Battle Guild PC Video Games

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The Burning Crusades in World of Warcraf

Posted by luqman on September 2nd, 2010

The Burning Crusades is the first expansion pack of the World of Warcraft. Even if you’re new to WoW, you can easily learn this expansion set by playing the game and reading more about it.

Burning Crusades

If you enjoyed playing the original World of Warcraft and gained a lot of experience, you will find The Burning Crusades a lot more exciting. This expansion pack adds more featured content in the already exhilarating World of Warcraft. This includes the entire new continent of Outland which you can reach through the Dark Portal. You can visit the 3 new Cities: The Exodar in Azuremyst Isle for the Alliance, Shattrath in Terokkar Forest a Neutral City and Silvermoon in Quel Thalas for the Horde.

In World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusades, you can choose from the 2 additional playable Races: the Blood Elves for the Horde faction or The Draenei for the Alliance. Before this release, you can only play the Paladin and Shaman classes for the Alliance and Horde sides respectively. The 2 new Races allows you to play a Shaman as a Draenei and a Paladin as a Blood Elf.

There are seven new zones available for your exploration: Hellfire Peninsula, Nagrand, Blades Edge Mountains, Zangarmarsh, Terokkar Forest, Netherstorm and Shadowmoon Valley. Six new high-level dungeons: Hellfire Citadel, Coilfang Reservoir, Auchindoun, Tempest Keep, Caverns of Time and Karazhan. Three more dungeons followed shortly. You can explore these dungeons in Azeroth, Outland and elsewhere. Each Dungeon have selectable difficulty settings to suit your skills.

In the Burning Crusades, you can ride the new player-controlled flying mounts in Outland. You can increase your level up to 70. There are also new spells that you can use for each class. You have hundreds of new and dangerous monsters, epic world bosses, quests, and items to experience. Socketed items are also added. Plus, you can take up a new profession: Jewelcrafting.

A new Battleground, the Eye of the Storm, was brought in with 2 new brackets: one for characters with levels between 61-69 and another for level 70 characters. Even though this new Battleground was designed for level 70 avatars, you cannot summon flying mounts in this zone. You can only play in the Eye of the Storm battleground if you have the expansion. Don’t worry, purchasing the expansion set is much cheaper if you buy it as a bundle with other World of Warcraft packages. If you haven’t gotten past level 60 yet, you eventually will with sufficient guidance, practice and experience.

In the additional Player versus Player (PvP) Arena System, you can fight in the 2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3 and 5 vs. 5 “Arena” battles. If you don’t have the expansion pack, you can not participate in the rated skirmish matches, but you can in the unrated ones. You may also join the Ladder Matches only if you have reached Level 70.

The 3 new Arena Stages of The Burning Crusade expansion are also available for you. This include The Ruins of Lordaeron, which you can find in the Undercity, The Circle of Blood in Blades Edge Mountains and The Ring of Trials in Nagrand. These arena matches took a leading role in terms of WoW’s PvP content and later on developed into an electronic sports competition. You can join this games too once you develop your skills and experience. Remember, the best way to learn by experience. So set out and join the Burning Crusade!

FIFA 10

Posted by luqman on August 1st, 2010

FIFA 10

When it comes to soccer video games, FIFA is the name that people look for. With 16 prior games in the series dating all way back to 1993, Electronic Arts’ FIFA games have a long history. FIFA 10 puts those years of knowledge of soccer simulation to good use to deliver the ultimate experience.

FIFA 10 isn’t the sort of game that seeks to reinvent the wheel, but rather tries to refine and improve on what’s come before. Fans of previous games in the series will find new and improved versions of many of their favorite features returning in the newest FIFA, such as the revamped Manager mode, the Virtual Pro mode, and more.

Of course, the most important element of a soccer simulation is the actual gameplay itself. FIFA games are known for their realistic graphics and animations and pinpoint control, and FIFA 10 doesn’t disappoint. With a revamped graphics engine, FIFA 10 delivers the most photorealistic graphics and smooth animations, making it feel as though you’re watching a real game. The game also introduces the new 360 degree control system, allowing players greater flexibility in how their players move. While FIFA 10 gives players access to some new skills, it also provides them with much more adept opponents. The AI of computer controlled players has been significantly reworked, making opposing computer players act much more realistically – and making them significantly more difficult to outplay.

FIFA 10 also introduces the new Virtual Pro mode, an enhanced version of the old Be a Pro feature. In this mode, players can create a virtual version of themselves and live the life of a pro footballer for four seasons. Players can customize their avatar’s appearance and skillset, and even put their own face into the game. Playing through this mode will unlock new player attributes and skills, and even new celebration animations.

Another big feature for FIFA 10 is the improved Manager mode, which allows the player to take total control over a football club as its manager. This mode is perfect for true soccer buffs who are as interested in player stats and transfers as they are in kicking the ball around the field.

FIFA 10 also brings quality multiplayer content to the table. Players can play with friends locally or through the Internet, and can even form full 10 player teams that can compete against each other for the regional and world championships.

Key Features:

360 degree player control revolutionizes the way that players move on the virtual soccer field

Battles for ball control are played out more realistically and skillfully than ever before

New animation technology results in a much more realistic looking game, with players that move and handle the ball just like real soccer players would

Recruit your friends and other online players and engage in 10 v. 10 multiplayer championship games

Take complete managerial control over a football club and guide it to victory season after season in a totally revamped Manager mode

Insert yourself directly into the game by creating a virtual avatar with your face who gains more skills and other rewards as you play

Purchase special powerups and other fun extras at the FIFA Store

Hone your skills to perfection in a new, customizable practice arena that lets you set up authentic game situations however you like

Play in 50 different faithfully recreated stadium from all over the world

FIFA 10
When it comes to soccer video games, FIFA is the name that people look for. With 16 prior games in the series dating all way back to 1993, Electronic Arts’ FIFA games have a long history. FIFA 10 puts those years of knowledge of soccer simulation to good use to deliver the ultimate experience.

FIFA 10 isn’t the sort of game that seeks to reinvent the wheel, but rather tries to refine and improve on what’s come before. Fans of previous games in the series will find new and improved versions of many of their favorite features returning in the newest FIFA, such as the revamped Manager mode, the Virtual Pro mode, and more.

Of course, the most important element of a soccer simulation is the actual gameplay itself. FIFA games are known for their realistic graphics and animations and pinpoint control, and FIFA 10 doesn’t disappoint. With a revamped graphics engine, FIFA 10 delivers the most photorealistic graphics and smooth animations, making it feel as though you’re watching a real game. The game also introduces the new 360 degree control system, allowing players greater flexibility in how their players move.
While FIFA 10 gives players access to some new skills, it also provides them with much more adept opponents. The AI of computer controlled players has been significantly reworked, making opposing computer players act much more realistically – and making them significantly more difficult to outplay.

FIFA 10 also introduces the new Virtual Pro mode, an enhanced version of the old Be a Pro feature. In this mode, players can create a virtual version of themselves and live the life of a pro footballer for four seasons. Players can customize their avatar’s appearance and skillset, and even put their own face into the game. Playing through this mode will unlock new player attributes and skills, and even new celebration animations.

Another big feature for FIFA 10 is the improved Manager mode, which allows the player to take total control over a football club as its manager. This mode is perfect for true soccer buffs who are as interested in player stats and transfers as they are in kicking the ball around the field.

FIFA 10 also brings quality multiplayer content to the table. Players can play with friends locally or through the Internet, and can even form full 10 player teams that can compete against each other for the regional and world championships.

Key Features:
360 degree player control revolutionizes the way that players move on the virtual soccer field
Battles for ball control are played out more realistically and skillfully than ever before
New animation technology results in a much more realistic looking game, with players that move and handle the ball just like real soccer players would
Recruit your friends and other online players and engage in 10 v. 10 multiplayer championship games
Take complete managerial control over a football club and guide it to victory season after season in a totally revamped Manager mode
Insert yourself directly into the game by creating a virtual avatar with your face who gains more skills and other rewards as you play
Purchase special powerups and other fun extras at the FIFA Store
Hone your skills to perfection in a new, customizable practice arena that lets you set up authentic game situations however you like
Play in 50 different faithfully recreated stadia from all over the world

Fallout 3

Posted by luqman on July 3rd, 2010

Fallout fans had to wait almost 10 years for the next true entry in the series – but that wait has paid off with Fallout 3. The classic open-world RPG series is brought to new life with fully 3D next-generation graphics and fresh new gameplay.

Fallout 3, like its predecessors, takes place in a post-apocalyptic world that has been all but annihilated by nuclear warfare. It’s been over two hundred years since the event, but society is still struggling to reestablish itself. Those people that are still living on the surface have huddled together in small communities for mutual protection against violent gangs, irradiated animals, and deadly super mutants. However, many others found their ways into safeguarded vaults prior to the nuclear destruction – and they’ve remained there ever since in small, insular communities.

FallOut 3

The player takes on the role of one such Vault Dweller. The player controls the character’s growth through his or her formative years, starting as a baby and then taking part in vignettes of the character’s adolescence and teenage years. When the character turns 18, the plot takes off in earnest. The character’s father, a noted scientist, breaks the cardinal rule of life in a vault – he leaves it. The overseer of the vault deems the character a threat that must be eliminated, forcing the player to escape into the unwelcoming wasteland of what was once Washington D.C. From there, the player searches for his father and unravels a greater mystery.

How exactly to go about finding the main character’s father is a left up to the player. As soon as the player leaves the vault, they are free to go anywhere in the Capital Wasteland. Of course, the area is far from friendly, and is crawling with all kinds of threats. Throughout the adventure, the player will visit a variety of locations. These include: Megaton, a makeshift city built around an undetonated atomic bomb, Little Lamplight, a town full of children that kick out anyone who reaches the age of majority, and Rivet City, a beached aircraft carrier now serving as a home for hundreds – and that’s just to name a few.

How the player interacts with characters around the game world is also totally open. The player can aid people and make friends, or they can simply walk into town and start shooting everyone and rob them blind. Even most key characters don’t have “plot immunity” and can be killed – although it’s probably not a good idea, as you will need allies in this quest.
As in most traditional RPGs, the player will gain levels by killing enemies, completing quests and exploring the world. Those who have played previous Fallout games will be happy to see the series’ trademark “S.P.E.C.I.A.L.” advancement system. In addition to increasing base attributes, players can choose from a variety of “perks” that have a wide range of different gameplay effects.

On the surface, Fallout 3 plays like first person shooter. However, the player won’t reach maximum combat effectiveness without using the Vault-Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S. This ability allows the player to target specific body parts of his enemies, allowing them to pinpoint weak spots, disarm (literally) or disable enemies. V.A.T.S. takes time to recharge after use, giving the game’s combat a light turn-based feel.

Key Features:

Fallout goes next gen – last seen in an isometric 2D game, the world of Fallout is brought to life in all its grimness in full 3D with advanced graphics

Go anywhere, do anything – from the moment you leave the vault, you’re free to go anywhere in the Capital Wasteland and interact with its inhabitants however you see fit

No easy decisions – the world of Fallout is a dark one, and sometimes the only choice is between two horrific evils

The S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system and perks both make a return, allowing you to customize your character and gameplay experience to your liking

First-person shooter meets strategic turn-based combat through with the help of the pinpoint-targeting V.A.T.S. system

The series trademark kitschy post-WWII paranoia humor and style remains intact for this newest entry

Blacksmithing: A Profession of Forging your Destiny

Posted by luqman on June 6th, 2010

Although World of Warcraft is a high-fantasy virtual universe, it has realistic elements to enhance its gaming experience. You can choose a profession that will suit your personality, interests and curiosity. Blacksmithing can forge your Destiny.

Your character in World of Warcraft have several traits that can be personalized to distinguish it from other game participants. This added feature simply makes the game more exciting. A Profession is a good example. Imagine practicing Engineering and building machines. You can also try Tailoring to fabricate beautiful garments.

There are 2 kinds of Professions in World of Warcraft. Primary Professions are your main source of living and is like a job where you have to perform work and get paid afterwards. Your character can only have 2 Primary Professions which could belong to any of the 3 categories: gathering, production and service.

A very important trade in this medieval universe is metallurgy and the profession related to it is called Blacksmithing. Blacksmithing is a Primary Profession and your tasks include obtaining bars of metals from miners and turning them into unique and finely crafted weapons or armor. Many types of armaments are rare and hard to find. It is your job as a Blacksmith to create this custom-made items which you can sell to earn a living.

As a Blacksmith, you can make weapons and armors for Paladins or Warriors and later mail the items to them. You may also want to trade some of your items for things that you like. Blacksmiths can produce special weight and sharpening stones that will temporarily improve weapon damage.

Like in the real world, Professions in WoW are interrelated. This means that your products can be used as starting materials in other industries. Blacksmiths can make special regents that are used in the Enchanting profession. As you improve your craftsmanship, you can manufacture special tools that are useful for Quests and place them in an Auction House to generate some income.

Similar to reality, some Professions will require a previous skill to make you more qualified and competent. Before becoming a Blacksmith, it would greatly help if you had mining experience. Miners gather ores and melt them into metal bars that can later be used to produce different blacksmithing products.

As a craft, Blacksmithing may also use jewels as ornaments to add value and beauty to their products. Leather can also improve the presentation of your metal items. To do those things, you need to trade with another professionals – Jewelers and Skinners.

If you belong to the Class of Paladins or Warriors, a Blacksmithing profession will help and enable you to make your own tools, weapons and armor. Plus, you can sell them to other characters and profit from your skills.

As in the old days, you will first look for a Blacksmith Trainer who will teach you the craft. Do not be intimidated. Once you get to know more about how things are performed, you will become more confident. After learning the basics of the job, you can verify this new knowledge by pressing “p” and you will find that the “Blacksmithing” icon is added into your list of acquired abilities.

After possessing the skill, you may now buy yourself a blacksmithing hammer that you will use in your trade. This hammer is usually sold by a “Trade Merchant” or other merchants nearby. You need the blacksmithing hammer with you when making an item, although some items do note require being close to an anvil during forging.

In performing your job, you will need certain recipes, ingredients, plans and increasing your reputation will unlock more possibilities. This is why trading, exploring and questing are important. Like in a real workplace and community, you need to get out of your way in order to reach your goals.

To undergo Master Training and become a master blacksmith with a skill level of 300-375 you need to head to Outland and look for the trainer depending on your faction. To undertake Grand Master Training and become a Grand Master blacksmith with a skill level 375-450 you will need to train in Northrend. Other Professions will also require a similar and special process in order to become proficient. Good luck in your profession and enjoy the your career!

Dragon Age Origins

Posted by luqman on May 22nd, 2010

Bioware is a development studio that is well known for its sprawling single player role-playing games, including many set in the Star Wars and Dungeons & Dragons universes. Now, Bioware has made a bold move and released Dragon Age: Origins, an epic dark fantasy RPG set in a freshly created world known as Thedas.

Dragon Age Origins

Dragon Age: Origins is described by Bioware as being a “spiritual successor” to Baldur’s Gate II, one of the most revered fantasy RPGs ever created. It features a fully realized world with a complete detailed history, an expansive and immersive storyline, and a multitude of colorful characters. While Dragon Age has many typical fantasy elements, such as magic, elves and dwarves, it is also described as “dark fantasy” – it is not a story about goody-two-shoes heroes overcoming all evil. It is story full of treachery, political machinations, and immoral characters. On more than one occasion, the player has little to do but choose the least of two evils.

The reason that the game is subtitled “Origins” is because player characters have access to 6 unique origin stories, determined by their race and class. The origin stories serve as an introduction to the game world and the background of the character and his or her community. Some characters that appear in the origin stories can reappear throughout the game, either as friend or foe. Some characters are exclusive to specific origins, and can have major effects on the plotline. The origin stories include Human Noble, Dalish Elf, City Elf, Dwarf Noble, Dwarf Commoner, and Mage.

All of the origin stories culminate in the main character joining an order of warriors known as the Grey Wardens. The Wardens are tasked with battling the Darkspawn, a malevolent group of monstrous humanoids who, every few centuries, swell into a “Blight” that threatens to overrun the world. A Blight is brewing as the player joins the Wardens – but it’s not long before a power play by a noble lord threatens the order and plunges the country into civil war. In the aftermath of a crippling betrayal, the player must unite the peoples of Thedas against the Blight and depose the upstart tyrant.

It’s no small order, but you don’t have to go it alone. Along the way, the player will meet a number of deep and compelling characters. There’s Alistair, the wise-cracking warrior with an important secret. Then there’s Morrigan, a sardonic and amoral sorceress who seems to value power above all else. You’ll also meet Leliana, a disciple of the religion known as the Chantry who has a somewhat suspect past. These are just a few examples. You can even recruit a faithful wardog companion.

The player will be faced with a lot of difficult decisions in the course of this quest – and those decisions can all affect how the other party members feel about the main character. If you clash too many times with one of your party members, they may even leave for good. However, if you warm up to one of your party enough, you can enter a romantic relationship with them.

As with most RPGs, combat plays a key role in Dragon Age: Origins. The combat is real-time, but players can pause the action with a button press in order to issue new orders to party members. You can have up to four members in your party at a time, and you’ll have to use each members’ abilities to the fullest to survive some of the game’s deadliest encounters. Preparation also plays an important role, and characters can learn to craft poisons, traps and herbal remedies to help them gain an edge in combat.

Key Features:

Create your character from among 3 races and 3 classes, then choose from one of six unique origin stories to start your grand adventure
Advance into 4 unique class specializations per class to further hone your party’s combat abilities
Battle a variety of enemies in a deep real-time combat featuring hundreds of unique powers, then pause the action for pinpoint strategic control
Become a part of an epic dark fantasy that will determine the fate of Thedas
Make meaningful choices that have no easy answers and watch as the consequences play out before your eyes
Forge relationships with your party members and potentially enter into intimate relationships with one – or more – of them
Play through well over 60 hours of content with dozens of unique locations and hundreds of fully voice-acted characters

Beginners World of Warcraft

Posted by luqman on May 11th, 2010

World of Warcraft has been around for at least five years, but do you know how it all began? Read on to uncover the Dark History behind Warcraft.

If you were born anytime in the 80’s, you probably know and have played any or all of the 3 original Warcraft computer games in your teenage years. That’s because they belong to a category called Real-Time Strategy (RTS) games, a variety which was just getting popular during the time. I remember playing the first one, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans. It’s an MS-DOS game made by Blizzard Entertainment which ran in color VGA graphics plus 16-bit music and sound.

Beginners World of Warcraft

The game is set in the kingdom of Azeroth where monstrous Orcs passed through a portal to invade and massacre Human settlements and conquer the land. You can imagine a period similar to a Medieval Europe where peasants, knights and kings flourish. As a player, you can choose either side of this virtual war. The objective of the game is for you to harvest resources, build structures, raise an army and invade the enemy. Sometimes, missions are involved where you just direct a few units to accomplish a set of tasks.

This game kept me hooked up on my Dad’s 486SX computer for hours at a time. My brothers and I took turns playing the campaigns or the skirmishes against those demonic Orcs. I remember typing “corwin of amber” in the text prompt to enable the cheat mode. Entering “pot of gold” gives free gold and lumber, “sally shears” shows the entire map, “hurry up guys” speeds up the game and a few other cheats.

I do admit that this game is extremely addictive because it requires you to be alert all the time. Just when you weren’t expecting, you suddenly need more farms or gold or lumber – you need to efficiently delegate tasks to your peasants. When you just finished harvesting, an a band of hostiles are attacking your base and you’re out of soldiers to defend your town. Back then, the trick without cheating was to be alert, decisive, pre-emptive and most of all efficient with your resources.

If you encountered Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, you’ll remember that Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes joined the Humans to form the Alliance and oil became a new resource to manage. While the Ogres, Trolls and Goblins sided with the Orcs to compose the Horde. You can also experience seasonal changes and build structures that produce air and water-based units. These events were followed by a game expansion pack called Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal where some human forces were trapped in the Orcish world of Draenor when the portal was prematurely closed. With these expansion packs, you can enjoy playing additional campaigns together with the unfolding of new events that go with it.

In Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, you can play any of the 2 new races of Night Elves and the Undead. In this version, each Race offered new and unique set of units, structures, technologies, and base-building methods. If you look closely enough, you will realize that the storyline of the expansion pack Warcraft III: Frozen Throne eventually set the stage for the World of Warcraft.

In the second and third editions of Warcraft, both minor and major modifications were made but they still followed the same RTS game format. An important new concept introduced was the inclusion of Heroes – characters with special skills and play pivotal roles in later fights against the enemy. Another was the fulfillment of Quests or “light-weight” operations with specific objectives without the duties of personally managing a base. These two elements set the stage to finally bring Warcraft to the on-line gaming community – particularly MMORPG or Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game.

In this gaming format, you can play the Warcraft storyline simultaneously and continuously with other gamers through the Internet in on-line servers. The game data are still installed in your computer but you have to be logged-in to play your chosen character. Because of this, it is now called the World of Warcraft (WoW). As a role playing game, you will be controlling a single hero character that you will design before playing.

World of Warcraft is set four years after the incidents Warcraft III, an immense turmoil covered the lands of Azeroth. Old and new threats begin to surface and disrupt the well being of the different Races who were still rebuilding their societies from the ashes of the previous war.

In World of Warcraft, you can choose the background of your Character. You must decide to join one of the 2 opposing factions: the Alliance or the Horde. Then you will select from the 10 playable Races each having 10 social Classes. You also need to identify 2 primary Profession and a few minor ones from the 14 available.

The World of Warcraft Experience – A Beginner’s Review (Part 2)

Posted by luqman on April 27th, 2010

I hope lots of people and WoW lover enjoy the part 1 of my beginner’s Review of World of Warcraft Experience, it take my more than what I think to put this part 2 together. I hope you will enjoy reading it…

WoW Requirements
An on-line account in Battle.net must be made in order to register. Regular subscription via pre-paid game cards, credit or debit cards is required to continue playing. A 10-day free trial can be obtained on-line by creating an account and downloading the installer which in turn downloads and installs the entire game. Recommended hardware specifications include: 1.8 GigaHertz CPU, 15+ GigaBytes of Hard Drive Space, 1 Gigabyte of RAM, a 3D Capable Video Card with 128 Megabytes of VRAM, XGA (1,024 x 768) Screen Display, 256 Kbps Broadband Internet Connection, Windows XP SP3 or Mac OS 10.4.11, Keyboard and Mouse with Scroll Wheel.

World of warcraft

Game Maintenance
The WoW Development Team regularly updates the game with exciting new content, as well as performance enhancements and bug fixes. The game will be updated using any of the 4 Update Methods: content patches, hotfixes, emergency patches and localization patches. Content Patches include major additions or modifications in the game that include functions, content, economy, interaction or fights which are mostly enhancement related. These require several hours of maintenance and consist of a download and the patch notes usually on Tuesdays. Hotfixes are critical updates that too urgent to wait for the next regular scheduled patch. They are server-side changes that do not require subscriber intervention. Emergency Patches are similar to Hotfixes but require a download that is accompanied by a patch note. Localization Patches are about the language implementation in WoW and occurs to all versions which comprises of a download and its notes.

The Price of War
At the end of the trial period or the free month bundled with the retail package, additional subscription is needed to continue playing WoW. Three subscription options are available: a 1-month package for $14.99, a 3-month plan for $41.97, and a 6-month plan for $77.94. These fees are used to cover the maintenance costs required for the high-levels of quality service, support and ongoing content development which make WoW an exciting game to play.

The WoW Market Share
WoW holds approximately 62 percent of the Massively Multiplayer Online Game subscription market in April 2008. As of December 2008, WoW had more than 11.5 million subscribers thus earning it a Guinness World Record of being the most popular MMORPG in terms of subscribers. WoW is currently the world’s most popular MMORPG considering these figures.

The Good:

System Investment: minimal hardware & software (system) requirements, can be played on 2004-era computers and small Netbooks, widely supported because of minimal requirements
Graphics Quality: adequate 3D representation of a virtual world using 2D mapping
Graphics Performance: easily rendered corner details on simple polygon surfaces
Aesthetics: Essential and Non-essential entities and places are included for authenticity
Music and Sound Effects: music, sounds effects and voices of characters/NPCs provide credibility
Environment: real-world representation and unrestricted movement
Storyline: consistent with previous chronicles of the franchise, some humor & reality references
Playable Characters: customizable, increasing variations, interesting backgrounds
Non-Playable Characters: credible roles, adds realism, interesting behaviors
User Interface: high-resolution, intuitive, simple, context-sensitive
Level Advancement: attainable and challenging, multiple venues for leveling-up, very replayable
Content: regularly updated and improved, keeps game interesting, anticipated expansion sets
Challenge: players can choose the challenges they want, flexible participation and pacing
Bug/Patch Response: highly responsive development team, immediately resolves most issues
Technical Support: high-availability, multiple support options
Datacenter Performance: high uptime hours, scheduled downtimes for maintenance & repairs
Subscription Rates: 1, 3 or 6-month packages with 6-7% discount on longer subscriptions

The Bad:

System Investment: moderate performance gain even on higher-end systems
Graphics Quality: plain projection of shaded 2D graphics on simple 3D surfaces to simulate 3D depth and detail
Graphics Performance: real-time performance on more powerful video cards
Aesthetics: Lower quality of details under higher resolution displays, use of shadows to cheat
Music and Sound Effects: extremely high level of activity during mass combat can be noisy
Environment: Simulated depth of field to create the illusion of distance, low detail on plants
Storyline: some inconsistent external phenomena in WoW universe were added for relief
Playable Characters: races, classes and characters are implausibly added at some expansions
Non-Playable Characters: some have incredible backgrounds, appearances and roles
User Interface: default setting needs to be customized, floating names can be distracting at times
Level Advancement: leveling-up is necessary to enjoy the game further and every aspect of it
Content: less frequent expansions, decrease of player interest between expansions
Challenge: more advanced players may find themselves bored prior to the release of updates
Bug/Patch Response: mostly adequate, responsive deployment, players are immediately notified
Technical Support: may be saturated during peak times of widespread need for tech support
Datacenter Performance: peak time performance bottlenecks
Subscription Rates: relatively expensive compared to other MMO Games with similar realism

The Verdict: World of Warcraft – in Cataclysm?
While WoW is perceived as a King in its class of MMORPG, it still has a lot of areas to improve on. Aside from making it too friendly for new subscribers, it needs to add more depth and gravity in its content to be seen as a mature and serious offering for its mature and serious gamers. No doubt, the polished content released every expansion set will revive its dormant subscribers and invite new players, but what it needs is a genuine reason to keep most, if not all, of its members always active in the first place. WoW is a good place to start for those who are still window shopping for an established on-line game and is an excellent training ground for the next generation of hardcore gamers for years to come. As with every updates, the pending release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will hold the key to the latest judgment of the franchise. Only then can we know if WoW is really destined to prevail or bound to cataclysm.

Joanas Horde Guide – Of great use

Posted by luqman on April 16th, 2010

War craft players have been looking for a good and solid horde leveling assistance for some time now to level their surviving toons and they have not been very successful in finding something that everybody can truly say, meets with their requirements. The reason is that due to the alliance being very popular and famous, many participants do not fancy playing the horde regularly and consequently, the horde guides are also less in number. In fact, repeated searches by many have led to the same horde guide coming up and that is not what people are looking for.

Joanas Horde Guide

One horde guide that seems to be dominating the internet space is Joanas Horde Guide. Due to very little information available about other such guides, it is possible that this one is so popular. The other reason could be the real fast leveling that is offered through the use of many servers and that is always appreciated by players.

War craft players who have tried out this guide mention that the guide is very well designed, thanks to the excellent video quality and the fact that it is possible to watch Joana do the level of 1-60 in very quick record duration. It will certainly take a long time for you to watch it, so you need to be prepared to invest that time.

The content is the best part about this guide. Since it is neatly categorized by various races, the instruction template enables you to play the character you wish and thus provides you with flexibility of what to do first and what to take up later on. Another advantage is that the guide has been updated to cater to the latest version of War craft Burning Crusade so that you will be able to horde characters up to the level of 70.

The fact that this guide has been conceived by a player who has claimed that she could get her horde characters to the level of 50 within a period of just five days has got the attention of every other player and they all are keenly interested, since they are aware of the difficulty that this task entails. Moreover, since the video shows the player accomplishing this task, the authenticity of the guide is not a problem and players feel confident that they can also try and achieve the same.

The guide is useful as a directional tool in showing players how to level and since it concentrates about accomplishing missions also, it is different from some of the other guides that seemed to concentrate only on the hard grind. One more positive aspect about this guide is the maps and pictures that are also present and which allows you to follow the entire process without any problems. The guide also advises you on how to go about distributing the talent points so that you can get the maximum bonus possible.

So go for Joanna’s Horde Leveling Guide if you wish to level your characters in the shortest possible time.

The World of Warcraft Experience – A Beginner’s Review (Part 1)

Posted by luqman on April 9th, 2010

World of Warcraft (November 2004) is the fourth video game of the Warcraft franchise by Blizzard Entertainment. It is a major departure from the original Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game genre that was pioneered by the first three games. WoW, as popularly called, evolved from the RTS/Local PC arena and entered the realm of MMORPG – Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Game. Massively multi-player online means you can play with hundreds of thousands to millions of other players in the WoW universe that persists even if players log-off or are off-line. As a Role-playing game, you assume control of a single character that you created. This means leaving the classic “construct base, build army and invade enemy” formula that mainly define the RTS mindset. The game is also hosted in server “realms” but media data must be installed on your local computer.

World of Warcraft

In WoW, You are the Hero
The game is set in the high fantasy world of Azeroth in a period that is similar to Medieval Europe. WoW as an MMORPG is set in the established universe of the Warcraft franchise. Instead of macromanaging and directing units and base operations, you assume the character of the Warcraft hero you earlier designed and choose to play. With this avatar, you experience the adventure, interact among other players and explore the common world of Azeroth. In this realm, you may team up or fight against other players by forming coalitions and compete for control and honor.

Experience Warcraft from Eye-Level
WoW turns Azeroth and what’s behind the Dark Portal into a stunning virtual 3D environment. Both new and old gamers are able to experience the Warcraft chronicles from an individual’s perspective and explore the game universe at eye-level. Familiar characters, places, units and abilities from the original game come to life interactively.

A Continuing Saga
Set four years after the events of Warcraft III: Frozen Throne, a great unrest spreads across the ruins of Azeroth. Both ancient and ominous plagues emerge that threaten the different Races as they rebuild their individual Kingdoms.

Personalized and Flexible Adventure
In WoW, you can play at your own pace. This may range from a few hours or a marathon weekend. A Quest system introduces multiple variations of intriguing pursuits combined with narratives, lively events and adaptable reward schemes. Faster chronology of events means lesser downtime and more focus on conflicts and techniques against various enemies. The WoW Universe contains 10 playable Races of 10 playable Classes having 14 different Professions with exclusive advantages. There also exists thousands of Quests to pursue and accomplish, several methods of Transportation and Personal Mounts for quick travel, a far-reaching and intricate Storyline for realism and 4 Realm Types that determine your gameplay.

An Immersive Reality
You will experience an immersive world with acres of different landscapes like forests, deserts, snow-covered mountains, and other exotic regions. You will encounter both the familiar and new characters and enemies in the Warcraft saga. You can better understand the epic story behind the territories of Azeroth and the other kingdoms by participating in various quests. You can then explore the far reaching and uniquely styled Dungeons scattered throughout the map. You should visit the 6 colossal Capital Cities mostly populated by the races who built them. Your character can practice a selection of primary and secondary Professions from different trades and perform related responsibilities to amass wealth by transacting deals with other players or Non-Playable Characters (NPCs).

An Exotic World
After designing your character, you will enter the Warcraft Universe through the starting area of you race, except for the Trolls who start with the Orcs and Gnomes with the Dwarves. After viewing a cutscene introduction of your race, you free to explore the World of Warcraft. Encountering monsters won’t take long because WoW is the habitat of these creatures which come in various forms, sizes and threat. You will also be facing smarter and more dangerous beasts or entities of different shapes. The vast regions in WoW contain unique scenarios for that landscape. The destruction brought by previous conflicts and curse are reflected in the diseased flora and fauna of the that land.

Continuous Exploits
The absence of the RTS element in WoW is replaced by Quests which are integral in RPGs. Aside from eradicating monsters and voyaging far lands, accomplishing Quests will increase experience points and play an important contribution in level advancement. Quests are abundant throughout the game and vary greatly in terms of objectives, difficulty, length, rewards and outcomes. These tasks also help familiarize the player about the interesting legends of Warcraft. Best of all, completed Quests provide rewards like cash, potions, food, magical items, weapons, armors or other gifts that make your WoW experience more enjoyable. Quests can sometimes trigger another related one forming Quest Chains.

A Virtual Society
As an MMORPG, WoW is designed with in-game Socials in mind. Searching for other players are as easy as entering the name or other keyword search details. The Friends List can also be useful to quickly access other players. You can join or establish your own Group, Guild or Party with players of similar interests to undertake common pursuits. Packages and Mail containing messages, gold or items can be sent to other Characters. Items can be Bought and Sold using Gold in Auction Houses. Players are able to communicate with others using chat channels, friend lists, animated and audible character expressions.

An Intuitive Visual Interface
WoW has a user-friendly visual interface that’s intuitive and consistent throughout the game. The context sensitive philosophy involving the mouse and keyboard make the game control easier to learn and master therefore freeing the player from the complex learning involved with navigation to have more time for gameplay. Hovering the mouse will reveal pop-up clues that will further aid learning and information for the player. Using XML, the game interface can be customized to suit your preference.

A Fulfilling Experience
Aside from just leveling or grinding through battle after battle, a huge variety of things can be done. Characters can craft items, fight against other players and explore distant lands. Even when players do fight monsters, it will often be as part of a quest, or in search of special materials for their crafts. Aside from fighting, there are other ways of gaining experience. Substantial experience points can be earned from doing quests. Exploration can also be a source of experience by simply traveling to areas where your character has never been.

Responsive Developers
Blizzard employees are mostly MMORPG gamers, have considerable gaming experience, are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the genre and strive to improve on the positive qualities while eliminating the downsides. Several problems in the past like “Kill Stealing” and “Camping” have been resolved by “Tapping” and “Instancing” policies. Experience points are fairly distributed among group members relative to their levels. Quest participants will receive a copy of the item from the killed monster or place where it was found. As a commitment from the developers, subscribers can enjoy regular monthly updates of quests, items and adventures.

An Ongoing Quest
WoW, as you will find it, is easy to learn but difficult to master. The game cannot truly end because of the thousands of game play hours in WoW plus nearly infinite goals for the players and the regular addition of new quests, creatures and items by the WoW Development team. This constant flow of fresh content guarantees that the game will introduce new attractions and innovations which makes it more and more exciting every coming month. Currently, WoW has 2 Expansion Sets: Burning Crusades (January 2007), Wrath of the Lich King (November 2008) and the upcoming Cataclysm (~2010).

Warcraft across the Years
In the first Warcraft game, the warring Human and Orc races annihilate each other in campaigns directed by players or the in-game AI. Introduced in the second release were additional races of Elves, Dwarves and Gnomes who allied with Humans while Ogres, Trolls and Goblins fought with the Orcs. Two more playable races of Night Elves and the Undead were introduced in the third version.

A Pioneer of Real-Time Strategy Games
In the original three games, contenders play simultaneously and continuously against each others’ forces in virtual battlegrounds. Players manage the over-all operations which include resource gathering, structure building, base management, unit training, technology upgrades and combat direction. New options during the game become available after requirements are met. Each succeeding game version introduced major enhancements in gameplay over the previous ones. The first three editions were entirely based on a local computer that also allows network gaming modes.

Brütal Legend

Posted by luqman on March 29th, 2010

Brütal Legend is equal parts action game, real-time strategy game and unabashed love letter to heavy metal music. With the comedic touch of creative director Tim Schaefer, the mind behind such critically acclaimed titles as Grim Fandango and Psychonauts, Brütal Legend marries next generation graphics and gameplay with expert storytelling.

The game follows the exploits of Eddie Riggs (who is voiced by, and whose character design is based on actor/musician Jack Black), regarded as the best roadie for the worst metal band ever. While rescuing one of the band members from a stupid stunt, Eddie is injured and some blood splashes onto the demonic-looking emblem on his belt. It turns out that this emblem is actually a gateway to an alternate dimension that is straight off the cover art of a heavy metal album – and blood was the key. When Eddie comes to, he finds himself thrust into a conflict between a human resistance movement and the forces of the Emperor of the Tainted Coil (voiced by Tim Curry), who is subjugating them.

Brütal Legend

The player, as Eddie Riggs, will pick up a trio of upgradeable weapons. There’s Clementine, Eddie’s guitar from the real world, which is supercharged ax with magical power in the heavy metal world. Eddie can use Clementine to wreak havoc on his enemies and can also use it to play rockin’ solos that will have massive effects on the world environment. Then there’s a literal battleaxe, the Separator, which Eddie can use to hack his way through enemies. Finally, there’s the Deuce, a custom hot rod that can be used to navigate the wide open world.

Before long, Eddie links up with Lars and Lita, the leaders of the resistance, and starts to recruit an army of metal-inspired units, including headbangers, beast-riding amazon chicks, and leather clad motorcycle gangs. Then, the battle begins in earnest.

Key Features:

Explore an open world inspired by the music and art of the heavy metal genre

Play through a multitude of primary and side quests

Rocking sound track featuring over 100 tracks from heavy metal artists from the 70s to present

Superb comedic writing under the renowned creative direction of Tim Schaefer

Featuring memorable voice work from Jack Black as Eddie Riggs, as well as a number of metal legends who also lend their voices, including: Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Lita Ford (The Runaways), Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead), and more

A unique fusion of action gameplay and real-time strategy gameplay – destroy enemies on the front lines as Eddie while leading your army of metal minions

Play face-melting solos on Eddie’s guitar, Clementine, to warp the terrain around you, enhance your allies and crush your enemies

3 upgradeable weapons with a variety of different powers and abilities to enhance the mayhem

Engage in 4 v 4 multiplayer battles, taking control of one of the game’s factions (including the Metalheads, the Goths, and the Glam Rockers) in a strategic battles