Guild Wars – No Monthly Fees!

Photics.com is part of the Guild Wars Fansite program. As no surprise, I recommend the game. Millions of players have already tried. But this suggestion is for those that haven’t started playing yet. Buying all four parts of the original series could get expensive. That’s why I recommend the Platinum Edition – an extremely inexpensive way to get the main parts of the game.

What’s nice about the Platinum Edition is that you can start from the beginning and skip to the end – it gives you classic and the most current content. You’ll be able to get a nice set of heroes and decent library of skills. You’ll also have a nice balance of PvE & PvP content. While you won’t have skills from two chapters, a lot of them are redundant anyway. What you will have is access to some of your own heroes and years worth of game play. Yes, years! I’ve been playing the original Guild Wars since 2004. As for Eye of The North, I like to relax by punching Dwarves in Kilroy’s Punchout Challenge. It satisfies my hunger for MMORPG-like game play, without the monthly fee.

Services!

By subscribing to gaming services, you can save a lot of money. Instead of buying one expensive game, and then letting it collect dust, you can probably play for much longer with one of these services…

• http://www.gametap.com/ – Huge game library
• http://www.gamefly.com/ – It’s like netflix for games

PlayStation Network Card

All three of the major gaming consoles have downloadable content. Here, I’m going to focus on the PlayStation 3. Why? That’s because I’ve been wasting a lot of time playing PS3 downloadble games. It started with something simple. Hey… $4.99 for Astro Tripper… how harmless can that be? Not much… as it opened the door to an inexpensive form of gaming. I picked up Super Street Fighter II HD Remix, and then Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Reshelled. I was enjoying retro gaming, but with modern graphics / sound and online play. It was nostalgic yet brand new. For one, I wasn’t dominating Street Fighter like I used to. No, this was far more challenging than battling out in the delis and pizzerias of Brooklyn. As for Turtles, I didn’t have to fight for space in a crowded and smelly arcade. I was enjoying vintage game play in the comfort of my own home.

I recently picked up Bionic Commando Rearmed. Wow, trophy hunting is a real challenge on this one. I’ll likely be getting my money’s worth out of this game too. Apparently, I’m having more fun with these downloads than the supposed AAA titles. All four of these old-school games cost less than one full-priced game. I don’t own a single $60 PlayStation game. I like the idea of giving away a game card as a gift because it teaches the next generation of gamers about responsibility and the value of money. Instead of using credit cards to buy games, the pre-paid card doesn’t accumulate debt. When it hits zero, it stops.

Even more game cards!

A good percentage of the prizes given away in the Photics Team’s folding@home competition were originally purchased at 7-Eleven. Imagine that… game cards at 7-Eleven. Originally, it was easy for me to dismiss the card rack. But upon closer inspection, there were some values to be found – like City of Heroes. Of course, that game has a monthly fee. Yet, I did see Exteel and Guild Wars in the mix. I’m starting to see similar displays in other stores, like Best Buy. This is a good last-minute purchase. Say you have a nephew, but you forgot that his birthday party is tomorrow morning. It’s late and the regular retail stores are closed. Don’t worry, you can probably sleep late. Just pick up a birthday card and game card at a good convenience store. It’s easy to wrap too! Just put the game card in the birthday card!

Accessories!

“Staycations” are popular in this recession. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a vacation, the money is be saved and people are staying home. I’ve always had a similar philosophy. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a vacation, I’d rather buy a really nice TV and make every day feel like a vacation. The same is true for games. Even if you’re not buying a new TV, there are little things that make the experience better.

For example, a headset. If you know someone who plays online games, but they’re not chatting with their friends, you can get them a fairly inexpensive headset. Just recently I found out that I could simply connect my Logitech headset to my PS3. I was impressed. In doing so, now I can now chat with my friends for free. Video chat is possible with the PS3 too. *Sniff* if only there were more people who did the same. So hey, you can save on those text messaging fees and long distance phone calls. Plus, you can add a new… experience… to your online games. I emphasis that word because you might run into some wacky characters online – like me! Regardless, it’s nice to have the option and it’s not that expensive to do so.

Conclusion – Money may be tight these days, but we still live in amazing times! Even while economizing, gamers can still have fun.

Regardless if you’re in New York City or Paragon City, the world needs love. If you’re into a more romantic side of online gaming, and you have an active City of Heroes account, you may have a chance view the live ceremony. It will take place in the Training Room, the test server. The event starts at 3:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM EST and it is scheduled to repeat for three hours. Attending the event is largely based on luck, as you’ll have to be in the correct zone. The official instructions are to look for ushers in Atlas Park and Mercy Island™ (there is one usher in each zone).

Also coinciding with the holiday, the week long “Spring Fling” event starts on February 14 at 8:59am PST / 11:59 AM EST. Villans and Heroes alike can complete Valentine’s Day inspired missions. Other MMORPGs have holiday events, but now City of Heroes sports an unusual enhancement…

For $9.99 plus applicable sales tax, players of City of Heroes can expand their selection of attire and express themselves with wedding related expressions. Through the Wedding Pack, romantic gamers can don a tuxedo or a wedding dress. They can also use four new emotes: Propose, Throw Confetti, Throw Rose Petals and Throw Rice. The Wedding Pack is available through the NCsoft Online Store.

As a true journalist, I have to admit my bias. I’m not a big FPS guy. It’s hard for me to get excited about another military shooter. Call of Duty 4 is far from original. I think the number “four” in the title might have been the first clue. Plus, the Battlefield series was pretty impressive to me. One could easily pigeonhole CoD4 as a Counterstrike clone, with flashier graphics. It’s not the concept behind CoD4 that makes the game unique. It’s the feeling. This game grabs you and it shows you a deeper side to gaming.

Normally, I’ll play games like Halo. I’ll run around with a rocket launcher, painting the map with human blood. The violence was comical, unrealistic. That’s not the case with Modern Combat. The experience was a bit too real. I actually stopped and thought of the horrors that must be going on in reality. CoD4 was so good, I felt bad for playing it. To me, this is just a game. While on the other side of the world, US & British forces are fighting terrorists and insurgents for real. I could take my headset off and turn off my computer at any time. Real soldiers don’t have that luxury.

Yet, when I finally stopped playing CoD4, it did take a toll on me. I would close my eyes, but I could still see the crosshairs. When you hear bullets whizzing past your head – in stereo sound – it’s a creepy feeling. The audio effects in CoD4 are pretty amazing. I could feel the explosions. The noise recreated the chaos of war. It was as close as I wanted to get to the real thing.

Multiplayer is typical to other FPS games, but CoD4 adds character development. You can unlock rewards as you gain experience points. This gives you access to other weapons and options. You can even create your own class, if you enjoy running around with a sniper rifle and a rocket launcher. The weapons are based on modern hardware, right down to night-vision goggles and an array of sidearms. There are also challenges to complete, such as killing players in a certain way or completing a specific action. Yet, I question a game that rewards you for jumping to your death.

Single player is pretty good too. The story is dark and depressing, kinda like the evening news. If you’re into a gritty and gory graphics, you’ll enjoy the cinematics and gameplay of solo missions. While the AI is no slouch, single player is much easier than going against human opponents.

The Bottom Line – Call of Duty 4 is an amazing game. While I had to resolve technical issues to make the game playable, I was impressed with the quality of the game. The graphics and sound effects are realistic… too realistic. I play games to take a break from the troubles of real life. CoD4 reminds you that we live in turbulent times.

Photics Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

I think the trick is to avoid the obvious items. The hot games this year are Halo 3 for XBOX and Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii. Unless you’re sure your gamer gift will avoid duplication, you might want to try something a little more unique. You have to understand the gamer lifestyle. Sure, Super Mario Galaxy is a great game. Yet, America’s favorite plumber needs something extra to run on the Wii…

Gift Idea #1 – Power!

The Wiimote eats batteries. Picture Christmas day. A starry-eyed child tears away the wrapping paper, to reveal a coveted copy of Super Mario Galaxy. With a mad dash, the child slides the shiny disk into the Wii. With excitement, tiny fingers push on the Wiimote power button – BUT NOTHING HAPPENS! Christmas is ruined because you forgot about dead batteries.

“You’re the worst parent ever!”

Not so, this year you did your research. You realized that the Wiimote requires batteries. Yet, batteries are not a grand gift. You’ll want to present something a little more flashy. Look into Wiimote recharging accessory. If you know a Wii gamer without one, it’s an excellent gift idea. There are many on the market. It’s important to know that Nintendo recommends against lithium ion, nickel cadmium (nicad), or carbon zinc batteries. That’s why it’s important to look for something Wii specific. There are many to choose from. Nyko’s Wii Charge Station is fairly common, but I’ve read some disturbing things about it online. That’s why I’ve chosen the lesser known Wii Power Station by Joytech, available through the GameShark store. Which is best? That choice is up to you.

Gift Idea #2 – Video Game Switch

There are three major players in the this round of the console wars – Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony. They’re all fighting to be hooked up to your TV. The problem is that hardcore gamers don’t like to choose. Often, they’ll buy more than one or all of the systems. If you know someone like that, and is often found fumbling with wires behind the entertainment unit, a Video Game Switch is a pleasant idea for that gamer. Instead of unplugging cables when you want to play Wii Sports, instead of Geometry Wars, simply turn the dial or press a button. It makes life easier. Just pop into your local gaming store to pick one up. Explain to the sales help which systems you have and they should be able to help you out.

Gift Idea #3 – Game Card

There’s also the lazy way out. If your gamer doesn’t have a credit card, or if you simply don’t know what to buy, it’s hard to go wrong with a Game Card. It’s somewhat less personal, but it’s usually useful and appreciated. Nintendo has Wii Points for their online store and Microsoft has Marketplace points for their online store. It’s great for retro gaming, like The Legend of Zelda for the Wii or Pacman for the XBOX 360. Targeting a Game Card for a specific system is a bit more festive than just a regular Gift Card. It says, “I know you and you’ll like this!”

Gift Idea #4 – Memory

Storing saved game files takes up space. Understanding the formats for each system helps you to choose which gift to give. It might be a bigger hard drive for the XBOX 360 or a Memory Card for the Wii. The trick with this gift is to see if your gamer needs it. For some features of the XBOX 360 to truly function, a hard drive is required. Understanding this need could make you popular around Christmas time.

Knowing which games to buy is always great, but each person has different tastes. That’s the theme behind these four gift ideas – ACCESSORIES! Regardless if your gamer is into shooters or sports games, there are common things that all gamers need. That’s what I like to do around Christmas time. I look for gifts that are fun, but also useful.

Happy holidays from Photics.com!

“How much would you pay for such an entertaining experience? Exteel is not $49.99. It’s not $29.99. It’s not even $19.99. Through the beauty of Internet distribution and alternative pricing models, Exteel is yours – FREE!”

Exteel reminds me of one of those infomercials. Here’s this seemingly amazing product – at an amazing price – so where’s the catch? Has NCsoft gone mad? Why would they give away Exteel for free? With the availability of open beta, I decided to check things out.

The copyright date was the first thing that caught my eyes. It’s 2005. If you’re looking for a game to test your new GeForce 8800 GT Graphics Processor, this is not it. Exteel looks good, but it’s not cutting edge. Even at maximum settings, the visual quality feels about 3-4 years old. That’s actually good news for players with older hardware. The minimum system requirements are fairly low: Windows 2000/XP, AMD Athlon 800 MHz or Intel Pentium® III 800 MHz, 256 MB RAM, 1 GB available HDD space, GeForce Series 4 video card, 16-bit sound card, Broadband Internet connection, Keyboard and mouse.

A good game doesn’t need to have an insane polygon count to impress me. It just has to be fun. I was somewhat disappointed by the graphics, but that was overshadowed by the simplistic interface and easy to use controls. Movement is based on the standard WASD / Mouse controls. With hardly any orientation at all, you can jump right in and start shooting things to pieces.

I mean sure, my computer is starting to get old. It’s been about three years since I pulled the demo unit off the shelves of Best Buy. I threw in a nice nVidia 6800 Graphics Processor and that was all I needed. Two years later, I added some RAM and I still had an effective gaming machine. I never really looked at gaming boxes for specs. When CoD4 started crashing, I reviewed the minimum system requirements. Not surprisingly, my computer seemed to qualify. My machine has been pretty good at running the latest games.

Not this time!

After sitting through a boring installation process, the game failed almost immediately. When I load the game for the first time, it will crash. I’ll load the game again, but this time in safe mode. It will make it through the videos, and then it will crash. After three installs, reducing my monitor to 800×600 and quitting nonessential applications, the results are the same – CRASH!

Wooooo… isn’t this fun!

When I visited the Infinity Ward forum, only to see that other players were experiencing the same problems, I began to lose faith in PC gaming. Now I know why retail stores have pushed PC games to a forgotten corner of the store. Who wants to click through End User License Agreements, DirectX updates and software installations, only to be welcomed by a Microsoft Error Reporting window. After sending about three dozen crash reports, I decided that this wasn’t fun at all.

Before buying Call of Duty 4, I had to wonder why the XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of CoD4 were $10 more. Now, I find myself dreaming of the simplicity of consoles. Just drop in the disk and play. I mean sure, I still prefer a mouse to an an analogue thumb stick, but I can’t even play the PC version at all.

Maybe Activision / Infinity Ward will get around to releasing a Patch. Until then, CoD4 is a most challenging game indeed – GETTING IT TO WORK!

I mean come on, I even have some gray hairs on my head. What is this about? When did the industry change? No one bothered me when I bought Mortal Kombat. If anything, I got more hassled when I wanted to return it for Mario Paint. I suppose it took a while, but the industry has matured. I did some research and I found this interesting paragraph, in a New York State Senate Press Release…

Rating System Labeling Requirement — under current State law, there is no requirement that retailers place labels on video games sold in New York. To address this shortcoming, would establish a new requirement that every video game sold in New York by a retailer or over the Internet, whether new or for resale, must have a clearly displayed rating indication on the game cover or elsewhere (such as on a website). Individuals who violate these provisions will face fines and penalties.

It looks like the new requirement is in effect.

With photo realistic violence, a ratings system is important. It adds a sense of legitimacy and responsibility to the video game industry. Yet, I do not believe that video games or movies are as harmful as cigarettes or alcohol. If I drank or smoked as much as I played video games, I’d be a mess. Do video games truly deserve to be in the same league? Is there truly a link between violence and violent video games?

Eh, it’s not for me to judge the rating system or the enforcement of that system. I’m not here to get political. I’m just stating my surprise. As I purchased my game, I watched the computer screen display an ominous alert. Before the sale could be complete, I had to break out my driver’s license. Can video games really be that harmful to minors? Are they harmful to me?!

What do you think?!

I’ve been looking for a good MMORPG to play. I don’t know why. I’ve been so much more productive since I stopped playing World of Warcraft. Yet, I enjoy being part of an online community. It’s fun. With Guild Wars 2 roughly a year away from beta, and with yet another delay of Warhammer Online, there’s not much going on in the MMORPG scene. A lot these games turn out to be flops. I’m getting that feeling again with Tabula Rasa. It looks interesting, but will I play it more than a month?

I’m thinking probably not!

What do you think? Should I take the plunge anyway? The game looks different and possibly entertaining. Yet, I hate monthly fees. Maybe I should just pick up Orange Box instead? Maybe I should start a new hobby. Knitting could be less expensive. Maybe I should try that?! The comment section is open for discussion.

What? How did that happen?

I got caught up in the hype. It wasn’t so much the game, but the hardware that really impressed me. Halo was a great game to show off the power of the XBOX. I’d run around, shoot some aliens, drive the tank, and then I’d go back to my PC games. At first I thought I had grown out of first-person shooter games, but now I can see through the hype.

Halo gives me a headache!

One of the reasons why I played Halo for such a short time was because the game would make me feel sick. After an hour or two, I simply couldn’t play the game anymore. The repetitive level design made me feel like a mouse in a skinner box. Instead of searching for cheese, I’d be looking for ammo or the elusive path to the next level. It’s a shooter… why were they so cheap with the ammo?!

But it’s better on the PC right?

Somehow I got caught up with the nostalgia. I keep trying to relive that multiplayer experience I found on the Macintosh – eight years ago! (Not everyone gets a chance to turn a desktop publishing lab into a death-match arena.) I figured since my computer is five times more expensive than my XBOX, it should play better on the PC… right?! I plunked down $50 to find out. It was something of an impulse buy.

Considering two years passed, I expected better.

My computer specs are easily double the required specs. Unfortunately, the quality was not really better than the XBOX. It looked just about the same. The higher resolution settings didn’t make a stunning improvement.. and I still got that dizzy feeling.

My Specs: CPU-1500 MHz P4 RAM-512 MB, Video-GeForce 4 T1 4200 64 DDR
Required Specs: CPU-733 MHz, RAM-128 MB RAM, Video-32MB/3D T&L

Halo is basically a port. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. If you do not own the XBOX, but you have an interest in Halo, the PC version is an excellent opportunity for you. For those of you that have played Halo to death on the XBOX, you’ll seriously have to consider if this game is worth the money for you… especially considering one major flaw…

Where’s the cooperative mode?

Great Game… if you can get it!

I consider myself quite the avid gamer. That is why I’m embarrassed to say Knights of the Old Republic caught me by surprise. I didn’t pre-order. I didn’t even think the game was going to be that good. But after my tremendous disappointment with Star Wars Galaxies, I was willing to give Knight of the Old Republic a shot. BUT I COULDN’T FIND IT! I went to four video game stores. They were all sold out. That’s never happened to me before. I thought this was odd, as Star Wars Galaxies was sitting right there on the shelf. Now it was personal. Now I had to find the game. At this point, I didn’t care if it was good. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

What is this game all about anyway?

The easiest way to describe Knights of the Old Republic is to think about Neverwinter Nights – BioWare’s video game translation of the old Dungeons & Dragons game. Do you remember when people used paper, pens and multi-sided dice to play a fantasy game? Well, that’s what this Star Wars game is based on. The gameplay is identical to Neverwinter Nights. You create your character by determining various attributes. You have physical stats such as Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence and Charisma. This will determine how your character performs in any given encounter. Role-Playing hinges on you to forming an attachment to your character. Knights of the Old Republic character creation is done in the traditional style. Nothing revolutionary, but you don’t need to fix what isn’t broken.

There’s more than one way around a problem…

Another big part of your character is determining your style. There are three basic types… the Scoundrel, the Soldier or the Scout. Say there’s a guard in your way. The scoundrel would sneak by, or bribe, the guard. The Soldier would attack the guard. The Scout would simply find another way around. Solving problems in your own unique way is what makes this game great. Many problems have more than one solution. You’ll find that out when a giant Rancor is blocking your path.

Good Vs. Evil…

Another unique part of gameplay is the EXTREME emphasis on Good Vs. Evil. It’s not just about solving problems. How you resolve an encounter can alter your alignment. That guard in your path, let’s say he’s just doing his job. Maybe he’s even a nice guy. He politely asks you to clear the area. If you decide to kill him anyway, you will get a point toward evil. Knights of the Old republic lets you choose how you want to play. You can be a hero or a villain. It really is up to you.

Turn-Based Combat…

This is one of the few things that disappoints me about Knight of the Old Republic. I think skill and strategy should matter in video games. Unfortunately, it’s just strategy here. You click a button, and your character makes an attack. Controlling a party of three characters does add some variety, but generally it’s just hit the “A” button and then loot the corpse. If you try to invoke the least bit of combat-skill, you will see the game’s lack of AI. That Rancor in my path… well… I won’t ruin the story for you… but let’s just say I easily killed him by using an old videogame trick.