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Jul 02 2009

Fallout 3 Review – Xbox 360

fallout3

Just buy it; I can’t honestly offer you any more appropriate advice regarding this game. Far too rarely in my video gaming ‘career’ have I come across a game which exhibits the perfection that you will find in this title. This game literally has nearly everything a person could want in a piece of entertainment media, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

In Fallout 3, you are ‘the vault dweller’ – a character of your making who will have the race, sex, and appearance of your choice. The year is 2277, two hundred years after a nuclear war between the United States and China has ravaged the entire world. A few families managed to buy their way into underground fallout shelters, or vaults. Your character is a descendant of these fortunate few.

Your story begins in Vault 101 where you are raised by your father until he disappears during your teenage years. Without ruining too much of the storyline, I will say that events lead to you being forced to leave the vault for the first time. As you stumble into the blinding light of Washington D.C.’s Capital Wasteland, your adventure truly begins. In your quest to find your father, you will traverse the wasteland that was once the greater D.C. area while exploring settlements, ruins, and the general wreckage that was once a thriving society.

The moment that you take this fabled first step out of the vault is the moment that the game opens wide to your whims. You can search for your father or head in the opposite direction. You can wander the wasteland helping its citizens or become their worst nightmare, stealing and murdering across the massive game world. You can explore long-forgotten locals, search for valuable commodities to trade for weapons and armor, and even take up permanent residence in two of the settlements.

Regardless of your reason for traveling this vast (and I truly mean vast) wasteland, you will be forced to fend off packs of savage raiders, slavers, and various forms of mutants – whether mutated variations of familiar wildlife or entirely new creatures which are the result of 200 years of life in the irradiated wastes. Combat against these dangers involves an intriguing mixture of real-time combat and the V.A.T.S. system, which lets you freeze the action to queue attacks on one or more enemies and even target specific body parts. These V.A.T.S. attacks are more likely to cause critical damage and are a great way to sort out the chaos of tough battles. The game also offers a wealth of combat options through weapon variety and character specialization.

These character choices are one of the strong suits of the game. Each time your character gains a level you are able to choose perks which can help specialize your character to fit your play style and interests. Through this specialization you are able to create a savvy negotiator, a mad scientist, a crafty sniper, an explosives-wielding maniac, or many other possible combinations. The sheer number of different types of character you can play, along with the many choices you face in the game itself will have you playing through several times over.

Both main and side quests are intriguing and fun, if you choose to play them. Most feature several possible means of resolving the problem or completing the goal at hand. The world’s non-player characters are lifelike and each gives a sense of individuality and uniqueness. Every single line of dialogue spoken by these characters is fully voice-acted and while many characters share the same voice actor, the other differences between these characters do a good job of making each seem unique.

Overall, the game world is very lifelike. While it is often barren in places and makes heavy use of the colors brown and gray, this only helps to reinforce the idea that the player is in a hopeless wasteland of post-apocalyptic horrors. You really get the feeling that the citizens of the wasteland struggle to survive. The game developers also did a great job of showing the dark side of humanity in this setting. While many of the wasteland’s people wish only to survive in peace, others stay alive by killing, stealing, selling others into slavery, and even feeding on the flesh of their own species.

As I earlier mentioned, there just isn’t much missing here that one would hope to find in a piece of entertainment media. The game has it all: action, suspense, horror, drama, comedy, and best of all a believable, lifelike world and intriguing story. Combine that with great game play, combat, character development and growth, and it’s easy to see why this game is such a winner. Topping it all off, the game has fantastic replay value. At the time of this writing, I have logged over 300 hours into this game and have four different characters I am currently playing along with another one planned for the future.

If you love gaming the way I do and haven’t played this title yet, do yourself a favor and pick it up. This could be one of the greatest gaming experiences of your life.

My Score: 10/10

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Jun 26 2009

Wii Active – A Full Review

Published by Jennifer under Wii

wii-activeWii Active is actually a video game but it doesn’t act or feel like it because it’s more an interactive workout session with your own personal trainer.

Besides the game you also receive a resistance stretch band which is made to help increase the level of strength training exercises like bicep lifts and curls and shoulder presses.

These games help you focus on both your upper and lower body.These workouts are fun and entertaining all the while keep you fit. If you own a Wii balance board this can be used along with this game but you don’t need too so don’t run out and buy it if you don’t already own it.

The Wii Active include such games as softball, tennis, boxing, and bowling. There is plenty to choose from so you will never get bored doing the same workout day after day. There are even some running activities and dance routines if you like that sort of thing.

There are a lot of options to keep your motivation up. The music is really good and up to date and the avatars are very impressive and look just like the top fitness gurus.

This game keeps track of your progress from the first day you input your profile so that you can keep track of how much weight your losing, how much strength your gaining, and your overall fitness levels.

With the nunchuck controller and wireless remote the workouts are going to go seamlessly from one exercise to the next and it always keeps track of your movements and progress.

The Sports Active uses a very unique leg strap with a pocket that you attach to your upper thigh. You place the nunchuck into the pocket and this monitors your movements of the lower body like nothing else out there.

You see real time feedback from the personal trainer on the screen. The Wii Active was made for women though men use it all the time but it’s made to work on common areas that are problems like arms, waistline, outer and inner thighs, abs and buns.

This video game also teaches you about physical activity, lifestyle and nutrition. This really is a complete package.

Make sure to visit Wii Active – Complaints & Reviews for more reviews and details about EA SPORTS Active and how it compares to the Wii Fit and other games. Don’t buy until you’ve read the reviews and complaints!

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May 24 2009

Lost in the City – Love and Hate Often Go Together

Published by Jennifer under Featured, Video Game Reviews

lost-in-the-cityLost in The City is a thrilling quest game with a completely engaging story, addictive game play and high quality graphics. Though some of the features might be annoying, on the whole the game is definitely worth trying.

Lovely girls are dangerous sometimes. Don’t agree? Listen to the story I tell you!

It is called “The gloomiest story of love and hate”, and I’m rather prone to agree. Though it begins very innocently – the main hero meets a beautiful girl named April, who suggested their dating. They spent a wonderful evening in a cafe, and she invited him to her place to have some coffee. Everything went smoothly until he sipped his coffee and felt the strange taste it had… He came to himself in a very strange place with a message on a wall.

The message was even stranger than the place, and it doesn’t say anything particular, but gives some instructions to fulfill. Following those, the heroes gets to the next room where he learns some more about where he is and what he should do to get out of the terrifying and weird game he found himself part of. As time passes, things will become much clearer, and his love for April will turn to something absolutely different. But before he knows the truth, he’ll have to fulfill lots of strange (that word again ;) ) tasks and survive some extreme dangers. But I’ll let you discover the whole story by yourself and talk about the game play instead.

For each chapter you’ll have a number of tasks to complete. Some of them are presented in a strict sequence and some can be fulfilled in any order. They are mostly connected with finding some items in the screen or using some items already found, which is not unusual at all. Though most of the items are rather conspicuous, some of the actions will require deep thinking, so there is enough challenge in the game. There are also some mini-games, mostly jigsaw puzzles, to make the game play a bit more diverse.

One thing that makes the whole game even more challenging is the fact that you are nervous. And with each wrong action, just a tiny misclick, you become more and more nervous. Bright side – when you do something right, you recollect your poise. Beware of the yellow meter and be careful in clicking to unnecessary spots – otherwise you might end up with no nerve at all. In this case you’ll have to start the chapter again – and after several times it can become rather annoying, I must admit. But aside from this the game is really catching.

Are you Lost in The City yet?

Gamemile.com is a resource for casual game news and reviews. Each day we release a game review and focus on the best titles for such computer platforms as WindowsPC, Mac, Palm, PocketPC.

Our mission is to provide our visitors with accurate information on top quality shareware and online games lately released to the market as well as keep them informed of the latest trends and events in the casual gaming world. Our N1 target is to provide the comprehensive information to our customers rather than just advertise games (game play basics, feature set, tips and tricks).

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May 22 2009

Romopolis – Caesar Believes in You!

Published by Jennifer under Featured, Video Game Reviews

romopolis

Romopolis is a game that combines truly addictive and challenging game play with amazing graphics and immersive atmosphere of ancient Rome. This week has brought us several games that creatively remake the idea of Build-a-lot strategy game play and put it to historic setting. Romopolis is a great example how it can be done to make a perfect game.

The Empire needs your services, citizen! Are you ready to work for your Caesar?

You will take up the part of a new Imperial Architect in ancient Rome and Caesar, the powerful Emperor, will observe your work, give you tasks and direct the development of his Empire with the help of your skills and talent. That’s basically all about the story. Let’s speak about the game play.

So, be ready to use your strategical thinking and plan everything ahead, as in Romopolis you’ll desperately need it to succeed. Each level represents a new city where you have to complete the mission given to you by the Caesar. You’ll have goals obligatory to fulfill before your deadline approaches and usually an optional goal fulfilling which will bring you a trophy. The goals are mostly like building a certain number of houses or some service buildings, having some resources in stock or a certain denaries balance (money, that is), or income. You might also be required to reach a definite level of commerce, religion, healthcare or culture in your city or have a minimum number of residents. All these are achieved by building different kinds of constructions and arranging them so that you could use the given area most efficiently. As for me, the most tricky goals are those connected with happiness. It’s rather hard to calculate, how many houses and gardens you’ll need and the plan how to place your houses and services in order to achieve the minimum necessary level. And the larger the house, the more demanding are its residents!

Tip: try to place the gardens so that they were surrounded with houses. And putting a house near several gardens also works well.

In order to build something you’ll need a number of resources. Some of them can be bought with money, like wood, stone and workers. Blueprints and concessions, required to unlock new constructions and upgrades, can also be purchased. But, for example, building lots are limited in quantity, tough you may get some more by cutting the forest or mining stones. These activities will also give you some materials.

There is much more about Romopolis, and I must say the game is genuinely challenging, and you do have to think hard and quick at the same time, but the fun is worth the effort. And if you don’t want to fulfill missions someone designed for you, you are welcome to select the Sandbox mode and construct your own city as you wish.

Welcome to your new service, citizen!

Gamemile.com is a resource for casual game news and reviews. Each day we release a game review and focus on the best titles for such computer platforms as WindowsPC, Mac, Palm, PocketPC.

Our mission is to provide our visitors with accurate information on top quality shareware and online games lately released to the market as well as keep them informed of the latest trends and events in the casual gaming world. Our N1 target is to provide the comprehensive information to our customers rather than just advertise games (game play basics, feature set, tips and tricks).

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May 22 2009

Yard Sale Hidden Treasures – Lucky Junction – Put All Your Creativity to Work!

Published by Jennifer under Featured, Video Game Reviews

yard-sale-hidden-treasures-sunnyville

The second part of Yard Sale Hidden Treasures game is out – and up to the highest expectations of the series fans! The same cute graphics, addictive game play, quirky characters and exciting mini-games – and all new fun!

Anything can be turned into a stylish piece of furniture? Do you doubt that? I don’t!

And neither does Hanna Harlow, the beautiful host of Hanna Harlow’s Heavenly Homes TV show. And she is also sure that her spectators are talented designers, so she decides to hold a contest and feature the best submitted designs in her show. Of course, you are up to the challenge after all the great work you put in your home in Sunnyville. But which rooms will you decorate? It’s time to remember that the citizens of Sunnyville each asked you to decorate a room in their houses, and that in the neighboring Lucky Junction the season of yard sales is in full swing. Putting two and two together, you don’t hesitate before starting your quest for creating the best room ever! And, of course, the story won’t do without a mysterious person wishing to destroy the yard sales in their concept.

The game play is basically the same as in the first part. First you choose whether you prefer to compete in the Career Mode or just to take a Lucky JunAtion Tour, and select the level of difficulty (Relaxed or Timed).

Then you will be introduced to your first client, one of the set of weird and unusual personalities you’ll meet both in Sunnyville and in Lucky Junction. Each of them has his or her own addiction, and you’ll find yourself in a navy-themed room of a former sailor, in the ice home of S.Keymo and other, even more fascinating places. Each of the clients’ rooms requires major refurnishing and redecorating, and after you receive your wish list with the desired items, you can start your search.

For each level you’ll be presented a number of locations which can be visited and revisited in any order. For each location there is a list of items to find. Some of them will be later used in your decoration activity.

You are also presented 3 hints for each stage. Plus you can look for stars in the scenes for additional hints. But be careful – very often after you have passed all the locations you’ll be given extra tasks, and you might need all the help you can get for them, so don’t waste the hints. There is also a possibility to magnify any area you wish with a magnifying glass.

When you have all the ingredients you need you proceed to a decorating mini-game where you create a magnificent interior design object from the shabby things you found on the yard sales. These games consist of separate steps and area lot of fun, as you dye or construct something against the clock.

So, are you ready to check Yard Sale Hidden Treasures: Lucky Junction?

Gamemile.com is a resource for casual game news and reviews. Each day we release a game review and focus on the best titles for such computer platforms as WindowsPC, Mac, Palm, PocketPC.

Our mission is to provide our visitors with accurate information on top quality shareware and online games lately released to the market as well as keep them informed of the latest trends and events in the casual gaming world. Our N1 target is to provide the comprehensive information to our customers rather than just advertise games (game play basics, feature set, tips and tricks).

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May 22 2009

Choosing World of Warcraft Guides

Published by Jennifer under Featured, World of Warcraft

wowWorld of Warcraft is a game that is fast gaining in popularity among gamers all over the world. At any point of time there are an uncountable number of players queuing up to play the game on the Internet. Due to the huge demand for this game, there are various guides that are published to give the players better suggestions regarding the way in which it should be played.

No matter how popular a game is, it does lose some of its appeal once it has been overused. That is the time when players look for novelty in the way they approach the game and qualify the various levels associated with it. Guides created to give players a better idea of the World of Warcraft (WoW) and how to play it are abundant in supply.

Paid v/s Free Guides:

• Some of these guides are free to use, while others require payment. Needless to say, that the quality and content of the paid versions are way wider than the free ones. Which one you want to opt for, is completely your decision. However, you should choose among them depending on your personal knowledge and talent of the game and requirement.

• These guides not only refer to the best tricks of the game, but they also teach you how to apply them while playing WoW. Hence, learning how to play World of Warcraft has never been easier. Each character in the game has his or her inherent attributes; strengths and weaknesses. These guides give you details on such characteristics, so that no matter which character you prefer to be, you know your best moves and the most important defenses. Important aspects of the game that were otherwise overlooked, are revealed to the player through the guides.

• The paid versions have an added advantage over the free versions of these guides. The former ones come with automatic updates regarding the newest information and the sassiest game moves that a player want to learn about. However, the free versions require the user to search for the latest updates and always be aware of future modifications.

It doesn’t matter if you choose the free version over the paid ones as long as you get what you need. Ever player’s requirements are different from the others’. Therefore, the most appropriate version of the guide should be able to teach you how to master the game as quickly as possible and finish the different levels in the shortest span of time. Hence, within a week or so you should be good to go to the 70th level. How to collect gold and which assets to buy or sell are all mentioned in this guide for you to read and learn.

A guide should make things easier for the player. It should not make the game seem even more difficult to accomplish. Since WoW is so popular among gamers, those who produce these guides are also sought after. Choose the best among the rest so that you can be the master of the World of Warcraft.

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Oct 30 2008

Keeping Those World of Warcraft Screenshots

Published by Author under Online Gaming, World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft remains one of the most wildly popular online role playing games in history and there is good reason for this: it is an exciting and original game that has much to offer those who have a passion for monsters, action and adventure. What makes World of Warcraft so unique is that unlike the roleplaying games of the past this is a game that is played in an online multiplayer format. Of course, you need a PC to do this and that means you will have ample opportunity to create World of Warcraft screenshots.

A Token of Remembrance

Because of the dynamic nature of the game, there will be instances where certain bits and pieces of action can never be duplicated. Again, this type of game is a role playing game and that creates a certain dynamic that other types of games do not possess. As such, World of Warcraft screenshots can capture a snapshot of those interesting moments in time to be saved for future reference. Now, some may see that as being overly attached in nature but such a notion disregards much of the joy that can be derived from an online game. As such, no one should be discouraged from keeping a remnant of their exploits in the form of World of Warcraft screenshots.

Clearing Up Controversy

As much as we wish we could always get along in harmony with other players sometimes this is not always the case. (The infusion of bots into the game, for example, remain an area of tremendous conflict in the world of online role playing that eats at the fabric of the communal spirit) Needless to say, there will be instances where controversy arises and the World of Warcraft screenshots can settle the controversy with proof positive images. Yes, there will be those people who will take the Richard Pryor approach and say “Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes” and disregard the World of Warcraft screenshots but to an unbiased official with decision making powers they can provide irrefutable proof.

Other Sources

You do not need to take screenshots of your own gaming sessions. You can collect cool World of Warcraft screenshots from a multitude of sources all over the internet. They are available from a number of image galleries and are free of charge. So, if you own self generated cool moments run out of steam you can always pick up a few screenshots from other sources.

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Oct 27 2008

Holy Warrior: The World of Warcraft Paladin

Published by Author under Online Gaming, World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft is an online, multi-player fantasy game built on the premise of role playing.  Players connect to a number of servers, meet and fight other players and computer artificial intelligence within the gaming world, and develop their characters.  The characters form the basis for both the game play and the ensuing obsession throughout the gaming world; these characters can be so personalized, so specifically created from top to bottom, that the game play becomes an extension of the players themselves.  For a player, the first step in exploring this infinite world is selecting the type of character he or she will become, and one of the most popular classes is the World of Warcraft paladin.

The Holy Wars

The World of Warcraft paladin is a hybrid class, meaning it encompasses certain qualities of other, more polar classes.  It is a melee fighter, but also a healer; it has the strength of a generic warrior, yet the magical powers of a druid.  As such, it is a popular class for players, since it is essentially a combination of the best traits of two less-than-stellar classes.

A holy warrior, the World of Warcraft paladin is strong enough to wear plate armor, yet magically-inclined enough to cast an additional shield or healing blessing.  The paladin is the epitome of good; he upholds the good in the world, and destroys the bad.  Because of this, the World of Warcraft paladin is especially productive when battling the undead, or other completely evil beings.  He follows a strict code; if he is to break this code, and at any point commits an evil act, he loses all light-given abilities and can no longer train as a paladin until he is atoned.

Unlike the warrior class, the World of Warcraft paladin can only be played as a few races: humans, dwarves, blood elves and the draenei.  If a player is determined to play as a particular race, he or she may not be able to play as a paladin and may want to consider one of the other melee or healing-based classes.  However, a World of Warcraft paladin is able to wield a large number of different weapons, including swords, maces, axes and polearms.  However, the paladin cannot dual wield or used ranged weapons.  A paladin can wear most types of armor, including plate armor, and can use a shield.  A World of Warcraft paladin can even summon a warhorse.

As far as magic is concerned, a World of Warcraft paladin can cast auras, blessings and seals, thanks for the most part to its alignment with the world of light.  His talents are divided into three categories: holy, protection and retribution.  Retributions is especially important to the World of Warcraft paladin: it is, in a sense, his right to use his powers directly against the forces of evil, no matter what the consequences.  For the sake of goodness, the paladin can kill without consequence.

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Oct 24 2008

A World of Warcraft Life with World of Warcraft MySpace Layouts

Published by Author under Online Gaming, World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft is an obsession.  Both parents and psychologists, from the United States to Japan, worry that the children are sacrificing real life for the virtual lives they create on the screen of their computers.  More and more young men and women are forgetting to live.  While much of their time is consumed playing the game, other moments are spent furthering their connections to other players, both inside the game and outside the game.  Numerous message boards, blogs, online journals and profiles are all dedicated to celebrating love for World of Warcraft, yet even these interactions rarely leave the protective shield of the internet.  With World of Warcraft MySpace layouts, players can advertise this love to any world.

Life at Home with World of Warcraft MySpace Layouts

There is no doubt that for young players, an obsession with World of Warcraft is a sentence to social ostracism.  While these men and women may adorn their bedroom walls with posters and calendars, there will rarely be many visitors to notice this artwork.  For World of Warcraft players, the internet is not only the means to their love, but also the means to the sharing of their love.  Facebook and MySpace, LiveJournal and Friendster are all social networking websites that will, more or less, define the social interactions of these internet-dependent players.  And World of Warcraft MySpace layouts are some of the most popular virtual posters young players will tape to their online walls.

The official World of Warcraft MySpace page utilizes its own unique World of Warcraft MySpace layouts to advertise and celebrate the game.  However, the page also offers codes visitors can copy and paste to their own profiles to add World of Warcraft MySpace layouts.  The official website also offers avatars, icons, banners and animated characters visitors can add to their internet messaging systems, personal blogs, websites and message board profiles.  These items often have built in advertising and links back to the official website, and can generate a decent amount of internet traffic when curious onlookers happen to click on one of the links.

Aside from official World of Warcraft MySpace layouts, many amateur artists and game enthusiasts create their own graphics and coding for other fans to use on their profiles.  These World of Warcraft MySpace layouts not only further love for the game, but further the designer’s name.  Many of these designer-players quickly become popular names throughout the gaming world, both for their talents and for their obsessions.  World of Warcraft MySpace layouts are not only for the benefits of the users, but for the benefits of the artists behind the scene as well.

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Oct 21 2008

Navigating Azeroth with a World of WarCraft Map

Published by Author under Online Gaming, World of Warcraft

The land of the World of WarCraft realm spans entire continents, and the new and casual player can easily find that they have become lost quite quickly. While in game maps will fill themselves in as you discover new locations, you are unable to see the maps that you have not discovered yet, and even if you have the in game maps uncovered, you may still need help to find quest locations. To help navigate the world of Azeroth and beyond, you’ll want to have a World of WarCraft map handy.

Free Online

World of WarCraft maps are easily found online, and several have interactive features. If you have Adobe Flash Player installed, you can view the World of WarCraft flash map at http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/flashmap/ and see various points of interest on each of the zone maps while navigating the intuitive zone based world map. However, other World of WarCraft maps have their own benefits, and you can find more in depth ones that feature more of the points of interest that you’ll find throughout your questing.

The original World of WarCraft was estimated to be around eighty square miles, while the Burning Crusade added about half that for a total around one hundred and twenty square miles. While this may seem fairly small compared to real life (the United States commonwealth of Pennsylvania is about 46,000 square miles in comparison), can you imagine trying to find every single store in New York City, which is just a little more than twice the size of the World of WarCraft map? Even though New York City might not seem too large, the actual game world is expansive and will take you hundreds of hours to fully explore. Just imagine going down every single street in New York and checking out most or all of the stores, and you’ll begin to appreciate the depth and difficulty of World of WarCraft to navigate, especially without a World of WarCraft map.

A World of WarCraft map can make your entire gaming experience in Azeroth and Outland much more enjoyable as you don’t have to manually locate points of interest. Experienced players might not have any trouble finding locations, but new and casual players are likely to find themselves confused as to where they are supposed to go to complete a quest or defeat a boss. Even if you are experienced and have logged hundreds of hours into WoW, you can still get a lot of help from a World of WarCraft map.

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