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.
Wii Sports
This game was manufactured by Nintendo and was meant exclusively for the Wii gaming console and Wii Sports is a part of what is known as the Wii Series which includes several other games like Wii Chess, Wii Music etc. Since it involved several different sports, this game achieved popularity world wide especially among sports lovers and sports fanatics. In fact it can be derived from various opinions that people loved the game purely for the exquisite and unique sporting experience that it offered. Its success facilitated a series of awards in its kitty. Notable among these would be the Game Developer’s Choice Award for the Best Game Design and Innovation, Game Critic’s Award for the Best Sports Game in 2006, attaining the first position in the TIME Magazine’s list of the top 100 video games in the year 2006.
Eth game Wii Sports is a compilation of five premier sports namely, bowling, golf, boxing, baseball and tennis. All these games are to be played with the help of the Wii Remote and the players are to repeat the actions observed in course of the game in real life. Among all these games, it is only the boxing game which involves the accompaniment of both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk attachment and the player is expected to hold these two devices in each hand while the game is in full swing. For tennis, predictably multi player facility allows a maximum of four players while in golf, 3D graphics are used. The baseball game includes the mercy rule and lasts for three innings in all. Players are also rewarded or punished for displaying their expertise in a particular game and win skill points. On accumulating 1000 skill points, the player is said to have reached the pro level. Wii Sports is also a game which has used implemented the use of Mii channels.
Despite its huge popularity, there have been certain isolated cases of discontentment among critics.
Review of Call of Duty 2
Call of Duty 2 is an immensely popular sequel to the widely acclaimed Call of Duty developed by Infinity Ward and has sold millions of copies world wide since its release in 2005 and is supported by the Xbox 360 variants. For Xbox 360 versions, a maximum of eight players can play the game. In fact statistics reveal that it was the Xbox 360 version which has recorded maximum sales.
This is a first person shooter game set in the backdrop of the Second World War and comprises of three campaigns. The game functions with the player who has to assume the character of the soldier of the British Army, the Red Army and the United States army while the Second World War is on and it is his duty to withstand all hardships and try and attain victory in the face of constant and formidable oppositions. It is a test of one’s strategy, intelligence and tactics as the player has very few options when it comes to the variety of weapons he can use to protect himself. There are grenades, explosives, machine gins and cannons and the player is always in the verge of life threatening situations when death is at hand’s distance. Moreover, the Call of Duty Radiant which was released later contains several mapping systems. There are various kinds of game modes included in this version which comprise of Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, Headquarters and Capture the Flag.
The entire game is divided into three main parts and each art recounts a different anecdote. In the first part named Eastern Front, the player is a Red army soldier named Private Vasili Ivanovich Koslov, in the North African endeavor, he is Sergeant John Davis, a British soldier while in the Battle of Normandy he is Corporal Bill Taylor and the game concludes with the final crossing of the Rhine river.
On the negative side Call of Duty 2 has been critiqued for being unrealistic and also for its controversial advertisements.
An action packed fighting game developed by Team Ninja was a sequel to the Dead or Alive game series and was meant for the Xbox 360 gaming console. Also referred to as DOA4 this game is considered to be more difficult than the previous games of this series. It has been praised consistently by the various critics and authorities like Gamezone, Gamespot etc. in fact it must be noted that Dead or Alive 4 has been incorporated in the World Cyber Games and Championship Gaming Series.
The central character and the point of origin of all the action is Helena and it is the tale of her achievements and failures, challenges as the second chairman of the DOATEC. Other characters in the game include Kokoro, Hitomi, Jan Lee, Eliot and several others. Of these Eliot, Kokoro are newer entrants to the game. The format of the game is quite complex and therefore at times very tough for the players to combat. This is because there is no fine line distinguishing between easy levels and difficult levels whereby it is not possible for the players to abandon the game in the middle. The antagonists are very well equipped and their strength increases with every passing stage and it is difficult for the players to protect themselves against the effective attacks launched by the opponents. There is also the ALPHA-152 which is clone or replica of Kasumi and it has the capability of destructing the player by around 70% in one strike.
Overcoming the ALPHA-152 is almost impossible but there is allowance on the part of the players to alter the basic settings to ensure that each player can be subjugated only once. Dead or Alive 4 is also significant as it includes an unlocked person from the popular video game series called Halo.
In some of the Xbox 360 versions of the game there has been reportedly some bug attacks which results in the player losing some amount of saved information.
Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy
This video game based on the original story line of the popular Star Wars was introduced by Lego and released in the United States in 2006 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable and several other video gaming consoles. The immense fame that Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy garnered after its release is suitably proved by the series of awards it won like the BAFTA Video Game awards for the Best Game and the Best Children’s Game and is also a Xbox 360 Platinum Hit.
The game begins with several scenes depicting the environment of the Star Wars universe and through such pictorial depictions it attempts to give a background to the crowning moments in the original trilogy. The various character roles that the player can assume in course of playing this game are that of Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Ben Kenobi, Princess Leia, Darth Wader, RS-D2, C-3PO and Emperor Palaptine. For those players who have the previous version of this series, Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, they are allowed a special benefit. They have the power to include around 46 characters from the prequel. It is also possible for the players to customize new characters by taking attributes of the original character. However, in such cases certain things should be borne in mind. It is not possible to use every part of a character’s body during customization and one must be careful in these aspects. There are also certain levels like Extra Toggle in which certain characters which cannot be acquired otherwise like Han Solo and Womp Rat can be included in play. There are numerous vehicles which have been devised to aid the players in overcoming hurdles in the various levels like starships. At the closure of each episode, bonus levels can be offered if the player can collect golden bricks. There are also some characters who are bounty hunters.
This game has earned accolades and is regarded by some as the best family game.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion or Oblivion
This action packed which is the fourth part of the Elder Scrolls series was introduced in 2006 to be played in Xbox versions and the PlayStation3 version was launched in early 2007. It is a fantasy oriented game meant for a lone player developed by Bethesda Game Studios and gained immense popularity and has since then won several awards. Some of these include the honor of being acknowledged as the Xbox 360 game of the year by Gamespot Reader’s Choice, IGN Reader’s Choice, GameSpy Gamer’s Choice Awards etc. In fact, statistics show that the Xbox 360 version of Oblivion received maximum appreciation and adulation.
The game is structured around the exploits of a Daedric Lord whose ulterior motive is to invade and vanquish the human race and it is in this design of his that an erstwhile prisoner gets entangled into and is attracted into the nightmarish world of Oblivion. The main characteristic of this game is its mode of open ended playing which is also known as sandbox structure. In lieu of this the player can travel across different game worlds according to his whims, postponing for some time the original flow of the story.
This game is a sequel to The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. Needless to say that this game boats of great graphical prowess, which supports the storyline considerably and adds to the effect, especially in the scenes depicting the opening of the Gates of Oblivion.
The graphic excellence is achieved through the use of such tools like specular mapping, high dynamic range rendering or HDR, use of shaders and advanced lighting techniques and the Havok physics engine. The background score of this game also earned accolades and the composer Jeremy Soul was awarded by BAFTA in the category of Game Music.
While the Xbox 360 versions have been the most popular, critics have often pointed out the efficiency of the graphics in the PC versions as being more superior to that of the gaming consoles.
GarageBand a software from Apple
A very significant constituent of Apple’s iLife software which is included with all Mac OS X operating systems is the GarageBand which is a software tool used for podcasts and for creating music. In fact, it can be regarded as a Digital Audio Workstation which enables the recording of various audio tracks and at the same time they are provided with distinct audio filters which help it to improve the quality of the recording, especially in case of instruments like guitars. For playing live music and also for creating songs, GarageBand can employ several other virtual software techniques using synthesized instruments with the help of a MIDI keyboard which is attached to the computer.
The same function can also be performed by using an on-screen virtual keyboard as well. In fact for its enhancement Apple itself has introduced certain tool kits called GarageBand Jam Packs which contain various instrumental pieces and these packs can be updated from time to time and can be updated at the cost of about US$ 100.
GarageBand was launched in 2004 and the second edition which came out in 2005 contained Musical Notation forms and music compositions could be edited by using these notation forms. The 2006 version known as GarageBand 3 coordinated with iChat and also provided a podcast studio which aided in the using of more than two hundred jingles and tunes and musical effects. Needless to say that the GarageBand may not be the appropriate tool for established musicians, but for amateurs it is no less than a boon.
The latest updated version of GarageBand was introduced recently as part of the iLife ’08 version introduced with the Apple Mac OS X operating systems. It includes several additional features like mechanization of instruments and rhythms or tempos and also allows the capacity to record certain portions of a song separately as ‘chorus lines’ or ‘bridge’. A virtual jam session is also at store for users of ‘Magic GarageBand’.
