Most awaited games of 2009

By most standards, 2008 was a pretty good year for gamers. Gamepad crushers feasted on the super success of Game Theft Auto IV, Super smash bros brawl, Lost odyssey and Devil may cry 4.
All in all, if 2008 was a fish, gamers sure would not have chucked it back in the water. But, what about the year 2009?
Well, gaming pundits would have us believe that, although we might not see something as high-profile as the Game Theft Auto 4, the year could be a busy one for gamers, with some rather interesting games due for release. So, here we bring you the most awaited games of 2009.
Following the timeline set by its previous versions, Killzone: Liberation and Killzone, this one takes the battle to the next level with the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance marching right to the enemy lines of Helghan, the home of the Helghast. The aim is simple: Capture the Helghast leader, Emperor Visari, and bring the Helghast war machine to a halt. Are you ready for it?

What we have here is the long awaited next installment of the genre-establishing fighting game series -- Street Fighter. This game has revolutionised the fighting genre and created a global legacy like no other. You will see the return of four classic warriors in this version: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Dhalsim. The characters and environments are rendered in stylised 3D computer graphics, while the game is played in the classic Street Fighter 2D perspective with additional 3D camera flourishes. So sit tight and let the fights begin! Just when you thought the menace of biohazard had ended, here comes along a new terror, all set to send shivers down your spine. You’re a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance and are being sent to Africa where people and animals are transformed into mindless, maddened creatures. So fasten your gas masks and get set for combat!
Combining spectacular Hollywood-style stunts with a gripping storyline, Wheelman provides an adrenaline-fuelled, cinematic thrill ride guaranteed to leave you breathless. Vin Diesel stars as an undercover agent and highly skilled driver who must infiltrate the Barcelona underworld to gather intelligence surrounding a covert heist. Posing as a driver-for-hire, he ends in a crossfire of corruption and chaos while trying to stay one step ahead of local law enforcement and rival gangs.


Experience the fun and excitement of air hockey, on your desktop. Shoot into your opponent’s base and stop him from scoring. Think you’re quick? Think again.

First look: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter fanatics were more than a little miffed at the decision to delay Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince till 17 July 2009, and understandably so.
After all, by that point, it will have been two full years since Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix launched in July 2007, the longest wait yet between instalments of the much beloved bespectacled boy wizard film series, of which Half-Blood Prince is the sixth.
Well, this weekend gave the hardcore Harry fans a reason to rejoice, albeit a small one. The first international trailer has lead, showing numerous new scenes from the film in the process, and can be seen here at trailer-addict.
What do we see? The youngsters are growing up -- note Ron snatching a smooch from Lavender Brown! -- and it's time for Harry to learn more about his legacy and to undertake more responsibility. And what of all the darkness and evil? Draco, Death Eaters and Tom Riddle make appearances, to name a few.
So, all you Potter maniacs, check it out. Perhaps it can tide you over till summer!

Check Out The Trailer >>>

Game review: FIFA `09

I have been a pocket gamer for a while now, and the idea was always to enjoy a game in between things, in a cab, heating my food, or even when I am watching a boring film.
That is partly also because handheld games are never the real thing, the game play is short and the graphics are not quite the same. And you always want to play the real thing on a console to enjoy the full experience.
But some time back I paid Rs 1600 and bought FIFA `09 for the PSP.
And to my surprise this game had my attention as soon as I popped the disc in.
FIFA `09 looks refreshingly good on the PSP, but if you have played the earlier installments of FIFA, then the game play is not a revolution but an evolution.
Every year, they make small changes that make the game more real. But what I liked was a long game list of game modes (more than any other game on the PSP) that will take you a long time to master and provide good depth for all gamers. Here are a few: Football IQ is great, as it tests you on your football knowledge in a fun quiz format and really tells how little you know about the game.
Be a pro: Here you step into the shoes of your favorite super star and rise the ranks to lead the team.
Online play is also fulfilling I just wished there were more WiFi hot spots in India
But what takes the cake is the music. All I can say is that if you buy this game you can leave your iPod at home.
But on the down side the game has a steep learning curve and putting balls behind the net can be very frustrating too. Simply put, if you don’t love the game step aside this one is not for you.

'Need for Speed' to go new

Electronic Arts is steering the popular "Need for Speed" franchise in a new direction.The video game publisher announced plans to spin off the 15-year-old racing series into three driving games on different platforms. The new games will speed into three separate genres — simulation, action and arcade racing.
"It's all about crafting different games for different audiences," said Keith Munro, EA marketing vice president. "The 'Need for Speed' brand is quite powerful. It has great recognition, even outside of gaming. When we talked to consumers about what the brand meant to them, we realized that it could be stretched to new limits on different platforms."
The new games, expected to be released later this year, are "Need for Speed Shift," a first-person racing simulation for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360; "Need for Speed World Online," a multiplayer action-driving game for the PC; and "Need for Speed Nitro," an arcade-style racing game developed by EA Montreal for the Nintendo Wii and DS.
"In the past, our 'Need for Speed' games have done very well on all platforms," Munro said. "We just think we can do better with this new plan.
We actually have the opportunity to devote an entirely new studio and development team to the creation of a from-the-ground-up Nintendo-only 'Need for Speed' game. We didn't have those resources available before."
Munro said EA Black Box, the Canadian developer that created every previous "Need for Speed" game, has been collaborating with developer Slightly Mad Studios on "Need for Speed Shift" and EA Singapore on "Need for Speed World Online." He also said Black Box is continuing to work on a new action driving game, despite recent companywide layoffs.
"They will still be very much involved in the development of 'Need for Speed' products," Munro said. "Over the years, we've asked the Black Box team to deliver a new 'Need for Speed' game every year. We've gone to a couple of new studios to deliver next fall's games to inject freshness into the category and give the Black Box team time to retrench."
The new games have been in development for two years. The original "Need for Speed" was released in 1994 for the 3DO, PC, PlayStation and Sega Saturn systems. The most recent game, "Need for Speed Undercover," was released last November for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii and PC.

President Obama is a video game

A computer game set to hit US stores the day Barack Obama is sworn in as president challenges players to see whether they can do a better job running the country than he can.
Interactive Gaming Software said it will make "Commander in Chief" available on January 20, the day of Obama's inauguration.
"Player presidents" will make budget, health, education, military, diplomatic and other decisions in simulated environments and have to virtually live with the ramifications of their choices.
"Commander in Chief" will give players information from 50 international organisations including the United Nations, G7, NATO, NAFTA, and OPEC to enhance the realism of the game made by France-based Eversim.
"You can put your own political theories into action and see the domestic and international domino effect," Eversim lead designer Louis-Marie Rocques said when plans for the game was unveiled in April.
"Anyone will now be able to develop their own exit strategy for Iraq, reverse the course of the economic recession, and attempt to prevent terrorist attacks from Al-Qaeda."
Players will start by selecting cabinet members and then go on to tackle the same social, environmental, economic, energy, cultural, and military issues facing Obama's administration.
Throughout the game there is a constant threat of terrorist strikes or invasion by foreign troops.
"We are offering the chance to step into the president's shoes and take on those difficult and influential decisions," IGS chief executive Paul Lombardi said in a release.
Players can lobby foreign leaders, invade neutral countries, topple unfriendly regimes, or plot assassinations but must bear in mind economic, political or military consequences.

Asus monitor

Asus’ new 25.5-inch widescreen monitor, VK266H, boasts of a native resolution of 1920x1200 pixels, along with a contrast ratio of 20000:1 and a 2ms response time.
The device includes myriad connectivity options, offering a choice between DVI,VGA, HDMI and even component cable; and there’s also SPDIF audio output, in case you aren’t satisfied with the built-in stereo speakers.
The fullHD (1080p) device also features Asus’ video picture-enhancing technology, and five preset modes to choose from: theatre, game, scenery, night view, and standard. Equipped with a rotatable 2 megapixel Webcam.

Gaming babe Lara Croft goes sexier

Gun-toting Digital heroine Lara Croft is heading for a makeover, and will be showing even more skin in her next adventure. Considering the waning popularity of the video game protagonist and economic downturn, rumours are abuzz that the next Tomb Raider game will be rated M rather than T (for teen) -- meaning it will be either sexier or bloodier, which may see efforts to make her more female-friendly. Eidos, the game's makers, have sacked 30 employees at Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics, and its shares fell 25 per cent in one day after it revised down its profit forecast, due to lower than expected sales of Tomb Raider: Underworld. Gamers have expressed their concerns that creators could exploit Croft, famously played by Angelina Jolie in the film. "I've been a fan of the series ever since the first title but isn't this just a sign of desperation? How about making an awesome game without having to pull stunts like this?" the Courier Mail quoted one fan as writing in a blog.
It is estimated that around 40 per cent of players on the world's biggest online games, like World of Warcraft and The Sims Online, are women, and the industry is finally taking them seriously.
Penny Sweetser, a senior game designer with 2K Australia, said that the options for women gamers should increase as more women worked in the industry.
Hannah Crosby, an artist with THQ Studios Australia, agreed that women were still getting a man's take on women's games. "Because there's not many women working on games I guess we're getting a very male take on what they think women want to play," she said.
Click here for Demo Download >>>

The End of White America?

The Election of Barack Obama is just the most startling manifestation of a larger trend: the gradual erosion of “whiteness” as the touchstone of what it means to be American. If the end of white America is a cultural and demographic inevitability, what will the new mainstream look like—and how will white Americans fit into it? What will it mean to be white when whiteness is no longer the norm? And will a post-white America be less racially divided—or more so?
by Hua Hsu
Link to This Article is >>
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200901/end-of-whiteness

Pakistan court declares AQ Khan a free citizen

Islamabad High Court on Friday declared disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan a free citizen and abolished his house arrest.
Chief Justice of the high court Sardar Muhammad Aslam while announcing a verdict on several petitions filed against house arrest of Dr AQ Khan declared him a free citizen and said that he is free to move across the country, Pakistan’s The News said. According to PTI, Khan said Pakistan's military is capable of tackling any threats, including from India.
"The government is strong and the armed forces can tackle everyone," he said outside his heavily-guarded home while interacting with the media for the first time after the restrictions imposed on him were eased.
Khan stated this when asked if he had any advice for coping with possible threats from India in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.
However, he said "there is no threat, nothing like that has happened."
The scientist, who spoke to the media shortly after TV channels reported that he had reached a secret out-of-court settlement with the government, said he had no plans to associate himself again with Pakistan's nuclear programme.
He said he would dedicate himself to educational activities, including starting new institutions and advising people in the sector.
To a question on international institutions wanting to quiz him in connection with nuclear proliferation, Khan said: "Nonsense, no comments. I am not obliged to give answers to anybody else. I am obliged only to answer to my government, not to any foreigner or anybody."
Khan, lionised by many Pakistanis as the father of the country's atomic bomb, was pardoned but placed under house arrest in 2004 by the then president, Pervez Musharraf, soon after he made a televised confession to selling nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya. "The high court has declared him a free citizen," one of Khan's lawyers, Iqbal Jaffry, told a television station, after a decision by the court on a challenge to restrictions on Khan. "He will have all rights available to people under the constitution and the Quran," he said. According to a Reuters’ report, Khan's house arrest had been relaxed over the past year and he had been allowed to meet friends. He gave a series of interviews to media after a new government came to power last March.
The 72-year-old scientist, who has been treated for prostate cancer, irked the army by making comments about the smuggling of nuclear equipment that appeared to implicate the military and former army chief and president Pervez Musharraf. A court upheld his detention last July and barred him from talking to the media about nuclear proliferation while he was under house arrest.
Last year, a UN nuclear watchdog said Khan's network smuggled nuclear weaponisation blueprints to Iran, Libya and North Korea and was active in 12 countries. Last month, the department said it had imposed sanctions on 13 individuals and three private companies because of their involvement in Khan's network.
Pakistan regards the Khan nuclear proliferation case as closed, but US and international nuclear experts investigating proliferation still want to question Khan. Due to security reasons, Khan will have to inform government about his movement in advance. The verdict has directed the government to provide security to him on immediate basis. VVIP security would be given to him.
Khan will be free to express his views, talk to media and carry out research and get treatment of doctor of his own choice.

Musharraf to counter Indians 'on their home ground'

Former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf is loving every moment of his retired life and is looking forward to his lecture tour to India next month as he plans to "counter the Indians on their own home ground".
After being at the helm of affairs for nine years, the former military ruler is currently keeping himself busy giving lectures. He has just returned to Pakistan after a two-week lecture tour to the US.
"I love this life. I am relaxed and satisfied. And I am enjoying my lecture tours. Next month I am going to India for the same purpose. Let's counter the Indians on their own home ground," Musharraf, who still occupies the well-guarded Army House, the official residence of the army chief in Rawalpindi, told the influential Dawn newspaper.
The report did not provide specific details of his planned visit to India.
Musharraf also said he has no regrets about any of his actions since the military coup that brought him to power in October 1999.
He said politicians were equally responsible for the state Pakistan was in and explained that the reason he resigned as President -- a difficult decision for him -- was because Pakistan was facing "critical circumstances".
Musharraf was the "big speaker" at the prestigious Stanford University during his lecture tour of the US. Despite a campaign by some Pakistanis to not let him speak, hordes of Americans showed up to hear him and the retired general is believed to have made quite a fortune.
Musharraf said democracy was the only system of government that must continue, but its British model was not suitable for Pakistan. He said the country needed a democratic model tailored to its specific needs.
He also appeared annoyed with those who believed the Inter-Services Intelligence agency was double crossing the Americans. "How can one assume the ISI is playing a double game? It was, in fact, the ISI that captured hundreds of al-Qaida operatives from Pakistan," he said.
"I made it clear to the Americans that Pakistan is doing enough in the war against terror. I warned them not to distrust the ISI which has played a key role in breaking Al Qaida networks in Pakistan."
Musharraf rejected allegations that he had been showing leniency towards Taliban militants. Referring to the abortive assassination attempts on his life, he said there was no way that he would have taken such elements lightly.
While he was reluctant to talk about national politics, Musharraf spoke extensively on the war against terror and Pakistan's relations with India. He believed that a half-hearted operation in the tribal areas and the northwestern Swat valley would serve no purpose.
He claimed that during his tenure the militants were on the run, but they took undue advantage of recent peace initiatives of the incumbent government.
Musharraf proposed a sizeable increase in the strength of the paramilitary Frontier Corps, saying it should be provided tanks and the latest weaponry to take on the militants.
His critics have been blaming him for secretly allowing the US to carry out drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal areas. But he dismissed as untrue such allegations, though he admitted that he was under strong American pressure to allow the missile strikes. "I made it clear to them that only Pakistani security forces had the authority to operate in the tribal areas."
Musharraf also expressed no desire to re-enter politics in the near future. He said he would deliver lectures in different parts of the world.

Conditional non-military aid to Pakistan: Obama

The new Obama administration cautioned Pakistan that it would be held accountable for the security in the border regions of Afghanistan and that its performance in the fight against terrorism would be linked to the financial aid to them. "(President Barack) Obama and (Vice President Joe) Biden will increase non-military aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan," the White House said in its foreign policy agenda document released soon after Obama occupied the Oval office. Biden, a known expert on Afghanistan and Pakistan, then in the capacity as the Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had introduced legislation in the US Senate in this regard. Co-authored jointly by the Republican Senator, Richard Lugar, the legislation proposes to triple non-military aid to Pakistan in the next five years. The legislation authorises USD 7.5 billion over five years in aid that can be used for development purposes, such as building schools, roads and clinics. The bill also calls for greater accountability on security assistance, to improve Pakistani counterterrorism capabilities and ensure more effective efforts against the Taliban and al-Qaida. The foreign policy agenda of the Obama administration on Pakistan is in tune with the well known policies of Biden, which was also echoed by the Secretary of State-designate, Hillary Clinton
during her nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee early this month. As the key points of the Obama's foreign policy agenda revealed yesterday indicated, the new administration is expected to follow the key elements of Biden-Lugar proposals introduced last year. In lieu of USD 1.5 billion of non-military aid to Pakistan, Islamabad would be required to making concerted efforts to prevent al-Qaida and associated terrorist groups from operating in its territory and make concerted efforts to prevent the Taliban from using its territory as a sanctuary to launch attacks within Afghanistan. Islamabad would also need to ensure that it does not materially interfere

Flying car reality within two years

Flying cars may soon leap from the world of science fiction into reality, if automobile engineers are to be believed. A team at Moller International is designing a flying car, called 'Autovolantor', based on a 200,000-pounds Ferrari 599 GTB model, which it claims would be in the market in just two years' time. According to them, the vehicle will have the ability to take off vertically and hover, thanks to its eight powerful thrusters which direct air down for take off. Vents then tilt so the car can fly forward. The flying car is expected to be able to do 100 mph on the ground and 150 mph in the air. The calculated airborne range is 75 miles and ground range is 150 miles. Chief Designer Bruce Calkins said that the flying car "features a specially designed hybrid fuel and electric system to power the thrusters, creating as much as 800 horse power", and it would be able to fly at altitudes of up to 5,000 ft. "The Autovolantor is powered by eight fans mounted in the fuselage of the vehicle. On the ground these fans push the vehicle around with a firm but not-too-powerful thrust of deflected air. Small vanes in the exit area of the ducts can direct the air forward or back, or remain in the neutral position for vertical take off and landing. "Once in the air the vehicle manoeuvres like a helicopter, tilting nose down to move forward, rolling right or left for changes in direction. While maximum altitude could be much higher, the energy to obtain altitudes above 5,000 ft would be significant and so we expect it to stay below that height," 'The Daily Telegraph' quoted Calkins as saying.

Stop cross-border missile strikes: Pak tells US

Pakistan has told the US that cross-border missile strikes in its tribal areas were "unacceptable and must be stopped immediately," lest they generate anti-America sentiments. The issue of missile strikes by US drones from Afghanistan which have strained ties between the two countries was taken up by Pakistan's political and military leadership with visiting Gen David H Petraeus, the top US army commander overseeing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Petraeus arrived in Pakistan on Sunday as part of his first international visit after being appointed head of the US Central Command. He is accompanied by Assistant Secretary of State Richard A Boucher. During a meeting with the US officials, President Asif Ali Zardari said the missile strikes in the country's tribal belt were "unacceptable and must be stopped immediately", TV channels reported. A similar stand was adopted by army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. He told Petraeus and Boucher during a meeting at the army's General Headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi that the missile strikes are counter-productive for the war on terror. US officials also met Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, who asked the US to respect Pakistan's "sovereignty and territorial integrity because the frequent drone attacks could generate anti-America sentiments as well as create outrage and uproar among the people", said a statement from the defence ministry.

Pakistan hopes for Saudi aid amid financial crisis

Pakistan is turning to Saudi Arabia for financial aid to ease an economic crisis that already has forced the militancy-wracked South Asian nation to start talks with the International Monetary Fund. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari arrives Tuesday in the oil-rich Arab nation to request a deferral on oil payments and other possible support, the Foreign Ministry said. Another potential topic: Negotiating with the Taliban. Nuclear-armed Pakistan needs billions in outside assistance to avoid defaulting on its international loans. The impoverished nation of 170 million people is hampered by high inflation, chronic power outages and a sinking currency, as well as a violent Islamist insurgency, all of which threaten to undermine the fledgling pro-US government. Analysts said Zardari's visit could yield some temporary relief, but that he was unlikely to return with a package that would render moot politically unpopular IMF aid. An IMF assistance package would likely come with painful requirements to cut government spending that could affect programs for the poor, making it a tough choice for the politicians. Economist Muzammil Aslam predicted Zardari would ask for $3bn in deferred oil payments from the Saudis, but warned that Pakistan should prepare for IMF assistance. "If you miss the IMF now, you will need it again some months later, and that time you will have to accept more tough conditions," he said. Pakistan hopes that its front-line role in the war on terrorism will nudge its allies to prevent its economic downfall. But Saudi Arabia, the US and other nations may condition any aid they give on Pakistan submitting to an IMF package, which would come with strict spending rules, said Shahid Hasan Siddiqui, a top economist. Pakistan Finance Ministry chief Shaukat Tareen has said that if he does not get indications of a forthcoming bailout from allies by Nov. 10 "there is no other option but to go to the IMF." One outlet Tareen and others have turned to is a new group of countries called "Friends of Pakistan," among them the US and Saudi Arabia. Pakistan hopes the group and the World Bank will provide about $5bn to help it avoid the IMF. But in a recent visit to Pakistan, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said the group's "goal was not to throw money on the table," indicating unconditional or even direct financial aid was unlikely. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Zardari's visit to Saudi Arabia would also look at "efforts to counter the menace of terrorism and extremism," an indication that discussions about possibly negotiating with the Taliban may also be on Zardari's agenda. At a recent meeting, top Afghan and Pakistani officials decided to reach out to the militants whose insurgency has bedeviled their countries. The Taliban's former ambassador to Pakistan said the two sides recently had contacts in Saudi Arabia. Top US military officials have indicated support for negotiation efforts with moderate elements of the Taliban.

Paris and I are very happy: Benji Madden

Pop star Benji Madden has revealed that his relationship with Paris Hilton is better than ever.

The ‘Good Charlotte’ guitarist was totally devastated to hear about claims that he cheated on his girlfriend of nine months and branded the report to be ‘definitely untrue’. "It's very frustrating when you finally find yourself in a good relationship and people attack it. I wear my feelings on my sleeve. I'm very open about how in love I am – Paris and I are very happy,” People magazine quoted Madden, as saying. Madden also revealed that he and the hotel heiress follow the Johnny Cash relationship rule. "I read this Johnny Cash book and it said they were never were apart for more than four or five days, so when Paris and I started getting serious, I was like, we shouldn’t be apart that much. We try not to go longer than a week without at least seeing each other for a day or two. That's kind of our rule,” he said.