Hardware Inside Nintendo Wii Reviewed and Explained

Nintendos seventh generation gaming console was code named Revolution. It sought to becoming futuristic and including all conveniences like a wireless controller and Wii remote which has three dimensional functions. The Nintendo Wii also has Wii Connect 24 which can receive messages from the World Wide Web.

Slated for release in the US in mid Nov 2006, the Ninetendo Wii won the Game Critics Award for Best of Show and Best Hardware at the E3 2006. The hardware of the gaming console is state-of-art with the unit being the smallest measuring just 157 mm in height :

รขโ�ฌยข The loading slot is in the front and accepts 12cm optical discs and 8 cms discs from Nintendoรขโ�ฌโ�ขs older console.

รขโ�ฌยข The console will have two USB ports and one SD card slot.

รขโ�ฌยข In Japan the console will have DVD รขโ�ฌโ��Video capabilities. A Sonic Solutions Cine Player CE DVD Navigator software engine will be used in consoles to be released in 2007 with DVD-Video functions.

รขโ�ฌยข The Wii remote has accelerometers and infrared detection that enables positioning in 3D space. This means gamers can participate in the game using hand gestures as well as buttons. The controller connects to the Wii console through Bluetooth technology. There are umpteen functions like connectivity to other devices, 4KB non volatile memory and an accelerometer, analog stick and trigger buttons.

รขโ�ฌยข The Wii has a sensor bar that can be positioned such that the Wii remote can be used as an accurate pointing device from a distance of 5 meters. However the sensor bar is sensitive to halogen lights and sunlight affecting its functions.

รขโ�ฌยข The Wii CPU has a processor known as Broadway with a 90nm SOI CMOS process. The Memory of the Wii is 1T-SRAM.

รขโ�ฌยข The Nintendo Wii has 512 MB built-in flash memory that can be expanded using an SD card.

รขโ�ฌยข The Wii has four remote controller slots; one SD memory slot; two USB ports; one sensor bar port ;four Nintendo game cube controller ports; two Nintendo game cube memory card ports; WiFi 802.11.b/g wireless built in ports.

รขโ�ฌยข The Wii can connect to the World Wide Web through the WiFi and USB to Ethernet adaptor.

The CNET editors have rated the Nintendo Wii as an 8 /10. According to experts at CNET the positive is the futuristic controller design with motion-sensitive gameplay options and the Wi-Fi is all set to extend free online services and game play. The Nintendo Wii is the most affordable of all GenX gaming systems. The negative in the Wii is short battery life, no advanced HD graphics or surround sound and inability to play CDs or DVDs.

What Nintendo Wii brings to gaming is an affordable console with motion sensitive controllers and a focus on fun filled gaming.

Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for http://www.1888freeonlinegames.com, the premier website to play thousands of free online games including arcade games, action games, card games, flash games, strategy games, puzzle games and more. He also freelances for Free Software Downloads Site http://www.1888softwaredownloads.com

World Of Warcraft Grinding Guides

World of Warcraft grinding guides can be quite useful if you know where to look, and be assured, there are dozens. So, what I would suggest is to set aside lots of time to surf these sights, the web is full of information about grinding and sifting through all of it could be more than a bit time consuming. However, mark my words, my fellow gamers, you will be rewarded! The World of Warcraft grinding guides will be the fastest way of leveling in World of Warcraft. Well, I have to confess, itรขโ�ฌโ�ขs not the most fun, but itรขโ�ฌโ�ขs so much faster than questing. Letรขโ�ฌโ�ขs face it any guide about any sort of level skipping, leveling, hoping or what ever you call it in your world, simply takes away from the experience of the game. However, the choice is yours, and who am I to tell you what to do anyway.

Read, my gamers, because the best time to grind wouldnรขโ�ฌโ�ขt be right away. Getting to 35 can be done through very easy questing, but after that it does become a pain in the bum cheeks. There are a few good places that you can grind. Nevertheless, this applies mostly to damage dealers of their puny variety. Mages and Warlocks will be able to use them, but as a gamer myself, I have to confess that I donรขโ�ฌโ�ขt have that much experience with them - poor me. WARNING!! A lot of these areas are packed with mobs, so be prepared for the inevitable of getting adds when you first begin clearing. Keep in mind that the denser they are the more spawns there will be in the short distances you travel and this is exactly what you want. Doesnรขโ�ฌโ�ขt this just make you want to grab that keyboard and sift through the many World of Warcraft grinding guides that are available to you?

Another word of warning is that there are chances that your levels might be off the order of 1 or 2, as your grinding ability might differ depending on the different classes and levels that you play in. If they are, I am truly sorry, but Iรขโ�ฌโ�ขm almost sure that these spots are accurate. Find out in the World of Warcraft grinding guides exactly where these spots are, because they are definitely around and you just have to find out where to look. These areas only support one person at a time and if there are anymore it will be a lot slower for you to gain any experience. If a spot is occupied by someone, it will be to your best interest to try finding another location. A good spread of places to try is provided, but if you are unable to find one, you might just have to try later. I will include a few levels and a few teasers, but you have for most of them you are going to have to try and find it in World of Warcraft grinding guides. Here they are:

Levels: 34-37, 36-38 (The Naga on the islands in Desolace), 37-39, 36-46 (In the Badlands), 40-43 (the Scalding Whelps in the Badlands), 40-46, 42-45, 44-46, 45-48, 46-48, 47-49, 47-49 (Dunemaul ogres in Tanaris), 49-52, 52-54, 53-58, 53-58 (Running around in the Plaguelands), and 57-60. Fortunately, you can find an in-depth description in World of Warcraft grinding guides of exactly where these places are and grind away.

These hints and suggestions in the World of Warcraft grinding guides will hopefully improve your gaming experience, and encourage you to try new things in World of Warcraft, and Iรขโ�ฌโ�ขm sure in no time youรขโ�ฌโ�ขll be where you want to be.

Gen Mason plays World of Warcraft almost everyday. Discover free World of Warcraft tactics and tricks at WOW Powerleveling

The Nature of PDA Game Addiction

PDA gaming can become inconvenient.

In an attempt to wean myself off of the Bejeweled 2 puzzle game on my iPAQ 4150, I decided to switch to Age of Empires, merely for research purposes, of course.

Insidiously, my proclivity towards Pocket PC game addiction reared its ugly head once again. It all began when I started playing Age of Empires during commercials while taking in Global News.

As it turns out, Bejeweled 2 had fewer negative repercussions on the domestic front as my wife Jessie has taken to dropping the occasional snide remark about my Pocket PC gaming.

This occurred most recently while conducting a Macedonian assault involving armoured elephants and long sword infantry.

I suspect that the novelty of pausing and rewinding live TV with our Rogers-supplied PVR has become annoyingly stale for her.

It's considered somewhat sacrilegious when Dr. House has been paused midway through delivering a sarcastic quip to a terminally ill patient.

At work, I failed to notice that my desktop PC had frozen during compilation of a quarterly report until half an hour had elapsed, forcing me to produce some deft pretexts when my manager stopped by on a so-called spontaneous visit to my cubicle.

PDA puzzle games usually involve short, quick plays, making for an all-season type of Pocket PC game convenience.

Mounting a real-time Pocket PC strategic assault means having to pay a bit more attention to the big picture, lest you get cut down by an enemy AI civilization rampage on the hardest difficulty level.

My iPAQ has provided more than enough blissful distractions during daily commutes to earn my own, personal award for The Ultimate Gaming Platform that also reminds me of mundane errands, meetings and contact phone numbers.

It's too bad RTS Pocket PC gaming and work don't mix well.

My diet will consist largely of Jawbreaker and Bejeweled staples for the time being. Away from work it'll be a different story.

Well, back to preparing my final AoE assault.

________________________________________________________________

Damian Julien is a Pocket PC gaming authority and long time general gaming hobbyist and reviewer.

He is an IT specialist by trade and has posted numerous articles on Pocket PC emulators, gaming and trends in the industry.

http://www.pdagameguide.com/

Downloading Movies onto Your PSP

Have you got a PSP and canรขโ�ฌโ�ขt bring yourself to pay the exorbitant shop prices for the UMD movies.

Then why donรขโ�ฌโ�ขt you download movies or convert DVD films and view them on you PSP.

Here is how to do it. Follow theses easy steps and you could be watching movies on your PSP in a short time.

If you want to convert a DVD then do the following:

1. Convert the DVD movie using a psp video converter which will let you rip and convert video files so that they can be viewed on your PSP.

2. Put you DVD in your PC and start the PSP video converter software. Select the extract and encode option ensuring the format is set to PSP.

OR ...

you can download movies in the correct format from one of many PSP download sites.

Once you have the movie in the correct format:

Download the converted file to your PSP by connecting the PC to the PSP via the USB cable.

You will then see the memory stick in the PSP as a new drive on your computer.

The PSP has a number of directories on its memory stick for storing music, games etc under the PSP folder. However there is no movies sub-directory.

Movies need to be stored in a directory called MP_ROOT100MNV01. This is a historical naming convention based on the Sony Clie product. Most video conversion products will handle the name convention and folder locations for you.

Thatรขโ�ฌโ�ขs all there is to it. Your movie is now ready to watch at a fraction of the cost of a UMD movie.

If you want to find out more about the video converter software and where to download movies (and music, games etc) then look here http://www.adwarechoice.com/psp

Can the Playstation 3 Help Sony and Friends Win The HD Format War?

Quiet as things have been, itรขโ�ฌโ�ขd actually be hard to tell that there is a format war going on right now for high definition discs. Thereรขโ�ฌโ�ขs Toshiba (among others) on one side with its HD-DVD format and then thereรขโ�ฌโ�ขs Sony (among others) with its Blu-ray format. Both offer far higher disc capacity than standard DVD players and much high quality images and sound.

So far neither HD-DVD nor Blu-ray has made much progress making it into consumersรขโ�ฌโ�ข homes.

However, thatรขโ�ฌโ�ขs all about to change.

With the release of Sonyรขโ�ฌโ�ขs third generation gaming system, the Playstation 3, millions of homes will have a Blu-ray player in them. Sony made the decision to include its new Blu-ray player in the Playstation 3 rather than go with a PS3 proprietary format or a DVD player that it included with the PS2. Although Sonyรขโ�ฌโ�ขs decision to include a Blu-ray player in their new PS3 has caused them many problems, including forcing the company to take a much higher loss on each unit than expected* and with production problems due to shortages of the blue diodes needed to make the players, this strategy will likely pay off in the long run for Sony.

In fact, one would have to wonder how Toshiba could even compete with Sonyรขโ�ฌโ�ขs ability to get Blu-ray players into the homes of millions of Americans. Toshiba has no game system that people will line up to buy.

Given whatรขโ�ฌโ�ขs likely to happen, it would seem that the answer is no. So far neither format has really shown to be leaps and bounds better than the other. In fact, both are about equivalent. Are consumers who already have a Blu-ray player with their PS3 really going to go out and buy an HD-DVD player from Toshiba? Not likely. However, many owners of one of Toshibaรขโ�ฌโ�ขs players will likely go out and buy a Playstation 3 to keep up with the latest gaming technology. It would seem as if Toshibaรขโ�ฌโ�ขs HD-DVD format is destined to be another technology relic like betamax and DVD-Audio.

Also, it appears likely that the PS3 will help to drive increased sales of Blu-ray movies since PS3 owners will have a Blu-ray player and will likely want to own their movies in a higher quality format since they have the player. Even those who donรขโ�ฌโ�ขt have the high definition equipment will likely buy some in the hopes that in the future they will have the equipment to fully take advantage of the new technology or even merely for bragging rights.

*It is customary for game system manufacturers to take a loss on the sales of the gaming units when theyรขโ�ฌโ�ขre first released in order to allow more people to purchase the system. The companies know they can make there money back when consumers purchase games for these systems. Also, over time, the prices of the components to make the systems come down so that eventually the manufacturers do make a profit on each system sold.

Gary Ruplinger is the editor of PS3ASAP.com and BluRayTips.com. If you are one of the many people who want to purchase a Playstation 3 but aren't willing to pay $2,000 on eBay for the item, then visit PS3ASAP right away to learn how to get a PS3 before Christmas.

How To Play Games On Your PSP From The Memory Stick

I have to admit the PSP is a very nice piece of kit but the games are just way too exspensive so let me explain just how easy it is to play free games from your memory stick in the PSP.

1. First you are going to need a iso file of the game you want to play, i am not going to get into what an iso file is all you need to know is that it must be an iso file to play on your PSP. You can download all the latest games from many sites, most will charge you a one time fee and then you can download as many as you wish forever. Take a look at the bottom of this article and you will find a link to my web page where you can see the site i use for all my game downloads.

2. Right now you need a small program that will run the game from your memory stick, you can download it from http://www.psp-hacks.com/category/13 it is called PSP RunUMD UMD Emulator v0.8C. Download it and put it onto your memory stick. Follow the instructions that came with the file and put it in the exact folder it says.

3. In the instructions that came with PSP RunUMD UMD Emulator v0.8C it will have said to cret a folder called ISO this is where your psp games will go. Connect your PSP to your PC and drag and drop the files into the ISO folder. Now switch on the PSP and selct the PSP RunUMD UMD Emulator v0.8C from the memory stick. Once the program is running you should see the games you have in the ISO folder, select which one you wish to play and thats it you are playing PSP games from you memory stick!

If you buy a 2GB stick then you will be able to fit 3-4 games on it and still have room for other files.

To find out more about PSP Games Please Visit download free game for psp

Nintendo Wii - Wii Love It, and So Wii-ll You!

Nintendo Wii is a video game system controlled from gaming industry giant Nintendo Co. Ltd. Despite popular belief, Nintendo Wii is not entirely new รขโ�ฌโ�� it is actually an updated and renamed version of the companyรขโ�ฌโ�ขs very popular Nintendo Revolution. Although Nintendo Wii is considered something of an underachiever by game reviewers because it has fewer added features and less crisp graphics than many other gaming consoles, Nintendo Wii is in fact a big hit with fans and so a big seller.

Whatรขโ�ฌโ�ขs the attraction with Nintendo Wii?

The secret of Nintendo Wiiรขโ�ฌโ�ขs success may be a combination of its affordable price and its unique controlled. The Nintendo Wii allows players to use a controlled similar to a remote control. This motion-sensor technology controlled for the Nintendo Wii allows gamers to use real movements รขโ�ฌโ�� swings, stabs, and other motions รขโ�ฌโ�� to control like motions on the screen. Many gamers say that this feature allows them to step into action games more readily with the Nintendo Wii than with controllers that rely on gamers to simply press buttons or manipulate joy sticks.

Nintendo Wii may also be attractive because it does not promise to be a major entertainment system, the way many other gaming consoles today do. Instead, Nintendo Wii markets itself as only a gaming console for those interested in video games. The promise seems to ring true to the many gaming fans who are flocking to the Nintendo Wii. Despite heavy competition from powerful gaming devices like the Xbox and Playstation, Nintendo Wii continues to be the little game console that could, attracting many by its very simplicity and its single-purpose frame.

Nintendo Wii is a hot trend

At gaming conventions, even the makers of the Nintendo Wii were surprised by the popularity of the Nintendo Wii, as fans waited in hour-line line-ups at several major conventions and trade shows just to try Nintendo Wii. Many testers of the Nintendo Wii found that the Nintendo Wii adds an element of physical fun that is simply missing from many of todayรขโ�ฌโ�ขs gaming solutions.

To find out more info about the Nintendo Wii system, visit our Nintendo Wii Blog where you will find tons of news and information - http://www.nintendo-wi.ws Article Submitted by That Article Guy

Mobile Phone Users in UK : Mobile Games

Today, the mobile gaming industry has gone much ahead from the earlier times, when it had only simple and ordinary games.

The games once created for PCรขโ�ฌโ�ขs are coming up in mobile phones and a large number of people are enjoying playing those games on the move. Mobile handsets are coming up with the latest technology and they are able to cope with the latest java games with 3D graphics. With the latest handsets having 3G technologies, you can now play with real people rather than competing against "ghost opponents".

On second-generation networks, the data transfer rate is too slow to play with real people. However, after 3G networks came into the picture, data transfer rates increased incredibly and now you can have multi-player gaming and real time racing.

Although playing latest technology games became relatively easier, people had to pay for the data they consumed while playing games. Most operators currently charge users for the megabytes they use. Because of high prices charged for downloading games and browsing the web, people donรขโ�ฌโ�ขt spend much time online.

However, the flat rate pricing has completely altered the Internet industry and the number of people going online and mobile gamers has increased widely.

The user no longer has to restrict himself/herself to games that fit into the size of the memory of his/her handset. You can now add memory if you want to store games that require large memory. So now game makers can think about making games that need a huge storage capacity.

Without the introduction of 3G, these games wouldnรขโ�ฌโ�ขt have been possible. With the games going big, mobiles are also receiving a make over. The mobile version of NFSU2 has about 40 hours of game play in it. Another big game is Sims 2 mobile, which could not have been made without 3G. PC games can now be loaded to a handset. The experience is as good as the full version even after changing the different modes for exploring and interacting.

To bring these complex games on a mobile phone is a big challenge. But a lot of progress is being made in this direction.

webmaster
UK Mobile Phone

Sex and Violence in Video Games; Teens at Risk

Have you as a parent wondered what is going on with all these nasty and violent video games lately? Are you taken aback by some of the content your teenagers are playing with in their video games? Does it at least bother you a little bit?

Personally, I have often watched the Video Game reviews on G4 DirectTV Channel and have thought that some of the games were over the top [sex, blood and guts] but then again that is why they sell so well. And we have an entire group of kids blasting their Gangster Rap Music too, so there are issues everywhere. Certainly I am not one to single out an industry. But I do concur that it would be much better to have folks.

All things in moderation really; having impressionable minds of human children play destructive, sexual and violent games can be problematic, but since the species is problematic in those regards it stands to reason that some violence impressions can help with the balance and reality of the world we live in too. One parent recently stated in an online think tank on the subject;

"What is worse is that it teaches and reinforces that it is FUN to kill, maim, and inflict pain."

Myself, I have noticed that those who like to kill things do indeed get a rush out of the taking of life, even from smashing a bug on a sidewalk or in hunting. In sports we teach thru a positive reward system [trappings of victory] that it is fun to inflict pain. So, the virtual reality extension of such perhaps simply encompasses another group of people, kids who were not big enough, agile enough, early uses of dexterity or athletically inclined to play football, a chance or outlet for any pent up aggression, which they had no escape for previously. Now then is that bad or good? Or is it being taken too far as the video games make such acts okay in the VR World and an impressionable mind, which is straddling the two worlds might or will develop a mindset that such violence is okay?

Maybe we as parents should perhaps put a little more emphasis on the subject matter that we allow our kids to have in their video games. Video games can become addictive and problematic for teens and it is the parentรขโ�ฌโ�ขs responsibility to see that these things do not get out of hand. Please consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

The PSP Report Card - One Year Later

Well folks, the psp has now been out for about one year and its time to take a look at how it has done and whether or not it lived up to its expectations. All in all, I would say that the graphics on mostly any psp game definitely looked awesome. Its hard to believe how far technology has actually come over the years. It doesn't seem that long ago when I can remember playing Tetris on my gameboy and i thought that was the best thing since sliced bread. Boy have we come along way, huh.

The sound quality on the psp is also very good. But the one downside is that it just doesn't get that loud. Now if your only worried about private listening with headphones, then the volume really isn't an issue. Playing music on the psp is very easy. You simply connect your psp to your computer with the USB connection and then drag & drop your favorite songs onto the built in music folder. Then you just scroll to the psp music section and click on the song you want to hear. Unfortunately, the memory stick that the psp comes with is only 32 MB, so you can't hold a ton of songs, but of course you can upgrade to a more expensive one.

One disappointment I had with the average psp game is that most of them were just a copycat of games already out there for the ps2. Not that this is such a bad thing, because there are many excellent ps2 games which did translate to an excellent psp game, but I would just like to see some more originality for this system. How about using the psp to its full potential? Come on you software designers, lets see a new idea for a psp game once in awhile!

When questioned about this, some of the developers blamed it on lack of time, and that they were also busy with ongoing ps2 projects, so sometimes a psp game would have to take a back seat.

The good news is from what I've been reading is that they are really looking to expand the psp experience with new original titles and not the same old psp game that is already out there and played into the ground on ps2. So we will keep our fingers crossed and see what the future holds and keep our eye out for some new original games for the psp.

Reggie Dunn is a long time video gamer and also is the owner of the following psp blogs: psp game and psp game download

XBox 360 Shortage Causes A Stir

Microsoft has finally released, among huge media hype, its new Console, the long awaited XBox 360.... also known as the XBox 2.

The XBox 360 Console is available in two different packages, the first being a top-end version and consists of an XBox 360 Console, wireless controllers, external hard-drive and headset with membership to the XBox Live gaming service to tempt you in even more, to avoid your spouse!!, this is priced at ร�ยฃ279.99. The second package is a basic one which includes Xbox 360 Console and wired controller, this is priced at ร�ยฃ209.99. Its a shame that a section of gaming fans have to pay a little extra to have the wireless controllers but I'm sure they will argue that its worth the money.

The Christmas 2005 release has given it a much-needed edge over Sony which plans to release its PlayStation 3 in the the spring of 2006.

The XBox 360 has hit massive shortages, due to demand, in the UK. People are already paying nearly double the cost on EBay for the long awaited console, just to get it immediately. It has been said that Microsoft have deliberately limited stock to create the media interest that it currently receives, just due to its availability problem.

You can check the latest news and availability here for the XBox 360 console and accessories

Barry - UK Consoles

Top 5 Things Every World of Warcraft Player Must Know

I have compiled a list of the most import things every World of Warcraft player should know and follow. I have broken it down and listed what I think is the top five.

1.) Read your Quest Journal

Now we hate to snipe here, people, but the "L" key on your keyboard opens up your Quest Journal. This handy little item contains literally all the information you need to solve whatever quest your given. Check it early and check it often because if you're cluttering up the "General" chat channel asking "Where's the Wailing Caverns?" 47 times not only will you learn all sorts of new Azerothian insults, but when you eventually find the place, it's not going to win you any friends when you start looking for a group to explore with. Your Quest Journal has directions so precise they make MapQuest look vague. So to avoid this situation just read your Quest Journal.

2.) The City Guards are your friends - use them well.

This is kind of an adjunct to the whole "Read your Quest Journal" thing, but the other thing that clogs up the general chat channels is people asking for directions in the hub cities. Fortunately Blizzard has come up with a simple solution - just ask a city guard! They'll give you directions to everything in the city and even provide you with a little flag in your mini-map! You know, the employment situation in Azeroth must be pretty bad when you consider that most of these guards are level 75 or so and can easily wipe out virtually every monster in the game and they're taking the time out of their busy schedule to help you. The least you can do use their services. I don't even think they get paid!

3.) Every trade skill has a complement.

Players can only learn two "professional" trade skills (Fishing, Cooking, First Aid and a few others). Be aware that with the exception of Enchanting and Tailoring, every trade skill has a "gathering" skill and a "crafting" skill. Blacksmithing, for example, requires raw materials that can only be retrieved by Mining. Be sure you select the appropriate skill; otherwise you will end up buying raw materials at auction or trying to trade your raw materials for finished goods.

4.) The Num Lock key is your auto run.

This should be obvious, but you'd be surprised how many players forget to use their auto run. Auto run is your best friend. During long runs you can be checking your quest log, your inventory, or chatting with friends. Use it!

5.) Control your Pets!

This, of course, only applies to pet classes (Warlocks and Hunters), but if we had a gold piece for every Warlock and Hunter who left his pet on "Aggressive" we would all have a lot of gold pieces. Your pets are tools. They're used for very specific purposes. Putting them on Aggressive lets them attack indiscriminately and can draw a lot more monster attention than your group is ready to deal with. All too often a pet on the loose means death for the group and a long, boring corpse run.

Mark MacKay is a researcher, marketer, and an avid online gamer, including World of Warcraft and also the creator of the World of Warcraft Gold Price List Guide, a web site setup to help WoW players find the cheapest place to buy their gold.

MMORPGS: World of Warcraft, a Review

Introduction

If you're into computer games, you probably have heard of World of Warcraft, the latest hit produced by Blizzard Entertainment, and you're probably aware what an MMORPG is. If you're not, let me explain it quickly. A MMORPG is a massivly multiplayer online roleplaying game that allows thousands of players to play in a persistant game world.

World of Warcraft currently entertains close to 7 million people world wide. It has drawn many of the mmorpg veterans but also introduced a lot of new people to the genre. Why is world of warcraft so successful? Well. I think it comes down to more than one thing.

First of MMORPGs are usually not that easy to get into, often the player is presented with a akward interface, tons of options and a lot of things going on around them in general the first time the log onto the game. Blizzard has done a pretty solid job in keeping the interface simple and stupid, allowing even newbie players to get into it at a quick pace. Hints and Tips help guide the true MMORPG newbie along as well. When the developers of the game created the interface, and gameplay in general their goal was for it to be easy to get into it, but to be hard to master.

They have definitely accomplished the first part, the second part can be argued about. What defines a good player in an MMORPG basically comes down to two things.

1) Does he know his character and the abilities

2) Does he pay attention

There are no twitch skills involved, and in my opinion if youre looking for a competitive game, current mmorpgs - including WoW - are not the place to look at. If you want skillbased competition stick to RTS and FPS games.

The second thing that makes wow so successful is mostlikely the name of the producer and their huge fanbase - which they deserve by all means - after having released such great games as the diablo and warcraft series, which were all huge hits.

Let's get to the review part :)

Character Creation

Like every MMORPG or MUD out there the journey always begins with the character creation. You get to pick your site - alliance or horde , your race and a few visual features. Character customization is definitely one of the game's weakest points, the diversity and amount of features to select and change for character remind of Everquest which was released almost 8 years ago. You get to chose

* between a handful of faces

* skin tone

* between a handful of haircuts

* between a handful of facial hair styles

* hair color

It is probably not a huge deal, and its certainly nothing game breaking, a bit more would have been nice though.

First steps

As you take your first steps within WoW, getting used to the user interface, you will quickly notice that the game is very quest driven. You can earn most of your character's experience via quests, you will still be grinding mobs for exp once in a while though.

The starting quests also lead you along nicely, out of the starting area to the bigger towns and into the deep dungeons

The world

The amount of detail that was put into the world of warcraft is amazing and stunning. The cartoony style may not be everyones cup of tea, but whether you like it or not you cannot dismiss that the world has a lot of character. It is filled with content too, and you will find yourself stumbling from point of interest to point of interest.

The dungeons

The dungeon instances, which are zones that belong to you and your group, while pretty linear most of the time are also amazingly done. The boss encounters are fun, and the best loot is gotten from doing instance runs. The dungeon instances are supposed to be the group part of the game (aside from pvp) and it would be unwise to enter them alone unless youre like 20 levels stronger than the mobs inside the dungeon.

The way to 60, and beyond

Most people ive talked to tell me they have the most fun leveling their characters to level 60, because it is quick paced most of the time, and only slows down rarely. The quests are done well, and there is just so much to discover.

Once you hit 60 youre basically stuck with three things to do though

a) do instance runs (raids) for items

b) grind monsters for money

c) pvp

Now this might sound as if it should be enough. But the core problem is this: there is no character advancement beyond 60 other than getting items. These items are gotten by raiding elite dungeons with your guild, playing the bazaar game or by gaining rank while pvping.

Right now, if youre a raider, you raid so you can raid more. There is no reason to take that super dagger of stabbing into a normal 5 man dungeons and just carnage stuff left and right, other than for the sake of carnageing - is that even a word.

The game at this point, 2 years after its release, direly needs some alternate advancement, luckily the expansion (The Burning Crusade) is right around the corner, so that should help out some for now.

Server Issues

This is were i have an axe to grind, so pardon my rant

Ever since wow was released , the game has had severe sever stability issues. I guess they did not expect the kind of amount of people to buy the game back then and got surprised. Not a big deal, most of the MMORPGs face server issues the first few days of the game's release, even if is not as popular as wow.

But even after 2 years of development it is sad and annoying to see that the same server problems still exist, while not as severe, and the servers need to go down for maintenance weekly.

Content Updates

We all know it, Blizzard likes to do things correctly, and they always take their time. The thing is, that this is a MMORPG. People need to be handed new content almost constantly, waiting 3-4 months between content updates that deliver content that was promised to be in the game when it was released just seems weak. Then again i can certainly appreciate the amount of work that must be needed to create the content. It wouldnt be so bad if there was actually some way of alternative character advancement.

This review may sound a bit harsh and dont get me wrong, WoW is an amazing game, and what the artists did is just mind boggling. I leveled 3 characters to level 60, and as i was progressing along through the vastly different world zones of the game there was always this thought on mind.

Wow is an amazing online world, but it is as if they do nothing with it. Where is the dynamic world, that i imagined when i first read about WoW in 2002. There has been a world event of the opening of a raid instance that involved the players gathering resources for a month or two and then battling in a war like scenario to unlock the dungeon. While this is definitely a step in the right direction it is not enough. Next generation MMORPGs need to be developed with dynamic behaviour in mind. The world needs to change and feel less static.

Fazit

World of warcraft is a great game, and you will definitely enjoy leveling your character. After that it is uncertain, you will have to see for yourself. Doing raid instances can be fun, unless you dont like to rely on people. PVP can be fun too if youre into that kind of thing. Heck, even trying to amass huge amounts of virtual money can be fun to some people.

Stefan Pratter is a developer of the free browser based MMORPG Lands of Kazram - http://www.landsofkazram.com

Games - MTG Deck Help

Deciding to build a Magic the Gathering deck is easy. But what type of deck do you want to build? The better question even, is "how" to build it. There is a multitude of things to consider before you start to "slap" cards together. The first thing you must do is decide on the color(s) you want to be present in your magic deck. Remember, each color (black, blue, green, red and white) has its own theme. Each color also has its own strength and weaknesses. The more colors you decide to place in the deck, the larger the deck may become.

After choosing which color(s) that you will set in your new magic deck, you now need to set a term for victory. Do you want lots of creatures to overrun your opponent? Or perhaps you want to pummel someone with spells. You could even pick to win by using a combination of cards. The choice that most beginning deck builders is to construct a deck that overwhelms the "enemy" with a multitude of small creatures; it is also easier for them to play with. Intermediate builders will tend to lean towards control or suppression with the use of Spells and/or combinations. That's all nice and good but what do the advanced builders do and how does it help them win?

There is three differences between the Advance builders and the other two builders listed. Those three (fundamental) differences are: ratio management, cost efficient cards and archetypes. It sounds simple but it isn't. Ratio management, for example 1:1:1 creature land spells. Simply it means that for every one creature, you will have one land and spell. Each of their decks (Pros or advance builders) maintains a balance similar to that. Sometimes they'll even do: every 1 creature they'll have 1.8 lands and .2 spells. I'll try not to contradict that but ratios are just one part of the equation.

How do you know a creature is good or just plain bad? Is it how much it costs to put into play or how much damage it can do when put into play? Those questions are usually decided by the player. Some players prefer to have lots of small "quick" creatures deal damage early on but those decks lose momentum mid to late game. Other players prefer to play a big creature and mow right through the small ones. Simply put there really is no bad creature per se but for the creature to be good it must add to the deck. If you are looking for quick creatures, they will tend to be very cheap to put into play; the larger creatures will cost high but usually do damage and have an ability that'll make them worthwhile.

In the previous paragraph I mentioned briefly two archetypes. So what is an archetype? Archetypes are rough outlines for decks based on ideas that have been successful in past tournaments. There are really on three types of decks but they can be mixed and matched to achieve the desired result. The three main types are: Aggro, Combo and Control. Aggro decks will try to deal as much damage as possible within the shortest amount of time. Combo decks will use a plan of two or more cards to instantly win the game or deal a large amount of damage. Finally, Control decks will lock the entire board down and then win after that.

There are plenty of resources on what beats what. Or what is the best deck to use.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Golf