Nov 16 2009

Xbox Live: Taking Gaming Online To New Heights

Xbox 360 now offers gamers the chance to interact with one another, using the add-on feature Xbox Live. If you’re an Xbox Live member, you are automatically included in the chat list. So, you are able to chat and discuss anything with your gaming friends through the Xbox 360 headset. In addition, you can also interact and plan a gaming throwdown with countless other Xbox gamers.  Xbox  Live also lets you buy content in Xbox Live Marketplace, download extra videogame content and even access preview trailers. 

If users are interested by these functions and want to become an Xbox Live member, then there are a couple of memberships to make a choice from, classified into two separate services – silver and gold. 

Firstly, the silver service is simply the free option of Xbox Live. Using this variation, users can easily get online and download gaming titles. Adding to this, gamers are given the ability to use their own voice to chat and interact with fellow Xbox Live users. However, this is all Xbox Live silver provides subscribers with. If you are looking for the optimum Xbox Live experience, Xbox Live gold is what you must look into. 

Secondly, the Xbox Live Gold option has many functions that make it a grand way to game online. Apart from the awesome Xbox Live functions, it provides users with a host of further add-ons. There is improved chat allowance, as well as integration with many Microsoft features, including messenger and other chat and video programs. The most prominent function of Xbox Live gold is the manner in which your internet avatar is displayed to the community.  Every account is allowed to create a distinct ‘motto’ showing to other gamers online and even linking to Facebook.  Furthermore, you’re also able to hold a record of your feats. As you play more you gradually forge a name, and if users warm to you they are able to rank you favourably, making it simpler to avoid being grouped with players holding bad repute. 

Players can also create a contact list which will list all of your selected friends. It will also tell you when any of your buddies come online. There’s also a player list that will list the last fifty users that you have played with. 

Xbox Live is as good as Xbox gaming gets.  It not only offers great gaming but also provides you with the opportunity to share your experiences with other players!


Jul 17 2009

A Heads Up About A Cool Game For The XBox 360 The Orange Box.

Half Life 2 Episode Two Video

It’s also actually available for PC and plays really well on there as well, but I’m talking about the xbox360 version here.

This is great value as it is 5 games on one disc and buying pre-owned it is quite cheap.The orange box features Half-life 2, Half-life 2: Episode One, Half-life 2: Episode Two, Portal and the sequel to the classic Team Fortress, Team Fortress 2.

The games are fun as I am a big fan of the half-life series and the easy game play but the complex seeming story lines really captured me.

Being introduced to Portal was extremely fun mainly because of the portal gun that you can control.

I enjoyed Tem Fortress 2 but as I didn’t have xbox live at the time i couldn’t get all the benefits.

Sometime in your lifetime you will have had to have heard of Half-life or Half-life 2, so you will probably be able to grasp the concept of the latest game in the series.

Half-life 2: Episode Two picks up where you left off in Half-life 2: Episode One, but if you haven’t played or finished Half-life 2:  Episode One then that’s there for you to learn what’s been happening to Gordan Freeman (the main character and who you play as in the half-life series) and Alex Vance (Gordans friends daughter).

In Portal you play as a test subject trying to test newly developed ways to get around and benefit people……. EXCEPT THE ONES WHO ARE DEAD! That last line is part of the portal ending song “Still Alive”. Anyway You must go through some easy and challenging puzzles with the “Portal Gun” which shoots blue and orange portals. The way it works is you jump though the blue portal and Viola you appear out the orange portal or vice versa.

In Team Fortress 2 (or TF2 for short) you  choose what class you are out of these 9: Scout, Soldier, Pyro, Demoman, Heavy Weapons guy (or heavy for short), Egineer, Medic, Sniper and Spy while you battle with other players either over system link or xbox live. you are able to play by yourself but then there isn’t anyone to battle it out against.

My favorite part of HL2: Episode Two is the ambush. What happens is you and Alex Vance are on your way to White Forest, Black Mesa’s brother. The windy road you are driving down is about to pass the White Forest Inn Hotel when suddenly… BOOM!

You hit a force field and have to take cover in The White Forest Inn to avoid being killed by Hunters (little mechanoids that shoot Flechettes at you) and have to fight your way out.

My Favorite part of HL2: Episode One is when you have to escape city 17 on a train. It goes like this: you and Alex have just finished escorting survivors to trains and about to board your own.

Unfortunately there is a roller door blocking the way. You find the wheel that will open it and your about to run through yourself when wouldn’t you know it there’s a strider there. It then proceeds to blow the wheel up, so you have to run around and up freight containers to find a way to destroy it, so you can meet up with Alex and escape city 17.

My favorite part of HL2 is when you get the organic gravity gun which is so powerful i t can pick up human enemies and even hold balls of pure plasma. The sheer power from this thing is what makes me love that particular part so much.

My favorite part of portal is when you have to defeat GlADoS, the robot that controls most of the aperture science labrotories because she is about to flood the chamber with deadly nuerotoxins that she claims to be able “to eat this stuff on cereal”.

The creators of these 5 excellent games is valve.

In summary the XBox 360 The Orange Box Is A really cool game that I suggest that you play todau.


Jul 14 2009

Is Dead Rising Online Experience Worthy Of Your Favorite Game Or Only A Complete Waste Of Space?

Frank West Game Video

This dead rising article will teach you a little bit about the game and why I like it.

Dead Rising is a good game. I like this game because of the weapons and the storyline.

You play as Frank West, a photojournalist with a hunch. He believes there’s a big scoop in the quiet peaceful town of Willamette, Colorado. He decides to head to the local shopping mall where (wouldn’t you know it?) zombies are.

He tells his chopper pilot  to pick him up in three days.

In those three days you have to uncover the mysterious origins of the zombies while trying to survive using a variety of weapons.

There’s an array of weapons from chainsaws to pistols, Katanas to HDTVs to fight the swarms of zombies with.

Dead Rising Online And A Heap Of Zombies

There are a variety of missions to complete if you wanna uncover where the zombies came from.

Along the way you may need to befriend some survivors to gain some PP (Prestige Points) so you can achieve level ups, so you can get past a paticulary difficult bit.

Some of the missions are very annoying and frustrating because of how hard they are so you may lose your temper but in the end it’s worth it.

The graphics and animation are extremely good as well so you can really see what you’re doing to that stupid zombie.

Searching the mall is a great fun thing to do to as you may be able to ay find an effective weapon to wipe out a group of zombies or to maybe just one in paticular.

Dead Rising Online Map
Exploring is also a good thing to do as you can find various new places like North Plaza or Leisure Park.

There are a few secrets in Dead Rising for example PP stickers (which you take a picture of with your camera and gain PP points) and secret drink combinations.

Drink combination’s are using various items on a blender to create a drink with effects that will help you escape from zombies or do more damage to them.

Two of the drink combination’s are Quickstep (which increases your speed for a short amount of time) and spitfire (which does damage to zombies just by spitting on them.)

Psychos are some survivors who hate you and your survivor friends. Psychos try and kill you so you have to kill them before they can succeed.

Some psychos shoot at you, some try and cut you up and one psycho trys to kill you using mini chainsaws or a very big beach ball.

Dead Rising Online Scary Clown

Dead Rising Bloodbath
In Dead Rising there are also a few submissions that don’t have anything to do with the main storyline. These are called mini-scoops. These mini-scoops can be a range of things from Otis (the janitor) seeing a survivor on the security camera or you finding a psycho.

Completing these can award you some PP and sometimes a new outfit. Escorting survivors is sometimes dangerous to yourself or the survivors you’re escorting, because sometimes the survivors can’t get through somewhere so you have to risk your life to go back and rescue them.

However if you successfully escort a survivor (back to the security room) you will be awarded some PP. As I mentioned earlier you can level up by getting lots of PP. Leveling up is very useful because you can be awarded different things from more hp (Hit Points) to more inventory slots.

You can also be awarded skills from leveling up. Skills are good because they allow you to be more deadly with your hands and feet or maybe hitching a ride on the back of a zombie.

There are three different modes. 72 hour mode. Overtime mode. And infinity mode. 72 hour mode is the regular game mode with the storyline and the mini-scoops and you can’t play any other mode without completing this.

Overtime mode is the 2nd mode and is only unlockable if you don’t make it back to the helipad on day three. While in this mode you are able to run around the mall slaying zombies ang getting achievements.

Infinity mode is the hardest mode. In this mode you lose one square of health every 100 real seconds. If you manage to survive in the mall for 7 game days you can unlock one of the hardest achievements.

I think Dead Rising is a very good game on the Xbox 360. I rate this game excellent and a must have if you have an Xbox 360.