With Christmas looming, and time running out, I got to trawling through all the Wii online sites (it’s too cold to go out to the shops!). I’m mostly looking for good prices for Wii games like the Wii Fit for my family and some cool accessories for stocking fillers like the Wii skins to jazz up controllers and the console (hides the sticky finger marks!). So I find there’s some sites which seem to be giving you a bargain until you look at the small print and find the delivery costs are just as much as the goods you’re buying. 

So I keep digging around and finally I find a few online sites that allow you to buy Wii consoles, games and accessories at very good prices but they don’t sting you for delivery costs as long as you spend over a certain level. These sites are discount sites, but don’t think that this is a problem as their products are top quality – it’s just their prices which are rock bottom. They look very good, are blissfully easy to use, and best of all, offer a fantastic range of all the top selling Wii games and accessories. 

As I had a bit of a shopping list, I ended up having all my Wii products bought at really cheap prices, and not having to pay anything for getting it delivered. My time spent looking around really paid off so think about going for these discount store as you’re in for a treat. You get the top quality products you see on the high street for a fraction of the price, and all without having to leave the house! Check it out yourself – and enjoy stress-free shopping!

Source by Caroline Bassett

The post Buying Cheap Wii Goods Made Easy! appeared first on ENFEW.

Tomb Raider Underworld

Following the franchise’s legendary return to success under the direction of Crystal Dynamics, Underworld aims to maintain the high level of solid, free-flowing action that reinvigorated the series, while bringing back more of the spooky exploration and challenging jumping puzzles that helped define the classic Tomb Raider games of the late ’90s.

Grand Theft Auto San Andreas

Rockstar Games’ cornerstone Grand Theft Auto series returns for a third run through the 128-bit generation, with this violent, mature-themed third-person shooter and mission-based driving game. Like its immediate predecessor, Vice City, San Andreas strives to provide a wide, deep foundation for its free-form criminal gameplay by setting the story in a slightly exaggerated representation of a familiar (if not glorified) American subculture.

The Witcher

Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story collection is brought to digital life in The Witcher, a single-player action RPG starring a monster hunter named Geralt. Players control the silver-haired Geralt in a fantasy world where dwarves, elves, and humans live in bitter seclusion and monsters roam freely.

F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon

F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon) is an intense combat experience with rich atmosphere and a deeply intense paranormal storyline presented entirely in first person. This first person shooter combines creepy horror with gorgeous visual effects which elevates the game to a new intensity.

Need for Speed Prostreet

Design and tweak your car to perfection, then lay it all on the line in high-speed events around the globe. Battle your newly designed car in four distinct racing styles- grip, drag, drift and the all-new speed challenge.

Warcraft 2 and Warcraft 3

Probably two of the best real time strategy based PC games on the market. They also can give you a back story on World of Warcraft one of the best online multiple player real time strategy based game on the market. Hours upon hours of fun can be found with the Warcraft series.

Farcry

Farcry is based in a tropical paradise that seethes with hidden evil, a cunningly detailed action shooter that pushes the boundaries of combat to shocking new levels. Far Cry runs on developer Crytek Studios’ own CryENGINE, which features unpredictable enemies that use group tactics to make the main character’s job more difficult.

Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War

Visit a dark, distant, gothic future and take real-time command of powerful armies to wage intense, tactical battles in the name of freedom or justice. Following Warhammer 40,000: Fire Warrior, this is the second game based on the franchise to be published by THQ. Like all Warhammer 40,000 games, Dawn of War is set in the futuristic fantasy universe of Game Workshop’s tabletop war game, which first became popular in the late 1980s.

Neverwinter Nights 2

Neverwinter Nights 2 offers 50 plus hours of game play, it has a full feature toolset for creating more realistic characters. It is probably the most authentic representation of a Dungeons and Dragons game that you will find for a computer video game.

Medieval II Total War Limitied Edition

Medieval II is the latest and greatest game to be released in the best selling and award-winning Total War series. Set in the years 1080-1530 the most turbulent period in European history, the game combines a vast, deep-thinking turn-based strategy campaign with the most cinematic, epic and brutal real-time battles ever seen in the genre.

So which computer video games are the best? You decide, if you love first person shooters, F.E.A.R. is a good choice. For an Action Adventure game, Tomb Raider Underworld is a good choice. For real time strategy based games, Warcraft 2 and Warcraft 3 are good choices. Need for Speed Prostreet would be the pick if you are big into racing. Neverwinter Nights 2 would be a good choice for a pure Role Playing Game experience. There is no decisive winner, they are great computer video games, if you have not played them then I suggest giving them a shot.

Source by Kirk Jensen

The post Top Ten Computer Video Games For the Holidays appeared first on ENFEW.

Free Play

Not much explanation necessary here. The 14-day trial of old has now been extended to permanent free play, with a few limitations. One of the most noteworthy of these is that free players will only be able to cash-out more money than they cashed in; in other words, they can’t actually make any money from the game until they are subscribers. The only way to earn money in-game is to team up with a full subscriber, and get them to pay you. Your free play account is easily upgradeable to full member, so once you’re earning more cash in-game than the $9.99 a month it costs to subscribe, it’s time to upgrade.

Custom Content

At last! The Sims Online has allowed users to create custom content. Apart from adding variety and interest, this is a great way for players to earn money in the game, and real life. To create custom content you can either modify an existing Sims object, start completely from scratch, or use a photograph or existing image as a basis for your new Sims object. There are plenty of tutorials available to show you how to get started, and you’ll be surprised how easy it is to do once you’ve had a little practice.

Player to Player Commerce

With the advent of custom content, players are now able to sell items that they’ve made to other players. This system has already worked extremely well in Second Life, and now that it’s come to the online version of the best selling game ever, a colossal marketplace is set to develop. While the creation of these custom products might be easy for those of us who are used to the internet and basic graphic programs, for a lot of people these are difficult technology, and they are exactly the sort of people who play the Sims, and nothing else. If you can edit images then you can build content, and there is a business opportunity for you in the Sims Online world — just remember not to forget it’s about fun.

Cash-Out

Cashing-in and cashing-out are EA speak for turning your dollars into Simoleons (cashing in) and converting them (plus more) back to dollars (cashing out). Both transactions will be performed through Paypal, so your money should be safe. This means that EA Land is now a place where you can earn money without even leaving your house.

Cheats

There are a few sites around still offering (legal) cheats for the Sims Online, including bots who continually work to earn you money. Check out the link below for details.

At last, it seems, EA have finally implemented the changes that players have been crying out for since the Sims Online first hit our screens, pushing it out of mediocrity and into the big-money realms of games such as Second Life and WOW. Considering that Sims 1 and 2 are the top-selling games of all time, attracting millions of players who otherwise wouldn’t even touch a computer, the Sims Online could well be set to herald in a new era of online gaming. Keep watching.

Source by Owen Webb

The post The Sims Online Is Now Free, And You Can Earn Money Playing It! appeared first on ENFEW.

Weapon: Weapon is by far, the most popular and most played Online Shooting Games and in the sub genre of defense shooting games. Your mission is to protect your Black Hawk helicopter that was shot down until reinforcements arrive. You start out only with a pistol. As enemy troops advance, you shoot and kill them for credits in which you can save up to buy more powerful and accurate rifles, machine guns, grenades, and even air support from an A-10! Hope you have a fast trigger finger and a sharp aim because troops will advance at you in waves. I suggest aiming for the heads and take out the troops with rocket launchers first as they will do the most damage. Weapon is one of the most addictive online games on the net!

Palisade Guardian 2: Palisade Guardian 2 is another very popular online shooting game and in the sub-genre of defense shooting games. Your mission here is simple. You are perched on top of a building overlooking the battlefield. Enemy troops will be advancing at the base in vast numbers. You must protect the base at all costs! With each enemy kill, you earn credits in which you can buy better rifles and machine guns. The enemy troops will advance at you with high numbers so break out your best aim!

Highway Pursuit: Highway Pursuit is a very cool and addicting online shooting game that is also in the sub-genre of defense shooting games. You and your partners in crime have just robbed a bank. You are riding behind the transport van in a truck and your job is to protect the transport van from cops on bikes, in cars and armored trucks, to helicopters and tanks! Highway Pursuit features cool explosions and lots of awesome guns to choose from. Highway Pursuit is very addictive and fun and will have you playing for hours!

Hot Shot Sniper: Hot Shot Sniper is very popular new online shooting game that is in the sub-genre of sniper games. You are a hot chick with a powerful sniper rifle and scope. You are given funny assignments to shoot down targets. The faster you snipe them and the greater accuracy you have, the more points you will score!

Modern Sniper – Modern Sniper is a very popular online shooting game in the sub-genre of stickman sniper games. Modern Sniper has been widely distributed and you should be able to find it at many online arcades. In this online sniper game, you are assigned missions to take out multiple targets which includes scaring away a bum, saving a bank from being robbed, and shutting down an illegal tree chopping business. Some missions you must make the kills look like accidents while some missions you can snipe them. Modern Sniper is a classic stickman sniper game.

Of course there are countless other online games that you can play if you’re bored and don not have access to your XBOX and Call of Duty: Black Ops, but these 5 I recommend you play. Have fun playing these free online shooting games!

Source by Jason C Slater

The post Online Shooting Games – Top 5 Free Online Shooting Games Call of Duty Fans Should Play! appeared first on ENFEW.

With figures that huge, anything related to WoW is surely destined to become a hit whatever that is – items, collectibles and gaming guides. Perhaps the best-selling ones are those gaming guides that are known to provide assistance to the avid gamers. WoW is not your ordinary point-and-click game. you are required to pass more than 60 levels and every level has its own share of challenges. So when you buy leveling guide or other types of gaming guides such as the Alliance Guide and the Herbalism Guide, you should know there are plenty others that are buying those materials too.

If you want a comprehensive and effective gaming guide for this MMORPG, you may want to try one highly-recommended product called the Ultimate WoW Guide. Specific benefits of utilizing that guide include leveling up faster and getting more gold for your character. Other benefits are explained below:

Buying and using the said WoW gaming guide will definitely save you more time especially if you have life outside the game. A lot of gamers don’t really have enough time to play and increase the levels of their characters since they have either work or family to attend to. The kids and teens have to cope up with school and social life. So this guide can really help them save a lot of time not just in terms of increasing character levels but completing other challenges as well such as getting gold, winning battles and finishing quests.

Haters or non-fans of MMORPGs will tell you that online gaming only brings addiction and is likely to make the gamer dull because nothing goes through his brain but those games. That’s not exactly the case especially when that particular gamer is using guides like the Ultimate WoW Guide. A guide that comprehensive would need a healthy brain for it to be as useful as it should be. If a player can follow the instructions carefully, that shows that s/he isn’t that dim-witted at all. The guide provides learning in its own unique way, you know.

Another great thing with this Ultimate WoW Guide is it helps you explore more things about the game. Do you think you have known enough about the WoW game? Have you used every possible options or features in it? You may be amazed of the things you will only discover once you buy and use that guide.

Source by Rhina A. Tingal

The post The Ultimate WoW Guide And Its Other Benefits appeared first on ENFEW.

In order to gain portability, the DS had to be designed much lighter than regular consoles. Therefore it has no in built storage device. Therefore in order to save content on the device, external storage devices popularly known as flashcarts or flashcards have to be inserted in the device. There are specific slots in the device for such cards.

There are various types of storage cards, each with unique set of features.

There are different cards for different models of the DS device. Among the most popular cards is the R4 card. This card has been hugely popular among Nintendo DS users. There are different models of R4 cards for different models of the Nintendo DS- the original DS model, the DS Lite model, the DSi model, the DSi XL model and the latest Nintendo 3DS.

The original R4 DS cards are compatible with the original DS and DS Lite models. They will not work with other models such as -Dsi, Dsi XL and 3DS. For the Dsi and DSi XL consoles you have the R4i card. They can be used with the DS and DS Lite, but it is not recommended. For the latest Nintendo 3DS model you have the R4 3DS card. This card can run on all other models of the Nintendo but it is better not use this card with them.

With a good number of R4 cards available on the market now, you need to ask yourself “which one do I need?” All R4 cards look almost the same but their ability to work with particular consoles vary. The most important fact about buying a R4 card is that it cannot work on its own. The R4 card needs a suitable micro SD memory card for use as this is where the operational files are stored for it to function. No version of the R4 card, be it the R4ior anything else, can work without a memory card. The more the storage capacity of memory card, the more data can be stored any time without having to delete previously stored data. For normal users, 2GB memory card is quite sufficient but for the more hard core users a 4GB or 8GB micro SD card is much more suitable.

If you want a preconfigured R4 cards, with the updated software already on the memory card, then you will have to purchase a R4 card together with a memory card as otherwise there will be nothing to insert the software on. If a R4 card is purchased without a memory, you will need to download and apply the latest software for your card.

Source by Shane R Gooch

The post Best Storage Device for Nintendo DS appeared first on ENFEW.

Well, put simply, EA stuffed up. The Sims Online was released to the public four years ago, and has earned itself a relatively small user-base. The immensely popular game Second Life was released at the same time, and has gone from strength to strength. Now, Second Life is a very good game and plays to different strengths to the Sims Online, but the Sims comes from a franchise that boasts the two highest selling games of all time. It shouldn’t have been too hard for EA to come up with a game, then, that at least landed in the top 10% of online games. And initially, they did.

At the beginning of January 2003, the Sims Online claimed over 100,000 active subscriptions, making it top of the list for online games. Sales soared, and EA projected 40,000 subscribers by the end of the year. And then they gave up. Luc Barthelet, the Senior Vice President of Electronic Arts, seemingly turned his back on the game, and bugs and instabilities were left unresolved. Cheats sprang up which allowed players to get large amounts of Simoleons (the Sims Online currency), effectively destroying the in-game economy and rendering many of the objectives of the game (such as employment) useless. Before the cheats came out Simoleons could be sold on eBay for real money, which is one of the attractions to many new players, who want to believe that their actions within the game have some sort of effect in the real world.

So Second Life grew, and the Sims Online – an online version of the most popular games of all time – sank into obscurity. A few faithful users stuck with it, but most players left it well alone, instead finding newer games with more interesting and innovative features. That, however, is about to change. Luc Barthelet announced in March 2007 that he is re-involving himself in the game. The forums have been consulted for the first time in years, and the Sims Online world is in for a shake-up.

One of the first moves that EA are making is to created new cities for players to explore. They are also changing the logo, and have promised to close the loopholes that allow for the money cheats. Registration will be greatly simplified, and the free trial will become, soon, permanent free play. Of course there will be limitations: only one choice of city for non-payers; only one avatar; less starting money. Nonetheless, this is a real show of commitment by EA, and will no doubt draw in many new players. New players, paying or not, will breathe life back into the game, and that’s got to be a good thing for EA, whose image was looking a bit tarnished by its failure.

So why now? Well, the Sims 3 is due to be released in (possibly) 2008, which might have something to do with it. Nobody wants a dead goose on display when they’re trying to build hype for their new product, and it’s going to take a while for the Sims Online to get back on track. This is a very promising (re-) start, though, and a very exciting time to get into the world of the Sims Online. New features such as AvatarBook, which works much like Facebook, will help to provoke interest, and could pull in a very large audience indeed. Few people who have played the Sims games haven’t wondered what it would be like to play with other people, but most have been put off by bad reviews or friends’ advice. Now that’s all set to change, and the community can only get stronger and stronger. The question, then, is not why EA are making these changes now, but why they didn’t make them before. Now we can only play and wait, and hope this time EA gets it right.

Source by Owen Webb

The post The Sims Online Free Trial Becomes Permanent Free Play appeared first on ENFEW.

In 1949, Ralph Beer got an idea to build a kind of game set into a television. It was eighteen years later that many actually worked on the idea to turn it into a reality. Willy Higinbotham designed a kind of tennis game which could be played on an oscilloscope. From then on many people started developing similar kind of video games. But what mattered more than just the people inventing it were the companies manufacturing these video games. The original companies who started mass scale production of these video games are Atari (an American company and one of the first), Sega (which became very successful in the field), Magnavox (a Phillips company) and Nintendo (one of the leading video games manufacturer). Soon a new era of video game technology started off with the invention of the Video game consoles. A video game console is a dedicated electronic device designed to play video games where the output is basically through a monitor of some kind like a television or computer screen. The main input device is a controller (like joysticks, paddles, light guns, steering wheels etc.). Video game consoles started of around 1972 onwards like that of Magnavox Odyssey, Coleco Telstar etc. soon getting upgraded to cartridge based 8-bit console systems like Atari 2600, Intellivision, Vectrex etc. which later developed into 16-bit systems like the Sega Nomad, Supervision, Phillips CD-I etc.

Then came the 32/64- bit consoles like the Wonderswan Color, Nintendo 64DD, Apple Pippin etc leading to the modern era of hand-held PDA technology based video game consoles developed by companies like Microsoft (the Microsoft Xbox -2001), Sega (Sega Dreamcast) and Sony (The Play station). Then is the present technology of modern portable video game consoles with in-built hard drives of which the most popular are the Microsoft Xbox-360 and the Sony Play stations.

The Sony Play station 2 (a predecessor to the Play station 3 set to be released in spring 2006) was first released on March 4th, 2000 in Japan. Soon it had become one of the most popular products becoming the most selling video game console of the present generation selling over 900,000 units in the first week itself. It successfully competed against the then Dreamcast technology though its ability to play DVDs. Though the Sony Play station 2 had inferior graphics as compared to the Microsoft Xbox- 360 but it has a wide collection of different kinds of games pertaining to various genres. In 2002 Sony launched the PS2 online adapter to compete with the upcoming online consoles developed by Microsoft. In September 2004, with the launch of the best selling game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Sony released a new smaller PS2 also later manufacture of better versions which were slimmer. The basic features of the Sony PS2 includes its ability to read both CDs and DVDs, its support of PS1 memory cards, USB and IEEE 1394 expansion also replacing its earlier version Dual shock controller with Dual Shock 2 controller with upgraded shoulder and D-pad buttons also upgrading software allowing faster playback and finer textures and better graphics for the Play station games. The Sony Play station 2 also has the feature of online gaming using the Network adaptor built into the SP2. The Sony PS2 also has released a Linux operating system version along with an Ethernet adaptor and also a free YaBasic interpreter on the bundled demo disk which allows simple programs to be created for the PS2 by the end-user. Also a port of NetBSD project is made available in the PS2. Also mp3 and Divx movies and homebrew programs running in consoles with a modchip installed can be viewed on the Sony Play station 2. Additional controllers, modem, DVD remote control, memory cards, antenna cables, component video accessories, headsets etc. are made available as additional hardware in the SP2.

The Microsoft Xbox 360 is Microsoft’s latest video game console released in November 2005. This piece of modern technology game console is all set to compete other such consoles such as the Dreamcast and the Sony Play stations including the Sony Play station 3 due to be released in spring 2006. The Xbox 360 has features which include a hard drive, online gaming support, headset, a wireless controller, Ethernet cable. Its hardware is based on an IBM power PC- based CPU and also a graphics processing unit equipped with 512 MB of RAM and also uses DVD-ROM support for game software. It comes at a modest $399.99. It has the ability to support up to four wireless controllers with USB support just like the Sony Play station 2 though it has wireless technology and green LEDs. This console comes with a detachable external hard disk drive allowing storage of games, movies, videos and just about everything. Additional hardware includes audio and video cables for extra support, a rechargeable battery pack, memory units, and universal media remote via IR etc. The DVD-ROM also supports other formats like the CD-ROMs, MP3 etc. The Xbox 360 has a 7.95 GB of storage available on the DVD though the upcoming consoles like the Sony Play station 3 will use about 25 to 50 GB Blu-Ray Discs. The Xbox 360 is totally portable just like the PS2 weighing a mere 3.5 kg. The X-Box 360 also comes with Media Center Extender capability and also opens up facilities of custom music plugged in with mp3 players; ipods etc. through USBs and has the additional feature of backward compatibility. While each console is struggling to keep up the competition with the others in the market, the Sony Play station and Microsoft Xbox 360 have emerged as the leading sellers in the video game consoles market. Comparing both the products is nearly impossible owing to their unique features compete each other in their own way. With Sony all set to release the Play station 3 in 2006 the question is as to who will rule the gaming market of the future?

While the Xbox 360 clearly has better graphics than the PS2, PS3 completely beats the Xbox when released with support of true 1080p displays though the Xbox HD media center extender clearly makes the Xbox 360 the master of digital media allowing external mp3 player connectivity for custom music while the PS3 has no feature as such. The Xbox is powered with a 3.2 GHz PowerPC with 3 dual-threaded processor cores while the PS3 has a 3.2 GHz Cell processor with 7 synergistic processor cores (not directly compared with the Xbox). While the clock speed of the Xbox is 500 MHz that of PS3 is 550 MHz. But the Xbox has video RAM of 512 MB RAM while PS3 comes with only 256 MB whereas the video memory bandwidth is almost the same. Then the Xbox comes with one 100 Mbps Ethernet port while the PS3 comes loaded with a 1 Gigabit Ethernet port. Cost wise the PS3 is aimed to hit the markets with a low price as compared to the Xbox 360 though it is expected that Microsoft would reduce their prices once PS3 is released to stay in the competition. So as far as graphics are concerned the Xbox comes loaded with ATI graphics core while the PS3 puts up a pretty decent competition with its NVIDIA graphics processor. Memory wise the Xbox beats the PS3 with its huge 512 MB of dedicated memory as compared to the PS3’s 256 MB of XDR memory. When it comes to the Networking part the Sony PS3 is all determined to maintain the top position with its built-in Ethernet adaptor which includes an 802.11 b/g wireless adaptor while the Xbox 360 includes only the adaptor while the wireless comes at an added extra price tag.

Overall it is nearly impossible to make a choice between these two fully loaded tech-gadgets of the Next Generation. Which of these will make it to the topmost position would only be decided once Sony releases its Play station
3 in 2006.

Source by Shravan Kalluri

The post Playstation vs. Xbox 360 appeared first on ENFEW.

Terapeak is eBay’s Certified Provider of market research. What this means is that they have access to eBay’s vast database of past auction transactions. Information that the average eBay seller is not granted access to. All the average user gets the completed item search which is only for very recent closed auctions. Terapeak’s information goes back years and includes the following: auction sales prices, item sell through rate, item titles, item categories. Most eBay sellers do not take advantage of this opportunity instead they rely on completed searches and their own knowledge to make choices about which items to buy and sell and when. With Market Research by Terapeak you have the advantage over the average seller because you have information they don’t, information that could prove very valuable. What do I mean? Well let’s take a look at what Terapeak can do.

What can Terapeak do for you?

There are four main categories of research that Terapeak provides: What’s Hot, Category Research, Seller Research & Product Research. With “What’s Hot” research you will be able to see which categories are the bestselling allowing you to place your item in the best category for it. It can also help you choose the type of items you would like to sell. For video game or media sellers it provides the top 100 selling items for games, books, DVDs and music. Hot Searches shows you what buyers are currently looking for on eBay so you know what keywords should be in your title. It also shows which categories the search results most often show up in. Hot Products search shows you which products are hot from within your selected category or subcategory helping you know what to buy and when. Hot Title search shows which titles are the best selling helping you know how you should word your own auction titles. The Value Tracker will allow to save your favorite searches and items. You can also receive email alerts with weekly search information.

Category Research allows you to research information with a category or subcategory of eBay. Category Trends will show you up to two years worth of data trends for you eBay niche. See what time of the year your category has the highest sell through rate. Know when to sell and when to load up on inventory. Top Sellers will show you which sellers are on top of your category with sell through rate, average sale price and total eBay sales. Learn from their listings and strategies to strengthen your own business.

Product Research gives you the ability to search the history of individual items. The Product Report will show you when an item is selling for the most profit broken down by day of the week and hour. It will also show you promotions used, categories it was listed in and the top sold listings. Product Trends can be used to research the yearly selling patterns for specific items. The International Report shows you how products are selling in the international markets. See what hidden markets there could be for your products.

Source by Ethan L Pepper

The post How To Use Terapeak To Boost eBay Auction Sales appeared first on ENFEW.

10 Reasons to Read Ender’s Game

1. Read the Book Before Seeing the Movie

The movie adaptation of Ender’s Game is set to open on November 1, 2013. As any slightly-uppity critic will tell you, you want to read the book before you see the movie.

2. Consider This Your Intro to Science Fiction

Even though good science fiction is one of my favorite genres, I don’t recommend sci-fi to almost anyone. I recognize that it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Ender, however, is not your typical sci-fi novel. When she married me, Rachel had a very negative opinion of science fiction, and I can’t say that’s changed just yet. But she greatly appreciated Ender’s Game and plans to read the sequels some day.

Even if you don’t love science fiction, you’ll appreciate Orson Scott Card’s masterful writing, and the characters will keep you intrigued throughout.

3. This Book is Far More Than Young Adult Lit

Before “young adult” existed as a genre, Card popularized the child hero. Now, adolescent protagonists like Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen are seen as the norm; think about it – how many enormously-popular best sellers have adult main characters?

As a predecessor to young adult lit, Ender’s Game does not suffer from the genre’s weaknesses. Its characters are more realistic than most in the genre, and the writing does not pander to the uneducated. This is a book about children, but it is written for adults.

4. This Book Has an Enormous Depth of Thought

Speaking of this book as a contrast to most young adult lit, how many young adult novels have spawned dozens of books and essays analyzing the philosophical, military, and life lessons in their pages? Ender’s Game has that distinction, with Ender’s World the latest in a series of books analyzing Card’s masterpiece.

In Ender’s World, well-known authors and thinkers take the reader in-depth into how Ender’s Game influenced their thinking. The authors who credit Card with influencing their development include military commanders, television producers, and best-selling writers. That diversity speaks to how much Ender’s Game has to offer in terms of food for thought.

5. You Will Return to this Book Time and Again

Believe me, as soon as you finish this book, you’ll begin to consider reading it again. This story is that good, and your first reading won’t be enough. The common experience of Ender readers is a deep itch to reread this book, and often on more than one occasion.

6. Reading This Book Will Open a Whole New Series to You

If you end up liking Ender’s Game, you will be happy to learn that nearly a dozen sequels are out there. In my study, I have an entire shelf devoted to Orson Scott Card’s novels, and there are still times when visiting book stores that I find new books or collections of his essays. Unlike series that begin and end far too quickly, Ender’s Game is the beginning of a substantially-long series.

7. This Story is a Great Metaphor for Life

This point is a topic for another post, but Ender’s Game is a story that serves as a perfect analogy for so many aspects of life. I don’t think Card wrote this book to be a metaphor for anything, but nearly everyone can see parts of their life reflected in the story. After you’ve read Ender, you’ll find your mind returning to it time and again.

8. This is a Great Conversation Starter

As I mentioned above, Ender’s Game is a story that appeals across ages, sexes, and backgrounds. So whenever the topic of books comes up in conversation, you’ll be amazed at how many people know and love this book. I place Ender on a short list of books I think everyone should read for cultural literacy if no other reason.

9. Check Out the Amazon Rating

In case you doubt me, take a look at the user ratings on Amazon. At the time of this writing, Ender’s Game has 3,868 reviews on Amazon, and 2,976 of those are 5-star ratings. Overall, the book enjoys a 4.6-star rating – an astounding average. (For a comparison, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has a 4.7 rating.)

10. Everyone Likes a Good Novel

No matter how rarely you read and no matter how little free time you have, you can always find a few minutes where a quick fiction story is a welcome treat. Whether it’s waiting for a doctor’s appointment or those few minutes before you fall asleep at night, you can always find time to read.

Even if you’re not persuaded by all nine other reasons, read Ender’s Game for fun. Read it for pleasure. Take this book on your next vacation, or read it during your lunch break to feel like you’re on vacation. You’ll thank me.

So there you have it, my 10 reasons to read Ender’s Game. What would you add to my list?

Source by Joshua Waters

The post 10 Reasons to Read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card appeared first on ENFEW.

The Nintendo Wii is one of the most recent additions to the video game market, but was certainly not the first. The first gaming system to hit the market was back in the mid sixties. This was called the Magnavox Odyssey.

The Magnavox Odyssey was the worlds first video game console, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years. It used a combination of analogue and digital circuitry and was the world’s first commercially sold video game console. After the short ‘lifespan’ of the Magnavox Odyssey and the Atari Pong, the Atari 2600 was launched. The Atari 2600 was the first successful console to use game cartridges, which allowed consumers to play multiple games on the same system and created a huge market for crude-looking but addictive titles such as Space Invaders and Pac Man. The Atari 2600 was wildly successful, and during the 1980s, “Atari” was a synonym for this model in mainstream media and, by extension for video games in general similar to “Nintendo” and “PlayStation” in the 1980s and 1990s. It was the dominant console for much of the second generation, with other consoles such as the Intellivision, Odyssey 2, and ColecoVision also enjoying market share.

The Atari 2600 was a hit and Atari became Warner’s most successful division and was Atari’s first entry in the newly emerging programmable console market, and led to the direct demise of the Game Brain console. It was a fun gaming console for its time for an 8-bit gaming machine, and with the exception of a few spectacular bomb titles like E. The Atari 2600 was the first widely distributed game console due to the success of Pong, the first mass marketed video game. The Atari 2600 was officially retired by Atari on January 1, 1992, making it the longest-lived home video game console in US game history and is one system that will live in history and that will always be remembered for starting home video gaming popularity altogether. The Nintendo Wii is a far cry from these consoles, and due to the advancement in technology over recent years, has created a huge gap, that would never have been thought possible back in the day. Other Wii accessories available on the market today are Wii boxing gloves, Wii Steering Wheels as well as a wide range of aftermarket Wii Sports Packs, making it a fun, enjoyable console for all the family to enjoy.

Source by Andy D Black

The post The Nintendo Wii and Its Wii Accessories appeared first on ENFEW.

Contrary to popular belief, Mario made his debut in the 1981 Donkey Kong game for the arcade. Although he was called “Jumpman” he looked exactly the same as the Mario that appeared in the first game with his name in the title “Mario Bros.” This was a basic game that didn’t scroll, and it required killing all the enemies in a “Phase” and then progressing to the next phase. In this age, it is hard to see the appeal of this game, but in it’s time it was rather entertaining.

Mario’s game that propelled him to the status of a household name was the first “Super Mario Bros” for the NES which is now the best selling video game of all time. This was the first side scrolling Mario game and it set a standard for all the 16 bit Mario games to come. While it was not the first side scrolling platformer, it was the first done well, and allowed other developers to copy the formula. For this reason, this game is hailed by many as the saviour of the video game industry as the industry was in a great deal of trouble before it’s release.

Possibly more noteworthy, was Mario’s transition into the 3d world. Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 received perfect scores from countless professional review companies. It is still seen today as the best ever 3d platformer, and many have tried but failed to replicate the success of Super Mario 64.

Sonic’s creators knew from the beginning that Sega needed a mascot for it’s Genesis/Mega Drive system that could help market it’s console to compete with Mario and the Super Nintendo. They looked at Mario and perceived him as stuffy and uninteresting and decided to tap into the younger generation who was after something “cooler” with more attitude. After many considerations including “Mighty the Armadillo” Sonic the Hedgehog was decided on and a team of 15 began work on what would be the first Sonic game, “Sonic the Hedgehog” for the Genesis/Mega Drive.

Popular opinion said Sonic didn’t really hit his straps until the second game for the 16 bit console. In this his little sidekick Tails was introduced and collecting all the chaos emeralds saw Sonic transform into “Super Sonic” which was a yellow, super fast super strong version of the character.

Sonic’s 3d games however have not seen the success of it’s rival Mario. Sonic 3d Blast for the Genesis/Mega Drive was an average attempt, and it wasn’t until the Dreamcast where we saw a 3d Sonic game that was really worth playing called “Sonic Adventure.” However, since creating that formula that worked perfectly, Sega have made odd choices with games forcing you to play as Sonic’s less entertaining sidekicks to access the fun Sonic levels. Sonic the Hedgehog on the 360/PS3 received awful reviews. Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii seems to be the only game since Sonic Adventure that has really got it right with Sega finally realising that what made the originals so fun, was Sonic’s blistering speed.

Sega’s decision to no longer create consoles has no seen the creation of the first game where Mario and Sonic can go head to head called “Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.” After selling about 1 million copies of this game, it is clear this rivalry is still alive and kicking. Many have no doubt thought back to those schoolyard arguments and thought “Finally! I can prove x is better than y!”

Whatever your opinion is, it’s no doubt you haven’t seen your last debate on the topic. Just remember when you’re ready to rip someone’s throat out, it’s only a game.

Source by Brett Ranton

The post Mario Vs Sonic – The History of These Two Gaming Giants appeared first on ENFEW.

At the very least, there is still one untried method, and it costs only a few dollars. Absolutely reasonable, and worth the time spent by your children. The wonder solution? Rubik’s Cube.

Brief introduction of the world best-selling toy

After all, it should come as no surprise. Initially developed by Erno Rubik as a tool to help students understand more about three-dimensional geometry, Rubik’s Cube has instead become one of the world’s best-selling toy ever.

As with all complex games, the rules are simple: solve the game, by making each face of the cube having only a single colour. However, it is extremely challenging to do so: Although a standard 3X3 Rubik’s Cube can present 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible scenarios, or simply more than 43 quintillion possible configurations, sadly the fact is there is only 1 solution for each scenario.

Hence, the possibility of someone able to solve every conceivable scenario is so minimal that it tends to zero. It is a game that tests more on logic and reason than on guesswork. Solving the cube is easy; any newcomer can solve most problems within a few weeks of interaction. What differentiates the “cubaholics” from the novices ,is that the former seeks out God’s Algorithm – The formula for solving the cube in the least number of moves, i.e. to say, the optimal solution. And that, is what that gives the Rubik’s Cube huge potential as an excellent teaching tool.

Why Rubik’s Cube?

First, playing Rubik’s Cube can help children to develop good habits like patience. To solve any scenario of the cube using the least number of steps is not easy: One has to think slowly. There is no room for guesswork – a few steps in the wrong direction within a few seconds is all it takes to destroy the solver’s painstaking work done within the past hour. This inevitably trains children to think carefully before making any move, similar to chess. Through the game they learn that patience and perseverance is the key to success.

Second, not all people who can solve Rubik’s cube can said to be masters at it. The truly proficient ones are those who need not rely on guesswork: They are the ones who are able to instruct novices on how to solve the cube in a systematic way, using logical reasoning that anyone can understand. And it is this insistence on logical reasoning required by this game, that subconsciously trains the child’s brain to be systematic and disciplined in whatever they do in the future.

For parents who wish to see their children working in the fields of computer engineering or architecture, Rubik’s Cube provides an even more convincing reason.

Even though there are so many possible scenarios in the Rubik’s Cube, apparently it has been proven that a maximum of 23 steps is all that is required to solve each puzzle. The endless search for the optimal solution has resulted in people being more interested in the applications of algorithms, or simply known as a sequence of instructions. More and more people in all industries are using algorithms to solve problems with extremely vast and complicated possibilities, such as the Rubik’s Cube. This is quite common in the fields of computer engineering, and to cite an example, the algorithms behind the mechanisms of an excellent search engine was what it took to propel Google to the major player in the market. Algorithms are set to play an increasingly significant role in expanding the boundaries of computer engineering in the future, and Rubik’s Cube can allow children to be familiar and interested in the practical applications of algorithms.

As with architecture, the construction of the Rubik’s Cube itself is already an excellent teaching tool on geometry. If you don’t believe it, try making a Rubik’s Cube on your own. Though the geometry involved will not be discussed here in this article, there is sufficient reason to believe children who interact often with the Rubik Cube can develop great interest and insights on the mathematical structure and the balance struck within physical objects.

The practicability of using Rubik’s Cube as a teaching tool

So far, there seems to be no real world evidence or study on the feasibility of using Rubik’s Cube as a teaching tool. Evidently, there may be some limitations to implementing this new practice:

Possible reason 1 : Students may get bored with playing the Rubik’s Cube the entire day. This is especially true regarding students with short attention spans.

Suggested solution : However, this can be easily solved by introducing games such as Sudoku, Rubik’s Cube and Monopoly as a packaged course. Since these games equally stimulate the mind, it may be much easier for children to accept these games rather than plain drills to enhance their learning skills.

Possible reason 2 : Some critics may argue that using Rubik’s Cube is probably not feasible because it has not been tried before.

Suggested Solution: The writer admits that there seems to be no real world evidence that can prove that any teacher has tried it before. However, we should not let this deter us in giving our children quality education. If this Rubik’s Cube can really do wonders for our children, do we really want to give up the idea just because no one else has done it before?

After word

At the end of the day, parents still want their children to have the best education that they can afford. Now, teachers have used song lyrics, blogs and even social networks like MySpace to communicate and teach their students. This signals that the children are exposed to a different culture from the past era, and parents will do well to take in new teaching methods with a open mindset. The Rubik Cube is one that has huge potential in helping your child to excel in life. Try it, and you may have a pleasant surprise.

Sources/Citations:

• rubiks.com
• inventors.about.com/od/rstartinventions/a/Rubik_Cube.htm

Source by Yeo Teck Wei

The post Make Our Children Smarter With a Rubik’s Cube appeared first on ENFEW.

With singleplayer games, there is no need to worry about predators, stalkers, youth seeing nudity, hearing language, being bullied, harassment, verbal abuse, losing content, or having to interact with others. You can just enjoy playing your game without a care in the world. So you really don’t have to worry about much of anything since these games are just for one person.

Just because you may be the only one playing the game, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to be cautious of. While most negative things about all types of gaming come from some of the actual real-life people on those games, some of the negative things are from the type of games and the types of games for the wrong person.

There are plenty of horror games, games with nudity, language, intense topics, intense scenes, smoking, drugs and alcohol, gambling with real life money, suggestive themes, blood and gore, games that have violence, etc., that are just for one person.

You really need to look at the game’s website, social accounts, videos, pictures, description, tags and especially the reviews. You need to gather all the information on the game you’re thinking about buying, whether for yourself or someone else.

If the game is on Steam, Humble Bundle, or some similar websites; they will show you the description, videos by that company, pictures, user and non-user tags, user reviews, website, company, and social accounts. However, if you’re on the game’s website, they might not show everything you need to know to decide whether to buy the game or not.

The least some game companies will show is a very short sales pitch description, a small amount of pictures (5 at best), a video or two by them, and their social accounts. The most they will show is an informative description, pictures by them and users, user reviews, videos by them and their social accounts. I’m not going to get into the good and bad in gaming and how to tell if the game is good or not in this article, that’s another article.

Now you’d think all games would have a singleplayer mode and then add other modes later. After all, it’s somewhat easier to have players play by themselves and create a new world or file than it is to pay so many dollars a month or year to host a server, have the troubles of getting and keeping the server up, and then having players actually connect to the server. At the beginning, you would think some games will add a Singleplayer mode before they add Co-Op or Multiplayer mode right? WRONG!

There are lots and lots of games that only have Multiplayer mode, Co-Op mode, and any other mode that is not Singleplayer. Some games are just meant for Multiplayer, like MMOs (Massively Multiplayer Online). It is possible to play multiplayer games with more than one person on one computer in the same room, but most people call that Local Multiplayer or Local Co-Op. This allows you to play with someone on the same computer in the same room.

You couldn’t play with someone from Sweden if you’re in the USA on Local Multiplayer or Local Co-Op. You have to go online for that. It’s the same as how you talk to people all over the world from Twitter, Facebook, Discord, Skype, etc., which are all online. If your internet is down, you cannot talk to anyone on those platforms because it’s not online.

There are many different types of games and game modes for different people. You can get a game that is strictly singleplayer or a game that has both singleplayer and multiplayer and just play singleplayer for the time being. Some people like the game and not the multiplayer part so they only play the singleplayer part. I recommend starting with singleplayer and then getting a game later that has both so you can ease into multiplayer versus getting thrown into multiplayer.

Source by Erica Wagner

The post Singleplayer Games appeared first on ENFEW.

Know Your Strengths Versus Your Enemy’s Weaknesses

The first of these StarCraft 2 tips is to know your strengths and just as importantly your enemy’s weaknesses. Each race,whether it be Terran, Zerg, or Protoss, comes with their own strengths and weaknesses which can be addresses and tactically used against your opponent if you have the information.

Build Orders

One of the most important StarCraft 2 tips to keep in mind involves build orders. Any gamer who is acquainted with these games understands the necessity of build orders or the order in which you build your forces/base and spend your resources. In coming back to the first tip, this changes based on what race you’re playing as and which race you’re playing against. This changes again if you’re playing a game with 4 players versus 6 players versus 8 players or just one on one.

Use a Guide

Consider a StarCraft 2 tips guide like Star 2 Pros to give you everything you need to know to decimate your opponents quickly including mission walkthroughs, build orders for each race and opponent set up, 1 versus 1 and 2 versus 2 advanced strategies, and lifetime updates for one of the best authority guides from beta testers of the game themselves who know the game inside out.

Source by Jared Leason

The post 3 Essential StarCraft 2 Tips For Dominating Your Competition appeared first on ENFEW.

The game begins by telling the story of a ship full of friends, a friendship if you will, lead by head friend Hatty Hatty. One evening the friendship is caught in a whale of a storm and Hatty and all his friends crash on an island. Soon after, Hatty is kidnapped and forced to wear a hat. Not just any hat, mind you, this one makes Hatty all evil and weird, forcing him to turn against his friends, including you. Before you know it, you find yourself in a “gladiatorial prisony place with (a) perilous medley of twisted stage productions that shred the silky fabric which weaves together the fragile blanket of sanity that keeps us sane.” A gladiatorial prisony place which also just happens to have theater seating. And where you’re forced to run a deadly and seemingly endless gauntlet of traps. All for the entertainment of sentient cats.

Well, at least smarter than average cats to be sure. I mean they have spike traps and tank turrets. Robots with rocket launchers, and lasers. Sometimes they toss some of the older kittens in there to fight you too, and those cats come armed with everything from hand grenades and exploding frogs to boomerangs and vacuum cleaners to keep you from your goal. Which, by the way, is to find at least three gems in a stage which will unlock the exit, allowing you to escape. Also keep an eye out for balls of yarn that you can cash in with the guards for new weapons. Along the way you’ll make use of suction cup guns and jetpacks, springboards and floating platforms… with eyes and mouths. And just in case you’re thinking “Oh well, you get jetpacks, that doesn’t sound so bad,” some of the levels are timed, adding an extra level of stress as you strive for the goal.

With over 100 stages across eight levels, several secret areas, two game modes (normal and insane), and an equal number of very similar, but slightly more teamwork-oriented two player co-op stages that are playable with a friend online, or in good old fashioned couch co-op style, Battleblock Theater has enough content to keep you busy for quite some time, and is well worth the approximately $15 price point. If that weren’t enough though, there’s also a level editor included, allowing you to create your own diabolical deathtrap filled dungeons to escape, and then sharing them online, where there is already a veritable smorgasbord of user created content up for you to explore, play and rate until your heart’s content. There is also a ton of customization unlockables to collect in the form of other prisoners friends you can play as, while gem collecting your way to freedom, and you can trade these with your friends online in an effort to complete your set.

Battleblock Theater is currently only available on Xbox Live Arcade, and is one of the better downloadable releases of the past several weeks. It’s hours of fun, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Like most Live Arcade games there is a free demo available, so download that sucker and give it a whirl. If you like what you see, then come into Slackers and pick up an Xbox Live Points card and use it to unlock the full game. Or just save time and do that first, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Recommended if you like platformers, cats, and designing elaborate deathtraps.

Source by Brian Robbins

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One of the most common questions I see on the internet about Hong Kong shopping is “Where can I buy video games in Hong Kong?” That’s a very good question, and I’ll explain why.

If you’ve ever been to Hong Kong you know there’s no stores like Wal Mart or Gamestop that have large displays of video games for sale. And if you visit a big mall, like Cityplaza, Pacific Place, or Times Square, you probably won’t find a store selling video games in there either. You might get lucky and find games in somewhere like Toys R Us, but they’ll be for sale at full price.

After searching around for a while, visitors might wonder how a city famous for cheap electronics has very few places to buy video games. Even street markets don’t sell video games.

If you’re looking to buy video games, consoles, peripherals, or electronic devices in Hong Kong, you want to visit the Wan Chai District in Hong Kong Island. Here you’ll find a mall called the Oriental 188 Shopping Centre.

The Oriental 188 Shopping Centre is a shopping mall dedicated to video games, movies, anime, toys, electronic devices, and all sort of other goodies.

The mall itself is quite small when you compare it to other malls in Hong Kong. The hallways are narrow and shops are crammed into the limited space inside. The shops consist of mostly independent shop owners who sell any of the items listed above. The prices inside these shops are cheaper than what you would find at chain electronics stores like Broadway and Fortress. And prices for games are cheaper here than what you’d find them for in stores in Hong Kong that sell video games.

There are a few things you need to know when buying video games in Hong Kong. And since most shop owners at the Oriental 188 Shopping Centre don’t speak English, you’ll need to know these things before you go.

1. Some video games consoles have region locks on them. Meaning you can’t play games from Asia on a North American or European video game console. These consoles include: Nintendo Wii, Nintendo 3DS, and XBOX 360.

2. Game consoles without region locks on them include: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS. You can play any game for these consoles no matter where it was made or where your console is from.

3. Getting to the Oriental 188 Shopping Centre can be a bit difficult since the MTR doesn’t stop anywhere near this mall. The best way to get here is by bus. Look for a bus that stops at 298 Hennessey Road (at Kwong Sang Hong Building) or Wan Chai Road and Heard Street.

4. A computer shopping mall, called 298 Computer Zone, is found in the same building as Oriental 188 Shopping Centre. If you’re looking for Computer products, give 298 Computer Zone a look. You won’t have to walk very far at all.

5. This mall is packed with young people on the weekends. Go to 188 on a weekday to avoid large crowds of people.

This is just some of my information on the Oriental 188 Shopping Centre. Click Here for more information on this mall and other shopping centres in Hong Kong.

Source by Jonathan Michael Nicholas

The post Where to Buy Video Games in Hong Kong appeared first on ENFEW.

During his tenure as head coach of the men’s basketball team at the University of

North Carolina, he gained a reputation as one of the greatest coaches in sports

history. In fact, he’s the all-time leader when it comes to victories by an NCAA

Division I men’s basketball coach. His teams appeared in the Final Four eleven

times and he won two national championships. In any sport, that kind of record

would be considered evidence of a true champion–a natural leader.

Smith also gained a reputation as a winner off the court. He ran a clean program

and didn’t get into the type of ethics escapades that tarnished the records of other

coaches. An incredible 96 percent of Smith’s players graduated, indicating his

determination to ensure that his players received a solid education. In short, he was

the type of coach that any university would be proud to have on its roster.

In 1976, he became a patriot when he coaches the U.S. team to a gold medal at the

Summer Olympics in Montreal. He’s also a best-selling author, having penned

Basketball: Multiple Offenses and Defense–the best-selling technical basketball

book in history.

And Smith secured his place in Southern history by recruiting Charlie Scott as UNC’s

first black scholarship athlete, thereby integrating the Tar Heels basketball team.

This was no small feat at a time when race relations weren’t the best in America.

But being a great basketball coach who believes in giving minorities a fair shot in

life does not necessarily mean you’re a winner when it comes to politics.

In the 1980s, Smith recorded radio spots to promote a freeze on nuclear weapons.

It was a trendy liberal cause at the time. However, what ultimately ended the Cold

War and the threat of destruction by the Soviet Union was not a nuclear freeze, but

conservative Ronald Reagan’s insistence on a strong defense.

While he was coaching, some members of the Democratic Party recruited Smith to

run for the U.S. Senate against legendary incumbent Jesse Helms. Smith rejected

the offer. However, in his retirement, he has taken sharp aim at conservative causes

–from the war in Iraq to homosexual rights.

Smith, a diehard liberal Democrat, has failed to post a winning record in the political

game. He’s consistently backed the loser in Presidential contests and U.S. Senate

races and he has consistently lost every time. He has donated to losing candidates

like Howard Dean, Erskine Bowles, John Edwards and Bill Bradley.

Most recently, a North Carolina Supreme Court candidate, Rachel Lea Hunter,

claimed Dean Smith was supporting her candidacy. Dean Smith has denied the

claim but his image is still displayed on Hunter’s campaign website and no

apologies have been made for the false statements. Rachel Lea Hunter was a

Republican in 2004, an Independent in 2005 and now a Democrat. The Republicans

don’t want her and the Democrats won’t recognize her candidacy.

And yet, a number of people continue to listen to Smith’s political musings–not

because of his intellectual insight, but because of his celebrity status. Let’s face it–

if Paris Hilton endorsed Hillary Clinton for President tomorrow, it would be a story

on television, in the newspapers, and on the Internet. The media put a great deal of

stock in what celebrities say–even if they appear to be talking about topics that are

far beyond the red carpet, the Aspen skyline, or, in this case, the free-throw zone.

Dean Smith is a great basketball icon who is very liberal in his politics. He certainly

has a winning record on the basketball court, however, having his political support

is definitely the political kiss of death.

Copyright © 2006 by Nathan Tabor

Source by Nathan Tabor

The post Dean Smith: Politics is Just Not His Game appeared first on ENFEW.

How It All Started

The increasing popularity of online farm games began with the famous FarmVille in 2009. FarmVille started as a Facebook game and it quickly gained popularity as one of the first Facebook games ever made. The idea of playing online with your friends and the fact that this game was highly interactive made FarmVille very well-known and loved by many people around the world. This game actually founded the base of the entire farm genre and is the prototype of many farm games that followed.

What Are The Best Online Farm Games?

Here are some of the best ones you can play on your mobile devices:

Farm Story 2 – In this wonderful game you will go on an adventure in a magical world full of butterflies, water ponds, rivers and birds. You will be surrounded with beautiful and friendly animals, milk cows, harvest fields of colorful crops and fresh ingredients and prepare food for you and your friends. You will be able to treasure your adventures with a colorful Scarpbook that will automatically fill as you progress through the game. Farm Story 2 is the ultimate game for mobile devices – it has amazing and colorful graphics, intuitive controls and a very addictive game-play.

Family Farm Seaside – Family Farm Seaside is a fun and enjoyable game that will keep you busy for hours! It perfectly simulates living in a farm and it has amazing graphics and beautiful animations. The simple controls of the game allow any player to start playing in an instant – no need for complicated tutorials or long explainations. The game is completely free to play and it will take you on a beautiful farming adventure – you will plant, harvest, process products, complete missions and invite your friends to play with your as your farming neighbors.

FarmVille 2: Country Escape – FarmVille 2, the sequel to the original FarmVille from 2009 is also a great game and it’s definitely a worthy sequel to such popular game. You will be able to customize your own farm for charming country living, collect hidden items, nurture and raise many adorable animals and have a delightful farming experience.

Check out the great online farm games mentioned above and I assure you – you won’t be able to stop! They’re just too fun!

Source by Billy Mike

The post Find And Enjoy The Best Online Farm Games appeared first on ENFEW.

Where to Find World of WarCraft Movies

World of Warcraft clips can be found in major game networks like Gamespot, IGN, and in Blizzard’s main World of WarCraft page. Anyone looking to buy the game should definitely check out these previews to see why World of WarCraft is one of the best selling MMORPGs of all time.

Where to Find User-uploaded Game Play Movies

YouTube is the best source for World of WarCraft movies covering all expansions. A simple “World of WarCraft” search on YouTube yields over 100,000 results so you’ll have endless viewing pleasure in different World of WarCraft videos uploaded by fans all over. Existing players will get a real kick out of this because many strategy videos are uploaded here and can sometimes beat various strategy guides around the internet and bookstore that cost money.

How to Record World of WarCraft Movies

If you’re looking to hop on the media bandwagon and join the many other players showing off their gaming skills, then you need a special software that can record onscreen activity. WeGame is a free software that allows you to do just that and is known to support World of WarCraft. More advanced and commercial alternatives are available like the popular Fraps and highly praised Game Cam. All these programs allow recording of gaming activity with the press of a hotkey.

Expect a huge drop in frame rate especially with those using Fraps if you have less than 1 GB of RAM installed and run on a single core machine. It is best to have a at least 2 GB of RAM with dual core processor to record videos at good performance.

Another, but less quality way of recording is by simply using a webcam or digital camera in recording your game play directly. Of course the quality will be much lower depending on how the camera is being held, but the frame rate will never be affected.

After your videos are done, you can optionally edit them using software like Windows Movie Maker and then finally upload them to the social media sites. Add a fine description to your video and you are part of the community. World of WarCraft movies help demonstrate your passion and expertise in the game as well as helping others play better and convince newer people in buying the game.

Source by Derek Smithson

The post Watching and Recording World of WarCraft Movies appeared first on ENFEW.

There are many advantages of using these card, like users are allowed to play multiple games, without paying more. There is absolutely no need to buy these expensive games, when these game cards offer you plenty of gaming opportunities. You can also add or convert the points with this gaming card.

Since, ultimate gaming cards are available online; you need not spend too much time in searching them. Ultimate game cards are thrifty and very good pleasure to the customers.

You can play a lot of games using these gaming cards. You can also play games on popular social networking sites like Myspace and Facebook using this card.

You just need to load the ultimate game card with a specified amount and you can play games to a whole lot of sites. These cards come with a code and you just need to enter these codes on various websites.

Many websites on web are providing you these cards free of cost. Thus, without spending any amount you will be able to get hold of these free ultimate cards. However, you should investigate thoroughly before you buy these cards.

These cards are the world’s best selling pre-paid gaming cards. There is no other card gaming card that provides the international reach and brand awareness of the ultimate game card. It not only delivers superior customer satisfaction but also increase your marketing footprint.

Source by Robert Luther

The post Ultimate Game Card appeared first on ENFEW.

Today, I’ve selected Michael Webb’s 100 Sex Games! If you’re interested in women’s orgasms you’ll love what I found!

Let me tell you a little about Mr. Webb and why we decided to check out his product. He has been on 100’s of magazine covers, appeared on over 500 television shows, has written best-selling books, and authored a total of 17 books in this genre.

First of all his sex games are not immoral or degrading. I expected to see the same old sex games that every body talks about but his are unique. Why are they unique? It’s because he made the games up himself.

I like them because they take little or no preparation, little money, and I’m positive they will work. He’s given a new spin on things.

There’s a fun little game you can play with regular playing cards. This one made me chuckle.

There’s another game you can play in a restaurant. Depending on what is on the menu or what the waiter says will direct your naughty activities. This one is cute. He also has a guessing game that should ready turn the woman on. It did for me.

I see why he’s been in every major newspaper in the country. He’s a very good writer and has great information. It’s all very unique! He offers some interesting bonuses, as well. One is his penis enlargement information. He’s really done some research on the subject.

There’s another bonus on developing the PC muscle. He makes it very simple and powerful. He offers another bonus of 53 Sexy Coupons, How To Give Messages, 101 Romantic Ideas, How To Prevent Premature Ejaculation, and some others.

This is the best overall course I’ve found about SEX GAMES. I’ve developed and tried many sex games over the years and his concepts stand up. What could be better about the course? I guess only if it were on video!

Source by Rachel LaDue

The post Review – Michael Webb’s 100 Sex Games (Will It Help To Give A Woman An Orgasm?) appeared first on ENFEW.

So you are likely most safe with a verified best seller list.

Where else can you get this list than on the internet’s No 1 shopping Mall, Amazon.com.

Now when it comes to purchasing goods online one of the safest places is Amazon.com.

Amazon has a large inventory of products, not just toys. They also offer buyers a wide variety of criteria to help them pick the right products for them.

They include, ‘Best Sellers’,’ Most Wished For’ and even a ‘Most Gifted’ set of list under each product category.

What could be better?

Now to the heart of this article: The Best Selling Christmas Toys.

Here are the top 10 Christmas toys on Amazon.com for Christmas 2010. These toys are on the top 10 Hot Toys for Christmas at the time of this writing.

Amazon updates this list by the hour so you might need to check their website regularly.

1. Scrabble Flash Cubes

2. New Syma 3 Channel S107 Mini Indoor Co-Axial Metal Body Frame & Built-in Gyroscope RC Remote Controlled Helicopter (Colors may vary) New Syma 3 Channel S107 Mini Indoor Co-Axial Metal Body Frame & Built-in Gyroscope RC Remote Controlled Helicopter

3. FurReal GoGo My Walkin’ Pup

4. Qwirkle Board Game

5. Hedbanz Game Hedbanz Game

6. LEGO Ultimate Building Set – 405 Pieces

7. Beyblade Metal Fusion Super Vortex Battle Set

8. Spy Net: Secret Mission Video Watch

9. Bananagrams

10. Scientific Explorer’s Mind Blowing Science Kit for Young Scientists

This list includes the top 10 best selling Christmas toy both for boys and girls. These toys rank top 10 because the American people have voted and have chosen them as the best of the best for 2010.

Don’t limit yourself to this list as Amazon has other toy categories such as the most wished for, most gifted, hottest and new release toys.

Go ahead explore them and don’t forget that each product has a review page for parents who have bought the same toys and are more than willing to share their kid’s experiences. So under each product click the customer reviews to read what other people are saying so you can make a right decision.

Amazon also has different categories of toy products such as Christmas toy trains, new toys for Christmas, Christmas toys for boys and girls, hot toys for Christmas and popular Christmas toys.

Source by Madusha Emeka

The post Best Selling Christmas Toys 2010 – Find the Top 10 Hot New Toys for Boys and Girls appeared first on ENFEW.

The versatile nature of this console system allows you to upgrade with specialized accessories designed to improve the way you play video games. If you have a package, or are shopping for a video game player and bundle, be sure to keep an eye out for these additions:

Xbox Wireless Controller: A helpful tool for an active gamer, the wireless remote control lets you take charge of any game from as far as thirty feet, for up to forty consecutive hours…if you really like to play non-stop! This is great to have if you use your console system with a large or plasma screen TV.

Xbox 360 Composite A/V cable: If you don’t have a high-definition television and want to improve the experience of playing that one favorite game, this cable can work to improve picture quality on your TV and feed sound through your stereo. The sound effects became more life-like, and you’ll really get into the game!

Turtle Beach XBOX 360 Wireless Gaming Headset Ear Force X31: For when the rest of the house doesn’t need to hear the explosions or Guitar Hero chords, these headphones bring high quality sound to your gaming experience.

Microsoft Messenger Kit: This handy devices lets you chat with friends online via your Xbox! If you use Xbox LIVE, you can multi-task and chat with playing partners for the full interaction in gaming.

When you accessorize your Xbox 360 system for maximum performance, you’ll find your gaming skills improve over time. Look for these and other comparable items when you next shop for games to play.

Source by Kathryn Lively

The post Top Xbox Accessories Enhance Your Gaming Experience appeared first on ENFEW.

The phenomenon also affected European countries, like France, where the Red and Blue versions were the best-selling games of 1999 and a million copies of each were sold as of June 2000, less than a year after its launch in France. The animated series was broadcast in several countries, including the United States, Australia, Japan, and Canada.

Source by Harry Preston

The post Pokemon Cultural Impact appeared first on ENFEW.

Super Mario Bros. 3, like Super Mario Bros., is a side scrolling adventure game featuring Mario and Luigi, the Super Mario Bros. All three powerups from the original game are back, along with new ones. Most notably the Super Leaf, which turns Mario or Luigi into Raccoon Mario or Raccoon Luigi, also granting them the ability to fly. Other powerups include the Hammer Suit (throw hammers), Tanooki Suit (similar to the Super Leaf, also with the ability to turn into a statue and have near invulnerability), and Frog Suit (better swimming abilities).

The enemies in this game are vastly updated as well. The Goombas return, along with the turtles (which you can now carry around their shells), the hard shelled beetles (also carry around their shells), the octopi, the baby sharks (along with an adult shark, which can eat Mario and Luigi), among others you may recognize. Bowser returns, but this time he has brought along seven of his children, called Koopalings: Larry, Morton Jr., Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig Von Koopa. These seven children are the final bosses of the first seven worlds, with Bowser himself guarding the eighth world.

Speaking of the worlds, they all have themes to them just like the first game. But even more detail has been put in them this time. The worlds are as follows, in this order: Grass Land (themed to just plain grass), Desert Land (themed to a desert, complete with quicksand and dust devils), Water Land (themed to water, where the stages are partially or completely underwater), Giant Land (where everything is huge), Sky Land (themed to the sky), Ice Land (themed to ice, where everything is frozen and slippery), Pipe Land (themed to pipes, the most common method of transportation for Mario and Luigi), and Dark Land (themed to fire, lava, and darkness, and contains Bowser’s lair).

The music and sound effects, while not as commonly sampled like SMB was, still are classics today. In fact, I remember I use to hum the music in the underground stages (stage 1-5 for example) for its rap beat like sound. Great stuff there.

Nintendo made a masterpiece with this game, believe me. Even though I have completed it time and time again, I still come back and play this each and every time I have my NES out. I love this game for the childhood memories it has brought me and the laughs it has given me.

Source by Steven Pruitt

The post Retro Gaming Discussion – Super Mario Bros 3 appeared first on ENFEW.

It’s a very good time to be a Pokemon fan. Pokemon Diamond and Pearl for the Nintendo DS have been in the Top 10 best selling games for months now and the Diamond and Pearl cartoon is pretty popular too. But why stop there? I have a vision and Pokemon people feel free to borrow this idea from me, that would make Pokemon an even more dominant gaming franchise. I’d like to see a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) based on the world of Pokemon.

Sure, I know that’s there’s a few Pokemon games online like Pokemon Crater and Pokemon Online (POL) but those games are pretty simple and based on the game play of the Game Boy Advance version of Pokemon. And I don’t even think that Nintendo has anything to do with them. They could be one cease and desist letter away from being shut down.

I’d like to see a World of Warcraft style Pokemon game online. Use the same story line and game play as Diamond and Pearl but put the players in a cartoonish 3D environment. Choose your trainer avatar and start your adventure. Think about how cool it would be to wander around different towns and cities, catch wild Pokemon, train them, battle other trainers, do gym battles, collect badges and enter tournaments and do it all in a online 3D environment that you share with other Pokemon trainers. And to make it interesting they could add some members of Team Rocket to mix. Jessie and James could be bots that come along and try to steal your Pokemon.

This would be a great game for the Wii’s Online Service. Pokemon Battle Revolution is out and it already has online play in Japan but that game is just an extension of Diamond and Pearl. Without a DS, that game isn’t too good. No, they need to start over with a whole new online Pokemon game.

The Nintendo Wii is the hottest selling new video game console right now and it’s outselling the PS3 and XBox 360. The Wii is still hard to find in the stores and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. The Wii’s only weakness seems to be it’s online play which is weak at best. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is going to have online play but it’s release has been pushed back to February. My Worlds of Warcraft Pokemon game idea (let’s call it Worlds of Pokemon for this article) if done right, could become the game that puts the Wii Online Service on the map.

Hopefully someone at Nintendo has already come up with this idea and programmers are already hard at work on Worlds of Pokemon. If not, then I hope they have enough free time to read this article and get inspired.

Source by Anthony Tripp

The post Play Pokemon Online appeared first on ENFEW.

With the success of the Nintendo DS Console there have been thousands of fantastic Nintendo DS Games released, hundreds of which have been given critical acclaim for both playability and game play. While this huge number of DS games means you will never get bored of your Nintendo DS console, it does mean that it can be hard to find the right game for you.

To help you out I will classify different categories of Nintendo DS games you can find which will massively reduce the time it takes for you to find the perfect DS Game for your own personal needs.

Brain Teasers and Educational DS Games

There are hundreds of Nintendo DS Games out there which will stretch your mind, and help increase your knowledge. Whether you are looking for a brain trainer, a portable sudoku game, or a language trainer, you can find a wide variety of educational DS games for you to use on the move.

I have personally used both the Brain Training DS Games and a Learn Spanish DS game, which vastly improved both my mental reflexes, and my ability to speak another language!

Action DS Games

Forget learning, sometimes you just want to blow stuff up. There are thousands of fast paced action DS games which send you on a wide range of missions and landscapes as you slash/shoot/fly your way through your enemies onslaught.

Action DS Games are a great way to relieve stress and boredom, and I personally love to kill a few minutes with my action themed Nintendo DS Games. There are a huge range of action titles which bring a fast paced range of entertainment to the DSi!

Puzzle DS Games

There are a wide variety of puzzle games to suit all ages with the Nintendo DS. Whether you want to draw your way out of a puzzling situation, or match your symbols on fast paced puzzle games like bejeweled, you are sure to find a puzzle DS game which helps keep you entertained.

Puzzle DS Games are great for people like me who often need a little mental challenge, but don’t often have time to spend keeping up with things like the Brain Training DS games.

Mystery and Adventure DS Games

There are plenty of mystery and adventure DS games out there where you will have to search for clues, solve riddles and catch the master criminals. These usually contain a lot of Puzzles, however I did not include Adventure DS games with Puzzle DS games, since the puzzles are generally just part of a much bigger problem solving game.

Mystery DS Games and Adventure DS games generally follow complex but enjoyable story lines which lead you through intriguing tales. A quick warnings, these adventure DS games can often be addictive, and you might find yourself playing your DS game a little bit too often!

Mystery and adventure games for the DS include titles such as Professor Layton, and even Pokemon DS!

DS Games for Girls

DS Games for girls give a female spin to the great Nintendo DS Console. Whether your girl wants a horse, to own a clothing store, or play out life in a simulated town, there are hundreds of Nintendo DS Games for Girls!

A lot of the feminine DS titles help teach your daughter about a wide variety of things they will encounter in their life, as well as teaching them about fashion and pet care!

Educational DS Games

One of the interesting foundations of the success of the Nintendo DSi is that it coincided with the release of a wide range of educational DS titles. From brain training to language training software, the Nintendo DS gives you some brilliant educational DS games which provide you with a really valuable educatonal resource. These educational DS titles also provide teaching programs for subjects such as Maths, Science and Geography, as well as the languages and the brain Training applications!

The End

I hope this little guide to the world of Nintendo DS Games cleared things up a little, and helped you decide which from the fantastic range of DS titles you would like to buy!

Source by Oliver Whitham

The post The Best Nintendo DS Games appeared first on ENFEW.

First on our list is a game based on the hit movie Toy Story 3. In this DS game, players are able to navigate through scenes that were taken directly from the movie, or go into battle mode as Buzz Lightyear, and fight of various enemies . This game is available for about £ 20.00 and is sure to please any Toy Story fan.

Another one of the best DS games for kids is Professor Layton and the Lost Future. This bestselling DS game is set in London and allows players to time travel and solve mysteries with the 165+ new puzzles available.

Some of the other best DS games for kids include LEGO Harry Potter, which takes the first four movies and transforms them into a game where players can help Harry fight his way from Diagon Alley all the way to Hogwarts and beyond. Also on the list of best-sellers is Super Mario Bros, which takes the classic Nintendo game plus some new levels and powers, and puts it right into your hands. Mario Kart for DS takes the classic racing game and makes it available on the move. Mariot Kart for DS features wireless multiplayer modes that allow the player to play with friends that also have a DS and also features online mode to play with gamers around the world.

No matter which DS game you choose for the boy on your Christmas list, you'll be sure to make them happy, as Nintendo rarely disappoints.

Source by Chris M. Holland

The post Top Nintendo DS Games for Boys appeared first on ENFEW.

Many of the custom modifications you get when you purchase the StarCraft game use the same editor. However, with some of the newer games you have to make a few custom hacks changes to be able to get around the restrictions of the existing editor. Some of the mod creators even record their own sound effects and voices, but for the most part they still exhibit the same polished integrated structure as the original game. This is because it is relatively easy to break the balancing and produce artwork that fits in with the Blizzard creations.

There are custom mods for the StarCraft game that do have changes made in the programming. This gives these mods their own unique take on the game. Hackers that create these mods can adapt the StarCratft files and have different sounds and graphics. Some of the mods are even more intense than the original game providing for single players. Others have made extensive changes to the sound and graphics and even the action of the game itself.

There are many different mods of the StaraCraft game, some of which vary little from the original. They include:

– Aliens vs. Predator: Retribution TC – this is a German speaking version of the game with total conversion

– Brutkrieg.de’s TC pack – This German version of the game features a collection of homemade add-on packs and TC’s. They are bundled together and sold as one package.

– Gundam Century – This was originally called GundamCraft that replaced the StarCraft graphics with the manga mecha characters of Gundam and their robotic vehicles. The game also replaced two of the StarCraft races – Federation replaced Terrans and Neo Zion replaced Protoss. The site was shut down for a while, but is now live again. However production of new mods has not resumed.

– NeoTech – This mod features an upgrade to all the Terran forces with most of the units replaced by units that look more spectacular.

– Open Rebellion – This is a total conversion of the Brood War that very closely resembles the original version.

– Robotech: Enemy Frontier – This is a total conversion of the Robotech game of the 1980’s.

– StarCraft Sickel Add-On – This is a fan built extension kit for the Brood War game. It adds to the existing line of units and allows for the addition of new units. There are two new Terran tanks, a new Zerg unit and several capital classes of Protoss.

– StarCraft Team Fortress – This mod totally changes the game so that it is somewhat like the Half-Life Team Fortress.

Source by Ling Tong

The post All About the Starcraft Mods appeared first on ENFEW.