Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

It may not be a splashy leap forward, but Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in its own deep, dark way does just as much to move and revolutionize video games as its two predecessors, Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. As in previous installments, here you play as a thug with problems you must steal and shoot your way out of, but the problems this time are disconcertingly more realistic. You play as Carl Johnson, known on the street as CJ, a likeable criminal type who has just returned to his hometown, Los Santos (a fictionalized Los Angeles), to find that his mother has been murdered and that the police have framed him for another murder. Reunions with his friends and a troubled relationship with his brother set off a sprawling, complex plot line, taking place at first in the immediate Los Santos area but eventually spilling into San Fierro (based on San Francisco) and Las Venturas (Las Vegas).

Gaming Gangsters

Where Vice City took its cues, with tongue firmly in cheek, from the 1980s television series Miami Vice, San Andreas is a sincere homage to early 1990s innercity gangster films like Menace 2 Society and Boyz ‘N the Hood. This is an honest effort to create an engaging story about sympathetic characters caught up in a brutal environment that is on par with a movie or novel. If that effort hits a few flat notes (you would have to be totally desensitized not to wonder if it's OK to make entertainment out of driveby shootings), it may also mark the first step toward video games growing up. The first thing that fans of earlier GTA games will notice is the range of action is much wider now: Along with shooting, running, and driving, there's now swimming, eating, working out, shopping, and, yes, getting a haircut. All this means the game has a fairly steep learning curve. But, though the pick-up-and-play appeal of Grand Theft Auto III may be long gone, your access to the action becomes fairly transparent after a little practice. My only serious complaint is that, with the controller now crowded with such previously unheard-of functions like "Gang Active" and "Talk Positive," you can drive only with the left analog stick. A minor point, but it makes cars a lot more difficult to handle.

Vehicular Variety

It would be hard to surpass the variety of automobiles available in earlier games, and San Andreas wisely does not for the most part try to compete on that score. Instead, it's bicycles of all things that steal the show. The bikes' speed and flexibility are perfect for many of the missions, and there is something about cruising through the streets and basketball courts on a BMX that just feels right. If you play far enough into the game, you will also be rewarded with the chance to fly a number of aircraft, and flying is something Rockstar makes a greater effort to get right this time (welcome news for anyone who struggled with the planes and ‘copters of the earlier games).

Lackluster Graphics--but a Real Feel

Graphics--never a huge priority for Rockstar--actually take a step backward from the luscious, tropical look of Vice City. Textures are rendered with only a cursory attention to detail, and contours are often blocky. It scarcely matters, though, because no matter how San Andreas looks, it feels real. This is due in no small part to voice work by an all-star cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Ice T, James Woods, Peter Fonda, and Outkast's Big Boy and a stellar soundtrack with tunes by Soundgarden, 2Pac, Public Enemy, and even a few country classics from the likes of Willie Nelson. But it's not just realistic, San Andreas is also vast, encompassing three big urban centers and huge swaths of rural land (complete with shotgun-toting farmers) between them. This vastness does mean, however, that there can be a lot of tedious driving to get to the missions, which, along with some awkward sequencing of the cut scenes (they are in places stacked one on top of the other), means that there is a bit too much downtime. But never mind the quibbles. Ladies and gentlemen, we have another classic on our hands. --David Stoesz

Pros:

Astonishingly vast game space
Vivid character development
Complex, engaging plot
Enormous range of available actions

Cons:

Occasionally awkward game design
You can no longer steer cars with the directional buttons
Steep learning curve

Minimum System Requirements

1GHz Pentuim III or AMD Athlon

256MB RAM

8x Speed DVD Drive

3.6 GB Hard Disk Space

64MB Video Card

DirectX 9 compatable sound & video drivers

Keyboard, mouse.

Recommended System Requirements

Intel Pentuim 4 or AMD XP Processor (or better)

384MB RAM

16x Speed DVD Drive

4.7GB Hard Drive Space

128MB Video Card

DirectX 9 compatible sound & video drivers

Keyboard, mouse or game pad.

1. Download Game
2. Mount it in Demon tools
3. Finish setup
4. Copy all files from crack folder to the game directory

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Grand Theft Auto IV

What does the American Dream mean today?

For Niko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, it is the hope he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, gateway to the land of opportunity. As they slip into debt and are dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don’t.

Beginning with the 1997 release of the original Grand Theft Auto, the GTA series has been one of the most prolific, controversial and down right entertaining franchises in video games history. This pedigree of success guarantees that the highly anticipated eleventh game in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV, will garner at least as much attention if not more.

Grand Theft Auto IV is a brand new adventure in the GTA universe following the experiences of Nikolai "Niko" Bellic, a new immigrant from an undisclosed eastern European country whose troubled past and the persuasion of his cousin Roman have brought him to the fictional Liberty City. Unfortunately, Niko’s search for the American Dream and a much needed fresh start, hits an immediate snag when the rags to riches story Roman spun to pique Niko's interest is exposed as not only a complete fabrication, but a ploy to enlist Niko’s well-known skills as a tough guy against the ample list of enemies clamoring for Roman’s debt-ridden blood.

Because Roman is the only person Niko knows in Liberty City he begrudgingly accepts his role as Roman’s protector despite the deception. But as time goes on Niko comes into his own, and his experience on the wrong side of the tracks proves more valuable than he could have ever imagined as he fights for survival and later supremacy on the crime ridden streets of Liberty City.

Game Environments

Based on several of the boroughs of New York City and parts of New Jersey, Liberty City, familiar to players of previous games in the series, has been entirely redesigned for GTA IV. Players can expect visible detail down to the weeds growing in the cracks in the sidewalk, cars and buildings of visibly different ages and a much greater level if verticality in the buildings and bridges that they are able to explore as Niko moves through the city streets. In addition, pedestrians in GTA IV are much more realistic. No longer simply moving cardboard cutouts, these NPCs are intelligent, modern, human representations that laugh, cry, eat, drink, use cell phones and ATMs, and talking amongst themselves regardless of Niko’s interaction with them.

Gameplay

Historically GTA games have focused heavily on mission-based play, requiring successful completion of fixed tasks in order for players to progress through the game, but this has changed to a great extent in GTA IV. Players will experience an entirely new and exciting emphasis centered on the blending of on-mission and off-mission play, resulting not only in an increased sense of realism, but more interesting and unrestricted gameplay.

Multiplayer 

Give Niko a rest and create your own multiplayer "hero." GTA has added multiplayer modes allowing you to take your creation out to play online in competitive, co-op, and free form modes. Competitive mode has you fighting against the cops, jacking cars, or racing to finish odd jobs. Co-op challenges you and your friends with various tasks including Hangman's NOOSE where you are responsible for escorting a wanted kingpin to a safe extraction point. Freeform lets you and 15 others lose on Liberty City. Use this mode to hit up the bar and play virtual darts versus each other or head out to the streets and set up your own drag races. If you can dream it, you can do it in Freeform mode.

Aside from the car jacking and a detailed city environment here are the new features for GTA IV:

Improved combat system - Now you can use cover and also a target lock system, which allows you to take out targets with greater ease and accuracy. Plus, you can engage in some hand-to-hand combat if you can't get your hands on a piece quick enough.

Cell phone - Not just for basic phone calls anymore. Use your in-game cell phone to receive missions via SMS, snap photos, and ZiT (tag) songs that can be downloaded exclusively on Amazon.com/mp3.

Free time - In between missions you can take advantage of "me" time. There are gentleman's clubs, comedy clubs, bowling alleys, and bars, which all house unique activities.

Take a break from the storyline - A variety of side missions allow you to help run a car service, "borrow" cop cars, assassinate targets, help solve problems for those on the street, or take to the air with stunt jumps that are scattered all over the city.

Control your own fate - Throughout the game choice moments will arrive causing you to make a decision that will affect relationships and money.

Minimum system requirements

OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO @ 1.8 GHz/AMD Athlon 64 X2 @ 2.4 GHz
Memory: 1.5 GB
Hard Drive: 16 GB Free
Video Memory: 256 MB (nVidia GeForce 7900/ATI Radeon X1900)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 9.0c
Keyboard & Mouse
DVD Rom Drive


Recommended system requirements

OS: Windows XP/Vista
Processor: Intel Core 2 QUAD @ 2.4 GHz/AMD Phenom X3 @ 2.1 GHz
Memory: 2 GB (2.5 GB for Vista)
Hard Drive: 18 GB Free
Video Memory: 512 MB (nVidia GeForce 8600/ATI 3870)
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
DirectX: 9.0c or 10
Keyboard & Mouse
DVD Rom Drive

1. Extract RARs

2. Mount or Burn images

3. Install game, including rockstar social club and xlive

4. Copy crack from DVD1 over original files

5. Start the game, but skip logging into rock star social club

6. When prompted, download and install the xlive update

7. Start the game

7. Press the home button and create a new xlive offline account

8. Play!

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Tom Clancys Splinter Cell Double Agent

Splinter Cell returns with an all-new story of double-dealing terrorists and uncomfortable moral decisions. Its greatest new feature though is its multiplayer, which continues to expand into the definitive online stealth experience.

The lowdown:

You can only imagine that Sam Fisher must get a good pension, because he doesn’t seem to have an easy life. This time his role as a double agent in a terrorist group forces him to constantly make difficult moral choices, from big set piece decisions on whether to execute hostages to simple choices in-game such as whether to help out civilians. Although there are few significant changes to the controls this time around, for once most of the game doesn’t take place in the dark. Stealth is still paramount though, especially since two onscreen trust meters track whether you’re still in favour with both the terrorists and the NSA. The terrorist base also acts as a sort of hub world which you keep returning to between missions and slowly explore and unlock as the game’s story unfurls.

Most exciting moment:

The expanded Spies vs. Mercenaries multiplayer game now has even less connection to the single player campaign, with the spies using only hand-to-hand combat and moving much faster than Sam Fisher. It now supports a total of six players at once and is one of the few online action games to offer a genuine alternative to the normal first person deathmatches.

Since you ask:

The next Splinter Cell game is subtitled Conviction and is due out some time next year. Controversially it has been announced as an Xbox 360 and PC exclusive only, with no PlayStation 3 or Wii versions currently scheduled.

The bottom line:

The best Splinter Cell yet, particularly in multiplayer mode.-HARRISON DENT

Manufacturer's Description

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six makes its next-generation hardware debut in the most dramatic instalment of the renowned first-person shooter franchise to date. Rainbow operatives take to the chaotic streets of Las Vegas as an escalating terrorist siege in Sin City threatens to take world terrorism to new, uncontrollable heights. The future of global security hangs in the balance as you battle to defend classic Vegas locations and environments like Fremont Street, the Strip, and casinos.
Experience Las Vegas like never before through revolutionary next-generation technology as you work against the clock to keep one of the world's most recognizable cities from utter devastation.

New leader, new team Team Rainbow ushers in a new breed of heroes. With a new team comes added responsibility. Tactics play a MAJOR role in your team's success, as each member comes equipped with his own skill set.

Special order location Experience a new level of squad-based realism as your team-mates, Michael and Jung, offer you real-time tactical suggestions like busting through walls or hacking computers, all in a race against time to locate the heart of the terrorist cell.

Observe plan assault Use tactical planning to manoeuvre through multiple-path Vegas environments, while utilizing high-tech equipment such as snake cams to strategically tag terrorist targets to your team-mates, prior to entering a room.

Real-time immersion Prepare yourself for a new level of in-game immersion with real-time mission briefings, all in the midst of the most intense combat ever played.

Advanced gameplay animations Motion-captured assault and recon techniques such as fast roping, rappelling, window entry, blind-cover fire, and more. All captured by an experienced Hollywood animation expert.

Next-generation artificial intelligence Next-generation technology brings a higher level of artificial intelligence to Rainbow Six. As you get past the grunts and advance closer to the centre of the terrorist cell, encounter deadlier, more skilled enemies who work together as a group to counter every move you make.

Customizable multi-player experience Create your own multiplayer character that evolves as you play online, unlocking new equipment and achievements as you go.

Ubisoft Montreal returns Rainbow Six is back in the hands of Ubisoft's Montreal studio, creators of the award-winning and highly acclaimed Rainbow Six 3.

Minimum system requirements

* OS: Windows XP (only)

* CPU: 3000 MHz Pentium IV or AMD Athlon or better

* RAM: 1 GB

* HDD: 8 GB free disk space

* Graphics: 128 MB Graphics Memory with Shader Model 3.0 (ATI X1300 or NVIDIA 6200)

* Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible

* DirectX: Version 9.0c

Recommended system requirements

* OS: Windows XP (only)

* CPU: 3500 MHz Pentium IV/AMD or better

* RAM: 1 GB

* HDD: 8 GB free disk space

* Graphics: 256 MB Graphics Memory with Shader Model 3.0 (ATI X1900 or NVIDIA 7900)

* Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible

* DirectX: Version 9.0c

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Black Mesa: Source

It all starts with a tram ride. Gordon Freeman arrives at the Black Mesa Research Facility at 8:48am - the exact time the mod was launched - and rides the transit system to a top secret complex buried deep beneath the New Mexico desert. In 1998 this was revolutionary; a story told without cutscenes, viewed entirely through the eyes of the player. In Black Mesa, it's still an incredibly effective, sophisticated way of telling a story and creating a sense of place.

We move slowly past bubbling pools of toxic waste, now given a sickly glow by Source's bloom lighting. A frustrated guard pounds on a malfunctioning security door. A mysterious figure in a blue suit silently observes you from an adjacent tram. Black Mesa's production values are seriously impressive. If you'd told us Valve developed it, we wouldn't have blinked an eye. The facility feels bigger and more alive, and the ominous sense that everything's about to go disastrously wrong is even more palpable. The Black Mesa team, which consists of around 40 volunteers, knew they had to get this iconic sequence right, and they've nailed it.

It's a shame about the loading. One of Source's biggest flaws is map size, which even Portal 2 suffered from. Turning a blind corner, or activating an elevator, will often freeze the game and load up the next chunk of level. It's a fault of the engine, not the modders, but it really disrupts the flow of the game; especially in certain sections that require you to backtrack. The abundance of first-person platforming is another unfortunate remnant of the past, and not being able to see your legs when you're skipping between tiny, fast-moving platforms in the Lambda Core will have all but the most patient gamers slamming their mouse on the desk in frustration.

Minimum system requirements

Windows XP, Vista, or 7

Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or AMD Processor

1 GB RAM

Shader model 2.0, ATI 9600, NVidia 6600 or better

DirectX 8.1 compatible sound

6.9 GB of free hard drive space (not including *free* Source Sdk Base 2007, installed seperately)

Recommended system requirements

 Intel core 2 duo 2.4GHz or AMD Processor

1 GB RAM

Shader model 3.0, NVidia 7600, ATI X1600 or better,

DirectX 9.0c compatible sound

DirectX 8.1 compatible sound

6.9 GB of free hard drive space (not including *free* Source Sdk Base 2007, installed seperately)

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Tom Clancys Splinter Cell: Conviction

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction is the fifth installment in the wildly popular Splinter Cell series. A stealth-action combat game centered around the continuing adventures of black ops agent Sam Fisher, Splinter Cell: Conviction continues where the storyline of the earlier Splinter Cell: Double Agent left off. Packed with a mix of an engaging story, classic Splinter Cell stealth action, unique co-op gameplay and new gameplay mechanisms that are applicable to both single player and multiplayer modes, it is a worthy addition Splinter Cell catalog of games.

Story

A few years have passed since the cliff hanger conclusion of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent, in which Agent Sam Fisher undertook a particularly dirty mission, full of questionable actions, in the shadow of the inexplicable and unmourned death of his daughter. Fisher is now a renegade operative digging into the events of the past and he doesn't like what he has found. His personal investigation into his daughter's death reveals that he's been betrayed by his former agency, the Third Echelon. The agency responds by pursuing him, but as he works to elude them he becomes aware of a deadly terrorist plot that threatens millions. He is uniquely positioned and prepared to act against this, but success is doubtful without the help of former friends from the Third Echelon team, resulting in a series of life and death situations for himself and the country where trust can by no means be assumed.

Gameplay

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, as with all games in the Splinter Cell series, is a tactical stealth-action game. In single player modes players take on the role of Sam Fisher and engage in a series of missions utilizing high-tech weaponry, gadgets, lethal hand-to-hand combat and interrogation skills. Overall objectives and the necessary steps to achieve them are challenging, yet always clear via dual verbal and visual expression that seamlessly alerts players as they progress through missions. In addition, Conviction enhances the world of stealth combat that has made the Splinter Cell franchise a runaway hit for years through a series of revolutionary new gameplay features. These include:

Mark and Execute - A gameplay mechanism for eliminating several enemies at once, Mark and Execute allows players to "Mark" multiple enemies, or points in the surrounding environment for termination in batches. Once this is done, a close-combat kill is required, after which the player can activate the "Execute" portion of the mechanism to dispose of all enemies in a cinematic manner. A limited amount of Mark functionality is attached to players' weapons, so this ability must be used wisely.

Last Known Position - Last Known Position is a visual representation of where the game's AI assumes you are, based on where you were last sighted. This provides players with a wide array of options, including setting traps for enemies, flanking maneuvers or simply disappearing while you are thought to be elsewhere.

Experience System - Successful completion of objectives via the Persistent Elite Creation System earns players rewards in the form of experience points. These can be used to upgrade weapons and gadgets that will allow for cleaner, quieter and more deadly attacks.

Co-op Story Mode

Prologue, the co-op story mode included in Splinter Cell: Conviction is available either in split-screen local play or via Xbox LIVE. Prologue offers an exclusive prequel campaign to that found in single player mode and features new characters and settings, three difficulty settings, three sub game modes and four maps. Designed to stand apart from, as well as supplement the single player campaign, gameplay mechanics available within it include shareable Mark and Execute target points and Last Known Position, as well as teammate revival functionality via a portable defibrillator, the ability to work with a teammate to eliminate enemies who have captured you, and more.

A New Level of Splinter Cell Action - A full arsenal of cutting-edge innovations allow you to outflank foes with the Last Known Position system, tag and eliminate enemies using the Mark and Execute feature, and much more.

Blockbuster Experience - A unique storytelling style keeps you on the edge of your seat as you navigate the explosive world of a renegade agent where trust is impossible and justice requires you to go above the law.

Jaw Dropping Visuals - A revolutionary new graphic direction delivers an utterly seamless gameplay experience that’ll keep you totally engrossed in the story of Sam Fisher.

Explosive LIVE Play - Addictive multiplayer modes, content downloads, messaging and voice support and more amp up the dramatic intensity like never before.

An Exclusive Co-op Story Mode - "Prologue" is an exclusive story mode featuring new characters, settings, four exclusive maps and more. It is only available within Conviction's Co-op mode.

Minimum System Requirements

OS: Windows XP/Vista/7

Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO @ 1.8 GHz/Athlon X2 64 @ 2.4 GHz

Memory: 1.5 GB for Windows XP; 2 GB for Windows Vista or 7

Hard Drive: 10 GB Free

Video Memory: 256 MB (NVIDIA GeForce 7800/ATI Radeon X1800)

Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

DirectX: 9.0c or 10

Keyboard & Mouse

DVD Rom Drive

Recommended System Requirements

OS: Windows XP/Vista/7

Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO @ 1.8 GHz/Athlon X2 64 @ 2.4 GHz

Memory: 1.5 GB for Windows XP; 2 GB for Windows Vista or 7

Hard Drive: 10 GB Free

Video Memory: 512 MB (NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS/ATI Radeon 4670)

Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

DirectX: 9.0c or 10

Keyboard & Mouse

DVD Rom Drive

1. Unpack release
2. Mount image or burn it
3. Install
4. Copy the content from the SKIDROW folder on the DVD to your installation directory and overwrite
5. Play the game

Additional Notes

Don't run the game with patch 1.01 applied, do a fresh install and apply our crack.

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Soldier of Fortune: Payback

Soldier of Fortune Payback is the long-awaited third installment of the Soldier of fortune video game series. The saga continues with the  organization know as The Shop where players take on the role of a hired mercenary. Players will experience all the thrills and dangers of authentic mercenary combat blasting their way through high intensity combat situations in the world's most dangerous hotspots in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. Using any means necessary, players will need to uncover a complex plot and defeat an extremist organization determined to throw the world into global conflict. Failure is not an option. 

Built to harness the power of next generation - Features the most outrageous modeling system of any of the previous Soldier of Fortune installments, allowing for shocking damage. Enemies will not only react to the specific area they`ve been hit but also to the power of the weapon they`ve been hit with and will continue to fight until a final blow has been delivered.

One of the most lethal collections of weapons ever assembled - The impressive arsenal includes an array of more than 30 weapons including sub-machine guns, assault rifles, sniper rifles, projectile explosives, weapons attachments and cutting-edge tactical weapons.

The world`s most dangerous hotspots - Players will find themselves thrown into authentic mercenary situations in real world hotspots around the globe. Players will need to survive an ambush and rescue a diplomat, infiltrate a terrorist organization, go on a search and destroy mission and much more.

Enemies around every corner - High intensity combat situations where players will need to take down over 15 unique enemies including terrorist, mobsters, insurgents, enemy soldiers and more.

Compete online - Play your favorites including death match, team death match, elimination, and team elimination, capture the flag and more. Additional online options include maps tuned specifically for multiplayer action and many server settings for online play.

Compelling new storyline - When a routine escort mission goes horribly wrong, players find themselves battling an insidious enemy that knows no boundaries. As mercenary Thomas Mason, players will need to uncover and terminate an extremist plot aimed at throwing the world into global chaos.

Minimum system requirements

CPU: 2.5GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 processor

RAM: 512MB RAM

VGA: 256MB DirectX 9.0c Compatible 3D accelerated video card with pixel/vertex shaders version 2.0 - ATI Radeon x800 or Nvidia GeForce 6800

DX: DirectX 9.0c

OS: Windows 98SE, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows Vista

HDD: 3.3 GB uncompressed Hard Drive Space

Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card

ODD: DVD-ROM Drive

Network: Internet service required to access online features

Recommended system requirements

CPU: Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz

RAM: 1 GB RAM

VGA: 512MB DirectX 9.0c Compatible 3D accelerated video card with pixel/vertex shaders version - ATI Radeon x1900 or Nvidia GeForce 7900

DX: DirectX 9.0c

OS: Windows 98SE, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows Vista

HDD: 3.3 GB uncompressed Hard Drive Space

Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card

ODD: DVD-ROM Drive

1. Unpack

2. Mount with Daemon Tools or burn it

3. Install the game

4. Have fun

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