By Olly Russell
Video games are misunderstood. Often thought of as something children occupy their time with before they eventually grow up and discover the wonders of alcohol and socialising with 'normal people' (at least this was my personal journey) I've decided to try and redress the balance and explain not only how video games have started to surpass film in awareness but also in recognition to rise as a behemoth of the entertainment industry that carries inside it secretly unique experiences unobtainable in other mediums.
Ask any average person on the street to name a video game character they've heard of and I would hazard a guess most would say either Sonic The Hedgehog or Mario. Nothing surprising about this. Not only has Nintendo slapped the plump plumber on every conceivable game, lunchbox and toy in the past two decades but joining Sonic, has even had multiple cartoon series based on their adventures. Any parent with children would be well versed in trawling the local Toys 'R' Us and avoiding anything Nintendo related. The bright colours, the plush toys, the candy. Despite all of this, when teacher's used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up I never said, 'Plumber'. Astronaut, Fireman or Ninja tended to have higher priority in my lofty life ambitions. Yes, that's right, all could be potential members in a Village People comeback tour.
Nintendo has always been about the family market, and with the latest Wii U release further cementing itself as the 'go to brand' for family friendly gameplay, gaming is actually bringing people together more than it ever has. It's become a truly social experience where people who have little to no knowledge about gaming or complicated controllers can get involved simply by moving their arms and a small wand like device. Whilst not being viewed as 'art' in the strictest sense of the word (even I can't claim squashing an evil mushroom is high brow) it allows people to experience things they traditionally never would have due to misunderstanding, cautiousness or simply fear of being bad with new technology. If art is about personal experience, then gaming can be considered the peak of both social and personal entertainment.
Ultimately, the reason games can be treated as an equal, or even a superior medium to films or books, is the level of interactivity. Some books draw you in allowing you to imagine a character, period or event - a game picks you up, puts you in the world and asks YOU to experience it firsthand. Even with 3D, surround sound and IMAX creations, films still can't compete with video games in the true level of absorption or immersion you experience.
If anything be it film, book or video game manages to evoke true human emotion as result then that is a success in my book. Sometimes zombies must be killed, it's a fact, but for those looking for slightly more refined experiences let me point out two hidden gems. Catherine and Nier. Both could be described as 'niche' games because they either didn't have the budget or the marketing behind them for promotion. The reason I choose these specifically is partly because many reading this wouldn't have heard of them, but also because the experiences both deliver are diverse and emotionally extremely engaging unlike anything I am yet to find in comparison (real life withstanding).
Catherine is so unique in not only it's concept but the whole aura of the game is both decidedly off-the-wall Japanese yet instantly grounding to anyone in the 27-35 demographic. It's both a puzzle, adventure, dating sim elements, horror evoking a whole host of emotions from surprise and happiness to shock and awe. Revolving around a 32 year old male unsure of how the rest of his life will pan out he finds himself struggling to come to terms with the developments between his long term girlfriend Katherine and the new girl he wakes up to one night after a drinking session called Catherine. Wording careful text messages to both, speaking with your friends in the bar, and dealing with the recurring nightmares and puzzles within, all amounts to a game that will have you transfixed on Victor's world but also on your own and how much you can relate to the problems you both face. It's genuinely like looking in a mirror at times, and that's what makes it such a clever game.
Nier is a similar in that it's a pastiche of many genres, some completely jarringly different and unexpected from what the game appears to be on the surface. It is however unusual in that the main protagonist (at least for the European version) is a man in his 40s+ which is rare in an industry always including wide-eyed youthful characters to appeal to as big a market as possible. Set in a fantastical and beautiful world, but without the traditional goblins and warlocks archetypes, you're thrust into a journey centred around trying to save your daughter from dying. She has been inflicted by 'The Black Scrawl' and you have an unstoppable urge (as any father would have) to save her at any cost. For all intents and purposes YOU are her father. It creates an immediate purpose driving all of your actions and understanding why this has happened to his family. The music is hauntingly beautiful and I would genuinely pay good money to hear this repeated by a full orchestra - honestly it really is that powerful and the characters you meet are so full of personality that by the end you feel exhausted and emotionally drained. In a good way. The emotional power this game packs is staggering and incomparable to any book I've read or film I've seen. The action has immediacy, the voice acting is some of the best I've heard but I fear it was overlooked by many.
We've got clans of people winning hundreds of thousands of dollars through Call of Duty tournaments, London's first e-sports bar opening soon focussing on, that's right, virtual sporting games and tournaments and Candy Crush Saga taking over the mobile gaming universe single handed - gaming is very alive and here to stay. No extra lives needed.
For video game reviews and other interesting content visit my site at http://souther29.hubpages.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Video-Games-As-A-Truly-Recognised-Medium&id=7716816] Video Games As A Truly Recognised Medium
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Creation of a Computer Game
By Vahe Karamian
Well, if you are reading this article, it must be that you are interested in the design and development of computer games. Great! So in this article and hopefully in the future follow-up articles I will be discussing some of my own practical and non-practical experiences while designing and developing computer games.
If you are like me and a million other individuals in the known world, at one point in time chances are you wondered, how can we create a world where things are nice and smooth! And if you had the technical ability and the creative skills, you started venturing into different areas to test and experiment your ideas and theories and etc...
From a young age, I got interested into computers and the world of programming, based on some of the really nice and entertaining Sci-Fi movies I have seen as a child. They made me wonder how things work and how to make things better, and eventually being able to create virtual representation of the real world.
Not to get off-tangent too much here, while playing games throughout the years, I always wanted to create something of my own. By default, I really don't think much about the money or the financial compensation. I just want to create something that will be rewarding for myself, and for the people who actually enjoy playing it.
So, the most difficult part of any creation is the creation of the idea. The Vision. What should the game be about? How should I develop the storyline? What are going to be the missions and the objectives? What are going to be the rewards? How are the in-game elements going to be categories and sub-categorized? How many types of character classes are we going to have? And the list can go on and on. You get the idea!
Then, there is the technical stuff that you must start thinking about. What platforms do I create the game for? Which game engine do I use? Do we need to create or extend an existing game engine? How are we going to package the game assets (3D Models/Resources/Code/Media)? Where am I going to find the necessary resources to give me the ability to complete the game?
And of-course, we have the marketing department! We need to be able to make the game appealing and spread the word for the game!
So, here are the three main areas in a nutshell that you will face:
1. The Game: What is it about, and all of the goodies that comes with it.
2. The Technical Mambo-Jumbo: Basically the assets and the brains of the game.
3. The Marketing: Spreading the good WORD.
I will be discussing my progress and dilemma in the making of my game over the next few articles that will be published throughout the course.
I have faced challenges in all of the areas and I have overcome the challenges slowly by learning from the mistakes that I have made and also from different viewpoints and inputs that I have received from friends and colleagues.
Until we meet again!
Sincerely,
Vah� Karamian
Noorcon Game Studios is a young indie game studio located in Los Angeles, CA.
Check us out @ [http://www.noorcon.com/Projects/Private/KORK.aspx]Noorcon Game Studios - [mailto:sales@noorcon.com]sales@noorcon.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Creation-of-a-Computer-Game&id=7704736] Creation of a Computer Game
Well, if you are reading this article, it must be that you are interested in the design and development of computer games. Great! So in this article and hopefully in the future follow-up articles I will be discussing some of my own practical and non-practical experiences while designing and developing computer games.
If you are like me and a million other individuals in the known world, at one point in time chances are you wondered, how can we create a world where things are nice and smooth! And if you had the technical ability and the creative skills, you started venturing into different areas to test and experiment your ideas and theories and etc...
From a young age, I got interested into computers and the world of programming, based on some of the really nice and entertaining Sci-Fi movies I have seen as a child. They made me wonder how things work and how to make things better, and eventually being able to create virtual representation of the real world.
Not to get off-tangent too much here, while playing games throughout the years, I always wanted to create something of my own. By default, I really don't think much about the money or the financial compensation. I just want to create something that will be rewarding for myself, and for the people who actually enjoy playing it.
So, the most difficult part of any creation is the creation of the idea. The Vision. What should the game be about? How should I develop the storyline? What are going to be the missions and the objectives? What are going to be the rewards? How are the in-game elements going to be categories and sub-categorized? How many types of character classes are we going to have? And the list can go on and on. You get the idea!
Then, there is the technical stuff that you must start thinking about. What platforms do I create the game for? Which game engine do I use? Do we need to create or extend an existing game engine? How are we going to package the game assets (3D Models/Resources/Code/Media)? Where am I going to find the necessary resources to give me the ability to complete the game?
And of-course, we have the marketing department! We need to be able to make the game appealing and spread the word for the game!
So, here are the three main areas in a nutshell that you will face:
1. The Game: What is it about, and all of the goodies that comes with it.
2. The Technical Mambo-Jumbo: Basically the assets and the brains of the game.
3. The Marketing: Spreading the good WORD.
I will be discussing my progress and dilemma in the making of my game over the next few articles that will be published throughout the course.
I have faced challenges in all of the areas and I have overcome the challenges slowly by learning from the mistakes that I have made and also from different viewpoints and inputs that I have received from friends and colleagues.
Until we meet again!
Sincerely,
Vah� Karamian
Noorcon Game Studios is a young indie game studio located in Los Angeles, CA.
Check us out @ [http://www.noorcon.com/Projects/Private/KORK.aspx]Noorcon Game Studios - [mailto:sales@noorcon.com]sales@noorcon.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Creation-of-a-Computer-Game&id=7704736] Creation of a Computer Game
The Initial Phase of Your Computer Game
By Vahe Karamian
OK, so you have finally decided to create your game! This is a big milestone for you and you think you are ready for the full blown implementation of your beautiful and elegant game! Indeed, I mean what can go wrong? You have the skills, you have the talent, and you have the tools! There is no stopping you!
You sit down and start brain-storming what it is that you want to actually create. OK, so you have an idea of what type of a game you want to develop. It is going to be a Role Playing type of a game. Great. Who is going to be the hero of the game? Well, you start thinking about this for a while, and you finally decide, the hero is going to be a Knight! Awesome! Now what? What the hell is your hero going to do throughout his/her journey? Uhun, another stumble block.
OK, so the hero, is going to be a Knight that needs to save his people. Then you start to think, why does he even need to save his people in the first place? What has happened to his people? Have they been brutally butchered? Have they been deprived of their land and their legal entitlements? And if so why? What has caused such a behavior?
Is this even something that you want to pursue and fully develop as the main storyline of the game? Is it something that will be interesting to people around the world? I mean we are facing a very tough audience these days in the gaming community that want to have not only great graphics but also a great gameplay and storyline.
You realize, that you need assistance, and you need assistance FAST! It is a doggy-dog world out there, and you must be at the top of everything or else, your boat will sink pretty quickly!
OK, so I have defined a hero for the game, and the hero is a Knight. The storyline is starting to take shape, but needs to be polished and enhanced. The hero, Maximillian, does not know about his heritage and the rightful Kingship that is his. He becomes aware of this throughout the game and eventually the story starts to take shape as the player advances in the game.
Now, we need a way to exchange the information to our hero in the game. In order for us to do so, I have decided to create special character which we will call them Guardians, or the Wise Elders. These are the folks who are the people in charge of keeping all of the records and secrets of a given society. The Guardians will provide clues and guidance throughout the game to the hero to be able to meet his mission objectives.
Alright, so let's do a recap, we have defined our hero, and we know that his eventual goal is to find his true identity and eventually claim what is his by birth right.
We have created a set of special characters, called the Guardian, who are the point of contact that will exchange the required clues and guidance to the hero to meet his mission objectives.
This sounds reasonable so far. But, let's now think about why in the first place the hero, is unaware of his true identity? What has happened prior to this point in time, which has kept his past in the dark? And if he is not ruling the land, then who is?
NOTE: Your comments and feedback are welcome anytime!
Can we say, that the land is now ruled by the evil sibling of the hero's father? Would it be interesting to say that, while Maximillian was at a young age, his father, King Vittorio (Conqueror, Victor), was betrayed and overthrown by his younger brother, Prince Maarten (Don't deceive). This betrayal had caused great casualty and burden on the land ruled by King Vittorio, and due to the events that had taken place, he was forced to exit his kingdom and live in exile, while his sibling Prince Maarten, became the new ruler of the land.
Alright, looks like something is coming together here. But, what was the betrayal, and how did this damage the Great King, King Vittorio?
Could this have been a plot engineered by the younger Prince Maarten and the evil Wizard Darnell (Hidden), who wanted to have more power in the kingdom? Therefore creating an impossible plot of war and total destruction between one of the largest city centers and the ORC King, for looting and devastating the cities and town out of their safety and wealth. And engineered a campaign to turn the people against the King and forcing him exile, while the younger Prince Maarten, and the Evil Wizard Darnell took over the kingdom for their own selfish greedy agenda.
Now, it seems to me that we have a starting point. But, am I satisfied with this? Well, I want your inputs and comments.
This defines the historical background and explains the reason of why we are starting the hero from this particular point. But, it does not define the process of how he was kept, trained, and educated to be able to re-conquer the lands that are his by law and by divine privilege.
Assuming, that the King Vittorio, settled in a secluded and protected area deep inside the forests with the means of sending and receiving messages to a select few Guardians of the kingdom, and that the Guardian had known about the whole Evil plot, but they could not protect the king in time, but they were secretly training, and educating the young Maximillian, to be ready for the day that he will start his journey to re-claim his Kingdom.
Well, I will discuss the ideas and concepts more in the next article. In the meantime, do leave your comments and feedback.
Sincerely,
Vahe Karamian
Noorcon Game Studios is a young indie game studio located in Los Angeles, CA.
Check us out @ [http://www.noorcon.com/Projects/Private/KORK.aspx]Noorcon Game Studios - [mailto:sales@noorcon.com]sales@noorcon.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Initial-Phase-of-Your-Computer-Game&id=7704825] The Initial Phase of Your Computer Game
OK, so you have finally decided to create your game! This is a big milestone for you and you think you are ready for the full blown implementation of your beautiful and elegant game! Indeed, I mean what can go wrong? You have the skills, you have the talent, and you have the tools! There is no stopping you!
You sit down and start brain-storming what it is that you want to actually create. OK, so you have an idea of what type of a game you want to develop. It is going to be a Role Playing type of a game. Great. Who is going to be the hero of the game? Well, you start thinking about this for a while, and you finally decide, the hero is going to be a Knight! Awesome! Now what? What the hell is your hero going to do throughout his/her journey? Uhun, another stumble block.
OK, so the hero, is going to be a Knight that needs to save his people. Then you start to think, why does he even need to save his people in the first place? What has happened to his people? Have they been brutally butchered? Have they been deprived of their land and their legal entitlements? And if so why? What has caused such a behavior?
Is this even something that you want to pursue and fully develop as the main storyline of the game? Is it something that will be interesting to people around the world? I mean we are facing a very tough audience these days in the gaming community that want to have not only great graphics but also a great gameplay and storyline.
You realize, that you need assistance, and you need assistance FAST! It is a doggy-dog world out there, and you must be at the top of everything or else, your boat will sink pretty quickly!
OK, so I have defined a hero for the game, and the hero is a Knight. The storyline is starting to take shape, but needs to be polished and enhanced. The hero, Maximillian, does not know about his heritage and the rightful Kingship that is his. He becomes aware of this throughout the game and eventually the story starts to take shape as the player advances in the game.
Now, we need a way to exchange the information to our hero in the game. In order for us to do so, I have decided to create special character which we will call them Guardians, or the Wise Elders. These are the folks who are the people in charge of keeping all of the records and secrets of a given society. The Guardians will provide clues and guidance throughout the game to the hero to be able to meet his mission objectives.
Alright, so let's do a recap, we have defined our hero, and we know that his eventual goal is to find his true identity and eventually claim what is his by birth right.
We have created a set of special characters, called the Guardian, who are the point of contact that will exchange the required clues and guidance to the hero to meet his mission objectives.
This sounds reasonable so far. But, let's now think about why in the first place the hero, is unaware of his true identity? What has happened prior to this point in time, which has kept his past in the dark? And if he is not ruling the land, then who is?
NOTE: Your comments and feedback are welcome anytime!
Can we say, that the land is now ruled by the evil sibling of the hero's father? Would it be interesting to say that, while Maximillian was at a young age, his father, King Vittorio (Conqueror, Victor), was betrayed and overthrown by his younger brother, Prince Maarten (Don't deceive). This betrayal had caused great casualty and burden on the land ruled by King Vittorio, and due to the events that had taken place, he was forced to exit his kingdom and live in exile, while his sibling Prince Maarten, became the new ruler of the land.
Alright, looks like something is coming together here. But, what was the betrayal, and how did this damage the Great King, King Vittorio?
Could this have been a plot engineered by the younger Prince Maarten and the evil Wizard Darnell (Hidden), who wanted to have more power in the kingdom? Therefore creating an impossible plot of war and total destruction between one of the largest city centers and the ORC King, for looting and devastating the cities and town out of their safety and wealth. And engineered a campaign to turn the people against the King and forcing him exile, while the younger Prince Maarten, and the Evil Wizard Darnell took over the kingdom for their own selfish greedy agenda.
Now, it seems to me that we have a starting point. But, am I satisfied with this? Well, I want your inputs and comments.
This defines the historical background and explains the reason of why we are starting the hero from this particular point. But, it does not define the process of how he was kept, trained, and educated to be able to re-conquer the lands that are his by law and by divine privilege.
Assuming, that the King Vittorio, settled in a secluded and protected area deep inside the forests with the means of sending and receiving messages to a select few Guardians of the kingdom, and that the Guardian had known about the whole Evil plot, but they could not protect the king in time, but they were secretly training, and educating the young Maximillian, to be ready for the day that he will start his journey to re-claim his Kingdom.
Well, I will discuss the ideas and concepts more in the next article. In the meantime, do leave your comments and feedback.
Sincerely,
Vahe Karamian
Noorcon Game Studios is a young indie game studio located in Los Angeles, CA.
Check us out @ [http://www.noorcon.com/Projects/Private/KORK.aspx]Noorcon Game Studios - [mailto:sales@noorcon.com]sales@noorcon.com
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Initial-Phase-of-Your-Computer-Game&id=7704825] The Initial Phase of Your Computer Game
Top 20 Games Of All Time
By Gianni Thanasi
20 - Mass Effect
I have never understood the appeal of Star Wars, at least not until I played Mass Effect. The complete immersion into a world a universe that Star Wars fans feel is what experienced after my first two missions.
19 - Minecraft
Yeah, someone's trying to recreate Game of Thrones continent of Westeros in Minecraft. Yes, someone else made a to-scale replica of starship Enterprise, but I think there's more fun in making a more humble thing in your private or shared world.
18 - Half-Life
Half Life 2 managed to both create the blueprint for the modern single player shooter and be the genre's high water mark. It was first and, arguably, still is the best at what it does.
17- Half Life 2: Episode 2
Episode 2 just does everything perfectly. You have an adventure in a mining complex with a hilariously tame Vortigaunt companion, a frantic last-stand against hordes of antlions, an ambush where Combine troops destroy a mansion around you, and finely a battle with a legion of Striders.
16 - BioShock
To this day, horror games remain little more than jump scares and sudden sound blasts, Bioshock's submerged tomb of forgotten dreams and broken promises consistently cranks out an ambiance far more discomforting than any blood-drenched wall or hulked-out zombie could ever hope for.
15 - Diablo II
I love Diablo II's esthetic, which makes me feel like I'm living in a miniature model world like the kind once used to create film effects.
14 - Portal 2
It's funnier and even more endearing than its predecessor, and invests several new types of puzzle that make the Porta gun seem even more amazing.
13 - Quake
Quake isn't, it's a phenomenon. Without it, TF2 wouldn't exist. Perforating Fields with Nine-Inch nails and blasting Shamblers with quad-rockets is every bit as fun now as it was in '96.
12 - Mass Effect
It's been two years, and still cannot hear Shakerspeare's name or any reference to his work without the voice of an Elcor reciting the most moving lines in hamlet popping into my head.
11- Counter-Strike: Source
It's one of the few modern multiplayer shooters that doesn't jangle with bells and whistles when it walks-there's no cover system, iron-sights, kill-streak rewards, air-strikes, vehicles, or unlockable anything-just you, some ballistic weapons, level geometry, and a few grenades.
10 - Star Craft II: Wings of Liberty
The way armies animate and express players' intentions shows Blizzard's careful thinking and Frankensteinian craftsman-ship; they imbue life and true personality into unit models. Without 5C2's ease-of-spectat-ing, it'd simply be a game, not a rising culture that anyone can participate in.
9 - Civilization 4
. It remains the pinnacle, and it is every bit as good today thanks to two things: several satisfying paths to victory, and the moddability that gave us gems like Fall From Heaven. As Civilization V proved, Firaxis broke the mold after making this one.
8 - Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead
What's more PC than an open sandbox that honors your ideas? Arma loves freedom as much as Minecraft, demands more synchronized teamwork than Classic Rainbow Six, and-with a native mission editor-is more moddable than Half-Life.
7 - Elder Scrolls IV
There're those that boast about freedom and player choice, and then there's Oblivion. Freedom" is putting it too lightly. Wanna ignore the main quest and butcher every single person in Cyrodill? Go for it. Wanna spend 300 hours collecting Daedric weaponry to display in your corpse-rugged mansion? No problem.
6 - World of Warcraft
There was a time, during the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, where raiding was the most fun you could have in any game, ever. Delving into Ulduar-still the best dungeon the WoW team have created, was an adventure you looked forward to all week. The fights felt hard but the mechanics understandable. One had you split your team-half to hold a gladiator's arena, the other to run a gauntlet of baddies to knock a boss off his pedestal.
5 - Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age took all the clich�d fantasy motifs and twisted them up delight-fully. Instead of beautiful castles filled with nobles, we got filthy, racist cities populated by selfish elves and morally corrupted dwarves-and it was amazing. Each of your party's companions had their own agenda and motivations, and I'd often field opposing characters just to hear them banter and prod each other.
4 - Fallout 3
Most people watch the puppet show, but all I see are the strings. Fallout 3 put the magic back in games for me It gave me this giant, personality-packed universe to just live in. I still go back and wander the landscape when I need an escape. Most importantly, though, it taught me a very valuable life lesson: Tunnel Snakes rule.
3 - Team Fortress 2
TF2 is Valve's invincible lab rat. It launched as an expensive reboot. Since then, valve has made it free, quintupled the game's armory, added item crafting and trading, opened it up to community-designed items, hosted two Australian Christmases and updated it an astonishing 267 times.
2 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Skyrim is a role player paradise. My corrent character kind of insane, and loves punishing NPCs. I love the way Skyrim feels like a collaboration in immersion between me and the world.
1 - Portal
Many games can be described as having "innovative puzzles" but Portal's clever mechanics aren't the crux of its greatness. It exploits the unique qualities of interactive media to tell a perfectly-paced story with an original aesthetic and a nuanced mix of humor and gravity.
Play Games at: [http://www.playgames-free.com/]Best Games For Free
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-20-Games-Of-All-Time&id=7649774] Top 20 Games Of All Time
20 - Mass Effect
I have never understood the appeal of Star Wars, at least not until I played Mass Effect. The complete immersion into a world a universe that Star Wars fans feel is what experienced after my first two missions.
19 - Minecraft
Yeah, someone's trying to recreate Game of Thrones continent of Westeros in Minecraft. Yes, someone else made a to-scale replica of starship Enterprise, but I think there's more fun in making a more humble thing in your private or shared world.
18 - Half-Life
Half Life 2 managed to both create the blueprint for the modern single player shooter and be the genre's high water mark. It was first and, arguably, still is the best at what it does.
17- Half Life 2: Episode 2
Episode 2 just does everything perfectly. You have an adventure in a mining complex with a hilariously tame Vortigaunt companion, a frantic last-stand against hordes of antlions, an ambush where Combine troops destroy a mansion around you, and finely a battle with a legion of Striders.
16 - BioShock
To this day, horror games remain little more than jump scares and sudden sound blasts, Bioshock's submerged tomb of forgotten dreams and broken promises consistently cranks out an ambiance far more discomforting than any blood-drenched wall or hulked-out zombie could ever hope for.
15 - Diablo II
I love Diablo II's esthetic, which makes me feel like I'm living in a miniature model world like the kind once used to create film effects.
14 - Portal 2
It's funnier and even more endearing than its predecessor, and invests several new types of puzzle that make the Porta gun seem even more amazing.
13 - Quake
Quake isn't, it's a phenomenon. Without it, TF2 wouldn't exist. Perforating Fields with Nine-Inch nails and blasting Shamblers with quad-rockets is every bit as fun now as it was in '96.
12 - Mass Effect
It's been two years, and still cannot hear Shakerspeare's name or any reference to his work without the voice of an Elcor reciting the most moving lines in hamlet popping into my head.
11- Counter-Strike: Source
It's one of the few modern multiplayer shooters that doesn't jangle with bells and whistles when it walks-there's no cover system, iron-sights, kill-streak rewards, air-strikes, vehicles, or unlockable anything-just you, some ballistic weapons, level geometry, and a few grenades.
10 - Star Craft II: Wings of Liberty
The way armies animate and express players' intentions shows Blizzard's careful thinking and Frankensteinian craftsman-ship; they imbue life and true personality into unit models. Without 5C2's ease-of-spectat-ing, it'd simply be a game, not a rising culture that anyone can participate in.
9 - Civilization 4
. It remains the pinnacle, and it is every bit as good today thanks to two things: several satisfying paths to victory, and the moddability that gave us gems like Fall From Heaven. As Civilization V proved, Firaxis broke the mold after making this one.
8 - Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead
What's more PC than an open sandbox that honors your ideas? Arma loves freedom as much as Minecraft, demands more synchronized teamwork than Classic Rainbow Six, and-with a native mission editor-is more moddable than Half-Life.
7 - Elder Scrolls IV
There're those that boast about freedom and player choice, and then there's Oblivion. Freedom" is putting it too lightly. Wanna ignore the main quest and butcher every single person in Cyrodill? Go for it. Wanna spend 300 hours collecting Daedric weaponry to display in your corpse-rugged mansion? No problem.
6 - World of Warcraft
There was a time, during the Wrath of the Lich King expansion, where raiding was the most fun you could have in any game, ever. Delving into Ulduar-still the best dungeon the WoW team have created, was an adventure you looked forward to all week. The fights felt hard but the mechanics understandable. One had you split your team-half to hold a gladiator's arena, the other to run a gauntlet of baddies to knock a boss off his pedestal.
5 - Dragon Age: Origins
Dragon Age took all the clich�d fantasy motifs and twisted them up delight-fully. Instead of beautiful castles filled with nobles, we got filthy, racist cities populated by selfish elves and morally corrupted dwarves-and it was amazing. Each of your party's companions had their own agenda and motivations, and I'd often field opposing characters just to hear them banter and prod each other.
4 - Fallout 3
Most people watch the puppet show, but all I see are the strings. Fallout 3 put the magic back in games for me It gave me this giant, personality-packed universe to just live in. I still go back and wander the landscape when I need an escape. Most importantly, though, it taught me a very valuable life lesson: Tunnel Snakes rule.
3 - Team Fortress 2
TF2 is Valve's invincible lab rat. It launched as an expensive reboot. Since then, valve has made it free, quintupled the game's armory, added item crafting and trading, opened it up to community-designed items, hosted two Australian Christmases and updated it an astonishing 267 times.
2 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Skyrim is a role player paradise. My corrent character kind of insane, and loves punishing NPCs. I love the way Skyrim feels like a collaboration in immersion between me and the world.
1 - Portal
Many games can be described as having "innovative puzzles" but Portal's clever mechanics aren't the crux of its greatness. It exploits the unique qualities of interactive media to tell a perfectly-paced story with an original aesthetic and a nuanced mix of humor and gravity.
Play Games at: [http://www.playgames-free.com/]Best Games For Free
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Top-20-Games-Of-All-Time&id=7649774] Top 20 Games Of All Time
New Surfing Game App Needed to Clean Trash From Our Shorelines
By Lance Winslow
Not long ago, I was talking to a young college student and excellent surfer amongst other things. Mitchell told me that his friend was taking a video shot of him surfing and coming through the tube of the surf zone, a perfect shot. Unfortunately in the picture was a piece of trash following the wave around him which was visible, and it kind of ruined the whole thing. Had it just been a digital picture, someone could have merely photo-shopped it out of the scene. Okay so, let's talk about this, because Mitchell and I had a nice thought.
Why not create an iPhone App game, something like Angry Birds, but this one would be surfing around trash in the ocean. The object of the game would be to stay on balance, but also grab pieces of trash as you (actually your avatar in this case) go, and put these pieces of trash in your back-pack wetsuit bag. You get points for every piece of trash you pick up, and deposit into the beach trash can. You also get points anytime you tell someone to pick up the trash they threw out.
Now then, we decided it would be wise to sell this app online for $.99 and half of the money would go to the Surfrider Foundation for their work in beach clean-up awareness. Why? Because, Mitchell's experience that day surfing should not have never occurred. No one in the US or anywhere on this planet should be throwing trash anywhere that it might get into the ocean. Just as we paint on storm drains "this water leads to the ocean" folks need to understand that trash in the sea is unacceptable.
If such an app was even one-tenth as popular as the Angry Birds game app, the amount of awareness and good that could be done would be enough to put an end to trash in the surf. If you look up "the Pacific Gyre" on YouTube you will begin to see just how serious this problem is in the world. You might also wish to look up; "trash island - Gulf of Mexico" because once you learn how bad things are.
Indeed, I am sure you'd agree to pay one-dollar for a cool iPhone game app of a Surfing Avatar collecting trash while riding a wave. So, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it. If you have any more comments or questions, please shoot me an email.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_il_ti_digital-text?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3ALance+Winslow%5Cc&keywords=Lance+Winslow%2C&ie=UTF8&qid=1359796846&lo=digital-text#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Lance+Winslow%2Cfuture+concepts&lo=digital-text&rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3ALance+Winslow%5Ccfuture+concepts]Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?New-Surfing-Game-App-Needed-to-Clean-Trash-From-Our-Shorelines&id=7696799] New Surfing Game App Needed to Clean Trash From Our Shorelines
Not long ago, I was talking to a young college student and excellent surfer amongst other things. Mitchell told me that his friend was taking a video shot of him surfing and coming through the tube of the surf zone, a perfect shot. Unfortunately in the picture was a piece of trash following the wave around him which was visible, and it kind of ruined the whole thing. Had it just been a digital picture, someone could have merely photo-shopped it out of the scene. Okay so, let's talk about this, because Mitchell and I had a nice thought.
Why not create an iPhone App game, something like Angry Birds, but this one would be surfing around trash in the ocean. The object of the game would be to stay on balance, but also grab pieces of trash as you (actually your avatar in this case) go, and put these pieces of trash in your back-pack wetsuit bag. You get points for every piece of trash you pick up, and deposit into the beach trash can. You also get points anytime you tell someone to pick up the trash they threw out.
Now then, we decided it would be wise to sell this app online for $.99 and half of the money would go to the Surfrider Foundation for their work in beach clean-up awareness. Why? Because, Mitchell's experience that day surfing should not have never occurred. No one in the US or anywhere on this planet should be throwing trash anywhere that it might get into the ocean. Just as we paint on storm drains "this water leads to the ocean" folks need to understand that trash in the sea is unacceptable.
If such an app was even one-tenth as popular as the Angry Birds game app, the amount of awareness and good that could be done would be enough to put an end to trash in the surf. If you look up "the Pacific Gyre" on YouTube you will begin to see just how serious this problem is in the world. You might also wish to look up; "trash island - Gulf of Mexico" because once you learn how bad things are.
Indeed, I am sure you'd agree to pay one-dollar for a cool iPhone game app of a Surfing Avatar collecting trash while riding a wave. So, I hope you will please consider all this and think on it. If you have any more comments or questions, please shoot me an email.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_il_ti_digital-text?rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3ALance+Winslow%5Cc&keywords=Lance+Winslow%2C&ie=UTF8&qid=1359796846&lo=digital-text#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Lance+Winslow%2Cfuture+concepts&lo=digital-text&rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3ALance+Winslow%5Ccfuture+concepts]Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?New-Surfing-Game-App-Needed-to-Clean-Trash-From-Our-Shorelines&id=7696799] New Surfing Game App Needed to Clean Trash From Our Shorelines
A Brief History of Video Games
By David Subpermsatian
History of video games can be dated back to 1940s when Thomas T.Goldsmith filed US patent requesting for invention that is described as "cathode ray tube amusement device". Until 1970s as well as 1980s, video games did not reach the frontend popularity when home computer games, gaming consoles, and arcade video games came for the general public. From that time onwards, video games gained in popularity as an excellent mode of entertainment as well as a section of modern culture worldwide. Currently, video games are considered among the 8 generations of the video game consoles.
In between 1949 and 1950, "bouncing ball" program was created by Charley Adama for MIT's Whirlwind system. This program wasn't interactive but it was considered to be an announcement for the games to come soon. In 1951 February, Christopher Strachey worked towards running draughts or checkers programs that had been written by him for Pilot ACE. This program faced memory capacity issue of the system so Strachey recorded the program for a system in Manchester that had larger memory capacity. In 1951, as television technologies were being developed for an electronic company named Loral based in New York, an inventor named Ralph Baer suggested the idea of making use of patterns and lights for better works than for just calibrating equipments. Then he found that by offering the audience with capability to manipulate what projected on the TV sets, a change in role was seen to interactive manipulation from passive observing. This idea was taken to the supervisor that was squashed quickly as the company was already running behind the schedule time.
In 1952, A.S. Douglas created OXO that was Tic-Tac-Toe's graphical version at University of Cambridge so as to demonstrate thesis on computer-human interaction. EDSAC computer was used for developing this that made use of cathode ray tube for visual display for displaying the memory contents. In this game, the player had to compete with the computer. William Hinginbotham in 1958 designed a game with the help of analog computer and oscilloscope. It was titled as Tennis for Two and was used for entertaining visitors in New York's Brookhaven National Laboratory. This game displayed a simple tennis court featuring a ball that was gravity controlled and required to be played using the net. This game required 2 box-shaped controllers for playing and both of the controllers included knob for trajectory as well as a button to hit the ball. This game was dismantled in the year 1959.
Maximum computer games in 1959 to 1961 were run on mainframe systems present in universities in US and were developed by people just as their hobbies. In 1961, a student's group at MIT that included Steve Russell coded a game whose title was Spacewar. In this game were 2 human players who had to play against one another and each one was controlling one spacecraft that had missile firing capabilities and a centre star was there to created hazards for the crafts. This was the beginning of a new computer games age and after this, advancements and developments continued. [http://playturn.com/heres-the-history-of-video-games-timeline.html]history of video games
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?A-Brief-History-of-Video-Games&id=7642457] A Brief History of Video Games
History of video games can be dated back to 1940s when Thomas T.Goldsmith filed US patent requesting for invention that is described as "cathode ray tube amusement device". Until 1970s as well as 1980s, video games did not reach the frontend popularity when home computer games, gaming consoles, and arcade video games came for the general public. From that time onwards, video games gained in popularity as an excellent mode of entertainment as well as a section of modern culture worldwide. Currently, video games are considered among the 8 generations of the video game consoles.
In between 1949 and 1950, "bouncing ball" program was created by Charley Adama for MIT's Whirlwind system. This program wasn't interactive but it was considered to be an announcement for the games to come soon. In 1951 February, Christopher Strachey worked towards running draughts or checkers programs that had been written by him for Pilot ACE. This program faced memory capacity issue of the system so Strachey recorded the program for a system in Manchester that had larger memory capacity. In 1951, as television technologies were being developed for an electronic company named Loral based in New York, an inventor named Ralph Baer suggested the idea of making use of patterns and lights for better works than for just calibrating equipments. Then he found that by offering the audience with capability to manipulate what projected on the TV sets, a change in role was seen to interactive manipulation from passive observing. This idea was taken to the supervisor that was squashed quickly as the company was already running behind the schedule time.
In 1952, A.S. Douglas created OXO that was Tic-Tac-Toe's graphical version at University of Cambridge so as to demonstrate thesis on computer-human interaction. EDSAC computer was used for developing this that made use of cathode ray tube for visual display for displaying the memory contents. In this game, the player had to compete with the computer. William Hinginbotham in 1958 designed a game with the help of analog computer and oscilloscope. It was titled as Tennis for Two and was used for entertaining visitors in New York's Brookhaven National Laboratory. This game displayed a simple tennis court featuring a ball that was gravity controlled and required to be played using the net. This game required 2 box-shaped controllers for playing and both of the controllers included knob for trajectory as well as a button to hit the ball. This game was dismantled in the year 1959.
Maximum computer games in 1959 to 1961 were run on mainframe systems present in universities in US and were developed by people just as their hobbies. In 1961, a student's group at MIT that included Steve Russell coded a game whose title was Spacewar. In this game were 2 human players who had to play against one another and each one was controlling one spacecraft that had missile firing capabilities and a centre star was there to created hazards for the crafts. This was the beginning of a new computer games age and after this, advancements and developments continued. [http://playturn.com/heres-the-history-of-video-games-timeline.html]history of video games
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?A-Brief-History-of-Video-Games&id=7642457] A Brief History of Video Games
The Number One Zerg Strategy To Win More Games
By Trevon Daniels
The Zerg Race is meant to be highly dynamic and reactive. As a Zerg player we need to be able to balance a timely response to the four gate all-in, and battle hellions for instance with the need to macro up and build towards the swarm that is essential in mid-late game play.
The difficulty is knowing when it's safe to macro and when it's time to build an army. Furthermore, being the reactive race it's critically important to build the right units. It doesn't help at all if we've massed lings against an opponent going for skytoss and a heavy turtle style.
To achieve this balance its incumbent on us as Zerg players to have a really strong game sense. We need to remain in command of the many game resources at our disposal including minerals, gas, queen energy, larvae and food. It doesn't help for us to have perfect macro and for us to have used the last of our larvae on a round of drones when a marine / widow mine procession is heading our way.
The number one way for us to maintain a constant game sense and to win more games is more consistent, meaningful, and frequent scouting. Be careful not to trivialize the importance of this aspect of gameplay. Keep in mind that Zergs have a distinct advantage over the other races when it comes to tech switching. We're able to drop a tech building and instantly produce swarms of units from every active hatch. Contrast that with the other races who need to drop the tech building, and then build a good number of production facilities before they can produce any appreciable quantity. For these reasons it's very difficult for the opponent to surprise us with a unit composition if we're scouting properly and its very difficult for us to miss the tech path our opponent is going for due to the lead time. This assumes we know how to interpret the signals and non-signals coming from our opponent. We should constantly focus on learning this code by asking ourselves whats possible based on what we see and by analyzing our losses.
There are numerous ways to improve map presence and game awareness. A few key tips include:
Early overlord positioning and scouting at 6:00; consider overlord speed instead of zergling speed
Massive creep spread - YouTube AcerScarlett for inspiration
Burrow or spread lings across the map
Use a small force to poke their natural to see what their composition is
Try practicing one or two of these techniques per week. You'll notice a dramatic difference!
Take Control. Win More Games. Start Dominating With Zerg Today! http://www.zergstrategymastery.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Number-One-Zerg-Strategy-To-Win-More-Games&id=7619135] The Number One Zerg Strategy To Win More Games
The Zerg Race is meant to be highly dynamic and reactive. As a Zerg player we need to be able to balance a timely response to the four gate all-in, and battle hellions for instance with the need to macro up and build towards the swarm that is essential in mid-late game play.
The difficulty is knowing when it's safe to macro and when it's time to build an army. Furthermore, being the reactive race it's critically important to build the right units. It doesn't help at all if we've massed lings against an opponent going for skytoss and a heavy turtle style.
To achieve this balance its incumbent on us as Zerg players to have a really strong game sense. We need to remain in command of the many game resources at our disposal including minerals, gas, queen energy, larvae and food. It doesn't help for us to have perfect macro and for us to have used the last of our larvae on a round of drones when a marine / widow mine procession is heading our way.
The number one way for us to maintain a constant game sense and to win more games is more consistent, meaningful, and frequent scouting. Be careful not to trivialize the importance of this aspect of gameplay. Keep in mind that Zergs have a distinct advantage over the other races when it comes to tech switching. We're able to drop a tech building and instantly produce swarms of units from every active hatch. Contrast that with the other races who need to drop the tech building, and then build a good number of production facilities before they can produce any appreciable quantity. For these reasons it's very difficult for the opponent to surprise us with a unit composition if we're scouting properly and its very difficult for us to miss the tech path our opponent is going for due to the lead time. This assumes we know how to interpret the signals and non-signals coming from our opponent. We should constantly focus on learning this code by asking ourselves whats possible based on what we see and by analyzing our losses.
There are numerous ways to improve map presence and game awareness. A few key tips include:
Early overlord positioning and scouting at 6:00; consider overlord speed instead of zergling speed
Massive creep spread - YouTube AcerScarlett for inspiration
Burrow or spread lings across the map
Use a small force to poke their natural to see what their composition is
Try practicing one or two of these techniques per week. You'll notice a dramatic difference!
Take Control. Win More Games. Start Dominating With Zerg Today! http://www.zergstrategymastery.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Number-One-Zerg-Strategy-To-Win-More-Games&id=7619135] The Number One Zerg Strategy To Win More Games
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