The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen Review

The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen is another Big Fish Games exclusive that graced me initially as possibly another hidden object game that is like all the others that came before it. However, this game also teaches me to not judge a book by its cover, because as I soon found out, it is not a hidden object game. This game goes beyond hidden object as it is more an adventure, and a whimsical, crazy and humorous adventure at that.

The story of the game starts as some evil wizard destroyed the Heart of the Kingdom. Without any light and prosperity in his kingdom, the king was offered a solution to marry his daughter to a strange and evil man that can bring the king an enormous amount of money. Desperate and hating her predicament, the princess calls for Baron Munchausen for help. The Baron is eager to do so, and as he enters the scene, prepare to have so much fun unlike nothing the crazy Munchausen can.

For those who do not know yet, the origins of The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen game predates to an actual living man that lived from 1720 to 1797. He told many outrageous and farfetched stories of his adventures that lived to this day on books and movies. Well now, you can experience a made up tale of the famous Baron through this game. And true to his many adventures, this game is also very unique, very funny and full of Munchausen's comical braggadocio that you will definitely enjoy playing it until the end.

Really, this game started quite amateurish to me and I was expecting no surprises, but all that impression blew away the instant that the game play starts. You see, the hidden object scenes follow a different kind of game play. Well, you still need to find objects, but instead of a list, you need to associate other items on your list with these hidden objects. Other than this, other game play mechanics include helping Munchausen by following listed instructions and the usual adventure game play where you need to use inventory items to keep Munchausen progressing in his adventure.

In my opinion, The Surprising Adventures of Munchausen is really one fine game that if you are a seasoned hidden object player, you definitely need something like this to change your perspective, that not all games like these are gritty, dark and eerie, but can also be simple and fun. Too bad that the adventure is quite short, but I am looking forward to a sequel just the same.

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Diablo III Wizard Leveling Build - The Early Levels

This Diablo III Wizard Leveling Build guide is going to give you a detailed breakdown of what will likely be the best wizard leveling build in Diablo III.

In this leveling guide, the build I will outline is based on a couple assumptions regarding your goals for wizard leveling in Diablo III. We will assume that you are looking to power level your wizard as fast as possible and that you will be playing in single player mode.

With these criteria in mind, this build will focus on outputting massive amounts of AOE damage while offering a fair amount of survivability and the ability to keep your distance from enemies when needed. When using these abilities, remember that Signature wizard skills cost no arcane power whereas Offensive and Utility skills do.

Below are the 3 active skills and 1 passive skill that will be the most beneficial for easy leveling in the early stages of Diablo:

The first active wizard skill you should use is Magic Missile, a Signature skill. This ability is available at level 1 and will help you get started leveling your wizard. Magic Missile is a ranged arcane attack that does 110% weapon damage to your target.

The second active wizard skill you should grab is called Wave of Force, an Offensive skill. This ability is a multi-function spell that serves as both offense and defense. When cast, it causes 350% weapon damage to enemies in front of you. As if that weren't enough, its defensive benefits are equally as useful while leveling. Wave of Force repels incoming projectiles, knocks back your enemies and slows their movement by 50%. This will allow you to maintain a safe distances from your foes and as they slowly make their way back to attack you again you can finish them off with your multi-shot version of Magic Missile.

The 3rd active wizard skill to grab is definitely Frost Nova, a Utility skill.This ability creates an icy blast that will freeze your enemies for 3 seconds and cause 50% weapon damage at the same time. While Frost Nova is primarily a survival skill, allowing you to retreat back to a safe distance and lob in some ranged attacks, its 50% weapon damage and runestone bonus are nothing to sneeze at.

Your first passive wizard skill is called Power Hungry. This ability gives you 30 Arcane Power any time you receive healing from a health orb. The main function of Power Hungry is to help you maintain good levels of AP (Arcane Power) throughout your leveling.

I hope this brief guide to the best Wizard leveling build has given you a good idea of the most useful skills to use during the early levels of Diablo III. As you progress throughout the game, you'll undoubtedly come across certain wizard builds that you might find more enjoyable to play than others, even if they might not be the most efficient for fast power leveling.

That is ok, as one thing you should keep in mind is that no leveling is being accomplished when you are not playing the game. Therefore, the more fun you can make the leveling process, the more you will play and the faster you will level!

Best of luck to everyone during your journeys to level 60. Happy leveling!

To read more about the best Diablo III Wizard Leveling Build, browse on over to the internet's #1 Diablo III Guide!

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The Adventurous Tarzan Games

Tarzan is a fictional character who has been brought up by a family of apes. The story is set in the 19th century, and survivors of a drowning ship land in the forests of Africa. The surviving couple has a young son, and they construct a tree house to shelter themselves. But unfortunately a leopardess attacks the couple and kills them. The sole survivor, the infant is then rescued by a young female gorilla, which adopts him and names him Tarzan.

Many games featuring Tarzan have been developed and these interesting games will provide you hours of fun.

The games allow you to control Tarzan using the number keys on the keyboard and some additional features can be used via the space bar.

Adventure Tarzan games feature Tarzan in the middle of the jungle and you must guide him through the jungle. The player is given three lives and you lose a life if Tarzan falls into the water or gets eaten by some animal. The health status of Tarzan is also shown by a bar, which grows shorter each time Tarzan gets hurt.

Tarzan puzzles are fun and you get a list of items which you need to find on the screen. The items are subtly hidden and require concentration, in order to find them all within the given time.

In some games, Tarzan is given a simple weapon like a boomerang with which to defend himself while completing his adventure. Collect objects like fruits to get bonus points and kill all the enemies you encounter.

Other Tarzan games have interesting puzzles, like jigsaw puzzles, and you are given the pieces which you must arrange correctly in order to obtain the original picture.

Coloring games are also there and these are suitable even for young children. You are given a plain picture and can transform it using the different colors available. Many characters from the Tarzan cartoon are given and you can choose your favorite one and bring it to life.

Lots of other exciting Tarzan games are also available and you can have a battle with the leopard which killed Tarzan's parents. Kick and punch and unleash your fury to win the game.

Dress-up games are very cool and you can check out Tarzan in different avatars. Some games also allow you to dress up other characters of the cartoon. And you can spend hours trying out different hairstyles, clothes and accessories.

 

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The Tower of Druaga - Nintendo Famicom Game Review

Many video games today features a number of secrets hidden within them, but they are usually just a source of short amusement from the developer to the player rather than essential bits of information important to the plot of the story. Even if such games did feature secrets essential to the plot of the game, the advent of the Internet has basically ruined the original intention as anybody can easily look up the answers on the first day of release. However, such was not the case back when The Tower of Druaga was released on the Famicom in 1985.

Concept

The Tower of Druaga is an action role playing video game based on maze gameplay. The thing that is most interesting about it is that it was one of the first games that required players figure out and find a number of secrets in order to complete the game; without finding these essential hidden secrets, it was impossible to finish the game. Because there was no Internet back when this game was released, it was important for friends to work together to figure out the game.

Some of the secrets that were hidden in the game included a number of different things, such as random starting positions for each maze. In other words, if you restarted a maze, you might end up in a completely different part of the map, meaning you could not just blindly use muscle memory to get through the maze. On top of that, the maze could also change entirely, though it would not randomize, just to add another challenge.

Gameplay

In The Tower of Druaga, the player takes on the role of Gilgamesh, and the primary purpose of the game is to pass through sixty floors of mazes in an effort to defeat Druaga in his demonic tower. The only equipment Gilgamesh receives is a shield and a sword, and these items allow him to defend himself from magical attacks and defeat enemies, respectively. With this equipment in hand, Gilgamesh is required to go through a maze to find a randomly placed key, which will then open the door to the next floor.

The Tower of Druaga is the game that became the precursor to roguelikes such as Nethack and the recently released and popular The Binding of Isaac. Fans of either of these two games should absolutely invest in obtaining the original Famicom cartridge, if not just for the experience of seeing from where their favorites derived.

Please visit retrogamerjapan.com for Super Famicom games, Famicom games and more. We also have cleaned, tested and ready to play classic retro Famicom and Super Famicom consoles, controllers and guides. All 100% original, straight from Japan.

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Razer Tron Keyboard - Is It Worth The Price?

The Razer Tron keyboard, inspired by the Disney sci-fi movie Tron, had many gamers abuzz with its release. Who would not be curious about it when it comes in a sleek jet black design and has a cool LED backlight feature for a complete sci-fi look? The Razer Tron keyboard also boasts of an in-game triggered lighting effect for a cooler game play. These features and more are what I am going to take a look in this review so we can decide if this keyboard is worth its price tag.

The first thing that you'll notice, as with other gaming keyboard, is that this keyboard is a bit longer than normal keyboards. It becomes even longer if you attach its detachable number pad. However if you compare it to other gaming keyboards, the Razer Tron is just the right size. The only downside with this keyboard's detachable number pad is that if is already attached and you pick-up the keyboard without supporting it, there is a good chance that it will crash back to where you picked it up. The detachable keypad of the Razer Tron keyboard is only attached to the main keyboard by a magnetic snap.

The other feature of this keyboard is its programmable keys. All but two of the Razer Tron keyboard can be programmed to function as a different key or macro. This gives the user whole wide range of new functions that can be used for his gaming satisfaction. The only keys that can't be reprogrammed in the Razer Tron keyboard are the macro key and the game key on the keyboard. Other than that all the other keys in the keyboard are programmable.

If looks are the only basis for buying a gaming keyboard, the Razer Tron out smarts all the other gaming keyboards. The sleek shiny black finish of the keyboard along with the cool LED backlight will take out the other contenders any time of the day. However there is one downside to the keyboard - its spacing. The keyboard's keys are spaced too far away from each other slowing the reaching of the next key. This little glitch can make or break a gamer's game. However the backlight makes up for it because it illuminates the keyboard even when there are no other lights available, so the gamer would know what key to strike next.

Overall, this keyboard gets a score of 8.5. The wickedly cool sci-fi design is something that would make any gamer go gaga over. The mic and speaker hub in the keyboard gives for a more accessible plug for earphones. The keyboard can also be complimented by the Tron mouse and Tron mouse pad. The only downsides to the Razer Tron keyboard are its price and the over spread keypad keys. If I'd be asked if the price that will be paid for the Razer Tron keyboard is worth it then I'd have to say yes.

Don't think this gaming keyboard fits your style?

Take a look at this Razer Lycosa Mirror if you are unsure.

That gaming keyboard is comparable to this Razer Tron Keyboard keyboard and it might be the one you like.

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The Nintendo Famicom Game Review: Balloon Fight!

Balloon Fight for the Nintendo Famicom was released in 1985. This game is fun to play and has a simple premise: go pop the bad guys' balloons! This simple idea is a great start to the game. The player doesn't have to read a manual, or worry about which buttons to press. This is 8-bit retro gaming at its best.

You can press the A or B buttons to make your character fly up and down. Press left and right on the arrow pad to go, well, left and right. Balloon fight is similar to Joust, but in Joust you are trying to kill your enemies, here you just want to pop your enemies' balloons. Don't be turned off by the simple premise of this game. That's part of the magic! It's easy to understand at first glance, but hard to master.

There are three modes of play: single, 2 player, and Balloon Trip. The main goal for the first two modes is to pop all of the balloons while keeping your own player aloft. In Balloon Trip, you must traverse through an obstacle course and test your flying skills. Be careful of the lightning and other baddies waiting to knock you out of the sky.

The controls in Balloon Fight take a little practice to gain proficiency. If you flap to hard going up, it's difficult to slow your momentum down and you may crash into an enemy and lose a balloon. The same goes for going right and left. If you go to fast in any direction, slowing down becomes a problem and you may find yourself heading into trouble.

The graphics in Balloon Fight are great. Very vibrant and colorful. Even in 8-bit, it looks good, and the sprite animations are well done so Mario's movements are believable and the enemies and balloons are recognizable as such.

If you've just purchased a used Balloon Fight cartridge, make sure to clean the contacts with ammonia using a q-tip. If it hasn't been cleaned, it will certainly need to be. Always make sure your game carts are not dirty before sticking them into your Famicom. Inserting a dirty cart into your working FC is a retro-gaming foul. Don't do it!

All in all, Balloon Fight is one of those games in the vast Family Computer game library that should definitely be in your collection. It's got the retro, 8-bit game mix down just right: a simple premise, which is easily understood at a glance, followed by excellent gameplay.

Click the link to view and buy Famicom games. Retrogamerjapan.com has a great selection of Family Computer games and consoles, as well as Super Famicom games and consoles as well. All RetroGamerJapan games and consoles are guaranteed to work and come clean and ready to go!

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The Best Outdoor Games For Children

If you're like most parents, you probably remember that much of your youth was spent outside. While there are exceptions, most parents today grew up playing outside at parks, in their backyards, or elsewhere. Today's kids are too often glued to the television, but you can help them get some fresh air, exercise, and even learn a few things by helping show them cool games to play outside. There are a variety of different fun outdoor games for kids, whether you've only got a single child or an entire classroom full of them. And they're normally inexpensive or outright free to play, which is a major consideration in today's world.

Schools often rely on cool games for kids to play outside. Something as simple as educational field trips can help them stay active and learn, but games on the playground can be great choices too. Kids outdoor relay games offer a way for kids to get active, challenge themselves, and learn to work together. They'll teach teamwork, good sportsmanship, and much more. They're essentially little more than stick games, too, since they let kids use little more than a stick as a baton. This is a far cry from online stick games, which are simply stick figure flash games.

At home, learning a few dog games for kids is a great way to get the family pet involved. Fetch and Frisbee are common, but you may be able to convince your kid - and your dog - to run a race with one another. There are plenty of other options as well, so don't overlook your pets when you try to figure out cool games to play outside. Fun outdoor games for kids can range from complicated to simple, so be sure that you take the time to figure out some that your whole family will be able to take part in.

You can also play hunting games with your kids as well. Hid and go seek is a good example, but hiding a variety of items for them to find is also a fun way to help them problem solve and enjoy the outdoors. And of course, camp games for kids are among the best on which to base your own outdoor pursuits. Review some of the more popular games played at camp and apply them at home or in your classroom. You'll have no shortage of great ideas when you use cool games from camps as your model.

Educational field trips are a great way to fascilitate outside play. There are plenty of fun games that can be played while on these trips. This brings learning and fun together in a fun-filled environment.

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Razer Marauder - The Ultimate StarCraft II Keyboard?

There are a lot of new keyboards that have come up for gamers but it's the first time that a keyboard's been made for a particular game - the Razer Marauder. The Marauder is made by Razer for StarCraft II gamers. There are other keyboards that are specifically made for gaming but not for one particular game. There is a keyboard that is made for several games by changing its keypad but never specifically for a game. Not until there was the Razer Marauder. To know what's new and good about the Razer Marauder, it would be good to take it for a spin.

The first thing that sets this keyboard apart from the other gaming keyboards is its size. Other keyboards are mammoths but this keyboard is compact. The designers of the marauder did not do away with the numbers pad like what other keyboard makers have done. What the makers of this keyboard did was take out the delete, page up, page down, home, end and the arrow keys. The functions of these keys were not removed totally because it is integrated at the number pad and is accessible by using the numLK key. Although it is a small keyboard, the Razer Marauder is solid.

This keyboard is designed with gamers in mind so it has an integrated APM or actions per minute system. With this system you can know how fast you are working your keyboard. It starts with green when you are hitting 50 APM that changes to red when you are hitting 300 APM. The good thing about the back lighted keyboard of the Razer Marauder is that when you are playing StarCraft II and you are being attacked, it will give you a warning. Although if you are playing the game you will really know that you are attacked, the feature just gives it a nice touch.

For other uses the this keyboard has nice comfortable keys. This keyboard has rubbery keys that feel great on the fingers. The keys are also sensitive so you don't have to put much force in striking them - something that is important in playing games. The Razer Marauder's keys are evenly spaced at a good distance from each other. This makes reaching for the keys a lot easier. You won't also have to contend with striking the wrong key. Unlike the other bulky keyboards the Razer Marauder frees your desk for other things. It helps you clear the clutter.

Overall, the Razer Marauder is a great keyboard for playing StarCraft II. However if you are playing other games, you would encounter a few setbacks because programming its keys is not as easy as other keyboards'. It's compact size is a nice feature and its backlights add a nice touch. However, Razer has not been so innovative in the design of the Marauder compared to the other keyboards it has released. With its steep price though, the Razer Marauder gets an overall score of 7.

Don't think this gaming keyboard fits your style?

Take a look at this Razer Tron Gaming Mouse if you are unsure.

That gaming keyboard is comparable to this Razer Marauder keyboard and it might be the one you like.

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Star Wars Video Games (PSP, DS, Wii, and Xbox 360)

Star Wars took the world by storm with its intriguing plot, terrific graphics, and mind blowing action and adventure. Riding on the success of the movie and the television series came innumerable number of video games. Featuring thrilling action sequences and interactive game play, these video games became very popular among avid gamers. Two of the most popular video games are The Force Unleashed and the Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Heroes Game.

The Star Wars - The Force Unleashed Game (DS, Wii, and Xbox 360)
The Force Unleashed is a gripping video game that takes you on an adventure across the universe. Developed by LucasArts, this thrilling Star Wars video game makes use of Digital Molecular Matter (DMM) technology to incorporate physical properties to the environment. So, when a glass breaks or a piece of wood snaps, it looks and sounds very realistic. A behavioral-simulation engine known as Euphoria is also used in this action adventure game. This technology makes the characters think, react, and interact like human beings.

Set in an era between the Episode III and IV of Star Wars, this thrilling game reveals hitherto unknown secrets about the Star Wars galaxy. Bored of being the good guy all the time? In this video game, you can play the game as Darth Vader's "Secret Apprentice", StarKiller and get rid of Jedi. When it comes to powers, you will have so much that you can completely annihilate your enemies. Darth Vader's "Secret Apprentice" has four core Force powers such as repulse, lightning, grip, and Force push. Use these powers individually or combine them to completely destroy your enemies.

Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Heroes Game (PSP, Xbox 360)
The story line of the Star Wars Clone Wars Republic Heroes Game is based on the Clone Wars TV series. Set in the period between the first and the second episode of this television series, this video game sheds light on the mysterious bounty hunter Cad Bane. You can play this game as your favorite Jedi Knight or a Clone Trouper and complete the 30 missions to stop the techno assassin's plot.

Use your lightsaber and Force powers to kill the Separatist Droids and move further into the game when you play as a Jedi Knight. Turn enemies into weapons that will help you navigate levels with ease. As a clone trooper, you will have immense firepower in your hands. Use rocket launchers and thermal detonators to blast your way to the next level.

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Twelve Million Magic: The Gathering Players Can't Be Wrong

Collectible card games may have had their earliest beginnings with the baseball trading cards that were first mass-produced in 1904, but the modern iteration of the collectible card game (CCG) began with Magic: The Gathering in 1993. The University of Pennsylvania doctoral candidate was charged with the task of creating a portable game that could be played in the downtime of various gaming conventions. His solution combined the nomenclature of sword and sorcery fantasy games like Dungeons and Dragons with turn-by-turn card based strategy and card trading and collecting. Nearly twenty years later, Magic has created a whole industry that includes games like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh.

Life Points and Planeswalkers

Magic: The Gathering has its own lingo, its own glossary. The MTG world is made up of powerful wizards, or Planeswalkers, who come together to do battle with each other. These Planeswalkers use magic cards to summon beasts and powers to defeat their foes. Each player begins play with 20 life points, and players compete until they lose their lives. They can be defeated in several ways: card attacks can drain the life points of the various players until one lone survivor still stands; special cards can instantly remove players from the game; a player has no more cards; a player has acquired ten or more "poison counters". Play can become spirited and heated - as in any game or sport, MTG draws on and enhances the competitive impulses.

"Cardboard Crack"

From tournaments to basements the game has witnessed players with that almost compulsive need to trade, to collect, to win. You get the image of a darkened room full of youths, cards clutched in shaking hands, wild-eyed and strung out. A popular nickname for MTG has been "cardboard crack", due to this aspect. However, careful analysis reveals that MTG is no more or no less addicting than any other game or endeavour. Is a football fan "addicted" to cheering on his favourite team? A pop music aficionado to the latest from their favourite artist? There are those who would find it hard to put down any number of activities; one person's twelve-step is another one's hobby.

The Art of Winning and Losing

Far from being the downfall of the youth of the nation, games like Magic: The Gathering can teach young players the value of good sportsmanship. Let's face it: not everyone's cut out for the rugby field. Why should the virtues imparted by team sports be relegated to only those with the constitution to play? Skills like winning with grace and losing without losing face can be taught with MTG. Strategic thinking and improved social abilities have also been attributed to CCG play. In addition, the cards in MTG as well as rules and terminology include vocabulary that children at a young age might not otherwise be exposed to. While there are some concerns that could be addressed, such as parental involvement, supervision, and guidance, the astute observer will recognize the value that MTG and games like it can display.

Steve Parker is an enthusiastic writer in the subject matter of Magic the Gathering. This is an area he holds knowledge and experience in and has chosen to write about here. Take a look at this range of Magic the Gathering today, to find a great selection.

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Winx Club Dress Up Games

Before I proceed and share with you a few top winx club dress up games, let me tell you that what's so special about Winx Club and all games related to this club.
All you need to know about Winx Club
Winx Club is an animated cartoon series that started in 2004 in Italy. The series is specifically designed for the children between five and twelve. It's one of the most favorite and much liked cartoon series and is majorly based on magical tales. Since the cartoon is based on girls, fairy tales and magic; it can be said as an animated series for girls but even boys love watching it. Today, it is considered to be among most liked cartoons in US. Not only that it is dubbed in different languages, but numerous books, toys, games and other stuff are produced based on the Winx characters. Kids love playing games that are associated with this cartoon. Today, there are hundreds and thousands of games that are directly linked with the characters of the series, and importantly Winx game is a million dollar industry.
Winx Club Games
There are many types of Winx club games that are available on the market and kids are crazy about them. These games include puzzle, magic, adventure, makeup, fighting, action and many others. There are lots of different options available for kids when it comes to Winx games.
Dress up games have special attraction for girls and almost every famous girlish cartoon character has been used in these games. Winx dress up games are also very famous for the same reason that girls are provided with an option to revamp their favorite Winx series characters. These cartoon characters include Bloom who is supposed to be the main character in the cartoon series. Other characters are Flora, Stella, Layla, Musa and Tecna. Winx Club dress up games are very interesting as well as entertaining for girls. It's not hard to find some good dressing games that are based on Winx series since there are hundreds of websites where kids can play games online absolutely free of cost. Besides websites and online gaming portals, Winx dress up games are also available for some major play stations.
So what actually is a dress up game? Well it's a game, where kids or I must say girls are provided with different options including clothes, shoes, hair styles, eyes, lips and makeup items, and they can change the clothes of their favorite characters by applying different combination of accessories. This is the reason that girls love these games.
Play Winx club dress up games online for free.

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Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is the final chapter in BioWare's epic space opera. The Reaper threat that's loomed over the first two installments in the series comes to fruition in the opening sequence of the trilogy's conclusion. Earth is one of the first systems to fall under siege and it is hit hard. Amidst the carnage, we find series protagonist Shepherd doing his best to survive. He's quickly reinstated by Admiral Anderson and Admiral Hackett (Shepherd was relieved of duty following the aftermath of Mass Effect 2 and its DLC), and he is tasked with unifying the other races in the galaxy in opposition to the Reapers' attack.

In one of the earliest missions, Shepherd is reconnected with former teammate Liara, who has discovered blueprints to a Prothean device that may have the power to destroy the Reapers once and for all. Construction on the device, codenamed "The Crucible," begins right away, and most of the game revolves around Shepherd and the rest of the Normandy's crew seeking out crucial components, especially "The Catalyst," which The Crucible won't function without.

On top of all this, Shepherd is battling an old ally in the form of the pro-human organization Cerberus. Their leader, the Illusive Man, is hell-bent on controlling the Reapers instead of destroying them, and is in search of The Catalyst as well, to promote this goal. If this weren't enough, many of the galaxy's other sentient races are reluctant to divert resources in the defense of the humans, forcing Shepherd to assist them in various ways to earn their promises of assistance against the Reapers attacking Earth.

One of the most satisfying aspects of ME3is its fan service. Throughout the course of the game you'll not only encounter nearly every notable character from the first two games, you'll finally get closure to many of the recurring issues throughout the course of the series. For instance, whether or not to cure the Krogan genophage once and for all, or who to assist when the Quarians start a war with the Geth are just a couple of the decisions you'll have to make as you prepare a galaxy for war.

Overall gameplay is very similar to previous Mass Effect titles, incorporating a combination of space exploration and third person shooting. The exploring and resource gathering has been shifted away from the tedious planet scanning from the first title, and instead uses a system not unlike sonar. A ping is sent out from the Normandy, and if there's anything notable in the area it's highlighted on the navigation map. Watch out though, too many pings and the Reapers will come to investigate the source of the scans, forcing you to flee the system for a time. Resources you gather go to the war effort, and your diligence in this matter will determine the Alliance fleet's overall battle readiness.

As far as the shooting sequences go, the cover system has been improved, making it easier to advance on targets without exposing yourself to too much enemy fire. The friendly AI seems smarter, taking up flanking positions automatically and doing a fair job of protecting themselves. Enemy AI is similarly improved. They use their cover smartly, and some units will try to fall back if you charge forward for a melee attack, or attempt to outflank you if you hold one position for too long. This makes some of the enemies quite formidable, especially on the hard difficulty setting. In the end though, these are only tweaks to already established gameplay. If you enjoyed the firefights in ME2, you'll find more of the same here, just smarter and sometimes on a grander scale.

The only real gripe I have with the game is the ending. In fact, after hearing several complaints about Mass Effect 3's conclusion, I was half tempted to write this review before finishing the game. With 25+ hours in, I had a pretty high opinion of the experience to that point and didn't want to tarnish that. I thought better of it however, and went ahead and finished the game. Although it wasn't as bad as I had prepared myself for it to be, it was disappointing. Ultimately this had to do with the stunted, cookie-cutter closing cinematic however, and not a deficiency in the nature of the ending itself.

If you haven't played a Mass Effect game before, this is probably not the place to start. In fact if you haven't played a Mass Effect game before, I'm surprised you've made it to this paragraph. All this talk of Reapers and Quarians, Krogans and Crucibles must be dizzying. If you're a PS3 owner you should start with ME2, as it eases you into the mythology of the game at an easy to digest pace. Also because the first Mass Effect title was, and still is, exclusive to the 360.

Visit http://www.slackers.com/ for more great reviews!

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Are You A Sports Gamer?

Do you play sports video games? For a lot of us sports fans the answer is yes, and we don't even have to hide the fact that we do. We all have our own little man cave area where we play, or should I say waste, untold hours with that game pad in our hands. Whether it be PS3, XBOX,Wii, or Nintendo we all have our favorite games, some of which we have played since childhood. Some would say we never left stage to begin with.

According to Wiki Answers, 65% of all males say they have played at least 1 video game in the last 3 years. I don't know how scientific that survey is but it sounds about right.

My top 5 favorite sports video games franchises of all time are:

1) Madden NFL Football. Wow what a shock, right? It's not that I have liked each release but as a whole Madden pretty much set the standard for sports gaming. I am not a guy who can just stick a game in the machine and play it. I have to fiddle with sliders and gameplay to make it as close to the real thing as I can. No cheese!! Anyway, Madden comes as close tot he real thing as possible.

2) EA's NCCA Football. Ok, it's really Maddens little bother because they are made by the same company and all the controls are about the same but that's where it ends because the NCAA series captures College Football right down to the mascots and fight songs. I love being able to run the option in a game and you can even recruit players and build your own dynasty! I have played this game and piled up 15 and 20 seasons as a coach. Love it!

3) MLB The Show. Must have some baseball in my video diet and while I think it's the most difficult sport to have accuracy in from a video game there is still nothing like crushing a ball 450 feet off the bat of Josh Hamilton or another slugger. Of course, baseball is a purist sport and the stats are what the game is all about. Baseball video games have a hard time with reality especially with things likes walks, errors and other numbers.

4) The Baseball Mogul. You may not have heard of this one but it's so addictive to play. Baseball Mogul is a complete statistically based game where you are basically the GM of a baseball team (the real teams) and you are in charge of everything from a financial standpoint like player and TV contracts all the way down to the price of a hot dog. It's very deep micro managing and you have to kind of be a numbers nut to appreciate it and you must have an understanding of how to run a baseball team. If you have a star player on the rise do you sign him long term or trade him at just the right time? Pretty cool stuff!

5) Tecmo Bowl. This game came out in 1988 and is still being played! I must have spent weeks in hibernation playing this quirky little football game on my Nintendo with the corny music. In some respects it was better than madden because the game itself was pretty smart and you had to to be really good to have any fun with it. But the downside is this game only had 3 or 4 plays per team and not all the NFL teams were in the game. Still, my fingers are still sore from playing it.

There are some other that deserve mention. The NBA2K series, Fight Night, and Front Page Sports Football Pro to name a few. What are your all time greats?

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Minecraft Is Totally Awesome And Here Is Why

A lot of people have now played Minecraft, it is a great game and people like to create, fight, mine and even craft on it, but why do people really like the game?

People love Minecraft because of three simple things, ownership, replayability and ease of use. These may seem like crazy ideas to think about but it is true that the main reasons people really love Minecraft is because of how it lets them have a part of a world which is actually theirs (ownership). Players can play time and time again (replayability). Finally it is so simple to get started that anyone can play it and have fun without needing to delve into the deeper aspects of Minecraft.

Minecraft can be a nice addition to life or not. Although it is fun individuals will need to be vigilant on how often they're going on it. Minecraft is usually a really great experience that players are able to get a load of benefits through, by crafting or mining funnily enough. So there's hardly any shock that various companies are making lots of dollars from Minecraft. Going on virtual games is a really great hobby to assist gamers to de-stress and improve after a working day. Players can experience stacks of superb experiences after getting online during your afternoon.

Ownership

Being able to own part of your own land or your whole world is a big deal for Minecraft players. Many gamers have been wanting to try and get their own piece of land inside current massively multiplayer games and have failed. Finally Minecraft allows us to do this which is really awesome. I understand players can totally adore the game when they commence playing it. This is key as it makes the gamer feel important, like they are having a real responsibility in how the world evolves.

Replayability

Allowing people to socialize with people via Minecraft is a true benefit. Getting massive amounts of other gamers online means people will share their creations and thus keep replaying the game to be able to show off their own creations. Try to attempt to develop your own collection of people on the web. Having friends will increase the amount of enjoyment you get out of Minecraft.

Ease Of Use

A lot of games will bombard you with various controls, tutorials, how to guides and even beginner guides just to get started with playing the game. On Minecraft I think you have 7 controls, WASD for movement, E for inventory, left click and right click. By being so simple, Minecraft allows you to get playing and start enjoying quicker than other games.

A really cool element of the game that the majority of players like is the amazing characters, for example Stevie! If you think about it there are not many games to be found quite like it. Many games rely on graphics, but this is not really the big sale of Minecraft.

You can start on the game right away if you want to. The game is amazingly straight forward to commence playing. Websites have piles of tips that individuals will be able to embrace when players become stuck. Nearly all difficulties should be answered by digging around on sites. Fan sites are great and you should definitely get involved.

Finding tips regarding Minecraft can be a great way to get started playing. As a final note if you are thinking about playing Minecraft then I highly recommend it. It is a fantastic game with a lot of great features to keep you playing.

Jim Reynollds: Lover of all things Minecraft.

Minecraft Resources: Minecraft Server Listing | Minecraft Forums

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Back to the Future: The Game

Release Date: October 25, 2011
Publisher: Telltale Games
ESRB Rating: Teen

Are you telling me that you built a time machine... out of a DeLorean? Great, Scott! Whoa, this is heavy, Doc. Most people can tell you what movie these lines are from, and most can even pull off a Christopher Lloyd or Michael J. Fox impression while doing so. Of course the movie is Back to the Future. If you have shunned movies and general pop culture for the past 27 years, I suggest you go out and buy the trilogy on DVD or Blu-Ray immediately. You'll laugh through the first one, chuckle at the second one, and probably stop about midway through the third film due to lack of interest. But, without a doubt, you will become a fan of the franchise and might want to pick up Back to the Future: The Game.

Back to the Future: The Game, available for the PS3 and Wii, starts out in 1986 with Doc being presumed dead after leaving for the past and never returning. Marty McFly, however, thinks differently. Shortly into the game, the DeLorean returns with Doc's trusty dog Einsten, but Doc is nowhere to be found. Marty must travel back to 1931 to rescue Doc.

The plot is simple enough (written in part by the original franchise's co-creator, co-writer and co-producer) and so is the gameplay. It's essentially a point and click graphic adventure game. You interact with items and people by clicking on them. If it's a person, you choose from a list of things to say to that person. If it's an object, you either use the object or it's added to your inventory to use later. Admittedly, this gets boring after the first 10 minutes. The obstacles you face and puzzles you need to solve in order to further the plot are also just ho-hum.

The game is broken up into five episodes (the game was originally released for the iPad, PC and PS3 as downloadable content). Despite being a fan of the films, I struggled getting through even the first episode. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of laugh-out-loud moments that evoke nostalgia for the original films (Who doesn't like to see a member of the Tannen family getting covered in manure?). Plus it helps that Christopher Lloyd, who played Doc in the films, voices Doc in the game. And although Michael J. Fox doesn't voice Marty McFly, a terrific voice actor named AJ LoCascio does a spot-on Michael J. Fox impression. These things don't make Back to the Future: The Game good, however. Just more tolerable.

If you have some time to kill and have already beaten all of your other games, then I'd say check out Back to the Future: The Game. It's more entertaining than the film Back to the Future III, but not nearly as inventive or clever as Back to the Future II. Actually, you know what, you're probably just better off watching the original Back to the Future. So what are you waiting for? Why don't you make like a tree and get out of here? Roads? Where we're going, we don't need...roads. Yeah, well, history's going to change.

No, seriously, watch Back to the Future.

To learn more about Slackers, visit http://slackers.com/! Where playing around is serious business.

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Restoration Shaman PvP Guide

The Restoration Shaman is currently one of the most sought after healing classes in the game. Cataclysm introduced an awesome new totem called the Sprit Link Totem. It is arguably the most useful ability in both pvp and pve at the moment.

In Arenas, the Restoration Shaman's main spells are Earth Shield, Riptide, Healing Surge, Healing Wave and Greater Healing Wave. And that's not including all the totems that should be used as often as possible, such as Grounding Totem, Tremor Totem(when feared), Stoneclaw Totem etc, etc.

When your team is preparing for a kill on the enemy in the Arena, Battleground or anywhere else, make sure that you have the appropriate totems to give them a benefit in damage and anything else useful. For example, you might have Stoneclaw Totem up when your team's melee DPSers use their offensive abilities and prepare to start nuking for real, then they are left without the Strength Of Earth totem - which is a really good totem for strength DPSers. That's why it's so important to keep in mind these little things, because if you add them up, they've suddenly become alot of things.

Kiting is another area where the Restoration Shaman shines, with improved ghost wolf, the shaman can instantly transform himself into a ghost wolf while a slowing effect is active on the enemy, to then simply run away from him. That works against most classes that don't have too much movement cooldowns, such as Warriors with their Charge. It's important to not focus on kiting if you have more than one melee DPSer nuking you, because that would just prove in vain since all melee DPSers have their ways of catching up to you, and with two of them combined, you have little to no chance of actually avoiding any of their damage by kiting.

For best mana conservation, don't overuse Healing Surge. It's a powerful heal with a quick cast, at the cost of alot of mana - especially if you want to use it multiple times in a row. Instead, I can recommend using Riptide as much as possible, followed by a Greater Healing Wave if the target you're healing is on 35-60%. If your target is on 1-35%, then Healing Surge is your go-to spell until the target has reached 35% HP, whereas you make good use of Riptide followed by Greater Healing Wave. The regular Healing Wave should be used on targets with HP percentages ranging from 60 to 99, because it costs little mana and you can most likely afford "spamming" it until the target you're healing has reached maximum HP.

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A Review on Minecraft Texture Packs and Skins Change

Minecraft is a popular game on the Internet where you can build constructions using the blocks. Basically, all you have to do is placing the blocks to build any constructions you want in the 3D world, from the basic constructions such as pole to the complicated ones such as bridges, houses, and many more. In addition to building constructions, you should be able to build a shelter before night to protect yourself from zombies that prey at night. Minecraft already has its original textures and skins of people, blocks and other items. However, you might be bored with the current textures or skins and want to replace them with the new ones to give the new feel to your constructions and characters.

To create your own Minecraft texture packs, first of all, choose the files that you want to transform into texture. Find a main system file called maincraft.jar that is installed along with the Minecraft game itself. Open an archiving program such as WinRar. Put the files into the WinRar in PNG format and your new textures are ready. The files can also be modified using picture editing program. To keep the clearness of the image, save it in 32 bit images. Next, make the zip files of those files and your modified textures are ready. You can also download texture packs on the Internet created by artists, and you can also upload your creation for people to use it. In addition to texture packs, modifying the Minecraft skins is also interesting and quite challenging. The skins themselves basically refer to the character's skin in different areas of the body. However, they can also refer to the other textures in the game, such as the ones in the blocks. If you want to change the character's skins for instance, you can do this easily. The game itself already comes out with default character's skins, but you can always replace them with the skin you desire. Principally, there are two ways to replace the defaults skin, which are by using skin editors or by using the PNG file from the Minecraft. Next, upload the preferred image in PNG format on the profile page of the game and your new skins are ready.

By adjusting your own Minecraft texture packs, you now can play the game using new texture you want. Not only new texture give more colour to the game itself, different texture is crucial in terms of giving the game different colour and atmosphere throughout different time of the day and possibly different seasons. Adjusting Minecraft skins also make the game much more interesting.

Do not hesitate to get new Minecraft texture packs is one to give the new feel to your Minecraft game. Changing Minecraft skins is also another fun thing you can do with Minecraft that you cannot do with any other games.

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Razer Tron Gaming Mouse Review - Is This The Best Gaming Mouse Ever?

Wow, after experiencing the difference, I have found that the Razer Tron Gaming Mouse is a fantastic gamers' mouse. I supposed to share my experience with you, because this seems to be very interesting and very useful topic to discuss further. As this is the latest mouse which includes the feature mechanical key functions, I hope that the time you spend here is worth. This mouse package includes a specially designed mouse pad which improves the efficiency of it. Recently the Razer Tron Gaming Mouse is being upgraded by the Razer team and the advanced Tron gaming mouse will be released in near future.

Razer Tron Gaming Mouse with 5600dpi razer precision 3.5g laser sensor significantly upgrades the performance and provides the sensation of best gaming experience through its incomparable high speed responsiveness. DPI adjustment is more important when playing different games which are in different genres and it can be configured as your preferences from minimum of 100dpi to maximum of 5600dpi.

Razer Tron Gaming Mouse is designed in a unique style and it seems to be the most comfortable mouse in the world. There are two buttons on both sides of the mouse as extra buttons, separately from the main mouse buttons and scroller. These extra keys can be configured when it is being used for gaming purposes and this unique design allows both left handed and right handed users to handle it easily. When you use the Razer Tron Gaming Mouse you will enjoy the comfort of its own nature as all the keys are very sensitive and sides of the mouse are cushioned solidly to ensure the comfort as well as the durability. Its glossy coating gives your finger tips a great sensation and you won't be able to see it, but feel it.

Dead Space 2 was the first game which I tried this Razer Tron Gaming Mouse and after using it I realized the worthiness of my deal. I was astonished at how smoothly it slips across the mouse pad as there is no any friction at all and it is perfect for first person shooter gamers (FPS gamers). When I was using a normal mouse on an average sized pad, it seems so slow and awful to use and now I have had the fastest and most admiring gaming experience of my life as the Razer Tron Gaming Mouse provides the highest sensitivity and responsiveness that any other mouse haven't provided yet. The specially designed mouse pad is sufficient for all your movements, well to be honest; you won't necessitate that much space on the mouse pad at over 5,000 DPI. As I have experienced, it is so fast on its highest DPI 5600 that I managed to leap to shun a grenade and then moved to kill another enemy by using the knife within a timeframe of less than 3 seconds.

Though the Razer Tron Gaming Mouse has the capabilities of plug and play, this required an optional configuration software which is provided by the producers as this is a fully functioning gaming mouse. Assigning the different functions to buttons, turning the sound and light effects of the mouse on or off, creating custom macro commands which are complex, doing the adjustments in DPI and polling rate and as well as creating the different profiles which suit the navigation and gaming needs of yours can be done through Razer Tron Gaming Mouse configuration software.

The Razer Tron Gaming Mouse's design was inspired by the Hollywood movie "Tron Legacy" and in the surface it has a very smooth, black plastic with light blue highlights in it. This mouse has many light and sound effects which were taken direct from the movie and it gives you a magnificent sensation. Razer Tron Gaming Mouse pad's surface was coated with a special chemical and this coating trails the blue light from the mouse when you move it. Though these effects are very attractive, honestly I would like to point out the one and only minor drawback which I found in this mouse, is not having a sleeping key which is quite handy in some occasions that we don't need the light and sound effects as well.

Without any doubt I think that Razer Tron Gaming Mouse is the coolest mouse I have ever used and this has a wonderful design which draws anyone's attention to it. I think that this is the most suitable mouse for EPS gamers, but I bet that every PC user will try to have a cool and handy stuff like this. Gratefully Razer Tron Gaming Mouse has the high end style with a high featured configuration software and high sensitive and specified sensor which guarantee the best gaming experiences and as well as the great performance of mouse.

Don't think this gaming keyboard fits your style?

Take a look at this Razer Marauder if you are unsure.

That gaming keyboard is comparable to this Razer Tron Gaming Mouse keyboard and it might be the one you like.

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