The Pxl Lab is a blog dedicated to writing about the great games, software, and the stuff you can do with them.
Archive for August, 2008
DirectX August 2008 Update Released
03 years ago
Microsoft put out the newest version of DirectX, the newest release since June 2008. DirectX, for those of you who don’t know, is what developers use to help power games on Windows-based computers. DirectX 10.1, which is the latest version on the market, allows things in-game like motion blur, god rays, and other sweet effects. If you are currently having any problems with your games or would just like a little speed boost in-game, upgrading to the latest version of DirectX is always a good way to try and fix it.
DirectX Runtime Download (this download installs any versions of DirectX you may not have)
August 2008 Only Download (just get the latest version)
Bubble Tanks 2 – Message in a Bubble
03 years ago
Bubble Tanks 2, sequel to the excellent Bubble Tanks, is an incredibly creative shooter. As the name implies, you play as a Bubble Tank in a bubble world flying around shooting other bubbles so as to absorb their bubbles to make your own bubble bigger and better. The game has a lot of bubbles, to say the least, as well as many improvements over the original Bubble Tanks, and is easily one of the best Flash-based games this year.
In Bubble Tanks 2, the tutorial has literally not changed at all from the original. This is quite a blessing, actually. Bubble Tanks and Bubble Tanks 2′s tutorials consist of writing on the background of the first couple bubbles. That’s it. Also the core gameplay is virtually unchanged. You still move from bubble to bubble using W-A-S-D and aim and shoot using the mouse. BT2 also adds an entertaining “Arena Mode” in addition to normal mode. In Arena Mode, you can choose to do battle against any of the bubbly foes you have previously encountered, as well as start your bubble off at any stage you unlocked in normal mode. This brings me to my next point. Players of the original Bubble Tanks probably noticed that there are literally no customization options. Now in BT2, as your tank “levels” up, you can choose which specialization you want. You can go as an agile Fighter Tank, a slow powerful Heavy Tank, or a nice balanced Balance Tank. It adds a nice level of customization to the game, in addition to adding a lot to the replay value. There’s also a new Secondary Weapon feature, which affects your overall strategy in the game. If you’re playing as a balance tank, for instance, shields are useful for fighting bigger enemies so you can block their attacks. Though there are also plenty of useless secondary weapons as well, such as mines. No enemy ever ran over any of the mines I ever laid down, ever.
Overall, Bubble Tanks 2 is a huge improvement over the original Bubble Tanks, which is saying alot because Bubble Tanks is one of my all time favorite flash games. The only real problems I have with the game are the lack of balance between the classes, with many profoundly useless classes such as Sniper, as well as absolutely no carried over traits when you upgrade your tank. The customization really ends with which tank you pick. Also, it ocassionally has lag spikes when there are a bunch of enemies on screen. Overall, however, I’d say this game is an excellent way to spend a little time while in the interwebs.
PlayXpert Is Revolutionizing PC Gaming
6
PlayXpert redefines gaming. How can I justify that statement? PlayXpert was designed for gaming, with gamers in mind. PlayXpert features screen overlay technology on the DirectX level, which creates a user interface that is semi-transparent over the game you are currently playing. This is similar to Xfire, but it comes with so much more. PlayXpert allows a user to never again have to “Alt+Tab” out of game to look up a quest guide, information on a enemy, or chat to other players. PlayXpert allows you to chat with MSN, Yahoo, AIM, ICQ, or Xfire in-game. It also features a Google widget installer that you can access without leaving the game, a “Tunes” widget, which has support for Winamp amd iTunes, a Teamspeak widget (which has some support for other VOIP programs), a Diagnostics widget (to check your computers power levels and a built-in process killer), and lastly a GameFaq‘s widget. They also feature a web browser in game, so you can go to your favorite sites without having to leave the game.
Aside from the great general widgets, there are also several widgets exclusive to World of Warcraft. The best WoW helper-sites (Wowwiki, Thottbot, the Armory, and WowHead) are all available in-game thanks to PlayXpert! Now you won’t be shanked while looking up a quest walkthrough anymore!
PlayXpert is an excellent program. For years gamers have been struggling with the very thing that it solves with ease! PlayXpert is also a very sleek program. The interfaces that popup are trimmed to save valuable screen space, and they are easy to use. PlayXpert works alongside the game, and draggable interfaces are what make it so compatible. You define its location, not the computer. However, PlayXpert is currently only in a beta version, so download it at your own risk. PlayXpert is a wonderful tool, a good program, and above all, a good friend when your stuck on quests.
The Worst Game Ever Sold In Stores
23 years ago
Some games were just never meant to be. Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing is one such game. Here is a quote from the game box:
You are able to race your modified Rig on one of 5 different tracks for the ultimate driving rush as you crush the competition and set a new track record!
The lack of tracks and features that this sentence (and game) is lacking is only made incredibly worse by running the game on the worst engine ever designed by man. Collision detection and realistic gravity are some of the things that never had the time to make it into the game. Here is a gameplay video, and be warned: It’s hilarious.
Get the Flash Player to see this content.
According to Metacritic, a website that collects reviews from multiple sources and adds their collective score together, Big Rigs is the worst rated game of time, scoring an 8 out of 100. The only reason you’ll even want to look into this game is for some of the funniest videos you’ll ever see on Youtube.
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 Review – Still No Online?
83 years ago
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 is a PSP exclusive MMO style “free roaming” killing game, released in late August of 2007. After almost a year of being on the market, the game is beginning to gain hype in the United States. Known in Japan as Monster Hunter Portable 2G, the series is extremely popular, and had no trouble selling two million copies of the game. The basic gameplay of MHF2 is quest based. You choose a quest from a list according to your skill level, then you are sent on that quest, and cannot return to the village or leave the area of that quest until you have fulfilled certain requirements, such as killing a monster, gathering specific materials, or killing an amount of monsters. You will then be allowed to return to the village to restock and upgrade armor and weapons with materials you obtained on your quests. For those people who enjoy griding to get that special weapon, or full armor set, this is a game for you.
Unfortunately, this game did not take advantage of its greatest potential, online play. Though this protects those newer players who may not have the kind of armor and abilities that other more experienced players may have, this decreased game appeal greatly. Adhoc (system to system) play is possible, allowing players to play quests with nearby friends who also happen to own MHF2, but the lack of online play throughout the world is a real drawback.
Monster Hunter Freedom 2 takes advantage of the PSP’s control and graphic capabilities. There are many things you can walk though, or stand inside that you shouldn’t be able to, but the massive size of the game makes these drawbacks acceptable. The controls take some getting used to, and at the beginning you may find things sneaking up on you due to no dual joysticks on the PSP, which reduces your ability to use the camera effectively, but after a few hours, this camera problem will be replaced by habitual scanning of areas. The controls also take a bit getting used to, but after they are mastered, they are actually well done for a PSP game.
Monster Hunter has always lacked a storyline, and Freedom 2 does not cure this problem. There is no storyline at all really. You lead the life of an average hunter, who goes on quests for people in the village you call your home. These quests range from getting herbs for some old lady, or killing a huge dragon for some coward who can’t do the job himself.
The grinding of the game can get old, but the sheer depth of the game is enough to keep fans occupied for hundreds of hours. If you enjoy MMOs this is a good game to play in the car, or if you are just bored and want to kill monsters. If you have a PSP I would recommend picking this game up, you will get plenty of play for your pay.
Screenshots of the game:
Battlefield: Bad Company Gets Conquest Mode Free Online
03 years ago
by Pxl_Buzzard
in Gaming
Today, a couple months after the release of the wildly popular Battlefield: Bad Company for the PS3 and Xbox 360, DICE, the developers of the game, are releasing the first content pack. The download contains small engine updates, such as lighting and other visual improvements, along with Conquest mode. Conquest mode brings the gamemode that made Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield 2 to the top to consoles. With multiple capture points scattered across large maps, teams battle to drain the other teams’ points before they lose their own. Here’s a video created by DICE to show you about it:
Get the Flash Player to see this content.
To download the content pack, go to either the Xbox Marketplace or the PS3 store.
Mass Effect Releases Free DLC “Bring Down The Sky”
03 years ago
by Pxl_Buzzard
in Gaming
Mass Effect was released in 2006 for Xbox 360, and later “converted” it with extra features to the PC. Now Bioware, the developers of Mass Effect, are releasing the first downloadable content (DLC) for Mass Effect, titled “Bring Down the Sky.” This expansion will bring features like:
- Introduces a new race: The vile batarians
- A new achievement to unlock on the 360
- A new uncharted world
You can purchase the expansion on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 400 points, or download it on PC for free. You can learn more about the expansion pack, or just hurry up and download it for PC. Here are some screenshots for you to enjoy:
Fasterfox Hacked to Work With Firefox 3.6
193 years ago
I’m sure anyone who has used Firefox 2 remembers Fasterfox, an addon that increased your connection speed to servers on the net. However, the addon creator still has not updated the addon to work with Firefox 3. Someone designed a modified version of Fasterfox to work with Firefox 3 however, so Fasterfox is back for the masses. If you are worried there is a virus in the addon, you can view the virus scan results. The addon is completely unchanged other than being compatible with the greatest version of Firefox yet, and here is a download link for it:
Update: I modified the file to work with version 3.6.* of Firefox.
To install the addon, just drap the xpi file (the only file) onto any part of the Firefox window, then you will see the normal addon installation steps.