Some of you maybe even haven't heard anything about the game.... so it's RPG from people who created Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and a lot more ( i mean BioWare)

So i searched the net for more info...... i found this(almost nothing):
Developer: BioWare
Release date: TBA ( i heard some rumours that the game will come in the end of 2007.. but who knows)
Genre: RPG
Mode(s): Single player, Multiplayer
Platform: PC
Official site : Dragon Age

Dragon Age utilizes a new game engine named Eclipse that is designed to incorporate both single and multiplayer modes and to fully support Microsoft DirectX 10.
As of yet, few specific details have been revealed regarding the game's setting or plot, although more general information is available. The setting will be 'medieval fantasy' and the plot has been described as epic, and involves saving the world and exploring the Kingdom of Ferelden.
In order to avoid the starting out clichés so frequent in computer gaming ('wakes up in a prison', 'lands fresh off a boat', 'suffers from amnesia' etc.) the designers are incorporating 'origin' stories for each subrace in the game. For example a Dwarf Noble will begin the game as part of the royal family in one of the Dwarven cities, and a Dwarf Commoner will begin on the streets of said city. For the first several hours of game play the player will learn about their chosen race, and minor events in their starting location. As an example, each player will have a minor 'nemesis', unique to their origin story, that will follow them partway through the game. Once the player completes their origin story, events will intersect and they will be drawn into the world plot (where, if playing multiplayer, they will meet their fellow players).
The alignment of the main character throughout the game will affect the story, as in previous BioWare games, but the designers are putting a bigger emphasis on 'moral decisions' in Dragon Age. While you will have to save the world whether you are good or evil, the decisions you make in the process will change the world around you, deciding who will become King for example, and affecting nations and races and their places in the world. These decisions will also influence your companion NPCs, and could ultimately lead to an NPC deciding to leave your party if he or she does not agree with your approach.
The game will feature a newly designed camera, which will follow the party in a third person 'explore mode' while out of combat, but will swing up to a RTS **** top down, camera mode while in combat. As with the Baldur's Gate series, players will be able to issue orders to NPCs in real time or while the game is paused, and queue up actions such as spells and special attacks. The combat system will be more 'realistic' than previous BioWare games - a player fighting three enemies will be more susceptible to damage from one he is not facing than the older dice-based game mechanics, and this will be visualized on screen in the way weapons will connect with armor.

Features:

The following is the current aimed for but not final feature list:
* Epic open ended storyline
* Cinematic story-driven single-player campaign
* Separate single-player and multi-player campaigns
* Full character customization (race, sex, **** abilities, spells, etc)
* The character development is ****based; on higher levels, one can choose more specialized ****s
* The magic system is mana-based; there is only one kind of magic
* Set in a new fantasy world created by BioWare for fans of its past titles
* Party-based gameplay for outstanding tactical combat and immersive character interaction
* Participate in massive battles
* Mod tools for great custom content / End-user content creation tools
* Top down party-based tactical 'combat mode'
* Cinematic 3rd person camera 'exploration mode'

As promised! There isnt much info about Dragon Age yet, since its still in the making, but i did my best :)

Tomorrows post will be: CRYSIS :D

I was going to post part #2 of BIOSHOCK, but it was just info that was not very important!

So here's: Brothers in Arms : Hell's Highway

You maybe will say :" wooo.... another WWII game..... " . yes i know there r tooo much WWII games in this world but this one is the most realistic , as Call of Duty left the scene of World War II Brothers in Arms is one the most anticipated games about WWII (the second one is Medal of Honor : Airborn but i don't think it will have a huge success).....

Info on this WWII shooter :
Developer : Gearbox Software
Publisher : Ubisoft
Engine : Unreal Engine 3.0
Release date : November 16, 2007
Genre : First-Person Shooter
Mode : Single player, Multiplayer
Platform : PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Official site : Brothers in Arms : Hell's Highway

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway will be the 3rd entry in the Brothers in Arms series of video games. It will see players reprise the role of Sergeant Matt Baker, a soldier of the 101st Airborne Division, during Operation Market Garden in the late stages of World War II. he game has many new features, including the ability to command a further squad from a selection of new specialized units (bazooka teams, machine gun teams, mortar teams, as well as radio teams with which to call in artillery support). When a command is issued, the player model uses hand signals to issue the command to his squad, just like the previous games in the series. The player also has the ability to take cover behind objects.

Still there is no official info only some confirmed features and rumours:
- It has been confirmed in a game-play demo that Baker, Paddock, Hartsock, Corrion, Courtland and Zanovich will be in it.
- In the pre-E3 trailer, a civilian is shown communicating with the sergeant to alert him of a hiding soldier behind a clothesline, indicating civilian interaction will be implemented.
- Also, Matt Baker now has the ability to use heavy weapons. In the E3 trailer, he is shown ordering a bazooka round to be fired upon an 88. He can also make use of machine gun squads, mortar teams and a radio man who can call in artillery or air support.
- There are new moves called Brotherhood Moments where your character is shortly taken over by a computer and catches one of the players fallen comrades. "Bro-Mos´" are meant to show the bonds between the fighting men of the time period.
- The player can now go prone as well as crouch and stand. Only crouching and standing were available in previous games in the series.
- The characters in the series are set to become more developed, each with their own personal history, characteristics and habits.
- Hell's Highway will include a cover system that is similar to Rainbow Six: Vegas; the screen will indicate your current health. When the player exposes himself from cover, the screen will start to darken into a red color, with safe cover remaining clear. However, once safe behind cover, the screen will return clear, and resume as normal. This will only happen if threats are in the immediate area.
- There will be hallucinations, delusions and flashbacks about the character's exploits during the first two BIA games, some of the involving characters such as Pvt. Kevin Legget and other characters from the previous two games who were killed in action.
- A slow-mo effect will be added when you kill enemies with a grenade, although it was said that it will not be overdone to avoid being too unrealistic.

Hope you enjoyed my blog, very short huh? I know! Just that im pretty tired from all that BIOSHOCK, lol.

Tommorow will be: Dragon Age

This blog is going to be a theme blog, the whole blog is going to be about BioShock. My goal is to have all the information you need for the game in one convenient location. I will be avoiding spoilers at all costs, as I myself am anticipating this game a ton.

Use this blog to further your knowledge of the game, or send a friend or two to this so that they can learn about BioShock for the first time. Either way, there's a lot of info here, don't pass it up :)

If you have anything you'd like to be added to this blog, let me know, and I'll do my best to put it in, but I doubt there is very much that isn't covered. I plan on keeping this updated until Bioshock's release, and maybe even afterwards. I plan on writing an FAQ for the game after it comes out, so don't be surprised to see some of the content below in the FAQ.

What Exactly is BioShock?

If you want to get technical, BioShock is a first person shooter in development by Irrational Studios, and being published by 2k games, running on a heavily modified version of the Unreal 3 engine, With a release date of August 21st in North America, and August 24th internationally. However, the game is much, much deeper than that. BioShock is a game that focuses on narrative as much as weapons, and story us much as level design. Take games like Half Life, movies like Requiem for a Dream, and books like 1984, throw the ideas and presentation ****from each in a blender, and you've got the overall feel of BioShock.

The game world is open ended, with some areas closed off until certain main story line criteria has been met (for example, you may find a release valve that stops the flooding in a certain area in a quest, thus opening a new part of Rapture to explore.) Your character is upgradable in almost every way. Modifying your weapons with upgrades is one way to help with character growth, as is using Tonics to improve skills. These two features help give BioShock the "Shooter/RPG" label that many go by. The main gameplay is shooting based, but you also have Plasmids, which are genetical enhancements that work like spells. Instead of using mana to cast a fireball, you shoot yourself up with some genetic material called Adam.

Those are the basics. If you've been PC gaming for a while, System Shock or Dues Ex should ring a bell. Both games are cited as being influences on BioShock, which comes to no surprise seeing as Irrational also made System Shock.

What is Rapture?


The underwater city of Rapture is a magnificent place built and populated by the greatest minds of the time. A Russian scientist grew sick and tired of societies moral restraints on arts and science, so he collected the greatest scientists, architects, and artists he could find, and they all moved to this wonderful place free from moral restrictions. Now, somehow, the city is destroyed, and the only survivors are mutated people known as Splicers.



The city has a distinctive art deco ****to it, along with some steam punk elements. Large, open rooms combined with pipe covered doors make this game world familiar, while also being strange at the same time. Because of it's state of decomposition, there are often times leaks in the walls and flooding that gives the player a claustrophobic feeling. The amazing visuals of the game were put to good use in creating this breathtaking world.



Also roaming the halls of Rapture are the Little Sisters, which are what appear to be little girls. They go around collecting a substance known as Adam from the bodies of the dead. Now, these Little Sisters may seem vulnerable, that is until you meet the Big Daddy, the protectors of the Little Sisters. These two creatures of Rapture will not bother you at all during your exploration, but if you mess with either one of them, you can count on a drill in your face from the Big Daddy.






Names to Know


There's a team photo of Irrational Games, and while I thank each and everyone of them, as well as all the hard working members of 2k games, these four stick out for their contributions or participation in the community for BioShock.

Ken Levine - General Manager and Creative Director of BioShock

Many have called this game his opus. It is obvious he cares a lot about this project, and admits everything from utopian books, to social issues of today as influencing his idea of this game. His mind is the reason I wrote this blog.

Elizabeth Tobey (aka 2k Liz/Rapture Mom)

The face of BioShock, she runs the Cult of Rapture website, posts on the forums a lot, and is simply a nice person.

Chris Kline - Lead Programmer for BioShock


This man is the one to turn to with technical questions, he has poured more hours into BioShock than us gamers ever will. Gratitude goes to his hard work,

Alexx Kay - Designer for BioShock


title says it all, some great work and ideas from this guy helped shape this game, plus his picture is so striking I had to post it :D

Friends and Foes
The cast of characters is hard to describe without going into spoiler territory, but I can give you the basics. First I'll start with the enemies...

Splicers



These are the adam-addicted mutants left from the destruction of Rapture. They come in various varieties, including the ceiling crawler, the grenadier, the surgeon, and the teleporter. They're starved for Adam, as their life was brought up around the notion that everything is made better through change, and they're addicted to the change. They'll attack you on sight, and they're easily heard before seen, most often times rambling about the past days, and sometimes screaming things as random as "Where are my eyes?"

Splicers can also be used as a weapon, with the Enrage plasmid (see plasmids section)

Security Bots



Wander around rapture and you may run into a camera or two. These cameras trigger rapture's security team. Mini helicopter-like drones equipped with automatic guns. They'll fly around with the pure purpose of destroying what isn't supposed to be in Rapture (you!) The drones can be hacked at security stations to be your personal security bots.

Bots can be used as a weapon with the Security Beacon plasmid (see plasmids section)

Little Sisters



One half of probably the most recognizable duo in upcoming video games. No, not Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, or those guys from Army of Two, I'm talking about the Little Sister and Big Daddy. This seemingly innocent little girl-like creature is in fact a genetically built creature who's main purpose is to harvest Adam. She walks around with a syringe-like tool that she uses to extract the Adam, she then swallows the goo in order to process it within her body. The Adam turns into a usable substance called EVE inside her body.

She plays a major role in the game, as Adam is a resource you need to collect to upgrade your character. One of the NPC quest givers is very interested in the Little Sisters, and wants you to save them, however you can harvest the Adam from their body for your own personal gain. The Little Sister will then go off and die without the Adam. This presents the player a mature decision in the game, one which makes this game shine above the rest.

However, more recognizable (and as seen on the box art) is the sworn protectors of the Little Sisters...



The Big Daddy

The staple "enemy" of the game, is in fact one of the few creatures that couldn't care less if you existed. All they care about is making sure that the Little Sister gets no harm. As you can see in one of the videos I recommend, the character will get pushed away from a Big Daddy if they get too close to one of the girls, but as soon as a stray bullet hits someone, all hell breaks loose. There are two confirmed types of Big Daddies, with a third and fourth rumored. The first is the Rosie, which carries a rivet gun:



The second is the Bouncer, who has big round arms and leaps across the screen stunning the player, and possibly pulverizing them.



The Bouncer also may have a giant Drill for an arm.



One feature that the Big Daddies and Little Sisters share are their eyes. They seem to glow green when passive, yellowish when irritated, and red when in danger and ready to fight. Now, no one knows the origin of either of these creatures, at least, no one that doesn't know spoilers, so instead of posting well educated guesses and speculation, I'll leave that to the forums.

Andrew Ryan

The founder and creator of Rapture. He grew up in the Soviet Union, and witnessed the many atrocities of the second world war and communism. It is assumed that this is what lead him to want to build Rapture. Little else is known of him at this time, and what is known treads into spoiler territory.

Tenenbaum

The investor that put money into Adam research. Helped make Adam a staple of Rapturian citizenship.

Audio Logs

You'll find various audio logs throughout the game, which are kind of like diaries, each telling part of a story from a citizen's past. This is one of the many ways that the game puts the player in the game world. There will be no cutscenes, as the actual game world tells more of a story than hours of cutscenes ever would.These audio logs aren't necessary to furthering the game, but may hold interesting stories or hints to side quests.

Radio Messages

One of the sources of quests, I'm guessing that certain NPCs will keep in touch via walky talky radios.

Resources
There are several resources and items you are going to collect or use in you adventure in Rapture. You use ammunition of different types for different weapons/enemy encounters. There's the game-centric Adam, which is used to enhance your character's abilities. There's also Eve, which is like Mana. You inject some more into your arm to regain what you lost after using plasmids.



You also need to keep an eye out for materials that can be used for upgrading your weapons. A tin can might help your gun hold more ammo, or an old belt might help feed bullets faster.

There are also med kits, which heal damage done to you, and can even replenish Eve with a certain tonic.

One last thing to keep an eye out for is money. Rapture Dollars are used in health vendors, as well as ammo and other such things.

Tools of the Trade
As of now, these are the confirmed weapons of BioShock:

• Wrench
• Revolver
• Shotgun
• Tommy Gun
• Crossbow
• Grenade Launcher
• Chemical Thrower

Now, the developers stated that there are 8 weapons in the game, now that leaves one left. They could be counting the Camera, or we may be able to use Big Daddy's Rivet Gun. IT has been confirmed that there are 18 different ammo types and 12 types of weapon upgrades. I'm guessing that means you can change weapon upgrades frequently.

Here's some details on available weapons.

Wrench



I assume you start with this weapon, it's a melee weapon, plan and simple. You can use tonics to improve your effectiveness with this weapon.

Revolver



Just like it looks, there are three ammo types confirmed. There's Armor Piercing and Anti-Personal, and an ammo type that you need to invent. I'm not sure if that's for just the revolver or all gun types, so bear with me.

Shotgun



Your short range partner in crime. Some upgrades we've seen is an electrobolt type attachment to the shotgun.

Tommy Gun



A mid ranged automatic weapon. Looks to be great at crowd control.

Crossbow

(can't find a pic, but can be seen in a gameplay video.)

Your standard crossbow. We've seen an electrobolt type plasmid in use with it like the shotgun

Grenade Launcher



Shoots grenades like you'd expect. We've seen grenades that instantly explode, and then grenades that are on a timer, giving the player time to use telekinesis on the grenade.

Chemical Thrower



Not a lot has been shown of this, I was lucky to find this pic :) We've seen it shoot flames, more is likely to be done with this weapon.

Camera

Same with above, only there is no pic. We do know that the camera can be used to snap pictures of enemies, and upon researching them you learn more about the enemy.

Hacking/Vendors
You can hack various machines to help you throughout your journey. We have seen/read about health machines being hacked to harm splicers who go to use it, hacking item machines to get discounts, hacking security stations to control bots, and hacking safes to get into them. What we have seen of the hacking mechanic is a minigame where you have to guide water through pipes to complete a circuit.



More will be added when more information is available.

Plasmids/Tonics
Plasmids are genetic modifications done to yourself through learning. You learn these from using Adam at a Gene Bank. Cool trivia for you, it used to be called the Plasmi-Quik before some product testing showed that people overlooked it, but when changed to Gene Bank, players knew exactly what it was.



At this time, not all plasmids have been announced, but here's what we have:


Cryo Shards - Freezes enemies, most die in one hit afterwards


Cyclone Trap - Sets a spot on the floor, once if stepped on, turns into a cyclone that throws an enemy around


Electro Bolt - Shock enemies, can jump through water


Enrage - Make enemies attack each other


Incinerate - Burn enemies, deal damage and catch each other on fire


Insect Swarm - send out a bunch of bugs from your arm to occupy an enemy's times.


Security Beacon - make the target a literal target of the security systems


Sonic Boom - Blast enemies back with a gust


Telekinesis - pick up and throw objects


Teleportation - go back to a set point

Note, some pics do not go with the plasmid (sonic boom and teleport) so I used what looked good :)

To be continued!!!

Part #2 i will post tommorow since i cant go over 20,000 characters :(

Yeah one of the most anticipated!!!!!!!!

Some Info:

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher : Ubisoft
Designer : Jade Raymond (producer)
Engine : Scimitar Engine
Release date : November 11, 2007
Genre : Action-Adventure
Mode : Single Player
Platform(s) : Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Official site : Assasins Creed

The game takes place during the Third Crusade, in the year 1191. The player assumes the role of Altair (الطائر, Arabic, "The Flyer"), a member of the Hashshashin sect (the original "assassins"), whose objective is to slay the nine historical figures who are propagating the Crusades. As the player finds and kills these targets, their conspiracy is unveiled. The player will be able to travel through three cities: Jerusalem, Acre and Damascus.
The environment is completely interactive, from the people to the historically accurate cities. These cities are populated by many people, and the way the player controls Altaïr affects how the bystanders around him react to his presence. For example, when going through a crowd, if the player lightly moves someone out of the way, it will not have a significant effect. However, if the player throws someone to the ground and kills them, the crowd may unite against him and he will then have to find a way out. Similarly, if the player shoves a person aside, they may shove him back. If he climbs walls, civilians will gather around, attracting unwanted attention from guards.
The producers of the game take pride in how Assassin's Creed is historically accurate. The locations in the game are distinctive models of the cities. All of Altaïr's targets are also historic leaders who died or disappeared in the year 1191.

Gameplay:

The player will be able to grab onto and climb almost any aspect of the environment, which means exploration will be possible to a greater degree than in most other games. Ubisoft boasts that any object that stands out more than two inches will be interactive.
The control scheme in Assassin's Creed will be significantly different from that of the typical game. Rather than explicitly specifying what actions Altaïr will take, the player presses buttons corresponding to his various body parts and the game attempts to figure out what action should be taken. For example, running toward a wall and pressing the "legs" button will cause Altaïr to jump over a wall, while pressing the "arms without weapons" button will cause him to vault it.
A major selling point is "social stealth" - the ability to blend in with a crowd, as opposed to simply hiding in shadows.
News has also circulated about a "sci-fi twist", due to information from developer interviews, and some effects visible in trailers of the game. It is theorized that the historical setting may be a simulation, or perhaps some sort of genetic memory, for purposes of training or other gain, being undertaken by an unknown group in the present or near future. During a trailer shown at E3, the screen would glitch and go fuzzy at times, and at one point where Altaïr is killed, the screen fades to black and then shows a head's up display with the words "computer offline" with a woman in a labcoat behind the display. Trailers shown at E3 07 reveal further evidence of this, such as a futuristic looking health bar, effects resembling readouts surrounding locked-on enemies and a rather lengthy conversation with a dying enemy surrounded by a white background. Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin's Creed will be part of a trilogy, and has also stated that one or both of the sequels may have a futuristic setting.

Story:

Assassin's Creed is set in 1191 AD, when the Third Crusade was tearing the Holy Land apart. Shrouded in secrecy and feared for their ruthlessness, the Assassins intend to stop the hostilities by suppressing both sides of the conflict. Players, assuming the role of the main character, will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and to shape events during this pivotal moment in history.
The story follows Altaïr, a disgraced master Assassin who embarks on an epic quest to restore his status within the Assassin Order. After failing to liquidate the Templar leader Robert de Sable and recover the legendary Templar Treasure, Altaïr is demoted to Uninitiated (the lowest rank in the Assassin Order).
But Sinan, leader of the Assassins, offers him an opportunity to redeem himself. Altaïr must venture out into the Holy Land and assassinate men said to be exacerbating and exploiting the hostilities created by the Third Crusade. In doing so, he will stabilise the region, allowing Sinan to usher in an age of peace.
When the game begins, Richard the Lionheart has just recaptured the port city of Acre from occupying Saracens. With a base of operations established, the Crusaders prepare to march south. Their true target is Jerusalem - which they intend to recapture in the name of the Church. However, Saladin, leader of the Saracen army, currently rules the city. Stinging from his army's defeat at Acre, he will not allow Richard to humiliate him again. The Saracens are massing at the ruins of Fortress Arsuf, intending to ambush the Crusaders and prevent them from reaching Jerusalem.
These war maneuvers have left the rest of the Holy Land wide open. While Richard and Saladin battle one another, the men left to govern in their stead have begun taking advantage of their newfound positions of power. Exploitation, manipulation, and provocation rule the day. It is into this chaotic mess Altaïr now finds himself. He is ordered to eliminate those most active in their exploitation. This is how the Assassin begins his mission.
Along the way, however, he will begin to discover that his targets are bound by more than just a shared interest in personal gain. They share membership in a secret society familiar to the Hashshashin. And they are not simply looking for profit. Their true goal and how they plan to achieve it are secrets to be discovered during the course of the story.

Weaponry:

Altaïr carries a number of highly specialised weapons for his role as an assassin-weapons noted from the trailers include a sword (Xbox 360 gameplay demo), a small crossbow, which appears to also be able to be used as an axe, although it is unknown if it was designed purposefully this way, or merely an effect created for the trailer, and on his back there are bolts for his crossbow in a small quiver; throwing daggers strapped on his chest, as well as his specialty weapon which is used for his assassinations, it is a concealed mechanical dagger (similar in concept to an OTF blade or "out the front") attached to his left arm, which emerges from under his wrist. This is made to retract so that the assassin remains inconspicuous. Altaïr is also missing his left hand ring finger which was severed as part of an initiation ceremony when he received his mechanical dagger. When the blade is extended and the hand is balled into a fist the blade extends through the space left by the removed ring finger. Jade Raymond has stated that the player will be able to unlock new abilities such as improved boots (better grip for climbing) and climbing gloves and customizations for Altaïr's weaponry. In the newest trailer, Altaïr also carries a knife on his back, in addition to his sword. The players can select the weapon they want to use by pressing the directional buttons, this allows quick switch capability during combat.

Enjoy!!!! Now im late for work :(

Tommorow will be "BIOSHOCK" :)

As for my opinion the game will be really great....great story,great gameplay... it will be mega game which i'll add to my list of the best.
So i found some info on the game, here you go:

Developer : Remedy Entertainment
Publisher : Microsoft Game Studios
Distributor : Microsoft
Designer : Petri Järvilehto(Lead Designer)
Release date : TBA 2008
Genre : Psychological Action Thriller
Mode : Single Player
Platform(s) : Windows Vista (Games For Windows) and Xbox 360
Official site : Alan Wake

Story:

Alan Wake is a bestselling horror writer. Early on in his career, his fiancee Alice, was his muse. Just prior to meeting her, he had started to have strange dreams which he used as material for his first book. The book was a big success, a dream come true. But then Wake's fiancee vanished without a trace. Wake was devastated. He couldn't write anymore, his dreams stopped and he began to suffer from insomnia. At the beginning of the game, Wake travels to a sleep clinic to seek treatment for his condition. The secluded clinic is located near the small town of Bright Falls, Washington, far away from the stressful urban life**** Receiving treatment at the clinic, Wake is able to sleep again. At the clinic, he meets a mysterious woman who is the very image of his missing fiancée, uncannily so. At once, his dreams return, this time as terrible nightmares. Wake begins to write again: a new book based on those nightmares. But something is horribly, horribly wrong. Impossibly, the town of Bright Falls starts to change to something awful that bears a close resemblance to Wake's new book. Wake ends up fighting for his life with a gun and a flashlight in his hands, trying to understand what's happening.

Gameplay

The name "Bright Falls" has a meaning. The game promises to have photo-realistic graphic qualities, realistic pixel shading, and dynamic shadows that change according to the position of the sun. To avoid lags and hangs, the game will benefit from a high end PC and the Xbox 360.
The dark-forces (enemies) coming to 'take care of' Alan Wake are vulnerable to light. So the most useful weapon of all is actually the flashlight. You will be able to place booby traps which will illuminate when executed, etc. Light will weaken or hurt Wake's enemies, and creatively taking advantage of any and all light sources within Alan Wake's grim world ought to be one of the interesting aspects of play.
Like Max Payne before it, the title Alan Wake has a double meaning. Combining the main character's first initial with his last name forms "A.Wake," or "Awake".
Remedy Entertainment also promised a free-roam 3-dimensional city, similarly as in the Grand Theft Auto series.
Developers' word:
Sam Lake said: "The basic idea with the free-roaming world is that we give the player goals, and then the player can go about achieving those goals in the way he chooses. Alan Wake is more tightly character-driven and story-oriented. Meaning that the player's goals and missions are closely focused around Alan Wake and his story. Also, the setting, the tone and the game being an action thriller all set it clearly apart from the GTA games."

Petri Järvilehto said: "Intense cinematic action is something that we love to do, and Alan Wake features tense combat gameplay as well, but all things considered the game has a lot more emphasis on adventure and exploration than what Max Payne did. Driving is an integral part of the game"

There will be no multiplayer in this game.
Petri Järvilehto said: "We'd much rather give the players a great single-player game, than a mediocre single and multiplayer game."

Release date
Remedy has remained vague about Alan Wake, unwilling to give any info regarding the date of its release. When asked about a release date, Remedy representatives respond, "When it's done". This has been the philosophy in Remedy Entertainment, because it gives them more control over the quality of the finished product.
In a recent interview on the GamerScore Blog, it was said that Alan Wake is slated to be released in 2008, although there wasn't a time frame stated.

so waiting this game.....

well hope you enjoyed my topic, tommorow will be "Assasin's Creed" :)

Have any of u had ur 360 just freeze or crash because its overheating. Well, lots of people have including me, and its gotten pretty old pretty fast to have my xbox suddenly crash while im in the lead in the annex game im playing on gears of war. Im not as much so mad about the fact that the 360 overheats as i am the fact that there have been no decent attempts by microsoft, or any other company to cool the xbox, cause everyone knows that the xbox 360 is a problem magnet. now dont get me wrong, im a huge fan of the 360 and always will be, but c'mon, i cant always play my games with the fear of a system crash. Now there have been some attempts to create cooling fans, and intercoolers for the 360, but those have all been mostly failures. Take for instance the intercooler that came out to help with the problems people have been having.



yes it does look like it would work, in fact i was thinking about buying it until i read the reviews on www.amazon.com. Here are just a few of the reviews posted buy the people who bought it online.

"My first Xbox 360 failed despite (or because) I had this thing strapped to the back sucking power away from the vital components inside the box. When I got my 2nd 360 in the mail, I promptly hooked the Nyko back up and immediately got the 3 red lights of death, in other words the first time I turned a brand new 360 on with this Nyko intercooler attached, the thing died. I guess it wasn't permanent because when I took the Nyko off and restarted the thing, my Xbox worked great and has been working just fine for almost a year now. ***IMPORTANT*** JUST PUT YOUR XBOX IN A WELL-VENTILATED AREA (not in a corner) AND CHANCES ARE GOOD THAT IT WILL WORK FINE. You don't need/want this intercooler unless 1. you like a lot of extra noise. 2. You love dealing with non-native English speakers at Microsoft tech support and 3. you want to be without your Xbox for up to a month while Microsoft sends you a new one.

Trust me, I may have been the first one I knew that this happened to, but I've heard countless more horror stories since then. Until Nyko comes up with a new design, better to stay away from this one."

-E.Smith "Huge Geek"

"I bought this for my xbox worried about the over heating problems, that never happened... The intercooler ruins your power supply, or atleast metaled mine.... Causing YOU and ME to buy a NEW power supply FOR ONLY 60 DOLLARS OUTTA MY POCKET... just take your money and burn it if your thinking about buying this intercooler.. you'll spend your money more wisely than me... "

-Justin "XElementLakaiX"

"You're on the right track if you're reading this now. The 360 overheats, everyone knows that by now, and if you want your investment to last a little while you're going to need to do something about it. The Nyko Intercooler is an amazing device and really does a great job at dissipating heat issues; but, DON'T BUY THIS MODEL! GET THE NYKO INTERCOOLER EX! It should have been a no-brainer from the beginning that using plastic in the AC port was not a good idea. Nyko has fixed the problem of melting with the EX model, which actually has metal in the AC bypass. Again, should have been a no-brainer but, as always, money talks. The Intercooler is an absolutely essential item, I've noticed a remarkable improvement. After 4 hours (I know every 360 owner is cringing right now, any longer than 2 hours of use is X-Box suicide) of Oblivion the frame-rate and loading was still perfect, exactly as if I had just started the game, and the console itself was only lukewarm to the touch. The Intercooler works, just not this model. Look up the Nyko Intercooler EX and your worries of overheating issues will be gone. (As well as melting concerns. Again, metal in the EX, plastic in this one.) "

-RPG fan

Well, as u can see the reviews are a hit and miss, with different results for everyone, but for the most part, this product got bad ratings on that site. My 360 constantly overheats as i said before, so i have gone to different forums on the web asking for advice. youll hear those same simple answers that idiots who dont even own a 360 give like "why dont ya put a fan next to it old chap!" Well ill tell u why, cause it doesnt work. I put a fan blowing at mine and it just blew the hot air right back into it and gave me the 3 rings of death. but of course u would know, that guess couldnt be any more helpful, in fact u should be a shrink and grace people with your intelligent advice. " Do you have your 360 in an open air flowing enviroment?" No dude, its in my sock drawer as we speak, thanks for the heads up. So as u can tell i got frustrated with the people at the forums who gave me no helpful advise. "why dont u install a water cooler." Sorry, not a homebrew modding genious. This is why microsoft should make a unit that has its own seperate power supply, is not loud, and actually cools the 360 like its supposed to.



Like im going to install this



Overall, the 360 is an amazing console, i just wish there was a decent cooling device i could put on it without having to have someone install it for me.

BONUS:

Halo 3 Will Now Support 4 Player Co- Op!!

Bungie announced that Halo 3 will have 4 player co- op. As mentioned by them, you will be able to have 2 players on one xbox 360, and the other two players on another. Bungie said that they included it because it was meant to "Significantly Enhance" the single player experience. In my opinion, it will definitely will. Bungie said that player one will be the Master Chief, player 2 will be the Arbiter, and player 3 and 4 will be brand new Elite characters named N'tho 'Sraom and Usze 'Taham. Bungie's spoke person wrote on the official blog that they made perfectly sure thier T's were crossed and I's were dotted before they announced this important feature to the public. Like every aspect of Halo 3, this option will be chosen from the lobby. You just select the campaign option, co op, choose which network(xbox live, system link) and start slaying aliens. You can invite your friends to join or just simply play with total strangers. Players can join in the lobby but can sadly not join while the game is in progress. Once the # of players in your lobby is full you can start the game at any previously accomplished level or you can start from one of your saved checkpoints.

Well hope you guys and girl's enjoyed my blog, please comment and +1 will be given to all my friends :)

Thanks for your time.

Got a PlayStation 3? For those of you that have picked up Sony's shiny black plaything, we've put together a Digital Home top ten of tips that you won't find in the user manual.

1) Play games from any country

Harbouring a desire to play Super Gaiden Ninja XI? Now you can. In fact, you can handily play any PS3 game from any country. On holiday in the States and spot the latest release at a bargain dollar-to-pound price? Help yourself. So far, at least, PS3 games aren't being region coded. That said PS2 and PS1 games are so you can't play a US title on a Euro console.

And let's not forget that Blu-ray movies are region-coded so the barriers aren't completely down yet.

2) The secret video reset

One of the most annoying aspects of the PS3 are its video settings. Take it up to the bedroom portable or round to a friend's house and there's a good chance that you won't be able to see anything onscreen because your 'new' TV is running at a different resolution or using a different cable connection. And - because you can't see anything - you can't change it. Until now. Shut down your PS3 then restart by pressing and holding the power button. This will reset your PS3 to its most basic 480p graphics mode so you'll be able to see enough to choose RGB SCART, component, HDMI or whatever from here.

3) See how much charge is on your pad

There's no indication of how much charge is left on the pad itself. Instead it appears on screen during games. Press and hold the PS button on any joypad. An indicator will appear, showing your pad's charge as a small battery. A full battery pic means a fully-charged pad. Neat.

4) Download game saves

Chances are someone out there has already beaten that boss for you and saved their game afterwards. Why not take advantage of it? Google 'PS3 game saves'. There are hundreds of finished and half finished game saves scattered all over the internet. Download the save you want - it'll come in a 'PS3' folder that you can lift onto a USB stick and put into your PS3. Go to the Game menu, choose your stick and the game save you downloaded should be right there. Press Triangle to copy it to your hard drive.

5) Make free video phone calls

You will need a USB headset (like the one you use for PS2 Socom) and an EyeToy camera. Plug in both via USB then go to your Friends menu. Choose a friend you've signed up earlier and press Triangle. Choose Start New Chat and type a message. Something like 'Videochat?' should do the trick. Now, providing they're in front of their powered-up PS3 (perhaps you could text them to tell them to be in position?) then they'll see your message and be given the option to accept your videochat.

Now, provided they too have a camera and headset, two windows will open, one showing you (so you can make sure you're looking your best), the other displaying your mate. Best of all you can hit Triangle again and invite more people to join your chat - up to a maximum of six. And the cost? Not a bean above your usual broadband connection charges.

6) Browse multiple Internet windows

Open the browser (go to Network) and surf to a page you want. Now open up the menu with a press of Triangle and choose 'Open In New Window'. Enter another URL and then do the same again. Keep going until you've got six windows open. Now press L3 (done by clicking down the left stick). You're now in multi-page mode. Move the left stick to flick through the web pages as though they were bits of paper, then click L3 again to zoom in.

7) Upgrade your hard drive

We took the drive out of our PS3 and found it to be a Seagate Momentus 5400rpm 60Gb 2.5inch SATA drive. We swapped ours out effortlessly for a Seagate Momentus 120Gb 2.5inch SATA drive and it worked perfectly. Remove the cover flap on the bottom of your PS3 with a fingernail. Undo the blue screw and slide the drive over to the right and out of your PS3. Undo the four screws on the 'caddy' and remove the old drive.

Put your new drive in the caddy (it should be exactly the same size, of course) and re-do the four screws. Slot it back in and slide to the left to make the connections. Re-do the blue screw, pop the cover back on and restart your PS3. Say 'yes' to the message on screen and voila - new super-size hard-drive. (Go to Settings, System Settings, System Information to check).

8) Share your bought downloads

You can download anything you've bought from the store to five PlayStation 3's. This is useful if you've got more than one PS3 (of course) and also if you've wiped your hard-drive and don't fancy paying for the same download twice...

However, you can also choose to share your download with your mates. The PlayStation Store logs how many times each download has been downloaded by each user. On your mate's PS3 Create New User and log onto the store with your ID. You'll now be able to go to your download and see that you've already downloaded whatever it was that you paid for. You can now download it again, using another of your downloads and giving it to your mate for free. Or a small optional charge...

9) Force a PS3 to show your files

Put your photos in a folder called 'PICTURE' or your videos in a folder called 'VIDEO' or simply *force* your PS3 to look at your files on your stick regardless of what you called them or where you put them. Insert your stick and go to the menu option you want (Photos, Music, whatever). Press Triangle to bring up a menu and choose Display All. This will show every file on the stick. It even works for a plugged-in iPod, though the multi-folder structure you'll reveal is a bit baffling. Still, your songs are in there if you've got the patience to find them.

10) Change your album art

When you import a music CD your PS3 automatically pulls down the album art and stores it with the tracks. Occasionally it gets it wrong, however, or it may simply not be able to find the art of your hipper, less commercial tracks. This is easily fixed however. Download a pic of the art you need as a jpg on your PC and put it onto a stick (in a folder called PICTURE, ideally). Copy it to your Photo menu (press Triangle). Now go to Music and select the album folder with the offending art. Press Triangle and select Information. Go to the Photo menu and select your new picture. Bingo.




Is Microsoft building a new Xbox ?



Microsoft's recently filed 'multi-component gaming' patent might suggest as much. Like most patents, the content is heavy-going and open to interpretation.



Yes, this patent might suggest a new console system or it might hint at an Xbox or Zune handheld (again). The patent might also be a dreamy evolution of Microsoft's 'Live Anywhere' initiative that plans to link together Xbox 360 and Windows Vista gamers later this year.

What's not in doubt is that the patent suggests some sort of consumer-friendly distributed computing system. There's more to this than being able to play Geometry Wars on a Zune; more than the ability to use one gaming ID (with its associated high score tables and achievements) across different game-capable platforms. Although both are good places to start.

Microsoft's ideas are bigger. Not only will you be able to use, say, a PDA to access the functions of your Xbox (like the PSP can access the PS3 ), but the PDA will be able to grab a slice of the Xbox's processing muscle to supplement its own. Each device would be viewed as a single component in the distributed computing system.
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And by adding more components, you increase the available power of the network. Alongside an Xbox 360,a PDA or gaming handheld becomes an "adjunct" device, donating its processing power and any available storage to whatever application is being run across the network.
New Xbox incoming?

Does this vision require a refresh of the Xbox 360? Maybe. Maybe not.

Despite the fact that the Xbox 360 is only just over a year old, the patent suggests that "the various techniques described herein can be implemented in connection with hardware or software" and that the apparatus for this distributed or componentised system "can take the form of program code."

"When implemented on a general-purpose processor," says the patent, "the program code combines with the processor to provide a unique apparatus that operates to invoke the functionality of a multi-component gaming system."

If the distributed computing functionality is handled through software, rather than new hardware, then Microsoft's patent could easily be referring to the networking of the Xbox 360, Zune, Vista PCs, and Windows Mobile-powered PDAs and phones. It will fuse the current platforms together rather than create a whole new architecture.

From a Digital Home perspective, using a distributed computing network any video stored on a handheld device could conceivably be processed and rendered by a more powerful connected device. Or you could hook your handheld up to your home cinema system, taking advantage of a big screen display and surround sound system.

Microsoft will obviously continue to use its PC heritage to get ahead of Sony's PlayStation 3. Gaming is one battleground; the digital home is another. The computing side of Microsoft's business has extensive experience in distributed applications, master/slave device networking and remote access. So the contents of patent 20070087830 might not be as far-flung as some might think.

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PSP TV Add-on

Sony in an effort to upgrade the usability of psp to more than just a handheld console announced today in Tokyo the availability of a new Tuner addon ( 1Seg compliant only for now ) for which can turn the system into a portable TV that's capable of receiving digital television broadcasts.The TV Tuner will go on sale on 9/20 at a cost of 6,980 yen. It will only be compatible with the new PSP-2000 redesign, so current PSP owners are out of luck.

Source: Stupid IGN, TechPowahUp


I wanted this thing to be made for a psp for the longest, this would be good in a power outage

don't know about $57.1911 Usd though, should have been $30-49!

The Toshiba Regza. Thank you to everyone who helped me in making the decision, I absolutely could not be happier. Well as promised, here are some pictures of my current setup:

The Entertainment System

Now my gameroom is complete.:)

PS: My wife is jealouse.

We have seen many new editions to the next gen world of gaming, one of which is the controller. It is the essential item for any console. It can add to the enjoyment and realism of a game. So which controller is The Best Of The Best.


THE PS3 CONTROLLER Much the same as the PS2 controller with a few upgrades and one downgrade.



Upgrades-
~Motion Sensing: Allows the controller to have six-axis sensing capabilities and can be used for driving cars, flying planes and other related movements.

~Triger Like R2 and L2: The new L2 and R2 buttons are more trigger-like, with an increased range of depression.

~Wireless Controller: Inbuilt Bluetooth for wireless gameplay.

~Rechargeable Batteries: The controller features a USB mini-B port, which can be used to connect a USB cable for internal battery charging and wired operation. The controller can be seamlessly swapped from wireless to wired operation, and is charged automatically upon connection. The PS3 comes with a USB to USB mini cable, but spare controllers do not include these cables; only one cable should be needed for all of one's controllers. The controller can operate up to 30 hours on a full charge.

Downgrades-
~Removal Of Vibration Capability: Sony announced that because of the included motion sensors, the vibration feature of previous PlayStation controllers was removed, although Nintendo has clearly shown us that it does not. What they didn't tell you is how Sony and Microsoft were sued for stealing the idea of duel shock. Microsoft paid up and got rights to use dual shock. Sony on the other hand thought they could win and went to court. They lost.


THE XBOX 360 CONTROLLER With the same basic design as the original xbox controller. The Xbox 360 ontroller has a few new features.



Upgrades-
~Wireless Controller: 2.4GHz wireless technology with 30-foot range and up to 40 hours of life on the two included AA batteries. The controller can be recharged with the purchase of a Play & Charge Kit which alows the user more than 30 hours of play per charge.

~Replacing The "Black" And "White" Buttons: The "black" and "white" buttons are removed and in their place two "bumper" buttons, one above each trigger are added. These new left and right shoulder buttons allow for ease of use.

~Lighter: The new xbox 360 controller is alot lighter and more comfortable due to it's redesign and the removal of the memory stick ports.

~Xbox Guide Button: The Xbox 360 Guide button allows you to keep track of your friends, access your games and media, or power on and off your Xbox 360 at any time when using the console.


THE NINTENDO WII REMOTE The Nintendo Wii remote is a completly new controller for nintendo and truly utilises motion sensing.



Upgrades-
~Motion Sensing: Wii Remote is a multifunctional device that is limited only by the game designer's imagination. In a tennis game, it serves as your racket you swing with your arm. In a driving game, it serves as your steering wheel. For first-person shooters, the Wii Remote acts as your weapon that you point at an enemy. The list of potential uses goes on and on.

~Wireless Controller: The controller communicates wirelessly with the console via short-range Bluetooth radio, with which it is possible to operate up to four controllers as far as 10 meters (approx. 30ft) away from the console. However, to utilize pointer functionality, the Wii Remote must be used within five meters (approx. 16ft) of the Sensor Bar.

~Inbuilt speaker, Rumble and Expansion Port: The Wii Remote also includes a speaker (eg.In a sword fight the sound of two swords clashing), rumble feature (viabration) and expansion port for additional input devices, such as the Nunchuk.


KEYBOARD AND MOUSE The keyboard and mouse have been there since the begining and are a trusted tool to PC gamers.



Upgrades-
~The Keyboard and Mouse have been upgrading continuously ever since they were created. New feature such as wireless have been incorporated lately. Different model designs allow for gaming with a keyboard and mouse to be more comfortable and efficient.


So which controller is the best. Have a say and lets find out.

Yep you heard right, im' gonna be lvl11 soon, yaaaay!