Sony Online Entertainment is about to release a brand-new MMORPG based on the characters of DC Comics, which includes the likes of Superman, Joker, and Wonder Woman. DC Universe Online is set at present time, where players assume a hero or villain character and take on quests from their mentors (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman for the heroes; Joker, Lex Luthor, and Circe for the villains) as well as other non-playable characters.
There are, however, several downers in playing this game. For one, players cannot choose to play as Superman or The Joker because they serve as your mentors. Oh, and did we mention that the game is not free in the first place?
The MMO will cost US$15 per month to play or go for a lifetime subscription for $199. The hard copy, meanwhile, will be $49 for the PC version and $59 for the PS3. Those who have played the beta would have to start over once the game becomes officially live on January 11, 2011.
You may have heard of the immensely popular game Angry Birds, but most likely haven’t played it because you do not own a compatible device. Now the physics-based game where the player launches birds against a castle of pigs can be played on a desktop computer as the PC version is free for a limited time though a special offer from Intel AppUp Center and Best Buy.
To get your free copy of Angry Birds for Windows, you need to download the AppUp Center client, Intel’s answer to Apple’s App Store for OS X computers, from Best Buy’s website. Once installed, you need to register for an account and indicate that you live in the United States (even if you do not). Then log into the AppUp and see that the US$4.99 fee for Angry Birds is waived.
If you already have the AppUp Center, you need to uninstall and reinstall using the Best Buy link, then register for a new account.
If you decide to skip on this offer, you need to know that Angry Birds will also come to Facebook soon, so there is no excuse for you not to play it.
Pokémon Black & Pokémon White are the first games of the long anticipated fifth generation of Pokémon. These games are due for release in Japan in September 18th 2010 and are said to bring about a revolution of Pokémon. .
These games are set to feature the previously established assortment of Pokémon, but will also contain a massive amount, 156 in fact, of brand New Pokémon. These Pokémon are the only ones you will encounter until the main game has been completed
In addition to that, Pokémon Black and Pokémon White take the 3D attributes previously included in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver and take them to new levels by including things like fully 3D bridges and a completely 3D city.
Pokémon Black & White are set in the region known as Unova. Unova is a region far away from the previous regions, requiring you to get there by Boat or Plane. It has a large city called Castelia City, with loads of buildings and sky scrapes for you to explore. Outside of the city and Unova remains to be predominantly industrialised with various factories and train tracks existing in the various areas. As the games are set in a region far away, the main game will not feature any old Pokémon until you have beaten the main story. The games also have you playing as protagonists older than the previous playable characters. Pokémon Black & Pokémon White are to be compatible in with the games of the previous generation; Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver through the aspect of the game known as the PokéShifter so you can complete the Pokédex. In addition to this, there is a method called the Transfer Machine which works only for a certain few event Pokémon. Through this, some event Pokémon can be traded over to these games to unlock new things such as the Monster Fox Pokémon, Zoroark.
Features
There are numerous featurres introduced within the game. First, in battle, there are two further methods of battle; Triple Battle & Rotation Battles. Both of which have you send out three Pokémon at once in order to battle with varying mechanics within it. In local wireless and over WiFi, there is also the Miracle Shooter which is a function that allows you to use items during battle, but at a cost. In battles, the camera is also dynamic, zooming in and out on the Pokémon while they move in a variety of animations
Much like how Gold & Silver introduced the concept of the Day/Night cycle, Pokémon Black & White introduce the concept of Seasons. These seasons change a variety of factors including Wild Pokémon, location aesthetics and even the background music. The seasons rotate at the start of every month so you don't need to wait long until the next one.
The games also introduce a variety of new multiplayer aspects including the Xtransceiver, a DSi & 3DS exclusive feature, that allows for video chat with you and your friends. In addition to that, the games can now connect to the Internet for access to a site called the Pokémon Global Link. The Global Link allows you access to Random Matches on the Internet, capable of being ranked based upon your performance, as well as a section called the Dream World which will allow you to obtain non-Unova Pokémon, some of which have new abilities, and items that also cannot be obtained in Unova such as Berries. In addition to this, the games also have the Entralink feature which has you visit a friend's game and complete certain missions in order to get various power ups which last a short time in the main game.
The game's story features you having to stop Team Plasma, a team who, unlike previous teams, want to do good and intend to stop what they perceive the slavery of Pokémon caused by trainers. In addition to this, you also have to travel the region in order to get 8 badges once more.
DSi Enhancments
As stated above, Pokémon Black & White are DSi Enhanced. As such, they will only work on DSis of the same region as the game. However, despite this, there are a variety of new features exclusive to the DSi. First is the Xtransceiver which does allow for voice and video chat between up to 4 friends locally and 1 friend over the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. In addition to this, Pokémon Black & White are capable of connecting to the Internet via the WPA encryption as opposed to previous games only being able to connect to WiFi through no encryption, or WEP. The games can be played on any model of DS
PC gaming means taking video games to the extreme, which means Maingear’s Shift Extreme may be the perfect fit. The Maingear Shift is crazy, high-end gaming rig, which isn’t surprising when you look at the price tag. Those six Grover Clevelands will buy you one of the fastest gaming PCs on the market today. The three technologies that contribute to the system’s speed and price are the Crucial c300 SSD (solid state drive), twin ATI Radeon 5970graphics cards, and the overclocked Intel Core i7-980Xprocessor. The SSD is $500 retail, the graphics cards about $1,400, and the processor about $1,000. What is the other $3K for? It went toward an innovative chassis, excellent workmanship, benchmark testing for the overclocking, and (a little) prestige factor. All of these together give us a high-end gaming PC.
RADICALLY REDESIGNED
SHIFT uses the natural behavior of hot air as an advantage – by rotating the internal components of the PC so that all heat is radiated through the top vents and cool air is drawn in from the bottom, SHIFT can harness the most powerful hardware on the planet with ease. Heat is the enemy of electronic components, and hot-running components are more prone to failure. Large, slow moving fans assist with the airflow and are virtually silent, and also feature removable, washable air filters. Generous, inconspicuous ventilation grates and inlets allow for ample airflow without taking away from the design aesthetics of the SHIFT chassis. MAXIMUM VERTICAL AIRFLOW
All peripheral connections for your monitors, keyboard, mouse, and speakers are made at the top of the SHIFT, and a cover is in place to protect and conceal them. The cover is machined with a grill to allow the hot air exhaust to escape the system. This completes the SHIFT’s 90 degree design, ultimately making the SHIFT a visually stunning piece of hardware, and conveys a look unlike any other PC on the market. NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE
The SHIFT’s vertical cooling design allows us to cool multiple, high-heat graphics cards with ease and without requiring expensive watercooling. Your GPUs will run cooler, quieter, and last longer than in a chassis without proper airflow.
PROCESS FASTER THAN EVER BEFORE
Featuring blistering performance from Intel’s Core i7 and Xeon processors, there is literally no computing task that cannot be tackled by the Shift. Featuring advanced technologies such as HyperThreading, support for integrated dual- and triple-channel memory controllers, and PCI-Express 2.0 expansion, the Shift throws everything but the kitchen sink into an overclockable stack of raw computational power.
LOOKS ARE JUST AS IMPORTANT
Add in the incredible GPGPU processing power of multiple NVIDIA and ATI consumer and professional graphics cards and you’ve got the building blocks for a personal supercomputer. Today’s GPUs are powerhouses and contain hundreds of individual stream processors for massive parallel computing. Everything from video transcoding, encoding, and editing get a speed boost from stream processing. But there’s plenty of room for play, too. With NVIDIA, leverage CUDA technology to enjoy gaming with PhysX – bringing realistic physics simulation to games. And 3D Vision – exclusive technology that throws you right into the middle of the game. Pick an AMD ATI Radeon HD 5000 series graphics card and you have access to the most eye candy with DirectX 11, and ATI EyeFinity technology delivers the ultimate in surround-vision with support for multi-monitor gaming.
YOU’RE NOT GOING TO RUN OUT OF SPACE ANYTIME SOON
SSDs – solid state drives – the latest advancement in hard drive technology. Your PC is only as fast as its slowest component – and with SSDs you’re no longer facing an HDD bottleneck. With no moving parts, SSDs are a densely packed collection of memory modules, with capacity into the hundreds of gigabytes. Absolutely silent. They run cool, and last long. And you can put 12 of them in the Shift. No kidding. SPEED IS EVERYTHING
Quite simply the most reliable, highest performing memory we’ve ever used, Kingston’s HyperX memory delivers where you need it the most. With speeds up to DDR3-2000 @ 2000MHz, we’re making sure that we eliminate all bottlenecks in your PC. ?
BOLD DESIGN
SHIFT is designed with strength and style in mind. That means a sublime blend of a steel skeleton for strength (up to 40% stronger than 100% aluminum enclosures), and beautiful brushed aluminum exterior to reduce weight and increase heat dissipation. SHIFT has confident yet refined lines, and exudes power and authority. Ultimately this makes the SHIFT a visually stunning piece of hardware, and conveys a look unlike any other PC on the market. This completes the SHIFT’s innovative 90 degree design.
CONFIGURATION
• Chassis: MAINGEAR SHIFT Chassis with Advanced Vertical Heat Dissipation • Exterior Finish: Brushed Black Aluminum with Acrylic and Matte Black Accents • Power Supply: 1KW Silverstone Strider Modular Industrial Power Supply • Graphics and GPGPU Accelerator: 2x NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX 480 3.0GB GDDR5 Total w/ PhysX [ENTHUSIAST] • Motherboard: Asus® P6X58D Premium Supporting SLI/CrossFire, USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s • Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-980X Extreme Edition 3.33GHz (32nm) 6-core with Hyperthreading • Processor Cooling: MAINGEAR / Asetek Maintenance-Free X120 Liquid Cooling • Memory: 6GB Kingston HyperX Triple-Channel DDR3-1600MHz Low Latency • MAINGEAR Redline Overclocking Service: Intel® Turbo Boost Advanced Automatic Overclocking • Hard Drive Bay One: 750GB Western Digital Caviar Black SATA 7200rpm 32MB Cache • Hard Drive Bay Two: Pre-Wired SATA Backplane Expansion Bracket For Easy Upgrades • Hard Drive Bay Three: Pre-Wired SATA Backplane Expansion Bracket For Easy Upgrades • Hard Drive Bay Four: Pre-Wired SATA Backplane Expansion Bracket For Easy Upgrades • Hard Drive Bay Five: Pre-Wired SATA Backplane Expansion Bracket For Easy Upgrades • Hard Drive Bay Six: Pre-Wired SATA Backplane Expansion Bracket For Easy Upgrades • Memory Card Reader: All-in-One Integrated USB 2.0 Flash Card Reader & Writer • Optical Drive One: 24X Dual Layer DVD RW Drive w/ LightScribe Technology • Audio: 8-channel High Definition Surround Sound Support Coax and Optical S/DIF Out • Network Adapter: Dual On-board Gigabit Ethernet • Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit • The Final Finesse: Designed, Manufactured, and Supported in the United States – Flawless Craftsmanship and Wire Management • Angelic Service Warranty: Lifetime Labor and Phone Support with 2 Year Angelic Service
Story: Left 4 Dead 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to the award-winning Left 4 Dead.The Story is set in the zombie apocalypse . You play as one of four survivors of a massive zombie infestation, armed with a wide and devastating array of classic and upgraded weapons , who have to shoot their way through various levels of infected undead hordes to reach the endzones. Graphics: Graphically, this game looks significantly better than the original with more varied environments and zombies, better animation, and more detailed damage being shown on the infected. Fire effects, seem more vibrant while the newly added weather can be incredibly cool. However, it’s graphics can’t quite compete with some of the latest high-end next generation graphics, still they can impress. Sound and Music: The game’s soundtrack is varied and the voice acting is also very good. The weapons and groans and screams all contribute to the atmosphere. Guns sound is rich and powerful, and there’s a greater variety of music.Audio alerts you to waiting boss zombies, and the character voice-overs are appropriately campy. Overall: Left 4 Dead 2 is better and bigger than Left 4 Dead. There’s more modes, zombies, weapons, environments and the graphics are better too. The campaigns are better designed and the competitive multiplayer is excellent.
9. F.E.A.R.
Story: The F.E.A.R. team is a branch of the government that investigates paranormal activity. Paxton Fettel, a genetically engineered psychic commander, when takes control of a telepathic clone army and takes control of the Armacham Technology Corporation. It is your job to neutralize him before he is able to pull off any horrible deeds. You are the Point Man, an operative of the F.E.A.R. faction, your main objective is to eliminate Paxton Fettel, since without his control, the Replica soldiers will no longer pose a threat.
Graphics: Graphically, F.E.A.R is a sight to behold, packed with jaw-dropping lighting and particle effects as well as outstanding character animation that exploits the game’s killer physics engine. Everything is well-modeled, rendered and lit. The environments are realistically believable. The Graphics aren’t as good as today’s standards but they were phenomenal for their time. Sound and Music: The sound in F.E.A.R. are haunting and very well-integrated into the game. Music is well balanced and it sounds like it came directly out of Trent Reznor’s head. The eerie music when walking down a dark corridor will send a shiver down your spine. You can hear almost every single noise in a firefight, sound effects of the bullets shooting off do give a very real feel to the whole thing. The voice acting is also superb. Overall: F.E.A.R. is a shooter that captures the sensation of being in wild and desperate firefights like no other game before it. It’s also one of the most atmospheric and creepy games ever made. The horror in this game is also freaky as hell.The music and sound effects used are quite creepy and do give the player a feel of the bizzare situations of the game. This game is well-suited to play in night with headphones in a darkened room, as long as you don’t mind jumping out of your skin when the cat hops up next to you. It is a must play game, so go and get the game. 8. Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Story: In Bad Company 2, you play as the leader of Bravo Two squad .The game follows the story of a rag-tag bunch of soldiers as they traipse around the world on the hunt for a mythical weapon of mass destruction which absolutely must not fall into the hands of the Russians, a mission that will take you to a variety of locations, including Russia, the jungles of South America, and even locations throughout North America. Graphics: Graphically, Bad Company 2 is definitely incredible. Sun glare in sniper scopes, breath turning to mist in the cold, a glorious array of lighting effects and some of the best skin textures yet seen, including some great depth of field effects and fantastic levels that add to the cinematic feel of the campaign.The real winner here is the destructible environment, which is a great touch that adds to the realism. Sound and Music: The sound is also done very well, it stands shoulder to shoulder with the graphics. The soundtrack does a great job of sticking with the intensity of the action, the explosions genuinely jar and make you shudder and the voice acting is pretty good. Overall: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is definitely an improvement over its predecessor, and a solid experience for any shooter fan. This game has raised the bar for its genre. Everything here is near flawless in both the single and multi-player experience , but it will be the multiplayer that will keep you coming back again and again.
7. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Story: Modern Warfare 2 is a sequel to Multi award winning COD: 4 Modern Warfare, released back in 2007. You play as a few different soldiers who are part of the effort to make the world a safer place.The events in the game take place five years after the events of the first game, and takes you to a variety of different locales, ranging from the bustling streets of Rio de Janeiro’s favela, the ice-capped mountains of Russia, the dusty roads of Afghanistan, and other unexpected locales. Graphics: Graphically, Infinity Ward hasn’t reinvented the wheel here. There are some well done visual effects. Some of the art textures are dated, especially when it comes to water. Lighting is vastly improved, and the animations are even more detailed than they were before. The stages are also spot-on, filled to the brim with details and tons of intense action. Sound and Music: The sound, on the other hand, is great,including huge explosions and sharp gunfire.The voice work is also amazing, and the guns sound appropriately punchy. The radio chatter also sounds great and adds an awesome ambience to the action.The overall presentation is top notch, and a visible step up from previous games in the series. Overall: For the strictly single player crowd, however, Modern Warfare 2 is surprisingly short, and isn’t quite as groundbreaking as the original, but it’s still a compelling and cinematic experience.The expanded multiplayer arsenal and skillset, which offers everything from remote missiles to heartbeat sensors, is enough to keep you playing in spite of the problems.
6. Crysis: Warhead
Story: Warhead is a companion game to Crysis, with a story similar to the original Crysis, but takes place mostly on the other side of the island. An alien artifact has been discovered on a tropical island, and after the United States and North Korea race to seize it, an alien invasion starts which freezes the island. You now play as Psycho, a member of an elite team of Nano-suited Special Ops, Raptor Team. As you follow the events of Psycho in this action packed stand alone expansion, you get to battle through different landscapes of jungle and ice, which look even better than in Crysis. Graphics: The game itself has been upgraded graphically; detailed smooth environments, and photo realistic character models which twist and move in an unparalleled, realistic fashion. Character models are expressive and fluid, the water effects are pristine and the jungle foliage is completely unrivalled in detail and general ambiance. Whatever deal with the devil Crytek had to do in order to bump frame rates up has worked in spades. Sound and Music: The games audio features outstanding music and sound effects as its visual. Voice acting is superb, character voices reflect the onscreen action well. Explosions and weapons fire all sound excellent and the games full of ambient noises such as enemies shouting to each other, wildlife in the background are also stunning. It all adds up to create an intense war zone feeling. Overall: Warhead focuses on what worked in the original game. Crytek have delivered a solid, cinematic gaming experience that is everything it should be. Fans of the genre will love Warhead. It’s a genuine improvement on Crysis .The length of Warhead might be short, but it gives us the juicy, rare steak of Crysis without any of the excess fat.
5. Half-Life 2
Story: The Game is set in a futuristic, negative utopia called City 17 several years after the incident at Black Mesa. The world was taken over by an alien force known as the Combine during the “Seven Day War” and now the remainder of the human race is forced to live in small ghettos ruled by a puppet government established by the invaders. In Half-Life 2, as the player you will find yourself in the role of research scientist Gordon Freeman, the renegade theoretical physicist slash arms specialist. Graphics: The graphics in the game are amazing and the physics engine is extraordinary. All of the locations in the game look spectacular with striking detail for each area. There is a ton of detail in all of the stages, ranging from spraypaint and blood on the walls to large metropolitan cityscapes. The animation of the characters is spectacular, due to the facial animations and the physics engine. The creators have expertly crafted a believable and immersive game world. Sound and Music: The sound effects, music and voice acting in the game are marvelous. The explosions, gunfire and rest of the sound effects come across loud and clear. The music in the game creates an excellent ambiance for every stage and area. The voice acting in the game is top notch. Overall: Half-Life 2 is a stunning game in many ways,the great graphics, incredible physics’ engine, impressive sound/music and engaging story line all add up to a classic game. Gamers that are new to the Half-Life universe will be blown away but veterans may be a little disappointed.
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops
Story: The game is set largely during the 1960s and takes you to Cold War hot spots like Cuba, Russia, and Vietnam .You begin the game as Alex Mason, a soldier being interrogated for information that he can’t remember. You play through Mason’s memories in search for information. There are twists, some of which work better than others. But unlike Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops does a remarkable job of cleaning everything up for the finale. Gun battles are placed around set pieces and incredible moments of super-heroism, and you’ll never be quite sure what will happen next, or even in what year. Graphics: Graphically, this game is top-notch. The environments are richly detailed. Everything from texturing to particles and lighting, to the destruction in the environments is top-tier gaming. The frame rate is smooth, cut scenes are good and the scenery gorgeous. In addition to the on-foot action, you use a number of vehicles to achieve your objectives.The core running-and-gunning mechanics remain as exciting as ever, and the gameplay variety throughout the campaign keeps the action moving at a great clip. Sound and Music: Call of Duty: black Ops like other Call of Duty series games, has outstanding music and sound effects. The music pumps you up in the heat of battle without distracting you. Gun reports, especially ones in the distance, really stand out nicely. The voice acting from the various soldiers and enemies are all very realistic. Your ears are in for a treat with this one. Overall: Overall,Black Ops is a terrific action game with a solid story and a deep, rewarding multiplayer mode.For all its ambitious steps to set itself apart from the previous games, it flounders in a few too many of those areas to be a total success. Even with those flaws, though, the heart of the series–its competitive multiplayer–lives on quite well. Through its outstanding campaign and its super customizable and balanced online experience it is one game that you should definitely check out regardless of what kind of gamer you are.
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Story: Call of Duty 4 is set in a realistic, timely world in which the battles you’re fighting don’t really stray from those you might hear about on “All Things Considered.” The Game throws you into the centre of the 21st century, take your choice of being an American Marine or a British SAS soldier in a series of campaigns. As with other Call of Duty games, you’re sent on different missions in which you will have different roles, usually assigned to you by your commanding NPC. Sometimes you’ll snipe, sometimes you’ll lead an attack, but almost always you’ll be accompanied by a squad of fellow soldiers who help you in your quest.
Graphics: Graphically, Call of Duty 4 looks incredible. The smoke and particle effects are especially amazing, and there is a real sense of presence to everything. Maps are highly detailed and character models move in an unnervingly lifelike way.The overall gameworld detail is astonishing, and everything animates very realistically.Overall presentation is excellent, shrapnel, bullets, debris, exploding buildings, interiors, make no mistake the environments here are some of the best.
Sound and Music: The sound effects are right up there with the rest of the game’s stellar presentation. The voice acting from the various soldiers and enemies are all realistically portrayed, adding a great element to the gameplay and to the overall story arc.Sound effects for stun grenades are so well done that they nearly dizzies the player. CoD4 a treat for the ears as well as the eyes.
Overall: Overall, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a fantastic game.Its single-player campaign offers one of the most intense, heartpounding experiences around, Though it is short, but the multiplayer should keep you invested in COD4 for the long time. The overall story is standard action movie fare.
2. Far Cry
Story: In Far Cry, you play the role of Jack Carver, a former special ops soldier who quit the millitary to become a civilian, an owner of a private boat charter business in the South Pacific. You’ve been recently hired to sail a mysterious woman around the Pacific. However, Jack’s trip does not go as planned and the ship destroyed while under mysterious attack. After washing ashore on a tropical island, sans the mysterious woman. The storyline is intriguing as you attempt to find your missing passenger and uncover more mystery you ever expected.
Graphics: The environments are richly detailed. Jungles actually feature dense foliage that consists of trees, plants, and tall grasses, and this foliage is filled with birds and insects. Beaches have blinding-white sand, and the surf slowly laps ashore. The game also incorporates real-time lighting and shading effects to a degree rarely seen before.
Sound and Music: The sound effects in the game contribute heavily to the creepy atmosphere. Environmental sound effects are also great. Every gun sounding different and convincing. The music is appropriate for the game, and is basically something that you would find in an action movie with similar content.The voice acting is corny in a way that fits in with the over-the-top action movie feel of the game.
Overall: Far Cry is a stunning game in so many ways. This game is a must play, if only for the amazing graphics. It certainly raises the bar for graphics to new heights. In Far Cry, the graphics are just one of the ingredients that submerge you into the experience. The developers exhibit a growing sense of maturity throughout the game.
1. Crysis
Story: Crysis sees you step into the shoes of a special soldier in the year 2020. The game takes place on a remote island now being held by the Koreans.As they investigate something, strikes the immediate attention of the US. An archeological team on a remote Pacific island is captured by an invasion force of North Koreans. You are parachuted into a tropical paradise that’s crawling with intelligent enemies and to shreds something else that’s tearing both the North Koreans and US force. The heart of Game is its combination of sandbox gameplay with the nanosuit, the high-tech body armor that can give you superhuman strength or speed, or cloak you from detection.
Graphics: Graphically, Crysis looks photorealistic at times. Even on a lower end card, the graphics are beautiful, no matter how far you turn the settings down the faces look insanely well animated. There are countless moments when you’ll just stop and gape at what you’re seeing.
Sound and Music: The sound effects are fantastic, blasting through the speakers during intense moments. The gunplay and ballistics modeling makes the shooter feel as if you’re handling real weapons. Voice acting is also excellent, helping to deliver some distinct characters and even a little humor.The background sounds are very realistic.
Overall: If you put it all together, Crysis is just amazing. If you want a game with fast action, huge scale, stunning graphics, and intelligent gameplay, then Crysis is for you. Crysis represents the first-person shooter at its finest, most evolved form. Crysis gives you all of these toys and ratchets the action higher and higher the deeper you get into it.
