When it was released on February 20th, 2007 by Gas Powered Games, Supreme Commander was received with great expectations. The long-awaited release has finally arrived and it has proven that this RTS video game is everything it was promised to be and more. Players can engage in multiple land, air and sea battles at the same time as they transport troops via large aircraft, send devastating air attacks with bombers, descend upon their enemies with tank divisions or even wipe out an enemy position with a nuclear weapon.

Just a decade ago RTS games were still in their infancy. The internet was something that could only be accessed via relatively slow telephone lines. Real time interaction was slow and primitive. Early games just did not have the benefit of advanced technology such as fast computers and broadband internet connections.

Although early RTS video games were fun, they were not very impressive in terms of style. Technology just could not keep up with the creative concepts of the designers of these games. The earnest players of these early games did not mind though, because they were just happy to step out of the pre-determined format of Playstation, Nintendo, and Xbox games.

In the beginning RTS games offered a new format where you could actually be part of the game as well as the process of the outcome. Gamers were just glad to be doing something new, different and challenging. After all, these were games that you could access on the internet and do battle with people from all over the world! That alone was impressive for the time.

Until recently, RTS video games were more about doing battle with economics and tactics than they were about using complex strategies to wage war on a large scale. Supreme Commander is a whole different story for it gives PC game players a game with incredibly large scale battlefields.

While it is set in the far-away future, Supreme Commander uses modern warfare tactics and strategies to wage war. There are three factions of humans left and they are all fighting for something different. The United Earth Federation believes in order and empire, the cybernetic Cybran group is fighting for independence and the alien-enlightened Aeon group is seeking to liberate the Universe.

In the past, bigger is better has not always been the idea in mind for the developers of RTS video games. But that has changed now that technology has improved greatly.

Supreme Commander embraces the idea of vastness like a Park Ranger in Alaska. There are large scale battlefields that average 20km x 20km in size, and some that are an incredibly large size of 81km x 81km!

This game does offer somewhat complex strategy possibilities, but it is first and foremost about scale. Players can devise plans that involve creating large armies that can fight simultaneously across huge areas. While it is mostly about size, the challenging gameplay has a variety of victory scenarios along with exhilarating multi-player action that plays out like a Monopoly game with lethal weapons.

With all the recent publicity that Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360 have received regarding their impressive new technological advances, it is good to see that real time strategy video games on the web are keeping pace with them. While some games are better than others Supreme Commander is at the top of the list. The large scale battlefields this game offers is quite impressive as it allows the players to wage all out war with multiple armies at the same time.

Size is the most impressive aspect, but it also offers complex gameplay with multiple scenarios for victory. Also, the fast pace in which the action plays out will challenge even the most adept cyber warriors.

RTS Video Game Supreme Commander Is A Step Up is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games

Several video game secret has been leaked out onto the Internet slowly but steadily about the popular video game consoles such as the Xbox, PlayStation and GameCube. Even most twelve-year old players nowadays know that they can copy their console games onto CDs and DVDs so that they can be played on the personal computer, or simply distributed to friends in return for other games. Howsoever, there are many more developed things that players do. They adapt their gaming consoles in such a way that it becomes possible for them to play their games on their projection televisions. This does need some knowledge and expertise, but the whole setup can be done very cheaply, within about $200.

Using emulator resources is not precisely a secret, but it can be counted as one because very few people decide about it. By making use of an emulator resource, you can play video console games directly on the personal computer. This is becoming a very popular trend among people who have consoles but are more skilful with their traditional personal computers.

Knowing a video game secret and then implementing it on the console has become a commonplace thing to do for gamers today. It does increase the fun they get out of the game and also increase the replay value for the games. And also, it satisfies their urge of experimentation. People are even writing e-books about them and putting them on the Internet for other gamers to know about them.

Howsoever, implementing a video game secret wrongly could damage the console irreversibly. Thus, it frequently does require a person who knows about consoles to put them to use. For example, it is easy to attune a console to a projection TV, but if it is done wrongly, there could be damage to either the console or the TV. For this reason why, it is needful to exercise some warning when applying such changes. Some players also try out funky things like making their controllers glow and things like that, which could damage the console controllers. In short, though you may know a video game secret, you must think twice before you exactly go ahead and apply it.

The Rundown On A Video Game Secret is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games

Looking for a game? Looking for a gift for a gamer? Just curious?

Rank 1 Grand Theft Auto IV:

Grand Theft Auto IV is an upcoming sandbox-style action adventure video game. It will be the ninth title (and the first in the fourth generation) in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise. It will be released worldwide on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game will be set in a redesigned Liberty City, based heavily on New York City and New Jersey.

Niko Bellic is Eastern European, between 28 and 32 years of age and has come to Liberty City to pursue the "American Dream". Niko was persuaded to move to Liberty City by his cousin Roman, who claimed in multiple e-mails to Niko that he was living a fabulous life, with a mansion, women, hot tubs and sports cars. Roman's claims turn out to be lies to hide his own failures, however, and in reality he only owns a small taxi business, which he wants Niko to work for.

Roman is the only person Niko knows in Liberty City to begin with, and is one of his major connections in the first part of the game. Niko is a tough character, whereas Roman is friendly. Roman is heavily in debt and a lot of people are after him. He desperately needs Niko's support, hence the reason he deceived Niko into travelling to Liberty City. They are constantly bickering. It is later revealed that Niko has also been avoiding other, as yet undisclosed, problems at home. Both characters are new and there are virtually no returning players.

Price: Approx. $59.99

Game Rating: M (Mature)

Blood

Intense Violence

Partial Nudity

Strong Language

Strong Sexual Content

Use of Drugs and Alcohol

Rank 2 Saints Row:

Saints Row is an action-adventure video game published for the Xbox 360 console. It was developed by Volition and published by THQ. The game arrived in stores in wide release on August 29, 2006 in North America, and on September 1, 2006 in Europe and Australia.

The game has been described as being in the same vein as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in terms of story and gameplay, with the developers referring to it as an emerging genre called "open world"; both games focus on urban gang activity, with the main character attempting to strengthen his gang's standing amongst three other rival gangs. Saints Row makes additions to the genre, adding an extensive character customization feature and online multiplayer modes.

Price: Approx. $29.99

Game Rating: M (Mature)

Rank 3 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas:

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a sandbox-style action-adventure computer and video game developed by Rockstar North. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and fifth original game overall. Originally released for the PlayStation 2 in October 2004, the game has since been ported to the Xbox and Microsoft Windows, and has received wide acclaim and high sales figures on all three platforms.

Set in late 1992, the game revolves around the main character, Carl "CJ" Johnson returning home from Liberty City to Los Santos after learning of his mother's murder. CJ finds his family and his old gang, the Grove Street Families, in disarray. Over the course of the game, CJ gradually unravels the plot behind his mother's murder while reestablishing his gang and exploring his own business ventures.

Grand Theft Auto series is rich with controversy, the most notable for San Andreas was over the "Hot Coffee" minigame, which was disabled but left in the code, which caused San Andreas to be re-rated briefly as an adult game and pulled from shelves. Since its re-release the game is rated as follows;

Price: Approx. $19.99

Game Rating: M (Mature)

Rank 4 Guitar Hero II:

Guitar Hero II is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane. It is the second installment in the Guitar Hero series and is the sequel to Guitar Hero. It was first released for the PlayStation 2 in November 2006 and then for the Xbox 360 in April 2007, with additional content.

Like the original Guitar Hero, the player uses a guitar-shaped peripheral to simulate the playing of rock music as notes scroll towards the player. Most of the gameplay from the original game remains intact, with new modes and note combinations being the major additions. The game features more than 40 popular licensed songs, many of them cover versions recorded for the game, spanning five decades (from the 1960s to the 2000s).

Since its release, Guitar Hero II has been met with both critical and commercial success, helping the Guitar Hero series become a cultural phenomenon.

Price: Approx.

Bundle with Guitar $79.99

PS2 $39.99

Xbox $49.99

Game Rating: Teen

Rank 5 Mortal Kombat:

Mortal Kombat (commonly abbreviated as MK) is a popular series of fighting games made originally by Midway Manufacturing Company. Mortal Kombat began as a series of arcade games, which were picked up by Acclaim Entertainment for the home console versions. Now Midway exclusively creates home versions of Mortal Kombat. It is especially noted for its high levels of blood and gore, including, most notably, its graphic fatalities - Finishing Moves, requiring a sequence of buttons to perform. These were so extreme that they, in part, led to the founding of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) 1 Mortal Kombat is available in PS2, Xbox, Mobile and PC.

The original Mortal Kombat was developed as a reaction to the popular fighting game Street Fighter II, with digitized graphics of real game actors as opposed to animated cartoon graphics. Critics said the game's graphic violence was only included in order to generate a public outcry and controversy that would gain publicity for the game. Although highly controversial, the mix of realism and violence propelled Mortal Kombat to widespread and historic renown.

Price: Approx. $19.99 - $39.99

Game Rating: M (Mature)

1. Descriptions in large part by Wikipedia.

Wikipedia - The biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. Over 7 million articles in over 200 languages, and still growing.

Please visit us at The Software Spot! Educational Computer Software and Games

Internet Searches Reveal the Top 5 Video Games is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games

Well, that may be true, and it is possible to do but, to be honest, it is very unlikely. Developing a video game takes a lot of work. A typical game for today’s mass market takes a team of people two years and thousands of hours of work to create. There is a tremendous amount of work involved and much of this work is very creative which can be expensive.

Maybe all of that is a bit discouraging and if you really think you have an idea that is unique there are some things you can do and I will explain the steps and processes you can take to move your idea for a game out of the world of fantasy into the world of possibility.

The big obstacle to getting your idea made into a game is the question of who is going to do all that work? It is an important question. A group of people have to believe in the idea and have to do the work to take it from idea to reality, and generally you have to rely on yourself. If you believe in your idea you need to be the person that will spearhead the work and get it from idea to reality. If you can do this, and if your game is unique and different the rewards can be astonishing.

Three Possible Paths to Success

There are three possible ways to get a game made from your idea:

Get in touch with a heavy hitter in the game making industry and convince him or her that your game is worthwhile. He or she will then set the wheels in motion for your idea to be bought and developed. (This is highly unlikely although it has happened on rare occasions) Companies will occasionally buy video game ideas and keep them for future potential projects.

Get in touch with independent developers with game design skills and get them to come on board with your idea. You have the ability to allow them to patch together their time in developing your game. Gamedev.net is a good place to network and find people for this endeavor.

Spearhead the development yourself. Learn some basic game making skills and put together a group of people willing to spend time (and money) on your game. You become the evangelist for the game and the Project Manager. (This is the best option if you want to succeed and it answers the question of who is going to do all the work - You!)

Protecting your Idea

You probably have questions about your idea and how to protect it from being stolen. Well, I guess this is a possibility and maybe it has happened but it is unlikely. It goes back to the fact that it takes thousands of hours to take a game from idea to actual game and the number of unique ideas is relatively unlimited but here are some things you can do to get started in protecting yourself.

The Problem of Copyrighting Ideas

Ideas cannot be copyrighted! It sounds funny but it’s true. You can research this on the official government copyright website. So, just having an idea means you have very little. If you draw pictures of your game and hopefully develop your idea into a game you can get copyright for those things. In any case here is some help with protecting yourself.

Send yourself a letter!

Put together an exhaustive package of materials about your idea. Include a summary, pictures, drawings and anything else that will describe your idea then seal it in an envelope and mail it to yourself registered mail. When you receive it you sign for it but do not open it. Leave it sealed. This gives you an amount of legal protection that establishes a time line for your idea.

NDA's (Non Disclosure Agreements)

A Non disclosure agreement is a legal contract between two parties. In this case it is between you and the person you want to reveal your idea to. It can be a useful tool that will help you protect your rights. Generally it outlines the confidentiality of your idea and prohibits the other party from using the idea. If you are serious about your idea you should do some research on NDA's and even speak with a lawyer about them. Outside of the United States these agreements are often referred to as Confidentiality Agreements and sometimes they are referred to as Secrecy agreements or Confidential Disclosures (CD's).

Okay let’s get started with something solid you can do

No matter which of the three paths you want to travel down there are some things that you can do to get your idea rolling on its path toward becoming a real video game.

1.       Write out a very extensive overview of the game. Make it as detailed as possible. And put this in the package you mail to yourself!

2.       Draw up pictures and artwork of game scenes, characters, maps and anything else that is unique about the game. In effect you are creating a library of images in the game. Put this in your package too!

3.       Write up an executive summary - This is a one or two page summary of the game idea and it outlines the things that make it unique. This is your introduction to people in the gaming industry and it is the first thing you can give them so they get a grasp of your idea (of course you would get an NDA first!)

4.       Start your research into the game industry. Hang around forums where developers and game makers chat and start learning about what it takes to make a game. You can make some good contacts and there are hordes of people willing to give you solid advice and some help with your dream. gamedev.net is a great place to start

5.       Start learning how to make a video game! It is totally possible for a person with average computer skills to develop a single level of a game or a portion of a game. This can be used as a calling card and example for what the game would be about.

If you want to follow step number five and learn how to make your own game there are lots of resources available that will help you learn how to do it relatively inexpensively. With lots of perseverance you can even create the whole game yourself and have it ready for sale.

The Paragraph you might not want to read

Okay, after going through all of that I am glad to see you are still with me. But, if you are thinking all of this stuff about NDA's, sending letters, writing up summaries and putting together packages just seems like too much work then you can see my point about making a video game from your idea. It takes a lot of work and if you are not going to do the work why should somebody else? If you really think your idea is a great one then I recommend you find the time and the motivation to make it happen! Nothing worthwhile is ever easy and hey it is totally possible that your idea can someday be an actual game. Every game ever made first started out as just an idea.

You Have a Great Idea for a Video Game ? What Should You Do? is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games

With the majority of headsets on the market gamers now have the capability of recording voice messages as well as leave messages for their friends and family. These headsets also give gamers the opportunity to talk with their friends on-line as long as they desire. The video gaming systems on the market today are the most powerful gaming consoles ever made, so gamers have a strong desire to get the most out of their gaming experience and the headset is one of many ways they are capable of completing this task.

These accessory headsets allow gamers to turn up their video games without bothering others within their household or even neighbors. Headsets allow gamers the ability to turn up the volume of their video games so that they can experience the most intense surround sound that will enhance their gaming experience. With the wonderful advancements in technology, gamers can even purchase headsets that are now wireless they will give them much more freedom from the bothersome extra wires.

When you purchase a headset for your video gaming system gamers are able to plan strategic moves with their teammates, which will help increase their chances of winning. These headsets can allow gamers to experience a much more advanced new dimension to the video gaming experience than ever before, especially for on-line play.

The majority of these headsets cost around fifty dollars, but gamers are given the ability to play up to thirty feet away from their video gaming console. Most wireless headsets come equipped with built-in mute controls, not to mention volume controls, and able to be used for up to eight hours with before having to be charged once again. These wireless headsets also come with a viewable battery gauge that will warn gamers when their power is low.

Headset will makes gamers feel that their interactive video gaming experience take on a much more extreme level for gamers all over the world. Headset also allow gamers to keep their hands free so that they are able to concentrate simply on playing their favorite video games. When a video gamer decides to purchase a headset, whether with or without wires, they will not want to stop playing their video games again.

These headsets are extremely comfortable and many of these headsets are designed to be easily switched from one ear to the other, which is highly important to gamers that play their favorite video games for long periods of time. The majority of these headsets will come with at least two different sizes of ear grips to give gamers the feeling of a much more secure fit. The only down side to wireless headsets is that they will loose their charge when they are not being used, so gamers have to be sure to charge these types of headsets when they are not in use.

Improve Your Video Gaming Experience With A New Headset is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games

CONVENIENCE – What are your choices if you happen to live in a rural area? Have you ever tried hopping in your car and driving downtown just to rent a few games for the week? That's something that you won't have to endure again when you subscribe to an online video game rental service. The games you want to play are delivered straight to your door, so you don't have to drive to a local store yourself.

Even if you live in the city, it's more convenient to use an online video game rental service. What are the odds of you living next door to a video game rental shop? Let's not forget the fact that there's nothing to beat the pleasure of having your games delivered to you everyday. You won't ever have to go out and walk (or drive) to your local store just to rent some games, plus imagine the luxury of getting your games even while just being dressed in your bathrobe or pajamas.

GAMES IN STOCK – Have you tried renting video games in your local store? How many game titles did you see, around 50 or a hundred? Even the biggest stores like Blockbuster or Hollywood Video only carry stocks of 50 to 100 games at a time, on average. You might think that that's not bad, except when you hear that online video game rentals can offer you thousands of games to choose from.

The smallest online store in the industry carries an approximate 2,000 games, with the biggest companies carrying around 6,000 titles. These online stores are also stocked up better on both old and new games, so you are more likely to find the exact game you want, as compared to your local storefront.

CUSTOMER SERVICE – How about irritable employees, crowds, and long lines? Would you like to experience that? When you sign up for a subscription at an online video game rental store, you practically eliminate all of these nasty problems at once. There will be no more irritable employees to deal with. No crowds to jostle and fight, plus no more waiting in lines! You get to browse and order your favorite games in the comfort and privacy of your own home, without ever having to endure the experience mentioned above.

If ever you have a problem with your games or with deliveries, a quick email to their customer service department will fix that problem. And you know what? Some of the bigger sites in the industry are now offering phone support, too! Try to beat that with having to go out and travel to your local store to complain about a problem.

Why Online Video Game Rental Services are Better is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games

Video games have often been criticized as detrimental to our children’s health, mental to be specific. In fact children with learning handicaps attributed to video game addiction are branded as Vidiots. If we really have their best interest in our hearts there are ways we could make this video games work to their advantage. Here are some ground rules you should lay before allowing your kid to while away his time playing with the vidiot box:

·         For the little ones who are still in the pre-learning process, make it a point to start them off with educational video games. There are a lot of these in the market nowadays since educators have become aware of the fact that these video games can be a good medium for learning.

 ·         Put down a house rule for playing time and playing limits. You can adapt it to your time, either when it is your busiest or during your resting hour. 

 ·         From time to time, be there to guide them in the learning process so that they will not lose interest in case things get beyond their comprehension. Once they get the hang of it they will be able to manage the games on their own and you can go back to doing your chores as usual.

 ·         You will have much to talk about with your kid during moments when he or she is not playing with the video console. Drill her with what she learned from the game, like alphabets and numbers until she gets to memorize them. Soon enough even at a tender age of three you can start teaching her how to read.

 ·         Make them interested about the words that appear on the screen as they play. Word such as: Go, Stop, Play, Level, Round, Win, Lose and many others which frequently appear on the screen. Through a repetitive process they will recognize these words and will learn to read them through visual recognition.

 ·         As they progress lay down another ground rule. Impose a study schedule which should be done before they are allowed to play their video boxes. To avoid any resistance, give them enough pep talks on how too much video and too little knowledge can make vidiots out of them.

 ·         Focus their study on reading; follow the patterns of the words that they already recognize. An example will be: Go, introduce new words by replacing the letters into No or So then slowly progress by affixing another letter God, cod, nod, sod.  As the child recognizes how words gets to be formed, replace each letter or add another letter with the ones she can already read. As soon as you have tapped their interest in reading they will initiate the reading process on their own.

 ·         As they get to advance with their games, they will encounter new words which you will help them to read. Later, make it a point to have them read the game instructions on their own to promote their comprehension skills.

 ·         The more words the child learns to read and comprehend, the more fascinated they will be with their reading ability. Words will no longer be limited to the video games but they will begin to explore the words they find on cereal boxes, groceries, detergents and the commercial ads they see on tv.

 ·         As they get to discover more things, their interests will expand into something more, to books, to word puzzles and everything that present challenges on their reading ability. In fact they will easily lose interest on games that tend to be repetitive and boring and will seek for something more challenging.

As a parent you will reap the benefits of the advantages that they developed through the use of the video boxes. It may entail some form of resistance at first but remember that it is only a matter of your will as a parent or their will as an innocent clashing here. Try not to be soft but don’t be too hard either. Just remember that it is first and primarily for their own good. Soon enough, they will be out of your hair but this time in more productive ways.   

How to Make Video Games Work to Your Child?s Advantage is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games

A degree in video game design is the training you need to break into a market where you can create fantastical worlds or develop settings that are so realistic, you can almost touch them. Individuals are demanding more and more from software companies, and only the top quality games will succeed in today's competitive world. Investing your talents in a solid education that will give you the skills and know how to create high tech video games is a wise choice. The job opportunities will never peter out or become saturated, thanks to new technology that's always being put into the market, and you can get into the gaming craze by getting the best training possible to send you into an amazing career.

You'll have the chance to use your own imagination to create great characters that become popular household names. Remember Mario and Luigi? Well, those two characters were created by people with video game design skills and they earned their makers millions of dollars. What about Yoshi? The little dinosaur is another character created by someone with video game design skills that has made someone rich and famous. Why can't that person who develops the next popular, fun character be you? Online gaming is another venue that has become a multi-million dollar industry and all you have to do is look up World of Warcraft to see how many people are hooked on video games, making the market a rich one for job opportunities.

So what's involved in video game design? Educational facilities will provide you with artistic training to help you create visual images that snag people's interest and keep them gaming, as well as the know how to apply that to animation and 3D modelling. Story development is a must, and you'll be able to think up new ways of challenging people with tricks and traps or enemies to battle to become heroes and earn glorious rewards and treasures. Not only that, those who offer degrees in video game design will help you to put together a profile that will make you an attractive asset to software companies looking for talented 3D artists and gaming developers.

One thing is for sure: Without a degree in video game design, the competition to break into the industry is so stiff that you'll never be able to get ahead. Great ideas and a creative imagination isn't all it takes to open fantastic opportunities and set you into an amazing career. Top quality skills and training that keep you on top of the game and get you that perfect job are the only way to go about finding your place in the lucrative industry of video games. You'll learn the practical side of design and animation to be able to develop games that bring in sales for businesses and earn the skills you need to be head hunted by companies. More than that, obtaining your degree in video game design won't just be an important investment and career choice, it'll also be a blast of fun as you expand your horizons and creativity, learning to think outside the box and come up with new, exciting worlds and characters.

Explore Your Creativity With A Degree In Video Game Design is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games

Video games are infact on the threshold of removing other forms of more useful activities from the lives of our children. How many of our kids would leave an online video game to read a book. And the violence factor in many of these games has been debated quite often to be discussed once again.

Well, everything is not as gory as depicted by this article till now. A little bit of moderation is all what you require to get on to the mind boggling world of video games.

Playing an online video game can give you a simulation of real life events and occurrences which may never take place. Play a football game to get in the thick of world cup action or play a war game to save the world from aliens. Video games have captivated human imagination as much as sex has over centuries. And to stick to the point, video games are a lot better than sex and you do not have many of the hassles associated with sex. No double standards are followed. Its plain simple fun.

Now that I have rested my case I would expect all of you to get on to the video game brigade and start playing online video games. And yes online video games are great for your kids too.

The ?new Age Kid?. so Should I Say the ?video Game Kid? is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games

Children who have problems with attention, self-esteem, and boundaries are often helped by the gaming experience, and are now being implemented into therapy for these types of children. Children that see themselves as failures also receive benefit from playing video games, because they provide the player with a sense of participation and excitement in basic life-like situations

Video games are so much fun and you can disconnect yourself from everything else going on around you and kind of just drift off into dreamland for a moment, it can be nice once in awhile. These have taken over the world; they have become so popular that almost all households own at least one type of video game, for the children and the adults as well. Video games fall somewhere between the two categories, needing both the mental exercise of determining the best way to play, and application of game mechanics through manual skill.

Parents have the responsibility of helping their children select books, toys, television programs and movies that are appropriate for each particular child. Entertainment materials should be fun, engaging and spur creative fantasy. Parental education - not unconstitutional regulation - is the solution to keeping inappropriate games away from children.

Positive effects of video games is a post from: Fasemex Toys And Games