For my daughter’s 9th birthday party, we decided to celebrate it at Sega GameWorks in Seattle. Everyone got unlimited access to the videogames for 2 hours so naturally, I plopped myself down on a game I haven’t played in over a decade. It was a game I used to cherish with my husband before we got married–Virtual Fighter. Now in its 5th incarnation, the graphics is an amazing work of art! The gameplay however is the same. I didn’t know I was playing against the kid seated on the opposite side as the challenger until I had defeated him for the 3rd time and heard him utter “umphh…she’s killing me…she’s good.” His friend peeked over at me and that was when I realized I was playing against a 12 year old and actually winning! I got a strange satisfaction out of the whole experience as he slumped away, with his tail between his legs, realizing that a mom had defeated him. It really brought something to light. Is it our psychological barriers that older means less technically savvy that prevents us from accepting technology in our lives? We all know of fellow librarians who harbor internal prejudices against technology, often setting up a false dichotomy of technology vs. education. And how many times have we heard of people saying they have a hard enough time with their first lives to get a second one? I admit that I was one of these people until I got onto Second Life recently. I discovered that having a Second Life isn’t all that different from real life. Some of us already lead this kind of existence with our roles as moms and librarians. In fact, I suspect that it won’t be long until we lead a third life, a fourth life, on other virtual planets etc. etc. the same way we own multiple email accounts with different sign-in names. More accurately, it would be like having multiple browsers like Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera to view the World Wide Web. The brain after all can simultaneously keep 4 thoughts going at the same time. Why not try four virtual planets just because you can? My point is, don’t buy into the backlash against 2nd Life. It’s all terminology and circumstance. It’s ridiculous to suggest that when you serve someone on Second Life, you are neglecting a patron on First Life. Second Life isn’t really “life” but a platform, and the next evolutionary step of internet. Are we doing a disservice to first life patrons when we do email reference, Ask-a-Librarian chat and phone calls to serve patrons? The answer is an unequivocal no. Many of us are in denial that we are in the age of digital natives. How many times have we walked by people whom we thought were crazy, only to find out that they have an earpiece attached to their cellphone? Watching someone using the Wii controller to jog around Second Life is even odder only because we’ve never exercised that way. Second Life is just another information place we can meet these people and serve them. It doesn’t have to be one world or another. We can straddle as many worlds as we want and be all the more information richer. We can even defeat a 12-year-old at a video game. It’s the same game, different skin. Second Life is the internet, in a different form. If we only set our minds to it we can free ourselves of our psychological barriers. If I can do it, you can do it too!
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Tag Archives: videogames
Videogame History
The first videogame, if we can call it that, was developed in 1962 by Slug Russell, Martin Graetz and Wayne Witanen, fellow of the Ingham Institute Massachusetts, USA. Based on prototypes of various equipment, they decided to create something useful for your spare time. Thus is born, the first electronic game, Spacewar. After a period of ten years, the first videogame went on sale in the United States. It was the Odyssey, prepared by Magnavox in 1972. This was the dark age of the videogame which players had to have enough imagination. Squares on the screen were the people, ships, etc. Shortly after the launch of the Odyssey, came the phenomenon that everyone normally associate with the history of videogames: the Atari. Designed by Nolan Bushnell in 1978 and released in the United States in 1983 in, the Atari 2600 is considered a cultural symbol of the 80s and a sales phenomenon. After the fall of Atari in the early ’80s, Nintendo began to build their empire. Their first success sale was the console Famicom, 8-bit, which was renamed NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Some of the the NES games were made really famous, like Mario and Donkey Kong, for example. As Nintendo grew and consolidated itself as the largest in the world of consoles, Sega, another Japanese company, also developed. To compete with the NES, the company released the Master System. Knowing that they wouldn’t exceed Nintendo in the war of 8-bit, in the beginning of 1990 Sega developed a new console of 16 bits: the Mega Drive. The leader, Nintendo, of course entered the fray and launched one of the greatest successes in the history of the videogame: the Super NES. This is one of the classic episodes from the history of videogames. While the console Sega had more games, the Nintendo was more advanced and had better graphics. After all, who never heard of the dispute between Mario and Sonic, Nintendo and Sega, respectively? After this long dispute, comes a strong new competitor in the gaming world: in 1995 Sony, giving rise also to a new generation of consoles with the PlayStation. At this point, SEGA launched without much success its 32-bit Saturn. In the same year Nintendo surprised the world announcing the N64, with 64-bit graphics Another important fact is Sony’s PlayStation, which has a large library of games, became the leader of the generation, with 100 million consoles sold. The last generation of videogames is known even by children. The awesome PlayStation 2, Sony, released in 2000, which continued the success story of the PlayStation, to read format on DVD media. The GameCube, Nintendo, being the natural successor of the N64 in 2001, and the new Xbox, the software of the giant Microsoft. The latest generation of consoles is summed up in the three releases of the same makers of the past generation. The dispute between the PlayStation 3, Sony, Wii, Nintendo, and Xbox 360 from Microsoft, it seems that will last a long time. If Sony chose to wait (much) to launch PS3 with its futuristic graphics, Nintendo has its huge collection of old games, plus an innovative way to play. Microsoft also has extensive experience in the world of software, which can give significant advantages in this contest. Video games are so successful today that from 1999 to 2004, the game industry earned 21 billion dollars, more than twice the revenue of all Hollywood movies in the same period. And, as we can see, they will continue to entertain us for a long time ahead. What will become for the next generation of game? All we can do is wait.
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Use of R4 DS Games
R4 cards are memory cards developed with the intent of being used with the Nintendo DS. The Nintendo DS is a portable gaming console used to play different videogames created especially for it. The R4 cards provide additional storage space for the games that cannot be stored directly on the gaming console whose memory in not rewritable. R4 cards on the other hand are rewritable and can be used again and again to store different games that are compatible with the Nintendo DS. There are plenty of R4 DS games available on the internet that could be downloaded and installed directly on to these cards. When the gamer is done with a particular game stored on the R4 card, the game can be easily deleted and a new game can be stored in its place. R4 DS games can be used to play both homebrew games as well as commercial games developed and released for the Nintendo DS. Homebrew games refer to games that are developed by users for particular hardware, such as the Nintendo DS, which are propriety hardware and cannot be reprogrammed by the user. These are generally available as free ware on the internet. This also includes fangames which are games developed by fans to imitate a particular popular game and may or may not have characters and themes similar to their popular counterparts. Another type of R4 DS games includes the commercial games which are developed by the proprietors themselves and are compatible only with the particular hardware. These are generally sold for a nominal fee. The R4 DS cards can store both types of games as long as the games are compatible with the card.
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Classic Games – The Pros and Cons
Videogames have been around since I can remember walking, and since their creation many different kinds of videogames (and video game systems) have been made over the years. As the years pass by, technological advances come quicker and quicker, and the old classic games get forgotten. While many people to indeed just pass over old games and never bother playing them, I have learned to enjoy both old and new ones, and have actually found a very different (and very fun) gaming experience with older retro-games. Here are some of the Pros and Cons of older videogames. To start, older video games are simpler and easier to play. The learning curve, if there’s any at all, is very short and you’ll be able to quickly jump into a new game without too much confusion. Classic Games also have great replay value, and a certain addictive quality to them that’ll keep you entertained for hours. Affordability is also a huge advantage that retro games have- you can buy as many as 5 or 6 older videogames for the price of one single new game. Classic games, like classic movies and music has had a lot of time to matriculate and ultimately what you end up with is the cream of the crop. Cons
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Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance SP Rapid Home Travel Charger with IC Chip
 Details: Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance SP Rapid Home Travel Charger with IC Chip
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Gears of War 3 – Review
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Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios, Developer: Epic Games, Genre: Third Person Shooter, Release Date: Sept 20, 2011, ESRB: Mature, Systems: Xbox 360. Gears of War 3 is hands down the best developed Gears game in the franchise. Wether your talking about the story, visuals, sound design, multiplayer or overall content. Gears of War 3′s presentation stands heads and toes over its predecessors. Sure you experience those classic weird Unreal Engine physic glitches like Locust legs wiggling and protruding from walls or the ground. I consider the ladder simply nit picking and bares no real weight as far as faults go with this magnificent game. Gears of War 3 is presented with a practically flawless level design and unparalleled pacing in its core gameplay. Keep in mind you can play the entire story campaign online with up to four players. Gears of War 3′s story starts two years after the sinking of Jacinto. Living on a huge military ship called Raven’s Nest. Some of the COGs including Marcus, Dom, Anya, Cole Train, Jace Stratton and Baird made a life for themselves. Ex Chairman Prescott who hasn’t been heard from of since the sinking of Jacinto shows up with a message for Marcus and ultimately starts the story. Its a message from Adam Fenix (Marcus’s father) who was feared dead but is alive and being held captive by Queen Myrrah (leader of the Locust). The message Marcus gets from his dad relates to emulsion and its effects are killing Sera. Emulsion is a natural fuel resource unique to planet Sera or so we all thought. Adam Fenix has a way of stopping the emulsion from destroying the planet. You guessed it, Marcus has to save his father again and this time the planet depends on it. From here on out the COG including Marcus, Jace, Dom, Anya, Cole, Baird, Sam and Carmine set out on an epic adventure. The Unreal Engine 3.5 was masterfully used by its creator to create one of the best looking console games in existence. Keep in mind i played hundreds of videogames this gen and there are quite a few moments that blew my mind in Gears of War 3. The zipline Cole Train scene was excellent. I thought is was a cutscene till i saw a reticle on screen. Shooting Locust on a zipline was crazy fun. Act 3: Chapter 1 Unbreakable boss battle with the Lambent Berzerker was awesome visually. The glow of emulsion as she leaked created a visual light show. The music score as well orchestra tunes were memorable and fitting for each key gameplay moment or cutscene. All of the voice actors particularily the individuals from past games did their best work in Gears of War 3. The actors who voiced Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird in particular. Dizzy and Anya were good as well. The cries of Lambent humans screaming “Kill Me” was hunting and creepy. The sound effects from the guns, enemies and even subtle walking was taken with extreme care. If i didn’t type it before i will now, the sound design in Gears of War 3 is the best in the series. Nothing new or innovative as far as gameplay is concerned. You still shoot and stay behind cover. What i can say playing Gears of War 3 is that its the most fun out of all of its predecessors and that trumps innovation any day of the week. The Vulcan Cannon is a two man gatling gun which adds co-op to operating a gun. One cranks the ammo and one aims and fires. Its a deadly powerful weapon. I loved it. Butcher Cleaver adds melee combat to Gears of War 3. The Cleaver is a huge cleaver that Butchers used to cut up Rock Worms in the Hollow. Its a deadly weapon to use in the story campaign or Horde Mode 2.0. The single player campaign lasts you between fifteen to twenty hours. There is a arcade mode for the single player not to mention the four player co-op. It seemed short in all seriousness due to its epicness (pun intended). Wether you play Versus, Beastmode or Horde 2.0 you will have fun. The multiplayer is deep with unlockables such as weapon skins, characters, executions and avatar awards. Oh did i mention that this is hands down the best launch Gears of War multiplayer ever? It is. The dedicated servers work beautifully. I never got so many double kills where myself and the other guy both kill each other the exact same time. Say goodbye to lag. The multiplayer is the best in the series from top to bottom and sideways. It has the most content and the most fun to play in my opinion. Gears of War 3 is the reason why innovation in videogames is overrated in many instances. When you perfect your franchise the way Epic Games did with Gears of War 3 nothing else really matters. Gears of War 3 is a godly game. It isn’t the best game ever made but it is the best game available on the Xbox 360 in my opinion. Gears of War 3 gets my highest rating ever for a full retail game on this site. Thanks for reading. 9.5/10
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What’s that Pong? Game show’s blast from the past
From the 1970s table-tennis game Pong to the fast-paced, total-immersion of modern-day hits like Call of Duty, a new show retracing the four-decade history of the video game has opened in Paris. Visitors can try their hand at some 80 titles at the show, “Game Story”, which runs until January at the capital’s Grand Palais and examines the history of gaming from its humble roots to today’s ultra-sophisticated, 3D titles. “We are only just starting to do what was done for the film world in the 1960s,” explained Jerome Neutres, special advisor to the Grand Palais. “We are no longer throwing the copies away. Instead we are sorting them, studying them, and beginning to get a sense of video game history.” That history kicks off with the trail-blazing Pong – a single bouncing dot and two white lines to replicate a table-tennis match – which made a name for the computer manufacturer Atari and kickstarted the console boom. Throughout the early 1980s Atari rolled out a string of hits, from Pac-Man to Space Invaders, as computer gaming found its way into millions of homes. By the end of the decade, the gaming boom had sparked a proliferation of rival consoles, with the emergence of now-iconic games such as Donkey Kong, Mario, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Finally, the show illustrates the revolution in gaming in the past decade, both in terms of graphics and gameplay, arriving at fully immersive games that let the player control a game with their whole body. Over time the technology has also fed off, and fed into other, older media like films or graphic art, the exhibition argues. “Videogames became part of society, and there’s always been movement in both directions,” explained Jean-Baptiste Clais, one of the show’s curators. “Videogames are influenced by cinema, cartoons and television, and in return videogames exert their own influence on those other media.” For historical context, games are shown alongside everyday objects from the same period, each on the console it was designed for, with the oldest beamed onto cathode ray tube TVs, to recreate the original gaming sensations.- AFP
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Playstation Games – The Cool Ones On PS2
Video games or electronic gaming has taken the world by Storm these days. From young to adults, almost everyone is engrossed in virtual gaming. With more and more sophistication added to the gaming devices, entertainment has been raised to newer heights. During last two decades gaming devices were sold like pan cakes. Because of the convenience factor involved, videogames are slowly capturing the minds of people. Today, majority of the people prefer playing video games for recreation than going for movies or watching television. As a result, a whole gamut of gaming devices have found a way in to the market, each more advanced than the other. Sony’s Playstation 2 or PS2 is one of the revolutionary gaming devices which offer amazing gaming opportunities. PS2 is a superb creation of Sony which was released in the year 2000. PS2 is a wonderful gaming device which can be connected to the television and the gamers can play a variety of games with the help of special discs. If you browse the Internet you will find a wide array of PS2 games which have redefined the gaming arena. Some remarkable Playstation 2 games include the ‘Grand Theft Auto’ series and WWE Smackdown series. The most sought after WWE SmackDown series, with its latest version WWE Smackdown 4 is filled with exciting game play. These revolutionary games in PS2 are no less exciting than the sensational wrestling matches shown on television. This highly advanced game is made more life-like by introducing innovative gaming techniques. In this playstation game the player can customise the wrestler, select the type of wrestling match and also choose their own winning conditions. This latest version of the playstation game is also available in various online stores. Also, for customising and finding a better gaming console you can check for popular playstation games online. Playing games like ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and other playstation games on PSP is quite enjoying. The ‘Grand theft Auto’ series is a very popular game among the playstation games aficionados. Though the game is not very adventurous, it is quite interactive. In each version the gamer is given the power to control a particular character who is only a normal citizen of the city. The play reveals the gradual development of the character who becomes a gangster later. It is a dynamic gameplay with very less restrictions. The character controlled by the player is allowed to move wherever he likes–stealing cars, doing bank robbery etc. The play is rich in graphics and offers the best of gaming atmosphere which appears to be quite realistic.
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Amiga, SNES, Spectrum And Atari 2600 Celebrated In Retro Gaming eBook
Published on Nov 4, 2011 Fans of Retro Gamer’s hardware bookazines will be pleased to hear that they are now available to buy for Kindle. The Classic Videogames Hardware Genius Guide is available now for just £5.81 and features in-depth guides to some of the best computers and consoles of all time. The Amiga, Super Nintendo, PC Engine, Atari 2600 and ZX Spectrum are just a few of the machines featured, and all come with the fantastic in-depth information that only Retro Gamer offers.Editor in Chief Aaron Asadi said: “This eBook is a fantastic resource for all retro videogame fans. Offering in-depth information on some of the iconic consoles from the last 50 years, there are also run-downs of the best games from each piece of hardware, allowing readers to relive the classic videogame moments from days gone by. The is the perfect trip down memory lane, and represents excellent value for money.”The Classic Videogames Hardware Genius Guide eBook is available now from Amazon. Post a Comment
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Top Ten Nintendo DS Games
Does Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Finish Strong?
Here's your chance to root for your favorite Nintendo or Sega character as you help them beat their opponents with your awesome skillz, that is...
