Online Gaming

What to look forward to in 2009 - 2010

PSP GO

A new version of the PSP, the PSP GO, will be released in the fall of 2009. The PSP GO will feature a slide out control panel and built in wifi enabling you to download games, movies and music. This new version of the PSP will also be more compact and weigh 40% less all for about $249.99.

Playstation 3

Sony is developing their own version of a motion controller. This new controller looks similar to and will operate like the Nintendo Wii's controller but, Sonys' motion controller is supposed to be more sensitive than the Wiis' allowing for smoother performance.

Xbox 360

Microsoft is also developing a motion controller dubbed "Project Natal". In their version you don't hold the controller, you are the controller. A web cam that faces you will project your silouette onto the screen and your actual body movement will control game play and navigate through menus.

Multiplatform

Tony Hawk is working on a motion controlled skateboard for his future titles. It will be a skateboard deck without wheels that you stand on and the moves that you do on the board will be projected into the game.

Upcoming Games

Fight Night Round 4 - This boxing game will feature over 40 fighters to choose from and better graphics than its predacessors. It will also offer more realistic game play. Sorry! No more 3 second KO's.                    Platform - PS3/Xbox 360

DJ Hero - This game plays like Guitar Hero except you have a turn table and a mixer. Platform - PS3/Xbox 360/Wii

Super Mario Brothers - Plays a lot like Super Mario World. The biggest difference is the four players can play at the same time. Platform - Wii

Bioshock2 - This time you are Big Daddy! Platform - PS3/Xbox 360

Beatles Rock Band - This version features Beatles songs and new instruments, a classic guitar and a stand up bass.                              Platform - PS3/Xbox 360/Wii

Assassins Creed 2 - This time the story is set in the early 1500's Venice. Who knows, you may run into Leonardo DaVinci. Platform - PS3/Xbox 360

Dantes' Inferno - Battle through the different levels of hell as described in the classic book by Dante. Platform - PS3/Xbox 360

Brutal Legend - Build a Hevay Metal army to defeat your enemies. Features the voices of Jack Black and Heavy Metal legends Rob Halford, Lita Ford, Lemmy and Ozzy. Platform - PS3/Xbox 360

Guitar Hero 5 - Guitar Hero 5 brings you 85 new songs.                     Platform - PS3/Xbox 360/Wii

MAG - MAG stands for massive action game and that's exactly what it is. This is an online game that supports 256 players on one map. Platform - PS3

Saboteur - Sneak around Paris during World War 2 fighting Nazis.     Platform - PS3/Xbox 360

Star Wars : The Old Republic - Choose to fight for the Empire or the Republic then choose which class of fighter you want to fight as. This game is meant to be played over and over giving you a different game play experience each time. Platform - PS3/Xbox 360

Wet - Play as Rubi (voiced by Elisha Dushku), a female assassin armed with a sword and pistol. It kinda looks like a Quinten Tarentino movie.      Platform - PS3/Xbox 360

Alan Wake - In this shooter you play a best selling author whose latest book seems to come true. Platform - Xbox 360

Halo 3 ODST - The story starts a few weeks before Halo 3 starts. Here you play as a new Orbital Drop Shock Trooper that gets seperated from his unit. Platform - Xbox 360

When this game first came out I thought it was so stupid! I mean mixing together a fake guitar, a drum pad and karaoke, please! But at a party one night, after teasing my friends for a while, they talked me into giving it a try. I am almost ashamed to say, I liked it...alot. Even though scores are given for the performance of each instrument, nobody seems to care. This takes the element of competition out of the equation and makes for a more relaxed environment. This combined with great music (both old and new) makes for a great time for everyone. So go on and pick up that fake guitar. that fake bass, the microphone or the drum pads and make a fool of yourself. Rock Band 2 will have you and your friends laughing with and at each other all night long. Rating - 7.5 (when playing alone), 9 (when playing with friends), and 10 (when going all out, booze flowing, partying like a rock star)

Are you into fighting games? UFC Undisputed 2009 is full of fast paced action, hard hits and brutal submissions. There are so many combos to choose from depending on your position (toe to toe, during take downs, down on the mat and trying different submissions) that makes this game kind of overwhelming at first but, after while and with a little practice, you will start to master the moves necessary to hold your own against the computer or against a friend. The graphics are truly amazing. The fighters in the game look just like their real counterparts. Rating - 8.5

If I had to describe Rainbow Six Vegas 1 & 2 in one word it would be sick! This is not your ordinary shooter. In this game you are in control of a special ops unit that travels around the globe to rid the world of terrorists. Not only do you control your main character, you also have another team member to control. This allows you to clear out rooms from multiple entrances at one time. At the beginning of each mission you can choose your weapons from a huge array of U.S. weapons from your armory. Selections include assault rifles, shot guns, sniper rifles, different types of grenades, ect. This lets you choose the best weapons for the task at hand. If you happen to choose the wrong weapons at the start of your mission, you can rearm yourself at weapons cashes left for you inside the different levels, or by picking up weapons left by your fallen enemies. For hardcore players there is a realistic difficulty setting that allows for one shot kills. This setting is not for the faint of heart. Since Rainbow Six Vegas 1 & 2 are so similar and are a continuation of the same game, I have included both games into this review. Rainbow Six Vegas 1 & 2 are a must have! Rating - 9.5

Tom Clancy seems to have his hand in just about everything nowadays. Not only is he one of the most successful authors of this century (and the last), he is part owner of the Baltimore Orioles, the greatest Major League Baseball franchise around (yeah I said it!), and, he has his name on multiple video game series (most of them based on his books) including the Splinter Cell series. In this series, you play as Sam Fisher, a U.S. operative of an ultra secret government agency. In this shooter, you complete your missions using small arms, close quarter combat, lock picking skills, your stealth abilities and a great assortment of spy gadgets. So far, every game in this series has been awesome! The latest Splinter Cell: Conviction, due out in 2009, does not look like it will disappoint. Rating - 9

If you are a golfer you will definitely appreciate Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2009 but, you don't have to be a golfer to like this game. Imagine being able to play at some of the best golf courses in the world. Pebble Beach, Beth Page Black and Torry Pines to name a few. Even better, you don't have to pay to play there or actually walk the course for that matter. Other than that, the game is as realistic as you can get without picking up a set of golf clubs. You need to take everything into account when taking each shot from height and distance to the hole, the contours of the course, wind speed and direction and the length of the grass (or how deep the sand) your ball is in. All of this makes Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2009 very much a thinking persons game and not just a grip it and rip it type game. If you like golf you will love this game. If you don't like golf, give it a try anyway, you might just be surprised.   Rating - 8.5

For over two decades, Madden NFL Football has been the top football game on the market. Madden NFL 2009 is no different. Year after year you can count on graphics and game play to improve, which they have. These factors alone make buying this game every year worth while. Not to mention its online capability, which makes almost all games better. Madden NFL 2009 all the more since online doesn't only mean being able to play against other online gamers, but it allows you to update the games team rosters to reflect moves made on NFL rosters during the season due to injuries, trades, ect. The only bad thing with this feature is that it takes quite a while for the changes to show up on the online roster after a transaction has been made.   Rating - 8.5

 Are you looking to buy a video game console? With so many to choose from, how do you know which one is right for you? I hope you can use the following to decide exactly that.

   Let us start off with the usual suspects. We have the Playstation 3, the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, the PSP 2000, and the Nintendo DS. The fisrt decision you need to make is weather you want a home system or a mobile system. While the Playstation 3, the Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii are more powerful systems with better graphics and a larger selection of games, they are tethered to your television set. The most popular mobile systems are the Sony PSP 2000 and the Nintendo DS.

   If you think that a mobile system is for you, choosing bewteen these two systems should be pretty easy since the types of games each one plays are totally different. If you want to play arcade type games such as the Madden series football games or shooter type games like Tom Clancys Rainbow Six series, you will definetly want to go with the PSP. The PSP is a hand held unit that contains the viewing screen and game controls all at the tip of your fingers. A bonus feature of the PSP is that it will also play movies in the form of mini DVD's that you can buy separately.

   Since the late 80's and early 90's, Nintendo has been one of the heavy hitters in the home video game industry. With the emergence of Sonys Playstation and Microsofts Xbox cutting into their profits, Nintendo thought it would be best to try a different approach. To be different from the other video game consoles Nintendo has made their new systems more interactive by using touch screens and motion controllers. This brings us to the Nintendo DS. The Nintendo DS is a hand held unit that flips open and allows you to use a stylus (a pen without ink) to control game play. Most of the games available for the Nintendo DS tend to be puzzle and educational type games. The Nintendo DS is a great system if you are not a hardcore gamer and are just looking to have some good clean fun.

   Nintendos' home video game system, the Nintendo Wii, is totally different from its main competitors, the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, mainly because of the way you control game play. The Nintendo Wii uses a two piece hand held wireless controller and a foot board (sold seperatly) that actually lets you use your body motions to control game play, rather than using a conventional hand held controller. This works very well with games developed specificly for the Nintendo Wii but, it can be a little difficult to use with some of the arcade type games that were developed for all three of the main home systems. One exception to this is "Starwars: The Force Unleashed". In this game your main weapon is a light saber which you control with your hand held controller exactly as if you were holding a light saber in your hand. To those around you watching, you will look goofy waving around an imaginary light saber but, it is a lot of fun and if you play long enough, it will give your arm a good workout. The trade off for the unique game play experience provided by these controllers is that the Wii does not posses the computing capacity that the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 have. You will find that the Wii's graphics look more "cartoonish" than other systems. For most people it is an easy decision weather you prefer graphics or the controls. Just go to the store, play the demo, and decide for yourself.

   We are now down to the biggest and baddest kids on the block, Sonys' Playstation 3 and Microsofts' Xbox 360. The Playstation 3 has been designed to be much more than a home video game console. It is also meant to be a home theater system. A built in wireless modem allows you to link up with other PS3 systems via the internet to play most of your games with or against gamers from around the world. This internet connection also allows you to purchase and download movies and games that you can save to the PS3's hard drive to be played or viewed at your convenience. One feature found only in the PS3 is its ability to play Blu Ray disks. They cost a bit more than regular DVD's but they are great for those who prefer watching their movies in HD.

   Microsofts' Xbox 360 does almost everything that the PS3 does. It will connect to the internet however, it does not have a built in wireless modem. You can use the provided data cable or buy a wireless link to do so. Once hooked up it does the same functions as the PS3. The only other difference between the PS3 and the Xbox 360 is that the Xbox 360 only plays regular DVD's and has no Blu Ray capability.

   Choosing between the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 pretty much comes down to your personal preference. They both play the same games for the most part but, each system has their own exclusive games. One of the big PS3 exclusive games is the Resistance series and one of the Xbox 360's exclusive games is the renowned Gears of War series. It is small differences like these that separate the two. I would suggest that you find out which exclusive games you prefer and go with that system. If you still can't decide, there's no rule that you can't own them all!