Free Online Play Games

Rock Band 3

2010-12-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

It's been two years since the last true Rock Band game, and Harmonix used that time to offer something awesome for those willing to lay down some extra coin. While the core game hasn't changed really at all since Rock Band 1, the new additions of a keyboard and 100-plus button Pro Guitar offer gameplay unlike anything before.

For some, this will be just the same ol' Rock Band. For others, this is the beginning of a whole new way to experience music. It really depends how much you want to put into Rock Band 3. Not just financially (and that is an investment in itself) but also time and effort. Do you want to learn a totally new way to play or would you rather just do the same thing you've done for years? That choice really affects Rock Band 3's overall value. It's either something completely new and challenging or just more tracks to rock out to. Ultimately, the choice is yours to make.

Golden Sun Dark Dawn

2010-12-03T22:33:00.000-08:00

A worthy successor to the Golden Sun legacy (yes, two GBA games can equal a legacy, if they're beloved enough), Golden Sun: Dark Dawn takes everything we loved about the first two games and refines it, if predictably, into a polished RPG experience that, like the first two, is equal parts tradition and innovation. It looks gorgeous, and the djinn system is even better than before Play Free Online Games.

Even more so than the first two Golden Sun games, the emphasis in Dark Dawn is on environmental puzzle solving, to the point where the battles almost take a backseat to the puzzles. Everywhere you go, your party encounters all manner of environmental blockages that need to be solved to progress, mostly involving various types of sliding puzzles to create a traversable path, like rolling logs back and forth to create a walkway, pushing stepping stones into formation and so forth.

You have a variety of psynergy spells (magic = psynergy in Golden Sun) at your disposal to manipulate objects too, like using a fireball to burn a vine in your way or using a rain cloud spell (douse) to raise and lower the water levels in the water temple. Puzzles are more than about just choosing the correct spell to cast though, and many puzzles require more thought than spamming spells til you get the right one (in fact, at a certain point you get a psynergy called "insight" psynergy that shows you what spells can be used on any particular object). Most of the puzzles early on are pretty easy, but as you progress they get tougher.

Dungeons are well-designed too – they're challenging, but not so labyrinthine that you get turned around or waste too much time being confused about where you are and what you need to do next, and a map on the top screen is infinitely helpful. Random enemy encounters aren't nearly as frequent as in the average RPG either, so you can focus on your block puzzles without being interrupted too much. Again, in much of Dark Dawn it seems like battles are secondary to exploration and puzzle solving despite the robustness and general awesomeness of the battle system.

Speaking of battle, the big feature that sets Golden Sun's battles apart from other RPGs of its ilk is the djinni. Djinni (singular: djinn) are small elemental creatures that you can collect throughout the game (some are tougher to obtain than others), and assign them to specific characters in your party. Which djinni you set to a particular character determines almost everything about that character, including their stats, class, and what psynergy spells they can use. For maximum effect, you should pair djinni with characters who match their elemental affinity (there are four elements total: Earth/Venus, Fire/Mars, Water/Mercury, and Wind/Jupiter), but experimenting with various mixes can often yield new spells and stat boosts. With 72 djinni total and four active characters in your party at a given time, each with nine slots for djinni, the possibilities for customizing your party are formidable.

Djinni that are set to a character can be used in battle like a special move, and their abilities range from doing direct damage to healing your party or buffing/debuffing. To make matters more interesting, djinni can also be used to call powerful summons (which look fantastic by the way - you can skip the animations, but you won't want to), but in order to do so, you have to de-equip the djinni from your characters (it's called putting them on "standby" in the game). Using a djinn's ability in battle automatically puts in on standby, so you can either set your djinni to standby manually before a battle, or use them during battle first to power up your summons. The more powerful the summon, the more standby djinni it requires to cast.

You'd think that keeping all your djinni on standby would be a no-brainer, since the summons are so powerful, but keep in mind that when you switch your djinni to standby, it often reduces the number of spells available to the character, so if you set too many djinni to standby you may lose access to important recovery spells and so on. It's often a tough tradeoff to decide on, and really adds to the feeling of having strategic options available so you can battle as you see fit.

All the pieces of the battle gameplay are spot on – the interaction between djinni and psynergy, the summons, the weapons and so forth – but the overall lack of difficulty means that all that opportunity and options for strategizing mostly go to waste. Battles are flashy and fun, but too easy for the most part. Not only are the actual battles themselves easy, but your psynergy recharges so quickly that you can use it liberally in healing and battles without ever having to use a single recovery item – you never feel stretched for resources or find yourself in a tight spot. At times Dark Dawn is so easy overall that it feels too much like a kiddy game that hands too much to you. If you're someone who plays RPGs purely for tough, strategically challenging battles, Golden Sun probably isn't for you.

The lack of difficulty almost seems to make sense within the story though, since most of what you do seems distinctly non-epic, and the story takes forever to actually move forward in a meaningful way. A lot of JRPG-style games fall into this trap, but it's still a bit disappointing given the potential for epic adventure (the Golden Sun even, after all, has to do with the destruction/rebirth of an entire freaking world). Although the gameplay itself is strong, the story is rife with filler and stalling tactics. Here goes (totally vague, spoiler-free):

The story begins when your best friend Tyrell breaks his family's soarwing (a personal flying machine thing – like a magic winged jetpack) so you need to travel to get materials to fix it. Then the mountain bridge pass is collapsed so you have to go the looooong way around (figures), and then of course you find villagers that need your help fixing their magic machine that requires an item that can only be found in the deepest depths of a particular dungeon, and then the next town over has the exact same predicament so you go through the motions again, then more townspeople need your help with something else… you get the picture.

Meanwhile, we're left wondering whatever happened to the psynergy vortexes introduced at the beginning of the story that could possibly be tearing the very fabric of existence apart as we busy ourselves with seemingly unrelated quests. Basically, Dark Dawn takes a long time to get to the point, and there's no real sense of importance or gravity to what you're doing. Which sort of makes sense because the protagonists are just kids, but at times it's hard to stay invested in the story because it's hard to see how anything relates to the big picture. Even as you grow fond of each of the characters, it's hard not to get impatient with their frequently derailed quest.

BUT STILL. Still! It's impossible not to love Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, because even despite the ridiculous easiness and the stereotypically meandering adventure, it still has a ton of heart (both the lighthearted and heartwarming varieties), and doesn't take itself too seriously. This is an RPG that was made for fantasy RPG lovers – everything in it seems comfortingly familiar in a JRPG sort of way, but the djinn system is still totally unique to the series, so even veteran RPG players won't be bored with the gameplay. Unless difficulty level is incredibly important to you, you're almost guaranteed to enjoy Dark Dawn's gentle adventure.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

2010-12-03T22:26:00.000-08:00

In November 2007, the first ever videogame starring Mario and Sonic appeared on shop shelves. It was a huge hit, despite being a bit 7/10, so it didn't come as much of a surprise when SEGA and Nintendo announced a sequel.

But with years to go until the next Olympics (we're sorry in advance), what would the next Mario & Sonic title be about? Perhaps SEGA and Nintendo would adopt the tried and trusted strategy employed by so many of today's successful publishers and rip off someone else's idea. Why not set the game in a post-apocalyptic American city? Or, how about Mario Gear Solid: Sonic of Liberty? Who wouldn't want to play, say, Mario & Sonic of War?

Alternatively, why not come up with something totally fresh and new like Mario & Sonic Fight to the Death, Mario & Sonic Explore their Sexuality, or Mario & Sonic Bring Peace to the Middle-East? Because that would be weird and stupid. But also because fresh and new doesn't sell half as well as old and familiar, most of the time anyway. And so here comes that sequel: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.

Cynics might assume all they've done is slap an extra word on the box, throw in some new mini-games, add a couple more characters and cover everything with a fresh blanket of virtual snow. Well, Mr Cynics, it's true they've done that, but they've also addressed some of the issues with the previous game. Plus, they've managed to make this Mario & Sonic more like ye olde video-gaymes of yesteryear, with proper objectives and skill requirements and rewards, while simultaneously making it more accessible. An impressive feat, so how's it been done?

Vancouver, February 2009. Pretty much sums it up.

Let's start with those new mini-games. Highlights include a variety of snowboarding and skiing efforts, where you tilt the remote to steer your character down mountains, through slalom gates and round half-pipes. You can attach a nunchuk and use the controllers like a set of ski poles, but all the mini-games can be played with the remote alone.

The advantage of this is twofold. First off, you don't need to invest in a load of nunchuks to enjoy the full multiplayer experience. Secondly, you don't end up inadvertently and repeatedly whipping yourself in the groin as with Namco Bandai's enjoyable but painful Wii offering, Communal Crotch Flaying.

The remote works fine on its own. The controls are responsive, with little lag and the level of sensitivity is just right, so it's easy to get back on track when you over-steer or veer off course. However, it does all feel a bit simplistic. There's not much subtlety involved and there's never a sense of having as much precise control as when, say, driving round a Mario Kart circuit. So why not throw in Wii MotionPlus functionality? Surely this is the kind of thing that technology was made for?

Proof at last that a character called Sonic known for his speed is faster than a small fat man.

According to SEGA, the aim of leaving it out was to make the game as accessible as possible. In other words, to keep the controls simple and avoid making potential purchasers think they've also got to buy a load of peripherals to enjoy the game fully. Which is reasonable enough, but you can't help wishing they'd also chucked in an option for the huge number of Wii owners who have picked up one or two MotionPlus add-ons anyway.

At least there's the option to hook up a Wii balance board. As with the Family Ski titles, you stand on the board and shift your weight left and right to steer. Once again the controls are responsive and using the board does add something to the whole experience, certainly for those who get to watch you squat and wobble around like a tit. But once again, there's a slight lack of precision and subtlety. In short, having a board adds novelty value but is in no way essential to enjoying MSOWG.

Street Fighter IV

2010-02-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while, but they’re back. Actually, it’s been more than a while: it’s been a good 17 years since Street Fighter II, and nine years since Street Fighter III. In that time the 2D fighter has been somewhat marginalised, and players’ expectations have changed. In this context it’s a minor miracle that Yoshinori Ono and his team have not only stuck to a clear vision of how to take the series forward in 2D, but that Capcom has been able to excite people about it to such a degree.

Does it deliver? Does it ever. Visually, Street Fighter IV is the pinnacle of videogame reimaginings. Every original combatant is instantly recognisable, but the new level of detail has been used to characterise both appearance and fighting technique in exceptional style. Chun-Li is the embodiment of beauty and grace; her hands constantly move, and each change of stance brings a wholly different posture, while her moveset is composed of tight flourishes and flowing agility. She’s instantly recognisable as an update, yes, but after a few minutes it’s clear that this is without a shred of doubt the definitive version of the character. The game runs at a flawless 60fps and the animation and facial expressions are peerless: fighters follow each other’s movements, change stance as they move, and when a super attack is unleashed a temporary 3D camera change shows the (literally) eye-popping fear of your opponent in a welcome comic touch.

It’s when you get your hands on the joystick, however, that it becomes clear just how special SFIV is. The new angle it has brought to the series is simple, but very surprising, making the depths of the fighting game accessible to almost all players. Everyone can admire the videos of SFIII that show 15 parries in a row, or unbroken Yun combos that decimate opponents’ health bars, or counter-counter supers. Very few can replicate them. SFIII, and to a lesser extent SFII, are ultimately the preserve of a tiny proportion of their total players – the frame-manipulating and combination-memorising junkies. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that – it is, after all, why these games are still played competitively and analysed in such detail – but there is something wrong with the fact that the vast majority of players’ tactics outside of this circle consist of little more than jumping kick then sweep.

SFIV addresses this in three ways. First, the frame windows for combination attacks have been greatly increased, making it much easier to pull off short two- and three-hit attacks. Street Fighter Alpha tried something similar, of course, and was slightly too generous with its allowances for chain combinations – here, it’s balanced perfectly, to the point that a string of specific moves will work where simple button-mashing won’t. It’s in combination with the second major change that this comes to the fore, however: special moves are now much easier to pull off. The inputs are the same as ever, but SFIV is generous in its interpretation of your intentions, and much less fiddly.

It’s impossible to overstate what a change this is for the series, and the fighting game in general. Street Fighter is now more about planning your attacks and responding to your opponent rather than worrying about whether you can physically accomplish what you want to. Never been able to pull off an EX spinning piledriver? You will now. Allied to the increased ease of combination attacks, it puts seriously damaging strings of moves within the reach of the average player and places the tactical depth that is the real genius of the series firmly within reach of all, rather than just the elite.

Need for Speed

2010-02-01T22:49:00.000-08:00

September 10, 2009 - EA's Need for Speed franchise has had its up and downs. Unfortunately, the past few years has been one of those "down" bits, with the last couple games doing nothing to advance the series in any way that you would call good. So, something had to be done, and EA decided to hand off the reins to Slightly Mad Studios, the folks behind the PC racing series GTR, to create Need for Speed Shift. So did the changing of the guard pay off?

Oh, yes it did, and in a huge way.

There are so many things done right in terms of design that this feels like the freshest take on the "simulation" racing genre in many, many years. I put the word "simulation" in quotes because while Need for Speed Shift is undoubtedly closer to that end of the racing spectrum than, say, Burnout, Slightly Mad made some very smart choices in deciding what would be realistic and what wouldn't. The result is that the team is essentially giving you a racing experience that is extremely close to the real thing in terms of presentation, while keeping the controls just arcadey enough to allow relative newcomers a much easier entryway into the game than the likes of Gran Turismo.

Click the image to watch our video review.

Let me step back a little bit before delving into the racing experience. NFS Shift returns to the track-based racing of old (and ProStreet) rather than the open-world stuff seen in most of the modern titles. You'll find mainstays like Laguna Seca, Willow Springs and Nurbergring as the backdrops to your tire burning, and each of these are brought to life excellently. They're not 100% accurate compared to their real-world counterparts however as Slightly Mad has tweaked the scenery to provide more compelling views in spots that were a little drab, but the course layouts are indeed intact, which is what's important. Given the course selection in the game (totalling somewhere around the 20 track mark), it's of little surprise that practically every meter of road in the game is fun to drive.

Unlike pretty much every modern day Need for Speed title, there's zero story involved, and I'm very happy about that. The closest thing you're going to get to some sort of tale is the voiceover that you'll hear at the start of the game, telling you that you've been given a chance to prove yourself in a BMW M3 around Brands Hatch before winning some cash and choosing your own ride. After that, the voice only returns to explain new events and the like, but never to tell you that the cops are on your tail or that your love interest can introduce you to some jackass in a garage. Nope, this pretty much as pure of a racing game as you can find, and I for one am very thankful for that.

That's not to say that the experience is drab. On the contrary, there's fantastic and somewhat atmospheric music in the menus, a generally slick interface all around and some stylistically edited videos to introduce new events. It's the sort of stuff that will keep your blood pumping between events without getting in the way.

The cockpit view is stellar.
All of that is great, but pales in comparison to what happens when you get behind the wheel of a car. And let me just say that you should get behind the wheel and not race from a third-person camera because the cockpit view is what makes NFS Shift stand out from the extremely competitive racing genre and come into its own. Slightly Mad has created an extraordinarily good cockpit view for the game, one that makes you feel like you're actually in the seat of a horsepower-bleeding supercar.

Rather than remaining static, the view shifts and undulates slightly when the gas or brakes are applied. Sitting at the starting line and revving the engine can rock the vehicle back and forth, and slamming on the brakes to take a tight corner will throw your view forward towards the dashboard. It's a dynamic camera that moves to impart the inertia and g-forces that you'd feel while racing. Fortunately, it's not overdone to the point where it'll make you sick; it's subtle enough that you know that it's happening, but may forget about it after a while. But, go into the same view in most any other racer and you'll realize what you're missing.

PlayStation 3 bundles

2010-02-01T21:35:00.000-08:00

Buying the right PlayStation 3 bundles is not too hard if you know where to search, but getting a superb price on Playstation 3 bundles and game bundles could be a bit of a mission. The buyer must be very determined to do their homework to buy a bundle of good quality with a reasonable price tag. If you are patient and follow these tips, you can save quite a bit on the purchase of Playstation 3 bundles in terms of money. PS3 video games are also on sale quite often if you know where to look. The following bundles are among the most common PlayStation 3 bundles on the market today:

1:- PlayStation 3 80G Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle
2:- Playstation 3 80GB MotorStorm bundle
3:- Playstation 3 160GB Uncharted Bundle Pack
4:- PlayStation 3 80GB Power Pack Bundle
5:- PlayStation 3 Starter Bundle

There are two different variants of the popular Playstation 3 Metal Gear Solid 4 game bundle. There is the limited edition MGS4 bundle which includes a 40G PS3 in metal gray and is incompatible with PS2 games, a DualShock 3 rumble controller, a copy of the MGS4 game of course, a CD soundtrack and a behind-the-scenes of Metal Gear Solid 4 disc. The more popular bundle includes a 80G PS3 model in black and is compatible with PS2 games which is great for people who have lots of PS2 games, a DualShock 3 rumble controller, Metal Gear Solid 4 game, and a voucher for a free download of the game Pain. Pain is a very exciting game. The objective of the game is to crash your stunt man, who is launched out of cannons, sling shots etc, and break and crash as much as you can on the course. The last mentioned edition you can get for about $100 less, making it one of the most sought after Playstation 3 bundles to date.

Playstation 3 Bundles can be purchased brand new for about $350.00 or more online depending on the bundle purchased. New Playstation 3 bundles come with a warranty so that if anything turns out to be faulty, it can be replaced without question. You may decide to buy a used Playstation 3 bundle and buy more PS3 games. This can certainly save you a great deal of money if the console pack is still in good condition and was treated well. Reading the product description very cautiously and a word with the seller are seriously recommended in order to ensure you are really investing in a quality product. The usual practice of examining the seller's reputation and previous customer feedback are also highly recommended. It’s pertinent that you know precisely who you are dealing with, their return policy and shipping policy, when ordering used Playstation 3 bundles from an online shop.

Another option available are refurbished Playstation 3 bundles offered for sale. Again, it cannot be more essential to check out the seller's reputation and credibility and ask him what kind of guarantee comes with the product in question. Buying a refurbished PS3 bundle can save you quite a bit of cash but there may not be a solid guarantee on how long a refurbished bundle will last. It is highly recommended to always find out what is included with the bundle as well as the product condition, in order to ensure you purchase the best PlayStation 3 Bundle as possible.

Top 10 Free Online Tycoon Games

2010-01-28T02:46:00.000-08:00

There are many websites which will let you play a lot of free online games. As per your taste and mood, you can choose games of different genres like action, arcade, strategy, puzzles, sports and many more. Among them, the free online Tycoon games are quite popular.

There are many online tycoon games which will grab your attention and give you immense pleasure and satisfaction while playing them. All these games have business structures as their main theme. The storylines of these games are similar to the way real businesses are run. You need to buy things, make investments and sell your stuff. If you are in a mood to play free online tycoon games, then you should consider these 10 best ones:

Youda Marina

In this game you play the role of the business owner which controls a bay. It all starts with choosing a terrain on which you wish to start your business. Then you are given all the powers of a harbor master. Your primary task is to develop a harbor which can do great business as well as make it an awesome tourist spot. You can build hotels, restaurants, take your tourists to fishing, and construct yachts.

To play this game, you need to be good with time management and should have the zeal to be a great harbor master. All you need to do is make a perfect and popular harbor.

Fish Tycoon Game

This game is very popular among the kids. You play a role of a fish breeder. Its whole layout is so colorful and this is the main reason why kids are highly attracted to it.

As a beginner, you start with a few adult and a few baby fishes. Then you breed them, feed them and sell them. You have an option to come up with new breeds. You can buy a few vitamin chemicals and interesting fish breeding supplies from the market.

Oiligarchy Game

This game takes you back to the time when World War II was over. You play the role of a CEO of an oil company of that time. The game is simply amazing when it comes to the tasks that the gamer needs to perform.

You start with some barren lands, where you need to search for oil wells. Once you find a few, you can drill to take out the oil which can be stored or sold. You are required to meet the yearly goals and if you fail to do so, then the shareholders will fire you. You also need to bribe politicians in the White House and clear some of the oil ordinances that would benefit your business.

Indecision 2008: Money

This is the ultimate free online tycoon game. You play the role of overlord in this game. You have to start with a piece of land with an oil well. You can build homes, oil refineries, hospitals, airports, shopping malls, apartments, movie theatres, parks, theme parks, and many more establishments.

The theme is simple, you need to earn money by building all the establishments. In between you will charged with some taxes, or your city might fall prey to natural disaster causing massive destruction to your properties.

Grand Prix Tycoon

Have you ever felt like placing yourself into the shoes of a F1 franchise owner? Then this is the best way to live your dream.

The best thing about this game is its detail. It starts with choosing a franchise and a driver for it. Then you can upgrade each and every part of your vehicle. Your choice exists even in the selection of grid girls. This doesn’t end here; you can also have a close watch on your engineers and pit crew. If you want to keep yourself busy with a tycoon game, then this is the stand out option especially if you are a racing freak.

Youda Camper

Youda has always been into the tycoon games. Youda Camper is one of their best products. Like most of the other Youda games, this one is also based on entertaining tourists and earning money. In this game, you are in charge of a camp site. You start with a barren terrain and some cash. You have to set up different types of tents to accommodate people. Then you also have to build good restaurants and bars, where people could chill out. You also need to take good care of the road system.

Your job does not end with this, as you also need to advertise your camp site. You have to make an attractive camp site where tourists would come in their summer break, which would fetch you a lot of money. It is a comprehensive tycoon game and while playing, you can unlock a number of interesting items.

Coffee Tycoon

Coffee shops are undoubtedly the best place to hang around. But what does it take to run a coffee shop? This game gives you a chance to build your own coffee empire.

In this game, you start as the owner of a coffee shop. You have a number of milestones to achieve along your journey to expand your business. You have to expand your menu in order to attract more customers. You can increase your income by establishing more coffee shops, advertising your services and by standardizing your brand by installing the latest coffee shop equipments.

You can build your own corporate houses to coffee plants. It also allows you to enter the stock market, where you can keep an eye on your market growth. This is an amazing game to play while enjoying your coffee.

Cinema Tycoon

Movie theaters are one the best places to have a fun time. But running a movie theater is equally difficult. What would you do if were given a chance to run a theatre? Jot down your plans; if you are looking forward to play this game.

Your career starts with an objective to make $1 million in one year. You can run the season’s biggest hits on your screen to earn more. You have to invest some money to improve the standards of your theatre by buying the latest equipment, comfortable seats and setting a nominal ticket price. Try this game and see if you can become a cinema mogul.

Now Boarding

Maintaining an airline company and taking it to new heights is not an easy job. You have to keep your customers happy, as they form the fundamental part of your airline empire. You need to make sure that flights are on time. You have to add all the latest technologies to your airport. You also need to maintain the quality in terms of the facilities provided by your airlines. Buy more airplanes, send them to more places and earn more money.

Imperium

This game will make you feel like the king of a budding empire. You have to build an empire with workers and an army. You have to construct farms, carpenters and markets. You have to generate income by exporting the logs, food and iron. At the same time, you need to build a huge army in order to capture the nearby kingdoms. This is authentic tycoon cum strategy game, where your planning comes into play.

These are some of the best online tycoon games that I have come across and I am sure that you would love playing them. Playing these online tycoon games can be a great stress buster and the best part is that you do not even need any management degree to play them.

Puzzle Games

2009-09-06T23:02:00.000-07:00

1. Introduction

In this article I will present you a game which I created on Silverlight. It is a very small and simple but extremely popular game – the n-puzzle game. The n-puzzle is known in various versions, including the 8 puzzle, the 15 puzzle, and with various names. It is a sliding puzzle that consists of a frame of numbered square tiles in random order with one tile missing. If the size is 3x3, the puzzle is called the 8-puzzle or 9-puzzle, and if 4x4, the puzzle is called 15-puzzle or 16-puzzle. The object of the puzzle is to place the tiles in order (shown on the next figure) by making sliding moves that use the empty space.

If you are interested in more details about the history of the puzzle game, you can use the next link. But now let’s roll up our sleeves and dive into the world of Silverlight. Here is the live demo that you can also find on a separate page.
2. Implementing the puzzle logic

The first goal is to build the game engine, where the whole logic is concentrated. The puzzle consists of some number of tiles. Each tile is presented with a different object of type PuzzlePiece. The class diagram is shown on the next picture.

Each piece knows about its current position in the puzzle (through the fields Row and Column). Also each piece knows the place where it must be in the solved puzzle (this is the field Number). You can see that the PuzzlePiece class contains a nested type – NullPuzzlePiece. The NullPuzzlePiece class inherits from the PuzzlePiece. This is a very interesting object-oriented pattern – it is known as a NullObject, and I think a few words must be said about it.

Let’s consider the following example. If we have a 4x4 puzzle, then we have 15 tiles and one empty tile in the puzzle board. We ask the model for a puzzle piece with specific location (row and column). The puzzle model will return null if no object exists (it is the empty tile). Otherwise it will return the requested instance of the PuzzlePiece. We’ve all written code like this before:

PuzzlePiece pp = PuzzleModel.GetPuzzlePiece( row, column );

If( pp != null && pp.Number == 1 )

// do something with the piece

The idiom is common because, in C-based language, the first expression of the ‘&&’ is evaluated first, and the second is evaluated only if the first is true. Most of us have also been burned by forgetting to test for null. We can alleviate the tendency toward error by throwing an exception instead of returning null. However, try/catch blocks can be even uglier than checking for null. We can address these issues by using the Null Object pattern. This pattern often eliminates the need to check for null, and it can help to simplify the code.

The PuzzlePiece class has a static variable NullPuzzlePiece, which holds the sole instance of the nested implementation. Making the NullPuzzlePiece a private nested class is a way to make sure that there is only a single instance of it. No one else can create other instance of the NullPuzzlePiece. This is a good thing, because we want to be able to say something like this:

If( puzzlePiece == PuzzlePiece.NullPuzzlePiece)

// do something

I think this is enough for the NullObject pattern. Let’s continue with our puzzle logic.According to the rules each piece can be moved horizontally or vertically. Then we need an enumeration for the available move statuses.

Next is the heart of our application – it is the PuzzleModel class. The class diagram is shown on the next picture.

It implements the IPuzzleModel interface and provides the following methods:

* CheckForWin – this method is called after each move of the user. The algorithm for check is extremely simple. It is composed of two parts. First, if the empty piece is not in the lower right part of the board, then the puzzle is not solved. Second, if the numbers of the puzzle pieces are in row, then the puzzle is solved.
* GetMoveStatus - it returns information about the available move for the target piece.
* MixPuzzle – that method is invoked when the puzzle must be mixed. During the initial development of the application I faced the following problem. It is known that half of the starting positions for the n-puzzle are impossible to resolve, no matter how many moves are made. For example see the next picture.

So the target was an algorithm that mixes the puzzle and ensures that it can still be solved. The algorithm which I use in my application is based only on legal moves emulation. In other words, I just simulate fairly number of user moves in order to mix the puzzle board.

* MovePuzzle – that method simulates piece moving. It just exchanges the positions of the target piece with the empty piece.
* ResetPuzzle – restores the original puzzle board.
* There is a custom event which is raised only when a puzzle piece is moved.

3. Implementing the user interface

Although the UI is not something special there are few tricks that must be mentioned. To represent the puzzle piece I created a separate user control. The next code snippet shows you the XAML code for the puzzle piece.

The main window of the game is shown on the next picture.

The user is allowed to set the puzzle dimension – 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, etc. The user can choose the puzzle picture.

The most difficult part during the puzzle implementation was how to show a specific part of the image on the PuzzlePiece control. If the puzzle dimension is 3x3, then the puzzle image must be split on 8 pieces (the last one must be removed – this is the empty piece). If we use WPF, then this is very easy task – we will use the VisualBrush object and will set its ViewBox property. But we are using Silverlight, that’s why we should work-around the limitations. In order to split the puzzle image in different pieces I will create a web service. Inside the web service I will use the Graphics class to split the image:

[OperationContract]

public byte[][] GetSplittedImage( byte[] source, int rows, int columns )

{

Image sourceImage = Image.FromStream( new MemoryStream( source ) );

int width = sourceImage.Width / rows;

int height = sourceImage.Height / columns;

List splittedImages = new List( ( rows * columns ) - 1 );

for ( int i = 0; i < j =" 0;" i ="="" j ="="" partimage =" new" g =" Graphics.FromImage(" ms =" new" slidestoryboard =" new" slideanimation =" new" to =" distance;" duration =" TimeSpan.FromSeconds(">

{

piece.Translation.X = 0;

piece.Translation.Y = 0;

piece.SetValue( Grid.RowProperty, newPositionRow );

piece.SetValue( Grid.ColumnProperty, newPositionColumn );

};

slideStoryboard.Begin();

4. Testing the application

We are ready to start and solve the puzzle.

You can choose different puzzle dimensions and different images. Thus you can control the game difficulty. For those which are in difficult position and cannot solve the puzzle there is help. When you check the Show Help check box, a number will be shown on each piece (like on the original idea of the puzzle).

You can find the live demo on this page also.
5. Conclusion

In this article I showed you how you can create a funny game with the help of some design-patterns and simple Silverlight feature. Although I was forced to seek work-arounds, due to some Silverlight limitations, I think the power of Silverlight is obvious. If you have any further idea for improvements, please contact me. Good luck with the puzzle. :)

Shooter games

2009-09-06T22:48:00.000-07:00

Shooter games are a subgenre of action game
Action game

An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand-eye coordination and reaction-time. Action games are a vast genre that includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, first-person shooters, and platform games....
, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. Because "shooters make up the majority of action games", it is a fairly wide subgenre. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common resource found in many shooter games is ammunition.

Characteristics of shooters
There are many criteria to determine the type of shooter; listed below are some of the major divisions. Using the following, it is possible to categorize almost all shooters developed.

Perspective
The player usually views the events from behind the eyes of the character (a first-person shooter
First-person shooter

File:Freedoom aaa.pngFirst-person shooter is a Video game genres, featuring a First person , with which the player views the action as if through the eyes of the protagonist and in which the primary element is combat based around shooting....
) or from a camera that follows the character, usually a few feet behind (a third-person shooter
Third-person shooter

Third-person shooter is a video game genre of 3D computer graphics action game Video game in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting....
). It is also possible for a game to have a fixed camera, especially shooting gallery games and some 2D overhead shooters such as Robotron 2084.

Realism
Games that attempt to emulate life-like ballistics
Ballistics

Ballistics is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance....
and character damage include tactical shooter
Tactical shooter

A tactical shooter is a video game genre of video game derived from the first-person shooter or third-person shooter genres that generally attempts to simulate realistic combat....
s. But many shooter games involve varying levels of realism, with some verging on complete fantasy
Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of Plot , Theme , and/or Setting . Fantasy is generally distinguished from science fiction and horror by the expectation that it steers clear of technological and macabre themes, respectively, though there is a great deal of overlap between the three ....
.

Number of characters
While most shooters are played as solo ventures, several offer the players the opportunity to control a squad
Squad

In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section ....
of characters, usually directly controlling one, and giving orders to computer-controlled allies. Games which feature non-player characters fighting alongside the player, but which are not directly controllable (either by switching player control, or issuing orders to the character) are not considered squad-based games.

Multiplayer
If a shooter game is available online, there are several other sharp divisions it can take. Team games are where players are assigned to one of two (sometimes more, but very infrequently) factions which are competing for some goal. Co-Op games have several players on the same faction playing through either the single player or custom missions against computer-simulated enemies. Individual(often called Deathmatch) has all players competing with each other. Many times a game will offer differing modes which allow players to choose from among these various types.

Focus
This is often an optional way to categorize a shooter, but in some cases it's needed to help distinguish it. A game may quite often heavily rely on stealth
Stealth-based game

A stealth game is a video game in which the player needs to avoid detection. The genre was introduced in 1981 in video gaming by the game Castle Wolfenstein, but was not popularized until 1998 in video gaming, with the release of Metal Gear Solid for the PlayStation....
as opposed to direct action
Action game

An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand-eye coordination and reaction-time. Action games are a vast genre that includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, first-person shooters, and platform games....
. Others might have large horror
Survival horror game

Survival horror is a video game genres inspired by horror films in which the player's primary objective is to survive and/or escape a threat typical of horror fiction, usually zombies or supernatural beings of some sort....
elements to them. However, the one thing in common with all shooters is that combat with a gun or similar long range/projectile weapon is the primary focus of gameplay itself.

Sub-genres

Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up

File:ProjectStarfighter.jpgShoot 'em up is a subgenre of Shooter game video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often a spacecraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks....
s are a specific sub-genre of shooters, wherein the player has limited control over their movement; if done with 2D
2D computer graphics

2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them....
gameplay, an example being Ikaruga
Ikaruga

is a shoot 'em up video game developed by Treasure . It was released in the arcades in on the Sega NAOMI, subsequently released on Dreamcast in Japan and then worldwide to the Nintendo GameCube, and was released on Xbox Live Arcade on April 9, 2008....
, this means that a moving background continually pushes the player forward, though they may move up and down and left and right around the screen, typically firing straight forward.

Shoot 'em ups share common gameplay, but are often categorized by viewpoint. This includes fixed shooters on fixed screens, scrolling shooters that mainly scroll
Scrolling

In computer graphics, movies, television, and other kinetic displays, scrolling is sliding text, images or video across a monitor or display. "Scrolling", as such, does not change the layout of the text or pictures, or but incrementally moves panning or Tilt the user's view across what is apparently a larger image that is not wholly seen....
in a single direction, top-down shooters where the levels are controlled from an overhead viewpoint, and rail shooters where player movement is automatically guided down a fixed "rail". This genre also includes "run and gun" games which emphasize greater maneuvering or even jumping.
Shooting gallery
Often interchangeable with light gun
Light gun

A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a controller for arcade game and video game console.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun.... games, although many could also be played using a regular joypad and an on-screen cursor to signify where the bullets are being aimed. When these debuted, they were typically played from a first-person perspective, with enemy fire that occurred anywhere on the screen damaging or killing the player. As they evolved away from the use of light guns, the player came to be represented by an on-screen avatar, usually someone on the bottom of the screen, who could move and avoid enemy attacks while returning fire. These sorts of shooters almost always utilize horizontal scrolling to the right to indicate level progression, with enemies appearing in waves from predestined locations in the background or from the sides.

As light gun games became more prevalent and started to make use of fully 3D backgrounds (such as the Time Crisis
Time Crisis

Time Crisis is a video game initially available in arcade game and later released for the PlayStation and cell phones....
or House of the Dead series), these sorts of games fell out of popular production, but many (like NAM-1975
NAM-1975

NAM-1975 is a war-themed action game shooting game released by SNK Playmore. It bears the distinction of being the first game released for Neo Geo arcade and home platform....
) still have their fanbase today.

Example shooting galleries — Blood Bros.
Blood Bros.

Blood Bros. is an arcade game, released in 1990 in video gaming by TAD Corporation. It is the "wild west" sequel to Cabal , with almost identical mechanics....
, Cabal
Cabal (arcade game)

Cabal is a 1988 arcade game by TAD Corporation . In this game, the player controls a commando, viewed from behind, trying to destroy various enemy military bases....
, Laser Invasion
Laser Invasion

Laser Invasion is a video game developed by Konami and published by Ultra in 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Its most notable feature was the inclusion of a headset called the LaserScope, which acted like a light gun but was activated by the voice....
, NAM-1975
NAM-1975

NAM-1975 is a war-themed action game shooting game released by SNK Playmore. It bears the distinction of being the first game released for Neo Geo arcade and home platform....
, Operation Wolf
Operation Wolf

Operation Wolf is a one-player shooter game arcade game made by Taito Corporation in 1987 in video gaming. It spawned three sequels: Operation Thunderbolt , Operation Wolf 3 and Operation Tiger ....

Light gun shooter
Duck Hunt Screenshot
Light gun shooter
Light gun shooter

Light gun shooter, also called light gun game or simply gun game, is a video game genre in which the primary design element is aiming and shooting with a Light gun....
s use a pointing device
Pointing device

A pointing device is an input interface that allows a user to input spatial data to a computer. Computer-aided design systems and graphical user interfaces allow the user to control and provide data to the computer using physical Mouse gesture ? point, click, and drag ? for example, by moving a hand-held Mouse across the surface of the...
for computer
Computer

A computer is a machine that manipulates Data according to a list of Code .The first devices that resemble modern computers date to the mid-20th century , although the computer concept and various machines similar to computers existed earlier....
s and a control device
Game controller

A game controller is an input device used to control a video game. A controller is typically connected to a video game console or a personal computer....
for arcade
Arcade game

An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, typically installed in businesses such as restaurants, public houses, video arcades, and Family Entertainment Centers....
and video games
Video game console

A video game console is an game development that produces a video signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game. The term "video game console" is used to distinguish a machine designed for consumers to buy and use solely for playing video games from a personal computer, which has many other functions, or arcade machi...
. The first light guns appeared in the 1930s, following the development of light-sensing vacuum tubes
Vacuum tube

In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , thermionic valve, or just valve is a device used to amplifier, switch, otherwise modify, or create an Electricity signal by controlling the movement of electrons in a low-pressure space....
. It was not long before the technology began appearing in arcade
Video arcade

A video arcade is a venue where people play arcade game that are housed in colourfully-decorated cabinets. The cabinets consist of a video monitor, gameplay controls and buttons, computer hardware and software, and a coin-, Token coin-, or magnetic card-based payment mechanism....
shooting games, beginning with the Seeburg Ray-O-Lite
Seeburg Ray-O-Lite

The Seeburg Ray-O-Lite was the first light gun game. It was made in January 1936 by Seeburg Corporation. Gameplay involved shooting a flying duck which would then drop when hit....
in 1936. These early light gun games used small targets (usually moving) onto which a light-sensing tube was mounted; the player used a gun (usually a rifle) that emitted a beam of light when the trigger was pulled. If the beam struck the target, a "hit" was scored. Modern screen-based light guns work on the opposite principle -- the sensor is built into the gun itself, and the on-screen target(s) emit light rather than the gun. The first light gun of this type was used on the MIT Whirlwind computer. Like rail shooters, movement is typically limited in light-gun games.

Notable games of this category include Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, the Virtua Cop
Virtua Cop

Virtua Cop is a First-person shooter arcade game created by Sega-AM2, and headed by Yu Suzuki. Its original incarnation was an arcade game in 1994 and it was later ported to the Sega Saturn in 1995, and the IBM PC compatible in 1997....
, the Time Crisis
Time Crisis

Time Crisis is a video game initially available in arcade game and later released for the PlayStation and cell phones....
series and House of the Dead series, along with Duck Hunt
Duck Hunt

is a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo, and was released in 1984 in Japan....
for the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System

The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe and Australia in . In most of Asia, including Japan , the Philippines, China, Vietnam and Singapore, it was released as the ....
.

First-person shooters
Doom Ingame 2
First-person shooter
First-person shooter

File:Freedoom aaa.pngFirst-person shooter is a Video game genres, featuring a First person , with which the player views the action as if through the eyes of the protagonist and in which the primary element is combat based around shooting....
is characterized by an on-screen view that simulates the in-game character's point of view. Notable examples of the genre include Doom, Quake
Quake

Quake is a first-person shooter computer game that was released by id Software on June 22, 1996. It was the first game in the popular Quake of computer and video games....
, Half-Life, Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike is a tactical shooter first-person shooter video game which originated from a Half-Life Game mod by Minh Le and Jess Cliffe....
, GoldenEye 007
GoldenEye 007

GoldenEye 007 is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console, and based on the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye....
, Battlefield
Battlefield (video game series)

The Battlefield franchise is a series of computer and console games that started with the Personal computer/Mac OS game Battlefield 1942, the series is developed by EA Digital Illusions CE, and published by Electronic Arts....
, Unreal
Unreal

Unreal is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Epic Games and Digital Extremes and published by GT Interactive in May 1998. It was powered by an original gameplay and computer engine that Unreal Engine, one that had been in development for over three years in founder Tim Sweeney 's garage before the game was released....
, Call of Duty
Call of Duty

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game based on the id Tech 3 engine. This war game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II....
, and Halo
Halo (video game series)

Halo is a science fiction video game franchise, created by Bungie and owned and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The main trilogy of games center on the experiences of the Master Chief , a cybernetics-enhanced human super-soldier, and his artificial intelligence companion, Cortana....
.

Third-person shooters
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter

Third-person shooter is a video game genre of 3D computer graphics action game Video game in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.... s are characterized by a third-person camera view that fully displays the player character in his/her surroundings. Notable examples of the genre include Rare's Jet Force Gemini
Jet Force Gemini

Jet Force Gemini is a science fiction third-person shooter game for the Nintendo 64 developed and published by Rare that was released on October 11, 1999....
, the Max Payne
Max Payne

Max Payne is a British Academy of Film and Television Arts award winning third-person shooter video game developed by Remedy Entertainment, produced by 3D Realms and published by Gathering of Developers in July, 2001 in video gaming for Microsoft Windows....
and Gears of War
Gears of War

'Gears of War' is a third-person shooter video game, developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was initially released as an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 in November 2006 in North America, Australia, and most of Europe, and included a "Limited Collector's Edition" with added content and an art book titled Dest...
series.

Tactical shooters
Tactical shooter
Tactical shooter

A tactical shooter is a video game genre of video game derived from the first-person shooter or third-person shooter genres that generally attempts to simulate realistic combat....
is a shooter that generally simulates realistic, squad
Squad

In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section ....
-based or man-to-man skirmishes. Notable examples of the genre include Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six is the first in a Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six of first hird person tactical shooters computer game and video games. It was developed and published by Red Storm Entertainment for the Personal computer in 1998 in video gaming....
and Ghost Recon series and Bohemia Software's Operation Flashpoint.

Video Game Examiner

2008-09-14T23:55:00.000-07:00

With 6 different races, 20 different classes and endless customization, you will strike out in an adventure in a new world to bring fame and fortune to your name.

Is Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning a World of Warcraft Clone?

It is hard not to recognize the similarity in races and the cartoonish graphical style of Warhammer Online and World of Warcraft and not compare the two.

However, while World of Warcraft was released years before Warhammer Online, it is actually more of a clone of Warhammer than Warhammer is a clone of World of Warcraft.

The Warhammer pen and paper roleplaying game was the inspiration of the original Warcraft realtime strategy game. Not only did the Warhammer RPG influence the basic Good vs Evil structure of the game, it also had a large influence on the graphical style of the Warcraft series.
online golf instruction-Tower Defence Games

Playstation Network

2008-09-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why the masses love these games so much as you can point out any run-of-the-mill RPG and get basically the same experience. I'm glad the 360 is getting a divergence in genres, but it's sad to see its sales come from such a bleh' game. Ah well, the stupid console wars sales in the East will shift back to the PS3 soon enough. If it must be known, I am rather looking forward to the new Star Ocean and I believe that it will bolster sales of the 360 in Japan even further. I thought Star Ocean 3 was good, even with its kick in the groin ending. So I figure four to deliver more of the same. I hope that title finds its way to the Playstation 3...but hope only goes so far, you know. - "Oh my gawwwwwd, someone is interested in my generic game! Squee! I am sure I am not at all a generic heroine" source: Media Create This week in PSN downloadables The following was unveiled on the Playstation Network.

Warhammer Online Open Beta Thoughts

2008-09-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

If you've been following the game, you've probably heard about the comments from IanC, one of the Community Relations people - where he said that some of the posts from users were "borderline sociopathic". The post has since been edited, and many sites are implying that he called the gamers sociopathic in general, when the post was really saying that people who make death threats because they can't log in to a beta test sound like sociopaths... It's a shame that his comment has attracted so much attention - yes, it's not the kind of talk you expect from a person whose job is to talk to the community, but everyone has bad days, and seriously - how does one comment like that detract from the quality of the game? GOA will be running the same version as Mythic, and even if you don't like the community team, it's not like you'll be seeing them on a daily basis in game.

Online content and services via game consoles will generate $8

2008-09-14T23:28:00.000-07:00

The ability to download new content or play against others online extends the lifespan and the potential audiences," I wrote.

Free-to-play games have already created junior economies in Asia. Frank Yu recently wrote on GameSetWatch that "winning--or gaining power--in online games in China is as much about purchasing items as it is about skill or hard work." He adds:

If designers and developers had other business alternatives to monetize their games, they would if they could. For now, they design the games to painlessly help users spend ever larger sums of money on virtual items. I'm sure Western publishers are looking at and exploring this model as well.

Console developers would be well served to figure out more monetization methods in order to avoid falling prey to PC and browser-based games.

Faceless no more: Social networking comes with a price

2008-09-14T23:19:00.000-07:00

When he learned she played sports, he began showing up at her games.

Police officers eventually posed as the girl online and arranged a meeting with Mr. Ling where he was arrested.

"Police are concerned there may be other victims," read the official press release.

To celebrate the end of school, a fourth-year University of Toronto student, who has a private Facebook profile, posted in a public events section a map to his Collingwood, Ont. cottage and left his cellphone as the contact information.

It should not be that easy to uncover personal information, says Scott Ford. Presented in late August with a digital profile generated from information contained on his Facebook page and his account with the school friends re-connection site Where Are You Now? (WAYN.com), Mr.

Free Online Games

2008-06-29T20:59:00.000-07:00

Free Online Games is the boon matter to swallow happened direction this realm. Not uncommon are they plain sailing string the classiest range to keep one busy, they are available for free too! Yes! You could play your hearts fill and could even download them and keep them handy to get back to while traveling, while sitting in your living room and even when you are in the mood of enjoying some adventure. There are many Free Online Adventure Games available in the many portals that deal in the same. Action games puzzles and flash games they all belong to this genre...

Free Online War Games donate that much-needed adrenalin rushes because the diversified games corporal spell this genre. This is lone of the types of Online Games that align the highest in regard to its popularity. Civil wars, shooting war games and fantasy war games are all quintessential components of the online war games and the ones that are for free, enhance the pleasures of playing it, all the more.

Internet has supplementary than a few options to sustenance the juvenile girls busy. With a exhaustive lessor of Online Games thanks to Girls, what less could you expect? A few of the well-known games in this genre are cooking games dress up games dollhouse games and fashion games Multiplayer Online Games offer complete thrill of playing in a ground with several team members or opponents. Owing to the fact that these games require several members, one could invite friends, colleagues and even family members to pick up a part and play a role in the game. What could one expect? Definitely a roller coaster trip!

Online Games are the peak options to lock on unequaled with excite also function further many of them even require you to be at your creative best... So get ready to explore an array of the best online games.