Archive for the ‘Games’ Category
April 26th, 2012 | 
Author: Is the local retailer’s game testing system becoming your primary console? Have you resorted to subscribing to game magazines just to play the included demos? Are you having to go on a forced Ready Rice diet because you can not afford to buy the latest games? Now you don’t have to, in this article we will examine ways for consumers to save money when purchasing video games.
Avoid Buying From Offline Retailers
One of the most worst things you can do as a consumer is to buy games, especially if they are not new, from a local retail outlet. Most of the games within these stores are overpriced even after you factor in the discount that you will get from the advertised sale price or the savings through the store’s discount card. If you have too, then its best to buy a game from the pre-owned section. Pre-owned games are generally in good condition and cost 20 % less then their counterparts, just remember to inspect the game box for any missing game manuals and the game disc for scratches.
Search For Online Deals
As a consumer your first choice should be eBay. Generally used games on eBay are much cheaper than the major retailer’s pre-owned selection and occasionally you do find good deals. Instead of bidding on a single title you should instead try to win a lot of 10 to 50 games. Keep the games that you need from the lot and auction off the rest. Lots are generally more cheaper, on a per game bases, and in my experience these sellers do not gouge buyers on shipping costs. Also when using eBay be sure to use Paypal as the payment option. Paypal issues, several times during the year, coupons which can be used when paying for eBay items, these coupons offer an additional saving of 5 – 10% and are usually found in eBay’s monthly newsletters. There are also online sites such as pricegrabber.com and dealrush.com that display weekly deals from all the major video game retailers. An advantage to using these sites is that they are updated daily meaning you can stop having to rely on the Sunday flyers to find deals. Apart from these sites you can also save money by purchasing used games from members on the various gaming forums (such as cheapassgamer.com) that you may participate in. Just be sure that the forum members that you trade with have a high iTrader rating.
Have Patience
Game prices fall dramatically within a span of four months. Therefore, you should consider waiting a couple of months before buying a new game. Apart from saving you money this approach also allows you to get a better idea of how good the game is and if its worth owning.
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Although, the Doubling Cube is unknown to most of the backgammon casual players, it is an essential tool in advanced backgammon strategies and in money matches and tournaments.
This cube is designated for raising the stakes of the match and its introduction to the backgammon world is one of the main reasons for the rise of popularity of backgammon.
The cube has 6 faces and the numbers written on it- 2, 4, 8,16,32,64.
At the beginning of the match, the doubling cube is placed beside the board or on the Bar between the players.
Any player, who feels at any stage of the match, that he is leading sufficiently in the match, before throwing his dice, may suggest to double the stakes by placing the doubling cube with the number 2 facing up.
For example player A decided to raise the stakes.
Player B, his opponent, the player the offer is given to, after reviewing his situation, has two options:
He may refuse the offer and thus lose the game and one unit.
He may agree to double the stakes, and in this case the match continues with higher stakes.
Player B, who agreed to the offer, is now the owner of the doubling cube, meaning only him (player B) has the option to double the stakes again at any stage of the game.
If player B decides to do so, he has to do it on his turn before throwing his dice.
Now he takes the dice and places it so that the number 4 is facing up.
Player A, has now the same two options, only this time if he declines the offer he will lose two units, and if he agrees the stakes will rise to 4 times the original and the doubling cube returns to his control.
The cube can pass from player to player, each time raising the stakes.
The Crawford rule-
If you are playing a game until N- points, and your opponent is leading and reaches N-1 points, meaning he is short one point from winning the game, you are not allowed to use the Doubling cube in the following game, however, you can use the dice in the following matches if the game continues.
The reason is the weaker player will always want to raise the stakes because he has nothing to lose anymore and we want keep the use of the dice in fairness of both sides.
The Jacoby rule-
This rule is used in money games and never in match games. It decides that a backgammon or gammon may not be scored as such only if the cube has been passed and accepted. The reason behind this rule is speeding up.
The Holland rule-
The Holland rule is used in match games and decides that in post-Crawford games, the trailer can only double after both sides have played two rolls. The rule makes the free drop more valuable to the leading player but generally just confuses the issue.
Unlike the Crawford rule, this rule isn’t popular, and is rarely used today.
The beavers, raccoons, otters and any other animals in the backgammon game-
These animals appear only, if wanted by both sides, in money games and never in match games.
If player A, doubles the stakes, and player B believes A is wrong and he (player B) has the advantage, B can double the stakes and keep the doubling cube on his side. For example, if A makes the initial double and puts the doubling cube on 2, B can say “Beaver”, turn the cube to 4 and keep the cube at his side. If A believes B is wrong he can say “Raccoon” and turn the cube to 8. All this time, B remains the owner of the doubling cube. If B wishes to raise the stakes once more, he only needs to say another silly name (the animal’s name is a controversy among players) and so on.
The Chouette-
Chouette is a version of backgammon for more than 2 players. One of the players is the “Box” and plays against the rest of the group on a single board.
Another player is the “Captain” of the group, who throws the dice and makes the moves for the group playing against the box.
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How would it feel to be Spider-Man? What would it be like to fight crime as a superhero in one of the most captivating cities in the world – New York City?
Picture yourself sending your super web powers into the air to disarm one of Spidey’s extraordinary nemeses like Doc Ock, Mysterio, Shocker or Rhino, then with a quick flick of the wrist, wrapping them up rodeo style – all without breaking a sweat.
While you may never get to live out these fantasies in the real world, Activision’s video game allows you to experience the next best thing.
Based on Columbia Pictures’ motion picture release of “Spider-Man 2,” the Spider-Man 2 video game takes ordinary gaming to a whole new level. Spider-Man 2 is the first game that puts players in the role of Marvel’s legendary web slinger, Spider-Man, and drops them into the heart of a living, breathing cityscape teeming with common criminals, super-villains, pesky pedestrians, trains and even helicopters.
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When you watch live action on movie screens, you get excited. Combined with sound effects the action can be a real thrill. Some actions that we watch takes the breath away. How about Action games on computers?
Some of the makers of action games make great animations and may include a story line. Stories always attract us. Tell a story and everybody will listen. The action games on computers use this very well to produce games that can take your breath away thinking of the imagination and artistry applied by the maker.
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