Tomb Raider tells the re-imagined tale of Lara Croft’s origins: the truth behind how she became one of gaming’s most iconic ladies. Her first kill shows a truly realized twenty-one year old woman in a situation that will change her life; however the transition from this to taking down a handful of island inhabitants nearby is slightly too hasty. This is something quickly forgiven considering the circumstances, as it’s a dog-eat-dog world, and by the end of the game you’ll have seen the full extent of her character’s growth, with a few hiccups along the way. This really paves the way for the Lara Croft we all know.

Sadly the same can’t be said for the supporting cast, which largely fits the bill of bland stereotypes. I can’t remember any names of the supporting characters, nor did I care if they lived or died. They couldn’t have picked a better voice actress for Lara’s character, and it’s a shame this can’t be said for the others. Everyone else’s voice actor is forgettable and average, some to the extent of even plain bad. I found one journal of a Japanese war solider who’s voice was a terrible impression of a Japanese man. The main enemy was the same as the rest of the cast, forgettable and bland.

The plot also suffers from weak story telling. When I play a game like Tomb Raider or Uncharted, I don’t expect to be blown away by the plot, but when comparing Tomb Raider to Uncharted 2, the way in which the story is told though certain characters dialogue and cut-scenes simply blows Tomb Raider out of the water. It had potential to drag the player in but I was left not really caring. A few parts were intriguing, such as the Oni Warriors and the strange storm clouds that stop people leaving the island, but overall I think Tomb Raider’s plot could have been a lot better with the help of good characters and better writing.

But don’t lose hope! A significant portion of the game still shines bright. The game offers a variety of gadgets and toys, alternate firing modes, and different weapons at the player’s finger tips. The bow is a very handy weapon and quite unique to this genre, in the fact it can interact with the environment. You can use it to attach ropes from cliffs, to even pulling enemies from cliff-tops.

The game boasts some very impressive graphics, particularly as I was playing the PC version of the game on Ultra setting. Everything looked beautiful, and Tress FX, an exclusive graphical feature for the PC version, makes Lara’s hair extremely realistic. The use of shadows and lighting was very well done and the only downside to the graphics is that the water wasn’t very impressive. The gameplay offers a fair amount of puzzles, plat-forming, and even experience point challenges.

The main gripe I found with the puzzles was that the majority of them were all physics based. I’d have liked to have seen some variety and perhaps even a throwback to the originals; puzzles that if you did wrong could lead to Lara’s demise via a deadly trap. Whilst some of the puzzles are well thought out, a lot of them are far too easy. Here’s hoping if there’s a sequel, it will take another note out of Uncharted’s book when it comes the puzzles. The usage of Nate’s notebook in puzzles was a great idea and I really felt like Nathan Drake was a modern-day Indiana Jones.

Tomb Raider does a very good job of capturing the tension and atmosphere. One of my favorite moments was the first encounter on the Oni. The game did a grand job of freaky tension, and later on, upon hearing enemy grunts mutter the words “Oni are meant to be here” you will suddenly play it stealthily. The game controls are quite solid. The auto cover system is quite unique but along with the climbing it isn’t as fluid as Uncharted, however I feel with improvement it could be quite easily.

Of course, throughout your adventure there are all kinds of things to collect, challenges to complete, and weapons to upgrade. The story will take around 10-15 hours to complete with about another 6-10’s of gameplay left to be had. Don’t, however, allow the in-game map fool you into thinking it has a huge game world like Far Cry 3. The first time I opened the map I was blown away. I thought to myself “it’s huge, it’ll be like Uncharted and Far Cry mixed together!” The game is in fact more linear than it wants the player to know, with really no freedom and only one or two routes to take though each area.

I was struck several times by the irony that many elements of Tomb Raider are based directly on Uncharted, which in turn was directly based on Tomb Raider. At no point is that a bad thing., but at the same time, I felt constantly like Tomb Raider was trying too hard to steal back it’s crown of raiding tombs. Tomb Raider uses a lot of scripted events, just like Uncharted, such as a piece of wall crumbling away as you climb onto it, to as far as over the top action scenes.

The problem with Tomb Raider is that these scenes went on for far too long. I’d just climbed out of a burning building, which was around 20 minutes of gameplay before landing on a bridge, only for it to be blown up by rocket launchers, which caused another over the top scene of Lara running away from the explosions filled with quick time events. The game doesn’t allow the player or Lara time to breathe and at times it felt a bit too much. I’d hope for a sequel that they would try and learn from Uncharted on how to utilise these scenes in a better way of engaging the player. Tomb Raider also has a skill and crafting development system which is not nearly as developed as Far Cry 3’s systems, however Tomb Raider is ultimately a different style of game and these features were implemented in a very different way for this game.

The skill system is simple enough, kill enemies or complete certain objects to earn XP to level up Lara’s skills. The crafting side however falls a bit short. You salvage parts from boxes, wildlife, enemies and even optional tombs, which allow you to upgrade different weapons. Whilst this is a simple and efficient way of making progress with your arsenal, there’s no real excitement in earning the parts. I expect Lara Croft to raid tombs for hidden treasures, not gun parts.

Regardless of its flaws and borrowed concepts from other great games, Tomb Raider stands as a very solid gaming experience in its own right. From the engaging opening sequence through to the very weak ending, Tomb Raider is a solid game worthy of your time. For fans of action adventure games, this is not to be missed, but there are other, better games of the genre out there to be considered.

ZIPPY SCALE RATING: 7 out of 10

I’ve played enough Scrabble on the NES, Super Nintendo, Wii, and a half dozen other platforms to say with some authority that Scrabble based video games suck. I’m a Scrabble dork and I even I couldn’t spend more than a few rounds with most Scrabble video games. You could blame this on my pathetic platform gaming skills, but Scrabble video games don’t really reward an affinity for the controller or, you know, any kind of dexterity or hand-eye coordination at all.

Scrabble as Video Game Entertainment

I think the biggest problem is that EA continues to try and match classic Scrabble gaming with contemporary video game play, a match that just doesn’t work. EA has done a pretty good job of porting classic board games to different gaming systems, toeing the line between offering brand new ways to play (like the many modes of play available on EA’s Trivia Pursuit titles) and the traditional game play that fans love.

What works for Trivial Pursuit is that the game is pretty open-ended. Trivia question games leave room for additions to the rules and new ways to play: you can ask trivia questions in addition to moving your piece around the board, add lightning rounds, produce a heads-up version, and anything the creative team can imagine. With Scrabble, the board is the game. Building a crossword puzzle of high-scoring words doesn’t leave much wiggle room. You can’t really update or change the way Scrabble is played without creating a game that looks nothing like Scrabble itself.

How to Fix Scrabble Video Games

EA has shown promise in releasing games like Scrabble in the past. EA’s video game platform versions of Monopoly, for example, take the classic game and spruce it up a little, speed up the pace, allow for house rules, and give today’s gamers an open-ended experience. I’m not suggesting that Scrabble be turned into an FPS with tiles instead of bullets and triple DEATH score squares. I think Scrabble is such a beloved game and a closely-protected copyright that EA didn’t have much room to improve upon the basic back-and-forth style play.

The answer may be that games like Scrabble don’t make for good video game translations. Nobody bought Scrabble Wii, not even the Scrabble fans I know who have Wii systems, and I’ve seen Wii systems selling bundled with Scrabble Wii and a few other EA games. That tells me that EA was stuck with a ton of Scrabble Wii copies, and judging by Wii sales, they’re having trouble giving them away, too.

Scrabble junkies like me would embrace a Scrabble game that contained a few updates, the same way Trivial Pursuit fans embraced EA’s updated versions of that classic party game. Done the right way, Scrabble can be a party game, too. Here’s hoping the next Scrabble video game won’t be the first I refuse to buy.

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Guest author: Will Roby is a poet and a writer for ScrabblePages.com, a resource for all things Scrabble related. ScrabblePages.com also reviews other board games and contains a ton of links to other board game sites. Check out the ScrabblePages.com blog for more on America’s favorite crossword game.

Everybody’s doing their own thing with their mobile. They do their business on mobile; they socialize and get entertained by it and it’s as if there’s nothing that cannot be done on mobile devices.

In fact, online gambling is now on mobile, too. From bingo to casino games and sports betting, all you need is a mobile handset and off you go to play mobile casino games.

If you are a fan of casino, you have probably played in some of the best casino sites that offer mobile casino games. Take a look at these mobile casinos and see for yourself why these are considered to be among the best.

Go Wild Mobile Casino – It is powered by Microgaming so you are sure that you’re in safe hands. They have the Fraud Prevention feature and card shuffling security at the highest. They have mobile blackjack where you can play with practice money or play for real. Race horsing is another exciting game that Go Wild Mobile casino offers. Bet on their virtual race horse and get the doubled thrill and fun at the race. Go Wild is compatible to all smartphones and tablets so that everyone can enjoy mobile casinos to the fullest.

Ladylucks mobile Casino – It’s a no-deposit casino and lets you play without paying a single cent. Just sign up by entering your number or text PLAY to 80266 and you’ll receive a text for instructions. When you’re done you’ll be automatically credited with 5 pounds on your registered account. That’s a simple way to play with ladyluck by your side. You’ll enjoy variations of slots games like War Zone, Loopy Lotto and Poseidon’s Kingdom. The best thing besides playing with a guaranteed lucky charm is that all of their mobile casinos are free. Just download and start playing instantly. It isn’t Britain’s favorite mobile casino for nothing.

mFortune Mobile Casino – It’s the biggest mobile casino site that had ever graced the online gambling world. It offers mobile gaming anytime and anywhere. All of its mobile casino games suit all phones. They have this advert of starting to play under 60 seconds. Many had tried it just to see if it’s for real and found it to be true. Sixty seconds flat and you’ll get started after installing. It adheres to what it says; choose, install and play. It’s an easy and best way to get started in playing casino games mostly to first timer casino players.

Mobile casino is another activity that is now done in the virtual world. It is an addiction that has been warmly welcomed by mobile users who just can’t live without their beloved handsets.

Here's a look at some of the top benefits that gaming enthusiasts are enjoying:

Relaxing

First and foremost, gamers play because it's fun. Most of them boast the ability to change focus from serious gaming to casual gaming. After a long day you might just kick back to play popular games, like Jackpot Joy bingo, or maybe fling a few angry birds or draw something with friends.

Creativity

A study from the University of Rochester reported that after spending hours wrapped up in real and make-believe worlds, many gamers do better on creative writing and drawing projects. Reading increases creativity by expanding knowledge and spawning new ideas to build upon — gaming does the same thing.

Detail Oriented

Computer games reward quick thinking and accurate execution. Players direct their characters' movements, collect supplies and evade enemies. Many people participate in multiplayer games, which require them to anticipate the behavior of teammates and opponents.

Improved Hand-Eye Coordination

The airline industry has been using gaming by way of simulators for decades. The opportunity to practice real-world skills in a virtual environment has proved invaluable. A group of doctors who were tested after playing online games were generally more skilled at performing laparoscopic surgery. With the development of specialized training games, surgeons could see even more skill improvements.

Better Cognitive Abilities

Gamers are great at problem solving, and they are often required to understand math and physics to succeed. The more they play, the better and faster they are able to solve complex problems that require the use of multiple areas of knowledge. Gamers who play action-based games, specifically, can make decisions up to 25 percent faster with the same level of accuracy. The independent study by the University of Rochester also showed experienced game players can pay attention to more than six things at once, compared with the four that the rest of us can juggle.

More Motivated

As they improve at a game and are rewarded with new weapons or currency, gamers are more likely to stick to the game, even when times get tough. They are conditioned to know if they continue, even when they feel like giving up, they'll be rewarded. Gaming provides instantaneous feedback; as the player improves the challenges become harder. For many gamers, the thrill of completing a challenge is the best reward of all. Some online games even reward players with hands-on business experience. Many of these business-simulation games are free and award you with useful skills. Nobody can tell you that you are wasting your time playing video games now.

Most companies that show “minimum” specs mean you will not enjoy your playing performance and things are usually quite poor, you wouldn’t buy a brand new game for sub standard quality would you? We recommend the following minimum specs:

Getting the right processor
Processors come in all price ranges from AMDs basic Athlon core to the powerful Intel i7, the processor is the heart and brain of your gaming PC so getting this right is crucial. Of course, overkill can happen, you could be using a powerful chip inside your machine and not need it, an i5 processor or a bulldozer fx-6 core can easily play the latest games, but a more higher end more powerful processor can work with your graphics card to give addition depth to your gaming experience.

Minimum for new games: Intel i5 3.2 ghz

Memory
Random access memory, if you weren’t sure what it stands for. Your memory stores temporary data, recent saves and much more allowing your PC to run in its optimum speed. Again this can be overkill territory, not all computers need high end RAM, investing into your graphics card is a much better solution.

Minimum for new games: 4GB

Do I need a graphics card?
A graphics card is a crucial part of any gaming spec, your computer motherboard has onboard graphics, but these are never strong enough to power games that have 3D graphics which require a lot of CPU processing or playing multiplayer games. Your graphics card isn’t individually the most important part of your PC, it needs the harmony of the processor and the power supply

Minimum graphics: AMD Radeon 6770/nVidia GT6X550

… What about the power supply?
Good computer components are power hungry, particularly the graphics cards. We always recommend at least at 650w power supply for any basic gaming PC and a more powerful 750, 850 or above to power those big cards

Minimum power for your other parts: 650w/ 750w

Is the case really important?
Yes, cases are not just your pretty chassis that keeps everything together, good airflow is supremely important to keeping your components cool, not only is this maintaining a good air supply but it also helps reduce the amount of dust and grime that can accumulate over time.

Look for a good case with air and case fans, coolermaster, thermaltake, corsair and fractal design are amongst our favourites.

If you want stronger performance, always upgrade the performance does depend on your parts so if in doubt, always ask! Make sure you have a quality hard drive but it isn’t a key factor to your gaming pc performance. Always check out RAID (hard drive mirroring) so you get a copy if your game saves go down!

Stay Informed

Retailers and manufacturers began leaking information about their Black Friday deals as early as Halloween, and every day leading up to Thanksgiving will see more information released about different sales and specials. Staying informed on all of this can be difficult, but there are a lot of resources you can use to make the process a little easier.

There are a number of websites and mobile apps that collect data on Black Friday specials, and they usually let you browse by category. This means you can focus on comparing the deals on gaming gear rather than having to look through each individual advertisement yourself. At the same time, though, you should follow your favorite publishers and manufacturers social networks to get direct information on their upcoming sales.

Look for Bundles

Both retailers and manufacturers will sometimes offer bundles of gear on Black Friday. This could be a new console bundled with a popular game or an extra controller, or a new gaming keyboard and mouse might be included in a single deal. Usually, the price for this entire bundle will be better than getting them individually, and this may also be a chance to get some games or gear that you otherwise wouldn’t have considered.

Look for Bonuses

Gaming equipment isn’t cheap for anyone. The wholesale prices on games and gear can be restrictive, and retailers often have to take a loss on the products if they are marked down too much. This is why it’s often so hard to find discounts on the newest games and accessories. To make up for this, many retailers will offer bonus gift cards that you can use at their store later. The discount may not be as immediate, but it will be a benefit down the road.

Why Black Friday Laptops, Consoles and Other Items Get Major Discounts

Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) has become the standard by which companies project their holiday sales. This is an opportunity to make up for slacking sales throughout the year and also clear out some of the current year’s models. This year, especially, will see a lot of consoles and laptops significantly discounted because the big three console makers are coming out with their next generation hardware and Windows 8 is changing a lot of things in the computer industry.

Retailers are going to be looking for ways to reduce their inventory of older models, and this means there may be some great opportunities for you right after Thanksgiving.

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Brian Jensen works for Dell and has a passion for learning and writing about all things technology. Brian loves gaming and is very interested in Cyber Monday deals you can learn more here. In his spare time he enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family.

We’ve come a long way on gaming system in 30 years. In 1982 we saw the rise of the Commodore 64, the largest selling single computer model of all time. Before it was done, it sold an impressive 22 million units to users who probably never even thought of themselves as “gamers.” In those days, they were just computer owners who happened to play games, and if the C64 just happened to run Dig Dug better than anything else on the market, so much the better.

Press Start

When the Commodore 64 was introduced, the CPU clocked in at a mighty 1.024 megahertz and it sported a solid 64 kilobytes of RAM. The 300×200 pixel display was enough to display 16 colors, but not much more. Still, it was good enough to play Q*Bert, Pole Position, and a huge selection of other games – some of which were extremely creative. The games were simple but fun, and the idea of upgrading the system just to play something with better graphics really wasn’t even a question.

Continue?

Over the next decade, Intel began releasing their X86 series, which made some advances, but didn’t really jump the technology that far ahead. The games at this time though (the late 80s and early 90s) were starting to push the hardware a little more, and games like SimCity and Doom were becoming very popular. Games were suddenly about more than just beating your high score. They could start to tell a real story, and the visuals were improving every year.

In 1995 the Pentium Pro was released, which clocked in at 200MHz, which was a major advance from ‘93’s Pentium, which only managed 66MHz. This was the start of a steady increase in technology and speed that would take gaming CPUs through some serious growth over the next seven years.

By 2002, the Pentium 4 was blazing at 3.06 GHZ, and PC gaming had moved on from the original Doom and Quake to games like Half-Life 2, and online gaming and MMORPGs starting to become a major part of the industry. Gamers could really get serious about their machines, now, which is why it was a little odd that the speeds started to level out again over the next eight or nine years.

New High Score

The reason for this plateau was that Intel and AMD had switched their focus. Now, instead of pushing the speed of the CPUs, they were more interested in getting more cores into the processors. Dual and quad core technology became the going thing, but, of course, real gamers will always push their systems to the very limit (which is usually defined as “just short of melting”) and the current, bleeding-edge specs for an Alienware PC clock in at 4.2 GHz on a Core i7. It also has 16GB of QDDR3 SDRAM and a dual 3GB DDR5 AMD Radeon graphics card. The tools have changed a lot over the past 30 years, but gamers are still gamers. We just want to get the best experience possible.

Author Bio:

David Borg works with Dell. When David is not working he enjoys spending time with his family.

Why in the world would anyone stop making these games when they consistently generate those kinds of revenues? Artistic integrity? We all know that never pays the bills. Inability to innovate (there’s only so much you can do with a shooter, after all)? The gaming industry is practically founded on rehashing old ideas (there’s a certain Italian plumber who has had a very lucrative 25-year career by doing the same thing over and over again). So the question has to be: can there ever be too much Call of Duty?

Those Who Say: No

There will always be those gamers who can’t get enough of their favorite franchises. Yes, they’ve seen the plot before, no there’s nothing new about the game – and they wouldn’t have it any other way. These are the fans who download their Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 wallpaper so that even when they’re not actually playing, they can at least be thinking about playing.

And really, can we blame them? Hundreds of millions of dollars went into designing an amazingly visceral experience where the good survive and the poor have to settle for the single-player campaign where they can set the experience on “easy.” The online component of the game, though, is what has made Modern Warfare (in all its incarnations) really stand out, and the long-time fans don’t seem to need much more than a new playground in which they can apply their skills.

Those Who Say: Yes

Call of Duty has also become the modern example of all things wrong with the gaming industry. Whether it’s conservatives deriding it for being too violent, liberals denouncing it as right-wing fantasy, or gaming “purists” looking for something a little more original, there are plenty of people ready to criticize this game. Even the die-hard fans have had more than a few complaints about gamers using Call of Duty Black Ops cheats on PC or PS3 and XBOX players camping in one spot for the entire game, or anything else that they feel makes the experience “unbalanced.”

These are the people who want to see Activision (the game’s publisher) step back from the iron sights and branch out a little more. They want to see these companies innovate rather than iterate.

Who Will Win?

At the moment, there is simply no reason to stop making Call of Duty games every year. Yes, the companies will receive continued derision, but as long as they keep seeing revenues in the billions we can expect to see the same game with a different finish year after year. History has shown us that there is a saturation point, though (I’m looking at you, Guitar Hero), and that could force the company to back away from a franchise. But until that happens, the world just can’t seem to get enough of the same thing.

History:

The history of Angry Birds started with a simple drawing of upset looking birds in a sling shot that did not have any legs. From the characters, the game was developed in 2009. It was originally released to the iPhone and iPod Touch, but has gradually spread to other Smartphone apps since its first release.

Online Game Play:

The online version of Angry Birds and the various special releases of the game are a type of flash game format. Like the mobile version of the game, players pull the slingshot loaded with a bird back and release the bird to attack the pigs hidden in their fortress.

The online game uses the computer mouse to grab the slingshot and release the bird. The mouse drags a hand over to the sling shot and a left click will grab the slingshot. Players then hold the left click and move the mouse to position and aim the shot. Releasing the left click will send the bird flying into the pigs.

Different Versions:

Like the mobile apps, the online flash versions of Angry Birds have numerous play options available. Newer versions of the game, such as Angry Birds Rio or Angry Birds Magic are available online as a flash game.

The different versions of the game follow a similar format as the original game, but have different themes in the background. For example, the season’s version has Halloween themed levels, Christmas themed levels and other holiday themes. The birds, pigs and background follow the spirit of the holiday the levels are designed after.

The Angry Birds Rio game online is similar to the mobile version of the game. The birds interact with the characters from Rio and it takes place in the various locations throughout the movie.

Conclusion:

The online flash version of the Angry Birds games offers hours of entertainment. The puzzle game is simple enough for almost any age while getting increasingly more difficult to solve. The cute characters along with the fun story make this game fun for all ages. The numerous awards and the high public interest in the game proves that the game that came out in 2009 continues to top the charts for the best puzzle game available for apps and online.

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The author writes about the Angry birds evolution and timeline and he invites you to come and play free online games available for your entertainment.

Some of the best memories of many children during their years growing up were spent with their friends and for a lot of people in the late nineties that meant playing video games into the waking hours of the night with their best buddies. Whenever you talk about all the video games that everyone loved to play together, Goldeneye always gets brought up. In fact it is all over best all time video game lists from major companies.

The video game features an amazing first person mode, and even more amazing multiplayer capabilities – and it was fun playing it on a little box of a TV let alone a high tech Vizio. It was way ahead of its time and you could select from multiple different levels and multiple characters. It had a very cool selection of weapons and you always knew it was going to be a fun game and that it was going down when “proximity mines” were selected in the “Complex” – everyone had their own favorite tool, level, and character of choice – it’s what made the game so fun.

The ongoing joke about the game is that no one could be “Odd Job” as when you were that person you had the distinct version of being half of everyone else’s size – making you a very hard target.

Although it was originally a game for Nintendo 64 – a game that sold more than 8 million copies – it was so good that another version of the game was released in 2010 for the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS. This video is a trailer for that game – and it in a panel of game players were asked what makes the game a classic and so likeable to which they replied:

“It was the first game where I could sit down and play the multiplayer part for 4 hours straight.”

and…

“You can ask me at any time to play a game of Goldeneye and I would be down.”

The panel also unanimously agreed that it was the best shooter game in video game history – which many Americans would also say. If you haven’t played Goldeneye (well then you must be either very young or very old or just absolutely hate video games) then I suggest you get on eBay or Craigslist and find a cheap N64 and do so quickly – you won’t regret it!

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This article was written by Philip Rudy. Philip helps to run and maintain www.youreviewelectronics.com which is a web site that gives Vizio reviews.