Just under a week ago we featured a Compulsive Gamers Not Addicts article, and today a related topic of dicussion is Video Games Versus Real Life.
Since the dawn of time, there have been conflicts. Men Vs Women, Right Vs Wrong, the list goes on. But have we really gotten to the bottom of any of these? Well now, it’s time to solve a conflict so steeped in history that some of you just might not be old enough to remember when it began.
We all know the stereotypes that come into play here. There’s the typical ‘nerd’, complete with sweaty palms and dorky glasses. The other being the ‘jock’. The sports loving, woman seducing bully. Obviously, recent times have changed this situation.
More and more ‘regular’ people are playing games, and the nerd stereotype is becoming less of a crux of gaming. But whenever you picture the Real L... More »
She's back. Today Eidos Interactive announced the first Tomb Raider game designed from the ground up for next generation gaming consoles has shipped to stores for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and DS.
In Tomb Raider: Underworld, Lara travels around the world to explore and solve puzzles on a scale grander than any the series has presented before.
In addition, Eidos has confirmed purchasers of the Xbox 360 version will receive an exclusive treat this holiday season.
Available sometime next month only on Xbox 360 will be the first of two new chapters, Tomb Raider: Underworld – Beneath the Ashes. This chapter takes place after the Underworld story has finished and features a new environment to explore and additional secrets to unlock.
The second chapter, Tomb Raider: Underworld – Lara's Shadow, will follow in early 2009 and introduce a new currently unknown playable character.
Tomb Raider: Underworld on Xbox 360 ... More »
Update #2: From reading comments, I see that some folks are still having issues. The Operations center is investigating.
Update: I’ve learned that these issues have been resolved. Thanks for your patience.
Microsoft's Major Nelson reports: In the past few hours, the XBox Operations Center noticed that large number of members were disconnected from XBox LIVE, some more than once.
Our Engineering teams are actively working to determine the root cause of this issue and to prevent it from happening again.
If you are disconneced, you should be able to reconnect after a few minutes. Thanks for your patience as we work quickly to solve the issue.
All things considered, The Conduit shouldn't really be getting the attention it deserves. After all, it's being developed by High Voltage Software, a studio that's not exactly well known for the quality of its games.
Its back catalogue features such gems as Ben 10, The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy and the Family Guy videogame. Add to this the fact that the game didn't even have a publisher until the middle of September and it's hard to figure out why the game's so eagerly anticipated.
Of course, the reason it is getting attention is because it looks great for a Wii game. We know those last four words are really patronising, but let's face facts, we know the Wii doesn't have the graphical oomph to compete with other HD systems. However, this has meant that many developers simply don't bother trying to make the most of the Wii's power and simply churn out games that look half-decent instead. That's where The Conduit differs.
Smart Bomb
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DreamStream to employ military-grade encryption to secure Royal Digital Media's new optical media format, which exceeds Blu-ray's HD capabilities.
Press Release: Los Angeles (PRWEB) - DreamStream has signed on to encrypt Royal Digital Media's new optical media format. The agreement will allow RDM to employ DreamStream's military-strength encryption in the copyright protection of their high-definition discs.
The deal marks the first time a military-grade encryption has been implemented in the copyright protection of commercial motion picture discs.
"DreamStream and RDM's technologies align perfectly, as they both rest exponentially beyond the standards currently being employed," said DreamStream's Chief Development Officer Ulf Diebel, in a statement issued at the signing in Paris.
DreamStream is the first company to implement a 2,048-bit encryption in consumer media. AES encryption, used in Sony's Blu-ray discs, relies on only a 128... More »
Many users live with boot problems or re-install Windows and start again, but there is a better way. If you learn what happens during the boot process then you'll be able to diagnose and fix any issues that might arise.
The BIOS
The boot starts with your PC's BIOS, which grabs its settings from CMOS RAM before initialising your video adaptor and any expansion cards. A Power On Self Test does basic hardware checks, tests your RAM if required and usually delivers a single beep to indicate that everything is working.
If there's a problem at this point then the BIOS will display an error message or issue a number of beeps; check your motherboard manual to figure out what they might mean. If it's accessible, launch your BIOS setup program to confirm that no settings have been changed. If they have, this could mean that your motherboard's CMOS battery has failed, in which case you'll need a replacement.
If you've installed an exp... More »
Per Grace Chen (Senior Manager, PlayStation Store) today:
Hey, everyone. It’s time again for the PlayStation Store weekly update.
Downloadable Games
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One ($14.99)
The first installment in the RPG-adventure game series based on the web comic Penny Arcade. Create your character in the classic comic style, and join Gabe and Tycho in the alternate 1920s universe of New Arcadia, where you’ll combat savage enemies, solve mysteries, meet bizarre new characters, and discover their distinctive adult humor for a 100% authentic Penny Arcade experience!
ESRB Rated M
File size: 215 MB
Prince of Persia Classic ($9.99)
The original action adventure game comes to the PlayStation Network! Rescue the Princess from the clutches of the evil Jaffar in a redux of the original 1989 action-adventure that redefined the platform genre. All set for the HD... More »
The red rings of death issue simply refuses to go away for Microsoft, and no matter how much it reduces the cost and extends the warranty one simple question remains: will the Xbox 360 ever be fit for purpose?
I guess that the headline should have read 'Will my Xbox 360 survive past Christmas?' given that I intend to use my own experience of Xbox 360 ownership to highlight that, no matter how hard Microsoft tries to convince the public differently, it just cannot seem to fix the hardware problems users of the Xbox 360 face.
Are you sitting comfortably? Great, then I will begin. My story starts almost exactly a year ago in October 2007, with a badgered father giving in to the requests of his son to buy an Xbox 360.
After doing some research, the newly released Xbox 360 Elite seemed to be the perfect choice as it was meant to have fixed the dreaded red rings of death problem. It was also black, and I like black gadgets when it comes to audio-visua... More »
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