Brain Hood

Gaming multimedia till date haven’t been used put to some other use apart from entertainment. Different studies undertaken by researchers have consluded that games can be used for many other purposes. While we constantly rant about the violent video games desensitizing the tender minds of teenagers, there is also a brighter to these games. Scientists are now applying video games  in the areas of psychology and self-help, with great success.

Applying Video Games in Psychological Treatment

Academicians and psychologists do find some potential in applying video games for the treatment of common psychological problems like depression. According to Sally Merry, a senior lecturer from University of Auckland, a fantasy computer game called ‘Sparx’ is used in the treatment of depression through cognitive behavioral therapy. The idea underlying the activity of making such games is making the therapy sessions fun-filled however, through a virtual medium. The Sparx game is loaded with a lot of features and activities which help the players to learn some relaxation techniques and ways to combat depression. Converting the ‘Gnats’ into ‘Sparx’ is the main idea or basis of this game. GNAT is actually an acronym for the following terms: gloomy, negative, automatic thoughts. SPARX, on the other hand stands for smart, positive, active, realistic, x-factor thoughts. Computer therapy is also used in the treatment of anxiety-related disorders. The British Medical Journal too has endorsed this game and described it to be fun-filled as well as effective.

Applying Video Games to Other Uses

Applying video games to neurological feedback systems is considered useful in the treatment of kids with attention deficit disorders. The mechanism used in these games is one in which brain activity is monitored through sensors fitted on helmets. The players have to wear such helmets while playing the games. If a player loses concentration while playing the game, signals are sent to a controller, which in turn hinders the acceleration of characters in the game. A study conducted in India by an ophthamologist, Dr. Somen Ghosh concluded that the standard treatment coupled with a regimen of playing video games should help a patient recover from ‘lazy eye’ i.e. amblyopia. Daphne Maurer and his team of researchers from the McMaster University in Canada have come up with a new finding that shooting games assist in improving the vision. The sensory abilities which seem to have completely damaged can be corrected even in adulthood. Thus, playing video games therapeutically is not all that bad for the eyes. Video games offer an advantage of being compulsorily interactive. It means that have to pay full attention to a game when you are playing it. Therefore, using video games as a tool to bring about a positive change in a person holds great scope.

The online games, just like the offline ones (mentioned above) are increasingly being developed for some noble use instead of just entertainment. The online video games associated with the treatment of mental illnesses by applying video games to the treatment plan can be placed in two categories i.e. ‘society games’ and ‘online worlds’. Narrative content is the specialty of online worlds while ease of accesibility is the characteistic trait of society games. Now that scientists are applying video games in the field of psychological treatments, people would take the activity of gaming seriously in the future.

There had been a lot of anticipation in video gaming circles regarding Doom 3, which recently turned into uncertainty regarding whether it’s even going to happen.

After revelations of there being a patent issue with the Doom 3 source code last week, there were concerns that it’s imminent source code release might not be so imminent anymore. However apparently there was a minor workaround for the offending code, which John Carmack himself implemented. According to him it required adding only four lines of code and changing two. And now of course, Doom 3 is finally open source!

This code release has been triggered by the release of their next-generation id Tech 5 engine in Rage, which was released just last month. The id Tech 5 engine too will eventually become open source when id Software creates its replacement and releases it in a commercial game.

The open source nature does not extend to the game data as well of course, and to play Doom 3 you will still need to purchase a license for the game. People can, however, now create their own games based on the engine, or modify the Doom 3 engine itself and use it to play the game.

The open source gaming community has benefited greatly from the source code opened by id Software, and there are now numerous open source games that use the quake3 engine and its derivatives.

The Doom 3 engine, or the id Tech 4 engine first appeared in Doom 3 back in 2004, and was also used in Quake 4 soon after. While the engine might seem rather old now, it is still a huge advancement over the id Tech 3 engine and the Enemy Territory engines that were available till now. Also, the id Tech 4 engine has been used in recent commercial games; Brink, an id Tech 4 based games was released just this year, and Prey 2 an as yet unreleased game coming in 2012 also features the id Tech 4 engine.

The source code for Doom 3 is hosted at the popular GitHub code hosting site and is available under the GPL3 license, which permits anyone to create derivatives of the code and distribute them as long as the modified code is distributed as well. While it has only been a few hours since it was made available, already they are hundreds of people watching the project, dozens of forks, and one commit for XCode 4 support.

Okay, let is start this video gaming review with a little confession, which isn’t so much a confession as a confirmation of a known fact. All us video gaming news bloggers are Valve and id fanboys almost without exception

A Video Gaming Legacy to Live Up To

Valve’s Half-Life, despite its shitty graphics (by today’s standards), was the first video gaming storyline that really hooked us, back in the day when Hollywood scriptwriters weren’t writing for games yet. Half-life drew you in and kept you there. “There’ll never be another video gaming experience like this,” we all said. And felt vindicated when, even until years later, none of the games, with their graphical and gameplay improvements could make up for the void that Half-Life left.

Then they went and released Half-life 2, and we fell in love all over again. Then they frustrated the world with the long waits for Half-life 2: Episode 1 and 2, and we’d all but lost hope for video gaming nirvana when Portal came out.

The video gaming sequel to Valve’s Portal had to be very special indeed, precisely because that first game was a revelation. It was immersive, funny and was an FPS video gaming experience that had no “shooting” to speak of. Oh wait, I forgot that turrets can shoot at you… anyway, Portal was unique, and quirky, and we loved it more than a lot of other games we’ve played, simply for its defiance of norms.

When Portal 2 released, we had mixed emotions: excitement and skepticism. It was, after all the freshness of the concept that made Portal the iconic video gaming experience it was, but now the concept was old… Could they pull off another HL2 with Portal 2?

Video Gaming that Leaves Your Breathless

Perhaps the biggest compliment we can pay this game, one we cannot quantify on a scale of 10, is that it is unputdownable. It just reels you in, takes you breath away and leaves your craving for more after the 8-odd hours that you spent playing it — on the trot. It is the video gaming equivalent of a best-selling page turner.

Comparisons to Portal may prove odious; its not necessarily a better or more iconic, but its a longer and the video gaming is much more fulfilling for some reason we cannot put a finger on.

Portal 2 begins with you waking up somewhere in the testing facility, and meeting Wheatley, a robot that looks like one of GLaDOS’ cores that you destroyed in Portal. Very quickly you realise that Wheatley, is, well, special, and is British, apparently. He’s funny though, and you can’t help but laugh at his dialogues. He’s also irritating enough to make you start thinking that this is just a poor substitute to GLaDOS, and not really as funny as the original. Then BAM! You’re quickly brought back to the fun of Portal, as GLaDOS is resurrected just as you were getting bored.

Very quickly, the video gaming seems to come to an end, and you start thinking, waitaminnit, this is even shorter than the first one, isn’t it? Then several plot twists later you begin to realize that this game has been plotted to perfection. Just when you think you’re about to start missing something from Portal, Portal 2 throws a curve ball at you to make you sit up and pay attention.

What’s Great About Portal 2

The world map is huge compared to the first part, and the puzzles are a little more challenging. There are also quite a few new props added into the puzzles, which bring a lot of freshness into the video gaming. Along the way you also figure out that you’re still playing as Chell herself, and not just a clone or someone who looks like her.

The dialogue is scripted immaculately as expected, but what’s new here is actual conversations between two bots, instead of just one way traffic.

What’s also new is that you actually get a true sense of how huge the facility really is, and the attention to detail – especially when you see some of the facility in disrepair – is pretty impressive.

Physics has always been what Portal is all about, and instead of just stuff that’s going through portals, Valve shows off the eye candy by making things collide and break apart very realistically. Some of the liquid effects are quite silly though, but seem to add some comic value rather than subtract from the immersiveness of the video gaming.

The main video gaming USP of Portal 2, however, is always going to be the puzzle solving, and just as you did in the first one, you will struggle at some points, die a few times, and finally figure out the solution that makes you want to face-palm, because it’s always obvious once you’ve finished it.

A must buy, must play experience that will keep you smiling for up to a week later, and chuckling when you remember a joke from the game. Do yourself a favor, try out this superb video gaming offering from Valve, and recommend it to your friends too.

The gaming multimedia industry is all set to infect everyone with a serious case of ‘sequelitis’ this year. Major gaming franchises make their mandatory yearly appearance, some return after a couple of years, while others, long-forgotten, attempt to make a dramatic return to the world of video games. Then there’s Grand Theft Auto V. Enough said.

Season for Seconds: Video Gaming Fun

Serving its way to the top of this article is EA Canada’s Grand Slam Tennis 2. Hoping to capitalise on everyone’s Australian Open fever

Grand Slam Tennis 2 is one of a long list of sequels that are expected to brighten 2012 u for video gaiming fans

(or hangover, as the case may be), EA’s first foray into the next-gen world of the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 (the previous version was a Wii-only title) promises licensed players in the form of current ATP regulars such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray as well as legends, including Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg and Boris Becker. WTA players are included as well, so don’t fret. The game’s features include a career mode that spans ten years, fully licensed Grand Slams, classic matches and Playstation Move support on the PS3. You can enjoy all of this and more on February 10.

Also out in February is the highly anticipated launch title for the Playstation Vita, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, a game that is set before the events of Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, where everyone’s favourite bounty hunter Nathan Drake is looking for the truth behind the massacre of a Spanish expedition. Golden Abyss promises great locales, treasure and lots more of the same action that garnered the Uncharted series’ critical acclaim and made it a hit with the gamers, while incorporating the PS Vita’s dual touch controls, accelerometer, hopefully delivering an unparalleled hand-held adventure gaming experience.

In early March, the next chapter of Bioware’s space opera will unfold through Mass Effect 3, a follow-up (which will offer closure, hopefully) to 2010′s critically acclaimed Mass Effect 2. ME3 will be back, bigger than ever before, sporting overhauled combat mechanics, an improved cover system, co-operative multiplayer and for Xbox 360 players, Kinect support with voice recognition which allows for commanding your squad of virtual human and/or turian and other alien squad mates (Garrus, flank left!).

If ordering your Xbox to do some killing on your behalf isn’t enough for you, you can take matters into your own hands in three action sequels that are set to invade your living room: Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V, Max Payne 3 and Square Enix/IO Interactive’s Hitman Absolution. The GTA series returns after a three year hiatus, taking us back to the state of San Andreas, last seen in the Grand Theft Auto game of the same name in 2004. The fifth episode will be set primarily in the city of Los Santos (based on Los Angeles and regions of Southern California), and is sure to feature some of the spectacular writing and open-world gameplay, the series is famous for.

Penning both GTA V and Max Payne 3 for Rockstar Games is Mr. Vice President himself, Dan Houser, arguably one of the best writers in gaming. He showed us he could do gritty (Red Dead Redemption) just as well as the satire and humour that we see in GTA; something a character of incredible depth like Max Payne is sure to benefit from. On the opposite end of the spectrum, stone-cold killer Agent 47 will shoot bullet holes in television sets later this year, going toe to toe with brand new arch-nemesis Blake Dexter in a series of stealth/action gaming missions sure to be set in all corners of the world.

It’s not every day that your friendly neighborhood video gaming news blog gets up in the middle of a great game and decides to dash out a preliminary review of sorts, just to holler out to all you video gaming crazies just what a great time we’re having with this game. This is one of those times, when we meet a game that makes us send up a prayer of thanks (not always silent) to the patron saint of video gaming, if there’s one. So let us give you a look-in on Rage, the latest FPS offering from id Software, the people who brought us the Doom and Quake video gaming franchises. Rage continues in the same vein as the last Doom and Quake iterations to come out of the id Software Stable, particularly the dark humor and the visceral combat.

Attention Video Gaming Fans: Introducing Rage

At its most basic, Rage tries to bridge two popular video gaming genres: there’s the FPS fun we mentioned, but there’s also generous sprinklings of all the hallmark features of a role-playing-game. With a game world that’s larger than your average FPS, and the stark landscape lending credence to the setting being in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, you’ll find yourself driving from one centre of civilization to another and yet the video gaming experience hardly wanes. You’ll meet strangers who give you quests to complete in return for unique items and weapon/ armor upgrades.

A Sight for Sore Eyes

One could be forgiven for thinking that the large and beautifully done game-world could have also accommodated some good sandbox action. Agreed, that is one popular subgenre of the action gaming world that might have fit quite well into this already interesting blend, but the omission would seem rather deliberate on part of the developers. The open-world gameplay pioneered by the GTA franchise has been done to death, and yet, few games have managed to pull it off with any degree of success in what has become a veritable deathtrap for otherwise decent games, now that there’s also Red Dead Redemption setting a standard in the sandbox video gaming sub-genre. What we have instead is a fairly linear, corridor action first person shooter with the character and arsenal development afforded by the RPG-esque features lending the game a degree of video gaming immersion as well as a faux-sandbox aura of freedom. To add to that the game world is, quite simply, gorgeous. The skies change hue as per the time of the day, with colors of heartbreaking beauty  and with clouds so beautifully rendered you’d think it’s the real deal.

An All New Approach Down a Familiar Path

The game world’s sprawling dimensions notwithstanding, you mostly travel down a narrow valley, and the combat action is predominantly close-quarters (wouldn’t be much of a “rage” otherwise, would it?).

Quite similar to Gearbox Software’s 2009 hit Borderlands, the over-world, which you’ll need a vehicle to navigate, has little by way of resources or missions but simply connects you to the different combat spots or quest sources you need to reach.

Rage is in no way the first game to be set in a post-apocalyptic scenario; as a matter of fact it borrows freely from similar titles such as Fallout: New Vegas and Borderlands. What makes it absolutely rollicking fun, however, is the freakishly innovative and absurdly gory combat that is complemented by the insanely good graphics, thus making for an insanely good video gaming experience.

Our Final Word (for now) on Rage

It is a thoroughly enjoyable game that you’ll learn to love warts and all. That holds especially true if, like us, you swore undying loyalty to any game coming from id when you were an impressionable teenager fragging anything that moves to gory bits of virtual blood, flesh and bone with that railgun.

It will be a while before we can really get into the game and dissect it with all the surgical precision we can muster and give you a comprehensive video game review, analyzing the various aspects in greater depth. For that, wait for the next post on this video game blog, while we return to what has so far been a great video gaming experience.

When we bring the latest news from the world of gaming multimedia on our gaming blog, we consider it a duty to bring you the most unbiased opinions. We’d really like you to remember that. That’s why we tried to find any reason not to give Batman: Arkham City a perfect mark, and not because we get a thrill out of nitpicking. There’s that too, but mostly it is the duty thing.

So we went in looking for flaws, for mistakes. But hours passed and turned into days. Twenty-six hours of gameplay later, and only 67% complete by the game’s telling, we admit defeat.

You win, Rocksteady. Arkham City is perfect.

The City’s Slicker

This game, were you somehow not aware, is a direct sequel, building off of the already superlative Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2008. Essentially the entire combat system and most of the gadgets from the original make a return, immediately available to the player from the start. Still, improved AI makes things a bit harder. In return, however, each room has ever more ways to sneak around, unseen, picking off foes individually. The additions to Batman’s arsenal, meanwhile, are excellent: new, expanded movements off of the stun action, a dive bomb technique while gliding, and a vastly improved grappling hook that makes slinging around the city a breeze.

And what a city it is. Arkham City is a masterpiece of art direction, bringing to life a world even more fully realized than that of Nolan’s iconic films. Every section and building is wholly unique, every alleyway bristling with the Riddler’s well-placed trophies, every street a battleground between the warring factions of supervillains in Arkham City.

Though stalking through the claustrophobic corridors of Arkham Asylum was undoubtedly fun, the player won’t feel like Batman but could be any action hero with some dazzling array of gadgets; however, in Arkham City, things were different.

Cast and Crew of Arkham City

Being Batman, however, is not so nearly as fun without his cadre of supervillains with which to contend. Arkham City, its very nature precluding any possibility of contrivance, manages to squeeze nearly every major ally and antagonist in the history of the franchise into one, glorious campaign. Revealing the specifics should be considered, of course, spoiler territory, but it’s worth mentioning that several major villains don’t even make an appearance until you tackle their particular side missions. These completely optional objectives feel so fleshed out and rich that you would be hard pressed to tell them apart from primary story missions.

The story is well deserving of the license, and opens with such production value that you wonder if you should rent out a local theater just for the experience. With regard to performance, Batman: Arkham City has brought together possibly the single finest voice acting ensemble in the history of gaming. Mark Hamill, of course, is a ludicrously talented standout as the Joker, but every voice of every villain brings with it gravitas and panache to Arkham City.

The Knight of Arkham City

While the primary campaign is more than enough, there are dozens of distractions to keep you otherwise occupied during your stay in Arkham City. There are, of course, Riddler’s brainteasers and trophies making a return from Asylum, as well a pseudo-achievement system that rewards the player well with experience, which is then used to upgrade any number of devices from Mr. Wayne’s arsenal. There are dozens upon dozens of character dossiers, stories, and various other items of bonus content unlocked constantly throughout the game.

Arkham City: The Final Verdict

Batman: Arkham City is a game so good that we’re amazed it wasn’t programmed by alien wizards. Truly, it deserves every accolade it is so sure to receive, every perfect mark it is so sure to tally.

We’ll certainly be bringing you more video game news in the future, but we’re already certain that no game review would be as effusive as the one we’ve written for Arkham City.

Perhaps the single most successful user-created mod in video game history, as any video game blog will tell you, Counter-Strike (CS) has a cult following; in fact, even that word doesn’t do it justice.

Those of you who remember your college dorm video game days would recall how pwning everybody else at Counter-Strike on the LAN was one way to get some serious respect among your peers. Of course, so was being on the football team or being able to chug more beer than everybody else — depending on which crowd you ran with — but let’s not digress.

Anyway, in case you’re still living those days instead of reminiscing about them, or are considering graduating from LAN gaming with familiar players to proper tournament play, here are a few tips that should improve your game; some of these are of course universally applicable to the FPS video game category.

Follow Video Game Basics: Crouch & Walk

A crouching stance steadies your aim and makes for a smaller profile to offer to your enemies; this applies to other tactical shooters as well. Also, walking is silent in CS. Crouching and moving at the same time may seem slower, but increases your surprise factor as you can approach the enemy position stealthily.

Plan Your Reloads & Take Cover

These seemingly unrelated factors go hand in hand. You carry a finite amount of total ammo in this video game but more importantly, like real-life weapons, you have a weapon clip that must be reloaded (as long as you have spare ammo); as an aside, you’d do well to keep an eye on clip ammo levels as well as total ammo being carried. Remember that Counter-Strike is a video game that is unforgiving on those who play carelessly. So while you must reload regularly instead of risking the chance of getting into a firefight with half-a-clip, you can’t afford reloading in the open either: for that 3-second interval, you’re totally vulnerable.

Also, in a tactics-heavy video game such as CS, making a mad dash down a corridor is… well, plain mad. Just so we’re clear, so is camping in one obscure corner. Of course, it is fun taking some of your opponents by surprise but guess what your biggest disadvantage is once enemies wise up and gang-up on you? Surprise… you’re cornered! And then there are online video game servers, especially the ones for organized tournaments that routinely kick campers. So you must keep moving, but be aware of your terrain (and surroundings) and plan your cover stops in advance. When in cover, you may reload to make up for any ammo you may have expended.

Do the Zig-Zag Video Game Swagger

There would be many a time you’ll find yourself in a man-a-mano close-quarters shootout; the trick to surviving is being quick on that trigger finger and making yourself a hard target to hit at the same time. A good way to do that without throwing off your own aim (that’s why jumping is a bad idea) is by alternately hitting the left and right strafing keys, shooting at the same time. It might look funny to observers, but your enemy won’t be laughing when you kill him and come out tops.

Here ends our first post on basic Counter-Strike tips and tricks. We’ll be back again pretty soon with more advanced tips, pertaining to better fire control and efficient weapon usage. Until then, keep following this video game blog and keep practicing!