The sound of a plastic bag is heard as  a copy of  Star Wars The force Unleashed is taken out of  a bag and then opened. A shiny new game, one that was expected for many months as fans  all around waited for Gamestop to sell the game right as the clock hit midnight. For months people have seen the clips on the famus site Youtube. Watching as the game was taken to new heights sense the hits of Knights of the Old repbublic.

 

As the game starts there is the classic three paragraph synopsis that has forevr been etched into memory for those who love the  Star Wars saga. Right off, the start of the game starts off with a bang. Playing as Darth Vader you take control and head to the wookie homeworld where you confront one of the last few remaining Jedi. It’s there were the story turns and the futrue starts. The start of the beggining of the end.

 

 

 

Now I won’t blow the whole game. That would be unfair for those who have yet to start playing it. It’s not a  very long game with a play time of about nine hours. Yet the player has the option to go lightside or darkside, giving the player two seperat endings. Going lightside is the actual ending that leads up to the orginal movies made in the sevinties and eighties. In actuality, you have a total of 18 hours of play. Yet who can tire themselves flinging stormtroopers off catwalks or slamming them into the floor and bulkheads?

 The game itself has a very good storyline overall.  There are secrets to match and puzzle sections. It has a god of war feeling  when the player kills the enemy as the  lifeforce comes back to the player and keeps them from dying.  One of the few things that are difficult as I found out is jumping across  broken bridges and other falls that lead to death.

 

All in all the game is worth buying. The graphics are beyond what I had expected. If you play it with the xbox 360 I recomend that. The Wii version  is a bit difrent as you have the whole experience difrent with using the other controllers.  Force Unleashed is really what the title is. I highly recommend this game to everyone. If only to try it once.  Those that don’t have this game and have thre Xbox 360 and have Live; You can download the free demo and check it out. The power of the Force is truly Unleashed with this game…..

   (Creators of TFU)

 

 

 

*Pictures taken from  Google Images*

There is a new game coming for the Xbox 360 called The Force Unleashed. As some of us may know, the game takes place before A New Hope, and after Revenge of the Sith. The Main Protagonist is Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice (Currently Unnamed) as Vaders secret apprentice you do tasks for him, and you progress through your training.

The thing about this new Apprentice is, the training is different. They’re calling him a Force Wrecking Ball, he is what would have happened if Luke had joined with Vader. They took Luke and reversed him practically every way and got this Secret Apprentice. Throughout the game you are accompanied by at least 2 characters, they are not in your party, but you will interact with them. They are Juno Eclipse (Your Pilot and possible Lover) and Proxy (Your run of the mill fun, adventure loving, State of the Art droid that can use holograms to cloak himself)

Throughout the game you visit exotic locations like Kashyyyk, Raxus Prime, Felucia, and a TIE Construction Facility. We all know what these locations are, so they don’t need an explanation, but maybe two possible antagonists do. These antagonists are Shaak Ti and Maris Brood. Shaak Ti, as we all know, is a famous Clone Wars Era Jedi, throughout the entire game you try and hunt her down (along with other Jedi) and kill her. Maris Brood is another Jedi, though not fully trained, who you will come across and meet. Not sure if you succeed in killing either of them, but I’m sure we’ll all have fun experiencing the hunt.

This game also is using a new way of programming Physics into the game. Wood splinters, instead of always breaking the same, metal dents like metal, everything breaks the way it should. Also the AI is much smarter, Stormtroopers try to survive instead of throw themselves at you wave after wave and not change at all. They adapt.

The game comes out in the Spring of 2008. Can’t wait for it.

Sabacc is a card game played with a deck of 76 cards in the Star Wars Universe. The odds are that if you talked about playing it in your posts, you probably don’t know how to play it. If you did, think of how your posts might be able to be expanded into much higher quality and detail!

Basically, there are four suits: Staves, Flasks, Coins and Sabres.

Each suit has 15 numbered cards. These are:

• 1-11
• Commander (12)
• Mistress (13)
• Master (14)
• Ace (15)

As well as these, there are 16 ‘face cards’, 2 of each. They are:

• Idiot (0)
• Queen of air and darkness (-2)
• Endurance (-8)
• Balance (-11)
• Demise (-13)
• Moderation (-14)
• The Evil one (-15)
• The Star (-17)

RULES OF PLAY:
The object of Sabacc is to get the highest total equal to or below 23, or above negative 23 (-23) Getting a hand above 23 or below negative 23 or 0 is called a bomb-out and requires the player to pay a penalty to the Sabacc Pot. He must equal what is currently in the hand pot and put it in the sabacc pot.

There are two pots in the game of Sabacc: the hand pot and the Sabacc pot. The hand pot is won whenever a player wins the round. The Sabacc pot is only won when a player’s hand is a ‘pure Sabacc’ (which is a hand totaling 23 or -23 exactly) Note: In case of a tie, 23 beats -23) Another Sabacc pot winner is an Idiots array or Literal Sabacc which is the Idiot card and a two of any suit and a three of any suit, (ie 0-2-3). By having one of these hands or any other special hand due to certain rules, the player wins both pots.

At the beginning of each round, The dealer deals out two cards to each player, who then must ante by placing a credit into both the hand and the Sabacc pot. (Only to the sabacc pot if it is empty ie someone won it last hand.) The person to the left of the dealer starts first and he goes through all phases of his turn before it is anyone else’s turn. After each hand, dealership moves to the left.

PHASES OF A HAND:

• BETTING HAND: The player whose turn it is has the choice to bet. If he doesn’t the game moves to the next phase. If he does bet, then all other players must meet the bet or drop out in which they must pay the Sabacc pot two credits to do so
• CARD PHASE: The dealer then asks each player if they would like an extra card (Just like Black Jack) The players can refuse, but if they except, they cannot trade it or throw it back – they must keep it. If they bomb out then they out of the game and have to the pay the bomb out penalty.
• POKER PHASE: (note this only happens once) The next player has his/her turn for the two phases and so on until all players have done the two. Once the last player has finished the card phase, the dealer then asks all the players if they would like to trade any cards. The players may trade any cards but cannot simply give some back. Once this phase is complete, it never happens again in the hand.
• CALLING PHASE: After the poker phase, they player whose turn it is, asks if any player would like to call the hand. When the hand is called, everyone has to place their cards right side up on the table and declare what they have. A player can only call during the calling phase of another player, not their own. If the person who called the hand does not win the hand, he must pay a penalty of two credits to the Sabacc Pot. If no one calls the hand, then the game returns to the betting phase and the game continues (excluding the poker phase)
• WINNING A HAND: When a hand is called, the person with the highest card value wins the game. The player can also win if all other players fold In which the player only gets the hand pot. If two or more players are tied, they must compete in a sudden demise in which the dealer hands each another card. Which ever hand is the closest to 23 (or -23) without bombing out wins. If they have the same after a sudden demise, then they split the pot.
• WINNING THE SABACC POT: To win the Sabacc pot, a player must have pure Sabacc or an idiots array. An Idiots array beats a pure sabacc, but if two or more players have the same special hand, then a sudden demise commences like above. (note: that a special hand, like any other, can only be declared when a hand is called.

RULES:

Besides the standard rules, there are different versions which alter small parts of the game. You don’t have to play them, but if you do, you must obey the instructions given. These rules are also used for Random Sabacc. (note for all the special hands, your hand can only have the number of cards involved in the special ie you cannot hold four cards if you want to win the force array (three cards), it is not allowed) All special hands must be below 23 or above -23.

• Rebel Alliance Rules: -During the poker phase, you can trade no more than two cards. -During the card phase, you can only take two cards. -The special hand is called the Force Array and consists of A master of any suit and any two cards of the sabre suit. (must be below 23) Queen of air and Darkness = 5 Endurance = 10 Balance = – 3 Demise = – 7 Moderation = -15 The Evil one = -12 The Star = -8
• Imperial Rules: -During the poker phase you can trade three cards only, no more, no less. -During the card phase, you can take only one card unless you have the evil one, then you can take two. (you must prove to all players that you have the evil one) -The special hand is called the Death array and must have the evil one, demise and any 12 – 15 card. The Queen of air and darkness = – 11 Endurance = -8 Balance = -5 Demise = -18 Moderation = -2 The Evil one = -14 The Star = 5
• Corellian Rules: -During the poker phase you can trade any number of cards you wish. -During the card phase you can take one or three cards -The Special hand is called the Profit Array and consists of Endurance and any two cards of the coin suit The Queen of air and darkness = -8 Endurance = -5 Balance = -7 Demise = -2 Moderation = -5 The Evil one = -11 The Star = -2
• New Republic Rules: -The Poker phase and card phase are the same as normal – The special hand is called the Justice Array and involves Balance, a sabre and a commander The Queen of air and darkness = -9 Endurance = 8 Balance = 5 Demise = -11 Moderation = -14 The Evil one = -2 The Star = -13
• Corporate Sector Rules: -During the Poker phase, only one card can be traded -During the card phase, you can take one or two only -The Special hand is called the Monarchy Array and consists of the Queen of air and darkness, The Star and any coin card. The Queen of air and darkness = -4 Endurance = 7 Balance = -9 Demise = -10 Moderation = -13 The Evil one = -14 The Star = 5

RANDOM SABACC:
Random Sabacc is the same as Sabacc except that at random time intervals, the rules change, from what they were to something else i.e. standard to Corellian. It is a game of chance because A winning hand one moment will become a bomb-out the next. If the rules change while the hand is being called, all hands must change to the new rules.

If you are playing Sabacc in your next story, be sure to draw the ‘Idiot’s Array’ and win a nice starship, or maybe a planet. Best of luck, and may the cards be with you.

Two of the oldest war games of all times can b tracked to almost four thousand years ago: Chess and Go. Even though ‘war games’ already originated at the turn of the 19th centaury from Prussia, it was Wells who wrote the amateur book for war games in 1915, now known as the war games ‘bible.’ Dices were commonly used to predict the outcome of the game, and what the elements evolved would be.

A vital piece of game design, which is often overlooked, is the model for adventure. For example, early D&D was defined by the keyed dungeon map and room descriptions.

Evolutionary that is what many authors have described RPG as. Since Dungeons & Dragons was introduced, RPG has become much more ‘sophisticated’ and it also had its origin to D&D.

A more literary approach to role-playing came at first from Chaosium in reaction D&D. The rules for Chaosium were based a skill-based system also working percentile, developed for “Rune quest” originally.

It became known as basic role-playing {BRP} As technology developed so did the imagination have more freedom, not limited with the physical world anymore. But to most industries it is still a struggle to support effective running adventures without laying out a plot to follow.

The approach of providing maps and background had all but disappeared in favor of scene-by-scene plots. With the revival success of D&D, this may be reconsidered.

In the gaming world today games like “World of Warcraft” have reach a population of over 300,000(That’s about the entire population of Jamaica). But not all games have a positive look like that, games like “The Sims 2”, “GTA: San Andreas”, Has the debate over video game content reached a tipping point?

Like it or not, Hot Coffee is going to be with us for quite a while. The video game industry is now entering what will probably be the most challenging phase in its brief history.

In an unprecedented move that could have sweeping effects on the gaming industry as a whole, the Entertainment Software Rating Board Wednesday rescinded Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas’s rating and advised retailers to stop selling the game.

No word yet from the politicians who have been calling for action against Rockstar and an investigation of the industry. I’m sure this could lead to some sort of congressional hearings.

Sure, it sounds great reading the reviews about new games on pc, ps2. You name it. To bad some of us don’t have that graphic card it requires or the money to buy it. I mean. Just downloading and playing the demos isn’t really that much of a thrill.

~Gaming Reporter Hellra, VE Today Staff
Rep|GameRep Hellra/GameRep: 2/Gaming Division/VET/VE

With this new RTS game from Lucas Arts, you might be wondering, what’s going to make this game better than other RTS and other Star Wars games? Well here is your answer:

~Gaming Reporter Yillis, VE Today Staff
Rep|GameRep Yillis/GameRep: 6/Gaming Division/VET/VE

Last week it was Bill Gates claiming that Halo 3 would be ready in Spring 2006, in time to ruin Sony’s PS3 launch party. Now, Robbie Bach, Microsoft senior vice president and chief Xbox officer, has decided to cast some doubt over those comments.

~Gaming Reporter Earthjedi01
G-Rep/G-Rep Earthjedi01/G-Rep: 5/Gaming Division/VE/VET

Since 1982 Lucasarts has given us the best games any company could make. All the greats have been put into museums. And the memories will stay with us always of playing Jedi Knight online till four in the morning. Although I’m not a veteran gamer, I’ve taken a poll of many; and so goes there top ten StarWars games.

1: Jedi Knight. Reason: I cant say enough about this game. First of all, it received the best game ever award by PCGamer magazine (later outdone by Half-life). It was the only game by Lucas Arts that was ahead of the pack. It brought the most famous StarWars video game character, Kyle Katarn, to life (he seemed a little dead in Dark Forces). It was the first time you could choose between light side and dark side, they even had an add on with Mara Jade rescuing Kyle from his evil ways. And one thing that used to amaze me was that they filmed real actors for the cut scenes. Pure genius! This is the first video game I ever remember playing, so if you don’t have this go get it as fast as you  can. Let me also add that online mode is awesome.