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This is the second edition of TheGamersHub monthly magazine. Each issue brings you the top reviews and news of each month about games and technology. The magazine will also include events that will be happening involving TGH and the community. We are still getting on our feet with the magazine, so please feel free to give us feedback on improvements that could be made, or future topics you would like to see appearing in here by emailing: dan.h@thegamershub.net
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Set up on July 27th 2009 to provide news, reviews, articles, previews, blogs with a community aspect. We have taken big steps to get where we are today, which wouldn’t have been possible without you. The sites aim was to create a place for budding game journalists to get some experience in the industry and since then we have helped people all over the place to build a respectable portfolio which has lead to many paid freelance jobs in some big publications. We reach 100,000’s of people each month checking out the site and we help provide them with a unique string of relevant content. We have a team in the UK and the US who report news throughout the year and we have some big plans for the future.
Portal 2 Madden NFL 3DS Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes NASCAR 2011: The Game
The Fancy Pants Adventures Asphalt 3D Mayhem 3D What is a Hardcore Gamer?
Battlefield 3 Get’s Seal of Approval
Battlefield 3: What We Know
Diablo 3: Beta, and coming to..
Need for Speed: A History of Sub...
Skyrim: Fresh New Screens
Mortal Kombat: A Guide to the..
Alienware M18x Has Arrived
New iMacs are Here: 21.5 inch and..
About Playstation Network
Panasonic 100GB Rewritable BD..
Coming soon
Rating: 5/5 Written by AnthonyD To comment, rate or view this article onsite, follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/portal-2-review/
REVIEW
Aperture Science is proud to present after a long hiatus, Portal 2. The sequel to the 2007 acclaimed Portal. The story once again puts you into the shoes of Chell inside the Aperture Science Laboratories. Can the sequel live up to the quirky story of the original and provide gamers with the game they have been wanting for over four years? Does the co-op work as well as Valve has touted or does Portal 2 end up in an endless loop.
Welcome Back, You Monster Portal 2 starts Chell inside what seems to be a normal apartment building where she was in stasis for many years. You are then introduced to Wheatly a personality sphere that guides you through the area. One thing leads to another and without spoiling anything for die-hard fans of the series let’s just say it gets pretty cool, pretty quick. The puzzles are solved in the same manner as the original with a few new additions to the environment, like a blue substance that allows you to bounce off the surface you touch simply called Gel or blue gel, an orange gel that allows you to run on it at super speed, and white gel that allows solid objects to have portals on them as long as the gel is on them as well. They have also added makeshift bridges and funnel like waves that take you in one direction to add diversity to the gameplay. No two rooms are ever the same. The story itself has a lot of twists and turns and you find out a lot about Chell and other characters in Portal 2. The amount of story added in the sequel compared to its predecessor is quite a lot. It really will make many fans want to go back and play the first one all over again.
We Are Going To Run A Few Tests The gameplay for Portal to its sequel remains widely unchanged other than the few elements mentioned prior that were added to the environment to provide variety and additional challenges. This is no way a bad thing, there was nothing wrong with the gameplay in the original. It combined platforming, with puzzle solving and created a great title that used your mind and was fun. Portal 2 retains all of those aspects and mixes it perfectly with a story that makes players care about the characters giving them each a unique story to uncover and learn about. Just about when you are tired of the game it comes to an end which is what I believe is the right length for a game. Not too much, not too little; just right. These Next Tests Require Cooperation Valve decided to include a co-op campaign separate to the story and it unfolds in its own unique way with either of the two robotic characters, Atlas (blue) or P-Body (orange). You are forced with your co-op partner in online via PSN, XBLA or Steam (with cross platform play for PC and Mac to PSN) or offline co-op with a friend to go through series of trials that test your partnership for maniacal GLaDOS.
All of the co-op tests are well laid out and require a co-op buddy, they have been configured to be unsolvable by only two portals, so they require the teamwork of both players. The gestures add to the games fun demeanor and will put a smile on a few faces as the game progresses. The tests are broken into chapters, there are about five chapters in co-op which ranges for a lot of gameplay and replay value for trophies and sheer fun. One thing that I can see happening in the future is DLC for the co-op experience possibly in chapter format. Not Bad, For A Human Portal 2 is unmatched in its unique gameplay and wonderfully engrossing dialogue. There is not a moment you won’t want your volume turned up between sections to listen to what the characters in this universe that Valve has created for you has to say. The gameplay hasn’t changed a bit from the predecessor and that is a good trait. The additional hours you will spend on the consuming story and the hours upon hours with friends in Co-Op will make you forget any other titles you were playing before Portal 2. There are a few minor setbacks like the price, some can argue that $60 is a bit steep for a 10 hour title but if you factor in the hours of co-op and the sheer quality of the title it is well deserving of a full priced iteration. It would be more appealing to the average gamer, yes if it was $50 but to the hardcore and fans of the series it is well worth it. The PC version may be the definitive version but the consoles do shine and the Playstation 3’s unique ability to utilize Steamworks and link your PSN to your Steam account is a wonderfully added plus. Portal 2 is a musthave title for fans, gamers, puzzle nuts and anyone who appreciates wonderfully crafted title from beginning to end. Now that this book has closed for the time being, where is Episode 3? No matter, Portal 2 looks to be a very early Game Of The Year contender.
Rating: 4/5 Written by lpfisher To comment, rate or view this article onsite, follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/the-fancy-pants-adventures-fancy-review/
Anyone who’s ever played a flash game has heard of Fancy Pants. You know, the 2d platformer with the fanciest of protagonists one could ever fancy. Well fancy this, they’ve brought the flash classic to a fancy new platform: PSN. With a new campaign, 4-player co-op, tons of items to collect, competitive arcade modes, and enough replay ability to keep fancy fans coming back for more, is it really as fancy as it seems, or just a flight of fancy. Solo Fanciness From a purely single player perspective, there’s a ton of fancy content here. Twelve story levels, 2 bonus worlds, and some challenge levels make the single player experience plenty fancy. The story follows Mr. Fancy Pants on his adventure to save his sister from pirates: that’s really all it takes.
Thanks to its internet heritage, there are pirates, ninjas, memes, and use of the word “pwned”; all good things, in my opinion. It adds just enough fancy flair. Over the course of the story, you’ll earn enough stars to unlock the original Fancy Pants Adventures World 1 and 2. Between the 18 or so levels, there’s plenty or fanciness to collect and enough score opportunities to keep overachievers happy for quite some time. Beyond the basic adventure levels, there is an arcade cabinet with several different challenge modes (just in case the rest isn’t fancy enough) including races, combo runs, collection challenges and, my personal favorite, golf. There really is an immensely fancy amount of content in single player alone, and all of it is a ton of fun.
Four-Way Fancy Fancy Pants Adventures really benefits a lot from the inclusion of a fancy new multiplayer component. Players can co-op through all of the single player content with up to 3 friends, and that really adds to the fanciness, but the competitive challenges are a blast. King of the hill places players in an arena with a fancy squiggle spawner hovering just above the platforms. To win, players fight over these squiggles and, fancily, the spot below the spawner where the squiggles drop. With weapons drawn, and wall jumps flying left and right, just gets fancy fast. There are also races, similar to those found scattered throughout the single player. One big difference, however, lies in the ability to create a fancy tournament with five fancily selected courses.
Similar to Mario Kart, players are given points at the end of each race based on their finishing position. Points stack throughout the tournament and the best of five wins. It’s really fancy…addicting even. Fancy Finish That really sums up the whole fancy experience: it’s addicting. Much like its flash versions prior, it keeps you coming back for extended and quick sessions alike. Despite the game’s free pedigree, it’s well worth the fancy $10 asking price. So if you fancy some fancy Fancy Pants, there’s little reason to pass this one up… you know, other than the fact that PSN is down and you literally can not buy it right now.
Rating: 2/5 Written by Chris C To comment, rate or view this article onsite, follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/madden-nfl-3ds-review/
Madden NFL returns once again but, in the 3rd dimension. Madden NFL 3DS is one of the many launch titles that was release for the new Nintendo 3DS. Madden NFL 3DS showcases how a sport game would work on the Nintendo 3DS. Does Madden NFL 3DS make a touchdown on this new platform? Or does it get penalty. Find out in this review of Madden NFL 3DS. GAMEPLAY: If you played any of the Madden NFL games in the past, nothing much has changed. Players will go head to head with other NFL teams in a lackluster of game modes that are available. The only game modes available are Play now, season, and practice. These are pretty much the only game modes to play which are striped to its core. Play now is of course quick play, but sadly the players cannot change the stadium, weather, and wind conditions. Season mode is also tune downed, where the player just plays to get to the Super Bowl. No stat tracking and other features that console Madden’s have are completely absent. On top of that there is no multiplayer. No 1v1, team play and more which console versions had. When on the football field, it fairs a little better, but not by much. It works to the basic bone of gameplay which console versions have a little more depth it. Control wise, Madden NFL 3DS can be a hit or miss with control delays and more. Overall, Madden NFL 3DS is basic to its core. We haven’t seen lack of game modes in a long time. I thought we were past the days of the NES. Quite a few modes are absent from Madden NFL 3DS like franchise, multiplayer and more. It’s quite disappointing for the price. Gameplay is still the same formula with Madden NFL 3DS, but controls can hinder the experience easily. Gameplay wise, Madden NFL 3DS really disappoints as a whole package. PRESENTATION: The 3D capabilities of Madden NFL 3DS are quite good. Nothing grand or has that wow factor. Only problem is that this is the only game in the Nintendo 3DS launch library that can really hurt your eyes from prolonged gameplay. Graphics wise, it also is nothing special and most of the player models look the same. Sounds wise, Madden NFL 3DS isn’t bad, announcements are somewhat a hit or a miss. The announcers still have a habit of making the wrong gameplay announcements and speeches. Overall, presentation wise Madden NFL 3DS is standard as it can get. CLOSING NOTE: Overall, Madden NFL 3DS isn’t much for the price it’s asking for. It might have some of the bells and whistles of a console Madden games, but really isn’t much at all. Gameplay wise it lacks quite of few game modes, along with the three modes that were listed are completely missing certain components. Madden 3DS doesn’t even feature any type of multiplayer or functions that the 3DS uses like streetpass. Presentation wise, Madden NFL 3DS is standard as can be for a handheld title. The 3D is good till it starts hurting your eyes. Overall, Madden NFL 3DS feels like it could have been completed in a day with all the content that it lacks or completely missing.
Rating: 3/5 Written by Chris C To comment, rate or view this article onsite, follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/05/asphalt-3d-review/
Who remembers Asphalt? It’s basically a racing game that has been around for quite some time now. Developed by Gameloft, it has found home on many different platforms including; the N-Gage, DS, PSP, Android, IPhone, and now the newly Nintendo 3DS in Asphalt 3D. Asphalt 3D has a lot to live up to as both a launch title for the new platform and the newly released Asphalt 6 for IPhone. So does Asphalt 3D live up to previous Asphalt games? Or does it fall short of the finish line? Find out in this review of Asphalt 3D. GAMEPLAY: Gameplay has changed much for Asphalt 3D. Players can partake in career, free race, and multiplayer with over 40 different cars from real life manufactures. Career has 14 different leagues on 9 different tracks, ranging from LA to Tokyo. In free race, players can choose to race normally, ghost race, vigilante, and high speed chase. These game modes are also in career and multiplayer. Multiplayer on the other hand sadly doesn’t feature online Wi-Fi play and only supports local play, where Asphalt 6 supports both local and online play. Streetpass is also in Asphalt 3D, but limited to only leaderboards and ghost. Once the player are ready to race, Asphalt 3D is the same high-speed racing game. It uses much of the same gameplay features found in Asphalt 6. Players will be racing to of course win the race to earn money to purchase cars and tune them up.
Boosting in Asphalt has always been important, much hasn’t change here. Boost items will be floating, where the player can pick up and after the maximum limit has been reach, the player will find themselves at mach speed at launched. The bottom screen on the 3DS is used for map directions. Control wise, Asphalt 3D holds quite well. There may be a few issues with controls especially when drifting or controlling a jump mid-air. The only true problem with Asphalt 3D is that it’s too easy. AI opponents are just not challenging and are just plain causalities. Police barricades are easy to break through, AI racers fall behind quite easily and crash too frequently and more. Overall, Asphalt 3D is very similar to Asphalt 6, but with a few expectations. Asphalt 3D has every mode found within previous Asphalt games, but multiplayer is limited to only local, where Asphalt 6 has both local and online play. Streetpass is also limited to only leaderboards and ghost. It would be nice to trade cars or decals, but sadly it doesn’t have that feature. Gameplay wise, it plays much of the same. Only problem is that it too easy due to the fact that the AI is quite buggy. Overall, Asphalt 3D isn’t bad gameplay wise, but doesn’t match up to the similar and better Asphalt 6.
PRESENTATION: The 3D presentation of Asphalt 3D looks quite terrible compared to other 3DS games. When 3D graphics are turned on, the game just looks like a chaotic mess of colors. When turned off, Asphalt 3D actually is decent to look at. Compared to the IPhone Asphalt 6 which is almost a direct port to that game, Asphalt 3D is tuned down in graphics by alittle in both environments and cars. It suffers from both pop-in and scene tearing. Sounds wise, cars have a infinite number of gears which is quite loud. The player will not be able to listen to the music during the race due to that loud sound. Overall, presentation is really poor compared to Asphalt 6. 3D is terrible to look at, graphics on both cars and environments suffer from problems, and the sound of infinite gears covers decent sounding music.
CLOSING NOTE: Overall, Asphalt 3D feels like is has taken little a detour. Gameplay wise, it plays basically the same as Asphalt 6, but easier due to buggy AI. It also doesn’t feature any online play and streetpass is limited to only leaderboards and ghost races. Presentation wise, Asphalt 3D looks terrible in 3D, so it’s better to just turn in off completely. When 3D is turned off, graphics look decent on both cars and environments, but doesn’t compare to Asphalt 6. There is music in the game, but it’s just covered by the infinite number of gears that your car hauls out. Asphalt 3D isn’t a bad racer on the 3DS, but felt like it was a rushed and direct port of Asphalt 6 just with 3D and less capabilities.
Rating: 4/5 Written by lpfisher To comment, rate or view this article onsite, follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/might-and-magic-clash-of-heroes-review/
When Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes hit the DS in 2009, it was a departure from the series norm in every way possible…and it was great. Swapping first person RPG action for intensely mental puzzle based combat and a more animated visual style, Clash of Heroes was hardly recognizable as a Might and Magic game, but it was executed nearly perfectly. Now we’ve got an HD-ified version on consoles and, guess what, the game is still great. But, is it worth picking up on a new platform? Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes is great as an almost RPG. It’s got the fantasy story (complete with knights and elves), it’s got magic, it’s got exploration, and, for kicks, it’s got the most perfectly executed random encounters ever. But no one in their right mind would consider it an RPG. It’s a puzzle game wrapped up in a nifty, approachable, and super addicting RPG package. After a brief prologue you don the pointy ears of Anwen (Arwen from Lord of the Rings?), the ‘princess’ of the Irollan elves. Demons have killed her father and ravaged their camp leaving you as the sole witness to an unbelievable (literally; no one believes it) event. The source of this demonic massacre spreads far beyond the edge of the elven woods and, through both story and combat elements, the full details of this plot are divulged. After fighting to stop the impending human invasion, you’re transferred into the role of Godric of the Griffin Empire (Godric Gryffindor?), Fiona (Shrek? ….maybe not), Aiden, and Nadia. As you continue through the 5 unique campaigns, the story develops and you gradually come closer to putting the demons back in their place.
The combat, as it will be referred to from here on out, consists of deep, often difficult puzzle solving with each individual encounter as a new puzzle to overcome. While not every encounter is a mind bender, there are more than a few that will have you running to the internet. Basically, you’ll be combining matching units into rows and columns of three to form attack and defense units. With a limit of three moves per turn, strategy is key. Each campaign does a great job of helping you master the new characters and powers, but with each campaign comes a seemingly impossible difficulty curve. Ideally, this is where good strategy kicks in as you find yourself severely underprepared. Battles can be difficult enough when you’re the same level as your opponent, but being one level down can be painful. Even worse is when the weakest available enemy is sitting at level five, and you’re only at two. Yeah, it borders on impossible. This is most noticeable when starting the third section with Fiona. Beyond the corpulent single player experience there’s an equally healthy multiplayer allowing players to sustain their addiction via online competition. By the campaign’s conclusion, players will have access to twelve heroes for use online, including the five featured in the story. Nothing in the campaign really prepares you for the challenge of going head to head with an equally skilled competitor. AI can only do so much, and that’s never been clearer than it is in Might and Magic. In one instance, I found myself entrenched in a battle that lasted no less than 45 minutes and had each of us slowly chipping away at each other’s health. It was epic, to say the least.
For the HD console release, Capybara Games has taken the DS version’s unique visual style and spiffed it up. On the whole, it’s a got a great look to it despite the arguably generic character design. At the same time, it was obviously a handheld game first. Everything from the UI to the combat layout was designed from the ground up for the DS. This isn’t an altogether terrible quality. Capybara did a wonderful job with the DS version and that quality has carried over to the HD realm. Despite all virtue to be found here, Might and Magic is plagued by incessant, unnecessarily long load times. Upwards of 45-60 seconds is spent staring at a loading screen, albeit, a very well done loading screen. It may not seem like much at first but this occurs between every single screen shift and before each encounter; quite often. This, along with the oft insane difficulty spikes can make the game a bit hard to swallow at times, but with a campaign easily stretching 30+ hours, and a solid online component, the $14.99 price point is well worth it.
Rating: 2.5/5 Written by lpfisher To comment, rate or view this article onsite, follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/05/mayhem-3d-review/
If there’s one thing our current gaming climate lacks, it’s this: Destruction Derbies. There are too few games featuring suped up rust buckets and monster trucks. There’s nothing more fulfilling than barreling across a junkyard in an old, decrepit muscle car with a comically large engine straight into the side of a similarly comical truck or casually pushing a broken down opponent off the edge into a pit. My experiences with ramming other cars and jumping off of massive dirt mounds are far too few and infrequent. Luckily, Left Field Productions has come boosting onto the scene with Mayhem 3D. With such a drought of games in this vein, Mayhem’s already off to a good start, but can it manage to roll across the finish line, or does it get beat down from the start? First things first: Mayhem is in 3D. Downside: it’s the old, outdated 3D that depends on glasses and aspirin. I spent a few bespectacled hours in the game’s career mode and, as you may have guessed, it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. I’ve seen good 3D and loved it. This is not it. I have a theory that the 3D effect is further hampered by the fact that the entire game is in black and white. There’s no real differentiation between the background and the foreground so when you’re “enjoying the 3D magic,” it all comes off a washed out gray. I don’t know what the technical reasoning was for using black and white with 3D but in practice, it’s not a good thing.
The game itself consists of career, exhibition, and multiplayer modes. As you would expect, each mode is full of the Destruction Derby essentials, but it really all boils down to 2 different concepts: Driving fast and ramming the competition. If you’re in a race type (standard race or elimination race) then your goal is to hit as few other cars as possible and stay in the front. If you’re playing a ramming mode (Destruction Derby, Pit Push, collection) then you’re just hitting everything and earning as many points as possible.
In the career, you go through several stages of these events scattered over several different course and maps and with a wide range of different vehicles including coupes, wagons, muscle cars, trucks, and the almighty Monster Truck. Each vehicle category has its own strength and weaknesses and, for the most part, each type is most fit for a certain race type. I found that muscle cars were optimal for standard destruction derbies, while coupes rocketed around the racetracks. These different cars are unlocked fairly gradually over the course of the career and there’s definite incentive to upgrade from your ride to some new hotness. When it comes to the actual in-game control, things can get a bit dicey. It’s impossible to say if they’re going for simulation or arcade controls, but either way, the physics are far from consistent. At a moment’s notice, you’ll find yourself completely losing control of the vehicle and spinning around. This is particularly frustrating in races where, on higher difficulties, laps need to be run with near Gran Turismo levels of precision to win. One slip and you might as well restart. The arenas themselves are an area that really needed to be nailed down to create the atmosphere Mayhem needed. A good number of unique environments could’ve made this game infinitely better. To the contrary, each of Mayhem’s locales is hardly distinguishable from any other, the only difference being the shape of the space or track. I’ll go ahead and blame this on the lack of color. It’s hard to create a unique, distinguished environment when it’s all the same washed out gray. Destruction Derbies and Monster Truck Rallies are bright, exciting events. I think of huge flames shooting up to the roof; bright colors and vibrant details. There’s so much detail that’s lost in the black and white. Mayhem 3D is a great example of what could have been. There’s a ton of potential for a fun derby game but it’s never fully realized. At the end of the day, I’m left thinking wistfully of 2004’s Flatout, It seems like they were on the right track at one point then somehow veered off into what is ultimately an unexciting, monotone Destruction Derby Experience.
Rating: 3.5/5 Written by AnthonyD To comment, rate or view this article onsite, follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/nascar-2011-the-game-review/
NASCAR is beloved sport across the country and is often picked on for its simplicity. There is a certain amount of respect that goes out there for drivers who risk their lives every day and take on the track. There is also respect to be garnered for a developer to take the seat of a highly popularized sport that was once apart of another publisher and try to make it their own. Eutechnyx and Activision look to bring the realism and the sheer speed of the sport to gamers with NASCAR 2011: The Game. Does this one get the checkered flag or does it get one too many yellow’s? Loading... Green Means Go NASCAR 2011 has a few modes that players can have fun in but the main draw is the Career mode. Where other titles have you create your racer and customize them, NASCAR instead has you customize the car, yeah you can name your driver and team but you will be customizing your car the most. The career takes you through the Sprint Cup series and its twentythree races as well as additional ones for a total of thirty-six. As you progress and increase your driver rank you will gain all kinds of sponsors and ability to attend invitational events. The sponsors themselves each have certain criteria like coming in 10th place or better, or even finishing X amount of races. At the race choosing screen before each race for the Sprint Cup you will see your series stats at the bottom right corner, which could have chosen a better spot for as it sometimes requires you to move the right stick as to imitate you looking down. No matter, this shows your series points, your current position on the series leaderboard and your points behind first.
During each of the different tracks loading screen you will see your stats for that track, your average finish, your wins, laps led, fastest lap and more. These stats will become your bread and butter for determining what to do next and what race track you need to brush up on. Loading... Start Your Engines! The actual races are where the game really flourishes. The menus and presentation are great with the garage feel and being able to see your car you created from your custom skin is great though. The races feel fast like they should and the gameplay is strictly maneuvering and knowing when to make your move and how to take turns like the real sport. The track detail is quite good, seeing as they more than likely traveled to each of the tracks to get a good representation of them. The orange sun of Arizona beams down on you at thee Phoenix International Raceway, which shows that the lighting became an important part of all the different tracks and really looks great. Players can enter the photo mode for more detail of the track that you normally wouldn’t be able to witness during a race. The spotter in your crew will interact with you as you race giving you tips on up coming turns and racers who will work with you for drafts, blocks or slingshot moves all in real-time. They also let you know what players are getting uneasy to you to avoid losing favor with particular drivers in future races. Much has been talked about the wreck system that is associated with this title and if you spend a few races trying it out (because nobody wants to wreck when they are really trying to win) you will understand why.
The destruction of the vehicles is seemingly limited to the looks of the paint and metal ripping off certain aspects of the car. You won’t be seeing cars being turned into compacts but you will be seeing a lot of jack-knifing and cars being hurled through the air at ferocious speeds. This sort of wear on the car, as is the tire damage and fuel consumption is meaningless in the majority of the career races as they don’t last very long. However if you choose to be a daring NASCAR driver and do like the pros and enter into a race with 100’s of laps then you sure will need to keep your focus and your car intact. Your vehicle will need to be re-fueled as well as your tires will need to be rotated and pit stops every so often to avoid blowouts and the normal wear of a vehicle. It takes racing realism to a whole new level. Loading...
Take The Race Online NASCAR 2011 features a juicy online multiplayer for NASCAR fans to sink their teeth into. It features all the customization you have for the races during the career mode but with online for up to sixteen (16) players. Private race and Custom race for you and your friends or the Quick Race mode which has a formal set of gameplay options. Your online progress is tracked via online credentials which also displays your level and your player rating. One other interesting mode for the online is the Leaderboard Challenge where players compete for the best lap time on a track which can be completed with other players. You can also ‘Master’ the track by completing a set of goals at which point you get an XP bonus for doing so. The online is pretty good and pretty deep but some missing tidbits that I would have loved to see are developer lap times or developer ghosts to compete against. I know this is far-fetched but what about a wreck mode since it is arguably one of the unique additions. Thankfully there is split-screen multiplayer though. The real problem is in finding players to play the title with online. Not many players seemed to be active on the title. Loading... Checkered Flag, Here I Come There is a lot packed into this NASCAR fans dream of a game. A hefty singleplayer career, a robust online (if you can find players or friends), graphically sound for the most part, enough tuning to make a gearhead happy and the kitchen sink for safe measure. I did have some issues with some pop-in textures when I went into photo mode and zoomed out a little but I guess that has to do with the draw distance. Graphically, the game is as I mentioned, sound and great as long as you focus on the gameplay and not the audience or pieces of shrapnel flying. The interior of the cars are done in intricate fashion. Little subtleties that make this game shine are the spotter’s feedback, the wrecks, the addictive nature of racing and gaining XP. I honestly didn’t expect much going into this game and I am left in awe. Who knew driving in an oval can be so much fun?
Written by dylan365v
Hardcore gaming is a term that has been thrown around a lot in recent years. But what is a ‘Hardcore Gamer’, what separates the hardcore gamers from the casual gamers? We will find out in today’s post. The term gamer in general was used to define someone who played role-playing games or war games but with the launch of consoles and the fact that nearly every household has one, the word ‘gamer’ has developed to include everybody who plays regularly on either a console or handheld device. But what types of gamers are out there? Well, there are mainly three different types.
A hardcore gamer is usually described as somebody who tends to put in a lot of time playing games. They get involved in the story of the game and with other gamers playing the same games as them, either meeting up online for a game or popping over to a friend’s house to have a game with them. Hardcore gamers also get well involved in the gaming community, i.e. participating in online forums, discussion boards and playing online with other gamers. Overall dedicating hours to gaming in general.
A casual gamer on the other hand, has limited time for video games. They tend to be the people you see playing angry birds or cut the rope on their iPhone, playing bejewelled on their windows phone 7 or brain training games on their DS.
What is the difference between a pro gamer and a hardcore gamer, you may be asking yourself. Well, one thing. Money. Pro gamers are video game lovers just like hardcore gamers, but your ordinary gamer does not get paid to play their favourite games. A pro is usually sponsored by companies to go to tournaments and play, whereas hardcore gamers usually just stay at home or hang out with their friends.
Ok, we have the supposed definitions of the main three types of gamers, but you may be thinking you have this one friend who says they are a hardcore gamer but all they do is play Call of Duty. Are they still a hardcore gamer? You and I both know they are of course NOT. Please, if you have a friend that says that awful quote “I am a hardcore gamer, I play black ops online.” Slap them! Yes of course I will admit, I play Call of Duty (and a lot of core gamers do) and that is because it is without a doubt a good game but we all know there is more to gaming then shooting Nazi zombies. Gamers back in the day of proper arcades playing Pac-man and Donkey Kong used to be classed as core gamers, but now a days if those games were released they would just get laughed at by so called ‘Hardcore gamers’. When you say the term hardcore gamer to anyone on the street, the thought that would come into most peoples heads is 18+ rated games and first person shooters. You have the Call of Duty’s, the Halo’s and of course the Battlefields, but that is not all ‘hardcore gamers’ play. In all honesty anyone who just plays the one type of game is not a proper gamer in my eyes, a proper gamer has to have variety and that is why we have there is Assassins Creed, where you get to jump from building to building; whilst running through your ancestors memories. There is Dead Space, being a space janitor with fancy guns slicing aliens really has its kicks. There is GTA, Need for Speed, Final Fantasy, Fable, Gears of War, Madden, Fifa, Street Fighter, Pokémon, Guitar Hero, Portal, Mass Effect and they are just a few games; there are the games from our childhood in those arcades we spent hours upon hours in, classics like space invaders and Pacman. Games we played while at our friend’s house like sonic. Even more recent but yet so distant games like Hitman, how much money would you make if I gave you a pound every time you asked a COD: BLOPS player what Hitman was and they looked at you like you were a Nazi zombie eh?
Here is what ‘Hardcore Gamer’ means to some TheGamersHub readers: Twitter Readers @ProjectRYG: “@dylan365v I’d say a hardcore gamer is whoever has a passion for games in their heart.” @Starfox118: “@dylan365v I’d say a Hardcore Gamer is someone who is intrinsically interested in Gaming. They follow news and reviews and are finding new and usually not as popular games. They basically go for what they like not what they see advertised. They don’t have to be an amazing gamer, nor do they have to play 24/7 they just have to have a massive interest in it all.” So no, it does not matter what console you own (even a wii gamer can be hardcore) because a hardcore gamer is someone who is reading this right now. Someone who takes the time to go and find the information about the next game they are going to buy and then saves a picture of it as their screensaver, goes online everyday and reads about games, someone who spends their hard earned money on video games so they can come home and relax and kick their friends ass’ online. A hardcore gamer is someone who helps you out if your stuck on a game online, not the damn kids that scream racial slurs down their microphones at you because you shot the person they were trying to kill for a half an hour. A hardcore gamer is someone with a passion for games, someone who loves games and respects them. A hardcore gamer, is you.
Written by lpfisher To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/battlefield-3-gets-hideo-kojima-seal-of-approval/
Battlefield 3 gets seal of approval We’ve all seen the full 12-minute Battlefield 3 trailer by now right? Well, it seems Hideo Kojima has taken the time to watch it too, and apparently he was quite impressed by what he saw. Hideo Kojima, the creator of what many believe to be one of the best game series of all time, and what some still argue is the best looking game on PS3, Metal Gear Solid 4. “The 12-minute trailer for ‘Battlefield 3′ is amazing.” If Kojima-san approves, you know you’re doing something right.
Release Date: Fall, 2011 Available On: Xbox 360, PS3, PC Developer: DICE
Written by MegatronYourMom To comment, rate or view this article onsite, follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/battlefield-3-what-we-know-so-far/
What we know so far Call of Duty, move on over. There’s a new player at the table, and his name is Battlefield 3. Little information has been released about the game so far, but we do know some details. There have been videos of the game play, and DICE has released a miniscule amount of information. Enough to get fans salivating and hungry for more. The sequel to Battlefield 2 is set to be released on November 2nd. If you purchased Medal of Honor and received a beta code, you can expect to take the games multiplayer mode for a test run sometime in October. By looking at the game play videos released on the internet, it’s apparent that Battlefield 3 is going to be set in the Middle East, and as far as one can tell, you will be playing as the U.S Marines. EA has confirmed the release to be on the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC, and will have several improvements upon its predecessors in the series. Battlefield 3 will be using the Frostbite 2.0 engine. This will feature enhanced destruction, known as Destruction 3.0 (As opposed to Destruction 2.0 in previous games.) This will allow for a much larger range of destructible objects, other than buildings, and allowing for more realistic destruction. No spot is a safe spot if you can blow out the wall that you’re hiding behind The online aspect of the game will support up to 24 players on consoles, and up to 64 players on the PC. However, with the ability to mod the game on the PC, you can potentially play in lobbies of up to 256 players. The maps have been confirmed to take place in Europe, the Middle East and North America, ranging from cities like Paris, New York and Tehran. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the console ports of the game only support 24 players max per lobby, the maps will be significantly smaller as opposed to the PC port. Earlier this year, a Battlefield 3: Limited Edition was announced, where the buyer will have early access to the Back to Kackrand multiplayer expansion, which will include four classic maps from Battlefield 2, weapons, and vehicles at no additional price. Battlefield 3 looks promising. So far, this is all we know, and One might go on to call it the CoD killer, while others may just think it’s a Call of Duty wannabe, brush it off to the side, and wait for the next Call of Duty game activision will most likely pump out November 11th like they do every year. We’ll just have to wait until more information is released, and there is still plenty of time until it’s release, which means plenty of time for DICE to make this game a masterpiece!
Written by TGH Staff To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/diablo-3-beta-tiny-part-of-full-game/
Diablo 3 Beta In a post from Blizzard they have spoken about the Beta testing and how it will only include a small part of the whole game. Based on the comments from Blizzard it may only include parts of the game they have already revealed to the public which includes the game’s first three Acts. In the comments they added “we’re really trying to preserve the surprise and wonderment (that we hope will come with exploring Diablo III) as much as possible”. No date has been set for the Beta test but there is speculation that a date will either be announced in a conference call next month which has now been set for Monday, May 9, 2011 at 1:30 pm Pacific Time (4:30 pm Eastern Time), and if not then, at BlizzCon later this year. However, it is likely we’ll hear more on the Beta on 9 May as Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime teased in the last call that there would be an update on the Beta status: “I’m looking forward to sharing more news about the game, and our upcoming beta, during the next conference call.” ~ 9 feb 2011
Written byAndy To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/03/diablo-iii-coming-to-consoles/
Coming to consoles MCV have been told that Blizzard could potentially release its next super-hit on console as well as PC CEO Mike Morhaime said the firm has been conducting ongoing exploration into the viability of Diablo on console. The third game in the franchise was announced in 2008 but was only confirmed for PC. Speculation has been rife since that it will also be released for 360 and PS3. The ‘Diablo on console’ rumour had new life breathed into it last month when Blizzard posted an ad its website, looking for a senior producer with top level console experience. Morhaime told MCV: “We are looking for a couple of console developers, yes. At this stage though, it’s basically an investigation to see if it makes sense for Diablo to be a console game as well as a PC game. “We haven’t made any decisions yet, but a lot us feel that if ever there was a Blizzard franchise that could play well as a console game, then that’s probably it.”
Written by lpfisher To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/05/need-for-speed-a-history-of-subtitles/
Need for Speed: A history of subtitles Since 1994’s The Need for Speed, there’s been a wealth of subtitled high speed racing goodness. Some titled appropriately but others, not so much. The newly announced NFS: The Run is definitely shaping up to be one of the best of the series, but how does it compare with its predecessors? Hot Pursuit Officially Need for Speed 3, the first Hot Pursuit flipped the script on arcade racers. The new “Hot Pursuit” mode was, and still is, a fan favorite. Its sequel was the first NFS title to be developed by the then new EA Black Box and also featured the inception of EA’s still kicking EA Trax feature which ditched original instrumentals for a licensed soundtrack. Finally, there’s last year’s Hot Pursuit reboot developed by Criterion Games of Burnout fame. For many fans, the Hot Pursuit games were some of the best of the series so a return to the game was welcomed with open arms. The subtitle says it all, these games were hot.
High Stakes (Road Challenge-UK) The first in the series to include damage modeling, and a fully fleshed out career mode, complete with upgrades and currency, High Stakes fit its subtitle perfectly. For the most part, the new features and concepts wouldn’t be fully realized until later iterations of the series. For all intents and purposes, High Stakes was an experiment and a gamble.
Porsche Unleashed (Porsche 2000-UK) Taking a turn towards Gran Turismo levels of detail, Porsche Unleashed featured an all Porsche line-up with information to spare. Playing through the Evolution mode, players raced to unlock new Porsche models starting with 1950 and moving up through 2000. This one’s pretty self explanatory: it featured Porsche, and they were most definitely unleashed.
Underground Need for Speed: Underground was a huge change of pace for the series. Obviously inspired by 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, Black Box took the series out of its brightly lit origins and dove deep into the seedy underbelly of illegal street racing. Hot cars and bright lights were the main attraction as you clambered up through the ranks to become the best of the best. Underground 2 was basically more of the same with one exception: rather than choose races from a list, players drove to events similarly to Midnight Club. Plus, both games had a banging sound track… TO THE WINDOOOOOOOOOOW, TO THE WALL.
Most Wanted NFS: Most Wanted combined elements from both Hot Pursuit and Underground…police chases, open world map, and a ladder style “black list.” It’s a pretty simple formula: Underground + Hot Pursuit = Most Wanted in both concept, and title.
Carbon The first Need for Speed direct sequel, NFS: Carbon continued the story of Most Wanted while returning to the nocturnal racing of the Underground series. One of the best additions was found in the form of Canyon Duels—boss races which required the player to just keep up which, if we’re being honest, is challenge enough some times. Carbon, of course, refers to both the material some car hoods are made out of, and the way bits and pieces of different NFS games are grafted together to create one thin, smooth experience with good endurance and a nice sheen.
ProStreet We’ve reached the point where things get a bit iffy. Need for Speed: ProStreet was both a turn toward realism and a turn away from the quality the series is known for. After a long history of arcade racers, ProStreet locked races into tracks and attempted realistic physics and controls. It was pretty flawed and the physics were, on occasion, a bit…umm…bad. With that out of the way, we can go ahead and say that Prostreet was neither “pro”, nor “street.” Luckily, Need for Speed: Shift took this concept and smoothed out the edges.
Undercover Undercover took the series’ classic police chase system and flipped it on its spoiler with the player character being an undercover cop. After the lackluster success of ProStreet, Undercover was a return to the series’ roots.
Shift 2009’s Need for Speed: Shift was EA’s first real shot at the Gran Turismo throne. It performed much better than the 3 games prior and, for all intents and purposes, was a true shift for the series. After what some consider a 3 game slump, Shift was a real turning point. This year’s Shift 2, on the other hand, was met with mixed opinions. A persistent online feature had a lot of potential, but the game was plagued with technical issues at launch.
The Run So that’s pretty much it. Now we’ve got The Run to look forward to this fall. Based on the trailer and story bits we’ve been given so far, The Run looks like the next great NFS game. As we all know though, it all comes down to the mechanics and details. Last year’s Hot Pursuit reboot brought Need for Speed back into the spotlight and now, they’re on The Run.
EA has newly announced that their upcoming title, Need for Speed: The Run will offer “an edgier experience” than previous entries in the racing series. Due for release in November on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii and 3DS, the game’s being built using DICE’s Battlefield engine Frostbite 2. According to the publisher, it’ll see you “weave through dense urban centres, rocket down icy mountain passes and navigate narrow canyons at breakneck speeds, all the while evading a relentless police force prepared – and willing – to use lethal force to take you down”. Speaking last night during a call, EA Games Label president Frank Gibeau said: “Our second blockbuster in Need for Speed The Run was announced last week with a trailer that revealed another spectacular game in this globally recognised franchise.” “Developed by the Black Box team in Vancouver and built on a proprietary game engine, Frostbite 2, Need for Speed The Run offers an edgier experience that takes players on an action-packed high-stakes race from San Francisco to New York.” To me, that sounds like a mix of Motorstorm and Split Second? Will it be as good though?
Written by TGH Staff To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/skyrim-fresh-new-screens/
Skyrim Screenshots
Written by MegatronYourMom To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/mortal-kombat-a-guide-to-the-krypt/
Mortal Kombat: A Guide to the Krypt
Sick of wasting your koins trying to find fatalities, and alternate costumes in the Krypt, but getting useless things like artwork and music? So are a lot of people. However, I have some good news! After countless hours of continuously playing the ladder while PSN has been down, I was able to collect enough koins, and in the process of buying everything, I have mapped the entire krypt! You can now save your koins and find the stuff you’ve wanted to buy without having to buy every last thing (Unless you want to). Below is the list for all the unlocks that can be found in the Krypt, as well as areas that they can be found in. There are four areas to the Krypt: The Blood Marsh, Dead Lands, Hollow of Infestation and the Meadow of Despair. Note: I’m aware that there are hidden chests in each area of the Krypt, however, I’ve yet to find them. If anyone can find where they are, please message me and I will edit this and give you credit! Blood Marsh 1. Living Forest Speed Painting 2 2. Mileena Fatality (Rip Off) 3. Shang Tsung’s Throne Room Concept A 4. Evil Monastery Speed Painting 2 5. Noob Saibot Alternate Costume Render (alternate costume) 6. Sonya Render 7. Noob Alternate Damage Concept 8. Noob Saibot Fatality (As One) 9. Dragon Concept 10. Retro Ermac Render 11. Rainbow Kombat Kode 12. Kung Lao Alternate Damage Concept 13. Sektor Primary Costume Concept 14. Raiden Fatality (Transplant) 15. Shang Tsung Primary Damage concept 16. Shang Tsung Throne Room Music 17. Temple Speed Painting 2
18. Jax Primary Damage Concept 19. Sindel Alternate Costume 20. Dead Pool Music 21. Sub Zero Primary Costume Concept 22. Rooftop Dusk Speed Painting 2 23. Kitana Fatality (Splitting Headache) 24. Street Concept 25. Throne Speed Painting 26. Smoke Fatality (Tremor) 27. Nightwolf Primary Costume Concept 28. Soul Chamber Speed Painting 1 29. Ermac Primary Damage Concept 30. Sans Power Kode 31. Liu Kang Primary Costume Concept 32. Sonya Blade Damage Concept 33. Shang Tsung’s Garden Speed Painting 2 34. Liu Kang Alternate Damage Concept 35. Sonya Fatality (Kut Throat) 36. Soul Chamber Speed Painting 2 37. Mileena Shadow Render 38. Kung Lao Alternate Costume Concept (unlocks alternate costume) 39. Street Speed Painting 2 40. Nekropolis Concept 2 41. Silent Kombat Kode 42. Living Forest Music 43. Parasite Victims Render 44. Sindel Fatality (Mouthful) 45. Liu Kang Concept 46. Deadlands Concept 2 47. Specials Disabled Kode 48. Liu Kang Primary Damage Concept 49. Meadow of Despair Concept 1 50. Jade Alternate Costume Concept (unlocks alternate costume) 51. Temple Speed Painting 1 52. Jade Primary Damage Concept 53. Evil Monastery Speed Painting 1 54. Super Recovery Kode
55. Nightwolf Alternate Damage Concept 56. Wasteland Speed Painting 2 57. Stryker Fatality (Have A Blast) 58. Baraka Primary Costume Concept 59. Nekropolis Concept 60. Throwing Encouraged Kode 61. Temple Concept 62. Shang Tsung’s Garden (Night) Music 63. Cyber Sub-Zero Fatality (Brain Freeze) 64. Tournament Mode Kode 65. Subway Speed Painting 1 66. Reptile Fatality Sketch 67. Goro Damage Concept 68. Ermac Alternate Costume Concept (unlocks alternate costume) 69. Wasteland Concept 70. Meadow of Despair Concept 3 71. Shang Tsung’s Throne Room Speed Painting 1 72. Scorpion Fatality (Nether Gates) 73. Hallow of Infestation Concept 1 74. Scorpion Fatality Sketch 75. Cyrax Render 76. Reptile Primary Damage Concept 77. Zombie Kombat Kode 78. Subway Concept 79. Rooftop (Day) Speed Painting 1 80. Koliseum Music 81. Reptile Primary Costume Concept 82. Smoke Alternate Costume Concept (unlocks alternate costume) 83. Mileena Alternate Damage Concept Dead Lands 1.Free Grave 2. Temple Music 3. Johnny Cage Fatality Sketch 4. Dead Pool Concept 5. Jade Fatality (Half Mast) 6. Stryker Primary Costume Concept 7. Reptile Alternate Costume Concept (unlocks alternate costume) 8. Pit (Night) Concept 9. Wasteland Music 10. Blocking Disabled Kode 11. Cyber Sub-Zero Concept 12. Jumping Disabled Kode 13. Evil Monastery Concept 14. Kitana Primary Costume Concept 15. Johnny Cage Alternate Costume Concept (unlocks alternate costume) 16. Rooftop (Dawn) Concept
17. No Blood Kode 18. Hell Speed Painting 2 19. Sonya Fatality Sketch 20. Scorpion Shadow Render 21. Ermac Fatality 22. Tormentor Model 23. Sektor Fatality Sketch 24. Noob Primary Costume Concept 25. Dark Kombat Kode 26. Armory Music 27. Sonya Primary Costume Concept 28. Sheeva Alternate Costume Concept 29. TaiGore Model 30. Kano Fatality Sketch 31. Raiden Render 32. Hyper Fighting Kode 33. Armory Concept 34. Baraka Alternate Damage Concept 35. Scorpion Fatality Sketch 36. Mileena Reveal Render 37. Kabal Fatality (It Takes Guts) 38. Courtyard (Night) Concept 39. Jax Primary Costume Concept 40. Baraka Alternate Costume Concept 41. Sindel Render 42. Flesh Pits Concept 43. Health Recovery Kode 44. Scorpion Reveal Render 45. Dead Pool Victim Concepts 46. Ermac Primary Costume Concept 47. Sektor Alternate Costume Concept 48. Courtyard (Night) Music 49. Courtyard Speed Painting 2 50. Kombos Disabled Kode 51. Scorpion Primary Costume Concept 52. Kano Primary Costume Concept 53. Hell Fatality Sketch 54. Shao Kahn’s Throne Room Concept 55. DeadPool Speed Painting 1 56. Stryker Alternate Costume Concept (alternate costume) 57. Desert Speed Painting 2 58. Rooftop (Dusk) Music 59. Armory Speed Painting 2 60. Graveyard Speed Painting 1 61. Desert Music 62. Sindel Primary Costume Concept 63. Quan Chi Alternate Costume Concept (unlocks alternate costume) 64. Kabal Fatality Sketch
65. Shao Khan Render 66. DeadPool Speed Painting 2 67. Pit (Day) Concept 68. Koliseum Speed Painting 2 69. Kitana Alternate Costume Concept 70. Kabal Primary Costume Concept 71. Graveyard Music 72. Desert Speed Painting 1 73. Disable Foreground Objects Kode (001 001) 74. Sub-Zero Render 75. Flesh Pits Speed Painting 1 76. Kabal Fatality Sketch 77. Goro’s Lair Speed Painting 1 78. Jade Render 79. Johnny Cage Fatality (And The Winner Is) 80. Retro Sub-Zero Render 81. Flesh Pits Speed Painting 2 82. Sonya Alternate Damage Concept 83. Power Bars Disabled Kode 84. Shao Kahn Concept 85. Soul Chamber Music 86. Sheeva Primary Damage Concept 87. Mileena Primary Costume Concept 88. Kabal Alternate Costume Concept 89. Noob Primary Damage Concept 90. Courtyard (Day) Concept 91. Smoke Primary Costume Concept 92. Jax Fatality (Three Points!) 93. Ermac Alternate Damage Concept 94. Shao Khan’s Throne Room Music 95. Bell Tower Speed Painting 1 96. Psycho Kombat Kode 97. Bell Tower Speed Painting 2 98. Hell Music 99. Raiden Alternate Damage Concept 100. Raiden Primary Costume Concept 101. Shang Tsung Alternate Costume Concept 102. Rooftop (Dusk) Concept 103. Kano Alternate Damage Concept 104. Cerberus Model 105. Unlimited Super Meter Kode 106. Sub-Zero Reveal Render 107. Goro’s Lair Concept 108. Shang Tsung’s Garden (Night) Concept 109. Sindel Alternate Damage Concept 110. Nightwolf Alternate Costume Concept (unlocks alternate costume) 111. Courtyard Speed Painting 1 112. Graveyard Speed Painting 2 113. Dream Kombat Kode
114. Evil Monastery Music 115. Mileena Primary Damage Concept 116. Explosive Kombat Kode 117. Sheeva Alternate Damage Concept 118. Retro Scorpion Render 119. Scorpion Alternate Costume 120. Cyrax Fatality (Nothing But Net) 121. Living Forest Speed Painting 1 Hollow of Infestation 1. Koliseum Concept 2. Kung Lao Primary Costume Concept 3. Koliseum Speed Painting 1 4. Baraka Fatality (Take A Spin) 5. Living Forest Concept 6. Street Music 7. Shao Kahn Damage Concept 8. Liu Kang Alternate Costume 9. Cyrax Alternate Damage Concept 10. Rooftop (Day) Concept 11. Graveyard Concept 12. Shang Tsung Fatality (Identity Theft) 13. Shang Tsung Alternate Damage Concept 14. Armory Speed Painting 1 15. Enhance Moves Disabled Kode 16. Soul Chamber Concept 17. Jade Primary Costume Concept 18. Kano Fatality (Eat Your Heart Out) 19. Goro’s Lair Speed Painting 2 20. Sheeva Primary Costume Concept 21. Subway Speed Painting 2 22. Sonya Blade Alternate Costume 23. Shang Tsung’s Throne Room Speed Painting 2 24. X-Rays Disabled Kode 25. Executioner Concepts 26. Bell Tower Music 27. Shang Tsung’s Garden (Day) Concept 28. Liu Kang Fatality (Beast Within) 29. Bell Tower Concept 30. Quan Chi Fatality Sketch 31. Reptile Alternate Damage Concept 32. Sektor Primary Damage Concept 33. Mileena Alternate Costume 34. Shang Tsung Primary Costume Concept 35. Courtyard (Day) Music 36. Johnny Cage Primary Damage Concept 37. Quick Uppercut Recovery Kode 38. Goro’s Lair Music 39. Quan Chi Fatality (On Your Knees) 40. Sindel Primary Damage Concept
Meadow of Despair 1.Rooftop (Dusk) Speed Painting 1 2. Nightwolf Fatality (Ascension) 3. Living Forest Trees Concept 4. Flesh Pits Music 5. Nekropolis Concept 6 6. Cyrax Alternate Costume 7. Cyrax Primary Costume Concept 8. Nekropolis Concept 3 9. Armless Kombat Kode 10. Rooftop (Dawn) Speed Painting 1 11. Sektor Fatality (The Scarcrow) 12. Jax Alternate Damage Concept 13. Meadow Of Despair Concept 2 14. Raiden Alternate Costume 15. Street Speed Painting 1 16. Rooftop (Dawn) Speed Painting 2 17. Breakers Disabled Kode 18. Pit Bottom Concept 19. Hallow Of Infestation Concept 2 20. Johnny Cage Primary Costume Concept 21. Sheeva Fatality (Lend A Hand) 22. Desert Concept 23. Kitana Alternate Damage Concept 24. Jade Alternate Damage Concept 25. Kano Alternate Costume 26. Rooftop (Day) Speed Painting 2 27. Retro Reptile Render 28. Throwing Disabled Kode 29. Shang Tsung’s Throne Room Concept B 30. Shang Tsung’s Garden Speed Painting 1 31. Kung Lao Fatality (Razor’s Edge) 32. Kitana Primary Damage Concept 33. Subway Music 34. Kano Primary Damage Concept 35. Baraka Primary Damage Concept 36. Jax Alternate Costume 37. Goro Render 38. Early Krypt Entrance Concept 3 39. Invisible Kombat Kode 40. Jax Render 41. Blood Marsh Concept 2 42. Reptile Fatality (Weight Loss) 43. Hell Concept 44. Shao Kahn’s Throne Room Speed Painting 2 45. Vampire Kombat Kode 46. Scorpion Primary Damage Concept 47. Double Dash Kode 48. Kitana Render 49. Skeletal Statues Render
50. Sub-Zero Shadow Render 51. Sub-Zero Fatality (Spinal Smash) 52. Pit (Night) Music 53. Ermac Render 54. Sub-Zero Alternate Costume 55. Scorpion Render
Written by Ryan.p To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/05/alienware-m18x-has-arrived/
Alienware M18x Has Arrived If you have been patiently waiting for the official launch of Alienware’s M18x, Dell’s latest monster gaming portable powerhouse, your wait is now over. The Alienware M18x has now started shipping and is available to configure on the Alienware website. The Alienware M18x is equipped with a massive 18.4-inch FHD WLED 1080p display and can be fitted with a number of dual GPU configurations to accomodate any gaming desires. Its powered by the new Intel “Huron River” Architecture with a new factory overclocked Intel Core i7 Extreme Quad Core processor up to 4GHz, as an option. Its also equipped with options to install up to 32GB of RAM, but packing this monster with 32GB will set you back £1,500 on top of the base price.
Written by Ryan.p To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/05/new-imacs-are-here-21-5-inch-and-27-inch//
New iMacs are Here: 21.5 inch and 27 inch Apple has just put their Store live again and they have shown off their new iMacs. The 2011 iMac range is now live and they are bigger and faster than ever before. There are 2 new iMacs, the 21.5 inch iMac and the 27 inch iMac. Yes, the specs are great if your a gamer. 21.5 inch iMac features: 2.5 or 2.7 GHz 6MB of cache 4GB of memory, but can be configured upto 16GB 500GB of storage 6750M processor 27 inch iMac features: 2.7 or 3.1 GHz 6MB of cache 1 TB of storage, but can be upto 2TB 6770M processor Full specs and features can be found on the Apple Store.
Written by Ryan.p To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/05/panasonic-100gb-rewritable-bd-re-xl-disks/
Panasonic 100GB Rewritable BD-RE XL Disks Following Sharps release of their huge 100GB capacity disks, Panasonic have now started shipping their 100GB BD-RE XL disks. The new large capacity Blu-ray disks are set to arrive in Japan on the 15th April. The 100GB BD-RE XL is Panasonic’s first first triple layer Blu-ray Disk and provides enough space for 20 standard DVDs, 100 hours of standard definition television, tens of thousands of music recordings on one disc. The disks are already supported by the latest burners from both Pioneer and Buffalo. However with the price of these disks its recommended you check your Blu-ray recorder will support the new Panasonic disks. As when the disk arrive in Japan they will be available for 10,000 yen or £73 GBP each
Written by Dan To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/05/psns-timeline-since-sony-sues-geohotz/
Sony sent a letter to Congress today that describes the details of the hacker attack on its PlayStation Network and The Station online gaming services. The information shows how Sony’s information technology team discovered and then responded to the attacks, which forced Sony to shut down the services and tell more than 100 million registered users that their personal data might have been stolen. It also says that 12.3 million accountholders had credit card information on the system, including 5.6 million in the U.S. Sony says it believes it knows how the attack occurred, but is reluctant to make details available. It has not yet determined who is responsible for the attack, though it found some evidence about Anonymous, the hacktivist group, on its PC online service servers. Sony said that major credit card companies have not reported any increase in fraudulent redit card transactions. Here’s the timeline: January 11, 2011. Sony sues George “GeoHot” Hotz and others for jailbreaking, or circumventing the security sytsetm of the PlayStation 3. January 27, 2011. Sony asks for a temporary restraining order stopping Hotz from further distributing the jailbreak tools to users, who can download them and break the security on their machines so they can run unauthorized software. February 12, 2011. Hotz posts on rap video on his YouTube page explaining his side of the case. (It now has 1.8 million views). February 19, 2011. Hotz starts a blog about the lawsuit. March 6, 2011. Court approves Sony request to access all the internet protocol addresses of the people who visited GeoHot’s blog to download the ailbreaking tools. March 23, 2011. Sony claims that Hotz has fled to South America and destroyed evidence. That turns out not to be true, according to Hotz’s attorney.
April 3, 2011. Hacktivist group Anonymous launches a cyber attack against various Sony web sites in an operation called #OpSony in retaliation for Sony’s pursuit of George “GEoHot” Hotz and Graf_Chokolo. April 11, 2011. Sony settles the PS3 jail breaking case with Hotz. Anonymous says it will continue with boycott of Sony on April 16. April 19, 2011, 4:15 pm Pacific time. Members of the Sony Computer Entertainment network team detected unauthorized activity in the PlayStation Network system in San Diego, Calif. Certain systems were rebooting when they were not scheduled to do so. The network service team started reviewing the logs from the system to see what was wrong. It took four servers offline. April 20, 2011, early afternoon. Sony’s team discovered evidence that an unauthorized intrusion had occurred and that data of some kind had been transferred off the PSN servers without authorization. Six more servers are found to have been possibly compromised. Sony hires a forensic investigation team that afternoon. That team begins to “mirror” Sony’s systems, a meticulous process. The team couldn’t determine what had been taken and so they shut the network system down. At that point, the 77 million registered users of the network couldn’t play online games, access their accounts, or purchase movies and other entertainment on the network. Sony’s experts have to delve through 130 servers and 50 programs. April 21, 2011. Sony hired a second computer security and forensic consulting firm to provide more manpower. April 22, 2011. The forensics team completes the mirroring of nine of ten servers that were believed to be compromised. Sony Computer Entertainment’s general counsel provided the FBI with information about the intrustion. Sony’s forensics team had not reached any conclusions at that point.
April 23, 2011. Sony’s forensics teams confirm that very sophisticated and aggressive techniques were used to obtain access, hide their presence from system administrators, and steadily escalate their privileges inside the servers. The intruders deleted log files to hide thier work. Sony now realized it needed yet another forensic team to help. April 25, 2011. The forensics teams determined the scope of the personal data that had been stolen from all PSN and Qriocity service accounts, but the team did not know if credit card numbers had been accessed. April 26, 2011. Sony provides public notice about the intrusion. It also notifies regulatory authorities in a variety of states about the criminal intrusion. April 28, 2011. Hotz denies any involvement in PSN attack. April 30, 2011. Sony’s No. 2 executive, Kazuo Hirai, apologizes to Sony’s customers and holds the first public press conference about the attack. He says the PSN should be up within a week and that Sony has beefed up its security. April 29, 2011. House of Representatives subcommittee asks for more information on the attack as it considers legislation to require companies to notify consumers in case of data theft. May 1, 2011. Sony finds new evidence that hackers broke into the servers of Sony Online Entertainment, the PC online gaming division of the company which runs online games such as Free Realms and EverQuest. Sony discovers a file that says “Anonymous,” “We are legion.” That’s the slogan for the hacktivist group. May 2, 2011. Sony says it will explain what happened to Congress but won’t testify yet. May 4, 2011. Sony sends letter to Congress answering questions.
Written by Henry M To comment, rate or view this article onsite, and watch the video follow the link below: http://thegamershub.net/2011/04/sony%E2%80%99s-tc-excludes-%E2%80%9Call-liability-or-loss-of-data-or-unauthorised-access%E2%80%9D/
Sony’s T&C Excludes “all liability or loss of data or unauthorised access
Sony’s PSN terms and conditions are being challenged by ICO which claims the agreement users must comply with in order to sign up and use PSN, is not applicable by UK law. T&C claims no liability According to Sony’s T&C, the firm is not liable for any loss of data or any “unauthorised access,” to said data when using Sony Online Network. However, this is being challenged by ICO which claims that under the UK’s Data Protection Act, “any individual or company which handles personal information (including names, email addresses and payment details) is required to keep that information secure,” and Sony could face a pen-
alty of £500,000. The Information Commissioners Office has issued a statement to Edge saying that if UK residents’ data is stored in the UK, “this clause would not free them from their obligations under the UK Data Protection Act,” but since the independent firm is unaware of where UK user data is stored, it is unsure whether Sony can be held liable for any breach of consumer information or not at the moment. “If we found a breach, one of the actions we could take would be to issue an undertaking, which is an agreement between the ICO and the company that if they are handling personal information they have to bring about set improvements in order for them to be compliant with the act,” the ICO representative explained. “If the company is not compliant with the act within a certain time limit, further action would be taken and we might consider an enforcement notice or issue a monetary penalty. “For serious breaches of the act, we can issue a monetary penalty up to £500,000.” To be considered a serious matter and able to be pursued, it would have to be proven Sony was aware of its security obligations and failed to act on them. It must also be proven that it caused undue stress to quite a lot of people. A criminal matter According to the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act, the system hack also falls under criminal legislation overseen by the Metropolitan Police. Per Jas Purewal of GamerLaw, account compromises “raise complex but increasingly common legal issues.” “They are governed both by the T&Cs applicable to the account as well as by more general legal principles,” he explained. “Exactly how companies are required to deal with account compromises (including informing account holders of the compromise) will depend both on the T&Cs applicable to the account and the laws of the relevant countries – so there is no universal practice as such.” While the loss of data such as names, addresses and financial details could lead to both “regulatory action and lawsuits for compensation,” should such information be used, Purewal said that since there is no misuse of such data a present, currently any legal claim against Sony would be difficult. Until such a compromise occurs, it is hard to prove misuse of said data.
Coming Soon
When is the next issue of TheGamersHub Magazine? The next issue of TGH magazine will be released 13th June 2011. This will be our third edition of the magazine and hopefully with all the feedback we recieve from you, it will be improved even more and so we always are aware off what our audience would like to read. As TheGamersHub Magazine is a new introduction for the site, please bare in mind we are still getting on our feet with it. If there is anything you would like to see appearing in this magazine or just want to give us feedback please email Dan at: dan.h@thegamershub.net For advertising in the magazine please contact Henry at: henry.m@thegamershub.net