Extending the Gaming Experience with IllumiRoom, Microsoft Research

IllumiRoom is a Microsoft Research concept to enhance the gaming experiences of the hardcore gamers. What it does is, it augments the area surrounding your television screen with the projected rays to enhance the living room entertainment experience.

How it works ?

IllumiRoom system uses a kinect for Windows camera and a projector to blur the line between on-screen content and the environment we live in, combining our virtual world with the physical world.

Like for example, the IllumiRoom can change the appearance of our room, extend the field of view and will enable a new gaming experience.

It uses this kinect technology  for Windows camera to capture the geometry of the room and automatically adapt the projected visual in real-time.

You can see the image below which has been captured live and is not the result of any special effects added in post production.

You can watch the video below to see how it works:

The IllumiRoom will definitely increase the gaming experience of hard core gamers, by extending the image on your TV screen by projecting visuals onto the walls of your living room and will make you feel like you are inside the game you are playing.

What you gamers out there think of this Microsoft Research concept?

Source : Microsoft Research 

Dream League Soccer

FIFA 15, Ultimate Team is available for Windows Phone but it’s not available for the devices with 512mb RAM. But football fans owning a Windows Phone which boosts 512mb RAM need not to worry as here comes ‘Dream League Soccer’, a fully fledged football game for all those sports enthusiasts.

I myself have been playing this game for past 1 week now and I can tell it totally makes up for the non availability of FIFA 15 for my Lumia 720. 

Coming to Dream Leagues Soccer game play, it’s really good and simple. Playing a football game on your handheld device was never so easy, you have moving controls on the left hand bottom corner on the screen. A rotator like stuff which you can move in any direction to make your player run or run fast. On the right hand side of the screen you have three buttons ‘B’,’A’,’C’ for pass/tackle, shoot/slide/head and long pass respectively. The graphics are good but not as good as in FIFA 15, but I bet you won’t miss it either. Players run smoothly, passes, shoots, headers, tackles all look good.

Now heading to other stuffs in the game. A user is required to build his own club, he can edit its name, edit the kit, edit squad and so on. Your club will have its season’s objectives and once you are done with these, you will compete in matches in the Division 3 league. As you win more and more matches you will be rewarded with coins and points too. Staying at the top of the table makes your club promoted to higher Division leagues where you face more tough competition from top clubs of the world. Coins help you in making transfers and strengthening your team, you can buy new kits and even upgrade your club’s home stadium using these coins.

Purchase and sell players, set the logo of your club, set formations and your team’s tactics before every game, substitute players in the middle of the match, head to training ground, everything that a football game should have is there in ‘Dream League Soccer’.

The game is free to download though have inside purchases, you can purchase coins for real money too instead of just earning them by winning matches.

It’s good to see a football game of this quality has finally arrived for Windows Phone with 512mb RAM.

Positives: Good graphics, nice background music off and on the field ;), easy to use controls, no lag, download size is just 106mb, fun to play...

Negatives: Nothing :) 

Download Dream League Soccer (available on all three platforms) :

     

Love Soccer? Check out our review of FIFA 15 here-

LINK

FIFA 15

The all new FIFA 15 looks just great and it features several modes that are going to make the football lovers keep coming back and play the game for hours. Whether it is a quick single player game, tournament or on-line multiplayer, it's hard to get bored with FIFA 15. One of the most entertaining mode in FIFA 15 is the Ultimate Team, which is EA Sports' most popular mode.

When playing FIFA 15 there are many things that add up from its previous versions. There are certain new animations and replays that make you feel like watching a live game instead. In this version of FIFA, EA sports has added what's called Emotional Intelligence. Players now have  emotional responses based on what happens on the field. Like, when a goalkeeper makes a save, you will see his teammates giving him a chest pump or a high five. You will observe when a striker misses a shot, his teammates getting frustrated.

There are many such subtle changes that makes FIFA 15 totally different from its previous versions. Few changes in the visual details can also be seen. The field wears and tears as the match progresses which looks just great. The jerseys also move realistically when players run or get pulled by opponents. Jerseys also get wet from rain and dirty when the players hit the ground.

FIFA is purely looking to create authenticity or you can say is aiming for authenticity. Do have a look at the players' faces closely, you will see players looks just real, Ronaldo looks like Ronaldo, Messi looks like Messi. EA Sports have also improved commentary and audio of the gameplay. Realistic audio to goal reactions, misses, whistles and over two-hours crowd specific chants have been recorded to make the gameplay more realistic and live. 

Tackles, collisions, players, stadiums all look so real.

EA Sports's FIFA is one of the best selling sports video game and with FIFA 15 they have got another winner. It looks great and feels more authentic than ever before. There are plenty of modes available that will keep you busy.

Here is the official trailer of FIFA 15:

So will you buy FIFA 15? Do you like it?

Do feel free to comment :)

FAIL HARD : A fun physics based stunt game!

Want to play the role of a backyard stuntman who have to conquer a wide range of obstacles, then this game is surely up for grab.

Fail Hard is a universal game that is available for both Windows 8 and all Windows Phone 8 devices.

Experience the evolution of becoming the greatest stuntman in the world and make it big in the stunt show business and don't back down even from the most dangerous of stunts and jumps.

The game has nine stages which are filled with multiple degree of actions. Play the game and win levels to earn coins which can be used to upgrade existing gear or to buy new equipment. And be WARNED you will burn or crash often with Fail Hard.

Gameplay : You play as stuntman hoping to reach stardom. You begin with the Basic stage that will give you the idea of the various aspects of the game play and from there on you will start you journey as a stuntman performing different actions in different type of environments.

So get ready to rise from the bottom as an promising up-and-comer to true stardom.

Good news for all the Windows Phone user, this game is available for free and supports 512 MB RAM.

Happy Stunting :-)

You can download this game here - Windows Phone

Source : WP Central, WP Store

Modern Combat 5: Blackout Review

Here comes another sequel to the highly renowned mobile based video gaming franchise Modern Combat. 

Modern Combat 5: Blackout is the sequel to critically acclaimed Modern Combat 4 which took mobile gaming to a whole new level altogether and Modern Combat 5 raises the bar even higher.   

Developed by Gameloft a leading publiser in smartphones and gaming industry, it is the most graphic intensive game out there.  

Modern Combat 5: Blackoutis probably one of the most polished games currently on the application stores." states Julien Fournials, Senior Vice President Production at Gameloft. "All of the teams who worked on this game put a lot of effort into it in order to offer a completely innovative gaming experience with impressive graphics. We've been working on the Modern Combat franchise now for 5 years with the same passion, and we're thrilled with the very enthusiastic response that the fifth installment has received around the world.

The gameplay is impressive as well as engaging enough to sustain a single-player campaign. The player starts with a dedicated class, either Assault, Sniper, Heavy, or Recon. Different classes get to use different loadouts and develop their own unique abilities. 

The maps and more variety of missions makes what was already a popular part of the franchise even more engaging especially in the multiplayer mode.



Take a look at the trailer of the game here- 

The game has all the elements that it takes to be a successful in the FPS genre. Thanks to the awesome graphics, decent storylines and a very impressive gameplay, this game is the probably the best and most breathtaking FPS out there in the mobile gaming world.   




Stay tuned for the gameplay video of Modern Combat 5: Blackout.

Shoggoth Rising : Visuals of this game look absolutely insane

Guys get ready for a relentless and unforgiving experience!

Yes you heard it right, from iOS and Android and now as a universal app on Windows and Windows Phone, Shoggoth Rising is all set to give you a addicting arcade experience.

Only the ones with extremely fast reactions, strong nerves and exceptional skills will be able to defeat the enemy (tough haa??) and yes be warned of the rapid heartbeat and seasickness (the common side effects).

The Gameplay : You play as Ned, the survival of a shipwreck. There you have found a lighthouse but you are not safe. The waves of sea creatures are going after you and you need to kill them before they kill you. 

The game starts you being positioned on the top of the lighthouse. You are provided with weapons to prevent the creatures from climbing up the lighthouse and kill you. You starts out with Blunderbuss (a gun) but can unlock other weapons as you go forward in the game. If the creatures get too close to you then be ready to hit them with a plank (wackk they go off).

The game currently have 20 levels which are included in the First Episode. The Second Episode is listed in the menu but is locked with a message 'coming soon'.

Though some Windows Phone users will be disappointed to know that the game requires a minimum of 1GB RAM. 

You can get this game for Android ! Windows ! iOS

Source: WP Central

Captain America: The Winter Soldier game comes on Android even before iOS and that too for free

A complete version of the Captain America: The Winter Soldier game is available at Rs. 179.67.

Marvel Studios has a new movie lined up for next week and here comes a new superhero game based on it starring Captain America.

As a player you will control Captain America and his squad titled as S.H.I.E.L.D The game runs entirely in the portrait mode with improved graphics.

Captain America: The Winter Solider also offers asynchronous multiplayer mode just like we have in Clash of Clans and you can even create clans in here.

The game is available for free, but only for you the first two levels of the game.If you want to unlock the full game you’ll have to pay shed $2.99(180 bucks in INR) in-app purchase.

NOTE - The game requires  Internet connection to function at all times and this could be a deal breaker for those who like to play games on the go.

Will you try the all new Captain America tie-in game?

Download the Captain America: TWS from Google Play store

QuizUp trivia app for iOS now Debuts on Android

QuizUp, the hit trivia game that was introduced on iOS in November 2013, has now been launched for Android platform, and is now available for free on the Google Play store.

The QuizUp app is developed by Plain Vanilla Games, which is an Iceland-based company. The QuizUp app is based on the trivial pursuit, where a player can choose from some 400 topics, ranging from TV shows and books to sports and movies, and can also compete with other real time players on a particular topic that consists of around seven multiple choice questions.

A single QuizUp game focuses on only one topic and includes two players competing up to 7 rounds (6 regular rounds and 1 bonus). Notably, the QuizUp is a speed-induced game and a players earn more points for quick answers.

Some of the popular QuizUp trivia topics listed in the Play Store listing include TV shows (all the top sitcoms); books(bestsellers and authors); movies (all genres such as horror, comedy etc.) and actors, producers,directors, famous quotes; sports (football, baseball, basketball and more);games (popular video games, consoles) and music(rock, pop, classics, boy bands, hip-hop) among others.

There are some more quizzes on general knowledge, art, business, science, geography, history, education and lifestyle. The Play Store's QuizUp app review boasts, "The world's largest trivia game is finally available on Android!"

DOWNLOAD HERE

Quizup for Android

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Daddy Was A Thief' Review - A Decent Little Time Killer

"Daddy Was a Thief is a cute endless platformer, a casual game which is no less than Subway Surfer"

An unhappy end for a Dad down on his luck who goes to extraordinary lengths to provide basic needs for his family. You play the role of Daddy who has just robbed a bank, and jumped to the adjacent building, and must escape through as many floors as possible(trust me it never ends). It's more or less like an elevator escape with no car escape at the bottom floor as u see in James Bond movies. Swiping down will make your way through the ground by crating a hole, while swiping up will jump... although you don't really need the jump unless there is a missile strike or u have to get in a Bath tub.

Every floor will either have a occupant (be they cop,or old lady), and piece of furniture,a bath tub which will accelerate you through couple of floors and destroy everything which comes on its way  or the shrink ray, which will shrink you the more you let the ray to fall on you the tinier you get and you have to double your efforts to make it through the floor to avoid the deadly stinger missiles being fired at the building in order to take you down.

As the game passes you will often find yourself getting stuck between objects, such as a refrigerator and a desk, or even against the level geometry itself. It is so bad in some instances that all you could do was wait for a missile to take you out. Like any other games some power ups are also available like UFO and rockets. Infact you have specific achievements like Subway Surfer and Temple Run which can only be unlocked using coins which you can earn by dashing into the furniture or jumping over the cops and the old granny.

At the end I would summarize with two cons :- 

• A really happy song to whistle along to when playing.
• Kind of a new take on Elevator Action.

You can download it for your device:-

Android | Iphone

Subway Surfer Mumbai

Subway Surfer,needless to say is an immensely entertaining game. It can keep you glued to your screen for hours all together.

Like most endless runner games, there's a almost the same plot to Subway Surfers. You run, trying to dodge capture and obstacles, swiping up to jump or down to slide. Swiping side to side lets you switch between tracks as you run. Along the way, players collect coins, which can be used for power-ups, but those same power-ups are also sprinkled along the tracks and you can even buy some through some in-app purchases.With time the pace of the game increases making it difficult to control your character.



The game is getting very popular as soon as it has received this latest update. The game has been shared regularly on the social networks but these days it is going viral among Indian users.As the game has recently got an update and the game is now in the city of Mumbai (India).






Though the game play is just same but trains are now modded to go with Indian feel.
Now you have to dodge Delhi Metro and Mumbai Local.Even the policemen is now a pot bellied havaldar with a thick moustache.

Subway Surfers started world tour almost a year ago which brought many updates related to major cities of the world. I’ve played Paris, Moscow,Japan part.

Every new version of the game brings in some new characters, one free character and brand new graphics inspired by the real city train transport system.

This version has got a new character named Jay which you have to unlock and graphics inspired by the colorful streets of Mumbai. In this version of Subway Surfers you’ll be running through the streets of Mumbai and y will surely love it.

The main concept of the game always remained the same with every new version only the theme is bit tweaked. The game is still an endless running game in which you need to run through the streets of Mumbai to get around and put up a highest score and compete with your facebook friends.

You can get it for your OS from following links :-

                                                Android | Iphone | Windows