Virtual Reality: The Future of Technology or a Passing Fad?

Conquering the world of virtual reality has been a huge dream since the late 60's. Being able to escape reality and place yourself in a different world has become such a huge thing for man kind that there are even TV shows and movies about it. Which is odd, because we watch TV and movies to escape reality, and we have to watch shows about escaping reality.

So for about the past two years we have been hearing about these huge breakthroughs in VR technology, especially after Facebook bought Oculus. Around that point is when things started getting real (no pun intended). Now Samsung and Google have their own versions of the VR technology and are coming out with their own gaming headsets. Everyone has it set in their minds that this is going to be the next big thing in the gaming world. And with all of the hype building up over the past 50 years or so, they could be very right.

The gaming world is also closely related to the world of anime as well. Some people might not see that, but gamers know what I'm talking about. Realistically, the anime "Sword Art Online" is, arguably, one of the best things that could have happened to the companies who are making these headsets. It is one of the biggest anime series to come out since Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon and it is all about being trapped in a virtual world created with a virtual reality headset. So it is a fact that the market for these devices just doubled.

There could be a down side though. Remember when 3D TVs were the biggest deal in the world? Yeah, me either. That's because no one cared, even after all the hype. No one wants to look like an idiot with 3D glasses on while they watch TV, and no one wants to spend 5 bazillion dollars on a 3D TV that doesn't require glasses, especially when it will probably get boring after about 48 hours and you'll just want to watch regular TV like a regular person anyway. Will virtual reality headsets be the same? Will it become more hassle than it's worth to the average gamer? Will the novelty wear off?

There is probably about a 50/50 chance in my mind. It could be the biggest deal in the world if executed correctly. And that means the systems, the headsets, the games, everything. There is just too much hassle and risk involved to make something sub-par. There really isn't that much to say about it. If the fun doesn't outweigh the annoyance, virtual reality gaming will disappear along with the dream of it.

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Gold Limited Edition MSI GS60 Gaming Laptops

There have been plenty of smartphone companies that have put out gold versions of their devices. So, who wouldn't want a gold gaming laptop? Everyone wants a gold gaming laptop. MSI has gone ahead and ditched the sleek black aluminum design of the GS60 Ghost and the GS60 Ghost Pro 3K and completely blinged out the chassis. These are limited in quantity and will only be sold on Newegg.com.

The 15.35 x 10.47 x 0.78-inch Ghost and Ghost Pro come with incredible Nvidia GeForce GTX 870M graphics. The Ghost has a 2.4-GHz Intel Core i7-4700HQ CPU, 12GB of RAM, a 1TB 7,200 RPM hard drive and only weighs 4 pounds.

The Ghost Pro has the same dimensions as the regular Ghost. It has a 2.5-GHz Intel Core i7-4710HQ CPU, 16GB of RAM and two different 128GB SSDs in RAID 0 configuration with a 1TB 7,200 RPM hard drive. The Ghost Pro 3K edition also has a 2880 x 1620 resolution, which is really similar to the popular retina displays from Apple.

There are also a ton of different ports on these for just about anything. They each have 3 USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, a mini DisplayPort, Gigabyte Ethernet, a 3-in-1 card reader, a jack for headphones, and a jack for a mic. Both versions of the laptop also have SteelSeries keyboards with customizable lighting and programmable keys.

These are pretty fantastic gaming machines. The fact that they are gold probably won't help you out that much in the online gaming world, but it is definitely a self esteem booster. It's also probably pretty intimidating for anyone who sees it in person.

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An Oculus Competitor That Works On Xbox One, Playstation 4, And PC

Almost 8 years ago, we were shown a virtual reality headset for the Xbox 360, but it never came out. Now, after Facebook purchased the top company in the VR world, it has finally come back.

True Player Gear has made a virtual reality headset the looks a lot like the Oculus one. It straps to your head, gives you a 1080p OLED display, you get the idea. The crazy thing though, is that this one device will work with the Xbox One, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC, and even MAC according to the company. This is huge news, and a big potential slap in the face to Facebook if it takes off.

This new device from True Player Gear is setting the bar in my opinion. It has some major differences than the devices being made by other companies. A few examples would be the face that you can use it with more than one platform (by a LOT), it supports older games that weren't even intended for virtual reality, the head-mounted display has its own lenses so that players can adjust the focus, meaning that they won't have to use their glasses or contacts while playing any of the games. That alone is a huge selling point that I'm surprised these other companies haven't thought of.

There are also two cameras so that users can see what's actually around them in the outside world at any given time. These cameras will also be used for future augmented reality games that the company will be putting out themselves. As if all of these awesome features weren't good enough, it even has it's own built in processor so that the console or PC doesn't have to take on the extra load. What else could you honestly ask for? Everything a 90's kid ever dreamed the 2000's would be like is finally here.

In case you were wondering, This device does not yet have a set in stone name, price, or release date yet. But this should all be announced soon. I'll keep you updated.

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Ubisoft Releases Assassin's Creed III Details

Over the past few weeks, Ubisoft has released plenty of details concerning what will be featured in Assassin’s Creed III. The setting, the box art, some screenshots, the trailer and lots of other tidbits about the game have all been released.

Assassin’s Creed III will be set between the times of 1753 and 1783. Players will be able to explore the frontier that is between New York and Boston and stop in places like Lexington, Concord and Indian villages. The famous historical figures featured in the game will include George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Charles Lee.

“You’re going to see cities that you’ve probably visited. This idea that it’s your history is very powerful…It’s not just going to a historical building now; it’s going to be a historical event…You will see the great fire of New York. You will visit Valley Forge as a location that is currently occupied by Washington’s forces. You will visit these places in the moment that they were important, and hopefully, experience the reason why we know where they are today. That’s the goal.”

The new assassin featured in the latest installment of the game is named Connor. His father is English and his mother is Native American. He has been raised with the Mohawk tribe. The Creative Director for the game Alex Hutchinson said that Connor is a “vision of quiet heroism and rugged pioneer skill.” He went on to say, “We want to explore this notion of duality…He’s of neither culture. If we’re going to talk about the American Revolution, we didn’t want you playing Mel Gibson from The Patriot, and we didn’t want you in a military uniform. The AC universe is one step back from all that.”

As Connor, players will be able to hunt animals and sell pelts in order to make money and survive. They will also have the ability to fast travel, which is a very good thing since the map is 1.5 times larger than the map that was featured in Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. Like previous Assassin’s Creed games, the notoriety system and the ability to earn money and property will be back.

The entire Assassin’s Creed franchise follows the story of Desmond Miles, a bartender in the year 2012, who comes from a long line of assassins. Desmond is captured by Abstergo Industries (the modern-day Knights Templar), which is searching for the location of several important artifacts. Desmond is forced to use a device called the Animus, which allows him to re-live the memories of his family members that came before him. In Assassin’s Creed III, Desmond will no longer be in a coma and will communicate with Connor via the Animus.

Assassin's Creed III will be released on October 30 and will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

If you are interested in seeing and learning more about the game, check out the trailer below:



Sources: IGN - Assassin's Creed III Details Revealed, PCMag - Ubisoft Reveals Trailer for Assassin's Creed III and Game Rant - ‘Assassin’s Creed 3′ Story & Character Spoilers

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Black Friday Nintendo 3DS Bundles

If you’ve been interested in buying the Nintendo 3DS, but you just haven’t been able to justify spending the money on the hand held console, as well as games, then Nintendo’s Black Friday deal might just help you justify the purchase. Nintendo just announced that they will be offering two different 3DS bundles this holiday season.

One of the bundles includes a bright red 3DS, as well as Super Mario 3D Land, which was Mario’s first full appearance in a 3DS game. The other bundle is themed around The Legend of Zelda. It features a limited edition black 3DS with a “Hyrule emblem and gold-colored embellishments.” The bundle also includes The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.

The Zelda bundle has already been introduced in Europe. Kotaku said that in the United States, the bundle will be sold at GameStop and Best Buy. They did not mention where the 3D Land bundle will be sold, but I would guess that it would be available at vendors like GameStop and Best Buy as well.

Both of the bundles will begin selling on Thanksgiving Day (November 24) and will cost $199.

Nintendo made sure to mention that it will have special setups in malls across the nation between Thanksgiving and December 18. These stations will allow potential customers to try out the two games featured in the bundles. They will also display "all the best video games for the holidays."

The Nintendo 3DS was a huge disappointment for Nintendo when it was released. It was hyped up like crazy, but the sales have not been anything to talk about. In October Nintendo reported that the company has lost close to a billion dollars in the past six months. Between the months of March and September Nintendo only sold 3 million units, much less than the company had originally projected.

Back in August Nintendo dropped the price of the 3DS from $249 to $169. Since this price drop, Nintendo’s sales numbers have been a little better but certainly still not on track. However, this new bundle could help the company boost its numbers for the device at least somewhat. Will Greenwald, a PCMag analyst, believes that the 3DS bundles really could help Nintendo get back on track with the device.

"In the gaming field, Nintendo offers the best buys for holiday gifts," he wrote. "That simply can't be disputed."

If you are interested in getting an even better deal on the bundle, Best Buy is offering both of the 3DS bundles for $179 on Black Friday. If you feel like dealing with the crowds, this could be a deal definitely worth taking advantage of.

Sources: PCMag - Nintendo Offering Two $199 Black Friday 3DS Bundles, GamesBeat - Nintendo 3DS bundles featuring Zelda and Mario Land Nov. 24 and joystiq - Best Buy selling Mario, Zelda 3DS bundles for Black Friday.

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Modern Warfare 3 Breaks Even More Records

Last week Activision reported that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was the “biggest entertainment launch ever with an estimated sell-through of more than $400 million and more than 6.5 million units in North America and the United Kingdom alone in the first 24 hours of its release.” Now, on Thursday, November 17 Activision announced that it has broken yet another record with its latest release.

In the first five days, Modern Warfare 3 generated more than $775 million in sales. According to data provided by Charttrack, the game beat both of the records that were set by its predecessors. A year ago Call of Duty: Black Ops made $650 million in the first five days, and two years ago Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 set records by making $500 million in the first five days. Clearly, Modern Warfare 3 blew both of these records out of the water.

"With $775 million of sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in its first five days, Call of Duty has become the first entertainment property in history to set five-day launch records for three consecutive years across all forms of entertainment," said Robert Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, in a statement.

He also mentioned that, as a whole, the series has brought in more than $6 billion worldwide. This has made it one of the most valuable video game franchises in gaming history.

"We expect continued sales momentum, as reviews and audience enthusiasm suggest that this is the best Call of Duty game that we have ever made," he continued.

Modern Warfare 3 has been a huge success for Activision. The company reported that by the end of the first day the game was on sale, gamers had already logged in more than 7 million hours of gameplay. This is a 19 percent increase from the 5.9 million hours that gamers logged on the first day that Black Ops was released. The company also reported that on day one there were 3.3 million unique gamers that played Modern Warfare 3, up from 2.6 million unique users that played Black Ops on the first day.

Black Ops was able to haul in $1 billion in under two months, and I am certain that Modern Warfare 3 will have no issue with breaking that record as well.

Source: PCMag - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Breaks More Records, Hits $775M in Sales

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Video Games Lead to Increased Creativity?

It seems as though the typical stereotype surrounding video games is that if a gamer plays them too much, their brain will turn into mush. I’m sure that there are many individuals whose parents have told them something very similar to that; however, a new study that was recently released disagrees with this belief.

According to a report from researchers at Michigan State University, first reported by CNET, children that play video games seem to be more creative.

The study was published in the journal called Computers in Human Behavior, and it observed 491 12-year-old boys and girls. According to the study, the children that played video games were more creative. They were able to perform in a more creative manner when it came to drawing pictures and writing stories. The study also made sure to mention that it did not matter whether or not the video games that the children were playing were violent.

Linda Jackson is the psychology professor at MSU that headed up the study about children, video games and creativity. She said that after considering the findings of the study, she believes that game developers should use the information from the study and work to find which parts of video games help to stimulate creativity in children.

“Once they do that, video games can be designed to optimize the development of creativity while retaining their entertainment values such that a new generation of video games will blur the distinction between education and entertainment,” Jackson said in a statement.

One thing to consider is that creativity is a trait that is subjective and can be very difficult to measure. The study used a test called the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking. This is a test that is “widely used,” and it asked the children that participated in the study to participate in different activities such as drawing an “interesting and exciting” picture. Researchers looked at the picture in terms of shapes, the title of the picture and the story written about it.

The study also investigated whether or not there was a link between a child’s creativity and their use of other types of technology like a cell phone, the Internet and computers. However, none of those seemed to have an effect on a child’s creativity, unless the computer use was to play video games on the computer. Video games of all different genres were found to have a distinct correlation between the creativity of children, both boys and girls, regardless of the race of the child.

I think that it is incredibly interesting that the study found a correlation between playing video games and creativity. I know that my thirteen-year-old brother will now be using this study as an excuse to play video games every time my mom questions him about playing so much. I definitely never would have thought that playing video games could increase creativity, but according to the study, it does. I agree with Jackson when she says that video game developers need to pay attention to the results of the study. There are definitely some interesting things that they could do with video games if they were able to find what aspect of games helps to promote creativity, and if they could target whatever aspect that is, maybe parents wouldn’t be as hesitant about letting their kids play video games as much.

Source: PCMag - Study Links Creativity to Playing Video Games

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Xbox 360 Selling Like Hotcakes! Nintendo 3DS...Not So Much

According to data released Monday, June 13 by NPD, it seems as though for the month of May, the Xbox 360 has remained the top-selling console, and while the Xbox has flourished, the highly anticipated Nintendo 3DS’s sales are being described as “light.”

In relation to the year-to-date revenues of video game hardware, content and accessory sales, Xbox has grabbed 34 percent so far. The Xbox 360 and the PS3 combined sales are also doing well. They are currently up 28 percent for the month and 21 percent up from last year.

"The PS3, PSP, and the Xbox 360 all experienced unit sales increases over May 2010," NPD analyst Anita Frazier said in a statement. "The top-selling platform for the month was the Xbox 360, which has realized nearly a year and a half of month-over-month unit sales increases."

A little bit earlier this month, Microsoft announced that they have sold more than 55 million Xbox 360 consoles since November 2005, and they claim that “sales are accelerating.”

On the other side of things, as mentioned above, Nintendo’s 3DS is simply generating “light” sales; however, it is expected that those sales will shoot upward. On Sunday, June 19 “Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D” will be released, and Frazier seems positive that the release of the game “should help to significantly boost sales of hardware during the remainder of 2011."

Nintendo also showed off some more games at E3 that could boost the 3DS’s numbers in the next few months. Some of these games include: "Mario Kart," "Starfox 3D," "Super Mario," "Kid Icarus Uprising" and "Luigi's Mansion 2."

The Nintendo 3DS first made its debut in the U.S. in March of this year. It was originally sold for $249.99. By April 15, less than a month after the release of the device, Nintendo said that they had sold just under 400,000 units, but the president of Nintendo Satoru Iwata said, “Nintendo 3DS has not been selling as expected since the second week [of availability], and this is not just in the Japanese market but also in the United States and Europe…therefore, we recognize that we are in a situation where we need to step up our efforts to further promote the spread of Nintendo 3Ds."

Frazier said that the declines in the sales of console hardware are due to the Wii but that the platform "remains the best-selling of this generation at nearly 36 million installed in the U.S." Nintendo is expecting some more success in the form of its new Wii U, which was announced at E3. The next-generation console is scheduled to be released sometime next year.

"At the current rate of growth and decline (on a year-to-date basis) for each of the respective console systems, a year from now the Wii will still enjoy the lead in install base in the U.S., although both the Xbox 360 and PS3 will close the gap," Frazier said. "Of course, new details on hardware introduction could certainly change the picture."

It will be interesting to see how the numbers fluctuate once the Wii U is released. Microsoft is currently in the lead with the Xbox 360, but will Nintendo make up some lost ground with their next-generation console? We’ll just have to wait and see.

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Decrease in Overall Gaming Sales, But Records Still Broken

Despite all of the new games, accessories, and improved gaming systems that were released this past year, gaming sales in 2010 definitely went down. Yes, there were huge accomplishments like Microsoft selling 8 million Kinect accessory packages in the first 60 days after its release, and the fact that the company sold more Xbox 360s this year than ever before, but sales numbers were still lower than last year.

On Thursday, January 13 the NPD Group published their December and annual reports concerning video games in 2010. The reports said that the total sales for video games in 2010 reached $18.58 billion. They went on to explain that this sales figure was less than the past two years. Sales in 2009 were $19.66 billion while video games brought in $21.4 billion in 2008.

NPD did offer an explanation for the drop in sales. They said that they could be attributed to the 13 percent dip in spending on console hardware and a 6 percent drop in new video game software sales. The firm went on to say that consumer spending for new and used games, as well as downloadable games, have dropped by one percent. Now on the other hand, the sales of video game accessories have gone up. In 2010 the sale of all video game accessories jumped a whole 13 percent above the sales numbers from 2009. For the month of December alone, sales reached $853.2 million.

One of the biggest contributors that even allowed the gaming sales numbers to be what they are for 2010 was Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Sales of consoles went up 42 percent in 2010 over what they were the year before. December was a record setting month for the five-year-old console. Sales numbers showed that Microsoft sold 1.9 million units, making it the best-selling month ever for the gaming platform.

Microsoft said that to accommodate the unexpected demands in December they had to make units available that had been set aside for January and February production runs. "Despite this, Microsoft still experienced out of supply situations in late December,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement that confirmed the news of the shortage. “It [Microsoft] expects supply constraint to continue in January and February as it works with retail and manufacturing partners to expedite production and shipments to replenish the channel."

Although Microsoft definitely had incredible sales numbers in December, the company with the top overall hardware sales for 2010 was Nintendo. The company sold more than 8.5 million DS systems for the year, as well as 7 million Wii consoles. For the month of December, the company sold 2.5 million DS units and 2.3 million Wii units.

Now everyone needs to remember that overall gaming sales also include PC gaming. In 2010 PC gaming has had a small increase since 2009. Its sales numbers grew an overall 3 percent over last year’s numbers in terms of selling software. NPD reported that consumers in 2010 seemed to spend more of their money on used games, game downloads, and digital copies of games. There were some new games in 2010 though that did definitely make a fine contribution to the PC gaming sales numbers. Blizzard’s World of Warcraft : Cataclysm expansion pack and the highly-anticipated Starcraft sequel, Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, combined to account for 14 percent of the total PC gaming sales for the year.

On the console side there were some new games that definitely upped the gaming sales this year. The best of these include: Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops, EA’s Madden NFL 11, Microsoft’s Halo: Reach, and Nintendo’s New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Of these games Black Ops definitely nabbed the top spot. In the first two months, more than 12 million copies of the game were sold.

Although gaming sales have declined the past two years, plenty of records are still being broken, and we can all definitely agree that gaming itself isn’t declining. There were some great accomplishments, broken records, and new games that we saw in 2010. Who knows what will happen in 2011, but I’m sure that there will be even bigger and better things to come.

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Windows OS Created Within LittleBigPlanet

There are plenty of interesting things that intense gamers like to do with their games like create new characters, levels, etc., but it’s not every day that you see gamers creating entire operating systems within a game. Well, PlayStation users “Boss_Mob,” “SaggySackBoy,” tomatenbrei,” and “daFRED94” decided to all come together to develop the very first operating system created within a video game.

How did they do it, you might ask? Well, the four amateur developers used the PS3’s LittleBigPlanet’s built-in level creation tools to redesign what has been referred to as a “faithful homage” to the Microsoft Windows operating system. This design includes the Windows XP startup sounds, a working start menu, a recycle bin, and much more.

Now, of course this isn’t an exact replica of the Windows XP OS. It’s more of a mash-up of different Windows software. The creation from the four designers allows access to various aspects of the OS. You can do things like pull up “My Pictures” from the start menu with your working mouse cursor and bring up portraits of the various Sackboy characters that you have created. You can also do things like listen to music in your very own LittleBigPlanet-themed version of Windows Media Player that even includes working visualizations.

On top of everything, you can also play games within the game. Windows: LBP has two different exclusives games included with the OS like Windows XP has the ever so popular Minesweeper and Solitaire. These games from Windows: LBP, an asteroid-style shooter and a dodging falling blocks game, are available for users to play on the mock OS system within LittleBigPlanet.

Despite all of these incredible features included within LittleBigPlanet, the best feature is the working Windows: LBP Internet Explorer browser that can be utilized from within the game. All you need is a keyboard that hooks into your PS3. You can utilize the built-in “software” featured in LittleBigPlanet to run Google searches from within the game. Other than that, you can’t do much surfing on the Web, but who cares? I think that it’s just cool that you can even do a Google search.

One thing that you can do on the created Windows OS that you would not want to do on the real Windows OS: the designers made a way for players to “beat” the Windows: LBP level.

I think that this is absolutely incredible! I never would have even thought of creating an OS within LittleBigPlanet let alone actually figured it out. I don’t know who the guys are that designed the OS, but they are really creative and did an awesome job. The fact that you can actually do a Google search on a fake Windows OS system from within LittleBigPlanet is just really cool.

Click here to see the video that shows off the operating system that the LittleBigPlanet enthusiasts created. Now, the video does spoil the ending, so definitely watch with caution, but if you’re curious about the “Windows OS”, then you should check it out.

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Online Gaming Could Be Threatening the Safety of Your Computer

Online gaming is something that just becomes more and more popular. A survey was conducted in June of 2010 by Nielsen NetView about Internet usage. It was discovered that the time that individuals spend playing online games has overtaken the time that individuals spend on their e-mail. The only other thing that consumes more individual's time when they use the Internet is social networking sites. According to the survey, U.S. citizens spend more than 407 million hours of time per year gaming online.

Unfortunately, Nielsen NetView is not the only one that has taken notice of this trend. Cybercriminals have recognized this latest time consumer for Americans as well. They have not only recognized but they have also begun to infect gaming websites. Anything from a legitimate forum and tutorial assistance site to a sketchier download site could possibly infect your computer.

Obviously not every site is infected with some sort of virus, but it is necessary to be careful and to be aware of the possibility of a hacker. Ondrej Vlcek, chief technical officer of the Czech security company Avast, said, “As the gaming industry continues to grow, hackers will inevitably develop more ways to target this massive group.” Avast is an antivirus supplier that constantly gathers data about infected websites. Every month they release a “Most Wanted List” that reveals the very worst sites currently on the Web. On October 6th Avast released their riskiest gaming websites so that customers could be warned before their computer becomes infected. Here is the list:

• Gamesfactoryinteractive.com
• Games-digest.com
• Mariogamesplay.com
• Anywhere-games.com
• Galacticflashgames.com
• Towerofdefense.com

Avast recommends a few simple things to keep your computer from being infected while you are gaming online. One important thing is to make sure that you keep all of your apps and antivirus programs up-to-date. You should also make sure not to turn off your antivirus program while you are playing online games. It can be annoying to have an antivirus program running when you’re playing a game, but you can switch over to your antivirus gaming function so that you can play uninterrupted. One last tip is that you should be extremely careful when downloading games via warez sites because they are known for spreading malware.

Viruses are a huge deal. It is definitely something that you don’t want to have to deal with on your computer. With just a few simple precautionary steps, you can make sure that your computer is safe from threats, and you can still enjoy your online games. Don’t give up your online gaming. Just be smart and safe, and your computer should be just fine.

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The GPod: Gaming Made Easier on the iPhone

Not long ago, Android released the GameGripper. It is an attachment for Android phones that gives you gamepad buttons to use for gaming on your phone. Now, CP Design, an Australian design company, has constructed the GPod for the iPhone. The GPod is a slide-on case that adds a directional pad, four individual action buttons, a start button, and a select button.

As of right now, the GPod is simply a design plan. CP Design is looking for companies that would help them in promoting the product. They also are looking into companies that would make games that support the device's button layout. The first design of the GPod was meant for the original iPhone, but designers are planning new models for the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 3GS.

If you’re a gamer, I’m sure the GPod looks great to you. How awesome would it be to be able to take games with you on your iPhone? Although the GPod has not been released yet, it definitely is in the works. It will be interesting to see if it all pans out.

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StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty…Worth the Wait?

Last Monday at about 11:45 at night, I found myself standing at the mall in line for a game that I knew very little about. For months, I’d been hearing from my boyfriend and his friends about how wonderful StarCraft was, but I had never seen it in action. They had been literally counting down the days to the sequel’s release for weeks. I had promised my boyfriend that I would go with him to pick up his pre-ordered copy of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty at midnight. The moment it was in his hands, we rushed back to his house to start installing the game. Once I finally saw the game in action, I understood why he and his friends had been so psyched about its release.

The original StarCraft was released in March of 1998. Since then, fans have been promised a sequel for years. There were rumors, release date hints, and pushbacks about one of the most highly anticipated video game sequels ever, but finally the wait is over. StarCraft II was released this past Monday on July 27th, 12 years after the original StarCraft’s release.

The story of StarCraft II picks up four years after the original game. The hero, Jim Raynor, continues to fight against the Dominion that rules the galaxy’s outer planets. There are still the three different races found in the original: the Terran (humans), the Zerg (insect-like army), and the Protoss (humanoid aliens). The Zerg are now on the run from the Terran, but you quickly discover that the Zerg are not as weak as they lead the Terran to believe. Jim Raynor is forced to deal with not only the Dominion forces but also the Zerg and the Protoss.

Blizzard did a fantastic job with StarCraft II, which after 12 years that’s to be expected. It is an amazing RTS game that allows you to oversee the offense, defense, and various stages of production of military units. There is no set strategy when it comes to StarCraft II. It’s all up to you. You decide how you want to accomplish your goals.

There are a total of 26 different missions. Every time you finish a mission, you will have the choice of three or four different missions to move on to. Missions consist of anything from defending refugees from Zerg attacks to learning more about your enemies and their weapons to searching for artifacts for the mysterious Mobius organization. In between missions, you will be stationed on the Hyperion spaceship. There you can visit the lab, upgrade armor, go to the bridge to select your mission, or speak to crewmates to gain insight about current events.

So how are the graphics this time around you might ask? Well Blizzard went with 3D polygonal graphics. Compared to God of War III and Red Dead Redemption, I don't feel that StarCraft II has the most amazing graphics. Now, I'm not saying the graphics are bad, because some of the cut scenes actually have fantastic quality, but during gameplay the graphics are good but not incredible. Fortunately, Blizzard is kind enough to build their games in a way that doesn’t require gamers to go out and buy a new graphics card. You can basically play StarCraft II on any kind of computer which is nice. All you need is a 2.6 Ghz Pentium IV and a 128MB PCIe Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT or ATI Radeon 9800 Pro video card. That’s not too hard to find.

Yes the game is $59.99, but for those who love StarCraft or RTS games, it will definitely be worth it. The online multiplayer mode keeps the game fresh and replayable. Multiplayer allows you to fight against the CPU or other online players in four-versus-four matches. There are four different difficulty levels, and there are achievements to players can compete for.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is amazing. According to my boyfriend and his friends, it is everything that fans hoped for. The story is great, the strategy is enticing, and the gameplay is just what everyone was hoping for. Hopefully, it won’t take another 12 years for Blizzard to release the next installment in the StarCraft series.

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WarMouse Meta: Gaming Solution or Annoyance?

There has always been a struggle between mouse and keyboard when it comes to which a gamer prefers to use. A keyboard offers tons of buttons but no smooth, easy movement control like a mouse, and the mouse unfortunately doesn’t offer many options for interaction. It’s pretty much impossible to play a computer game without using both a keyboard and mouse, but WarMouse Meta is changing all of that.

WarMouse Meta is a gaming mouse that is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux. It features 19 different buttons and a joystick. This mouse is unlike any mouse that you have seen before. Now you will have to adjust to the WarMouse since its nothing like a regular mouse, but it could really be useful if you take the time to figure it out. It could definitely be frustrating for those who aren’t intense gamers, but for those who are serious about gaming, the WarMouse Meta could be just what you’re looking for. If you're ready to go keyboard-less while gaming and don't mind spending a little bit of time adjusting to the gaming mouse, WarMouse could be quite useful. One other thing to take into consideration is that the WarMouse isn’t cordless. That is something that could bother some people.

The WarMouse Meta is now available for $79.99 at the WarMouse Meta website. Looking for an anti-virus program that is designed specifically for PC gamers? Check out GameGuard.

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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 Set to Be Released This Year

The game that sold over 1.5 million copies less than a week after its release is back for a second round. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 continues breaching the gap between the Star Wars: Episode III and Episode IV movies. Starkiller is back again, this time as Darth Vader’s fugitive apprentice, determined to discover who he really is and to reunite with his one true love, Juno Eclipse.

Starkiller is the very unlikely hero that sparks the flames of the rebellion that formulates in the galaxy. He’s back with bigger and better Force powers and a new dual light saber combat style. Haden Blackman, the executive producer and writer of the game, said, “We wanted to do things a little bit differently. Our animators wanted to redo all of the combat animation anyways, and if they were doing that then we might as well give him a second Lightsaber. It also had to do with customization: I love the idea of having one green saber and one blue saber, or one red saber and one purple saber. At its very heart, it’s a gameplay decision. We want the character to be much flashier, have much bigger, more sweeping moves and be able to do area attacks.” Starkillers attacks will be much more realistic in Force Unleashed 2. As he hacks away at enemies wielding his two light sabers, heads, arms, and legs will fly.

As I mentioned above, Force powers have definitely been upgraded as well. Blackman said, “Kick ass with the Force was our mantra.” All Force powers have been redesigned and reconfigured to be more responsive. “Force grip, in particular - which was one of our favorite powers from the first game - went through a lot of revision in order to make it more accessible, to make it easier to target what you want to target,” stated Blackman. Also, new force powers are being introduced this time around. Jedi Mind trick is a new and highly anticipated power. It gives Starkiller the ability to turn enemies into you’re allies, confuse Stormtroopers so that they throw themselves to their deaths, or even turn enemies into to mobile bombs by infusing them with Force energy. Force powers are much more interesting to say the least. Also another great addition to Force power abilities is Force Fury. Force Fury is where Starkiller’s attacks and Force power uses build up to unlock a certain amount of time where his abilities and powers are exponentially increased to allow him to vanquish enemies almost effortlessly.

There are so many things that are going to make this sequel even better than the first game that sold over 7 million copies. With the new combat style, new and improved Force powers, new costumes, new enemies, and the anticipated new Force Fury ability this game is set to be amazing.

There is no release date for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2 yet, but representatives have said that it is to be released sometime in 2010. Honestly, I can hardly wait until its released. I’m sitting on pins and needles. This game looks absolutely incredible, and I can guarantee that the day it is released I will most definitely be in line to purchase my copy.

Looking for a new system to play Force Unleashed 2 on when its released? Check out the newly redesigned Xbox 360.

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GameGuard: An Anti-virus Program Designed for PC Gamers

If you’re a gamer and you’re concerned with the possibility of malware issues, Rude Gameware has designed a new anti-virus program that has been designed specifically for PC gamers. Basically, GameGuard monitors and automatically updates virus and malware databases. This helps to protect gamers from spyware threats.

“Our team got so sick of having to disable our anti-virus while gaming, leaving our PC’s vulnerable for a crippling attack, that we set out to engineer a solution,” stated the Chief Rude Officer, Michael Epstein, “GameGuard gives gamers the protection they need without sacrificing the performance they demand.”

Now many anti-virus programs tend to bog down your computer which can affect gameplay. Also you may have had some issues with some pop-ups from other programs that require user attention while you are trying to play a game. Well, GameGuard completely avoids these issues. It doesn’t require the use of much memory, and it doesn’t allow pop-ups during gameplay. If you have any concerns about possible malware threats, then this is the software for you. It is now available for $29.95 and can be purchased boxed or as a download.

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Free Online Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Adventure

Robert Ripley has been an intriguing figure to the public for years. His legacy is remembered through Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museums, books, TV and radio shows. Soon there will be another way to experience and appreciate the world of Ripley…through online gaming.

This June there will be a brand new free online adventure puzzle game called Zon8. The game will take players through the fictitious warehouse of Robert Ripley. You must collect a variety of clues, discover artifacts, and solve puzzles throughout the game.

Now even though this is a free online game, there are prizes that can be won. The first 50 players to finish will all receive some sort of prize. The first 10 players to finish the game will receive a unique prize, a custom made shrunken head that was created by Ripley’s F/X department specifically for the game. Only 10 have been made for the game, and they are the only ones in existence. Those who finish in spots 11 through 30 will receive a copy of the Ripley book, “In Search of the Shrunken Head,” and finishers 31 to 50 will win a copy of the Ripley book, “Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Seeing is Believing.”

The game is set to launch the week of June 28th, but it does not yet have a specific start day. To receive of notice of when exactly the game will start, players must sign up for the game.

2Advanced Studios designed this online game. The company is known for pushing creative boundaries to deliver wonderful media masterpieces, so there is much to be expected from this interactive game that is supposed to take between 6-8 hours.

I thought that this online game was a very intriguing idea from the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! team. If you’re looking for something to do towards the end of June, it might be something to check out. It’s free, sounds fun, and you could even win a prize. Sign up if you want to be notified about when the game starts up.

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The Wild Wild West of Red Dead Redemption

The wild frontier of the American West has always been an inspiration for movies, novels, and children’s playtime for quite some time, but there has never really been any great video game that follows this time period that has been extensively depicted throughout the media. Well, Rockstar has decided to put an end to that with their newly released Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar is the group that was made famous for all of the Grand Theft Auto games. They have definitely hit another home run with Red Dead Redemption. There’s tons of excitement and endless hours of entertainment.

Red Dead Redemption places you in the shoes of the former outlaw John Marston. He has changed his ways, but discovers that those he once called friends are now his enemies. He is left to fight for his future alone in the very law-lacking West.

Over the course of the storyline you will visit a vast number of places stretching between the border of the U.S. and Mexico. Marston is attempting to set things straight about himself, and on his journey he meets a numerous amount of interesting and intriguing characters. All of these supporting characters feature great dialogue and voice acting, which can sometimes be difficult to find in a game.

The main game will most likely take players somewhere around 20 hours to finish. Many will take longer though due to the variety of different distractions in the game. Its very difficult to focus on one single thing. Rockstar is famous for their open world gameplay and this game definitely delivers in that area. You can do an endless amount of different activities including: herding cattle, breaking mustangs, tracking outlaws, treasure hunting, and sharpshooting. You can do whatever you want. You can buy new outfits for Marston, play a game of poker, go on a wild game hunt, or pick herbs and flowers. It is entirely up to you. This game as the ability to keep the player interested for months in the world of Marston.

Now as you develop the kind of character that you want to Marston to be, the game also develops around you. Marston’s morality is left up entirely to the player. He can be the kind of man who robs stage coaches and assaults women or he can be kind, helpful, and honorable or he can even be something kind of in between. You have completely free reign of your character. The wild West does still have a legal system that will keep the worst criminals in check, but really you can decide how you want to live Marston’s life.

Due to the fact that the game allows you to pretty much do whatever you want, many people question the game itself. They feel that it is indecent. This is certainly not a game for little kids, hence the M rating, but whether or not you think this game is inappropriate is obviously your decision. I feel that as long as you’re being semi-behaved in the game then there is nothing wrong with it, but that is just my opinion.

There is plenty of action to be found within the game. Something is constantly going on. Whether it’s a cougar or bear ready to attack Marston, a poor man being drug through the streets by a lynch mob, or a prostitute being assaulted by a drunk man, something will always be going on in Red Dead Redemption.

The graphics are awesome for this game and the scenery is really quite breathtaking. The art direction is excellent. Rockstar definitely took their time with generating every possible little detail in Marston’s world. The results are fantastic.

It should be known that this game is not completely flawless. It does have a few glitches. People complained of having a few cut scenes that involved a doubled image of the same character doing different things. They said it created a sort of ghost effect. There were also some complaints of the game freezing at certain points. Considering everything that is going on in this game though, I feel that Rockstar did quite a good job.

The controls for Red Dead Redemption are pretty simple. Riding your horse can be a little difficult to get the hang of at first because the controls are very sensitive, but other than that its very easy to figure out. At times the target assist makes combat a little too easy, but it is very helpful when attacking enemies while riding your horse.

The great thing about Red Dead Redemption is that once you complete the storyline there is still tons that you can do on the game. There are online games where you can play with up to 16 players. There are team games, free-for-alls, and capture the flag style games to play online. Another online activity is called Free Roam. This allows 16 different players to explore the entire single player map. You are able to form posses, assault bandit hideouts or forts, simply shoot each other, or ride across the countryside hunting together. While in this Free Roam, there are still missions and side distractions that can help you unlock new character models, modes, or better mounts to ride. The Free Roam has enough stuff to do that it is like another whole game.

Basically, I think that this game is awesome. It features so many different things that can keep the player occupied for really months. It has great graphics and storyline. All the choices are yours. You can make the game anything you want it to be. It’s very much like Grand Theft Auto just set in the wild West. It also has great online play. If you liked the Grand Theft Auto series then you are sure to love Red Dead Redemption. It is certainly a fun look at the wild wild West.

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Heavy Rain: The “Interactive Drama”

Heavy Rain is one of the most peculiar yet intriguing games that I have ever played. It really honestly doesn’t even seem like a game at all. The developer, Quantic Dream, has described it as an “interactive drama.” It really seems like a movie in which you make all the decisions as to what happens over about twelve hours worth of time. There aren’t bosses and hordes of enemies to fight off, instead you have a storyline that progresses according to the actions of the player. The gameplay of Heavy Rain is extremely slow and meticulous, but every step of the way is worth the time that you put into it. Many say that to play Heavy Rain you need some patience, which could be true, but if you have the persistence you should be completely satisfied with the game.

In Heavy Rain, the plot is the main focus of the entire game. The storyline is completely immersive and will captivate your entire attention. When you start the game, you discover that a serial killer, dubbed the Origami Killer, has been kidnapping little boys and holding them prisoner for a few days before murdering them. Their drowned corpses have been appearing in abandoned fields with orchids on their chests and origami in their hands. Your goal is to solve the mystery behind these kidnapping and deaths. You do this from four different perspectives: a father whose son has been kidnapped, an FBI agent, a journalist, and a private detective. Depending on what you decide to do with these characters depends on how exactly the game unfolds. There are a variety of different outcomes for every single scene, and there are several different endings to the game.

The game starts out with you controlling the everyday actions of a father with two sons. You perform a variety of different task including: getting out of bed, brushing your teeth, and setting the table for lunch. Some made think of this start as slow, but it is meant for you to have a chance to emotionally bond with the character. You go on to play with your character’s son in the backyard and prepare for his birthday party. When he then disappears in the crowded mall, you can’t help but feel at least a little bit concerned. Small emotional moments like this are scattered all throughout Heavy Rain and help develop the core of the storyline.

Now many people will be very happy to hear that the whole game is not made up of performing everyday actions. There are many instances that feature intense fighting sequences. There are also times when you find your character must go to an “uncomfortable” place and perform actions that are difficult to carry out. This pulls at the emotional ties that Heavy Rain is built upon. A lot of the decisions that your character will be forced to make will have you questioning how far you would go for someone that you truly love?

The controls found in Heavy Rain are interesting. Every bit of the interaction found within the game involves you pressing specific buttons at a certain time. Examples of this would be when you have to deflect a kick when fighting, you must hit a sequence of different buttons in time, or to open a door, the player must tilt the PS3 controller’s right stick upward. The time that you have to perform these actions depends on what level of easiness you are playing.

The graphic of Heavy Rain are absolutely incredible. It literally almost looks like the characters are real actors in a movie. The emotions of the characters can be seen perfectly and all look completely life-like. And the characters aren’t the only thing that they paid close attention to detail for, the backgrounds and environments are just as detail-oriented and stunning as the characters themselves. I can’t really describe how incredible the graphic quality of this games is. All I can say is that you have to see it to believe it!

The only criticism that I could really have of this game would have to do with the voice acting. Pretty much all of the characters in the game are supposed to be Americans, but several members of the cast doing the voices for the game were not American. This led to some odd American accents and very French-sounding children’s voices, but does is this factor really enough to ruin the game? I would definitely say it is not!

If you’re looking for a very different and intriguing game, Heavy Rain is the game for you! It’s a complete cinematic experience. With the captivating storyline and stunning graphics, what more could you ask for? Heavy Rain is definitely a game that everyone should spend some time exploring.

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God of War III

At first I thought that I might just be partial to God of War due to the fact that I am fascinated by Greek mythology, but I was wrong. I honestly don’t know how anyone that enjoys gaming couldn’t fall in love with this game. It’s incredible! The game is bigger and better than ever before. The graphics are stunning, and the storyline is intriguing. God of War III is a game unlike any other.

The game picks back up where God of War II left you hanging. Kratos is extremely determined in his quest to kill his father. The only slight difficulty with this is that Kratos’s father isn’t just anybody…his father is the god Zeus. Kratos was killed, momentarily, by Zeus in God of War II, and since then Kratos will stop at nothing to destroy him and whoever gets in his way. This is the main goal of the game, so as you can imagine, it is quite a lot of fighting. If you are looking for a super deep storyline, God of War III is not the game for you. Now I’m not saying that there isn’t a good storyline, I’m just saying that the game mainly focuses on the fighting.

The controls of the game are extremely easy. Combat is conducted mostly by two buttons that issue a light and heavy attack. The combat in God of War III is also extremely intense. Kratos always is fighting alone against a multitude of enemies. He is armed with two swords that swing from chains linked to his wrists, giant stone gloves, various other weapons, and special attacks.

Kratos fights a variety of different adversaries, anything from a horde of various demented looking creatures to bigger enemies like gorgons, centaurs, and cyclopses. All of these rivals are dispatched in extremely gory and gruesome ways, but its these types of battles that are always the best.

God of War III is rated “Mature” or “M,” and it is definitely deserving of this rating. The violence in the game is incredible. As I have already stated, Kratos murders everything in sight, including various Olympians and Greek heroes. When you fight the well known Greek hero Hercules, you must pound buttons for each skull-crushing blow to diminish his head into an unrecognizable mass of tissue. This game is not for the faint of heart. Another aspect that earns the game it’s “M” rating is the nudity. Bare breasts can be found in the game, but they are definitely not presented in a sexy way at all. Most of these bare breasted creatures include gorgons, harpies, and sirens, and they are far from sensual, beautiful, or seductive creatures.

Overall, God of War III is an incredible gaming experience. It has an intriguing storyline, stunning graphics, and non-stop action. Although with all of the violence and nudity, this game is not for kids, teen and adult gamers will most definitely enjoy this game. This third installment of God of War is extremely well done, and should please any gamer.

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