Mad Games Tycoon Review

After spending my whole Sunday on this game, I want to share my Mad Games Tycoon experience with you. Here, you can find both gameplay information and tips of Mad Games Tycoon.

In a few short sentences, you start your game producer career in an old garage. You hire people to help you on your adventure. On my first try I went bankrupt and on my second try I became a millionaire so the game is easy to learn. You just need to check and use every feature you see.

The core gameplay is fun and satisfying, but in my opinion, some changes and additions should be applied to make the game more realistic and even more fun. I don't want to be misunderstood, I don't think a game should be %100 realistic. But as this game is about running a company, I look for a bit more reality. I really want to feel that ambiance! "Graphics" is not really important for me in such a game, "gameplay" is the most important. I would play even text-based if I liked "game depth" and "functions". A game like this should target "core-gamers", not "casual-gamers". You will soon understand why I put these words in quotes.

Well, let's take a quick look at Mad Games Tycoon's features.

I skip character and company creation part. As soon as you start the game you need to create your development room and start the action. I am not going to talk about decoration of your office because, unfortunately, this feature is just basic, you just put what your employees need and that is all. You can't decorate how you like, there are not so many choices, you can't even turn the objects.

Don't miss contract businesses. At my first steps I tried to get every contract business I found, these contract businesses help a lot when you have just begun.

Hiring employees is a must. You need employees to complete tasks faster, you need employees to be able to do more tasks, you need employees for different departments but be careful about their salaries and balancing your income and expenses. If you are in debt at the end of the year, you go bankrupt. Game over!

Can you tell what is the most fun thing to do in a game producer tycoon game? Producing games! Naturally the most potential and usual thing to do in a game focused on producing games! But what are the details? What makes Mad Games Tycoon special?

Well, you choose a name, genre (you unlock sub-genre feature when you progress a bit or you need to start with a specific country to be able to use this feature from the beginning), topic, and engine for your game. At first you can produce just retail games, but after you make some progress you are able to produce MMO games as well. You can also buy a movie license for your game to make it more appealing. After you are finished making your game you pick a publisher company. These are all known companies whose names are different with a letter or so! You can publish your own game, but not in the early stage of your career.

While picking features of your game there is something you need to be careful about. You need to focus on trend genre & topic combination. This is shown at the right upper corner of the screen. The game provides you with different combinations of genres and topics with different periods of time. Some combinations last longer than the others; as far as I have seen this is completely random. If you produce a trendy game combination at the right time, you are awarded nicely by your fans.

Focusing on trend genre & topic combination is important, of course, but this is not the only important feature in Mad Games Tycoon. You also need to buy movie licenses to sell more! A "Jack Bond 007: A Bad View" license for your espionage game, for instance. Or you can buy "Majority Report" for your sci-fi game! Maybe you should try the movie "Warluck" for your "Orcs" or "Dungeons" themed game?

Training your employees is vital, they gain experience points completing tasks, but training is the real deal if you really want your employees to be more effective at given tasks. Do I need to tell they demand more salary when they are trained? Of course, they do just like in the real world so be careful about your investment in your employees. For example, don't give them graphics or sound effects course, if you plan to keep them in customer service department that you need to keep your fans happy.

In fact, this is something critical developers should really take a look at, people can't be perfectly effective at all skill branches given in this game. Certain skill trains should be blocked for certain employees, this way players will find a way to learn how to choose and organize their staff, give them more proper tasks instead of blindly training them until %100 at all skills and giving them a job in the customer service department for 7000 USD / month! I had enough money to do this, but this is very boring and not very realistic.

Hold shares! I noticed this in the last stages of the game so I am not sure when this feature becomes available and how it can help at earlier stages. I however, can say that it didn't help me too much when my balance had 7 figures.

Don't ever forget that you are in a competition with all other companies in the market, you need to plan your steps carefully if you don't want to stay behind!

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8 Head Games the Narcissist Plays - Ping-Pong, Anyone?

Narcopath Manipulation Characterized as Games

Narcopaths (malignant narcissists, narcissistic sociopath) are masters at playing mind games. They play to win and take no prisoners. They are sore losers and if they don't win they will often react in a fit of rage and stomp away like a little child.

I have to say upfront, I am not comfortable calling what a narcopath does to us as games, but I can't think of a better alternative. I used manipulation characterized as games, but that's a mouthful. Anyway, every therapist I've talked with uses the term, so I will, too. When I think of games, I think of fun, laughter and enjoying myself. Nothing about my experience with the narcopath comes even close, so it's hard for me to think of the narcopath and games in the same setting. Polar opposites in my mind.

I don't want to play games with a narcopath anymore. The rules are not written down and change according to her whim. I've lost before the game even begins. However, I am not a pacifist by any stretch of the imagination. I won't walk away when I've been challenged very often, so when I urge you not to play the narcopath's games, it's not because I don't like a good challenge. I just want a fair playing field or at the very least be playing by the same rules. The narcopath is too skilled and had far more experience playing these games than we ever will. If we are going to triumph against the narcopath, and we are going to, we have to play by OUR rules, not theirs. Oh, you may win a skirmish here and there, but remember, they don't think like we think. This article reminds me a story a friend of mine, Dale, told recently. He and his young five-year-old son had a marathon checkers match one evening, and after several hours of winning game after game, Dale told his son he was calling it a night, but his son looked perplexed and exclaimed "But, the game's not over yet!" Dale said he told him they played about a hundred games already, and what did he mean "the game's not over?" His son looked at him with the most serious look a five-year-old could muster, and said, "the game's not over until I win". This mentality is what we face with the narcopath.

The most important thing you must remember about all these game is that no one can know the rules except the narcopath. Here are some of the more common "games" that narcopaths play:

1. Ping-Pong: When a person begins to understand how a narcissist works, he or she realizes that it's a bit like playing ping-pong. Anytime a narcissist has to self-reflect about anything, they will immediately throw the ball back to the person they consider their opponent. Narcissists will always throw the ball back to the other person. They do this in the expectation that they won't have to take responsibility for their behavior. Narcissists hope that by not taking responsibility for their own actions (by using blaming, shaming, projection, denial, etc.) their partner will do what they have always done-forgive the narcissist, make excuses for the narcissist's behavior, claim the narcissist couldn't help himself because he was having a bad day, and so on. The narcissist is a moving target and you are always on the firing line. To get away from them (or expose them), you always have to keep an eye on the ball i.e., their actions and motives for playing their games with you. You have to stop wanting to play. You can stop catching the ball and put it back in the narcissist's court by setting boundaries and making him aware of his actions. He then realizes he has no one to play with anymore. He will either drop the person like a hot potato, try to punish the person, or run away.


2. Crazy Eights: This is a favorite game of narcissists. YOU are called crazy anytime you confront them, bring up past issues or behaviors, or expose them when they're doing something appalling. The game goes like this: he/she tells you that you have an overly active imagination, you don't know what you're talking about, they have no idea what you're talking about, or that you're simply making things up to cause problems. They'll tell you that it's obvious that you are the one who is crazy (and tell you that everyone around you agrees with them about you being crazy). They will claim not to remember even unforgettable events, flatly deny they ever happened, and will never entertain the possibility that they might have forgotten. This is an extremely aggressive and infuriating tactic called "gaslighting", a common technique used by abusers of all kinds. Your perceptions of reality are continually undermined so that you end up without any confidence in your own intuition, memory, or reasoning.


3. Liars Poker: Individuals with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) play this game fantastically. They lie better than anyone I've ever been around. Unless you know them well, they don't show any of the tells experts look for in exposing deception. My guess is this is how they are able to con so many therapists. I know first hand what that look is on a narcopath. When she was here, the things she didn't tell us, most with tears in her eyes. I felt so much sympathy for the horrible things that her ex and her parents did to her trying to control her. The stories she told us were outrageous and I bought every one of them, hook, line and sinker. Their persona and their entire world are totally based in lies. Their positive attributes and alleged actions are all made up to trick and seduce others into giving them their fix of narcissistic-supply: praise, adulation and accolades.


4. Gotcha! The narcopath is a master of phony empathy. He/She appears to take you in, appears to understand what you are experiencing, and appears to genuinely be able to put himself in your shoes. These acts cause you to let your guard down; just when you think there is a genuine give-and-take in your relationship, he pulls a fast one on you-a "gotcha"- most often when you're at a low point. He will suddenly tell you about his extraordinary new career move, a luxurious trip that he's taking, or a huge shift in financial status that will make you feel even more diminished. Narcissists perfectly execute an unexpected psychological pounce; their purpose is to grind you down, to humiliate you, and make you feel small and inferior.


5. Death by a Thousand Cuts: This is a really fun game that all narcissists like to play! Some of your strongest trauma bonds are created with this sadistic game. It involves destroying your soul, your ego, your accomplishments and any belief system you have that does not agree with their beliefs. You both start with empty buckets. The first one to fill his/her bucket wins. They win the game if they are successful at turning everything about you and everything you do into a complete failure. They earn extra points when they successfully take all the credit for everything good that has ever happened in your life, and you thank them. They earn double points when they manage to put all blame for everything bad in your bucket.


6. King/Queen Game: Either the king narcopath or the queen narcopath gets to make up the rules as they go along; they don't have to tell the you the new rules, and they change the rules when it suits them. They are the king/queen and, as your superior, entitled to win this game, always. You suffer the consequences for breaking the rules, even those you didn't know existed.


7. Cat and Mouse: This is a kind of competitive patience (solitaire) game for two players. It is also known as Spite and Malice. You start this game by arranging the cards from low to high with the Kings/Queens being wild. Suits (the normal order of things and/or common societal rules) are irrelevant in the game. The game ends when someone wins by playing the last card of their "pay-off" pile. The game can also end if the players run out of cards, in which case the result is a draw. Cat and Mouse (or Spite and Malice) is a perfect game for a narcissist because it is actually a form of solitaire, it requires "one-upmanship", and involves pulling out "better" cards to beat the opponent. It involves a "payoff" and for the narcopath, that usually means hurting you somehow. They keep track of real and imaginary things you do, have done, or might do. This is their "pile" and they will pull a card from it and use it against you when they feel like it.


8. Guess Who?: This is a pretty simple game, and quite popular. The rules are few. Basically, you must summon all your psychic skills for this game. It is your job to read the narcopath's sick mind, then decide what kind of mood he/she is in, and respond to her without her saying a word. Your options include, but are not limited to, two-year-old throwing a temper tantrum; Guilt-tripping puppeteer; Poor unappreciated Cinderella; Cock of the Walk; Coy tease; Inquisitor; Keeper of the Gate; add your favorites to the list. If you get it right, then you win the right to change your behavior to mirror his/hers, and your day will be a good one. Get it wrong and you lose. You get to listen to what a loser you are all day long. Either way, they win. OR, you don't guess at all this time. Instead, you pack up and leave crazy narcopath and win you back.

The only way for the you to win any of the narcopath's games to not play. If you are in a relationship, you can walk away from the toxic narcissist in your life. If your boss is an abusive narcissist, you can find another job. You can walk away from your parents, too, if they are abusive. If it's a family member, move away, go no contact or low contact.

Keep Away Game for You: Keep Away is a game the narcopath doesn't play, but if you must stay in near the narcopath, it's one you need to master, and the rules of this game are not to respond the any of the narcopath's attempt to pull you into one of her no-win games. You are not allowed to respond to jabs, barbs, promises, put-downs, etc. It will take focus and determination to break old habits and create new ones. It only takes 21 days of consistent behavior modification to create a new habit. This is not going to be easy, but you'll get the hang of it pretty quick. Think of it like this: if you're playing a game of catch, the only way to stop the game is to not catch the ball when someone throws it to you. It's possible to stop playing games with a narcissist, as long as you mentally prepare for the challenge, and prepare yourself for the onslaught of negativity, accusations and histrionics. Ignore inciting words, don't respond to inciting words, hang up the phone politely or leave. Take a drive, go for a long walk, anything. Just get away. There are many ways you can refuse to catch the ball and not throw it back. This is the game of "Keep Away". You stay away, walk away, and refuse to play. This is a game that you, yourself, must learn to play. It is important to recognize that the narcopath will never acknowledge that he/she is now, or has ever played mind games. It's up to you to stop playing. Don't try to get them to acknowledge or take responsibility for their words or actions because they will always say they didn't do it or it never happened or it was your fault.

As most of you reading this article are aware, there are virtually no resources online, or offline, that provide support and guidance for emotionally abused men, much less those who have endured physical abuse at the hands of a partner. There are even fewer resources available for men falsely accused of domestic violence, let alone, more serious false allegations, such as rape. (It happens far more often than one would think). Psychological, verbal and emotional abuse are devastating, but since there are no visible scars to bear witness to the abuse, most targets or victims are either unable to adequately articulate the harm or worse, not believed, which only causes further damage. If you enjoyed my article today, a small contribution can make a big difference. The purpose here is to educate, provide support and coaching to men & women (men can be vindictive liars just as easily as women) get past the humiliation and devastation of the stigma associated with being accused and charged criminal on the basis of false allegations. My long-range plans is to provide one time grants to those in need of financial assistance for a quality legal defense, as well as, provide quality counseling services. Any contribution or donation you are able to give will be greatly appreciated. One dollar is the smallest amount (PayPal policy, not mine). A PayPal account is not necessary to make a contribution. Visit my blog to make a contribution. http://www.thenarcopath.com. Thank you.

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Board Games - Have Deep Historical Roots Buried In The Sands Of Time

Monopoly, Risk and Clue have roots buried deep in the sands of ancient Mesopotamia.

British archeologist Charles Leonard Woolley unearthed the earliest known board game in the late 1920's. He was excavating a burial tomb in Ur, what is now southern Iraq. The game, buried with other treasure, had been interred nearly 4,500 years earlier. The Royal Game of Ur is the earliest known board game. Not only did Woolley find the game board and game pieces, he also found instructions for playing the game. They were engraved in cuneiform texts located at the site. The Royal Game of Ur, or the 'game of 20 squares' was a race game with two players racing to the end of the board. Since that time similar game boards have been found throughout the ancient world, from Egypt to India. The game Woolley found can still be played today, just as the ancient Sumerians enjoyed it.

Board games have been popular in nearly every known civilization. Many civilizations were playing board games before they developed any form of written language.

Board games come in two basic types. The first uses strategy to win the game. The object is to block or capture opposing game pieces or to capture larger portions of the game board. Monopoly and checkers are both examples of the strategy game. Strategy alone does not insure victory.

Chance plays a significant role in most board games, but not all. Some of the most respectable board games, chess for example, focus on skill with very little luck involved.

Purists feel that luck is an undesirable element. They feel the games should be based entirely on strategy and skill. Others feel the element of chance gives these games more complexity with many more possible strategies. These people feel the element of luck makes these games more exciting. On the other hand, games that are completely games of chance, where no or few decisions are made, quickly become boring to most adults. Many children's board games are games of luck with few decisions to be made.

The second types of board games are race games. Two or more players move pieces in a race from one point on the board to another. Backgammon is an example of a race game. Again, the element of chance is an essential ingredient in these games.

Luck is introduced into the game in a number of ways. One of the popular ways is by using dice. The dice can determine how many units a play can move, how forces fare in battle or which resources a player gains. Another common method of introducing change is by using a deck of special cards. In yet other games spinners or other such devices are used to determine the play.

A third type of board games is a combination both of the above types. These games employ strategies to conduct a race.

Board Games Pre-date Reading And Writing

Board games have been popular for centuries. The game of 20 squares was played from Egypt to India more than 4,000 years ago. Nearly 3,000 years ago a game that resembles backgammon was developed in the same region. Games using stone marbles were developed in Egypt nearly 1,000 years later.

A board game is a game played with a pre-marked surface and counters or pieces that are moved across the board. Methods of chance are often used, usually dice or cards, to determine the movement of the pieces or counters across the surface of the board.

We are not really sure why early board games were developed. Some argue these games were a device for conducting religious services. Others claim they were employed to teach strategies of war. Today's board games are recreational and considered good family entertainment.

Board games became popular in the U.S. in the early 1900s. As the population moved off the farm, people had more time and more money to pursue leisure activities. Board games were a family recreation easily played in the home. Chess, checkers and backgammon became tremendously popular.

The most popular board game of all time is Monopoly. In 1904 Elizabeth Maggie patented "The Landlord's Game" an early version of Monopoly. It was based upon economic principles and was designed to teach real estate ownership and management.

In 1933, Clarence Darrow copyrighted a version of "The Landlord's Game." He called it "Monopoly." He went to the game company, Parker Brothers, for help producing the game. They turned him down because they said it would never sell. He began selling Monopoly for the 1934 Christmas season. He was overwhelmed with orders. Parker Brothers agreed to produce the game the following year. Monopoly is now printed in 15 languages and sold worldwide.

Favorite old board games have recently been redeveloped for a whole new generation. These classics have been developed as electronic games. Most popular board games have now been successfully adapted as electronic games. These games are played on game consoles and on personal computers.

Board games have come along way since the days of ancient Sumerians when they were played around campfires of camel trains. Astronauts millions of miles above the earth have played board games. Now, with the Internet, players half a world apart can come together in cyberspace and enjoy the challenge of board games.

Royce Armstrong is a successful freelance writer with a business and banking background who believes consumers should get the best value for their money when shopping for leading board games such as monopoly [http://www.a1-in-toys.com/board-games.html], yahtzee [http://www.a1-in-toys.com/electronic-games.html] and scrabble [http://www.a1-in-toys.com/index.html].

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Popular Electronic Games - They Are Not Just For Kids Anymore

Superheroes battle monsters and space invaders in fast action games. Players take on the role of these superheroes in epic battles. In other games players race cars, boats, motorcycles, helicopters and planes against villains and even less evil opponents to win high stakes races.

Game titles such as Burnout3: Takedown, ESPN, NHL - 2K5, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Terminator 3: The Redemption, Donkey Kong 3, and, Pokemon have joined the national lexicon as kids have flocked to the lure of electronic games.

Parents, teachers, preachers and politicians, have criticized and in some cases even banned electronic games. Electronic games have been blamed for poor grades, poor conduct and even poor health. If you listen long enough, electronic games are responsible for all of the problems our young people experience today.

One thing is certain. Kids love them. They buy and play them in ever increasing numbers. Electronic games are here to stay.

People have been trying to play games on computers almost since the days of the very first computer. As early as 1950, Claude Shannon, a mathematician and engineer, believed that computers could be programmed to play chess in competition with humans. He became intrigued with the concept of artificial intelligence. In pursuit of this idea researchers and scientists designed crude games that could be played on the huge and clumsy computers of the 1950s and 1960s.

The first actual electronic games as a consumer product were built as coin operated arcade games in the early 1970s. In 1971 Nolan Bushnell, Ted Dabney and Al Alcorn formed the first game company, Atari. Soon after they produced the first game console and their first electronic game, Pong, as an arcade game. Pong was immediately successful.

This success led Atari and other firms to begin work on home game consoles that could be hooked to TV sets. Atari released its first home console in 1977. Soon games were put on cartridges that could be changed at the whim of the player.

By 1979, the company, Activision, was formed by former Atari game designers. The purpose of this new company was to focus strictly on game software. They decided to leave the development of equipment to play electronic games to other people. This was the first company to build a business of developing and selling electronic games software.

In a short time a spate of game companies sprang up trying to develop software for the infant electronic game industry. The result was a glut of poorly conceived games hitting the market. Consumers turned away in droves and the home electronic game industry faded hit the skids.

By the early 1980s, electronic games were being developed for personal computers. Color graphics, flexible storage capacity and general purpose processors made games much easier to play on personal computers. The game console business was all but dead.

In the late 1980s, two Japanese companies introduced a new generation of game consoles that were technologically capable of handling the new electronic games being produced. These companies were Nintendo and Sega. These game consoles had graphics capabilities that exceeded those of most personal computers. Nintendo also offered a feature that let the console record the game action so a player could pause the action of a game.

Right behind Nintendo came Game Boy, a hand-held game console. Game consoles enjoyed a resurgence of popularity during the 1990s. A new, even more sophisticated generation of electronic games was introduced by 2001. These consoles included Playstation2 and Xbox. Electronic games continued to become more complex with more action and more graphics.

Electronic games, today, have achieved art form status. They are sort of a wonderful combination of board games and comic books all rolled up into one medium with spectacular graphics and compelling audio. Curiously enough, most electronic games are similar to board games. They have one of two central themes. The first is racing and the other is capturing area or opponents. Perhaps it is because of these similarities that electronic games have begun to capture a wider audience.

As electronic games have matured they have begun to attract more mature audiences. Initially these games were primarily toys for boys. The growth area in the game industry is no longer adolescent males. It is mature adults, both men and women. Many of the most popular board games have been adapted to electronic game formats. Where youngsters hooked game consoles to TV sets, adults are playing games on their PCs, often against other players across the Internet. Grandparents are playing electronic games with grandchildren. They are also joining game clubs to play electronic games on the Internet with other senior citizens in another state or half a world away. Many of the top game companies are betting that older adults are the new growth market for the game industry.

Claude Shannon believed that computers could be programmed to play chess. In a sense he was right. He certainly never imagined chess players reaching across cyberspace as they exercise chess strategies on computerized game boards. Nor could he have imagined video poker, Internet casinos and all of the other popular electronic games people of all ages are playing. Electronic games aren't just for kids anymore.

Royce Armstrong is a successful freelance writer with a business and banking background who believes consumers should get the best value for their money when shopping for toys such as electronic games [http://www.a1-in-toys.com/electronic-games.html], PlayStation 2 [http://www.a1-in-toys.com/index.html], and game boy [http://www.a1-in-toys.com/remote-control-cars.html].

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Custom Gaming Laptops - Five Things You Must Consider When Building a Gaming Laptop

Gone are the days when you would have been laughed at if you walked into an all-night LAN party carrying your trusty laptop and expecting to hang with the giant computer towers standing at everyone's feet. The gaming laptop computers of today sport huge, crisp LCD screens, cutting-edge video cards and full-size keyboards. Not only can these gaming laptop computers hang with the standard clunky computer tower, but they can also be ordered fully custom to meet the exact specifications of any gamer.

Since there are so many customizable components in these laptops, a standard practice has been to create what some call a "system builder." This is the page where you get to add and subtract components through drop-down menus in order to create the best gaming laptop computer for your needs and your budget. This type of page can be overwhelming to someone just starting the gaming laptop shopping process, but it is very manageable if you take it just one component at a time.

The Gaming Laptop GPU

This is the heart of a gaming laptop computer. The GPU (graphics processing unit) is a component that will make or break your gaming experience. If your GPU isn't up to snuff, your games won't play.

Without getting into specific models since they change all the time, the key is that the graphics card not share resources with the computer. A gaming laptop video card must have its own memory on board. Generally speaking, standard off-the-shelf laptops will not have this feature. The two current makers of laptop video cards are nVIDIA and ATI.

Without the Screen, You Don't Have Much

What good is a gaming laptop without a screen that can actually render your games? Now certainly, you can connect an external monitor, but if you can't actually play on your gaming laptop without that external monitor, then your laptop isn't all that mobile.

While the technology and terminology for LCDs (liquid crystal displays) could take up an entire article in itself, there are a few key points to keep in mind when choosing from available LCD options for your new gaming laptop computer: native resolution, aspect ratio, rise and fall time, contrast, viewing angle, and size.

Native Resolution. The native resolution is simply the setting at which your screen will render the clearest images. Since games are constantly in motion, slightly soft edges may not bother most gamers, but keep in mind that while this is your gaming laptop, you will likely also use it for other things like surfing the Internet. If the resolution isn't comfortable, you aren't going to enjoy using it.

Aspect Ratio. As you probably know, a movie theater screen and a TV screen have different proportions. Likewise, there are widescreen format gaming laptops and there are laptops that have a standard aspect ratio -- like that of a TV. A widescreen format gaming laptop (a 16:10 ratio) has advantages and disadvantages. Many games today do not have a widescreen mode. This means that the game may stretch across the screen and become distorted or you may run it with black bars that fill in the sides. There are ways to get around this, but if you want an out of the box perfect experience, the widescreen format may not be for you.

That said, a widescreen LCD does offer plenty of screen real estate for web surfing and other type of computer activities, and a game played in a wide format setting offers an expansive field of view. For this reason, there are some very loyal widescreen-loving gamers out there.

Do your best to find a balance between current and future technology and what your computer habits are beyond gaming. Even with its limitations, the widescreen format is found on most of the best gaming laptop computers.

Rise and Fall. The phrase 'rise and fall time' is used to describe how fast the LCD can respond to changes. In the past, LCDs have been plagued with the inability to render images as fast as computer games can spit them out. This presents a major problem for laptop gamers because if they can't see the images properly, they can't play the game properly. This lag can mean the difference between playing to win and barely playing.

Fortunately, gaming laptop LCDs have come a long way and they are only getting better. While once it was impossible to game on a laptop screen, the gaming laptop LCDs of today offer 25 milliseconds or less rise and fall time while generally off-the-shelf laptops have 40 milliseconds or less rise and fall time.

Contrast. If a gaming laptop LCD has poor contrast, that means that the black areas aren't quite as black as they should be and the white areas aren't quite as white. This is important to a laptop gamer because you have to see the game properly -- as it was intended to be seen -- in order to compete effectively. Look for a contrast ratio of 400:1 or higher in a custom gaming laptop computer.

Viewing Angle. This is an often-overlooked LCD feature, but it must be considered if you are building a gaming laptop computer. Many high quality LCDs on the market are difficult to see clearly at any angle other than straight on and at the right height. This can be a big drawback to gaming on a LCD screen because a screen with poor viewing angles won't allow others to watch the screen as you play and also hurts your view when doing something as simple as adjusting your seating, which can require you to then adjust to position of your laptop screen to see it properly again.

But gaming on a laptop does not mean that you are doomed to have poor viewing angles. There are LCDs on the market that have amazing viewing angles -- up to 120 degrees. These screens not only allow gaming onlookers, but they also allow you to use that giant, crisp screen to do things like play movies and even make presentations.

Size. In a gaming laptop computer, size is everything. Most gaming laptops are large, robust pieces of electronics. Having a machine of this stature means you also get to have a large screen. The best gaming laptop computer LCD screens out there are at least 15 inches. A crowd favorite is a 17 inch widescreen (even with the challenges that widescreens present). Largr 19 inch laptop screens are just starting to be talked about with consumers expecting to see 19 inch or even large models on the market in the near future.

The best way to really get a feel for what laptop LCDs are all about is to take a trip to a local box store and play with the LCDs on the display laptops while keeping in mind what you have read here. While these laptops are not custom gaming laptops, you can see what the sizes really look like, what different resolutions look like, and what the viewing angles truly are so you can start to develop your own preferences.

The RAM - What Type and How Much?

The RAM (random access memory) found in laptops is called SODIMM (small outline dual inline memory module). The RAM is responsible for your processing power. If you are shopping for a custom gaming laptop, you will generally be offered DDR2 RAM with the choice of how much you want in your computer. Most high-end games being released today need 1GB of RAM for optimum, lag-free game play. Some people are going with 2GB to ensure that they can run multiple applications along with the game and not experience any slow down in response time. This is a large investment and you want to be able to use this gaming laptop for some time in the future. Most custom laptops are user upgradeable, but this should be left up to professionals.

The CPU - Not Just Mobile Technology

The CPUs (central processing units) found in many custom gaming laptops are identical to those found in desktops. These chips require a great deal of cooling power, which in turn can make your laptop louder than light weight, lower power ultra portables when the fans kick on and it can become somewhat warm to the touch. Don't be alarmed by this -- it is normal. And with these desktop processors comes screaming power! Don't waste your money on the latest CPU release that likely has an inflated price tag (and that price will likely come down before long). Stick with a current CPU speed that is offered by a reputable custom gaming laptop reseller, and you really can't go wrong.

The Gaming Laptop Hard Drive

This is the final component to consider when building a gaming laptop. Laptop hard drives come in a variety of speeds and capacities ranging from 4200 to 7200 RPMs and 40 to over 100 GBs. For the most part, this is user preference. Whenever possible, go for a 7200 RPM hard drive, but if you need a capacity not offered in this speed, it's okay to go for the 5400 RPM drive. Take a look at your current computer, and buy your capacity based on this. Also keep in mind that with many custom gaming laptop manufacturers, you have the ability to upgrade or add another hard drive at a later date.

At the end of the day, gaming laptop computers are all about power. Don't expect a twelve-pound notebook with a desktop processor, numerous fans, a giant heatsink, and independent video card to last on battery power all that long. But do make sure to enjoy the jawdrops that you'll get as you walk into your regular LAN party location with your new, screaming-fast gaming laptop computer. Crack that puppy open, fire it up, and stand clear of the drool as you take on your favorite game with fellow gamers gathered around to take in the action. Gaming is not just for desktops anymore!

Laura Alter works side by side with the gaming community everyday at [http://www.pctorque.com] -- a recognized authority on custom laptop news and technology. Visit PC Torque to learn even more about building the best gaming laptop computer [http://www.pctorque.com/best-gaming-laptop.php].

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If You Could Play One Game For the Rest of Your Life, What Would it Be?

You're an online game player. Probably an expert. Actually, you're probably an expert at a bunch of different games. And you probably enjoy playing lots of different games, especially the new ones. But, if you were to pick just one, just one game that you would have to play for the rest of your life - what would it be? Would it be an old school board game like Monopoly or Risk? Would it be Prime Suspects or Mah Jong Quest? Perhaps it would be a puzzle such as Big Kahuna Reef, or Fish Tycoon in an underwater adventure? Or maybe you're a Texas Hold Em fan. Whatever it is, you're probably very passionate about it. You play it a lot. But that's how you get to be good, right? It's also a great way to pass the time and just have some fun.

Web Games

Many people, especially those who aren't super sophisticated when it comes to online games, are just looking for a way to pass the time. These are the folks you may see playing the slots for 8 hours at the casinos. They enjoy games, but tend to like the simple ones, without a whole lot of strategy. Online card, arcade, and puzzle games provide lots of entertainment value for many people, everyday. As a bonus, many of these types of games are free to play on the Internet. These games run in a web browser, don't require much hardware, and work on almost any computer.

If you could play only one game for the rest of your life, would it be a web game?

Puzzle Games

These types of games are very popular. Why? Many of them are free, or have a free version. There are also a lot of these types of games out there. What are some of the better ones?

Jewel Quest: You match jewels and quest through beautiful Mayan ruins in dozens of mind-bending puzzles, while discovering hidden treasures and priceless artifacts.

Prime Suspects: In what other game could you interview suspects, solve puzzles, and find key clues? Not many. That's what makes Prime Suspects so cool. If you have a detective-like nature, you'll be good at this one.

Bejeweled 2: Innovative, non-violent, the classic game of gem-swapping. Sound interesting? The goal is to match gems and colors as quickly as you can. Kids and adults love this one.

If you could play only one game for the rest of your life, would it be a puzzle game?

Card Games

Card games are as hot as ever. They require skill, they're challenging and they're fun. Games such as Tik's Texas Hold Em and Super Poker Stars offer players three unique advantages. They offer the thrill of playing cards in a casino, there is no risk because there's no money involved and best of all, players can test their skills against other card sharks. Online games are often new creations, but these games are new interpretations on the classics.

If you could only play one game for the rest of you life, would it be a classic card game?

Simulation Games

By now, everyone has heard of The Sims. Simulation games have skyrocketed in popularity and for those gamers who love to create their own world, the options are endless. You can build a city, a world or an amusement park with mind boggling roller coasters. You can even go back in time and relive medieval battles. So what is the draw of these types of games?

The hook is that as the game progresses, it gets more intricate. Take Cinema Tycoon for example. Start off with a small cinema and as you manage concessions, purchases new hit movies and try to avoid "flops" you build your cinema into a true Mega-Plex. This game is fun for all ages and levels of gamers.

If you could only play one game for the rest of you life, would it be a simulation game?

Strategy Games

If you enjoy games that challenge the mind, perhaps strategy games like Risk II and Chessmaster Challenge are what you are looking for. These games require you to flex those mental mussels. Many of the classic strategy games are available to be played online. You can match wits with your intellectual counterpart in Russia and find out who truly is the Chessmaster! Sound like fun? It is.

3D graphics have brought a new level of realism to strategy games. These games throw you into the action as if you were actually there...deploy your forces, attack your foes and build your armies. Strategy games are typically designed for no more than 12 simultaneous players. Many of these games are free, or have a free version online.

If you could only play one game for the rest of you life, would it be a strategy game?

Game Show Games

You love to win; there is no question about it. Competition is in your blood. Well, then maybe you could play a game show game for the rest of your life. Maybe you want to play Family Feud, the fast-paced game based on the successful Family Feud TV game show! Beat the average score, or go head-to-head with a friend or an entire family! Maybe you are a rock & roll junkie, test your music knowledge (from the golden oldies to current top bands) with Rock & Roll JEOPARDY!

If you could only play one game for the rest of you life, would it be a game show game?

Summary

Well, what did you decide? Would your one game be Texas Hold Em or Family Feud? Would you choose to become a Cinema Tycoon or take the Chessmaster Challenge? Fortunately, you don't have to choose, but if you know what type of games you gravitate towards, perhaps you can uncover some new games that you never knew existed!

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The Top 5 Must Play RPGs for Every Video Game Console

The gaming market is monstrous. Right now there are six consoles, three handhelds, and the ever present PC you can buy games for. That's 10 different ways you can get your game on, so if you're someone who doesn't have the ways or means to buy all 10 platforms and every halfway decent game that arrives for any of them, you're probably wondering which way you should go to get the most bang for your buck. I'm a bit of a gamer nerd, and so for you I've collected the top five available games (in the stores now) for each console for each particular genre. Based on reviews, user comments, and my personal experience, these are the best ways to go.

This round: RPGs. The Japanese RPG market exploded in the 32-64 bit days, blowing out with a new game seemingly every week. You can blame Square for that one, bringing to the stores amazing game after amazing game, which immediately spurned every other company to release whatever dreck they could muster to keep you pumping money into their pockets. Nowadays there are hundreds of options out there, and the Japanese market isn't the only one around. North American companies have their own answers to the RPG boom and now it's a veritable flood of options. Here are the top five for each option you've got.

PlayStation 2 - The PlayStation brand name has been the home of quality RPGs since PS1 first roled out with Suikoden and Final Fantasy games in the mid- 90s. This list was hard because there are so many left off. Dark Cloud 2, Final Fantasy X, the Shin Megami Tensei games and many more deserve recognition, but alas these are also long as hell, so if you had more than 5, when would you ever finish them. You may notice I exclude the PS3, but I can't really offer any PS3 RPGs for you until they've actually been created. We're waiting.

1. Shadow Hearts Covenant - The Shadow Hearts series took on a serious following after this entry, one of the greatest RPG releases of the generation. It's take on the fantasy RPG genre blended into the realms of reality, bleeding over in church and demonology lore. Taking place in the 19th Century and following the legend of a young woman and her unfortunate destiny, it can be enjoyed alone or along with it's predecessors Koudelka and Shadow Hearts (I).

2. Disgaea - This is probably the best strategy RPG released for any console ever. Released by Atlus, a brand name that has grown in and of itself of recent years to the respectability that names like Square and Level 5 now carry with their games, Disgaea is about the young prince of hell and his quest to regain his domain after being awoken. With more than 200 hours of gameplay here, count on playing for days on days. And it's funnier than hell. These are great characters.

3. Suikoden III - The Suikoden series is the cult series. Of course it's slowly sliding out of cult status and into the mainstream with releases occurring every couple of years since this one. The best in the series with the possible exception of Suikoden II, Suikoden III tells the story of a huge cast of characters, all intricately entwined with one another. You play through the tale of their war, but as seen through each characters eyes. Truly epic.

4. Final Fantasy XII - The newest release, released only two weeks before the PlayStation 3's release, this game redefines the epic scope of prior Final Fantasies, literally reaching for the stars. Each character is fully realized and a part of the action, their story an intricate part of the game. There's no fluff here, and the rebuild of the decades old RPG formula was all for the better, working for the complete and total betterment of the game and hopefully the series.

5. DragonQuest VIII - Dragon Quest has always been huge in Japan, but only now did it find the same success here in the US. Dragon Quest VIII is the huge (extremely huge) result of Square Enix's jump to full 3D glory in their series. The graphics are incredible, the characters hilarious and deeply involving, and the story arresting. The battles aren't half bad either. And the usual monster catching glory is intact. A long game, it will keep you busy for days.

Gamecube (and Wii) - The Gamecube got shorted on the RPG options, much like its big brother the N64. Nintendo lost a lot of their clout with the RPG crowd when Squaresoft jumped ship in the 90s and they're still trying to earn it back...so far to little success. But, the future looks bright, as Square Enix is finally producing games for the Big N, and Nintendo's own work includes more forays into the RPG market. Here's hoping for more, because the Wii is perfect for the format.

1. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - The newest Zelda adventure, Twilight Princess, is by far the best reason to own a Nintendo Wii. The game is a masterpiece on almost every level, to the point I'm almost willing to call it the greatest game ever made. We've heard this a lot, that this game is the greatest. That it surpasses what Ocarina accomplished 8 years ago. And as my own favorite game, it's hard to ever put anything above Ocarina in terms of scope, depth, and innovation. No need to go into detail. Read my review of it here for more thoughts on why it's so amazing.

2. Tales of Symphonia - The first really good RPG for the Gamecube, and still one of the only ones really. The newest entry in the hugely popular (in Japan) Tales saga, Symphonia was a huge, fun, well told game. The characters were fun, the battle system is one of the best around, and the action was fully inclusive and crafted a long game. Symphonia was the Gamecube owning RPG fan's one saving grace.

3. Skies of Arcadia Legends - Originally released for the Dreamcast, Skies of Arcadia was given a second life on the Gamecube, again fated to anonymity due to the failure of the console. This is a great game. It tells the story of two sky pirates who must traverse the sky ocean and save the world from a shattering war and so on. You attempt throughout the game to build your pirate rank and build up your ship. It was one of Dreamcast's must have games and the same for Gamecube. Unfortunately so few actually had it, and now it's not exactly easy to find.

4. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - The infamous Wind Waker. Nintendo's foray into cel shading and the horrible foray into ocean mechanics. This game is still amazing. It's Zelda afterall, but it's flawed on more than the basic levels. It's hard to get around. The ocean is huge, and the game is short. But the parts you play, in between sailing around Hyrule are beautiful and incredibly fun.

5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door - The Big N rounds out the five with another in house effort. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was a return to the Paper Mario fun they coined in the N64 days, this time around with the RPG elements the game seems to work best with. Incredibly easy yes, but fun as hell at the same time.

Xbox (and X360) - The Xbox, not surprisingly saw no Japanese development. Every game listed below was produced in English Speaking countries, mostly Canada actually. The style is noticeably different, but the quality is equally incredible. The strive for realism by Western developers can be seen in each of these entries. Although the lack of humor is equally as prescient.

1. Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion - The Xbox 360 has some serious horsepower. Not only is there room to spare, but the graphic output is insane at time, and what better way to show this off than with an Elderscrolls game. Monstrous, huge worlds in which you can freely roam wherever you want and interact with your environment. This game is huge and intense. Hundreds of hours can be spent just wandering around and completing a main quest. As for getting the rest done. Who knows how long you could spend on there.

2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - Star Wars games were starting to get a bad rap for a while, until Bioware arrived with the first full fledged Star Wars RPG. Built on the click and wait action of the D&D ruleset games, KOTOR was a brilliant game that took Star Wars fans back a few thousand years to the height of the Jedi/Sith wars. It also had one of the most surprising and amazing endings in any game..ever.

3. Elderscrolls III: Morrowind - And another Elderscrolls game. This one was equally as huge as its sequel, and had just as amazing graphics for its time. Elderscrolls truly stretches the imagination in terms of open world RPG exploration and making a game that will take a long time to finish. A truly wonderful game.

4. Jade Empire - Set in a fictional ancient China, Jade Empire comes from the makers of Knights of the Old Republic, and while not nearly as large in scope or length, the game utilizes an array of different combat styles and elements that make it sheer fun to play. It's shorter and simpler than the original games from Bioware, but they make up for it with the attention to detail and the battle system upgrades.

5. Fable - Touted as an amazing achievement in world interface, Fable turned out to be a little bit of a letdown. It was smaller, shorter, and less engaging than what was claimed, but it was still a solid, fun game to play. Starting as a bland adventurer you could become either entirely good or entirely evil through the actions committed during a quest. The characters are generic, the quests forgettable, but the options given to play through them all are still fun. The ending however leaves something to be desired, and they could have done with a few more reasons to openly explore. For a sandbox RPG, it was surprisingly linear.

Game Boy Advance - Yup, no DS games. I imagine soon, with the release of the new Pokemon game, and the surprising announcement of Dragon Quest IX coming exclusively to the DS, the RPG options there will explode, but for now your best bet in the RPG realm on handhelds is with the Game Boy Advance. Here are a few of the best.

1. Golden Sun - It's not a masterpiece. It's not legendary. But, it's good solid fun, and for the size and expectations o f a handheld console it's still pretty fun. I enjoyed it for a few reasons. First off, the gameplay is top notch. The battle system is built around a simple premise and sticks with it, but it's still fun. The story is nothing special but it reminded me a lot of the 8-bit glory days, keeping me involved without making it impossible to keep up when I have to turn the game off every 20 minutes. Solid play and go action

2. Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire - Pokemon has been around for almost 10 years now, a regular entry in the gameboy RPG market, really the only entry inn that market, and a damn good one. By the time this pair was released (the usual duplicate games with slightly different monsters in each), the same gameplay was reused a good four times and starting to get a little old, but it's still sound gameplay, and who doesn't like to collect as much of something as they can. I'm older yes, but I still enjoy the mindless capture and battle system of Pokemon. It's cathartically simple.

3. Final Fantasy IV - It's technically a port, but a damn good port at that. I loved this game back in the days on the SNES and the idea to bring the 16-bit Final Fantasies to the GBA made me as happy as can be. This was a game I love to play, but feel goofy loading into my PS2 and sitting down to play. It's a perfect bus play, and it plays just as great as in 1992. The classic tale of Cecil and the Red Knights never fails to capture my attention from start to finish. Of course, when Final Fantasy VI is released, I might have to replace this with that one, as we all know that VI is the greatest of them all.

4. Riviera: The Promised Land - Atlus has been basting the PS2 market with top notch games for three plus years now, with their fantastic strategy and alchemy RPG games. They bring Riviera to the GBA with the same pedigree, a solid RPG that plays to the GBA's strengths as well as any. It's essentially a screen to screen game. You don't control you surroundings so much as go from page to page within them, but the battle system is amazing and the different options and acquirables immense. The story, like any Atlus game is the real selling point and actually got me to play through it twice.

5. Final Fantasy Tactics - The portable version of the PSone classic has sucked more time from my life than any GBA game I've ever played. The 300+ missions are each 30-60 minutes long and the customization options equal length. This is a long game with a lot of gameplay and a fun little story. You're Marche, you've been sucked through a book into the magical land of Ivalice and now you are a knight. Go!

PlayStation Portable - When the PSP first released fanboys dreamed of amazing ports that would bring their favorite games now out of print back to life in hand held format. At least one made the leap, but for the most part RPG development on the PSP has been lackluster, and while Japan gets the Suikoden I and II pack and promises of Final Fantasies, we wait for a decent anything to play. Final Fantasy compilation anyone? Anyone at all?

1. Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth - One of the most sought after games from the PSone days, Valkyrie Profile was an amazing RPG that no one played and then no one could play as it was out of print. Ranging from $100 and up on eBay, the promise of a rerelease for the PSP was a godsend for fans out there always interested but too poor to afford it. It's a solid game at that. With rebuilt cinematics and PSP controls, this entry leads into the new PS2 game wonderfully and finally lets the rest of us play through Lenneth's adventure.

2. Monster Hunter Freedom - Never a real big fan of the Monster Hunter games, I can still see their draw. You go and you hunt monsters. Simple as that. There's little to hold you up, and there's online play. It's like Pokemon without the pesky storyline or purpose.

3. Ys: The Ark of Napishtim - A port of a port. This was originally released for the PS2 and before that the PC, and has been watered down in between. The same classic Ys gameplay is intact, overland map, onscreen battles and fun little characters in a charming, if simple story. It's good solid fun for a portable and tells a decent story. Even if the controls are a little broken.

4. Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade - One of the launch releases with the PSP, Untold Legends is an overhead hack and slash RPG without a conscious. It doesn't strive for amazing storyline or gameplay, just simple hack and slash glory and it does it pretty well. It was fun because it was simple, made in a very short development cycle from the time the PSP was announced. Oddly enough though, the sequel was nearly as good.

5. Tales of Eternia - Alright, technically it still hasn't been released in America, but you can import it from Europe and play the English language version (or Japan if you speak Japanese). But, it's a tales game, a pretty good one at that. Technically it has been released here too, as Tales of Destiny 2 in 2000. Unfortunately, it got completely ignored as the gaming world moved on to the PS2. This is a great game though and perfect for the PSP. Complete and intact are the great Tales battle system and one of the better Tales plots. Saving the world from the Great War was never quite so fun as in this one.

PC -The PC has always been a home for the more hardcore of gamers. The cost of constant upgrades and intensity of a PC game are legendary, and only the most hardcore amongst us are capable of keeping up. Accordingly, the games below match that mindset, though more than one of these games managed to break free of the limitations and become monstrous worldwide phenomena. I'm looking at you Blizzard.

1. World of Warcraft - Okay, so duh right? Well, some of you are probably palpitating over my choosing this above some other MMORPG, but too bad. Everyone plays this one, including myself and it's just plain fun. Having spent hours of my life in this game and knowing that I can go back whenever I want without fear of being destroyed because of the MMORPG laws of survival (never leave), this is a great pick up and play game in a genre where that almost never exists. Huge, tons to do, and always fun even when you're grinding, WoW is still the best.

2. Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn - The Baldur's Gate games are some of the best RPGs to come out of the PC age of D&D ruleset RPGs. It's big, it's long, it's fun as hell. The challenge of figuring out what to do, how to upgrade your characters and make the game the most it can be were always the number one reasons to play these. The story is pretty awesome too. Don't forget the Dragon. That dragon is a bitch.

3. Diablo II - Diablo II stole my entire summer my sophomore year of high school. This game was amazing. It took everything Diablo did and blew it up times ten. The ability to find and receive unique weapons that 1000 of your friends would never find kept you playing over and over again. And it was simple. Click, click, right click. F1. That's it. Nothing to it. And when you finally unlocked the Cow level, then you were the true God of Diablo.

4. Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion - Many of you probably can't even play this yet. I still can't. I only know of it because I have a friend who upgrades his computer ever three weeks seemingly. This game is a beast of the highest order, demanding a lot from your system but delivering even more. Monstrous, huge worlds in which you can freely roam wherever you want and interact with your environment. This game is huge and intense. Hundreds of hours can be spent just wandering around and completing a main quest. As for getting the rest done. Who knows how long you could spend on there.

5. Neverwinter Nights - Another D&D ruleset game, but one of the best no less. It's huge, monstrously huge. And tack on the expansions and you've got 200+ hours of action to play through. The biggest seller on this one though was the ability to craft and write your own adventures as a DM with the toolsets and host them online, ala D&D, but with graphics. The sequel doesn't quite hold up to the original, but still carries the same weight and fun factor.

I'm a self avowed unemployed writer, working on semi-constant basis to try and overcome the need to go and work a real job. I've written more than 200 articles and reviews and am constantly scouring the internet for any and all excuses and methods to make myself less dependent on corporate pay days. Visit my website at TheChatfield.com [http://www.thechatfield.com]

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