Holey moley nothing but games!

Need for Speed ProStreet Races

2008-06-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

The PSP (PlayStation Portable) system version of Need for Speed ProStreet is a game that won’t feature any police chases. That’s because ProStreet is all about legal street racing. In addition, ProStreet features a number of technical developments, such as an advanced crash system and particle system. Mostly, the game revolves around track races, racing in designated tracks, instead of on the streets. Need for Speed ProStreet is the ultimate taste of the chaos and unbridled adrenaline of street racing. Pushing yourself and your car to the edge can lead to mistakes and this time those mistakes have consequences. Need for Speed ProStreet is your ultimate taste of the chaos and unbridled adrenaline of street racing.

Not only the accessibility and mobility that the Need for Speed ProStreet provide, but also two brand new in-game features, the Driver Persona and Driver Intuition. It allows you to tailor your driving experience to your ability and skill level using both tools. Furthermore, you can feel the thrill and greatness of driving 35 of the hottest cars available and the three of the most anticipated street racing cars that have yet to hit the North American market the 2009 Nissan GT-R, the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2 and the 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X. Let you take control of your journey by the all new driving features. You can choose from a variety of Driver personas to customize the race’s difficulty level to your skill set. It builds the ultimate battle and reputation against the world’s best street racers.

The Lord of the Ring, the Battle for Middle-earth II

2008-05-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

"The Lord of Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II introduces players to new heroes, creatures, places and stories from Tolkien's fiction brought to life in the visual style of the films from New Line Cinema," said Mike Verdu, Executive Producer at EA LA. "The game combines a rich and wonderful world with innovations in real-time strategy game play to deliver the complete Middle-earth experience. This is the Middle-earth you've never seen."

On The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II, players wage war in the Northern regions of Middle-earth where they can choose to assume command of the most storied civilizations in all of Middle-earth history - the Elven and Dwarven armies - or fight on the side of Evil with heroes and creatures that have never been seen in The Lord of the Rings™ films. Reprising his role as Lord Elrond, Hugo Weaving lends his voice to the game, helping to set the scene and tone for each mission.

Players can customize their experience by creating their own hero and building all new customized RTS units. Build landmark castles with fully customizable and upgradeable fortresses and walls or control the entire war with War of the Ring Mode; a high level “Risk” style meta-game on the Living World Map with all new strategic AI.

The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II PC game has release a special Collector’s Edition. For the first time ever, fans of The Lord of the Rings can see what goes into the making of a blockbuster PC game with the DVD release of The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II Collector’s Edition as well as experience exclusive in-game content. Both versions of the game are rated “T” for Teen.

Kingdom Hearts

2008-05-20T00:34:00.000-07:00

At this time, I think most of the gamers and readers have figured it out by now that some turn-based RPG's are great and I’m so shocked when I watch the trailer of this game. Just look or search in Google for the most anticipated title for an example of Final Fantasy Versus. I am familiar that Final Fantasy Versus 13 will be one more RPG just like the other Final Fantasy's like Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus, being developed by the Kingdom Hearts groups, and I am kind of enjoyed Kingdom Hearts. Plus, I still get that great feeling in myself when I watch the FF13 trailer. I mean I feel that I’m on the screen and I’m sure this thing is a beauty. Mark my words, I will truthfully buy Final Fantasy Versus on this trailer alone. It's is very extraordinary. Just think the future floating weapon we handle or the next-generation cars, pods and other vehicles they used in the movie.

According to its staffs and developers, a completely self-determining story describing with special characters and a special visual design. Even though it is located inside very similar Final Fantasy XIII world, it is not related to any other entry within the collection and is thus neither an outcome nor a prequel to some openings in Fabula Nova Crystallis.

The leading character of Final Fantasy Versus XIII is a young male with dim bluish-silver hair and reddish eyes. But, the shades of both his eyes and his hair are changing during the battle, and Tetsuya Nomura has verified that the color transformations are both planned and important. It has been bear out that he is the final successor to the empire ruling above the very last realm to run Crystals. He tries to defend his kingdom next to intruders who look for to overcome the place and get the Crystals by force. Nomura has match up to the character's family to the modern Japanese mafia or also known as the Yakuza.

The "ProStreet"

2008-05-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

“Propose and modify your sports car to excellence, then place it all on the road in hasty events around the globe”. That is the Need For Speed Pro Street, The latest version of NFS from EaGames where you can buy your car, put some decals, modify and make it one of a kind sports car ready for racing and drifting.

It is very difficult to become game maker in charge of launching a fresh game in a series each year. Most players don't want very similar game again and again, so far they're sad if the game strays faraway from the established procedure. Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) earns credit for giving us something special with Need for Speed ProStreet, but the latest direction of the series not succeeds to live up to the level of the preceding games. There's still an unyielding racing practice here, and the online platform of the Xbox 360 is pretty good; but the game's principle is unexciting and the in-game promotion is over the top. But for me, ProStreet is a new well-brought-up and inspired racing game.

Electronic Arts (EA) proclaimed that the smash hit Need for Speed creation is commencing a latest edition that takes the series in an innovative way. Need for Speed ProStreet is a revolutionary Need for Speed gaming wherein players are force to battle one-on-one next to the best road racers in a huge number of racing face-offs.

Like the other Need For Speed, the story consist of cop pursues, and unlock stages of the last two Need for Speed, ProStreet is a magnificent racing game. Plus a good online mode on the 360 and PS3, its only in fact unique feature is its quantity of promotion, which created an already unoriginal game experience even more bleak.

R-Rated Games Are Coming Out Into The Open

2008-02-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

I am a true-blooded game buff. Name your game; chances are, I’m also addicted to it. But with the announcement that the Federal Government of Australia is considering updating the classification system for video games to include an R18+ rating, I don’t think I should be pleased.

A spokeswoman for the Minister for Home Affairs, Bob Debus, confirmed the issue of "whether or not to allow an R18+ classification" for games would be discussed by censorship ministers at the Standing Committee of attorneys-general meeting this coming Thursday. It will be the first time the issue is discussed since November 2005.

In Australia, video games have no adult classification. As such, any title that could not meet the MA15+ standard like those showcasing too much violence and sex are not allowed to be sold.

Claire Bowdler, a Classification Board spokesperson, said 18 games had been banned since 2001. Eight of the games had their bans lifted after they were modified and resubmitted, reported The Age. The most recent game to be axed by the board was the sci-fi themed shooting game Dark Sector, which was refused classification this month.

The Dark Sector contains graphic violence including "decapitation, dismemberment of limbs accompanied by large blood spurts, neck breaking spurts, neck breaking twists and exploded bodies with post-action twitching body parts”, the Board said.

Banned video games also include The League, Soldier of Fortune, Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure, BMX XXX, and Reservoir Dogs. They reasons behind the banning include drug use, excessive violence, graffiti promotion, and sexual content.

Bond University associate professor Jeffrey Brand said the lack of an R18+ rating meant some games deserving of adult classification were being let through by the Classification Board as MA15+. And Australians who wanted to obtain banned games could easily source them from the internet or overseas, he said.

"These games are entering the marketplace despite the classification restriction, and so very often parents, who in some cases are the least savvy in the household about games, are unaware that this adult content exists," Brand noted.

I am happy to know there are still people concerned about the welfare of the young generation. "We would be opposed to the adoption of an R-rated category because we believe that research is pointing to the fact that these games actually do impact behavior and psychology more easily than a film," said Angela Conway, spokeswoman for the Australian Family Association.

Twisted Metal III

2008-02-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

I know this game is like really old but I would never forget this game. The game is simple, pick a car and blow away everything in sight. Well, it's really not that easy as you are up against people driving vehicles with which can hurt you seriously.

Looking back now to the time when I used to play this on my PS1, I can't help but grin and recall the way I tried beating the daylights out of Minion, one of the bosses in the game.

TM III involves a lot of driving and shooting. As you have to do it with pinpoint accuracy, it's really exciting to see how far you can push yourself in keeping up with a faster enemy.

One of my favorite vehicles in Twisted Metal III is Sweet Tooth. This ice cream truck from hell is driven by an insane clown. Apart from Sweet Tooth, here are the other characters according to Wikipedia.

Auger: yellow construction vehicle with a large drill driven by Buster Cobb.
Axel: strange two-wheeled contraption, imprisoning the driver between the wheels.
Club Kid: smiley face-covered Mini Cooper.
Firestarter: hot-rod complete with a flame paintjob, driven by the pyromaniac Damien Coles.
Flower Power: hippy car driven by environmentalist Amber Rose.
Hammerhead: red monster truck (Jeep CJ) driven by Granny Dread.
Mr. Grimm: red motorcycle with sidecar driven by the Grim Reaper.
Outlaw: police car driven by both of the car's previous drivers (from the previous game of the series), brother and sister police officers, Buzz & Jamie Roberts.
Roadkill: scraped-together car driven by Marcus Kane.
Spectre: blue Dodge Viper driven by self-proclaimed ladies' man Lance Wylder.
Thumper: purple lowrider driven by Bruce Cochrane.
Warthog: military Humvee driven by the 107-year-old Captain Rogers.
Darkside: boss of the Washington, D.C. stage. Black semi-truck driven by Mr. Ash. Darkside is a non-playable character unless a third-party cheat is utilized.
Minion: boss of the London level. A green-armored tank driven by a large demon.
Primeval: the final boss, on the Blimp level. He drives a large off-road vehicle. Primeval is a non-playable character except by using a third-party cheat, and is the only character so far who has yet to be accessed as a playable character in any future Twisted Metal series. He was called "Head Hunter" during production.

What’s New With NBA Live 2008?

2008-02-04T18:20:00.000-08:00

Are you one of those NBA fanatics who eat, breathe and live basketball? I guess the perfect dose of cure for your madness is already here! The NBA Live 2008 game will definitely feed your basketball hunger. In this game, you will be the main man of the hardwood court with great moves highly outlined from NBA’s greatest players such as Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, LeBron James and Vince Carter to name a few.

So what’s new with the 2008 NBA Live game? I bet there are lots of surprises and features for all of us gamers… so check this out!

NBA Live 08 Features courtesy of Wikipedia.com:

The game features Washington Wizard’s all-star shooting guard Gilbert Arenas on the cover.
Commercials feature Gilbert Arenas and the #2 overall draft pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, Kevin Durant of the Seattle Supersonics.
New features include "Go To Moves," "Hot Spots," "Quick Strike Ballhandling" and also "Own The Paint."
Exclusive rights to FIBA players and 8 national teams (Argentina, China, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and the USA).
First NBA game to be featured on the Wii console.
The PC version of the game could be played online using Hamachi.
"Freestyle Superstar" was removed from the game, as well as X-Factors.
The PC version is not being accepted warmly for not having "next-gen" graphics, just like the PS2 system, unlike those in Xbox 360 and PS3.

Pro Street

2008-01-25T21:44:00.000-08:00

One of the best racing games ever is Need for Speed. The popularity of the title is really evident in the fact that it is now on it s 11^th installment. And the latest is Need for Speed: ProStreet.

If you have already played the game, I'm sure that you are impressed with it. I mean, what you can expect but the best from this title eh. But for those who have not yet tried ProStreet, I would like to share with you some features of the game courtesy of Wikipedia.

According to the article about the game:

"There are 55 cars (60 in the collector's edition and 46 on PS2) from around 26 manufacturers included in ProStreet. Only eight of these are "super cars", (which are not to be confused with exotic cars) making them relatively rare, as in real life. There are also a number of unfinished cars that can be obtained through hex-editing. It has also been said that if you have decided to insert a car into the Game (For PC) via hex-editing, it will overwrite another car already in the game so you will have to be careful when adding more cars into the game." That's a lot to choose from eh? I am sure that you are now itching to get your hands on the game.

As for those who plays with the Xbox, here's some info for you: "EA has released a new Booster Pack for download on the PC and the PS3. The Xbox 360 pack is due out in mid-February due to the EA team wanting to take extra time to fix all the bugs found in the PS3 and PC versions. 2 Cars will be available with the Xbox 360 version of the Energizer Lithium pack and 14 super cars will be available via download on Xbox live."

Crash Team Racing

2008-01-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

If hard core metal and classic songs gets irritating to the ears, there’s alternative music to light things up. It’s same as playing computer games. If we are fed up with bloody and adrenaline pumping plots, why don’t we try playing some feel good and light games such as the Crash Team Racing? Yup, this is one of my all-time favorite games!

The Crash Team Racing was introduced during the debut of the PS1 (Playstation 1). Crash Bandicoot Racing is a racing game published by Sony Computer Entertainment and developed by Naughty Dog for PlayStation. Crash Team Racing is the fourth episode in the Crash Bandicoot video game series which started with Crash Bandicoot in 1996.

If you haven’t tried this one, I think it’s about time for you to start the adventure with the CTR. It’s fun... and it’s worth playing!

Game Daily Presents: Boobie Fest!

2007-12-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

Whew! It's been almost two months since the last time I posted here. I'm kinda busy these past months upgrading my auto parts like Acura fenders, and now I'm back to give you guys the freshest updates and interesting articles about the gaming industry.

Anyway, browsing through Game Daily's website, I got bugged with this hot feature. Guys at Game Daily selected the boobie-licious characters of the several PC and console games as their "Babe of the Week." Check them out!

1. Christie Monteiro (Tekken 5)
Despite of her gracious Capoiera dancing moves along with her boobie weights, Christie doesn’t get tired after all. She even kicks some ass… well, it depends on the player if he focus on Christie's moves not on her sexy thingy.

2. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
Our beloved Lara Croft. We've seen her portrayed by Hollywood hottie Angelina Jolie and did some death defying stunts with her bouncing assets. How amazing!

3. Dead or Alive Girls
The Asian hotties! These anime-like girls really look awesome. According to Game Daily, "You don't need to go back to the first game to enjoy these girls' assets. Dead or Alive 4 for Xbox 360 features these girls (and their girls) in all their bouncing glory."

4. Rachel (Ninja Gaiden)
"The best part of Ninja Gaiden Sigma is playing as Rachel, though we're not sure how much that skimpy armor can protect her. From us."

5. Soul Calibur Girls
"Normally, oversized assets would get in the way of fast action sword fighting. However, the Soul Calibur girls prove otherwise, using their accentuated features to distract opponents."

6. Elexis Sinclaire (SiN)
After spreading a genetically mutating virus from her lab, what more can your ask for this evil boobie-licious hottie?

7. Mai Shiranui (Fatal Fury)
Another hard hitting babe. Mai Shiranui kicks ass when doing some high kicks and flips despite of the weights on her chest.

8. Tala (Darkwatch)
Creepy and sexy. These two words are the best adjectives to describe this vampiress from Darkwatch.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Preview

2007-10-18T21:21:00.000-07:00

Although Sony and Polyphony Digital did not yet release the details of the upcoming Gran Turismo 5 Prologue game for the PlayStation 3, initial details from various websites continue to surface.

Surprisingly, demos of the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be available for download this holiday season. GT fans can get the game from PlayStation Network on the PlayStation 3. Sounds good eh?

According to a recent post from GT Channel, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will feature a total of seven new car models. They include the 2008 Lexus IS-F, 2009 Nissan GT-R, 2008 Mazda Atenza, 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STi, 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X GSR, 2008 Daihatsu OFC-1 and 2009 BMW 135i coupe. There are also numerous new race tracks in the game, but the demo will only allow players to use the Suzuka circuit.

Check out below for the other details of the Gran Turismo 5 Prologue demo version, according to PS3central.net.

• A first for the franchise, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue supports online racing with up to 16 drivers racing simultaneously on a beautifully rendered race track.
• Race 30 high-performance and exhaustively detailed cars, including vehicles from Ferrari, Lotus, Nissan and Mitsubishi.
• Race on five stunningly realistic tracks, including the Eiger Nordwand, the London City Track and Suzuka – then race them in reverse and with alternative routes.
• A new physics engine delivers next-generation vehicle handling. True to the heritage of the Gran Turismo franshise, this new physics engine provides unprecedented realism and authentic handling specific to each car.
• A new in-cockpit view provides a unique perspective for racers and features a customized dashboard for each of the cars in Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
• All-new and improved opponent AI for a nail-biting race experience
• Access to Gran Turismo TV: a world of great motoring TV programming online through PLAYSTATION Network.
• My Garage is a personalized homepage feature with a friends list, chat functionality and personal game records to expand the interaction between car enthusiasts in the world of GT.
• Quick Tune facility allows you to adjust power, tires, suspension and much more.
• All in stunning High Definition at 1080p (race: 1080p-60fps, replay: 1080p-30fps)
• Photo Mode gives players the opportunity to photograph their car during the race where they can take advantage of zoom, depth of field and motion blur.

Watch out for this demo to be released anytime soon. Anyway, I wish Gran Turismo 5 Prologue could also feature Saab sports car models equipped with Saab wiper blade.

Most Controversial Games According to Yahoo!

2007-09-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

While checking the web for some quality BMW catalytic converter, I bumped on this article from Yahoo! Check this out.

Ben Silverman, writer for Yahoo! Games also created his list of the most controversial console and computer games of all time. This is similar to GamesRadar.com's top 10 banned games I posted last June.

Anyway, check out Silverman's list of most controversial games.

Night Trap
(1992: Sega CD)
Well, this game is too "sexist or too violent", according to several groups. According to Silverman, " Senate hearings led by Joseph Lieberman called the game's content "sick" and "shameful," and while they inaccurately claimed that players were encouraged to trap and kill the unfortunate starlets the damage was done as the game was quickly yanked from retail shelves."

Mortal Kombat
(1992: Arcade)
Night Trap and this bloody gruesome game paved the way in developing the ESRB game industry ratings systems, and other similar organizations. Actually, Mortal Kombat is one of my fave games. This game was a big hit in the 1990s with its unique finishing moves like "Brutality", "Fatality", "Animality", and others. There are several versions of this game and I love each of them!

Doom
(1993: PC)
Whoa! The birth of first person shooting (FPS) games! This game is quite good enough for me without its lousy graphics. Anyway, Silverman also commented, "When fledgling developer id Software cobbled together the landmark Martian monster mash Doom back in 1993, they were simply building on the success of their previous game, Wolfenstein 3D. But Doom took off like a bat out of you-know-where, quickly becoming the most downloaded PC shareware program of the era."

SimCopter
(1996: PC)
Honestly, I am not familiar with this game. Let Silverman comment on this. He said: "Before Rockstar was scalded by Hot Coffee, sim developer Maxis was burned by Hot Guys In Speedos. Upset with what he considered unfair working conditions (i.e. too many hours, not enough margaritas), a SimCopter programmer named Jacques Servin decided to play a bit of a prank by making a few alterations to the game code just before it shipped: on certain dates, scads of shirtless male sprites (dubbed "himbos") would gather in great numbers to hug and kiss. When word of the unauthorized code leaked, sales skyrocketed and Servin was summarily fired. Where's the love?"

Postal
(1997: PC)
Shootout and killing spree! This game was banned in 13 countries with its violent contents. What could be more violent than shooting people with no reasons at all? Bang! You're dead.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
(2004: PS2)
Another freaky and violent game. Like Postal, player of GTA: San Andreas can kill innocent people with no reason. But the exciting and controversial thingy is... this game features some sex games by downloading the required patch or mod. Hhhhhhot.

Bully
(2006: PS2)
This game caused controversy among parents and educators. Bully was also developed by Rockstar games, same with GTA and contains violence and some sexuals themes. Is this imply that developers at Rockstar are... pervs? LOL!

Resistance: Fall of Man
(2006: PS3)
According to Silverman, "This well-received first person shooter was one of the few PS3 launch titles worth the price of admission and served as the troubled console's high point through much of its debut year."

BioShock
(2007: Xbox 360, PC)
"By all accounts, this unnerving first-person action game is a diamond, a commercial hit and a shoo-in for countless game of the year awards. A few notable issues plagued the game's launch but it's BioShock's central moral dilemma - whether or not to harvest "Little Sisters" for the precious material ADAM - that makes it a case study for Ethics majors," said Silverman.

Manhunt 2
(2007: PS2, Wii, PSP)
Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Last but not the least, the infamous Manhunt 2! I definitely agree with Silverman that Manhunt 2 is the most controversial game. I mean this game stirred the industry when ESRB changed the rating from AO (Adults Only) to M (Mature). Manhunt 2 is also banned in several countries as it contains explicit violence. Again, thank Rockstar for developing this controversial game! Thumbs up! LOL!

Another Halo 3 Update

2007-09-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

The biggest names from the hip-hop music industry including Lil Jon, E-40, Bonecrusher, Bobby Valentino, Fabo of D4L, Lil Scrappy, Ying Yang Twins and more had a chance to play Halo 3 with each other ahead of the game's official release on September 25th.

Halo 3, the much-awaited game of this year has already posted more than 1 million preorders in North America for the Xbox 360 gaming platform. Anyway, going back to these hip hop freaks, the artists got the Xbox 360 Special Edition Halo 3 Console with Zune - Halo 3 Edition that is why they are able to play the game. Hip hop and gaming website Konsole Kingz (www.konsolekingz.com) also introduced the game's publisher Microsoft to other well known hip hop artists like Big Boi of Outkast and Mr. Collipark. Konsole Kingz and Microsoft will also host a private Halo 3 party.

CJ Peters, CEO and founder of Konsole Kingz commented:
"We couldn't be happier with the industry's response to the Konsole Kingz - Halo 3 party. Gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry and growing fast. Our goal is to bring the influential world of hip-hop to the video game space; events like this are the start."

Big Boi also commented:
"My guys came through from Microsoft with some gifts. I got the brand new Halo 3 special edition Xbox 360. The biggest entertainment release ever! They told me the numbers for the first day opening, you won't believe it."

In addition, Bungie Studios and Microsoft also released some details about upcoming Halo 3 launch events in September 25. The two companies responsible for the game will conduct the Halo 3 "Midnight Madness" sale featuring four regional retail stores hosting the event across the U.S. including Best Buy in New York and Seattle, Miami, and GameStop in Los Angeles.

Buyers of the Halo 3 game can have a change to bring home some freebie items including:

* Halo Action Clix from WizKids
* Collectible trading cards from Topps
* Halo Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund from Tor
* Frag Fest t-shirts from Mighty Fine
* Accessories and hats from Changes
* Messenger bags from Enmon Accessories
* Console sling bag and hardware organizers from BD&A
* Halo Graphic Novels published by Marvel
* 2008 Halo calendars from Trends International
* Halo Uprising Comic (issue one) from Marvel
* Halo soundtracks from Sumthing Else Music
* Weapon replicas from Master Replicas
* Zune Halo 3 edition from Microsoft
* Limited-edition figurines from the diorama created for the "Halo 3" ad campaign

Whew! September 2007 is really a Halo 3 month!

GameDaily's Top 10 Most Influential War Games

2007-09-07T23:16:00.000-07:00

Bring on the tanks, warships, fighter planes, missiles, guns, and ammunitions. It is time to determine the most influential war-themed games of all time. And to do that, I need a help from GameDaily, one of the leading websites dedicated to the gaming industry.

GameDaily's staff compiled the hundreds of war video games out there and selected the top 10 most influential games among them. Here is the list along with a brief description from GameDaily.

#10 Herzon Zwei (Sega Genesis)
"Produced by the same team that made the Thunder Force shooting games, Zwei combines two styles into one engaging experience -- real-time strategy and solid shooting action."

#9 Company of Heroes (PC)
"THQ perfected the art of the RTS with Company of Heroes. In it, players direct their factions into specific sections, setting them up for combat and dominating the enemy any way they can."

#8 Romance of the Three Kingdoms & Dynasty Warriors
"Players dominate China between the second and third centuries, using smarts to keep their armies alive while also defending their territories."

#7 General Chaos (Sega Genesis)
"Up to four players choose sides and then fight it out using various soldiers, ranging from grenade-lobbying grunts to flame-thrower carrying bad-asses. Players new to the game can enroll in a Boot Camp mode, to learn the basics of combat."

#6 Gears of War (Xbox 360)
"In Gears of War, a fight breaks out between the well-armed Delta Squad and the nasty aliens, the Locust Horde."

#5 Resistance: Fall of Man (PlayStation 3)
"Sony rewrote World War II with the enthralling shooter Resistance: Fall of Man, introducing a deadly alien threat that replaces those evil Nazis."

#4 Medal of Honor (multi platform)
"EA's Medal of Honor series has only gotten better and better, culminating with this week's release of Medal of Honor: Airborne. This latest chapter looks intense, with players able to parachute right into enemy territory and complete missions any way they see fit."

#3 Call of Duty
"Not to be outdone by EA's Medal of Honor series, Activision struck a chord with its Call of Duty franchise. It got attention with Call of Duty 2 on the Xbox 360, one of the better games for the system's launch."

#2 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
"In this game, players take back Mexico during a crisis, averting nuclear terror and taking out plenty of opposition along the way."

#1 Combat (Atari, Atari 2600)
"Packed with the Atari 2600, Combat keeps things simple, with player versus player in an all-out fight for supremacy. Using planes and tanks through multiple variations, players find themselves utilizing a number of skills to get the precious kill."

Manhunt 2 Update

2007-09-03T02:41:00.000-07:00

The Manhunt 2 is the most controversial video game nowadays. It was originally rated AO (Adults Only) by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and scheduled to be released in July 2007, but was suspended due to some rating controversies. As a result, the game's developer, Rockstar modified the game and rated and will be launched in the U.S. later this October. ESRB rated the game as M for Mature, and some institutions are not happy about this rating.

Take the Common Sense Media for instance. The institute's CEO, James Steyer has released a statement regarding ESRB's decision to change the rating of Manhunt 2 to M, from its original rating AO.

Check out what James Steyer's statement:

“While we have recognized the ESRB in the past for its positive efforts to increase parental awareness of video game ratings, we take serious issue with the board’s recent decision to reduce Rockstar Games’ Manhunt 2 from an AO rating to an M rating without providing any rationale for the change.

“By all available accounts, Manhunt 2 is the most brutally violent game ever produced for wide release, including intense, realistic scenes of mutilation and even castration. Unfortunately, given Rockstar’s history of creating and selling irresponsibly violent and graphic content – you need look no further than Grand Theft Auto and the infamous Hot Coffee incident for evidence – this isn’t a surprise. Parents have probably come to expect bad behavior from Rockstar – but they deserve better from the ESRB.

“It is clear that by lowering the rating, the ESRB has all but ensured that the game will be marketed and sold through channels popular with kids and teens – and, despite industry claims to the contrary, kids under 17 can and do purchase M-rated games. Before Manhunt 2 is released for sale, parents deserve an explanation – they need to know the facts about this grossly violent game before it goes on the market.

“By failing to explain their decision and, in turn, provide the transparency that consumers need if they are to trust the ESRB’s ratings, the board threatens to undermine a ratings system that has many positive aspects and that could serve as an important tool for parents.”

Whew! strong words from the Mr. Steyer. Anyway, I got to check for some Volvo window regulator on the web. Watch out for other Manhunt 2 and other gaming updates in this blog.

185,000 Peeps Visit 2007 GC

2007-08-27T18:38:00.000-07:00

The Games Convention (GC), an annual event for the video gaming industry held in Leipzig Exhibition center in Germany once again broke the record for 2007 in terms of figures. The event gathered a total of 185,000 visitors with 503 exhibitors and over 3,300 journalists from 46 countries.

According to Josef Rahmen, Managing Director of the Leipziger Messe:
"The GC 2007 has exceeded all of our targets. A high degree of satisfaction can be seen, not only amongst exhibitors and trade visitors, but also amongst the general public. This result underscores once again why the GC, as Europe's leading fair in the industry, has an ideal home in Leipzig."

Peggy Schönbeck, GC Project Director also commented:
"I'm delighted that our new hall concept proved to be a success. The expansion of the GC Business Center, the new hall layout and the incorporation of the outdoor area all led to a marked increase in the quality of the fair experience. The expansion of the GC family area is a sign of our increased focus upon families. We have been supported in this by the industry itself, which is paying increasing attention to the field of Family Entertainment. The best proof of this is the rise in average age and growing number of female visitors."

GC not only showcase video games. The event also covers other fields like information and entertainment, hardware, and other information/entertainment softwares.

Olaf Wolters, Managing Director of German Federal Association for Interactive Entertainment Software concluded: "Once again, the GC 2007 was a successful, excellent fair. We achieved all of the objectives that we had set ourselves in advance. The new hall concept proved to be a success. Both trade visitors and private visitors found conditions improved by the increase in surface area and new layout of the halls. I am particularly pleased with the rise in interest in the GC family. Once again, the professional co-operation with the Leipziger Messe meant that our trade fair was even more of a success. I am highly satisfied with the result and look forward to welcoming people back to Leipzig next year."

In addition, the organizers of the event expect to draw more people next year. Well, I'll try to upgrade my Acura exhaust system while waiting for 2008 GC.

Speed Racer Game in Development

2007-08-22T23:33:00.000-07:00

In connection with the upcoming Speed Racer movie directed by the Wachowski brothers, Warner Bros. Interactive has also announced that it will launch a Speed Racer game in 2008 that will be published in several gaming platforms including PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS. The game will be released during the premiere of the Speed Racer movie.

Warner Bros. said the game will allow players to play the role of the characters in the film and drive their signature car models. As expected, the game will feature some racing events that and the players' goal is to win every race, obviously. Well, I just wish I could drive a Saab sports car model equipped with Saab motor mount in this game. LOL!

Warner Bros. described the game as "car-fu style of action". Samantha Ryan, Warner development and production senior VP commented: "Speed Racer is an exceptionally creative property and teamed with the Wachowski brothers’ vision it makes for action-packed racing gameplay. The game will capture the intensity of the racing in the film to give gamers and movie fans a chance to take the wheel after they experience the film.”

Joel Silver, producer of the Speed Racer film also commented: “We are very excited about this natural extension from the Speed Racer film to the videogame. Larry and Andy are videogame fans themselves, so they believe that an interactive game is a key component to the entire Speed Racer experience."

As for me, I just cant wait to get my hands on PS2, insert the Speed Racer game, and start racing. Whoosh!

Ten Best Shooting Games of 2007

2007-08-17T01:52:00.000-07:00

I'm a fan of first-person shooting (FPS) games. I mean it feels so damn great when you shoot your enemy's head (Whatever they may be. Aliens, humanoids, etc.) and tear their body apart with your bullets. Anyway, since FPS games are one of my fave game genre, let me share you something I got from browsing Game Daily's website (www.gamedaily.com).

Game Daily featured 10 of the best FPS games this 2007. Check them out!

Bioshock
"The spiritual successor the System Shock 2 takes players to an underwater city called Rapture, where science without restraint has run amok and the survivors have mutated themselves into abominations."

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
"Out of the past and into the present, Call of Duty moves past the World War II and heads straight into the War on Terror."

Crysis
"Gamers will finally be able to put their high-powered gaming computers to the test with the most technologically sophisticated game to come out in 2007. "

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
"Most were automatically sold on the fact that it's a new Quake game-related game."

Gears of War PC
"Xbox 360 players broke in Gears of War and made it a required game for the console system."

Halo 3
"Here's a game that needs absolutely no introduction. The story of the Master Chief and the war between humanity, the Covenant and the Flood that threatens to exterminate all life in the galaxy will be concluded."

Half-Life 2 - The Orange Box
"The orange box includes five games in one! This monster sized package includes the original Half-Life 2, Episodes 1 & 2, the highly anticipated Team Fortress 2."

Left4Dead
"Play as a team, and you might survive. Go at it alone and you'll die."

Medal of Honor: Airborne
"Call of Duty might have gone to modern times, but Medal of Honor isn't through with World War II just yet."

Unreal Tournament 3
"The third installment of the legendary Unreal Tournament franchise will be hitting the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, so there's no excuse to be left out of the online frag-fest."

So these are the 10 best FPS games according to Game Daily. Play some of these games if you want. Anyway, I got to go and look for GMC mud flap online.

Halo 3 Gains More Than 1 Million Preorders

2007-08-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

The upcoming Halo 3 first-person shooter (FPS) game has already gained popularity even though the game has not yet been released in the market. In fact, the game is still under development from Bungie Studios exclusively for the Xbox 360 console platform. Halo 3 is the final chapter of the Halo game series. The Halo 3 will be officially launched in game shops all over the U.S., Canada, and Australia, on September 25, 2007, and in Europe in the following day.

The launch of this game is considered as the "entertainment event of the year." Why? It is because Microsoft Corp., the game's publisher has announced that there are more than 1 million preorders of Halo 3 in North America for the Xbox 360. Whoa! How's that? Anyway, this is just a mere commercial strategy done by game retailers to make their customers preorder the game in their store (make some money!).

Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop Corp said: "What we've experienced is nothing short of phenomenal. 'Halo 3' has eclipsed many previous records and will prove to be one of the must-have items of 2007."

Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy also said:
"The excitement for 'Halo 3' is incredible. From our preorders online and the buzz we're hearing in our stores, we know this release is going to be one of the biggest entertainment events of the year. We're thrilled to be able to bring it to our customers."

Halo 3 will roll out in retailers in three versions: Standard Edition, Limited Edition and the collectible Legendary Edition.

"This September, 'Halo 3' will push video game entertainment into the forefront of mainstream culture. Teaming up with some of the world's strongest and most recognizable brands is trailblazing new paths and cementing video games as big entertainment on par with major event films, and is a testament to the excitement and anticipation intrinsically linked to 'Halo 3.'" said Chris Di Cesare, director of creative marketing at Microsoft.

Halo 3 could be one of the best selling video games of all time. Watch out till September to find out. While waiting for that, I think I have to find quality Alfa Romeo oxygen sensor on the web for my friend's car. Take some time to check this blog for other gaming updates.

Jackass Game Preview

2007-08-08T02:42:00.000-07:00

Whoa! This is great. While browsing though Games Radar (www.gamesradar.com), I found this latest news that features an interview with the producer of the upcoming Jackass game for PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable (PSP). I never someone would have an idea to create a game that is actually based on the Jackass TV series and movies. The game will also feature some of the well-known Jackass crew like Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Chris Pontius, Steve-O, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, Preston Lacy, and Jason "Wee-Man" Acuña. But I don’t know if these freaks are all featured in the game. Maybe just some of them.

Anyway, check out this interview with Aaron Rigby, the producer of the forthcoming Jackass game.

Q: Where did the inspiration come from for the game?

Aaron Rigby: "The original series was the biggest inspiration. It was just crazy and creative. The way the Jackass crew had the show set up gave us the opportunity to draw from a huge amount of stunts."

Q: Is the game based in actual sketches or are they completely new?

Q: Was it very difficult to create a game based in a TV series that hasn't got any kind of story or screenplay?

Rigby: "Definitely. The story was pretty basic initially, but we got help from the Jackass cast to make it more authentic. It was their input that made the storyline work and their voices that added the credibility and humor to it."

Q: The big appeal of Jackass is the spontaneity. Do you think you have succeeded translating this into a videogame?

Rigby: "That was a real pain. In most games success is success, you either accomplished your goals or you didn't. Jackass doesn't work like that. The stunts in the show were just as good whether they accomplished what they set out to do or failed completely. That means that our goals in a stunt had to make sure that an entertaining failure worked just as well as a resounding success."

Watch out for other updates of the Jackass game on this blog. Got to check for new Toyota MR2 parts on the web so chill out! By the way, check out the image below. This could be featured on the Jackass gameplay soon. There is only one word that I could say about this.... "OUCH!!!"

EA Losses Q1 Sales

2007-08-02T22:40:00.001-07:00

We all know that Electronic Arts (EA) is one of the world's leading game publishers. EA is known for publishing some of the famous role playing games (RPG) and sport themed games like Madden NFL, NBA Live, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, The Sims, and others. Unfortunately, the company's fiscal first quarter sales were down by about 63%.

According to EA, "the net loss for the three months ended June 30 was $132 million, or 42 cents a share, compared with a loss of $81 million, or 26 cents a share, in the same quarter last year."

CEO John Riccitiello said that these results was due to the declining sales of new console gaming platform like the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Nintendo Wii.

During a conference call, Riccitiello said: "Point blank, this cycle is developing quite differently than the last cycle. The next-gen hardware build is going a little more slowly. The last cycle, EA was on the PS2 in a gigantic way and of course that platform ended up leading the market."

"This time, there's been some unexpected strength with the Wii and the PS3 hasn't - yet - performed as well as we expected it to. That probably has a bigger impact than any other factor on our margins. Great software sells hardware. These titles have a dramatic effect on Xbox 360 and PS3 hardware sales and we feel great about that."

Although EA lost their first quarter sales, the company still manage to get back on the track and surpassed Wall Street's expectation by 10% per share.

Meanwhile, EA will be releasing The Sims Spore, so check this blog for more updates. The gaming industry expects EA to release the game some time in spring of 2008.

What’s New for Blizzard?

2007-07-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

Blizzard Entertainment, the publisher of Warcraft games announced that the players will be using the latest 2.2 Word of Warcraft (WoW) patch for the 5v5 WoW Arena Global Finals that will be held at the BilzzCon 2007 event early this August. The 2.2 patch is still being tested on Blizzard Test Servers. The 2.2 patch comes with numerous enhancements and some other changes to WoW's Arena play.

According to Blizzard, "The BlizzCon global finals will be using World of Warcraft Patch 2.2. The actual patch may not be released to the live realms by BlizzCon, so we suggest that you take some time and go to the Public Test Realm to preview the upcoming changes."

Meanwhile, the BlizzCon 2007 will be also the stage for Blizzard to release its newest and 2nd expansion version for the World of Warcraft, according to some sources. Although this was not confirmed by Blizzard, the speculations was based on a music sheet from Video Games Live orchestra that leaked on the internet. Three scores was named Northrend 1, 2, and 3.

Well, let us just wait if Blizzard will really introduce a new expansion for WoW. While waiting for that, why not upgrade your auto parts like Jeep replacement parts and Jeep seat?

The Top Games That Can Make You... Dumb

2007-07-26T01:28:00.000-07:00

There are games that can make your mind work and make you smarter. Here are their top 10 counterparts.

Robert Workman, a gaming expert working on Game Daily (www.gamedaily.com) compiled the list of games that could somewhat make you "stupid", as he described those game. Check them out along with Workman's comments.

10. Board game-to-video game adaptations
Primary example: Ultimate Board Game Collection
"People shouldn't plunk down $30 for a virtual collection of board games when real things cost roughly the same price. "

9. Under-utilized brain training games
Primary example: Brain Boost, Mind Quiz DS
"Playing a brain training game that doesn't even tap into the inner cerebellum can be insulting kind of like going into a Baskin Robbins and only having a choice of garden salads."

8. Game show-to-video game adaptations
Primary example: Family Feud
"If players want to compete on a game show, they should fill out an application, get a TV-friendly profile down (hide that Mohawk haircut) and pray for the callback. It's better than trying to play a round of Family Feud or any game show-licensed video game for the PS2. "

7. Crappy sports games
Primary example: Rapala Tournament Fishing
"Rapala Tournament Fishing's poor excuse of a gameplay system doesn't make catching fish rewarding whatsoever. You roam around the water for 20 minutes trying to find a spot."

6. Sad puzzle-themed games
Primary example: Myst
"If done correctly, puzzle games can stimulate the mind. However, on the other side of the spectrum lie the games that leave players wondering why they bothered."

5. Pointless shooting games
Primary example: NRA Gun Club
"NRA Gun Club seems like a waste of ammunition. Players shoot their way through a series of scenarios, trying to earn their way into the National Rifle Association. "

4. Action games with no redeeming value
Primary example: The Shield, Crime Life: Gang Wars
"The Shield, based on the hit FX series, and Crime Life: Gang Wars, Konami's poorly executed gangster saga."

3. Quickly produced handheld games
Primary example: Devilish, Elf Bowling 1 & 2
"It shouldn't surprise anyone that companies exist just to make a quick buck from quickie handheld game releases."

2. Superman games
Primary example: Superman 64, Superman Returns
"Everyone should get a chance to be DC's Man of Steel but not like this. Both Superman 64 and Superman Returns fail to justify why the hero even exists. "

1. Low-level gambling games
Primary example: High Rollers Casino
"Everyone loves to gamble and not lose real money. So it shouldn't be a surprise casino simulators hit the market."

NBA Live 08 Preview

2007-07-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

The latest and the much-awaited sequel of the NBA Live game series, the NBA Live '08 is coming to your nearest game shops this October.

What are the game's new features? Well, the publisher, EA Sports did not yet released the full details of this new NBA Live game. But browsing the publisher's website, I found this "Go-to Moves" featured in NBA Live 08. The Go-to Moves are different ways for star players to have a clear shot and win the game, according to Brian Ullrich, the producer of NBA Live 08.

Oops... I almost forgot. Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards is the cover player of NBA Live 08. Gilbert Arenas is also a game fanatic of NBA Live series.

GameDaily (www.gamedaily.com), one of the major websites for the gaming industry made a recent interview with Gilbert Arenas about his involvement in the game. Check out some of them.

So how’s it feel being on the cover of NBA Live?
"It’s a great feeling, and I hope I feel like everybody else did when they realized they were on the cover. It’s amazing, especially for me, coming up non-ranked and reaching this level. It’s an honor."

What other games do you play?
"I play Halo and Bomberman."

What’s different about this year’s NBA Live?
"It’s a big, big improvement. I mean, I was surprised just now. They told me last year’s game ran at 30 frames, and now they have 60. You can tell the difference. It’s a lot smoother than the older ones. I haven’t been able to stop playing it."

Growing up, what games did you play?
"My first game was NBA Live 95."

Any other sports games do you play?
"Madden, Tiger Woods…I love hockey, but I haven’t gotten than one yet."

Anyway, watch out this coming October to get the NBA Live 08. Cant wait? You can pre-order the game in EA Sports website at www.easports.com/nbalive08. I might get few copies of this game rather than purchasing Husky floor mats for my car. LOL!

UPDATE: More Unlockable Cars in GT4

2007-07-10T00:55:00.000-07:00

Whew! I almost forgot to bring you guys the other unlockable cars in Grand Turismo 4 (GT4) for the PlayStation 2. Anyway, here are some of the rare cars that you can unlock in the three Condition Halls in GT4. Check out how to unlock them!

Unlockable Cars in the Easy Special Condition Hall

CADILLAC CIEN '02 Win Rally d' Umbria
TOYOTA RSC Rally Raid Car '02 Win Rally d' Capri
FORD RS200 '84 Win Grand Canyon
TOYOTA RSC '01 Win Ice Arena
INFINITI FX45 Concept '02 Win Chamoni
ALPINE A310 1600VE '73 Win George Paris
MITSUBISHI CZ-3 Tarmac '01 Win Swiss Alps
RENAULT 5 Turbo '80 Win Tahiti
MAZDA RX-8 Concept (Type-I) '01 Win Tsukuba Circuit
LAND ROVER Range Stormer Concept '04 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail I)
HYUNDAI HCD6 '01 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail II)

Unlockable Cars in Normal Special Condition Hall

LANCIA Delta HF Integrale Rally Car '92 Win Rally d' Umbria
SUBARU IMPREZA Rally Car Prototype '01 Win Rally d' Capri
MITSUBISHI CZ-3 Tarmac Rally Car '02 Win Grand Canyon
MITSUBISHI Lancer Evolution IV Rally Car'97 Win Ice Arena
SUBARU IMPREZA Rally Car '01 Win Chamoni
RENAULT 5 Maxi Turbo Rally Car '85 Win George Paris
TOYOTA CELICA GT-FOUR Rally Car (ST205) '95 Win Swiss Alps
FORD Escort Rally Car '98 Win Tahiti
MAZDA Atenza Touring Car '02 Win Tsukuba Circuit
SUBARU IMPREZA Rally Car '99 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail I)
TOYOTA CELICA GT-FOUR Rally Car (ST185) '95 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail II)
MAZDA 6 Touring Car '02 Win Tsukuba Circuit ( U.S Version)

Unlockable Cars in Hard Special Condition Hall

LANCIA Delta S4 Rally Car '85 Win Rally d' Umbria
FORD RS200 Rally Car '85 Win Rally d' Capri
MITSUBISHI STRAION 4WD Rally Car '84 Win Grand Canyon
NISSAN BLUEBIRD 1600SSS Rally Car (510) '69 Win Ice Arena
LANCIA STRATOS Rally Car '77 Win Chamoni
PEUGEOT 205 Turbo 16 Evolution 2 Rally Car '86 Win George Paris
NISSAN SILVIA 240RS Rally Car '85 Win Swiss Alps
MITSUBISHI PAJERO Rally Raid Car '85 Win Tahiti
FORD GT Concept '02 Win Tsukuba Circuit
SUZUKI ESCUDO Dirt Trial Car '98 Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail I)
MITSUBISHI PAJERO Evolution Rally Win Cathedral Rocks (Trail II)

[credits: GameSpot (www.gamespot.com)]

By the way, the last time I played GT4, I joined the Rally d' Umbria and I only finished 2nd. Damn! I should have unlocked the 2002 Cadillac Cien with Cadillac catalytic converter by now.

Transformers The Game: IGN Rating and Review

2007-07-04T00:20:00.000-07:00

Remember the post I made last June 27th about the Transformers: The Game released by Activision? Well, IGN (www.ign.com), one of the leading news and reviews website for the gaming industry has released their verdict about the Nintendo Wii version of the game.

Unfortunately, the game is not that impressive for IGN reviewers. Anyway, just check out below for the game's rating in the 5 major categories.

Presentation: 7.0
"There’s a full range of VO, but lousy video compression hurts the experience. The characters are on-model, the frame rate holds, and there’s decent Transformers bonus content."

Graphics: 7.5
"It’s one of the better visual experiences thus far on Wii, as smoke and fire effects blend with bloom lighting and generally commendable environments. A bit sparse at times."

Sound: 6.5
"A few generic songs mix with the movie voices. A bit too basic, but better than most Wii licensed games. No Wii speaker usage or advanced audio options."

Gameplay: 5.5
"Transformers mixes decent combat with sketchy IR and some cool robot/vehicle missions. Level types get old too quick though, as does the focus on hand-to-hand combat."

Lasting Appeal: 5.5
"There are nearly 200 unlockables (mostly images and art), but the Generation 1 characters are a nice touch for long-time fans. Missions/combat can get old fast though."

OVERALL: 6.0 (out of 10)
"Passable"

Meanwhile, take time to read this comment about the Transformers: The Game for Wii by Bozon, one of the editors at IGN. And me? I'll check the web and look for high performance Honda racing parts for my old Honda sports car.

"Across each of the available platforms, Tranformers: The Game has some serious issues. Combat is too one-dimensional, focusing mainly on melee, as your firearms do nothing against enemy shields. As an "open world" game, Tranformers can also feel fairly closed off because each area dispenses only one mission at a time, making for an entirely linear experience wrapped in a relatively void and underwhelming world. IR isn’t perfect, causing quirky camera issues and annoying lock-on problems. Still, Transformers isn't a total wash, and we can see the potential for entertainment. Doing battle, while shallow, is still good for some basic entertainment. The game offers a ton of unlockables, so the average player will unlock something new (even if it’s just a piece of promo art from the Dreamwave comic series) every few minutes, and the scenarios do a decent job of making use of both robot and vehicle modes. A fully-destroyable environment makes for a ton of collateral damage during fights, and nearly any piece of the environment can be picked up and used as weapon should the need arrive. It’s simple, shallow, but still entertaining at times. This may not be the Transformers game we were hoping for, but it has its moments."

The Street Racing Syndicate

2007-07-02T01:01:00.000-07:00

If you are into hot cars and sexy ladies, this particular car video game is just the right game for you. Combined with a few snippet of violence on a street car racing action all into a one great video game, the Street Racing Syndicate will definitely blow your head.

The game starts with the conventional profile making. You will have to create your profile first before you can experience that ride. There are modes to choose:

The Street Mode: In this mode, you will build a career buy either losing and gaining money or girlfriends. The Arcade Mode: this mode will make you race like you are playing an arcade game.
There are also 2 player options---The LAN player mode and the online play. But I am sure you will enjoy playing the Street mode. Because like any other online games, you are free to explore the world. And race with the racer you want to play with. You will earn both respect and cash, these cash are used to upgrade your rides and imagine a virtual reality game that you can even upgrade your car. Amazing isn’t it?

It is for PS2, XBOX, GC.

I found this list of cheat on topspeed.com. Here have a few moments reading them and try to memorize them also:

Press Up, Down, Left, Right at the main menu to enter the code entry screen. Then, enter one of the following:

FIXITUP - Free car repair
GORETRO - Pac Man Vinyl
GOTPOPO - Police Car
IGOTGST - 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T
LETMEGO - The first three times you are pulled over in street mode, you will be released with a warning.
MYTCGTS - 2004 Toyota Celica GT-S Action Package
RENESIS - Mazda RX-8
SICKGDB - Subaru Impreza Sti
SICKJZA - 1996 Supra RZ

Go play in Arcade mode and choose Iron Man. Finish in first place in all races and you will unlock the following.

Subaru STi - Finish first in all 3 levels of the Street Revolution Crew Meet in street mode
Nissan Skyline V-Spec II Nur - Finish in first place in the Los Angeles checkpoint mission in arcade mode.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII GSR Finish in first place in the Los Angeles checkpoint mission in arcade mode.
Mazda RX-7 Bathurst - Have all first place finishes in the Los Angeles Iron Man challenge in arcade mode.
Mazda RX-8 Mazdaspeed - Have all first place finishes in the Miami Iron Man challenge in arcade mode.
Toyota Sprinter Trueno - Have all first place finishes in the Philadelphia Iron Man challenge in arcade mode.
Mitsubishi Evo VII GSR - Win the Los Angeles checkpoint mission in arcade mode

The car racing Hints:
Police get away:
You can get away from a car police chase by going into the showrooms. Hide your car on that area. The police patrol car will be circulating the area but it won’t find you. Then wait until your meter reaches the “Evaded” phase then you can go out on a clear surrounding.

Wagering:
Wagers in this video game are also available. When you place wagers on the race, you can use each wagers into three of your races. It doesn’t matter what the amount of wagers are but it stays all through out. For example your wager amount is $2,000 it stays on the game through out.

Find easy money:
Try doing a desert sanctioned race and start at level one. On your screen you will see the last wager and select it, accept it and start gaming. You have to do it in every racing game you enter. This will let you earn the least $12,000 on every game you enter easily. Keep doing it and earn a lot of money.

If you think you have enough money to buy an upgrade, get at least 330 horsepower after all the upgrade the try buying the Venom 2000 nitrous kit. There are a lot of upgrades available, it am not sure if car parts like Chevrolet oxygen sensor and Daihatsu oxygen sensor. But after you purchase the kit, enter the Boulevard Sprint by going to the street challenge menu. Keep on entering the race but make sure you have enough nitrous kit so you can do it in ease. If you go to the crew meet, keep on going to the last wager. By this effort, you’re wagers will be doubled. And if you keep doing it, you will double your cash as well.

Body kits:
In the game, you can purchase the right body kit for your car even if your car is not an aero-dynamic. However, you have to realize that this can slow down the total performance of you car. you need to have your car repair over and over again. In real life, only the real aero-dynamic cars are the ones that are capable of receiving body kits. These kits will make your car heavier, so it will reduce the speed capability of your car. A speed of as little as 10 mph or a larger 25 mph is lost.

Refill NOS:
Your car will start at a low end mode. You can got to the shop and have your car refill with NOS more than what you already has. Then you have to re-install your original NOS on your car then exit. You will have it for free. You don’t even have to spend ever a dollar for it.

Now there you have it guys. These are the tactics that will make you easily win in the battle on the Street Racing Syndicate. So follow these tips and win.

Get Some Gaming Action on the Formula One Championship Edition

2007-07-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with Formula One? Oh sure, everybody is aware of this racing event. Now if you are going crazy over the hot cars and the superstar drivers on the Formula one, you can experience the heat, the fire and the competition on the race track as the Psygnosis brings you, the Formula One Championship Edition. Now, the new car racing role playing is filled with more thrills and more drama as brought to us by Studio Liverpool. The game is developed by the Sony Computer Entertainment Studio Liverpool and was specifically made for the Sony PlayStation 3

On the Gameplay:

I found this great list of the teams and the drivers on wikipedia.org. Now, the new championship edition is filled with 11 teams and 22 drivers on 18 different race tracks. Here is the list of the team and the drivers as well as the race tracks.

Teams and Drivers:
Renault F1 - drivers: Fernando Alonso and Giancarlo Fisichella
McLaren Mercedes - drivers: Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya
Ferrari F1 - drivers: Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa
Toyota F1 - drivers: Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli
Williams F1 - drivers: Mark Webber and Nico Rosberg
Honda F1 - drivers: Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button
Red Bull Racing - drivers: David Coulthard and Christian Klien
BMW Sauber - drivers: Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve
Midland F1 - drivers: Tiago Monteiro and Christijan Albers
Scuderia Toro Rosso - drivers: Vitantonio Liuzzi and Scott Speed
Super Aguri - drivers: Takuma Sato and Yuji Ide
The circuits are:

Race tracks:
Bahrain Grand Prix - Sakhir
Malaysian Grand Prix - Sepang
Australian Grand Prix - Albert Park (Melbourne)
San Marino Grand Prix - Imola
European Grand Prix - Nürburgring
Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona
Monaco Grand Prix - Monte Carlo
British Grand Prix - Silverstone
Canadian Grand Prix - Île Notre-Dame (Montreal)
United States Grand Prix - Indianapolis
French Grand Prix - Magny Cours
German Grand Prix - Hockenheim
Hungarian Grand Prix - Budapest
Turkish Grand Prix - Istanbul
Italian Grand Prix - Monza
Chinese Grand Prix - Shanghai
Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka
Brazilian Grand Prix - Sao Paulo
Test Track - Jerez

The game was just the same as the previous ones however, the new Champ edition is filled with more action and suspense. The first F1 was programmed for the PS2 but this new game is programmed for the latest PS3. The new game is also packed with more details, real sound effects, more precise car designs and new wet weather effects. It feels like you’re on the real race track when you play the role playing car racing game.

Almost everyone can play this Formula One Championship Edition. The video game maker have reduced the violence on the games so even kids can play without causing possible game trauma. The new game also has this particular AI system almost famous by the name "Live Action Racing". This game also runs like a real time racing car. With little mistakes on control, you’ll find yourself crashing on another’s car. So the game is more complicated than the previous games making it more fun and more challenging.

I feel sad because Mazda is not included on the racing cars. Anyway, I found the Mazda Hub Cap and Mazda Intermediate Pipe online so I can fix my Mazda car later.

Tomb Raider at 10

2007-06-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

The Tomb Raider role playing game (RPG), starring Lara Croft (with her big boobies.. LOL!) is now 10 years old. To commemorate this celebration, Eidos Interactive has released the Tomb Raider: Anniversary early this June. The game is the latest installment of Tomb Raider series and the remake of the original Lara Croft Tomb Raider game released in 1996.

Anyway, check out this interview made by Game Daily (www.gamdaily.com) staff to Toby Gard, the original creator of Lara Croft (again… the boobies) and the lead designer in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary.

What was your inspiration for creating Lara?
"The most important part of it was the old English lores, the exploration, the Antarctic. [We wanted] a game with modern-day explorers. Lara's like a female Indiana Jones in that way."

Why was it important for the character to be female?
"Well at the time, everybody was saying you know, you had to have a square-jawed, blue-eyed male. And most of the characters in video games who were females were bimbos or dominatrix women."

You left Core Design shortly after Tomb Raider was released? Why was that?
"Well, I wanted to go off and do my own work, but also, I was realizing that I had very little control over the design. Towards the end of the production, I didn't actually have very much control over the character and what they were doing."

Were there particular things about the way they wanted to make Lara that you didn't like?
"The main point was the sexiness of Lara. The whole point was that most of the women in video games at the time were bimbos or dominatrices, really terrible stereotypes. Lara was supposed to be someone who was strong, and sexy but only because of her power. So I didn't like that part."

Now Legend was kind of a rebooting of the Tomb Raider franchise, and that was when you returned to the series, right? Tell me about that experience.
"It was a very good experience because everybody had been very nervous about this game. So it was actually very good because they were very open to me explaining the reasons for who she was, why she does the things she does."

Legend came on the heels of Angel of Darkness. Did you feel pressure to make changes to the franchise since the previous game received such poor reception?
"The problem was that Lara was not doing what she was supposed to do. It's a really weird situation for the character. It's like taking Superman and putting him in a gardening game, making I dunno, Supergarden. So the problem was that Angel of Darkness put her in an urban place. So the real change was just putting her back where she belonged."

Why do we want to go buy Tomb Raider: Anniversary?
"The core of the game is really searching out mysteries. The key thing is, well our thing is about discovery, looking at different parts of history."

How do you think Lara will adapt to new generations of gamers?
"Well in the first game, literally I was thinking about someone who was really almost psychopathic, really dangerous. But her goals were modern. Tomb Raider is about exploring history, and history is always something that you see people interested in, or at least I hope would stay relevant. As long as we retain that myth and that uncovering then I think people will stay interested."

And as long as she continues to age well.
"Ha, ha. That's the great thing about [her] isn't it? You don't have to worry about that."

[credits: www.gamedaily.com]

Make Way for TRANSFORMERS: The Game

2007-06-27T00:54:00.000-07:00

As a sort of marketing idea and to give movie goers a preview of the upcoming Transformers live action film, Hasbro Inc partnered with Activision to develop and create the Transformers game. The good news is Activation already rolled out the game in retailers starting June 26th. Yah, really. Check out what Will Kassoy, senior vice president of global brand management, Activision, Inc. said:

"TRANSFORMERS: The Game lets you choose your side – Autobots or Decepticons – to either protect or destroy Earth. The game features fully destructible environments, an army of playable characters, split second changes from robot to vehicle form and a storyline that goes beyond the film to include some elements from the property’s long history that will also appeal to Generation 1 fans."

“The Activision team has done an outstanding job of replicating the live-action movie scale and realism into TRANSFORMERS: The Game,” said Jeff Burdeen, Vice President of Digital Media for HPG, the licensing division of Hasbro Inc. “Across the current and next-generation platforms, gamers will have an awesome TRANSFORMERS experience from the amazing vehicle-to-robot changes to the heart-pounding action.”

For console gaming platforms as well as in PC, Activision presents the TRANSFORMERS: The Game, featuring campaigns that let the players choose their fave Autobot or Decepticon characters.

In addition, there are also other versions of the game for exclusive gaming platforms. The TRANSFORMERS: AUTOBOTS and TRANSFORMERS: DECEPTICONS are available for the Nintendo DS, and was developed by Vicarious Visions. Savage Entertainment also developed a Transformers game for PlayStation Portable (PSP) featuring a different game play.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) gave the TRANSFORMERS: The Game “T” (Teen) rating for the Nintendo, PlayStation 2, and PC versions. The PSP versions earned an “E 10+” (Everyone 10 and older – Violence) rating as well as the TRANSFORMERS: AUTOBOTS and TRANSFORMERS: DECEPTICONS for Nintendo DS.

Now get those game pads ready and go to your nearest game shops and get yourself a copy of the Transformer game. As for me, I have to upgrade my Acura parts first and try to get a PC version of this game.

Quake 4 News and Reviews

2007-06-25T18:43:00.000-07:00

Quake fans, here is one good news for all of us!

id Software, as we all know is the developer of Quake series, has recently launched a new multiplayer demo for Quake 4. The new demo comes with updates in the Quake 4 1.4.2 Point Release Patch. There are 3 maps available, but unfortunately, the new demo is NOT compatible with other Quake 4 versions. So this means that only players using Quake 4 1.4.2 can play with each other with this new demo and kick some ass!

Anyway, since I find this blog entry a bit short (I'm not used to write short blogs ...err...), Take time to read this review about the Quake 4 from gamesradar.com.

"The big surprise in Quake 4 isn't really a surprise - halfway through the game, your hero, bad-ass grunt Matthew Kane, gets captured and "Stroggified," which involves being tortured and upgraded into a cyborg. The silicon mind control chip inside your head hasn't been activated, so you still fight for the humans in the war to protect Earth. You'll dispatch baddies with the usual complement of Quake weaponry, including the railgun and the hyperblaster, as your missions of "go there and get this thing" unfold. Occasionally you’ll jump into a vehicle like a tank or an armored walker, but no matter how you attack enemies, you'll grow tired of seeing their AI do little more than jump out of the way of your shots.

The Strogg homeworld, land of unholy unions of flesh and technology, looks gorgeously creepy. But after you're Stroggified, the gameplay doesn't fundamentally change - you'll get small health and armor bonuses, but no ethical dilemmas. How cool would it have been to be forced, against your will, to fight for the Strogg? There's no point to the plot twist; so much for man vs. machine vs. self."

Oh I forgot! You can download the new Quake 4 demo in id Software's website at www.idsoftware.com. Hope you'll enjoy playing!

Top 10 Banned Games from gamesradar.com

2007-06-22T17:59:00.000-07:00

Actually, there are lots of computer games banned all over the world, and Manhunt 2 is just one of them. The good news is… Games Radar.com compiled the list of these banned games and pick their top 10 list. Check them out!

Here are the top 10 banned video games around the world according to www.gamesradar.com

10. 50 Cent Bulletproof
Banned in: Australia
Why? "The Australian censor is notoriously heavy handed and ranks as one of the most ban-happy boards in the world. While the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) accepted the foul language, drug use and excessive violence in Fiddy's actually-quite-rubbish vanity exercise they were turned off by the slow motion counter-kills - specifically the ones involving knives and on-screen blood splatter. To be brutally honest is was no great loss..."

9. Commandos Behind Enemy Lines
Banned in: Germany
Why? "Germany enforces extremely strict censorship on videogames, and as such game publishers will often do a special Teutonic version to pacify the examiners. An oft quoted example is the use of green blood which marks out the character being killed as an 'alien', making it more acceptable. Commandos was banned on a more obvious technicality: an issue with missions that involve allied soldiers going on missions to kill Nazis, and use of the swastika."

8. Pokemon
Banned in: Saudi Arabia
Why? "One of the more bizarre bannings has religious foundations - in 2001 Pokemon and all its associated spin-off games were the subject of a fatwa in Saudi Arabia which said the card featured the Star of David, which was associated with Israel and international Zionism. It was suggested the games had "possessed the minds" of Saudi children. The edict was expected to be followed rather strictly as punishments would likely include lashings and deportation."

7. The Guy Game
Banned in: United States
Why? "A morally reprehensible game in theory and in practice (IGN gave it 7.7) The Guy Game was a fratboy's dream which focussed mostly on tits and beer with some trivia thrown in. What its makers failed to realise was that one of the cheerleaders who flashed her parts on camera during the course of the game was only 17 and thus under-age. She complained and the game became illegal."

6. Mercenaries
Banned in: South Korea
Why? "Not surprisingly South Korea don't take too lightly to games that involve fictional representations of wars between themselves and their slightly mental Northern cousins. To be honest we'd probably be the same if old Kim Jong II was breathing down our necks."

5. Command and Conquer: Generals
Banned in: China
Why? "This strategy game got the backs of the Chinese government up, with the Ministry Of Culture proclaiming it "smeared the image of China and the Chinese army". It also took offence that the game required players to destroy various national monuments like the Three Gorges dam."

4. GRAW 2
Banned in: Mexico
Why? "Recently seriously pissed off one Chihuahua Governor, Jose Reyes Baeza Terraces after he discovered Ubisoft's game featured a fictional storyline that saw the citizens of Chihuahua fleeing their town and being replaced by armed insurgents. Unfortunately, Terraces exposed his painful lack of video game knowledge when he was quoted as saying, "Violent video games ... attempt to divide the good will of the residents of American and Mexican cities".

3. Reservoir Dogs
Banned in: New Zealand
Why? "No great surprises here as anything associated with Quentin Tarantino seems to attract a fair degree of controversy - not that he had anything to do with this woeful adaptation of his 1992 film debut. Amazingly, given the film's cult classic status today, the BBFC (who is responsible for the banning of Manhunt) initially refused to give it a video classification and it wasn't until 1995 that UK film fans could see it outside of a cinema. The New Zealand OFLC banned it for on much the same grounds as the BBFC did, saying "the film tends to promote and support the infliction of extreme violence and extreme cruelty…for the purpose of entertainment."

2. Marc Ecko's Contents Under Pressure
Banned in: Australia
Why? "Although style guru Marc Ecko's graf game was initially granted a 15 rating by the Australian OFLC it was later banned after an appeal ruled that the game promoted an illegal act (graffiti) give hints and tips on how to do it and rewarded the player for scribbling 'I love Tracey' on public buildings and infrastructure. Clearly the Aussies don't do hip-hop."

1. Postal
Banned: In 13 countries
Why? "The fact it's advertised as banned in 13 countries works in the same way that Ruggero Deodato's exploitation classic Cannibal Holocaust was supposedly banned in 50 countries - it's a great selling point. Unsurprisingly, it's not available in Germany and Australia and someone tried to get it banned in the US. It's got a lot to do with the fact the minimal plot involves the lead character going on a killing spree, shooting people, innocent or not, simply because he's angry about being evicted from his house."

Manhunt 2 Not Available in the UK

2007-06-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

Rockstar Games' sequel to the Manhunt video game called the Manhunt 2 for Wii and PlayStation 2 (PS2) is scheduled to be released this coming July 10, 2007. Unfortunately, even though the game is not yet released, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) banned the game and refused to give ratings.

According to David Cooke, Director of BBFC: "To issue a certificate to Manhunt 2 would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public".

Cooke added: "Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game."

This news is quite surprising for UK gaming fans as BBFC rated the Manhunt game 18 during its first release last 2003. In addition, the Irish Film Censor's Office has also announced that the game is banned in Ireland.

Well, the good news is we can play this game in the US as the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) rated the game as Adults Only. Anyway, check out this sneak preview of the characters in Manhunt 2.

* Daniel Lamb - The playable protagonist. He was a former scientist with "The Pickman Project" but ended up locked away in the Dixmor Institute for the Criminally Insane for six years. Apparently he has no recollection of who he was before the Project started. Danny was born on May 29, 1963.

* Leo Kasper - The second playable character. Psychotic inmate who was also put in the asylum by the Project. According to Rockstar's official Manhunt 2 website, he appears to be a former government agent. That might explain his expertise in combat, evasion, infiltration, and assassination techniques. He helps Lamb escape and teaches him his own well-honed tricks of the trade. Leo was born on June 19, 1972.

* Dr. Laura Whyte - Head of "The Pickman Project.".

* Dr. Pickman - High ranking medical practitioner within "The Pickman Project." The project seems to be named after him.

* Judy - Works at a brothel (Honey Pot) and holds information valuable to Daniel. An OPSM preview indicates that Judy used to work with Lamb.

Expect a lot of brutal killings and other violent themes on this game. Ok guys, it is time for me to look for quality performance Honda part on the web so chill out!

UPDATE: More Unlockable Cars in GT4

2007-06-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Actually, there are more than 10 sections in Gran Turismo 4 where you can unlock different car models. So far, I've already posted the guides from Game Spot (www.gamespot.com) on how to unlock the cars in 4 sections including License Center, Beginners Hall, Professional Hall, and Extreme Hall.

Now get ready to hop in 3 continents and know how to unlock the cars found in American Hall, European Hall, and Japanese Hall. There are lots of exciting and rare vehicle models in these 3 sections like the patented Mercedes-Benz Motor Wagen produced in 1886, and the Honda Life van model equipped with Honda cabin filter.

Unlockable Cars in American Hall

CHEVROLET Corvette Convertible (C1) '54 - Win American Championship
CHEVROLET Camaro LM Race Car '01 - Win Stars and Stripes
CHEVROLET Chevelle SS 454 '70 - Win American Muscle Car Championship
PLYMOUTH Super Bird '70 - Win Classic Muscle Car Championship

Unlockable Cars in European Hall

ALFA ROMEO Giulia Sprint Speciale '63 -Win 1000 Miles
VOLVO 240 GLT Estate '88 - Win European Hot Hatch Car Championship
MERCEDES-BENZ Benz Patent Motor Wagen '1886 - Win European Classic Car Championship
CITROEN 2CV Type-A '54 - Win French Championship
ALFA ROMEO 155 2.5 V6 TI Race Car '93 - Win Italian Festival
MERCEDES-BENZ AMG CLK-GTR Race Car '98 Win German Touring Car Championship
LOTUS Europa Special '71 - Win British Light Weight Car Race
JAGUAR E-Type Coupe '61 - Win British GT Cup
JAGUAR XJ220 LM Edition '01 - Win European Championship
MERCEDES-BENZ AMG 190E 2.5 16V Evolution II (DTM) '92 - Win Schwarzwald League B
BMW M3 GTR Race Car '01 - Win Schwarzwald League A

Unlockable Cars in Japanese Hall

NISSAN Fairlady Z Concept LM Race Car '02 - Win Japanese Championship
NISSAN MOTUL PITWORK Z (JGTC) '04 - Win Japanese GT Championship
NISSAN SKYLINE Hard Top 2000GT-R (KPGC10) '70 - Win Japanese 70's Classic
MITSUBISHI HSR-II Concept '89 - Win Japanese 80's Festival
NISMO 400R (R33) '96 - Win Japanese 90's Challenge
HONDA LIFE STEP VAN '72 - Win Japanese Compact Car Cup

More guides on how to unlock cars in other sections in GT4 will be coming soon… so watch out for it.

The Alfa Romeo Brera in NFS: Carbon

2007-06-11T19:26:00.000-07:00

Unveiled as a concept car at the 2002 Geneva Motor Show and produced in 2005, the Alfa Romeo Brera sports cars now invades the console gaming industry with its participation in the 2006 video game Need for Speed: Carbon.

When you start a Career in NFS: Carbon, the Alfa Romeo Brera will be used as a default vehicle in the game during the Tier 1. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t show the specs and features of the Alfa Romeo Brera that is why I come up with this idea to post the specs of the vehicle. Check them out!

Alfa Romeo Brera Specs

Body Type: 3-door coupe

ENGINE
Type: 2.2 JTS 16V
Fuel Type Unleaded 95
Number And Layout Of Cylinders: 4 In Line
Total Displacement Cc: 2198
Maximum Power KW: 136 @ 6500 Rpm
Maximum Power HP: 185 @ 6500 Rpm
Maximum Torque Nm: 230 @ 4500 Rpm
Top Speed Kmh: 222
0-100 Kmh: 8.8

Capacities
Towable Load Kg - Trailer With Brakes: 1450
Fuel Tank Capacity: 70 liters
Kerb Weight Kg : 1470

Dimensions:
Length: 4410 mm
Width: 1830 mm
Height: 1341 mm
Wheelbase: 2520 mm

Fuel Consumption: (Litres Per 100 km)
Urban (City Use): 13
Extra-Urban (Highway) 7.3
Combined (37% Of Urban & 63% Of Extra-Urban: 9.4

SAFETY FEATS
Anti lock brakes (ABS)
Electronic Stability Programme (ESP)
Driver And Passenger Airbags
Driver And Passenger Seat Airbags
Driver Knee Airbag
RH And LH Window Airbags
Inertia Fuel Cut Off Switch
Follow Me Home Headlamps
Rear Child Safety Door Locks
Drivers Seatbelt Reminder System
Driver And Passenger Seatbelts With Pretensioners
All Seats (4) With 3 Point Seatbelts
Isofix Child Seat Restraints
Reversing Sensors
Xenon Lamps
Headlamp Washers

OTHER FEATURES
Dual Zone Climate Control
Remote Alarm System With Central Locking
Heated And Electric Door Mirrors
Cruise Control
2 Rear Headrests
6 Speed Manual Gearbox
Split And Folding Rear Seats
Electric Front Windows
Style Leather Upholstery
Electric Front Seats
18" Alloy Wheels (Spoked)
Front Foglamps
All Wheel Drive System

The Alfa Romeo Brera is also equipped with oxygen sensors similar to Chrysler oxygen sensor found in Chrysler Group's sports car models.

More Unlockable Cars in GT4

2007-06-07T01:49:00.000-07:00

Here is the continuation of the post I made last June 4th about unlocking secret cars featured in Gran Turismo 4 (GT4) that are found on the different halls. This time, take a look and learn these guides on how to unlock those cars found in Beginner, Professional, and Extreme halls, which I got from Game Spot (www.gamespot.com), one of the leading video game information provider on the web.

Unlockable Cars in Beginner Hall

Autobianchi A112 Abarth '79: Win the Sunday Cup
Mazda Atenza Concept '01: Win the FF Challenge
Nissan SKYLINE 2000GT-B '67: Win the FR Challenge
Toyota Motor Triathlon Race Car '04: Win the 4WD Challenge
Lotus Esprit Turbo HC '87: Win the MR Challenge
Ginetta G4 '64: Win the Light Weight K Cup
Chrysler Prowler '02: Win the Spider & Roadster
Chevrolet Silverado SST Concept '02: Win the Sport Truck Race
Mazda 6 Concept '01: Win the FF Challenge (U.S Version)

Unlockable Cars in Professional Hall

Mazda Mazdaspeed Atenza '05: Win Clubman Cup
Nissan OPTION Stream Z '04: Win Tuning Car Grand Prix
Honda NSX-R Concept '01: Win Race of NA Sports
Mazda BP Falken RX-7 (D1GP) '03: Win Race of Turbo Sports
RUF CTR Yellow Bird '87: Win Boxer Spirit
Mercedes-Benz Daimler Motor Carriage '1886: Win World Classic Car Series
Honda S800 RSC Race Car '68: Win World Compact Car Race
Cizeta V16T '94: Win Supercar Festival
Ford GT LM Edition Spec-II '04: Win Gran Turismo World Championship
Mazda Mazdaspeed 6 '05: Win Clubman Cup (U.S Version)

Unlockable Cars in Extreme Hall

Mercedes Sauber C 9 Race Car '89: Win Formula GT World (US version)
Ford GT '05: Win Premium Sports Lounge
Nissan Gran Turismo Skyline GT-R (PaceCar) '01: Win Real Circuit Tours
Polyphony Formula Gran Turismo '04: Win Formula GT World (Japanese version)
Volkswagen W12 Nardo Concept '01: Win Like The Wind
Opera Performance S2000 '04: Win Polyphony Digital Cup
Nissan GT-R Concept LM Race Car '02: Win Dream Car Championship
BMW MacLaren F1 GTR Race Car '97: Win Gran Turismo All Stars

Every method on how unlock these cars are really challenging. Anyway, I am still wondering if there are hidden pick up tuck models in the game like the Ford Super Duty equipped with Ford Truck performance parts.

Unlocking GT4 Secrets

2007-06-04T18:31:00.000-07:00

Now get that PlayStation 2 (PS2) controllers and insert your Grand Turismo 4 (GT4) game DVD! Why? It is because I'll be presenting to you video game fans the how tos and secrets of the GT4.

Let us start in the unlockable cars in the game. Did you know that the rarest cars featured in GT4 are found in the License Centre? Here’s how to unlock them.

Unlockable Cars in License Centre

Acura DN-X '02: A License All Silver or better (US Version)
PONTIAC Solstice Coupe Concept '02: Get All Silver in Super License
FORD Model T Tourer '15 : Get All Golds in Super License
DOME ZERO '78: Get All Gold in International A License
MERCURY Cougar XR-7 '67: Complete Super License
NISSAN GT-R Concept '01: Get All Silver in International A License
NISMO 270R '94 (S14): Complete: International A License
JENSEN HEALEY Interceptor Mk.III '74: Get All Gold in International B License
MAZDA RX-8 Concept (Type-II) '04: Get All Silver in International B License
NIKE One 2022 : Complete International B License
NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R '01: Get All Golds in Domestic A License
HONDA DUALNOTE '01: Get All Silver in Domestic A License (Japanese Version)
PONTIAC Sunfire GXP Concept '02: Complete Domestic A License
HONDA S500 '63: Get All Golds in Domestic B License
MAZDA KUSABI '03: Get All Silver in Domestic B License
VOLKSWAGEN Lupo 1.4 '02: Complete Domestic B License

Like all other games, GT4 also comes with walkthroughs and game secrets for the players to discover. But for you, you wont need to discover those secrets coz here are some of the GT4 secrets I found on Game Spot. Check them out!

Free Horsepower
When you buy or win a new car, take it for an oil change. After the oil change, your car's horsepower will increase.

Licence Guides
To get a Blue (acceleration) and Red (brakes) Licence Test Guide simply push R3 during 3,2,1,Start. It shows you the best route to go and where to start braking. This only works on the B and A license tests and tests where there is no pace car.

Speed up replays, and turn off BGM
To speed up your replays simply press down L3 and to turn off the background music simply press O.

Stay in same gear in Automatic transmission
When using the automatic transmission option, hold R2 to make your car remain in the same gear. This is great for remaining at a given speed through a corner, or stretching the top end of a gear for a little extra speed/performance.

Hidden Black Cars
On days 694-700 in the used car lots you can buy special black versions of:
1.Toyota GT One Race Car
2.Mazda 787B
3.Nissan R390 Race Car
4.Nissan R92CP Race Car

To Buy them all it comes to roughly 9,000,000 credits

[source: Game Spot (www.gamespot.com)]

I wonder when GT developers will feature pickup truck models like GMC Sierra equipped with GMC running board in GT game series.

More Gran Turismo Trivia

2007-05-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

Trivia about the Gran Turismo 4, actually.

Polyphony Digital and Sony Computer Entertainment released the Gran Turismo 4 (GT4) in 2004, the 4th installment of this very popular video game racing series. Although there are other versions that followed GT4, the game still remained as popular to worldwide gamers. The game featured numerous enhancements including new cars like the latest Mitsubishi Eclipse with customizable Eclipse body kit, and real word race tracks from different sides of the world.

Check out some trivia about this popular Gran Turismo sequel according to Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com):

Jeremy Clarkson, host of the Top Gear television program performed a head-to-head test of real life versus GT4 on an episode of the program

GT4 won the E3 Game Critics Awards for Best Racing Game in 2003 and included in Game Informer's "Top 50 Games of 2005".

Both the first release of the Japanese and Chinese version of the game was sold with a 212-page reference guide, with a message from famous car reviewer Reychiro Fukuno, an introduction to the physics of racing, lessons on using the GT Force Pro steering wheel, a machine tuning guide and parts catalogue, a tutorial for the photo mode from photographer Chikara Kitabatake, a race course index, a partial cars index and also a complete music index. The game and the guide were cased together in a special box of the same size as a DVD case. A similar guide was included with the first release of the Japanese Gran Turismo 3: A-spec.

Due to the tight schedule for releasing the Chinese version, obvious textual errors can be found in the game, like the names for the two '90s used cars section being swapped, and the descriptions for the damper bounce and rebound also being switched. Other minor, but curious grammatical errors can be found.

The Chinese version of GT4 failed to fix a bug that resulted in the game being left at 99.8% after all races have been cleared, because the Formula GT race was corrupted; thus, players were unable to unlock the final car at 100% completion. There is also a similar glitch in the North American version of the game. If the first driving mission is not completed first, before the other missions are attempted, the game will not record the mission as complete. Therefore the highest completion percent will be 99.8%.

Advertising for GT4 was a task for the two teams to complete on the reality show The Apprentice.* Comedian Jay Leno, an avid car collector, is listed in the game as a manufacturer; one of his custom cars, the Blastolene Special or "Tank Car", is included in the game.[9]* A special version of GT4 featuring three tracks and four vehicles (the 118d, 120d, 118i and 120i) was given by BMW to their customers who purchased their 1 Series automobile before it was released.

The 2022 Nike One has Morse code on the right hand side of the car. When reversed, this reads www.phil-frank.com, the artist commissioned to design this car for GT4. There is also some Morse code visible on the inside of all four tires.

Mazda Models in Gran Turismo

2007-05-29T01:16:00.000-07:00

As I've said in my previous post, there about 720 different car models from US and international automaker that are featured in Gran Turismo (GT) video game racing series. One of my fave makers in the game is the Japanese automaker Mazda. Mazda models offers powerful performance and effective handling, specifically the Mazda RX-8 LM Edition. With almost 600 horses pumping out from its engine along with smooth handling, this model can outrun any other GT players aboard other models. The real Mazda RX-7model comes with quality auto parts like Mazda Expansion Tank.

Anyway, this is only my own opinion. If you think you can play GT better with your fave race car model, then beat it. Maybe I'll see you in a GT race battle soon.

Meanwhile, check out the Mazda models featured in Gran Turismo.

Special Model
Mazda RX-8 LM Edition

New Models
Mazda Eunos Cosmo 13B Type S CCs
Mazda Eunos Cosmo 20B Type E CCs
Mazda Lantis 2000 Type R
Mazda Eunos Roadster
Mazda Eunos Roadster V Special
Mazda Eunos Roadster S Special
Mazda FD Efini RX-7 Type RZ
Mazda FD Efini RX-7 Type RB
Mazda FD Efini RX-7 TouringX
Mazda FD Efini RX-7 A spec
Mazda RX-7 FC GT-X
Mazda RX-7 FC lll
Mazda Demio GL-X
Mazda Demio GL
Mazda Demio LX G Package

Used Cars
Mazda Eunos Roadster '89
Mazda Eunos Roadster '90 V Special
Mazda Eunos Roadster '92 S Special
Mazda RX-7 FD '91 Type R

The Gran Turismo Video Game Racing Series

2007-05-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

From cars featured in Need for Speed: Carbon (NFS), let us now move to the best-selling PlayStation game ever! It is none other than the Gran Turismo (GT) racing game series developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA). Like the NFS, Gran Turismo also features a bunch of high performance vehicles from different American and international automakers. The Gran Turismo 4 features about 720 cars like Mazda models equipped with Mazda fenders and more than 50 race tracks for the players to choose from.

The highlight of the game is that you should first get license before entering a prestigious racing event. How to get a license? Well, just like in the real world, there are also driving tests and challenges for you to get a license. But I'm telling you these test drives are very difficult and grueling that even a professional driver couldn’t complete all of them in a single round.

Now for the cars, they are grouped into three main categories in the game: New Cars, Used Cars, and Special Models. All cars in each category have a corresponding price. You should earn money to get your favorite high performance car. Check out the cars featured in Gran Turismo racing game series in the official website at www.us.playstation.com/PSone/Games/Gran_Turismo/OGS. It would be a very long list if I post all of those cars in this blog entry.

Anyway, check out these trivia about the game:

* The band The Cardigans said in interviews that the name of their album Gran Turismo is because they played the first game a lot during the tours and recording sessions. The song My Favourite Game is a reference of dedication of the band to the game. Polyphony Digital and SCEA later returned the favour; a remix of "My Favourite Game" replaces the main theme of

* For all installments of the series, Japanese watch maker Seiko has been credited as the official time keeper of the games' races. However, in the credits section of the game manuals for GT2, GT3 and GT4, it is stated that "The timing data used in the game is generated by Sony Computer Entertainment using its own method and not by Seiko Corporation"

* Gran Turismo was referenced in the The Streets song "The Irony Of It All" from the album Original Pirate Material

* Gran Turismo was also referenced in the Eiffel 65 song "My Console" from the album Europop, though the song mentions many early Playstation titles.

* Gran Turismo was also referenced in The King Of Queens, where in a certain episode, you could clearly see Doug racing on Tahiti Road

* The younger clone version of Lieutenant Colonel Jack O'Neill can be seen playing Gran Turismo 3 in the Fragile Balance episode of Stargate SG-1

* In the movie The Fast and the Furious, one of the characters can be briefly seen playing Gran Turismo on a PlayStation mounted inside his car.

* In The Movie Wild Hogs, Doug Madsen's son is seen playing Gran Turismo 4 on the Autumn Ring track.

About DotA Allstars

2007-05-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

Yeah yeah.. I know it is kinda late posting blog about DotA Allstars. But you know what? Many gamers around there still don’t know about this game so I decided to create this entry. So stop murmuring there you DotA freaks coz this entry is not for all of you. This is for the nooby community.

DotA Allstars is one variant of the user-defined map called Defense of the Ancients (hence the name DotA) that is played through Warcraft III: Frozen Throne game expansion. So if you only have the original series Warcraft IIIL Reign of Chaos, you cant play DotA Allstars with that version.

The game basically focused on team strategy in destroying the opposing team's base structures and units. But unlike any other strategy games, in DotA Allstars, you control one unit called a hero. I know heroes are already familiar with you Warcraft fans so I guess it is unnecessary if I explain it more further. Just think of this way: heroes are your main character in the game just like in other role playing games (RPG) like the online version World of Warcraft (WoW). Players can select two teams, the Sentinel and the Scourge. You control your hero along with your AI-controlled allies called "creeps". There are also mechanical allies for each team to destroy the enemy's units and buildings. These mechanical units are one of my fave features in DotA Allstars.

The development of Dota Allstars in continuous, and the current version is 6.43b. But there is a Filipino guy who created his own version, 6.50. Surprisingly, his version made it into the Official Maps at DotA Portal (www.dotaportal.com). Well, for the mechanical units in the game, I think it would be great if the developers could update them into powerful cars with Mercedes grille firing missiles to its enemies! Lol!

Anyway, check out these trivia about DotA Allstars:

Blizzard (the publisher of Warcraft game series) has officially recognized DotA Allstars as its first Spotlight Map entry in the Battle.net Hall of Fame. It was also an independent tournament item at the debut of Blizzard's BlizzCon convention in 2005.
Dota Allstars was also featured in the Malaysia and Singapore World Cyber Games 2005, 2006, and the World Cyber Games Asian Championships 2006.[
DotA is included in the game lineup for the internationally-recognized Cyberathlete Amateur League, and the CyberEvolution league.
As its public profile has increased, so has DotA Allstars' popularity among players around the world, as observed on the Battle.net servers. In addition to competitive play in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, casual games are played in every Battle.net region.
Though the map is developed in North America, players are increasingly joining clans and leagues in other areas, challenging more established North American clans.
DotA has inspired significant fan art. One of the most famous DotA-inspired songs is "Vi sitter i Ventrilo och spelar DotA" by Swedish musician BassHunter. There are many other amateur songs, often in Hip-Hop genre, known and created by players such as "Devil's Urethra."
Fans also created the artwork displayed while the map is loading.
DotA has been regarded as one of the fastest growing e-sports.

Cars, Cars, and More Cars in Need For Speed: Carbon

2007-05-09T02:57:00.000-07:00

If you already played the NFS: Carbon, the latest sequel in Electronic Art's (EA's) Need for Speed series and you enjoyed it, do know how many car models that are featured in the game? Well, for your info, there are actually 54 vehicles in Need for Speed: Carbon. But in the official website of the game, there are only 46, and 3 of them are police cars.

Here is the compete car lists featured in Need for Speed: Carbon. Some of these cars can be unlocked using the cheat codes I posted here last March. The cars are divided in three categories: tuner cars, muscle cars, and exotic cars. Unfortunately, you wont see any Acura models like Acura RSX with quality Acura RSX performance parts in NFS: Carbon. Maybe EA will include it in the next sequel, so watch out for it.

Tuner Cars:

* 2003 Infiniti G35 (accidentally locked that were meant to be available)
* 2001 Lexus IS300 (bonus car, only playable in Challenge Series)
* 2007 Mazda3 MPS
* 1999 Mazda RX-7
* 2003 Mazda RX-8 - Image
* 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX (bonus car)
* 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT - Image
* 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX MR Edition
* 1992 Nissan 240SX (exclusive to NFS: Carbon Collectors Edition)
* 2006 Nissan 350Z
* 1999 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R
* 2005 Renault Clio V6
* 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
* 1986 Toyota Corolla GT-S (bonus car)
* 1993 Toyota MR2 (bonus car, only playable in Challenge Series)
* 1998 Toyota Supra
* 2006 Volkswagen Golf R32

Muscle Cars:

* 2006 Chevrolet Camaro Concept (bonus car, exclusive to NFS: Carbon Collectors Edition)
* 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS - Image
* 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS (bonus car)
* 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
* 2006 Chrysler 300C SRT8
* 1971 Dodge Challenger R/T (exclusive to EA Downloader NFS: Carbon Collectors Edition)
* 2006 Dodge Challenger Concept
* 1969 Dodge Charger R/T
* 2006 Dodge Charger SRT-8
* 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe
* 2006 Ford Mustang GT
* 1970 Plymouth Hemi Cuda
* 1969 Plymouth Road Runner (bonus car)
* 2006 Pontiac GTO (bonus car), (police car)
* 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
* 2007 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 (bonus car)
* 2005 Vauxhall Monaro VXR

Exotic Cars

* 2006 Alfa Romeo Brera
* 2004 Aston Martin DB9
* 2003 Audi Le Mans Quattro (bonus car)
* 2003 BMW M3 GTR (bonus car)
* 2005 Ford GT
* 2007 Jaguar XK (exclusive to NFS: Carbon Collectors Edition)
* 2006 Koenigsegg CCX (bonus car, exclusive to NFS: Carbon Collectors Edition)
* 2004 Lamborghini Gallardo
* 2004 Lamborghini Murcielago
* 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 (bonus car)
* 2004 Lotus Elise
* 2006 Lotus Europa S (bonus car, only playable in Challenge Series)
* 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK500
* 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG
* 2004 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
* 2006 Pagani Zonda F (bonus car)
* 2004 Porsche Carrera GT
* 2006 Porsche Cayman S
* 2007 Porsche 911 Turbo (accidentally locked that were meant to be available)
* 2006 Porsche 911 GT3 RS (bonus car, only playable in Challenge Series)

X-Box and Lexus Bringing the Game On

2007-04-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

A new and innovative video game has been swooping down on most auto junkies and gamers alike as Atari, Inc. (develops interactive games for all platforms and is a third-party publisher of interactive entertainment software in the U.S.) has announced a free download that’s dubbed as “Lexus Car Pack”.

The free download is available on Xbox Live Marketplace for Test Drive Unlimited. Most gamers will be thrilled to experience an automotive rush that Xbox has contributed by hooking up with the Lexus brand. The Lexus Car Pack is one gaming ride for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Atari has unleashed the Lexus GS 450h hybrid-powered luxury sport sedan and Lexus LS 460 premium luxury sedan on Xbox Live Marketplace for free download. Supplementary Lexus vehicles coming soon to Test Drive Unlimited include the SC 430 hard-top convertible and the all-new 2008 LS 600h L which will be the world’s first full hybrid V8 luxury sedan alongside its innovative Lexus parts.

Nique Fajors, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Atari, Inc. enthused that Lexus vehicles are among the finest vehicles on the market nowadays and are appropriate for Test Drive Unlimited, one of the hottest racing games today.

“Atari is committed to providing consumers with a top-notch automotive experience and this free, downloadable Lexus Car Pack for Test Drive Unlimited is another example of that commitment.” Fajors quipped.

Test Drive Unlimited is M.O.O.R. (Massively Open Online Racing) and is loaded with 90 vehicles and one thousand miles of open terrain and a host of online options are also available. Online and offline gamers will have a familiarity of the world’s most impressive and swiftest vehicles around on Test Drive’s Unlimited Hawaiian universe.

It definitely has an enormous online content where racers around the world can challenge other gamers to join them in the virtual paradise of the game’s unrelenting online racing world. Gamers will slot in online challenges and build communities by crafting or joining exclusive members clubs to chat, race and trade cars.

Sure enough, Test drive Unlimited has an unlimited racing possibilities and one of the most comprehensive online racing experiences to date.

Armed Assault ArmA-Geddon

2007-03-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

The renowned European developer Bohemia Interactive has meshed a totally great war-like strategy game much to the delight of action-hungry gamers. The tactical shooter ArmA: Armed Assault 1.05 is already available worldwide. The original ArmA was released last year and has created enough buzz for game freaks.

Game description: the game provides players incredible and impressive virtual realism, solid tactics and intense strategy and a whole lot of smashing action. A gamer should rely on basic instincts pertaining to keen insight, gut intuition and a sharp strategic mind if one is to survive on the expansive battlefields. Feeble attempts are discouraged since every decision a gamer makes could mean a life-and-death issue for oneself and for the troops.

ArmA’s several features include extensive multiplayer modules and matches which serve something for every online FPS gamer. Also, it comprises of a large slection of playable military and civilian gear vehicles. The large wheels of those battle tanks will surely be a death-defying thrill for crushing opponents. Most of the vehicles’ auto body parts have been enhanced with great features that are capable of gunning down the forces of evil.

The game also consists of a brand new storyline (fight for freedom), new map covering over 400 sq. km in extreme detail, new modified game engine, comprehensive multiplayer support with join in progress and a customizable game with built-in mission editor.

So if frag-fests and strategizing is your thing, better head over to your nearest game shop and purchase this nifty FPS online game. ArmA’s already garnering an armada from the PC gaming community.

Cheater Mode: Need for Speed Carbon

2007-03-02T01:06:00.000-08:00

Remember the previous post I made last month regarding the newest sequel of Need for Speed (NFS) game series? The game was a lot more exciting than I thought with these unlockable cheat codes. New vehicles with aggressive auto body parts will be available in the game depending on the cheat code entered. The Need for Speed: Carbon was the first NFS game series from Electronic Arts to be featured in all of the latest gaming platforms ranging from consoles like PS2, PSP, GBA up to personal computer (PC) version.

Well, forget about the console versions of the Need for Speed: Carbon. Here are some PC cheats for the game (from www.cheathappens.com) to make your gaming experience more exciting (but less challenging). All you need to do is type these cheat codes below at the 'CLICK TO CONTINUE' screen or in the main menu screen of the game. All cheat codes are lower case letters, followed by the cheat result. Enjoy cheating!

canyonalltheway - All Tracks
shinycarsarethebestcars - Chrome Cars
5grand5grand - Castrol Cash
friendlyheadlocksapplied - Unlimited Crew Charge
nosforeverever - Unlimited NOS
slowitdownwhenyouwant - Unlimited SpeedBreaker
givemethechargersrt8 - 2006 Dodge Charger SRT8
givemethedb9 - 2005 Aston Martin DB9
chasingheadlocksappliedrashtalk - Mazda Dealership
speed3foryou - Mazda Speed3
watchoutthebigtruckishere - Dump Truck in Quick Race Mode
bigredfiredrive - Firetruck in Quick Race Mode
trashtalking - Rhino in Quick Race Mode
guesswhoisback - Cross Corvette Z06 in Quick Race Mode
chasingmobile - Corvette Z06 Interceptor in Quick Race Mode
cooperlogofreeforyou - Cooper Tire Logo
pharrellvinylgogo - Pharrell Vinyl
lotsoffreevinyls - NFS: Carbon Special Vinyls
lotsoffreelogos - NFS: Carbon Vinyls
syntecskin - Castrol Syntec Vinyl
inthezoneski - Autozone Vinyl

The Car in Age of Empires I

2007-02-08T00:51:00.000-08:00

When I was in high school, the very first version of the Age of Empires and the expansion version, Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome was released.

You probably already know this game but for those who doesn’t, Age of Empires (AoE) is a real-time strategy, multi-player PC game developed and published by Microsoft in 1997. The game is based from the historical happenings and settings of ancient civilization, from the early stone age up to the iron age. The major objectives in the game is to build your chosen civilization type, create your fortress with your peasants, train warriors, upgrade weapons and artilleries, and finally, conquer other fortresses and tribes. Of course, you will also defend your fortress to some other invaders when playing multiplayer online over the internet or in local network.

So what is the most interesting part of this game (but least challenging)? Well, it is the cheat codes for God-like modes. Yeah right, Age of Empires, just like any other game got a bunch of cheat codes to make the game much easier. There are cheat codes to boost your gold and other supplies, build barracks and military units more faster, and even make your foes weaker.

But the weirdest cheat in the game is when you type “big daddy” as the cheat code on the game’s chat box. What would happen if you do this? Well, a type cheat will be activated and a gas-guzzler muscle car that fires missiles from the side view mirror will appear in front of your command center, ready to fight!

The car can be used as your major killing machine during battles. Whoah! Imagine a medieval battlefield with warriors armored with plate mails going on a skirmish bearing only swords, spears, axes, bows, and arrows, and then you’ll see a car launching bunches of missiles at your enemies and buildings. The car can even bump and destroy fortified walls units without even damaging its headlights and tail lights.

Unfortunately, the cheat code was disabled during the release of newer versions of the Age of Empires game series.

Carbon: A New Series of Need for Speed

2007-01-22T23:33:00.000-08:00

Do you know the latest installment in the "Need For Speed" series? Well, I haven't yet satisfied my gaming impulses for this new installment but I assure you, this thing you will surely love.

I am talking about "Need for Speed: Carbon", the first from the series to be released for all next generation consoles. The new game is featuring new cars from the world’s famous car makers. You will see how they manage to design the cars identical to the car models they choose. Even the wheels and rims are perfectly made to show a replica of the real life cars.

The Carbon game also features the voice of the Canadian actress and model Emmanuelle Vaugier who gave the life and the voice to the games' new character Nikki, who is the main source of help and ally in the career storyline. Nikki is using a Ford GT and she plays the role of a drafter.

Other characters include the game's chief antagonist Darius who is a stacked deck and is using an Audi Le Mans Quattro and Cross and he is a former Police Sergeant of the Rockport Police Department who lost his job after failing to stop you from escaping Rockport in NFS: MW. Another is Angie, the boss of the gang called 21^st street. She will be using her 1969 Dodge Charger R/T and 2006 Dodge Challenger Concept. Kenji is the leader of Bushido gang who is using Mazda RX-7Mitsubishi as well as a Lancer Evolution IX. And lastly, Wolf who will be using an Aston Martin DB9 and is also a Lamborghini Murcielago owner. Wolf is the boss of the gang called TFK.

Carbon reached the number one spot upon its debut. The game is also available for UK All Format Gaming Chart on its first week of release, beating Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 6.Sony Playstation, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. The particular game is called "Need For Speed: Own City".

Cars and Criminals

2007-01-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

Rockstar Games has gotten some flak lately for releasing Bully, another violent game set in a school where your task as a player is to bully school kids while thwarting bigger bullies. But even more controversial (not to mention bloody) is Rockstar's other game, Grand Theft Auto. In a capsule, Grand Theft Auto is The Fast and The Furious crossed with The Godfather. Or better, The Godfather on wheels. You start by doing some legwork for criminal rings and as you climb the ranks, the tasks assigned to you becomes more difficult.

What's Grand Theft Auto without the cars? To explore and move around the vast world of Liberty City, you get to choose from a wide selection of vehicles ranging from vans to ambulances. My favorites, of course, are the sports cars: very useful in outrunning the police and demented rival gangs on wheels.

All these sports cars are speed demons and can take you out of a sticky situation in a cinch. The problem, however, is the controls. It can be a pain when turning corners and dodging turtle cars on the streets. Avoid death by car accident by fine tuning the car controls and other in-game options. Click here for GTA: San Andreas cheats hehehe.

Downgrade: Warcraft 3

2007-01-03T17:19:00.000-08:00

I just replaced my computer with an HP Pavillion laptop - it's bye bye to 3d intensive games like Halo for me. Oh well, maybe it's for the best: less distraction from work you know, considering I'm no longer some zit-faced teenager. But darn it! I'm having withdrawal symptons.

Anyway the HP laptop was a good bargain, its got lots of features I didn't expect from a laptop. It can play DVDs without booting up which is kind of cool. The only downside is the laptop can only survive for 2 hours on battery which is really a pain when you're in transit with no power outlets to plug the laptop into.

Anyway, the Pavilion is a media laptop so I tried installing old Warcraft 3 to pacify my itchy fingers. Whadayknow?! It worked just fine! This is why I like playing Blizzard games so much - they publish games that are quite easy on computer resources. I also installed the Frozen Throne and played the Founding of Durotar bonus game on hard for the nth time. I haven't had any decent sleep for the last two days.

Wholesome Gaming Anyone?

2006-12-08T22:17:00.000-08:00

Christian games are making it into the mainstream, despite this era's leaning towards games full of gore and with explicit content. With the latest controversy on games with immoral content such as sex scenes, Christian developers have risen to the challenge of creating video games with wholesome or Christian content. Christian games in general promote Christian values, so that parents need not worry of questionable content.

Two of these Christian games are:

"Dance Praise" from Digital Praise, Inc. combines dancing games with Christian music. Offering four different modes of game play, it features more than 50 Christian songs from rock, rap, hip-hop, techno and other genres. Not much different in concept from the famous Dance Revolution, Dance Praise promises to set players' feet on fire.

"The Rebel Planet Series" is about an era thousands of years before the Great Flood of Noah, in a world called "The Red Planet". An imaginative fantasy world where the Bible is the foundation of truth.

Haven't sampled this games coz, well, they're not my usual thing, but hey, as long as it's an electronic game, it's worth a try, ain't it? ;)

A Little Something More for the Racing Freak

2006-12-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

While The Fast and the Furious online racing game truly engages, surely the cravings of racing fanatics like us never quells. Thus, my friends, let me introduce to you to another race game that's sure to rock your world: the TOCA Race Driver 2: Ultimate Driving Simulator (TRD2).

If variety is what you're looking for, this latest release is sure to deliver that. What with its' 31 championships covering 15 different racing styles such as Street Racing, Global GT Lights, Open Wheel Grand Prix, Super Truck Racing, Stockcar Oval Racing and Performance Cars. Packed with lots of race vehicle, styles and circuits, there's simply something in this game for everyone. So whether you want rallying, ice-racing or classic cars, the TRD2 will deliver.

With this heaven of a game, you'll truly feel like you're on the railroad yourself and would be challenged with a good balance of racing sim and arcade-style game play. Here's the lowdown on how it works: all players start as a novice driver, with the goal of getting to the top of the racing world. They are guided by a veteran pit crew chief who gives all these advices for each to succeed, but also tells them directly when they screw up. ^^

While the goals of each race are not really that difficult to achieve, it can be frustrating as you can switch from one type of car to a completely new one without even a single practice lap. Oh, just try it, my friend. You'll see once you play.

All in all, I rate this game kick-ass. ^^

The fast and the furious--getting some online gaming action

2006-11-28T18:57:00.000-08:00

Still can't get enough of that action-packed sit-on-the-edges-of-your-seats racing movie? Why not try some first-hand action and get some racing done on your own?

The Fast and the Furious online racing game will give you that drag racing rush you want to get.
The Fast and the Furious racing game has simple but clean graphics, and real-enough roaring sound effects. Not too flashy on either departments, but the tidy work on both makes up for it.

The game starts with a choice of four race cars: a green 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse, a black 1969 Dodge Charger, an orange 1995 Toyota Supra Turbo, and a night blue Honda S2000. The player has the option to choose the speed and quality of connection and the difficulty of the game.

The controls of the game are not too complicated, so you will have no trouble remembering them: SPACE BAR for changing gear up, CTRL for changing gear down, UP arrow for accelerating, DOWN arrow for brakes, and LEFT and RIGHT arrows for swerving left and right.

Now that we've covered the basics, you're all set to get some action right in front of your pc. Race along the streets in the Fast and the Furious game.

Wazzzaaaaaaaaap?

2006-11-27T17:38:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay, that greeting's been gone since those Bud commercials faded away a few years back. Hecka funny commercials though, weren't they?

Anyway, here's a blog where I get to blab about one of the greatest inventions known to man - video games. Yup, the hours that we spend mashing away at keyboards and D-pads, the all-nighters we pull to beat some bad ass bosses and unlock secret stages, the 24 hour Gran Turismo races that just shock our systems to no end - it's all good. Here's my tribute to it. Hey, Dungeon and Dragons was fun, but video games just brought it to a whole 'nother level. Know what I mean?

Game on!