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1.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PC DVD) (2009) (Windows 7 / Vista / XP)
2.Football Manager 2010 (PC/MAC DVD)(2009) (Mac OS X, Windows Vista / XP)
3.The Sims 3 (PC/Mac DVD)(2009) (Mac OS X, Windows XP)
4.Dragon Age: Origins (PC) (2009) (Windows Vista / XP)
5.The Sims 3: World Adventures – Expansion Pack (PC/Mac DVD) (2009) (Mac OS X, Windows Vista / XP)
7.Empire: Total War (PC DVD) (2009) (Windows Vista / XP)
(2009) (Windows XP)
9.Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Game of the Year Edition (PC
(2008) (Windows Vista / XP)
10.Grand Theft Auto IV (PC) (2008) (Windows Vista)
Accessories
Xbox 360 Wireless Controller For Windows (2006) (Windows XP, Xbox 360)
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Are you Christmas shopping for someone who loves to play video games on the computer? This can be a daunting task, but with a little information you should have no problem finding a gift that they will love. Many of the popular games available for PS3, XBox 360, and the Wii are also available for the PC. Here is a list of great Christmas gifts for PC gamers. You will find various games, accessories, and more that should give your loved one a Merry Christmas this year.
Assassin’s Creed 2 – This is my #1 game recommendation for Christmas 2009 on all game systems. The sequel to Assassin’s Creed drops you into 15th century Italy as the character Ezio, a new assassin. You can roam the city, do as you choose, and play any mission you choose. This game is a must for any PC gamer. It will be available for sale in November and will cost roughly $49.99.
Yoostar Entertainment System – If you’ve ever wanted to be a movie or television star here is your chance. The Yoostar Entertainment System is a web cam and green screen set up that plugs into your computer and lets you act out scenes from your favorite movies or television shows. You can be in movies such as Saw 2, The Godfather, Rocky, and Coming to America. Additional movies can be downloaded from Yoostar.com. This unique setup will cost you around $170 and will be available November 3, 2009.
PC Speakers – A good set of PC speakers can really do a lot to enhance game play. There are many models available at a wide variety of prices. I guess when shopping for speakers this Christmas your budget will be the biggest determining factor. Best Buy offers a wide variety of products ranging from $35 all the way up to $100+. Personally I wouldn’t skimp out when buying PC speakers, but that’s just me.
Logitech Racing Wheel Game Controller – If your PC gamer loves racing games, then a great gift to give them this Christmas is a racing wheel game controller. The Logitech controller features a leather wrapped steering wheel, 6 speed shifter, and stainless steel gas, break, and clutch. This controller is compatible with the PlayStation 2 as well as the PC. For $300 your gamers will be in racing heaven.
Gaming Headset – For some games it is just better to have a headset. You can hear the action as well as communicate with your friends and fellow gamers. Headsets, like PC speakers come in a wide variety of models. If your loved one is a serious gamer then you might choose a higher end model. A mid-range gaming headset will run you about $50-$60 at Best Buy. If you shop around you could find a better deal (like on E-Bay).
Source: www.bestbuy.com
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Some games are easier to admire than to actually enjoy. Sometimes you have to give developers points for their vision and their ideas, especially when they try something new and creative. WorldShift is just such a game, one based on an interesting core concept that attempts something unique by melding the gameplay of an RTS with the persistence of an MMO. However, good intentions don’t necessarily make for fun gameplay. As clever as WorldShift’s core concept may be, the gameplay is as flat as its “technology versus magic” story.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by the technology-based humans, nature-worshipping Tribe and sinister Cult, WorldShift is, at its core, a very simple RTS with all base-building elements removed. You control a group of characters that you steer around the map, right-clicking on everything you want to kill along the way. The twist to the gameplay is that you discover artifacts in every game mode that you can use to permanently buff your units, so you’re constantly improving the abilities of your army, which you can then take online to battle with or against other players. That’s the concept, anyway.
WorldShift was clearly designed with multiplayer in mind (you have to create an online account to even launch the game), and the single-player campaign is so bad that few players will muscle through it before heading online. Removing base-building may make the gameplay easier for new players, but removes any sort of strategy at all – there’s no balance between attack and defense; you’ll simply always be massing your forces into one large offensive unit and hunting down the bad guys. The story is cliché and boring, and the mission objectives are laughably bad, often involving avoiding enemies with stealth – no easy feat with your units’ broken pathfinding.
Multiplayer removes some of the campaign’s frustrations like the pitiful enemy AI, only to swap it for a major new problem: balance. Since WorldShift feature an MMO-style skill progression, the more you play, the more powerful you can make your units. But new players won’t be stepping onto a level playing field; WorldShift was released a year ago in many European countries. To make matters worse, WorldShift features no kind of level-based matchmaking system, you won’t know if you’re playing against a newbie player or a veteran with high-level units until you meet them on the battlefield. In one match, your skill may help you overcome a player of your same level. In the next, no amount of strategy will help you overcome the swarm of massively powerful tanks your opponent sends your way.
Even when you lose a match you get to keep the artifacts you discover along the way, but only victories reward you with reasonable amounts of “battle points,” which you’ll need to need to improve your skills. With the uneven playing field, it will take new players a long, long time to buff their armies to the point where they can reasonably compete.
If you can find some even-matched players to compete with amongst WorldShift’s small community (the most players I ever found online was 29), then there is some fun to be had with the online component. WorldShift’s maps are large and dense, with random item drops that award exploration even in the middle of a deathmatch. Better still is the co-op mode, in which you can team up with other players against AI enemies in objective-based missions similar to MMO raids. As with all other modes, co-op games provide you with artifacts and battle points used to improve your units. Unfortunately, most of the online community seems to focus on deathmatching, so finding an available co-op game can be a rarity.
The entire package is wrapped in a presentation that can only be described as “underwhelming.” The graphics are bright and eye-catching, but character designs are bland and your units are small and lack detail even at the tightest zoom level. The menus are dull and unhelpful, and good luck to you if you downloaded the digital version and have a question – there’s no in-game help at all, not even a list of hotkeys. The game script is terrible, featuring characters like “Frank N. Stein” and a plot that swings between bland and incomprehensible. Fortunately the music is nicely orchestrated, although it’s often ruined by horrid unit voice work.
Thank you to IGN for this review
Filed under: Uncategorized
Release Date 11/03/2009
Also available on: 360 PS3
It’s been several years since LucasArts first asked its fan base, “Would you be interested in playing as a Star Wars villain?” Apparently, this idea was met with some enthusiasm, and the result was The Force Unleashed for console gaming systems. TFU makes its PC debut with the Ultimate Sith Edition with its flashy new packaging and additional game content. Unfortunately, this updated release is just a few banthas short of a herd.
To its credit, The Force Unleashed does a lot of things extremely well. You don’t need to be a Star Wars junkie to appreciate the story, which is lavishly presented in high-quality cinematic sequences. The characters are brought to life not only with terrific voice acting, but facial motion capture that impressively conveys the fluidity of human emotion. For those unfamiliar, The Force Unleashed follows the adventures of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, who is exceptionally talented and trained as an instrument of the dark side. This makes the apprentice a true “wrecking ball” of the Force, indiscriminately blasting through rebel soldiers and stormtroopers alike.
Although dazzling as always, the lightsaber is not really the focal point of the combat. Most of the fun lies within the clever integration of Force powers. TFU is an action game at its core, and the available moves for the apprentice certainly reflect this. Hurling objects at your foes, electrocuting them with lightning, or simply blasting them into oblivion offers players the chance to channel quite a bit of aggression into the game. As you become increasingly skilled, you’ll be able to string powers together for devastating results; lifting a stormtrooper into the air, then impaling him with the lightsaber, might be one of the coolest things seen in any Star Wars video-game.
It’s not until reaching the heavier battles that players may notice the flaws in this alluring gem. The physics engine for TFU, while visually impressive, does not always function reliably or realistically. More importantly, the combat is flawed in a few areas that will cause significant frustration. In the thick of combat, the apprentice can literally get stuck in a loop of collapse as unavoidable attacks from enemies strike him repeatedly. The PC controls feel strangely stiff when compared to the console version, which means the apprentice will not always do what you want, as quickly as you’d want him to do it. The boss fights remain something of a mixed bag. Many of them feel like cheap efforts to exploit flaws in the combatant’s fighting style, while a few are genuinely engrossing.
This release also contains a few missions from TFU’s “alternate universe” of Star Wars fiction, which I will not spoil here. Aside from the exclusive new Hoth level, most of the “bonus” content in this Ultimate Sith Edition was actually released as downloadable content on the consoles. The player skins are basically what they seem – meaningless cosmetic costumes that have no effect on the gameplay whatsoever. Even diehard Star Wars fans may struggle to rationalize the purchase of the Ultimate Sith Edition if they’ve played the original. It is disappointing to see that so many of TFU’s flaws have been retained or even amplified, rather than repaired.
The Force Unleashed remains solid on the graphical front, with plentiful effects and detailed textures to aid the immersion of the experience. Sadly, players may find themselves pushing through the unpleasant sections of the campaign just to find out what happens next in the story. Without getting the gameplay right, The Force Unleashed flounders in its efforts to keep up with its own epic narrative. The Ultimate Sith Edition will provide entertainment for Star Wars fans, but action lovers may find their excitement short-lived
thank you to GameZone for the review
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Genre: Role-Playing
Theme: Fantasy
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Modes: Single Player
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Release Date: Nov 3, 2009
Also Available On: Xbox 360, PS3
Basic Plot/Storyline
Dragon Age: Origins is a fantasy computer role playing game that takes players on a journey across the Kingdom of Ferelden on the continent of Thedas. After many had thought them extinct, Dragons have reappeared in the World. Dragon Age: Origins, as the title suggests, has an over arching story/plot surrounding this new “Dragon Age” which is intertwined differently depending both on the type of character being played and the actions players take throughout the game. This gives the opportunity for Dragon Age Origins to have a different ending and story each time it’s played.
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Genre: Real Time Strategy
Theme: Sci-Fi Developer: Crytek Black Sea
Publisher: Playlogic International
Modes: Single player, multiplayer ESRB
Rating: T for Teen Release Date: Nov 10, 2009
Basic Plot/Storyline WorldShift is a sci-fi/cyber fantasy real time strategy game that was released in Europe last year and is now being released in the US. WorldShift is set 1000 years in the future that has humans living in one of five mega cities after the outbreak of a devastating plague. Earth is now populated by three different races the humans, plague infected humans and an alien race know as the cult. Game Play There are three playable factions in WorldShift, the humans, plague infected humans known as the tribes, and the alien faction know as the cult. The game has a simplistic design in order to make game-play quick and easy to learn. There are no complex technology trees to advance the factions but units can find all sorts of special items throughout the game that can increase their power or advance the faction. Units also have unique abilities such as spells and special attacks that can aid in combat.
Filed under: News
Following the news that Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare 2 for PC would not support dedicated servers, the studio’s creative strategist Robert Bowling tried to clarify some issues — but many PC gamers are still unhappy.
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is actually the biggest investment Infinity Ward has ever made into the PC version of our games,” Bowling wrote in a Tuesday blog. “It’s also the most feature-rich PC version we’ve ever made.”
Bowling explained in more detail how Infinity Ward’s multiplayer backend, “IWNet,” is intended to make matchmaking smoother on PC, allow for playlists and private matches, and facilitate cheat- and hack-free games.
He confirmed that there will be “no more browsing through a server list for a server with the settings/ping you want among other things,” and acknowledged that the news “sent shockwaves through the hardcore PC community.”
The community manager hoped his explanation would dispel misunderstandings about IWNet’s implementation in the PC version of Modern Warfare 2: “IWNnet adds a load of new features that the PC version of our games have never had before and allows us an infrastructure to continue to update and improve on the game post-launch,” he argued.
But comments in response to his blog indicate that PC gamers are still unsatisfied with the explanation of IWNet. For many commentators, only the option to have dedicated servers will make them happy.
“You have got to be kidding me,” one response reads. “What you’ve described above is right out of a console and doesn’t prove that the system will be better at all. I like how you try to say this is going to be better for clans, right, sure it is. … This is fail.”
With no dedicated server support for PC, gamers in the PC community will not be able to run Modern Warfare 2 on dedicated servers that they may rent, as they are able to with previous Call of Duty games. Other concerns that PC gamers have expressed on message boards and blogs regarding no dedicated servers include possible lag issues, no mod support, and unsatisfactory match-making. The community of many PC games is structured around the flexibility provided by dedicated server support, extending the life of a given game.
PC gamers objecting to Infinity Ward’s decision are signing a petition, which listed 108,000 names as of press time. Addressed to Activision-owned Infinity Ward, the online petition’s goal is to “Get Infinity Ward to review their decision not to allow fully dedicated servers for their forthcoming game release CoD:MW2. Remember that this Call of Duty was made popular by PC gamers who have supported the series throughout.”
League of Legends, the persistent online multiplayer battle arena action game based off the popular Warcraft III Defense of the Ancients mod. Players take on the role of Summoners, powerful spell casters that can invoke champions to fight for them in battle across the world of Valoran in large arenas known as Fields of Justice. More than thirty separate champions can be summoned to the battlefield, each with their own unique abilities that can be used in battle to defeat your opponents.
With the game scheduled to be released next week, we thought we’d highlight five new champions to the League of Legends universe, providing additional information on their background as well as their abilities. While four of these characters have been in the beta, we’re going to kick off this feature by exclusively reveal details about the newest character, Nasus.
Nasus, Curator of the Sands Champion Type: Fighter
Unlike some of the other fighters, the champion known as Nasus did not come from Valoran. On a distant desert world, He was the Keeper of the Great Library, a position that allowed him to become quite enlightened. However, Nasus was also a warrior, part of a race of creatures that were rulers and protectors of their people. While a war raged on his world, Nasus was summoned to the League where he discovered his talents were better served on the Fields of Justice.
Nasus wields attacks as strong and brutal as the desert he comes from. His Siphoning Strike attack does damage and if it lands the killing blow against an enemy, it is powered up further. As a way of slowing their enemies in battle, Nasus’ Wither ability decreases his target’s movement and attack speed for three seconds. A third power, Spirit Fire, allows him to set up a trap for enemies to fall into, causing damage and ruining the armor of those that cross its location. Finally, Nasus’ ultimate ability is called the Avatar of Death, which provides him with bonus health and faster attack speed. Nearby enemies have their health sucked away and turned into damage bonuses for Nasus, giving him a powerful way to destroy opponents.
Janna, Avatar of Air
Champion Type: Mage
Once an orphan living on the streets of the city of Zaun, Janna tried to live her life as best she could. However, she soon discovered that she had magical ability that could protect her and raise her out of her troubled circumstances. Learning how to wield air magic and quickly mastering the element itself, Janna quickly left her city in search of a way to right the wrongs of the world, and joined up with the League of Legends to destroy evil.
As a master of Air, Janna can manipulate wind to destroy her enemies. Her first attack, Howling Gale, starts as a small storm that grows after time. By directing it at her enemies, she can cause damage and knock down her foes. Her Zephyr ability increases her movement speed, letting her pass through enemies while causing them damage and slowing them down. To help her allies, Janna’s Eye of the Storm can shield characters from damage while boosting the amount of damage they can cause. Finally, Janna’s Monsoon ability sheaths her in a storm that consistently throws enemies away. The storm also heals nearby allies
Gangplank, the Saltwater Scourge
Champion Type: Fighter
Born the son of the infamous pirate captain Vincent the Shadow, Gangplank grew up in the city of Bilgewater. Becoming the most ruthless and feared child in the town because of his father’s harsh lessons, he exacted his revenge by stabbing his dad in the back and taking his ship. Discovering that the world was quickly turning against pirates, he departed the Pirate Isles and his crew to become the latest addition to the League of Legends.
Gangplank is a dangerous warrior whose pirate inspired abilities potentially give him an edge over some opponents in battle. His Parrrley ability produces a pistol, which Gangplank uses to shoot an enemy. If he kills them with this shot, he receives bonus gold. While a humorous name for an ability, Gangplank’s Remove Scurvy power lets him eliminate any crowd control effects placed on him while healing him at the same time. Gangplank has one rather strange power in the form of Raise Morale, where he kills one of the AI controlled minions. Nearby allies, as well as Gangplank himself, are inspired with faster attack and movement speed after the “volunteer’s” death. Finally, Cannon Barrage allows Gangplank to target an area with his ship’s cannons for ten seconds, causing damage to anything within the area while slowing enemy units.
Malphite, Shard of the Monolith
Champion Type: Tank
A creature of rock from a distant planet, Malphite was once part of a harmonious essence known as The Monolith where everything coexisted as pieces of the entire world. As a being that tried to embody order, Malphite was angered when he was ripped away from his planet and brought to the League. However, after discovering that his new world was completely in disarray, he entered the Fields of Justice to enforce his brand of order against anyone or anything embodying chaos.
Composed entirely of rock, destroying Malphite is particularly difficult. This, coupled with his attacks, makes him particularly formidable. His Seismic Shard attack sends a shard of earth rippling through the earth to his enemies. Not only does this do damage to the target, it slows them down for six seconds on impact. Malphite also packs a powerful punch, thanks to his Brutal Strikes attack. By hitting his enemies with extra force, his blows cause damage to enemies around the target. Malphite’s Ground Slam can send out a large shockwave, slowing the attack speed of enemies for four seconds while causing two different kinds of damage upon enemies in its wake. Finally, Malphite’s ultimate attack, Unstoppable Force, allows him to charge into an area, causing damage to enemies as they’re launched into the air from the impact.
Dr. Mundo, Madman of Zaun
Champion Type: Tank
The mysterious man known as Dr. Mundo was born in the city of Zaun, and from a young age wanted to inflict pain through experimentation on anything he could get his hands on. Whether animals, his parents or others, he constantly tried to conduct his experiments to gain a better understanding of pain itself. After being acquitted of 38 murder charges by the time he gained his medical license, he was recruited to fight within the League of legends, where he’d find plenty of new specimens to experiment upon.
As a devotee of pain, Dr. Mundo’s abilities revolve around dealing pain to himself or others. He wields a large cleaver, which he can throw with his Infected Cleaver ability, causing a significant amount of damage and slowing them down for a while. Dr. Mundo’s Burning Agony ability decreases any stun or slow effects that he might be suffering from, but as a side effect, he also does continual damage to nearby enemies. Mundo can trigger his Masochism ability, increasing the damage he causes for five seconds. On top of this, each percent of health that he’s lost further boosts his damage as this skill is in effect, making him rather dangerous when he’s low on health. Countering this ability is his Sadism skill, letting Mundo sacrifice some of his health for faster movement speed and increased health regeneration.
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Comicon 2009 a most wretched hive of geeks and nerdidude. I had not been to Con in quite a while and honestly was not really prepared to go to the show. I had not reviewed the program ahead of time so I kind of when in blind just to see what was out there.
Thursday afternoon was pretty good the show floor was crowded but not too bad. Alot of great costumes the watchmen was very popular there were some good ones. Crimewars was demoing their MMFPS. I had a brief look at it at E3 and it looks like they have put a bit more polish on it and looks very fun. Most of the video game section as taken up by Console games which looked very nice. Dante’s Inferno and Brutal legend were really nice looking sarkstriders looked good too. Cmon guys where’s the PC love. There a bunch of the Free to play mmo space there sony had Free realms and there were a few other ones. One fun Browser based one that can be found at www.thekingdomofloathing.com is stick figure mmo and strangely addictive. Overall i enjoyed my few hours with the comicon and it was not the hell that made me swear off that con forever. Mebbe next year will be fun too
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MMORPG Atlantica Online Heads to ijji.com
Premier Hardcore Gaming Portal Boasts Addition of Ninth Multi-player Title
IRVINE, CALIF. – June 6, 2009 – ijji.com continues its quest to bring first-rate, hardcore interactive entertainment to its free-to-play online gaming portal through a partnership with online game publishing giant NDOORS Interactive, the U.S. subsidiary of Korea-based NDOORS Corporation. ijji.com community members can now add the seven world wonders, among other locations, to their playing experience as they navigate the popular massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG), Atlantica Online.
“Atlantica Online is an immersive, award-winning MMORPG that incorporates both mythological and real-life locations, and a great fit for the ijji.com community,” said Philip Yun, CEO, NHN USA. “In our mission to further ijji.com as the premier free-to-play portal for hardcore gamers, we seek out games like this that effortlessly draw players deep into alternative worlds. NDOORS is a seasoned leader in online entertainment and we are thrilled to partner with them to increase the monster quotient of our portal.”
Atlantica Online is a strategic turn-based MMORPG that combines innovative combat with profound character and party development, as well as city and country management. Players take on the physically and mentally demanding quest to destroy the Oriharukon, a powerful energy source from the lost civilization of Atlantis. This dangerous element survived the demise of the “Lost City,” and its rampant spread is quickly endangering humanity. The epic journey takes players to some of the most historic and exotic locations around the globe, such as the Great Wall of China and the enormous pyramids of Egypt, in addition to places long lost in mythology. Along the way, they will come face-to-face with vicious monsters ripped from history and lore, such as the ruthless Egyptian Pharaoh, Khufu, and Transylvania’s bloodthirsty villain, Dracula.
“You can’t help but want to get involved with an online gaming portal like ijji.com that immediately puts a game in front of 8 million avid fans,” said Peter Kang, CEO, NDOORS Interactive. “We are committed to expanding our community base and implementing powerful partnerships like this one with ijji.com in order to continue our aggressive expansion plans.”
To check out Atlantica Online or obtain additional information, please visit http://atlantica.ijji.com.
About ijji.com
ijji.com (www.ijji.com) is the leading portal for hardcore online gaming. Owned and operated by Irvine, Calif.-based NHN USA, Inc., ijji.com launched in 2006 and now boasts more than eight million unique registered gamers. The portal hosts a diverse suite of hardcore, fast action free-to-play online games, each with an optional micro-transaction model. ijji.com’s extensive game portfolio includes GUNZ The Duel®, SOLDIER FRONT™, GUNBOUND® Revolution, DRIFT CITY™, LUMINARY Rise of the GoonZu™ and MINING BOY™, and will soon include the highly-anticipated Unreal Engine 3-based MMOFPS game Huxley: The Dystopia and the fantasy MMORPG Soul of the Ultimate Nation.
About NDOORS Interactive
NDOORS Interactive is the U.S. subsidiary of Korea-based NDOORS Corp., which develops and publishes online games. NDOORS’ other popular online games include the political and economic MMORPG, ‘Luminary: Rise of the Goonzu’ and the time traveling strategic RPG, ‘Time N Tales.’ More information is available at http://www.ndoors.com.
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