The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

After all the time one can spend running around in Hyrule in the original Legend of Zelda, there is always time for something as engaging as The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess




In regards to the story line, you know, it's the same old thing.

When an evil darkness enshrouds the land of Hyrule, a young farm boy named Link must awaken the hero and the animal within. When Link travels to the Twilight Realm, he transforms into a wolf and must scour the land with the help of a mysterious girl named Midna. Besides his trusty sword and shield, Link will use his bow and arrows by aiming with the Wii Remote controller, fight while on horseback and use a wealth of other items, both new and old.

But at least its fun using the Wii remote.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Dragon Warrior Revisited

Last week I was moving around some boxes in the garage when I came across my old strategy guide for the original Nintendo game, Dragon Warrior. I was immediately renewed with interest in one of my all time favorite games, and quickly thumbed through the pages, damaged by the years of neglect and use in my youth.

One thing that struck me promptly, was the concept of saving your data or progression at an Inn, like in Dragon Warrior, compared to logging out at an inn in World of Warcraft. I cannot help but wonder how much these old games had an effect on current games.



Above is the screen shot I took this morning of me saving my data at an Inn in Dragon Warrior. After fighting monsters and gaining experience or increasing your level, simply visit the inn in Breconary and sleep at the inn. Your HP is rejuvenated and you can once again go on to kill more monsters and level up. To store your progression, the use of the inn allows you to continue your journey, where you left off!

In World of Warcraft, things are similar, yet very different.

Below is the screen shot of an Undead Rogue visiting an Inn in the low level town of Brill in World of Warcraft.



Obviously, the first difference would be the 3D environment versus the bird's eye view of the old Nintendo games, however the concept of saving data is similar. Allowing both players to simply visit the inn, and save their progression point. In Dragon Warrior you pay a small fee of gold to sleep, in WOW it is free.

I can't help but take note that I have been saving at Inns for over 20 years, but considering I have been playing these role playing games since the 80's when I was young, until now, the similarities between killing monsters over and over for experience to increase your Health Points and equip more powerful armor and weapons are too many to list.

In Dragon Warrior you simply need to talk to the innkeeper and he will ask you if you want to save. In WOW, you simply choose "logout" from your menu.

The games of the past were the foundation for what is to come, and as an adult gamer now, I can only imagine where the gaming industry will take us next...

Until then, you're never too old to bust out one of the old games gathering dust and breathe life into it again.

Blackfathom Deeps

Update: New WOW dungeon map added for Blackfathom Deeps

Last night I wanted to run a few quick dungeon instances on my Holy Priest and level her up a little... I got from 25 to level 27 doing a couple quests and a few dungeon runs.

I have played World of Warcraft for awhile now, have leveled a 70 Mage and have never had many problems playing successfully with other players online.

But last night, some mage decided to try and blame me for his own lack of skill. He kept pulling aggro and I kept having to save him, he was draining my mana and taking away heals from the main tank (whom I've done plenty of runs with) so once we get to the first altar in Blackfathom Deeps I encourage him to right click the altar to get the buff, I can't recall the name, but after you defeat one of the early bosses you click his altar and it buffs you for the 60 mins with a nice spirit + intellect +frost damage buff.

I wasn't even looking his direction, but as I swung my camera view around I noticed he was drinking for mana... his reply to me "chill, I am drinking" as if I was rushing him, he then started to go off saying I was "awful at the game" which made the other four members of the group quickly defend me and my heals, considering I had kept them alive through many dungeons in the past and in addition had kept this specific DPS alive LOL

So I LOLed at him, and kept my cool and calmy stated "relax, I just wanted you to get the buff, I wasn't rushing you, and my heals must not be that bad because they've certainly kept you alive through your aggro management errors." he didn't like that, but it ended the quarrel...

Negative players always amuse me, trying to blame the healer because you keep pulling aggro and getting attacked, is hilarious. As many have told me, let him die and just heal the others, but I refuse to do that, I rather look like a great holy priest who kept every member alive through 4 dungeon instances with no deaths than let some guy die just because he sucks at being a mage. However, I must be honest, I DID let his HP drop to less than half a couple times before bubbling him with Power Word: Shield and healing him lol just to make him nervous. :)

As usual, I then said, lets just keep moving, so we finished the dungeon and I went turn in the quests, and hit level 27, then logged.

My advice to anyone in a group with an abusive member, either try to ignore it and push on, or simply leave. Especially as a priest, you are keeping the entire group alive and without you, they couldn't move forward, there is no need to take anything from some 14 year old behind a nick on an MMORPG.

Undead Priest Healing In Warsong Gulch Battleground

So I was playing a mage but got bored with it and decided to roll a Holy Priest. Yes, undead and of course horde! And despite the obvious downside of having and playing a holy priest as a main and not focusing on damage, but healing, I am having a great time! I enjoy doing instances with groups much more than questing, so this allows me to log on and have less difficulty finding a group to run an instance with...

However, while waiting in the queue for a dungeon instance, I decided to start doing battlegrounds and I am having a blast healing groups! Here is a screenshot from last night, me and the flag runner in Warsong Gulch!

Image above: Undead Priest healing in Warsong Gulch Battleground sitting drinking water to replenish mana after PVP

So far I am having more fun playing my healer. Previously my main was a mage, but unless things change, I think this will be my main from now on! I'm having way too much fun. It also seems more challenging than just sitting there casting fireballs over and over LOL

I have gotten many compliments on my healing, and despite the learning curve of going from DPS to heals, last night I set up my healing macros and ran Blackfathom Deeps and Razorfen Kraul without any deaths. Yeah yeah, I know those are low level dungeons, but right now my holy priest is only level 25...

WOW Maps

Announcing: World of Warcraft maps released through GamerDungeon.com

"WOW Maps" will be an ongoing project of uniquely designed World of Warcraft maps for dungeon instances and the lands of Warcraft.

Ragefire Chasm - Low level dungeon for horde players, located in the city of Orgrimmar. Usually the first dungeon instance horde players are introduced to, and a great place to learn how instances work and how to play your class in a group.

Wailing Caverns - Another low level dungeon - however much larger than Ragefire Chasm.

World of Warcraft players should look forwar to more news on GamerDungeon.com covering the release of the latest expansion to WOW - Wrath of the Lich King, as well as future updates regarding this very popular MMORPG.

Warhammer Online Age of Reckoning

War is everywhere in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR), the new MMORPG from the creators of Dark Age of Camelot®. Based on Games Workshop's popular Warhammer® fantasy war game, WAR features next generation Realm vs. Realm™ (RvR) game play that will immerse players in a world of perpetual conflict.

Upon entering WAR, players must determine their allegiance and join an Army. Those inclined towards the side of good may fight for the Armies of Order as an obstinate Dwarf, noble High Elf, or loyal human soldier of the Empire. Those inclined towards darker deeds may side with the sinister Armies of Destruction as a savage Greenskin (Orc or Goblin), corrupt Dark Elf, or marauding human worshipper of Chaos.

RvR combat takes place on three fronts where ancient foes wage an unending war – Dwarfs vs. Greenskins, High Elf vs. Dark Elf, and Empire vs. Chaos. Players begin the game fighting their ancestral enemy, but are free to journey to other fronts to help their allies in their ongoing struggles.

Read more about Warhammer Online or you can order your copy here

Lord of the Rings Online

Are you ready for the ultimate in online gaming?

Check out Lord of The Rings Online.

The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar puts you into the greatest fantasy of all time. For the first time, you can immerse yourself in the only authentic recreation of Middle-Earth to explore legendary lands, interact with famous characters like Gandalf and Aragorn, and create your own heroic story.

The War of the Ring has commenced!

As the Fellowship embarks on their quest to destroy the One Ring, you must defend the Free Peoples against Sauron's evil minion, the Nazgul Witch-King. Adventure solo or forge fellowships, battle hideous monsters and rise to fame in the most epic MMO ever launched.

The only MMO based on the extensive and beloved fantasy universe of J.R.R. Tolkien, and the first MMO to provide a compelling story behind players' actions.

• Unique Combat and Advancement Systems -- game mechanics surpass skills and levels to include accomplishment, traits and titles to help you gain experience in a variety of ways
• Jump in as a monster and battle against other gamers in a fast, action-packed session of monster vs. player combat.

Read more about Lord of the Rings Online

Halo 3

Halo 3 expands on the franchise and adds a wealth of technical and gameplay advancements.

Unparalleled first-person shooter experience and the most compelling and engrossing story of the trilogy.

Halo 3 will builds upon the unique social multiplayer experience and innovative, evolving online gameplay of Halo 2.

The game is loaded with high-definition visuals, enhanced A.I., an advanced lighting engine, and new weapons, characters, and challenges.

Game developer Bungie announced that Halo 3 will be released for Microsoft's Xbox 360 sometime in 2007. The game was revealed to the world at the Microsoft press conference held at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA in May 2006. To gamer's delight, the announcement was a complete surprise. The rumors have been abound for the past year, as everyone wondered when the next installment would be ready. Bungie and Microsoft did a stellar job keeping their lips sealed, and fans benefited from their first glimpse of the hallowed third and final installment.

Halo 3 is the third game in the Halo Trilogy and the thrilling conclusion to the events begun in Halo: Combat Evolved. Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax. The Covenant occupation of Earth has uncovered a massive and ancient object beneath the African sands - an object whose secrets have yet to be revealed. Earth's forces are battered and beaten. The Master Chief's AI companion Cortana is still trapped in the clutches of the Gravemind - a horrifying Flood intelligence, and a civil war is raging in the heart of the Covenant. It's all been building to this -- a desperate, final war that leads to a soul-shattering climax of epic proportions. Take control of Master Chief to defeat the Covenant and destroy the Flood as a measure to prevent the annihilation of the human race. Online multiplayer - Halo 3 builds upon the unique party-based social multiplayer experience from Halo 2 with new weapons, vehicles, maps, gametypes, and added customizability!

Pre-Order Guild Wars Factions

When NCsoft released the original in 2005, it promised a revolution in Massively Multiplayer Online games: an online game with no monthly fees and completely standalone expansion packs. With simple gameplay, and endless multiplayer and solo options, the first game gained a devoted following of experienced and new players alike. Exactly one year later, Guild Wars Factions widens the horizons of Guild Wars, almost doubling the size of the world. The expansion pack offers whole new worlds to explore, and it doesn't require Guild Wars to play. Players can explore the new continent of Cantha by traveling from the lands of Tyria or they can travel in Cantha alone--and even those who only own one of the Guild Wars games can invite their friends to join their questing areas and share the game content without forcing each other to buy the other game.

The expansion pack adds whole new ways to experience the game: alliances and factions. In Tyria, players banded together in small guilds and warred against each other, but Cantha is a land of much more complicated politics. Guilds can join together in alliances, align themselves with one of Cantha's two warring factions, and battle other alliances to gain and hold territory. The epic Faction Battles can change the face of Cantha in real time, shifting borders and changing the control of entire cities and towns as battles are won and lost. The Battle Isles play host to most of the new Player vs. Player content, providing alliances a huge battlefield to supplement the Tyrian arenas.

Read More about Guild Wars Factions

Sid Meier's Civilization IV

Civilization IV comes to life! - Beautiful 3D world with dozens of fully animated units (including culturally unique units) and totally customizable armies. Detailed cities and wonders will appear on the map. Wonder movies are back!

Greater Accessibility and Ease of Play - An easy-to-use interface will be immediately familiar to RTS and action game players, and newcomers to the series will be able to jump in and play. Multiplayer -LAN, Internet, PBEM and Persistent Turn-Based Server (PTBS or Pitboss) offer players all-new strategies and ways to play when competing or cooperating with live opponents.

Civilization IV is recognized as one of the greatest PC game franchises of all-time. Now the fun and incredibly addictive strategy game reaches new heights by adding new ways to play and win, new tools to manage and expand your civilization. Civilization comes to life like never before in a beautifully detailed, living 3D world -- with all-new easy to use mod capabilities and intense multiplayer modes and options. It's a must-have for gamers around the world! Flexible Tech Tree allows players more strategic choices for developing their civilizations Team play offers a new way of setting locked alliances that result in shared wonder effects, visibility, unit trading and shared territory Over 70 in-game movies and animated sequences advance the story.

Want to play this great strategy game now? Order Civilization IV

It is a good thing there is a Civilization IV Strategy Guide too.

Playstation 2 Prices Drop

Nice!!! The Playstation 2 prices are dropping yet again and they have a new design ready! The PS2 is still one of the hottest consoles to date. Check out the Playstation 2 page for more info on this great video gaming system.

Basic ps2 stuff: While inheriting the basic functions and design philosophy of the current Playstation 2, the internal design architecture has been completely overhauled, resulting in a slimmer and more lightweight design. The internal volume has been reduced by 75%, overall weight has been halved and thickness trimmed down to 2.8 cm (current thicckness is 7.8cm). Its size is almost as small as a hardcover book, making it easier to carry around and enjoy games and DVD videos anytime, anywhere.

The Playstation 2 gaming system is equipped with an integrated Etheport for network gaming.

Order yours or check out the PS2 info.

StarCraft 2

This is probably one of the most anticipated games ever from the classic and without a doubt the best real time strategy RTS game ever, StarCraft 2.

The problem is, it's not being talked about and gamers around the world have waited quietly while Warcraft has gotten so much love, and have Brood War to keep up waiting patiently for its release.

As long time fans of this genre we patiently await any and all info regarding StarCraft 2.

Lord Of The Rings Tactics PSP

Have you checked out Lord Of The Rings Tactics for PSP?

So far so good, lots of good reviews and seems to be based on the movies more than the books, but that's fine! It's a great game nonetheless.

Lord of the Rings Tactics puts players in the universe of Middle-Earth, for adventures that go beyond the books and films. This tactical RPG game lets players guide Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Gandalf and Sauron, among others. In turn-based action, you'll use your strategic abilities to gain advantage over the enemy and determine the future of Middle-Earth. Simultaneous turn-taking in single and multiplayer.

You can customise your own charachters with different skills and abilities, with turn-based strategy gaming with various weapons and even 4 player mode!

Order it here or read more about Lord Of The Rings Tactics PSP.