Number 3 – Kororinpa: Marble Madness

From the pages of history to TV screens across the globe, Kororinpa: Marble Mania has helped give marbles something many old-fashioned games never receive - a smooth transition back into the mainstream media. Though Hudson Soft has turned marbles into puzzle-solving, wall-climbing renegades, it still brings me back to when I use to play the old fashioned game at school. With charming good looks and innovative controls, Kororinpa is bound to bring a few memories of youthful playgrounds. On the other hand, the pleasantries may be short lived. I was left wanting more once I had beaten the game and unlocked most of the marbles. There are also a few controls with which I had a problem with, such as jumping and the layout of the controller, but even with these few minor instances, the game still rocks. The modern twist to this historic game makes it a joy to play time and again.

When I first got this game, I figured it was going to be a Super Monkey Ball rip off. To my surprise, the game works so much more efficiently. Hudson Soft, the developer of the title, did a really great job on this game all around. Each level you play is look pretty good and it’s hard to keep focused on getting to the goal when you’re wrapped up in the surroundings. The marbles you play with are just as delightful as themes you’ll see in game. With dozens of marbles to find you’re sure to get one that’ll suit your fancy. There are gas tanks, planets, animals, and even basketballs at your finger tips which all differ in special effects. Animal themed balls such as the pigs and puppies make comical noises and are easily controlled while the heavier marbles like the UFO and the gas tank move much faster and can be quite difficult to keep on the map.

Controlling your marble isn’t too daunting of a task, however. They are admittedly challenging at fist but with a little practice, you’ll be navigating your prized marble to the goal with finesse. You can send your ball rolling slowly down a steep grade or zooming through near straight paths all according to the angle at which to twist the remote. However, there are a few problems with the controls that I’ve found. Raising the remote performs the task of jumping and it’s very difficult to keep it level as the human hand will naturally twist instead of using the whole arm to lift. If you don’t keep the controller level, the map will turn and there’s no telling if the ball will land safely onto its route. The extra effort to perform jumps isn’t needed and could have been mapped to a button command. The way you hold the remote is another problem. Instead of holding it with two hands, you’ll need to point the remote towards the screen with one, twisting it sometimes all the way upside-down. If it were to have been setup to be played with two hands, it would have helped keep the ball all that more balanced and put less stress on the wrist. Though most of the controls are nice and the visuals are even better, the lacking amount of levels is a letdown.

Strawberries may dance and stars might shine, but with only 50 main levels of play, Kororinpa becomes a little disappointing. To be fair, once you complete most of the levels, you’re given the opportunity to play them all backwards. This does give the title a little extra life as the levels can seem quite different on the way back. There are also 15 or so hidden stages all of which have you collecting orange diamond shaped items. However, mirroring stages is a cheap way to extend a title. They are all brilliantly positioned and designed, but once you play a map for 10 minutes, it hard to get up the will to play it again. Even with the small amount of maps, the title still rivals some of the other ball-rolling adventures out now.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with this game. You may think it’s a knock off just as I did, but you’d be mistaken. No other ball rolling game on the Wii today takes their controls to the level at which Kororinpa has done. Though it can become rough on the wrists at times, the game really makes use of the remotes abilities. The environments that encompass the maps are beautiful and if you’re not careful, you may find yourself simply checking out the art that’s in the game.So be sure not to lose your marbles when playing this game!

Number 2 – Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Modern man has immortalized comic book creations. From the pulpy pages of the 1930s to the silver screen of the new millennium, the world’s favorite superheroes have tapped into every form of entertainment conceivable. TV shows, movies, songs, and theme parks are only a handful of creations inspired by them; they have even stretched their reaches into the Internet and are no longer bound to the magazine rack. The same artistic genius found in their pages can now be streamed directly into the homes of eager fans across the globe in seconds. One of the most successful forms and long time counterpart of the paperback parodies, video gaming, has allowed fans to take control of their favorite superhumans, or otherwise, for well over 10 years.Invulnerability, super strength, and the ability to fly have all been possible with a click of the button for nearly every gaming system. But now with the latest chapter of comic gaming to hit the Wii, lifting cars and zooming through the air might take a little more than mundane button mashing.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance joins together over 20 of Marvel’s most famous superheroes and heroines to save the world from some of the vilest villains comic books have ever encountered. Bring together the likes of Wolverine, Spider Man, The Thing, and Ghost Rider to knock the ever-loving snot out of droves of hostiles. You navigate your party through a Gauntlet-style world leveling up specific stats and unlocking new bone crushing moves to lay waste to all those who resist. Get with some buddies and compete or cooperate in the fight to defend the planet.

Unlike the rest of the consoles, the Wii version allows you to really get into the moves you pull off in the game. Swing the remote in a variety of directions to launch character specific attacks. With a flick of the wrist, Captain America can send his shield flying around the room; a drum of the remote can have the Human Torch “heating things up” for the competition. Each character has a dozen or so attacks under his (or her) belt which can be accessed after leveling up. Sadly, the controls implied to use them are a bit sketchy. Moves might be performed every time you wag the controller, but sometimes they’re not the right ones. The game can misinterpret your gestures quite easily it seems and though just about any move can put a baddie on its backside, it can be obnoxious to see a move you didn’t intend to do shooting off in the wrong direction. Besides that, it’s a very fun beat ‘em up game comic book fans and otherwise will enjoy.

What I really like, other than the massive amount of fan service, is the ability to put together your favorite “Marvelous” heroes in one team. It’s a gamer’s dream to be able to blend the pages of their favorite heroic icons’ together. You can have a team of heavy hitters such as The Thing, The Hulk, Luke Cage, and Colossus bustin’ minions’ chops left and right. You put together some light weight, long ranged characters like Ice Man, Spider Woman, Silver Surfer, and the Invisible Woman to send fools packin’ from afar. No matter who you put together, the team is going to kick some serious butt.

Becoming a person with superhuman abilities is one of the many reasons why video gaming is one of the world’s fastest growing forms of entertainment. With the Wii and its unique remote, it’s one step closer to reality. Sure, there may be some minor qualms with the controls, but it’s by far one of the best beat ‘em ups on the system. With multiplayer functionalities, a huge amount of fan service, and a great storyline, this game’s one sweet snag from the pit of the budget bin.

Number 1 – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

What’s better than Bed Knobs and Broomsticks on a hot summer’s day? It’s another installment into the Harry Potter video game series and this one takes the cake! Since the next game in the series has been delayed to be released beside next year’s flick, now is a good time to take a look back at this boundary-breaking Wii game. Fans of the series, which probably includes you, already know the story behind this game; Voldermort is back and it’s up to Harry to find a way to stop him from getting his slimy hands on the weapon being held in the Ministry of Magic. There’s a bit of a problem though, the Ministry has imposed Hogwarts with the abrasive Dolores Umbridge to make sure Dumbledore isn’t trying to create some sort of child army and her beady eyes seem to be fixated upon Harry at all times. Between the strange dreams he’s having and all the stress his elders are putting on him, it’s rather hard for Harry to concentrate on anything let alone saving the world from the clutches of evil. Mischief is afoot at Hogwarts this year and in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the video game, it just may be you who’s causing the ruckus!

I really wasn’t expecting the Order of the Phoenix to be this fun but thanks to the Wii specific controls, I was totally mistaken. You’ll be rearranging your school’s property, mending broken vases, and even throwing a few defensive spells to fend off Crabbe and Goyle all with the flick of your wrists. There’s something to do around each corner at Hogwarts and if you’re aiming for 100%, you should be prepared to look in every nook and cranny for those hidden tasks you know are there.

Electronic Arts really made spell casting in this game pretty fun. From flicking the remote up and down to shaking and rotating, the gestures in this title are fairly solid. Some are used for general housekeeping such as Accio and Incendio while others like Stupefy and Petrificus Totalus can only be used while in the fray. There aren’t many spells you can use though; there are only a total of 12 at your disposal which means you’ll be casting the same things over and over again. Still, most go over without any problems and even with the repetitive motions you’ll need to pull off, it has been pretty fun.

Another way EA has kept the game fun is removing the load times. I have no idea how they managed to take them out when the map is so large, but it’s a great advancement. Entering and exiting rooms prove to be no problem and no matter how hard you try, you won’t find a single waiting period. You can walk from the Gryffindor Tower to the Great Hall without having to wait a single minute. You may have concern over the fixed camera though. Every room has a different angle at which the camera is set and when you’ve got your thumb pressing the joystick down one way, the direction you’ll need to be pushing is likely to change. This will result in Harry swiftly turning to a direction you don’t intend to go and you’ll need to correct his angle accordingly. Though it’s not the end of the world, it’ll at least make you a little irritated. You can tap the C button to bring the camera behind Harry but there are some locations that won’t allow you to do so. Even with the camera control problem, the loading times make the game move at a great pace and with the outstanding graphics, it’s easy to see why they’ve set the camera in the way they did.

The graphics in this game are superb. From the talking pictures to the objects you can levitate with Wingardium Leviosa, everything has been nicely detailed. Characters have had full body scans to make their in game equals look as life like as possible and many of the less important people are included too. The school itself looks as if you were walking right into the real thing and the grand scheme of the building seems like it would have been scaled back but thankfully, every detail I can think of is featured.

I too was swept up in the Harry Potter craze when it was at its peak a few years back. I read the books time and again until there the next tale hits the shelves. This game, though tiresome at times, has ignited the Potter flame once more. They are always great stories and being able to partake in the adventure is something every fan would dream of. With the help of the Wii and EA’s ingenuity, this chapter of Harry Potter’s gaming life has been securely nailed down. Many Potter enthusiasts have probably already picked this title up but there may be a few Wii owners out there who haven’t gotten the news so I’ll let you all in on the secret: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is awesome. Those who aren’t hooked on the series yet would probably find a lot to enjoy, and should certainly give it a try first. This game is one to look out for because if you’re not careful, you may just find yourself spellbound!

I do hope you’ve enjoyed this “classic” Wii game roundup and will come back for more in the near future. I urge you all to check out these games if you have the spare time (and dime) because these are just a few games worth mentioning. Until next time, be safe, wrist strap those remotes, and may your Halloween horde be as bountiful as the Horn of Plenty!

Number 3 – Kororinpa: Marble Madness

From the pages of history to TV screens across the globe, Kororinpa: Marble Mania has helped give marbles something many old-fashioned games never receive - a smooth transition back into the mainstream media. Though Hudson Soft has turned marbles into puzzle-solving, wall-climbing renegades, it still brings me back to when I use to play the old fashioned game at school. With charming good looks and innovative controls, Kororinpa is bound to bring a few memories of youthful playgrounds. On the other hand, the pleasantries may be short lived. I was left wanting more once I had beaten the game and unlocked most of the marbles. There are also a few controls with which I had a problem with, such as jumping and the layout of the controller, but even with these few minor instances, the game still rocks. The modern twist to this historic game makes it a joy to play time and again.

When I first got this game, I figured it was going to be a Super Monkey Ball rip off. To my surprise, the game works so much more efficiently. Hudson Soft, the developer of the title, did a really great job on this game all around. Each level you play is look pretty good and it’s hard to keep focused on getting to the goal when you’re wrapped up in the surroundings. The marbles you play with are just as delightful as themes you’ll see in game. With dozens of marbles to find you’re sure to get one that’ll suit your fancy. There are gas tanks, planets, animals, and even basketballs at your finger tips which all differ in special effects. Animal themed balls such as the pigs and puppies make comical noises and are easily controlled while the heavier marbles like the UFO and the gas tank move much faster and can be quite difficult to keep on the map.

Controlling your marble isn’t too daunting of a task, however. They are admittedly challenging at fist but with a little practice, you’ll be navigating your prized marble to the goal with finesse. You can send your ball rolling slowly down a steep grade or zooming through near straight paths all according to the angle at which to twist the remote. However, there are a few problems with the controls that I’ve found. Raising the remote performs the task of jumping and it’s very difficult to keep it level as the human hand will naturally twist instead of using the whole arm to lift. If you don’t keep the controller level, the map will turn and there’s no telling if the ball will land safely onto its route. The extra effort to perform jumps isn’t needed and could have been mapped to a button command. The way you hold the remote is another problem. Instead of holding it with two hands, you’ll need to point the remote towards the screen with one, twisting it sometimes all the way upside-down. If it were to have been setup to be played with two hands, it would have helped keep the ball all that more balanced and put less stress on the wrist. Though most of the controls are nice and the visuals are even better, the lacking amount of levels is a letdown.

Strawberries may dance and stars might shine, but with only 50 main levels of play, Kororinpa becomes a little disappointing. To be fair, once you complete most of the levels, you’re given the opportunity to play them all backwards. This does give the title a little extra life as the levels can seem quite different on the way back. There are also 15 or so hidden stages all of which have you collecting orange diamond shaped items. However, mirroring stages is a cheap way to extend a title. They are all brilliantly positioned and designed, but once you play a map for 10 minutes, it hard to get up the will to play it again. Even with the small amount of maps, the title still rivals some of the other ball-rolling adventures out now.

There’s a lot of fun to be had with this game. You may think it’s a knock off just as I did, but you’d be mistaken. No other ball rolling game on the Wii today takes their controls to the level at which Kororinpa has done. Though it can become rough on the wrists at times, the game really makes use of the remotes abilities. The environments that encompass the maps are beautiful and if you’re not careful, you may find yourself simply checking out the art that’s in the game.So be sure not to lose your marbles when playing this game!

Number 2 – Marvel Ultimate Alliance

Modern man has immortalized comic book creations. From the pulpy pages of the 1930s to the silver screen of the new millennium, the world’s favorite superheroes have tapped into every form of entertainment conceivable. TV shows, movies, songs, and theme parks are only a handful of creations inspired by them; they have even stretched their reaches into the Internet and are no longer bound to the magazine rack. The same artistic genius found in their pages can now be streamed directly into the homes of eager fans across the globe in seconds. One of the most successful forms and long time counterpart of the paperback parodies, video gaming, has allowed fans to take control of their favorite superhumans, or otherwise, for well over 10 years.Invulnerability, super strength, and the ability to fly have all been possible with a click of the button for nearly every gaming system. But now with the latest chapter of comic gaming to hit the Wii, lifting cars and zooming through the air might take a little more than mundane button mashing.

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance joins together over 20 of Marvel’s most famous superheroes and heroines to save the world from some of the vilest villains comic books have ever encountered. Bring together the likes of Wolverine, Spider Man, The Thing, and Ghost Rider to knock the ever-loving snot out of droves of hostiles. You navigate your party through a Gauntlet-style world leveling up specific stats and unlocking new bone crushing moves to lay waste to all those who resist. Get with some buddies and compete or cooperate in the fight to defend the planet.

Unlike the rest of the consoles, the Wii version allows you to really get into the moves you pull off in the game. Swing the remote in a variety of directions to launch character specific attacks. With a flick of the wrist, Captain America can send his shield flying around the room; a drum of the remote can have the Human Torch “heating things up” for the competition. Each character has a dozen or so attacks under his (or her) belt which can be accessed after leveling up. Sadly, the controls implied to use them are a bit sketchy. Moves might be performed every time you wag the controller, but sometimes they’re not the right ones. The game can misinterpret your gestures quite easily it seems and though just about any move can put a baddie on its backside, it can be obnoxious to see a move you didn’t intend to do shooting off in the wrong direction. Besides that, it’s a very fun beat ‘em up game comic book fans and otherwise will enjoy.

What I really like, other than the massive amount of fan service, is the ability to put together your favorite “Marvelous” heroes in one team. It’s a gamer’s dream to be able to blend the pages of their favorite heroic icons’ together. You can have a team of heavy hitters such as The Thing, The Hulk, Luke Cage, and Colossus bustin’ minions’ chops left and right. You put together some light weight, long ranged characters like Ice Man, Spider Woman, Silver Surfer, and the Invisible Woman to send fools packin’ from afar. No matter who you put together, the team is going to kick some serious butt.

Becoming a person with superhuman abilities is one of the many reasons why video gaming is one of the world’s fastest growing forms of entertainment. With the Wii and its unique remote, it’s one step closer to reality. Sure, there may be some minor qualms with the controls, but it’s by far one of the best beat ‘em ups on the system. With multiplayer functionalities, a huge amount of fan service, and a great storyline, this game’s one sweet snag from the pit of the budget bin.

Number 1 – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

What’s better than Bed Knobs and Broomsticks on a hot summer’s day? It’s another installment into the Harry Potter video game series and this one takes the cake! Since the next game in the series has been delayed to be released beside next year’s flick, now is a good time to take a look back at this boundary-breaking Wii game. Fans of the series, which probably includes you, already know the story behind this game; Voldermort is back and it’s up to Harry to find a way to stop him from getting his slimy hands on the weapon being held in the Ministry of Magic. There’s a bit of a problem though, the Ministry has imposed Hogwarts with the abrasive Dolores Umbridge to make sure Dumbledore isn’t trying to create some sort of child army and her beady eyes seem to be fixated upon Harry at all times. Between the strange dreams he’s having and all the stress his elders are putting on him, it’s rather hard for Harry to concentrate on anything let alone saving the world from the clutches of evil. Mischief is afoot at Hogwarts this year and in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix the video game, it just may be you who’s causing the ruckus!

I really wasn’t expecting the Order of the Phoenix to be this fun but thanks to the Wii specific controls, I was totally mistaken. You’ll be rearranging your school’s property, mending broken vases, and even throwing a few defensive spells to fend off Crabbe and Goyle all with the flick of your wrists. There’s something to do around each corner at Hogwarts and if you’re aiming for 100%, you should be prepared to look in every nook and cranny for those hidden tasks you know are there.

Electronic Arts really made spell casting in this game pretty fun. From flicking the remote up and down to shaking and rotating, the gestures in this title are fairly solid. Some are used for general housekeeping such as Accio and Incendio while others like Stupefy and Petrificus Totalus can only be used while in the fray. There aren’t many spells you can use though; there are only a total of 12 at your disposal which means you’ll be casting the same things over and over again. Still, most go over without any problems and even with the repetitive motions you’ll need to pull off, it has been pretty fun.

Another way EA has kept the game fun is removing the load times. I have no idea how they managed to take them out when the map is so large, but it’s a great advancement. Entering and exiting rooms prove to be no problem and no matter how hard you try, you won’t find a single waiting period. You can walk from the Gryffindor Tower to the Great Hall without having to wait a single minute. You may have concern over the fixed camera though. Every room has a different angle at which the camera is set and when you’ve got your thumb pressing the joystick down one way, the direction you’ll need to be pushing is likely to change. This will result in Harry swiftly turning to a direction you don’t intend to go and you’ll need to correct his angle accordingly. Though it’s not the end of the world, it’ll at least make you a little irritated. You can tap the C button to bring the camera behind Harry but there are some locations that won’t allow you to do so. Even with the camera control problem, the loading times make the game move at a great pace and with the outstanding graphics, it’s easy to see why they’ve set the camera in the way they did.

The graphics in this game are superb. From the talking pictures to the objects you can levitate with Wingardium Leviosa, everything has been nicely detailed. Characters have had full body scans to make their in game equals look as life like as possible and many of the less important people are included too. The school itself looks as if you were walking right into the real thing and the grand scheme of the building seems like it would have been scaled back but thankfully, every detail I can think of is featured.

I too was swept up in the Harry Potter craze when it was at its peak a few years back. I read the books time and again until there the next tale hits the shelves. This game, though tiresome at times, has ignited the Potter flame once more. They are always great stories and being able to partake in the adventure is something every fan would dream of. With the help of the Wii and EA’s ingenuity, this chapter of Harry Potter’s gaming life has been securely nailed down. Many Potter enthusiasts have probably already picked this title up but there may be a few Wii owners out there who haven’t gotten the news so I’ll let you all in on the secret: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is awesome. Those who aren’t hooked on the series yet would probably find a lot to enjoy, and should certainly give it a try first. This game is one to look out for because if you’re not careful, you may just find yourself spellbound!

I do hope you’ve enjoyed this “classic” Wii game roundup and will come back for more in the near future. I urge you all to check out these games if you have the spare time (and dime) because these are just a few games worth mentioning. Until next time, be safe, wrist strap those remotes, and may your Halloween horde be as bountiful as the Horn of Plenty!

Ето последният ъпдейт на колите в Need For Speed: Undercover \уж от 9-ти октомври\. Към...
Toyota Supra ‘98
Ford Mustang GT ‘06
Mitsubishi Lancer EVOLUTION ‘06
BMW M3 ‘03
BMW M6 ‘08
Porsche 911 Turbo ‘06
Audi R8 ‘08
Audi S5 ‘09
Nissan GT-R (R35) ‘07
Lexus IS-F ‘08
Shelby GT500 ‘67
Mazda RX-8 ‘06
Pagani Zonda F ‘06
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 ‘06

...добавяме ЦЕЛИ 6 коли ;)
Plymouth Barracuda '70

Porsche 911 GT3 RS '06


Volkswagen R32 '06

Mazda Speed 3 '06

Ford Escort Coswroth '96

Mercedes CLS 63 '08

Допълнително, във вестника пише, че Tri-City Car Lot-а, ще започне да се ъпдейтва всеки ден, и освен снимки към всяка кола ще има и кратко видео. Подобно видео можете да видите тук - Renault Megane Coupe Video '09, и да Мегана още не се е появявал в Tri-City Car Lot-а.

Иначе и www.needforspeed.com е претърпял известни промени, но ъплоудването на филмчета в GT отново е умряло, така че ще обобщя нещата малко по-късно (по известно като утре) ;)

Kolejny rok, kolejna FIFA. Do tej pory wszytkie pecetowe odsłony tej serii były praktycznie takie same, zmian było jak na lekarstwo. Na konsolach FIFA prawdziwie ewoluowała i podjęła wyrównaną walkę z serią Pro Evolution Soccer, wprowadzając mnóstwo zmian i stając się grą nowej generacji. Czy w tym roku FIFA na PC jest już produktem tej samej klasy co jej konsolowy bliźniak, czy też nadal pozostaje za nim daleko w tyle ?

Kanadyjski oddział Electronic Arts, będący producentem gry, zapowiadał, że każda z tegorocznych edycji FIFY będzie dostosowana do specyfiki platformy na jaką się ukaże. Pecetowcy otrzymali nowe możliwości sterowania. Teraz możemy kierować naszą drużyną zarówno samą klawiaturą, jak i z pomocą myszki. Przedstawiciele EA w licznych wywiadach zapowiadali także mnóstwo zmian względem poprzednich części serii – miało być ich ponad 250. Podczas samej gry ciężko znaleźć aż tyle innowacji, ale kilka z nich z pewnością znalazło się w grze i pozytywnie wpłynęło na poziom jej grywalności.

Menu gry jest ładne, przystępne i funkcjonalne, ogólnie mówiąc takie jak trzeba. W trybach gry niewiele się zmieniło, mamy zestaw podobny do zeszłorocznego. W trybie menadżerskim wybieramy dowolną drużynę i prowadzimy ją do sukcesów w krajowych i europejskich pucharach. Tryb „Zostań gwiazdą” (ang. „Be a Pro”) daje nam możliwość wcielenia się w pojedynczego zawodnika i pokierowania jego karierą. Możemy stworzyć swojego piłkarza od podstaw lub pokierować jednym z istniejących. Przed każdym meczem otrzymujemy konkretne zadania do wykonania, za których ukończenie dostajemy punkty doświadczenia, które z kolei możemy rozdysponować na rozwój naszego sportowca. Tryb ten został dopracowany względem roku poprzedniego, otrzymaliśmy również nową kamerę skupiającą się na zawodniku, co daje fajniejszy feeling gry. Ciekawą opcją jest również możliwość gry 10 vs 10 w trybie multiplayer, która z pewnością przypadnie do gustu wszystkim miłośnikom serii. Skopanie tyłków ludziskom z całego świata, grając z kilkoma kumplami w jednym teamie – bezcenne.

Kolejną nowością w tej edycji FIFY są „widgety”, czyli tabelki przedstawiające statystki i inne informacje na temat naszych poczynań w grze. W jednej tabelce znajdziemy liczbę bramek, które udało nam się zdobyć i tych, które straciliśmy, ilość żółtych i czerwonych kartek, nasze największe zwycięstwo oraz porażkę i inne tego typu informacje. W innej z tabelek znajdują się informacje na temat tego jak wybrana przez nas drużyna radzi sobie w rzeczywistych rozgrywkach swojej ligi. Zasięgnięcie takich informacji bezpośrednio z gry umożliwia nam Adidas Live Season, który pozwala nam śledzić nie tylko poczynania jednego wybranego zespołu, ale i całych lig. I tutaj rzecz, która zdecydowania mnie zawiodła – za dostęp do informacji na temat więcej niż jednej ligi musimy zapłacić. Jeśli ktoś chce to może to zrobić, ale chyba ta opcja nie jest aż tak ciekawa, żeby dodatkowo za nią płacić, skoro i tak możemy się cieszyć darmowymi informacjami na temat jednej ligi.

Oprawa graficzna wersji PC jest dużo lepsza niż edycji zeszłorocznej. Modele twarzy zawodników są zrobione naprawdę bardzo dobrze, niektóre są wręcz fotorealistyczne. Piłkarze pocą się, a na ich stroje brudzą się po kontakcie z murawą. Niestety nie wszyscy zawodnicy prezentują się tak świetnie, EA nie poświęciło zbyt wielu czasu na dopracowanie wyglądu tych mniej znanych. Z reprezentacji Polski bardzo podobni do rzeczywistych odpowiedników są Smolarek i Fabiański, reszty nie sprawdzałem, ale podobno jest dużo gorzej. Wygląd murawy boiska uległ znacznej poprawie, ale trybuny i stadiony nadal prezentują się mizernie. Niezbyt ciekawie prezentują się również animacje piłkarzy. Co prawda jest kilka nowych zagrań, ale jak gra wyglądała sztywno, tak wygląda dalej. To jeszcze nie poziom PES-a i konsolowej FIFY ale może za rok będzie lepiej.

Co do samej rozgrywki to względem poprzedniej części uległa ona zmianom. I to zmianom zdecydowanie na plus. Gra jest teraz bliższa symulacji, nieco wolniejsza ale wyprowadzenie szybkiego kontrataku również nie stanowi problemu. Nowa część jest trudniejsza od poprzedniej, komputer gra bardziej agresywnie i potrafi zamknąć nas na własnej połowie. Niestety to co potrafiło pogrzebać poprzednie części FIFY, znajdziemy również i w tej odsłonie. Schematy, schematy i jeszcze więcej schematów. Zejście do skrzydła, wrzutka i gol jest przesadnie skuteczną metodą na zdobycie gola i to już od kilku ostatnich edycji gry. Podobnie sprawa ma się rzutami wolnymi. Kiedy pozna się odpowiednią, i muszę dodać, że bardzo prostą metodę strzelania, to mniej więcej 3/4 tego rodzaju stałych fragmentów gry będzie przynosiło bramki naszemu zespołowi. Jeśli doda się do tego fakt, że skuteczność rzutów wolnych wykonywanych przez komputer jest podobna to zdecydowanie psuje to przyjemność z rozgrywki.

Jako jedną z głównych innowacji pecetowej wersji FIFY zapowiadano możliwość sterowania za pomocą myszki. Moim zdaniem to kompletny niewypał. Sterowanie myszką to kompletny chaos, z setkami kliknięć na minutę i kompletną przypadkowością rozgrywki. No chyba, że komuś uda się przyzwyczaić do tego typu sterowania, którego serdecznie nie polecam. Sterowanie na klawiaturze też jest nieco problematyczne, chyba, że własnoręcznie ustawi się konfigurację znaną z poprzednich części, bo z niewiadomych przyczyn twórcy postanowili zmienić klawisze odpowiedzialne za poszczególne zachowania zawodników. Bezapelacyjnie do tego typu gier najlepszym rozwiązaniem jest pad i właśnie na nim grało mi się najprzyjemniej.

Tegoroczna edycja FIFY to naprawdę miłe zaskoczenie, aczkolwiek nadal ustępuje ona tej z konsol. Jest to jedna z lepszych odsłon serii na PC, gra się przyjemnie i większość wprowadzonych do gry zmian można ocenić na plus. Jak już wspominałem gra jest bliższa symulacji, niż zręcznościówce, aczkolwiek nadal nie podoba mi się fizyka piłki, która została perfekcyjnie odwzorowana w serii Pro Evolution Soccer. Jeśli zależy Wam na aktualnych informacjach o Waszej ukochanej drużynie, mnóstwie licencji, ładnych modelach zawodników i rozbudowanym trybie online to śmiało możecie sięgnąć po FIFĘ 09, bo nie zawiedziecie się. A jeśli macie dodatkowe 100 zł to lepiej zdecydować się na wersję konsolową, która prezentuje jeszcze wyższy poziom.

OCENA: 7

Grafika: 7/10

Muzyka/Dźwięk: 8/10

Grywalność: 7/10

Plusy:

- ładniejsza grafika, świetne modele twarzy zawodników, „widgety”, Adidas Live Season, dopracowany tryb” Be a Pro”, bardziej symulacyjny charakter gry, 10 vs 10 w trybie multiplayer

Minusy:

- to wciąż nie jest next-gen, nie ma zapowiedzianych 250 zmian, konieczność płacenia za dodatkowe ligi w Adidas Live Season, przestarzałe animacje piłkarzy i kibiców, mnogość schematów, problemy ze sterowaniem za pomocą myszki

Its veracity aside, the virtual billboard raises an interesting question: Are political ads in video games a good idea? In terms of eyeballs, I'd have to say yes. Roughly one-third of American households own an Xbox 360, Sony PS3 or Nintendo Wii. In terms of effectiveness, Brandweek recently detailed a survey undertaken by its fellow Nielsen Games division in which 11 percent of gamers said they bought a brand after seeing it advertised in a game.

Of course, buying a brand of shoes or soda is a totally different prospect than buying a politician's brand in the polling booth. And young voters -- the kind most likely to notice an in-game ad -- are also the least likely to show up on Election Day.

At the very least, however, several gamer sites are now excitedly talking about the Obama billboard, which translates into some level of viral messaging success. It's certainly a better idea than John McCain's Pork Invaders, a knock-off of a video game that was popular when Sen. McCain was already in his 40s.

Hat tip: Broken Toys.

Według rzeczniczki EA, Mariam Sughayer, „Tiberium” nie spełniało wysokich standardów jakości, które wyróżniają gry EA. Innym powodem były opóźnienia w stosunku do założonego harmonogramu. EA doszła do wniosku, że produkt ma nikłe szanse na odniesienie sukcesu. Premiera tytułu i tak już była przełożona na rok 2010, dlatego dalsze opóźnienie było nie do przyjęcia.

Studio skoncentruje teraz swoje wysiłki na Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, którego wydanie jest planowane jeszcze w tym roku, oraz na trzech innych projektach, które są wynikiem ostatnio podpisanej umowy z reżyserem filmu „300”, Zackiem Snyderem.

Źródło: 4press.pl

TGS 2008: Sony Booth Report

Find out how Sony is pushing the PlayStation 3 and PSP in Japan.

October 9, 2008 - Sony's Tokyo Game Show booth this year looked a lot like its booth last year, with distinct areas for the PSP and PS3. The only thing missing was that giant open theater that has served to pull people into past booths; it was replaced this year with a slightly closed stage area.

On the PS3 side of things, while not playable, White Knight Story had the most visible signage at the booth. Sony also drew attention to the system's 17-and-up games, with special id check areas for the mostly western lineup.

The following first party titles were playable in the Sony booth this year:

Killzone 2
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III
Gomibako
SOCOM: Confrontation
Demon's Souls
Flower
PlayStation Home
Mainichi Issyo
Mr. Pain
MotorSTorm 2
Rag Doll Kung Fu
LittleBigPlanet
Linger in Shadows
Resistance 2
Wipeout HD

As usual, Sony also showed off third party titles in its booth. The following were playable:

Minna de Spelunker (Irem)
Guitar Hero 3 Legend of Rock (Activision)
FIFA 09 World Class Socer (Electronic Arts)
Street Fighter IV (Capcom)
Resident Evil 5 (Capcom)
Metal Gear Online (Konami)
Way of the Samurai 3 (Spike)
Sonic World Adventure (Sega)
WWE 2009 SmackDown vs Raw (THQ)
Dynasty Warriors Musou 2 (Bandai Namco)
Naruto (Bandai Namco)

Sony also pushed its new set of PS3 hardware, with packaging for the LittleBigPlanet bundle on display.

For the PSP, the revitalized portable had a large selection of titles that included LocoRoco 2 and Patapon 2, along with more recent Japan-only unveils like Diamond and Gun Sound. As far as third parties are concerned, one could make the case that PSP was the center of focus over the PlayStation 3 at the moment.

The following first and third party PSP titles were playable at the Sony booth:

Clank & Ratchet
Remote Control: 23 Days to the Truth
Sarugetchu Piposaru Senki
Diamond and Gun Sound
Patapon 2
Bleach Soul Carnival
Mainichi Issyo Portable
Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaiki da or2
Sengoku Basara Battle Heroes (PSP)
Dynasty Warriors Multi Raid (Koei)
Musou Orochi Maou Sairin (Koei)
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep (Square Enix)
Dissidia Final Fantasy (Square Enix)
Idol Master SP (Bandai Namco)
Gundam VS Gundam (Bandai Namco)
Tales of the World Radiant Mythology (Bandai Namco)

Sony also showed off its upcoming hardware lineup for the system. The PSP-3000 set to hit Japan on the 16th.

On October 7th 2008, Youtube came a long way from "This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner the RIAA because its content was used without permission." to "Download This Song: on Amazong mp3, iTunes".

Straight from Youtube (excerpt from the Youtube blog),

Today, we're taking our first steps to providing YouTube users with this kind of instant gratification, by adding "click-to-buy" links to the watch pages of thousands of YouTube partner videos. Click-to-buy links are non-obtrusive retail links, placed on the watch page beneath the video with the other community features. Just as YouTube users can share, favorite, comment on, and respond to videos quickly and easily, now users can click-to-buy products -- like songs, books, and movies -- related to the content they're watching on the site. We're getting started by embedding iTunes and Amazon.com links on videos from companies like EMI Music, and providing Amazon.com product links to the newly released video game Spore(TM) on videos from Electronic Arts.

Finally, there is more justification for having "a Youtube strategy". This is great for EMI and Electronic Arts, even greater for small-businesses and -content producers.

According to theAppleblog, Youtube gets a cut when someone clicks through to buy at iTunes. That cut is contributed by the record company and not the retailer. EMI must be sure the volumes will make for the cut.

While most will be impulse purchases now, eventually I expect more high involvement products would be bought off Youtube. Here's a list of products & services that'll benefit from Youtube e-commerce just off the top of my mind:

• Books - Author reads excerpts, video documentary of the research, some talking head testimonials - click-to-buy
• Kitchen Appliances - Video demonstrating functions of a game changing coffee machine - click-to-buy
• Technical Products - 2 people show video flowcharts of how an electronic performance support system gets insurance customer support executives up-to-speed in a day instead of 6 months - click-to-buy

Making an interesting and engaging viral video just became a lot tougher. Job prospects for students of VCU Brandcenter's Creative Technology just became a lot better. Google has done it again.

Sitepoint.com, where I first read about the news, made a reference to another interesting product placement company, Evenhere. Evenhere makes tagging products in web video and tv possible so when one finds something of interest, one can either bookmark it or buy it. Evenhere deserves a post of its own (coming soon).

Tell me people (I'm guessing my visitors are mostly Brandcenter folk), does this update mean you're going to spend more time involving Youtube in your brainstorm session?

Youtube recently added iTunes and Amazon links from promotionla and music videos to the iTunes store and Amazon. By clicking one of the links, it will take you to the store that you picked so you can purchase the featured song. Check out an example here.

The main music label that is participating in this is EMI. Electronic Arts is also taking part by providing links related to it's Spore game for purchase at Amazon. 

   Maybe this is finally Google's solution for making profit off of youtube.

"Like What You See? Then Click-to-Buy on YouTube

When you view a YouTube video with a great soundtrack, you often see comments from YouTube users asking about the name of the song and where they can download it. Or when users watch the trailer for an upcoming video game, they want to know when it will be released and where they can buy it. 

Today, we're taking our first steps to providing YouTube users with this kind of instant gratification, by adding "click-to-buy" links to the watch pages of thousands of YouTube partner videos. Click-to-buy links are non-obtrusive retail links, placed on the watch page beneath the video with the other community features. Just as YouTube users can share, favorite, comment on, and respond to videos quickly and easily, now users can click-to-buy products -- like songs, books, and movies -- related to the content they're watching on the site. We're getting started by embedding iTunes and Amazon.com links on videos from companies like EMI Music, and providing Amazon.com product links to the newly released video game Spore(TM) on videos from Electronic Arts. 

This is just the beginning of building a broad, viable eCommerce platform for users and partners on YouTube. Our vision is to help partners across all industries -- from music, to film, to print, to TV -- offer useful and relevant products to a large, yet targeted audience, and generate additional revenue from their content on YouTube beyond the advertising we serve against their videos. And those partners who use our content identification and management system can also enable these links on user-generated content, by using Content ID to claim videos and choose to leave them up on the site. 

These retail links are being gradually added to our library of music videos and are currently only available to users in the United States, but our goal is to slowly but surely expand the program to additional content and product partners, as well as our international users. We'll be experimenting with the UI over time to make sure this works for our community, and we'll continue to innovate based on your feedback. We're just getting started, so stay tuned for other innovative new features and product options soon. 

Have fun,
The YouTube Team "

Dopo aver racimolato i favori della stampa internazionale, FIFA 09 debutta alla grande nel Regno Unito, battendo i precedenti record di vendita della serie (+37,5% rispetto all’edizione 08). Disponibile dallo scorso giovedì, il titolo di EA Sports si è classificato primo nelle classifiche di PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PSP e Xbox 360, scalzando dal trono il longevo Star Wars: Il Potere della Forza (le cui cifre sono crollate del 40%).

 Il 42% delle unità vendute riguardano il mercato Xbox 360, un risultato che lo catapulta di diritto in terza piazza nella speciale classifica dei titoli venduti più velocemente per il sistema Microsoft (alle spalle di Grand Theft Auto IV e Halo 3). Il 40%, invece, sono da attribuire alla fetta nelle mani di PlayStation 3. In questo caso, però, FIFA 09 agguanta il secondo posto in termini di rapidità di vendita, subito dietro all’onnipresente GTA IV.

Per quanto riguarda le altre edizioni, troviamo un 11% per PS2, un 3% per PSP e la parte restante da spartire tra Wii, DS e PC. 

fonte: Tomshw.it

Listen to Ian Milham, art director, who goes into all sorts of aspects of how his team made it all happen.

Saying that this game looks slick is putting it lightly. From what I've seen so far, the graphics are gorgeous. The designers decided to forgo "realism" (which, when referring to videogames, is in and of itself an oxymoron), instead creating a stylized world with vibrant and vivid colors. It is by no means overload; this isn't one of those crazy, over-the-top games with contrast that's way too high and every color of the rainbow visible on screen at any given time. Rather, the majority of it appears to be done in shades of gray, with primary colors like red, green, and blue used as accents.

I find the use of red to be of particular interest - so far as I can tell from screenshots and gameplay videos, it has been employed as a sort of embedded hint system. Objects periodically appear in red, helping you decided what method to use when traveling through an area. This might seem like something of an easy out if you were expecting a challenging puzzler, but that's not the point of this game. It is meant to be experienced at a certain tempo, which is encouraged by the red hints, the pacing of the game, and the fact that your character becomes more agile the faster you go.

Also, Mirror's Edge is not a shooter, at least not in the traditional sense. Instead of blasting your way through a level, emphasis is placed on speed, agility and evasive maneuvers. When you do engage enemies, it is usually in the form of physical combat - martial arts type stuff.

I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on this thing, mostly because of the fresh gameplay approach. It promises a breath of fresh air, and new and (hopefully) enjoyable experience. The relative absence of weaponry is rather pleasant, as well. Gameplay videos show weapons used, but almost immediately discarded. My best guess is that carrying one severely limits your maneuverability in-game. Don't get me wrong - I'm all for blowing stuff up and making use of whatever insane guns a game's designers have chosen to bestow upon me. At the same time, forcing me to take a different route to beat the game will be a challenge, and an extremely fun one at that. On a side note, this will probably also lower the game's ESRB rating, meaning their potential demographic is much larger. Parents won't mind buying the game for their kids, since they don't have to worry about a bit of the old ultraviolence (I'm looking at you, A Clockwork Orange) creeping in.

Below is a gameplay video released by EA, as well as an animated flash trailer; it gives you an idea of how the game should turn out.

Finally, Gamespy has a preview of the game, with several videos and screenshots.

Bravo à tous!

[dailymotion id=k2YCdtv31AkoIFNhws]

One could consider XML or JSON, which are both viable options whenever simplicity or human-readability is required, or if every serialized object has a natural text-only representation. JSON, for example, provides only for a limited number of basic data types: number, string, bool, arrays and objects. What if you have a binary object? The standard approach with text encodings is to use Base64, but this results in an 33% data expansion, since every 3 source bytes become 4 encoded bytes. Base64 uses a-z, A-z, 0-9, +, /, and = as encoding symbols, entirely avoiding comas (,), quotes (both single and double), braces, parentheses, newlines, or other symbols likely to interfere with the host encoding, whether XML, JSON, or CSV.

What if you do not want (or cannot afford) the bloatification of your data incurred by XML or JSON, and are not using a language with built-in binary serialization? Evidently, you will roll up your own binary encoding for your data. But to do so, one has to provide not only the serialization mechanisms for the basic data types (including, one would guess, the infamous "binary blob") but also a higher-level syntax of serialization that provides for structure and—especially—error resilience.

Structure can be provided by a mechanism similar to Electronic Arts' 1985 Interchange File Format, or IFF. This revolutionary format provides all the necessary mechanisms for structured, hierarchical object placement within a file. IFF was so ahead of its time that it remains, even today, the basis for many multimedia file formats, including Microsoft's RIFF and AVI file formats, The Third Generation Partnership Project's 3GP, MPEG-4 Part 14, and Apple's Quicktime. Structure may also be much simpler, as a simple as a flat encoding of successive objects, which may be perfectly à propos.

Error resilience is a complex topic, as in multimedia, one will want not only to detect the errors, but to conceal them in some intelligent manner. Let us forget about error concealment for now to concentrate on a much simpler problem: corrupted files. One way to help with recovery of a damaged file is to use block error correction coding, but it leads to a significant increase in data volume and does not account for deleted or inserted data, only for flipped bits. If you cannot afford this increase but somewhat can recover from damaged or lost data, you could simply mark serialized object boundaries by synchronization markers.

The goal of synchronization marker is to allow one to just read, without decoding, the damaged data until the next marker is read. Reading the marker provides a synchronization point from which deserialization may be attempted. If deserialization goes well, the object is deserialized and the next data to be read will be the next marker. If deserialization fails at some point, an error should get thrown, managed, but deserialization may continue by skipping to the next marker. Although you're loosing objects, it might allow you to recover most of your data.

So the interesting question is how do you create unambiguous markers if you expect your data to be corrupted?

Well, it should be quite obvious that the bit pattern you choose for the marker cannot appear in the serialiazed representation of objects, so they have to be recoded to avoid using the same pattern as the marker.

Let us say we decide on a byte-sized marker, and the marker is 0xff. Using escaping we will recode the byte stream using an escape code. The escape code is a reserved symbol other than the marker, and instructs the decoder to interpret the next byte has a different meaning than its literal value. If you use Perl, Bash, or C, you have already seen this mechanism at work. In the expression \t for example, \ is the escape, and t is the auxiliary code that introduces special meaning: this is not a t, this is a tab character that will cause the cursor to jump forward to the next tab stop.

Using the same idea, we can define the following recoding for the byte stream between 0xff markers:

This encoding allows us to recode the serialized object byte stream without 0xff in every case. The escape symbol, 0xfe does not precede 0xff but 0x01, in the same way that \t encodes the ASCII code 0x09 and not t. The escape code is also never repeated as the code to introduce itself is 0x00. This provides a second line of defence against corrupted escapes.

You may wonder why I chose 0xfe as the escape any why not, say, 0x00. 0x00 would probably have been a bad choice as the escape character as it is probably relatively frequent in binary encoded data. If the output data is varied and compressed efficiently, in principle, all bytes are equally likely to be emitted so the specific escape character isn't overly critical. However, if the encoding is somewhat direct, there is a high probably that 0x00 is repeated many times in the encoding, because any numeric type that is not maxed-out will have zeroes in its most significant bits, therefore leading to a higher occurrence rate of 0x00 bytes. In this case, using 0x00 as the escape code would lead to data expansion, something we are trying to avoid.

The principle can be generalized to wider markers but will remain essentially the same. On 16 bits, one would use 0xffff as the marker. Since the marker itself could be corrupted, it may be wise to not only recode byte pairs 0xff 0xff but also lone 0xff whenever they occur in the binary encodings.

Dalším pokračování plné očekávání nabízí Far Cry 2.Toho se,ale trošku bojím.Jasně,na videích to vypadá fantasticky.Jde ale o to,jak si vývojáří poradí s otevřeným světem. Aby se hráčům z velké svobody a počtu možností nezatočila hlava.Ovšem minimálně technicky je druhý díl Far Cry na absolutní špici.To je také jeden z důvodů,proč se na něj tolik lidí těší.Jak ríkám,mám mírné obavy o kvalitní zážitek a hlavně příběh,ne tak o prodejnost a úspěch,ten je podle mě již zaručen.

Tentokráte nejde o pokračování,ale o zcela novou sérii světe div se od Electronic Arts.Dlouhé čekání na Resident Evil 5 by mohl pomoci zkrátit Dead Space,který udivuje hlavně svou brutalitou a ratingem 18+ na což sme od EA rozhodně nebývali zvyklí.Hra vypadá výborně a mezi hlavní fíčury patří dokonalá grafika,úplná absence HUDU a hlavně hororová atmosféra.Na Dead Space se těším,ale úplně mě napřesvědčil.Na videích bylo vidět hlavně stereotypní chození a kosení všeho co má tři a více končetin.No uvidíme.

Trošku v pozadí stojí Saint‘s Row 2.Vývojáři skvělého Freespace a pro mě výborného prvního dílu Red Faction se pustili do akce ne nepodobné GTA.Přiznám se,vůbec první díl neznám,ale byl velmi úpěšný.Dvojka vypadá jako velmi šílená odnož již zmiňovaného GTA.Což rozhodně není na škodu a na hru sem velmi zvědavý.

Jak je vidět,tak mě zase tak moc her nezaujalo.Ale i tak budu mít problém všechny je dohrát.Teď se jen sakryš rozhodnout,na jaké konzoli to bude.Ale o tom až jindy.

Last week, Nintendo denied it was working on a DS redesign…72 hours before it announced it was working on a DS redesign. Electronic Arts has been doing a similar publicity pas-de-deux about the " next-generation entertainment product" its BioWare studio announced last October. Despite rumors pegging the project as being a massively multiplayer online role-playing sequel to its acclaimed RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, BioWare kept its wall of silence clamped firmly down for over a year. Speaking with GameSpot after the EA buyout, studio co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuck deflected questions about the game in development at their new-ish Austin studio. "We haven't revealed any details about the game," said Muzyka. "It's super secret right now." That secrecy evaporated this past July, when EA CEO John Riccitiello casually revealed that, yes, a KOTOR MMORPG was in the works. Since then though, details on the project, which other EA executives still refuse to speak of, have been non existent, with its platforms, price, and exact launch date still unknown. "Lucas Arts and BioWare invite you to attend the official unveiling of the game that's been rumored about for years," reads the invite before providing event locale details. The gathering will be held in San Francisco the afternoon of October 21, just over a month after the release of the latest Star Wars game, The Force Unleashed. At a presentation at the Game Developers Conference this past March, producer Hayden Blackman said the fast-selling game was a replacement for a proposed third single-player KOTOR title.