Archive for the ‘Gaming’ Category

Endless Ocean: Blue World

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Get ready to experience another round of adventure and excitement of diving into the deep blue ocean. Whereas the Endless Ocean was mostly about a relaxing journey through a watery world, in Endless Ocean 2, the focus is definitely on adventure and adrenalin pumping excitement. Sharks get bigger, and much more menacing than anything you could ever expect. Players have a time of their life as they fend of shark attacks or try to calm these marauding beasts of the sea. You explore an array of shipwrecks and discover fabulous treasure. The calm seahorses are a scene by themselves and so are the giant whales. This virtual world is also replete with opportunities for you to showcase your love for the animal kingdom.

Are the fish looking sick! It is possible to view their health status and then use a tranquillizer like dart to zap the ones in need of rehab with healing energy. How about becoming friends with a colony of vibrant dolphins, who exist at the Nine Ball Island? You can even hold on to a dolphin for fast swimming across the ocean. You can also opt to join Oceana , a sexy lady, who is intent on investigating the mysterious “Dragon’s Song,” which her father, a prominent ocean explorer, was looking for before he died. Use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to go online and meet up with friends and family so that all of you can team up for a watery adventure. As the game is a creation of Nintendo, it can be played only on your Wii.

Free Realms

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

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This is a MMO (Multi Player Online) game like none other. There is no software to buy or install. The game streams directly from the browser, as players enjoy the liberty of creating a character of their own choice in the 3D world of Free Realms. All you need is a good broadband connection to log in. Here you can choose an avatar that is either a human (male or female) or a pixie. You also get the chance to pick up faces, skin types, clothing and many other basic features. Once you have the avatar of your choice you are free to explore this rollicking world and have a whole lot of fun.

Once created, these characters will live on the game’s server, which is geared to act as a Facebook-like interface, with great potential for social networking. Players can easily access their friends list to see who is online and get updates on how their friends are doing in the Free Realms game. This allows players to automatically join friends as they play different mini-games or explore the lush 3D Free Realms world, which is already full of thousands of other players. As if the vibrant landscape is not enough reason to rejoice, there is also the funky wildlife with which you can interact. During the initial stages much of the action takes place in an area called the Sacred Groove.

You can cooperate or compete with other players and even engage in exciting online battles. In fact, the gameplay mechanics range from exploration, combat, building, pet training, mini-games, social networking and much else. You can also search for lost treasure and unlock special jobs like Ninja, Explorer and Wizard.

Website: http://www.freerealms.com/

Metro 2033

Monday, December 14th, 2009

This game is based on Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novel titled Metro 2033, which enjoys cult status in Eastern European countries. Imagine a scenario where the entire world lies in ruins. Civilization has been wiped out; humanity has been almost annihilated. The radiation levels in areas where the cities once existed is so high that humans simply can’t survive, but that does not mean these areas are free of life. There are creatures that have mutated due to the radiation and have adapted to the changed conditions of the planet.

Small clusters of humanity survive in far-flung areas of the Earth, but these survivors face terrible danger from the mutants. In the Moscow Metro about 10,000 humans are camped. But the mutants are milling around and it is only a matter of time before a war erupts. You play as Artyom, who was born in the last days before the fire, but was raised underground. It is your task to fight the mutants and be the savior of humanity. There is enough gun and gore going around to keep you riveted with excitement. Your best weapons are your gas mask, which protects you from the poisoned atmosphere, and a high calibre gun, with which you can blast off the mutants. A creation of THQ, this game can be played on Windows PC and on XBOX 360.

Price – $49.99

The Saboteur

Saturday, December 5th, 2009


As you get sucked into the labyrinths of this exciting video game, you find yourself transported to Nazi occupied Europe, where you play the role of a quintessential saboteur, who will use explosive tactics to destroy the Nazis and turn the tide of war in favor of the Allies. The setting is sexy, action packed and eminently dangerous. The colorful cast of characters populating this game are seem straight out of the World War II era. You play in the role of Sean Devlin, a womanizer and a drunkard, who has fled from his native Ireland to try his luck at race car driving in Grand Paris. He ignores the Nazis around him until Nazi soldiers kill some of his friends. Furious at the death of his friends, he vows revenge. He becomes a saboteur, a man who will stop at nothing in order to defeat his enemies.

In his quest for revenge, Devlin is helped by French resistance and by British intelligence. But much of the work of sabotage he does by himself. He is an experienced brawler, capable of killing with a single punch. He is also an ace marksman, and an explosives expert. And when he gets going, there is sabotage in every direction. Zeppelins get blown apart, trains get derailed, bridges implode, armored cars get blown into bits and enemy facilities get leveled to the ground. Needless to say, such monumental destruction is tailor made to deliver excitement. Essentially you are a one-man army, delivering massive punishment to the Nazis and that’s going to be a lot of fun.

Published by Electronic Arts, this game can be played on XBOX 360, PS3, and Windows.

http://www.pandemicstudios.com/thesaboteur/

Dark Void

Friday, November 6th, 2009
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Within the labyrinths of this adrenalin-fueled game, the dark and sinister secret of Bermuda Triangle is all set to get revealed. The Void is a parallel universe where many humans called, the Survivors, have been enslaved by a creepy alien race, who are known as the Watchers. There is no room for mercy in this parallel world; the Watchers are ruthless in making the humans do their bidding, whilst being treated as Gods. The game actually takes off when a cargo pilot named William Agustus Grey crashes in the Bermuda Triangle, and he gets teleported to a parallel universe.

He comes in contact with the Survivors, but he refuses to allow himself to be enslaved as other humans have been. He decides to fight back and discover a way back to his own dimension. But the Watchers are determined to come down brutally on the smallest sign of rebellion. With neither side ready to back down, a war seems inevitable. You play the game as William Agustus Grey. His fate and that of thousands of other Survivors depends on your skill in this action packed video game. There is enough novelty on display, as jetpack-booster, aerial dog fighting and third person combat scenarios create a thrilling new gameplay dynamic.

Think of the delight of dangling from thousand foot drops as you scurry around for cover, while hurling your enemies to their doom. You can also take advantage of highly maneuverable rocket packs, which are geared to deliver deadly performance in air-to-air combats. Hurtle through the sky at incredible speeds, while gunning down a plethora of enemies you encounter on the way. How about scenarios where you end up hijacking UFOs. Developed by Airtight Games, and published by Capcom, Dark Void can be played on a range of platforms – XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and Windows PC.

Price – $59.99

Batman: Arkham Asylum Joker Trailer

Thursday, October 29th, 2009
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Batman: Arkham Asylum gets our vote as the most exciting game for 2009. The game opens with Batman rushing to Arkham Asylum, Gotham’s home for the criminally insane. The mastermind Joker is eerily omnipresent from the game’s very first scene, where even when strapped to a stretcher and wheeled through the halls of Arkham like a death row inmate, he playfully pesters everyone within shouting distance.

Within seconds the trap unravels and Batman realizes that the Joker has no intention of escaping. Joker’s ploy all along was to ensure Batman stays on Arkham forever. The Joker’s role shifts from captive to captor, along with all the other inmates that want revenge on Batman for incarcerating them. A slew of techniques will be required to defeat this game like moving in shadows, using gadgets, fighting, solving puzzles and more. With engrossing graphics and a dark, moody setting this is one action, adventure game that you don’t want to miss. The game can be played on Playstation 3, XBOX 360 and Microsoft Windows.

Price – $59.99

Wii Fit Plus

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

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So you have been under the impression that playing a video game necessarily entails turning into a couch potato. That is not going to be the case if you get hold of the Wii Fit Plus, whose content is embellished with yoga, strength training exercises, aerobics and all sorts of balance games. Workout mavens have been lapping up this game at an ever-increasing pace, and it shows in the sales figures – since its launch Wii Fit Plus has sold millions of copies. A Wii Balance Board controller that is part of the setup is meant for you to stand on, so that the device can track your weight and shift in your balance. While playing, or should we say exercising, you will be able to track the calories that you have burnt, and also create a personalized workout routine from the repertoire of exercises in the game’s ensemble. All you need to do is select the “My Routine” option and then drag and drop all the yoga and strength-training exercises that you wish to indulge in.

Price – $19.99
With Balance Board – $99.99

Army of Two: 40th Day

Tuesday, October 20th, 2009

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If gritty looking firefights through a war-torn environment is what gets adrenalin pumping through your veins, then this video game is tailor-made for you. The action is so vitriolic that you can almost smell the napalm. The action is taking place in disaster ridden landscape of Shanghai, which is rife with heavy-class enemies equipped with ultra-protective armor that require far more effort to take down than what is entailed in normal fighting procedures. You play as either of the two gruff looking protagonists Salem or Ruff, who have been tasked to enter the area with their team of elite commandos and neutralize all the enemy combatants. High octane excitement dogs you every step of the way, as you make your way to the top of roofs that offer a macabre view of Shanghai skyscrapers burning and falling apart in the distant background. There is no dearth of opportunities for indulging in close quarter combat as the enemy has to be flushed out from all sorts of places – streets, alleyways, and even from the dense maze of air conditioning units, ventilation shafts, fences, and metal stairways. The game manages to inculcate a degree of realism by offering players the opportunity to cooperate during the battle. These are the scenarios where they have to drag a teammate to safety, heal them on the fly and share ammo. A creation of EA, the game is best enjoyed on XBOX 360.

Price – $59.99

MySims Agents

Monday, September 28th, 2009

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A fantastic new adventure game for casual gamers is MySims Agents. In this game you work with other players to stop the evil Morcubus, an underworld don, from releasing his plans to destroy a city. Use your sleuth skills to solve mysteries and puzzles on an adventurous journey that may lead you to ancient temples, haunted mansions, and even a ski chalet. You can rest assured that the vibrant background in which the adventure takes place will be to your liking; and if it isn’t, you are allowed to customize it. Just in case you are a novice in the world of MySims, then you can begin by playing 10 mini games that will sharpen your skills as an agent and lead you closer to solving each case. As the game progresses, you will find yourself talking to your favorite Sims and looking for clues in unlikeliest of places, such as underground caverns. So if you want to be a crime buster is a light-hearted way then MySims Agents is for you.

Developed by Electronic Arts, this game can be played on Nintendo Wii or DS.

Price – $49.95

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Spyborgs

Saturday, September 12th, 2009

CAP-037 Spyborgs_Wii_Wrap_m05If you happen to relish the idea of sci-fi games where you have to shoot, slash and pummel your way through hordes of mechanized enemies, then get your hands on Spyborgs. Published by Capcom and developed by Bionic Games, this Wii exclusive game has you controlling a team of weapon-enhanced cyborgs who happen to be in pursuit of an evil traitor. The game has a narrative that is geared to leave players spellbound. There is simply no dearth of third person shooting and role-playing. The music, graphics and the acting easily set the bar for next-generation games. If anything, there is incredible fun to be had by using a motion based Wii remote for destroying enemies in a sci-fi virtual world.

Designed to be played as a 2-player co-op, the game made out of different levels, offers an incredible way of experiencing some frenetic fun with your gaming buddy. For each level, players get the option of choosing two out of the three Spyborgs. You can go in for a Clandestine, a quick and nimble female ninja. The second Spyborg is Bouncer, who happens to be a lumbering but very powerful robot and the third Spyborg is the Stinger, a soldier with a gun arm. There are going to be over 35 stages of mind-blowing adrenalin pumping action, where players get to face hordes of super villains who are out to destroy the planet. The more skilled you and your partner become in coordinating your moves, the more proficient you will be in winning the game.

Price – $39.99

Need for Speed: Nitro

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

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In a jazzed up virtual landscape, a high-octane race is on, where cars are whizzing past at incredible speeds. Set against a copper sky with numerous skyscrapers stretching for the clouds, Need for Speed: Nitro features dozens of sharp turns and almost as many straight roads on which to overtake opponents. Players can cut corners at 200 miles per hour in their cars that are customized to fit their individual tastes and sensibilities.

But whatever you do, you can’t afford to forget the cops, who can disrupt the race at a moments notice. So what are the car models that you can expect to race out here? How about Nissan 370Z, Shelby GT500, and Porsche Cayman S! Maybe it is cars like 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, a Nissan Skyline, an Audi R8, or a LamborghiniReventon that will get your pulse racing. As far as the racing locales are concerned, the most fantastic racing circuits in the world seem to have been recreated out here. Developed and published by Electronic Arts this game is meant to be enjoyed on your Wii and is available in November of this year.

Price – TBA

Blur Video Game

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

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In this high-octane game, a group of supercharged cars race at such fantastic speed that they seem like a mere blur on the virtual landscape. This is clearly a no-holds barred contest, packed with intense power-ups, including the ability to blow cars out of the way by using huge bursts of energy. Then there are adrenalin-pumping strategies like defensive shields, nitro speed boosts, and landmines that players can use to unleash a whole lot of damage and destruction. For example, there is a tactic dubbed “shunt”, which allows players to fire a projectile like weapon from the front of their car to give the car ahead a nudge forward. Interesting! I wish we could do something like that on Indian roads.

The four-player split screen action that the game is incorporated with makes it easier for players to engage in some high intensity competition and fun. From Dodge Vipers toBMWs to Ford Transit Vans, this video game comes packed with some of the most popular cars that have ever hit the road. Even the urban environments where the racing takes place turns out to be quite familiar as they are inspired by places like Los Angeles and several parts of London. The maximum number of players who can compete in the game at the same time stands at 20. Developed by Bizarre Creations and published byActivision, the game can be enjoyed on a range of platforms like – PC, XBOX 360 and PS3.

Price – $59.99

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

AVTRSCREENNGSturmbeastCharge_22537423885_5618 copyAs this video game is based on an upcoming movie by the legendary film director James Cameron, you can expect stunning visuals, as well as a novel storyline. The game will take you on an incredible journey deep into outer space, where there exists a planet called Pandora, which is inhabited by indigenous people who go by the name of Na’vi. A space faring consortium called the RDA Corporation is eyeing the valuable natural resources of Pandora. But the Na’vi people are not prepared to let any corporation exploit their planet’s natural resources. A conflict becomes inevitable and the players of this game get sucked into a galactic fight for the heart of an entire planet. As the battle razes, the fate of civilization hangs in a balance.

The best thing about the game is that its cast of characters includes some of the top stars from the film. Just think of the joy of playing as Sigourney Weaver, or as other Hollywood stars such as Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Lang and many others. Gamers can also play as any Na’vi hunter who is looking for revenge after his family tree gets a thorough pruning by human military forces during an attack on his village. The game is also packed with incredible 3D capabilities, but those can only be brought to the fore if there is HDMI output and a 120Hz capable set. This exciting game has been developed by Ubisoft and can be played on the world’s three most popular gaming platforms – PS3, XBOX 360 and Wii.

Price – $65

Red Faction: Guerrilla

Friday, August 7th, 2009

redfactionWelcome to an action packed third installment of the Red Faction series. This futuristic video game takes place in the mercurial sci-fi world of planet Mars. in the year 2075 You play as Alec Mason, as he assists the Red Faction to disrupt and overthrow the power of the Earth Defense Force (EDF), which is an entity that holds life on Mars in a deadly grip. As players fight for their freedom, they carve their own path, and wreak unimaginable havoc across the vast, open-world environment of the planet. Players get the chance to try some really innovative weapons, which are geared to do mind blowing damage.

There is a sledgehammer-like weapon that proves quite efficient in destroying buildings and crushing enemies. You also have the option to take control of armored vehicles like tanks or even fly fighter jets. The Martian landscape is divided into six distinct areas: Parker, Dust, Free fire zone, Oasis, Badlands, and Eos. According to the rules of the game, each area has to be freed one by one. You can’t move into the next area before freeing the area in which you are currently perched. And of course you won’t be getting a welcoming reception when the EDF see you coming. Developed by Volition and published by THQ, this game can be enjoyed on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Price – $59.99
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DJ Hero

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

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This is just the kind of the video game that all DJ wannabes out there must have been waiting for. Basically this game reworks the vastly popular Guitar Hero theme and moves players to various party scenes around the world. The game comes with an exclusive turnable / mixer controller made only for the game. The turntable half of the controller features three color-coated buttons used to direct action during gameplay.

Although DJ Hero contains engrossing single player game options, including a career mode, much of the action in the game surrounds its wealth of multiplayer modes. So you and your friends can have a match, any time, any day. There is no dearth of music out here, the DJ Hero set list is constructed of 100 songs, crafted into more than 80 two-song DJ mixes. Players are also allowed to use a microphone for a non-scoring addition to the mix. Developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision, this game can be enjoyed on XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. DJ Hero
comes out on October 27, 2009, so mark your calendar.

Price – $119.99