Posts Tagged ‘xBox 360’
April 30th, 2009
I am planning on getting xbox live for my xbox 360, but I do not have a router and my DSL modem only has one ethernet input. Can I interchange the internet and xbox cables whenever I want to use either one without connectivity problems with either device?
Any ideas?
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April 26th, 2009
Top Games for the iPhone
Literally hundreds of games are available for Apple’s iPhone. The beautiful graphics of the iPhone and the flexibility afforded by the touchscreen result in games that are very playable and many can be purchased inexpensively. Here are a few favorites.
Card Games
Who does not enjoy playing solitaire every once in a while? Solitaire games are ubiquitous ever since Microsoft included the games in Windows. The graphics on the iPhone are far superior to those on the Windows version.
Of course, there’s also Texas Hold ‘Em. This game is a nifty method of indulging your poker habit. With the iPhone, playing with others via the WiFi connection works surprisingly well.
Word Games
The timeless classic Scrabble now available for your iPhone. Enjoy this classic mind-challenging word game on the go. Interestingly, when you shake your iPhone while playing Scrabble, your tiles helpfully rearrange themselves in the easel.
Another word game, Sudoku, has several variations for the iPhone. Gameloft’s Platinum Sudoku has recently been selected “iPhone Game of the Year” by the readers and editors of iLounge. The game is well worth checking out.
Sports Games
Similar to play with the Nintendo Wii, in the iBowl game your movement is controlled by a flick of the wrist. The game uses the accelerometer to detect movement and control the bowling ball.
Real Soccer is a fun game that really pushed the envelope of possibilities for iPhone games.
Multiple publishers have released golf games for the iPhone, including GL Golf.
Arcade Games
With the Nintendo Entertainment System emulator, you can play classic Nintendo games on iPhone whenever you want to do so. Games you can play include Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Duck Hunt, and the Legend of Zelda.
PacMan Lite: yes, you can get this classic game for free right now from Apple. Mindless, addictive gameplay at its finest.
Chopper is another game using the accelerometer. Chopper, which gets high marks for playability, is a game in which the player maneuvers a helicopter to carry out military missions.
Other Games
Tetris from Electronic Arts is hailed as one of the better versions of this timeless title.
The free iVote app from Joel Comm and Infomedia is not exactly a game, but it does provide much enjoyment for many people. The application allows one to register their vote, or opinion, on any number of subjects (political or otherwise).
Edu Blaster cleverly combines learning and action. In this game, the player is continually testing their math skills as they progress through the gameplay.
We have just barely scratched the surface. Many iPhone games are available for free or very low cost, and they can be a welcome diversion whenver you have some free time or just need a break.
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April 24th, 2009
About White Knight Chronicles
White Knight Chronicles is an action RPG in development by Level-5. Though there is a singleplayer campaign available in the game, it was originally built as a four player online RPG, much reminiscent of the Monster Hunter franchise.
One of the first aspects that makes it apparent that it was meant to be a massively multiplayer online game, is the fantastic character creation feature. Some have called it the most advanced character creation tool available. Players have options such as ear-curvature and nasal labial trough ratio. It is practically possible to create a perfect 3D model of your own self.
The gameplay in White Knight Chronicles has been compared to that of Final Fantasy XII more than once. The world’s wide open areas perfectly capture the feel of of crossing massive hills and plains. However, quite unlike in FFXII, the game’s cities are very large and completely seamless as you move from area to area, house to house, and room to room.
When it comes to traveling the open world, enemies and monsters prowl here and there. Some are aggressive, and will attack on sight. Combat is handled by targeting with the d-pad, and pressing X to initiate attacks(at least, in the PS3 version). Special attacks and abilities can be assigned to shortcuts that can be accessed at any time. The more you fight, the sooner you level up and gain skill points, which are used to obtain weapon skills, magic attacks, and stat bonuses.
Using a specific submenu, you can link together several attacks and unleash them on an opponent. Some attacks follow others well, but some do not, so consider things strategically. For example, you should figure out whether it works well to follow a standard swiping sword attack with an upward thrust. When two attacks are compatible with each other, the game points them out as a “combo”.
If in a particularly large and open field, the main character can transform into a gigantic, mech-like White Knight. This ability drains weapon skill and magic points, but it’s well worth it, not to mention necessary in order to complete many aspects of the game.
The online aspect of the game is much like the singleplayer one, only the player and three others complete a variety of randomly generated quests and defeat a a foreboding enemy in the resulting boss battle.
While White Knight Chronicles has been on the receiving end of some pretty critical reviews in Japan, Level-5 will be solving many of the technical issues addressed when the game gets it’s North American release in 2009.
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April 22nd, 2009
When the Nintendo Wii was released in 2006, it was immediately dismissed by many first-person shooter developers, who believed the system had neither the power, nor the technology to produce a great shooter. Though this belief has arguably been disproved more than once, next year’s “The Conduit” may cause many developers to completely rethink their position.
Conduit has the potential to be superior to the majority of most competitors on the rival and often-touted “most powerful” systems, the X360 and PS3. Here are a couple of reasons why. These conclusions are based upon what data we can glean from the game developers and the demos they have released thus far.
First of all, The Conduit’s visuals will be almost as technically proficient as shooters on “graphically superior” consoles, if not more so. The developers of Conduit have created what is called the Quantum3 engine, capable of utilizing features that gamers have come to expect from the X360 and PS3. Examples include: bump mapping, material based bloom, dynamic water effects, and color gloss maps.
You may not know what many of those expressions mean, but apparently neither do many Wii shooter developers; so this is in many ways a big and much-deserved step for the console. When the game was presented at press conferences, gamers could not tell the difference between the graphics in The Conduit and in other Xbox 360 games.
Secondly, and probably most importantly, The Conduit will have better, more precise control. This is a point that should not require much explanation. Not only will the game utilize the WiiMotionPlus attachment for more accurate aiming, but the game’s controls themselves are completely up to the gamer. An example of what this means is that at any point in the game, the gamer can pause and edit pointer sensitivity, or map button controls.
What are your thoughts on the subject?
April 20th, 2009
Super Mario Galaxy was a game released last year in November for the Nintendo Wii, and was considered one of the first great games for the platform. Even with all the games that have come out since then, Galaxy’s significance has in no way diminished, and it remains a great game that most anyone can pick up and play.
The game takes off as Princess Peach is kidnapped rather suddenly by the scheming dragon Bowser. Mario drifts out to space, and is saved by star-like creatures called “Lumas”. The Lumas take Mario to what they call their “mother”, Princess Rosalina, who informs Mario that there is a way to save Peach. Mario must go and gather enough Stars to power the space station. Once they have enough power to fly to the center of the universe (for that is where Bowser has taken her), they will be ready to embark.
The greatest thing about the game is it’s level designs. Before the game is done, Mario will have run, swam, ice skated, ridden sandy tornadoes, and even performed a balancing act atop a bouncy, rolling ball through the game’s amazingly vast amount of levels. Not to mention the transformations. Over the course of the game, Mario must take on the form of a buzzing bee, that of Fire Mario, Ice Mario, and even a floating, transparant ghost.
Also, the game incorporates some amazing physics, having Mario fly from small planet to planet, each having it’s own gravity that sucks you in. Once you’ve completed the puzzle on that planet, you’re launched once again to the next area, all throughout the level. Such is not the only style in which the game is played, but much the game’s level are built this way and provide a refreshing change from oldschool platforming.
Much of the gameplay has to be seen to be believed, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Last year, GameSpot, IGN, and Yahoo Games, three of the biggest game reviewing communities, all rated Super Mario Galaxy as the very best game of the year. Galaxy was competing against games like Halo 3, Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed, Rock Band, Bioshock, The Orange Box, etc. But Galaxy won. That fact alone ought to speak for itself. That ought to tell you that Galaxy is more than a “pretty fun” game, it’s a quality game that people will remember for years to come.
So if you’re not sure what Wii game to pick up as a present this year, you can’t go wrong with Super Mario Galaxy.
What are your thoughts on the subject?