My Digital Guide

Class of Heroes

2010-04-01T05:27:00.000-07:00

Class of Heroes is a first-person role-playing game. With this day and age of storyline and creativity, the quests in Class of Heroes are basic. Simply put to improve your character's levels and equipment, for example, you would need to enter a dungeon to retrieve an item or find a lost adventurer. Soon after things get repetitive and habitual.

In class of heroes, the idea is that tonnes of labyrinths have mysteriously sprung up in the world. Therefore an academy, Particus, has opened to train adventurers to explore them. Comparative to modern fantasy games, graphically, the game is poor. While the 2-D adventurers look good, monsters and dungeons look terribly low in resolution. Though there are many dungeons to explore, they all begin to look alike after the third or fourth one. And the game's battle effects doesnt give up the jolt as it came down to simplistic zings and thwacks. Even when unleashing powerful skills such as the Wizard's 'Demendum' or Psychicer's 'Beamgan' became more like a non-event.

Apart from that, you have complete control in creating characters to fight with thus giving some strategic depth. You would need to exercise some of your grey matter to find the right racial affinities and Gambits become almost twice as strong. Choose wrongly and gambits could be near worthless. Gambits are moves in the game.

Another thing that will be of interest in the game is that you can break apart items and weapons so that they can be sold or upgrade the equipments. This one will be important as you will need the right equipment or weapon to defeat the monsters.

This RPG is available on the PSP for about $69.90.

Torchlight review - Diablo with a blast

2010-03-21T21:21:00.000-07:00

Game Torchlight offers fantastic graphics and music with endless gaming fun. Similar to another action rpg title Diablo, the game Torchlight requires you to venture numerous levels while vanquishing monsters with your sword and sorcery skills. There a different type of gameplay like hulk, destroyer, vanquisher or the alchemist packed with socery.

This PC game has great graphics, much more polished than diablo and the fights are varied with differing type of mobs and monsters. Torchlight level designs are outstanding with varied lush environment. You will also have a companion that can help you sell your unwanted loot. This will save you a lot of time. And if you wish to take a break from the gore of fighting monsters, Torchlight offers a mini fishing game to relax your mind.

Tprchlight is light on system requirements however it has no multi-player component just yet. But Torchlight comes with an editor tool that can expand your game play. There are tonnes of fan created mods that can help you with this.

Torchlight is priced at $28 and can be downloaded on their site http://www.torchlightgame.com. it is a good buy for some weekend RPG fun.

iNova Mini Jukebox

2010-03-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

I was walking along one of the pasar malam and was browsing through the throngs of handphone stalls. Ranging from colourful and sparkling covers to ear phones and bluetooths. I cant help but to notice this mini speakers or mini jukeboxes that is small in size but pack in sound. This mini tunes are springing up everywhere. This is the result of success from much more reputable system like the Inova Mini Jukebox DK7. The Inova system cost about $69 that comes with charger and mobile phone adaptors for selected Nokia and Sony Ericsson mobile phones.

I tell ya, it packs a punch for something so small that weighs about 500g. The enclosed brochure claims its the type of wood they use as the cover. Dont ask me what it is. Another reason I could think of is the double barrel 50mm drivers that make up the face of the jukebox.

The speakers perform best for slow sentimental music. Given its size and gadgetry, music that requires strong bass will not come out pleasing. The Inova has slots for USB flash drives and SD cards as well as a line-in jack for audio devices.

The built-in battery can lasts for some time, about 7 hours or more.

It comes with a wireless remote control although its range is about 1m. I suppose it has to be close to you. Another downside would be the inability to search for a song that you want as there are no indicators or screen to look at.

I suppose with things getting smaller these days, one cant complain given its price and compactibility. Still I had hoped for it to have a slot for iphone or itouch. That would have been a big plus. Else I would just buy the BOSE unit for my iphone or itouch. :)

Tony Hawk Ride

2010-03-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

As I lay gazing at the thought of my cousins having a fun filled day in Gold Coast, Brisbane Australia, I cant help thinking about Tony Hawk Ride game on xBox360. This is not your usual lounging on the couch with your fingers smashing on the consoles. Instead you would need a motion-sensing skateboard as a prop without the wheels of course. You would need to calibrate the board to perform on it. Like the real thing, kick down on the back of the board to perform an ollie. You can twist it sideways while the front is in the air to get a flip trick. Try balancing on one end as you would on a real board to score points and time your ollie right to jump a gap. The tutorial will help you getting into the scheme of things and I got tired doing them!

To be fair, this game is not for everyone and distributor New Era was hesitant to provide a set for review until I persuaded them to let me have a go at it.

You would physically need body movements just like in skiing and snowboarding to move in a certain direction. Once you get the hang of it, the game is pretty fun. There are three levels with the easiest mode allows you to focus only on the tricks and not about pushing forward or moving straight. Tricks wise it is easier although leaning too slowly or ollie too fast and you can easily miss the grind or jump that would get you the points. There are also handstand tricks when performing the vert, or half-pipe, which make use of the four motion sensors on the board.

With the board, you are using more of your leg and body power. Hence it is advisable to have layers of mat below the board to absorb the blow from constantly landing the board hard on the floor. Also constant heavy movements during play also meant that I had to constantly reset the settings on the board. Alas the Tony Hawk Ride board from xBox 360 is more sturdy then the more fragile Wii Fit board. The price is about $199.

Installing xbox 360 game data onto hard drive

2010-03-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

Hey, I found a tip to stop the aching sound of the game disc spinning noisily on the Xbox 360. This can be done by moving all the data in to the hard drive.

Firstly, go to the System Settings menu and check the memory available on your hard drive. If theres less space then you need to delete existing game data. Next, load the game disc. The game logo will appear in the My Xbox section onscreen.

Do not launch the game yet as you want the data installed in the hard drive first before you begin to play. So press the Y button on your controller to open the Game Details. A new list of options will appear. Scroll down and highlight the Install To Hard Drive option and then press A.

Once the game information is on the hard drive, insert the game disc and start playing. Now all game data will be read off the hard drive. This will shorten the time to load your game as well.

Might and Magic for Nintendo

2010-03-04T00:52:00.000-08:00

Might and Magic is an "experience" game that has gone through all modern changes and has ported over numerous technology. It now comes to the Nintendo DS platform for the first time as Might And Magic: Clash Of Heroes.

True to itself, it is a typical sword-and-sorcery story but the gameplay is blended with puzzles, strategy and RPG elements. There are five different stories using different heroes with the finale being in the demon-ravaged world of Ashan - similar to the PC Heroes Of Might And Magic V.

The Nintendo DS game consists of two modes; overland exploration and tactical battle fights. In the overland exploration, the game plays like a typical RPG where gamers talk to characters, achieve quests, hire units and get resources. The tactical battle mode is the exciting bit where fights are like a puzzle. Gamers have to arrange units in formations and then charge at the enemy. If you hit the enemy and reduce his life to zero, you win the battle.

Different unit have special abilities and charge times that affect the tactical battlefield in different ways. For eg, ghouls can poison other enemies while genies can freeze entire armies on the field. Protect yourself by adding spells and artifacts that will make you invulnerable for a turn or doubling the power of a certain troop. Not all battle is about reducing the enemy to zero life. Some battle are necessary for you to fulfil conditions to win the the battle. Making it a little complex and require brain juice. This make the game hard to play at some points and there is no difficulty setting that allows you to make it easier. Available as a single or multiplayer.

Half-Minute Hero

2010-02-22T01:58:00.000-08:00

Half-minute hero plays on Playstation portable. It comes in different versions; Hero-30, Princess-30, Evil Lord-30 and Knight-30. As the game title suggest, all levels come in 30 seconds chunks, thus making the time frame too short to complete most levels. To overcome this, you can extend your time by donating some gold to the Time Goddess. Therefore, you need to mange your gold between buying new equipment and buying time.

Each of the versions offers a different genre in gameplay. For example, in Hero-30, you play a top-down role-playing game (RPG). Players must manage between fighting random monsters, for cash and experience, and attempting to stop the evil overlord from casting a spell of doom.

Although, games graphics are the major draw for any game, the hectic pace of Half-minute Hero means players will often be too busy running around to appreciate the scenery. Therefore it be wise to switch to 8-bit graphics as it will show just enough detail to give players an understanding of what is going on without detracting from task at hand.

A problem with Half-minute Hero start stop gameplay is that each level gets repetitive. Only the version Hero-30 feels fresh because it has different objectives for each level. For example, in Princess-30, within 30 seconds, players are required to hit the shoot button, avoid bumping into enemies and pick-up and return an item. Effort has been put in Half-minute Hero to create various paths should players decide to avoid a path.

MAG game guide

2010-02-19T03:55:00.000-08:00

Firstly, being a shooting game, do not run aimlessly. If you are new to the game, it is well advised that you follow the more experienced players that spawned near you. Apart from fighting the enemies together, friendly players can help to revive you when you are down.

Load up on armour if you are going to be doing a lot of face to face fights. You should also gather as much medical kit because it lets you heal yourself and all friendlies around you. Mind you, you get as much points healing friends as killing enemies. Also watch how you use the skill points you win as you level up because the right skills will accelerate your levelling up. The game works on teamwork and it will help you gain experience points much faster. This will level you up thus making you more powerful.

Space Invaders

2010-02-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

Hey, take a look at the sidebar. I have found this on the Add Gadget in blogspot. My all time favourite game, Space Invaders. Its simple and scary. heh. I remember when the first I saw it. I think it was on Atari. I was so excited and was bent on getting them. Now the games have changed and moved to modern warfare. How times has changed. Still I cant help being loyal to this one. To play, click on the "play space invaders" sign at the bottom. And then move with your arrows on the keyboard and press the spacebar to shoot.

Enjoying Rock Band

2010-02-11T03:48:00.000-08:00

Just a note to you guys. To fully enjoy the audio music from Rock Band, Guitar Hero and the like, you have to do more than depend on the high definition HDMI outputs from PS or XBox connection to your television. What I did to achieve a more powerful audio experience is to hook up the consoles to an amp. Then hooked it with a set of powerful speakers. If you can put the speakers all around you while you play, that would be best! Now you can hear the full sense surround music although you may be off key. :)

Rio is Captain. Not too sure for me.

2010-02-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

Do not get me wrong. Being a Manchester United fan through and through, I am quite delighted that Rio has been selected as England's captain amidst the controversy surrounding John Terry. But I am not sure if this is the right decision. Rio had just come back from injury and finding his fitness and form. There were times when he was unstable in his defending. Then came his latest indiscretion of whacking the opponent on the head. How does that make one to even qualify as a national captain. I suppose no one is perfect. I would have preferred Wayne Rooney. He epitomises a bulldozing fighting spirit that can lift any team.

Oh well, Im not Capello. He must have know something that I dont. For one thing, Im not in England!

I know this is off the theme of my blog, but have to say my peace. Peace out.

Beatles Rock Band

2010-02-08T22:18:00.000-08:00

This rocking game consist of 43 Beatle hits from the 60s and 70s. The hit list include "I want to hold your hand" and "Here comes the sun". The different in this rock band is that up to 6 players can play. You can have as many as 3 singers, 2 guitarists and a drummer. For extra money, you can purchase the optional John Lennon's and George Harrison guitars. Also you can have Paul McCartney's violin and Ringo Starr's drums. Else, stick with the original instruments. :)

Beatles Rock Band is available on Xbox 360, PS and Wii. Estimated pricing could be $300.

Rock Band

2010-02-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

This was the game that started it all. Currently, we have two versions released here. They are Rock Band and Beatles: Rock Band. There are two more versions and they are Lego Rock Band and Rock Band 2. However, compatibility issues with local consoles has made it difficult for these two to arrive here.

Rock Band is actually (or virtually) a rock band. You will need a singer, 2 guitarists and a drummer. The music library for Rock Band has according to reports, exceeded 1000 songs. And some are popular tracks by popular singers.

Rock Band is available for XBox 360, PS and Wii at a price about $50.

I screwed up the blog!

2010-02-08T09:05:00.001-08:00

Im still getting use to this blogging thing. Not that savvy yet. I tried to load a new template but I think i messed up even the free ones by blogspot that i cant get back its original state. Anyone who has any idea where i can load the original templates, I will much appreciate if you could write to me by commenting below. Thanks.

Guitar Hero

2010-02-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

Guitar Hero comes in several versions, from the original Guitar Hero to Legends Of Rock to Guitar Hero Aerosmith; where its guitar-only titles containing their tracks and original performances. Other Guitar Hero versions like GH World Tour, GH Smash Hits, GH Metallica etc makes use of microphones and drums for four players.

Players sing into a wired microphone supported by plastic musical instruments, guitar and drum. Players on these instruments will have to follow coloured buttons on TV screen as they streamed towards the players. For the guitar player, they follow by punching the corresponding coloured buttons on the fretboard and strumming the body simultaneously. Drummers will hit the corresponding coloured drum pads while stepping on the pedal that mimics the kick drum.

Guitar Hero is available for XBox 360, PS and Wii. May cost about $60.

DJ Hero

2010-02-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

DJ Hero is the latest to offer music lovers the aspiration to hone their skills within their private lives. DJ Hero offers the DJ experience and comes with a turntable unit. With it comes with over 100 songs created from 80 different tracks. Thus players get to put their on spin on hit tunes.

The player playes by pressing three coloured buttons on the turntable and moving a crossfader bar. At times, it will require players to scratch the turntable to maintain the beat - just like a real DJ. I suppose thats what we all want to do.

DJ Hero is available for XBox 360 and PS and price is rather steep at $200..