Archive for November, 2007
Review of Doom 3 PC and xBox
Doom 3 compatible to the Xbox 360 versions is a first person shooter game and was introduced in 2004 by id Software. This game having elements of horror and science fiction thronged together attained the position of being one of the most famed of the computer games in the year 2004. it was widely appreciated by gamers and critics and it also won a series of awards like the one for Best Graphics(Technical category) awarded by GamesSpot and also the E3 2002 Game Critics Award for the Best Action Game, Best PC Game and also received special recognition for its for its sound quality and advanced graphical tools deployed. It is significant to mention here that this game, though named Doom 3 is not a sequel of the previous Doom series and is a repackaged version of it.
The game is set in an advanced time period, in 2145, and the premise of the setting is in the planet Mars at the Union Aerospace Corporation, also known as the UAC. The central role here is played by a marine whose actions are controlled by the player and his mission is to combat with unidentified demons and it is in course of his bid to survive this onslaught that the ominous designs of the villainous character DR, Malcolm Betruger is revealed to this marine.
This game is characterized by its linear architecture and the player does not have the power to hide but can only leap or squat accordingly to save his own life. The kinds of weapons used in this game include various forms of guns like the plasma guns, pistols and hand grenades among many others. There is also a special armament called the Soul Cube which is a construct of the aliens. The flashlight is the dominant lighting technique used in the game. This game allows multi paler gaming.
On the negative side, it has been critiqued for its non-innovative scripting and slow movement of the players, among others factors.
Grand Theft Auto – Vice City
Grand Theft Auto- Vice City became the best selling game in the year it was introduced for the first time in 2002 and is the predecessor of the Grand Theft Auto-San Adreas. It was a 3D game initially packaged to be played in PlayStation2 but is now available as improved editions which support the Xbox versions.
This game is set in the 1980s and brings forth the mafia wars imminent during those times and greatly upholds the cultural and social life of the times. In fact in this game there are several references to various real life characters and places which have been spoofed at. Set in Vice City, modeled on Miami, Florida, Tommy Vercetti is a mafia dons who has just obtained his freedom form prison life and vouches to compensate for the losses incurred in securing certain drug deals which includes killing and taking revenge against those who were responsible for this ordeal. This game, it is often said, was influenced by certain celluloid ventures like those of Carlito’s Way and Scarface and also to an extent by the popular sitcom Miami Vice.
There are immense cut throat action sequences in the Grand Theft Auto series and this game is no exception. There are innumerable chasing sequences with the players appropriating and running after in boats, cars, helicopters and cycles and the use of about 35 weapons. All these add to the effects of the game which keeps the player glued to his seat. A latest innovation to be found in the game is the inclusion of this new rule by means of which the player has the authority of purchasing a few properties scattered all over the city which can be used later as hiding venues.
Like the other games of this series, Vice City has also earned the reputation of having explicit violent and adult content not eligible for all users and is also said to have induced individuals in committing heinous crimes.
Project Gotham Racing 3
Project Gotham Racing 3 is a racing game and it was released simultaneously with the Xbox 360 version in the United States of America in 2005 and evidently as the name suggests, it is a part of the Project Gotham Racing series. The Official Xbox Magazine rated this game, also referred to as PGR3 as the Xbox 360 Game of the Year in 2005. It is also included as part of the World Cyber Games and Championship Gaming Series.
This game features various as many as eighty authorized vehicles by manufacturers like Dodge, Lamborghini, Ferrari and several others, totaling around thirty. The players move from one location to another and there are four main cities which are in the backdrop of this racing drama. This includes London, New York, Las Vegas and Tokyo. These cars which participate in racing are constituted by innumerable polygons and these help the cars to assume better shape than those in the previous versions of Project Gotham Racing. A significant turn in the game is provided by what is known as ‘Kudos’ by means of which it is possible for the player to accumulate extra points and that can be achieved through implementing trendy, classy and efficient driving techniques. Among the total eighty cars devised to perform in the game, around seventy one are usable from the beginning while the remaining nine are reserved for later purposes after earning the Kudos points. According to their level of performance the cars are also rated and the grades are A fro the best and E for the worst performer.
This game can also be played with a maximum of two players in the Xbox 360 version and an increased number of players can also be included with the use of the system link. For the lone player, Project Gotham Racing 3 allows online scoreboards and Time Trial facilities to increase one’s efficiency.
Wii
This video game console, named Wii was launched by Nintendo in 2006 as a successor to the Nintendo GameCube. One of the significant characteristics of this console which sets it apart from its competitors like PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 is the Wii remote which can function as a pointing device and exert three dimensional effects. It also posses a wireless controller and the WiiConnect24 which allows updated information from the internet to flow in while in stand by mode. The Wii console is shorter in size and contains Nintendo GameCube and Wii optical discs. There are also two USB ports and a SD card and this card is used in saving information related to the games saved or downloaded. Along with these constituents, the Wii console also contains Wii remote, power adaptors, an AV cable with RCA connectors etc. very little is known about the technological integrities of the Wii as it has been kept carefully under the wraps by Nintendo though several hypothetical accounts are available. It is interesting to note that this Wii console has therapeutic uses too in health care.
The various hardware and firmware devices constitute the Wii and facilitate its functioning. These include the Nintendo GameCube software which is responsible for providing backward compatibility to the Wii console. However in the absence of Modern and Broadband adaptors, the titles of the GameCube may not be accessible to the Wii consoles. The Wii menu functions with the aid of the Wii remote. Also the Nintendo DS connectivity feature allows wireless connectivity to the Wii console while it is also possible to connect it to the internet by means of the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection services. Moreover, this console allows parental controls which can be used to prevent young children from gaining access to games not permitted within their age limits.
The WiiConnect24 update had permanently disabled certain units from functioning which inconvenienced the users. Also there had been some legal disputes involving Nintendo over patent disloyalties.