The State of Games in the Media

The video games industry is now a bigger grossing industry than the movie industry. In 2007 more money was spent in the UK on PC and console games, as well as the consoles themselves and the associated peripherals than on DVDs and cinema tickets. Yet until recently the media attention lavished on the movie and music industry, movie stars, plots and special effects far outshone that given to the games industry, with games journalism lagging behind movie and music reviews and comments in the majority of mainstream titles.

So too does the wider public view the movie industry more seriously, handing it the privilege to deal with important issues and make important comments. By contrast the games industry is viewed with a degree of both suspicion and a lack of seriousness, still seen by many as an immature pursuit of kids and adults who need to grow up. Big releases like Halo 3, Wii Fit and Grand Theft Auto 4 have all received comparatively high media attention, though not always for strictly good reasons or in a positive light. Generally games only enter the general publics eye when they break records or through bad press.

In that last couple of years though games and games journalism has grown to take a place in many large papers, websites and TV and news programs. Alongside movie and music reviews game reviews often appear and with big name title releases their press grabbing launches can grab news time on TV as well as . Other press attention is gained in a less favorable light with games such as Grand Theft Auto or Manhunt 2 making the news because of their controversial content. And so as the games industry grows and matures so too does it gain wider exposure from the mainstream press.

As well appearances in the press the games journalism industry in its own right has grown and matured into a business and discipline in itself. Dedicated games magazines are now experienced long-term brand names as are their associated websites. Recently not only have TV shows dedicated to game reviews and news grown to take a place on several channels but games orientated channels themselves have launched not just online but on Sky and Cable too, namely xleague.tv

Hell's Kitchen - Can You Survive There?

Gordon Ramsay, the world-famous chef, invites you to his Hell's Kitchen, where aspiring chefs do their best to earn his approval and achieve the position of Senior Chef. This game is a real challenge for time-management addicts. You have to control two rooms - the kitchen and the dining-room - at the same time, and neither the food nor the customers will wait if you linger too much. Amazing 3D graphics and pressing atmosphere make your game experience unforgettable.

The game is based on the popular US TV show and preserves all the features so appreciated by its audience.

You are welcome to enter the double doors of Hell's Kitchen and try your culinary skills in this fast-paced time-management challenge. There is not much of a story here, but the game doesn't need it really. You act as a young chef who has decided to put him/herself at the mercy of Gordon Ramsay, who is not going to give your any favors, of that you can be sure. Quality of your dishes will be the top priority, not even customers' satisfaction. You start from the status of Dishwasher and have a chance to move to the rank of Senior Chef (if you survive the crazy race, of course).

So, each day starts with Today's Special - the dish you are going to cook on this level mostly. Be sure to have something to eat before you play, for the dishes look really mouth-watering. One of the great features is that you have a wonderful opportunity not only to learn the recipe of the dish you like but even to print it if you wish. Get ready to fill your cookbook with the most sophisticated examples of different cuisines!

As I already mentioned, you have to manage two rooms at a time. First you should attend to your customers, show them their table, take their order, then clean after they have eaten. Second, you have to cook the food trying to get the five star rating for every single dish. In the dining-room everything is quite simple - click on the customers to sit them down, then on their table to take the order, then on the food to deliver it, and so on. Your main task is not to make your customers wait for too long, in this case they together with Gordon become extremely irritated. Pay attention to the fact that your waiter will need some time to serve each customer, so you have to plan his actions wisely. And try not to make all your customers wait for their food at the same time - you'll not be able to serve them all well. It's better to make some of them wait for the menu and meanwhile prepare other orders.

In the kitchen everything is a bit more complicated. First you have to click on the necessary ingredients (and watch them cut and cook themselves), then put them to a pot or frying pan and wait while they are cooked. The most important thing here is to organize your work so that you could get all the dishes in one order ready simultaneously, for if you overcook something or let it just stay for too long, it will quality and, accordingly, stars. For this watch the timers for each dish and make them match before you put the ingredients.

Tip: try to prepare the ingredients at once, not waiting for the order. This wil help you save a couple of seconds.

As you progress in the game the tasks will become even more and more challenging. You will have more tables to serve and more dishes to cook. Surely, the number of available ingredients and ways of cooking will also grow. And the meals will become more complicated, as customers will prefer to get not only their main courses, but also desserts, appetizers etc. You'll never be bored in Hell's Kitchen, that I can guarantee!

One more aspect of the game is definitely worth mentioning - the visuals. The game is made in 3D graphics, and all the flames and colors of the environment perfectly create the pressing atmosphere matching the game play and theme. No discordance here.

But enough talking. Step into Hell's Kitchen and see everything by yourself!

Download All of Your PS3 Games Here!

Have you ever gone to a video game store and over payed for a game? How about having the worst customer service? Or end up going to multiple stores to find one copy of a game that seems impossible to find. Everybody has gone through this, whether it's not getting anyone to help you, or just having to travel to get a game that you want. There is an easier way, and that's to simply download your games. Playstation 3 games are really expensive now a days, and if you like trying games before you play them, the video stores are around $10 to rent a game. Why spend so much money when you don't have to leave your house, and setup alongside playing a bunch of games are easy!!

All you need to do is point and click, and figure out what you want, and for one simple fee you can have Resistance, Ratchet & Clank, Army of Two, Hot Shots Golf 5, Heavenly Sword, Haze and more. And with Metal Gear Solid 4, Madden 09, and (just announced) Bioshock are on their way, which will cost you $180 just for those new releases. There is such a great selection of games that you can choose from, and all you have to do is make sure you have the hard drive space to hold all the games. And this doesn't include all of the other functions the PS3 was made for, like movies and music. You can also find download your movies as well, along with any music you're looking for to make your PS3 not only a great gaming machine, but to also make it a great home entertainment system.

Hope this will help you out, like stated above, it's a simple process of point, click and download and you will be all set. Good luck, and enjoy!

The Age of Free Online Gaming

The age of free online gaming is now upon us. It is remarkable how much progress has been made in the free online gaming market in the past five or so years. Earlier this decade when people heard "free game" horrible images of freeware games made by college kids in their spare time came to mind, games that looked like early 1980s PC RPG betas. No longer. Today there are literally dozens of free to play games in almost every genre. Maple Story alone, a free to play 2D MMORPG released in 2003, now boasts over 56 million accounts worldwide 1. Just in case you're wondering, that blows World of Warcraft with its 10 million users out of the water. While MMORPGs are the most common genre of free gaming, there are free games in every field. Shot Online and Albatross18 are both free golfing games with a level of depth rarely found in the retail golfing market. Games like GunZ: The Duel, Wolf Team, War Rock, and Soldier Front offer FPS experiences ranging from frag fests to tactical team coordinated matches. Its difficult to think of a genre that isn't covered. There are several excellent free racing games such as the simple yet realistic racer Project Torque. If you want something more immersing, look no further than the hybrid Racing/RPG game Drift City which has several fully explorable cities filled with side missions and places to explore with graphics similar to the retail Grand Theft Auto games. If you like to mix rocket launchers with your racers, the free market delivers; Upshift Strikeracer is all about rockets, mines, and other nasty weapons to blow the other players out of the race. Even traditional sports are covered. Freestyle Street Basketball is a simple yet addictive game where each match lasts five minutes, perfect for the casual player. If you're a soccer fan than try Kicks Online.

I've mentioned only a fraction of the free to play games available and it almost feels like a crime to have left out such great games as Fly For Fun, Exteel, Gunbound, and the dozens of other games now accessible by anyone with an Internet connection. Now, dear reader, you must be convinced that we are now entering the age of free gaming, but I have one more shock for you. This is only the beginning. Even as I write this there are dozens of top quality games in beta testing either here in America or in Japan and Korea. Beautiful games like Neosteam and a Gundam MMO are in the works. The list of free online games available and under construction is in the hundreds. Many former pay to play games have been liberated from their monthly fees. Archlord, RF Online, Savage, Anarchy Online, and Shadow Bane are now available to the masses for free. Surely this is a trend that will continue.

The next time you consider pulling out the credit card to activate a subscription or purchase a game online, think twice and give a free to play game a chance. You might be surprised by what you find. If you're looking for a resource site to read a bit about the best free games out there, I'd recommend checking out MMOHub.

How to Game Like a Pro

How is that other guy so fast?

How did he react and move so much more accurate then you?

Well, a lot of speed in reaction time and accuracy is practice and natural reaction time which you can only get by spending a lot of time in that certain game or genre of games.

But a lot of it comes from simple hardware upgrades and tweaks! Having that little higher reaction time mouse or anti ghosting keyboard. Having that perfect key layout or preprogrammed gaming pad. Those things make a huge difference.

In my experience, the difference between an average standard mouse and a gaming mouse is as big as the Grand Canyon. The usb connector is usually gold plated for faster connection times and less delay between click and action. The optical sensors are much more active and have a higher resolution. The entire design is build for speed and fast hand and wrist movement. Even the cable is thiner and more flexible to give you the least amount of resistance when moving.

Every little twitch of the wrist can move your mouse cursor across the screen at many times the speed of a regular mouse. Instead of 2 mouse buttons they have 7! All fully programmed to that certain game you're playing. You won't have to reach across the keyboard or click the screen to use a certain skill or switch out weapons. They have it all in reach of their fingers, on the mouse to be clicked in a split second.