Before long, Christmas rolled around and that's when we decided to go ahead and get a Wii console for the kids as it would still let them be somewhat active as it seemed more interactive than simply pushing a few buttons and besides, we would make it a family game instead of someones personal entertainment console.

The first game we had actually came with the Wii console itself and was the sports package. This game turned out to be a real blast at family time as we could make some hot dogs and pop some popcorn and have our own little bowling tournaments and such. My middle child that has an age difference of about 5 years to her older sibling actually got so good at it, that she started beating him. It was really exciting to see how they interacted and was relating to each other. It actually started bringing them closer together with the friendly and sometimes not so friendly competition.

We soon found out though, that as with most sports (either real or virtual) you either like it and it sticks with you or it becomes old and boring and soon forgotten or never to be played again. Thus, Wii Sports went by the wayside into that unplayed bin of games that never fails to accumulate. I still like it though so it does see some action still these days. We started looking around some more for different games that we might all still enjoy together and that's when we stumbled onto Guitar Hero.

This game has truly revolutionized our Friday nights as we now know it. It took a little getting used to but soon my son and I were playing on the more difficult levels and actually trading secrets on how to hit those notes that seem to be flying at you. Now, instead of taking the family to the movies or heading out to dinner and spending close to a hundred dollars every Friday, we hold our own little mini-concerts in the comfort of our own home and only end up denting the budget for about twenty dollars with a much needed and aligned Friday nights together and some simple fast food. Besides, who has time to cook when you can be heating up the guitar instead.

Chris is a Guitar Hero For Wii fanatic who's family has turned into a bunch of Guitar Hero 3 Wii junkies.

Futurama Playstation 2 (PS2) Game Review

By Y Stapleton

Based on the TV series, the Futurama video game has all your favorite characters, Bender, Fry, Lela, Professor Zoidberg and more, with voice overs from the original cast.

Gameplay:

The game starts out in the hangar at Planet Express as you play as Fry, on the look out for missing tools for Professor Zoidberg. Search the hangar, offices, corridors, avoiding electrical wires, perform some platform jumping, collecting cash and filling up on extra health from the "Slurm" vending machines, and find the hidden key card to unlock doors. Fry starts out with a hammer on this level, but works up to some cooler, more powerful guns throughout the game.

Head underground into the Sewers, where as Fry you have to kill mutants, underwater snakes with one eye, and pipe tentacles with your laser gun and avoid the deadly sewer canals whilst jumping over crates to cross to other areas. Shoot crates for cash and ammo.

Go through the Mine Facility as Bender, defending yourself against robots with his twirl attack, sliding lunge, collecting power-up crystals and avoiding the heat blades on the conveyor belt. In Run Bender Run, head into the mine shaft and run for your life to avoid a giant boulder coming up behind you, whilst jumping over caverns, collecting your crystals, and dodging barrels.

Or as "one-eyed" Leela in Market Square, you get to fight with your punch and kick attacks against skeletons, avoid the crazy bombers which will try and blow you up, solve codes in the puzzle rooms, by stepping on the correct tiled squares in sequence on the floor. Collect gold bars by destroying objects.

There are plenty more levels to explore, and when you reach the last level in Fry Fight's Back, you battle against the "Destructor", the big boss robot with his one arm missile launcher. Before you meet Destructor, you have to search through various corridors for the last lot of keycards. Dodge some spinning blades and gas vents, hide in the crevices as you dodge a couple of huge laser machine guns, destroy some half-bodied robots and work out some numbered codes to unlock your master laser weapon. You then meet the Destructor for the final showdown. He shoots missiles, lasers and then stands still while his stomach opens and you are attacked by flies. Avoid his firepower and get him in the belly where it hurts enough times and "yay", you've saved the planet and get to watch the final movie scene.

All up the game has 21 levels, there are heaps of items to collect throughout, find switches and credit cards to unlock doors, solve an array of puzzles, but more importantly, destroy the bad guys! Each character has their own weapon/attacks/health power-ups and you get to travel through some other amazing levels, from Red Rock Creek, Old New York, the Junkyard, Temple Courtyard, Red Light District and more. Other baddies include rock monsters, swordsmen, weasels, lava monsters, evil cactus, and sentry's to name a few. There's also plenty of slick Futurama-style humor to keep you laughing.

Extras: If you collect all nibblers (creatures in cages) in each level you also get to unlock movies, music and characters. There's a total of 20 minutes worth of unlocked movie footage never seen. You can also switch from first to third person view anytime during the game, and there are cameras for viewing other areas in each level.

Summary:

Number of Players: 1

Graphics:

Animated and resembles same as in the TV show. Good colour, with darker areas that set the scene.

Controls:

The controls are okay, but the side view movement can be a bit tight during the game when turning around.

Fun-factor:

9/10 - Overall, really enjoyed this game and there's a good variety of action and puzzle solving to get through. I would recommend this video game for kids and adults if you enjoy the Futurama TV show, as you'll definitely get some value out of it.

http://www.totalgamestoys.com.au http://www.oztion.com.au/shop/TotalGamesToys.aspx

Eye for Design - Game Review, Download, Tips and Tricks

By Vasily Demyanik

Today let's look into a new design game Eye for Design - the latest title developed by Techfront and published by Sandlot Games.

Speaking about the task, your point is to help Halle - a young talented designer who's just graduated from the design academy to meet all the whims of her customers and get to the top of the business.

Similarly to many designing games, Eye for Design features funny cartoon graphics and amusing soundtrack. Moreover, this game will introduce you to a bunch of lovely characters. Just like in other games created by Sandlot, all customer types are very realistically and ironically depicted (you're going to design interior for students obsessed with video games, hippies that cannot stand anything new and fashionable, cowboys, Adams-like families etc.).

Basically, your task is to place furniture items from the obligatory and optional lists on the available spots in a room. But there are few things for you to remember:

1. Each customer has their whims. Some of your customers would like "oldie" or cowboy-style furniture even though it looks ugly. But as you know, a customer is always right; so be sure to pick a cowboy-style interior elements out of all the furniture items available. So, just like in Wedding Dash, you'll have to read the wishes of your customers in the beginning of each level carefully.

2. There will be 3 types of goals for you. You'll have to achieve the required goals by placing the furniture items highlighted in orange in your list. Those are obligatory items required to reach the minimum score. Optional elements are highlighted in blue. They will boost your score significantly. And the third - hidden goal is what you achieve when you fulfill customer's wishes.

3. If you earn silver trophy for every room in the house, you'll unlock bonus round where you'll be able to decorate the room to your heart's content.

4. Colors. You will be able to change colors of the furniture, but you have to be pretty careful with the palette. Try to choose two colors that complement each other and look nice together. Use them for the furniture for a better score. Don't stick to a solid color and don't make the furniture too multicolored.

5. Start to work on interior design with the most useful items (like a bed for a bedroom, dining table for a kitchen). Once you place them right, you'll see the logics of interior design: a nightstand goes by the bed, a TV set should be in front of a couch or chairs, a chair should stand next to a desk etc.)

6. Even if you have scored enough to go to the next room in the house, be sure to click Accessories tab and decorate the room with extra pictures, mirrors, carpets, lamps etc. They will never reduce your score. Keep your customer's wishes in mind while accessorizing the room.

Speaking about the drawbacks of the game I would admit its somewhat repetitive background melody.

And as always, I appreciate the titles that blend different game-play mechanics (not only object placing puzzles). It would be nice to see some mini-puzzles, like point-and-click or hidden object in the game.

For more in-depth reviews, downloads and tips on family-friendly games of all genres please visit http://blog.gameglamour.com - a resource created for casual game fans by casual game fans.

Morrowind Game Of The Year

By Stephanie Haile

Morrowind is a fantasy adventure RPG offered on the XBox gaming system and PC. In the video games and gaming world, Morrowind is a best of all game. Hours and Days of replay value and excitement await you as you delve deeper into the land of Vardenfell, on the Island of Morrowind.

After loading screen and going through the cool intro, you choose a name and listen to Jiub, you begin on a ship and beginning tutorial is provided. From the dock, you choose to be one of the 10 races and continue with guards to the census office where you have many options for "class".

Morrowind's choice of "Class" is defined as your style of play such as combat specialist, magic specialist, or stealth specialist with sub classes, and melding of classes.

Knights aren't just pure combat specialists, they can enchant equipment and cast restoration spells.

A witch hunter does not need to be just a magic user they also can be adept fighters with ranged weapons or staves.

Spellswords are exceptional magic users and fair me lee fighters that can augment themselves to do Titan-like damage.

Nightblades are the ultimate in thieving. They use the illusion of invisibility, alteration of undetectability, and can be virtually untouchable.

A Battlemage is a Spellsword on steroids. Basically their magic is almost entirely damage oriented. The weapons the Battlemage uses, like the Ax, does uber damage.

Healers are just as the name implies. They heal others as well as themselves but also hold their own as excellent hand to hand combatants. Morrowind is a totally different game played as a healer and is very challenging. The utmost challenge if you don't glitch. Glitching basically nullifies all class restrictions.

Monks use no swords and wear very little, if any, armour. They rely on hand to hand combat with blunt weapons such as staves and hammers. Restorative spells augment their hand to hand combat. Monks are a fun challenge to be played as a beast race.

The agent is for lack of a better destination, a great spy. They were born with a silver tongue, sneaky individuals that use illusion spells to augment their charms. Are able to conquer beasts to assist their fighting. The agent needs not carry any weapons as he can manifest them out of thin air.

The other classes are very specialized with little room for customization. They are fun but more challenging. Here is a short list of the other classes: Acrobat, Archer, Assassin, Barbarian, Bard, Crusader, Mage, Pilgrim, Rogue, Scout, Sorcerer, Thief, and Warrior.

Creating a custom class is also an option and a great way to continue Morrowinds "play your own way" feel. Morrowinds replay value can't be beat by any game except other Elder Scrolls games. Morrowind was chosen as game of the year by Gamespy and Gamespot in 2002 and voted RPG of the year by XBox magazine. "Each event is preceded by a prophecy, but without the hero, there is no event." Zurian Articus.

Stephanie Haile enjoys teaching new people to the Internet how to navigate and become comfortable with their computers. She is a business owner, wife, mom, pet lover, video gamer, and beach enthusiast who writes, reads, and helps others create a residual income for financial stability. Google Stephanie Haile and get in touch or give her a call and find out about how her business can help you! 321-745-6202 Stephanie Haile AKA Wavecritter http://www.VideoGamesAndGaming.com http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com/VideoGamesAndGaming http://www.TheLoneBlog.com

Postman Pat for DS - Review

By Shelby Cunningham

First impression: The first thing that attracted me to this game was that it was for ages 3+. What 3 year old can handle playing video games on a Nintendo DS? They don't have the motor skills yet!

The game: That being said.. this is a British game for younger children. The music was actually good for once! I had some hope that the game would be good as well. And it was actually pretty good! I didn't play too far into it (I failed at the 4th or 5th task somehow.. ) but I can tell that children would really like it. It has cute cartoon characters and little animals and such.

You do little tasks for Postman Pat like finding his missing kitty in the house by touching on places that he could be hiding, and stamping letters for him at the post office.

The directions aren't the best. I got confused during the letter stamping part. Having an adult there to help the child might be a good idea. Also for American children, some of the language is a bit different than what we're used to. He uses terms like "franking" the envelopes. I can guess what that means... but a child probably won't be able to figure it out.

I went back and played the game again, having failed so early on the first time. This time I finished easily, I just had to read the instructions better.

Pros of the game: It is a good children's game overall. You can do story mode where you go through the story and play the games in a row, and it saves your progress which is nice. So you can play a couple and go back and start where you stopped before. It reads like a children's book, with Postman Pat reading the text to you. Very well produced in that way. You can also play practice mode where you go directly to the different games separately.

Cons of the game: There are only 10 games in the story. I went through the entire game in less than 45 minutes, and I had to restart a couple of the games a few times. A smart kid could get through that entire game in an hour and probably wouldn't want to go back to it again.

Conclusion: This is still a good game for children. If you child gets through things quickly and then gets bored you may not want to get this one, but try renting it or borrowing it from someone.

Good music and graphics (for a children's game) and an actual storyline that they might be interested in made this game worthwhile for kids. Still not sure about thee 3+ part, but maybe for 6 or 7 year olds. I'll give Postman Pat a 5!

DSmaster is a blog on Wordpress that gives all kinds of reviews on all kinds of Nintendo DS games. If you are looking for more reviews like Postman Pat, then visit DSmaster

Petz Bunnyz For Nintendo DS

By Shelby Cunningham

First impressions: Cutest bunny graphics ever! Well maybe not.. but as far as petz games go.. cutest one I've seen! The cover of the game just has real bunnies on it.. which made me think "eh.. boring.. they didn't try very hard with that.." but the game itself looks so different from that.

Game: Once you've picked out and named your new pet rabbit.. then brushed it, fed it, held it and carried it around with your super long arm (why??), taken it out of the cage into the house, cleaned the cage and trained it.. there isn't much to do.. and all of those things happen really fast in game play.

I chose a white Norwegian Dwarf rabbit and named it Fluff. Then I brushed it and held it.. took it out of the cage to watch it hop around a room.. fed it.. trained it (but I wasn't sure what I was training it to do.. that part was a bit confusing) and cleaned the cage. After that I looked around the menus a bit trying to find something else to do with my pet.. but found nothing and saved the game and quit.

I wish the menus did not take up the entire bottom screen. For some reason that bugged me. I would rather it have a pull down menu like Petz Horsez and have the animal on the bottom screen. Just seems like the main focus of the game (the rabbit..) isn't treated as the main focus as far as screen use goes.

I will turn the game on again and try to train it some more.. you get rewards (toys and decorations) for training the better your bunny gets.

As far as wi-fi.. h'm not sure I'll be able to test that because I don't know of anyone else who owns this game or would buy it! Definitely a niche game for younger kids. But with Wi-fi you can play games and visit your friend's bunnies.

Conclusion: I give it a 5. It's cute as far as the Petz games goes.. but you can't do much with it.. and what good is spending $29.99 on a game that you can't do much with?

Shelby is an author for dsmaster, a blog on wordpress that gives great reviews on the newest and hottest games for Nintendo DS. See http://dsmaster.wordpress.com for more awesome reviews!

Mystery Dungeon - Shiren the Wanderer

By Shelby Cunningham

First Impressions: Hmm... this seems somewhat familiar, somewhat ancient in my vast ocean of memories. Yes, it's very similar to an old PC game called Hack, and more recently called Nethack! You hack your way through increasingly tough monsters and find tons of cool items and random subquests along the way. Hack was wayy to hard though, so... this is schweeet!

The game: Shiren the Wanderer, you start out with nothing (unlike nethack), but once you go on a few adventures and save things in the warehouses then you will always have something to start with. This way you can also create really powerful weapons by upgrading them every time you go on an adventure but leaving them in the warehouse. So yeah, there are lots of weapons, scrolls, jars (they hold items for you when your inventory is stuffed), shields, armbands, and lots of riceballs! You have you eat or you might die from hunger.

The coolest thing about Shiren is the WiFi feature. This game really does have the best WiFi feature of any DS game yet. Whenever an adventurer dies they can choose to use one of their three rescue requests. Then someone else finds their rescue request on the server and goes on an adventure to rescue them. After the rescue is complete the rescuer usually gets a reward, and this makes a really interesting way to get new items from other players. You can also send a short message like "Would you send me a weapon?". Or just... " : ) " Anyway that's really cool. I have just been rescuing people nonstop and I get showered with presents and thanks, it makes me feel good. The only problem with trying to be rescued is that it may take a while for someone to rescue you, especially if you went to one of the last floors.

Other than that, your main goal is to get through Tabletop Mountain. There are also some sidequests like these 50 puzzle games where you get an item for each puzzle you complete. So far none of them have been too difficult. I have done 30 of them. Then there's a guy in a village that claims to be your brother and will actually join your party depending on what you do and say. You can use extra party members in different ways. The worst part is having to feed them though. I couldn't deal with that. They're like, "I want a rice ballllll!". Then, five steps later they say "Oh, I can't move any more I give up". Seeeeeya seeeya seeya......

Conclusion: Great game! If anyone has played Nethack, I'm sure they will find some enjoyment with this game. The WiFi features are awesome and so is the rest of the game. I want to give this game a 10 so bad but... My 10 is reserved for a game that changes my life, haha. So Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer gets a 9!

If you get stuck playing Shiren the Wanderer and need rescuing, Kindly Old Man will rescue you! kindlyoldman@gmail.com For more video game reviews visit http://dsmaster.wordpress.com

Animal Crossing Wild World For Nintendo DS Review

By Shelby Cunningham

First impression: Well, when I got my DS Animal Crossing Wild World was the only game I owned for a month.. so I had to like it... And (luckily)I really really did like it! I love that you have a town that you get to run around and make friends and money and plant flowers in.

The game: Like I said, you have a town that you live in (with up to three other people in your home) and you get to name the town and move into it. Your town has a river and a beach/shore as well as fruit trees, other people in homes, a town hall with a post office, town gates (for leaving and visiting), a museum, a clothing shop and an all-in-one shop.

First thing to do in Animal Crossing Wild World you have to go work for Tom Nook, the guy at the all-in-one shop.. which is sort of a pain.. but you can't get around doing it unless you never ever set foot into his shop, which is kind of hard.. I thought about never going in the second time I set up a town.. just because it's such a hassle to do all of his errands for him..

As far as plants and other life: I get kind of tired of weeding the town and keeping it super clean.. but if you don't do it, the town becomes one solid weed patch. I like how you can get fruit from other towns and plant it and have other fruit trees in your own town. You just have to get out and go to another town!

For a while I was addicted to making snowmen so that they would send me snowman presents. You just roll two snowballs around until they're big enough and push them together.. but if you do a bad job they get a bit upset and angry. Lately I've lost my talent for making good snowmen, so I haven't been making as many. I wonder what spring will bring once the snow melts?

You have to make money to pay off your mortgages so you can get a bigger house and a bigger mortgage. This latest town I made I haven't been paying off my mortgage very fast.. but I figured it can't hurt anything much.

Making money! It's super easy! Fishing is easy, and so is fruit gathering. Or you can be the town bum and everyone will give you stuff constantly that you can sell for money.. Also digging up fossils is good.. Once you donate so many the museum gets full and if they already have a fossil you can sell it for a nice chunk of money. Or if you're really bored you can shake trees and smash rocks with shovels for money that might pop out..

I love getting mail, but usually it's pretty boring stuff unless you have other people living in your house mailing you presents and stuff. I also love giving other animal characters new catch phrases.. but just be warned that they delete/bleep any bad words you might use.. although not all of them.. Right now all of my people say "hooty hoo" just like the museum owl.

Changing your clothes constantly is also fun. I tend to get attached to outfits though.. Last time I had a red and orange kimono and an old fashioned space helmet and an umbrella with hearts on it.. Now i have a military uniform dress and a halo with a masquerade mask and a giant leaf umbrella. I think I'll stick with that one for now.

Conclusion: I give Animal Crossing Wild World a 9. There isn't much to be said that hasn't already been said about this particular game.. It's just a good game! Addictive and fun, even if you play too much and get burned out.. you eventually go back to it. I do wish there was an option to visit any open town.. rather than having to have a friend code.. that would be so much more fun.

DSmaster is a blog on Wordpress that writes lots of reviews on the hottest and newest Nintendo DS games. If you want to find more reviews like Animal Crossing Wild World then visit DSMaster!

Boxhead - The Zombie Wars Review

By Shaun Mcgarry

The Boxhead series has pretty much been the same the whole way through. Kill zombies. Only a few things has changed since the beginning. The introduction of a health bar instead of a 'one hit and you're dead' system and the introduction of new enemies such as the demon. Boxhead: The Zombie Wars follows in the same way. New features, better graphics and more weapons. Let's begin.

Boxhead: The Zombie Wars is the fifth game in the flash series. You still have your favourite weapons from the previous games and the addition of a few more. They are a mounted turret that you put down and they shoot the enemies for you. A barricade that just protects you. An interesting feature of this is the fact it has its own health bar. So does the turrets. A minigun that fires bullets extremely fast. Grenades that you throw at the zombies and kill them and airstrikes, well I actually haven't ever gotten this far but the description says it devestates masses of zombies in a single blow. Wow! For those who haven't played any of the other Boxhead games, here are the descriptions for the rest of the weapons. The pistol is a basic weapon with unlimited ammo. The shotgun is stronger but has limited ammo. The barrels explode when shot at. The rocket launcher fires rockets (My personal favourite!). Unfortunately the Uzi isn't present in this game but it is replaced by the minigun which is about a hundred times better!

There are multiple types of zombies. Normal zombies which are weak and have no special abilities. They just walk towards you. The mummies that appear out of the ground. The runners which run after you. The demons that shot massive fireballs at you. Please avoid him! The vampires that can teleport around the course and hit you anywhere.

The graphics have had a HUGE revamp from the previous games. Before they were just bright and blocks and now its actually outside with trees and rocks and grass!

There are 4 difficulty levels from beginner to nightmare. The difficulty levels just start you off at a higher level and a higher score multiplier. When you kill an enemy the multiplier goes up one and it slowly goes down. It goes down faster the more of the multiplier you have.

There are really any flaws. I really only noticed a funny bit with the character. His head slightly tilts to the left and it makes him look funny! :)

To sum it up, Boxhead: The Zombie Wars is a great game to play if you have the chance. It is at the Official Boxhead website so go check it out and look at the other Boxhead games! I'll give it a 9.5/10!

See you later!

-Shaun McGarry

Console Abuse - Abusing Consoles

Mario Kart Wii - Ready To Push The Envelope

By Scott Hilburn

So what is the Mario game for the Nintendo Wii? It's Mario Kart Wii. For some, this game is described as Nintendo's best, while others claim that it is too complicated.

Personally, I think the ability to race up to 12 people online makes the game so much more fascinating. There is some great competition out there that you need to take seriously.

Before you start playing online, it is a good idea to practice Mario Kart Wii on an offline mode. That way you can pick up on how the game is played, strategies, and build confidence in your abilities.

The nice thing about playing offline is that you can practice the same playing styles that you would online. It's a good idea to become accustomed to the character and the kart that you are going to race with before you compete online.

If you want some great strategies to win your race, keep reading!

1. Just so you know there are various places where you can get speed boosts. If you need to hold a drift, the best places are in corners. A great way to get speed boosts is to stunt jump or do wheelies as often as you can. Hitting power ups is also a good technique to use.

2. If you are in the lead you need to be aware of Blue Shells. When these bad boys hit you, you automatically lose 5 seconds, and sadly, there isn't too much you can do to prevent it. However, you are given some warning before one hits you. In this case, you should try to slow down and in the process wipe out as many of your competitors. The best way to do this is to drive with the A button held down.

3. One great technique is to position yourself in second place up until the very end. With this in mind, you can overtake the number one position without having too many Blue Shells.

4. The best advice is to enjoy your Mario Kart Wii! Hopefully we see each other online.

Learn more about Mario Kart Wii and the Mario Kart Franchise. http://www.KartBargains.info/mariowii.html

Mario Kart - The Original Series

By Scott Hilburn

Crazy enough, I remember when Super Mario Brothers first came out on the original Nintendo system. Because I loved this game so much, I followed Nintendo's newest games and systems.

One of the reasons why I enjoy Mario Kart is the fact that I get to play with familiar characters, but with much better technology and graphics. I thought it was so fun to play against my friends on the multi-player maps.

If you are a Mario Brothers fan, you will be familiar with Mario Kart's characters: Mario, Luigi, Wario, Bowser, Princess Toadstool, along with others.

The Mario Kart characters race in go-karts. It sounds really simple, right? It is so fun though.

Each go-cart has its own racing capabilities and style. And my favorite aspect of all of this is the chance to compete.

Most modes have the ability to have at least 4 people play. This game carried on to the next couple of game systems, including Nintendo 64 and the Gamecube. Some versions of the game are also available for Gameboys.

When Mario Kart became available on Wii, I thought I died and had gone to heaven. For some, it may be pretty surprising to see that this game has been so popular for so many years. For me, it is like playing with old friends. It is not surprising at all that Mario and his friends have passed the test of time.

So, as newer technology comes out on the market it is quite fascinating to see younger generations pick up on the love of this game.

Looking for more information? http://www.KartBargains.info/mariosuper.html

Beetle Bug 3 Game Review

By Ruff Bismonte

The Beetle Bug 3 game coming from casual game developers Intenium is a Platformer game adventure featuring the famous Irish insect, Beetle Bug as he tries to save his bug-napped children from the clutches of enemy fly swatters. Well, yes, I did realize that it's really one absurd story, but I liked it anyway, and it effectively opened up Beetle Bug 3's long platform-style puzzle adventure.

The story behind Beetle Bug 3 opens up as our insect hero was tasked by his wife to buy some supplies in the supermarket. Joined by 2 bugs from his thousands of sons and daughters, Beetle Bug was surprised afterwards when he found out that the rest of his family had been bug-napped! Well, not entirely all because his irate wife is still safe, but since he doesn't want to experience again the pressure of making another set of children, Beetle Bug goes off to the rescue, while utilizing a number of tools they get to discover along the way.

Just like its predecessor, the Beetle Bug 3 game plays just like a Pacman-style adventure where you're objective is to save all of Beetle Bug's children by leading them safe to the nearest exit. You'll be able to use some nifty tools too to help you out, but always keep in mind that all the tools are also limited in use. Enemies are also present to prevent you from saving your precious children but nothing good planning and wise tool usage can easily solve. Basically, you just have to protect the little bugs, plan your every move, and utilize quick thinking too and you're all set to finish the game. However, that's also easier said than done since the vast number of platform puzzles can also take its toll on the old noggin'.

The Review

The Beetle Bug 3 game easily proves that Intenium games had really put in a great production value into their casual game releases. The 3D graphics are very nice on this release and the game play is very smooth too even though you're using mouse actions to move Beetle Bug around the play area. And coupled with such a funny storyline, I'm really impressed and honestly, I think that Beetle Bug 3 is one of the best platformer casual games that I've played in a while since Super Granny 4.

This game doesn't even deliver less when it comes to challenge because I actually found myself stuck many times on most of the game's puzzles. The difficulty can get quite frustrating too though because if you ran out of lives, you'll have to contend with starting the game all over again. And considering if you're already on the later levels, this can be such a pain too.

In terms of audible quality, the Beetle Bug 3 game features great action sounds as well as many amazing voice-overs. Beetle Bug's many comments and quips during play are so funny that I bet you'll smile just even once when you play this game. I guess that the translations and quality of voice talents can use some work though, but that's really not enough of a complaint to warrant me having less fun with this game.

All in all, the Beetle Bug 3 game is fun and challenging and it's definitely worth your try even for the free trial mostly offered on casual game titles. It has such a hilarious storyline and I bet you'll crack up too on many of our hero's wacky quotes during the smooth flow in game play.

I had always loved playing games and this simple review is really my own way of giving back to the Casual Gaming community of developers, gamers and fans alike. For more Casual Game Reviews like this, please do visit my blog as we feature reviews on many of today's newest and hottest Casual Games. The blog is updated everyday and you guys will definitely find it a good resource on game reviews and free downloads of many Casual Game titles. And don't forget to subscribe to our RSS feed too, since reading our everyday service is way much easier that way! ;-) So, I hope to see you guys there as we go on spreading Casual Games to the world. Happy gaming and many thanks for viewing this article! :-)

Resident Evil 5 Review

By Nikhil Mahajan

Resident Evil 5, the sequel to Resident Evil 4, is the fifth game in the series. It is currently under development but people have started talking of it. What did they heard about it? Not much about the Resident Evil 5 has been yet revealed by its developer CapCom. Few details have been released about the game. The concept is believed to be similar to Black Hawk Down. The gameplay as announced by the producer, Jun Takeuchi, will be similar to Resident Evil 4. Then what else will be included in the Resident Evil 5.

It is the most anticipated game of the year and it is not going to be released in 2008 too. Resident Evil 5 was announced in 2005 but its release date is pushed forward sometime in 2009. Developers had also stated that the darkness concept of Resident Games will diminish. Players can hunt zombies in the sparkling light instead of the dark. This will be a totally new concept in the series to be introduced through Resident Evil 5. Besides zombies, two new enemies will also be introduced in the game. They will be different from zombies and ganados in the sense that they will posses more intelligence and weapons than their predecessors.

The plot of the Resident Evil 5 will be set in an Africa. First human being was originated in Africa. But in game, Africa will be shown as the land where viruses were originated. Resident Evil 5 will also feature improved graphics and lightening effects. Players can go outside at different moments of the day as well as in different weather conditions. Player's ability to work in light and darkness will be based on the real human ability to work under such conditions. In Resident Evil 5, player will take sometime to adjust accordingly as the humans do.

Resident Evil 5 gameplay and controls are highly based on the Biohazard 4. Capcom will announce latest news about the game at E3 conference that is going to be held in July, 2008. There have been issues associated with the Resident Evil 5. Controversies became part of it before it is released. Resident Evil 5 came under the controversy of racial discrimination. Criticizers concerns about how white man is shown as the hero while black zombies in the African village. They believe that it is not zombie shown as black but the black Africans shown as zombies which really looks to be.

I think Resident Evil 5 like previous Resident Evil games will be a major hit for the Capcom. The game will surely demonstrate itself. Resident Evil 5, after being released, will be acclaimed by many reviewers and criticizers despite of few controversies that will become its forgotten past. I also believe that the issues of racial discrimination shown in Resident Evil 5 will just let the world know what's all happening in Africa and how the people are being treated there. We all know how dodgy AIDS or HIV could be, and through Resident Evil 5 developers have made the efforts to show the same thing. So I give full marks to the Resident Evil 5 for the efforts that it will be making to raise the personal standards of the people of Africa directly or indirectly. I hope Resident Evil 5 proves to be super hit.

By Nikhil Mahajan, Resident Evil 5 Review

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Personal Review

By Michael Aulia

It's been a while since I've played Rainbow Six Vegas (the first one) on my PC. I was still using my old video card, GeForce 6600GT back then with low to medium graphics settings :) It was quite a cool game but got repetitive afterwards. Find an enemy, hide, and shoot from your hide-out. Go to the next room and repeat. So I was quite excited that they've made the second one. While Rainbow Six Vegas 2 has the same kind of formula, it's an under estimation to say Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is the same like its predecessor. Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is an FPS (First Person Shooter) game. You are the leader of a small team (a 3-man team) of an international special force organization called Rainbow Six.

You can issue simple commands to your team (Go to a certain location, stacking up on doors preparing for an entry, throwing grenades at a certain point, etc) but it will be very minimal and if you really up to a challenge, you can simply ask your team to "Hold position" and do your mission Rambo-style. As you may have noticed from the title, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is played on...Vegas. Well luckily, not all of the time though. You'll be hopping from the casinos to an airstrip, so be prepared for both close quarter combats and long range combats.

A.C.E.S and Ranks

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 offers new features such as the A.C.E.S points and Ranks. You'll gain experience from killing enemies and when you complete an Assault, a Close Quarter Battle (CQB), or a Marksman level. Once you gain experiences, you can be promoted to the next rank of military (sergeant, lieutenant, etc). Being promoted to higher ranks will open up new armors for both appearance and protection. By gaining ranks in Assault, CQB, or Marksman, new weapons will be available for you to play around with. Each weapon will be available once you've completed a certain rank of a specific area. So for example, obviously, to get a better sniper rifle, you'll need to complete a certain rank of Marksman, etc.

Depends on how you kill the enemy, you'll gain these points accordingly. For example:

• Killing someone with a head-shot, or while climbing down a rope: Get Marksman Points.
• Killing someone at close range, or while you are being blinded with Flashbang: Get CQB Points.
• Killing someone with an explosive, or when hiding behind a cover: Get Assault Points.

You can find out how to get these points from the main menu. Your character will "level up" RPG style and although you won't be gaining any attributes, you'll gain more arsenal for some killin' frenzy. Sadly though, when you unlock new weapons, they don't necessarily better than your old ones. It'd be great if the newer weapons are all better than the one that you are currently using, but some do and some don't.

Character Customization

After you have access to new armors, clothing, and weapons, you can customize them in-game or on the main menu. You'll see this on your character in-game, so it's quite fun actually to customize your character a bit.

Storyline

Nothing much to tell, apart from a big-bad terrorist trying to wreak havoc in the city by taking hostages and bombing stuffs. Very old school and very predictable. However, fun is the key in this game, not the storyline.

Gameplay

Fun is what this game is all about. It's fun to play, especially once the action starts. Hiding behind covers, throwing grenades, breaching a room, playing it as if you really are in a special force team, are all fun to do. There are 3 difficulty levels in the game, but I wish there were 4. The realistic mode (the hardest) can get on your nerves as the enemies are more accurate when they shoot. While it can be fun and challenging, sometimes I had to repeat 5-6 times of a certain sub-level (Your game will be saved automatically on a certain checkpoints during a mission, so, No, no quick-saving and loading :)). If you've been playing some FPS games, I'd suggest to use the hardest level (Realistic) but when you get frustrated, tone down the difficulty a bit (You only need to repeat that mission and not the entire game!). I think I've repeated about 10 times on the final boss (at the end of the game) lol. Or maybe I'm just suck. The medium difficulty however, is kind of a joke, as you can have 10 grenades instead of 4 and also unlimited ammo :)

A.I

The A.I is okay, I guess. It's not dumb but it's not the best, either. Your teammates are good on their own and won't block your path. They'll find their own cover when the shooting starts. This goes to the enemies too. They'll find somewhere to hide, shoot behind covers, keep hiding when being suppressed, and will try to flank you sometimes. It's kinda funny though when you start putting your silencer on. It feels as if you are turning on a cheat mode. It's kinda cool to play stealthily on certain areas and you'll find that the enemies are dumb enough not to notice your presence. Once you take out that silencer however, one shot from you will invite the whole cavalry.

Conclusion

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 offers a new ranking and points system to its predecessor. It also improves what was offered before on the first series. I found that Rainbow Six Vegas 2 single player campaign was quite short (probably as short as Call of Duty 4?). So if you want to buy it, do so but make sure that you'll play it online too. If you haven't got Call of Duty 4, it will be a tough decision to choose between the 2, but Call of Duty 4 has a more variety of missions to play, compared to Rainbow Six Vegas 2. The fun factor is different, though. One word to describe them: Call of Duty 4 is "cool" where as Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is "fun".

Michael Aulia http://www.michaelaulia.com/blogs Read on more up-to-date technology news & personal reviews on my blog.

Grand Theft Auto IV

By Juni Daniel

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas is an action-adventure sandbox style action adventure computer and video game, produce by Rockstar North. It is the third 3D video game in the Grand Theft Auto Video game series.

This game was originally release for the Playstation 2 in October 2004, the game has since been ported to the Xbox and Microsoft Windows, and has received wide acclaim and very high sales figures on all of the afore mention platforms. Sand Andreas was preceded by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and is succeeded by Grand Theft Auto IV.

The game revolves around the main character Carl "CJ" Johnson returning home from the Liberty City to Los Santos after learning of his mother's murder. CJ finds his family and his old gang, the Grove Street Families, in disarray. Over the Over the course of the game, CJ gradually unravels the plot behind his mother's murder while reestablishing his gang and exploring his own business ventures.
Like the previous entries inn the Grand Theft Auto Series, San Andreas's critical and commercial success has not been without controversy. Most notably being over the explicit" hot Coffee" sex minigame, which was disabled but left within the game's code. This discovery led San Andreas to be re- rated for a short time as an adult game and thus it was pulled from the shelves.

Grand Theft Auto IV is structured similarly to previous games in the series. The core game play consists of elements of a third-person shooter and a driving game, affording the player a large, open environment in which to move around.

On foot, the player's character is capable of walking, running, swimming, climbing and jumping, as well as utilizing weapons and basic hand to hand combat. Players can steal and drive a variety of vehicles, including automobiles, boats, helicopters, and motorcycles. So that's a brief on Playstation 3 newest video game so enjoy.

Juni Daniel is the moderator of the website Playstation Video Game.

RC Pro Am NES Review

By Jon Ferraro

RC Pro AM, was one of my favorite games for the NES. Compared to today's console games, the graphics were not as good, but for that time period it was a great game and I remember playing for hours trying to get to the next level. It was one of those type of games that was addictive and something I'd love to see in today's systems even if it was one of those nostalgic type things.

They have brought back countless NES game, why not bring RC Pro AM back? The game was even more fun when you played with your friends rather than just playing with the NPC cars. To get a better car, you had to keep collecting the word Nintendo until you could get another car. There were other things that you could collect along the way like ammo and tires and there was even a thing that made your car go faster for a bit which helped win the race.

The key to this game was to finish towards the top three of every race otherwise the game would be over. There were times I remember thinking I was winning the race and in the end I lost maybe because the car swerved the wrong way or one of the cars I was racing against, just grabbed the turbo just seconds before crossing the finish line. Towards the later levels, it always seemed that the computer would "magically" come back to cut me off at the end. In all, it was a wonderful game that I would love to revisit anytime.

Interested in old-school NES video games like RC Pro-AM? Then check out NESNintendoGames.com You'll find thousands of listings on NES Video Games for sale.

Joust for the Arcade Review

By Jon Ferraro

Joust was by far one of the simplest and easiest games to master; you had to simply learn to knock other players from their flying ostrich and avoid falling into a lava pit yourself. The challenges progressed as you knocked more opponents down and more land disappeared forcing you to keep your ostrich in the air ever longer while fighting an onslaught of ever more cunning opponents.

Of course your skills increase, as the land changes locations and the opponents start arriving more frequently and even faster than ever before. You had both single and two player mode which made it fun to play as a team versus just against one another.

Normally when in two player mode it was important to keep your partner alive as well, as they helped in those moments against overwhelming odds. Overall the initial rating was very simple for the game, but as things increased you had better be ready for a challenge. The opponents which normally started at two would increase in number and their level of aggressiveness. I don't know of many people who ever finished the game (actually completed the game), everyone got finished at some point though. You did earn extra lives as you completed certain levels and as you gathered bonus material.

You did need to avoid the creatures other than the knights as they would finish off both you and the opponents. Overall it was a lot of fun, and was often a good way to waste a little money on a Saturday afternoon. It gave you a place to hang out with your friends and play games in either single or two player mode.

Are you a fan of the original Joust arcade game? You'll find the original arcade version as well as all the classic arcade games of the past at ClassicArcadeStore.com.

Video Game Review - Land Of The Dead - Road To Fiddler's Green

By Eric Pratt

On a remote farm in the country things are peaceful. Everything isn't as it seems though. A stranger appears outside of your home; little do you know that he is one of the many walking dead. In a desperate struggle for survival you make your way to the one city still controlled by the living. The only thing standing between you and your goal are several thousand zombies and one very crappy game brought to you by our friends at Grove Games. This review is based on the PC version of the game, though it is available on the original Xbox as well.

Graphics: 6.5/10

The best way to describe the graphics of this game is "ok". Not great but not terrible. The zombies are well animated and detailed with huge chunks of flesh missing from them. The character movements are fluid and smooth. The weapons though are very bland and plain looking and there are some animation glitches. For example: the shot gun. No matter how many rounds you have left the animation stays the same. If you have 2 rounds left out of four and then you reload, it shows your character putting four shells in the gun.

Sound: 7.0/10

Ah, the sounds of zombies crawling around... beautiful. Too bad all the other sound effects are low quality at best. The voice acting is horrible and at times it even sounds like the actors are half asleep. The greatest disappointment is the weapon sounds. Not all of them are terrible, but most of them are. The sound of a baseball bat connecting with a zombie's skull is music to my ears and the other melee weapons sound equally as cheery. However the guns in the game sound weak and pathetic.

Artificial Intelligence: 5.0/10

Zombies are dumb, that's a fact of life but this is just sad. I'm standing on top of a car shooting at a zombie and it doesn't even react. The zombies around it just stand there even though I am in plan view in front of them. Only when I actually engage the zombies back on the ground do they go into attack mode. Sometimes I even stand on the ground right in front of a zombie and it won't attack me until I shoot it once first.

Multiplayer: 7.0/10

It's hard to connect to a server to play land of the dead. It's even harder to find decent people to play with but once you do and download some "modded" content, this game's online play really shines. Nothing like trying to kill someone while trying not to be eaten by zombies.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

The game is not horrible but it does suffer a lot from its many flaws. If you're a die hard zombie fan then pick up a copy (good luck finding one). If not then don't waste your time. There are a few communities out there dedicated to "modding" and improving the game with better weapons and online maps which makes the game much more enjoyable but not anywhere near perfect.

Eric Pratt plays and reviews games and also serves as a moderator for the popular gaming tournament website PrizeArena. To read more game reviews, or win money playing games, visit his site and sign up for your free account.

Infinity Wards Awesome New Map Packs For Call of Duty 4

By David W Miller

On April 5th 2008 Infinity Ward released new maps for Call of Duty 4. Xbox Live was abuzz with the long awaited release. Many subscribers were frustrated as the download servers were swamped but it was worth the wait.

The new Call of Duty 4 map packs are totally awesome. Infinity Ward has out done themselves in the quality and the detail in the new maps. Call of Duty 4 is the game of the year. The new maps are much larger and the graphics are state of the art.

Creek is by far the most popular map for snipers you will find one hiding behind every boulder and tree. The map is divided in half by a rugged ravine with waterfall and creek running through the middle. A cave allows for a quick pass-through, but watch poking your head out as a sniper is always waiting for you. The map features many farm houses and one with a large deck overlooking the creek. Exceptional detail down to spider webs in the cave and under the wood deck. In the center of the map you will even find a campfire with your dinner and a pot of coffee waiting for you. In parts of the map you can even hear the crickets.

Chinatown the moonlight offers dim lighting which is brightened by the streetlights and neon signs. The maps makes you want to take an evening stroll through Chinatown but there is a sniper in almost every window. Much detail was added the fruit stands you can shoot the watermelons and potatoes. The streets are well designed and inside the buildings are detailed stores, shops, Laundromat and video store. I was a little disappointed not to find a local deli with chickens hanging in the window.

Broadcast is a large map featured in a TV studio. Much detail was paid expansive offices and the bright colors are awesome. The boardroom even has a colorful floral arrangement on the table. Television monitors line the walls and when shot they explode and through sparks. The map expands to a large parking lot with outer buildings that offer great sniping spots into the main lobby.

Killhouse offers tight quarters set in a warehouse. This is a small map for tactical teams and cage matches. Plywood walls offer no protection from the flying bullets.

We take our hats off and give a standing ovation to Infinity Ward and XBOX Live for this long awaited addition to Call of Duty 4.

Call of Duty 4 Online Pedophile

Grand Theft Auto IV - Best Game To Date?

By Daniel Teesdale

Grand Theft Auto IV is receiving 10's like hot cakes from a whole variety of gaming websites. They admit a 10 does not mean it is a perfect game, instead it means it is a game that has set the bar very high for games to come. If this is the merit of a 10 rating, I would have to agree. All aspects of the game have improved from the previous versions.

The graphics are unprecedented for a game that is so interactive. Games that are less interactive have more leeway to pump up their eye candy. For an example of this, I don't believe Gears of War has been beat graphically yet on the Xbox 360. Being a limited shooter, Gears of War does not compare to the scope of Grand Theft Auto IV. That aside, Grand Theft Auto IV is truly a beautiful game. The character models are very detailed, and the cut scenes use the game engine so you can gander at them up close. The cars look realistic - like their counterparts - and their impending damage also looks realistic enough. The water textures are groundbreaking; you can see the sun reflect off of each subtle motion of the ocean up close (you can swim in this version). Not to forget explosions. The realistic explosions turn artistic when you stand next to a car on fire or over a grenade. All of a sudden your screen goes black and white and you witness your character flying into the air in slow motion, only to fall down later (dead) with impressive ragdoll physics.

The game play has also been improved dramatically. First of all, the storyline is compelling. This appears to be a pleasant change from the other Grand Theft Auto's. You play as an immigrant named Niko Bellic whose sole drive is to garner more money. You first meet and do jobs for your cousin and slowly start to expand in both connections and power. Each person has their own distinct personality that can actually be particularly interesting. The story has some twists and turns and does plenty to keep you interested through the tens of hours you will spend doing the storyline. What else is there? Well the Grand Theft Auto series is notorious for the sandbox game play that is offered. This sandbox play is meticulously expanded in Grand Theft Auto IV. You can quite literally sit down on a couch and watch the in-game television for as long as you desire. And the television channels are actually quite interesting. The sense of humor by the creators is spot-on. You will find yourself laughing at the in-game television possibly more than what you would with real television. If the television doesn't hold your interest you can do an assortment of other activities such as playing pool, bowling, drinking, driving, dating, text messaging, prank calling the cops & many other activities including the ever popular pointless rampage.

Online play has never been established before for a sandbox game such as Grand Theft Auto IV. This implementation really did satisfy the dreams of gamers that have played the preceding games. It has always been a common thought: "What if we could play this game online - what fun!" Finally, it is here. There is a multitude of game types that can be selected, or you can just wander around the city with a few friends.

The audio is also magnificent. Rockstar has really managed to include a wide assortment of music for the car radios. Honestly, my favorite is Liberty Rock, so I cannot tell you how the other stations are. But whenever I borrow cars from Liberty City residents I'm usually hearing a different tune from a different station. Rockstar appears to have outdone themselves in this department. The sound effects are also top notch, from the childish whining of people that remain in the car after you jack it, to the booming explosions found throughout the game.

In conclusion this game does expand the genre and sets the bar higher than anyone has ever done so before. This is very exciting in that future developers will be pressed to put similar extravagancies in their games - improving them and making them that much more enjoyable. While I am not quick to label any game as "Best", overall I would agree with most gaming sites out there and give this game a 10/10. Bravo Rockstar.

Discuss the latest Game and Entertainment News & Reviews at Multi Console Video Game Forums

Test Drive Unlimited Overall Verdict And Insight Into Games Inspired By Test Drive

By Christopher Hibberd

Well I think Test Drive Unlimited is fantastic and opens the door to a lot of possibilities, and a new direction for driving games to go. Like GTA revolutionized a open world game,I feel test drivedoes this again,though purely for driving games. I think it still has one of the largest environments of any game to date, It's got a great online community and is just the funnest racing game to play online at the moment.

I hope like GTA many developers will copy the concept, and develop it further in other areas. This really is something fresh in a pretty polluted genre. That said being a wildly ambitious concept-it shows in some places, there's numerous glitches and small niggling problems here and there, but when the game runs well, few things feel as solid as it does.

Since I wrote this review, a new Burnout has come out using this open world massively online style of game play, called Burnout Paradise, it's taken it all a step further and it really is an incredible game, Theres objectives and crashes you have to do with your friends, someof the stunts can't be completed unless you do them with a friend. It has a very intuitive map system, much like test drives world map view. It really is a step further.

More recently GTA 4 has come out, again pushing the open world game play to further heights, I have yet to play this online but I've read a fair bit about it. What more can I say? It's GTA, the whole of liberty city online, for you and a group of friends to wreak havoc on, One of the greatest parts of the online system has to be the free mode, your dumped in the city with everyone to do what ever you like, there's going to be some great games derived from this complete freedom in GTA 4.

The upcoming midnight club needs a shout about as well, it's very far in the distance at the moment, but it's a whole recreation of LA to the point you would recognize your local shops, with tons of cars and unimaginable customization, and they are trying to get 16 people on a server at any one time in the city. So unlike burnout and test drive with 8 players, you will see a lot more, this is going to be quite a spectacle with everyone's unique tastes, keep a serious eye out for it.

A lot of this is inspired by test drive showing what this generation of technology can do now, we really have hit a new high, and the gaming worlds can only get better and more immersive.

So what do I think overall? Get Some scores here: Cars and cool stuff

Test Drive Unlimited

By Christopher Hibberd

Test Drive Unlimited is the most amazing racing game, I think ever to exist. While it may not be the best ever it's stunning none the less. It has revolutionized racing games.

Believe me there's nothing cooler than cruising round with a bunch of your friends online. The best part is you can cruise around the whole island of Oahu!. It's apparently been very accurately recreated, I can believe it. There seems to be the WHOLE of Pearl Harbor in there and the massive city, Honolulu. it really is a pleasure to drive around. There's lush beautiful countryside and some stunning mountain roads to drive round. One of my personal favorites is Kelekole Pass. It's a very undulating road with ups and downs, tight chicanes, two gradual off camber harpins, and a few miles of perfectly straight road at the bottom. Pretty much every kind of corner you can think of and piece of road you dream of is on this touge.

Although its a "next-gen" game, the graphics don't necessarily give the impression it's next-gen, but theres moments when you just cant help but say 'wow' . It's got some of the most beautiful scenery, when your at the top of a mountain road looking down into a valley, you can't help but be slightly awe-struck, it's wonderful. The most memorable moment I've had was when i was doing the millionaires challenge in a V12 Lamborghini Murcielago, the sun was setting and there was a very mellow beautiful warm glow coming off the rear quarter panels of my Lambo, the road was reflecting a golden glimmer off the horizon and blind jumps accompanied by the sound of the V12 engine as it was hitting the redline on a very long straight down the north side of the island by a military base. It was a beautiful experience.

The car models are very accurately recreated, in the garage you can zoom right into just about every aspect of the car, this will blow you away as you feel you can almost touch them at some points, what amazed me is the fine curvature of the e-type bonnet and body, you could zoom right in and really admire it.

Get Lost In Test Drive Here:Cars And Cool Stuff

Will Grand Theft Auto Four Live Up To Its Hype?

By Charles Brown

Has there ever been a more anticipated new game than Grand Theft Auto Four? As I write this on April 16, 2008. there are already people all over the world camping in tents outside gaming stores waiting for the May 1, 2008 launch.

"Sure," you say, "there are always a few nutjobs out there lining up for any new entertainment release." There is nothing new anymore about seeing people living in tents to be first in line to get a new product or see a new movie.

But the buzz around Grand Theft Auto Four has also reached Wall Street and analysts are predicting it will not only be the biggest launch in gaming history (anticipated to smash Halo 3's box office record of $300 million in its first week last year), but it is also expected to topple all records for the entire entertainment industry as well. Based on pre-orders, it is expected to break the $404 million raked in by Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

And that is not all when it comes to Wall Street's interest. Grand Theft Auto Four's creator, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. has been the target of a $2 billion buyout offer by Electronic Arts Inc., which it recently rebuffed. Most financial analysts predict that a slightly higher offer is in the works, so only time will tell if such a merger will take place.

But all this financial talk begs the question of whether Grand Theft Auto Four will live up to its hype when gamers finally get their hands on it May 1. Based on early reviews, the game has a realism never before seen. The streets of Liberty City come alive with hustle and bustle, and it has a sense of place that reportedly puts one right into this gritty metropolis.

Add that to the fact that its streets will soon be filled with mayhem come May 1, and you have a reason for fans sleeping in pup tents around the world.

Charles Brown is freelance writer with an unhealthy curiosity about nearly everything, including gaming. If you must, you can visit him at his Squidoo lens, Grand Theft Auto Four

What Differentiates NCAA 09 Football Video Game from Its Older Versions

By Brian Kaldenberg

Fans anticipating the release of NCAA 09 probably won't be disappointed when they finally get to play the game. EA seems to have focused on refining options and feel of the running game, certainly what you'd expect from a NCAA game. Also, NCAA 09 comes with a new Break Away Animation Engine to provide larger cutback lanes and bigger holes for the offense and greater opportunities for players in the clear.

Screens and Stadiums

Many have compared and contrasted the screens and stadiums of both NCAA Football 08 and its 09 version. The lighting, texture, colors and other details have contributed to a more authentic look for the NCAA 09.

Playing to the Crowds

One change that EA is probably hoping fans would love is the enhanced crowd system. Now players can customize stadium music and sounds, choose the crowd's reaction to breakaways, and of course, expect to have mayhem and confusion cloud decisions of the teams. Visuals for the crowds have also been improved. You'll notice that there are more people in the sidelines, from mascots to cheerleaders to backup players, and lighting and texture for the fields had also been improved.

Mascot Mode

Acknowledging the importance of team mascots, NCAA 09 now allows players to customize celebrations whenever a touchdown is scored. NCAA 09 also allows for several mascot games, but the jury's still out on this one since it's too early to tell how NCAA fans will react to this.

Choice of Players

With NCAA 09, game users can expect new college player models to be available for their teams together with over fifty alternate uniforms to choose from. Non-players may think uniforms don't make a difference to the game you play, but NCAA enthusiasts certainly know better.

Game Enhancements

First off, expect to adjust to several changes - all for the better, though, so don't worry - to how the recruiting system's going to work. Rest assured that you can look forward to fair play when it comes to choosing recruits for your team.

College specific tackling engines have also been added, making your game all the more accurate. So if you're playing for the #1 team in the West Division, don't expect your tackling engine to be similar to the #1 team in the East. Also, players have now been granted the ability to return missed field goals. In relation to this, you also get better passing control, bobble catches, smart routes, formation audibles, and bluffed plays so that players near you won't have the chance to find out about your game plan.

So far, we've mentioned the added features to help you win a game. But as far as added features to make a game more enjoyable are concerned, NCAA 09 brings to you offline cooperative play up to four players. Not only that, but you can also expect new play-by-play sequences and post-game presentations, many mini-games to while away the time, quick replay and post play continuation, and random play selection for practices. Last but not the least, NCAA 09 also allows you to play now using the even teams option.

So what are you waiting for? Go tackle NCAA 09!

FKrosters.com provides NCAA Football rosters files for PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360. We offer purchase new memory card, memory card mail-in, and roster download service particularly NCAA Football 09 Rosters.

Tips in Hiring NCAA Roster Editing Services

By Brian Kaldenberg

NCAA Football is a video game created by EA Sports, a branch of Electronic Arts. It features the best collegiate football teams in the United States. Presenting a whole new gaming experience for football fans around the world, it is available for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox and Xbox 360.

When you purchase an NCAA Football game, you will notice that only the numbers of the players are appearing in your teams. It does not include the real players' names. You will have to enter these names yourself manually through the device's controller. The NCAA football rosters will provide the names of the players and the announcers' voices saying their names for you making the football experience worth the play. But what if you don't have the time to edit your rosters' names? You can always hire roster editing services to get rid of the burden of having to edit all the players' names.

So are you just planning to hire roster editors to avoid having to consume lots of time in changing the names of your NCAA players?

There are many NCAA football roster editors that claim that they offer the best quality of roster editing service. But claims can be just that - claims. Here are some things you have to look out for before agreeing to let a roster editor help you in getting the right players' names for your NCAA football teams:

1. Roster Editing Services that Don't Offer a Variety of Options

If you are sure that the roster editor is legitimate enough to give him your money without giving you different options in editing your rosters - say just purchasing a new memory card or only sending him your memory card so he can upload the rosters, then fine - give him business. However, if the roster editor was not able to build a solid reputation yet, if he's offering both of those options, you can have more choices on how you'd like your rosters edited.

2. Roster Editing Services that Takes too Long to Ship Your Memory Card

Another way to check whether you're about to get quality roster editing service is to learn how long it takes for the company or editor to ship back your memory card if you plan to avail the mail-in option or when you purchase a new memory card or stick. To be sure, don't believe promises of quick shipping. Check out forums and other NCAA football gaming sites or blogs that talk about how quick the roster editor ship back memory cards.

3.Scams

This is definitely one of the most important things to look out for. Many "providers" will offer you promos and discounts when purchasing a new memory card or availing of their services. Do not let this offers blind you. Some of these are scams. They will sucker you into giving them your bank account numbers or credit card numbers to pay for, what they say, their quality products or services. And then the next thing you know, they have robbed you by either charging you too much or transferring your money to another account or if you've availed of a mail-in option in getting your rosters edited, you might never get back your memory card again. Always check on the site's business background.

Also, read the terms of payment and the transaction contract carefully. Make sure that there is a contact number in their site. It is advisable to call them for inquiries first before availing their services. After all, it is better to be safe than sorry.

FKrosters.com provides NCAA Football rosters files for PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360. We offer purchase new memory card, memory card mail-in, and roster download service particularly NCAA Football 09 Rosters.

PS3 Vs Xbox 360 - Which Console To Use For Playing NCAA 09 Football

By Brian Kaldenberg

For all you gridiron fans out there, life just got sweeter thanks to the release of NCAA 09 Football. Other than McFadden on the cover, there are also plenty of new drool-worthy features on this version, available for Playstation, Xbox, Wii, DS and PC. Just imagine this: wider spaces, bigger holes, directional pump, play bluffs, enhanced passing control, open receivers and cutback lanes. You could also manipulate the ambience, with better customization controls and better-looking fields. And yes, enjoy the dynamic crowd in the sidelines with cheerleaders, mascots and more players getting in on the action. When there's so many of these waiting for your shaky hands to handle, where do you play? The PS3 or Xbox 360? We examine the pros and cons:

Play with PS3

Okay, so you probably weren't too happy with NCAA 08 playing on your Playstation. After all, you got into the action at just 30 fps (frames per second). Xbox players had it better - at 60 fps. Sony has heard your cry and answered your prayers. NCAA 09 can now be played on the PS3 at a faster, smoother 60 fps.

And if you want to be part of the Blu-ray DVD wave of the future, this is an excellent console to get. After all, there are other games out there that you want to immerse yourself in. Playing control and manipulation on the NCAA 09 is also much improved, so that's probably something you can perform deftly with the PS3. If you don't mind the occasional less-than-perfect color, images and graphics, go ahead and choose the PS3.

Play with Xbox 360

If it's graphics you're after, go with the Xbox. Per pound of muscle, Xbox 360 easily trumps PS3, even if Sony's release papers say otherwise. Its GPU is simply much more powerful, allowing you to enjoy the stadium views in all its pixilated glory. Vertex processing is also well worth it.

If you're talking high def, Xbox can deliver, something than PS3 can't, since its anti-aliasing technique is a wee bit backward than that of Xbox. Since you'll probably want to take pleasure in scoring that touchdown without feeling like you've been blinking the whole time, get your NCAA 09 Football game on the Xbox. After all, your hands may do all the work but your eyes are the ones doing the navigating. Give them a good treat.

Which one to use to play NCAA 09 Football with?

If price matters to you, get the Xbox 360. For one, the PS3 is more expensive, although you'll need to shell out additional cash to get HD-DVD on your Xbox. But with the faster rate of running NCAA 09 Football, there shouldn't be a lot of complaints on your part if you choose the PS3.

However, for the money and the sheer enjoyment of a great-looking game at its spiffiest, you might want to try the Xbox 360. NCAA 09 Football's latest enhancement suit this gaming system. But again, it still depends on your own inclinations.

Gamerosters.com provides NCAA Football rosters files for PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360. We offer purchase new memory card, memory card mail-in, and roster download service particularly NCAA Football 09 Rosters.

Violence in Video Games

By Bill Pratt

There have been hundreds and thousands of debates on whether the violence that can be seen in television shows and movies could really cause violent behavior in people, particularly in children. And the debates have included the issues of violence in video games as well.

There are those who say that violent video games are catalysts in bringing about more violent behavior in individuals, young or old and there are those who say that there is actually no correlation between violent behavior and watching or playing violent video games.

And although most agree that video games do offer an educational value as well as being helpful in making the sick get better faster, particularly those who are undergoing physical therapy, there are those that quickly point out that it would still be the video games that promise the most sex and violence would be the most bought and popular.

Video games have their own rating system that is similar to the one used for the TV and film industry. Not surprisingly, children still choose the ones that are rated as not suitable for children, and they can always find ways to play with those types of video games rather than the ones which are more age-appropriate.

There have been a lot of studies conducted on the true effects that these violent video games have on children and it has been found out that they can actually help children in their physical ad mental development as long as their parents are able to provide them with enough guidance and teach them with moral values.

Given up sorting through the list of web hosting companies? Stop searching, you can relax now and go with our tried and tested affordable web hosts, the advantage being you can focus on the specifics of your business development without bothering with the finer details of server specifications and configurations on a day to day basis. We highly recommend hosting your websites, forums, scripts, blogs and business websites with hostgator - the leader among web hosting companies. You can even get discounts when you sign up for a dedicated server with host gator

The Evolution of Video Games

By Bill Pratt

The history of video games is generally filled with all kinds of ups and downs and its evolution of video games happened slowly but surely - it was not an overnight success.

Most people remember "Pong" as the first video game ever. It was a simple computerized version of the game of table tennis. However, there have actually been a lot more video games that were already existing way before "Pong" made its debut in the gaming world. Today, video games have transformed into a very lucrative entertainment industry. It rivals feature films in terms of popularity and has even made its way into glamorous Hollywood - with some movies based on popular games like Resident Evil and Doom and the other way around, as there have also been video games that were developed based on films like Star Wars and Transformers.

Currently, there are three major console manufacturers which have each released their own new consoles out on the market. These would be the Sony PlayStation3, the Nintendo Wii and the Microsoft Xbox360. The companies which have made these have carefully planned all the elements of the video games they produced to make sure that theirs would be one with the best gimmicks and innovations that would surely beat out their competition.

With its success, many also speculate on its effects in the society, particularly on the younger generation. Though a lot of people dismiss the idea of children using video games as toys and diversions, the fact of the matter is they actually have been proven and studied to bring about positive effects on the mental and physical development of children, as long as they were used in moderation.

Given up sorting through the list of web hosting companies? Stop searching, you can relax now and go with our tried and tested affordable web hosts, the advantage being you can focus on the specifics of your business development without bothering with the finer details of server specifications and configurations on a day to day basis. We highly recommend hosting your websites, forums, scripts, blogs and business websites with host gator - the leader among web hosting companies. You can even get discounts when you sign up for a dedicated web server

PS2 Video Game Tips For Parents

By Bill Pratt

Surely, you have heard of kids talking about the latest video games for their Playstation 2. As parents, you are always on the lookout to make sure that your children would only be playing those games which would be appropriate for them. And so, here are the games in the different categories which you may deem suitable for your kids, depending on their ages.

The first would be the E rated games. These would be the "for everyone" games. These could be SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer or even Madden `08 or any of the other sports video games. Probably the best age appropriate games would be those that go from movie screen to game console. Examples would be Cars, Madagascar, Meet the Robinsons along with the other ones where you have already seen the endings.

The next would be the T or "for Teen" video games. These would be those games which offer graphics that are a bit more detailed. An example would be WWE Smackdown vs. RAW. You could expect a little violence and sexual graphics. However, when death comes into play, the graphic gore is not present.

Last would be the M or "Mature" games. These would be the games that only adults could really understand. There are a lot more gore as well as sexual narratives and the killing is usually graphic. Example of these games would be Grand Theft Auto where there is a lot of shooting of police officers as well as picking up of prostitutes are involved. Also examples are the God of War and Metal Gear because of how people are killed and their overall strategy.

Given up sorting through the list of top web hosting companies? Stop searching, you can relax now and go with our tried and tested affordable web hosts, the advantage being you can focus on the specifics of your gaming business without bothering with the finer details of server specifications and configurations on a day to day basis. We highly recommend hosting your websites, forums, scripts, blogs and arcade websites with bluehost - the numero uno leader among web hosting companies or sign up for hostgator shared hosting

Grand Theft Auto (GTAIV) on PS3

By Alexa Peters

Grand Theft Auto IV (GTAIV) on PS3 is a game with an amazing and nonlinear storyline, a game with a great protagonist who you can't help but like, and a game that boasts a large selection of online multiplayer features in addition to its lengthy story mode. Of course, it is not without some flaws, but GTAIV is undoubtedly the best Grand Theft Auto yet.

The Grand Theft Auto IV on PS3 story starts with Niko Bellic stepping off a boat in Liberty City, which is modeled after New York City. Right away, you get the sense that Rockstar North's latest GTA offering is something very special. Yes, this is another Grand Theft Auto game in which you'll probably spend most of your time stealing cars and gunning down cops and criminals, but it's so much more than that. You will find that Niko decides to help out Roman with his rundown cab stand and keep thugs off his back until he can figure out how to make money and connections in Liberty City. You also get to discover the real reasons that Niko left his homeland.

So begins Grand Theft Auto IV, the newest - and easily the best - entry in the wildly popular GTA series. The game manages to take the tried-and-true already successful game experience , which involves taking missions to earn cash and climb the corporate ladder of a criminal operation or sightseeing in Liberty City, and turns it into something that feels completely new and updated. Some even claim that it a gaming masterpiece that is a picture-perfect snapshot of the underworld of today's big cities

When the pedestrians, cars and buildings became repetitive in previous GTA releases it was always tempting to get bored, steal a cop car and end up in your own North Hollywood shootout. There are many more times as many distractions in GTA IV, including working cell phones, televisions that can flip channels and the Liberty City version of the Internet. This time, the mundane is as interesting as the some of the unsavory elements of the game.

But that's not to say it's empty of meaning. GTA IV is a crass cultural commentary that mocks the American media's obsession with sex and violence and money. This is the reason why so many people in the media and government are bothered by the Grand Theft Auto games. For example, the Chicago Transit Authority pulled 385 ads for the game from its subways, but the same organization has no problem letting violent films advertise in the same places.) If these people actually played GTA IV, maybe they would realize that not all videogames are for kids and ultimately get the joke - that the game also rejects the violence, sexism, and consumerism it appears to embrace. It is worth mentioning that Grand Theft Auto IV is definitely for a mature audience.

In case you haven't guessed already, Grand Theft Auto IV on PS3 is a game that you will have to play to appreciate it. The single-player game, which you can still play long after you complete the story, is the series' best by far, and the multiplayer features are good enough that you'll likely have no problem finding people to play with you for many months into the future. The minor flaws that you'll experience are no different than those in previous GTA games, and they're greatly outnumbered by the new features that will amaze you anytime just when you think you have already seen everything that the game has to offer.

You can avoid the long lines waiting to buy Grand Theft AutoIV (4) on PS3. Besides, it is sure to sell out at your local store. Why waste your time? Where to find the best deals on Grand Theft Auto? Visit Grand Theft Auto 4 PS3 at http://www.PlaystationHookup.com