2013年12月18日星期三

The Five Best Games to Give (and Get) This Christmas

I keep reading how 2013 was such a great year for video games, but I just don’t believe it. The numbers and my own experience as a reviewer lead me to think this has been a fairly miserable and disappointing year, at least for console-game publishers and many gamers.

Cribbing from my colleague Ian Sherr’s recent story on November game sales, the industry picture is fairly dismal. Sales of games at retail stores dropped 24%, despite the release of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles.

While the overall picture is one of growth for this year and next year, the PwC forecasts of 4.2% in 2013 and 6.4% next year lag the rosy 28% growth in 2007, just after the Xbox 360 and PS3 were released. Console gaming is undergoing a transition, with physical discs sold in stores giving way to digital downloads. But even those are competing with 99-cent and $9.99 game apps new gamers are opting for over $400-$500 consoles and $60 games.

All that said, there were a few bright spots in gaming this year. I want to highlight the five games that I really liked and wouldn’t mind giving or getting in my Christmas stocking.

1. Grand Theft Auto V — Until this Rockstar Game came out in mid-September, industry sales figures lagged year-earlier numbers. When GTA V (for Xbox 360 and PS3) set a record by grossing over $1 billion in just three days, it was clear this game was almost singlehandedly going to save the sector in 2013.

The focus on money is highly appropriate, as this latest installment of the GTA franchise is all about greed and wealth, stealing and investing to maximize your haul.

GTA V is not only the best game in the series, it may also be the best game I’ve ever played. Seriously. It has bumped The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim to number two in my list of favorites. I reviewed it earlier and liked it a lot. But I’ve liked it more and more and played it for dozens of hours since then. It’s deep, engrossing, and while extremely over-the-top in terms of violence and profanity, it is a highly realistic-looking game with a very smart artificial intelligence.

For those who slept through the game’s launch, you’re one of three, main, playable characters – Michael, Franklin or Trevor — carrying out heists to make money along a complex storyline, but with ample time to explore the open world, do side missions or waste time playing tennis, going to a shooting range, club or shopping for clothes.

Missions are doled out in due time, so you don’t feel the time-compression you do in other games.

GTA V’s array of weapons and vehicles is staggeringly high, and its soundtrack is very broad, ranging from oldies to hip hop to music with a Latin beat. There are also motorcycles, helicopters and planes, each requiring different skills to learn how to operate.

The ability to invest in the game’s two stock markets – and even manipulate prices due to your own in-game actions – adds a layer of depth that I haven’t experienced in other games. I sometimes go onto the console just to play the stock market  or buy income-earning property.

And just when you’ve completed everything, you’ll find the world of GTA isn’t done yet. The multiplayer GTA Online game mode launched shortly after GTA V went on sale. Yes, it was with some hiccups, but the way you can take the skills you’ve acquired offline and join or run a crew, plan or participate in online heists or races means you’ll not soon get tired of GTA. I wish I had a better Internet connection, but I like playing GTA Online as much as I do GTA V.

GTA V is one of the rare games out there worth the $59.99 price tag, and considering you also get to take your game online if you have the GTA V game disc or download, you’re investing in weeks and weeks of non-repetitive play.

2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf  - At first blush, this game about nothing is not an obvious choice. But after dusting off my Nintendo 3DS XL and playing for several days as the mayor of Najville, I got addicted to the game. And I’m not alone.

New Leaf was a whale for the 3DS, spurring mucho sales and underscoring what Nintendo has been trying to convince consumers of for several years: That great game software can move serious amounts of hardware.

New Leaf is another extension of the Animal Crossing series best-known on the Nintendo consoles that hook up to your TV. This version translates very well to the 3DS, though I had to turn the 3D function way, way down because it was nauseating me. It feels a lot like a Wii game, with crisp animation and smooth-moving characters.

Life in New Leaf  focuses on the mundane. You build something, you buy something, you watch fireworks, get bitten by a mosquito, visit your neighbors and do other day-to-day things anthropomorphic fuzzies do. The whole thing was also very childlike. Yet, I found myself checking in on my character several times a day, and thinking about checking in on him when I couldn’t. Not since I took over my young son’s Tamagotchi many years ago had I felt so addicted to a stupid game.

New Leaf costs $34.99, but you’ll have to have or shell out around 200 bucks for a 3DS or 3DS XL.

3. Forza Motorsport 5 – “Hey, beautiful! Where have you been all my life?” Yes, if any game was made for the newest generation of consoles, this one, from Turn 10 Studios and Microsoft, is it.

The Forza series is my favorite racing simulation, and Forza 4, this game’s predecessor, remains the best in the series, even after playing the new game. That’s because I have some quibbles with Forza 5’s in-game economy, features and gameplay, which I’ll cover in a minute.

But Forza 4 can’t hold a candle to the amazingly sharp and detailed graphics of this new Xbox One exclusive. I was so amazed at the game’s shadows and effects that I found myself taking multiple screenshots and recording bits of my races to play back and share.

The racing physics are highly accurate, and I found myself going white-knuckled into turns and corners of tracks in virtual Europe in all sorts of high-performance cars. The only thing missing from my Forza 5 experience, which came on the week the Xbox One launched, was a racing wheel. I have my eye on this one, which gets rave reviews, but at $400, you might want to buy a PS4 to sit next to your Xbox One, instead.  The wheel supposedly provides amazing haptic feedback to add to the game’s realism.

The best part of Forza 5 is the Drivatar – a very smart variation on typical AI opponents. The game uses your habits and those of others playing the game to build virtual opponents with different tendencies. What it means is that Forza 5 has a more-sophisticated competition system than other simulators. Opponents are unpredictable, and you have to be much sharper during races than you ever did before.

My gripes were about the fact that – for the same price – Forza 4 had twice as many cars as Forza 5 and relatively little need to buy extra vehicles or bling during the game. I felt fairly gypped to find only 200 cars in Forza 5, and lots of pressure to conduct microtransactions to buy more. To be fair, I never played more than a few dozen cars in Forza 4, but I found the hardsell quite off-putting and the prices too high to better-equip yourself in Forza 5, especially after buying a season ticket and paying for the full game.

I wasn’t the only one thinking that way, and Microsoft bowed to pressure. It said last week it would change the in-game economy, lowering car prices and giving players more credit than before. That’s enough for me to give the nod to this $59.99 game as a 2013 stocking-stuffer. Forza 5 is the first real next-gen game to me, though it’s not without blemishes.

I wish Microsoft had waited a bit to release the game. It feels a bit rushed, and is missing some key things you’d expect from a realistic game, like changing in-game weather, for example.

4. The Last of Us – Between the Hunger Games, Will Smith movies and all the copycat books, movies and games, I’ve pretty much had it with virtual dystopia.

That is, until I played The Last of Us. Released in June, the Naughty Dog –developed game, published by Sony, sold nearly 3.5 million units in three weeks and was the best game out there until GTA V.

The Last of Us is a gritty, unpretentious game that features a trek across a post-apocalyptic U.S. in the near future. You’re Joel, escorting a young girl to a resistance group that believes the girl, Ellie, could have in her genes what’s needed to cure the illness that has killed most of the world off.

The storyline is interesting and challenging, the game is well-designed, the moral dilemmas the game presents you with really make you think about yourself in a way most mindless shooting games don’t. You have to make real choices between being loyal or not, sacrificing yourself and your needs for a greater good.

I was also intrigued to find my character having to use real time to build some of his weapons. In each case, I had to decide whether I wanted to find and use the resources and spend the time to, for example, build a Molotov cocktail to use against enemies while I was under attack, or to save time and just use what was at hand and hope it was enough to beat the zombie-like characters coming after me.

5. FIFA 14 – For all Electronic Arts’ hype about real ball physics, precision movement and pure shot technology, FIFA 14 plays a lot like last year’s game.

Gameplay this year is OK, a slight improvement over FIFA 13, and even on the new consoles, where graphics are much better, I wasn’t completely floored by the realism like I was with Forza 5.

What impresses me – and what gets FIFA 14 onto this list – is that EA is the first publisher to really think ahead about how to create a near-seamless experience between the Xbox 360/PS3 generation of consoles and the new Xbox One/PS4.

You can transfer all of your coins, trophies and cards from the old console to the new – and I guess it works in the other direction, too, if you want to do that. Changes you make to your Ultimate Team are reflected on both consoles. Unfortunately, you can’t play online games between the two consoles, just as an Xbox player can’t challenge a PS player online, but who knows? Maybe one day.

As a gamer, I appreciate how EA thinks about the total user experience and, through a combination of cloud technology, mobile apps and social media, created a tightly knit world where like-minded players can transact business, check scores and leaderboards, share accomplishments and store and move stats between consoles. It’s not everything I want, but it’s pretty close, and you get a lot more than just a game disc for your $59.99.

2013年12月9日星期一

How simply and FIFA ultimate team quickly 14 parts

This article will show you various tips before FIFA 14 for release so we can pull enough coins FIFA.



The first method is good, and what you have to do is that during the purchase of tickets concerning cooling, the night switch Mercato then sell them on the market of transfers volume higher in the afternoon and evening. That the majority of players play between sixteen and 23. You stay the night, there is the fact that some people find bargains online. Waiting to sell until the afternoon, plus then at higher price. The method was very popular.



Another strategy which is a certain player to watch closely. The player to buy up as far as possible, to create a shortage of supply of the player available. It pumps the price to your full advantage. If the demand is there, you unload tickets at higher costs, since you require. They say buy all cards a player especially with less than 5,000 coins of FIFA, then keep. Always wait for the absent market player or only a low offer. Could unload 1 these players after an additional, entering in all circumstances the complete control of their supply of market.



Every addicted gambler would conform to the treaties. Make a few simple parts ultimate team FIFA feeding research with a some moments of your time. For example, you can look for the gold markets, the Sub am 400 FIFA ultimate team, coins are sold. Buy and sell more out of 500 pieces when FIFA perfect team. They are very easy to sell, and it's some FIFA ultimate group coins fast and straight forward.



Do you know that FIFA perfect team coins you can buy on the web? Yes, there are so many ultimate team FIFA seller runs this business in the exchange of actual coins. Only a small amount of money, you will receive countless parts FIFA and numbers. After you have a bunch concerning money and not so time, it will be a very good deal. For example, when you 15 minutes should finish in a tournament game in the average spend and therefore you win FIFA 600 parts, approximately 2,400 FIFA each 60 minutes for every hour that your hourly pay is actually you. But are your pieces at the place, many FIFA immediately from suppliers and you do not have much time and hard work to pass.

2013年10月29日星期二

Take advantage of the FIFA 14 players with penalty of best shooting skills

Penalties aren't converted in practice more usually also against world class goalkeepers in goals. Therefore that prices the punishment are often decisive, particularly in the low score games. Missing penalty kicks are often demoralising for players, because it's a simple opportunity objectives.



FIFA-14, soccer much more popular Simulator from EA Sports are not exceptional inside the room. Players own not exclusively skills sound game of a penalty but also to accept people who should choose really task.



Mario Balotelli

FIFA 14 overall rating: 84

Penalties: 95

Power: 86

Curve: 77



Italy missed currently plays for series international recently Club Milan as a coup, known for its impressive penalties, as only if same goals against Pepe Rina. Win an incredible score of 95 penalties means that it brings a great almost impossible foot badly while taking sanctions.



If Balotelli bother to the East, can ensure to get a score, even if it is in preparation. Finesse is, if things on the ground.



David Villa

FIFA 14 general rating: 83

Charges: 92

Power: 83

Curve: 83



Villa is nicknamed El Guaje, now a striker of Atletico Madrid, furthermore the main Spanish player never reached 50 international destinations. High part still second Villa of sanctions FIFA 14, fine approach, will the ball home, therefore, or another slot is required. Besides, it is ready to place the ball exactly where your guardian was unable to obtain a contact. At the age of 32 Villa is abundant in experience and qualified. It is fully justified, the sanctions of trust that takes place.



Zlatan Ibrahimovi?

FIFA 14 general rating: 89

Penalties: 91

Power: 93

Curve: 80



Swedish football is founded the seventh spot of players reviews in FIFA 14, # 5 inside guardian will posses the top 100 people in your message as one of most talented footballers of his generation and also which possibly skills exceptional penalty kick.

This girl capability to 5-star moves to make positive a penalty at the start with an estimate of their awesome firepower of 93.



Rickie Lambert FC Southampton plus Francesco Totti, series A Club Roma are player added with penalty hazardous under the jurisdiction, antagonistic as in your player above. They help you to take the preventive options when taking sanctions.

2013年10月27日星期日

T - Mobile Ekstraklasa League finally confirmed, join in FIFA 14

Fans, 14 FIFA ultimate staff and the Polish Ekstraklasa League finally what TI ago like months, EA Sports announced it FIFA will be fourteen-function T-Mobile Ekstraklasa League totally licensed.



The rumor about Ekstraklasas of the FIFA fourteen members came from one of the principal sponsors of the Champions League Twenty20, displaying on their official Facebook page, who needed to obtain form sports stars FIFA 14 League totally licensed. Fans have the confirmation since expected. About half a month before the announcement can Polish superstar chosen Robert Lewandowski, pique curiosity, appear to appear on your frontispiece of the native of the title of football EA Sports FIFA fourteen output more desire and delusion, when Polish Ekstraklasa League FIFA 14 is added and when paid.



The very first division, also known as T-Mobile Ekstraklasa for sponsorship reasons, is a Polish Professional League for football groups. It has reached the top of the Polish Football League from the nation system primary football competition. The first Division of T - Mobile was the 80th season - 2013/14 - the highest League of football in Poland since the basis in 1927 strengthens over the years. A complete of 78 clubs need performed inside top division concerning Polish football since the inception, which 16 teams have won their title. A total of 16 teams have confirmed that they want in FIFA 14, including Legia Warsaw (the current champion of the season won 2012/13), Cracovia, Jagiellonia Bia?ystok, Korona Kielce, G¨®rnik Zabrze, Lech ?od?, Wis?a Krak¨®w and Zag??bie Lubin, Zawisza Bydgoszcz, ?l?sk this Breslau Lechia Gdansk Piast Gliwice, Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Bia?a, Pogo¨½ Szczecin, Ruch Chorz¨®w, Pozna¨½, Widzew.



EA Sports has permit crap should take place this year. Now, since the Polish League out of Ekstraklasa T-Mobile in FIFA 14, which was registered in Turkish or Ukrainian League?

-"I have the strong feeling that Ukrainians and the Turkish League at the beginning of that the game will be announced."

-"Many people is not Turkish or League Ukrainian no-inclusion in FIFA 14 like EA fans wishes to ignore or prioritization of other leagues before them. "Both sides must play with negotiations for them be included when licensing while should leagues, as at EA are so angry at once, if they are not in the game."

The strong want of the FIFA 14 Championship are Turkish or Ukrainian it appears off discussions by fans. It stays confirmed by EA sporting.

2013年10月23日星期三

Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas and handbook again to obtain the first three places among the top 20 goalkeepers in FIFA 14

EA Sports has revealed finally players performance FIFA 14 comments plus statistics based on all players throughout the season 2012/13 last and their professions. A brilliant goalkeeper is indispensable for an unbeatable team; win fame, the 3 very best goalkeepers in FIFA 14, after recent commentary and statistics, Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas and Manuel Neuer.



Gianluigi Buffon

FIFA 14 overall rating: 86

Scuba diving: ninety

Handling: 78

Appearance: 66

Positioning: 90

Reflexes: 80



Goalkeeper 34 years can surprise, we give the goalkeeper in blood flow less than 20 in FIFA-14 to reach initially place. Buffon played because he finalized Italy series A Club Juventus since 2011 and earlier this year, a contract extension with Juventus, its maintenance at the Club from until 2015 Buffon made many famous and important saves for Juventus this 2 years; It was formerly called "for top level goalkeeper in Italy and probably the globe' and Juventus has helped the European team become the protection of second best of the season. Juventus has the season 2013/14 Buffon keeps a clean sheet in the competition for the first time started. Buffon has recently a youthful spirit and focus in the following years with loaded love of the football career.



Iker Casillas

FIFA 14 overall rating: 86

Diving: 89

Managing: 80

Low: 67

Positioning: 81

Reflexes: 90



Iker Casillas are a 32 year old experienced goalkeeper, he plays since 1999 for that the La Liga Real Madrid club. Not only he left quite a great accomplishment during his football profession at Real Madrid, and yet their loyalty to his Championship and the Club is admirable. Casillas was to show his genuine talents in the game included when the range of the "best goalkeeper" FIFA thirteen. It was considered, "often seems it has Glue on their gloves that he easily catches balls in his hands."? " Not only, it seems always at the right time in your right position to be. "We look forward to her performance in FIFA-14.



Manuel Neuer

FIFA 14 overall rating: 86

Diving: 85

Handling: 82

Appearance: 91

Positioning: 82

Reflexes: 87



The goalkeeper of Bayern Munich is known for his reflexes, excellent shot stopping skills and the circulation of the ball. New booked the best shops and good clean sheets throughout the latest 2012/13sesason. In FIFA new 13 is at the top of area of game for counterattacks in the area, the ball and corners qualified to save thanks at its height 193 cm. We hope that information technology will surprise you 14 all FIFA fans around the entire world.



Of course, the start list is based on the evaluation and statistics, published by EA Sports. In reality, cards could have preferably different enthusiasts, taking into account another facts as the price of their player. FIFA 14 comes!

2013年10月15日星期二

FIFA 14 turnover not as much as 13 of FIFA during the launch week

EA Sports latest basketball video game title - 14 FIFA makes debut on 27 September inside world, including the European regions. As well as the version of Rockstar video games of EA Sports FIFA 14 generalized Grand Theft Auto 5 guideline as single by chart-topper really long too. FIFA 14A anyway, managed to beat GTA 5 on the top of the charts on 2nd place in the United Kingdom after the endure established card game courtesy out of GfK chart-track.



Sale of GTA 5 is a massive let 83% games slip from N1 to N2, although chart-track with the facts in writing of this week, that regardless massive sales, your game still the 18th more great never a week in the United Kingdom would consider lance this week use selling data to make the FIFA 14 disturb as much impressive.



Obviously at feel this disappointment at the immense popularity of the sport when the United Kingdom, and that the game comes in the region, where sales are at his or her peak, but still provides him only a handful of franchise, who could have done it.



Despite collide with the initially place, but the 14 FIFA not opening week product sales of FIFA last year 13, using revenues to below 24 percent last year, according to chart-track. Chart-track, this particular recommends on "all the money given last week", can refer to the production regarding Grand Theft Auto five the previous week. and 14 FIFA can comfort in sharing during the course of the transition, stated: "the consumer purchase can be delayed until a PS4/Xbox versions available are" suffered.



Now, EA activities, the second album, the highly anticipated FIFA-14 patch available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which is current applied to the PC version of the game currently. Information technology, many of these corrections with balls are not surprised of their to render. He new too driven head and fineness of the balances of the shots and cleans various problems, difficulty of games, have several gameplay ironed out problems and increase the trouble of the doors induced; the patch possesses few bug fixes but also.



It is not an uncommon obstacle for the beginner player of FIFA have difficulties to the FIFA-fourteen. Since the patch n ¡ã 2 it week with the increase in the difficulties of the doors, EA Sports uploaded a video puts the emphasis is actually on skills to support combos playing skills on their recognized Twitter account out of FIFA, its master players.



We look forward to first place FIFA brand new 14 at table-balance sheet.

2013年10月11日星期五

Gary Neville will head 14 legends FIFA ultimate team

Gary Neville is a former Manchester United superstar and is apparently good at soccer, there is your current national coach, has signed a contract with EA Sports, the editor to join the best part of ambassadors for the season 2013/2014 FIFA ultimate team.



In fact, that means that he will create a line every two weeks with his insightful comprehension of football and the game regarding the official website of FIFA 14, at that it evaluated your latest topics in the Premier League.



By Neville investigation of their case, not just to see Neville, consider franchising of football video game FIFA considered entertainment for leisure, but an essential function of the culture of football towards be. He looked on an ambassadors of FIFA 14 of transmission of these fantastic baseball tradition and specific platform will help.



Full name of Gary Neville is Gary Alexander Neville. Once since long as football player, he was recognized, because back England right, the more limited. Neville was captain out of Manchester United for five years and he has joined the next largest player when the staff serve up until retirement from soccer in the center of the season 2010/eleven. Although he stretched that the football industries, here his passion for football as the commentator for Sky Sports through the stock exchange. Now, we are able to review the heroes out of ex-Manchester United on the ground as England mentor by new mentor Roy Hodgson.



Neville confirmed, 14 legends ultimate team on your Gamescom mentioned 2013?? Neville itself inside the exclusive FIFA Xbox it was designed to see how it would again see on digital turf in that the new iteration of phenomenal success of FIFA.



Legends ultimate group FIFA 14 through different eras of the sport are available in a collection of cards, auctions, and they must be immortalized their capacity defining the game and legendary cards high quality courses. Fans of the video game have long dreamed of queues fantasy with that the legends of the beyond and the Superstars regarding today, and this is the corner to appear.



EA Sports has released 14 legends ultimate team, that will the trailer of FIFA and the FIFA team has a few exclusive content, including 10 national game and 10 articles printed and signed legends the tweet to offer 10 happy followers of EA Sports FIFA 14.

Buy FIFA coins: http://www.fifacoinszone.com