Diary of a World of Warcrack addict: Part five

I'm not going to challenge the French guy who got from level 60 to level 70 in 28 hours, and I'm not about to take time off work like someone I know, but I do play World of Warcraft more than is strictly healthy. And I'm getting more and more into it. I reached a point with my druid, at about level 28, where I wasn't seeing much new stuff, so I created a new character -- a female tauren (a humanoid cow, like a minotaur) called Fresiana. My smugometer hit Steve Jobs level with that name.
It was a terrific idea -- I got to experience a new way of playing, as a warrior, as well as a new faction, new parts of the world and new professions. Fresiana's a miner and a blacksmith, so she can mine ore from veins around the world and make her own weapons and armour.
Trouble is I couldn't stop there. I enjoyed having a new character so much that I created another, an undead warlock called Dedwina (rofl!). And a human rogue. And an orc hunter. And a gnome mage. I'm drowning in low-level characters, like an overworked virtual nanny. But they're all different and interesting ways to play and wonderfully, their professions complement each other.
Fresiana, for instance, had finished beating up a tribe of pig men (their squeals haunt me still) and had looted a load of cloth. There are only so many bandages she needs, so she posted the rest to Dedwina, who as a tailor made some snazzy new robes for herself and some handy bags, a couple of which she posted back to her bovine buddy. My rogue is an alchemist, so he can send potions to the druid, who can make him leather armour in return. It's very satisfying to loot something your character can't use and instead of just flogging it on the auction house, being able to send it to a character who will benefit from it.
Of course, I don't get very far with any of these characters because I'm swapping back and forth so much, but at lower levels you progress pretty quickly anyway. I'm sure I'll discover the ones I like the most -- already I can see why hunters are so popular -- and play them more than the others. It's a great way to learn about the game quickly and find the stuff I like best -- the easy low-level stuff. Go ahead, call me a n00b, I don't care. -Nick Hide
Level: 30, 16, 13, 11, 10 and 8. Location: All over the bloody place. Best new thing: My gnome mage can turn enemies into sheep with her Polymorph spell.
source : www.cnet.co.uk

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Panasonic DMP-BD30: Panny's profile 1.1 player finally hits UK

Unless HD DVD manages to conjure up a biblical-scale miracle, we're all going to be buying Blu-ray players from now on for our high-definition movie pleasure. Of course, with Blu-ray having a number of profile specifications it can be a confusing process choosing one. Luckily, the Panasonic DMP-BD30, which has been available for some time in the US, is coming to the UK.
We're excited about it because the DMP-BD30 has a number of features that make it a pretty good all-round HD player. Let's start with the profile 1.1 aspects of the player. The BD30 has a second video and audio decoder, so you can watch picture-in-picture video, which adds some cool potential features to Blu-ray discs. There's no requirement for 1.1 players to have Ethernet, and the BD30 doesn't. You'll need to fork out again for a profile 2.0 player for that. Hurrah for the Blu-ray Disc Association.
There's also another feature on the BD30 that we welcome with open arms. It can play DivX -- implying XviD support as well -- which is an excellent addition to an HD player, because until now there's been pretty much no support for downloaded formats in next-generation players, forcing people to keep their old DVD players to watch content they had in the DivX format.
Panasonic is keen to make its Blu-ray players more central in people's media centres. It's integrating support for playing back footage shot with its camcorders, so the BD30 can play back video stored on memory cards -- handy if you're a home video fan. The player will also happily read JPG images stored on SD memory cards too, which is useful if you want to turn your TV into a gigantic digital photo frame.
The BD30 also supports 1080/24 for more accurate movie playback, on TVs that support this format. It seems almost redundant to mention that there's also HDMI 1.3, with support for deep colour -- we'd be very surprised it this wasn't included in every next-generation player. Panasonic is also pushing its Viera link technology, which allows you to control all of your Viera-branded stuff from one remote control.
Panasonic has also taken this opportunity to create another ridiculous technology with a stupid, badly spelt name. This time they've called it UniPhier, which is supposed to indicate that it unifies two technologies, one for colour reproduction and one called P4HD, which takes care of motion and video quality. We're sure it's very good at what it does, despite its absurd name.
The Panasonic DMP-BD30 can be pre-ordered now for around £300-£350 -- Amazon expects to deliver in one to two months, which gives an idea of its release date. We'll have a full review lickety-split.
source : crave.cnet.co.uk

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video about : How to record from your game console

video about : How to record from your game console

First off because I think most of you don't get this. I have a dvd recorder not a player. It is capable of recording the xbox, ps3 and wii onto a dvd. Now if you don't have a recorder you are shit out of luck, because you would not be asking me how to do this. Most dvd players have just an output and no inputs. I"ve decided that i have come up with enough questions that need to be answered that i will make another video addressing them. I will update my info so i can clear up the confusion.

I use my sony rdr-vx500 dvd recorder to record gameplay to a dvd and then drop and drag to your pc

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VIDEO ABOUT : PS2 vs. ATARI 2600 console review

VIDEO ABOUT : PS2 vs. ATARI 2600 console review

Classic Game Room HD - PS2 vs. ATARI 2600 console review

Classic Game Room was the FIRST classic video game review show on the Internet in 1999. Returning in 2008 with new episodes, Classic Game Room breaks out a review of the PLAYSTATION 2 PS2 VS. ATARI 2600 video computer system VCS. CGRHD takes a close look at the new PS2 Slim model compared to the smaller Atari 2600 Jr. The 2600 Junior (as it was known) was released in 1986 to a public hot for the NES, sadly it never received the recognition that it deserved. So which is better? In this versus console battle to the death these two juggernauts from different video gaming eras compete for the world championship of great video game consoles... right. What is incredible is that in the history of video games, the Atari 2600 was a landmark system that debuted in 1977. The PS2 was released to North America in October of 2000. Both were expensive when they came out, were huge and bulky and had only a few games available. But over time they developed a huge fan following that enjoyed their gameplay and graphics, and had literally thousands of games released for each system. Both the 2600 and Playstation 2 had smaller, more compact models released and both are more affordable today for collectors. Sadly there is no wood grained heavy sixer PS2. Check out all the Classic Game Room HD reviews for awesome arcade retro old school games vs. the newest brand new video games on the market for PS3 and Xbox 360. Classic Game Room was the original classic video game review show on the Internet in 1999-2000, now on DVD. The reviews on the HD series are reviewing PS3, PS2, Genesis, NES, Atari and Xbox 360. XBLA. videos review reviews show wii.

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GTA IV gangs up with PS3 for UK bundle

http://uk.gamespot.com/

It's fair to say that Grand Theft Auto IV's 29 April release date is a huge day on the gaming calendar. Analysts have said the game could "conceivably" ship 9.5 million units in one week, while Variety said that GTA IV could make $400m in revenue in the same period.
Such performance is also sure to drive sales of consoles, and while the game will land on both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, Sony has made the first move to bundle hardware and software together at launch. A package of its 40GB PS3 console, a Sixaxis controller, and the standard edition of GTA IV will hit European stores on 29 April, with a recommended retail price of £319.99 in the UK and €439 (£352) in Europe.
Sony's package represents a £30 saving on the recommended retail price of the game and the console when sold separately, as they retail for £49.99 and £299.99 respectively. The news follows a similar announcement in Australia, where the exact same bundle is being offered for A$749.95 (£359).
David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, said, "We are delighted to offer the millions of PS3 and GTA fans the ultimate gaming package."
CNET.co.uk's sister site GameSpot contacted Microsoft UK to see if a similar bundle will be offered for the Xbox 360 in the UK, but had not received a reply at time of publication.

Based on PS3 gets GTAIV bundle in Europe on GameSpot UK

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And the Winner of the Game Console Wars Is….

Modern WarfareA screen shot from the Xbox 360 game “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.” (Photo: Associated Press/Activision)
According to Microsoft, the Xbox 360 just hit a major milestone: it has become the first of the new generation of video game consoles to sell more than 10 million units in the United States (It’s up to 10.09 million, according to figures from NPD Group). A Microsoft news release crows that it continues to outsell Sony’s PlayStation 3.
Which makes the Xbox 360 the clear winner in the video game console wars, right? Well, not exactly.
While there’s no denying that Xbox 360 is the first to break the 10 million mark, Nintendo officials point out that the Wii arrived about one year after the current generationof the Xbox. According to NPD statistics cited by Nintendo, the Wii outsold the Xbox 360 in April by more than three to one (714,000 units in April, compared with Microsoft’s 188,000). Which means that the Wii should pass the 10 million mark by the beginning of next month.
Reading the actual NPD data provides a more nuanced picture of the video game scene. While more Xbox 360 units were sold in April than PS3 machines, it wasn’t by much. Microsoft sold 188,000 compared with Sony’s PS3 sales of 187,100. Sony also sold an additional 124,200 PS2 machines.
In the games area, Microsoft did sell about 80 percent more units of Grand Theft Auto IV than Sony (1.85 million to 1 million). On the other hand, that might not be unexpected, given that the installed base of Xbox 360 consoles in the United States is more than twice that of the PS3. Wii’s Mario Kart was the No. 2 selling title, at 1.12 million units.
The Xbox 360 does have the highest game attach rate: 7.6 games a machine, compared with 6.07 games a machine for Wii worldwide (Sony’s numbers were not immediately available).
As with others this electoral season, when it comes to spouting stats and turning them to one’s own advantage, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony have shown that they are all masters at spin.
source : bits.blogs.nytimes.com

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PS3 2.40: Firmware details leaked

Sony recently made a minor firmware upgrade to the PlayStation 3, but we're much more hyped about the arrival of the milestone version 2.40. While Sony has confirmed the inclusion of an in-game XMB (cross media bar), the rest of the 2.40 update was rather cloudy.
But now, CVG claims to have the final list of features that make up the much-anticipated upgrade. In addition to the XMB, version 2.40 will feature a trophy system that will let compatible games track your progress, similar to the Xbox 360's Achievements. Instead of a score, you earn different level trophies as you progress.
According to the site, you'll be able to access the following features via the XMB during gameplay. But be warned: some games may not support this feature.
• Friend category
• View, send, receive messages
• Manage downloads
• Set the vibration feature of the controller
• Sign in to PlayStation Network
• Register friends
• Manage Bluetooth devices
• Terminate the game
• Music category
• Use the system BGM
• Work the system BGM operation panel
• Settings category
• Assign controllers
• View profiles
• Game category
• Set audio devices
• Use the voice changer

Source: Crave US

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Nintendo DS [2005] Nintendo DS Lite [2006]

Nintendo DS revolutionizes the way games are played. With dual screens and touch-screen technology, wireless communication and built-in PictoChat software you have the power to draw, write and send messages wirelessly
Nintendo.com
The Nintendo DS - the next generation of handhelds from Nintendo is the best yet, with the introduction of a dual touch screen, giving the ability for the user to have, for example a birds-eye view of the map or course in the bottom screen and the standard view in the top screen. This gives increased awareness of opponents, giving a more competitive edge. In addition, the touch screen means navigation through menus is easier and is a nice touch, although pressing buttons isn't that hard!
It's rival is the Sony PSP. Packed with functionality the PSP is a system for most purposes such as storage etc., but with the Nintendo DS, it has its functions built-in for one reason only, and that is gaming. It has IEEE, bluetooth and wireless LAN connection capabilities which allows gameplay with anyone, anywhere (provided that a broadband connection is available).
The Ninendo DS comes in 4 colours, either silver, black, light blue or pink, the pink and light blue launched with Nintendogs to lure a wider range of gamer (including girls - a target audience that hasn't been explored much by console manufacturers in the past).
Nintendo DS Lite layoutIn January, Nintendo announced plans for the Nintendo DS Lite, designed to be a sleak, slimmer version, in the "Wii" design, as well as removing all the minor character flaws that the fans of the original Nintendo DS experienced. The Nintendo DS Lite is 42% smaller, 21% lighter and a lot brighter (adjustable) than its original. Also, a little button and feature rearranging on the pad provides better usability and functionality for the gamer. The battery has a life of 5-19 hours depending on the level of luminosity you decide to use. It comes in one of four colours: Ice Blue, Enamel Navy, Black and Crystal White (at European release only black and white are available - however black is exclusive to Europe for this initial period). A much sturdier hinge is in place, which was somewhat fragile in the original, and a more durable, scratch resistant touch screen is used.
The Nintendo DS Lite is to be released in Europe on June 23rd, retailing at €150 (£100) (only around £20 more than the original) - which is good value (although the Wii, Nintendo's standard-sized console is available for a little extra). For those who want a stylish new, far from dated, handheld, this is what you should get.

source : whatconsole.co.uk

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