Tuesday, December 22, 2009

The Game Room: Big Download's Top Games of the Decade


Big Download have posted a gallery showing off their picks for top games of the decade.

You can find the post here.

Check in after the break to see my comments on some of my favourites in the list.

#22 Counter Strike: Source

Counter Strike is one of the most definitive multi-player games of the decade.
Since its release, you have not been able to walk into an internet cafe without witnessing a counter strike deathmatch underway.
This game made visiting an internet cafe a mainstream thing, and as such must be recognised for its massive contribution to the gaming world.

#15 Fallout 3

Bethesda Softworks really hit home with this title. Combining the immersive first person action that they had perfected in their elder scrolls series, and the rough sci-fi environment of a post apocalyptic world.
I have yet to finish this game (Slack I know) but I have immensely enjoyed my time playing it, particularly the karma system, where every action has later consequences.
If you have not yet played this game, put it high up on your list of games to get.

#12 Battlefield 2
What can I say, nothing is more satisfying than jumping into a helicopter armed to the teeth and raining down hell upon a war-torn landscape.
The Battlefield franchise took massively multi-player combat to a whole new level, with huge fields of battle and many useful vehicles to cut through the opposition.
This game brought tactics to a whole new level, you were having to constantly think on the fly, do I attack head-on with a tank, do I find a good position to pick out targets with my sniper rifle.
And with the inclusion of commander mode in battlefield 2, artillery and supply drops were added to the mix.
This game is destined to be one of those timeless games that you pull out in 20 years time and have a deathmatch with some friends for nostalgias sake.

#6 Warcraft III
Blizzard Entertainment has become the behemoth of game development during this decade. A shining example of that is their RTS game Warcraft 3 released in 2002.
This game provided thrilling gameplay mixed in with an interesting and very involved story.
This game also took multi-player to new level, while standard deathmatch were fun, Blizzard smartest move was to allow the community to make custom maps, this lead to the development of many different maps that fostered different gameplay styles. The biggest of these was Defense of the Ancients (DOTA), this game took a more RPG approach to gameplay where each person would control one Hero and work on getting him improved via leveling up and acquiring items. This map developed an almost cult-like following and is still played widely today.

#5 Diablo II
Diablo 2 revolutionised the RPG genre, no longer did you have to spend hours meticulously selecting stat after stat. In this game you could jump right into the action. Combined with fast paced action and great multi-payer capability Diablo 2 is one of Blizzard's best creations.
I am eagerly awaiting the release of the upcoming Diablo 3.

#1 World of Warcraft
11 Million people can't be wrong. World of Warcraft is the largest MMO of all time, Blizzard re-invented the MMO industry by making their game more casual friendly and not involving long grinds.
The rich lore in the game also pulls in a lot of people, built up from the Warcraft storyline shown via their earlier RTS games. This game allows people to face down the great villains of Warcraft past, with the Lich King, comprised of Arthas and Ner'zhul, being the up and coming victim of our heroic wrath.
I have been playing this game since 2005 and I have seen the leaps and bounds that Blizzard have made as far as development goes. I can honestly say that I will be one of the first to play Blizzard's mysterious "Next-gen" MMO, whatever that may be.


And there you have it, World of Warcraft takes out the Number 1 spot of the decade, if not all time.
The next decade is almost upon us, and I'm sure gaming with be even better than the last.
It is now time to look forward, to the new decade I say "Let's do this thing."
"LEEEEEEEEEEEEERRROOOOOOOOYY JENKINS."
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Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Warcraft Perspective: Blizzard Prepares to enter a new age.

This is a public service announcement for all those who find themselves doing battle in the lands of Azeroth.

Whether your chant is "For the Horde!" or you prefer to grab a sword and fight the horde, this affects you.


From November 11th 2009 all WoW accounts will need to be tied to a battle.net account.
To compensate for the "hassle" everybody will receive an Oswald the Penguin ingame pet for changing over.

And don't worry if you have already made the switch, the penguin will be coming your way too.

Remember everyone, this move heralds a new age for blizzard games, including cross-realm and even cross-game chat with your closest of friends.

I personally can't wait until the capability of this system is realised with the release of Starcraft 2 in 2010.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tech Talk: Nokia N900 Unboxed.

Lucky developers and bloggers have just been presented with a Nokia N900 for them to preview.

This phone boasts WiFi b/g, a 5 MP Auto focus Carl Zeiss camera, 3.5 inch touchscreen, slide out QWERTY keyboard, and a quaint little stand for when you want to stand it up like a photo frame.

Personally this phone is number 1 on my radar, I only wish I could afford the US$649 to preorder.

To see all the goodies it comes with via pictures and a video, head over to Slashgear and check out their unboxing article.
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Monday, October 12, 2009

Massively Madness: Two Games, One Universe, One War.

CCP games, of EVE Online Fame, are breaking new ground with their upcoming console game DUST 514.

Set in the EVE universe, DUST 514 is a MMOFPS like no other.
This game is integrated into the EVE Online universe, with one community across both games.
This naturally raises many questions about how the inter-game interactions will work. These are as of yet unanswered.

But if this has peaked your interest, be sure to check out the embedded release trailer, shown at GDC Europe.


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Thursday, September 17, 2009

The Game Room: Don't Talk, WATCH!


O.. M... G...

This is officially the very next game I am buying.

Rocktober 16th, I will be playing this!
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Warcraft Perspective: Abyssal Maw


For the first time since Blizzcon we are getting a snippet of information about the upcoming World of Warcraft Expansion: Cataclysm.

Over on the Cataclysm site, Blizzard have revealed details about the zone known as the Abyssal Maw.

To make a long story short, this zone is the water elemental domain of the Elemental Plane.
And why are we there? Well apparently the ruler of this domain, Neptulon, is in possession of a powerful weapon that allows the wielder to control the very seas. And naturally we want it.

So if you want to learn more about the Abyssal Maw, head over to the Cataclysm site and check it out.
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Saturday, September 12, 2009

The Game Room: Lucidity Officially Revealed.



The above video showcases a new game by LucasArts, Lucidity.
In this strange little game you find yourself following a little girl named Sophie.
You are tasked with keeping her safe during her adventure.

The gameplay as you can see is similar to Lemmings to a certain degree.

While this is certainly not a grand LucasArts epic such as Monkey Island or Star Wars, but it seems like a neat little game in it's own right and may be a good game to play on that slow rainy day.

Lucidity will be available on XBox Live Arcade later this month, and will also be available on PC with a release date currently unannounced.

[Via Joystiq]
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The Game Room: Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time gameplay video.



If there us one IP that we can rely on to deliver fun and addictive platforming fun for all ages, it is Ratchet and Clank.

Once again they have lived up to that name.
A Crack in Time looks like a great game, and the temporal nature of the storyline allows for some interesting effects no previously possible.

This game would be great to get for your child, or the child within yourself.

[Via Joystiq]
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Tech Talk: 100GB on a disc!! What is the world coming to.


Today Sharp confirmed that they have developed a laser that can burn quad-layer blu-ray discs at 8x speed.

That's 100GB of data folks, any movie that requires that kind of space is going to be ridiculous.
Maybe they will bring out trilogies such as the lord of the rings in HD all on one disc.

Only time will tell.

[Via Engadget]
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Just what is Blizzcon?

Ever find yourself wondering... just what is Blizzcon?

You know it is a convention about blizzard games, you have read the articles by sources such as the new york times, but feel they really cannot grasp the concept themselves.

This fan made documentary is well worth a watch, and even I felt like I learnt something more about Blizzcon.




[Via WoW.com]
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Friday, September 11, 2009

Lest We Forget.


We the People.
Citizens of the United States of America and Citizens of the World remember the day the earth stood still.

September 11th 2001, in a great tragedy that was mourned over the entire world.
From this day forward we knew we had been violated. We could no longer feel safe in our homes, we could no longer feel safe while we attended work or school.
On this day the American people faced their greatest challenge, and they stoop up and said enough.

Remember the people who died this day.
Remember the actions of the New York Emergency services.
Remember Americans around the world uniting against a common enemy.
Remember the great leaders of the bush administration who provided the opportunity to stand up to terrorism.
Remember the men and women of the armed forces who took the fight to the terrorists in an attempt to protect our freedoms.

On behalf of New Zealand I would like to extend a memorial to the fallen, and in particular would like to remember the only Kiwi to die that fateful day.

Rest in Peace Alan Beaven.
48 years old
Old boy of Westlake Boys High School and Auckland University.
Passenger of United Airlines Flight 93.
One of the passengers that fought the terrorists in the plane and prevented it reaching it's target and taking more lives.

Lest We Forget.
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Tech Talk: We here in NZ should take a hint from South Africa


Tired of your slow.. slow.. Internet? Did it take you 5 minutes to load this blog?

Well your solution has arrived!
Introducing the grand technology of the homing pigeon.

In a protest against the slow Internet speeds provided in South Africa by Unlimited IT, a group of users ran a 60-mile data race.
4GB of data was sent via 2 methods:
1) The standard transfer via the ADSL line.
2) A 4GB flash drive sent with a homing pigeon.

The pigeon arrived at it's destination in just over an hour and by the time the data was transferred to the PC the time was closer to 2 hours.

How was the ADSL doing after 2 hours?
Just reached 4%.

As you can see some countries out there (NZ Anybody) have some shocking Internet speeds, usually caused by a certain company using unscrupulous business practices in an attempt to maintain a monopoly.

As for me, the thought of kidnapping one of the pigeons in Albert Park has got a lot more tempting.

[Via Engadget]
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Tech Talk: PS3 Face Recognition Technology.



While we have all been hiding behind our monitors watching out for even the slightest details on up and coming smash hits such as Assassins Creed 2. Sony have been busy at work expanding the capabilities of the much loved PS3 console even further.

The face recognition software shown in the above video has a lot of potential to produce some pretty amusing games. And also could be quite insulting if it incorrectly identifies your gender.

And what demo would be complete without attaching duck bills to peoples faces.

Who knows what Sony will come up with next.

[Via Joystiq]
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Thursday, September 10, 2009

The Game Room: Assassins Creed 2 Gameplay Video


Ubisoft have released a new video showing some of the elements of gameplay in Assassins Creed 2.
Of the features I can really pick out, the use of poison to influence peoples actions is one of my favourites.
I really like the look of this game, gonna have to upgrade my pc for the occasion.

[Via Joystiq]
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Monday, September 7, 2009

The Game Room: Assassins Creed 2 Impressions.


I would like to point out a great article over on Joystiq about their impressions of the Assassins Creed 2 demo shown at PAX'09.
The above video is not of the demo, but I think it is still pretty cool.

So hurry on over and check the article out.
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Multiplayer Madness: Coruscant Revealed, Nobody Shocked.


Yes Yes, at PAX'09 it was revealed that the planet of Coruscant will feature in SWTOR.
Everyone expected it so find your way to hyperspace coordinates 0, 0, 0 and see the greatest civilisation in the galaxy.

See the video above to check out some shaky cam footage acquired by TOR fansite Darth Hater.

[Via Joystiq]
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Sunday, September 6, 2009

The Game Room: Assassins Creed 2 advertisement.


Check this awesome video out of the Lads over a Joystiq checking out a new Assassins Creed 2 ad.
I think it is a nice little bit of hype inducing fun.

[Via Joystiq]
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Saturday, September 5, 2009

Tech Talk: Update on the Word Saga

Microsoft word is once again free to be sold in the USA... for now.
The ruling of the texas judge has been put on hold pending appeal.
Any overzealous micro-fans out there can still throw down your hard earned cash in many fine retailers across the country.
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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Living the Life: An update on the epic that is my life.

So, my life. It has been crazy, it has been busy.
As of writing I am on Uni break, have 2 weeks off. It's great.
My results thus far have been pleasing, but alot of hard work is ahead of me if I want to get the same this semester.

Overall life is looking pretty good right now.
Next Wednesday I have an interview for an internship at Kiwiplan Ltd. If I get this I get full time paid employment over the summer break, and an extra $4,500 to help me in my final year of bachelors study.
Also today I was contacted by MOTAT, a part time position has opened up in the museum and they are considering me for it.

My plans still remain the same, In 2011 I will be undertaking an honours degree, and in 2012 I will be doing my masters if all goes well.

Signing off.... for now.
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The Warcraft Perspective: The Cataclysm is coming.

Bravely we fight on the continent of Northrend, we stand on Arthas' doorstep demanding retribution.
Too sure we were that our homes were safe.
While we fought the legions of undead he grew in power, and now he is unleashing his Cataclysm.
Neltharion, the earth warder has returned, woe be to you all.

Ok, I know this post is a bit late. But university life can be increadibly busy.
This new expansion coming for World of Warcraft looks revolutionary.
I personally am looking forward to playing a Worgen. Seriously, werewolves ftw!!

Also coming are Goblins for the Horde, many new class/race combinations and a personal favorite. The old world is changed forever!!

Looking forward to seeing this expansion in 2010.

More informations available here.
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Thursday, August 13, 2009

The Warcraft Perspective: Onyxia Bites Back

To celebrate the 5 year anniversary of World of Warcraft, Blizzard is updating the famous Onixia encounter in patch 3.2.2.
This update come's with the instance in 10 and 25-man versions, new loot resembling the loot of old.
And A BRAND NEW DRAKE MOUNT!!

Be sure to hit this up with 9 or 24 of your mates when the time comes.

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Tech Talk: Microsoft Word Banned!

You are not hearing things.
Judge Leonard Davis has ordered Microsoft to stop selling the well known "Microsoft Word" in the United States.

This is in response to a successful lawsuit by i4i corporation, who claim that Microsoft violated their patent.

We can expect Microsoft to appeal to the higher courts, and honestly I see Microsoft winning. But for now, Microsoft Word is illegal software.

Full story available here.
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Interesting Internets: 6 Ways to use your gaming skills in the workplace.

During my insomiatic internet browsing I happened upon a very amusing article on how to use your gaming skills in the workplace.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Pure Insomnia: This is not the greatest game in the world.


This is just a tribute!

What is better than a Jack Black movie filled with rocking metal anthems?
How about a Jack Black GAME filled with epic metal tunes.
This is going to be delivered upon our unworthy souls in the form of Brutal Legend.

In this third person action game we take control of Eddie Riggs (Jack Black), a confident and cocky hero who kick ass and takes names while providing a great deal of comedy and some killer riffs.

As the premise of the game suggests, this is a journey of epic metal.
Artists featured include Judas Priest, Megadeth and the prince of darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne.
A full track listing can be easily view on the wikipedia page.

This game looks like a entertaining romp that anyone passionate about both gaming and metal should enjoy. Keep an eye out for it on October 13th for the PS3 and XBOX 360.
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The Warcraft Perspective: World of CrowdedCraft

The World of Warcraft raiding scene will be getting a lot more crowded.

Iconic blizzard employee Ghostcrawler confirmed that upcoming raid instance Icecrown will contain 31 bosses.
To quote him on the subject of "tanking niches":
"I don't know that I would say we want tanking niches. I ultimately am agreeing with what you're saying, but once we say "tanking niches" players have visions of the DK who parks outside of Icecrown until boss 4, 17 and 31 (yes, IC is that big)."

Yes Sir, Icecrown is gonna be a grand feat. But so it should be, as this instance is the final chapter in the legacy of Wrath of the Lich King.
Will Arthas fall to our might just as Illidan did. Or will he manage to escape like Kil'jaden.

Only time will tell.
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On a PC far far away: SWTOR Smuggler Dev Blog


Have you ever wanted to be the class clown, or perhaps a gun toting brigand who doesn't care what society thinks, well here is your chance.

A smuggler dev blog was recently released over on the SWTOR site.
It reveals the smuggler to be the comedic relief, interjecting with witty and often inappropriate comments.

Also it seems the smuggler is the Republic's pet based class, with each smuggler getting a trusty sidekick just as Han Solo had the lovable Chewbacca.

Want to join the forces of the republic, but waving around a giant laser sword is not your thing.
Then consider the smuggler class, at the very least the dialog will be entertaining.
And of course, everyone wants to hit on a Jedi Knight. (It's all about the challenge.)

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Coming Up on The Hidden Depths

Ah yes, It is that time of year.
Time to equip your epic daggers and have your geek reputation hit an all time high.

It is the time that the behemoth of online gaming holds it's annual convention.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Blizzcon 2009 is almost upon us. Be sure I plan to cover this in detail.
Heck, If I ever wanted to try out blog based journalsim this is the best time to do it.

I would like to pre-credit WoW.com, as a large amount of the WoW related news from blizzcon will be sourced from there.

See you soon, for Blizzcon 2009. (I wish I could go QQ)
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Monday, August 10, 2009

Boom Boom Pow!!

Dark was the sky and chill was the wind as the land was covered in a veil of malace.
The people did cry for a hero, a noble soul to save them from their impending demise.
They turned to west and saw...

No one, because I don't give a rats ass about the Peons.

No where am I? BLOG!! What is this blog?
Bah! I guess I will try keep it updated.

My aim: Opinionated dribble on the latest in modern technology, gaming and WoW.

Not for this post though.
Me, myself and I.
I am currently alive (shocking I know)
Loving my degree. (A+, A+, A for the last semester)

Right now I am trying to get employed, have something lined up MOTAT.. hopefully I pass the interview.

For now I bid you farewell.
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Monday, March 16, 2009

Blatant Product Placement.

Click Me!! <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
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