The best phone for games catalogue is APPLE iPHONE 8GB - Apple’s online App Store has thousands of games (free to £5.99). you can make good use of the motion sensor and some even enlist the built-in microphone as a control.Its 8GB storage holds hundreds of games, and the 3.5in screen is the biggest here. It also has the highest resolution, which makes games look rich and detailed.It’s a great phone but gaming kills its battery backup in less than a day.
Microsoft is to start offering effectively from tomorrow (5th May) all users free access to Windows 7 for one full year. Some of you who have friends that are MSDN or TechNet subscribers may already realise that they have been given this privileged access.
While this is only the Release Candidate (RC) version and will eventually expire on the 1st of June, 2010. The RC as you will expect is basically the finishing product and Microsoft presumably wants to hand it out to all users to test run it and see if any bugs exists so that they may fix it before its final release. Though it must be said, one full year is quite a lengthy period, this does indicate how seriously Microsoft is considering their new OS this time which is a positive thing.
While rumors say it’ll be late 2009 or early 2010 before the full Windows 7 will be available, there is still no official info on the exact date this at this point. Neither do we know whether there will be multiple versions of the new Windows just like Vista did. Windows 7 will be a full package of new features including a new taskbar, libraries, jump lists, and even a Windows XP mode to increase application and software compatibility after you’ve upgraded to Windows 7.
Most importantly, booting up Windows 7 is expected to take much much less time than any of Microsoft’s current OS’s. Let’s just hope Microsoft’s servers won’t go bust tomorrow and that the download will actually work, fingerscrossed!
Sony is finally starting to show off the PlayStation 3’s potential. Killzone 2 has received praise for its ultra-realistic graphics and exciting gameplay. MLB: The Show could easily be the best baseball game and perhaps the sports game of the year. Now PS3 owners are now anxiously waiting for even more hits — and Sony has them coming, but the question is; when will they arrive in stores.
One of these titles is Zipper Interactive’s high-profile game MAG. The massively multiplayer online shooting was first announced at last year’s E3. But since its unveiling, it has been a blur of when we should expect to get out hands on it. For some reason, Sony has been going back and forth using the terms “this year” and “fiscal year.” If your wondering if there is a difference; the answer is yes — and its a HUGE difference (depending how you look at it). This year would obviously mean by the end of 2009, while fiscal (for Sony) means anywhere from April 2009 to March 2010.
Scott Rohde who is Sony’s Vice President of Product Development, might have given us a little insight of when MAG should be available. While talking about the quality of the PS3’s lineup for 2009, he mentioned the shooter.
“I think what we try to do is come up with original concepts, and even twists on some existing genres, like what we’re doing with MAG for later this year”
Because we are still in March, 2009-2010’s fiscal year for Sony has yet to start. Meaning, MAG should debut by the end of 2009. Unless of course, Sony sends the PR dogs out and they correct Mr Rohde, which is always possible. Until then, expect to be playing the shooter sometime later this year.
There has never been an official transition of the handheld gaming console over to the mobile phone segment. Of course you understand it was never necessary in the first place. Both devices are portable in nature and the purpose of using the handset for merely taking calls like a telephone quickly became obsolete. But I’ve said this before; mobile gaming is a big deal, ever since those Snake games on the old monochrome handsets of yore were followed by Java games that are still big time winners today.
The mobile phone market now even has a separate category of multimedia handsets for this specific purpose - gaming. Some gaming mobiles are more generic in nature but do still manage to offer superb capabilities to be used for handheld mobile gaming. In case you like to take your games everywhere and already have a Nintendo DS or PSP or other portable gaming devices that satisfy your fetish for gaming hardware, here're a few mobiles phones you might want to consider.
Spice X1 Rs. 8,000
Spice’s X1 gaming mobile may have taken mobile gaming to the next level by reviving an older SE idea of a joystick attachment accessory for a mobile phone. The X1 comes bundled with this attachable controller that makes game-play a great experience. The handset itself also comes with a set of ‘X’ and ‘O’ action keys and you don’t necessarily need to use the controller.
Spice has preloaded a few JAVA games onto the handset and provides quite a few games in the NES ROM format. Nostalgic gamers will enjoy this. You can choose from a list of those oldies but good, 8 bit classics like Batman, Mario and even Kung Fu. It has a large 2.4-inch TFT LCD with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution that only helps while playing and also features a microSD card slot, Stereo Bluetooth, a 2MP camera and GPRS support among other things.
Sony Ericsson F305 - Rs. 9,000
The F305 could very well be SE’s flagship mobile for a possible range of new gaming handsets, since Sony is no stranger to the gaming market with their PSP rating quite high on the handheld gaming console segment of gadgetry.
The handset may have just one drawback and that’s its small 2-inch display that sports a 176 x 220 pixel resolution; but it makes up for that with plenty of other relevant features. The handset has been designed with two gaming styles in mind – motion sensor and full screen landscape games. The motion sensor games allow you to use the device like a Wii controller by swinging your arms for action. Since the handset also comes with ‘X’ and ‘O’ gaming keys on either side of the earpiece, games that can be played in landscape mode are much more entertaining. Other features include an audio player, FM radio and a 2MP camera plus Bluetooth with A2DP and GPRS/EDGE support. It supports JAVA games and M2 cards for external memory.
Nokia N85 - Rs. 23, 000
Nokia’s N-Series has always been a popular range of mobile handsets because of their multimedia capabilities. One of the successors to the N81 handset that was the first to host Nokia’s N-Gage gaming platform and was designed for gaming purposes, the N85, takes it up a notch with its dual-slider capabilities and 5MP AF camera.
For all the things Mark Wahlberg has killed in his life -- The Happening, The Funky Bunch, The Happening Funky Bunch (short-lived kids show, don't ask) -- he's brought at least one thing back to life: The Max Payne series. His non-hit film adaptation will be followed by Max Payne 3, which Rockstar said will arrive in winter of this year on the 360, PS3 and PC.
Here's what Rockstar boss Sam Houser had to say about the sequel: "We're starting a new chapter of Max's life with this game. This is Max as we've never seen him before, a few years older, more world-weary and cynical than ever. We experience the downward spiral of his life after the events of Max Payne 2 and witness his last chance for salvation."
We think we speak for everyone when we ask this. ... More cynical? Really? Like, is he just stealing candy from babies and choking them to death with the wrappers?
If you are craving for something different and funky, then Xbox360 mobile is surely for you. A talented artist of British Magazine T3 has put together his innovative ideas for bringing out this sexy Xbox360 Mobile. The idea is definitely interesting and attractive for all game-lovers as the name itself involves a gaming world. The proposed design is pleasant and including everything in it starting from games to music and a mobile phone. It has 64 GB of memory and with amazing graphics. So, now you can have your iPod, PC and Mobile phone…. All in one.
We know you've got a big weekend coming up, with plans to visit you favorite local museum or attend the local sports teams' big game against the cross-town rivals. But you're going to need to cancel them: We're giving out Call of Duty: World at War DLC codes, courtesy of our friends at Activision.
What do you have to do to get one? It's easy, just check out the five DLC codes we've got after the break, and be the first to guess the missing character and enter the code into Xbox Live. If you don't get one there, you can follow our Twitter, where we'll be giving away three more codes. Why? Because we love you. Just do us a solid and let us know in the comments if you get one.
JTW9Q-TBD?J-C6J4C-4Q9X7-8Q4WY
HTBRQ-PW?W4-CQKRJ-TMCMH-CD4W3
QFFP2-83GVK-X9PQK-KQ?QT-7GBCT
BXVQ6-H2G7Y-?G87B-W68X6-W6KGJ
MPV6X-36?K2-3BCR7-MPGW3-4PMCY
Specifications
Touted as the ultimate mobile gaming gadget by the company, the Spice X-1 comes equipped with a wide range of mobile games offering an adrenaline-pumped gaming experience through its dedicated gaming console.
Alternatively, you can also play games on the mobile phone without using the console via its onboard dedicated gaming keys.
The Spice X-1 phone features a 2.4 inch display that comes with an auto rotate function, 2GB expandable memory card, the Yamaha-amplified 3-D surround-sound, 2 Megapixel camera, music and video player, FM Radio with record-and-play support, stereo Bluetooth and built-in Opera mini-web browser along with WAP/MMS/GPRS support.
The Spice X-1 gaming phone is available in India for a suggested price of Rs.8,899.
The Cool8800C looks like any other cheap cell phone in it’s closed state. It’s only when the flip phone is opened does it reveal a portable handheld game console that is compatible with NES games.
When I saw this phone, i began to doubt, what is it? Is it really a phone? On first sight, it is just a plain bar phone. But if you hold it in your hand and study carefully, you will discover that it is also a flip phone. The outer keyboard and display can be unfolded, and then another 2.8 inch large display appears, 2 seperate keypads beside the display just like keys of PSP. And friend, it also has powerful functions such as dual sim dual standby, Analog TV, magical voice.
Other then this unique feature, the other features of the Cool8800C are fairly typical and include a 2.2″ display, MP3/MP4 player, FM Radio, alarm clock, and 3 games.
You can buy this phone for $140, but because this model does not work on the 900/1800MHz networks, it is not suited for the North American markets.
Blast Knuckles offer some serious protection from would be robbers. A single punch…or blast from this weapon will send 950,000 volts of juice through the attackers body. That’s no error, almost a million volts. Just be sure that you have a good lawyer and a strong self defense case before you start emulating your favorite video game street fighter.
Check out this Icap MP3 Player Hat. This gadget reminds me of those crazy caps with beer vessels on the side that you occasionally see at a ball game. According to Jeffrey Gesten, president of Gesten Technologies, the iCap is a must have gadget because “If you listen to loud music through earbuds, then you are risking long term hearing damage; if you listen while you are jogging or bicycle riding, then you are risking your hearing… and your life!”
The iCap includes a built in 1GB MP3 player, just enough to enjoy your tunes as you go for a jog or take a bike ride. The added speaker, FM tuner and MicroSD slot provides you with a few more options with the iCap which retails for $119.95.
Sometimes stuff just works. It doesn't happen often enough in the gaming world, but every once in a while a title comes along that puts everything together in such an appealing and enjoyable package you have to step back and say "Wow." Once that initial euphoria wears off, though, you have to get back to the controls because the Soviet Union has just invaded Seattle, Spetznatz units are holding the Statue of Liberty hostage and the President is about to drop a nuclear bomb on the small town from "Gremlins." That's the experience of playing World in Conflict, a real-time strategy masterpiece from Massive Entertainment.
The fun begins with a premise ripped straight out of the Red Dawn Cold War book of nightmares. It's 1989 and The Soviet Union is one final five-year-plan away from total economic collapse. Seeing which way the wind is blowing, the hard-line Communist leadership squashes the nascent ideas of glasnost and perestroika and starts moving troops across the Fulda Gap in a desperate gamble to conquer the free world. NATO forces engage the Russians and the Cold War goes hot all across Europe. Unfortunately for the U.S., getting bogged down in Europe means domestic defense isn't quite up to the task of pushing off one last Russian gambit -- a daring assault on the West Coast of mainland America. That not only lets players get their hands on a lot of vintage US, Soviet and NATO military hardware, but also takes them on a grand tour of World War III battlefields ranging from downtown Seattle to the New York harbor to Marseilles, France to the frozen forests of Murmansk in the Soviet Union.
The single-player campaign follows the course of the war through the story of Lieutenant Parker, the faceless soldier that serves as the alter-ego of the player. Parker's commander is Colonel Sawyer, a man pulled out of retirement to command the West Coast resistance against the Soviets. His other companions are Captain Webb in support and tank commander Captain Bannon. Each of these men is provided with an interesting character arc (particularly Bannon) that weaves its way around the different missions in a surprisingly moving and well-written story contributed by noted author Larry Bond.
The game's storyline is presented via a well-done series of cut scenes, in-mission briefings and voiceovers that play over what look like concept art for the game. Of the three different types of presentations, it's only the concept drawings that provide a false note. The cuts scenes in the game are done in-engine and the engine that runs this game is so powerful and beautiful it seems almost criminal to use anything other than it to convey information to the player. This ends up being a minor complaint, as the real stars of the game's storyline are its voiceovers. Each of them is pitch-perfect, especially Alec Baldwin's narration. His gravelly delivery of a reminiscing Lieutenant Parker grounds the game emotionally, conveying the world-weary tones of a WWIII vet as though distance in time from the events of the war has given him the wisdom and perspective to fully understand them.
In addition to providing the driving force behind the story, WiC's characters also take a variety of interesting tactical situations (fun when considered on their own) and turn them into an excellent training ground for multiplayer. Rather than having the player be responsible for the entire battle, each map has a number of AI-controlled units that are fighting their own battles separate from the player's objectives. Often these objectives are timed or need to be otherwise coordinated with what their AI teammates are doing. This serves to not only teach the player how to utilize their own units, but also trains them in working within a team environment. It's a mark of how good the single-player game is that it manages to do this without once making the player feel like he or she's trapped on a dreaded "puzzle map."
The strategic design of World in Conflict is a marvel of simplicity and elegance. The basic design is a sort of action-game version of a real-time strategy title. The game has no base-building. Instead players get a pool of reinforcement points that they can use to buy military hardware. When a unit is destroyed, the cost of that unit gradually trickles back into the reinforcement pool and can then be re-used to bring fresh troops to the battlefield. Since the reinforcement pool isn't very large, it means that players need to be very precise about which units they're bringing out because most of the time a player's force will consist of between three and twelve units.
There are also only a few different types of units in the game. They fall into a few basic categories -- air units, infantry, artillery, heavy iron and a couple of support, repair and transport vehicles. Rather than being a weakness, though, the limited number of units (and unit types) becomes a strength because each and every unit on the battlefield is purpose-built, comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses and has a clearly defined role that make them vital for victory. A players who fields a squad consisting only of heavy tanks, for example, quickly becomes tank fodder for helicopters, anti-tank infantry hiding in the woods, a zippy squad of APCs or a well-placed artillery barrage. Every RTS game pays lip service to the idea of "combined arms tactics," but few have carried off the concept as well as World in Conflict. 
What's most surprising is how such a simple strategic model gives rise to such a deep and enjoyable strategic experience. Strategy in World in Conflict isn't a matter of marshalling resources or even putting together a specific type of force to counter an opponent. Victory in World in Conflict is all about coordination. Playing World in Conflict means having a deep understanding of a unit's capabilities so that every situation can be approached with an understanding of what's needed for success. Two heavy tanks coming over a ridge, for example, can be handled by five APCs with TOW missiles and smokescreens. If you don't have those or something else to deal with them, you need to get moving or call in some kind of assistance from a teammate. The game's genius is that by keeping the strategic options simple and the action fast, it fills the game with an almost constant series of interesting decisions like this. This leads to the kind of adrenaline-fueled exhilaration one gets from a first-person shooter.
This "coordination" game is at the heart of World in Conflict multiplayer and this, more than anything, is what makes the game so good. World in Conflict comes with three different multiplayer variations, Domination, Tug-of-War and Assault. Domination challenges players to control victory points for as long as possible to fill as much of a "domination meter" as possible within 20 minutes. Tug-of-War has a line of victory points in the center of the battlefield that moves toward one side when a player controls all of them. Assault has two teams take turns attacking and defending a series of command points with the team that captures more winning. Each of these variations gives rise to radically different strategic considerations but all of them are a lot of fun.
Multiplayer World in Conflict plays out more like a game of Counter-Strike than Command & Conquer. The game is designed to be supremely dependent on teamwork. At the beginning of a multiplayer match, players have the opportunity to select a "class" (Air, Armor, Infantry or Support) which makes purchasing units outside that specialty prohibitively expensive. Combined with a small pool of resource points and the large maps, this means that any one player will be unable to field a force capable of standing on its own. If an "Armor" player, for example, wants to capture a "victory point" on the map by moving heavy tanks into the area, he or she may be immediately thwarted by an "Air" player with a squad of helicopters. These can then be taken down by anti-air guns wielded by the "Support" player.
Victorious teams are those that coordinate their armies to take advantage of holes in their enemy's force composition and adjusting on the fly to changing victory conditions, and when a team is really clicking, it's the kind of exhilarating team-based experience that multiplayer gaming is all about. Of course, that does mean that a player's online experience is dependent on the quality of the players they hook up with. Lone wolves are not welcome in World in Conflict, and a random group of strangers will usually get rolled by any of the clans who play together frequently.
Massgate, the game's proprietary online matching service, sports a well-designed front end that includes friends lists, clan support, IM services, a solid voice chat system, excellent stat-tracking, tournament ladders, clan matches and a fun series of individual and clan "achievement" medals that can be earned by performing well in multiplayer games. Unfortunately the service experienced a few hiccups during our multiplayer testing. While not a frequent occurrence, there were at least a few occasions where the game unceremoniously kicked us out of a multiplayer game. Since stats don't seem to be affected by random disconnects or quitting, there wasn't any real harm done, but this is something that Massive will need to look at in the days ahead.
World in Conflict is a triumph for Massive Entertainment. The developers have managed to take a quirky "action game" take on the real-time strategy genre and wrap it in an instantly appealing, accessible and highly polished package. Everything from the game's beautiful graphics to the great story and especially the adrenaline-fueled mayhem of online multiplayer matches make this a must-have for the strategy game set and a serious purchase consideration even for those who never thought of themselves as strategy gamers.
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