The new Xbox 360 has now been confirmed and will be available to purchase as of next week beginning 21st June worldwide. The new console was announced at this year's E3 conference and with it some very cool new additions that will make this new Xbox 360 a truly unbeatable games console.
One of the major differences is the new look its slimmer and claims to be whisper silent which is great news for the movie goers, They have also added built-in wireless supporting the new 'n' network which boasts a faster and more secure connection from the Xbox to your router.
Long gone is the hard drive they have also added this as a permanent fixture meaning no more accessories all over the place, the hard drive is now built into the console, meaning you will transfer data via a cable, with all these loose ends out the way you have your Xbox and slick black new look.
To top of the E3 even Microsoft also announced that they will not be changing the price of this New Xbox 360 and will be charging the same regular price as the original Xbox! The problem being that nearly everyone has an original Xbox 360 and would not simply go and replace something that isn't broken.
A website online freebies4me is giving away a new Free Xbox 360 to every member who joins the site and invites their friends in on the action. This will allow people to upgrade their Xbox 360 without paying a single penny! Grab your free Xbox 360 today without any hidden costs to getting yours straight to your door!
Owner of Free Xbox 360 @ Freebies4me.co.uk - William S
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_S_Smith
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Prince of Persia - A Comprehensive Review of the Multiplatform Hit
The Prince of Persia games have been around since the days of the Apple II and have graced previous generations of consoles like the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The last reincarnation of the Persian Prince on these platforms were fantastic. The first Prince of Persia - The Sands of Time was a platforming gem, whilst The Warrior Within took the fighting mantel. Lastly the Two Thrones melded these two important elements into one great game, finishing off the story brilliantly.
Now the Prince is reborn on the new generation of consoles with the Prince of Peria on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the trusty PC. The Ubisoft team have gone with a completely new art and graphical direction, with the game looking like a beautiful painted canvas. The new cell shaded design is an instant win, for me, and the new Prince and his sexy side-kick Elika both look stunning.
The basic story premise is Elika's father and ruler of the kingdom destroys the Tree of Life, which contains the God Ahriman. With the Tree of Life destroyed, Ahriman begins to infect the kingdom and its lands with Corruptions. It's the Prince's and Elika's job to heal lands known as fertile grounds to restore power back to the Tree of Life and stop the evil god Ahriman escaping. Nice and simple!
You as the Prince has to jump, swing and do your usual platforming tricks to get to where Elika has to use her magic powers to heal the fertile grounds. When I first started I expected to be doing the many button platform moves that engrossed me in The Sands of Time, however, I was met with the same style of "platforming" as in Assassin's Creed, which makes platforming more like the gimmicky quick-time events that plague most video games these days and takes away the skill needed. This did not impress me! To do a wall run and then jump to an opposite ledge, all I had to do was press X (yes I'm playing on the PS3....), then wait till he got near to the platform I am suppose to jump to and press X again. Also, the places where you are suppose to wall jump are nicely marked out for you with what looks like cat scratches along the wall. To be brief, I am not happy with the platforming element one bit! But I will say the animations are superb.
Moving on, once you reach the healing place in the fertile ground it is time to do battle! Each fertile grounds has a sort of boss which you have to fight and kill to allow Elika to heal the grounds and restore power to the Tree. And here is where my other moan is. After the great fighting you could do in The Warrior Within, we get this drivel!! Block....keep blocking, right my turn, gauntlet attack, sword attack the Elika's magical attack then repeat. Fun I say in a sarcastic tone. Yes you can mix it up a bit more and unlock new moves and attacks, and there is the odd God of War style button mashing element, but really it is a pathetic attempt by Ubisoft, again in the mould of the repetitiveness of Assassin's Creed. The enemies are different and do have distinct attacks, but when they do attack all you have to do is press block, then do which ever combo you have memorized.
Once disposed of the enemies its time for Elika to heal the fertile grounds. Once she has performed this piece of magic, you watch as the plagued lands and corruption that resides there is destroyed and the groun transformed magically back to its fertile state. Honestly, when I first saw this, I thought it was majestic. Once the lands have been transformed back to their fertile state, you notice orbs floating around the fertile grounds. These are light seeds, they are what Elika (you really) need to open up new grounds for you to heal and also you can improve Elika's magical powers and your own skills.
With your task complete it is now time to move on to the next fertile ground to heal. Fortunately the ever so helpful Elika has another useful trick up her sleeve. She provides you with a Fable II style compass, but unlike Fable II's disappears after a few seconds. Don't know why they didn't leave it on permanently. Oh well, a little more on Elika! Elika is important to the Prince, as whenever the Prince is in trouble, for example you thought you were playing the Sands of Times and thought you had to do proper platforming but finding yourself tumbling to your death, Elika pours out a magical hand that grabs you and pulls you back to your original starting point of the jump you messed up. Nothing like the rewind ability in Sands of time one bit...Also she is there to help you jump further with a quick tap of the triangle button or Y button I presume for 360 gamers. She also elaborates on the plot of the story more as you have the ability to talk to and understand more about Ahriman, the Tree of Life etc.
Overall, the new Prince of Persia is a good game. It has luscious graphics and animations, especially when you heal the fertile grounds. However, it is let down the same way Assassin's Creed was let down, it is overly repetitive and it doesn't allow for skill to complete the game, but opts for a a quick-time event styled press a button and let the animations do the rest. Elika is a nice addition but could be used more, and being able to play her in a co-op mode would be fantastic, more so when you are fighting the Corrupted. The story is simplistic and won't win any awards, with the voice typically American. I'm sorry but when did a Persian Prince have a Yank accent.
I was looking forward to this game greatly as I loved the previous incarnation of the Prince, but with new incarnation I am unfortunately disappointed. Its too simplistic and repetitive and no replayability in it. The other problem is it has the potential to be a much better game. I would recommend people to play it if they have never played previous Prince of Persia Games, but to true fans of the series be warned...
Graphics - 9/10 Story - 6/10 Gameplay - 5/10
Overall - 6.5/10
I'm a huge fan of video games and gaming culture, and I have the awesome chance to write for video games blogs and pop culture sites. For great deals on video games and peripherals, visit http://videogamestarstore.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rich_Thorp
www.computerpuppy.com
Now the Prince is reborn on the new generation of consoles with the Prince of Peria on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the trusty PC. The Ubisoft team have gone with a completely new art and graphical direction, with the game looking like a beautiful painted canvas. The new cell shaded design is an instant win, for me, and the new Prince and his sexy side-kick Elika both look stunning.
The basic story premise is Elika's father and ruler of the kingdom destroys the Tree of Life, which contains the God Ahriman. With the Tree of Life destroyed, Ahriman begins to infect the kingdom and its lands with Corruptions. It's the Prince's and Elika's job to heal lands known as fertile grounds to restore power back to the Tree of Life and stop the evil god Ahriman escaping. Nice and simple!
You as the Prince has to jump, swing and do your usual platforming tricks to get to where Elika has to use her magic powers to heal the fertile grounds. When I first started I expected to be doing the many button platform moves that engrossed me in The Sands of Time, however, I was met with the same style of "platforming" as in Assassin's Creed, which makes platforming more like the gimmicky quick-time events that plague most video games these days and takes away the skill needed. This did not impress me! To do a wall run and then jump to an opposite ledge, all I had to do was press X (yes I'm playing on the PS3....), then wait till he got near to the platform I am suppose to jump to and press X again. Also, the places where you are suppose to wall jump are nicely marked out for you with what looks like cat scratches along the wall. To be brief, I am not happy with the platforming element one bit! But I will say the animations are superb.
Moving on, once you reach the healing place in the fertile ground it is time to do battle! Each fertile grounds has a sort of boss which you have to fight and kill to allow Elika to heal the grounds and restore power to the Tree. And here is where my other moan is. After the great fighting you could do in The Warrior Within, we get this drivel!! Block....keep blocking, right my turn, gauntlet attack, sword attack the Elika's magical attack then repeat. Fun I say in a sarcastic tone. Yes you can mix it up a bit more and unlock new moves and attacks, and there is the odd God of War style button mashing element, but really it is a pathetic attempt by Ubisoft, again in the mould of the repetitiveness of Assassin's Creed. The enemies are different and do have distinct attacks, but when they do attack all you have to do is press block, then do which ever combo you have memorized.
Once disposed of the enemies its time for Elika to heal the fertile grounds. Once she has performed this piece of magic, you watch as the plagued lands and corruption that resides there is destroyed and the groun transformed magically back to its fertile state. Honestly, when I first saw this, I thought it was majestic. Once the lands have been transformed back to their fertile state, you notice orbs floating around the fertile grounds. These are light seeds, they are what Elika (you really) need to open up new grounds for you to heal and also you can improve Elika's magical powers and your own skills.
With your task complete it is now time to move on to the next fertile ground to heal. Fortunately the ever so helpful Elika has another useful trick up her sleeve. She provides you with a Fable II style compass, but unlike Fable II's disappears after a few seconds. Don't know why they didn't leave it on permanently. Oh well, a little more on Elika! Elika is important to the Prince, as whenever the Prince is in trouble, for example you thought you were playing the Sands of Times and thought you had to do proper platforming but finding yourself tumbling to your death, Elika pours out a magical hand that grabs you and pulls you back to your original starting point of the jump you messed up. Nothing like the rewind ability in Sands of time one bit...Also she is there to help you jump further with a quick tap of the triangle button or Y button I presume for 360 gamers. She also elaborates on the plot of the story more as you have the ability to talk to and understand more about Ahriman, the Tree of Life etc.
Overall, the new Prince of Persia is a good game. It has luscious graphics and animations, especially when you heal the fertile grounds. However, it is let down the same way Assassin's Creed was let down, it is overly repetitive and it doesn't allow for skill to complete the game, but opts for a a quick-time event styled press a button and let the animations do the rest. Elika is a nice addition but could be used more, and being able to play her in a co-op mode would be fantastic, more so when you are fighting the Corrupted. The story is simplistic and won't win any awards, with the voice typically American. I'm sorry but when did a Persian Prince have a Yank accent.
I was looking forward to this game greatly as I loved the previous incarnation of the Prince, but with new incarnation I am unfortunately disappointed. Its too simplistic and repetitive and no replayability in it. The other problem is it has the potential to be a much better game. I would recommend people to play it if they have never played previous Prince of Persia Games, but to true fans of the series be warned...
Graphics - 9/10 Story - 6/10 Gameplay - 5/10
Overall - 6.5/10
I'm a huge fan of video games and gaming culture, and I have the awesome chance to write for video games blogs and pop culture sites. For great deals on video games and peripherals, visit http://videogamestarstore.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rich_Thorp
www.computerpuppy.com
Friday, June 18, 2010
Red Dead Redemption Overview
Red Dead Redemption is an action packed video game developed for PlayStation 3 and Xbox by the well-known RockStar San Diego. The ultimate version of the game is scheduled to be released by the mid of 2010. And not to mention the eager fans counting down the moments.
The game is made on the same line as the GTA series; however Red Dead Redemption offers a far wider scope to the gamer for experiencing with the game environment. Red Dead Redemption makes it possible for the players to determine how he would like to play by giving dozens of possibilities. The sense of morality present in the game, provides an extraordinary touch to the game. It is set around the final days of the American Wild west.
Red Dead Redemption is going to be available on-line on Amazon which has already opened its bookings expecting the usual rush and obsession for it.
The game play is quite remarkable. You can find somewhere almost 40 animals that are waiting to be hunted on participants steps. The various places and accents have given it quite a realistic appealing to it. An extra nice thing is the range of guns which has gamer has got accessed to.
The arena is actually large, spanning three distinctive areas and check posts having different types of inhabitants. Red Dead Redemption consists of many gun play and combating sequence with a third person perspective from the player. This game has even an option of on line play where in a maximum of 16 people can fight with each other in a single session of the game.
The product is compatible with Xbox and PlayStation. It can be played in PC as well with a PC version which will be available soon, although it is not confirmed by the developer. Red Dead Redemption is going to be sold outside of US as a limited edition product and has planned to launch it in Australia as well as Great Britain.
If you want to see more about this game visit the trailers and movies page. Also you can preorder Red Dead Redemption and get it as soon it is released.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Ionescu
http://www.buyreddeadredemption.com/
The game is made on the same line as the GTA series; however Red Dead Redemption offers a far wider scope to the gamer for experiencing with the game environment. Red Dead Redemption makes it possible for the players to determine how he would like to play by giving dozens of possibilities. The sense of morality present in the game, provides an extraordinary touch to the game. It is set around the final days of the American Wild west.
Red Dead Redemption is going to be available on-line on Amazon which has already opened its bookings expecting the usual rush and obsession for it.
The game play is quite remarkable. You can find somewhere almost 40 animals that are waiting to be hunted on participants steps. The various places and accents have given it quite a realistic appealing to it. An extra nice thing is the range of guns which has gamer has got accessed to.
The arena is actually large, spanning three distinctive areas and check posts having different types of inhabitants. Red Dead Redemption consists of many gun play and combating sequence with a third person perspective from the player. This game has even an option of on line play where in a maximum of 16 people can fight with each other in a single session of the game.
The product is compatible with Xbox and PlayStation. It can be played in PC as well with a PC version which will be available soon, although it is not confirmed by the developer. Red Dead Redemption is going to be sold outside of US as a limited edition product and has planned to launch it in Australia as well as Great Britain.
If you want to see more about this game visit the trailers and movies page. Also you can preorder Red Dead Redemption and get it as soon it is released.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Ionescu
http://www.buyreddeadredemption.com/
Call of Duty - Modern Warfare 2 - Review
When Infinity Ward released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare even they could not of expected the mass success of the game, it quickly climbed the most played lists and has since remained there, until now. With the release of Modern Warfare 2 the hype was unbearable and Infinity Ward has a lot to live up to with gamers everywhere expecting something approaching demi-god status.
I cant help but feel that the game was to hyped up, making it almost impossible to live up to the image of the game everyone had in there heads, but if you ignore the hype and just play the game you quickly realise that Infinty Ward has done something amazing again.
While there's no major change in the formula, run, gun and shoot they have polished it until it gleams. Once again Infinity Ward have proved themselves the master of set piece's with some stunning locations, settings and set pieces that will stick in your mind for a long time to come. Storming the Gulag, fighting outside of the white house and sneaking through snow storms are just some of the things the player will experience throughout the rather dissapointingly short campaign mode.
All of these amazing battles show of the game's graphics which are frankly amazing with some brutal animations and mixed with the first person view you get dragged into the game easily, providing you with an intense experience.
This intensity is constant throughout the game, it never lets up and has a level of intensity that very few other games can even come close to matching, though sometimes it just feels to much and you find yourself wishing for just a second or 2 of breathing space that never comes.
Thankfully the pacing is good, one minute your storming a prison and the next your sneaking through a snow storm using a heartbeat sensor to elude enemy patrols, it keeps you on your toes and you never have time to get bored thanks to the short missions, each one never lasts to long so it keeps your attention and you never get bored of one level.
However this translates into an extremely short campaign mode, lasting around 6 hours even on Veteran mode. it's over far to quickly, though due to the games intensity it's understandable as I doubt Infinity Ward could of kept the games flatout pace for a 10 hour campaign.
Thankfully Spec-op's mode gives the game some extra lifespan, there a series of 23 short missions that can be played in 2 player co-op mode, giving it extra appeal. there's a good range of missions from race's, defending a place or assaulting estate house's and sneaking through enemy patrols. there all levels from the singleplayer, just with there objective's changed and there only a few minutes long but it does add some welcome lifespan to a short singleplayer mode.
The story could of been very good in this game, however most people are going to find it hard to follow simply due to it being very disjointed as you constantly jump from character to character. it's incredibly hard to follow whats going on and why it's happening as your dragged from country to country and never getting a chance to get any feeling what so ever towards the game characters. I simply didn't care about the characters around me and the person as i was playing as, there effectively blank slates.
Of course I cant review a Call of Duty game without talking about the multiplayer which made the original Modern Warfare so popular. keeping the original formula, Infinity Ward chose to give us more customisation and choice's, creating a diverse system. You now have access to a vast range of attachments for your guns, ranging from thermal sights to shotgun's that attach to your assault rifle, along with a perk that now allows you to add 2 attachments to an weapon.
Killstreaks have now become customisable and have a large range to choose from, such as sentry guns and harrier airstrikes. It's more over the top and unrealistic than the original and you can certainly argue it's even more unbalanced. The ability to gain a tactical nuke if you get a 25 killstreak was not a good choice as it now encourages kill boosting so they can gain that instant win.
is it original? no. does it change much from Modern Warfare? no.
Is it the most intense action shooter of the year? yes.
Whilst it does not change anything in the shooter genre or add any original idea's of it's own it still provides a thrilling, if short, campaign and one of the finest multiplayers out there.
It's not the perfect game that everyone was so hyped about, but it's still a dam good game.
SCORE'S:
Graphics: 92% Highly detailed graphics and amazing scenes add up to a graphically impressive game
Gameplay: 94% still the smoothest and most polished shooter out there
Lifespan: 88% this can vary, the singleplayer is very short but the multiplayer could keep you hooked for a long time.
Overall: 93% A visually stunning shooter with a fine multiplayer but lacks anything original or any real changes from Modern Warfare 1 and an exceptionally short campaign.
Please visit my website for more reviews, news and previews:
http://wolfsgamingblog.wordpress.com for all your gaming news,reviews and previews.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Baden_Ronie
I cant help but feel that the game was to hyped up, making it almost impossible to live up to the image of the game everyone had in there heads, but if you ignore the hype and just play the game you quickly realise that Infinty Ward has done something amazing again.
While there's no major change in the formula, run, gun and shoot they have polished it until it gleams. Once again Infinity Ward have proved themselves the master of set piece's with some stunning locations, settings and set pieces that will stick in your mind for a long time to come. Storming the Gulag, fighting outside of the white house and sneaking through snow storms are just some of the things the player will experience throughout the rather dissapointingly short campaign mode.
All of these amazing battles show of the game's graphics which are frankly amazing with some brutal animations and mixed with the first person view you get dragged into the game easily, providing you with an intense experience.
This intensity is constant throughout the game, it never lets up and has a level of intensity that very few other games can even come close to matching, though sometimes it just feels to much and you find yourself wishing for just a second or 2 of breathing space that never comes.
Thankfully the pacing is good, one minute your storming a prison and the next your sneaking through a snow storm using a heartbeat sensor to elude enemy patrols, it keeps you on your toes and you never have time to get bored thanks to the short missions, each one never lasts to long so it keeps your attention and you never get bored of one level.
However this translates into an extremely short campaign mode, lasting around 6 hours even on Veteran mode. it's over far to quickly, though due to the games intensity it's understandable as I doubt Infinity Ward could of kept the games flatout pace for a 10 hour campaign.
Thankfully Spec-op's mode gives the game some extra lifespan, there a series of 23 short missions that can be played in 2 player co-op mode, giving it extra appeal. there's a good range of missions from race's, defending a place or assaulting estate house's and sneaking through enemy patrols. there all levels from the singleplayer, just with there objective's changed and there only a few minutes long but it does add some welcome lifespan to a short singleplayer mode.
The story could of been very good in this game, however most people are going to find it hard to follow simply due to it being very disjointed as you constantly jump from character to character. it's incredibly hard to follow whats going on and why it's happening as your dragged from country to country and never getting a chance to get any feeling what so ever towards the game characters. I simply didn't care about the characters around me and the person as i was playing as, there effectively blank slates.
Of course I cant review a Call of Duty game without talking about the multiplayer which made the original Modern Warfare so popular. keeping the original formula, Infinity Ward chose to give us more customisation and choice's, creating a diverse system. You now have access to a vast range of attachments for your guns, ranging from thermal sights to shotgun's that attach to your assault rifle, along with a perk that now allows you to add 2 attachments to an weapon.
Killstreaks have now become customisable and have a large range to choose from, such as sentry guns and harrier airstrikes. It's more over the top and unrealistic than the original and you can certainly argue it's even more unbalanced. The ability to gain a tactical nuke if you get a 25 killstreak was not a good choice as it now encourages kill boosting so they can gain that instant win.
is it original? no. does it change much from Modern Warfare? no.
Is it the most intense action shooter of the year? yes.
Whilst it does not change anything in the shooter genre or add any original idea's of it's own it still provides a thrilling, if short, campaign and one of the finest multiplayers out there.
It's not the perfect game that everyone was so hyped about, but it's still a dam good game.
SCORE'S:
Graphics: 92% Highly detailed graphics and amazing scenes add up to a graphically impressive game
Gameplay: 94% still the smoothest and most polished shooter out there
Lifespan: 88% this can vary, the singleplayer is very short but the multiplayer could keep you hooked for a long time.
Overall: 93% A visually stunning shooter with a fine multiplayer but lacks anything original or any real changes from Modern Warfare 1 and an exceptionally short campaign.
Please visit my website for more reviews, news and previews:
http://wolfsgamingblog.wordpress.com for all your gaming news,reviews and previews.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Baden_Ronie
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Welcome to our video game review blog
We are going to be providing as many video game reviews as we possibly can and give you our unbias views on the games. Thanks for reading
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