Monday, October 31, 2011

DC Universe Online goes free-to-play on Nov 1

DC Universe Online, the massively multiplayer online RPG with licensed DC Comics characters, is set to go free-to-play from November 1, with added incentives to those that continue to subscribe.



Both F2P and subscribed players will have access to Gotham City and Metropolis areas, and all raids as well as alerts, with the added way of buying additional content.



Spending over $5 USD in the game will grant we Premium Player status, giving you a few more character slots as well as the ability to swag around more money.

Subscribed players will now be called Legendary Players, that will still cost you around $15 USD per month, but we will not be locked from various content such as the free and premium players will.


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Tesshi-e - Escape from the Woody Room

Escape from the Woody Room is the latest Room Escape game released by Tesshi-e, the writer of Escape from Hotel 4, Escape from Hotel 3, Escape from Mr. K’s Room 3, Escape from the Rest Room, Escape from the Kid’s Room, Escape from the Hexagonal Space, Mild Escape 4 and many more.



Don’t forget to select the English language before you start the game, unless we read Japanese…

Have fun!


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Penny Dreadfuls Sweeney Todd

Travel back to the 19th century and encounter a literary legend! Sweeney Todd has come back to England seeking revenge. After being falsely accused as well as convicted of a crime, Todd was sent to Australia for life. Now he's back as well as prepared to get payback. Use your own Hidden Object skills to track down and stop the notorious killer as well as bring his procedure to an end! Find important clues as well as solve puzzles to piece together the mystery in Penny Dreadfuls Sweeney Todd.



Beautiful soundtrackExciting storyStop Sweeney Todd!


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A World of Warcraft Halloween Bug

There are many scary things people normally associate with Halloween; ghosts as well as ghouls, monsters and creepy crawlers, for example. Computer bugs are certainly not usually you of them. However, for those attempting to get all the Halloween achievements completed in the World of Warcraft MMORPG for Mac as well as Windows this year, anything very scary indeed reared it’s head: a new patch, riddled with bugs.



With the introduction of patch 4.0.1 many things in the game have changed as well as this has lead to many new bugs as well as errors that have been more than a small frustrating for the players. One such bug involves the “use icon”, otherwise known as “the cogwheel”. Whenever players come into contact with something that can be utilized as well as mouse over it - causing the cogwheel to display - this results in a complete disconnect from the game server. Sadly, in order to complete all of the Halloween achievements players must kill the Headless Horseman (usually many times), and in order to begin the fight a certain pumpkin should be utilized. This has led to many players experiencing an extraordinary level of stress as they repeatedly get disconnected as well as are forced to try over as well as over to log back into the game.

Although Blizzard don’t seem to be too quick to sort out the issue, there is a temporary fix that allows players to get around the disconnect bug and complete the Headless Horseman festive boss; many clever individual has released an addon known as “CogFix” that disables single-line tooltips like those from items that can be utilized as well as that prevents the disconnect from occurring. Even though certainly not a best solution, this does solve the problem for the immediate future and important tooltips should still show up correctly.


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Perpetuum First Impressions Review

Lately I’ve been reviewing a lot of theme-park MMORPGs, so for my next review I wanted to choose a sandbox game as well as decided on Perpetuum. Also mainly because it’s coming up on its 1 year anniversary in almost exactly a month, thus I figured it was a good time for a review.



Perpetuum, which recently appears to have become the MMORPG of choice for disgruntled Eve Online players, such as Eve has a player driven economy, open PvP zones, businesses and a steep understanding curve. Even though overwhelming at first, Perpetuum has some very useful tutorials as well as the first dozen or so assignments, which can be likened to quests, continue the tutorials if we need them.



The game starts with the character creation screen, which has a ton of customizable options, then moves onto faction selection, class selection and talent specializations, all before beginning the game. It’s a lot to take in all upfront, especially whenever we re really certainly not certain just what type of player we want to become.

Whilst it will be confusing at first, in actuality it all boils down to three main categories. Tactics as well as mechatronics, that means what weapons we can use and how strong your mech can become. Industry and research, that correlates to mining materials as well as crafting items/parts.  Then we have politics and economics for those who want to start up their own corporations as well as specialize in things like relations, management as well as finance.



Because I’m definitely not a lot for crafting to wanting to run my own corporation, I selected mostly fight attributes as well as a bit of industry cause I understand I’ll have to do some crafting eventually. Even if we decide to make a pure combat to mining character, you ll still have a few points in the other two categories as well, to dabble in everything.

1 of Perpetuum best features is the method it handles experience points. We don’t get XP by completing assignments or killing things, XP is passive and everyone gains 1 XP/min whether your logged in to definitely not. Here’s the kicker, XP is shared by all alt characters, and so for those of we that like gaming the program by creating multiple pure characters, one for combat, crafting and politics, you re out of luck here. The game really forces you to create when character and stick with, but allows we to have 2 other alts, after that you ll should delete 1 to start an additional.



Getting to the actual game, Perpetuum starts off like no other MMO I’ve ever played. We begin in a facility staring at a terminal or perhaps desktop if we will. It’s not a graphical space or hangar, but instead it’s simply a computer screen that acts as a desktop where you can pull up information, storage, talk room, your mech as well as everything else you ll ever need in the game. Like a desktop all windows is moved around, resized, min to maximized, the entire UI is very cool.

When you ve chosen an assignment, you need to re-adjust your own Mech’s equipment, due to the fact once out in the field you can’t equip different item/weapons. So if we re planning on doing many mining, you ll have to equip your drills first. Since each Mech has multiple arms, you ll have to decide how many drills to use, the more you equip the faster as well as efficient the drilling is, but if you equip only drills you ll be left defenseless in an attack.

Fight works on a targeting program that is similar to tab targeting, however we really have to lock onto your own target to initiate an attack. First you ll want to be in range of the Mech we want to attack, then you ll have to choose it using your own mouse and when you do, we re targeting program will begin to lock on.



Currently my Mech takes about 12 seconds to lock on, however I can increase my target locking ability to speed this up. When locked, the device shows up in a Targets window where I’ll should designate it as a main target if I want to attack. While this attack is going on, I’m able to choose other hostile units and begin locking on to them also. This way I’ll be able to begin attacking the next target as soon as the Main 1 is destroyed. Although similar tab targeting, it’s definitely more involved here, but fits in well with the whole Mech theme.

Mining on the other hand is very different from what we would find in many MMO games today, infact I’ve never played a game with this type of mining system. Instead of finding a rock or perhaps tree and just clicking it, we actually have to find the resources yourself. While some are above ground as well as can be seen, others are under and we ll need to find them yourself by scanning the ground.

Each Mech is equipped with a GeoScanner that scans in two method. First, it’ll scan a large area as well as tell we the percentage of resources underground, for instance 5% would mean there’s definitely not a great deal whilst 25% would definitely mean there’s a good amount. If we get a good amount you ll basically have to guess exactly where the resources are as well as scan again, but this time only scanning a little portion of the larger area we just scanned.

This second scan will give you a more accurate reading and tell you exactly where the resources are by showing bars graphs underground, red for a good deal as well as green for barely any. As soon as you begin drilling it’s automatic as well as will continue for as extended as you have resources to do so. However there is a weigh limit, to t drill forever and eventually you ll have to return to a facility to unload your materials.

The scans we take are saved and is loaded onto the world map at any kind of time thus you can keep a record of where we drilled and which areas have the most resources.

Facilities, as far as I can tell, can hold an unlimited amount of items, however are not connected to each other. Thus if you leave some items in facility A as well as are at facility B, we re going to have to travel back to A to get them. While this can be annoying, it adds more realism to the game, but don’t worry, there are teleports through out the game, so you can travel around very quickly.

Like many sandbox MMORPG, Perpetuum is PvP centric, however does have 3 secure zones, that are the three inner islands in the above image. When you get a grip on the game you can travel outside to the PvP areas where it’s open PvP as well as the real fun starts. Perpetuum is also a single universe MMO, such as Eve Online, exactly where everyone plays in the same persistent world, that is usually a huge and in my book.

Since I began, I’ve only completed the four tutorials and the dozen or perhaps so tutorial assignments, thus I’ve only really scratched the surface with just what Perpetuum has to offer, but I have to say I’m very impressed thus far. The graphics are outstanding, the gameplay, whilst a bit complicated just feels thus refreshing after playing and so many rail MMORPGs lately. I’m actually excited for the first time in a lengthy time to get back into the game to see what else I can do.


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Sunday, October 30, 2011

Be the First to Play the Dofus Rouge Class!

I received an email with the news that the rouge class will be available for Dofus at 15th of december. But definitely not all will be able to play the class at the start. Do you want to be the first to play the brand new rouge class for Dofus?



This is What we have to do:

Do you want to be rougelike? You’ll have to slip a rouge pack in to your pocket This pack contains one month of subscription for Dofus and our first ever digital download Wakfu comic dedicated to the famous rouge ‘Remington Smisse!.”
As if that wasn’t awesome enough, the rouge pack includes an exclusive preview to the Dofus rouge class, starting december the 15th!
Now you’ve received full instructions to become the first rouge on your server.
Dofus Newsletter

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The Latest Work of Dai Hyakka

The Latest Work of Dai Hyakka is the latest Space Escape game from Japanese website No1game.



As well as this 1 is you the easy side.

Have fun!


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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Treasure of Big Totem - Final Chapter!



Treasure of Big Totem 17 is the seventeenth and last installment in the Treasure of Big Totem adventure series from Federico Rutenberg, the writer of the Esklavos and Doctor Ku series.

“Nineteen months after launching the first Big Totem as well as having worked with great illustrators, here it is the last chapter.

In this last chapter, there are 2 potential endings, depending on the decision you take on a certain part of the game!”



Have fun!


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WoW: Mists of Pandaria Developer Q&A Rundown

Last evening Blizzard held an open developer Q&A session for Mists of Pandaria, allowing World of Warcraft players to ask all of the questions they’ve been dying to know regarding. Questions ranged from talent trees to mounts to PvP, raids, Glyphs, the brand new pet system and naturally the Pandaren.
Under is the full rundown of all of the questions that had been answered during the Mist of Pandaria QA session. Get willing, it’s a monster list.

Players can travel to Pandaria via new quests from Orgrimmar as well as Stormwind.Pets are being fixed so stats won’t lag behind for many seconds on logging in or dismounting in patch 5.0Monks will have the same hit cap as e.g. an Arms warrior as well as their energy regen drives everything they do, thus their regen will scale the same as rogues as well as haste in general will scale their damage by the same percentages.

Blizzard is contemplating increased players conquest point caps by 10-15% to encourage world PvP. When asked whether or not the brand new talent program will work differently in PvP and PvE, Blizzard responded: Exactly what we don’t would like to do is simply launch into having different coefficients and talents and everything for PvP as well as PvE. That just doubles the size of the game that makes it more complex to balance and harder for players to know.

Leveling from 85-90 takes place on the brand new Pandaria continent. Pandaria will have separate player hubs for Alliance as well as Horde, no sanctuary with the goal to encourage PvP. AH, Bank as well as general vendors will be available. Valor, conquest, career as well as faction vendors will be scattered around Pandaria.

When asked if the brand new talent program would definitely be expanded past 6 specializing skills, Blizzard responded basically saying no. Reaction below: We tried a good deal of tiers. We have been worried at more than 6 that the combinatorial complexity of >729 different variations of talents would be challenging to balance or perhaps for players to even comprehend. We desire to focus on having fewer awesome talents than many tiers that will force us to dilute individual abilities in the name of balance

Guild levels is increased with new perks. Examples: reduce cost on void storage as well as transmogrification
Pandaria is found south of Azeroth. The exact opposite of Northrend. The account-wide “Pet Library” feature if successful may be extended to mounts. All 9 MoP dungeons will have Challenge Mode enabled on them. Challenge Mode will most likely be extended to other dungeons as well as raids if successful 6 dungeons on Pandaria, 3 is classic heroics (Scholomance as well as Scarlet Monastery)

No plans for any kind of max level, non-heroic dungeons. Blizzard definitely not happy with Prime Glyphs, may be removed. Players will gain XP for Pet Battles in a similar method to just what players see with gathering professions. Players can engage in pet battle with people near them or perhaps through a queuing system. Pet battle invites is turned off. Poisons are being reworked Rogues will have you damage poison, you utility.

We additionally need to reduce the amount of ramping that rogue DPS requires, including removing the want for Deadly Poison to stack. (And likewise we would like to make Bandit’s Guile less punitive when swapping targets). The starting zone for brand new Pandaren is found on The Wandering Isle (the turtle). The continent of Pandaria itself is definitely not a turtle, its a piece of land. Asphyxiate, the brand new Death Knight talent, lasts 5 sec, the same as Strangulate, that it replaces.

Existing Relics will become gray items that players can vendor. Harvest of Life upgrades Drain Lifetime (Drain Lifetime turns into Harvest). Soul Harvest is being removed, but shards passively regen outside of fight to can Drain Soul in fight to replace them. Mortal Coil is the new Death Coil. Water Elemental is a Frost spec spell
Blizzard wants World Employers from Pandaria to be optional in regards to item drops. Items will be necessary to change talents.

Pandaria is regarding the size of all 5 of Cataclysms 80-85 zones combined. Pandaren is able to switch factions or defect when. Official reaction to the question: Try to snatch the Valor Points from my hand. Enhance -  Will still have a frequent interrupt that locks out for less time than other interrupts. However, overall we would like to reduce the frequency of interrupts as well as increase their duration thus that when you use them is more of a decision.

Specs as we understand them will still exist. We need the specs (especially for the pure classes) to be more distinct than they are today since some of the signature utility is now available to all members of that class. Specs will contain core rotational mechanics and the tools required to work your role. Talents complement that with various forms of utility.

Cooking will stay a secondary skill. Professions brand new cap is 600.  No plans for any kind of brand new professions. Passive ability are gained from your own specs. We are removing some of the less interesting buffs as well as debuffs (+bleed damage, armor, 3% damage, resists are all on the chopping block at the moment). PvE situations queues are localized from specific spots in the world (where the scenario is located), certainly not in the cities.

More Proc weapons in 4.3 raid as well as more coming. Epic turtle mount potential for Pandaren.
Spectator mode for pet battle in the works. Assaultable areas that can change factions is added for World PvP in Pandaria.


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Friday, October 21, 2011

Enter the World of Real Online Games: Online Games That Rule the Internet!

Amusement has witnessed the largest supporter in on-line gaming. Due to the fact when gaming in fact arrived to make use of, it had been generally a two player situation exactly where two would compete from one another. Right after all, video games had been meant to become aggressive. Then an individual arrived up using the concept of multiplayer video games and quickly we had scores of gamers competing versus one another. Inside a common setup, there had been two groups which had some variety of people today on every facet competing (study: killing) from one another inside a virtual situation. When the net arrived along, it supplied just the best platform for gamers to play and compete in opposition to one another. With web reaching properties across the globe, the gamer doesn’t must depart his chair at dwelling even!

Ways to Setup a Multi Player Method?
All they’ve to complete is always to generate an internet profile, set up the sport of their alternative, make use of the in-built net multiplayer alternative to look for other gamers after which join a match or maybe host a match of their very own! The net was 1st employed for communication after which for killing time. It had been not that running techniques didn’t have default video games however it was a lot more entertaining to play in opposition to a ‘real’ opponent on the internet than to play from just the laptop. In some way, the prospect of taking part in in opposition to an ‘unknown but real’ individual is so overpowering that we cannot appear to possess adequate of on the net gaming!

What about on-line Internet websites which have Video games?
For all those of you who usually do not desire to waste valuable storage on setting up various video games and on the web gaming, they are able to consider heart through the truth that you can find very a handful of internet sites that offer wonderful on the web gaming that guarantees to help keep you hooked onto them for several hours at finish! There are actually arrays of game classes to pick from ranging from sports activities to RPGs as well as puzzles. In brief, there exists no dearth of video games or classes to play on the internet. The net is a revolution of kinds for on line gambling. Abruptly there was a spurt in gambling based mostly internet websites than another class of on the internet video games. Internet websites had been produced that replicated the most effective casinos with the actual planet and pretty much each and every these web-site produced a good deal of cash inside the title of Las Vegas! It had been a distinctive make a difference that a number of the internet websites had been fraudulent and had been shortly taken off the net but general, these supplied the enjoyment starved populace with some considerable worth for dollars amusement.

The rise with the world wide web mixed using the rise of this kind of internet sites fueled the on the internet gaming marketplace and right now it’s turn into a industry that can’t be in comparison to something else which has an internet presence! Even social networking web pages are supplying people using the greatest on the web multiplayer gaming expertise. Web-sites have mushroomed that assist web-site builders to involve addictive video games on their web sites and that may be anticipated to develop additional in close to long term.

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Monday, October 17, 2011

Online Multiplayer Games – Discover the Fun on the Internet

Gone would be the days when people today use to obtain excited by arranging bricks on computer. Game maniacs now have to have far more complex games with high amount of problems and games with tough opponents. Here comes the origin of multiplayer video games. In a multiplayer sport quite a few players can perform concurrently the identical game. The players within the sport could be the opponents like inside a automobile racing sport or might be a part of the exact same group to accomplish the very same objective like fighting a war with a prevalent opponent.

To perform a multiplayer game 1 needs to be on a personal computer network. You will discover on the internet games in which person can go on-line and perform the sport with other gamers on internet.
On the internet multiplayer video games give a platform of playing the games versus a actual person. Virtual gamers may also be developed in exactly where other players in the sport are managed by laptop or computer itself. A mixture of virtual and actual gamers may also be developed.

On the net Role Enjoying Video games (On the web RPG) are the video games by which player plays a function like a hero to save lots of the territory or perhaps a negative role like in Mafia Family. Mafia has become a very renowned multiplayer game. Other famous multiplayer video games are World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Supremacy 1914, Supreme Destiny and so forth. Drugrunners, Kings of Babylon, Samurai Of Legend Globe 2 and Mech Crusaders can also be catching up these days.
Globe of Warcraft is definitely an action based mostly game (RPG) and is famous due to its nice graphics, fantastic sound effects, easy to make use of interface. It might be played by anybody, a newbie at the same time as an expert.

Supremacy 1914 can be a technique primarily based sport (RPG). It can be played by as much as ten participants. Players have to consider manage of Europe using diplomatic also as military skills.
Supreme Future is yet another on line multiplayer game. It has great graphics and sound effects. The most crucial factor about this game is the fact that despite of outstanding 3d results it wants extremely fundamental program configuration and could possibly be operate on any general pc configuration offered today.
Multiplayer games are out there for on lots of internet websites on internet. There are countless games readily available for each class like racing, strategy centered, combat primarily based and so forth. Some video games need standard program resources although other may perhaps want superior configuration system having a significant pace net connection.

Studies have demonstrated that the emotions players feel while enjoying a multiplayer on-line role-playing sport are extremely strong, towards the extent that 8.7% of male and 23.2% of female players inside a statistical examine have had an online marriage ceremony.

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Saturday, October 15, 2011

What Are The Best Online Zombie Games

If you consider zombie video games the very first factor that could possibly arrive for your thoughts is ‘scary’. However the truth just isn’t all zombie video games are frightening and even horror they’re in reality humorous and therefore are definitely enjoyable to play. The idea of zombies is tranquil aged and well-known within our time now. They’re fundamentally dead folks brought again to everyday life. The zombies generally prefer to consume brains but in a lot of on line video games only for enjoyable additionally they consume a lot of other points like coins or gold or are just there to scare you away. In case you consider the most beneficial sport on this subject actually produced your thoughts will defiantly generate a quit at Doom. In situation you genuinely get pleasure from these video games and come across it complicated deciding on the most effective on the web sport to play or choosing 1 out, study on for some excellent suggestions. Each one of these might be the good video games you may play.

Doom has 3 elements and is also regarded as among the oldest most prosperous zombie video games actually created. Doom three was the most recent title during this franchise and it held as much as its title. It had every thing that a lover of video games such as this could request for. With good graphics and sport play it absolutely was also rated because the no. 1 sport in numerous on the net gaming internet websites and magazines.

Pondering about other on-line video games you cannot skip provide us for the Left For Dead sequence. The Left For Dead sequence has four video games along with the newest fourth component will be the most effective on the net zombie sport I’ve played. It functions group play along with standalone storyline for single gamers. You can find large amount of new functions launched inside the newest title left for dead four which incorporate group play, cooperative play, single player, far better graphics and loads additional enjoyable.
Dead Increasing might be regarded as as among the best video games offered available on the market. This certain on the net sport was produced to play using the Xbox 360. It brings collectively all of the movie ideas regarding zombies straight right into a single sport. It truly is most likely the 1 which exhibits one of the most of horror. The graphics are brilliant and it is also regarded as becoming almost certainly the best sport previously.

A different amazing 1 is identified because they Hunger. This certain sport was produced to play to the individual laptop or computer. Its international recognition is rather decrease in comparison to one other well-known zombie sport titles but that doesn’t imply that you simply can dismiss this sport. This sport provides various functions such as simulated AI (synthetic intelligence) that is remarkably beneficial, excellent visuals, in addition good deal much more. In situation you’ve not however played this superior sport you need to certainly examine it out.

Should you be searching for some absolutely free light bodyweight video games then Zombie Panic will be the sport for you personally. Zombie Panic is really a enjoyable cost-free on line multiplayer sport which may be played together with your buddies on the internet for absolutely free. Basic guidelines for this sport could be to shoot them within the head to destroy them quicker.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Call of Duty: Black Ops’ Next Map Pack Is All About Nazi Zombies Mode


It seems like my wishes have come true as the next map pack DLC for Call of Duty: Black Ops is all about Nazi Zombies mode. No more multiplayer maps with long sniper alleys, grenade placement throws, or camp sites. Rezurrection is all zombies, all the time, with four unwitting players.



Players who didn’t buy Black Ops Hardened or Prestige editions will finally have their chance to download World at War’s original four zombie maps: Nacht der Untoten, Verruckt, Shi No Numa, and Der Riese, but completely remastered. Rezurrection also includes Moon, a brand new zombie map which of course takes place on the moon. Getting that alien ray gun on Moon couldn’t be more appropriate now. It goes without saying that new stuff like weapons will be waiting for you in these maps along with a brand new soundtrack that Nazi Zombies has always given us with each new map.

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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Free Online Games Help Relieve Stress

It’s true that online games can help relieve stress. But there are many types of online games available on the Internet. These range from freely available massively multiplayer role playing game (MMOPRG) to tiny Flash games.

Role playing games are very fun. You can interact with others online, and there are entire virtual worlds out there. These worlds are actually a duplication of the real world, except that you can do a lot of fantasy stuff like killing monsters or casting spells. In these worlds, there are usually active economies. That means trading, buying and selling are taking place every day. Virtual currency is used for trading. They are commonly known as gold or platinum. “Money” is usually in the name of some precious stones.

But although these games are fun and exciting, they are also time consuming. If you don’t have huge blocks of time available, it is unlikely that you will get to enjoy these games. As most people are busy with day jobs and a busy life style, these games may not be the ideal source of entertainment.

Fortunately, there are other games freely available on the Internet. These are usually Flash games. Flash is a plug in for the browser. Traditionally, this plug in needs to be downloaded and installed into the browser before Flash games can be played. However, almost all modern browsers come pre-installed with this plug in. So there is no need to worry about installation issues.

To play these games, all you need is an Internet connection and a modern browser. Mozilla Firefox is highly recommended. Some sites may require you to register before you are allowed to play these games. But most sites allow you to play for free with registration.

There are many types of games in many different genres that you can play. You can choose to play arcade games, adventure games, puzzle games, racing games, funny games, and more. The type of games that you choose to play largely depends on your personal interest as well as the amount of time you have on hand.

Many free games sites have evolved to become mini community sites. These sites allow players to interact with one another through special features such as commenting and rating. From the rating system, you can easily see which are the top games, and head straight for those.

While you play a game, you may get stuck sometimes at some difficult levels. In this case, you can often get hints just by reading the comments left by other players.

All in all, online game is not just an entertainment experience. It has also become a social experience. Interaction that has not been possible before is now widely available. In fact, many players have come to expect at least some form of interaction capabilities like commenting or chatting. These special features make the gaming experience so much more enjoyable.

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Saturday, October 8, 2011

Playing Literati or Scrabble Online

If you enjoy word games, but you can't always find a Scrabble partner, the Literati rooms at Yahoo Games may be the answer to your prayers. It's free to play - the only requirements are a Yahoo ID and a Java-enabled browser. The latest version of Java can be found at Java.com.


What is Literati?
Literati is a word game that is very similar to Scrabble. Players use a set of 7 letter tiles to construct intersecting words on a board, collecting points based on letter values and bonus squares.


Literati vs. Scrabble
The most noticeable differences are the game board and the tile values. Both boards are 15x15, but the bonus squares (or, in the case of Literati, intersections) are in different places. Letter tile point values in Literati range only from 0-5, where Scrabble has letters worth as many as 10 points.

Screenshot of Dave getting crushed at a game of Literati on Yahoo Games.
Getting Started
Once you've logging onto Yahoo and arrived at the Literati section, you will notice that rooms are grouped into categories based on skill level. Select a skill level, then choose a room. This will bring up a lobby window very much like a chat room from which you can join, watch, or start a game. The game itself, shown in the above screenshot, runs in a third window, giving you constant access to the lobby. Games can be public or private, and can accommodate up to 5 players. If you start a game you can control the game options, set time limits, rate your play, and even boot players.

The interface is intuitive and easy to use. Placing tiles on the board is a simple drag and drop operation. When you are finished you click "submit" and your word it is automatically checked by a dictionary before being permanently positioned on the board. If it is not a valid word, the tiles are returned to your tray and you must try again or pass. There is an optional "challenge" mode, which lets players challenge each other's words in Scrabble fashion. You can also juggle tiles in your tray to help you make words. Letters for wild tiles (white) are selected with the keyboard.


Cheating
As is the case with many online games, it's very difficult to ensure that the person you are playing against isn't cheating. Scrabble solvers and anagram generators are readily available online, so it's a simple matter to keep a solver running in another window while you play. A Scrabble solver takes a set of letters and produces all the words that can be made with those letters. It's rather like running a chess program while playing chess with someone online and entering all the moves into the program, then using the computer's moves as your own.


Strategy Basics
First and foremost, you must play for points and bonuses rather than go for otherwise impressive words. Long words look great on the board, but unless they use every tile in your tray (a 35 point bonus), they can score low for lack of board position.

There are essentially two ways to approach a game of Literati or Scrabble. Offensive players concentrate on words with high point scores, even if they happen to open up opportunities for other players. Defensive players put more thought into using words that are difficult to build on and attempting to limit their opponent's chances of reaching bonus squares.

A common rule of thumb is to try and keep a roughly equal number of vowels and consonants in your tray. This is referred to as "balancing the rack." Some players also caution against hoarding valuable letters in hopes of finding a big scoring opportunity, because it tends to leave you with an excessive number of consonants. Letters still in your rack at the end of the game are deducted from your score - more of a concern in Scrabble than in Literati.

If you really want to excel at Literati and compete with the top ranking players on Yahoo, memorizing words will go a long way. There are, for example, 29 acceptable words in the English language that have the letter 'Q' but don't have the letter 'U.' Similarly, there are just 12 acceptable 3 letter words that contain a 'Z.' Although it may seem a bit dull to some of us, these are the sorts of things that word game champions think about.

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Thursday, October 6, 2011

WoW Mounts

Flying Mounts
World of Warcraft's first expansion, The Burning Crusade, introduced flying mounts into the game. They require level 70 and Expert riding skill (225). Epic flying mounts are faster than standard flying mounts and require Artisan riding skill (300). To use a flying mount in Northrend, you need to learn the Cold Weather Flying skill from the trainer in Dalaran.

Alliance Flying Mounts Gryphon
Riding Skill: 225
Colors: Ebon/Golden/Snowy

Swift Gryphon
Riding Skill: 300
Colors: Blue/Green/Purple/Red Horde

Flying Mounts Windrider
Riding Skill: 225
Colors: Tawny/Blue/Green Swift Windrider
Riding Skill: 300
Colors: Red/Green/Yellow/Purple


Reputation Reward Flying Mounts
Reputation rewards give you an alternative to Gryphons and Windriders if you want transportation that looks a little different. Earning reputation with certain factions allows you to purchase special items from vendors associated with that faction.

Riding Nether Ray
Sha'tari Skyguard (Exalted)
Riding Skill: 300
Colors: Purple/Green/Blue/Silver/Red

Netherwing Drake
Netherwing (Exalted)
Riding Skill: 300
Colors: Onyx/Azure/Veridian/Purple/Violet

Cenarion War Hippogryph
Cenarion Expedition (Exalted)
Riding Skill: 300

Armored Snowy Gryphon
Alliance only, Kirin Tor (Exalted)
Riding Skill: 300

Armored Blue Windrider
Horde only, Kirin Tor (Exalted),
Riding Skill: 300


Loot/Quest Flying Mounts
Some of the bosses and quests in World of Warcraft can also yield mounts. These mounts tend to be relatively rare, as there is only a chance that a defeated boss will drop one.

Drakes
Riding Skill: 300
Colors: Black/Blue/Bronze/Azure/Twilight

Proto-Drakes
Riding Skill: 300
Colors: Green/Blue/Time-Lost Pheonix
Riding Skill: 300

Drops from Kael'thas Sunstrider in The Eye, Tempest Keep Onyxian Drake
Riding Skill: 300
Drops from Onyxia in Onyxia's Lair


Achievement Flying Mounts
World of Warcraft now has quite a few flying mounts that are rewarded for reaching certain milestones within the game's Achievement system.

Albino Drake
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for collecting 50 mounts

Blue Dragonhawk Mount - Alliance only
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for collecting 100 mounts

Red Dragonhawk Mount
Horde only
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for collecting 100 mounts

Red Proto-Drake
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for the achievement "Glory of the Hero"

Violet Proto-Drake
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for the achievement "What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been"

Rusted Proto-Drake - Riding Skill: 300
Reward for the achievement "Heroic: Glory of the Ulduar Raider"

Ironbound Proto-Drake
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for the achievement "Heroic: Glory of the Ulduar Raider"

Bloodbathed Frostbrood Vanquisher
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for the achievement "Glory of the Icecrown Raider (10 player)"

Icebound Frostbrood Vanquisher
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for the achievement "Glory of the Icecrown Raider (25 player)"

Drake of the East Wind
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for the achievement "Glory of the Cataclysm Raider"

Volcanic Stone Drake
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for the achievement "Glory of the Cataclysm Hero"

Dark Pheonix
Riding Skill: 300
Reward for the achievement "Guild Glory of the Cataclysm Raider"


Crafted Flying Mounts
Characters with the engineering or tailoring profession can learn to craft a few devices that serve as flying transportation. Right now these include flying carpets made by tailors, flying machines made by engineers, and a vial crafted by alchemists that teaches you to summon a Drake.

Flying Carpet
Tailoring 410
Riding Skill: 225
Can only be ridden by tailors

Magnificent Flying Carpet
Tailoring 425
Riding Skill: 300
Can only be ridden by tailors

Swift Spellfire Carpet
Tailoring 450
Riding Skill: 300
Can only be ridden by tailors

Flying Machine
Engineering 350
Riding Skill: 225
Can only be ridden by engineers

Turbo-Charged Flying Machine
Engineering 375
Riding Skill: 300
Can only be ridden by engineers

Sandstone Drake
Alchemy 525: Vial of the Sands
Riding Skill: 225
Transforms you into a dragon that can carry one ally on its back


Gallery of Flying Mounts
More Mounts
1. Racial and Class Mounts
2. Reputation and Quest Mounts
3. Flying Mounts
4. PvP Mounts
5. World Event and Special Mounts


View the original article here

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

FarmVille Outside of Facebook



FarmVille may be the biggest game on Facebook, with over 75 million active users, but you don't necessarily have to be on the social network to play anymore. Utilizing Facebook Connect, developer Zynga has made the farming phenomenon accessible both from its own website and MSN.com. You still need a Facebook account to play, but these options let you experience FarmVille without having to be on Facebook, perfect for computers where the social network might be blocked.



Here's how you can sneak in a little farming while you're stuck at work or school.
1. MSN.com
Starting recently, the game is now playable at MSN.com. Again, you still have to have a Facebook account to play. First, you have to access MSN's game portal, which can be found at www.zone.msn.com. It's important to note that games on the MSN game portal are only playable if you're using Internet Explorer, so users of other web browsers like Chrome or Firefox will have to switch to IE if they want to play. You can access FarmVille either by clicking one of the links on the homepage, or simply searching for it via the search bar at the top of the page. This will bring you to the game's page where you'll be logging in over Facebook connect. Once logged in the game looks just like the Facebook  version, with the only added frill being the Game Feed, which appears directly below the game itself.

In the future, Zynga has also said that it will be bringing more of its popular games -- like Cafe World, FishVille, and Mafia Wars -- to MSN Games, as well as the company's popular instant messenger program Windows Live Messenger.



2. FarmVille.com
Playing the game from FarmVille's dedicated website is about as simple as you would imagine. You simply go to www.farmville.com and log into Facebook by providing your email address and password. The game itself looks and plays exactly as it does in Facebook, only without the social networking trimmings. These have been replaced with a variety of FarmVille specific features. There's a Game Feed, which provides you with all of the latest updates from your in-game friends, letting you know everything they've been up to. You can also check out all of your current requests and stay up-to-date with a Farmville news feed, which keeps track of all the latest developments in the game. You'll also find links to Zynga's other popular games and the Game Bar: a toolbar for your web browser that lets you take FarmVille with you no matter where you are on the web.

View the original article here

Lich King Reputation Guide



The Wrath of the Lich King expansion added several new factions to World of Warcraft, and it has also given players a new method of earning reputation called "championing." Here are some pointers for getting reputation rewards in Northrend.


Alliance Vanguard - Rewards
The Alliance Vanguard is made up of four subfactions, each of which is connected to your Alliance Vanguard reputation. There are the Explorers' League, The Frostborn, The Silver Covenant, and the Valiance Expedition. There are no item rewards for the subfactions, but any reputation gained with a subfaction also increases your Alliance Vanguard reputation.


Horde Expedition - Rewards
The Horde Expedition also consists of 4 subfactions: The Hand of Vengeance, The Sunreavers, The Taunka, and the Warsong Offensive. The Horde Expedition is led by Garrosh Hellscream in Warsong Hold, and that's also where you find the Quartermaster. Earning reputation for any of the subfactions contributes to your overall Horde Expedition standing.


Kalu'ak - Rewards
This tribe of walrus-like tuskarr has two Quartermasters in Northrend. One is Sairuk at Moa'ki Harbor in Dragonblight, the other is Tanaika at Kamagua in Howling Fjord.


Sons of Hodir - Rewards
Based in Dun Niffelem in the Storm Peaks zone, the Sons of Hodir are frost giants that start out as aggressive to players. To gain neutral standing with them you need to do the quest chain that begins with "They Took Our Men!" in K3. Most of the rewards for Sons of Hodir reputation are shoulder augmentations.


Sholazar Basin
There are two factions with which you can align yourself in the Sholazar Basin zone. These are the opposing Frenzyheart Tribe and the Oracles. Gaining reputation with one will make you an enemy of the other. You align yourself by completing along quest chain which includes "A Hero's Burden." If you kill Zepik during this quest you become aligned with the Oracles, if you kill Jaloot you become aligned with the Frenzyheart Tribe.


Frenzyheart Tribe - Rewards


Oracles - Rewards


Championing
"Championing" is a new way to gain reputation in Wrath of the Lich King. By wearing the tabard of a particular faction while doing level 80 or Heroic Northrend dungeons, you gain reputation for that faction. Tabards are available from the faction Quartermasters once you are friendly with the faction. The following 4 factions are those to which championing applies.


Argent Crusade - Rewards
Born from the union of the Argent Dawn and the Order of the Silver Hand, the Argent Crusade was formed to fight against the Lich King in Northrend. The primary base for the Argent Crusade is the Argent Vanguard in Icecrown, right near the border with Dragonblight. This is where you will find the Quartermaster. There are other encampments in Dragonblight and Zul'Drak.


Kirin Tor - Rewards
The Kirin Tor is a powerful sect of mages based in the city of Dalaran. The Quartermaster is in the Violet Citadel.


Knights of the Ebon Blade - Rewards
A group of renegade Death Knights, the Knights of the Ebon Blade are based in The Ebon Hold in Eastern Plaguelands. In Northrend, their main encampment is the Shadow Vault in Icecrown, which is where the Quartermaster is. Note that the Shadow Vault encampment only appears after completing certain quests in Icecrown. The also have a camp at the Ebon Watch in Zul'Drak.


Wyrmrest Accord - Rewards
The Wyrmrest Accord is an alliance of dragonflights based at the top of Wyrmrest Temple in Dragonblight. Cielstrasza is the Quartermaster.

View the original article here

Monday, October 3, 2011

Multiplayer FPS Action Games

Ever since Quake started offering options for play over the Internet, multiplayer first-person shooters have been a dominant force in online gaming. Today FPS fans have a remarkable variety of settings and mods to choose from. These are the titles I would most recommend for the PC - the list is not based soley on the game's popularity. Hands-on experience, user feedback, and an active community are among the things I consider when compiling these lists. The emphasis is on current games for current computers, not classics that peaked before the turn of the century. They are ultimately just my opinion, so if you feel I've missed something, you're welcome to make a suggestion.

This is a stand-alone remake of the famous Team Fortress mod for Quake that helped popularize online gaming back in the late 90s. Team Fortress 2 isn't the most sophisticated multiplayer shooter on the market, but it recaptures the player classes and teamplay of earlier games in the series beautifully. It features a distinctly cartoonish appearance that fits it extremely well and gives it an extra dose of character. It has received steady updates since its release in 2007, including plenty of new maps, and recently, a cosmetic item shop. Now selling for just $10, you can't really go wrong with TF2.

View the original article here

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Multiplayer RPGs

Nov 22 2009

Although massively multiplayer games have received a lot of attention in recent years, there are still popular roleplaying games that focus on adventures for relatively small groups of players. They don't always provide persistent worlds and they often have single-player components. A recent trend has been to create 3D online hubs that serve as meeting places, from which groups of roughly 2-12 players run quests. In the tradition of Diablo, Neverwinter Nights, and Guild Wars, these games typically do not charge monthly fees for online access, although there are exceptions.

Guild Wars BoxGuild Wars gives you an epic adventure akin to those of single-player classics and highly-competitive team PvP battles right out of the box, with no monthly fees. The graphics are terrific and the skill system is quite unique. The Trilogy set contains the original Guild Wars Prophecies, Guild Wars Factions, and Guild Wars Nightfall, each of which is a stand-alone game with a complete campaign. The Eye of the North expansion is not included, but there's still a heap of gaming here for the money. If you want quick action in an immersive world without the huge time commitment, this may be the game you've been looking for.

View the original article here