Game #7 Rise of Nations

This is one of the few strategy games I'm played in my life and it's the one I like the most. Here's why -

Games like AoE, AoM, Empire Earth etc. spawn all the different ages of the world over different games. Although this gives a ton of detail to every age it does limit the game'soverall gameplay potential. On the other hand RoN has eight ages covering the human world from nomadic times (Ancient Age) till the current age (Information Age).

While playing a normal single player skirmish (called conquest battels) you have the option to play through all the ages giving you a short glimpse into each or you could choose as less as a single to play which gives you the opportunity to discover all researches and advancements of that particular period. Features like team games, different game types and a ton of maps can be expected, as in every other RTS game.

The campaign mode features a single yet satisfactory campaign called 'Conquer the World'. As the name suggests, your goal is to conquer the world with whatever nation you choose. The campaign mode starts off in the ancient age where you have interesting, short, non-conquest campaigns to capture early territories. As you progress through the the ages more and more opponents get eliminated leaving you with a chain of heated conquests.

The rest of the game is more or less similar to any other RTS game you'll find. One factor that really made this game stand out for me (aside from the points mentioned above) is its music. Some of you may know you easily I get hooked to good game soundtracks, but this game has an extraordinary soundtrack! From the main menu track till the victory track, every single one is a masterpiece. Not only this, the tracks range from soft sounds to hard (not rocking) battle heating sounds.

This game may not be very popular in the RTS circuit, but it's different from the rest of the stuff and is a must play for RTS fans (as said in my GS review).

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There you go, got the sand out of my head:P Let's have some fun.....guess the next game on the list. Whoever gets it right gets a cookie:D

Game #8 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

This game marks the beginning of a new Prince of Persia trilogy. Along with the new prince and plot comes a totally different atmosphere and what seems to be a unique gameplay $tyle As the prince takes flight into the air the traps climb up to the walls. Getting around is no longer just running and jumping as you now need to resort to more acrobatic movements such as wall running, wall jumping and even climbing on poles. Even the combat system present a surprsing change - the control scheme, which is that of a typical first person game.

In the older PoP games combat used to be about timing, now it's about speed and skill. To defeat your enemies you'll need to use an array of different skills and techniques like dodging, vaulitng, wall jumping etc. Some enemies will be immune to certain moves so, although you're free to choose your own fighting $tyle you'll constantly need to update it. This game also introduces dual weapon fighting. You're now given a magical dagger which you'll need to properly finish off your enemies, made of sand. This dagger also gives you the ability to control time...till a certain extent. You can use it to freeze and rewind time, even if it means rewinding your own death. Your health is no longer in it's earlier "bottled" form, and you won't find potions mysteriously lying around the premises. Instead you now drink water to regain health and you can't increase you max health.

Lastly, the plot retains the same magical and mystical touch making you want to play the whole trilogy just for the sake of the plot.

All in all, this game is a must play for fans of the original series as well as fans of action/adventure games.

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The review sucks, I know. I wrote it twice before and then settled on this one....is my head full of sand or what?:?

I was actually debating between Warrior Within and SoT for this spot, but then settled on SoT cause I thought that the game which actually presented this change from the original series deserved this spot.

#9 Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield

I don't usually play shooters with teammates involved, least of all those in which cooperation is important. So you can imagine that this game must've been really different for me. When I started playing it I tried too hard to um....be the hero, but I failed.....That's when I realized I need to give importance to my teammates.

This is basically a mission based game. You have quite a few missions in the game and really fun too. Naturally, the missions get harder as you go up but the learning curve is a pretty steady one and by the time you ahve to face the tough missions, you're usually ready for them. There's also a fair amount of variety in the missions. Some are ones in which you have to clear an area i.e. kill all terrorists, in others you need to rescue hostages and in an odd mission you need to complete some objectives without being detected.

You're given an array of weaponry and other equipment and also agents with which you can set up your own team for every misison, but you can always use the mission default setup.

The game also features a free play mode in which you can replay missions you've completed or just use those maps for playing other games, like clearing the area, rescuing hostages or 'lone wolf' which involves completing the mission on your own.

Although it's not exceptionally great it's a pretty fun game. It's different from any other FPS I've played, which is why it made it on the list. I think this is the game in which I shoot in the most controlled manner. I never raise the rate of fire beyond 3, sometimes I even play with 1, and that's really something considering the fact that I like shooting people like hell.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the music played in the main menu totally kicks ass. It'll get you hooked in no time:D

At first I thought I'll do a top 10 based on anime, but when I got down to thinking the candidates for top 10 animes chars and top 10 anime shows I got confused:? I like so many of them I couldn't decide which ones to pick. So in the end I decided on this -

TOP 10 GAMES PC I'VE PLAYED TILL DATE (I gave you this idea, ras, so I'm not copying you:P)

Game #10 is Midtown Madness 2

I'm not sure if too many people actually like this game. For one thing, compared to some of the later racing games like NFS etc, it lacks the high end graphics that immediately make you want to play it. It doesn't have catchy soundtracks, nor does it have a very good career mode.

The career mode gives you the option of being a cab driver in London or a stunt driver in San Fransisco. When you start them they seem to be interesting missions, cause they're guite different from other similar games. But slowly the 'madness' in the missionsstarts to get to you and you'll find yourself a better game to play.Then why is this game on this list? Cause one thing this game has that I haven't found in any other racing game so far is freedom......the freedom to do whatever the hell you want with your car without the fear of terminating the game. Yes, I'm talking abgout the cruise mode. It allows to go anywhere in the cit, bash up as many cars as you want, even select buildings. And the best part - you get to mess with the cops:twisted: You can't be arrested so once you get into the cops' bad books all they're gonna do is chase you and break down your car. Sure you'll go down eventually, but when that happens your car just gets reset, no changes to the game. And if you;re good enough you can also take the cop down with you, right?

I don't think this game has anything else that makes it worth playing, but I just love messing with the cops, especially when I have a custom car that doesn't get damaged:P

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Wow, I actually wrote so much and didn't even realize it:? Anyway, I guess this means I'll end up giving details for every game. And than means one game per blog. Exception is when I don't have enoug material to write.

And about my confusion between SC and Thief, I decied to play Thief cause you get to steal things, assassinate people and use weapons like daggers and arrows instead of the usual guns and bombs.

In the past one week, ever since I returned home I bought two stealth games. First I bought Splinter Cell Pandorra Tomorrow cause it's supposed to be so great and started playing it too. The very next day I found Thief: Deadly Shadows, and couldn't resist it:P And I've been playing Thief for the past couple of days. Now what confuses me is what to play. I like both teh games a lot but I can only play one at a time. So if anyone's p[layed either of the games or both, which one should I play first? And more than graphics or plot, I care about which game has more action (and more killing) in it.

Also how should I mae top 10 blogs.....as a simple list, with minor descriptions, in 1 or 2 blogs or one thing per blog with detailed descriptions? And I can't even decide what to make a top 10 about, so any suggestions are welcome:)

I've put up my new blog header. But I had to put it in the images section I can't put any tags or any kind of images with the text? Is anyone else having a similar problem or am I the only one?

And anyone have any blog ideas? Cause lately I've had nothing to blog about:(

A huge thanks to colmillios for making my new profile theme:) Right now I'm too lazy to change my sig and for some reason I'm having troubles with my blog header...all the tags disappeared when I tried to change the image...:( I'll do them both tomorrow, at least you still get to see my favorite Bleach characters up here:D

And I hope you all know what this change means....I'm home!!! I'm not too happy about it cause I had a really great time in San Diego and I'm missing my relatives a lot.....my bro's an exception though;) And I got to open my LPU package:D Along with the usual stuff I got a tiny LPU 5 badge, a guitar pick....I think it's LPU 4....and a postcard set from LPU 5....oh, and LPU 5 cd too...That's the worst cd though, or maybethe second worst....either way I don't like it....I wanted LPU 4 or 6, but......I won't rant about this anymore cause most of you probably don't know what I'm talking about:P I'm pretty jet-lagged atm which is why I'm typing this at this hour...but I think I'll go to bed soon....Night!:)

I didn't want to be stuck with an old blog so I thought I'd blog an update. We'll be heading to the Grand Canyon this Tuesday I think...and we'll be back thursday night...and then we're leaving the States friday (morning or night I don't know) Hell, I didn't even know what we're gonna do and the dates of the flights and everything. Usually I keep track of the itienary (sp?) when we go for a trip, but I wonder what's happened to me this time:? Oh well, 8 days to go before I leave for home.....and I don't know how many days I actually have to wait cause of the flight duration and the time difference....I'll be crossing the international date line actually.....

ok, so after reaching San Diego we called up the neighbours to find out if everything's fine and they said a package has come for me from Warner Bros. It's my LPU package!!!:D I can't wait to get back home and open it and everything.....I'm gonna flaunt the tshirt like crazy:P Plus, I'll get to know what surprise stuff I got as a part of my bonus package:) Just 14 days to go and I'm making a blog countdown out of it:D

I'll change my profile theme as a sign when I get back home:) And please check my GS anniversary blog (the one below this) if you haven't done so already. Thanks.

Wow! I completed 2 years on GS yesterday:D I actually became a regular user a while after joining but it clasifies for celebration right?:P I'm not giving any parties cause I'm feeling too lazy atm:P

I'm currently in San Diego at my aunt's place. My bro will be getting here in a few days and then we go around a bit. I'm not all taht excitied about seeing him cause he came home for Xmas and I'm already missing my friends back home:( Oh well, trips like this don't come along everyday and I'll have a lot to share once O get back.

And I finally got my signed copy of Hybrid Theory EP!!!!!:D I still can't believe I own such an extremely limited copy........only 500 copies of teh EP were signed by Linkin Park and given to LPU 1 members...and to think I own one of those 500.......-sigh-