Left 4 Dead Updated Hands-On-Versus Mode

Why should uninfected human survivors have all the fun? In Left 4 Dead's Versus mode, you can join a squad of infected zombie bosses and--what else?--vomit on enemy faces. After playing much of the single-player and co-op campaigns, we finally got our hands on the Versus mode of Valve's anticipated shooter.

The squad-based mode is round-based, and survivors will trade with the infected after each round. Just as the survivor team consists of four members, the infected has four classes that are randomly assigned, and the methods in which they deal damage are vastly different. The boomer is an infected fat man in a belly shirt who vomits on survivors. When hit, the vomit distorts the survivor's vision and attracts the zombie horde, which storms forth like a troop of angry extras in 28 Days Later. The boomer is also filled with methane gas and explodes when killed, causing area-of-effect damage to all survivors in close proximity. The smoker is armed with a 50-foot tongue that can pluck a survivor from a distance and drag him or her away from the group, like a frog snagging a fly. The hunter is the fastest of the infected and is hard to hit. He has the ability to climb buildings, but only on designated "zombie ladders," which are glowing icons on the sides of walls. Once up there, he can pounce on a survivor. If successful, he proceeds to claw the survivor's face.

The fourth and most powerful zombie class is the tank. Once per round one player on the infected team will take the role of the tank and can knock a survivor to his or her knees with just one punch. If a pesky survivor is not within striking distance, rip up concrete or cars from the street and hurl them. The tank has a tremendous amount of health, and only a concerted effort from all four survivors can take down the tank without him taking down one of the survivors.

Only the survivor team can score, and points are awarded by how far you've gotten through a map. The survivors begin in a safe room that is loaded with weapons and first-aid kits. The maps in which we played were stocked with more high-level guns such as automatic shotguns, assault rifles, and scoped hunting rifles (not advisable in close quarters). At the same time the survivors are loading up on gear, the infected team is selecting spawn points. You can choose to spawn anywhere on the map that is not in sight of the survivors, or in the safe room itself. The goal is to entrap the survivors, for example by hiding in a dark corner and then pouncing when they least expect it.

The strategy for the survivors is much the same as it is in other modes: stick together and watch each other's backs. When one member has to apply first aid, which takes several seconds, the other members attack the oncoming horde. As a survivor, it's not uncommon to yell at your teammates "Stay together!" or "This way!" Thankfully, there are green exit signs that usually illuminate the correct way to go. As we made our way though a hospital, it was helpful to close as many doors as possible to slow the infected down. Often team members will become incapacitated by pouncing hunters or strangling smokers, and you'll have to come to their aid. If you do become incapacitated, you can still fire your pistols from the ground while you wait for a teammate to revive you. But eventually, you will all most likely die; finishing a map is extremely difficult but rewarding.

As the infected, the strategy is slightly different, but good teams will coordinate their attacks as much as survivors coordinate their defense. For instance, the boomer may vomit on the group to blind them all, summon the horde, and then charge forward--if killed, he will explode and cause damage to each survivor. A smoker can snatch one of the blinded survivors from a distance and continually punch him. The two remaining hunters can then pounce on the last two survivors and finish them off. Such coordination takes skill because the infected have very little health; one shotgun blast or a few pistol rounds are enough to kill you. The goal is to deal as much damage as you can, choose a sneaky respawn point, and do it again.

The balance of the Versus mode, even at this unfinished stage of development, is excellent. Rounds as the infected are just as enjoyable as rounds controlling the survivors, but for completely different reasons. Working your way though a burning apartment building, infected hospital, or the city rooftops as a survivor is intense and almost draining. The zombies just keep coming. If you do manage to escape with your life, a feat that Valve is making extremely difficult, the feeling is next to euphoria. On the flip side of the coin, there's much less pressure playing as a zombie, and barfing on your enemies or pouncing on their heads is almost relaxing, icing on the cake. We'll have more as Left 4 Dead approaches its November release.

Warhammer Online : Age of Reckoning Review

War, appropriately, is the focus in Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Few persistent world, online role-playing game have focused so much on player-versus-player combat or done it this well. Fireballs fly, swords clash, and pet lions pounce as the opposing forces of Order and Destruction pound on each other for server dominance. From open warfare to stand-alone scenarios, there are a number of ways to establish battle superiority, and Warhammer Online consistently offers in-game rewards for your combat prowess, making this game the one-stop shop for all your elf-bashing needs. There are other innovations too, though they take a supporting role: public quests that allow passersby to jump in and join the fray, for example, as well as the excellent Tome of Knowledge, an in-game encyclopedia overflowing with all the information you would ever want.
These original features make Warhammer Online a great game, though this direct focus on PVP combat noticeably detracts from its other facets. Most notably, questing and solo play are unfulfilling compared to other MMOGs; the writing is decent, but in general, the by-the-numbers quests lack flavor and sophistication. The most noticeable issue at play, however, directly relates to player population: During peak hours, you may wait an hour in a server queue, only to discover that the world still feels really empty, even with all these areas for players to congregate and battle. It's the ultimate contradiction: By giving players so many ways and places to hammer each others' skulls, the population has been spread thin. Warhammer Online feels like it was designed for a population much larger than the game actually holds. A good guild, as well as some preparation and organization, will combat this issue to a degree. Perhaps this drawback will change as the population at large gains levels, but for now, the splintering of players makes exploration and questing both feel even more lackluster than they already are.

But you came for war, and whether you want to get in the thick of the action or support your groupmates, you'll find that the Warhammer universe is a natural host for your bloodthirst. First, you choose a faction: Order or Destruction (guess which is good and which is evil). From there, choose an army (Dark Elves, Empire, and so on) and a career. Both sides offer the usual suspects, such as healers and tanks, but there are some nice additions for each class. Engineers can summon a turret to aid them from a distance; Disciples of Khaine siphon health from enemies to heal allies; and sorcerers are capable of dealing heavy damage--at the risk of killing themselves. Physical customization isn't particularly deep, but various tattoos and other options help distinguish you from the hordes, even if the simple options and visual similarities of various armor sets can sometimes make all players of a particular profession look eerily alike.
Warhammer Online makes a superb first impression. From the moment you begin, a starting quest encourages you to participate in one of the game's keystone PVP scenarios. You can join a queue for a level-appropriate scenario from almost anywhere, and once enough players have signed up, you're whisked away to the battlefield. Most of these matches are variants on Capture the Flag, Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and so on--but with enough twists to make them feel clever. For example, in the Stonetroll Crossing scenario, teams attempt to capture an item called a troll pacifier from the tall plateau at the center of the map and deliver it to three locations to appease the cranky trolls. In others, you may capture control points or take and hold a central platform--usual stuff to be sure, but with small twists that make each one feel unique. Regardless of which maps you play, most scenarios are chaotic in a good way. You'll always be on the go, from chasing a flag on the move to charging for the opposing healer, and the flurry of colorful spell effects and the din of clanging metal enhance the excitement.
Stand-alone scenarios are just one PVP option. The more impactful alternative is to take battlefield objectives and fight through enemy keeps, which in turn earns victory points for your faction; once you have enough points, the opposing faction's main city is vulnerable to attack. Open objectives make for a chaotic good time, whether you and your warband are chasing down a roaming group of marauders or getting behind a turret to bombard foes as they creep closer to the warcamp. You and your buddies can also participate in keep captures, which are essentially multitiered minidungeons in which you fight enemy players and defending mobs on your way to the keep boss. Keep battles are a ton of fun; teams can build siege weapons at specified points outside of the keep, and the resulting encounters are frenzied and intense, especially if a battering ram is involved.
Public quests are possibly Warhammer Online's most original offering, and it's one that lets you join impromptu teams as they complete various objectives. Should you encounter one of these open, multipart quests, your heads-up display automatically informs you what stage the ongoing quest is currently at and what needs to be done. Then, you can simply jump into the fray, killing monsters and other non-player enemies. At the end of the quest, a golden treasure chest appears and a dice roll of sorts determines who wins the available loot. The more you contribute, the greater your chance of rolling a higher number. You won't want to join public quests just for the possibility of interesting loot, though: Battles are fun and hectic with enough participants, and many of them end with challenging end-bosses.
No matter where you choose to kill enemy players and monsters, there is a constant stream of rewards heaped on you. Killing other players earns you renown points, which you use to purchase certain gear and gain renown skills. PVP earns you basic experience as well, but you'll keep securing renown even after you reach the level cap of 40. Completing public quests earns you influence in a particular geographical region, which you can cash in for various items. Even guilds get perks, earning levels that then unlock various enhancements for its members. Warhammer Online's most skillful and subtle reward system, however, comes by way of its all-encompassing encyclopedia, the Tome of Knowledge. The Tome consolidates every piece of in-game information you could possibly hope to access: bestiary, quest details, lore overviews, and a lot more. As you enter new areas, encounter new NPCs or monsters, and accumulate kills, new Tome entries are unlocked and announcements flash on the screen. The most satisfying unlockables are the myriad of titles you can earn and apply to yourself, from elite declarations ("The Fearless") to the humorous ("Ow, My Eye").

Crysis Warhead Review

Warhead is a fantastic stand-alone expansion to a superb shooter, and should be played by anyone who likes games with guns.

The Good
The action is focused and intense
Amazing visuals that look--and run--better than before
Improved AI makes fighting aliens more fun
Team Deathmatch has been added, along with a number of great multiplayer maps.

The Bad
A little too linear at times A few remaining AI quirks.
All of the claims you may have heard that Crysis could only run on nuclear-powered supermachines were greatly exaggerated. But if for some reason you worry that this stand-alone companion to the ultragorgeous first-person shooter will bring your PC to its knees, you should know that it's highly scalable and ran smoothly on a number of machines during our testing. It also looks better, with clear attention given to the game's artistic sensibilities and the lusher, denser environments. But rest assured, developer Crytek has enhanced more than just the graphics engine. Vehicles are more fun to drive, firefights are more intense and focused, and aliens do more than just float around you. More emphasis on the open-ended environments would have been welcome, but a more exciting (though shorter) campaign, a new multiplayer mode, and a whole bunch of new maps make Crysis Warhead an excellent expansion to one of last year's best shooters.

If you didn't play Crysis, Warhead's story may be initially confusing, given that you hit the ground running with little exposition. You play as Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes, the brash Brit who was a bit player in the original game. Psycho tends to play by his own rules, always willing to ignore orders and jump into the fray if that's what the situation requires. The story runs parallel to the events of Crysis, though his strident attitude--and a dramatic cutscene near the end of the game--definitely make this Psycho's tale, even if the actual plot remains the same. In any case, you and your US Special Forces team are investigating a tropical island besieged by North Korean invaders. However, your greatest menace comes in the form of aggressive aliens that turn the luxuriant jungles and glowing beaches into a frozen wasteland. You and your teammates, clad in nanosuits that grant you special abilities such as super strength, temporary cloaking, super speed, and additional armor, confront both threats across a variety of large environments.
Psycho's brazen confidence does more than just establish a gutsy protagonist: It sets the stage for a more focused and intense series of battles that keep the pace moving more smoothly than before. Warhead still offers some of the same kind of sandbox levels, but thoughtful enemy placement and map bottlenecks keep downtime to a minimum. You can approach assaults on beachfronts and Korean encampments in a number of ways, so if you're a stealth enthusiast, you can employ your suit's cloak setting and sneak in, or attach a silencer to your sniper rifle and take out your human foes from a distance. If you would rather employ hit-and-run tactics, you can jump into the heat of battle, cause a ruckus, and use your suit's speed function to zoom away. However, Warhead is clearly focused on the guns-blazing approach, gently nudging you into full-on encounters with its mission objectives, character dialogue, and level design. When you reach primary and secondary destinations, you'll get besieged by large numbers of enemies, both human and (later on) alien. Given that human foes also don nanosuits, they're not necessarily quick to fall; as a result, these sequences are exciting and challenging, and you'll need to use your suit abilities and cover opportunities to your advantage. The easily triggered explosions of enemy vehicles and hazardous barrels further intensify these pockets of activity.
A number of set-piece battles confirm this slight shift toward action-packed mayhem. Your first encounter with a hulking alien war machine may not have the same impact as a similar one in Crysis, but it happens earlier than you'd expect, and it establishes the alien presence with adrenaline-fueled drama. That battle is a wonder, as is a later defensive mission that has you fending off a series of aliens, and requires you to shift focus frequently and use every weapon in your inventory. Another great sequence is a train level that, at first, seems much like similar sequences in a number of other shooters. You can stay on the train and use turrets to gun down the opposition, as expected--but you can also jump off and engage the opposition at any time, giving even this near-cliche sequence plenty of replay value. A linear journey through an underground mine is the obvious misstep in regard to level design, given that it never so much as hints at the open-ended action that makes Warhead a superb shooter.

If you played only that level, you also wouldn't see the host of improvements that power the action, particularly the improvements to alien artificial intelligence. The general design means that these robotic rivals will occasionally still be floating around above you, but they have more obvious smarts now, and they find ways to pummel you with ice pellets while remaining just out of sight, staying on the move, and using cover more often. Human enemies also seem more aware of their surroundings, flank you more often, and activate their nanosuits' armor to minimize damage. They also use the limited visibility that the jungle affords them quite well, hiding in brush to stay just out of sight. There are some remaining problems, particularly if you take potshots from a distance. Occasionally, the AI won't react when you snipe at an enemy, and foes using turrets will sometimes let you walk right up behind them. On the whole, however, Warhead makes clear improvements over the original in this regard, which in turn makes for better combat overall.
Vehicles feel sturdy, which is just as well, because you'll be driving them often, either to cover ground more quickly, or just to take pleasure in mowing down enemies with your mounted weapons. You can have a good deal of fun blazing a trail through the jungle while showering your foes with steel death, and the destructible environments further exaggerate the devastation. A scene in which you speed across the tundra in a hovercraft is done particularly well, offering a good sense of speed but pushing you into enemy hotbeds, giving you the chance to stop and fight or zip away with a quick glimpse of Koreans riddling aliens with bullets.
The improved vehicle handling is also noticeable on one of the new multiplayer maps, on which two teams battle in--and out of--the tanks and helicopters scattered about. This is good stuff, and it showcases Warhead's new Team Instant Action mode, a mode noticeably missing from the original Crysis. It's just good old Team Deathmatch, but it's done well, and the maps are improvements on those of the original. Snipers are still a threat, but the size of the maps are better suited to deathmatch battles, and more thought and care seem to have gone into small but important factors, such as weapon-cache placements and player spawns. The Instant Action and Power Struggle modes are still accounted for, and many of the original maps return, offering a large suite of online options that make online Warhead combat more appealing than its predecessor. Note that unlike Crysis, the expansion requires the online component to be installed separately, and isn't accessible from the single-player game.

Both online and off, Warhead is a beauty. As mentioned before, the game looks better than Crysis, and it runs better too. A test machine that struggled a bit to run the original at high settings ran Warhead smoothly with the same settings. Yet as much as you may have heard about Crysis' technical prowess, you'll still be impressed when you feast your eyes on the swaying vegetation, surging water, and expressive animations. Don't overlook the improved art design, though, which surpasses the original's oft-sterile look thanks to several striking vistas, such as one featuring an icy naval vessel stranded in the frozen tundra. The audio is almost as terrific. Various creaks and groans make heading down a narrow glacial pathway all the more harrowing, and weapons sound appropriately powerful. The voice acting is strong, and the understated soundtrack sets the right tone without ever getting in the way.
Warhead's single-player campaign should take you no more than six hours or so to complete, but not only does it invite multiple play-throughs, it costs only $30--and doesn't require you to own the original. In other words, there is no reason why anyone with a capable PC shouldn't play Crysis Warhead. It's more focused, it's more intense, and though it doesn't provide as much of the sandbox feel as Crysis veterans would wish for, it still delivers on every other front. Play this game.

Lord Of The Rings: Conquest

เป็นครั้งแรกที่คุณจะได้เล่นเ็ป็นเหล่าตัวร้ายพร้อมกับเนื้อเรื่องสำหรับฝ่าย 'Evil' ดำเนินการผ่านเหตุการณ์สมมติในกรณีที่ โฟรโด้ ไม่สามารถทำลายแหวน ได้สำเร็จ มันสนุกสุดยอดในเวลาที่เนื้อเรื่องออกมาร้ายๆแบบนี้!
เกมการเล่นในแนวหน้าในรูปแบบแฟนตาซี ที่คุณจะสามารถเลือกเล่นสายต่างๆได้ตามใจไม่ว่าจะเป็น นักรบ นักธนู พ่อมด หรือหน่วยสำรวจ ไม่ว่าคุณจะชอบตะลุมบอนหรือชอบโจมตีจากระยะไกล
เล่นหลายคนแบบออนไลน์ - เลือกพันธมิตรของคุณในการเล่นแบบออนไลน์พร้อมกัน 16 คน และแคมเปญแบบช่วยเหลือกัน 4 คน
เล่นหลายคนบนเครื่องเดียวกัน - คุณสามารถแบ่งหน้าจอออกเป็นสี่ส่วนเพื่อเล่นแข่งกันสี่คน หรือแบ่งเป็นสองส่วนเพื่อช่วยกันเล่น
ตัวละคร อาวุธ ที่หลากหลาย และเกมการเล่นที่ลุ่มลึก: เหล่าวีรบุรุษ, Warg, Ent, Oliphaunt, Cave-troll, the Balrog, Nazgul, ballistae, และอื่นๆอีกมากมาย!

Games แนะนำเกมส์

Spore Game

คุณสามารถกำหนดชะตาสิ่งมีชีวิตของตัวเองได้อย่างสมบูรณ์ พร้อมกับพาพวกเขาผจญภัยผ่านช่วงวิวัฒนาการทั้ง 5 อันได้แก่
ช่วงจุลชีพ: แหวกว่ายในสายน้ำ พร้อมกับต่อสู้และกลืนกินสิ่งมีชีวิตชนิดอื่นๆ เพื่อปรับเปลี่ยนรูปร่างและความสามารถของตัวเอง ในช่วงจุลชีพนี้มีแต่ผู้ที่แข็งแกร่งที่สุดเท่านั้นจึงจะ อยู่รอด
ช่วงวิวัฒนาการ: สำรวจอาณาจักรบนผืนดิน ช่วยให้สิ่งมีชีวิตเรียนรู้และพัฒนาตัวเองไปอีกขั้นด้วยการล่าเหยื่อที่อยู่ห่างไปจากรัง หนทางเดียวที่จะเติบโตได้ก็คือคว้าโอกาสที่อยู่ตรงหน้านั่นเอง!
ช่วงสร้างเผ่า: จากการควบคุมสิ่งมีชีวิตเพียงตัวเดียว ตอนนี้คุณต้องเปลี่ยนมาดูแลเผ่าทั้งเผ่าแล้ว มอบเครื่องไม้เครื่องมือและคอยชี้แนะรูปแบบการโต้ตอบเพื่อยกระดับการดำรงชีพของสิ่งมีชีวิต
ช่วงสร้างอารยธรรม: เมื่อสร้างเมืองได้สำเร็จ งานชิ้นต่อไปคือสำรวจและติดต่อกับเผ่าซึ่งมีวัฒนธรรมที่ต่างออกไป คุณอาจใช้วิธีเจรจาอย่างสันติหรือประกาศสงครามก็ได้ เป้าหมายของคุณคือการครอบครองโลกทั้งใบ

ช่วงท่องอวกาศ: ถึงเวลาย้ายหลักแหล่งไปดาวอื่นในระบบสุริยจักรวาลกันแล้ว สร้างมิตร ล่าอาณานิคม และปรับสภาพแวดล้อมให้เหมาะกับการดำรงชีวิต จากนั้นก็ออกตะลุยเพื่อ เสาะหาระบบสุริยจักรวาลระบบอื่นต่อไป บรรลุภารกิจเพื่อการเป็นจ้าวแห่งกาแล็กซี่!

ชุดเครื่องมือสร้างที่ยืดหยุ่นและใช้งานง่ายจะช่วยให้ผู้เล่นสามารถถ่ายทอดความคิดสร้างสรรค์ของตนเองได้อย่างสมบูรณ์ การเนรมิตจักรวาลที่เต็มไปด้วยสิ่งมีชีวิต ต้นไม้ สิ่งปลูกสร้าง พาหนะ และดาวเคราะห์ ไม่เคยง่ายและสนุกสนานเช่นนี้มาก่อน ตัวเลือกการออกแบบที่หลากหลายและไร้ขีดจำกัดนี้เป็นแค่เพียงจุดเริ่มต้นเท่านั้น!

Anti-Virus

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition

AVG Free Edition is the well-known antivirus protection tool. AVG Free is available free of charge to home users for the life of the product. Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy to use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements. Highlights include automatic update functionality, the AVG Resident Shield, which provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run, free Virus Database Updates for the lifetime of the product, and AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files.
Version 8.0.173 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus

Avira AntiVir Personal - Free Antivirus is a comprehensive, easy to use antivirus program, designed to offer reliable free of charge virus protection to home-users only. Avira offers: Extensive Malware Recognition of viruses, Trojans, backdoor programs, worms, etc. Automatic incremental updates of antivirus signatures, engine and entire software. Permanent virus protection, with Virus Guard real time monitoring. Install and configuration in just a couple of steps. Virus protection against known and unknown threats, using an advanced heuristic system. Scheduler where you can set the scanner to make automatic virus scans or updates on your system. Forum and phone support, Knowledge Base with virus descriptions available on Web site. Rootkit Detection and Removal. Version 8 adds an enhanced interface, a modularized AV-search engine for improved scan performance, an integrated failsafe security system, SMTP support for AntiVir MailGuard and a new Fast Activation Tool (FACT).
Version 8.1.0.331 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.

Software Guide

Welcome To Software Guide.

AnvSoft Photo Manager

AnvSoft Photo Manager is your creative way of organizing, editing and sharing photos. And the creating tools make your photos a lot of fun. It's easy to import photos and create new albums with AnvSoft Photo Manager. You can even preview and edit photos without importing them to new albums. Large thumbnail and full screen side show enable you to examine and enjoy your collection of photos. You can take pictures and record videos with the integrated camera application. AnvSoft Photo Manager offers often-used editing tools to help you fix and polish photos, rotate, crop, resize, and adjust lightness, contrast and saturation.


Camtix Web Video Publishing

Camtix is a Web Video Publishing tool that allows you to put videos on any website or in emails. Camtix converts all imported videos to Flash 8 high quality video format so that anyone can watch them without having to download large viewer programs or worry about codecs. Converting the video to Flash 8 format also compresses the file size, so that even slower connection users can watch your videos quickly. Camtix is also capable of automatically posting your video to your Blog, ebay auction listing, or community based website like Friendster or Myspace. Camtix Web Video Publisher removes all complications that are associated with encoding, publishing, posting, or streaming videos.

Photo Design (Truespace 7.6 Freeware)

Truespace 7.6 is a fully-featured 3D authoring package that will let you model, texture, light, animate and render 3D content. As well as traditional images and movies, you can also make 3D content for online shared spaces, and for Virtual Earth.

Truespace features quick easy character animation and physics. 1000 frames real time can be rendered in a couple minutes.An entirely re-written X format exporter lets you save your trueSpace creations to load into game engines such as XNA to develop games for Windows or the Xbox 360.

Also included is an export to Virtual Earth which will let you place your 3D creations straight into Virtual Earth from trueSpace.Now you can place whatever you make into real world locations in Virtual Earth and share them with others!

trueSpace also supports import from a wide variety of formats, letting you take existing objects and use them in Virtual Earth.

FreeRAM XP Pro

FreeRAM XP Pro includes automatic memory monitoring and optimization; advanced tray support; fast, threaded freeing with a stop option; multiple system-metric monitors; a simple and attractive GUI; memory reporting and diagnostic logging; and real-time memory information. FreeRAM XP Pro's AutoFree feature intelligently scales how much RAM is freed with your current system status, thus optimizing RAM without slowing down your computer. Additionally, FreeRAM XP Pro's unique Global Memory Compression technology frees memory instantly in a way that is completely unlike other memory managers. FreeRAM XP Pro has been designed to be easy to use yet highly customizable by computer novices and experts alike.
Version 1.52 enables Global Memory Compression by default for all memory freeing operations (this can be disabled through the Settings); adjusts AutoFree to be slightly more conservative when freeing RAM; and fixes a minor installation bug.