MakeUseOf » fighting

Gladiator – The One Game On Gamezer That Doesn’t Suck

Ryan Dube — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 21:31:36 +0000

For those of you who haven’t seen Dave’s article on the game site Gamezer, the site is basically intended to be a low-bandwidth gaming website with the highest quality graphics and quality possible. For this reason, Gamezer is wildly popular in areas of the world where broadband Internet is not yet quite as prevalent.

Since the site focuses on low-bandwidth gameplay, you would not really expect it to offer any addictive high-action games, because usually the more moving graphics and activity you have, the greater the bandwidth. For this reason, I was very surprised to discover one of the most addictive games I’ve ever played there. It is a head-to-head fighting game called Gladiator.

Enter The Arena & Become A Warrior

First off, I just have to say that I absolutely abhor those fighting games where your character rarely follows the keyboard and commands that you issue. After a while you find yourself just punching random keys to get your character to at least do something to defend itself from the onslaught of the opponent, who appears to be some kind of Ninja that can defy gravity.

Gladiator is different. If you click on the controls link, you’ll see the keyboard keys that will control your character in different ways. Note that anything that reads “+ Click” means you need to hold down the key and left-click your mouse.

When you log into Gladiator, you’ll see all of the current, ongoing matches in the center pane. You can click to watch any of these battles, if you’re more of a spectator than a gladiator.

Whenever you’re in any particular room, it won’t take very long for someone to invite you (or you can invite any of the users in the left pane if you like). The moment you click on “Accept“, you’ll find yourself inside the ring, facing off against your opponent. It can be a little bit intimidating at first, but I’m going to share a few fast tricks that I learned so that you can reach expert level a little faster.

First off is the favorite defense among newbies and experts alike – the “Squat” (S key).

If you hold down the S-key, your character will squat and hold the shield in front of them. This is a strong defensive position because it blocks almost anything (I’ll show you how to overcome it below), but it is limiting because you can’t inflict much damage when you do swing.

Next up, is the “Hit with Shield” (F-key). When you press the F-key (once), your character will lunge forward and try to punch your opponent with the shield. This is perfect for close-quarter combat, but not much else.

So how do you get through the defenses of someone that’s in a constant squat? It’s the leg-attack. Pressing R will direct your sword in a lunging swing toward the opponent’s legs. Whether they are standing or squatting, you’ll strike a blow to their legs. If they are constantly squatting, just keeping hitting the R key.

Another good close-quarters attack is the Upper-Kick (hold down W and click). This is a good move if your opponent keeps crowding you.

If you hold down Q or E and click the mouse, your character will make some amazingly cool swipes with the sword that would make even Spartacus jealous. However, while you’re hacking and slashing, your are also vulnerable, so make sure to get back into a defensive posture or back away when you’re done.

Interesting Gladiator Community

One interesting thing I noticed while I was dabbling within the ranks of gladiators in this community is that it is predominantly visited by people from the Middle East. There is a whole lot of Arabic being used throughout the chatrooms and forums. I was surprised to see that when someone spotted the American flag by my profile, I started receiving insults from one particular user that started calling me a “dog american baby.”

I’m not sure if he meant to call me a dog, a baby, or a dog baby, but it was pretty clear he had a problem with me only because I’m American.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t trained enough to hand his ass to him on a plate, so after entering battle and getting the crap beat out of me a couple of times, I quit and decided to train a little more. Noting his username on a piece of paper for later, I invited a few friendlier faces to battle.

What I learned was that your opponent’s approach is what should drive your behavior. If they are defensive, go for the leg attack combined with those crazy double-hits. If they are a more aggressive, it’s best to concentrate on those double hits and moving your player just in and out of arm’s reach. After a bit of training, I finally started racking up a few wins.

I couldn’t find the hateful user that was insulting me, no matter how much I searched for his username, but along the way I did start taking great joy in seeing that “Winner” flash screen at the end of a particularly difficult battle.

You’ll also find that Gamezer offers a great forum community where you can mingle with some of the opponents you’ve bested or who’ve destroyed you.

Even though the majority of the userbase appears to speak Arabic, you will find forum pages under every language.

For a low-bandwidth game site, Gladiator is an impressive addition. It’s like a hidden gem of a game that’ll keep you enthralled for hours, and coming back for more. Try out Gladiator and let me know if you found it as addictive as I did.

Did you learn any other fighting tricks during your experiences there? Share your insights in the comments area below!

5 YouTube Channels Where You Can Learn How To Throw A Knockout Punch

Saikat Basu — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:31:49 +0000

Movies and the WWF channel aside, a real world situation calls for doing what works. Learning how to throw a knockout punch is not about machismo (though it seems that way), it’s about having the street smarts to defend yourself.

There are as many ways to throw a punch as there are ways to run away from a fight. But the latter is not an option when you come up against an attacker or a bully. To survive or just to gain respect, you have to know how to land a few haymakers.

These five YouTube videos that show you how to throw a knockout punch are less about teaching you how to fight. That takes skill, patience, and pain. It’s just an insight, that there are ways to finish a fight and give someone a bloody nose. You can take that hint when you go in for structured self-defense coaching.

Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan have done their bit. Now it’s up to you to get serious about self-defense tactics.

Self Defense Tutorial

This YouTube channel has just nine uploads. But the self defense demos are simple enough and well constructed against a dummy. You can maybe start off with the video on How To Throw A Punch and then go on to How To Knock Someone Out In One Punch.

The videos come from the principal website that teaches basic self defense techniques. It’s a simple enough starting point but do remember what Bruce Lee once famously said ““ “˜Boards don’t fight back’.

Fighttips

I would start off with the How to Fight: Top 5 Ways To Avoid A Street Fight video. But you and I know that soon we might have to square off. That’s where the How To Punch Tutorial comes in. Follow it up with the channel’s highest viewed video on Street Fight Defense Tips. The channel also has a few videos on conditioning your body. So that would be a good idea before you go deeper into the instructional on street, school, and fist fight advice.

The YouTube channel on self defense and street fight skills has been put together by Shane. As his profile says, he is an experienced “˜street fighter’ and an amateur Thai kickboxing (Muay Thai) competitor.

Street-Self-Defense

Shihan Michael Pace brings you 100+ videos with step by step slow motion instructions on self defense. From how should a woman defend herself against a bedroom rape attempt to striking techniques that teach you how to hit with power and precision, the videos are easy enough to follow for ideas.

A few videos on how the Special Forces go about their hand to hand combat makes for interesting viewing. For scoring knockouts, checkout the video on Knockout Power.

Street Fight Secrets

I came across the channel’s selection of videos thanks to its tip on How to Knock Someone out with One Punch. Richard Grannon has nearly 240 uploads to his credit. As the site says, the instructions are not only about combative techniques but also about the thought process behind it. So you have videos on how to deal with verbal threats and few clips on how to get over violent attacks.

Master Wong Martial Arts TV

If you think that kicking groins and headbutts is dirty fighting and want to get into serious martial arts, check out this channel. Master Wong’s channel with free martial arts video training has around 250 videos. The video/TV channel is backed by a fully fledged website, chat show, and other forms of media. The martial arts instructions cover fighting skills on Wing Chun, Kick Boxing, Tai Chi, self defense, and more. Don’t treat this channel as a quick lesson on how to knockout someone by learning how to throw a single punch, but more as a learning resource on martial art forms and what they can do for self defense.

I am not a fighter. But I am an interested observer like you who wants to know how to defend himself in an emergency. YouTube is a great resource that shows you exactly how it’s done. But to really master the self defense techniques, you have to go to an expert. But do remember what Sun Tzu’s Art of War tells us – the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Even then, tell us about your favorite YouTube video or any other video that shows how to land a great left-right combo.

Image Credit : Wikimedia Commons

Battle It Out With Players Across The World On Hero Fighter

Ryan Dube — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:31:42 +0000

It is one thing to play a fighting game like Street Fighter where you battle out computerized opponents. In time, you eventually learn the tricks and techniques of the computer, and you can usually conquer the opponent once you get enough practice in. But when you’re playing other real players who, like you, have been practicing their moves and tactics for some time, the level of excitement and competition multiplies.

I used to be a major video game player, until I had a family and then only turned to video games in times of high stress. It is usually now an outlet that I use when I just need to set my work down and forget about the world for a while. So, I was very excited to stumble across a very cool fighting game online this month called Hero Fighter that I could install and play right on my laptop.

We’ve covered a number of places where you can play fighting games online at MakeUseOf before. Simon previously covered three pretty cool games including Manga Fighter for kids, the Lost Saga, and of course the very cool Toribash fighting game. Hero Fighter is a bit different than these in that it’s an arena game with no real plot other than taking out your opponent using whatever means at your disposal. And it’s a very cool way to relieve stress.

Hero Fighter is a desktop download for Windows, and it includes a second add-on “Room Server” that’s packaged up with the install. When you launch the game, you’re presented with the option to either start playing immediately in single-player mode, or you can connect to a network game.

I wanted to warm up a bit, as it’s been quite some time since I’ve had time to play fighting games online. After clicking on the key settings and adjusting them to my preferences, I clicked on Start Game. After setting up myself as player 1 and adding the computer opponent, game play (in easy mode) started up.

The first thing I noticed about gameplay is the quality of graphics. The background, objects and all of the scenery are well done, and the effects of hitting objects, like logs or rocks, are realistic. I also thought the soundtrack was pretty cool too. After a few swings, the computer apparently got pretty fed up with me and went into a full charge, as you can see here. A couple more swings of my hefty sword and he was down for the count. I was victorious in my very first round, and feeling pretty good about myself.

Feeling pretty confident, I went back to the main menu and chose network mode. Connecting is pretty easy, you just select the official room list first and you’ll see a list of available servers.

I was thinking there wouldn’t be anyone online because it’s so late here, but then glancing at the list I remembered that we’re talking a global gamer world here. There were a few folks online in Hong Kong and Germany – and people coming online and offline constantly. After browsing down the short list of servers available this late at night, I decided to join the folks over in Hong Kong to show them what a western boy is capable of.

A few things that I noticed about network play is that your latency is heavily dependent upon the location of the server you choose – so try to stick to your own country if possible. However, even playing on a Hong Kong server wasn’t too bad. Game play was relatively smooth, even with six players hacking it out against each other.

The moment I entered the battlefield with these seasoned gamers from Hong Kong, I immediately entered into a charge against an unsuspecting player that had just run off-screen to the lower right. Now, if you look up and to the right of me, there’s this innocent looking red-headed girl holding a huge spear. Well, she wasn’t eyeing me because she thought I was cute. Within about four strides, she was all over me, and within five or six swipes of that spear, I was flat on my back – game over. So much for that!

One thing that I can tell you about this game is that it is easily one of the most addictive network fighting games that I’ve ever played. The controls aren’t overly complicated – it’s basically four directions, guard, attack and jump. The secret is practicing with getting the timing and placement just right. The game is so intuitive and easy to learn, that a few rounds with the computer in single player mode, and before long you’ll be battling out in tournaments as well as the best of them.

Have you ever played Hero Fighter? What do you think of it? Do you play of any other fighting games online that are as good or better? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Lost Saga- Fighting Game Of Historical Figures, Heroes & Villains

Simon Slangen — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:31:13 +0000

What’s the common denominator for pirates, assassins, fire mages, space troopers, vikings and comic book heroes? At first glance, not much. But all of these characters have served a significance in their own way. These are all historical figures, heroes so to say, albeit some of them imaginary.

Now, as imaginary fights go, these guys sound like an incredible match. How would your ninja hold out against my magician?

In this gaming pseudo-reality where you can play such fighting games online, you can find out! It’s ridiculously easy to spoil a good idea in the execution phase – history has left us a trail of mediocre games as proof – but OGPlanet has pulled it off.

Lost Saga

The freeware gaming industry hasn’t exactly been kind to us fans of fighting games. Pretty much all we’ve ever seen are sad copies of retail titles, or dull and otherwise repetitive ‘originals’. Thanks to OGPlanet, we’ve finally got a reason to cheer. Lost Saga might well be the best MMO brawling game that we’ve seen so far.

Lost Saga is a solid mix of society’s biggest icons, a fighting ring, and a big ol’ bottle of entropy. The result is a fast-paced multiplayer fighting game; chaos in fluidity. Contrary to most other competitors in the free fighting genre, Lost Saga has enough refreshing elements to keep the adrenaline juices flowing. Like every game, it isn’t perfect, but you can expect to have a great, exciting time.

Multiplayer Brawl Modes

The game offers a number of different game modes, ranging from Team Match to Death Match, and even includes a Boss Raid, where a number of ‘real’ players are teamed up against an enormous computer-controlled monster. The games can be played with up to 16 players, which, considering the small-sized maps, definitely begets some entertaining chaos and entropy.

All of these games center around basic hack ‘n slash and brawling games. The nature of the fight is largely determined by the gear and the classes of the fighters, although the latter ones are largely reserved for micro-transaction play. Intertwined with classic brawl are elements of RPG and classic MMO, like gaining experience and leveling individual characters.

Cacophony Of Heroes & Abilities

As I said, Lost Saga centers around the heroes of human and fictional history. You’ll encounter known characters from the past, like revolution freedom fighters and vikings, and other influential icons. These can range from Star Wars-like space troopers to dark shaman magicians, and even includes Robin Hood. All of them know different abilities, which can be further customized by purchasing additional gear. Even in-game, you have the ability to switch between two classes.

At present, there are 23 different characters available, but OGPlanet plans to eventually increase this to 100 symbolical figures.

Sadly, not all of these characters are just for grabs when you first play this fighting game online. You start out with a single hero, the Shadow Assassin, and gradually unlock additional characters during gameplay. These other characters can be taken for a two hour trial run before they’re reclaimed and available ‘for hire’ via micro-transactions. Mind, Lost Saga only counts the actual fighting time, and ignores time offline or even spent in the lobby.

Luckily, us free gamers still get plenty of diversity in gameplay. Although we can’t exactly take all of those additional characters on a spree, we can still access some of their special abilities. When playing, you’ll sometimes encounter the gear of other characters which, in exchange for a piece of your own gear, can bestow new abilities on you. As such, it isn’t strange to see a Shadow Assassin throwing magic flames, or sniping a rifle. In a way, the micro-transaction system can be considered an a la carte mercenary hiring system, where free players must be content with the menu, and any extras that haphazardly come their way.

Tell us your thoughts on massive multiplayer online fighting games, and Lost Saga in particular, in the comments section below!

Minimum Requirements
CPU: Pentium III (800Mhz or above)
Ram: 256M or above
GPU: GeForce2 MX or above

Recommended Requirements
CPU: Pentium IV (2Ghz or above)
Ram: 512M or above
GPU: GeForce 6600 or above

Make Learning To Type Online More Fun By Defeating Ninjas!

Karl L. Gechlik — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:31:02 +0000

I was asked today by a friend of the family, who is 11 years old, how he could learn to type better. I showed him a few tutorials that were kind of fun but not really. They all failed and failed miserably at keeping this young guy’s attention. Now I need something more along the lines of the OMGZombies game I covered a little while ago here.

What we need is some excitement and maybe a little blood. Before you get on me about recommending a shoot em’ up to a 11 year old, know that he plays much MUCH worse games online everyday. So to him Ninja Hunter is pretty tame, but it’s a great method for learning to type online.

When you first load the page you will see this:

You can choose Easy, Normal or Hard. There is a survival mode (which is faster paced) and an enemy encyclopedia. I chose Easy and continued on. They will show you a brief tutorial on how to play the game.

The game is easy enough in theory. You will be at the top of the temple. Ninjas will attack. When they come flying at you they will have a four letter word over their head. You will need to type this word to defeat them. Things will get more exciting the further in you get with projectiles like deadly ninja stars and much more.

You also have special powers called Speed of the wind (1), Rage of the Wind (2) and the Wind Barrier (3). You can use these special attacks or offenses when your Rage meter is full at the top of the game screen.

Then by pressing the attack numbers (1, 2 or 3) on your keyboard you will initiate the attack or offense. Here I used one in the shot below – can you guess which one it is?

Keep on defeating your enemies to get more rage and stay ahead of the game. You can see each of the powers below, what they do and how to activate them.

In the first board all we will see are normal ninjas. They are the easiest to beat and do not throw projectiles at you.

Here you can see two normal ninjas attacking. I just typed the first word on the first ninja’s head and now I am going to type POLO to defeat the second one, all the while polishing my typing skills and effectively learning to type online.

When you beat the first stage, just like any other game, you will be given a status report telling you about how well or badly you did on the last board. You will also be given a score and gold pieces that can be used to upgrade your character.

Here you can see the upgrades and you can spread them around until you run out of money!

This is a highly addictive game but the added bonus is that it helps people type better, quicker and more accurate.

So go kill them ninjas kids!

3 Sites To Learn To Fight Like A UFC Fighter

Karl L. Gechlik — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:16:59 +0000

The first rule about fight club is that we don’t talk about”¦.oh wait that is the other club. So you want to learn to fight like a Ultimate Fighting Champion? You want to rule the streets and kick sand in a bigger guy’s face?

Make sure you are learning how to fight like a UFC fighter for good reasons and not to act like a jerk. What’s that? You want to fight? Oh you want to know how to fight! OK, let us take a look at some free online resources such as videos and tutorials that should help you get started.

The first site I found in my conquest for street fighting domination was Defense On Demand.

You will notice the arrow pointing you towards the download videos section here at Defense On Demand. I find these a very good starting place. Once you get there you will see these options:

Click on the first one to begin learning how to fight like a UFC fighter and watch the video. Continue on watching all 10 videos. Then you will have a base understanding and can move on. Each section has multiple videos and they appear to be YouTube embedded videos like this:

They have a bunch of other sections on different preparations and training. Get your free learning on and soak up that information!

Next up is some awesome defense techniques and maneuvers I found over here.

This looks to be someone’s personal not so pretty site but hey it’s awesome for a fighter. If someone criticizes him he could always go “hey what, you wanna fight tough guy?”

The site is made up of step-by-step picture tutorials on how to escape certain moves and come out on top. The shot above shows how to escape from a head lock. They cover everything here on how to maneuver your way out of certain holds and situations. You will be able to use this awesome information when you start training and fighting, As they say the best offense is a great defense. Don’t let your opponent get you into a sticky situation.

And finally there is some great information over here on how to fight like a UFC fighter, or simply how to be victorious in a street fight.

They cover the important stuff that these other sites seem to have left out such as watching your surroundings and staying alert. They talk about knowing when to walk away from a fight, when to go on the offensive and when to fall back on the defensive.

There are loads of resources online for how to fight and win. Read, watch and take it all in and then – and only then – you should seek out a gym to actually try to put your skills to use. You will want to actually test out your skills before challenging someone to fight. Know your limits.

Don’t go picking on someone bigger than you or anyone at all. Use your skills to defend yourself and defend others. In other words be good and don’t be evil! Be a good Samaritan, not a bully!

Manga Fighter – MMO Arena Fighting Game For Kids

Simon Slangen — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:01:46 +0000

There is a world, beyond what we can grasp, in which toy souls come to exist. In this world, called Pangaea by some, toy souls strive to win the love of human children.

When two kids drop over from our world into Pangaea during a full moon night, they don’t receive the welcoming they might expect.

In their constant battle for attention and affection, the toy souls have become to compete more and more violently, engaging each other with toy weapons, blunts and guns.

If they’re ever to return home again, these two children need to collect enough essences, magical crystals that are shattered across Pangaea. In their quest, they get caught on in the toy souls’ battles. Get ready to join their adventure.

Manga Fighter

Manga Fighter, by GamesCampus is set in the Pangaea toy world. With its non-violent character (temporarily disabling your opponents, instead of killing them), it’s mostly interesting for younger people.

Although the name of the game implies a manga-like style, this idea doesn’t bring it much further than the title and conceptual art. In its transition to 3D, the game took on a more cartoony style, with more visible western, than eastern influences.

Manga Fighter is a third-person online fighting game – an arena fighter, hack ‘n slash and shooter. This means that players are sustained in a smaller, rather circular environment, in which they engage each other.

There’s a notable difference in gameplay between Manga Fighter and other free online fighting games. The first concept that’s thrown out of the window is character equality. Where other games’ characters mostly differ in additional items and skills, players in Manga Fighter need to choose between characters mainly differing in basic attributes, like strength, force and speed.

Skills on the other hand can be activated by filling up the skill gauge, and will momentarily boost some of these attributes, by assigning special powers to the player.

The basic setting, added to the skills, makes up an interesting arena mix. Even though the game has a very slow pace and lacks the depth and challenge of many games in its genre, it’s a game that entertains, at least for a while.

There are several different levels, depicting different parts of the toy world. Enabled by the subject, there’s a wide variety and creativity present – so we’ve got urban environments, but also varieties on Ancient Egypt, a giant dollhouse and the magical gardens.

A Game For Kids

Due to various different factors, including the slow and accessible pace, the cartoony visuals and the non-violent setting, this is an online fighting game that’s not too interesting for a mature audience, but one I might recommend for kids.

This is a place where younger gamers could be able to obtain experience, and some feel for the shooting or arena genre. There used to be a great, nearly insurmountable difference between the less and more experienced players. Lately, GamesCampus has been adding a lot of extra features that help the new players remain on their feet, and close the distance to higher levels, thus making the game a lot more accessible, and also a lot less frustrating.

The pressure here isn’t as high as on most other online fighting games, and the community consists mostly of younger players. It’s one you might try, but if you’re looking for alternatives, be sure to check out The Top 3 Online Multiplayer Games For Youngsters.

What did you think of the game? Worth your while, or do you prefer other games? Tell us about it in the comments!

System	Minimum Requirements	Recommended Requirements
CPU	Pentium Celeron 2.0 GHz	Pentium4 2.0 GHz
RAM	256 MB	512 MB
GPU	Nvidia GeForce 4440 M64 or ATI Radeon 7000 M64	Nvidia GeForce 5200 or ATI Radeon 9500
OS	Windows
HDD	200MB HDD
DirectX	DirectX 9.0c or above

More technicalities can be found here, on the site’s help page.

Xiah Rebirth – Martial Arts Themed MMORPG

Simon Slangen — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:00:17 +0000

Few things are as majestic as Martial Arts. Those of you who’re practicing it, or have even merely witnessed movies like Ong-Bak, know what I’m talking about.

There’s a hidden grace, in the simple complexity of the dance. A fluent chain of movements with no moves wasted.

There’s a strange intesity that comes from MMORPGs. Getting inside the character’s head – no, becoming the character and walking the strangest of worlds. You’re living the most instense of experiences, and become the hero of your own adventure.

Now try to imagine a martial arts MMORPG. Imagine corruptness, the vilest of evils and its sickening touch on the world. Imagine a battle between good and evil, fought with martial arts and magic alike. Imagine Xiah Rebirth.

Xiah Rebirth

Xiah Rebirth, also known as Oriental Fantasy-Xiah, is an asian-themed online fighting game, created by GamesCampus. You might now these guys from other great (free) online games previously seen on MakeUseOf, like Cue Online and Asda Story. Although the game originally dates back to 2005, regular updates keep Xiah Rebirth an enthralling game that miserably fails to disappoint.

In Xiah Rebirth’s world – based on ancient asian mythology – four legendary warriors must take up arms against the heritage of the evil Blood Emperor and weigh the combined forces of good against the ancient forces of evil.

Multiplayer Online Fighting Game

Focused in the gameplay of Xiah Rebirth are asian martial arts. Through fierce training, you can try your character in. Work hard to level up and unlock various new abilities and powers. Boosting your experience level gets even easier if you participate in one of the many guilds, or play in a party with other players. There are a few major guilds that dominate the political landscape, fight hard and define ‘the good side’ by pushing your faction to the top.

The martial art moves are worked out in the slightest detail, and the game can be enjoyed in both first and third person perspectives. Keep your distance, or experience everything first-hand. There are various paths to addiction and you can choose which fits you best.

Rebirth and Five Elements System

Like an oversized reincarnating PokÃ©mon, you’re able to be reborn several times during the game, each time achieving vastly greater powers and abilities.

Not only does the system allow you to increase your mastery of in-game items, through time you can also unlock the infamous Dragon Attacks – which include special magic techniques that are only known to expert rebirth masters and a handful of blind monks in the tunnels below the southern Himalayas.

The Five Element magic, on the other hand, allows you to greatly enhance the overall strength of your rare weaponry. Enchanted weapons are sure to inflict a multitude of damage, combined with special elemental attacks, such as enchanted fire and water strikes.

Check out Xiah Rebirth Game Trailer below:

You can download the game here. If you’ve got anything to say, remark, or ask – head to the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!

BOTS!! – Awesome Robot Battle Online Multiplayer Game

Simon Slangen — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:00:08 +0000

The bots (or computer robots) were created together with cyberspace. They were designed to perform simple, routine tasks in the computer systems, operating behind the scenes.

However, as cyberspace developed, the responsibility of the bots widened. They were now expected to fight of viruses and restore corrupt clusters.

But the world of cyberspace got out of balance. With the vast and ever exponentially growing size, a pullulation of corrupt clusters was inevitable. The viruses mutated and took possession of the bots.

To fight off these new treats, bots took themselves back to the drawing table. They fitted each other with new parts, and tried to actively evolve to be able to match the enemy viruses.

Bots!!

Bots!! is a massive multiplayer online (MMO, not in-browser) hack and slash game, created by Acclaim Games. In it, you can fight your way through storied levels with your own personalised robots, or fight against other players.

In the game, you can not only choose your own robot from three different classes (read: factory lines), but you can also customize its body, head and even arms to create your unique metal friend. With the availability of a great many number of skills, you can further customize the strengths and characteristics of your bot.

By charging up their energy, bots can temporarily transform into bigger, humanoid robots. These transformations will lend you the strength that would normally require several bots, and allow you to come stronger and faster against enemies. The gameplay video above shows a good demonstration of this feature as well.

Game Modes

There are three entirely different game modes; Player vs. Viruses, Player vs. Players and PvP Base Mode.

In Player vs. Viruses – also know as Sector Battle – you play alone or in group against the A.I. virus bots. Instead of working a single map, players proceed in linear level parts, only moving on as the current bots lie defeated. At the end of the level, you face a Virus boss, with added experience. This mode can best be compared to the old progression-arcade fighters.

Player vs. Player (PvP) battles include deathmatch and team deathmatch on a roamable map. Either fight one on one or in separate teams and ultimately test your strengths. There’s only one rule: take as many other players with your in the grave.

In PvP Base Mode – also known as Base Battles – you play in team and must destroy the other team’s base. You must play both offensive and defensive to victor in this mode. Contrary to most other games like this, players only have a limited number of respawns, and will be positioned by the sidelines after that.

So, what do you think? Do you feel like participating in these bot-fights yet, or do you prefer the standard FPS or MMORPG games? Let us know in the comments section below.
Minimum Requirements
Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP
Pentium III 800Mhz
128 MB RAM
32 MB Video card
Sound card

Toribash Fighting Game – Design & Try Perfect Fighting Moves

Simon Slangen — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:01:32 +0000

It’s hard to provide something truly ‘exciting’ in games these days, and it gets harder as time goes by.

There was a time when people got off on games like pong, or space invaders. Simple games that brought something nobody had ever seen before, and could grab gamers by their necks for hours.

It proves more difficult nowadays. With hundreds, if not thousands, of games available, it’s hard to avoid the ‘been there, done that’.

However, some developers still manage to invent new things, innovative things that have never been done before. Things like Portal or Toribash.

Toribash

Toribash is a free fighting game. Not just any fighting game though; not one of the button bashing kind.

Imagine a fighting game where two people are standing opposite of one other, trying to get the other one on the ground. Now add tact, lots of tact. Not a spoonful or even a handful of it, we’re talking buckets here.

Every move will be carefully planned. Step by step, joint by joint. You’ll be choosing which you want to contract or relax at what time. You’ll be composing your perfect fighting move.

You can fight your fights in both singleplayer and multiplayer. Winning multiplayer matches will earn you points, which you can use to purchase special items in the store. Customize your character and conquer the rankings.

Now, don’t you have that ideal fighting move in your head? The one you’d use if you were Chuck Norris beating up thugs? Of course, Chuck Norris doesn’t need cool fighting moves for mere thugs, he’d just blink them in half, but imagine you’d be Chuck Norris with a sense for drama and ballet, trying to impress someone. Yeah, THAT move.

Now keep on to that move and go grab Toribash. Try putting that move down, perhaps you even making it better by adding some extra whirls and kicks and spins.

Go ahead, amaze us. Amaze yourself.

It won’t easy though, but then again, something that’s worth it never is.

Inspiration

They don’t sell inspiration in any local stores, so I looked for it on YouTube. Here are some of the best Toribash moves available on the World Wide Web.

ToriTastic by chezda

Chain Reaction by KayRHCP

Remember, if you want to make anything like this, be sure to read the tutorials first and keep on trying ’till your legs computer gives out.