Demigod

If you are going to play the game Demigod thinking you are playing one specific type of game, then you’d be wrong. So what type of game is it? Is it an RTS? Yes. Is it an RPG? Yes. Is it action based? Yes. But does it have enough from any one gameplay mechanic to classify it as one game? No. There isn’t enough freedom at all to classify it as a straight action based game. There isn’t enough character leveling up to make it entirely RPG, and there isn’t enough point-and-click commanding to classify it entirely as an RTS. However, when the fragments of each game type combine, they make for a concoction that can only be classified as awesome.

The story is simple enough. Eight demigods have been summoned to do battle with each other until only one remains, uplifting that Demigod to full god status. There are no dramatic cut scenes, thematic through lines, or even a larger plot to help progress the story. This game is all about picking a Demigod and leading him/her to the complete annihilation of the other ones. There are two main classes of combatants, Generals, who can summon all four types of minions in the game to use as you see fit, or assassins who let you take control and wreak havoc in any twisted or demented way you see fit.

There is a lot of leveling up in this game developed by Gas Powered Games and published by Stardock Corporation. You will gain rank and awesome new abilities so much that you won’t know what to do. There are four different game types in Demigod including Slaughter, which tallies up your Demigod kills and Conquest, which puts your Citadel crushing skills to the test. Each game mode can support up to 10 players at a time each with the ability of having different upgrades, powers, and special bonuses. One of the biggest drawbacks from Demigod is the complete and total lack of a single player campaign or a tutorial. The closest thing you have to a tutorial is going into a single player match vs AI opponents but even this isn’t a sufficient enough tutorial considering you just have to start playing and figure everything out as you go along.

This game is completely an online based game to be played against other human players. However, there have been numerous problems arising with the online multiplayer. However, developers are working super hard to fix all the bugs and problems with the multiplayer. But, overall, this game, when you can get online with it, is really good. It takes pieces of three different game types and incorporates them into a lovechild of awesomeness. This game is definitely worth picking up if you are a fan of the RTS, RPG, or action based game.

Written By: Zack Duncan

ATI Radeon HD 4770

ATI’s new Radeon HD 4770 offers the best in HD gaming, performance, and price. The new 4770 is very similar to the ATI Radeon 4830, but it comes with a completely new GPU and its comes with the latest GDDR5 memory technology and a 40nm chip. The best feature about this card though is without a doubt its unbeatable price of $109.

Spec Sheet:
Card: ATI Radeon 4770
Price: $109
Memory Size: 512MB
Core Clock: 750 MHz
Ports: 2 DVI, 1 S Video
Stream Processors: 640 Stream Processing Units

The 4770 is an all around great card. The price pretty much sums up where the card stands compared to others. According to xbitlabs.com the 4770 has a 10-15% performance advantage over the 9800GT and 4830, and lags behind the 4850 and GTS 250 by only 2%.

Overall the card is a great buy for a little over a $100. If you are looking for a card the can perform just as well as the 4850 and GTS 250, but are on a budget this is the card for you. Also with the added bonus of its low power consumption and it is only 8.5 inches long making it able to fit in the smallest of cases.

How Much Would It Cost To Upgrade To Core I7

With the Core I7 now out since late November, is it time to upgrade your old 65 nm Quad Core or Core 2 Duo to the latest in Processor Technology? Well the answer is yes because the overall performance gain is just huge compared to the previous processors. The question is though, how much will it cost you?

Well the answer is about $600. The problem is the new Core I7 processor is only compatible with the brand new X58 motherboards and to top it all off your dirt cheap DDR2 RAM will not work with the Core I7 architecture either so your going to have to upgrade to the brand new DDR3 RAM also.

So lets get to each part:

Core I7 CPU
Cost $288.99
The price on this has only fallen $20 since its release and probably will not fall until a new line of Intel CPU’s come out. If you look online though you can sometimes find it cheaper. Microcenter has it on their website right now for only $230! The fact is though nothing will compete with this processor, not even the $1500 core 2 extremes. Also I would not bother buying a more expensive Core I7’s because you can easily overclock this one to 3.0Ghz without any hassle.

DDR3 RAM
$70-$90
With DDR3 memory being around for a while now the prices have really started to drop. As. The sweet spot for memory for DDR3 right now is 6GB. Really you only need 4GB, but the prices difference is so small you are better off opting for 6GB. For more on DDR3 memory check out this post on TomsHardware. As far as pricing goes it will cost about $80 for a good set of G Skill 6GB RAM. If you want to overclock at all or just want the best I would highly recommend getting the $166 CORSAIR DOMIATOR.

X58 Motherboard
Cost $200-$300
Now the hard part comes, choosing the right motherboard. With so many features and brands to choose from, it can seem like a daunting task to choose the right motherboard for your build. As of writing this there are currently only 40 motherboards that support the Core I7. The sweet spot for me was around $250. I chose the EVGA 132-BL-E758-TR. It costs $255 and it comes with all the needed features, its easily overclockable, supports 3 way SLI & Crossfire, and has great reviews. If you are on a budget I would suggest not going any lower than $200 and try to stick with a name brand, you just want to make sure you get a motherboard that works and supports all the normal features. Too many people skimp on the motherboard and regret it later.

Overall I feel you will be impressed on how much better your computer runs if you upgrade to this build. You should see a vast improvement in your programs, but if you are doing this solely for gaming then I would recommend getting a better video card because the CPU can only do so much before your video card tops out. If you have any comments or questions make sure to leave a comment.
Written By: Mike Howard

The Pirate Bay Found Guilty

The verdict on the Pirate Bay Case finally came this Friday on April 17th. The jury found all four defendants of “assisting in making copyright content available”. The four men found guilty was Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm, and Carl Lundström.

Here is what the jury had to say:
“The court has found that by using Pirate Bay’s services there has been file-sharing of music, films and computer games to the extent the prosecutor has stated in his case,” said the district court. “This file-sharing constitutes an unlawful transfer to the public of copyrighted performances.”

All four men were given a 1 year sentence to prison and are being ordered to pay fines that total $3.6 million to movie, music, and game companies.

The defendants were very surprised with the verdict and are all planning an appeal. Also in response to the fines Peter Sunde said: “We can’t pay and we wouldn’t pay if we could. If I would have money I would rather burn everything I owned.”

As far as the site goes it will continue to operate. The site itself was never on trial, only the four individuals listed.

John Madden Retires: Its Effect on the Madden Franchise?

The legendary John Madden announced his retirement from broadcasting today. According to Madden, “It’s time. I’m 73 years old. My 50th wedding anniversary is this fall. I have two great sons and their families and their five grandchildren are at an age now when they know when I am home and, most importantly, when I’m not…it’s been a great ride.”

For over forty years, John Madden has been the face of professional football and sports in general. His long career started in 1967 when he was the linebacker coach for the Oakland Raiders. Madden was then named the head coach two years later and as their leader pushed the team on to win seven AFC West Titles as well as the Super Bowl XI win over the Minnesota Vikings. John holds the record for the highest win percentage and best record of any head coach in NFL history with 103 wins, 32 losses and 7 ties overall which averages out to a .750 win percentage.

After Madden retired from coaching in 1979, he hooked up with CBS where he worked as a broadcaster until 1994. In ‘94, CBS lost it’s rights to broadcast NFL games so John transferred over to FOX where he broadcasted until 2002. In 2002, Madden became ABC’s Monday Night Football lead analyst. But in 2006, after NBC took over the Sunday night primetime football game, John transferred for his final time. The Super Bowl XLIII game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers was John’s last broadcasted game. But Madden was no ordinary analyst. Throughout his long career, Madden was elected to the Professional Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and won sixteen Emmys for Outstanding Sports Analyst/Personality

However, John Madden’s career hasn’t only impacted the world of professional sports, but also the gaming world as well. John’s Madden NFL Football franchise is the best selling sports franchise game of all time. Recently, the game celebrated it’s 20th installment. But the thing everybody is wondering is, how will Madden’s retirement impact the games franchise? One of the biggest questions is whether or not eh game will continue with the same format or take a different road in reflection of the legendary John Madden? Well, obviously, Madden 10 will not be affected considering the game is already months into production. However, the next installment, Madden 11, could be significantly affected. In recent games, Madden’s influence has slowly decreased. Madden no longer contributes to in-game commentary and, besides the ability to test your skills in Madden ‘09 via a “Cyber Madden”, John’s name, Madden, is the only real connection,between John and the game.

The next game to be developed, Madden 11, has two very different paths it can take due to John’s retirement. In a word from John, he still “loves all the aspects of the game.” This is one of the main reasons it took so many months for John Madden to decide to retire. One possibility is that John could take a bigger consultant role on his games like adding additional coaching features or even revamping games like EA’s Head Coach. The other way the game could go revolves around Chris Collinsworth. Collinsworth will be John’s replacement as lead analyst but will this title extend to Madden’s games at EA? Collinsworth did have a notable appearance to the last Madden game to be released. Collinsworth, along with Tom Hammond, provided commentary and was a key part in the EA Sports Backtrack feature which allowed players to learn from their mistakes. However, I think we are a long ways away from seeing Collinsworth NFL 11 on a game box.

Peter Moore, President of EA Sports, had this to say about John and the franchise, “John is a true sports icon who has made indelible impact on the sport of football which will be felt forever. His prolific coaching and broadcasting careers, as well as his distinct role in shaping the EA Sports football experience, have redefined how multiple generations have come to know and love the sport with unrivaled passion. We’re excited to see his legacy live on in the 21st year of Madden NFL Football, and well beyond. It’s been a privilege for EA Sports to have the strong relationship we’ve had with John for more than two decades and one that will continue into the future.”

The Madden NFL Football series is one of the most treasured and honored sports games in history. It goes without saying that John Madden’s retirement will definitely have a major impact on the franchis. Let us just pray that it is a positive one.

written by: Zack Duncan

GameStop Selling Used Games As New?

Everyone has inevitably been to a GameStop store in their life, and why wouldn’t you? It is the obvious place to get the hottest new games or some used ones at a decent price. But are the new games you’re buying really “new” or are they used games with a “new” label slapped on it?

Alleged accusations have arisen that some GameStop stores across the country are lending out new games to their employees and when the games are returned, boxing them up and selling them at the new release price tag. The store’s “check-out policy, which has been confirmed by a number of GameStop employees and managers, could come under hits by the Federal Trade Commission. Naturally, GameStop would not comment on the allegations.

It is wondered if the act of selling games already played by employees at the new price instead of the used price, which is generally around $5 cheaper, is an act of deception and false advertising. According to the commission, their Bureau of Consumer Protection is mandated to protect consumers against deceptive or unfair practices in commerce and that violations of FTC restrictions are a violation of Federal Law.

According to FTC public affairs specialist Betsy Lordan, “The Federal Trade Commission protects consumers from unfair or deceptive advertising and marketing practices, and we encourage any consumer with a complaint about a company’s business practices to contact us.” However Lordan said she was unable to deny or confirm any investigations conducted by the FTC.

GameStop’s “check-out” policy, as stated by employees and managers, reads: “Associates are allowed to check out one item of store merchandise for personal use for up to four days. Merchandise check out is a privilege, not a right, and may be revoked at any time.

Hardware, accessories, sealed CD’s or software programs that must be altered to be installed may not be checked out. If the on-hand quantity of a product equals one, the item cannot be checked out. Hot titles may also be prohibited from being checked out, regardless of the on-hand quantity in the store.

Associates may only check out items from the store in which they work. Associates are personally responsible for any merchandise they are allowed to check out. Merchandise must be properly checked out in the Employee Merchandise Check Out Log in the Game Planner.

If the product is returned in an unsellable condition, or if anything is missing from the package, or if the product is not returned, the associate must purchase the current price less associate discount.

Copying of the software and/or manuals/instructions is illegal and strictly prohibited. Merchandise that leaves the store without being properly checked out or purchased is considered to be unauthorized removal of Company property and may result in performance coaching up to and including termination of your employment.”

In a report by Kotaku.com, a number of GameStop employees that reported to the site under impression of remaining unanimous, stated that “new copies of games rented out to employees are often mixed in with the unplayed display copies, and bothe are sold at ‘new’ prices.”

When a shipment of games arrives at the store, managers are told to “gut” multiple copies of the game. Meaning they open up the box, remove the disc or cartridge, and place them behind the counter while the box is free to be displayed on store shelves without fear of theft.

When a customer takes a display box to the counter, the employee takes one of the games discs, encased in a protective sleeve, and places it into the box and sells it to the customer. If the customer asks why the game is not sealed, they are told it is a display copy and the game is sold as new. When games are checked out and returned, they are typically placed in with the gutted display copies. These are also typically described as display copies to the customer and sold at the new, unused price. Sometimes even managers and employees do not know which games have been checked out and which one’s are new.

Some GameStop managers will offer a “Shop Worn Discount” on occasion for a gutted or checked out title. However, this is reportedly against GameStop policy which states: “Do not apply Shop Worn Discounts to any new, used, or checked out games. It may only be applied for damaged packaging and new accessories which have been opened.”

GameStop is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas. It is the largest video game retailer in the world. It operates over 6,000 stores worldwide and had a revenue of $8.8 billion in 2008. If the allegations against the store are true, it is evident that GameStop’s revenue and reputation will drop and consumers may ind new places to buy their gaming needs.

written by: Zack Duncan

The Sims 3 to be Released on June 2nd

Sims fans across the internet grumbled when the original February release date was pushed back four months, but over nine years after the release of the original The Sims (the best-selling PC game in history) by Electronic Arts, it looks like The Sims 3 will finally hit stores on June 2, 2009.  Sims fans have been anticipating the game for over a year, starting when the makers of Sims 3 began releasing hints of what was to come through the The Sims 2 Expansion Pack “Free Time” and eventually began releasing screen shots of the game on their official website.  The game promises to allow players more creativity than The Sims and The Sims 2 with everything from seamless neighborhoods to more realistic characteristics for your Sims:

• Create millions of different Sims with unique personalities – make each one of your Sims unique with more options for more complex appearances and personalities.  Customize your Sims’ weight, hair, clothing, skin color, etc. any way you want with much more detail!  Sliders and color wheels allow drastic or gradual changes with more options.  Change their shoes or add a birthmark – the options are endless!  Assign your Sims personalities with over 65 unique traits such as brave, artistic, insane, and romantic and you can choose their favorite color, music, and food.  
•  Careers will be plentiful and now your Sims will actually go to their place of work.  They can apply for other jobs and take advantage of “opportunities” to advance their careers.  Sims can take part-time jobs, bring home overtime work, and take different promotion routes under the same career umbrella unlike in previous games where every Sim on one career path had the same exact jobs. 
• Build and Buy modes have changed – the square grid that covers the ground is smaller, allowing more room to place more objects and objects can be placed closer together.  Items are more customizable and can be recolored or retextured.  Basements are easier and the auto-roof function updates when walls are changed. 
• Houses and neighborhoods are now on one map.  Allow your Sims to visit any place in the neighborhood without waiting for that lot to load.  A main neighborhood time will keep each lot’s weather and time of day in sync with the others. 
• Gone are the “comfort” and “environment” needs from the original games.  These will become part of your Sims’ “moodlets” which are effected by events from tooth-brushing to weddings. 
• You can set difficulty levels for each family or send your Sims to the hospital to give birth.  A “create a twin” tool will allow you to create an identical twin for your Sims. 

These are just a few of the new features!  If you’re a member of the Sims 2 online community, you know Sims fans were beginning to voice their opinions about what would make the game even better.  It looks like The Sims 3 will not disappoint.  I know this Sims fan will be spending countless hours at her computer, this summer! You can pre-order the game now any website that sells videos games for $49.95.  

The New Nintendo DSi

Since its introduction in 2004, the Nintendo DS has sold over 100 million units and has become the highest selling hand held gaming system of its generation. The DS has a huge variety of games that apply to gamers of all ages young and old.However, like all consoles, the success of the device can only be partly due to its software. Typically it is a carefully timed hardware revision that can make or break a console. This is very true for the DS. The device has only existed in three major configurations: the original DS, the DS Lite, and now the DSi. The original DS laid the foundation for the handheld and the DS Lite trimmed off some of the unwanted “fat” of the device. The latest version, the DSi, has added some functional and stylistic upgrades.

The DSi brings some cool new features to the system like downloadable content via the DSi Shop. However, the DSi doesn’t introduce any groundbreaking performance enhancements. The preocessing abilities of the DSi are comparable to that of the DS Lite. On paper the DSi boasts a significant speed boost to its processing. It was said that the DSi jumped from 67 MHZ in the Lite to 133 MHZ in the DSi. Although the differences are not that noticeable. But perhaps the biggest hardware differences to the DSi is the addition of two integrated cameras, n integrated SD slot, a screen enlargment of 0.25″, expanded RAM, and the removal of the much loved GameBoy Advance cartridge slot.

There are some noteworthy changes to the DSi, even though it didn’t undergo such heavy aesthetic change as the DS Lite. The DSi is slightly thinner than the DS Lite coming in at around 18.9mm as opposed to the Lite’s 21.5mm. The DSi is actually wider and longer than the Lite. It currently comes with two color options, blue and black, which has a matte finish . However, this matte finish is more susceptible to grease prints left by the sweaty little hands of gamers. Yet the DSi does have an all around better tactile response.

The two cameras are located on the inside hinge and the right corner of the outside panel of the flip up screen. Both have a low 0.3 megapixel resolution but also works good for the systems first and third party applications. But the cameras are basically useless for anything other than taking funny pics of yourself and your friends, if you are in a brightly lit room. If not, you might as well not even try. If you do manage to get a picture that isn’t a scary black blob, the colors of it will have a blue or green like tint. But, this is the DSi and not a big fancy camera.

The benefits of the expanded RAM, being four times that of the DS Lite, is really not that noticeable either. And if you put the DSi and the DS Lite next to each other you can hardly tell the difference in the screen sizes and there really is no improvement over the DS Lite in picture quality or color representation. The biggest thing being that is the “nail in the coffin” for some buyers is the absence of the GameBoy Advance cartridge slot. Backwards compatibility is one of the strongest things going for consoles like the Xbox 360 and the PS3 and it appeared to be the same in the DS and DS Lite. But the omission of the added feature is understandable in seeing how the creators wanted to cut back on the size.

But the biggest thing going for the DSi is the ability for downloadable content. Wi-Fi support has always been a center point for the DS since it came out. And now, thanks to the DSi Shop, users will be able to download games and content straight to the DSi for the first time ever. The Firmware has created the delivery method and the DSi’s built in SD card slot makes everything possible. The DSi can use any standard SD card including SDHC cards which exceeds 2GB and supports AAC audio, picture files and other media.

Nintendo also boasted that the DSi had an extended battery life of 14 hours. And their claims were accurate. The device can be played between 12 to 14 hours before recharging. Although run time will vary for each device depending on user settings and feature usage.

The DSi is an all around worthwhile device. While some users will undoubtedly miss the backwards compatibility provided through the GBA Slot, it makes up for it with the added SD slot and the really cool ability for downloadable content though the DSi Shop. For gaming purposes the DSi is a great hand held device. Nintendo has provided a unique, entertaining hand held experience. Plus, all the interesting features like the double screens, the cameras, and the stylis make for a gaming experience that differs from what we are used to. The price tag of $169.99 is well worth it for anyone who has a DS Lite and wants to upgrade or someone who is new to the hand held genre and whats a truly fun and unique experience.

New Rumor Expects PSP2 Before Christmas

Although we are only a quarter of the way into the new year, there has already been tons of buzz and rumors going around about the new Playstation Portable from Sony. Just leaked from an insider source who says he is a developer on the PSP2 project, we should expect to see the PSP2 released some time before next Christmas and that it is also being called the PSP-4000. Also among some of the rumors from this developer is that the Playstation Portable 2 is being designed more like the I-phone than the current PSP and that it will boast a sliding touch screen which will conceal all of the buttons and controls when not open. Unfortunately no new information has come out from this insider source but we expect there to be tons of rumors, hype, and released information on the PSP2 in the coming months.

Wii Manufacturning Cost Down

A story in the Financial Times (via Kotaku) says that the cost of manufacturing an individual Wii has dropped some 45 percent since its launch in 2006. Those kind of numbers couldn’t come at a better time for Nintendo.

The Financial Times is also reporting that declining Wii sales combined with a surge in PS3 numbers has momentarily put Sony’s console back on top of the Japanese sales charts. Recent Enterbrain data puts the PlayStation 3 ahead of the Wii during March, at 146,948 units to 99,335. This puts Wii sales down 63 percent compared to last year

Obviously this isn’t the sort of thing that Nintendo is going to come out and confirm itself. But as the Financial Times points out, cutting costs so dramatically gives Nintendo the option to lower the price should they need to stimulate sales. And the chances for a price cut are now better than ever, especially in light of the newly cheapened PS2.