Zany Video Games From Insomniac Games

By Victor Epand

On the market today there is now available some crazy and zany video games that can enhance the video gaming experience for gamers. These incredible video games have the ability to cause the villains within a video game to begin dancing to disco music.

The most bizarre of these newly bizarre video games are produced by Insomniac Games, who also produced the Ratchet And Clank Future - Tools Of Destruction video game. Within this video game was the introduction of the Transformer that had the ability to turn enemies into tiny, little penguins and the Gelanator that could trap its enemies in ice cubes that were made of lime gelatin. Their whimsical look on video games has enabled the majority of their video games to become top titles on the bestseller charts by the gaming industry.

The magical and advanced technology that is used in creating special effects in many movies are the same ones that are used to create the realistic graphics and life like animation within many video games produced by Insomniac Games. Insomniac Games is one of the few independent video game developers that are still battle for their place among the big league names of Activision and Electronic Arts Incorporated. Already two top independent video game developers, Pandemic Studios and BioWare Corporation, have sold out to Electronic Arts Incorporated.

Insomniac Games is a company that has reserved the rights to keep to their roots as a goofy and informal company that can focus on creativity and fun. This company was founded in 1994 and has been going strong ever since they released their very first video game demo entitled, Disruptor. However, it only sold close to two hundred thousand copies, which is not great, but for a first time video game it is not too shabby either.

The second video game that they released was Spyro the Dragon, which featured a friendly purple dragon and it was a runaway hit. This video game was so incredible that between 1998 and 2000 there were three more video games created that were based on the Dragon Spyro. The sales of these video games reached close to twelve million copies actually being sold.

Then in 2002, they created Ratchet And Clank, which was about a furry yellow creature and his robot sidekick. This video game was such a huge hit that it sold more than twelve million copies. The major video game they released was a more mature type of video game known as, Resistance - Fall Of Man. This video game became one of the best selling video games for Sony and its Playstation 3 video game system.

Insomniac Games develops video games for only Sony, and since the Playstation 3 video gaming system has fallen way behind the sales of the Wii and Xbox-360 they have truly been affected. However, they are not considering selling out to the larger video game developing companies. In fact, they will consider developing video games for other video game system manufactures first.

They have created such fabulous video games as Spyro the Dragon in 1998, Spyro 2 - Ripto's Rage in 1999, Spryo - Year of the Dragon in 2000, Ratchet & Clank in 2002, Ratchet & Clank - Going Commando in 2003, Ratchet & Clank - Up Your Arsenal in 2004, Ratchet Deadlocked in 2005, Ratchet & Clank Future - Tools of Destruction in 2006, and Resistance - Fall of Man in 2007.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, dolls, and video games. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, dolls, and used video games at these sites for kids toys, dolls.

Views on a Few Video Games on the Market Today

By Victor Epand

These are some really amazing video games that are available on the market today that gamers are sure to enjoy and are available for the majority of the top video gaming systems. Video game developers are coming up with some really fantastic video games that gamers may want to check out.

Barrel Blast was created for the Wii video gaming system and unfortunately it has its ups and downs. This video game is truly terrifying in what you are expected to do in making your cute flying character race, which means that the Wii controller must be shook up and down extremely violently. This is not a video game that gamers will want to play for a long period of time, because it can get physically painful after a while. The video game has three tracks and limited game modes, but it would be perfect for the child with way too much energy because they would definitely grow tired after a while.

Cooking Mama Cook Off is another video game developed for the Wii video gaming system. This game offers gamers real life cooking tips and is great for gamers of all ages. Gamers will definitely feel like they are Rachel Ray or Gordon Ramsey when they are really peeling potatoes and chopping up onions, but with out the tears.

The best thing that can be said about the button mashing action video game Heavenly Sword is that it has well acted and rendered cut screens that move the finely crafted story line along. The characters within these mini movies are incredibly lifelike in that gamers will almost believe they have their own souls. The in-game action is sort of repetitive and even at times a bit frustrating. The main character, Nariko, can swing her mighty sword only in so many ways against the never ending supply of generic enemies.

Lair has to be the worst video game of 2007 simply because it is so unplayable. Although there were a ton of developers that worked really hard on the story line and the technology this was all completely undone by some really poorly executed controls. Steering the giant dragon is sort of like trying to herd a dozen kittens into a box and getting them to stay due to the impossible to control controls.

Mass Effect is not the kind of video game you pick up and play for just a little while, then go on to something else. It is more like a truly long sci-fi mystery novel where there is action at the turn of every page. This video game might be complicated and intense, but it is perfect for the gamer that has a large amount of time to invest in solving the countless mysteries of the confusingly named species in the galaxies of the future.

Not too many role playing video games get more immersed and as hard to follow as Mass Effect, which is due to it being stocked full of choices for the gamer and plots. Gamers are able to create their own version of Commander Shepard and live their life as the leader of a squad of interspecies soldiers who are out to save humanity. If you are a gamer that enjoys this type of video game, then you will definitely have a hard time finding a better experience than this video game.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, dolls, and video games. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, dolls, and used video games at these sites for kids toys, dolls.

Video Games Get the Final Votes

By Victor Epand

Have you ever thought to yourself what makes a good video game? Strong visuals and good controls are essential as well as well crafted concepts. Great video games have feeling, surprise, emotion, interaction, and even addiction and the final votes are for the year are in.

When video games offer all these elements gamers know the sure enjoyment of being able to turn on their video gaming system and instantly becoming involved in one of the best video games on the market. Great video games can cause gamers to want to stay up all night no matter if they have to go to school or work the next morning. Being able to play a great video game forces gamers to experience a new way to push your reflexes and brain harder and faster. Great video games allow gamers to become a galactic warrior, fight aliens, villains, undersea explorers, or even be the hero.

Video games from last year have been voted on and the results for best video game of the year are in. The video games that has been voted best video games of the year are BioShock, Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare, Assassin's Creed, Super Mario Galaxy, and Orange Box. BioShock is an adventure video game that becomes a complete experience for gamers. Gamers become immersed in the action of this video game where the environments are remarkable and the game play begins to invade your mind.

BioShock has the ability to make gamers feel like that are actually wandering through the 1960s era of a undersea utopia that is populated by a crazed zombie and crazy girls that go around carrying chemicals that will help enhance your biological superpowers. This video game goes right down to the detail with props and costumes from the 1960s period, which make such a realistic experience for gamers. The story and concept are incredible and the within the video game there are many rooms to explore, not to mention all the creepy elements that make this video game part sci-fi novel and part horror film. This video game has been rated M for mature.

Another great video game is Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare, which is a combination of edge of your seat warfare along with a great story line and even better visual effects. This version of Call Of Duty has been reinvented into a more modern conflict and is a perfect blend of action and realism of visual affects that are unbelievable. This video game has a well-crafted story line that is full of unexpected surprises that is sure to keep gamers pleased for hours of fun. This video game has been rated M for mature.

Assassin's Creed is another stunning video game that has naturally fluid control capabilities and incredible missions that are set within the Middle Ages. The main character in this video game has free-run abilities that are the best of any video game this year. This video game has been rated M for mature. The Mario Brothers are back with Super Mario Galaxy. In this new video game Mario soars from planet to planet within a colorful masterpiece where controls are easily handled. This video game is a combination of puzzles and action. This video game has been rated E for everyone.

The Orange Box is a combination of five amazing video games in one and has become one of the best values in video games of the year. This video game consists of a brain busting game called Portal and a multi-player game called Team Fortress 2 that is fun and stylish. It also includes the intense story of Half Life 2 that is filled with action. This is an incredible video game that has some thing for every one and is rated teen to mature.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, dolls, and video games. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, dolls, and used video games at these sites for kids toys, dolls.

A Variety of Video Games on the Market For Everyone

By Victor Epand

Video games and video gaming systems have become extremely popular with children and adults alike and on the market today there are some really incredible video games that gamers of every age are sure to enjoy playing.

One video game that gamers are sure to love is Ace Combat 6 - Fires of Liberation. This video game is a based flight simulator where the gamer has the ability to soar through the skies that look real and exciting. This video game comes bundled with an optional flight stick that gets pretty close to matching the controls of an actual fighter jet. Although the price of this video game might be quite steep, flight enthusiasts will appreciate the realism offered by the Ace Edge sticks.

Ace Combat 6 is like three video games in one and although the story line is very well written, even though it is poorly translated. The video game is about an invasion of a mild-mannered country by its disadvantaged neighbors and gives gamers the ability to take to the skies in an effort to defend their country in an aerial combat. After all the individual missions are completed the gamer will find that they have unlocked the free flight mode, which offers gamers the ability to soar across richly detailed countrysides or to weave in and out of the buildings and bridges within the city.

Another video game that gamers may enjoy is Kane And Lynch Dead Men, which has to be one of the best crime drama video games that has ever been written. The gun battles within this video game are much more intense than any bank robbery in ancient western movies and the visuals are as detailed and realistic as the gamer has ever seen. The only problem with this video game is that it is incredibly bulky and has been known to freeze right in the middle of action. The main character can at times pass right through their dead enemies as if they are not there and the controls are clunky and hard to become comfortable with

Now gamers have the ability to transform their living room into the set of a game show by simply connecting up to four controllers into their favorite video gaming system console and playing the Hollywood Quiz. This video game is a terrific mixture of movie trivia from the classic movies to the most recent. The gamer selects a video avatar from a catalog of quirky and fun choices then they will compete head to head to see how much they know.

Gamers can set a second set of Buzz controllers so that up to eight people can play all at once, which is perfect for parties that are in need for a little competitive activity. For younger gamers there is the Junior Robo Jam that offers an excitingly fun collection of twenty-four mini games that uses the same controllers and will test their reflexes. The robot characters of Robo Jam are truly cute and these games are not as tough as the regular version.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant about kids toys, dolls, and video games. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, dolls, and used video games at these sites for kids toys, dolls.

Company of Heroes - Best World War Two Real-Time Strategy

By Scott J Meyer

There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, of World War Two games out there. So when I say that there is another WWII Real-Time Strategy game out, you may be turned off instantly. But, Company of Heroes is certainly no typical WWII RTS. Taking place in Normandy soon after D-Day, Company of Heroes puts you in command of Able Company in the fight against Germany. Coupled with an expansion, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts , you can also take control of the British 2^nd Army or German Panzer Elite. The Gold Edition grabs you both for one price. The game combines constant action, wonderful graphics, and unbelievable historical accuracy which makes it one of the best in its class.

If you loved the movie Saving Private Ryan , and thought Call of Duty was a great first-person shooter companion, then imagine the idea transformed into the Real-Time Strategy genre. Enter Company of Heroes: Gold . You take charge of a company of troops, tanks, and emplacements in order to defeat your enemy. Gathering resources (manpower, ammo, and fuel) involves capturing strategic points throughout the battlefield. Each faction is highly unique, and offers three different company commander options to further increase diversity. Each company commander allows you to "research" upgrades for your troops, as well as specialized units and artillery and air support. Starting with a Headquarters, which produce construction units, you can build several different structures (or, in the case of the British, different Command Trucks) which open up new technologies and units for production. Each unit is displayed extremely realistically, with army specific weapons and weapon upgrades. Infantry squads are controlled as a single unit, and are very intelligent AI-wise. They use cover to avoid fire, and without cover are suppressed and pinned by heavy fire. Engineers allow construction of field defenses like sandbags, barbed wire, trenches, and machine gun posts. Tanks are armored behemoths, towering over infantry with massive firepower, but with armor depicted realistically, are vulnerable to rear attacks. Soon, you will find yourself unconsciously flanking enemy machine guns with infantry and anti-tank emplacements with armor to get a better shot.

With a heavy-duty gaming computer, visuals are beautiful. Bullets kick up dirt, tanks can bounce enemy rounds with their frontal armor, and artillery looks frightfully devastating. By zooming in on units, you can easily make out individual weapons and markings on vehicles. Also, the entire map is destructible. If you order artillery on enemy infantry hidden in houses, each shell that hits will knock off the part of the building it hits, eventually leveling the structure. Tanks turning on city streets will occasionally knock off the corners of nearby buildings, and walls are no barrier. With each distinct explosion leaving a mark on the landscape, it really looks as though a war has been fought.

Company of Heroes: Gold Edition delivers three separate campaigns, each with a very respectable length. You can lead Able Company, US Army from D-Day until the closing of the Falaise Gap. Choosing the British 2^nd Army gives you command of the very distinct British forces in the drive on Caen. Finally, the Panzer Elite campaign places you in command of German forces trying to stop the Operation Market Garden airborne invasions. When done with the campaigns (which will take many hours to complete), there are several dozen instant-action maps to choose from. If you choose online play, there is a very active community. Another faction, the regular German Army, is available in instant-action and multiplayer games, with its own units and company command trees. My only personal grief was multiplayer connection problems, which are not isolated, but not common either.

Company of Heroes is probably the best WWII Real-Time Strategy game available. Between building your base, capturing points, and making decisions in combat (tactical decisions are very important as opposed to most RTS's), even vet players will have their hands full. With such wonderful graphics and realistic gameplay, it can be difficult to stop playing. Such diversity, with four armies and three company commanders each, along with many varied maps and missions, make Company of Heroes: Gold Edition an excellent addition to the genre, and proves that all WWII games are not created equal.

Scott is a student and avid strategy gamer. Please support him by visiting his blog http://greatstrategygames.blogspot.com/ for more reviews, info, and screenshots.

Dance Dance Revolution to Promote Active Living and Fight Obesity

By Kisu Kuroneko

I'm thinking about bringing Dance Dance Revolution into my Intermediate classroom.

Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) is a video game by Konami that was released in the arcades of Japan in 1998 and is now available across several home entertainment systems, including Playstation, Wii, and Xbox.

Players stand on a dance platform with arrows pointing up, down, left, and right. By listening to the music and watching a computer screen, players need to tap the corresponding arrows on the beat.

There are different levels of difficulty, so game play can range from simple to challenging. On the Nintendo Wii, Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party includes the use of the wii remote. Up to 4 players have to move both their hands and feet to the beat.

Overall, DDR is a high-interest, low-skill activity that appeals to the video-game generation, and as a teacher who continually looks for innovative ways to achieve curriculum expectations through technology, DDR is in my sights.

In April 2007, the NY Times reported on how some Physical Education classes are using Dance Dance Revolution to get Grade 7 students moving.

* A projected 1,500 schools in West Virgina are expected to be using the game by the end of the decade.

* "At least 10 states" in the US are using DDR as a "regular part of their physical education curriculum" to fight obesity.

* DDR appeals to school boards and educators as a non-competitive form of movement (compared to traditional sports.)

You could use DDR as an extra-curriculuar club, to meet daily physical activity (DPA) requirements, or as part of a phys-ed program.

* Most students will be watching the screen and practicing moving to the beat while they wait for their turn on the mats.

* Depending on how much you're willing to spend, you could have up to 4 people actually playing on the videogame system.

* You can set the difficulty level for each player independently, which means that an expert and a beginner could be playing at the same time.

If you're ready to start a classroom blog, we're here to help at http://blog.classroomteacher.ca where you'll find this information and more detailed information about how to use Dance Dance Revolution in the classroom.