A 21-year-old computer whiz who created an on-the-cheap Flash video game - Hunter Forever on his home PC has hit the big time in the gaming world - the No. 8 spot on Time magazine's list of the top-10 releases of 2008, alongside such blockbuster titles as Grand Theft Auto IV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Gears of War 2.
"I was thinking, how did they manage to mistype some other game that badly? Then I realized. I spent the next couple of hours in a state of shock, pretty much - not being able to believe it. I was so dazed I didn't even tell my parents until the next day."
The Wii remains one of the hottest Christmas gifts long after its release. The lower price and the interactive nature make it a wonderful toy for the whole family to enjoy.
The console does skew more towards kids and younger families, but honestly, there's enough variety and pure good gameplay to make a Nintendo Wii a great choice for anyone of any age who love games.
1. Wii Fit
Careful who you give this too, you don't want to intimate they need to lose weight.This is a blast though, using the Wii balance board and software to keep track of your weight loss goals and to streamline certain exercises. It's nothing you couldn't do on your own, pushups, lunges, yoga, but it does offer input, instruction and motivation. Wonderfully practical, and somewhat engaging "game" that will be a great introduction to fitness for those who often find it boring to work out. Some mini-games to keep the interactive levels high.
2. Animal Crossing: City Folk
Sort of a Sim City for kids, Animal Crossing: City Folk has you build the game.You can do it yourself, with friends or family in your house or even with other friends online. You move into a house, furnish and build it as you like, help to build the town, interact with everyone and everything, and even use the game's microphone to chat to friends over the internet.This game lets kids be in charge of everything and does it extremely well.
This isn't like the other music games out there, but it is a wonderfully creative way for kids to unearth the beauty of music. You use the Nintendo Wii controllers by shaking them around in time to either complete tasks in mini games or just to jam with friends.You play everything from the Theme to Zelda to Carmen, loads of classical choices in between. And the instruments? Well, yes, there's guitar and drums, but there's also tubas, banjos, flutes, recorders and even cat and dog suits. Very heavy on the cuteness, very heavy on musical exploration, very big on fun.
This is like the other music games out there, without all the clunky peripherals and price. Ultimate band plays rhythm-based hit songs from big artists, but just using the Wii controllers to play the songs. Sure it's not as deep or realistic as Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but is essentially the same concept and still offers a fun musical experience in a social setting.
Like last year's Smarty Pants, this is a trivia/Quiz game, but, as the title suggests, with a Disney flavour. From the Mouse family to newer faves like Lilo and Stitch and the Lion King (with Aladdin as your host), trivia questions and mini games make this a fabulous way for kids to get into the competitive spirit.More than 5,000 questions are included on all things Disney.
Nintendo's Wii sold over two million units in the US during November, in a month that saw overall hardware revenue grow 10 per cent to USD 1.21 billion.
Nintendo's home console sold 2.04 million units, over twice the amount sold for the same period last year, while the company's DS system also shifted 1.57 million units.
Total sales of software, hardware and accessories topped USD 2.91 billion during the month of November.
Sales of the Xbox 360 were more than double the PlayStation 3 during the month, with 836,000 and 378,000, respectively.
"The expanded supply of Wii systems at retail was clearly evident in the sales figures this month," commented Anita Frazer of sales group NPD.
"The 360 realised a nice unit sales bump over last November and the PS3 year-to-date unit sales growth is impressive."
Sony's PSP was its strongest hardware performer, selling 421,000 units, while the PlayStation 2 also managed 206,000 units.
"It's clear there can be more multiple victors this generation, and while price is certainly a strong factor, particularly as the current economic situation continues to prevail, the most important factor that will drive success in 2009 will be the line-up of compelling games that will keep consumers involved in the industry," added Frazer.
Sales figures for all hardware during November follow:
LA TALE is a MMORG set in a fantasy world of sword and sorcery. The player creates a character in the class that best suits their gaming style; Warrior, Knight, Wizard, or Explorer.
La Tale is a side-scrolling game which looks and feels like a "platformer" -- a genre of video games where players have to navigate an environment by getting their characters up onto platforms. The gameplay is controlled mostly with the keyboard and characters will perform the animations of climbing, walking, swinging hand over hand, or swimming as the environment dictates. Game controls are simple, tooltips are plentiful, and PC requirements low.
Cute and colorful in an anime style, this game is fun to play and easy to get into. Character development is not complex, although players would be well advised to read guides that are already out on the various skills and classes. Apart from exploring dungeons and killing monsters with sword or magic to earn gold, players will enjoy dressing their characters in a multitude of fashions. They will need to learn a single crafting skill, which is a nice social aspect of the game as crafters are dependent upon each other to produce sub-components or the final item.
Another engaging aspect of gameplay are pets. Like players, they get stronger the more they experience, and kids get to watch them grow from egg to baby to adulthood. Pets provide different benefits to the player, depending on the type of pet you have, and they are bought from the item shop using money earned in the game or real money.
Gamezplay.org are pleased to announce Capcom will celebrate the return of the revolutionary Street Fighter series and the upcoming release of Street Fighter IV for the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360, Capcom by creating the ultimate Collectors Edition pack for European and Australian fans of the series.
Along with the game itself, the Collectors Edition pack, which will be available for both the PS3 and Xbox 360, will include the following contents housed in a classic Street Fighter scene outer case –
Limited edition figurines of all time favourite character Ryu and the all new character Crimson Viper, positioned within the familiar settings of the 'crowded Chinese downtown'.
A bonus disc containing a feature length HD quality anime movie, created specially for the launch of Street Fighter IV and a selection of the best game trailers to date.
A mini strategy guide created in the style of a comic art book detailing the moves and biographies of four of the new characters to the series; Viper, Abel, El Fuerte and Rufus
Exclusive downloadable game content
Street Fighter IV the Collectors Edition will be punching its way into fans hands on February 20th 2009.
More Action from X-Blades, the fast-paced action adventure game, featuring a blend of cinematic style and beautiful anime-inspired characters, combat and environments.
Fireball:I always loved fire, even as a little girl. Then people noticed that I was able to command fire in some mysterious way. That's why I have a special affinity for these skills and I like learning them. A Fireball can be hurled against all kinds of enemies, even airborne opponents. On impact, it explodes and throws the opponent to the ground. This spell is really effective against Ice Elementals.
Fire Blades:The power of Fire amazes me, because it truly is a skill that has aided me in many battles. I've learned to harness the power of fire and imbue it into my very own gunblades. This is quite a skill to master because the last thing an adventurer wants to do is melt her own weapons accidentally. This spell also allows me to shoot blazing projectiles at my enemies as well. Fire is a beautiful thing. (Requirement: Fireball)
Dark Elementals: A particle of the Dark which has a slight awareness of its own existence. Little more than a parasitic vampire, Dark Elementali suck away their victim's energy after melting it down with dark magic. Since they consume a lot of energy and spawn quickly, they're often hungry and extremely aggressive.
Ice Elementali: Ice Elementali are the embodiment of Cold magic. The result of dangerous experiments conducted by ancient magicians, these creatures can stop the use of magic by binding their victim's body with ice, thereby slowing them down. As are all Elemantalis, they're vulnerable to magic opposed to their own.
X-Blades is a fast-paced action adventure game, featuring a blend of cinematic style and beautiful anime-inspired characters, combat and environments. Players assume the role of Ayumi, a charismatic and fearless treasure hunter who users her pistol blades and magic spells to defeat her enemies. X-Blades will be available later this winter.
Rise of the Argonauts immerses players in a gladiatorial adventure set in a wondrously imagined vision of ancient Greece. Taking the role of Jason, a hero and expert warrior, players will battle alongside Hercules, Achilles, Atalanta and other Argonauts as they engage in brutal combat against formidable beasts and enemies, in a vast world alive with fickle gods, jaw-dropping panoramas, deep exploration and epic quests. The search for the Golden Fleece is not only one of exploration, but of transformation: from warrior king to exalted hero touched by the gods.
Frogster reveals information about mounts and pets in Runes of Magic shortly before the start of the open beta.
Mounts not only allow for faster travelling, but they also are a status symbol for every Runes of Magic player. They can be rented for a period of time from merchants for ingame currency. This feature is accessible for players right from character level one. Amongst others permanent mounts for lifetime are available at the item shop.
Due to a large selection of pets, collectors will get their money’s worth in Runes of Magic. Besides goblins, cats and wolves, exotic pets like a small Grim Reaper are following the players at every turn in the vast game world. But the following also is essential: the little companions can rarely be found in the loot of defeated enemies. Impatient players can use the item-shop, where they can buy pets and mounts for either a trial period or their whole life.
In the future Frogster plans additional features for their pets. Already in development are companions that can assist players in battles, cast beneficial magic spells on players and can even fight in special arenas against each other. Frogster also plans to introduce mounted combat in one of the upcoming patches: players can fight on horseback against monsters, as well as human opponents.
Runes of Magic – a world full of wizardry and adventure With an extensive range of features Runes of Magic prepares to redefine the standard of free-to-play MMO games. Right from the launch Runes of Magic will convey its absorbing story through more than 1.000 quests embedded in an atmospheric world. Players can choose between six main classes. Combined with a secondary class they dispose of 36 individual character classes over all. All characters possess unique skills with impressive combo attacks and can use mounts. A particularly attractive feature for guilds and players is the possibility to arrange their own virtual homes with individual furnishing. Thanks to an extensive crafting and reputation system, thrilling PVP as well as demanding dungeons and boss-monsters, no wishes remain unsatisfied. The Taiwanese developer Runewaker has developed Runes of Magic according to western MMO standards within a time frame of three years. The studio will provide new challenges for players every three to four months with free add-ons and updates. MMO fans can find more information, pictures and videos on the official website www.runesofmagic.com. Runes of Magic features
- Free2play: no monthly fees, free download - Extensive dual class system (six primary and secondary classes) - Versatile spell- and attack-combinations - Enthralling background story - More than 1.000 quests and quest series on launch - No zone boundaries thanks to seamless architecture - Dungeons: Instanced and tile based as well as persistent - Individually developable skills and spells - Armor sets with special bonuses - Dynamic item system with hundreds of runes for upgrading - Optional PvP system with arena battles and guild wars - Ranking system with player-ranking lists - Multitude of unique mounts - Epic crafting system with the chance to improve existing items - Personalization of player houses through individual furnishing - Reputation system - Customisable user interface with the option to use Add-Ons - Map and radar system to find dealers, resources and quests easily - Ingame auction houses for trading items - Teleport-Runes for instant travel - Mouse and keyboard controls for movement - Regular updates with new content - Cross-server fights in three-server-battle in development - Guild houses in special zones in development
A 21-year-old computer whiz who created an on-the-cheap Flash video game - Hunter Forever on his home PC has hit the big time in the gaming world - the No. 8 spot on Time magazine's list of the top-10 releases of 2008, alongside such blockbuster titles as Grand Theft Auto IV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Gears of War 2. ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vo9MM510yx5gSDdPIeb7JxqKvaEkxtZc57H0uYfra2TxPumJhKJLqwt8lfLuS5z6T_jktR0sW01Zd8GszOZv28huWyPpdtve7oRwxpEgH5q6upHZg9cAwsPS6mbGUw32a-lh3lHkFdcyaNddKa2sU=s0-d)
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