Yeah, I know this is gaming blog, but hey who doesn't like a random youtube vid? Trust me guys, this is one of the videos you just don't want to miss! For anybody who likes animals or rap, or just a funny time, WATCH this video! Oh yeah, and please, for anyone who comes to my blog, PLEASE COMMENT! I mean I can tell people are coming, but I have no comments!

Game Guru

Microsoft held a major Halo 3 media event in Sydney, Australia, today, with some of the developers from Bungie Studios also making the trek to show Aussie journos the latest on the upcoming shooter. As well as featuring the single-player build demoed at this year's E3, the Bungie boys also decided to unveil some oft-rumoured elements in Halo 3, such as new vehicles and multiplayer maps--including the fabled Elephant, a gigantic mobile base big enough to take a Scorpion tank (plus a few other vehicles) for a ride.

Picture a moving two-storey building on tank treads and you've pretty much nailed the Elephant. This large chunk of green metal--which looks somewhat like an oversized version of World War II beach landing crafts--acts as a mobile base for UNSC Marines, and features two open bays at the front and the rear where the game's other vehicles can be docked. The vehicle's driver's cabin can be found at the front of the Elephant, and towers above floor level. In fact, Bungie developers at the event told GameSpot AU that the Elephant--which is only armed with a single machine gun turret--can become quite a formidable moving fortress when loaded with other vehicles that themselves have on-board weaponry. The Elephant is so large that it can easily hold a Scorpion Tank, and is actually used as a spawn point for a Mongoose in the Sand Trap level. Of course, such size obviously has its drawbacks--the Elephant is painfully slow. The Elephant only appears in the game's Sand Trap multiplayer map (there'll be one at each end of the map) and not at all in the single-player campaign, although a Bungie spokesperson said the giant vehicles could make an appearance in any future downloadable maps which may be released for Halo 3.

The other new vehicle showcased today was the Brute Chopper, a one-person vehicle which, as its name suggests, is ridden by the Covenant's beefy Brutes (although it can obviously be commandeered by other players). The Chopper--which is reminiscent of a motorcycle (albeit a large one)--features two huge cogs at its front to propel it forward, and an anti-grav booster at its rear to keep it above the ground. Just like when using the Banshee or the Ghost, pressing the left trigger when riding the Chopper will initiate a boost, perfect for avoiding fire or ramming into opponents.

Both these vehicles were showcased in the Sand Trap level, Halo 3's largest multiplayer map. As you can probably guess, the map is set in a desert environment, with several large structures included to use as sniper positions for eager players. The map is mainly meant for vehicular-based multiplayer, with each side of Sand Trap featuring a Chopper, several Warthogs, a Mongoose, and of course, the Elephant to drive. The vehicles are all set to respawn quickly to keep the action mobile, and there are plenty of wide corridors between structures and open spaces to exploit.

UPDATE: Bungie and Microsoft unveiled even more multiplayer goodness at their evening Halo 3 event in Sydney, wheeling out a playable version of Last Resort. Fans of Halo 2 will instantly recognise this new map, as it's essentially an updated version of the Zanzibar location from that game. Last resort features many of the same points as Zanzibar--a gigantic windmill-like structure, a beachside area, plus a sprawling fort-like complex. What's been added, however, are brand new runs and walkways around the edges of the base, making it a more secure place to defend depending on the match requirements.

Another level shown--but not playable--was Narrows, which is a large fort set across a high mountain ravine. The bridge across the ravine itself looked to be on two levels, with the bottom level featuring what seems to be a force-field bridge.

Hey everyybody, whats up now? Because of all the legal issues that are revolving around the iPhone and all, I have decided to take down the post. I know its said, and I rarely change my content, but things happen. If you really want to know the info, please e-mail me at vpkrishnan@gmail.com, and I'll send you it in a word or text document!

Thanks for understanding,
Game Guru

"It's here and oh is it good."

BioShock came into the summer/fall of 2007 as one of the most hyped games, not only on the XBox 360 or even PC, but overall on every gamer's minds. It's going to kick off the season where mega popular games such Halo 3 and Guitar Hero 3 are set to release. But this game is special and is a likely frontrunner for many 'game of the year' awards and draws comparisons to the series of Half-Life, except this might be better. Seriously.

Gameplay: 8/10
The gameplay in BioShock isn't exactly revolutionary nor is it the real driving force behind the game. It features the typical weapons one would find in practically any other FPS you have played before. But what does set itself among others is the 'plasmids' your character shoots at enemies (and a wrench). These plasmids can be described like balls or shots of lightning, fire, etc. that stuns your opposition setting up the kill for the weapon you are currently using. This can be very fun, especially if you are in the right setting to use it. A small down side is that there is no multiplayer whatsoever, no co-operative or a death match-type feature.

Story: 10/10
Your character begins swimming in the water near a lighthouse after a plane crash. You will then be taken to the mysterious and intriguing city of Rapture. Rapture is a city that is completely under-water that some tycoon seemed to create based on complete freedom and practically no government whatsoever. The year is 1960 and it looks as if something went wrong with a seemingly perfect community that existed in the 1940s. Citizens began using "adam" to take themselves to a higher level but instead turned them into crime infested beings. There is a very nice twist in the story or mystery Rapture. There is also multiple endings which should keep you playing again and again.

Graphics: 10/10
Quite possibly the best graphics on any video-game, including PC. The atmosphere of Rapture is just incredible. It just makes you want to explore to see what is over here and there and it just intrigues you as a gamer. The plasmids you use are just mesmerizing. I even found myself shooting them over again to see what would happen. The graphics are top-notch, this game is worth trying out just to see.

Sound: 10/10
The sound from the game standard, nothing I haven't heard before. It gets the job done.

Replay Value: 8/10
No multiplayer at all really hurts BioShock's score here. But the multiple endings will make you come back for more eventually if you purchased the game.

Rent or Buy?
Buy. This game seems quite long to beat in the standard 7 days you get from renting unless you are very hardcore. It looks good in your collection, I definitely recommend that you own a copy of this game.

Overall: 9.2/10

Game Review: Ninja Gaiden Sigma

In the while I have owned my PS3 no game had me so hooked such as this one.This is the best PS3 game by far, and I'm a Shooter guy.Since the XBOX release of the original Ninja Gaiden lots of people have been waiting for a comeback, the comeback is here and the wait was worth it!If you don't own this game rent it, and then buy it. The game features a ninja (obviously) named Ryu Hayabusa, who's past is shrouded in mystery

Gameplay 9/10

The games controls are fairly simple to use, which is a very good thing for people like me, but the camera does not always work along with you but thats a minor issue. This game has a great storyline with a story that puts you in the middle of the whole thing.

Graphics 9.5/10

The first words I said when I saw these wonderful graphics was OH MY GOD! The graphics are beautiful truly next gen. It's like your actually following Ryu around!The graphics will leave you breathless as you move around not so ancient Japan. Strongest part of game

Sound 8.5/10

The sound is amaizing if you have the right system, plainly gorgeous! Tou can hear soft noises, noises from the beautiful pixelated surroundings (even from thoes damned bats)!The voice acting is spectaculous, and fits every single character in the game deep for buff guys not so deep for not so buff guys.

Replay 10/10

This game is no sand box game but you will certanly keep playing it over and over for its masterful story, and great entertainment value.

Overall

This game is defenantly a must buy for any PS3 owner you spend 60 bucks and recieve the video game experience of this curent system generation!

The delay of Grand Theft Auto IV has some guys partying all night. Namely, publishers of other sweet games. With GTA IV out of the way, a corprate representative stated that Call of Duty 4 "is likely to be the number one product on the PS3." Seeing the images, and witnessing the uber high tech graphics, the realistic feel, and the intense blitz like action, I have to say that I agree with them!

In addition, IGN reports shows that other PS3 games will greatly benefit from the loss of Rockstar's hotly anticipated game. "Sony's Heavenly Sword, is expected to greatly benefit this holiday season." Ubisoft's Oblivion like Assassin Creed will also gain sales due to the lack of GTA.

Even without GTA this holiday season, we're realizing that we won't have enough time ( to spend on all of these high-profile titles. Whatever game ends up being the "victor" of this year's holiday battle, it appears that all gamers win, with the amazing titles for the next gen consoles coming out!

Hobey Ho, lets go!
-Game Guru

Blizzard Entertainment has announced a new expansion pack for World of Warcraft at its annual BlizzCon gaming festival.

The second expansion will be called the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King and will open the forbidding wasteland of Northrend to exploration by the hardiest adventurers.

Blizzard say that the expansion will offer “New levels of power, challenging new dungeons and encounters, an exciting new character profession, and the games first hero class are just some of the new features awaiting players in Wrath of the Lich King.”

In addition to new story content, Wrath of the Lich King will introduce a number of features specifically requested by players over the past couple of years.

For those that need a recap, players last visited Northrend in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, when Arthas Menethil fused with the spirit of Ner’zhul to become the Lich King, one of the most powerful beings in the Warcraft universe. He now broods atop the Frozen Throne deep in Icecrown Citadel, clutching the rune blade Frostmourne and marshaling the undead armies of the Scourge. In Wrath of the Lich King, the forces of the Alliance and the Horde will venture into battle against the Scourge amid Northrend’s howling winds and fields of jagged ice.

New features coming with the game’s second expansion include:

- Death Knight Hero Class: Create a high-level Death Knight character -- the game’s first hero class -- once certain challenges have been met.

- Increased Level Cap: Advance to level 80 and gain potent new talents and abilities along the way.

- Northrend: Explore the harsh new continent of Northrend, packed with new zones, quests, dungeons, monsters, and items -- and do battle with the undead armies of the Lich King.

- “Inscription” Profession: Learn this exciting new profession and gain unique ways to permanently enhance spells and abilities in the game.

- Siege Weapons and Destructible Buildings: the battle goes to another level with new player-vs.-player game mechanics and new battlefields to wage war on.

- New Customization: Change how characters look and express themselves, with different hairstyles and dance animations.

- Bethesda Softworks, a ZeniMax Media company (YES, THE HOLY OBLIVION MAKERS), today announced its next STAR TREK videogame, STAR TREK: Conquest, a blend of strategy and intense action set in "The Next Generation" era. Conquest will be available for the Wii home video game system from Nintendo and PlayStation2.

Players take control of Federation, Klingon, Romulan, Cardassian, Dominion, and Breen forces and lead them in a campaign to control the Galaxy, one planet at a time. Build and manage your growing empire in turn-based strategy, fully utilizing the Wii Remote as you select and maneuver your starships throughout the large, galactic map.
Strategically, you must effectively manage limited resources to expand your empire. You decide how to best achieve objectives by managing your fleets and admirals, building support structures, researching technology, and engaging your enemies in combat.

Once battle is initiated, Conquest switches to a ship level tactical view allowing direct command of your ships as you engage in real-time combat. While maneuvering your starship with the Nunchuk, take direct aim and fire away with the Wii Remote.

Conquest has not yet been rated by the ESRB. Scheduled for a simultaneous release this Holiday at an estimated MSRP of $29.99 on the Wii and $19.99 on the PlayStation2. For more information visit http://startrek.bethsoft.com.

Game Review: Elder Scrolls Oblivion

Game Score and Comments: 10/10, Best RPG/Adventure/Action/category/another category...

"An Instant Classic"

Oblivion is a mix of ingenuity, advanced computing, and the love a designer places into his titles. Oblivion is without a doubt, a stupendous thrill ride that should not be missed. The exceptional graphics will awe most any gamer with a great enough PC to run it at it's full potential. The sound design and voices sound top-notch, bringing Hollywood into game designing. The game play will immerse the player for hundreds among hundreds of hours of pure enjoyment, something that cannot be achieved by a simple RPG.

Moving further on in greater detail, Oblivion carries a hefty load of gaming's finest elements, providing a truly memorable experience unlike anything before in my life. The Graphics are, jaw-dropping. When on a system powerful enough to show the game's true face, Oblivion is miraculously detailed. The textures, lighting, character models are near picture perfect, carrying a true sense of the term, Next-Generation. The load times are short; the game is massive, set in an area of 16 square miles, at the province of Cyrodill. The game area packs a variety of landscapes, from snowy mountains, to populated cities, to lush forests filled with organisms detailed beyond any simple gamer 's comprehension. The lighting and the set HDR makes the experience quite more life-like and fulfilling. The character models are much improved from TES III, Morrowind. The water details, reflections/refractions are wonderful, though just hardly missing the same level of Valve's Half-Life 2's astonishing and realistic water effects.

The sound is also quite exceptional, though it sometimes feels a bit repetitive. The composed orchestral score is mystifying, suiting the game very well. The sound effects also feel dynamic and realistic, tweaked to perfection. The voice-overs truly show what it means to bring Hollywood talent into the mix. Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, and many other actors are brought into Oblivion, offering full-voice acting throughout the whole experience. There is no more Wikipedia type responses like in Morrowind, the game uses full voiced dialogue, with the also included asset of Subtitles. The game feels this way more dynamic, real, and engaging, truly setting it aside from its predecessors.

The game play is where Oblivion truly shines. This new addition to the Elder Scrolls franchise truly brings out the meaning of "innovation at its best." The game features a very engaging and dynamic campaign reaching across the whole province of Cyrodill, featuring about 40 of play. But, the main story is only the tip of the iceberg. Oblivion offers many side quests, mini-games, exploration, Easter-eggs, people, places, and things to see which enhances the experience and brings the total game play to over 200 hours. This, is of course, not including user-made modifications for the game, which will be out (and maybe already are) and will enhance the game by varying degrees. Also, Bethesda will be providing Official Mods for a small fee, as well as Expansion packs in the near future.

Oblivion houses The Havok Physics engine known from Half-Life 2. Every item in the game is controlled by this system, as well as the enemies and NPC 's, which are dynamically controlled by Rag-Doll physics. Radiant AI is also shown off in Oblivion, and is one of the Trade Mark features Oblivion is showing off. The NPC 's no longer have meaningless existences; they fully engage in non-scripted conversations with other NPC 's, with you, have a special list of "goals and needs" which they fulfill with their own creativity and knowledge. They also have varying personalities which determine how they accomplish their goals, talk to you and other NPC 's, and affect the environment around them.

This review only expresses the deep gratitude I have for Bethesda. For years in the making, and will forever be known as the RPG to change all RPG 's. Oblivion is a masterpiece, fully establishing it's spot in the greatest games of all time list, and truly showing developers and gamers alike what a game truly can be if the developer places enough time, energy, devotion, and creativity, pushing themselves to the limit in the goal of pleasing gamers around the world, and for their obsessing love in video game design. Once you play Oblivion, you can never go back to anything previous to it. This game is what every RPG should be like. Well, the best compliment I could personally give this game is that, years from now, gamers will look back upon this huge, revolutionary and ambitious game and say that it was a classic.

Technorati Profile

First of all, I regret to inform that labels on the sidebar have been disabled, due to me liking the classic style better, so please please use the archive!

Ok, so after implementing ad sense and writing a few reviews here and their, I gotta drive traffic to this site. I mean come on, it's a blog after all isn't it? So where in world is everyone? I can't have just two people on my blog! That's a failure! And it completely destroys the whole point of having one!. Thus, I plan to register with everything I can find and have started off with this site. Technorati. Also im planning to register for a bunch of other places. Next, I'm gonna devote more time to make the blog more personal rather than reviewing, etc. Finally spread the word abot 3UP Gaming, your Number one site for....

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Sorry about that, but hey I gotta get up on those search listing!!!!

-Game Guru

Hardware Review: Alienware Area-51 ALX Desktop

Would you buy an $8,180 computer? That question has been eating away at me ever since the Alienware Area-51 ALX arrived at my friend's house. On one hand, I love it because it has absolutely everything we look for in a performance gaming desktop—including the performance. But then there’s its cost: closer to five digits than any other PC we’ve reviewed in recent memory. Can the power make you forget the price? In my book, no

First, though, let me point out that you’re getting one heck of an impressive package. Processing and graphics power come courtesy of a quad-core 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Quad CPU (overclocked to 3.4GHz), 2GB of DDR2 RAM, and two of those outstanding 768MB nVidia GeForce 8800 GTX graphics cards in a Scalable Link Interface (SLI) configuration. Accessing disk-resident applications and files will hum thanks to the two 10,000rpm 150GB drives in a RAID 0 configuration, and you’ll have plenty of room for storing videos and the like on the third drive, a 7,200rpm 500GB model. Multimedia mavens will also be treated to the latest: a 2x double-layer Blu-ray/DVD±RW drive, and the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer eight-channel sound card. Windows Vista Ultimate is the OS of choice, and you get Logitech’s G15 Gaming Keyboard (with 18 additional function keys, plus media-control buttons and more) and G5 Laser Mouse.

Opening the eye-catching Alienware case—shiny black with chrome fins, suggesting how Chevrolet might have designed the ultimate in intergalactic luxury circa 1957—further reminds you how seriously Alienware takes its PC-enthusiast customers’ convenience and comfort. The case conceals a compact liquid-cooling system, acoustic dampening for reducing noise levels, lots of space for adding and removing components, a sideways hard drive mounting scheme (adding or removing drives is very easy), and clean cable arrangements. It’s also outfitted with two open 5.25-inch drive bays and a 1,000-watt power supply for accommodating anything else you might need that Alienware didn’t provide.

The PC delivered terrific performance, burning through my friends' FutureMark 3DMark06, Company of Heroes, Supreme Commander, and F.E.A.R. tests with ease unmatched by any system we’ve all yet tested together. Company of Heroes and Supreme Commander looked especially fabulous, and I expect them to look even better when those games’ DirectX 10 patches are released soon. The average frames per second (fps) score for each at 1,600x1,200 resolution surpassed my expectations—the former scored an average of 163fps, the latter an incredible 56.6fps.

That said, the Cyberpower Gamer Infinity Ultimate my cousin tested recently scored only a little lower on his tests, and it costs $3,999—less than half the price—and it comes with a monitor. Of course, you don’t get all the fancy accoutrements you do with the Alienware system: an elaborately bound manual, a one-year 24/7 warranty with onsite service, a custom mouse pad in a metal box, an Alienware keychain, a metal pen, a baseball cap...

Are the Alienware extras worth $4,200 more? Truth be told, I'd rather save that money if it won’t get us $4,200 worth of additional performance. I’ve got no end of respect for Alienware, and love looking at and looking in their systems as much as me and my pals like playing with them. But we all need to respect our bank balance, too; that's the only thing the Area-51 ALX makes harder.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princesses

Game Score: 10/10, Fun, innovative, and challenging!

"Link's adventures don't get much better than this. The greatest legend of Hyrule has arrived."

Four long years have passed since we were given the last console Zelda title, 2003's The Wind Waker. It has been a long, arduous wait, a rollercoaster ride of emotions. During that time, Twilight Princess has had hype unlike any game prior, a game that had to succeed on numerous levels in order to live up to the steep expectations laid out before it. Not only was it being billed as the greatest Zelda ever -- serious shoes to fill, no doubt -- but also had to show that the Wii's new controller was suited toward the "hardcore" games; against all odds, between all the criticisms and controversy between their being two versions, Twilight Princess amazingly follows through on all of its promises. Nintendo has done what one might consider the unthinkable -- achieved perfection.

The most surprising part of Twilight Princess is how well this brand-new control scheme works. The biggest changes from a regular control system including using the Wii Remote as Link's sword; when you swing the controller, Link swings his sword. While it isn't 1:1 control (meaning that Link doesn't mimic your swing), it adds a layer of immersion that you wouldn't otherwise have. I really found myself engaged with the game at multiple points. If I'm in the middle of a big battle, I'll be swinging like crazy, despite how it's not at all necessary. Simple flicks of the wrist are enough for the game to detect the motion -- and you won't get tired at any point in time.

The other half of the new controls comes in the "point-and-aim" scheme that you use with weapons like the Slingshot or Bow. You simply pull these items out and then use the Wii Remote to point exactly where you want to shoot on the screen. There is a certain level of precision and quickness to this that a normal analog controller just cannot match. It takes a little while to get used to, but the game's clever tutorial in the beginning eases you into everything nicely. If there were ever a point in which this Wii version proved it superiority, it's definitely here.

The other less worrisome addition to the game was Link's transformation in a wolf. He's always interested in getting into with his more...animalistic side. Once a bunny, now a wolf -- here, however, Link is not completely useless. Similar to A Link to the Past, whenever Link enters into the Twilight Realm, he'll transform into this beast. It is here that he'll first meet his companion on the quest, Midna. She'll assist him in many ways, not the least of which is making otherwise impossible jumps and allowing him to lock-on to multiple characters dealing one-hit kills, harder said than done for sure.

If there was one disadvantage to his transformation into a wolf, it is the inability to use any of his equipment, everything from his sword to his bow. However, he gains numerous other abilities that set him apart and make the wolf very refreshing and enjoyable to play as. The first of which is the ability to Sense; sensing allows Link to go into a darkened state where the view is very focused in front of him. He'll be able to see invisible objects or enemies or pick out certain "soft spots" in the soil. Those soft spots lead to the second new ability, that being his ability to dig. The most useful part of this is, for example, finding a locked gate and being able to open it. If there happens to be a little break in the ground to either side of that gate, Link would be able to dig and climb underneath to gain access to the other side. It sets up for a ton of unique uses and really keeps the gameplay fresh on both sides when it comes to switching back and forth between forms.

What really manages to keep everything going and feeling great, though, is what you have to do in between each dungeon in the game. Zelda games have always been about dungeon and puzzle solving. You get your task; you go to the dungeon, then another and another. Here, this is particularly because of the exceptional pacing in the game, you will do hours worth of stuff after completing a dungeon. You'll spend more time outside of these dungeons than you will in them. That's not a bad thing either because Whether that's running around the visually astonishing Twilight Realm or getting to know certain characters or locales through various tasks to complete, you'll be doing something and it'll be fun.

This is also due to the fact that the storyline in Twilight Princess is truly engaging and interesting. While the game starts off like any other typical Zelda fare, what it evolves into over the course of the game is anything but. There are tons of twists and turns that'll leave you begging for more. Keeping with that, Nintendo really worked hard on producing some characters that you get attached to and enjoy. Hyrule feels like a living, breathing world with its colorful characters and their drastically different personalities. They feel like characters, not NPCs just standing around all day. Hyrule Castle Town, for instance, is a bustling town full of people shopping, chatting, running around, and everything you might expect from a big city. On the other hand, a place like Ordon Village -- Link's hometown -- is a quiet little town, home to only a few people who you'll get to know well.

These drastically different locales contribute greatly to the enjoyment of the game too. You visit numerous places all over the land, be it the hot and dry Gerudo Desert or the chilly peaks of the Snowpeak Ruins. There is a sort of natural progression from each of these different environments. It's never an abrupt cut off that has you going from the lush green fields of Hyrule to the rain ridden desert. Each of the dungeons also stick with this refined and polished world. None of them feel like dungeons buried deep underground or completely out of the way. They're all naturally apart of the world, filled with tons of puzzles that all have logical solutions to them.

That is perhaps the best part about Twilight Princess's dungeons. They never have any puzzles that have you running all over the dungeon or something that is stupidly frustrating. They're tough, no doubt, but each has its own logical solution to it that'll give a "Duh!" feeling after you've figured it out. Every dungeon also has its own unique way to solve puzzles, so you'll never feel like you've already solved this same puzzle so many times before. It's a great way to keep the game feeling "new" the entire way through.

But, if there were ever a chink in the invincible armor of Twilight Princess it would be on the more technical side of things. The game definitely isn't going to blow you away with its technical visuals. Given the scope of the game, it's understandable that there would be some low-res textures used, but even then it's not exactly a game that is always a lesser looking game, though there are clear times when it has its low moments. But this is somewhat countered in the fact that it has incredible art direction. This is one of the best designed games in the industry today, and that really helps it to overcome its technical shortcomings.

On the other side of the coin, the music in the game serves a different purpose here than one might normally think. Instead of being significant and in your face, it primarily works as sort of a way to set the mood by softly playing in the background. Sometimes you'll notice it and others you won't, but it's always there to really invoke some kind of emotion within you. That's not to say that there is no part where the music doesn't shine, but it serves to be a little more atmospheric, and it does it really well. One instance is riding along Hyrule Field at night, the music at times feels completely absent, but then you'll hear the hum of this womanly voice and soft tune that really gives off that "nightly"-vibe. It's enjoyable, but not precisely memorable.

What could be the most astounding part of the entire game might just be the sheer enormity of Hyrule. Never before has the land of Hyrule ever been so fully realized like it is in Twilight Princess. From the first moment you step out onto the field and hear that familiar tune of day breaking, you'll be hooked on exploring every nook and cranny -- and there are plenty of them. The promises of a truly large Hyrule were delivered, but the best part about its size, exploration aside, is that it never feels empty or mundane. Unlike its older brother, The Wind Waker, there is enjoyment in simply running around and checking out the scenery. The addition of things to do and enemies to fight is a huge bonus too.

And that's just about the name of the game -- "large." This is a product of four long years of development from Nintendo's best minds. What you're going to get in Twilight Princess is not just another Zelda game, but a truly unique experience that will leave you scratching for more, even after 50 long hours of venturing. This is not simply the best Zelda game ever, but the best game ever. Everything from the clever puzzles and unique dungeon designs to the engaging and well developed characters, this is the best of the best, the magnum opus of Shigeru Miyamoto. If there were ever a reason to hand over $300 to a cashier at your favorite retailer, this is that reason. Twilight Princess is truly the definitive game of this industry; it's a work of art that Nintendo will be hard pressed to top. This is the game to dethrone Ocarina. This is The Legend of Zelda.

Final Score -- 10.0

Hey everybody, Game Guru here just with a few announcements. Today is my first day of blogging and man did I work myself out. Jeez, I see how addicting the world of blogging can really be. After writing posts about hardware, games, and graphics cards, I'm ready for a day of relaxation. However, I would like people to spread the name of the blog, so this doesn't become like a diary. Comments and criticism are accepted just don't go around ranting how my blog is horrible and stuff, and don't sue me for any reason either. I think that I have enough content to keep myself up for around 2 weeks. If anybody has any topic suggestions feel free to comment and say so. I might do a MMORPG section (such as WOW, guild wars, etc.) as well as a few tutorials on some handy skills to have. Also, if you have some cosmetic improvement suggestions that can be done, please e-mail me at vktennis98@yahoo.com. Thanks for the support, and Game Guru is signing off....

Hobey Ho and Lets go!
Game Guru

Hardware Review: PSP

"PSP The Revolution of Portable Gaming"

The PSP is Sony's intro into the Nintendo dominated portable console unit market. With 1 or 2 issues that plague the PSP, it's still a great machine that has the potential to give Nintendo a run for it's money.

Graphics - 8 out of 10 The LCD screen is one of the largest out there on the portable console units out there. It's bright, clear, and has very clear graphics. The movie quality is excellent, the videos on the sample disc and the Spider-Man 2 UMD that came with my PSP show up clear and crisp. With no signs of quality loss. The game graphics on the PSP are very good. The polygon count is great and honestly couldn't see anything that could detract from it. Now the downside, unfortunately dependent on the luck of the draw. The PSP suffers from the dreaded and talked about dead-pixel issue. I had to turn my PSP in two times till I finally got a unit without any dead pixels. Even worse, Sony does not acknowledge this as a warranty issue, as it says in there instruction manual, it is normal to see some black or white spots on the LCD screen. This maybe normal for them, but not for me. Overall the display and graphic set up of the PSP is excellent, but the dead-pixel issue really detracts from the overall feel of the graphics. Hopefully Sony will own up and admit that this is an issue and properly resolve it in later production models.

Sound - 9 out of 10 Sound quality on the PSP is very good and just about good as it can get for a portable unit. My only gripe is the volume of the PSP unit, if you are not using headsets that are included unit, the volume doesn't come in loud. Even on the highest volume setting it was very hard to hear. I had to find the quietest spot in my house to hear the audio in the PSP without the headsets, also the headset included with the PSP aren't that comfortable. I would recommend a over the head headset if you have them. It almost feels like that Sony wants you to use a headset device in order to enjoy the audio quality of the PSP. Overall the audio quality on the PSP is great, but the volume could be better.

Battery Life - 9 out of 10 One of the most talked about issues with the PSP was it's battery life. Honestly I couldn't find anything wrong with the battery life and it suited my needs. I charged up the PSP to full capacity, played the Spider-Man 2 move, which has a runtime of roughly 2 hrs and still had roughly 2 hours of gameplay power left before I had to recharge it. Like the Gameboy Advance, you can still use the PSP while it's charging. Personally I feel that the battery life on the PSP is more than adequate for this unit.

Layout - 10 out of 10 The control and button layout of the PSP is pretty good. Nothing feels really awkward and you can easily get the feel of the buttons and control of the PSP. The unit fits will in your hands and there is no bulky or awkward feel to it. Also one of the other talked about issues with the PSP was that some of the buttons on the PSP would get jammed. My unit had none of these issues and I really couldn't duplicate this, not that I was trying to. If anything the only thing you might have to get used to is how to power the PSP off. Other than that, I feel that the control and button layout for the PSP is excellent.

Overall - 8 out of 10 The PSP is a great machine and an excellent start for Sony's entry into the portable game market, but there are still some issues that need to be worked out. Unfortunately I feel that if they want to remain as strong contender or even dominant the portable game market from Nintendo, Sony needs to resolve a few things. First the dead-pixel issue, whether it's 1 or 1000, a dead pixel is a dead pixel. For a machine like the PSP it's inexcusable, especially for the cost for the PSP. Also I feel that Sony should resolve the volume issue of the PSP. I'm not asking for ear popping Dolby digital stereo surround sound, but something that doesn't require me to seclude myself from the outside world in order to hear it without the headset. Overall the PSP has great potential. Aside from being a portable game unit, the PSP has multimedia capabilities such movie playback, storing and playing audio files, Wi-Fi wireless connection capabilities, and photo display qualities. Again if Sony wants the PSP to gain any footing on Nintendo's turf. Sony has to maximize as much of the PSP's potential as possible and resolve a few issue

Hardware Review: Nintendo DS

"Become one with the system"

Is the Nintendo DS just another Game Boy? Just another hand-held? NO! The DS is the start of a new era of hand-held gaming! This is why:

Graphics: (10) The Nintendo DS has blown me away on what it can do and how it performs. It's launch titles almost as good as last generation Nintendo 64 games. That is saying a lot because that means the DS is more powerful than the Nintendo 64. Take for instance DS's launch title Super Mario 64 DS. Amazing game, and if you would compare it to it's N64 counterpart, you will be amazed to see the Nintendo DS actually improves on everything the Nintendo 64 version offered. Mario looks more cleaned up and the environments are more smoothed out on the DS. And this is FIRST generation graphics for the DS here! However some titles like Madden NFL 2005 don't look that great mainly because EA made a fast and ugly port. But the 2006 season looks promising in the graphics department for the DS.

Sound: (10) With duel speakers, the DS can just make a game so atmospheric. Gone are the bleeps and bloops the Game Boy Advance could only display. The DS is capable of doing GREAT things with it's speakers. Mainly, the one I am most excited about is voice-acting. Like the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo DS can do voice-overs. The first time I experienced this was when I was playing Super Mario 64 DS, at the beginning Peach gave her little speech to Mario. It amazed me that it was kept INTACT. As for in-game music, the DS can do WONDERS! Super Mario 64 DS, when played outside the castles, it really feels like your outside. Such amazement engulfed me.

Control: (9) With the additions of another two buttons, the DS now features 6 buttons which include L, R, A, B, X, Y. The D-Pad is a given along with a Power button and a Select and Start button. This is MUCH improved over the GBA's 4 buttons and the GBC's 2 buttons. The biggest addition is the second screen which happens to be a touch screen. It can act as a button. For Super Mario 64 DS, you can move your character around with the touch screen, though innovative, not well suited for Super Mario 64 DS. The only thing I found that was a problem was the overall feel of holding the DS, since Nintendo included a GBA cartridge port, sometimes I just had to feel that empty space in the GBA thing, which sometimes made me feel awkward.

Games: (7) This is Nintendo DS's poorest category. Nintendo claims Nintendo DS has SO many titles in the works, that is great. Main problem is that there is SO few launch titles for the DS, and most are pretty crappy like Ping Pals. I only see me buying another DS title this month which is going to be Asphalt Urban GT. Hopefully Nintendo will wise up and start releasing more 3D games, I am tired of 2D games. I want to see more 3D games like Super Mario 64 DS. Hopefully Nintendo will wise up and start releasing more and more 3D games.

Summary: (9) I give the Nintendo DS a solid 9. With a price of $150.00 US, you can't go wrong. I would wait though, at least a couple months until more good DS titles. March 2005 seems like a good month for the DS, hopefully it will be for me since I want more DS games. As for the packaging of the DS, Nintendo is still offering the Bundle of the DS/Metriod Prime: First Hunt demo. So even if you don't buy a game right away, you got Metriod Prime: First Hunt to play with. Also look forward to Online play which Nintendo says they will do....lets hope so.

Pros:
+Nintendo 64 quality graphics
+Superb sound
+Ability to include voice-acting
+3D games

Cons:
-Sometimes awkward feel when holding DS
-Lack of launch titles

Hardware Review: Voodoo Envy Gaming Laptop

Performance 1 (Best Graphics Cards to date)

• performance class: 1
• series: Mobility Radeon X1000
• codename: M59
• pipeline: 36 pixel-pipelines and 8 vertex-pipelines
• clock: chip: 400 MHz, memory: 470 MHz
• memory: DDR1/DDR2/GDDR3, bus: 256 bit
• directX: 9c, Shader Model 3.0
• features: Avivo Video Engine, PowerPlay 6.0, Ringbus
• application area: big and heavy notebooks
• other info: 312 millions transistors, 80nm, PCI-E 16x

• performance class: 1
• series: GeForce Go 7000
• codename: G70M
• pipeline: 24 pixel-pipelines and 8 vertex-pipelines
• clock: chip: 440 MHz, memory: 550 MHz
• memory: GDDR3, maximum upgrade: 512 MB, bus: 256 bit
• directX: 9c, Shader Model 3.0
• current consumption: 130 Watts
• application area: big and heavy notebooks
• other infos: two times higher current consumption than a single card

• performance class: 1
• series: GeForce Go 7000
• codename:
• pipeline: 24 pixel-pipelines and 8 vertex-pipelines
• clock: chip: 575 MHz, memory: 700 MHz
• memory: GDDR3, maximum: 512MB, Bus: 256Bit
• directX: 9c, Shader Model 3.0
• current consumption: 45 Watts
• features: HDR, Intellisample 4.0, UltraShadow II, PureVideo, CineFX 4.0, PowerMizer 6.0, Transparency Antialiasing

Performance Class 2

Performance Class 3