Dedicated Web Hosting : The Executive Summary

What is Dedicated Web Hosting? Dedicated web hosting can alleviate the need to share hardware or software with any other sites or web pages. Webmasters are given the autonomy to decide on applications that are installed on the server to create specific configurations for their web needs, and have the ability to provide a secure environment for their site. As compared to a shared-server environment, dedicated web hosting offers a peace of mind that a site will be delivered in a reliable and secure manner.

There are major benefits of dedicated web hosting, as discussed below. However, the major disadvantage, cost, is quickly being overcome. Because of continual growth in the dedicated web hosting industry, the rates for dedicated server plans are rapidly declining. A competitive environment drives up the level of service and decreases cost. This reduction is powered by an increase in small and medium-sized businesses gaining an online presence and the rapid proliferation of web hosting providers.

Advantages: Dedicated server hosting is favorable because of 2 major assets: control and reliability.

Since a dedicated web administrator has more control over a dedicated server, it tends to be more secure, compared to a shared web server. By knowing what exactly is installed on a dedicated server through full root access, a system administrator is able to confidently make decisions on the software and application updates necessary to maintain the dedicated web server and keep it running in its most optimal configuration.

Increased reliability is another major asset of dedicated server web hosting, as a server administrator has the self-sufficiency to optimize page loads by tweaking variables such as page load speed and general server resource allocation. This server reliability translates to customer satisfaction and an increase in the bottom line goals of a web site’s presence.

Disadvantages: While the benefits of dedicated web server hosting is apparent, the bottom line consideration, especially for business purposes is cost. Dedicated web hosting is significantly more expensive compared to shared or virtual web hosting, and until recently, could most commonly be quoted at several hundred dollars to several thousand dollars per month. Although cost may still be exorbitant, most businesses are able to justify the use of dedicated servers through a true web analysis to weigh the resources necessary to run applications and code.

Another drawback is the need to be able to monitor, install, upgrade and configure programs, add sites, deal with potential hacks, and troubleshoot systems. Therefore, the necessary system administration skills, if one does not possess them, may definitely inhibit the successful implementation of a web site hosted on a dedicated web server. Benefits: The direct benefits of a dedicated web hosting plan surround the ability to totally administer a web server. The advantage to be able to effectively maintain a dedicated server lies in one’s ability to control the variables associated with reliability and stability. In a dedicated environment, server overload, malicious scripts from other users, and too many installed applications are variables which can be controlled, as compared to this loss of management in shared server hosting.

Furthermore, a dedicated server allows one to only install applications or software that applies to the major hosting goal at hand. Conversely, shared web hosting has installed software that may or may not be related to the web hosting goals.

Reliance on the web host repair services and time delays of platform repairs can be minimized, as one may intervene and provide solutions to existing problems with dedicated web hosting. Having the option to add patches, upgrade software, or tweak performance is invaluable and allows the dedicated server administrator to work with 24 hour access to perform adjustments, corrections, or updates.

Lastly, speed of downloads can be determined through the amount of bandwidth that is dedicated to just your website. Statistically, visitors will quickly leave a site if the load time was long. Dedicated servers allow quick delivery of web pages, which increases the probability of keeping web site visitors on a site that may convert them to paying customers. Furthermore, quick loading pages enhance the company’s image and may encourage existing customers to refer your web-based services to others.

What is the best application of a dedicated web hosting service provider? Utility of a dedicated server environment is best suited to those with a working knowledge of server operating systems and those who don’t mind troubleshooting problems which may arise.

Server administrators must be able to apply kernel upgrades, service packs, and software patches, as well as provide ample security, monitor traffic, update server applications, balance server loads, and configure email, FTP, and DNS services.

In exchange for competency in the above functions, the best uses for a dedicated web server environment would be:

· mission-critical sites requiring custom server management and software implementation.

· dedicated hosting resellers, web developers and designers who need greater flexibility, reliability and security for their clients

· backbones of corporate intranets

· robust and dependable servers for streaming media, online gaming, and e-mail or chat applications

· complex application sites with high traffic and secure information such as ecommerce, database, and multimedia sites.

· enterprise-level web sites

· Web sites which may have content restrictions if hosted elsewhere (e.g. adult targeted sites.)

How to decide: Overall, the cost, security of data and equipment, bandwidth availability, the knowledge and integrity of the web-hosting provider, uptime, hardware maintenance, and any technical support offered by the dedicated web host are important deciding factors. Although your specific dedicated web hosting needs may be unique in a few ways, generally, one can make a decision on a dedicated web server provider by considering the following things:

Data Transfer Rates: Data transfer will need to be determined based on the amount of information that will be downloaded, as well as the type of content a site will be sharing (general text vs. high resolution graphics and multimedia). A dedicated web host will generally have various packages that will allow one to choose the data transfer level, normally measured in “gigabytes per month”. Higher levels of data transfer rates normally mean more cost, so utilization of the first few months to correlate data transfer rates and traffic patterns is key.

Platforms: The two most common systems available are Windows based servers versus some flavor of UNIX (Linux and Solaris). Windows is historically more expensive, but is generally regarded as more user-friendly, especially with the ubiquitous presence of Windows-based pc’s and administrators. Linux, on the other hand, is less expensive to install, but harder to maintain, as a steeper learning curve exists for those unfamiliar with it. Therefore, the operating system installed on a dedicated web server should depend on a couple of factors.

First, the platform should be conducive to the coding in which the website and necessary applications are developed. Next, since administration of the dedicated server will be done by the subscriber, the necessary skill base to support the platform must be in place. Commands and administration techniques are definitely platform-specific.

Monitoring: Dedicated server monitoring works to prevent service interruptions. The web host will provide a service that can, at a pre-set frequency, check a website to see downtime. Automation: Although dedicated web servers may require a greater degree of skill, certain dedicated web hosting companies may offer software that will automate common procedures, thus lessening the high level knowledge necessary to maintain servers and implement new services.

Data Backup: Some dedicated web hosting providers assist the web hosting subscriber with data backups. Finding a dedicated server provider who will assist in this process could alleviate the hassle of doing it yourself and can allow one to devote time to other things.

Scalability: Dedicated web hosting providers should be able to account for major growth. Progressive expansion can be accounted for by asking a web host if modules of extra space, bandwidth, or better yet, larger packages can be purchased to allow easy transition to better hardware and software.

Service Level Agreements: More dedicated web hosts are publishing their SLA’s, which thoroughly documents what they will do in exchange for what the customer is responsible for. For instance, some dedicated server hosts are offering features such as: 100% uptime guarantees, unlimited live answer technical phone-based support, free upgrades of patches, hot-fixes, personal Dedicated Sales account managers, maintenance staff with spare parts for all server configurations, and more. A full understanding of the commitment that a dedicated web host is offering will help in a decision to utilize that service.

By Rodel Garcia

Rodel Garcia is a freelance programmer and web developer. Owner and webmaster of http://www.web-hosting-service-directory.com/dedicated-web-hosting.html

Copyrights ©2005 Web-Hosting-Service-Directory.Com All Rights Reserved.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Halloween is a Scary Time for A Computer Virus

A computer virus is a like a Halloween costume. You never know what's under it. Is it a sweet little kid just looking for candy or a computer hacker looking for your credit card numbers. So watch out for Halloween viruses and their make up.

City of Villains

Are You Destined for Great Evil?

City of Villains™ is the standalone sequel to critically acclaimed MMORPG City of Heroes®. Using a staggering assortment of new powers, abilities, and customization options, players can now experience sinister game play from the other side of the mask. With diabolical craft and guile, players forge new super-powered villain characters in an attempt to dominate the world. Heroes and authorities of Paragon City will do all in their power to thwart these evil plans of destruction. It will take a supreme effort for true domination.

Features

Become an infamous Villain:
Players can advance from low level thugs to eventually fulfill their destiny as legendary arch-criminals.

Design and build infinitely customizable fortresses of evil:
Players repel intruders with vicious weaponry and diabolical defenses.

Heroes and Villains collide:
Now players can choose to take on the most challenging rivals of all time...each other!

Features a huge variety of villain missions:
including heists, kidnappings, infiltrations, and more!

Incredible villain variety:
including new archetypes, powers, villain costumes, and the deadly new villain group Arachnos!

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Updated Hands-On

Neversoft has been steadily expanding the scope of its Tony Hawk games for years. The past couple of installments have seen some pretty radical approaches to expansion with the Tony Hawk's Underground games, which have integrated a story in addition to building on the existing trick system and various gameplay modes. The latest entry in the series boasts a new title, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, and a bevy of new additions that should please fans of the series. The last time we saw the game, we got a good sense of its story and some of the ways the always-inventive Neversoft is evolving the franchise. We recently got an exclusive look at updated versions of the new game, including the shiny Xbox 360 version, and eagerly tried them out.

We clocked in a bit of time with the game's story mode--which is a change of pace from the story mechanic seen in THUG--before starting to explore other aspects of the game. The deliberately paced story mode now requires you to pick one of several different goofy alter egos to represent yourself in the game, as opposed to a custom skater. You'll eventually be able to customize your character a bit. The story itself is an homage to the roots of skateboarding and '80s punk style in an adventure worthy of Footloose. You'll guide your lowly, tragically unhip self as you flee oppression, bad dating options, and dysfunctional parenting, heading off to the wilds of Los Angeles to become a skate champ. One mugging later, the reality of life in the big city dawns on you. Fortunately your pathetic state engenders some pity from Mindy, an alternative-looking lass who's big on the eyeliner and hair dye. The first part of the game serves double duty as both a story setup and an in-game tutorial that familiarizes you with the basics of how to play. This early sequence will let you unlock moves as the story progresses and will generally ease you into the experience.

Though it may sound like THAW follows the THUG template a little too closely, it doesn't. The game is set in a free-roaming 3D world that streams in like Grand Theft Auto. The coolest thing about the game is Neversoft's attempt to offer a cohesive experience that integrates the various "create-a" modes seen in the previous Tony Hawk games. In a nod to GTA, you'll now find different stores in the game that will let you do the aforementioned customizing. Barbershops will let you change your hair. Clothing shops will let you buy new outfits. Skate shops will let you customize your deck and will offer "sponsor challenges" that will let you increase your skater's stats. Of course, the stores themselves don't care about your stats--they want cold hard cash, so you'll have to earn some. Fortunately, you'll find a healthy assortment of cash missions from the civilians you encounter in the game. The game experience is kept lively by a day-and-night cycle that is more than just a cool lighting effect--the passage of time will also affect the sponsor challenges, which change every day.

Tear up Los Angeles as you try to become the baddest skater in town.

Your ultimate goal in the game, besides cementing your rep as a badass, is to unearth a legendary snake run that's part of a ranch. Once you find it, you'll be able to enhance the ranch with parts that you'll steal from various spots in the environment as you progress through the game. Along the way you'll encounter professional skaters that are a mix of old and new. For example, Tony Alva hangs out on the Santa Monica pier and gives you some helpful information that sees you getting your hands on an alien costume to freak out a Ferris wheel operator. You'll eventually get other pros to show up later in the game, as your goal to unearth the snake run and preserve skating history is going to require you to organize a benefit.

There's a good deal more to do in the game. Neversoft has implemented a compass that shows where the various shops and challenges are in relation to your skater so you know where to head. One of the biggest additions to the game (which will stand out on the compass) is a BMX bike that you can choose to hop on at any time. The BMX gameplay is an interesting departure from the normal skate mechanics due to an all-new control layout. The left analog stick will let you steer, while the right analog stick will push your weight around for flips and rolls when in the air. The nice thing is that the bike is more than just an extra--you'll find BMX-only challenges too.
Read On

Blitz: The League Preview - Story Mode, Gameplay, and a Mean Streak

With its arcade years firmly behind it, Midway has since transitioned into a pretty successful publisher of console-exclusive games. But when it comes to its back catalog of arcade games, the transition wasn't easy. Arcade games are, for the most part, a little too shallow to just come home in their native forms. That's why we've seen the publisher attempt to update its various franchises, like Defender and Spy Hunter, with somewhat mixed results. The NFL Blitz series was one of Midway's final arcade smash hits. While the first few games were brought home, over the years the series lost some steam. Now, after a few years off, Midway is returning with a new Blitz game that ditches the NFL license, letting the developers get as nasty as they want to be. Now that we've spent some time with a near-final version of the game, we can say this: It seems like the Blitz series is poised to recapture the spirit of the original arcade games, while adding an entirely new element to the package.

The League is a dirty, dirty place.

That element is a full-fledged story mode. In it, you take a created team from the bottom of the game's fictional league all the way to the top. Along the way, cutscenes detail plenty of intrigue and other off-the-field drama. The story sets the stage in the team owner's office, as the owner pledges to go from worst to first and then makes a deal with the mayor to get a new stadium built if they can pull it off. From there you're sent to the created-team main screen, where you can play your next game or spend some of your funds on training. You can put guys into various training programs that will naturally enhance their statistics. But you'll have much faster gains if you put your players on different varieties of performance-enhancing "supplements." Of couse, the game makes that pretty risky. So if you juice your players up too far, they become much more likely to get caught by random drug testing, which is never good. So you'll have to ride the line just right to juice the players up enough to get them to play how you want them to play without having them get nabbed. You can even put your players on different types of juice. If you want to play it straight, there's simple, legal stuff like flax seed oil. But later on, you'll get access to a substance that's comically called "flax seed oil," quotation marks and all.

That same risk-versus-reward scenario comes up time and time again throughout the game. Injuries, for example, are a very big part of the game thanks to a new "dirty hit" command that lets you hit harder and inflict just a little bit more damage. Player injuries are often-spectacular displays of over-the-top mayhem, and they always include a quick X-ray view of a bone snapping or a ligament tearing. When your player is injured, you can choose to treat the injury, but this might mean that one of your star players will be out for a few games. Taking the dirty route--by hopping the player up on some junk that will fix 'em up faster--will get your player back in the game after only a few plays...most of the time. But doing so significantly lowers stamina, increasing the chance that he'll fumble and making him more prone to serious injuries.

The gameplay in Blitz: The League is an interesting mix of Blitz's arcade roots and a series of new systems and functions that make the game deeper, though without overly complicating things. That's a delicate balancing act, but from what we've played so far, things like the clash meter and unleash moves really do add something exciting to the game. The clash meter is sort of a second turbo meter, but rather than just making your players run faster, it's the gas that fuels the game's more interesting maneuvers. On defense, holding down the clash button while attempting a tackle is how you execute dirty hits. But you'll still drain the meter even if you miss the tackle, so you have to be careful. On offense, clash is used to drop the game into slow motion. While in this state, quarterbacks have a tendency to dodge or roll out of incoming sack attempts. Ball carriers throw stiff arms and generally break away from most tackles. Slow motion also makes things like catching passes easier, but it also doesn't really feel like some magic ability that makes offense a breeze. Also, you don't start out each play with a full clash meter. You have to fill up this meter by gaining yards on offense or by causing losses on defense. As a result, you have to be smart about when you use it, especially on defense. If you're on D with an empty clash meter, it can be pretty tough to add to it.

Causing injury has rarely been this much fun.

Doing things like injuring players, evading sacks, executing clash catches, and taunting the opposition on your way to the end zone gives you icons that go in to a separate meter. Filling this one up sets you up for an "unleash" ability. These are essentially pumped-up clashes. Unleash catches cause full-on catch animations that are practically impossible to stop. Unleash tackles are even more bone-crushing than the average dirty hit, giving you an even greater chance to cause injury or a fumble. Smart use of your clash and unleash meters seems like the key to success in Blitz: The League, but good, solid reflexes--you know, the sort that cause you to almost instinctively dive on a receiver well before the ball gets to him--are also a plus here.

In playing a handful of games and easing our way into the story mode, we've found that Blitz: The League has a whole lot going for it so far. It has a mean streak, for sure, but it rides that streak right up to the breaking point before interjecting some much-needed humor to lighten the mood. The game definitely doesn't take itself too seriously, making for a decidedly M-rated but funny take on the world of football. On top of that, the gameplay definitely seems rock solid, and the graphics and sound stand out as well. We'll have a full review of Blitz: The League soon.

Armored Core Formula Front Hands-On Update

Though Armored Core Formula Front was released last December at the PSP's Japanese launch, it's been one of the few Japanese-released games to not be released in the US. While this is fine for the likes of the small clutch of mahjong games released at the same time during the hardware launch, Armored Core Formula Front is conspicuously absent here, creating a mech-action deficit on American PSPs. Fortunately, it appears that Agetec hasn't forgotten about the game and has actually been hard at work on it, making it better suited for the US.

For those who missed it, Armored Core Formula Front is a mech simulation game where you tune a mech with an extensive selection of customization parts and options. Then you watch it fight against other mechs using computer-controlled artificial intelligence that you can also customize. You'll essentially be playing as an owner of a team of five mechs, making them fight one-on-one matches against other mechs. Your objective is to win battles to become the highest-ranking contender in the grand prix featured in the game. You start off by playing in the lowest-ranking league, and it's up to you and your customization skills to climb up the charts. You'll be prompted to enter a name for your team when you play the game for the first time, and you can also create your own logo for your team through the emblem option, which gives you a set of basic graphical tools for you to draw on a 128x128 pixel area that you can save to your Memory Stick Duo.

Your five mechs have different colors and settings when you start the game, but you can customize them however you want. Each of the mech components you use will have its pros and cons, so you'll need to customize your mech with components that match or can counter the opponent you're about to go against. You'll find that you can deal with different opponents quickly by giving your squad different settings, such as making one that's agile and good against close-quarter combat, while making another that's totally the opposite by being heavy and packing all sorts of arms. That way you can just pick the mech best suited for the enemy type you'll face before a fight, making minor adjustments if you need to.

The basic gameflow of Formula Front is that you'll first customize your own mech, tune its AI, and then watch it fight against the opponent's mech. You customize your mech through the garage menu, which lets you select the various components you want to use on your mech, starting off with the minimal requirement of parts you need, which are its head, core, arms, legs, booster, fire control system (FCS), generator, and radiator. The game won't let you enter the battle if you're missing any of those fundamental parts, like if you try to make a mech that only consists of a leg, for instance. You have a full selection for each of your body parts from the moment you fire up the game, which is convenient, considering you don't need to unlock them as in other games. You can also change around the color of your mech through a paint menu by either picking a preset or by making your own set of palettes by toying around with the mech's RGB settings.

In general, parts that only have basic functions tend to be lighter in weight and require less energy to use, while parts that are more useful are usually heavier and require more energy. So if you try to make a mech that's loaded with the most useful parts and strongest firearms, you won't be able to move around at all, and you'll become a sitting duck. The game features a load of different weapons, such as grenade launchers, pulse rifles, laser cannons, spread guns, bazookas, machine guns, flame launchers, and, as in all mech games, a selection of blades. You can hold two weapons, one in your mech's right hand and one in its left. You've also got hanging units and weapons you can attach on the back of your mech, such as homing missiles, stealth missiles, and rail cannons. In addition, there's a selection of supplementary weapons you can equip, such as land mines and ECM (Electronic Counter Measure) devices that can interfere with your opponent's radar and lock-on capabilities.

Battalion Wars

Battalion Wars blazes onto Nintendo GameCube with a platoon of real-time strategy (RTS) action. Whether players are hoofing it across the plains as a lone infantryman or commanding an entire platoon from atop an armored tank, the challenge is real and the mission is critical. There has never been a real-time strategy title like this before.

•Command forces in the heat of battle, but beware. Clever enemy AI will adapt to every move.

•Hop behind the wheel of multiple attack vehicles: Pilot jeeps, tanks, helicopters, airborne gunships, fighter jets, transport vehicles and more.

•Take the fight to foes with a massive arsenal of weapons such as rifles, bazookas, flamethrowers, machine guns, mortars, rocket launchers and many others.

•Countries will rise or fall based on players’ tactics, and guiding troops has never been easier. Want to station forces on a ridge? Send a scout team to spy on the enemy? Charge headlong into the breach? Battalion Wars lets players do it all at the touch of a button.

Storyline

Dark days are rising at the end of the 21st century. What started as a border spat between the Western Frontier and the Tundran Territories has snowballed into a terrifying global conflict – one in which the armies have fought each other to a standstill. As their once-proud forces limp through the seemingly endless war, a despotic madman, Kaiser Vlad, seeks to take advantage of the stalemate and seize control of both nations.

The Kaiser is the former leader of Xylvania, which was annexed by the Western Frontier and Tundran Territories during their war. Deprived of his armies and thirsty for revenge, Vlad uses secret offshore accounts and unholy science to create a terrible army of super powerful, gas-breathing, Chemical Shock Troops.

When Vlad unleashes the warriors, it takes both superpowers by surprise. Weakened by their prolonged conflict and seemingly helpless against this new threat, the Frontier and Tundran armies form a desperate alliance in an attempt to repel the Kaiser. Can this new coalition use pluck and guile to overcome the forces of darkness, or will both nations fall under the boot heel of a madman?

Characters

•The player-controlled Western Frontier forces are lead by General Herman and Colonel Austin. They are joined by Betty, who gives mission briefings, objective updates and helpful intel.

•The Tundran army is commanded by Tzar Gorgi and Marshal Nova. Once bitter enemies of the Western Frontier, they have put aside old feelings to combat the Xylvanian menace.

•The nefarious Xylvanian forces are lead by they power-hungry Kaiser Vlad. His right hand is the beautiful and deadly Countess Ingrid.

How to Progress through the Game

Battalion Wars contains more than 20 unique missions, each with a number of sub-quests and goals. Once in a mission, players can complete it any way they choose. Need to blow up a tank? Go the stealthy route and send a squad through the forest to ambush it from behind, or just hop into a tank and charge! Real-time strategy meets full-on action.

Special Features

Most PC-based real-time strategy games have complicated controls, and translating them to consoles can be a challenge. Battalion Wars does a masterful job of making it simple, yet effective. A single button press summons troops, while a second sends them off to fight. Posting sentries, driving vehicles and accessing the all-important battlefield map is easy and intuitive.

'Violent' Video Games Can No Longer Be Sold To Cali Minors

On Friday, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger took steps to ensure that teen gamers in his state will be doing a little less terminating in their video games.

The governor signed into law Assembly Bill 1179, which bans the sale andrental of "violent video games" to Californians under the age of 18.

Games containing the type of extreme violence described in the bill will be required to carry an "18+" label on the front of the box if they are to be sold in the Golden State. Retailers selling such games to kids would face a maximum $1,000 penalty.

"Many of these games are made for adults and choosing games that are appropriate for kids should be a decision made by their parents," Schwarzenegger said in a statement.

Similar bills have been signed into law this year in Michigan and Illinois (see "Political Battles Against Video Games Heating Up Across The Nation") and received support from top politicians such as Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT).

Just which violent video games would be subject to the law is not yet clear. Schwarzenegger's press materials describe Friday's action as a move to restrict "violent video games," using the same phrase in the actual legislation. But should a California teen worry about being able to buy the next "Grand Theft Auto," the next "Super Mario Brothers," the next "Fight Night" boxing game or all of the above?

"We're not talking about violent video games," said the bill's author, Assemblyman Leland Yee, in an interview with MTV News last month. "We're talking about ultra-violent video games."

The legislation itself defines a "violent" game as those with violence that "lack[s] serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for minors" or "enables the player to virtually inflict serious injury upon images of human beings or characters with substantially human characteristics in a manner which is especially heinous, cruel, or depraved in that it involves torture or serious physical abuse to the victim."

The Entertainment Software Association, which represents the game industry, was quick to voice its disapproval of the law. "We are disappointed that politicians of both parties chose to toss overboard the First Amendment and free artistic and creative expression in favor of political expediency," ESA President Douglas Lowenstein said. The ESA, which has successfully gotten courts to overturn similar laws in Washington state and Missouri and has filed suit to block the laws in Michigan and Illinois, has announced its intention to file suit to block the California law.

But those responsible for the California legislation, including the bill's author, Yee, say that this year's spate of laws will survive based on stronger scientific research than has been available in years past. Yee, a trained child psychologist, said last month that recent studies from groups such as the American Psychiatric Association indicated that the effects of violent video games on minors makes it necessary to enact laws restricting their sale to kids — even if such laws do not exist for violent movies, music or television.

Yee reiterated those claims in a statement on Friday. "Unlike movies where you passively watch violence, in a video game, you are the active participant and making decisions on who to stab, maim, burn or kill. As a result, these games serve as learning tools that have a dramatic impact on our children."

— Stephen Totilo

Nintendo's US Wi-Fi Revealed

October 5, 2005 - To coincide with the details coming from Japan, Nintendo of America has revealed the US plans for the service that will link Nintendo DS games wirelessly all over the world. Already revealed as the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, this internet service will go online starting November 14th in the US, with the first Nintendo-published games, Mario Kart DS, Animal Crossing: Wild World, and Metroid Prime Hunters supporting the network. The first third-party game will be Activision's Tony Hawk's American Sk8land.

The service will be free to Nintendo DS owners, requiring no additional charge to play supported games over the internet. Households with Wi-Fi networks can access the service with only a minimal of setup procedures. For households with standard broadband internet access and no wireless router, Nintendo will sell separately the Nintendo Wi-Fi USB Connector that will enable the Nintendo DS systems to connect to the internet.

Nintendo of America will also set up thousands of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection hotspots all over the US, and the company will soon reveal the details on where and how players can link up via these hotspots. Nintendo will also use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service for its next generation Revolution console when it ships sometime in 2006.

Mario Kart DS and Tony Hawk's American Sk8land will ship on November 14th to kick off the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in the US. Mario Kart DS will support four player over the internet; racers can pick opponents from their roster of friends, match up randomly against strangers of comparable skill levels or simply choose to race against anyone in the world. American Sk8land will feature head-to-head play, enabling players to create custom art for boards and tags as well as track high scores and stats.

Animal Crossing: Wild World will launch on December 5th. Players can travel to other players' towns or invite up to three other players to visit their own towns, simply by opening the town gate. The four players then can interact and play together simultaneously in one town. Players must know one another and register to their respective friend rosters before they can connect.

Metroid Prime Hunters, the long-in-development first person shooter for the DS, will ship in the first quarter of 2006. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service will enable players to link up with like-skilled opponents all over the world.

Nintendo has taken the online video gaming model and rewritten the definition of community," said Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales & marketing. "With easy setup and no added service fees, players far and wide will log in and play with one another as easily as if they were sitting in the same room."
by Craig Harris

Gamestop & EB Stockholders Approve Merger

October 7, 2005 - Stockholders for both Gamestop and Electronics Boutique have approved the merger of the two retail chains to create what is considered to be the largest videogame retailer in the United States.

The newly combined company will be known as Gamestop Corp. and will control approximately 25% of the video games sales in the United States and have a virtual lock on the more profitable used game market. The deal, when announced in April, was valued at about $1.4 billion.
by Wade Steel

SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy SEALs

October 7, 2005 - The SOCOM series is arguably Sony's most important franchise in its portfolio. While games like Gran Turismo and such may have garnered more total sales and critical praise (not that SOCOM is lacking in either), the series has been the most important series thus far in getting PlayStation 2 gamers to pick up a Network Adaptor and take their consoles online.

Zipper Interactive and Sony Computer Entertainment are now set to release the third game in the series, SOCOM 3: U. S. Navy SEALs. While SOCOM II may have sort of felt like an expansion pack to the original game, with some expected improvements and additions not quite making their way to the first sequel, SOCOM 3 is packed to the brim with new features, content, game types and more that will no doubt quench the parched thirst of SOCOM fans everywhere.

SOCOM 3 is bigger and better than the previous two titles in almost every way. New additions like vehicles, much larger environments, a better singleplayer campaign and more have done a lot to essentially polish off a series that has always been this close to being something really special.

The series has always had tight controls, and SOCOM 3 is no different. The layout and feel of movement is top-notch, with its analog control movement and look easily on par with other AAA system sellers like Halo. Quick and easy access to things like soldier commands is a cinch through its tiered command structure. We'd still like to see a slightly quicker and more natural way to switch through weapons, but aside from that the series has essentially nailed its overall feel, which is obviously of utmost importance.

Vehicles
One of the two biggest and most important additions the game makes to the SOCOM franchise is the ability to pilot vehicles. SOCOM 3 features roughly 20 transports you can commandeer, like Humvees, tanks, jeeps, convoy trucks, assault boats... the list goes on and on. Each vehicle has multiple ride points, many with mounted turrets or open weapons holes, meaning that other soldiers can hop and act not only as passengers but as a collective mobile unit of death.

All of the vehicles feel great to drive and are a blast to use while either squishing enemy soldiers beneath your tires or gunning them down from a moving gun turret. We've never driven a tank or many of the other vehicles in SOCOM 3 in real life, so we can only guess as to their real-world accuracy, but the variation with regards to speed, handling and overall feel between the vehicles is great. A basic jeep handles totally unlike a Humvee which of course handles totally unlike a tank. We're not talking Gran Turismo accuracy here with regards to physics and whatnot, but the vehicles are fun stuff nonetheless.

The bigger and deadlier units, like tanks, generally require multiple troops working together to take them out. As you'll essentially have to work together to take out something like a tank, and as it's both simple and beneficial to give other passengers a ride when you take off after spawning, the inclusion of vehicles oddly helps to encourage the use of squads. Most every veteran of tactical war shooters already knows the benefits of scouting in groups, but the vehicles actually help guide new players into squads as well. Designers usually draw a fine line between forcing players into squads, sometimes designing the game around some sort of requirement for this (even if said "requirement" is just a score bonus), but SOCOM 3 does a great job of encouraging it without actually requiring it. If you're on your own against a tank though, run your ass off.

Another example of Zipper encouraging teamwork without necessarily requiring it is one of the new online gametypes, Convoy. In it, the terrorists must move one of two convoy trucks to a pickup zone, pickup whatever sort of illegal goods they're interested in moving, and then get at least one of them through the exit zone in order to win. Convoy helps encourage teamwork on the terrorist side as you're heading towards one of the static pickup points and there are bound to be SEALs about, so you're going to need help defending the truck. While it may be possible to win this one alone, it's highly unlikely it'll happen very often, so loners will probably set off by themselves to take out the amassing SEALs. Again, the new addition of vehicles helps to form squads. Read On
by Chris Roper

The Countdown Begins: Xbox 360

TOKYO — Sept. 15, 2005 — Fueling global anticipation for the arrival of its powerful new video game and entertainment system, Microsoft Corp. today announced that Xbox 360™ will arrive on store shelves Tuesday, Nov. 22 in North America, Friday, Dec. 2 in Europe, and Saturday, Dec. 10 in Japan. The announcement, made on the eve of Tokyo Game Show 2005, marked the first time that a game console will be launched in three territories in the same time frame. In preparation for what is expected to be massive worldwide demand for the new system, Microsoft also announced that Xbox 360 manufacturing is under way, with state-of-the-art facilities producing millions of units ultimately bound for frenzied gamers’ homes from Osaka, Japan, to Oxford, England, and Orlando, Fla.

"This holiday season, gamers in Japan, Europe and North America pining to experience jaw-dropping high-definition graphics, unmatched online play and compelling digital entertainment features of Xbox 360 will finally have the chance," said Robbie Bach, chief Xbox officer for Microsoft. "Renowned development studios around the world are busy putting the finishing touches on their Xbox 360 games. We expect a strong portfolio of titles on launch day and through the holidays that will appeal to fans of every genre and gamers in every region, and with more than 200 games currently in development, continuous new additions to the library are on the way."

Bach and other Microsoft executives, headlining a series of events that open Tokyo Game Show, will detail the company’s strategy for success in Japan. More than 40 publishers in Japan, including Bandai Co. Ltd., Capcom Co. Ltd., Koei Co. Ltd., Konami Corp., Namco Ltd., Sega Corp., Square Enix Co. Ltd. and Tecmo Ltd., have pledged their support for Xbox 360, joining the ranks of the best publishers from around the world. As the ultimate canvas for game developers, Xbox 360 will inspire a new wave of innovation in gameplay, storytelling and artistry never before seen in video games.

Promising to capture the imagination of Japanese gamers, new titles and established franchises such as "Dead or Alive® 4," "Ridge Racer 6," "NINETY-NINE NIGHTS™," "Dead Rising" and "FINAL FANTASY® XI" will be available on Xbox 360 in the months to come. With support for high-definition output with anti-aliasing, and Dolby® 5.1 surround sound, all Xbox 360 games will deliver smooth, cinematic experiences that scream off the screen.

In addition to the impressive lineup of titles both in Japan and around the world, gamers will soon be able to enjoy the next generation of the Xbox Live® service, the Emmy®-award-winning online games and entertainment network. With Xbox 360 and the Xbox Live service, gamers can play online in a community of millions, connect with friends using voice and video chat, download new content, build online profiles and experience new modes of entertainment. Xbox 360 is also the ultimate amplifier for music, movies and photos stored on an array of devices including MP3 players, digital cameras and Microsoft® Windows® XP-based PCs. The console makes it easy for gamers to enjoy all their digital content in the living room, on the best TV and speakers in the house.

Tokyo Game Show marks the first time that consumers will be able to experience the power of Xbox 360 firsthand. A number of key titles will be on display at the Xbox 360 booth:

• "(eM)-eNCHANT-arM" (FromSoftware Inc.)
• "Bomberman — Act Zero" (Hudson Soft Co. Ltd.)
• "Call of Duty® 2" (Activision Inc.)
• "CHROMEHOUNDS" (Sega)
• "Dead Rising" (Capcom)
• "Dynasty Warriors 5 Special" (Koei Co. Ltd.)
• "Everyparty" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Far East of Eden — Ziria" (Hudson Soft)
• "FINAL FANTASY XI" (Square Enix Co. Ltd.)
• "Frame City Killer" (Namco)
• "Gears of War" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Kameo™: Elements of Power™" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Mobile Suit Gundam" (tentative title) (Bandai Co. Ltd.)
• "Need for Speed Most Wanted" (Electronic Arts)
• "NINETY-NINE NIGHTS" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "The Outfit™" (THQ)
• Project Gotham Racing® 3" (Microsoft Game Studios)
• "Resident Evil 5" (Capcom)
• "Ridge Racer 6" (Namco)
• "Rumble Roses XX" (tentative title) (Konami)
• "Shutoku Battle" (tentative title) (Genki Co. Ltd.)
• "Sonic the Hedgehog" (Sega)
• "Saint’s Row™" (THQ)
• "Test Drive Unlimited" (Atari Inc.)
• "Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" (Ubisoft Entertainment)
• "World Air Force" (tentative title) (Taito Corp.)
• "Wrestle Kingdom" (Yuke’s Co. Ltd.)

Reviving Old Computer Games

Remember the good old days of gaming, when there were only 5 pixels in the protagonist and your imagination could turn them into a heroic figure of Schwarzenegger proportions? When the enemies and the heroes were distinguished by colour and you only needed one button on the joystick? Well times have changed and technology has moved on. Pulling my old Commodore 64 or Atari out of the back of the cupboard and setting them up often takes more time than the nostalgic pang lasts. I’ve also noticed that some of my old disks are starting to age and become corrupted. Enter the Internet.

The wonderfully technologically gifted and giving Internet populace is out in force in their attempts to preserve the older side of gaming. Remakes and Emulators for almost any old machine can be found around the Internet. Emulators act as a layer between old software and new hardware allowing modern PCs to run programs that such hardware was never meant to see. Commodore 64, Amiga, NES, Master System, Arcade Machines and more have all been emulated and the necessary programs placed online for download, usually for free.

Emulation is not a new idea. I had a hardware emulator for the VIC20 that plugged into the back of my Commodore 64 and allowed the use of the older VIC20 cartridges with the new hardware (I never actually owned a VIC20 or any programs for it but that’s another issue). Emulator popularity has been fading in and out for many years, only coming into many people’s attention with the release of Bleem!, a Playstation emulator for PC that was released while the PSOne still held a dominant share of the video game market. Bleemcast (a Playstation emulator for the Sega Dreamcast) soon followed causing one of the more interesting video game legal battles as Sony fought to have the emulator shut down. However, the emulators have a strong following and very active user base.

Emulators are easy to find and download. Simply search for the system you want and add the word emulator to the end (e.g. “SNES Emulator”) and you’ll probably come up with a lot of hits. Be slightly wary as some emulator sites will either be false links or may contain pornographic ads. Setting the emulators up to run is usually fairly straightforward and there’s a fair chance that you’ll be able to find some documentation and help. Some of the newer systems require a BIOS image to be installed with the emulator. This is to get around the legal issues raised by Sony in the Bleem! legal battles by requiring you to be in possession of a Playstation BIOS (and hence, presumably, a Playstation) in order to play the games on your computer. Making a BIOS image to load into your computer will most likely be beyond your technical expertise, but a quick check of your console’s case will reveal the file you need to get and then it’s as simple as searching the internet for a BIOS image that matches the BIOS you already own.

Of interest are the PC emulators now available. Windows no longer has very good support for older DOS-based games so there are a few emulators out there now to emulate the DOS environment. DOSBox (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/) is probably the best known of the crop. There are also game-specific emulators such as ScummVM (www.scummvm.org) or DOOM Legacy (http://legacy.newdoom.com/) that focus specifically on certain games and hence are able to improve the experience for those particular titles.

Once you have yourself an emulator you’ll need to get yourself some programs to run with it. These programs are called ‘ROMs’ and are images of the original storage device that the program came on (be it a cartridge, tape, floppy or other). The process of creating a ROM is probably far too technical for the vast majority of computer users so you’re probably going to have to find a ‘backup’ from somewhere to download. This is where the venture gets slightly foggy. Basically the deal is that you can only have a program ROM if you own the original program. So if you have boxes of old Amiga disks, NES cartridges, or other old gaming programs stored away somewhere, you’re in luck, otherwise you’re treading on legally shifty ground. While it can easily be argued that the downloading of a 1987 computer game is of no real consequence to the company that has in all likelihood closed down, copyright doesn’t actually expire for 50 years and computer games just haven’t been around that long.

Online ‘emulation’ is a new area now being explored. The idea is that you simply play the game in your browser through a Java applet or Flash application. These might not always strictly be emulated programs but many remakes are feature perfect with the originals. The graphics, sounds, and game play remain intact. One excellent place to look for online games is Every Video Game (http://www.everyvideogame.com). While the site does not in fact contain ‘every video game’ it does have a very large list of old games from the arcades, GameBoy, NES, and Master System all playable through your browser. Many remakes can also be found at Shockwave’s site (http://www.shockwave.com/sw/actiongames/arcade_classics/).

Some of the old games have even been remade and updated for this modern world we now live in. Try doing a search for remakes of a game title you particularly enjoyed and you may be surprised at what you find. There are games that have been updated to be 3D, such as some old favourites of mine: Pac man (http://www.caiman.us/scripts/fw/f1292.html) and Barbarian (http://www.dgdevteam.tk/), and while these might not always be brilliant games or remakes in their own right, the thought and effort put in often leads to an enjoyable diversion. There are also more traditional versions of games that have just updated the code as well as possibly the graphics so that they can still be run.

So if you’re feeling nostalgic or just can’t get the hang of these new-fangled games that require you to push fifty buttons in a precise configuration just to jump, you may like to check out the emulation and remake scene. It’s surprisingly entertaining to go back in time to when games were simple yet fun.

Daniel Punch M6.Net Web Helpers http://www.m6.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Create Computer Games - Get Started on Creating Your Own Virtual Worlds

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Buying Video Games for Kids 101 - A Parent's Guide

With video game sales burgeoning beyond a multi-billion dollar industry, video gaming is fast becoming the favourite pastime of adults and kids. Quickly replacing the likes of internet, TV, and good old fashion outside playtime, the target market for video games is stretching to younger audiences. Although the dynamics of the entertainment market are continually changing, a problem lies not with younger video gamers, but what games these button fiends play. Despite a growing number of younger gamers this does not entail video games are becoming more sensitive to their impressionable markets. Video game violence is not only the norm, but is increasing in popularity, regularity, and vulgarity. Take for instance the latest Grand Theft Auto release GTA 4: San Andreas. This past July, it was discovered that the already violent video game, (gamer situations include killing police officers, gang violence, etc.,) held a hidden X-rated mini game unlockable for your enjoyment. What’s even more disturbing is the frequency kids discuss these with awe at school and playtime (assuming they play things other than video games.)

This article will assume that parents are interested in learning when it comes to monitoring video game content for their kids. One would also assume parents are spending more time buying games and scrutinizing the content to ensure junior remains relatively innocent a little longer. However, recent polls reveal parents wilfully ignore game ratings when buying. This article is dedicated to equipping you, the interested parent, and not how to ward off blatant laziness.

5 Helpful Hints for Buying Appropriate Video Games for Kids

• 1. It is important to be involved in your child's gaming activity. Watch them play, discuss the game once finished, and try to understand what components of the game your kid enjoys the most. This will help you understand the content of a particular game and will help underscore what your kid thinks is fun. Of course all kids have different levels of maturity, and parents should be sensitive to each individual.

• 2. Before purchasing spend a few minutes reading online reviews. In a matter of 5 minutes you can find enough information that will not only give concise video game summaries, various ratings, but will enable you to read the opinions of various other reviewers as well. You can gather valuable information from varying opinions that will help you determine the content, playability, and cost. Let's face it, mind as well get all the bang for your video game buck because they're not cheap!

• 3. When you reach the store be sure to spend time reading the labels, looking at the game art, and checking the ESRB rating. This is a step the majority of parents overlook or do not take seriously. By reading the labels you get a quick description of the game content, you will be surprised how useful these labels are. The independent video game reviewer body, the Entertainment Software Rating Board, place ratings on every video game box. Do not overlook this rating and the accompanying content descriptions because rest assured, the ESRB will not lie. Their descriptions are clear when describing potential violent situations that could occur during gameplay. Their ratings are self-explanatory and follow a similar system as movies. The rating symbols and recommended audiences are: "E" is for Everyone, "eC" denotes Early Childhood, "E10+" Everyone 10 and up, "T" marks Teens 13 and up, "M" Mature rating for ages 17 and up, "AO" is Adults Only, and finally “RP” means Rating Pending. Once again, you are the best judge regarding the maturity level of your kid, perhaps a rating of "T" for teen is too much for them to handle.

• 4. Online gaming may change gaming descriptions. Many PC games, some Playstaiton 2, mobile games, and Xbox Live games have features that enable gamers to go online and play with other people, young and old. The box reviews may contain a warning, "online gameplay may change…" This means conversations between players, strategies, etc., are largely dictated by human players, many of whom are far older than your newbie kid. Be sure to watch online gameplay, however, a good rule of thumb is: if the game is already violent, it will remain so online. Sound easy? It is.

• 5. Finally, review the game you just bought with your kid. Despite your work researching the actual game may differ from your pre-conceived notion. Not all sports games are as sporty and innocent as you may believe. Don’t be shy, sit down and pick up the controller, even if you're going to be beat by a 10 year old. All too often games are bought without any time spent reviewing the content, and then kids are left alone to play till their hearts content.

These are but 5 suggestions that when implemented, will enable you to purchase appropriate video games with greater care. There is a heavy movement from the state to restrict video games via censorship, proof of age verifications, etc. Although some of these measures make sense, ultimately it is the responsibility of the parent to monitor the content of video games. So equip yourself. Take 5-10 minutes before your next purchase and do some quick research. And of course, don't hesitate to play the games you bought, if only to raise your kid's self-esteem by consistently losing due to your inept gaming self--but at least you did your job before hand.

Barry Nagassar is owner and operator of http://www.discussvideogames.com An online video game forum for all gaming systems. Included is a unique social issues forum dedicated to the topics of violent video games.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
By Barry Nagassar