Współpraca firmy Microsoft z Telekomunikacją Polską objawiła się także niedawno wprowadzona promocją na Office 2007 dla Użytkowników Domowych.

Źródło: CentrumXP.pl, Autor: Adam Stępień

I downloaded the PS3 version of flOw a while ago but never really got into it. Something about the SIXAXIS control didn't feel quite right. I never intended to purchase the $2.99 expansion pack until I discovered that it contains a feature that lets you take your own screenshots. It's unlike typical screenshot features like those of WipEout Pulse or PGR4. For these games, you can simply pause the action at any time and enter photo mode, allowing you to rotate the camera and adjust image properties as you see fit.

flOw's expansion pack adds a new playable creature and an additional species (if that's what you call them in this game) of prey. Eating these new butterfly-shaped creatures turns your character yellow and initiates a countdown. When your creature returns to white, you'll notice the game hiccup a bit as whatever is displayed on the screen at that time is automatically saved as a jpeg to your PS3's hard drive.

It's a more restricted take on an increasingly common feature, but it's definitely an interesting twist. I've had a lot of fun with it so far. I've uploaded the rest of my flOw screenshots to my Flickr account, where you can also find my photos from WipEout Pulse, PGR4, and LocoRoco. I'm still trying to figure out how to get my Super Smash Bros. Brawl screenshots off of my SD card. Any suggestions?

Here is the list

Premium Challenge Pack (400 points)

The Premium PGR 4 Challenge Pack from Bizarre, available for 400 Microsoft(r) Points, gives you seven new cars

2008 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible Concept

2007 Volkswagen Golf GTI W12-650

2007 Peugeot Flux

1987 BMW M3 E30 DTM

2007 Ferrari 430 Scuderia

2008 Honda S2000 CR

008 Callaway C16 Speedster.

You get three new bikes

2007 Yamaha YZF-R1

1995 Aprilia RS 250

1998 Aprilia RSV 1000 Tuono R

Plus

New World Challenge Arcade Mode gives you 20 arcade events in 3 themed chapters, including 5 events that can only be done on platinum. In Tourist Mode, get a free ride with friends around any game city. In Free Roam Cat and Mouse, a slow mouse vehicle runs from enemy cats. Ten new achievements fill out the pack.”

Расправившись с Mass Effect, я уселся за PGR4, которому уделил, на свой взягляд, слишком мало внимания. Итог - десяток медалей в аркадном режиме, пара сезонов в Gotham Career и 15 ачивок всего за пару дней! Рулить в PGR зело приятно - здешние красоты зачастую станвятся причиной проигранных гонок и пропущенных поворотов (особенно это касается этапа в Токио). Кстати еще отраден тот факт, что ребята из Bizarre Creations действительно дифференцируют один уровень сложности от другого. На Easy вы будуте чувствовать себя как рыба в воде и наслаждаться победами, обходя соперников на 10-20 секунд без особых проблем. На Normal же вам составят приличную конкуренцию и отставать скорее всего будете уже вы - на 3-6 секунд. Даже выйдя на поул-позишн вы не будете чувствовать себя в безопасности - соперники воспользуются малейшей вашей оплошностью, чтобы обойти на повороте. Ну а про Hard и говорить не приходится - вы только и будете делать, что пыль глотать... Уровень сложности, к слову, не влияет на ачивки (и слава богу!). А еще тут есть Geometry Wars: Waves - божественное аркадное увеселение!))

Existe algo en la lluvia que la hace atrapante, atrayente, de algun modo u otro la lluvia siempre llama la atención de las personas, en una película, los grandes escritores suelen ponerla en sus libros y Bizarre decidió unir dos de las cosas que más atraen a los hombres: carros y lluvias, el resultado: uno de los juegos que mejor se ven en esta generación de consolas.

En el 2005 se reveló al mundo la nueva invencion de Microsoft (Xbox 360) y de la mano vinieron grandes juegos, entre ellos uno de los más impresionantes gráficamente hasta esa fecha: Project Gotham Racing 3. Dos largos años han pasado y Bizarre Creations ha sido comprada por EA, sin embargo, antes de abandonar su casa en los estudios de MS se encargo de dejarnos uno de los mejores juegos de carrera en cualquier plataforma, con un agregado: el clima afecta.

Con hermosos carros y la adición de motos, puedes recorrer pistas de todo el mundo en diferentes condiciones climaticas (siendo la lluvia la más hermosa de apreciar y la más desarrollada) y en diferentes niveles de competición. Si te gustan los carros con gráficas impresionantes y te gusta más el arcade que la simulación, PGR4 es una adición indispensable a tu colección.

With the number of consoles now on the market it is not always a clear cut choice about which one to buy and never has the phrase "horses for courses" been more apt. We will round up each machine and point out the pros and cons and list a few must have games for each machine we shall start with the Xbox 360.

Microsoft's beige box is the oldest of the now current generation of consoles. In the 2 years of its short life it has already evolved quite a bit, to the extent that it now comes in nearly as many flavours as a Chupa Chups lolly. There are now 3 different versions of the same machine, you have the Elite, Xbox 360 Premium and Xbox 360 Arcade. First up is what was originally called the "Premium" edition and is now just called the Xbox 360 console. It comes with a component A/V cable 20gb hard drive and wireless pad. The RRP for this version of the machine is £249.99 and is for all types of gamer and if you are seriously looking to buy the Xbox 360 this would be the version we would advise you to buy as it offers the full Xbox feature set.

Next up is the Elite, the high end version of the machine. You can have any colour you like as long as its matt black! Along with a matching set of black accessories. The big difference in this pack is the 120gb hard drive and the HDMI out and included cable (all recently manufactured machines now come HDMI enabled although without the requisite cable). The RRP for the Elite is £299.99 and is for the keen gamer with a bit of extra cash in his or her pocket and a good "Hi Def" set up. We would only advise this version for those that can afford it as there is no difference in the machines performance and you will really only need the extra hard disk space if you plan to make use of the Video Market Place for movie and tv downloads and the forthcoming IPTV service when Europe finally get either service.

Bringing up the rear is the Xbox 360 Arcade package. This version of the machine comes in the standard beige colour and is the replacement for the original core edition. This is the budget version of the machine and comes without a hard drive. It does however come with a wireless pad (gone are the wired pads from the Core system!) and 256mb memory card containing 5 popular Live Arcade games. This machine really is only aimed at casual gamers and those working on a budget. As it comes without the hard disk it does suffer slightly as some games available will not work without one. The RRP for this version of the machine is only £199.99.

So now we come to the pros and cons of the machine, let's begin with the pros. First up is the number of games out for the console. As it has had a whole years head start over its competitors it has a vast catalogue of games available. Not only does it have plenty of titles out there but a large chunk of them are of high quality. Also the line up of games for this years festive season is probably the strongest for any console, ever.

Secondly no other console does on-line like the Xbox 360. Xbox Live is now 5 years old and it would seem that its competitors just cannot match it. With extra stuff like Gamerscore (achievement points), Live Market Place and video chat you have a on-line service that is truly in a league of its own. I know some people moan and groan you have to pay for it but it is only £39.99 a year (cheaper if you shop around). Which works out at about £3.30 a month and for that you generally get a free headset too!

Thirdly we have Live Arcade which is part of the on-line service but deserves a special mention all of its own. This service allows you to download all manner of casual and retro games that cost between £4.00 - £7.50. There is a huge range of titles available and there is more added on a weekly basis. These range from old arcade classics like Centipede and Pacman; to Retro games like Speedball 2 and Street Fighter 2 Turbo and even original titles like the most excellent Cloning Clyde and Geometry Wars Evolved. Most of the updated games have had a lick of paint to give them the Hi-Def treatment!

Once you add onto this list of already impressive features high definition gaming up to 1080p (Providing you have a high definition capable TV), true Dolby™ 5.1 surround sound and the superbly designed wireless pad and you have a console full of boundless gaming possibilities. As many would say, the gamers machine of choice.

Now for the cons, the Xbox 360 itself is not the most reliable games console ever built (this is possibly the biggest understatement ever written). The three red lights of death are a regular occurrence for most Xbox 360 gamers with a reported 33% failure rate. Microsoft, to their credit, have admitted the problem and have extended the machines warranty to 3 years for those consoles that die of the three red lights of death. They are also constantly at work restructuring and refining the manufacturing of the console and newer machines are reportedly more reliable, having replaced the cooling system making the machines not only more durable but also quieter. Second up is cost, the increased cost of gaming. These new bread of machines have upped the development costs significantly. Triple AAA titles on the last generation of consoles used to have a team of say 10 - 50 staff working on them on, this generation you are talking about 100+ people working on one game. These additional costs are obviously passed over onto us and in the main, games are costing up to £10 more than last generations games.

Thirdly, we have Microsoft's decision to stick with a standard DVD drive over a Blu-Ray or HD DVD drive. This was done to keep costs down and has not caused any problems to date I just fear that as time wears on and games get bigger that MS and ultimately us the gamer may live to regret the decision. There have already been rumblings from a couple of developers voicing concerns over the capacity of standard DVD's but we will just have to hope that compression gets better. You can buy a HD DVD add on for the Xbox 360 which retails at around £114.99 but this is for movie play back only, although there are also rumours of a new machine with HD DVD built in.

10 Of The Best Xbox 360 Games

1. Halo 3 - The Halo franchise is synonymous with the Xbox and all 3 games have been of the highest quality with number 3 being the pick of the bunch. You can read our very own Drew's review right here if you want to find out more.

2. Oblivion - This free roaming RPG is still one of the best games to be found on the 360 or anywhere for that matter. Boasting one of the largest game worlds ever to be committed to disk and is a game of unparalleled scope and vision. Without a doubt the 360's premier RPG

3. Gears Of War - This is the game that showed the world what the Xbox 360 could do graphically and still is one of the best looking games to be found on the machine. This story led co-op third person shooter is still one of the top games to be found on the beige box.

4. Bioshock - This game is the best story led FPS to be found anywhere on any machine. Full of invention and wonder this game is a stunner from the Art Deco underwater setting to the gene bending story, this really is gaming at its best. You can read our very own Drew's review right here.

5. Project Gotham Racing 4 - Again the Gotham series is synonymous with the Xbox name and a sure fire sign of quality. Number 4 in the series does not disappoint adding bikes to the mix of street racing around real world city settings. Its blend of simulation and arcade handling make this a game for both serious petrol heads and newcomers alike.

6. Crackdown - This free roaming sandbox game is an absolute corker. Loads of people purchased this game just for the free pass key to the Halo 3 beta test earlier this year only to find out that they had also bought one of the best sandbox style of games ever made. You are a cybernetically enhanced cop tasked with cleaning up the streets. As you progress you get faster and stronger until by the end of the game you can jump 70 foot buildings and pick up and throw huge lorries. Brilliant.

7. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 - The king of footy sims is back on the 360. This is the first version made for the next generation of consoles from the ground and up all that was missing from PES 6 is back. If you want to find out more you can read my review right here.

8. Virtua Tennis 3 - This is the best tennis game ever made; stunning to look at, easy to play and difficult to master. Sega's game was the first on the Xbox 360 to play in full HD 1080p and it looks glorious. Thankfully it plays as well as it looks with a ton of fun tennis based mini games this is one of Xbox's premier sports sims.

9. The Orange Box - This bumper pack of gaming goodness contains five quality games. They are Half Life 2, Half life 2 Episodes 1 and 2, Portal and Team Fortress 2. All 5 games are of the highest quality but for me Portal is the star of the show with its gravity defying puzzles. You can read my review of the Orange Box right here.

10. Call Of Duty 4 Modern Combat - The best example of a modern warfare FPS ever made. This game is an explosive thrill ride that does not let up from beginning to end. And another example of why the the Xbox 360 is the home of the quality FPS. If you want to find out more you can read my review right here.

Can I just finish this games list by saying before any one starts moaning this is not my top 10 list for the Xbox 360 but a list to try and show the variety and quality of games available. If you want to list your top 10 games for the machine do so as a comment below.

So to finish off the Xbox 360 is a well rounded machine with plenty of games, the best on-line service and has shown good solid sales so will be around for a little while longer yet. If you are a serious heavy duty mature gamer the Xbox 360 should be your machine of choice but if you are none of these you could still not go far wrong in buying this machine as it covers all bases in the variety games available for it.

Happy Christmas Shopping

Moonhead

Hoy dia 15 van a ser lanzados diferentes modos de Torneo para Project Gotham Racing 4. Estos podran ser descargados a traves de Xbox Live.

Los modos en los que los jugadores tendran que practicar sus derrapes para llegar a la gloria son Daily Tournaments, Super Saturday, Simulation Sundays, y Global Cup. Cada carrera es unica, asi que aprende de ellas...

Como clasificarse
Las tablas de cada torneo tienen una cuenta atras con la fecha limite.
Para clasificarte haz la vuelta tan rapido como puedas en un circuito en modo solitario.
Una vez la carrera ha terminado puedes chequear la tabla para comprobar si te has clasificado.
Aquellos que se clasifiquen tendran un sitio reservado en la parrilla.

Torneos diarios
Disponibles de lunes a viernes
Empiezan y terminan en el mismo dia.
Pueden clasificarse hasta 640 jugadores.
Solo los dos mejores de cada carrera pasan a la siguiente ronda.

Torneos "Super Sabados"
Solo disponibles los sabados
Cada torneo empieza y termina en sabado
Tan solo 64 jugadores pueden clasificarse
Solo los cuatro mejores de cada ronda pasan a la siguiente carrera.

Carreras de Simulacion de los domingos
Solo disponibles los domingos
Comienzan y terminan en domingo
Solo se permite la vision interna y marchas manuales
Un total de 64 jugadores se pueden clasificar para cada torneo de los domingos.
Solo los 4 primeros avanzan a la siguiente ronda.

Copa Global
Disponible dos veces al mes
Duracion de dos semanas
Un total de 512 jugadores pueden clasificarse:
Los 20 primeros de cada pais
Los 32 mejores del resto del mundo
Las rondas de eliminacion son el segundo sabado del torneo.

Los ganadores de la coppa global veran como su gamertag aparece en la web de PGRNations. Del mismo modo los ganadores veran como se recogen sus titulos en los registros personales. Preparate, porque ya estan aqui. Solo los mejores seran leyendas de las velocidad.

.........yes you have, Project Gotham Racing. I used to dislike your neither fish nor foul arcade-sim style, your lack of customisation and generally squeakiness. Even your little brother, PGR3, who tried so hard with his next gen-ness and his slick interiors, did not manage to grab me for too long before I returned to Ridge Racer, Burnout and Colin McRae.

Then along you come PGR4 and all my hesitancy is gone. Something has happened to you, something beyond the addition of bikes or PGR on demand or the tweaking of the kudos system to something more generous and less irritating. You're warmer now, your embrace deeper, and so I find that the more time I spend with you, the more I want to spend with you, something I never thought I would say about a Project Gotham Racing game.

This new affair with Bizarre Creation's racer explains some of why this blog has been neglected in recent days . For other reasons see here and my very next post on this blog.

Any of you had a recent game change your opinion about the franchise?

As per the last post I ditched Halo 3 for my Xbox 360 and got Project Gotham Racing 4 on the day of release.. I've been enjoying that - if you see my 360 Voice page you'll see ;)

Also... got some coilovers for the car and have new bushes on the way, Ibiza Cupra PD160 bushes to be precise! So with my new coilovers, bushes and wheels I think I'll be a lot happier with the car - I have been on the verge of selling to be honest.

And also on the computing front!  I've been playing around a bit with Ubuntu... it's been a while since I've felt like a "n00b" with computers - I'll be updating more on that soon :)

In probably the most surprising news I have heard in sometime, Activision have purchased Project Gotham Racing developer Bizarre Creations. The team responsible for Microsoft's flagship racer will begin production of a new multi-format racer and a new character based game once they finish PGR4 and The Club. Why Microsoft have so easily allowed one of their top developers slip through their fingers is anyones guess, but they insist that the Project Gotham franchise will continue with a new developer. History tells us that when a franchise moves to a new developer the results are generally completely underwhelming, Championship Manager anyone?

Time To Get Lynch'ed

Eidos' hotly anticipated shooter, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, has been given its European release date. November 23rd is the date European owners of PS3, PC and Xbox 360 can get their hands on it. The co-op shooter has been receiving some good press previews so far and the story sure sounds interesting. Either one player, co-op or multi-player the game pushes the two main characters together, one a mercenary and the other a medicated psychopath. Personally I know which one I want to play with! The dark storyline is as violent as it is interesting as Kane and Lynch hate each other. Should make for some unique moments, I will have a review as soon as possible.

Enterandome por via meristation sony a aprovechado las declaraciones que Bizarre Creations ha realizado recientemente en sus foros, en los que el estudio afincado en Liverpool anunciaba que debido a problemas para comprimir los datos de las texturas de PGR4 en un único DVD, los jugadores no podrían disfrutar de ciclos noche-día en las diferentes cidudades, Dave Karraker, director de comunicaciones de Sony, ha reafirmado la estrategia de la compañía con PS3 y su inversión en el Blu-Ray como justificación para evitar situaciones de este tipo.

"Los juegos en la nueva generación requieren más espacio en disco para dar cabida a todo el contenido en alta definición que precisan. Solo hay que dar un vistazo a Lair, por ejemplo, que ha alcanzado los 25 gigas de datos, y es un título de primera generación dentro del catálogo de PS3. Con una capacidad máxima de 50 Gb, el Blu-Ray dota a PlayStation 3 de una capacidad de almacenamiento para que los creativos trasladen sus visiones al videojuego tal y como las concibieron".

Que si tienen razon si vastante y yo seguidor de los juegos lo dije mucho tiempo llegara un momento que quedaran corto de espacio y hacer un juegos con dos discos es mucho mas caro y tedioso, usara microsoft el formato hd-dvd para sus juegos o Blue ray quien sabe hay dejo el hype puesto.