WCG 2006:Information

This year's World Cyber Games (WCG) tournament is nearing and you are just in time to know more about it. This year's tournament will be held at Monza, a city located in northeast Milan.

OFFICIAL GAMES

COUNTER STRIKE 1.6 (PC)
Players have to play as either terrorists or counter-terrorists. Once all the members of a team die, or if the team has the least remaining number of players after time runs out, that team will lose. The tension experienced during gameplay makes up the fun.

FIFA 06 (PC)
One look at the game title and you would have already know that this is a soccer game. What more can be said about soccer? 11-a-side, a limited amount of time in two halves, play on! The 2006 version boasts better graphics and refined gameplay controls.

NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED (PC)
Alright, you know it. Players will challenge each other one-on-one in an intensifying match for the race to be number one! Visual upgarde is allowed, but not performance ones.

STARCRAFT:BROOD WAR (PC)
A game that has long been included as an official game in WCG, Starcraft:Brood War is making no exception this year. Control any one of the three races and start battling on to the end in a 1 vs 1 match in this real-time strategy (RTS) game.

WARCRAFT 3:FROZEN THRONE (PC)
Another RTS game, players will yet again challenge each other 1-on-1 in the tournament. Select your preferred race and start building immediately!




DAWN OF WAR:WINTER ASSAULT (PC)
This is another RTS game and gameplay will be similar to Starcraft and Warcraft. As usual, players get to select the race they like and after that, it is annihilation time!


DEAD OR ALIVE 4 (XBOX 360)
A new version of Dead or Alive will be played at this year's WCG. Gameplay will be pretty much the same, but DOA 4 boasts better graphics. Select from over 20 characters and try to oust each other in 60 seconds.


PROJECT GOTHAM RACING 3 (XBOX 360)
Another new game at this year's WCG, PGR 3 is a racing game. This is where you get to try your hands on one of those slick cars that will send anyone drooling. Burn some rubber and win the race!

PS3,Xbox 360 or Wii?Powerplay predicts the real winner!

When the end of next year (2007) comes around, which console will be conquering the market? Is it the PS3, Xbox 360 or will it be the Wii? Powerplay predicts the real winner through six factors: Design, innovation, target audience, price, hardware and software.

DESIGN
PS3: It is apparent that the PS3 is a winner in the design department. Blessed with all the right curves at the right places, as well as a slick finish and a good color combination, the PS3 will not fail to amaze anyone.
Xbox 360: The huge design of the Xbox 360 is unacceptable in this age, this day, where the being slim is the way to go. Microsoft shoud seriously consider sending the console for a redesign, just like what Nintendo did with its DS.
Wii: An uncluttered and simple design makes the Wii a truly outstanding console. It clearly resembles those famous Apple products and will be sure to turn anyone on.

Winner:PS3, 2nd:Wii, Loser:Xbox 360

INNOVATION
PS3: This is one curvaceous baby, providing a refreshing change from the previously 'boxy' designs of the first two PlayStations. The controller is now shaped like a boomerang. Okay, great innovation -- in terms of design.
Xbox 360: Is there any innovation to speak of in the first place? None, I think, except the little color change to the Xbox 360. Oh, yeah, and the logo, but not much innovation.
Wii: I have to hand it over to the folks at Nintendo because they are the most creative staff. If you recall the Wii controller (click here if you have not seen it), then you will better understand the meaning of 'innovation'.

Winner:Wii, 2nd:PS3, Loser:Xbox 360

TARGET AUDIENCE
PS3: The features and games seem to suggest that the PS3 is only aiming for the hardcore gamers. Hey, then what about casual gamers?
Xbox 360: Xbox 360 seems undecided when it comes to its target audience. It has games like Gears of War, Too Human, Ninety-Nine Nights for hardcore gamers, but it also has games like Every Party and Viva Pinata for kids.
Wii: Thre has been an increase in the number of non-gamer friendly games announced. These games are easy to pick up and will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike. Okay, the Wii rightfully deserves the title of 'Family Console'.

Winner:Wii, 2nd:Xbox 360, Loser:PS3

PRICE
PS3: Oh, you have to sell your kidney before getting your hands on the PS3? That's a little too much, really. What about casual gamers, who just want to have some fun and not want to pay so much?
Xbox 360: To say that the Xbox 360 is expensive is erroneous, but to say that it is cheap, it is also erroneous.
Wii: This is the cheapest of the 3 consoles, but there's a catch: It does not support HD. But hey, it is still the cheapest, right?

Winner:Wii, 2nd:Xbox 360, Loser:PS3

HARDWARE
PS3: Sporting a blu-ray drive, the PS3 is the most muscular of the 3 and playing games on the PS3 is just like treating your eyes to a grand meal.
Xbox 360: It is not as powerful as the PS3, but neither is it as poor as the Wii.
Wii: You mean the Wii does not even support HD! Spare me the crap!

Winner:PS3, 2nd:Xbox 360, Loser:Wii

SOFTWARE
PS3: Yeah, I know there is Metal Gear Solid 4 and Assassin's Creed, but I just feel like conking out if I am surrounded by the remaining PS3 games. Yawn!
Xbox 360: The console has the juiciest line-up of the 3. There is Halo 3, Forza Motorsport 2, Lost Planet, Fable 2, among others. Excellent!
Wii: Wait, you are telling me that I cannot play Splinter Cell Double Agent, Rainbow Six Vegas, The Darkness on the Wii? Please, do not relegate me to kiddy games. But I am just gald to see more third-party support coming in. Keep them coming in because it it still not enough.

Winner:Xbox 360, 2nd:PS3, Loser:Wii

OVERALL WINNER (NOT AN AVERAGE)
WINNER: PS3, remaining as market leader
2nd: Wii
3rd: Xbox 360

Some factors are more important than others and hence, the verdict. Sony has already established itself for so long that it will take a mammoth to topple its PS3. It already has a loyal following. The Wii proves to be better than the Xbox 360 because of its controller and design.

(C) An exclusive article brought to you by the Powerplay blog!

Game Preview 4:Need for Speed Carbon

Publisher: EA
Platform available: PC, Xbox 360, Xbox, PS3, PS2, Wii, GC, PSP, DS, GBA
Release date: Year-end

Barely 12 months after the release of Need for Speed Most Wanted, EA has again plans to release another Need for Speed game, this time being Need for Speed Carbon, within this year. Like the previous Need for Speed game, Carbon will be released for all the consoles and PC, including the current-generation ones and even the GBA! You can be sure that the settings for Carbon will look more terrific than ever. Carbon will maintain some of Need for Speed Most Wanted features, including the notoriety system and needless to say, the gorgeous cars. The new thing that Carbon will sport is what they call the 'Canyon Duels', a new mode. This mode pits you against another car (it is a one-on-one). Rather than finishing first, the mode focuses on the points earned. There are two rounds and you will have to chase a car in the first round. The closer you are, the quicker the points come. In the second round, it is the directly opposite. Now, the opponent car will chase you. Better maintain your pace. Another new addition to the new NFS game is the crew. Your crew may help you in many ways and support you, aiding you to win the race. For example, they may help you to block your opponent's car. Therefore, I expect the crew to be a very important thing in Carbon. You may even get discounts at buying car parts! Last but not least, there will be three car classes in Carbon: Tuner, muscle and exotic. Tuner cars are well, you know, modern sport cars. Muscle cars are sport cars from the 70's and 80's. Exotic cars are those with hundreds of horsepower. All in all, Carbon does not stray too much from the tried and tested formula of most NFS games. Now, I wonder how NFS Carbon will play on the Wii and if NFS Carbon on PS3 will feature better graphics than other versions. Okay, just wait and check back for more updates beacause that is all that I know.

Hardware Guide 19:Wii Controller

Here is the real revolution -- changing the way people play games. If you have seen how awkwardly the controller is held, you would hava a clearer image of what I am driving at. Oh, well, never mind. Just take a look at the picture below and you will understand. Now, you will really feel as if you are that soldier in the game, although I must admit that you will be quite exhausted after some time.

"Creative, innovative, impressive" are words that I will use to describe the Wii controller. The remote-like controller has given way to many new ideas regarding on how games can be played. You can use the controller as a sword (think sword-fighting in Star Wars games), a bow, a rifle (as illustrated above), a tennis racket, and there are many other endless possibilities. Yeah, I know that Nintendo will try to market some of its older games via the Wii's online service (known as Wii24Connect), so you must be wondering:How will those older games utilize the Wii controller? The answer is no. Instead, Nintendo has introduced a new classic Wii controller (see picture below), which fortunately, presents a better image than the old GameCube controller.

Okay, back to the point. As I was saying, I think that the Wii controller is amazing. And there are further evidences to support my view. According to sources obtained from IGN (read IGN's report here), the controller will communicate with the Wii console via Bluetooth technology on a 2.4Ghz band and for the console to interact with the controller, a sensor must be placed near the controller (see image below).

It is also known that the controller will have an internal speaker, coupled with 6KB of memory. The controller will also feature LEDs, which will indicate battery life (2 AA batteries are needed to operate the controller for 30 hours). A rumble motor, which can be turned on and off, is built in too. Okay, so it seems like a good deal. Both the remote-like Wii controller and the classic one will be finished in an elegant white (also looking glossy to me, although I don't really know), making the controllers look more like Apple products. Check back for more updates on the Wii controller.

50% Success in Wii-ing Support

Earlier this year, Nintendo promised that the forthcoming Wii console will have more third-party support than the GameCube. Fortunately, for Nintendo, it has attained success in this area, but only partially. Yes, EA did announced that six new game titles will be released for the Wii, all of which will be custom built, so that the games can make good use of the special Wii controller. Not only that, Activision has also joined EA in supporting the Wii by making known its plan to release Call of Duty 3 on the console. But I think that's all that I know. Here's the dreaded bad news. It was recently announced that Half-Life 2:Episode 2 will be released for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, but as I expected, the Will version is missing. So, it seems that Nintendo has a little disadvantage here. No thanks to Valve. Also, Ubisoft, publisher of the Tom Clancy games, has no plans to release the newest Tom Clancy games (to be released later this year), namely Splinter Cell Double Agent and Rainbow Six:Vegas, on the Wii. That, to me, is also expected. Imagine this:If these two games are to be released on the Wii, then, how will the Wii controller be utilized, especially for the Splinter Cell game? Okay, I will just keep my fingers crossed and hope that Nintendo gather more third-party support for the console -- hey, are you buying the Wii? Because I intend to buy one. Ha!

Puzzle games:Very puzzling prices

If you have a keen eye, you will notice that puzzle games are constantly flooding the portable consoles, especially the DS, nowdays. There is a wide variety of them, ranging from PSP's Lumines (see picture), to DS's Sudoku Grindmaster, to the innovative Electroplankton, to the latest game, Magnetica. There is something for everyone! But as puzzling as the puzzles in the games may be, the puzzling thing is that the prices of these games are just as puzzling! My question is:Are the puzzle games really worth the bucks? Afterall, there are many puzzle game offerings from various online game websites and you can play them for free! Many puzzle games that I have encountered in the stores is expensive (for a puzzle game), save for games like DS's Brain Age and Big Brain Academy, both of which can be picked out from the budget room. So, my second question is:How long can a puzzle game sustain your attention? Probably no longer than 4 hours, I think. The puzzle game genre was never successful in escaping the notorious fact that they are lacking in content. No matter how many different modes a puzzle game may have, the situation will still remain unchanged. Let's take the game I mentioned earlier, Sudoku Grindmaster, for an example. Oh my, it has never crossed my mind that playing Sudoku was to be such an expensive hobby, considering the fact that the DS game is selling for 20 bucks. You can play Sudoku on www.miniclip.com for free and on paper for a fraction of the cost! Okay, let's have another game. Whac-A-Mole for the DS. Yeah, you guessed it right! The game is mainly about -- whacking moles! But the action is missing, well, yeah, so is my money, after paying. I suggest that you head down to the arcade right away and have a real 'Whac-A-Mole' experience and yet again, this method is less costly. However, the theory of 'costly puzzle games' cannot be applied to some others. If you have played Geometry Wars for the Xbox 360, you would have understood. By the way, the game can be found on Xbox Live Arcade and it can be bought with only 400 Microsoft points! Or if you do not have that amount, just pay -- the price is reasonable. Yes, the game is cheap, but quality is not compromised. Yes, the game is simple, but it is fun. Hey, wait, do you remember playing Tetris? I used to play it in the earlier days, but when I play it now, it just feels so outdated and I can only recall playing the game with nostalgic pleasure. Anyway, cheap and fun -- that is my hope, my vision for puzzle games. And I really hope it will come true one day, because I am sick of overpriced puzzle games.

Download services:Tried and Rated!

When you feel like downloading some videos or game demos, where to you go to download them? In this article, 4 of the websites offering download services are listed, tried and rated! *Please note: This article means no offence to anyone or anything.

FilePlanet @ www.fileplanet.com
Subscirption is needed to access most of the more popular files and what's more, a software known as 'Download Manager' needs to be downloaded and installed first before you can get your hands on the files on this website. Very troublesome, but FilePlant has got a wide variety of content. Subscribe? Read on before making your decision.

IGN.COM @ www.ign.com
IGN and FilePlanet share the same subscription, so if you have subscribed to FilePlanet, then you are also a subscriber to IGN. If you are a subscriber, what you will be getting is bigger, higher quality videos with high resolution. If you are a non-subscriber, then what you will be getting is smaller, lower quality videos with low resolution. So, this is the thing: Play first before you get the good stuff, but IGN has got some irresistable exclusives. Worth a look around.

Gamespot @ www.gamespot.com
Gamespot's download service is very similar to IGN's. If you are a subscriber, good for you, but if you are not, then that is just too bad. However, of you take a more careful look at Gamespot's homepage, you will notice that there are some videos playing on the right hand side. Wow, instant videos! Very useful for those in the hurry and do not want to waste time downloading files.

FileCloud @ www.filecloud.com
This must be the best offering I have encountered. Almost everything, from game demos to videos to game patches, is available. Although FileCloud claims faster download speeds and that there is no need to queue for files if you are a subscriber, a 'non-subscriber' status is good enough. You rarely need to queue for a file, and even if you have to, it is just for a few minutes. Download speeds are reasonable. The best part? Video quality is not sarcrificed for non-subscribers. Great! Highly recommended.

Other websites offering download services not mentioned here are:
www.gamevideos.com
www.download.com

5 most anticipated games (2006-2007)

Many exciting games are coming your way this year and the next, but which one is the most anticipated by the gaming masses? Here, 5 of the most anticipated games will be presented to you. Please note: The games are not in order of popularity.

LEGEND OF ZELDA:TWILIGHT PRINCESS (Nintendo Wii) Say the words 'Nintendo Wii' and this game title will certainly come to your mind. Zelda games are one of Nintendo's exclusives, so the only place to play this game is the Wii. This game has been delayed for very long and gamers are forced to wait. Therefore, upon the release of this game, I am expecting it to fly off the shelves.

HALO 3 (Xbox 360)Believe it or not, Halo 3 is one enormous game that will push sales of the Xbox 360 console. Halo 3 will end the Halo story and there is no reason for you not to get Halo 3. I can already picture people queing up hours before the release of the game, so that they can one of the first few to get their hands on Halo 3.

METAL GEAR SOLID 4:GUN OF THE PATRIOTS (PS3)That can't be forgetting about this game, can you? Snake has got that distinctive look that will require much effort if you want to shake his image off your mind. By the way, Snake is getting older. Hope that he still has the strength to carry on his job -- which is to appear in this game and beyond! Definitely one of the must-buys PS3 games!

COMMAND AND CONQUER 3:TIBERIUM WARS (PC)

Alright, gald to know that the sequel to one of the most successful games is coming soon. What do you say? I say it is time to conquer again! You still need to wait quite a long time before you can get a taste of this game because it is still in works, but ... ... okay, just wait patiently. Use the gorgeous graphics to cheer youself up. At least you know that Command and Conquer 3 will be like its predecessors -- a hit.

HALO 2 for Windows Vista (PC)

Halo 2 is finally coming to the PC after such a long wait. Currently, Halo 2 can only be played on Xbox. For PC gamers, who do not own an Xbox console, you are unable to play Halo 2. After playing Halo on your PC, you are so disappointed that you cannot try out Halo 2, just because you do not own a Xbox. But your pain will end soon. The bad news: You are behind others, because they've already played the game. My advice: Try to get the Xbox 360, so you can play Halo 3 on time.

MMORPGs:Good or Bad?

In recent years, there has been and increase in people playing massively multiplayer online role-playing games, otherwise known as MMORPGs. That comes as no surprise, considering the fact that playing MMORPGs is an entirely new and wonderful way to socialize with people all around the globe. Whether it is World of Warcraft or MapleStory, both children and teenagers, and even adults have turned to playing MMORPGs as a way of social interaction and leisure. It is simple to get started. Just purchase the game, install it and you are ready to go, and oh, an Internet connection. My only complain is that some MMORPGs require monthly fees to play. However, if you want to avoid the burden of paying monthly fees, you can still find joy in Guild Wars or the one that I mentioned earlier, MapleStory. Despite all the good things that MMORPGs have introduced into our lives, not all is sweet. For example, hours need to be dedicated to raids in World of Warcraft and playing the game will eventually become an addiction, which is as fearful as gambling. Nevertheless, that can be avoided with good self-control. There are usually many virtual items in MMORPGs that are hard to get and players resort to exchanging cash for the items. This, in my opinions, is rather unncessary. It is a waste of money. Some farmers in China have been offered jobs that require them to play computer games for hours, just to obtain rare items, so that the company that hired them can sell these items at a profit. Anyway, according to the game companies, that is illegal. Is playing MMORPGs a good or bad thing then? Well, good in a way because of increased social interaction, but bad because you can quickly become addicted to MMORPGs -- in no time. It is all up to you to decide.

Hardware Guide 18:Xbox 360's accessories

There are many things that you can purchase to accompany your Xbox 360, but which is the best? In this article, most of the accessories (if not all) available for the Xbox 360 will be listed, including those third-party ones.

Xbox 360 wireless controller

Your standard controller for the Xbox 360 that looks very much alike like the original Xbox controller, except that it is washed in white now, and of course, looking much better.

Xbox 360 memory unit (64MB)

A stylish white memory unit for you to save your stuff. Just plug in and you are ready.



Xbox 360 headset

This equipment speaks for itself. At one look, you should have already known that this is a communicating device.



Xbox 360 wireless networking adapter

Connect it to the console to recieve the Internet connection and play online, or you can transfer information from your Media Center PC. Essential accessory.


Xbox 360 Quick Charge Kit

Ensures that the battery gets the juice as quickly as possible, so you do not have to worry about batteries dying ever again.



Xbox 360 Play and Charge Kit

Charge your wireless controller while playing and save even more time. Definetely handy.



Xbox 360 Hard Drive (20GB)

The stroage space is more than enough to store your stuff. You cannot do without this!



Faceplate

Personalize your Xbox 360. Make it look even more beautiful! Available in different designs from various manufacturers.

Xbox 360 remote control

This is especially useful when you play your favorite movies or videos. Looks quite gorgeous too.

Joytech Nitro racing Wheel

It is time for Xbox 360 racing games to get more realistic with this racing wheel. Comes with the buttons that are on the Xbox 360 controller, a LCD panel displaying game information and pedals. Nice ride!

Logitech Harmony Advanced Universal Remote

An all-in-one remote control that can be programmed to control different equipments. Cool, even for non-gamers!