Team Balance

Archive for August, 2011

One of the most prestigious events in today’s times are the Commonwealth games, and India having the honor of hosting these games, is something to look out for. But with New Delhi gearing up for the preparations, the million dollar question is, is it really prepared to host the event of such a great magnitude?

At least from the recent news, the answer is quite obvious. With just two months away from the event, ideally only the last minute touch ups and the grand welcome preparations should have been left. But it seems in the midst of all the corruption and chaos, the ideal attention from the event has been taken away. Just as we recently saw the FIFA 2010 being hosted by South Africa with such grace and charm, one really needs to take some inspiration! But unfortunately, the Indian government has its own plans of filling up their Bank balances in the name of the Common Wealth games.

The cost of basic rents have been hiked 10 times than what they are suppose to be and yet the venue has not been finalized. It is a pity that the State government is taking least interest in the matter while the situation seems to be falling out of hand. The Games need to be well organized keeping in mind the precise requirements of the event and the popularity that follows these games and the prestige of the country. This is a great opportunity for the country to showcase its hospitality and organization towards other participating countries but it seems that no appropriate efforts are being taken for the same.

Corruption has always been a problem with our country but it is high time that the prestige of the country be given some consideration. There is still time to mend things and work towards the organization of the event but it is yet to be seen how early the government opens its eyes against corruption and saves the image of the Indian capital.

There are some excellent games that are suitable for children. Parents have the responsibility of checking to ensure that the games that they are giving to their children are suitable for that age. These days there is a labeling system that attempts to provide guidance to parents. You should not ignore the advice that is provided by the authorities. It is normally created after significant research. It is also a reality that children spend a lot of time on the PlayStation or even the so called Xbox. Rather than letting them pine for the games it is better to simply give them the most appropriate games for their age and level of understanding. Some psychologists have argued that these games give children the life skills that they need to move forward. Each parent will have their own criteria but in general these are the things that you look out for:

1. Content: Make sure that the content within the game is suitable for your children. If you think that there are problems then this is the time to completely change the way that you play the game. You need to ensure that you can review the settings on the game to meet the needs of your kids. Where there is a warning sign on the game then you need to take heed of the message that is being sent. It is also important to work with the various aspects of the game that seem to improve the skills that your children have.

2. Learning: Video games that teach your kids something are ideal. You should look at the thematic approach that is taken with the game. If you are not satisfied with the things that they are doing then you might need to look at other options. It is not essential for children to play video games. That means that you should only allow them to play games that add to their intelligence. These are the issues that most parents have to take into consideration.

3. Interaction: The video games should encourage the child to interact with the world around them. If the game enforces a feeling of isolation then in all probability you can conclude that it is not good for your child. At the same time the video games must entertain the child. If they do not like the game then you should try to impose it. Of course there is peer pressure to get the latest gadget that the schoolmates have but that should not be the primary concern for the parent. Make sure that you give the child the games that are suitable for them.

Each parent will have to decide whether the games on the market at the moment are suitable for their children. Of course commonsense is one of the issues that you will make reference to. It is important that you follow the advice given by the authority. These are the indicators which the regulators expect the parents to notice when they are buying video games.

Are you seeking for a good-quality online game for your kids?

Do you wish to give your children an online game that will not only make them learn but also encourage a fun environment?

If you want the above-mentioned things to happen then why not try exposing your kids to “Dora the Explorer.” The online game roots in the animated show “Dora the Explorer.” Here is a quick look on what the cartoon show is all about.

The Plot

Episodes of Dora the Explorer pursues similar pattern. At the beginning of the show, Dora will have something to accomplish. There are times that she desires to go on somewhere. Normally on an entire episode, Dora will have three locations to travel. The third location is commonly the target area to go for.

During Dora’s quest, she will be meeting one of her friends to help her with the episode’s pursuit. Dora never fails to overcome the different barriers set forth on each episode. The show will then close with Dora soliciting the spectator’s much loved part on the shown episode.

The Characters

A seven-year old Latina girl, Dora undertakes numerous tasks. The tasks are relatively easy but packed with hindrances. It is Dora’s mission to overcome the challenges set forth on each episode. Dora is never alone with her adventure. She is mostly accompanied with the following main characters:

Boots – he is a sociable and lively monkey. As what every monkey loves, Boots is fond of eating bananas. The name boots was believed to have originated from the monkey’s extraordinary red boots. Dora considers Boots as her best pal.

Swiper – he is the villain in Dora the Explorer. He loves to deter Dora’s every adventure. He either steals Dora’s items to cause obstruction with Dora’s pursuit or he appears to one of Dora’s destination and will keep on annoying Dora to lengthen the period of her travel.

Diego – he is Dora’s reliable cousin who works as an animal rescuer. There are times that Diego goes with Dora’s exploration.

Fiesta Trio – these are Dora’s cheerleaders – a grasshopper, a frog, and a snail. They become visible whenever Dora triumphantly surpasses her challenges. The Fiesta Trio normally rejoices with festive songs and dances.

Online Games

Your kids can enjoy different adventures online with Dora the Explorer. Your children can go along and help Dora and her friends with their quest through “Spooky Forest,” “Crocodile Lake,” and other awe-inspiring locations.

One major advantage of Dora the Explorer online game is that your child is part of the whole adventure process. Without your child’s assistance, Dora will never be able to successfully overcome the obstacles.

Dora the Explorer online game will not only help your child achieve good strategic plans but will also make him appreciate the basics of learning. Moreover, confidence will also build up with this game since your child will have a way to prove that he overcome challenges just like Dora.

Dora the Explorer online game has been receiving positive reviews from parents. Some says that it contributes strategic learning with their kids as they go about with the game. Other appreciates the show for its language and math skills incorporated with music and dynamic activities.

As a parent looking for an exceptional online game, you must try playing Dora the Explorer and see for yourself how she exactly make things happen with your help.

Your kids will mostly tell you, “I did it!” after a Dora the Explorer online game.

Guitar games are a type of genre that was made famous in console platform, especially with the entire external controller made to look like musical instruments. Facebook has a few musical games, but this one is one of the few that really catch my attention. In this review, Mabel Games will take a quick look at Guitar God (Do not mistaken this game with the PS2 platform version with the same name), developed by Metrogames, the same company that brought you the addictive game Typing Maniac.

Gameplay
The game starts off with a very simple character creation screen. Once you have done the necessary, players will then be taken to the main screen.

On the main screen, players will have a couple of options to choose upon. (Play game, Shops, Challenge and Invites) First we will look into the Main Game. In Guitar God, the game is relatively easy to pick up by anyone as the game only utilize 5 keys on your keyboard (A, S, D, F and G). I said it is easy to pick up, but to really master the game; players will have to be fast on their eye and fingers reflexes.

The game works by providing the player with a guitar platform where color disc will drop down as the music plays. Players will then have to quickly hit the correct keys on the keyboard to score and to pass the level. This is where the game really put the player’s reflexes to the challenge. During the beginning of the game it may look very easy to play this game, but due to how the developers design the game, the keys are really sensitive. Even a slightest touch, the game will detect it as a move, causing the missed or mistake thus making the player lose valuable points. Furthermore, the game moves rather fast depending on the type of songs you choose. It took me and my friend both a few tries before both of us was able to get the hang of the game, however till then we still make mistake as we go by.

The special thing about this game is that during the gameplay, player will notice 2 load screens. One will be for the game, while the other one will connect directly to YouTube. Once the loading completed, player will notice a screen in front of the platform. This is like a life telecast from YouTube on the songs that you will be playing. The streaming is rather smooth and players will feel like they are playing with the live bands as they do their performance. Most of the songs are very nice and easy while some are very hard to follow.

The game also comes in 4 different types of difficulties and this will put player wits to the test. Each of the difficulties will have different songs to play and different keys to use. Easy will only release 3 keys for user to play with while on Hard more all keys will be unlock and the music it plays will be fast and requires players to be super accurate with the keyboard. Advisable to start with easy for all new players as it took us sometime before we actually move to the more difficult settings.

Now after you are done with the main game, we look into challenge mode. Nothing much about this part of the gameplay it is still the same except you will be going head to head with your friends.

Players can also choose how their avatar looks like in the game. This is just like an eye candy to the game as the players can only customize a few items like cloths and the music instruments they use. This version had yet to allow player to customize their player’s physical look just yet.

Graphic
The game graphic is done very well and very pretty to look at. Although the character themselves represent the Japanese Chibi like, but players will be too busy bashing the buttons on their keyboard to notice the graphic. Addition to that the implementation of YouTube video into the game is a brilliant move, too bad that only your friends will have time to look at it while you will have to focus all your attention to the color discs.

Sound
Very clear and sharp sound as the music is actually played over via Youtube. If player makes a mistake, the guitar will make a horrible shrieking noise that will hurt your eardrums if you make too many mistakes. Something I do notice is that at times the music will just soften while playing, this may just be because of the timing you hit the keyboard and while you miss a shot.

Conclusion
Any guitar lover will really love this game as this is a miniature version that is made for Facebook.

I give Guitar God game 4 out of 5 ratings! ROCK ON!

A lot of RPGs are made every year. Whether they’re small online RPG games found on the internet, or bigger ones found on home consoles, some can be fun while others are just plain boring.

I’ll be the first to admit when I was younger; I shied away from playing the genre. I felt they were too long, boring and hard to understand in many cases. But as I grew up and matured, the allure of the genre finally enticed me to play one.

The first RPG I really played was Final Fantasy X-2. It may not have been a direct entry into the Final Fantasy series, but it introduced me into how fun a RPG game can really be. Most action games these days only last around 7 to 10 hours, but Final Fantasy X-2 took me 40 hours to complete over the span of four weeks.

It may not be the longest game ever made, but it provided me with lots of entertainment and I became a fan of the genre from then on. The locations, music and beautiful cutscenes were enough for me to go out and seek other RPG games that would give the same kind of excitement that Final Fantasy X-2 provided me.

Fun rpg games like Final Fantasy X-2 don’t always have to be on a home consoles. Some fun RPG games can be found online There are a lot of fun little games that anyone can just play given they have internet access and a computer at home.

All the fun RPG games to are easy to master and fun to play with. They may not be as epic or as long as the expensive games on home consoles, but they are still fun in their own right.

There are games based on several different sub genres. Although it is not necessarily a RPG game, it’s a fun action game based on Batman called Batman: Mystery of Batwoman. Many other great games can be discovered and all of them are easy to pick and play.

Not all RPGs are boring like some people may think they are. The genre is always evolving and with a little patience, you may begin to love the genre like I did. Whether it be a short online game or a longer home console game, RPGs always guarantee to offer hours of fun.