Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Halo 4

Master Chief returns in Halo 4, part of a new trilogy in the colossal Halo universe. Set almost five years after the events of Halo 3, Halo 4 takes the series in a new direction and sets the stage for an epic new sci-fi saga, in which the Master Chief returns to confront his destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Halo 4 also introduces a new multiplayer offering, called Halo Infinity Multiplayer, that builds off of the Halo franchise's rich multiplayer history. The hub of the Halo 4 multiplayer experience is the UNSC Infinity – the largest starship in the UNSC fleet that serves as the center of your Spartan career. Here you’ll build your custom Spartan-IV supersoldier, and progress your multiplayer career across all Halo 4 competitive and cooperative game modes.

Resident Evil 6

On March 20th 2012 Resident evil Operation Raccoon City is being released, just 1 of the 2 games scheduled for release this year. Capcom is taking a different approach in this game by changing things up a bit.

In all the resident evil games in the past except for Resident Evil Survivor, you took on the role of the S.T.A.R.S members. In this game you play the role of the Umbrella Security Service, the ones responsible for the T-Virus outbreak. Or you can take on the role of the United States Special Operations Force, which is really awesome. Depending on which side you choose, your mission will be totally different.

If you choose to take on the role of the Umbrella Team, your mission will be to destroy any evidence of Umbrella's illegal activity, along with killing any and all survivors. On the other hand the Special Operations Team has to expose the actions of the Umbrella company.

You will also be faced with some major decisions in the game such as, killing Leon S. Kennedy. One of the major characters in Resident evil 2 and Resident evil 4. The game features an amazing storyline and takes place during the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 Nemesis.

Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City also has a co-op story mode where up to 4 players can join in the action. Switching over to the multi player side, there is a bunch of different modes you can chose from such as Hero mode.

In Hero mode you can play as Leon S Kennedy, Jill Valentine, Claire Redfield, Carlos Oliviera, Plus Ada Wong, HUNK, Nicholai Ginovaef and a new character Lone Wolf. There is also Nemesis Mode an Xbox 360 Exclusive that allows you to control Nemesis and use him to kill the other team.

So as you can see this game is going to be absolutely awesome. On November 20th 2012 Resident Evil 6 is scheduled to be released and this game has a completely different storyline.

The year is 2013 and U.S. President Adam Benford has decided to reveal the truth behind what took place in the 1998 Raccoon City Destruction Incident in the belief that it will curb the current resurgence in bio-terrorist activity.

Due to be by the President's side is his personal friend and Raccoon City survivor, Leon S. Kennedy, but when the venue suffers a bio-terrorist attack, Leon is forced to face a President transformed beyond recognition and make his hardest decision ever.

At the same time, Bio-terrorism Security Assessment Alliance member Chris Red field arrives in the fictional city of Lanshiangi facing the same problem that Leon is dealing with.

These games sound really good and i am looking forward to both of them not to mention the movie that is coming out this fall. If you are a true hardcore Resident Evil fan like me, i am sure you are looking forward to all 3 of these titles. I would love to hear any comments you have to share, and if your not a fan than this year would be the best time to get into this awesome series.

Assassin's Creed III

Following the highly effective first couple of installments, Ubisoft is all set to again capture most of the games community by surprise with the approaching Assassin's Creed 3 installment which is due for release Oct 2012.

Although the business is still to publicize many details of the precise mission, a number of leakages have been circling the web for a little bit of time now. Here are a couple of the assumed released features we have gleaned so far.

The plot of the gameplay will now be absorbed in the 18th Century of the Northern American areas of New York and Boston ma. A handful of famous individuals such as Charles Lee, George Washington, along with Benjamin Franklin will be included in most of the gameplay. These factors ended up being gleaned from one of the last issues of the GameInformer.

As you are choosing future video game titles, Assassin's Creed Series video gameplay feedback have been quite higher than average by experts of which have come to love the collection of adventures, and have claimed that it is better compared to the second adventure in that series, Assassin's Creed 2. All the adventure offers an extraordinary conspiracy line, mixed with a large number of changes and adjustments throughout the adventure, as well as it at times replies a handful of challenges that were eventually left by these foremost couple of video adventures in the collection. A few video adventure comments have as well acknowledged that our Altair categories are quite absorbing, and also will initially speak to the avid gamers who appreciated the first of all the adventures in the collection. All of the adventure always offers a wide array of absorbing character types that you will come across during game play, and also has a great conclusion for those individuals who like to get ahead.

Constantinople is an enormously big city in the adventure, and is a big part of the adventure; you will find that along with actively playing, you will devote several hours basically exploring the actual city limits, to find concealed treasures, and discover what it has to offer. As far as any platforming of a new video adventures series, there are a few areas in the adventure that are deficient, along with others that are great, but as well it has plenty to offer. Generally the visual effects are good, as well as being comparatively attractive as you are gaming. The adventure also offers a great audio track, much better as compared with the earliest two game titles in the series. There are however a few categories in platforming that the coders neglected on, in particular first person platforming, in which appears to be not well thought out or developed by the game designers and designers of the game. The Den barricade additionally seems to be a bit out of place in the whole chain of factors.

All around, Creed Revelations is far better compared to its forerunner Brotherhood, as well as the AC2 that is the first adventure in the series. The central individual, Ezio, is a 50 year old man, to whom is on a mission to reach Masyaf to enter Altair's library, in the very earliest Assassin Castle. However, he first has to recoup all the five keys in which Altair concealed all the way through the city of Constantinople, as a consequence it's the central story in the adventure, at the same time this is how Ezio is going to use up most of the time, in addition to getting to know a number of newest figures during his particular task. The storyline of the adventure additionally discloses a number of challenges in which were left behind by the first two games, as well as picks up about midway through where the Brotherhood mission in the sequence eventually left off. Therefore, game enthusiasts are going to see the interplay connecting Altair and Ezio as the gameplay enhances. The storyline carries on all the way through the conspiracy, and Ezio helps make his way all through Constantinople, to get to Altair's stronghold, while searching for all five keys. All around the video gaming appraisals just for Assassin's Creed Series have been considerably good.

Plants Vs Zombies Review

Plants vs. Zombies is your tower, castle, or anything where you have to defend your place type of game. The game is made by PopCap, and boy do they make great games.

So what is this game about? Your objective is to hold back the zombies with different types of plants until you complete the level.

Whether you shoot across the screen with pea shooters, or disabling their movement by throwing walnuts in their way. You want to make sure they do not get in the house, or otherwise you will lose and the zombies will eat your brains.

The game becomes increasingly more difficult as you progress. New forms or types of zombies shows up to render the plants asunder.

How you play the game is that you pick and place your plants on any part of the grid. The way you place your plants is ultimately your choice; though, normally many people will start off with setting up power plants to gain more power.

You need power to use or purchase many varieties of plants in your line of defense. Your goal is to create a big army with a mixture of offensive and defensive plants. This will put an end to those brain-eating pest!

Every time you complete a level and advance on, you unlock a new item or plant to use in your arsenal. Over time you collect coins which can be used to buy new weapons and upgrades.

Let me tell you that you definitely need them. Once the newer forms of zombies come out, they take many hits to go down.

There are a lot of different game-play styles. You got your survival mode, puzzle mode, mini-game mode, as well as playing on levels set in a night and day.

The plants that you choose during the day time might not be available during the night. It can be a bummer when you notice your favorite plant is not there at a specific time setting, but it keeps you thinking on creative ways to destroy zombies.

Overall, Plants Versus Zombies is a very fun game. The 40 plus variety of plants keeps you thinking of new ways to place your plants on the grid, and the many different types of zombies keeps you engaged and focus on your goal.

The graphics and textures are nice, neat, and friendly. It doesn't have that scary feel to it and at times the zombies can be pretty amusing.

When would you ever see a 4 zombies running on a bobsled?

The sounds are great and unique. It fits the game's theme perfectly. Of course, PopCap always make excellent games with great sounds.

Wanna know where you can play plants vs zombies free trail? There is a site that host a ton of exciting and fun casual games.

Casual games like the Bejeweled series, Reaxxion, and Collapse Blast!

666 games

search and play 666 games and have fun.

piano games

There are lots of fun games for the whole family that you can play using piano by number books. Here are just a few:

Name That Tune: One person plays the songs on the piano while everyone tries to guess the title of the song. Kids love playing the songs, so kids can take turns. You can also use the Play Along Audio CD, but kids also love being the center of attention and playing the songs on the piano.
Musical Chairs: Put chairs in center of room and when the music stops everyone has to find a chair, except there's always one chair too few. Use the CDs or have the kids (any age) play the piano.

Christmas Pageant: There's more than enough material on the Play Along Audio CD to present your own show. Kids (any age) will love putting it together, and can take turns playing along with the music or acting in the show.

Make Up Your Own Show: The Family Favorites section has 28 familiar melodies that creative kids can turn into a show about anything.

Have Everyone Try It! You'd be surprised what fun a family gathering can become when everyone is asked to play a song from the book. You'll discover that your family and friends have hidden musical talents! Most people really do want to try playing the piano, so make a game of it!

TEACHING GAMES

FOURS "Fours" is the most basic rhythm game that I play with kids. I always use it on the first lesson, and on all subsequent lessons until the child seems too old for it. It's a fun but very childish game that teaches rhythm and piano geography without using printed notes or numbers of any kind.It's important for kids to actually play the piano without the encumbrance of graphic notation (notes or numbers) of any kind. For example, you'll notice that kids in general can go to the piano and play three songs: Chopsticks, Heart and Soul, Knuckles (that funny piece played on the black keys with the knuckles of the right hand!)

"Fours" is a piano game constructed in exactly the same mold. The child plays numbers and I play the chords. If the symbols below don't line up in your browser, remember that there are always four notes (numbers) for every chord (letter.) The child begins on "Middle C," also known as the number one: "1" The teacher plays the letters, or chords.

1111 2222 3333 4444 5555 6666 7777 8888

C G C F C F G C

I play a kind of funny Chico Marx oom-pah accompaniment using the chord pattern (C G C F C F G C, etc.) Kids find this very easy and refreshing. We play up the piano keys, moving to the right, with the natural goal being for the child to reach the highest key on the piano. I'm pretty "strict," that is, if the child breaks the rhythm or misses a key, we start over. Strangely enough, kids love to go back to the beginning and start over as much as they love going all the way to highest key.

Fun variant: Ask them to count up the white keys until they reach the highest white key (starting from Middle C, which to them is #1) and tell you what the "number" of that white key is (it's 29.) This has no musical value except that it makes the child an explorer of the instrument.The object of these games is to make the child a keen and enthusiastic observer of their instrument, something impossible to do when the child is locked into reading only sheet music from a book. Kids need to improvise, however humbly, and essentially all of my games are designed to make fun music outside of sheet music, numbers or conventional.

"Fours" teaches a child that
Sheet music is not always necessary to have fun with music
They have to count while they play
Music is divided into numbered units
Piano is a fun thing they can do right away.

Garfield and Scooby Doo Games

Children love cartoons. After some of them, movie directors created movies with real actors, which had the same success as the cartoons. Because of that things went farther than that and there were created computer games with the same characters. Two examples are Garfield and Scooby Doo productions. These seem to be children's favorite heroes. Beside they are very funny they can also do incredible things.

Who doesn't want a cat like Garfield or an incredible dog like Scooby. You can find all kinds of games with these two characters. These games are appropriate for children of any age. They can be funny and educative as well. Choosing for your child these games you will avoid getting him in contact with any type of violence. In the next rows you will find the names of a few games your kid can play online. Before that it must be mentioned, that he can develop important skills during his playing activity, like memory skills, attention and many others as well. Some of the most popular games are Scooby Doo memory challenge, Big Air Snow Show, Defend your berry bones, Creepy Castle, Temple of lost souls and many other games games where you can hunt ghosts and discover mystic things along with Scooby.

When it comes about Garfield games you can go for Garfield memory game, Garfield ping pong, Garfield comic creator, Garfield air hockey and others as well. As you can imagine, these games can be played by very small children. All you have to do is to open your computer and search your child's favorite arcade phase games. He will spend quality time in front of it and he will enjoy very much. These games can be played by both boys and girls.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Computer Games

A keyboard, mouse and joystick are all you need to play computer games. You can add headphones and speakers to get sound. You can also go for driving wheels if you are playing racing games. You need the latest version of the Windows operating system to install computer games on your computer. However, game developers are trying to run computer games even on Mac and Linux operation systems. They are coming up with versions compatible with Mac and Linux programs. Before installing computer games on your PC, you have to make sure that your computer fulfills certain requirements to run the games properly. Memory, hard drive space, Internet connection speed, operating system, CPU speed and video card memory - all need to be in proper order so as to facilitate smooth and hassle-free installation of computer games.

Computer games are available on dedicated game-console platforms, such as the Gamecube, Xbox and PlayStation 2. Nevertheless, the most challenging aspect of computer games is to keep pace with the ever-changing PC hardware market. New CPUs and graphics cards are coming up every day. The initial versions of computer games require minimum hardware requirements. But the updated versions may need a faster processor or improved graphics card. That's why older PCs can't run the latest computer games at all. Computer games are trying hard to match you with the always-changing hardware segment.

Another addition to the computer games is networked multiplayer systems through Internet or LAN connections. They have become a necessity in racing games and other games that require real-time strategy. Computer has come a long way from the era of Spacewar in 1960, when the games were only text-based. However, with the introduction of the mouse, the text has been replaced with graphics. Computer game developers are always trying to infuse some new features to make the games more sophisticated.

PS3 Games

Sony already caused a buzz earlier during the last E3 when it announced that the PS3 console will be costlier than the Xbox 360 or the Wii. Then came the word war between Microsoft and Sony regarding the formats of their consoles, games, and hard drives. What seems to an endless battle now has added fuel. Sony has just announced that PS3 games and titles will be pricier than the current titles available in the market. Why? Blu-ray discs, of course. Besides, games developers also affirm that developing PS3 games for Blu-ray is a lot difficult than their previously developed PS games.

Kaz Hirai, Sony's top executive for United States operations made the announcement last Friday. Hirai said that PS3 games costs can amount to as much as $99 dollars which is roughly 53 Euros. Met with protests from avid gamers, as well as Sony fans, Hirai insisted that Sony is trying to keep games' cost down. Still, players have to splurge to get top-caliber games. Hirai even gave reason behind the protests over Sony's expensive games. He cited assumptions back in the 90's that games on disc would only cost from $39-$59. Of course, with this mindset, people would be hard-pressed to find an almost $100 game justified.

The pricing of PS3 games have been under speculations for some time. There are those that predict low prices to balance out the high price of the console. On the contrary, majority of the gamers expected high pricing to complement the console and its next-gen Blu-ray format.

It seems that Microsoft's attacks on the PS3 console's price did not discourage Sony at all. Digs about the console's price even seem to serve as inspiration for Sony to make its games expensive. The company appears not to care that they are pairing a prohibitively priced console with equally expensive PS3 games. Maybe Sony thinks that Blu-ray is enough reason for raising prices. But we have to admit that Sony does think about its fans. Hirai assures prospective PS3 gamers that the games may be priced higher than $59 but not over a hundred dollars. Swell, that's a relief. So there you have it from Sony folks; $59-$99 price bracket for a PS3 game. Now, obviously Hirai's comments are a bit vague, and certainly right now we're already seeing some next-gen games come in higher than $59 with Collector's Editions. But if the majority of PS3 software is suddenly over $60 that could be a real problem. Consumers are already shelling out $500 or $600 depending on which PS3 SKU they purchase. In the end, Sony, with the two other console manufacturers and video game publishers, is competing for a limited number of consumer dollars.

PS3 and Sony fans do not mind these pricing schemes (or they pretend not to), attributing it to the Blu-ray. Though Blu-ray haven't had time to prove itself, let's all hope that it is all it promises to be. PS3 games may not be the cheapest stuff out there, but they are surely the most hyped. People who want copies of PS3 games but are not willing to shell out big bucks might have to wait a bit longer. Games and technologies do depreciate, and gamers are sure to get fairly good prices at a later date. Just don't show your games to those who brought theirs at the height of the PS3 hype, they might not appreciate your ingenuity.

Top Disney Games (video games)

The Disney company has created many forms of merchandise over the years to help promote their brand and entertain their fans and one of the most exciting areas of this are the video games they have produced. With such a wide variety of characters and almost endless story possibilities, there have been some cracking Disney games released over the years. Here are some of our favourites.

Mickey Mania - Released in 1994 for the two main platforms the Sega MegaDrive and Super NES, saw players take Disney's main character through side scrolling levels based around the Mickey Cartoons from 1928 to 1990. This excellent platformer is a great way to discover some of the history from Mickey's early cartoons and is a great fun game as well. The game was also released on the PlayStation in Europe under a different name.

DuckTales - Based on the hit animated TV, DuckTales the video game was released for the NEW in 1989 (1990 in Europe) and followed Scrooge McDuck as he travelled the world looking for treasure. The Capcom produced game was highly regarded at the time for its game play and still is remembered fondly by fans of retro games.

World of Illusion - These days we are used to multi player and co-op games where you can join in the fun with your friends. But in the early days of home consoles, these types of games were few and far between. World of Illusion was a fantastic 2 player side scroller co-op that allowed friends to control Mickey and Donald Duck. Released in 1992 and for the Sega Genesis, this game was a whole lot of Disney fun.

Toy Story - Amazingly, the first Toy Story movie was released all the way back in 1995 and the inevitable movie tie-in-game was released the year after on Mega Drive, SNES, Game Boy and PC. This great playing game has brilliant animation for its time and some clever level design. One criticism that older games often get accused of, was that Toy Story was deemed to hard for younger players.

Kingdom Hearts - Square Enix have made a name for themselves over the years for producing some of the best games ever in the form of the Final Fantasy series. So of course game fans got very excited when hearing the company had joined forces with Disney to create Kingdom Hearts. The first game combined characters and elements from the Final Fantasy franchise and the Disney universe for a unique hybrid. The series is now 9 instalments in, with a 10th due in not too distant future.

These are just some of the amazing video games based on the Disney Universe that have been released over the years. Of course, many weren't included as we just didn't have time. Remember if you want to see all the characters in real life, why not head to one of the fantastic Disney theme parks. All your favourites from timeless video game classics will be walking around the park ready to give you a hug and a photo. Just remember not to bore them about your tales of how you were stuck on that one level for hours on end.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

math games

Math games are a great way to get students involved in math. Just like chess, math games get students hooked. Each time they play, they have more confidence and better strategies. With the competitive itch, they strive to do better each time they play.

Math games should be specifically designed to work on math skills. It may work on addition, multiplication or fractions. Having the skills as part of the game makes it easy to make learning seem fun. Just like mothers often sneak vegetables into a casserole or pasta dish, teachers can sneak learning into games.

The games should have some elements that make it playable. The game should have simple rules. If there are too many rules, kids will lose interest. Soccer is relatively simply. You need to kick the ball into the net without using your hands. In golf you try to hit a ball into a hole in as few strokes as possible. With Scrabble, you try to make words with the highest point value possible. The general goal or core rules of the game should be relatively simple.

Once this is established, there should be room for developing strategy. The game Tic Tac Toe is not played by adults or even most kids as it is too simple. The game of chess however allows players to make choices that affect the outcome of the game. If you can't develop strategy or feel like you are affecting the outcome, you probably won't continue playing.

There also needs to be an element of chance. Even though players may have different abilities, each one should feel as though they have a chance to win. You wouldn't enter a 100 meter race if you knew the other runner was a great deal faster. In Scrabble the element of chance comes when players randomly choose letters. When chance affects the game it evens out the playing field.

Games in the class create hours of solid practice. Students actually focus on the skills and develop their skills quickly. Aside from the math skills students learn, they also learn some much needed social skills by working with partners that they can't get from video games. Games are the way to reach children and make learning a truly fun and inspiring activity. The skills they learn will last a lifetime.

The Hunger Games (film)

The Hunger Games is a 2012 American science fiction action film directed by Gary Ross, based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins. The film was produced by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik, with a screenplay by Ross, Collins, and Billy Ray. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Donald Sutherland.

The story takes place in a dystopian post-apocalyptic future in the nation of Panem, which consists of a wealthy city, called the Capitol, surrounded by 12 less affluent districts. As punishment for a past rebellion against the government, the Capitol initiated the Hunger Games–a televised annual event in which one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts are selected in a lottery as "tributes" and are required to fight to the death in an arena until there is one remaining victor. When the protagonist Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) hears her younger sister's name called as the female tribute for their district, she volunteers to take her place in order to save her from having to participate. Joined by her district's male tribute Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson), Katniss travels to the Capitol to train for the Hunger Games under the guidance of former victor Haymitch Abernathy (Harrelson).

The film was released on March 21, 2012, in France and other countries and internationally on March 23, 2012, in both conventional theaters and digital IMAX theaters. When the film released, it set records for opening day ($67.3 million) and opening weekend for a non-sequel, both which were later surpassed by The Avengers. At the time of its release, the film's opening weekend gross ($152.5 million) was the third-largest of any movie in North America but now is fourth behind The Avengers, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and The Dark Knight. It is the first film since Avatar to remain in first place at the box office for four consecutive weekends. It will be released on DVD and BluRay on August 18th, 2012.

The Hunger Games was acclaimed by most critics, who praised its themes and messages, as well as Lawrence's performance as Katniss. Like the novel, the film has attracted criticism for its similarities to other works, such as the Japanese novel Battle Royale and its film adaptation, as well as the American short story "The Lottery". It is noted, however, that Collins' novel and screenplay possess key differences by drawing on sources of inspiration such as the myth of Theseus, Roman gladiatorial games, reality television, and the Iraq War. The Hunger Games has been the subject of varying interpretations, including allusions to feminist, political and religious allegory.

Wii Games for Health and Fitness

Wii Games were known to feature favorite action heroes, adventure and fantasy plots, and sports. But many are also enjoying it now to tone their bodies with programs like Nintendo Wii Fit and Zumba Fitness. Which would be the best pick for you? Here are some of the features of each game.

Wii Fit is built with the family's fitness concerns in mind. It's a fun core workout program that lets you compare your results instantly. Each Wii Fit set includes a Balance Board that you'll need in learning positions and movements in your sport, dancing, and yoga. Recently added games include Skateboarding and Rhythm Kung Fu.

Since not everyone's fitness goals are the same, Wii Fit lets you customize your training exercises. You can change the duration of every exercise session and spend the exact amount of time you have available. You can also choose the types of exercises to target certain parts of your body that you want to work on. In the comforts of your living room, you can virtually race in a Segway Personal Transporter or challenge yourself in an obstacle course. Just like an advanced fitness equipment, you can also check the estimate of the calories you've burned from the games.

Zumba, perhaps the hottest dance fitness program today, is a set of exercises taking its moves from various Latin dances like cumbia, meringue, salsa, mambo, samba, chachacha, and many more. It also infuses some hip hop moves and belly dancing. This fun fitness routine, which was created by choreographer Beto Perez in Colombia during the 1990s, can now also be enjoyed at home in the Majesco Zumba Fitness, one of the hottest Wii games these days.

The latest version of this game gives you a chance to sweat it out with no less than the creator himself, Beto Perez, plus other international dance instructors. You can choose from the 30 dance tracks to get you into the groove of fitness and Latin dance when you play the game in Single Song Mode. If you want more fun, you can select the Full Class setup or, better yet, the Zumba Party mode. You can also choose the ambience onscreen - from nightclub to yacht club.

If you're looking for a fun exercise program that you can access anytime you want in your home, these Wii games are great recommendations for you. If you're into dancing, the Majesco Zumba would be perfect. But if you want more variety, the Nintendo Wii Fit would be best for you.

hunger games mockingjay review

MILD SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers - so please come back once you have read Mockingjay.

It felt like we had to wait forever, but finally Mockingjay, the last book in the Hunger Games series has been released and as a conclusion to the trilogy, it doesn't disappoint.

In the first book, The Hunger Games, we discover a world ruled by a dictatorship that demands that every year children from different districts will fight to the death in a giant televised event. It is in that book that Katniss, at the age of 16, is thrown into the Games only to emerge after having broken all the rules and taken back a small amount of control. In Mockingjay, Katniss is still breaking the rules. Here she's the face of a rebellion against the all-powerful Capitol. The situation has now descended into all out war. There are no longer any more Games being held in the arena, as they're now spread out throughout the districts.

This story is at once heartbreaking and horrifying. It's brutal and Suzanne Collins never spares the blood or the gore. That's not to say she does it pointlessly. Every wound or death has a purpose and an aftermath. Everything is connected and written for a reason. The readers are drawn along emotionally. We feel every blow along with Katniss, and mourn all of the loved ones that she loses along the way. Katniss falls apart, and in a way, so do we.

This is a war story. We find out what it means to be a volunteer and yet still be a pawn. Suzanne Collins develops the supporting characters beautifully, so much so that we learn to care about them and some of their deaths can be a bit hard to take. That might upset some people, but for me it was one of the strong points of the book. The war is depicted as real and horrible. There's no clear good and bad guys either. Mockingjay continues to be just as complex and intriguing with its areas of grey as the first two books. You can never take anything for granted.

And all of that is bigger than the love story - the speculation about who Katniss will choose, Peeta or Gale. While Katniss continues to love them both, romance has never been a priority for her and that stays true in Mockingjay. It's always been about survival for Katniss and making sure her loved ones, including Gale and Peeta, survive too. Nevertheless, the war does eventually come to an end and she does make a choice. Because she's been to hell and back and lost so much along the way, the decision, the ending, seems somewhat real. You know that Katniss will never be the same again.

While I loved this book, I do have some criticisms of it. I was expecting Katniss to develop more in Mockingjay. I really thought her internal struggle would be a reflection of what was happening in Panem. I thought that as the districts took back their power, so too would Katniss emerge as the master of her own destiny. Unfortunately it never really happens. She never reaches her full potential and ends her days in passive reflection. Was she manipulated by Snow, or did she, in the final moment, act on her own, setting everyone free to start over, with no Capitol and no District 13? It felt to me that Katniss' inner journey was never fully resolved. I would have liked her to have had a moment to reflect, to know that she had achieved it, that she had finally become the Mockingjay for real and that once she'd finished her task - had done all she could do - she was ready to leave. But there is no neat ending for Mockingjay. It doesn't' get wrapped up nicely with a bow. The ending was a little unsettling, which is definitely part of its strength and its beauty, but a part of me was left wishing for a just a little bit more.

Fun Games

Galaxy Jumper - This psychedelic gem puts you in the anti-gravitational shoes of a space-faring traveler who must avoid asteroids, devious aliens and the scorching heat of a thousand suns in order to make his way across the galaxy. Galaxy Jumper's retro art-style and delightfully chill soundtrack are absolutely magnetic, immediately sucking you into this unique puzzle game that requires that you bounce around all manner of planet, satellite, asteroid and even stars themselves collecting coins and keys that unlock your way to the next sector.

The various stellar puzzles range from the painfully obvious to the mind-bendingly complex, making the overall experience of 'Galaxy Jumper' exemplary of how far Flash games have come and what heights they can achieve.

Zombies Took My Daughter - There have been a glut of zombie-related Flash games over the past several years but few have attained the sort of console-level quality as 'Zombies Took My Daughter'. Blending arcade-style action with exploration and even a degree of stealth, 'Zombies' is like a 2D 'Resident Evil' with a creepy, morose soundtrack to match.

Story-wise, 'Zombies' doesn't really reach the level of the Capcom classic, but why zombies took your daughter and didn't just eat her isn't really why you are playing this game in the first place, is it?. No, it's the impressive arsenal you are able to acquire with which to dispense justice upon the undead that keeps you coming back - everything from shotguns and katanas to umbrellas and teddy bears are at your disposal. The game also allows you to traverse the different sections of the city, which are randomly generated each time you play, via a subway system and helps to introduce you to AI characters that will aid you at various points throughout.

Simple enough for casual gamers but with enough detail to draw in the hardcore, 'Zombies Took My Daughter' is one of the more compelling Flash titles to come about in recent memory.

Inferno - As the adorable (and lifesaving!) Firebot, you must race against the clock as a raging inferno threatens to consume each of 'Inferno's 20-plus nail-biting levels. With a limited supply of water in your tanks, Firebot must use speed and precision to put out each spreading blaze while collecting coins that will enable him to unlock more firefighting powers along the way. Many of Inferno's areas are several levels high with no obvious way to reach the area above but luckily Firebot's high-pressure hose can also be used as a jet-pack a la 'Super Mario Sunsine'.

This will use up precious H2O however so you must also be mindful of the reserve tanks spread throughout the game. But be careful because the fire is spreading quick and refilling your water tanks eats up time on the clock! With timeless design drawing from classic platformers of yore and eye-catching visuals that will have you glued to the monitor, 'Inferno' is sure to keep you glued to your screen for some time to come.

Top 6 Facebook Games

Facebook has become the most popular social network online, with more than 400 million active users online from all over the world (but mainly from North America, and specifically the United States). There have been a couple of months (mainly on holidays) in the last year when Facebook's number of page views exceeded that of Google by a few million in the United States.

Just imagine that, Facebook had more than 300,000,000,000 (that's 300 billion) views in a month, more than the biggest search engine. And people agree that the trend will continue, and soon Facebook may achieve a stable monthly page view count that is higher than that of Google's. The main reason why this is happening is that there are millions of people who just use the Internet to communicate with their friends and other people. Even if they use Google to find some information, the number of searches is most likely to be lower than that of visited pages and profiles on Facebook.

But Facebook isn't just a social network for communication. Everything has changed with the introduction of Facebook apps, which can be developed by anyone with good programming skills, using their proprietary API and code. There are now hundreds of thousands of Facebook apps, ranging from calendar and task management utilities to various interesting games, and the developers are making millions off of them.

Below, you'll find some of the most popular (and best by definition) games that you can play on Facebook.

FarmVille. This is the most popular Facebook game at the moment, with over 90 million active users (as of March). It's a simple, yet very addicting game where you own and take care of your own farm. You can plant crops, raise animals, earn coins, create a garden and do a lot of other things. You can partner or compete with other players, help them and let them help you, which is a good integration with Facebook's main mission.

Mafia Wars. As you might've guessed, in this game you play as a Mafia boss. While it is not a 3D game (like "Mafia", a great game for Windows), it's still very interesting, mainly because you play with other real people and never know what will happen next. You can launder money, run illegal underground games, buy machine guns and "remove" other players, and do other things that Mafiosi do, only without actually breaking the law.

Bejeweled Blitz. This is the Facebook version of the extremely popular gem puzzle game, which is already available for most platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and others. The game play is the same - you have to match gems, but that doesn't make it any less addictive. You just switch from an offline version that you have to install to an online one, which also gives you the possibility to compete (in scores) with other Facebook users.

Restaurant City. This game is a lot like FarmVille, only instead of taking care of a farm, you own and run a restaurant. Your duties will include managing your employees and money, finding ingredients to create new dishes (you can also trade them with your friends on Facebook), and do other things that businessmen in the restaurant industry do. It's a pretty entertaining alternative to FarmVille, if you're not really into farming and countryside:-).

Texas Hold 'Em Poker. Now this is a very cool game. It gives you the possibility to play the great Texas Hold 'Em Poker without having to sit at a (sometimes) uncomfortable table with other people who may or may not smoke and drink. You can play poker with any of your friends right from the comfort of your chair or sofa. And probably the best thing is that you won't have to learn to have a "poker face":-), unless you're using a web camera, of course.

Petville and Pet Society. These are two very similar games where you need to take care of your pet. You must feed him, play with him, groom and bath it and otherwise nurture him. Pet Society also allows you to make virtual money by competing in races, gambling, gardening and visiting friends. If you liked (or even remember) the old Tamagotchi devices or similar software for your computer, you'll definitely like this game.

'Hunger Games' Sequel 'Catching Fire' Narrows Director Search

The search for a director to replace Gary Ross on Catching Fire is narrowing, with a decision potentially coming as early as the end of this week, according to sources.

Bennett Miller, who directed Moneyball, has met with Lionsgate to helm the sequel to The Hunger Games, the adaptation of the Suzanne Collins best-seller, as has Francis Lawrence, the director best known for the Will Smith sci-fi action movie I Am Legend.

Their names surfaced in the last 24 hours and were reported by The Playlist and the Los Angeles Times as the search field for prospective directors narrows.

Lawrence is deemed the front-runner by observers simply because of his open schedule. Miller is working his way to a December start for Foxcatcher, the story of John Du Pont, a paranoid schizophrenic who was heir to the du Pont fortune before he shot and killed Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler David Schultz. Miller has been working on this passion project for years and has lined up Steve Carell and Channing Tatum with Mark Ruffallo in negotiations to join the cast.

It’s unlikely that Miller would abandon Foxcatcher for Fire, although it's possible he could try to push back either movie's start date.

Scheduling is at the heart of Catching Fire’s director vacancy. The franchise’s star Jennifer Lawrence must finish shooting the movie by December 20 and in time to start shooting the sequel to Fox’s X-Men: First Class, which has an option that pre-dates Liongate’s deal.

X Games Skateboarding Party Games to Create an X Games Extravaganza!

For a fun party, you and your child can plan an X Games Skateboarding Party. There are numerous cities that have skateboarding parks or you can have it at the place where your child and their friends usually meet to skateboard.

Print invitations from your computer using pictures from the photo gallery of X Games Skateboarding site to mail or deliver to your guests. You can also take copies of those same photos for use as placemats on your tablecloth.

A great party favor you and your child can easily create, using your computer and color printer, is an X Games Skateboarding dictionary. You can include pictures of some of your child's favorite moves. Then, have your guests play a game of charades acting out their favorite X Games Skateboarding moves. You can make award certificates to give to the winners of the games.

Make skateboard shaped pizzas using the bottom half of a hot dog bun. Spread basil and garlic spaghetti sauce on the bun then, layer on pepperoni and cheese. Place on a cookie sheet and place under a broiler until the cheese is melted.

Bake a skateboard cake by using four round cake pans and one rectangular cake pan. Bake your favorite recipe doubled or use two cake mixes. Place the rectangular cake on an aluminum foil covered sheet of cardboard. Then, cut the four round cakes in half, stacking them on either end of the rectangular cake. Frost and use your imagination to decorate it like your child's skateboard.

Minecraft: The Best Indie Game Yet!

If you are searching for a fun way to experience gaming, you are yet to find it here. Mostly, gamers would just go on trying out newer games whatever that is that goes out. All looking for that one game that will keep you hooked! That game that people look for that will not end too soon or is not too lengthy losing your momentum along the way. With this inspiration Minecraft was created. Minecraft and the game's endless possibilities are esteemed as one of the best that was provided by the indie game developers. This game incorporates creativity and imagination summing to a good potential based on the gamers willingness to utilize intellect, artistry, exploration and fun. All these allow you to go beyond the confines of game rules making the game your own!

Unlock The Games True Potential with Your Own Minecraft Server

This will allow you to attain an exclusive game version giving you the power as the owner of the game itself. Just log on the Minecraft website and purchase the game! When you get to the website you will be provided the terms and conditions for owning the game upon purchase. This game is highly intellectual requiring building structures, strategy to protect your own and the exceeding potential of creating with blocks! Your character is highly mobile and altogether it is your character who will build your exclusively designed structures, then explore the darkest caves there is in the game. This game is not all about what was already mentioned but additionally there are antagonists whom you have to protect yourself from, skeletons!

The game will allow you to interact with competitors too! And this would likely happen when you are doing activities in-game like venturing, mining and farming. This gives you the opportunity to ally with friends to conquer your foes and to defeat the nightmares of the game itself. This will enhance logic and camaraderie among friends to achieve goals. This is what makes this game a holistic model that enhances not only cognitive skills, the intellect and potential strengthening of a balanced interpersonal relation.

The world of Minecraft is generated randomly giving all that space you need for the exploration to sate your curiosity. When starting on the game you will be cautioned regarding potential hazard this game pose to individuals who will be playing it. Why is this? This is because of the possibility of getting stuck with the game. We must admit that in our life we probably have been addicted to a game or two but this should not be a reason to neglect personal care.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Dress Up Games

Bored of dressing up plastic dolls? Ever imagined of dressing up girls in an online game? In this modern world, everything is possible ranging from playing simple games and dressing up virtual dolls online. The time has replaced manually dressing up dolls to automatic setting up dress outfits. Don't you think so that your daughter is excited to know that how will she look in a particular dress when worn up? Above all, these dress up games serves as a demo for dressing and a part of entertainment for girls.

Now, these plastic dolls have moved online. Your daughter can find millions of websites which offer to play dress up games. Each website will contain hundreds of dress up games. These websites includes best collection of free online dress up games categorized into different sections, such as Barbie doll games, Celebrity dress up games for girls, Coloring games, Traditional dress up games for girls, Cooking games, Girls makeover games, etc.

Barbie dress up games
Dress Barbie with a colorful dress outfit in your own style. Barbie dress up games includes barbie summer dress up game which has a catchy tagline as Summer has come, barbie needs new colorful clothing and dresses for outside walking. Another game under same category is barbie daily dresses up which describe it as Barbie has no idea about daily dress to select, now help her during her dressing and dress up barbie with the best clothing.

Celebrities dress up games
Want to dress up your barbie in a celebrity outfit? Here is something which you are looking for. Celebrities dress up games comprises of Amanda Bynes Dress Up game which describes itself as Amanda Bynes is preparing for the gala of her new organization, time to make her beautiful with nice clothing." Blake Lively Dress Up game includes dressing up a celebrity for a party, so you need to make her look fine.

Coloring games
Do you love coloring and having fun with colors? Here is something interesting for you. The games included under coloring games are Book coloring game, Lolita color, Color me game, etc. Color the cutest girl in your favorite colors and make them look fancy.

Cooking Games
Here is something of your interest if you love cooking. Cooking games includes Best burger game, Bake game, Burger king game, etc. Make your barbie bake something good and serve people with delicious food.
Traditional dress up games

Dress up your barbie with outfits from different regions and make her look pretty. Traditional dress up games includes African Safari dress up, Japanese girl dress up game, etc. Have you ever played such a cool African safari dress up game before? Make your barbie wear your favorite African safari dress. Select among various outfits and make her look pretty.

Free online dresses up games are available all over the internet. Browse through different categories of games and try them out. The best thing about dress up games is that they teach little girls the skills of dressing up in a passionate manner and also serves as entertainment for them. Just go through Dress Up Games and have plenty of fun online.

Online 3D Racing Games

Many online sites offer sophisticated and entertaining 3D racing games with excellent graphics to play. These racing games include races in spaceships, luxury cars, barrels, and even boats. Online racing games that can be played online are also becoming increasingly complex as internet speeds increase and allow for a higher resolution of 3D graphics.

A simple online search can find plenty of racing games ready for download or online play. Many of these video games have creative types of racing, including one that allows you to race in a barrel down the road, running into as many cars as possible. There's even one game that is pretty popular to play online where you and your friends race without any sort of transportation. You have to run through different terrain with a map, and the first to successfully navigate to the goal is the winner.

In fact, online racing games using LAN connections is quick becoming one of the most popular online gaming options on the net. You can race against your friends or total strangers from around the world in a number of creative races. Aquadelic 3D is one of the most popular racing games where players can play against the computer or among friends. In this game you race one of four different speed boats, which become available to you as you win races. A total of four players can play at the same time in the multi player version.

Enjoy the online world of racing games today and support grass roots video games designers. Many novice game designers are able to get valuable experience through creating their own online game. There are even several games that are more popular than racing games sold with the most popular video game consoles. Play with gamers from around the world through LAN technology.

If you're looking to design an online racing game that anyone can play, there are plenty of websites that can help you learn how to program these types of 3D racing games. Programming your own racing game can give you incredible experience and maybe even a job with one of the big video game designers.

Take advantage of the opportunity to post or play online racing games today. The choices are endless for action packed game play. Finding the best games online is possible by going to popular message boards or reading user reviews in the most respected sites online. You can also search for specific types of racing games. It's almost sure that you'll find something for your taste. Whether it's racing on a horse or in a barrel, there's a 3D racing game out there for you.