The Game Tester
June 10, 2007
It’s not easy to be a hardcore gamer. It’s hard. Wouldn’t it be easier if you had a job in the videogames business? Think about it: working for a software company, being able to play games during office hours, with people who share your passion. Free games, industry parties, lots of fun and good money.
Well, think again; working in the PC Games business is nothing like that. Chances are you’ll end up dealing with people who just care about the financial success of the company, with marketing executives who don’t give adamn whether the game is good or not because “We’ll put two-million bucks behind it and it’ll sell like donuts”, with programmers who cannot understand why an arcade-style racing game cannot have the intricacies of a complex simulator. Still, you’ll get some free games plus a decent salary.Still interested? Good.
The easiest way to get a chance to work in the videogames industry is to start as a game tester. Mind you - the job is actually tougher and less exciting than you think. While it is true that you’ll spend most of your day playing games, you must bear in mind that this means testing to death the same game again and again, since the earliest days of development until it’s finished, and this can get really boring.
A Look at the Sony PlayStation 3
June 9, 2007
At the recent E3 gaming Convention, Sony gave the world a first look at the new Playstation 3, Sony’s contribution to the next generation gaming consoles. Much like the news surrounding the Nintendo Revolution, the Playstation 3 has been immersed in mystery and controversy for the last several years.
Due sometime in spring 2006, the PlayStation 3 will out perform it’s predecessor in every way imaginable. Powered by the “Cell” processor, which Sony proudly claims makes the machine 35 times more powerful than the PlayStation 2, tops the list of the new incredible features. So, what else can we expect from Sony this time around? What we know?
Initially, even the name of the new gaming console was still very much unknown. With teasers, billboards and misleading posters with the very recognizable font “Prepare for Chang3,” advertisement had gamers guessing. However at the E3 convention, it was announced that the name of the new console would in fact be "Playstation 3;" much to the dismay of many online blogers and game forum members.
Classic Fragfest: Quake III Arena
June 9, 2007
As graphics technology improves in leaps and bounds for the next pc generation, more and more gamers expect, and more or less demand, new and innovating concepts to blow their mind. However, there are some games out there that simply stand the test of time for pure entertainment.
One of these games is Quake III Arena from ID Software.
This game still remains, after half a decade, as one of those games that never seems to fade in appeal when it comes to going one-on-one against a fellow gamer over the age of fourteen. (The graphic nature of the game is not suitable for children.)
Whereas there is the impending release of Quake 4, which will go more towards a storyline, Quake III Arena remains simple: Deathmatch - Hunt down and kill your opponent. This is your only task.
The game is a First-Person Shooter that takes place in a futuristic world, with gameplay featured on a couple dozen core maps. Your weapons, ranging from real to fantasy, deal out devastating damage. Powerups throughout these maps give you more speed, damage, etc; and each map is usually multi-levelled and reachable by various bounce pads, stairs, and elevators. You just have to watch around the corners, as you never know who’s going to be camping there waiting to blow you away.
Downloadable Game Review: Diner Dash
June 8, 2007
Playvue.com Editor’s Rating: 8.0
Storyline
Diner Dash brings us the story of Flo, an office lackey fed up with the monotonous, unchanging pressures of everyday life and work in the big city. Thus she hucks everything out the window and runs off to find something better to do with her life. As it turns out, that is starting a restaurant chain in suburban America.
We are taken right into her quest as a restaurateur as Flo herself; an energetic, enthusiastic owner who fulfills every role from hostess to server, bartender and busboy (thankfully, cooking is provided by a overworked dark figure behind the counter).
Beginning with her very first diner, and ending with an upscale surf and turf joint, we take on Flo’s every activity; seating her guests, handing out menu’s, delivering breadsticks, taking and delivering orders (not to mention cocktails), clearing tables, and seating the next guests. All this in the pursuit of money with which to improve her existing restaurants or even open up a new one!
Navigation
Codename Revolution - Nintendos Next Generation Gaming System
June 7, 2007
Over the past year or so plenty of hype, mystery and controversy has been raised over the new Nintendo Console. Systems like the Xbox have taken the lead in gaming with offering capabilities such as online multiplayer. When Nintendo showed off their new system at the E3 Expo they showed gamers that they truly intend to revolutionize the video game community once again. But until Nintendo "officially" gives us the details, we can only speculate and wait.
The Hype and the Mystery
No one really knows too much about the Nintendo Revolution . What will it look like? What kind of power will it "actually" have? What games are in development? Nintendo is, for the most part, keeping a lid on things. We don’t even really know when the official release date will be. It has been reported that March of 2006 will be the "unofficial" date.
Living in an online world, it seems everyone has "the inside scoop" on the new console. Members of blogs and forums are saying everything from holographic imaging to new methods of image processing where a developer could create hyper realistic vistas at a fraction of the current processing cost. The bottom line is, with limited facts, speculation is rampid, which creates plenty of misinformation and hype..
XBOX 360 vs. PS3: an in Depth Look
June 6, 2007
All gamers are awaiting the release of the Xbox 360 and the PS3. This article takes an in depth look at how the two systems compare.
Graphics:
Everyone has seen an Xbox and a PS2 in action and we are all waiting to see which of the two next generation consoles for the two systems will have the edge when it comes to graphics. We have all seen the screenshots of the games on the two systems but what about actual gameplay graphics. Despite the hot debate, when you look at the numbers the two systems use a different but equally effective method of delivering graphics processing power. The XBOX uses a custom ATI processor with 48 graphics pipelines and the PS2 has a custom NVIDA graphics processor with an estimated 24 pipelines. The numbers are misleading because the PS2 piplines are more powerful than the XBOX pipelines. In the end the two different graphics processors will deliver about the same amount of power, we can expect to see impressive results from both sides.
Games:
Blast From The Past - Retro Games Are Hot Again
June 5, 2007
Miss the brainlessly simple and extremely addictive games from the 80s? Find out which game developers feel the same. Dozens of teams are creating new games based on the old classics. Here are just a few of them.
Bugatro Gold http://www.deprice.com/bugatrongold.htm
Bugatron Gold is a well-designed space-shooter game borrows ideas from classics such as Galaga. In Bugatron, you must eradicate the evil alien insects, which swoop and dive at your spaceship in a variety of formations. The polished graphics added to our enjoyment, and the sound effects are blasting cool.
Cosmo Bots http://www.deprice.com/cosmobots.htm
Cosmo Bots takes its cue from the addictive classics Jezzball and Qix. However, that’s where the similarity ends, because Cosmo Bots has different shapes for each level, 3D rendered graphics, digital sound, new enemies, and tons of power-ups. The free version features a full set of 50 levels to play, and does not require any special hardware.
Bricks Of Egypt http://www.deprice.com/bricksofegypt.htm
At its core, Bricks of Egypt is an Arkanoid clone, but it goes beyond replicating the frequently imitated art of busting bricks to place a refreshing emphasis on creative level design. Sure, there’s a ball and paddle, but Arcade Labs layers these familiar basics with Egyptian-themed power-ups, bonuses and special challenges (such as hitting the water drops to extinguish fire bricks or striking keys to unlock new areas on the screen).
Play a Cool Jeep Game Online
June 4, 2007
If there were anything that could excite a Jeep enthusiast more than a 4×4 trail run, it would have to be a Jeep game! Jeep games are as close to the real thing as you can possibly get without actually being in a Jeep. The best part about Jeep games online are they are completely free, so play away to your heart’s content.
Some of the more popular Jeep games online are:
Mountain Madness
This Jeep game revolves around a quiet mountain town that faces grave danger. You have to tame the elements and save the town from an impending avalanche in your new 2005 Trail Rated Jeep Liberty Renegade. You can drive up to the edge of the mountain in several Jeep vehicles, any one of which you can choose, and Ski Bike down. On your trip down you can set explosions along the way to divert the path of the avalanche. If this Jeep game sounds really exciting, that’s because it is!
Jeep 4×4 Adventure
If dense jungles and eerie sounds are your thing, this Jeep game is going to be right up your alley. You get to race a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Liberty or Wrangler through urban jungles and treacherous trails.
Zuma Deluxe Style Games Evolution
June 4, 2007
As I think most of gamers who play in shareware games know game called Zuma Deluxe. This game was extremly popular some time ago and still popular now. It’s now a classic game!
Long time nobody in game industry try to make a game with Zuma gameplay. It was a fear of fail - as someone can know big portals like RealArcade or Shockwave.com don’t take for publishing game clones.
But in last time we see a lot of games what takes a Zuma gameplay idea plus some interesting own ideas. Let’s look at whis games.
First game will be Luxor.
Main idea is the same, but here one deferent feature - you blast a colored spheres from the bottom line. Game use ancient Egipt styling with pyramids and Pharaoh, you explore the path of the Nile. The game very popular right now.
Next game we will look at is TumbleBugs.
SMS Gaming - Text Paging Games that can be Played by Anyone
June 3, 2007
Using the Physical World as a Game Board: This is not a Kinky game! SMS stands for Short Message Service.
Just like our last article, this can be fun for teens and adults. You just have to do it on a different scale.
Pick a location approximately 4 square city blocks of a favorite area where your teen group or friends like to be. Spend an afternoon picking locations from that area and creating hints that can be text paged easily. Pick at least ten locations if not more and three to five hints for each location. Put the hints in order of hardest to figure out to the simplest, which will almost tell them where it is.
You can mix the Location Hunt game with a Scavenger Hunt! Once they find the correct location they now have to find something else at that location. Either physically getting something to bring back, taking a digital photo or taking a video to bring back as proof. And this can make for a fun experience at the end of the game when everyone involved shows back up at the starting point. The best way to play it is only send one hint at a time, this way they don’t know the next location or what they are supposed to do when they get there. You can give a list out at the beginning of the game, but there is a little more mystery if they have no way to plan ahead.
