Why I hate computer games?

Here 10 reasons on which it is necessary to kill inventors of computer games

1. Time. Computer games is useless spend your time which You could spend for business, for family, for children.

2. Eye. Naturally games spoil eyes. More likely, certainly, not games, and the monitor …

3. Rest. You only get tired of games more, instead of relax, as you of it would like.

4. Eat. You so can take a great interest in game that you can forget about meal, about a toilet… about sex.

5. Dead. Known a case, that people died that because of excessive hobby for game, forgot about meal and died.

6. Money. You buy games for money. Am I right?

7. Freedom. Yes, yes... You are not free from that day when for the first time have started CS. You already became in authority of game. Or you have to tell me, that you would not spend pair hours per day what to be drive on abrupt wheelbarrows or kill terrorists. Still tell, what I am not right? t-f-f …

8. Laziness. Because of computer games people became less mobile. If you have to drive on machine, start NFS, to kill terrorist, CS help you, and at last to get to yourself the friend, The Sims already here.

9. The cow. You spend money for that you would waste time, health, freedom. Silly, is not that so?

10. What else? Offer still the reason and receive a candy, success to you ;)

by DiGer

Tecmo rebuffs sex harassment claims

The Dead or Alive fighting franchise has been criticised by some as using sex to sell its games. Spin-off game series Dead or Alive Xtreme takes it a step further, with one of the characters diving naked into the ocean in the opening sequence of its Beach Volleyball edition, and Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 features unlockable pole-dancing scenes.

Art imitated life earlier this year when DOA publisher Tecmo hit the headlines after the games' producer, Tomonobu Itagaki, was accused by a former coworker of sexual harassment. The woman claimed that Itagaki made a series of unwanted advances. She said that on one occasion, the high-profile producer locked her in a conference room and that other times groped her and forcibly kissed her.

The Tokyo-based company this week issued a statement categorically denying the allegations. It said, "The alleged sexual harassment of the former employee by Itagaki never took place, and Tecmo did not issue an unjustified notice of dismissal to the former employee."

The statement also attacked the media for its "one-sided" coverage of the event, and states that Itagaki believes he has been defamed by the "false allegations."

The company claims that it immediately launched an investigation after the employee claimed Itagaki harassed her, which was underway for one month and was performed in "the most strict and impartial manner." The result of the investigation, it said, was to conclude that the allegations in question were a result of the former employee's desire "to vent frustrations over her own personal affairs, and not indicative of sexual harassment."

The statement went on to say that Itagaki and the unnamed former employee, as well as others, "mingled personal affairs with their corporate responsibilities," and as a result of this "unnecessary confusion" in the workplace, were both demoted and had their salaries reduced. Tecmo also claims that it did not force the employee to leave the company by firing her, but that she put in a voluntary resignation.

Itagaki and Tecmo's "reputation and goodwill" have been damaged, claims Tecmo, and because of this, Itagaki plans to launch a countersuit against the woman for damages.

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK

Gears of War spins a million worldwide

By now, virtually anyone with even a slight interest in games knows about Gears of War. In the midst of the PlayStation 3 and Wii launches, the Xbox 360 game has made many-a-headline, thanks to its widespread critical acclaim. It earned a 9.6 from GameSpot--tying the Xbox 360 edition of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as the site's highest-rated game of 2006. Epic Games' shooter also enjoys an impressive 95 metascore on Metacritic, which aggregates dozens of game-reviewers' ratings.

This week, Gears made news due to its popularity as well. Within hours of the shooter topping Halo 2 as the most-played game on Xbox Live, Microsoft announced that the game has sold more than 1 million units worldwide. The rapid pace at which Gears hit the milestone, just two weeks after its release, makes it the fastest-selling Xbox 360 game to date, besting such heavyweights as Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and Call of Duty 2.

Microsoft dropped some other statistics as well, saying "more than 850,000 unique gamers have engaged in 10 million [Gears of War] gameplay sessions while unlocking an impressive 7 million achievements." Since the game went on sale November 7, the rate of Xbox Live Gold subscriptions, which are required for online play, has increased more than 50 percent. According to Microsoft, the impressive subscription rate is because more than 85 percent of Gears players play one of the game's various multiplayer modes, which include full campaign co-op.

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot

Amazon UK: Wii-less in 10 minutes

Online retailer Amazon UK opened to preorders to the Wii this morning, November 21--and sold out in just 10 minutes. When GameSpot checked at 9:25 a.m., preorders were not open. At 9.30 a.m., the site was offering the Wii, with the Wii Sports games compilation, and the Wiimote and Nunchuk controllers for £179.99 (around $342), the recommended retail price.

By 9:40 a.m., Amazon UK proclaimed, "We are currently unable to offer this item." A short while later the Web site confirmed, "We've sold out of our initial allocation of Nintendo Wii consoles." The company K also posted a FAQ for those who were unlucky in pre-ordering a console the first time round.

It advised those desperate for a Wii that it would be receiving more stock from Nintendo before the official European launch day of December 8, and once it had received the next batch, would start taking pre-orders again. Gamers could sign up for e-mail notifications so they would be alerted when the new consoles come in.

Amazon had stated it would only be offering preorders for the same number of consoles it had been allocated for launch day--meaning if you managed to snag a preorder, you should be guaranteed a Wii. Only one console was allowed per customer.

On Sunday, the Wii launched in the US, where prior preorders for the console also quickly sold out. Nintendo has promised it will provide a "steady stream" of the next-gen console and that 4 million Wiis will be available worldwide before the end of the year, 2 million of would be headed to North America.

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK

Almost 2 million Wiis in US by year's end

Nintendo will bring approximately 2 million Wii game consoles to the U.S. by the end of the year, a wave of machines that could help the company gain ground in the console wars.

Speaking with Reuters, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said that he expects 1 million Wiis in the region by early December and 2 million by the second week of January. The previous official company line simply stated that 4 million Wiis would be available worldwide by the end of the year.

Nintendo plans to restock U.S. distributors and retailers on a weekly basis, according to the company. The console will next launch in Japan on December 2 and in Europe on December 8. Earlier this month, Nintendo said it would ship around 400,000 consoles into Japan this year.

Of the three console makers, Nintendo so far seems to have done the most thorough job in getting retailers and distributors stocked. The $250 Wii console, which went on sale over the weekend, was available in several retail outlets. Some early buyers are selling consoles on eBay, but generally current bidding is in the $300 to $400 range with games and extras.

By contrast, Sony will only bring a few hundred thousand PlayStation 3 consoles to the states by the end of the year, according to various estimates. eBay bidders are putting $700 and $900 bids on the $499 and $599 consoles. (Some buyers are listing minimum bids of $1,000 or more, but these auctions have attracted few punters.)

Last year, Microsoft found itself short of Xbox 360 consoles. Rumors of new waves of supply would cause lines to form at certain retailers. Some Web sites reported that using specific code words with in-store sales reps could get them to bring out a console from the stock room.

Supply, though, improved after that and Microsoft says that, by December, a cumulative 10 million Xbox 360s will have shipped. Microsoft, though, is still having trouble gaining traction in Japan.

By Michael Kanellos, News.com

Report: Sony dallying cost PS3 exclusives

This past spring, Ubisoft announced Assassin's Creed, a visually stunning PlayStation 3 stealth-action game that impressed members of the gaming press at E3.

While the French publisher did drop many story details about the game, which is set in medieval Jerusalem during the Crusades, it danced around the question of whether the game would be exclusive to Sony's new console. Though early Assassin's Creed press releases only mentioned the PS3, the game was shown off at Microsoft's X05 event last fall as "Project Assassin." For their part, Ubi reps danced around the subject of whether or not the game would would be released on other consoles...until they finally fessed up the game would come to the Xbox 360 and PC.

At first, many chalked up the confusion to the dissembling that is all too common in game-publisher public relations. However, a recent Newsweek article says that, for a time, Assassin's Creed was indeed intended to be a PlayStation 3 exclusive. In his blog Level Up, correspondent N'Gai Croal reports that both the Ubisoft game and Grand Theft Auto IV were both slated to debut solely on the PS3--but slowness on the part of Sony cost the electronics giant both franchises.

"We've learned that Take-Two [Interactive] and Rockstar Games were interested in continuing their longtime relationship with Sony, in which they premiered their Grand Theft Auto games on PlayStation platforms exclusively for 6-12 months before bringing them to other systems," wrote Croal. "Also, Ubisoft was interested in making Assassin's Creed, due in stores next spring, exclusive to the PS3."

So what happened? According to Croal, "For the greater part of this year, PlayStation chief Ken Kutaragi hadn't finalized the business terms for independent publishers on the PS3," wrote Croal. "[But] PlayStation's Japanese headquarters was effectively radio silent, and without Kutaragi's signoff, the normally independent American and European branches had no authority to reach agreements on the exclusives they believed could be valuable to the PS3 cause."

According to Newsweek, while Sony played the waiting game, Microsoft contacted both Take-Two and Ubisoft and offered them very generous terms to bring Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto IV to the Xbox 360. Croal cites an unnamed source at one of the companies as saying, "I do have to give Microsoft a lot of credit for going after titles and doing whatever they can to generate third-party support. They've been magnificent in this generation."

Though Sony Computer Entertainment America had not returned GameSpot's requests for comment, its executive vice president, Jack Tretton, told Newsweek that the 360 GTA IV was all its publisher's idea. "There was interest on Take-Two's part to bring Grand Theft Auto onto Xbox platforms," said the executive. "We wouldn't encourage them to do that. The interest came from them."

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot

West coast launch: Gone with the Wii

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.--At the stroke of midnight on the west coast, the launch of the next console generation came and went, as the Nintendo Wii debuted to a crowd of eager fans, many of whom had begun to line up on Friday morning in anticipation. The first Wii sale came as the conclusion of a day-long celebration held at the EB Games retail store in the Universal Studios theme park, just outside of Los Angeles.

Along the way, gamers and passers-by were treated to live music from a deejay, acrobatic performances, loads of Wii-branded schwag and, of course, Wii and Nintendo DS game demos galore. One of the more interesting demos on hand were specially modified Segway scooters outfitted with high definition monitors, periodically winding their way through the crowd and literally bring the games to the people.

As the final hours ticked off, the line, which only hours earlier had featured only a few hundred people had grown dramatically, roughly doubling in size and curling up and over a walkway on the opposite side of the Citywalk shopping area. Late in the day, store employees handed out wristbands to those in line, guaranteeing a Wii for everyone with a wristband. Even after the bands ran out however, folks were still taking their chances and lining up, hoping to get lucky and snag a console.

On hand for the festivities at the launch was Nintendo of America senior vice president of marketing George Harrison, who briefly stepped behind the counter at the EB Games store to help sell the first Wii console. When asked about how production has gone for the first-batch of Wii consoles, Harrison was upbeat, saying the company is still on target to have four million units available worldwide by the end of the year. "It's the first time we've actually launched in all territories at the same time. [In the past] Europe was usually a few months later, but Europe is also launching as well." Harrison went on to say that he expects Nintendo to have shipped two million units in the United States alone by the end of December or early January.

One of the Nintendo fans in the very back of the line was Cynthia Hocker of La Crescenta, Calif., who also happened to be the very last person to receive a wristband, guaranteeing a Wii for her 15-year-old son, who will likely be more excited than most to receive it. "It was a Chrismas present," said Hocker, "but he's going to have heart surgery in three weeks and I'm going to give it to him after the heart surgery so he can play it while he's laying down."

Back in the front of the line, the Mario-hat- and red-suspender-clad Jonathan Mann, who, in front of a throng of camera-toting journalists and Nintendo staffers, proudly walked to the counter just after midnight to purchase the first Wii of the night. Holding the console above his head for all the media to see, Mann was enthusiastic about his purchase, no matter how long it took him to finally get it. "I'm really excited. You have no idea how excited I am. Seriously. I've been waiting for this since 1991."

By Brian Ekberg, GameSpot

Wii, Reggie take Manhattan

NEW YORK--Isaiah "Triforce" Johnson's eyes were feeling heavy, but even after getting little to no sleep over the past few days, the man could not help but smile very early on Sunday morning.

Johnson was sold the first Nintendo Wii at the Toys "R" Us in Times Square after waiting several days outside the retail giant's flagship store. And it wasn't just any normal store employee who rang the register; Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, did the honors of handing out the first system.

It was the conclusion to a four-hour long launch event staged by Nintendo, and officially marked the first time all three next-gen consoles were available at retail.

Earlier that evening, the line of gamers waiting to purchase a console hit the corner of the street and wrapped around all four sides of the city block.

Nintendo started its launch festivities at 8 p.m. on 44th Street, which was partially closed off to traffic. A stage was set up in the street, where entertainment ranged from drummer/disc jockey DJ Ravidrums, acrobats AntiGravity, and MTV veejay Susie Castillo.

But the real hit was Fils-Aime, who was welcomed to the stage with chants of "Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!" and "We love you Reggie!" While gamers professed their love for the exec, Fils-Aime gave the usual rah-rah pep talk, and even made a reference to his famous "taking names, making games" speech from E3 2005.

Unlike the PlayStation 3 launch party--which was limited to a few hundred who lined up for days, each one competing fiercely for place in line--Nintendo welcomed everyone to their block party. The crowd was incredibly diverse, featuring the mix of people that Fils-Aime claimed the Wii targeted--young, old, casual, and hardcore gamers.

To keep the line entertained, several Wii demo stations were placed right on the sidewalk, and gamers entertained themselves and relaxed by trying out titles like Wii Sports and Excite Truck. Nintendo also gave out several Wii-branded knit caps, which gamers wore with pride.

But it wasn't just Nintendo helping the crowd out. A group of visual arts students were handing out seat cushions, coffee, buttons, and patches to those waiting in line, all in the name of spreading good will.

Behind the scenes, Fils-Aime chatted with the press, talked to fans, and even spent a little bit of time playing the Wii. At one point, he played a round of Wii Sports tennis with a fan in line, which caused a near-riot in the streets as fans rushed over to get a closer look at their idol.

Earlier in the evening, Fils-Aime urged gamers buying Wiis to purchase their consoles in an orderly fashion, and when 12:01 a.m. hit, they obliged. Several registers were open to sell consoles, games, and accessories, and the line moved along at a quick pace.

Overall, the launch appeared to be a big success for Nintendo, with plenty of units on hand for those who waited throughout the launch event. For those who did not have one of the necessary wristbands to buy a console, Nintendo promised that there would still be plenty of additional consoles available today.

While Wii fever was almost ubiquitous among those outside the toy store, it didn't quite ring with everyone. One woman walking by Toys "R" Us after the launch asked her friend what everyone was milling around for, then realized it was for the Wii.

"Oh, it's for that dumb game thing," she said.

Apparently Nintendo's quest to make gamers out of everyone still has a way to go.

By Tim Surette, GameSpot

Madden NFL 07: Multiplayer Madness

The Nintendo Wii version of Madden NFL 07 might just be the most unique take on the long-running football franchise ever seen. The control scheme, which takes extensive advantage of the Wii's wireless controller and Nunchuk attachment make the game more interactive and visceral than you might expect, and, even better, the game includes all of the single-player modes found in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. The game will also include a trio of multiplayer minigames that aren't found in the other versions of Madden, and they just happen to be one of the best aspects of the Wii version. We got a chance to try out the three minigames, in some cases multiple times, during a recent demo session with the folks at EA Sports.

Though minigames are nothing new to the Madden franchise, those found in the Wii version have never been seen in the series before. The trio includes Two-on-Two, Kicking Combine, and a mode called YAC Attack. All can be played with up to four players on the same Wii console, and in some cases, two players can join together to take on the computer.

The first minigame we played, Two-on-Two, featured two players per team in a series of wide-open passing and catching that played a bit like your old schoolyard pickup games. The goal here is to score as many touchdowns as you can for each of the five plays of your round. Should you intercept a ball and run it back to the opposite end zone, you get two points. Each team gets a set number of downs per round, with one player acting as the quarterback and the other acting as the wide receiver. On the defensive side of the ball, one player controls a defensive back and the other plays as a linebacker, rushing the quarterback. Just like the old-school games, there is a set amount of time before the linebacker can cross the line of scrimmage to rush the QB, counted off in "Mississippi's" that flash up on the screen (as in One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, and so on). Once you get to the set number of Mississippi's, the linebacker can cross the scrimmage line and lay a beatdown on the QB.

During Two-on-Two, every player will get multiple chances to play every position. In the first round, you might play quarterback on offense and linebacker on defense. In the next round, you'll play as a wide receiver on offense and a defensive back when playing defense. Your responsibilities, naturally, change depending on the position you're currently playing. As a wideout, for example, your job will be to get open, running whatever kind of route you wish. When the ball is thrown your way, you'll have to manually catch the ball by motioning up with the two controllers simultaneously. Your quarterback, on the other hand, will have a few moments to wait before he's under pressure; once the wideout is open, he'll toss the ball by pressing forward with the Wii controller. The power you put behind the Wii controller "throw" motion will determine the type of throw you make. A quick motion will make for a bullet pass; a slow movement will result in a lob pass.

On defense, the primary objective of the linebacker is to put pressure on the quarterback, though he can drop back into double coverage, as well. Though he can only begin his rush once the time limit is up, you can speed up the Mississippi countdown by vigorously drumming the Wii controller and Nunchuk up and down. The quicker you drum, the faster the countdown will go, putting that much extra pressure on the QB. Finally, as the defensive back, your job is to knock down, or better yet, intercept the pass. You can swat a pass by holding up the Wii controller when the ball reaches you; to attempt an interception, you hold up both controllers as if you were playing receiver.

Over the course of a full game, you can expect to score a ton of touchdowns and, for the most part, it's a rollicking good time, especially with four players. The ever-changing routes of the wide receiver and the constant pressure on the quarterback make for some laugh-out-loud moments of tension. It helps too that there's no such thing as pass interference in this mode, so when playing as a defensive back, you can impede the wideout's progress by getting ahead of him and slowing him down. There are some frustrations--catching the ball is sometimes more difficult than it should be, and tackling is sometimes pretty difficult--but for the most part, it's a great time.
The second mode, Kicking Combine is, as you might expect, a kicking contest. Up to four players can take part, first choosing their team (and thus their kicker), and then using the Madden Wii kick mechanic (hold down the A button and move the Wii controller up quickly) to nail field goals from increasingly longer distances. The space between the two goal posts is color coded, and the closer you are to splitting the uprights down the middle, the more points you'll earn. To add challenge, all of the other nonkicking players in the game can generate "wind" by quickly drumming their two controllers in the air and pressing the Nunchuk's analog stick in any direction. The quicker everyone drums, the stronger the wind you'll generate and the harder it will be for the kicker. To make things even more difficult, you only have a few seconds to make your kick attempt before the next person takes his or her turn. Of the three, this was perhaps the weakest of the minigames, if only because it seemed overly difficult to make kicks with a strong wind working against you (the purposeful lack of an aiming arrow didn't help here). Then again, no one else seemed to be having too much trouble going all Adam Vinatieri on us, so perhaps the trouble was ours alone.

The final mode, and our favorite of the bunch, is known as YAC Attack. The "YAC" in YAC Attack stands for yards after catch, which means this is yet another pitch-and-catch minigame, though this one has a definite twist of its own. Essentially a three-on-one matchup, YAC Attack has one player acting as the quarterback for any NFL team, while the three remaining players are defensive backs looking to defend against the pass. When the quarterback hikes the ball, it's up to that player to find an open receiver; the three defensive backs will look to be swatting down balls, tackling receivers, or otherwise disrupting the momentum of the player on offense. If you've played defensive back in Madden NFL 07's Superstar challenge, you know that this is one of the more challenging positions in the game, but in YAC mode, that adds to the challenge. There is also the added benefit of your teammate picking up your slack if you blow your coverage and making the tackle or, better yet, breaking up the play altogether.

The twist in YAC Attack mode is that everyone is always competing against one another, even if they're playing on the same team. This is because how you perform on the field will earn you points, and the player with the highest number of points at the end of the game is the winner. On defense, making a big tackle or interception will earn you points, just like making a big pass will on offense. Simply completing passes isn't enough, however. The real goal on offense is to make a pass and then get those all-important yards after catch, which will really add to your point total. That said, it's not unusual to see someone leading the game mostly through skillful defensive play--a smart design choice that ensures everyone is in the game, no matter what side of the ball they're playing on.

The only annoying thing about this mode, beyond the occasional dropped pass, is when receivers get far down the field and become covered up by the individual player score graphics at the top of the screen. It's easy to lose track of your defensive assignments at this point, and a smart QB will take advantage of that. Still, the trash-talking possibilities in YAC Attack mode are pretty much off the charts, especially when the three defensive players gang up on the quarterback to throw him or her off their game. Even better, there's nothing better than shutting up the defensive yahoos with a sniper throw and a subsequent 30-yard touchdown run. Simply put, when YAC Attack mode is at its best, it's the best minigame of the bunch.

Though all three minigames in the Wii version of Madden NFL 07 have their charms, it's the interactive and energetic nature of the Two-on-Two and YAC Attack modes that impressed us most--if only because they seem most in line with the four-players-on-the-couch ethos that's at the heart of the Wii console. We look forward to spending more time with these minigames and the rest of what Madden NFL 07 for the Wii has to offer when the game launches later this month.

By Brian Ekberg, GameSpot

First In Half-Life Episodic Trilogy Debuts at Number 1

Bellevue, WA, June 8, 2006 - Valve, developer of the blockbuster series Half-Life and Counter-StrikeTM, announced Half-Life 2: Episode One debuted at #1 on retail PC game charts across Europe, including the dominant markets of Germany, UK and France.

Episode One, released at retail outlets and via Steam on June 1st, is the first in a trilogy of episodes that will conclude by Christmas of 2007.

After spending six years creating Half-Life 2, we decided to build HL2s successor as a trilogy of episodes, said Gabe Newell, Valve's president and co-founder. This has allowed us take greater risks in gameplay, move the technology forward faster, and let people know what happened when the Citadel blew up in 18 months, rather than asking them to wait 6 years.

Half-Life 2: Episode One advances the 15-million unit selling franchise and launches a new, three-part series that leads far beyond City 17. Half-Life 2: Episode One does not require Half-Life 2 to play, and is available via Steam and at retail stores around the world.

In addition to the new single player experience, two multiplayer games and a designers Commentary Mode are also included. And those who purchase Episode One will have free access via Steam (www.steamgames.com) to Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, the interactive technology demo that introduces High Dynamic Range lighting to the SourceTM Engine, Valve's award-winning game technology.

About Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 has been named Game of the Year by over 35 organizations and sold over four million copies worldwide. The intense, real-time gameplay delivered in Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One is made possible only by Source, Valve's proprietary engine technology.

About Valve
Valve is an entertainment software and technology company founded in 1996 and based in Bellevue, Washington. The company's portfolio of entertainment properties includes Half-Life, Counter-StrikeTM, Day of Defeat, and Team Fortress. Valve's catalog of products accounts for over 20 million retail units sold worldwide, and over 80% of PC online action gameplay. In addition, Valve is a developer of leading-edge technologies, such as the Source game engine and Steam, a broadband platform for the delivery and management of digital content. For more information, please visit www.valvesoftware.com

* Note: Official North American sales data not yet available.