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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How To Become a Video Game Tester at Home

The video game business has become a billion dollar industry and continues to grow at an ever increasing rate. Through this explosive growth and the advances in technology has arisen new and exciting job opportunities for video game testers.

Within North America there are literally dozens of game development design studios all aggressively perusing there share of this enormous gaming market.

To assure their success many new game developers will seek the aid of professional video game testers prior to a major market launch. This will provide critical impute towards improvements and debugging any glitches. This is also an effective cost savings measure most companies must employ as it's critical to any successful game launch to be a flawless as possible in today's competitive marketplace.

Some design studios bring in game testers to conduct analysis in a controlled environment while others will seek home based game testers as we are discussing here.

How to become a Video Game Tester at Home

The demand for these types of jobs has been steadily increasing year after year and can be difficult to acquire. I will be sharing my tips on how you can become a game tester at home starting today.

There are basically two types of video game testers ones that are actually paid to perform the service and those who are not. Becoming a Beta tester is usually free and available over the internet to those who are interested. This beta testing is usually made available only after the paid testers have completed their task. This acts as one final step of performance assurance on a larger scale. Design studios are very aware of the social media age we live in. Just how quickly negative news travels along with its potential affect on the profitability of a game launch or a company's reputation is reason enough to conduct proper testing.

Many professional video game testers will have a post secondary education and be employed full time within the industry earning a predetermined salary. However there is a rapidly growing market for video game testers at home. This covers a much wider spectrum and can include people from all over North America. These testers are paid hourly and will report back on questions such as preferred gaming modes, graphics, menus, functionality, ease of navigation and more.

Many studios will require a resume that should contain your work experience and education. Do not forget to include any games you're presently playing or have played extensively in the past. Doing some research on the studio you're applying to and evaluating some of the previous games they've put out along with your thoughts for improvement will also help. This can make you to stand out in the crowd and spark their interest in you as a potential game tester.

Search forums for available video game testing in Beta. Although it's free and you don't get paid it does convey your passion for gamming and your desire to do this professionally when included with your application or resume.

Remember don't try and overplay your hand here by trying to impress them. They are looking for real and honest opinions from everyday people not someone just telling them what they want to hear or how great you think there other games are.

Another way you can be unique is by starting a blog about you're Beta testing and write your reviews and experiences about the games you've tested. Research the games you test and provide comments from other gamers as this will help indicate your abilities to evaluate future games.

There are several companies online that can help guide you in locating video game testing jobs. They provide additional tips and strategies to get you accepted quickly and the cost is relatively low considering the quality of jobs they provide and the time they will save you.

Some additional benefits to using a guide is that they will often have access to gaming studio compensation plans that will indicate the per hour rate for individual games. This can make the process of how to become a video game tester at home that much easier. Remember it's not as easy as sending an email and simply asking, you will stand a much better chance if you follow the application of each studio properly and use some of the pointers you learned here.

See the lastest Video Game Tester Jobs [http://www.workathomejobsandcareers.com] and discover more about how to become a video game tester at home [http://www.workathomejobsandcareers.com].

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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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Parents: Do Your Kids Love Playing Computer and Console Games? Then They Could Test Them!

As parents we usually worry that our kids spend too long playing games on their consoles and computers, but actually they are developing specific knowledge and expertise that might surprise us. I don't mean just their amazingly nimble thumbs and brains, they are also learning what works and what doesn't in gaming - the right degree of challenge, and reward, that makes the art of gamification function, that keeps players of different levels striving for the next achievement. This is at the cutting edge of behavioural science, with application in fields ranging from education to health policy.

And kids are very discerning consumers - they know exactly what they like and what they don't like, what they want to spend their time playing. Despite the recession, the UK games market alone was worth over £3bn in 2011. Understanding exactly what gamers need and want from their next releases is big business, and when the gamers are kids, understanding their unique needs and motivations is an important art. Developers work with brands and technology to design the games they hope will be talked about, enjoyed and create a buzz, but at some point in the development they have to get their prototypes directly tested, by real users who are in the target market for the end product itself - the kids who love playing games.

Taking part in games testing is invariably huge fun for those involved. The researchers are trained in the very specialist field of child related research and games testing, and tend to be very communicative and personable characters, experienced at making children and parents feel welcome and right at home quickly. Sessions could last anything from 45 minutes to two hours, and mainly involve hands-on games testing. This will be playing an unreleased game, likely to be in a genre selected to be of special interest to the child involved, and they'll be asked for comments and feedback during the session. Appropriate breaks and refreshments are provided, to the gaming children and their parental chaperones, who accompany them at all times. There will also be members of the research team present, and sometimes others from the development company may view from behind a mirror or videolink - so as not to create additional crowds and pressure that might distract or stress the young participants.

The children taking part are typically aged 6-17 years, and will need some level of gaming experience - they'll usually be recruited because they own a current generation games console or handheld, and like certain types of games, but for different projects different degrees of expertise and enthusiasm are required - indeed, often casual or inexperienced gamers are what's needed, typical average kids, who make up a wider share of the target market than the obsessive experts.

For ethical and child protection reasons, the research recruitment company involved will recruit via the parent/guardian, who's consent and input is required at all times. Sometimes there are event joint research sessions where the parents will be specifically interviewed about their child's gaming behaviour, but most often they will just be present as an observer and chaperone - and to sign for the research incentive fee of course, which is typically in the region of £50 for a one-off short session in the UK (of this £20 is normally regarded as the chaperone fee, the rest is for the young research participant!)

To find out about research opportunities in the UK for you and your family (where applicable) you need to be over 16 and enrol with Saros Research Ltd - if you have children in the target age range, they will then contact you directly as the parent, with any games testing in your area for which you may be able to apply.

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The Constant Evolution Of Rise Of Flight

One of the best things to come out of the video game craze of the 80's, was the desire to create and produce more realistic action and flying games.

That craze also led to developers trying to find a way to get those games into people homes, which they did with the introduction of game systems.

We are a greedy lot though, and the demand for bigger and better games meant that those systems continued to develop, until they finally reached the point where they are at today. The realism in today's games is staggering when you compare it to those early efforts, and it's hard to imagine how far they will go in the future.

Rise of Flight is a perfect example of the tweaking that goes into the games, as well as the systems they are played on. It may be an incredibly popular World War I flight simulator, but that doesn't stop the fans from wanting more. It appears that the Rise of Flight developers are in agreement that their game could be better, as they constantly seem to be adding new options, all of which are designed to add even more realism to a game that was already bursting with it.

As you might expect, the planes are the focal point of the Rise of Flight game, and while there are a good number to choose from, enthusiasts of World War I will still want to see other planes included that may not have shown up in the original version. To that end, the makers of the game teamed up with a Ukrainian software modeling team to help them develop even more methods of flight. You would think that would be enough to keep even the most hardcore gamer happy, but they still want more.

The next step for the Rise of Flight developers was to add a level of artificial intelligence that would control such things as cloud patterns, as well as the level of darkness of the night. That may sound like an insane level of detail to the majority of us, but when you are designing a game that is based on real historical events, then you will want to include as much realism as possible, all with the goal of putting the player in the middle of the action, and asking them to suspend belief long enough to believe that they are actually flying a World War I plane.

With all those little tweaks and additions constantly being made, it means that the Rise of Flight game is in a constant state of future development. That is great news for fans of the game, as it will mean that their experience will only continue to improve. In fact it might only be a matter of time before they are dodging bullets from a World War I plane while still sitting in their own living room.

You can watch some videos of this great World War 1 flight simulator in action, and find out more the game at the Rise of Flight website. If more modern flying is where your interests lie, check out the aircraft at the Flight Simulator Online Game site.

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My Experience With A Flight Simulator

This is not another review of a flight simulator, It's just that I'd like to share with you my own experience of flying and what I've learned since I got interested, after seeing my someone playing Pro Flight Simulator online. It intrigued me so much that I went back in time to find out how it all started. Flight simulation really started way back in the 1920s, however in the 1960s and the 1980s it was only for high - end computers. In the 90's with increasing technology in computers we started to see more and more flight simulator games available to everyone who had a computer. Once in a while I'll get on, it's so much fun that I forget myself sometimes. It gets me out of the house without being out of the house, if you know what I mean. I do have a little fear of flying because I feel that I'm not in control but not with a flight simulator, it's totally different you are the pilot so you can enjoy it more.

They say that military personnel have been using that kind of system forever; even today it is easier for flying school to start a beginner on a simulator first before they get on a real airplane. Experienced pilot use them, it keeps them up to date. What I liked about the it is how easy it was to get used to. After a few intense moments, you get it, just like riding a bicycle. I don't travel that much, and have never been to Europe or Asia, the Middle East or the jungle in Africa. I can do that now in the comfort of my home and experience the same kind of weather that they're having at that moment Flying over the Tour of Eiffel in Paris in the rain try to imagine that. Pro Flight Simulator uses Google GPS and you share the same weather of that region at that moment. I have tried about 5 or 6 aircraft already and landed in 15 airports. There's so much to consume, the list of airplanes and the number of airports to land on goes on and on, and I didn't even try helicopters yet, you can never get tired of this game. No wonder I can't get my kid to do chores, I totally understand because when I get a chance to play with it I feel so relaxed it's like taking a mini vacation. A pilot I'll never be so be it, but on a flight simulator game I'm king I'll fly high above Mount Everest I'll fly low over the Ocean. I think next time I'm going to China and will fly over the Great Wall.

In all honesty, I love the program, I've seen a few flight simulator games out there, they are more expensive and not better than Pro Flight Simulator, for the money that's the game to buy. I don't really look at it as a game because it feels so real when you're sitting there flying. I hope you enjoyed our little chat, if you want to have a good time and forget about life for a while get Pro Flight Simulator you won't regret it. I'll even give you the website to get you there faster get it now don't wait. http://www.bestonlineflightsim.com/

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Willy Wiener and the Tunnel of Doom Review

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play a hot dog who has to rescue a donut damsel in distress from the clutches of Hell? Well, then you're in luck, because that's exactly what MobiDojo's "Willy Wiener and the Tunnel of Doom" is about!

Willy Wiener is a heroic hot dog who is risking his buns (har har) to save Dottie the Donut from Evil Mr. Mephisto Maplebar. Your role in this is to guide Willy through eight fiery levels plus a boss level. Each level consists of two rounds. The first one has Willy falling down through the Tunnel of Doom. Using tilt controls, you have to keep him from hitting fireballs or little pitchfork-wielding devils. You also need to collect coins and gems as you fall. In order to get three stars for a level, you'll have to collect a specific number of coins, last a certain amount of time, and collect one gem.

If you survive the first round of Hell, you'll make it to round 2, where you must fling Willy over and through some bizarre obstacles to land in Dottie's donut hole. Yeah, you heard that right. But don't worry, it's still a safe game for kids. It's just some animated food, right?

To fling Willy, you use him like a slingshot. When you tap him, a ring will appear around him. You can control the speed and force at which he flies by making the ring bigger or smaller. Some levels will require he go slow and steady, while others he'll need to go faster and farther. It may take a few tries to get it right.

The second round of each level could be challenging and take some time to succeed. But that's good, because it's a fairly short game. If you make it to the ninth level, you'll face the boss battle, where you'll use the gems you collected throughout the game.

Willy Wiener has some great cutscenes and music which make it feel like an old silent film. In each one, Willy and Dottie are professing their love to each other when Mr. Maplebar steps in and literally roasts Willy. These scenes are a great touch that really makes the game stand out.

If you don't like ridiculous games, then you should probably avoid this one. But everyone else, enjoy the insanity that is Willy Wiener and the Tunnel of Doom! It's short, but there's plenty of quirky fun to be had here.

If you'd like to read more about Willy Wiener and view some zany screenshots, check out: http://www.appunwrapper.com/2011/12/12/willy-wiener-and-the-tunnel-of-doom-review/

-AppUnwrapper
In-Depth iPhone Game Reviews and Walkthroughs
http://www.appunwrapper.com/
Twitter: AppUnwrapper

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Halo 4 Ranking System

It is official, Halo 4's ranking system will not be a duplicate of Halo Reach's, but then what will it be like? Frankie has denounced a 1-50 system like in Halo 3; stating that boosting was rampant and ruined the ranking system once you went above level 45. These admissions may infuse Halo's more dedicated fans to a possible return to the way Halo 2 ranked skill. I for one would be thrilled with a return to this system, but that seems unlikely.

It seems that game developers have gone from simple and effective ranking systems to complex, ineffective, and meaningless ways of measuring skill. In Halo 2 your rank was based solely on your wins and losses, if you won you went up, if you lost you went down. Moreover decent players did not achieve the highest rank, you were good when you reached level 30 and truly great (or a cheater) once you approached the 40s and beyond.

As Bungie progressed into the Halo 3 area they modified their ranking system to incorporate Microsoft's true skill algorithm. The levels were 1-50 still, but now ranking was slightly more complex than just winning and losing. It analyzed your opponents wins and losses and would reward you with more experience if you triumphed over someone who was, "better than you". At the same time you'd lose more experience if you lost when the game felt you should win. Halo 3's ranking process had two major flaws with it though: acquiring a 50 was too easy, and boosting.

Unlike in Halo 2 where any rank 30 and above meant you were good, Halo 3 had plenty of terrible level 50's. Achieving the hardest level in the game should separate you from the majority of other players, but not in Halo 3. Reaching a 50 was the equivalent of attaining Forerunner rank in Halo Reach; if you played long enough you'd get it.

Yet if you did not want to spend time earning a level 50, you could always boost for it. Boosting in Halo 3 entailed playing with an account that had a substantial amount of more losses than wins. The ranking system would then assume whoever was on the boosters team would lose. This would earn players significant rank boosts when they would beat the other team. With a booster you could level up from 1 to 50 in as little as 11 games. The flaws of Halo 3's leveling system far outweighed any benefits it offered, Halo 2's ranking system was vastly superior. But, this did not discourage Bungie from making an even stupider system for Halo Reach.

Halo Reach removed the permanent 1-50 system in favor of a 5 tiered system that would reset every month. This methodology was in place to discourage boosting, but with shoddy game play mechanics from bloom, and a rank reset that activated every month it was an atrocious replacement.

As the Halo series has progressed the ranking systems have gotten worse. They have been increasingly ineffective at separating the good from the bad, and have attempted to inflate the egos of the casual gamers, while punishing the competitive gamers. Halo 4 will not be using Reach's ranking system, but will it use a system truer to Halo 2 or Halo 3 that is not certain.

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