Archive for Online Games
Finding Famous Online Games
Posted by: | CommentsThere are many online games that most of us have already heard of. For example, most people know of games like Runescape and World of Warcraft when asked about online gaming. While there may be many of you who haven’t heard of either game, the popularity of online gaming will only increase in the future. It’s something that improves with technology, and it will only be a matter of time before online gaming is preferred to a single-player gaming experience – if it already isn’t. But before then, you have to get into online gaming and there are many easy ways to do so.
First of all, many online gamers get into the genre because they try out a famous game like Runescape or something like World of Warcraft. While these two particular games may not appeal to you, you should definitely try them out anyway – there are many reasons why they’re popular, and the notable game play in either is just one of them. So find a famous online game that you can enjoy, and test it out.
Once you’ve played your first online game, you’ll see what the industry and genre itself has to offer in the future. When it comes to online gaming as whole, just playing one doesn’t mean you’ve played them all. Just when you think you’re fed up or sick of a one kind of game, you’ll find another genre of online gaming that you’ll love to play. It’s something that you have to stick with, but something you won’t regret after you’re done playing. You’ll meet new people, chat with gamers, and have a fun game play experience that would be impossible with any current video game console. That’s what online gaming and famous online games are all about – and why you should try them out.
Online Gaming: World of Warcraft Overview
Posted by: | CommentsOnline gaming has become a mainstream form of entertainment, much in part due to the success of World of Warcraft. There are millions of people all around the world who play the game regularly. Some are avid players and some are casual. Due to the large number of avid players, WoW has a reputation of being a very addictive game.
So what makes the WoW online gaming experience so addictive? To start with, there is an entire world for players to explore. Players can travel from country to country and from continent to continent. To make travel easy, mounts are given at level thirty. Mounts can be horses, zebras, rams, etc. The hunter class can have fighting pets to help them win battles. The mage class can teleport and create portals.
Each race and class has its own skills and powers. Mages can attack enemies with fire and ice spells, priests can heal, warlocks can curse, rogues can backstab, warriors can fight close range with powerful swords and so forth. Online gaming players can choose which class they want to play as.
As for the races, players need to choose between the Horde and Alliance. Mortal races such as humans, gnomes and dwarves are all part of the Alliance, as are night elves. Blood elves, however, are part of the Horde, along with the undead race, orcs, etc.
Not only can these online gaming players choose a race and class, they can also customise their very own characters! They can decide the gender of their characters, along with hair colour, style and facial features. There’s obviously a lot of creativity involved in World of Warcraft and bringing characters to life is an amazing feature.
The objective of the game is to run around fighting enemies, completing tasks, going on journeys, entering tournaments, etc. The fun is almost limitless and it can take months just to explore one continent, let alone the entire virtual world!
Online Gaming
Posted by: | CommentsOnline gaming started with the invention of the internet. Online gaming is basically any game played over any form of computer network. It originated with the invention of computers and the network was originally hard wired terminals, it then became modems followed by the internet.
With the growth of computer networks together with the internet online gaming has increased and now online games can involve complex images and graphics. Players can even enter incredibly realistic virtual worlds which provide adventure and escapism.
Online gaming boomed with the invention of broadband internet which enabled players to play multi player games. Multi-player games are where several thousands of players can play the same online game at the same time. Through this sort of game the players can interact with each other and complete them with each other’s help. This has hugely increased the social aspect of online gaming. Today, many games also have associated online gaming and online casino communities which has also increased the social aspect of online gaming.
There are also a large number of single player online games which have experienced huge growth. New technology and the increasing availability and relative cheapness of broadband internet have drawn more and more people towards online gaming and online casinos.
Online casinos make their money as a land based casino would. Games where you do not have to gamble often require a subscription fee which is how they make their money. Although some do not charge and the website make their money through cross promotion. For more about online casinos and how they work why not check out the JackpotCity.com Online Casino blog.
Online gaming is now a large and very lucrative industry with millions of online players across the world. There are a vast array of different online games to appeal to all audiences and tastes. Also, with technology developing so quickly, the graphics and speeds are just getting better and better.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Posted by: | CommentsI think I’ve mentioned before that I’m a bit of a fanboy when it comes to Star Wars, so it should come as no surprise that I’m looking forward to Star Wars: The Old Republic… Having said that, even I never expected something that looks THIS GOOD!!!
Holly hell my friends, but this most certainly has grabbed my attention! Star Wars: The Old Republic is a MMO (Massively-Multiplayer Online) game that explores an age thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader when the war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divide the galaxy. Developed by Bioware and the boys (and girls) at LucasArts, Star Wars: The Old Republic represents a new approach to the Star Wars universe and MMO’s in general. I admit that I’m not sure what the games technical specs are yet, but I’ll buy into the PR hype based simply on the excellence of this intro…
I’ll keep all of you updated as and when info arrives (I’m following Star Wars: The Old Republic on Twitter and have signed up to the SWTOR (yip, that its acronym) community.
Choosing an Online RPG to Play
Posted by: | CommentsRPG games are very enjoyable, and very rewarding. While they usually take a long time to play, and you do have to put quite a few hours into whatever game you’re playing, they turn out to be very rewarding, that’s the whole point of them. When you’re playing an RPG, you’re in for the long haul and that’s the whole point of the game play. So where do you start?
There are plenty of online games that are free, and plenty that you have to pay for. While you’re usually getting a high-quality experience, it can take quite a dent on your wallet, and many of us don’t usually like to pay for something that you can get for free. When I say free, yes, you can play high-quality RPG games online without paying anything. There are plenty out there, you just have to find them. So why aren’t you playing these games already?
The only hard part, besides playing the game maybe, is finding it, so where do you start looking? Many RPGs, in regards to online gaming, are found through search engines or websites that offer a variety of online games. While most online RPGs are unique to one website, websites that offer many online games may have some as well. But it all depends on what kind of an experience you want to have. If you want to interact with other players while you’re playing the game, you should stick with an RPG that belongs to one website. If you want a short experience, but one that’s still RPG-based, you should stick to websites that offer many online games. In any case, online RPGs aren’t hard to find at all and you’ve probably heard of the more famous ones out there. But why aren’t you playing them? You’re only missing out on the fun, so get going!
12 movies that are based on video games that better NOT suck! (Part 1 of 4)
Posted by: | CommentsNow you’ve all heard the saying that “it only takes one Hollywood studio to f*ck up a perfectly good story” right? Well, this saying could not be more apt than when it is applied to making a movie out of a good video game. The list of good stories that have been utterly destroyed is endless and includes such gaming classics as Mortal Combat (which is being, god forbid, remade as we speak), DOOM (ha, ha, ha), Street Fighter (can anybody say Jean Claude van Damme?), Wing Commander (the sheer sacrilege), Tomb Raider (what a joke), Final Fantasy (ok I admit, this one rocked), Silent Hill (#%*&….) to mention but a few. So the question begs to be asked, have the mainstream studios learnt their lesson yet? Mmmmm, this hack is not so sure, but with almost 60 games currently in some form of production with the studios we all better hope they get it right soon.
So which games do I hope don’t suck as movies this time around? Why all of them of course! But if I had to choose the first 3 of my favourites 12 games to be well represented on the big screen they would most certainly have to be:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
One of my all time favourites, The Prince of Persia games have been around almost my entire gaming life. They are slick, exciting and have more than a little air of historical authenticity thrown in for good measure.
So who’s in it?
The main cast consists of Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan* (the previously unnamed 6th century Prince of Persia), Gemma Arterton as Tamina (the Princess), Bing Kingsley as Nizam (Dastan’s evil uncle) and Alfred Molina as Sheik Amar (Dastan’s mentor).
What’s the plot?
Prince Dastan must rescue the Sands of Time from the hands of his dastardly (I’ve waited ages to use that word) uncle Nizam to save his father’s kingdom.
So how good is the movie going to be?
I’ve got a lot of confidence in this one! The production and distribution team of Bruckheimmer and Disney are first rate (they gave us Pirates of the Caribbean remember) and Mike Newell, the director, has plenty of fantasy background with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and The Elfstones of Shannara** (2009) on his resume. If there is going to be any game to movie production that works, then this should be it.
The Legend of Spyro (2009)
I’ve added The Legend of Spyro to this list more for my daughter Aerin than myself, but I must admit it was one of the first “adult” style games that she ever played and I was rather impressed with her. Thankfully it is NOT going to be a live action film, but will follow the same animated style as the game. At the time of writing no studio was yet attached to the production.***
So who’s in it?
So far the only two voice actors attached to the movie are Elijah Wood and Gary Oldman, who will be reprising their roles from the original games as Spyro and Ignitus respectively.
What’s the plot?
This had not been confirmed at the time of writing.***
How good is the movie going to be?
With so little available information about this movie The Legend of Spyro is a difficult one to predict. However, if the animation team remains true to the original spirit of the games and the writing team of Daniel and Steven Altiere stick to the basics then very little should go wrong with this game to movie adaption.***
Kane & Lynch (2009 or 2010)
Eidos did not have a massive hit with this game, but it seems that Hollywood (and myself for that matter) really liked what it offered. With “over-the-top” violence and character driven storylines this was one of my favourites when it first came out in 2007.
So who’s in it?
Although little more than rumours, it has been reported that Bruce Willis (Hell Yea!) has been approached to play Kane and Billy Bob Thornton has been offered the role of Lynch.***
What’s the plot?
This had not been confirmed at the time of writing, but I’m sure as all hell that it will consist of some major carnage and bloodletting. ***
How good is the movie going to be?
Well if the rumours of Willis and Thornton are correct then we’re off to a very good start. I could not think of two actors better suited for the roles. I do however feel a little apprehensive about the first time director Simon Crane. To his credit he has worked as a stunt coordinator on films such as Stardust, Mr & Mrs Smith and Troy, so this should ensure that the action scenes are second-to-none.***
*Dastan is the Persian word for trickster.
**Still to be released
***This portion of the post will be updated as and when information on this film becomes available.
How much online gaming is too much?
Posted by: | CommentsWith China imposing limits on the amount of time its citizens spend on online gaming, many people are asking whether the rest of us should follow suit.
There are reports in the US that students are missing classes and consequently failing subjects due to the large proportion of their time spent online gaming. World of Warcraft has received especially bad press of late in this regard. Many believe it is the main game responsible for drawing people into online gaming and playing for huge amounts of time which in turn has increased the number of students dropping out. Online gaming players love the sense of adventure and of escapism when they enter the virtual world.
It has even been reported that some media organisations and their recruiters will not consider employing online gaming players that play World of Warcraft as they are well known to have disrupted sleep patterns and therefore a lack of concentration during the day.
World of Warcraft is certainly one of the most popular online games of 2008 but others believe that the above is overkill and that its effect on players is not that detrimental. Online gaming has been discussed in depth in the UK but there are no plans at present to restrict the amount of time online gaming players are playing for.
Many ask whether this is not just the case for online games but also for other sorts of games as well, either way it will be incredibly difficult to enforce such a rule wherein some argued that it is a violation of civil rights.
It is, however, important to remember, to take adequate refreshment breaks from online gaming as time can pass much more quickly than you think when you are online gaming in the ‘virtual world’.
Battlefield 1943 Trailer
Posted by: | CommentsYou all remember Battlefield 1942 right? It was the mother lode of badass vehicle and team orientated FPS games and gave this history nut many hours of WW II mayhem. So it’s with great excitement I post the new (official) Battlefield 1943 Announcement Trailer.
Battlefield 1943 will be launched on the 360, PS3 and PC platforms and will apparently be available as a download-only game (see the Gustav Halling’s blog). The launch date is as yet unconfirmed, but is thought to be towards the last quarter of 2009.
I must admit I’m rather intrigued by what I have heard about BF1943. Sure I’m not all that happy about the download-only news (I like to look at my games on a shelf as well), but if the gameplay is anything like what I think it’s going to be like (see Gustav’s blog above for more info) then we are going to be in for an absolute blast.
10 kickass games arriving in 2009 (Part 2)
Posted by: | CommentsJoygasm! You see that word? That’s the word that sums up EXACTLY how I feel about the 2009 new games releases. I’ve already given you the skinny on the first five of my fave games (see here), but now it’s time for the lowdown on the next five – they are big, bad and somewhat brutal… But hell, they’re going to be a whole lot of fun!
So in the immortal words of one of the smoothest bastards to strut the stage “let’s get it on”!*
Brutal Legend (PS3 & 360)
I love me some Jack Black! His movies are always a rip roaring trip into absurdity (and he plays a mean guitar too), but how will a game based on him play out? Well to start off it’s got a headbanging roadie (JB himself), alternative universe, f*ckoff big axes, hot chicks, demons, shredding guitars that spew lightning, choppers, hotrods and… Hell it’s got plenty more, but just think of all your heavy metal album covers rolled into one awesome game and you’ll get the picture! This game is defiantly on my Most Wanted list! It will be mine, oh yes it will be mine!
Halo Wars (360)
This game is going to be freakin’ awesome! It’s a RTS game built exclusively for a console (no bad PC Ports here thank you very much) and it’s based in the Halo universe. What I ask you could be better than that? There has been talk that the game controls are going to revolutionize RTS game play for the 360 with streamlined and easy to play functionality. I for one can’t wait to see what that means. Bring it on boys! I want more Halo!
Batman: Arkham Asylum (PS3, 360)
Look ma it’s Batman! Ok, every Batman game ever made up until now has sucked, but I have a sneaky suspicion that this time we could be in for a (dare I say it?) treat… Word is that Arkham Asylum is going to include lots of stealth and more than a few mind games to mix in with the regular punching and kicking that has become the staple of the genre. The next gen graphics of the PS3 and 360 are also apparently going to bring Gotham City to life like never before. That in my humble (yea right) opinion makes Batman: Arkham Asylum a must have for 2009.
The Beatles Harmonix Project (PS3, 360, Wii and PS2)
This can be summed up with the sentence: “Beatles music in a digital format in a game designed by the creators of Rock Band and the original Guitar Hero”… OMG, OMG, OMG (can you see me screaming like a schoolgirl?)! This is going to be the most awesome thing since the invention of sliced (and buttered) bread! PLUS! The surviving members of the Beatles are involved with this games production! On a 0 to 10 on the scale of awesomeness this bad puppy is a 20!!! A must have item for 2009 in my books!
Ghostbusters (PS3, 360)
Spin up that record player and break out the Ray Parker Jr. records, because the Ghostbusters are back in town! Atari has decided to resurrect a defining moment of my childhood by launching a new Ghostbusters game in the same year I turn 37. I will finally be able to get my grubby little paws on a few proton packs, poltergeists and please oh please Sigourney Weaver! Man that woman was (and still is) hot!
*Marvin Gaye