Top of the Chart Hits – Over 40 all-new tracks, featuring a variety of musical genres that will appeal to everyone.
New Modes to Extend Game-play – Dance Crew Mode, Smart Shuffle, Flash Mob Mode and Dance Mash-up.
Shake Your World – Interact with the in-game environment, be a part of the action, and watch the game respond to YOU as you dance.
Just Sweat More – A more advanced training program with calculated Cardio Training
An expanding list of down-loadable tracks will be available at launch to fuel every player’s dance frenzy.
2010′s best-selling dance franchise returns with the highly anticipated third iteration, Just Dance 3. Dance to over 40 of the hottest hits from yesterday and today, spanning a wide range of genres that are sure to please any music fan. Using only the Wii Remote, Just Dance 3 is the perfect dance game for any age or dance ability, so it’s easy for anyone to join the movement! With a variety of all-new gameplay modes, tracks that allow up to 8 players at once, and innovative cardio training optio
Inside the Games You Grew Up with but Never Forgot With all the whiz, bang, pop, and shimmer of a glowing arcade. The Ultimate History of Video Games reveals everything you ever wanted to know and more about the unforgettable games that changed the world, the visionaries who made them, and the fanatics who played them. From the arcade to television and from the PC to the handheld device, video games have entraced kids at heart for nearly 30 years. And author and gaming historian Steven L. Ken
The Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL), founded in June 1997 by gaming entrepreneur Angel Munoz, is a tournament organization specializing in computer and console video game competitions. Launched in Dallas, Texas, the CPL is considered a pioneer in video game tournaments held in the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Australia and Asia. The CPL’s tournaments are open to all registrants, but due to the ESRB content rating of some video games, most CPL competitions are restricted to participants age 17 or older.
Independent inventor and table tennis enthusiast Steve Martin announced this week that he has secured a patent from the US Patent Office for several key components of his revolutionary Rally Pong System.
The patent, number 8,162,783, Table Tennis Game with Automated Serving and Scorekeeping, marks a major milestone for Martin, who over the last several years has worked to perfect what he touts as ?the funnest reinvention of the game ever.?
The Rally Pong system represents a modern overhaul of classic table tennis, with a variety of new functions that include an automated talking score and digital display, continuous automated ball retrieval, and four serving guns with random automated serving functions. Rally Pong allows for exciting rallies unencumbered by scorekeeping, ball retrieval or serve-turn tracking, and even enables high-speed single player rallies.
Keith Kline, a patent attorney with the Menlo Park-based law firm Carr & Ferrell, LLP, has represented Martin since 1995, and said that this newest patent underscores the novelty of the innovations underlying the Rally Pong system. ?The issued patent certainly legitimizes Steve?s claims that the game is unique and an advancement over anything previously seen in the field,? Kline said.
Patent ?783 is the third that Martin, a retired Lockheed Martin Firmware Engineer, has received for his game system, which he designed, built and field tested in his garage. As a next step on his journey to revolutionize the world of table tennis, Martin will seek investor funding required to bring Rally Pong to market. The inventor sees boundless potential applications for his product in schools, hotels, clubs, arcades and on cruise ships.
“My sincere thanks to Keith Kline and Carr & Ferrell, LLP for the comprehensive utility patent that now protects all of my ideas and designs for Rally Pong.” Martin said upon word that his patent had been granted. ” Also, I would like to thank the California Billiard Club and all of the players that participated in the two month free Rally Pong demonstration. It was very satisfying for me to watch hundreds of new players enjoy the Rally Pong Game.”
For a video demonstration of the Rally Pong System, please visit http://www.rallypong.com.
It’s a phone, a PDA, a game device, a messaging tool, and so much more — learn all about it!With your BlackBerry in your pocket, you can take your office pretty much anywhere. This updated guide shows you how to receive and send e-mail, keep your calendar, surf the Web, make phone calls, get directions, sync data with your desktop, and a lot more. Then shop for cool apps at BlackBerry App World for even more fun and functionality!BlackBerry 101 — if this is your first BlackBerry, learn what it can do and how to navigate the screen and use the keyboardMaking contact — transfer your contact list from your desktop or another mobile device, synchronize Facebook contacts, and organize lists Meeting time — set up appointments, schedule meetings, use your BlackBerry as an alarm clock or a timer, and manage your passwords Manage messages — set up e-mail in an enterprise environment, use PIN-to-PIN messaging, and IM via BlackBerry Messenger Easy browsing — explore and configure BlackBerry’s Browser application and check out third-party browsersSay “cheese” — take great photos and video and download musicApps await — check out the best available apps for e-mail, games, stock trades, and moreOpen the book and find:A guide to all your BlackBerry’s featuresPower-saving tips Cool ways to make e-mail easierTips for managing your media filesSynchronization directions for PC or Mac BlackBerry backup advicePlaces to find cool appsTen BlackBerry games you’ll loveLearn to:Harness the power of the latest BlackBerry featuresManage meetings, appointments, and tasks on the goSurf the Web, check e-mail, and take pictures and videoLoad your BlackBerry with apps from BlackBerry App World
Image by turkguy0319
I got bored today, so I decided to inventory all my video games. This actually didnt take as long as I thought it would, seeming that I only did them by platform, genre, and whether I have beaten them or not.
But, overall, I have 167 across 12 systems. This actually doesnt include my Wii Shop and DSi shop games.
As video games have advanced in all aspects, one element they have improved upon is their ability to provide a truly rich, cinematic, immersive experience. Environments have become more expansive, storylines deeper, and characters more well-defined. Unfortunately, this means that every trait that can be found in a literary character is now magnified on the screen, even if their defining characteristic is aggravation; thus, why some of the most annoying video game characters have been truly, regrettably unforgettable.
In order for an example to be listed as among the most annoying video game characters of all time, he or she cannot be just your ordinary slightly obnoxious person. These are the truly wretched earworm-like plagues that enter our consciousness and mercilessly cling to the most sensitive, vulnerable parts of our psyche, putting every effort into trampling our nerves and arousing our outright hatred.
Navi
Often listed as one of the greatest video games ever created, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time had many factors working in its favor: An original plotline that delved even further into an already-beloved canon, among the most prototypical and universally treasures heroes ever seen on the screen, a team of the most talented and passionate developers at work to provide the best player experience possible, and innovative dungeon designs that are still held up as the now-classic examples of challenge-level perfection.
But one of the dark blights upon an otherwise near-spotless game is Navi, the fairy companion to the main character of Link. This small, blue, glowing light with wings accompanies the protagonist throughout the entire adventure, which already raises a red flag. However, what makes Navi truly annoying is her insistence on yelling ?Hey!? or ?Look!? or ?Listen!? whenever something happens, something moves, or even to break the blessed monotony if nothing is going on. Her shrill cries can still be heard in the subconscious of gamers years later, and was so derided as a poor feature of the game that for the Nintendo 64 sequel, Majora’s Mask, another fairy returned but instead made much more pleasant chiming noises, rather than constantly screaming at our valiant adventurer.
Baby Mario
The original, and most provocative, appearance of Baby Mario occurred in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Although Baby Mario has since appeared in several other titles, this is the example that many players still remember with less-than-fond feelings.
The entire point of the Yoshi’s Island game was that, as the player controlled Yoshi, their goal for the whole quest was to transport Baby Mario safely back home. The issue arises whenever Yoshi is hit by an enemy or other combative element: At these times, Baby Mario detaches in a bubble, floating away to be rescued by renewed contact with Yoshi. However, as motivation to get to Baby Mario as quickly as possible, Baby Mario cries out in a somewhat exaggerated baby-cry fashion, screaming and crying in a whiny, grating, distressed voice. It is this repetitive, ridiculous crying that gets on your nerves and compels you to never get hit by anything ever again.
Duck Hunt Dog
But the biggest, primary example of annoying video game characters has to be the companion dog found in Duck Hunt. At the beginning of every round, this goofy-lookin’ hound would dive into the field, flushing the ducks into flight. However, if you failed to hit any ducks in your hunting, then that dog would actually stand up, with an insulting smirk, and laugh to himself at how pathetic you are. This insulting, disrespectful gesture is now renowned as being the notorious pinnacle of video game annoyance and the ultimate, original in-game taunt.
As video game consoles continue to raise the technological bar in graphics and sound, perhaps future generations of annoying video game characters will be able to even more vividly annoy us. Hopefully, video game developers have learned their lesson from previous examples though, and will instead choose to create characters that we can love and support instead.
Along with Duck Hunt, other annoying video game characters like the Frat Boys in River City Ransom or many of the Mega Man enemies can often be found on the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System. For a closer look at NES games, including those with annoying characters, check out NintendoLegend.com.
Episode 1 Available Now! www.rocketjump.com The trailer for our feature-length webseries “Video Game High School!” Here’s how the release is going to work: The first episode is available right now on our website at rocketjump.com Starting May 17th (one week from now) the first episode will be up here on YouTube, and the SECOND episode will be up on RocketJump.com The whole series will be available on YouTube, RocketJump, and hopefully a bunch of other places! Video Rating: 4 / 5
In-car games may provide a welcomed diversion for the kids, but it could also prove dangerously distracting for the driver, research by AXA car insurance has found.
With almost half (45%) of children playing games to keep themselves amused in the car, it is little wonder that motorists find their attention taken off the road. More than half (56%) of the drivers surveyed found that playing games often distracts them, and a little over one in ten (11%) always find it takes their mind off the road.
A worrying 14% of drivers admitted that playing a game ? or arguing over a game ? had taken their mind off the road enough to cause an accident.
The good news is that playing games on hand-held consoles (42%) or mobile phones (30%) are proving more popular than the traditional in-car game, such as memory games (29%) and the number plate game (27%).
Amanda Edwards at AXA insurance said: ?Keeping children distracted in the car is a perennial problem, but it?s important for drivers to remember that playing games with the kids can be very distracting ? and possibly dangerous. So while it?s good to see that traditional games like I Spy are still much-loved, it?s perhaps a good thing in this case that computer games are the more popular choice amongst children these days.?
The overall top 5 children?s favourite in-car games:
1.Computer games
2.Games on mobile phone
3.Memory games
4.Games about other cars on the road
5.Quizzes
The top 5 traditional children?s favourite in-car games:
1.I Spy
2.Counting cars / lorries / caravans
3.Alphabet game
4.Number plate game
5.Singing
View our Help or Hindrance video
About the survey
The survey was carried out by OnePoll between 17-21 February 2012 among 500 children aged 3-16 and 2,000 drivers who go on car journeys with children.
About AXA
AXA is one of the largest general insurers in the UK and underwrites a broad range of products for individuals and businesses. AXA Direct Insurance offers car, home and travel insurance through its website http://www.axainsurance.com and is designed to make buying insurance fast, secure, convenient and easy-to-use.
AXA UK is a part of the AXA Group. The AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management serving 101 million clients. It is ranked the largest insurer in the world by net written premium and the top insurance brand globally.
In the UK AXA operates through a number of business units including: AXA Wealth; AXA Commercial Lines, AXA Personal Lines, AXA PPP healthcare, AXA Ireland and an independent distribution business Bluefin. AXA employs over 13,000 staff in the UK.
For full year 2011, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 86.1 billion and IFRS underlying earnings to Euro 3.9 billion. AXA had Euro 1,079 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2011.
The AXA ordinary share is listed on compartment A of Euronext Paris under the ticker symbol CS (ISIN FR0000120628 ? Bloomberg: CS FP ? Reuters: AXAF.PA). AXA?s American Depositary Share is also quoted on the OTC QX platform under the ticker symbol AXAHY.
The AXA Group is included in the main international SRI indexes, such as Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and FTSE4GOOD.
In the 21st century landscape of bits and bytes, everyone leaves a digital footprint … even the most advanced cyber criminals. And that’s where the Trackers come in. Four tech-savvy kids armed with high-tech video cameras and esoteric coding skills, the Trackers can find almost anyone, anywhere. Told through a collage of videos, text, and websites, Trackers #1 follows Adam, Finn, Lewis, and Emily as they become entangled in a high-tech, high-stakes game of cat and mouse with Shantorian, the world’s most dangerous hacker. At least, that’s who they think they’re tracking….As the four dig deeper into the shadowy world of online crime, they soon learn that things aren’t always as they seem.
