there was error! check server logs! Game Cheats - Free Games - Video Games - Fun Games - Play Games

Subscribe for updates!

Latest Photos

Search this blog..

Top Stories of the week

Recording breaking Nintendo 3DS, beats itself and rivals

Recording breaking Nintendo 3DS, beats itself...

Sony PlayStation Vita handheld games console

Sony PlayStation Vita handheld games console

Sony makes mobile gaming push with handheld V...

What is the best time to buy a video game console?

What is the best time to buy a video game con...

Our Link Partners

1. Aishwarya Rai
2. Salma Hayek
3. World Religions
4. Anime Folk
5. Asin World
6. Haven
7. Auto Backstage
8. Base Sciences
9. Best Buys
» more links..
Link Exchange? Click Here

5 Wishes for the Next Generation of Game Consoles (GeekDad Weekly Rewind)

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

What do Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have in store for us with the next generation of consoles? Nintendo says its next console, Wii U, will be available in 2012. But when will we see the Xbox 720 and the PlayStation 4, and what will they bring to the table to entice consumers?

There is a lot of buzz on the internet about what may or may not be in the next generation of consoles. As usual, the rumors of the hardware specs paint the potential systems as the next coming of Skynet, capable of generating graphics so lifelike that our heads will explode. Another hot topic getting a lot of attention is support for 3-D displays.

How much do these types of features really matter? Is this what consumers are looking for?

The success of the Wii (underpowered in comparison to other consoles) and the emergence of Apple’s iOS as a gaming platform have clearly impacted the industry. For example, the next generation of consoles will undoubtedly continue the move towards gesture-based input (Kinect, Move), but what else can and should they do? I for one don’t think the ability of the hardware to process data faster and push more and more polygons is the answer, but there are a few things that would be appealing to me. So here’s my wish list from both a hardware and software point of view:

1. Fully embrace a streaming system.
Enough with the CDs/DVDs/BDs. Consumers have shown a clear preference for streaming services, so it’s a natural expectation on game consoles. For a number of reasons, the likelihood of this happening is relatively low, but this would be a true game changer. With no physical goods, the financial risk on publishers is greatly reduced, which in turn allows for more experimentation and risks on the game design side.

2. Don’t bother with backward compatibility.
There is little to be gained by making the new hardware and software jump through hoops to support games for the previous generation of the console.

3. Provide for smart connections between the digital game content and the physical world.
One example that comes to mind is situational play based on real-world events. For example, if I were watching a football game on Sunday, I would love a chance to try different scenarios on my console from a critical point in the game forward. What if I opted to go for a 4th down rather than the coach’s real-world decision to punt? It’s Monday morning quarterbacking on Sunday afternoon.

4. Provide seamless software adaptability for players of different skill levels in the form of a common handicapping system that is used across all games.
Most games institute their own difficulty levels, but adhering to a system-wide standard across all games will greatly benefit players, especially those in the same household with different skill sets. The system can take the associated handicap setting from each player, and then adjust the gameplay for that player accordingly. I know this type of approach will help me when I (handicap 10) play Call of Duty against my son (handicap 1). The overall goal here is to enhance the social aspect of the experience by leveling the playing field.

5. Don’t force the use of add-on technology.
There is enormous pressure on game developers by manufacturers to support every piece of add-on tech for a console, which is usually done at the expense of the game at hand. For example, not every game benefits from gesture-based input or 3-D TV support, and forcing it just takes resources away from the enhancement of the core game experience.

The message should be simple and focused: Tell consumers about the overall experience, as opposed to a long list of hardware specs, which most people wouldn’t connect with a superior gaming experience anyway.

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 72 views

Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Console Review

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

One of the most talked about rivalries in gaming right now is that of Call of Duty vs. Battlefield. Rightfully so, as DICE has made no bones about going after Call of Duty and its first-person shooter popularity crown. While the comparison seems like an obvious one, we’re not convinced that Call of Duty is the best measuring stick for Battlefield 3. Sure they’re both military shooters but, outside of their genre, these two games set out to achieve very different things, especially on the multiplayer side.

Perhaps a better comparison would be to that of Battlefield 2, a game that a lot of people still consider to be the high mark in multiplayer gaming. Or maybe we should use the most recent Battlefield project, the Bad Company series, a side franchise that has become quite popular amongst the console crowd. So how does Battlefield 3 stack up against its much-loved older brothers?

One of the single greatest things Battlefield 3 has over its most recent console predecessors (and most console multiplayer games) is a server browser. We know server browsers are nothing new to PC games but they’re somewhat rare on consoles. Not only does Battlefield 3 have one, but it’s far and away the best we’ve seen yet. There are tons of sorting options for every game type and mode, you can flag favorite servers for another date, see which servers your friends are playing on, and even see what rank all the players on a particular server are before jumping in. Again, this is old potatoes for PC gamers, but for console players, this is a welcome offering.

Speaking of game types and modes, there’s a new one that had a lot of players rolling their eyes when DICE announced it, and that’s 12 on 12 Team Deathmatch. Deathmatch isn’t new to the Battlefield series but in the Bad Company franchise, deathmatch was kept strictly to a squad format. Squad deathmatch is still an option but this time there’s also the 24 player variation. This mode plays dramatically faster than every other game type, mostly because of how small the maps are. It ended up being one of our favorite modes to play, because it gives you a CoD-esque sense of speed, while keeping the large-scale battles (minus the vehicles) and varied gameplay you expect from Battlefield.
Other available game modes include Battlefield staples, ‘Rush’, and ‘Conquest’, as well as hardcore variations of every game-type, and even a ‘infantry only’ option for the objective based games.

One of the things that make all those game-types so great is that you can play them on every map. Unlike Bad Company 2, Battlefield 3 has a different map variation for every mode in the game. The Rush variants are usually the biggest, and the deathmatch maps are generally only a small, strategically sequestered, fenced-in piece of the full map.

Speaking of the maps, they’re awesome. Every one of them. The game ships with 9 total, and not only are they absolutely massive in the objective games, but it feels like DICE went through each of them, time and time again, combing out exactly where to put choke points, intersections, and objectives. They all feel unique, and some of them even have a distinct draw to them, like the ability to BASE-jump from a helipad and parachute in to the next objective.

To go along with the fantastic map design, the weapons and vehicles are also masterfully crafted and balanced. It’s hard to believe that a game with over 40 primary weapons and 20 vehicles can achieve a very high level of balance, but Battlefield 3 pulls it off. Thanks to the new ‘scope gleam’ and the slightly ‘nerfed’ sniper rifles, snipers can no longer dominate the game 300 yards away from the objectives, as was the case in the Bad Company games.

Regarding the vehicles, all the tanks and land vehicles feel roughly the same as they did in Bad Company 2, but the choppers received a major handling overhaul. They’re still quite useful with the right pilot and gunners, but their impact is kept in check thanks to several changes DICE implemented.

And then there are the jets. To be honest, we were never able to have a significant impact with the jets, nor did any of the other people we played with. Don’t get us wrong, as an infantry soldier, seeing four planes duking it out in mid-air is an awesome sight to behold, but they rarely had an impact on what was happening on the ground.

Perhaps the greatest part about Battlefield 3’s multiplayer is how many things there are to do at any given time. This isn’t always the case when playing a deathmatch mode but in Rush and Conquest, we were never at a loss for secondary tasks. Depending on which of the four classes you choose to play as, you can hand out health, throw out ammo packs, revive teammates, place mines, drop mobile spawn points, spot enemies, and even use unmanned drones to complete a couple of tasks. Of course, that’s all just in an effort to help achieve your primary task of completing main objectives while eliminating the opposing team along the way.

The visuals in multiplayer do take a bit of a hit compared to what you see in the campaign. There’s a little more draw-in and pop-up that will occasionally catch your eye, but even at its worst, it’s a sharp looking game that rarely slows down, even during intense moments when a lot is happening in confined quarters.

It will come as surprise to no one, but the audio effects in Battlefield 3 are downright stunning. The guns sound crisp, the tanks and jets sound intimidating, and there is never a moment when the game’s audio design allows you to fall out of immersion. Also, the subtle music that starts to play when your team is about to win the game is a very nice touch.

Unfortunately, all the glowing praise we’ve offered above about Battlefield 3 doesn’t amount to much if you’re not actually able to get on to a server and play the game. And for a lot people (including us), that’s been a very real problem. Just about every network issue you could dream up occurred for us at one point or another. Connection failures, servers booting everyone out mid-game, random pockets of lag, several lengthy unscheduled maintenance sessions, and sometimes a complete inability to successfully join games with more than one person in a party.

It’s a real shame the multiplayer launch has been this rocky because the game itself feels like a finished product, but on many occasions the frustration of not being able to play with friends (or at all) outweighed the fun we had once we were finally in.
Another thing we weren’t so fond of was the lack of loadout options for your soldier. You can only customize the U.S. soldier before going in to a game, which is confusing because there are guns that are temporarily exclusive to the Russian side of multiplayer. To set up your Russian soldier’s loadout, you have to do it in-game. Even though you’re given some time to do this before each match starts, it was still a bit odd.

We also weren’t impressed with the stats that are available to view in the game. You can’t see any specific weapon or vehicle stats without using EA’s ‘Battlelog’ on PC or select mobile devices. The Battlelog (when it’s working) is nice enough, but we really felt like we should’ve been able to see a more detailed breakdown of our stats within the game itself.

Although the co-op mode in Battlefield 3 was also sporadically affected by the server issues, there were a few times when we were able to play while waiting for servers to come back up. There are 6 missions total, all of them placing you in a random scenario without any story-related reason to complete the objective. And that’s precisely why co-op was never really anything more than a time killer while waiting to play competitive modes. Without any type of context, it’s just not that much fun to randomly kill waves of opponents while nothing is pushing you to move further. For some, the unlockable multiplayer weapons will be enough to warrant at least some time in this mode, but for us, it was nothing more than a quick distraction before trying once again to get on a multiplayer server.

Pros:

Many different ways to play each game.
Amazing sound design.
Maps are brilliantly constructed.
Good balance between weapons and vehicles.
Loads of stuff to unlock.

Cons:

Terrible connectivity issues.
Co-op feels tacked on.
Lack of loadout and stat options.
Once we made it on to a server and in to a properly running game, we found Battlefield 3 to be one of the most intense and enjoyable multiplayer experiences we’ve ever had. Unfortunately, technical issues absolutely devastated the launch of this game and have likely left a very deep scar on the Battlefield community. Any fan of the franchise or modern shooters in general should definitely give Battlefield 3’s multiplayer a shot, but at least for the moment, be prepared to fight through some mean bush to reach the good stuff.

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 75 views

Fisheries relocation decided without analysis

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

THE O'Farrell government's controversial decision to relocate 147 staff from the fisheries research station at Cronulla to regional NSW was taken without a business case, without costings, without a cabinet submission and with virtually no analysis of the likely impact on staff, a Herald investigation has revealed.
Despite claims in Parliament by the Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson, that the site was ageing and costly, making decentralisation the better option, a Herald request under Freedom of Information laws reveals that no analysis of this sort was done by her department.

Fisheries relocation decided without analysis

The planned closure has caused a furore in Sutherland shire and among the scientific community as the Cronulla Fisheries Research Centre is regarded as a centre of excellence and has been located there for almost a century. Only one two-page study on the likelihood of staff relocating came to light.

It warned that the relocation of the mainly scientific and administrative personnel, the largest single redeployment since 2004, was likely to pose ''significant operational and industrial challenges'' as most of the staff were specialists and long-standing employees with deep roots in the Sutherland shire.
''It is believed that over 60 per cent of staff live in the Sutherland shire while a further 20 per cent live in an area broadly defined within the south-east suburbs of Sydney,'' the report said. ''It is likely with this age and geographical profile that many of the staff have strong ties to the area and would significantly resist any plans to relocate elsewhere''The 39 documents released to the Herald reveal the department first began working on the closure and plans to move staff to Nowra, Port Stephens and Coffs Harbour in late August, just two weeks before the announcement.

On that day the director-general of the Department of Primary Industries, Richard Sheldrake, requested details from the Land Titles Office of the site, which occupies a prime waterfront headland at Hungry Point, in Cronulla.

The next 10 days were spent almost exclusively on a media strategy for the announcement.
The minister defended the swift announcement saying it provided opportunity to work with staff on a change management plan. "The decentralisation of the fisheries centre at Cronulla is about more than just relocating the centre from one site to another,'' Ms Hodgkinson said.

'While with any relocation project there will be some initial relocation expenses, the intent of the decentralisation of the centre is to provide meaningful job opportunities throughout regional NSW, as well as servicing and improving the ongoing viability and relevance of our recreational and commercial fishing industry.''

There do not appear to have been any consultations with stakeholders about the plan either, though it has since won support from the commercial fishing industry and professional fishermen.
The Liberal MP for Cronulla, Mark Speakman, only found out about his party's plans when he phoned the minister seeking reassurance that rumours sweeping the facility at Cronulla were false. He was told there would be an announcement of the closure the next day.

Since then Mr Speakman, who was elected in March, has taken the unusual step of speaking out against his own party. Last week he used a debate over a petition with 19,000 signatures to argue that the closure would deeply affect the shire. The government has not revealed its plans for the site, but an officer in Crown Lands, Graham Harding, told Mr Sheldrake that it was '' all Crown land so we can deal with it''

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 77 views

Game console streaming is stealing primetime TV viewers

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

OTTAWA — Services allowing North Americans to watch movies and television shows over the Internet is luring droves of viewers away from primetime television, a report showed Wednesday.

Waterloo, Ontario-based Sandvine said such online streaming has risen dramatically over the past year to become the top network traffic in North America during the peak period of 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

What it calls real-time entertainment now accounts for 60 percent of all Internet traffic in the evening, up 10 percentage points from last year, according to the data it has aggregated from network service providers.

The majority of real-time entertainment (55%) is destined for game consoles, set-top boxes, smart TVs and mobile devices used at home, while only 45 percent goes to desktop and laptop computers, according to the report. The trend risks creating problems in handling data surges during peak periods for networks, Sandvine warned.

Canadian Internet service providers have been cautioned against bandwidth throttling — limiting uploads — as this violates Canadian net neutrality guidelines. So Sandvine suggested they start charging premiums for primetime downloads.

The report explained that game consoles such as Sony’s Playstation and Microsoft XBox are powering this online movie watching phenomenon, through manufacturers partnering with content producers.

Microsoft, for instance, announced this month a massive expansion of content providers for its Xbox 360, including heavyweights Bravo, Comcast, HBO, BBC, Telefonica and Rogers on Demand.

Also, “when subscribers watching online video are free to choose between screens, they generally choose to watch content on the largest screen available to them,” the report noted.

A TV offers a better viewing experience than a computer, but a larger screen size also means higher data usage. For example, when watching a video on a 60-inch high definition plasma screen, most subscribers will opt for the highest video fidelity available.

According to Sandvine’s report, the most popular real-time entertainment sites include Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and Google Video.

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 73 views

Can a Game Console Make Mums Feel Less Guilty?

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

I hate the feeling I get when my kids watch TV. When I see them slumped there, zombied out in front of the screen it's so hard not to feel guilty. I should be doing more to get them out of the house. Pump them full of fresh air. I imagine many parents feel the same.

So I wasn't sure how to greet the news that Xbox are making a big push into the educational market with their new 'playful learning' range of Kinect titles aimed at 4-10 year olds. Of course I could see the huge potential that the Kinect's controller-free interface might have to encourage kids to use their bodies and motor skills to engage with subjects. But the guilty parent in me couldn't help but worry -- might this just another way for us to abdicate responsibility, to plonk our kids in front of a screen and tell ourselves that were doing our job? It's ok, i tell myself. It's educational.

Needless to say on arriving at the press launch this week in New York my built-in British skepticism was turned up to eleven. Could this be really be 'education' or was it really 'edu-tainment'? As I sat there waiting for the presentation to begin the voice of a member of Lady Geek's influential mum panel rang loudly in my ears: 'At the end of the day, I want my children to be climbing trees not playing on an Xbox.'

But then something surprising happened. As the scarily passionate Microsoft team began to show off the new titles, I could feel that, in spite of myself, I was softening. The Kinect really is a wonderful piece of kit which is intuitive and immersive, and the new games take full advantage of its technology. As I watched the demonstrator and her child enthusiastically navigate round a virtual Sesame Street with a series of wonderfully fluid physical gestures, I was amazed when they both appeared within the game itself. I couldn't help but think that what I might be looking at was the future of learning.

It can be easy to dismiss something as bad for our kids because it involves staring at a screen. All parents do it, and it's impossible to shake off our natural prejudices that children should be outside hopscotching and bike riding and scraping knees as if it was a Beverly Cleary book and a stash of hidden pirate gold depended on it. But we have to embrace the fact that our children are being raised in a brave new technology age and my 3 year old daughter similar to the baby in the video, thinks a traditional magazine is a broken iPad.

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 73 views

The Best Video Games and Consoles for Families

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

Planning to shop for a game console this holiday season, and wondering which one will suit your clan? Here's a look at the three major consoles, as well as at the top five family-friendly titles for each one.

Microsoft Xbox 360

What it is: The dominant home console on the market, the Microsoft Xbox 360 has a large mix of games for everyone in the family. Once hooked up to the Internet and supplemented with a subscription to the Xbox Live online service ($60 per year for one Gold membership or $100 for a Gold Family Pack, which supports four users), the Xbox 360 becomes not only a great gaming machine but also a fantastic media console that can stream ESPN and Netflix. Add the Kinect camera, and you have a system that lets you play games without a controller.

Cost: The base console with 4GB of storage is $200; the 250GB model costs $300. A bundle with Kinect costs another $100. All versions require an HDMI cable for top high-def resolutions. New games usually cost $60.

Essential peripherals: Most new Xbox 360 family games are powered by Kinect, a motion sensor that enables you to interact with games by using gestures and body movement. By itself (if you already own an Xbox 360), it costs $150, which is not cheap, but it’s a must-have for family gaming.

The bottom line: The Xbox 360 is the “does-everything” console, which is ironic considering that Sony has used that phrase as its marketing mantra for the PlayStation 3. From kids’ titles to hard-core games, the Xbox 360 has something for everyone, and it receives our highest recommendation as the best gaming and entertainment-media machine for your family.

Five Great Family Games for the Xbox 360

Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster$50In Once Upon a Monster, you can join Cookie Monster and Elmo as you explore a world of magic and monsters, playing minigames and solving puzzles. And you don’t need to be familiar with controller buttons, because this Kinect game responds to body movement. It’s well suited for small children who might have trouble with a traditional controller.

Rock Band 3About $18 (game only, used)Rock Band 3 (also available for the PS3) turns your brood into the next Partridge Family thanks to instrument-shaped controllers that allow your entire family to play the guitar, drum, and bass lines, as well as to sing along with the set list of hit songs. You’ll find selections for every musical taste, with tunes of every decade from the ’50s to today. Rock Band 3 can even teach you how to play a real guitar--assuming that you invest in the $150 advanced guitar controller and have the patience to follow the extremely well-designed tutorial. Note: The game itself is inexpensive, but the instrument controllers can add up to a big purchase.

Viva PiñataAbout $10 (used)Viva Piñata appeals to players of all ages. Young children will fall in love with the colorful, fuzzy piñata animals, and older players will enjoy the game’s strategy mode, which enables them to breed new piñatas and build habitats. It’s simple fun that works for everyone.

Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX800 Microsoft Points or $10, on Xbox LiveAlso available for the PS3, the downloadable Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX is a simple but fun competitive version of the classic Pac-Man arcade game. Its stunning, bright, neon-colored mazes are a treat for the eyes, and online leaderboards allow you to track your progress against family members or friends.

Plants vs. Zombies$20 retail; 1200 Microsoft Points, or $15, on Xbox LivePlants vs. Zombies, a downloadable tower-defense game also available for the PS3, challenges you to use adorable bits of vegetation to hold off waves of comical undead foes. It’s fun and easy to play, and it has a terrific sense of humor that makes it a perfect cooperative title.

Sony PlayStation 3

What it is: The versatile Sony PlayStation 3 can play high-def Blu-ray discs, stream movies from online services, and store downloaded movies (plus home movies, photos, and music) on its hard drive. You can connect it to the PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store, where you can rent movies as well as buy games, including classic original PlayStation titles. With its Move controller and Eye camera, the PS3 offers motion-controlled gaming, and it can even play some games in 3D on a 3DTV.

Cost: The base model has a 160GB hard drive and costs $250. The PS3 is also available in various bundles, such as a $350, 320GB Move bundle. All require an HDMI cable for top high-def resolutions. Most new games cost $60.

Essential peripherals: The PlayStation Move is Sony’s attempt to add Wii-style motion controllers to the PS3, but we don’t think the accessory is an essential purchase, as most Move games are poor quality.

The bottom line: The PlayStation 3 is a media master. Most of its exclusive games are suited to older players and hard-core gamers, so it isn’t the best for young families. It’s a superb console if you don’t have small kids.

Five Great Family Games for the PlayStation 3

LittleBigPlanet 2$40A multiplayer run-and-jump game that offers plenty of frenetic and crazy action, LittleBigPlanet 2 can sometimes descend into pure, fun chaos. Enhancing the title's enduring appeal are its gorgeous and playful graphics, its highly endearing characters, and its impressively massive library of free, user-created, downloadable levels.

ModNation Racers$30This cute kart-racing game is fun, but the main lure of ModNation Racers is that it enables you to make your own cars, racers, and tracks, as well as to play with the creations of others. The design tools are staggering, and if you run out of steam or need help, the game’s auto-population tool can fill out your track for you.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time$30Starring the fox-like Ratchet and his robotic sidekick Clank, A Crack in Time mixes frantic run-and-gun play with quirky puzzles that break up the action. It makes for a rollicking adventure. Games in this series are great for youngsters and adults alike.

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga$20In The Complete Saga (also available for the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii), you’ll relive all six Star Wars films. Humor pervades most scenes, and although the game has combat, it’s not violent. The cooperative gameplay delivers some fantastic moments as you collaborate to solve puzzles and overcome hordes of enemies, winning the day.

The Sly Collection$30The Sly Collection gives an HD face-lift to three classics: Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves, and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves. Playing as Sly, a raccoon who’s the latest in a line of master thieves, you’ll encounter plenty of running, jumping, puzzle-mastering, and sneaking.

Nintendo Wii

What it is: The Nintendo Wii may be on its way out (the new Wii U console is expected in 2012), but this video game system is responsible for the surge in popularity of motion-controlled gaming and casual titles. And even though it doesn’t display high-definition graphics and it lacks many of the multi­media features of the more advanced Microsoft and Sony consoles, the Wii does boast a number of fine games that are especially approprate for families. The Wii also has a couple of online services--namely the WiiWare channel for various downloadable games, and the outstanding Virtual Console for downloading classic titles found on previous Nintendo systems.

Cost: The console sells for $150 and comes with the popular Mario Kart Wii title. Most new games cost $50. Essential peripherals: You might need a few extra Wii Remote controllers if you want everyone to be able to play at the same time, but otherwise what you get in the box is perfect.

The bottom line: The Wii is very much the all-ages, family-friendly machine. It contains technology that’s inferior to what’s inside the Microsoft and Sony offerings, so don’t expect stellar graphics and amazing sound. What you will get, however, is a lot of fun for everyone.

Five Great Family Games for the Wii

Super Mario Galaxy 2$50Improving on Mario’s first planet-hopping adventure in outer space, Super Mario Galaxy 2 features impressive cooperative play in which a second player controls a starlike creature that can help the famous plumber collect items and attack foes. This charming game is just plain fun, and it readily makes both kids and adults smile.

Wii Sports ResortAbout $35 (used)Wii Sports Resort, one of the most family-friendly games available for the Wii, is very easy to play. In a tropical-island setting, players of all ages can compete in assorted activities such as bowling, archery, golf, table tennis, Frisbee (with cute dogs ready to fetch), and--our favorite--swordplay.

Rayman Raving Rabbids$20This collection of ridiculous minigames (also available for download on Xbox Live) will have parents and kids laughing and playing together. Thanks to the built-in instructions, anyone can quickly come to grips with the challenges--most of which require just basic movement and timing skills. Rayman Raving Rabbids’ bright, colorful cartoon style and its sharp sense of humor make it fun for the whole family.

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree$40A brain-teasing game that actually helps to sharpen your mind while you play, Big Brain Academy tests its players with puzzle-oriented challenges in categories labeled Identify, Memorize, Analyze, Compute, and Visualize. Who’s the smartest person in the family? Now you can find out.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl$50Featuring a huge cast of characters consisting of Nintendo’s best-known video game personalities (plus a couple of guest stars), this lighthearted fighting game is great for families. The four-player action in Super Smash Bros. Brawl can be speedy and chaotic, but it’s a lot of fun, and matches are balanced so that even novices have a chance.

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 92 views

The Best Video Games and Consoles for Families

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

Planning to shop for a game console this holiday season, and wondering which one will suit your clan? Here's a look at the three major consoles, as well as at the top five family-friendly titles for each one. What it is: The dominant home console on the market, the Microsoft Xbox 360 has a large mix of games for everyone in the family. Once hooked up to the Internet and supplemented with a subscription to the Xbox Live online service ($60 per year for one Gold membership or $100 for a Gold Family Pack, which supports four users), the Xbox 360 becomes not only a great gaming machine but also a fantastic media console that can stream ESPN and Netflix. Add the Kinect camera, and you have a system that lets you play games without a controller.

Cost: The base console with 4GB of storage is $200; the 250GB model costs $300. A bundle with Kinect costs another $100. All versions require an HDMI cable for top high-def resolutions. New games usually cost $60.

Essential peripherals: Most new Xbox 360 family games are powered by Kinect, a motion sensor that enables you to interact with games by using gestures and body movement. By itself (if you already own an Xbox 360), it costs $150, which is not cheap, but it’s a must-have for family gaming.

The bottom line: The Xbox 360 is the “does-everything” console, which is ironic considering that Sony has used that phrase as its marketing mantra for the PlayStation 3. From kids’ titles to hard-core games, the Xbox 360 has something for everyone, and it receives our highest recommendation as the best gaming and entertainment-media machine for your family.

Five Great Family Games for the Xbox 360
Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster $50  In Once Upon a Monster, you can join Cookie Monster and Elmo as you explore a world of magic and monsters, playing minigames and solving puzzles. And you don’t need to be familiar with controller buttons, because this Kinect game responds to body movement. It’s well suited for small children who might have trouble with a traditional controller.

Rock Band 3
About $18 (game only, used)
Rock Band 3 (also available for the PS3) turns your brood into the next Partridge Family thanks to instrument-shaped controllers that allow your entire family to play the guitar, drum, and bass lines, as well as to sing along with the set list of hit songs. You’ll find selections for every musical taste, with tunes of every decade from the ’50s to today. Rock Band 3 can even teach you how to play a real guitar--assuming that you invest in the $150 advanced guitar controller and have the patience to follow the extremely well-designed tutorial. Note: The game itself is inexpensive, but the instrument controllers can add up to a big purchase.

Viva Piñata
About $10 (used)
Viva Piñata appeals to players of all ages. Young children will fall in love with the colorful, fuzzy piñata animals, and older players will enjoy the game’s strategy mode, which enables them to breed new piñatas and build habitats. It’s simple fun that works for everyone.

Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX
800 Microsoft Points or $10, on Xbox Live
Also available for the PS3, the downloadable Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX is a simple but fun competitive version of the classic Pac-Man arcade game. Its stunning, bright, neon-colored mazes are a treat for the eyes, and online leaderboards allow you to track your progress against family members or friends.

Plants vs. Zombies
$20 retail; 1200 Microsoft Points, or $15, on Xbox Live
Plants vs. Zombies, a downloadable tower-defense game also available for the PS3, challenges you to use adorable bits of vegetation to hold off waves of comical undead foes. It’s fun and easy to play, and it has a terrific sense of humor that makes it a perfect cooperative title.

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 99 views

Xbox Live Drives Game Division Sales, As Xbox Sales Decline

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

Increasing digital sales led the division of Microsoft that includes its Xbox family to increased quarterly revenues. For the three months ending September 30, Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division -- which also includes its Internet TV product Mediaroom and its Windows Phone products -- saw revenues of $1.96 billion, up 9 percent from the $1.8 billion it generated in the year prior.

Microsoft attributes this growth primarily to its Xbox revenue, which saw a sales increase of $114 million (or 7 percent) versus last year. The growth was led by higher Xbox Live revenue, the company said.

Xbox revenues were hurt slightly by decreased sales at retail, both for games and Xbox consoles. Game sales saw unfavorable comparisons to last year's popular Halo Reach, while shipments of Xbox 360 consoles were down, from 2.8 million during the same period last year to 2.3 million.

Xbox Live content sales came at a cost: the company's cost of revenues -- which includes manufacturing and support expenses, among other factors -- was up 19 percent for the division, or $173 million, due to an increased amount of royalty fees owed to its third-party partners over the service.

This -- along with an increased headcount -- contributed to a decline in the division's operating income, down 9 percent from $386 million to $352 million. For Microsoft as a whole, both revenue and profits saw an uptick for the quarter: the company saw $5.74 billion in profit on $17.37 billion in revenues, representing increases of 6 and 7 percent, respectively.

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 69 views

Is there room for another game console?

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

Lenovo, the Chinese computer maker (they bought the old IBM PC business a few years back). says it wants to get in on the videogame console market. Talk is there will be a camera and no controller, so we're looking at a Xbox Kinect type device.The console market traditionally has supported only two major players -- that there are three now is a testament to Nintendo's innovation and profit-driven mentality, not to mention its competitive pricing early on. You can argue Sony almost disappeared from the race after blundering in its PS3 launch.Is there room for another competitor?

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 77 views

First Game Console from China "iSec" coming this December

Posted in : Games Consoles

(added few months ago!)

The price and launch date of China's first game console has been revealed. According to details in Chinese reports, The iSec, Lenovo's home game console will launch this December (limited release) in Mainland. iSec (previously known as eBox) features Kinect-style controls, and it will carry a price tag of 3,000 yuan (US$470). Check out the pic of the console below.

First Game Console from China iSec coming this December

Read the rest of this entry »

(added few months ago!) / 130 views
 
Copyright ©2012 TheGameTalk.com - All Rights Reserved. / 4.253