Playing Online Games.leui

Gadget of the Day Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition (Stuff via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News)

What's better than playing Halo 3 on an Xbox 360? Playing Halo 3 on a special edition, Spartan green and gold Xbox 360, of course.

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Halo 3 causes Xbox Live problems (Games Radar)

Microsoft has told Next Generation that the sheer amount of gamers attempting to play Halo 3 via Xbox Live resulted in some "minor issues" with the online service.

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'Halo' team leader talks about his 'baby' (San Jose Mercury News)

Harold Ryan, general manager of Microsoft's Bungie Studio in Kirkland, Wash., can take a breather for an interview now that his team has shipped "Halo 3," the highly anticipated, exclusive video game for the Xbox 360.

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Incoming! Fans brace for latest 'Halo' (The Pantagraph)

Can "Halo" hero Master Chief blast his way past "Spider-Man 3" too? We'll soon find out as the third installment in the "Halo" video game franchise debuts Tuesday for the Xbox 360 console.

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Despite The Enormous Hype, 'Halo 3' Is Not The Best Video Game Ever (New London Day)

“Halo 3” (Rated M, $59.99, $69.99 or $129.99) does refine many aspects of the first-person shooter genre on the Xbox 360 console. And new multiplayer features make it the most robust online experience on any console.

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Final Fantasy XI; the Beginning is a Diamond in the Rough

As you may have heard before, it gets lonely at the bottom. Although Final Fantasy XI is considered one of the richest, methodical, and addicting online RPG games available, first beginning your journey in Final Fantasy XI can seem overwhelming, making it hard to keep your head in the game unless you can learn a few basics from the get go. The problem here is that Final Fantasy XI doesn’t start off as a walk-through and unless you’re lucky enough to find one of their many very in depth fan sites or a kind face in the game, chances are you will have a hard time staying motivated to continue in the game.

It’s Worth It

Don’t mistake what you just read and think that the game isn’t worth playing. The different regions, areas, worlds and people you will encounter on your journey through Final Fantasy XI are well worth the learning curve. You will explore many dungeons, caves and monsters as well as have plenty of opportunities to get together with a group of adventurers from around the world to kick some monster butt, and level your preferred job to new heights.

Things to Know

In order to get past level 12 and have some money in the bank for new armor at this point, you’ll have to accomplish a couple of objectives. First of all, learn that when you kill monsters, they drop things. Rabbit skin and tails may not sound very lucrative, but it adds up and is very easy to get from the beginning. Crystals are something else you’ll want to stack up and sell on the auction house of Final Fantasy XI, as the money here can be pretty good. In order to stack the most crystals possible, visit a “T.K” npc (non player character) before leaving your Country’s walls for battle, and ask them to cast Signet on you. Saving the money you make off of this stuff until you’re level 12 will behoove you, as you will need to purchase all new armor at this time.

Talk to the other players around you out there while you’re adventuring and leveling up! Linkshells are the most popular means of communication in the game, and people who have them to give will offer you a link pearl. Equipping the pearl will allow you continuous access to a list of other players in the world who are also a part of the Linkshell.

You’ll get to know players of all levels, which is important because when you need help to complete missions, the higher levels in your linkshell will more than likely be inclined to assist. It’s a valuable resource you won’t want to miss out on, and a great way to get “newbie” questions answered.

Finally, know how to find a party when the time comes. Without joining a party of live players to level with, you won’t get passed level 12. Level 12-13 requires you to venture even further into the area of Valkurm Dunes, the place for low leveling. You’ll be there for about 6 levels and you’ll require the help of others the entire time you’re there. This is also where you’ll get the help from your party to complete the mission needed to have access to advanced jobs and options.

To find a party, you’ll simply use your menu and select “seek party”. This allows anyone in the Final Fantasy XI world that’s looking to invite party members find you. If you’re not sure where Valkurm Dunes is, just go to your starting country and seek a party. They’ll help you find the way! By the time you finish your adventures in the Valkurm Dunes, you’ll be level 20 and ready to travel even further into the game. By following the suggestions here, you’ll definitely have the resources to know that you can accomplish anything in the game of Final Fantasy XI.

Gamers Everywhere are Enthralled by EverQuest

Ever since video games first entered the market in the 1970s, “gamers” or people who love to play video games, always find a favorite. It all began with Pong, then it was Pac Man, Frogger, and finally the Super Mario Brothers and Sonic the Hedgehog. Now, as video games have advanced even further, EverQuest has become a favorite.


EverQuest: A History


In order for those unfamiliar with video games to properly understand why EverQuest has become so popular, an explanation of how the game works and its development is needed. The process behind how EverQuest became the game that it is now is quite an interesting one.


Simply put, EverQuest is a 3D role playing game that primarily takes place online with many other players. The game made its first appearance on the market on March 16, 1999. The original concept for EverQuest was designed by Bill Trost, Steve Clover, and Brad McQuaid, and the game was distributed by Sony Online Entertainment.


EverQuest takes place in a fantasy world, where gamers assume characters and battle other players for points and treasure. As a player continues on with the game, they gain abilities, accessories, and notoriety. The environment alone is quite comment-worthy, since there are at least 400 zones that a player can travel through while playing the game.


As creative as EverQuest is, the game has also met with a considerable amount of controversy. While it is quite alright to play a game as a means of escape sometimes, there are some people who have taken the playing of EverQuest too far. The game is indeed quite time consuming, and so much so that several players have actually died from lack of nutrition and sleep because they had played the game for such a long time.


Despite the criticism, EverQuest continues to be quite popular, so much so that in 2004 a sequel was released. In order to play this game, one has the option of playing a free trial online. However to continue playing the game, one must pay an initial download fee, and then pay a monthly fee to continue.


If one wishes to start playing EverQuest, one must be prepared to play with patience, and have the sufficient funds available. As with anything else, a gamer should play only in moderation, and if this basic rule is followed, the gamer will no doubt have an enjoyable experience.

A Quick Game Review Of Everquest 2

Everquest 2 is a Sony-owned multiple-player online game, but at first glance of the website, the overload of information and the graphic-heavy interface can be daunting. A new player wanting a quick glance to see whether Everquest 2 is a game they’d want to invest in and play might be put off from the intense, colourful home page. Here’s a review of Everquest 2 that can help you quickly decide whether the role-playing game is one you’d like to try.

Some Pros And Cons

First of all, Everquest 2 is a game that’s widely played. The game started off popular and has remained that way through the test of time and technology. A good player base means that you’ll have plenty of exciting interaction. But that’s not all you need when you’re looking for a perfect game to hook your interest and keep it. A downfall of Everquest 2 is that while you may have plenty of characters to interact with, battle and combat are never player to player, which could make the game eventually seem stale and predictable.

One of the up sides of Everquest 2 is that it’s rich in graphics (once you get past the bombardment of the home page and start actually playing the game) which makes the role-playing far more gratifying than other, cheaper-looking online games out there. A drawback to great graphics is that it’s a resource hog and may end up sapping your computer system and slowing down performance.

Another plus is the generous content involved in the game. You’ll be able to spend hours exploring and that alone can maintain your interest for a long, long time. There are many quests for your characters, and characters themselves come from a grand array of races and classes, which only add to the general interest of Everquest 2. However, the lack of player-to-player battle makes Everquest 2 better for short bursts of a few hours of gaming as opposed to a prolonged marathon of fun.

The Everquest 2 settings offer two worlds, both which are quite diverse and different from each other. Some online games out there tend to offer different settings to explore, but once you get down to it, the cities and landscapes are much the same and only the quests or available battles might be different. Not so with Everquest 2, and you’ll find there’s plenty to attract you to both worlds.

In general, Everquest 2 is a popular choice for online gaming and is usually satisfying enough on the interest and exploration levels. Learning your way around the game will take you about an hour, so there’s no extensive training required, as may be the case with other games. The game does come with a pay-by-month fee, but there is a free option available, if you don’t mind some restrictions or limitations.

RuneScape: An Online Role Playing Game

With people becoming more and more dependent on their computers, it makes sense that more and more people are turning to the internet to find online games to play during their free time. However, the danger of becoming addicted to the myriad of online games out there is a challenge.

Despite such a challenge, people often find themselves becoming bored with the standard online derivation of a popular video game or puzzle. These people crave the ability to be in the games themselves. For people who want more of an interactive feature in their video games, yet also want the option of playing a game independently, then RuneScape is a good choice.

Is RuneScape Really as Interesting as the Other Games Out There?

Although it is true that RuneScape is an online role playing game that has many independent aspects to it (more so than a game like EverQuest), it can be just as engaging. Indeed, the creative process behind RuneScape is quite an interesting one.

The original version of RuneScape was released in 2001, and a second version was released in 2004. RuneScape was created by Jagex Limited, which is a British developer, and the game runs on a Java platform.

RuneScape takes place in the fantasy realm of Gielinor, which is itself divided into three separate kingdoms. The players have to maneuver themselves through these kingdoms by foot, magical teleportation, or vehicular transportation.

Each region that a player travels through has its own set of challenges (such as monsters to defeat). Players can choose to combat other players in some challenges, while other challenges require the player to solve things on their own.

The great thing about RuneScape is that strategies players learned while playing the game can be used for more that one challenge. This results in a game that is less time-consuming, and more about exercising the mental abilities of the players.

It should also be noted that the secondary characters within RuneScape can sometimes be just as much of a threat as other players. The secondary characters in the game can be anywhere from passive to quite aggressive, so a player should always be aware of them at all times.

A limited version of RuneScape can be played online for free, while the more detailed version can be played for a fee. With more than a million players worldwide, it is clear that the strategies of RuneScape make for a great gaming experience.

Computer Gaming Online Role-Playing

Computer gaming online role-playing is quite a fun spin on the old favorite of role-playing games that have been sold in comic shops for years. In a way, this is consistent with the expanding world of were our leisure activities are going as computers become more and more ingrained in our society and culture.

Role-playing games started in the 1970’s with Dungeons and Dragons and quickly grew to include virtually any type of game or scenario one could imagine including games that revolved around action-adventure, science fiction, espionage, horror, sports and a ton of other genres.

The Computer Version Of Role-Playing Games

Role-playing games eliminated the traditional cause effect method that board games utilized and turned games into an improvisational exercise that proved intriguing. In time, people started to use computer gaming online to expand how role playing games can be conducted. In the computer gaming online variant of role-playing, players will write/type their ‘scenarios’ and submit them via email to the person running the game. The game master then weighs all the emails from the various players to decide how these scenarios play off against each other in order to further the game. Sounds fun, huh?

So How Do The Role Playing Game Producers Feel About This?

Now, while one would assume that the role-playing game companies would love the fact that there are computer gaming online means of playing the games and expanding their customer base, some role-playing game companies have some misgivings about this computer gaming online expansion.

In a way, the computer gaming online role-playing has hurt sales of game packages because people no longer have the need for a role-playing set as they are not playing in a room together and are connected electronically from all over the globe. It would be doubtful that the bottom will fall out on many of these game producing companies as the product that they offer is still very popular, but there have been some dollars lost due to the free competition that the computer gaming online role-playing provides.

Granted, many of these companies offer their own free online role-playing services as a means of promoting their product. They have also offered fee based subscription online role-playing games so the internet provides a solid revenue stream for the companies. There is a paradoxical relationship between the role-playing game companies and the internet, but ultimately, the internet has been good to these companies and will continue to benefit them provided the companies evolve accordingly.

Critics And Those Who Play Online Game Activities

How times have changed. Does anyone remember the old videogame PONG that was released by Atari in 1976? That venerable game simply revolved around rectangles bouncing a small square around the screen to create a multitude of “sports” games. Today, graphics and the sophistication of the games have increased so significantly that people love to play online game activities that provide the same wonder today that they did for people 30 years ago during the PONG days.

The Critics

While there are those who vehemently criticize people’s addiction to the desire to play online game activities, the number of people who are active participants totally dwarfs the critics. The question remains, why do people criticize the ability to play online game activities? Part of the reason lay in that fact that playing video and computer games all day is isolationist. That is, it limits human interactions. Also, the feeling is that playing online games encourages lethargy and denies kids and teens valuable exercise time. Granted, there is some merit to these arguments, but the ‘danger’ of playing online games, as espoused by critics, is pretty much overly exaggerated.

The Critics Debunked

If there ever were a huge benefit to a person opting to play online game activities, it would be the fact that the games provide a sense of wonder that can be built upon as inspiration for future endeavors. Many times, things that have their origins in popular culture are seemingly dropped down an Orwellian black hole when it comes to mentioning the educational and inspirational sources of success. If one decides to play online game activities and these online game activities lead to the person becoming inspired to start a career in the computer field, then how could playing online games be such a bad thing?

Therein lies the problem of illogical thought present in many critics of online games. Knowledge and inspiration and value can come from any source. If one decides to decry a certain source of knowledge as having no value (a dubious claim. A third party can not tell someone what is or isn’t of value to their education), then one has simply placed a limitation on someone else’s ability to learn. (Provide the person allows the other individual from impeding the pursuit)

So, it is best not to deride one wish to play online game activities as the criticism of this “art form” is generally not warranted nor based in any serious issue requiring concern.