Re-Visiting Borderlands for the PC

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On September the 18th, 2012, Borderlands 2 will be released by Gearbox Software. It’s one of the most highesly anticipated sequels in recent memory. Sales of the original Borderlands were astronomical and there are many fans eagerly waiting for the second installment. This new game promises to be an action-packed hybrid of role-playing and exploration. And if you have had a chance to try the demo, you’ll know that Gearbox has made some really fun changes. This is going to be a game that gets original fans excited while getting even more people to fall in love with this series. But you don’t have to wait 6 months to get your Borderlands fix. There’s no time like right now to go back and experience the original game. Let’s take a look at what made the first Borderlands so special.

borderlands

One of the things that stands out for every Borderlands fan are the graphics. This is one of the few games to take advantage of cell animation, and it does it perfectly. It doesn’t look like any other game out there, and yet it’s more realistic than most. There is a fluid kind of quality that gives you great animation without taxing your system too much. There is virtually no slowdown, no hangups, and no lag when it comes to multiplayer.

The gameplay itself is relatively straightforward, and it doesn’t take long for anyone to get used to the controls. If you happen to have the best gaming headset, you’ll find that everything is more intuitive. You move your character from town to town while accepting quests and missions. There’s not a lot of NPC interaction except for the people who give you your next quests. While it feels a little bit lonely in this post-apocalyptic setting, there’s always something to do to keep the action going.

Combat gameplay is where original the Borderlands stands above the competition, and we hope this sequel will be able to match it. Shooting enemies is a blast, and the interface allows you to switch between weapons easily. Since each character type is different, you can try out various special powers, and all of them are useful. Each gun type is fun to use, and the game makes it easy to specialize in one or become a master of them all. Eventually as you progress, your character becomes stronger and you’ll be able to take out your opponents in special ways.

Multiplayer is also a blast when you’re playing against your friends or people from across the Internet. And if you have a good set of wireless TV headphones, you’ll really feel like you’re fighting for your life in the middle of the desert. As the bullets whiz by and your character tries to hunt down your competition, you’ll hear every detail going on around you. It’s this type of excitement that made the original game so much fun and if you haven’t played in a while, you can do it again before the sequel comes out. Here’s hoping that’s Borderlands 2 lives up to the high expectations.

Playing Poker At Home On Your Console

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You sit there, gripping the cards in your hand, staring at your opponent across the table, trying to determine their bluffs through their dark shades. The pile of poker chips in the middle of the table is tantalizing, but you know you have to play your hand right if you want to rake them all in. Your opponent calls and your straight flush beats their two pair, achievement unlocked! Console poker games can bring to light all the action and excitement of a real poker game without having to make a costly trip to the casino.

Poker games for consoles have lost some popularity due to the expansion of online poker sites, but there’s no reason you can’t have a great time with these awesome classics. World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions is one of the most popular console poker games available for Xbox 360. You take the role of protégé to Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, winner of five WSOP bracelets as he teaches you how to play with the best and go home with a truckload of poker chips. Featuring online play, multi-table tournaments, and even Digi-mask technology that lets you put your REAL poker face up against the best it’s no wonder it’s at the top of the list.

While Tournament of Champion sits at the top, there are a number of other games that are still a lot of fun. WSOP 2008: Battle For the Bracelets comes from the same series and saw a PS2 release for players of more classic consoles. World Poker Tour also saw a release for the PS2 as well as the PSP, letting you play poker on the go. Playing poker on your console solo or friends can make for a great night in, just sit down, stack up your digital poker chips and get ready to put on your best poker face.

Poker Chips

Rocksmith Takes Guitar and Game Play to a New Level

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Rocksmith Game Screen

Well it was a long time coming, but I think Ubisoft’s new release in the fourth quarter of 2011 is about to over shadow the long running top selling music games Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

While fans of the games have been loyal the brands are beginning to run out of steam. I believe many fans of Guitar Hero have moved on to learn guitar online rather then spend time playing a game that doesn’t really teach them to play anything.

Rocksmith is the first console game, available for both Xbox and PS3, which requires users to play the game using an actual electric guitar.

The guitar plugs into the game console as a controller would, and the console processes the notes and sounds played on the guitar to determine if the user is playing the proper notes displayed on the screen.

Notes are displayed across the game play screen, similar to how they are in Rock Band or Guitar Hero. They call it the Rocksmith Highway.

Beyond just being a fun rhythm and music game, there are also some instructional areas of the game so players aren’t just learning to play colored notes on a screen, but are also learning a little bit of the technical side of playing guitar.

This is an important element, since learning a few songs based on the game is one thing, but being able to take your skills and apply them in other areas of guitar is another.

I’m glad they took the time to develop the educational sections of this game. Otherwise it would be nothing more then the evolution of Guitar Hero.

I found a sample video someone created that gives a really good explanation of how the game works. Notice how similar it looks to a Guitar Hero screen. Something that Rocksmith does, which none of the other games before it did, if you are missing a lot of notes then the game automatically adjusts to what your current skill level is. This avoids you from falling too farm behind and ensures you can still enjoy a song at any skill level.

Computer Guitar Games Beyond Rock Band

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guitar apprentice game

As one of the most exciting and newest genres in the gaming world, the musical genre has grown to be quite addictive for people of all ages. This is why games like Rock Band have been able to grow immensely because they really emulate the way people play the instruments. Another reason is because most people would love to learn how to play the instruments but simply were never able to learn. Whether it is because of a lack of time or simply just never learned how to play, most people will admit that they would rather play these games to be able to feel like they can play.

However, these games do not really teach people how to play the guitar and so it can actually be misleading to some people. For the people that actually want to learn, there are other computer guitar games that will allow you to learn how to play the guitar. One of the best ways to learn how to learn play the guitar is actually through a game on www.guitarapprentice.com and if you are able to combine this with guitar lessons from jam play.com, you will be well on your way to learning how to rock out like the people in the games.

If you are really looking to learn how to play the guitar, games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band just might not be the answer but if you want to have fun and simply enjoy the music, then those games are perfectly fine. However, most people would rather have fun and actually learn at the same time and so this is the main reason why you should check those computer guitar games out. With just little patience and hard work, you will be able to surely play the guitar well.