With StarCraft II a picture is worth a thousand words...

StarCraft 2 is still sometime out, but these sweet, sweet images and videos are too good not to post! So lets start off with the teaser intro:

Is that a new enemy I hear them talk about? Awesome news! but that’s not all, check these bad boys out:

How about some return of the Zerg? Was that a yes I heard? Ok then… Here it is:

And lets end this off with some more Zerg and Terran action…

Control keys

• Use the arrow keys to move
• Pause game – space key or P
• Quit game – Q
• Mute sound – M

See the Neave Games help page if you’re having trouble playing.

Legal notice: This game is an unofficial clone of the original Frogger® game and is not endorsed by the registered trademark and copyright owners Konami Co., Ltd.

via Neave Games

Control keys

• Use the arrow keys to move
• Fire missile – space key
• Hyperspace – ctrl or shift key
• Pause game – P
• Quit game – Q
• Mute sound – M

See the Neave Games help page if you’re having trouble playing.

Legal notice: This game is an unofficial clone of the original Asteroids® game and is not endorsed by the registered trademark and copyright owners Atari Interactive, Inc.

via Neave Games

Control keys

• Move left – left arrow key
• Move right – right arrow key
• Fire laser – space key
• Pause game – P
• Quit game – Q
• Mute sound – M

See the Neave Games help page if you’re having trouble playing.

Legal notice: This game is an unofficial clone of the original Space Invaders game and is not endorsed by the copyright owners Taito Corp.

via Neave Games

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.

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!

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 6^th 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.

With 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 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.

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