gamezplay

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Microsoft say Black Friday Xbox sales strong...

Microsoft was the first to issue a press release, saying that U.S. Xbox 360 console sales over the Black Friday weekend were on pace to beat previous years. It estimated Black Friday sales were up 25 percent on 2007 numbers and that the Xbox 360 outsold the PlayStation 3 by a three-to-one margin.

Of course, analysts are expecting Nintendo to trounce Microsoft in consoles sold. Nintendo doesn’t have a Black Friday report ready yet.

Sony, meanwhile, thumped its chest back at Microsoft. Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing and PlayStation Network at Sony, said in a statement that the company’s U.S. sales are up 90 percent year-to-date and that sales are on track for the company’s fiscal year which ends March 31, 2009.

Retailers reported strong sales on Black Friday, but many analysts attributed that to deep discounting. Video game companies have bundled more games with each console, and Microsoft cut its console prices in September, but the industry hasn’t resorted to big discounts. In the game industry, the most expensive new games debut at $60, but there is always the danger that new games won’t sell well and that used games will surge. That isn’t the case right now, evidently.

Gears of War 2 lived up to the hype. I finished it last week and was quite delighted with the sequel to the 2006 original. Microsoft said it sold 2 million copies of that game on its first weekend after the Nov. 7 launch.

Microsoft said that Fable II and Lips (a sing-along game) also sold well. And it said that sales of Xbox 360 hardware have been strong worldwide since the company cut prices in September. Among the big titles that should push November U.S. sales of video games are Gears of War 2, EA’s Left For Dead, Sony’s LittleBigPlanet and Resistance 2, Activision Blizzard’s World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, THQ’s WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, and Nintendo’s Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia for the Nintendo DS handheld game player. NPD is expected to publish November game sales results on Dec. 11.

Full text source: The standard

Tomb Raider Underworld video game review...

Tomb Raider is certainly ready to move in new directions. However, before it does, Underworld serves as a suitable exclamation point to wrap up old ideas before moving on to the next big thing. In that capacity, the game is a huge success, delivering the best of what makes Tomb Raider games fun while excising most elements that have irked players in recent years. This game won't likely change your opinion of the character or her adventures, but it's a grand ride for those who still look forward to globetrotting with the British heiress.

Crystal Dynamics acknowledges from the start that it's time to sweep out the old and bring in the new, opening the game with a bang (bye-bye Croft Manor), making it abundantly clear that things are changing for Lara. Underworld features the most cinematic and exciting Tomb Raider plot yet, filled with tense drama and awe-inspiring scenes of discovery. Without explicitly saying so, Underworld serves as the final act of the seemingly disconnected stories presented in Legend and Anniversary. Culling characters and unanswered questions from both, this closing chapter won't leave fans hanging.

The series' basic design tenets remain intact, but they are more polished here than ever before. Clambering along ledges, leaping across dangerous gaps, dodging ancient mechanical traps, and culling endangered animal species... it's all here. What has changed is the sense of scale. Underworld is all about huge mechanisms and sprawling levels. The platforming is top notch, and navigating the varied locales of the game world has never been more fun. Lara's actions feel and look more natural, thanks to some excellent motion-captured animation; cracks only show during occasional transitions between animations. Her moveset is also dramatically expanded, giving her more facility to interact with the environment in the way you want.

The mind-bending puzzles are fun, particularly the impressive number of optional challenges scattered throughout the game to find extra relics and treasures. If anything, some of the puzzles may be too big. I'm as much of a fan of gigantic, pulley-rigged ancient statues as anyone, but there are times where the scale of these contraptions is too massive to even understand what you're doing when you place widget A in slot B. Beyond this frustration, most of the puzzles are a blast to solve, delivering repeated "aha" moments that puzzle gamers can't help but love.

Combat is a marginal step up from previous incarnations, but is still heavily focused on wild leaps around the environment as you hold down the trigger. Unlike before, these combat encounters frequently pop up while you're in the midst of hanging off a ledge or leaping between posts, upping the excitement significantly. Legacy camera problems, meanwhile, haven't improved significantly and is probably the biggest problem still facing the talented development team.

In tone, Underworld hits the target dead center, delivering the perfect mix of isolation and discovery with larger dramatic encounters. No modern cities mar Lara's excursion this time, this is tomb-raiding from beginning to end. Remarkable visuals sell the experience, and a moving score deepens your involvement. The formula behind the game is ready for some fresh ideas, but as a wrap up of old ideas, Underworld hits the sweet spot.

All gamezplay.org posts including video and sexy Alison Carroll the new face of Lara Croft...

PLATFORM: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
STYLE: 1-player action/adventure
PUBLISHER: Eidos

CONCEPT: Explore the hidden ruins of the ancient past in one of Lara Croft's best adventures
GRAPHICS: Gorgeous environments, moody lighting, and slick animation make this a surprise contender for one of the finest looking games of the year
SOUND: A fantastic score sets the mood for exploring mysterious ruins and shooting in desperate gun battles
PLAYABILITY: Lara reacts with ease and precision, but the camera is sometimes frustrating
ENTERTAINMENT: A thrilling adventure for any gamer, but long-time tomb raiders will especially love all the nods to previous narratives
REPLAY VALUE: Moderate
THE BOTTOM LINE: 8.75 out of 10

Source: Courant

NBA Live Jersey contest winners to be announced

They came. They designed. They are being chosen...

The judges are picking the best designs from more than 10,000 entries in the NBA LIVE Jersey Creator Contest.

Check out fan favorites in the galleries and come back to see the winners soon.

Check out the gallery here...

Pit Crew Panic! The All Girl Pit Crew arrive on Nintendo WiiWare

Broken Aircraft Carrier? Leaking Fishing Boat? Giant Broken Wedding Cake? Fear not! Hudson’s All-Female Pit Crew Has You Covered!

The official launch of Pit Crew Panic!, an all-new, wacky “panic-action” game, available for WiiWare. This unique game is loaded with frantic fixing fun as the player’s all-female pit crew repairs a variety of bizarre “WHATSITS” as fast as they can.

Players can choose to play solo and race against the clock or play against their friends to see whose all-female pit crew can hammer, screw and wrench the fastest on a giant broken wedding cake! Inspired grease monkeys can even play online and see whose girls can out-fix their opponents on an aircraft carrier, a broken toilet, a pot of sunflowers, a car with a cake under its hood and many more zany “WHATSITS”!

Pit Crew Panic! is full of crazy frantic action! As broken “WHATSITS” race up to the awaiting pit crew, players will have the power to assign each of their pit crew girls to different sections of the broken item that needs to be fixed. Players have to hurry before timers run out since sections of the broken “WHATSITS” could explode like ticking time bombs or spew automotive fluids and nearby pit crew girls will get stunned or slip!

Players can also help out their pit crew girls in sticky fix-it situations by using their Wii Remote just like a real pit crew tool. Just like any good grease monkey would use a screwdriver, wrench or other pit crew tools, players can use the Wii Remote to hammer away with up and down swings or tighten bolts with a turn of the wrist. There is also a handy tutorial to help players figure out not just how to play the game, but also how to go as fast as they can when fixing all the wacky “WHATSITS” in the game!

“Pit Crew Panic! has taken gameplay with the Wii Remote to fun and creative new extremes,” said Sabine Duvall, Vice President of Product Development at Hudson Entertainment. “The game has a unique sense of humor which players will appreciate as they try to use the Wii Remote as a blowtorch to fix a space station or as a wrench to fix a locomotive.”
Pit Crew Panic! is rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

Grand Theft Auto IV on PC includes SecuROM 7 install

Image via Wikipedia

The upcoming PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV will install SecuROM 7 on customers' systems, although the game maker claims its properly de-fanged the detested DRM technology.

Rockstar told the gaming site IGN that GTA IV's flavor of SecuROM won't limit the number of installs of the game, nor will it restrict the number of machines it can be put on.

Those were arguably the most reviled SecuROM checks previously used on games such as EA's Spore, which have put many gamers up at arms. EA later backed down on the number total Spore installs, but kept the PC limit capped at five.

A Rockstar spokesperson told IGN:

GTA IV PC uses SecuROM for protecting our EXE until street date has passed, to ensure the retail disk is in the computer drive, and is used for Product Activation of the title. Product Activation is a one time only online authentication when installing the game.

The anti-DRM crowd will still have the rest of SecuROM's questionable repertoire to wag a finger at. It had been known to cause hardware problems for some, and even after a game has been removed from your system, uninstalling SecuROM is no easy task.

The latter point explains why the Rockstar rep added that even if a customer uninstalls and re-install GTA IV, it won't require re-authentication. (Unless a customer changes to "major" components on the PC, such as CPU and video card). "Active functions" of SecuROM are removed on the game's installation but "some traces will remain," according to Rockstar. The company said it's presently "working" with SecuROM just to post information on its support pages on how to remove the DRM completely.

Although an internet connection will be required for activation, the game maker said it will provide for rustic customers to activate the game using someone else's machine with web access.

To ward off those looking for the inevitable pirated version of GTA IV with SecuROM removed, the Rockstar spinster went with the angle that property theft isn't as easy, profitable, and amusing as each and every game in the GTA series would suggest:

Aside from the fact that warez are a great place to pick up a Trojan or key logger, using a cracked copy of GTA IV PC will result in varying changes to the game experience. These can range from comical to game-progress-halting changes.

It sounds a bit like the company is leaking bugged versions of the game on file-sharing sites. That may even keep freetards from getting their paws on a stolen digital copy for one — maybe two days tops by our estimate.

Source: The Register and IGN

Monday, December 01, 2008

Lord of the Rings - Mines of Moria online MMO game

The 2007 PC MMO Game of the Year returns with an all-new breakthrough title! The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria drops you into the dark majesty of the world beneath Middle-earth.

Explore a truly vast underground environment like youve never seen before. Battle the terrors of the Nameless Deep with new legendary items that evolve and grow in power as you do.

Watch the HD video here on my YouTube channel...

Al-Quraysh - Strategy Video Game 100 years of Islam's history

"Al-Quraysh" is a strategy game developed by Damascus based Afkar Media, that tells the story of the first 100 years of Islam's history from the viewpoint of four different nations - Bedouins, Arabs, Persians, and Romans.

One can choose to command any of the armies of the four nations or lead the army of the main character, Khaled Ibn Waleed, a Muslim warrior who defeated the Roman and Persian empires and never lost a battle. Or one can play the role of the Bedouin sheikh, who must earn the respect of his tribe. The player has the task of building and protecting trade routes and water sources, building armies, conducting battles, and freeing slaves.

The makers hope "Al-Quraysh," named after the prophet Muhammad's tribe, will help to correct the image of Islam, alleviate tensions with the West, and stoke pride among young Muslims. Afkar Media has already produced two games, both dealing with the plight of the Palestinian people.

One game released last year, "Under Siege," was born out of frustration with the prevalance of Arabs and Muslims portrayed as terrorists in Western video games. The creators of the game say the story line counteracts the biases in some Western games by showing the Palestinian struggle from an Arab vantage point and creating Arab and Muslim characters who are fighting in self-defense.

I haven't had the chance to check out or play any of the AfkarMedia games, although I truly wish I get to, but I think it's great that they're out there and doing all this amazing work.

I also like their choice of subjects and the messages they're trying to get across through their games.

Children say Wii will get fit if it's fun - video games help...

Children will take the recommended amount of exercise they need each day if it is combined with video games, new academic research has reveal

An independent study at the University of Cumbria found that nine in every ten youngsters want to play video games at the same time as exercising. The games reduce the boredom of exercise.
Fifty children aged 11 and 12 were asked to use exercise equipment combined with video games provided by a company called Gamercize.

The children could play their games only while they maintained movement on the fitness machines. If they stopped exercising, the games paused.

Researcher Jack Tyson said: "The results of this study show that 90% of children like combining video games with exercise.

"Only one in five of these children was achieving the recommended one hour a day of moderate physical activity, while three-quarters of them played video games for more than one hour a day."

Today, the National Obesity Forum hailed the findings.

Clinical director Dr David Haslam said: "Physical inactivity in children is a major cause of the obesity epidemic, and Gamercize provides an innovative solution, reducing sedentary behaviour, whilst maintaining enjoyment, making it a popular and appealing remedy. This study begins to show that by providing more novel opportunities, it is possible to increase a child's activity in a painless and effective way."

Tam Fry, the Forum's board member for children and the Honorary Chairman of the Child Growth Foundation, added: "Ideally children should be running around fields and expending energy naturally, but a lot of children are unable to do this so active gaming brings about energy balance. The key to all this is that children must have fun and the value of Gamercize is that children have a great time using it."

Gamercize equipment has proved popular in schools and homes worldwide.

Derbyshire Sport introduced Gamercize equipment into schools this year.

Steve Smith, the schools sports partnership development manager, said: "We have found Gamercize equipment appeals to all children, helping us to provide additional physical activity in our primary and secondary schools. Gamercize has proved both popular with children and is extremely flexible for PE teachers and school sport competition managers alike."

Gamercize products are available locally in the United Sates through leading exergame resellers, see http://www.gamercizeusa.com or http://www.gamercize.net for full details.

About Gamercize

Gamercize, the company behind world leading patented electronic fitness accessories for PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, Xbox and Gamecube. The company aim is to encourage fitness with motivation and enjoyment, by innovation in technology. Gamercize is a member of the Fitness Industry Association and Youth Sports Trust. Its website is http://www.gamercize.net.

Source: PA

Fernando Torres addicted to video games - buys three of each...

Spanish footballer Fernando Torres, who plays for UK side Liverpool, is addicted to computer games and has spent £35,000 kitting out his home with high-tech toys including three PlayStation 3 consoles.

He is understood to be highly superstitious and his love of three continues when he orders video games.

He has three copies of Pro Evolution Soccer(Surprise!) Grand Theft Auto IV and Halo 3.

Three games rooms three Playstation 3s three Xbox 360s, three of each game and three times three - number nine the number on his jersey.

AramA II Armed Assault video game - military simulator

Director’s cut High Definition movie of the recent ArmA II trailer, created especially for the dedicated fans in the ever-growing ArmA community.

As part of its continued commitment to the loyal ArmA fans, Bohemia Interactive wanted to ensure that the extended trailer provided a detailed look at the game’s weapons, vehicles and the incredible environments in the troubled setting of war-ravaged Chernarus. The ArmA II website also contains even more information about the upcoming military simulation and is packed full of key intel.

“We want to support our fans with fresh materials and news on a regular basis,” said Marek Spanel, CEO of Bohemia Interactive. “This video will be followed by more materials in the close future. Stay tuned and check the ArmA II website for forthcoming info.”

In ArmA II, you’re part of an elite squad of American soldiers sent behind enemy lines to restore peace to Chernarus, a Soviet country ripped apart by civil war as warring rival factions fight to take control of the troubled state. In an epic story full of plot twists and turns, it becomes clear that the troubles plaguing Chernarus are deeper than anyone thought and the battle intensifies to extreme levels.

Watch the ARMA 2 HD video in game trailer here on my YouTube channel...

ArmA II will be available across Europe in 2009.

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Tuesday, December 02, 2008

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