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The Future of Video Gaming: Evolution of a Sport

As video games are continuing to evolve everyday, they are more and more coming close to reality. If not reality, at least much closer to virtual reality. The future of video gaming is taking a direction where playing games can become more of a natural experience. It has already started to be recognized as a real sport in many places around the world. Electronic Sports World Cup is one such event where participation and spectatorship rival that of real-world sports and games.

Motion Controlled Video Games

Motion controlled video games were tested first in the year 2006. And, with continual research and testing in this technology, it is expected to become an important part of video games in a decade. You would be able to move your avatar on the screen by moving your arms, hands and legs. You would also be able to express emotions to other players and even the other characters in the game through facial recognition systems.

Smarter, Intelligent & Interactive Games

The video games of the future are going to be smarter. The games would be able to recognize regular players and then customize the display of their favorite games. You would also be able to view updates on your friends. As 3D gets incorporated into video games, you would be able to translate your sensitive motor actions into the 3D space through specially designed virtual gloves or other garbs.

Biometrics are in their developmental phase. But, it is expected that in a decade it would be fully mastered and it can offer you new gaming experiences. This system would match you with online players having biometric profile similar to yours. This means that you would be playing with people who also get motivated by same or at least parallel gameplay elements as you do.

Augmented Reality – Live What You Play

Another unique feature in future video games would be augmented reality. If you start a video game at home, it could be possible to continue it anywhere. You can continue it at your office, in the park or in the subway. And, this could be done through your phone or any other kind of smart device. Augmented reality can more and more make the real world a part of the game. It would bring together the real world and the virtual world.

These and other leading technologies are what are currently being tested extensively for integrating the world of video games. Other changes that are expected to come in video games are the quality aspects in terms of audio and visual features. You can already experience the degree of detailing that is there to be seen in the latest games.

A trend of launching the third installment of an important video game is in full swing. This includes some of the biggest RPG and first person shooter games the industry has ever seen, such as Far Cry, Syndicate, Battlefield, Call of Duty, Max Payne,  and Mass Effect among others. Already the games have visual backgrounds and character movements which are closer to the real world. Considering the ongoing developments and what there is currently to experience in the gaming world, the future of video games is going to be something that would really be stunning when seen from the current perspective.

The author is a freelance writer. He writes about credit monitoring agencies and different ways to make money online.

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How to Win at Online Games – Victory Can be Yours

Arcade fighting games
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Let’s get real about our online gaming experiences. Winning is great, but probably the only thing better than winning is your opponent accusing you of cheating. It’s bad if you actually are cheating, but there’s ways of playing a game using methods that are so strong it might feel like cheating.

We’re going to argue that there’s nothing wrong with this.

A video game does not know honour, it only knows of winners and losers. A player should do whatever it takes to win the game they are playing if that is what provides them with enjoyment.

We’re going to go through a list of slightly dirty and underhanded tactics to allow you to truly win at video games.

Wall Glitches In certain First Person Shooter games, it is possible to position yourself against walls in a certain way so that you can see through them. The extra intelligence gained by the player in seeing the opponents early can help them gain a large positional advantage in preparation for an upcoming shootout. Certain Real Time Strategy games may have bugs that allow unintentional cliff walking to occur. Simply put, if it can be done without third party software or hacking methods, then it’s fair to do despite what some may claim.

Priority Exploitation Fighting games such as Tekken, StreetFighter and Mortal Kombat assign priorities to moves as to which will hit the other character and which wont. For example Street Fighter, David Sirlin wrote about winning a game using Rose’s low-strong punch repeatedly, due to its quick animation and high priority. While this upset a lot of people in the gaming community, it won him a game he believed he would have lost.

Learning the strong positions In the Tekken series, there is a character called Lei, perhaps one of the strongest in the game. The advantage of Lei over other character is his broad range of positions and stances to attack from. With correct execution of stance changes, he can be one of the most unpredictable fighters in the game. His ground position is probably one of the strongest as he has quick evasion and a number of devastating up kicks with good speed and range. You should abuse stronger positions and characters as much as you can to win games.

Meta Play Gaining access to an opposing clan’s or guild’s tactics in a multiplayer strategy game, or even an MMO is a great way to ensure victory. In the videogame Heroes of Newerth and Dota/Dota 2, a five hero line-up is picked from a wide pool of heroes. If you had the ability to infiltrate their clan, and know their line-up before your group played against them it would be a massive and nearly game-breaking advantage.

Turtling Part of winning a game is about not losing the game. In a matchup, an audience might appreciate wild and aggressive moves, but these are not always going to win you the game. Sometimes it is just best to play a defensive and safe strategy, and wait for your opponent to become frustrated and make mistakes. It’s not flashy but it wins games.

Hopefully you enjoyed these tips. Remember, don’t cheat at games but use every single method at your disposal to gain the upper hand. It will be much more fun that way.

 

This article on video games is brought to you by the team at HirePulse, an Australian site helping people find the services they need. Written by the team at Living Online, a digital media advisory.

 

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Dead Space 2 Review

The cover depicts the words Dead Space in blac...
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The ‘survival  horror’ genre in gaming has long been defined and therefore dominated by one franchise, and rightly so. Since 1997, the Resident Evil series has shocked, horrified and captivated gore loving thrill seekers across a number of different platforms. The combination of a deep involving plot, intense tactical combat and mind-bending puzzle sections made what fans affectionately termed ‘Resi’ a hit, time after time.

The series has of course spawned imitators – Silent Hill anyone? But nothing has really challenged Resi’s crown until now. In 2008 Dead Space came along, a 3rd person action-horror game that combined the helpless isolation of deep space with blood hungry beasts and a slew weaponry that could blast a hole in a barn door. The tense storyline complete with obligatory twists completed the picture and lead many to question if Resident Evil had met its match.

The second instalment of Dead Space confirms that the adventurers of Issac Clarke, a deep space engineer thrust into a world of religious cults, grotesque scientific experiments and deadly, mutated beings (Necromorphs) certainly holds its own against the original survival horror brand.

While Dead Space 2 doesn’t offer anything particularly revolutionary over its predecessor, it does deliver more of the same unbearably tense thrills that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. This time round Isaac must navigate a vast space station that was once inhabited by humans but now lays in ruins, destroyed by corporations carrying out medical experiments.

The setting is far more shall we say, familiar than the original which took place on a ship, locations are recognisable as Apartment blocks, Schools and Churches, albeit futuristic interpretations. This does not make the game anymore ’homely’, in fact witnessing infected infants crawl towards you in a School hall emitting a piercing scream  is unsettling to say the least.

The weapons and upgrade system makes a return, old favourites like the Ripper, a powerful buzz saw are present alongside a few newcomers. The detonator emits proximity mines, useful for protecting yourself against hoards of enemies, while the Javelin gun fires metal bolts that pin Necromorphs to the wall where you can finish them off with a swipe of the fist, conserving ammo for later.

One welcome addition to Dead Space is an overhaul of the zero gravity sections. Now, by tapping the left stick Issac can use the thrusters on his suit to glide around freely in the environment , touching down where ever he pleases.

The fact that not much has changed in Dead Space is largely irrelevant, the format is still as fresh and chilling as it was back in late 2008, and the development of the gripping, unpredictable plot will be enough to tempt most fans back for a second helping. Dead Space 2 proves that the franchise can really it cut it with the best and in my opinion, beats Resident Evil at its own game.

A true masterpiece: 9/10

 

 

Joe is a gaming enthusiast working for a company that sell Ford Fiesta lease deals, he could do with the biggest and best people carrier to trasnport all his games from place to place! You can follow Joe on Twitter @joe__johnson__

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The Growing Popularity Of Action MMORPG’s

These days it can be so easy to lose yourself for hours in an action MMORPG or Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. The gaming companies are releasing improved games every day. The one that I am sure everyone has heard of is WOW or World Of Warcraft. WOW requires you to pay a membership fee, but there are countless action MMORPG’s out there that are free to join and play.

Most of these games take place in a fantasy world or in a different time era on this world allowing you to choose your avatar or character at the beginning of the game. Each avatar will have different abilities that will give you an advantage over your opponents, but with every strength comes a weakness. For example, your avatar might have impenetrable armor, but as a weakness the armor is heavy making your avatar slower. Choosing the role you will play in the game greatly affects your decision of avatars.

The graphics some of these newer games have will put the graphics card in your computer to the test with their realistic gaming universes. Eye-grabbing special affects during large scale battles will make you feel like you’re in the fantasy realm with your avatar. The reasons to play MMORPG’s doesn’t stop at the special affects, amazing graphics, and massive battle scenes. It is about being part of a community of people that have interests like your own.
Most, if not all MMORPG’s offer some way to communicate with fellow players while in the game. The ability to communicate with other players serves multiple purposes. It helps coordinate large-scale attacks on the opposition, and you make friends. Some of the people you meet in these fantasy worlds may actually live just a couple houses down on your block.

If you have never immersed yourself in online gaming, you will see thousands of sites that offer tons of free MMORPG’s of all types to get your feet wet. As evidence of the growing fascination of massively multiplayer online role-playing games, look at the following figures: As of 2005, total international revenues exceeded half a billion dollars. Then 2006 the western world consumers alone totaled over 1.6 billion dollars. As MMORPG’s popularity grew, in 2008 the United States consumer subscriptions launched to heights of 1.4 billion dollars. As of October of 2010, World of Warcraft had an unmatched number of subscribers at over 12 million.

With the popularity of action MMORPG’s on the rise, the number of MMORPG’s available to consumers will also grow. The more support these games receive from consumers, the more sophisticated mind-blowing these games will become. So, if you enjoy playing these games, get out there and show your support!

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Street Fighter IV: A Good Opportunity to Sharpen your Skills

Street Fighter IV: A Good Opportunity to Sharpen your Skills

Who does not look forward to a good smack down every once in a while? The earliest new episode in over a decade to the Street Fighter IV series is being met with wild anticipation worldwide. This is a shot to sharpen your skills as a street fighter and learn tons of skills you didn’t know you had. Oh, and original cast members like the vicious Chun-Li are back.

Characters

If you have ever played a Street Fighter video game like Marvel vs. Street Fighter (for PlayStation) you already know those characters are dangerous. In Street Fighter, playing as the character of your picking, you could battle fierce opponents to reach the crucial bosses which were selected by the game. Characters had an array of fighting capabilities for each outing. In more recent versions, moves such as throws were implemented as well as novel characters to portray. Yet Ryu, one of the original characters, has been a mainstay for every game in the franchise.

Timeline

The order of Street Fighter IV is not after the third version as you might expect. But rather it is set to take place at a point in time somewhere between Street Fighter II and Street Fighter III. All of the original characters have returned for action including Chun-Li. And Chun-Li has been so popular there is now a new movie out, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li. If it is a box office hit it can only further game sales of Street Fighter IV and earlier versions.

Style and Graphics

Street Fighter IV will be released in 2009 initially for the Xbox 360. Fans of the first hand-to-hand combat game should not be disappointed in this latest release. In the original, there was 2 dimensional fighting with 2D graphics only. Gamers did enjoy the feel of the characters and their ferocity in battle even if the graphics were not what they have become. As the player’s moves were expanded upon, fighters could toss fireballs and flaming fists. And now each character in the series has its own unique fighting style.

In the latest version, the graphics are outstanding compared to the first Street Fighter. The original 12 warriors and some supplementary characters are displayed in vivid color fighting in classic 2D style but the background scenery has an element of 3D to it. Akin to the original, there is a health indicator at the foot to inform the gamer just how dominant your attacks are on your challenger.

New Edition

Brand New combinations thrill players of any level of expertise. If you are new to the Street Fighter Game, you’ll enjoy the combination of old school arcade style play with new school graphics. With each new figure you unlock, there are additional options for play. There is the accumulation of focus moves which can be utilized as a final effort to stagger your opponent when you are out of other options. And, with the online attribute of the Xbox 360 you have never-ending opponents, who have also become quality players of Street Fighter, to combat at any time of the day.

If you miss the arcades of old and yearn for something new, Street Fighter IV gives you the best of both worlds. Games say that is what makes for a good quality franchise evolution. The game is rated T for teens due to extreme fight sequences.