Dust 514 Open Beta Starts January 22

CCP Games, the developer behind Eve Online, today announced that the open beta test for Dust 514 will begin on January 22.

The news comes just as Dust 514 has been merged onto the server that also hosts the Eve Online universe. CCP states that this accomplishment marks the first time two games from different genres have been linked together into a single MMO.

“The launch of the Dust 514 Open Beta is another step towards our long-term vision for CCP and Eve,” said Hilmar Pétursson, CEO of CCP. “But this is just the beginning. As we have done with Eve Online, in the coming weeks, and for years to come, we will continually improve upon and add to the Dust 514 experience, as well as add deeper integration between the two games and their communities.”

Dust 514 is a free-to-play first-person shooter MMO for the PlayStation 3. It is directly connected to Eve Online, and actions in each game will affect the economy, politics, and outcome of battles in the other. Players in Dust 514 can, in some ways, be seen as the shock troops for player corporations that command the fleets in Eve Online.

PlayStation 3 owners who don’t want to wait until the 22nd can buy closed beta access for $20 via the PlayStation Network Store. The purchase comes with several in-game items, 40,000 Aurum, and 100,000 bonus skill points if a match is played before the open beta begins.

Free Corvette Stingray Gran Turismo DLC Coming Tomorrow

Polyphony Digital, the developers of the Gran Turismo series, knows what racing fans want. They want Gran Turismo 6, with photo-realistic cars, settings, and weather conditions. Unfortunately, the developer will have to sit on any news of a new core title until Sony finally announces the PlayStation 4. Until then (which could come as soon as May), Polyphony will continue supporting and reminding gamers that Gran Turismo 5 is only a little over two years old.

Today, Sony announced that a free 2014 Corvette Stingray DLC add-on will be available through the PlayStation Store starting tomorrow. The real-life car debuted earlier this week at the North American International Auto Show, and Chevrolet “worked very closely” with Polyphony to develop the in-game car.

Sure, it’s a marketing gimmick for Corvette, but it’s also very shiny. Check out the trailer for the DLC below and make sure to download a free car tomorrow.

The Official Oscars App Expands To Android, Kindle

ABC announced today that the official Oscars app is now live, and for the first time, it’s available for Android. Specifically, it’s available on Android 4.0+ devices, including the Galaxy Note II, Galaxy Note 10.1 and GSIII, as well as the new Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD.
As before, the app is available for iOS as well.
The app was developed by the Academy and Disney/ABC’s digital media team, and includes the following features, as listed by ABC:

• Magazine-style format featuring photos, videos and the latest social media buzz.
• Viewers can watch the live Backstage Pass experience in two different modes, Watch or Direct. In Watch mode, viewers will be guided through the live behind-the-scenes show. In the Direct mode, viewers can select the cameras they want to experience.
• Live video grid allows viewers the ability to watch all available cameras simultaneously or zero in on one.
• Once in a camera view, a ticker will display over the video updating viewers to what is happening on other cameras. Fans will be aware when their favorite actor enters another view, allowing them the opportunity to navigate between cameras.

“Our goal is to create a really full, immersive experience leading up to, during and after the Oscars,” said Karin Gilford, SVP of Digital Media for ABC Television Network. “Last year, we saw a huge increase in the number of people using the app. With its availability now on the Android platform we look forward to bringing even more people into the Oscar experience. We want this to be the next best thing to attending the show itself.”
“We’re always looking for ways to bring fans closer to the show and this app provides a unique and fun way to do that,” added Josh Spector, Managing Director of Digital Media and Marketing for the Academy. “More fans than ever will be able to enjoy the full Oscar experience now that our app is available to Droid users.”
The Oscars will air on Sunday, February 24 on ABC, with coverage beginning at 7PM Eastern. You can find the Android app on Google Play.

8 Million Angry Birds Games Were Downloaded on Christmas

The popularity of the Angry Birds Franchise was understandable when the original game debuted just over two years ago. It’s a simple game that offers a perfect, bite-sized progression for bus rides or toilet trips.
Now that the game has inspired a theme park attraction, a Star Wars tie-in, a feature-length movie, however, it’s beginning to seem as if Angry Birds wasn’t simply a trend in mobile gaming. In fact, it seems that the Angry Birds franchise is becoming more popular than ever.

This week, Rovio announced that over eight million copies of Angry Birds games were downloaded on Christmas day alone. As they point out in the handy infographic below, that’s nearly one game for every other new mobile device activated on Christmas. Throughout the week of Christmas 30 million Angry Birds games were downloaded.

It appears that Rovio is counting downloads of Bad Piggies, which is an Angry Birds spin-off. It’s also unclear whether downloads of Amazing Alex were counted, though that number wouldn’t make up much of the 30 million downloads.

Assuming Rovio makes at least a dollar for each download (through the app price or through advertising), it’s clear that mobile gaming has become serious business. Gaming companies such as Nintendo will soon have to come to grips with the new reality of gaming and offer their classic titles on mobile platforms other than their own.

Call of Duty Black Ops 2 Revolution DLC Previewed

This week Activision and Treyarch released a bit of information on the upcoming downloadable content (DLC) for Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

“With Black Ops II, the team set out to challenge assumptions about what fans should expect from Call of Duty, and there’s no exception with Revolution,” said Mark Lamia, Treyarch studio head.

Titled “Revolution,” the add-on will include four new multiplayer maps, “Downhill,” “Hydro,” “Mirage,” and “Grind.” A new map for zombies mode called “Die Rise” will also be included. It pits players against the zombies inside of collapsed skyscrapers in a ruined Chinese city.

In addition to the new maps, a new SMG called the “Peacekeeper” has been added for multiplayer, and a new zombies mode called “Turned” will allow players to take on the role of zombies themselves.

The DLC will be available first on the Xbox 360. On January 29 fans can download the update via Xbox LIVE for 1200 Microsoft Points.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops 2 Available Now

In the past, it has been frequently speculated that ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 2′ may land on Nintendo’s upcoming console, Wii U. These speculations have surfaced afresh now that Nintendo has announced the date and pricing of Wii U for the U.S. users.

The company has announced that the console is due to hit the U.S. market on Nov 18th and is going to carry a price tag of $299.99 for the basic set, with 8 GB memory. The 32 GB is going to set you back a cool $349.99. Black Ops 2 has been officially announced to be landing on the console and rumors have it that it would come just in time for the U.S. launch.

According to the rumors, the game will become available for Nintendo Wii U in November. To be specific, it will arrive on Nov 13th and will feature the second-screen gameplay option.

Moreover, the game will arrive with a number of Wii U-suited controller options. These include the ability to use Classic Controller Pro, GamePad and Wii Remote with the ga. The good news for the CoD fans is that the Wii U release of the game will contain all the features available across other game consoles.

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"Surprise" Trailer

Grand Theft Auto 5 Features

After having successfully launched Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar North, the developers of the GTA game series are all geared up to release the next version of the action-adventure open world video game, Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5). The game will be the first major title in the GTA series since the release of GTA 4 in 2008. GTA 5 will mark the fifth “era” in the series, which is to be set in fictional Los Santos in the state of San Andreas and its surrounding areas, mostly based on the modern-day Los Angeles and Southern California.

Rockstar Games had previously published Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2004, which features Los Santos as one of the three cities in the game. Several speculations around the web indicated that the Grand Theft Auto 5 was to be released by the end of 2011, however, that did not happen. On October 25, 2011, Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto 5 via a tweet, which included the #GTAV hash tag and a link to their homepage, which displayed the game’s logo. On October 26, the company put a GTA V trailer countdown on their homepage, which led the shares of Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games shoot up by seven percent.

On November 2, 2011, Rockstar released the debut trailer for GTA 5, giving its fans a first glance of the upcoming and most-anticipated game. The trailer revealed interesting features, like the setting to be in Los Santos, “Vinewood” (Hollywood) and rural hills and valleys.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick states the following:

“Looking ahead, Take-Two has the strongest development pipeline in the company’s history. At the cornerstone of our stellar line-up is the recently announced next installment of Rockstar Games’ iconic franchise that has sold-in more than 114 million units – Grand Theft Auto V. The creative team at Rockstar Games continues to set benchmarks for excellence with every new release and we’re confident that consumers’ enthusiasm will be rewarded with a breathtaking entertainment experience that can only be provided by Grand Theft Auto.”

Grand Theft Auto 5 may be set in the present day scenario, that is, there is an emphasis on the present-day recession where the trailer shows scenes of homes kept on sale, people begging for money on the street, and people sleeping in tenets next to an underpass. This, in a way fits the five-dollar bill of the ‘V’ in the GTA V logo. The trailer also shows an outdoor gym, similar to the San Andreas version of muscle beach.

There have been rumours indicating that GTA V would support multiple playable characters (played across three central characters). We assume that the man looking out across the city about halfway through the trailer is one of the main characters. Other features like flying aircrafts, Jet Ski rentals, fitness mag, and body piercing shops are expected to be featured in the game.
After the release of the trailer, Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto 5 was in full development and would take place within Los Santos and its “surrounding hills, countryside and beaches.” It would be “the largest and the most ambitious game Rockstar has yet created”, with Sam Houser describing it as a “radical reinvention of the Grand Theft Auto universe”.

Grand Theft Auto 5 System Requirements

I assume that the game might require slightly higher requirements and would not differ much to GTA 4 if in case Rockstar uses the same engine. Probably the game would require around 20 GB in space depending on the audio/radio, textures, maps, and so on.
Here are the predicted system requirements:

• OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 3 GHz or similar
• RAM: 3 GB
• HDD: 20 GB free disk space
• Graphics: 512 MB Graphics Memory
• Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
• DirectX: Version 9
• Supported Graphics Cards: Nvidia 8600 or ATI 3870

Grand Theft Auto V Minimum System Requirements

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 3.66Ghz or equivalent AMD Athlon X2 64 4.8Ghz
• Memory/RAM: 2 GB Ram
• Video Card: 512MB NVIDIA 7900 or 512MB ATI X1900
• Hard Disk Space: 30 – 40 GB
• Operating System: Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1 or Windows 7 SP1

Grand Theft Auto V Recommended System Requirements

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 3.66GHz or equivalent AMD Phenom X3 4.81GHz
• Memory/RAM: 4 GB
• Video Card: 1GB NVIDIA 8600 or 1 GB ATI 3870
• Hard Disk Space: 30 – 40 GB free
• Operating System: Window XP SP3 or Vista SP2 or Window 7 SP1

Rockstar has yet to announce the official system requirements of GTA V. The game will be first released on Xbox 360 and PS3

Grand Theft Auto 5 Release Date

According to analyst Jesse Divnich, predicts that GTA V would be one of the top five games released in 2012, and it would be one of the biggest releases, coming out ahead of other big releases such as the next Call of Duty series

This is what Divinich exactly had to say, “It goes without saying that GTA V will be one of the year’s biggest releases, but I will take it one step farther and say GTA V will be 2012′s biggest release.” He also said that people should not misunderstand what he had to say because “Call of Duty will undoubtedly be huge, as it is every year and it may even grow, but if I had to call what will be a photo finish race, I will go with GTA 5.”
From the trailer we have found something interesting and predict that the game will launch in May this year. Watch the trailer carefully again. At 0.55, you will see a man posting a “For Sale” sign and the number 2405 printed on the pane. The number 2405 can be interpreted as the 24th of May, and we guess that it could be the release date – May, 2012. This is simply a guess, and many fans on the web predict the same. The dates are yet to be officially announced and I guess it is worth waiting for Grand Theft Auto 5.

The Wii-U Gets a Release Date Coming

With the recent announce of the iPhone and its coming launch it is difficult to focus on anything else. Whether you love it, or hate it, the iPhone is such a vital product in the tech world today.

That being said, another remarkable product has been readied for launch with an official release date, the Wii U. The Nintendo Wii-U is set to launch November 18, 2012 in the US and November 30, in Europe. Obviously, that is just in time for the holiday season.

Unfortunately, the Wii U is quite a bit pricier, in terms of total cost, over the original Wii. That means Nintendo could end up alienating the casual gaming audience that skyrocketed the first Wii to success. Though, in many of their public presentations involving the latest console, Nintendo has made clear their desire to get back into the hardcore gaming market. We’ll see if they can handle maintaining both sides of the gaming spectrum in the coming days.

The Wii-U will be available in two separate bundles at launch.

Wii-U Bundles Available at Launch

There will be two separate Wii-U bundles at launch, each for varying types of consumers.

The first bundle will be the basic level that includes a white console with 8GB of internal storage for $300. The basic bundles contains the Wii-U console, a Wii-U GamePad (the touchscreen version), a stylus, a sensor bar, and the necessary power and A/V cables (HDMI).
The second bundle, will be the deluxe level, and it includes a black console with 32GB of internal storage for $350. The deluxe bundle includes a black themed console and GamePad, and everything from the basic bundle. In addition, the deluxe bundle comes with the Nintendo Land video game, a Wii-U GamePad stand, a Wii-U GamePad cradle and a Wii-U console stand.
There is no difference in how the consoles perform, that means you are getting the same Wii-U console no matter what bundle you purchase. The deluxe edition just comes with additional accessories and a game that you would otherwise have to purchase separately.


Also worth mentioning, the Wii-U console is compatible with original Wii controllers including the Wii Remote, Wii Remote Plus and the Nunchuk. Nintendo is also offering a “Wii-U Pro Controller” for purchase separately that looks similar to the Xbox 360 controller and offers more “precise button-based gameplay.”

The Wii-U Console

Just to establish some of the basic features of the console, we’re going to do a quick rundown here. We’ve covered the Wii-U in more depth before, so if you need more information make sure you check out that story.

The biggest feature of the Wii-U is the revolutionary GamePad controller that includes a 6.2″ LCD touchscreen display built right into it. The GamePad screen can be used in conjunction with a TV screen, it shows, touch-interactive content. For example, while playing the game on a TV you can browse a character’s inventory via the smaller screen, while the game world is still visible on the larger screen. Nintendo demoed a Ninja like training game that saw players using the GamePad to throw Shurikens on screen while the TV panned across a scene simultaneously.
The best part about the new controller though, is that if someone else is using the TV connected to the console, you can play Wii-U games directly on the GamePad. That means when your significant other kicks you off for the night and heads to bed, you can take the GamePad into the bedroom and continue playing. If that concept, alone is not considered remarkable, than we don’t know what is.
The Nintendo Wii-U will also be powered by an AMD Radeon high-definition GPU, which means that Nintendo games will now by in real high-def resolutions. The first Wii was on par with the PlayStation 2 concerning graphics, maybe slightly better. The new Wii-U is more powerful than the Xbox 360 and the PS3, although we would hope so considering both of those consoles are now six or seven years old.
Nintendo will see a return to more hardcore gaming titles with the Wii-U console, unlike what was seen with the first Wii’s catalog. The Wii-U will see a plethora of sophisticated game titles like Aliens: Colonial Marines, Assassin’s Creed III, Batman: Arkham City, Darksiders 2, Ghost Recon Online and many more.

Isn’t The Price Kind of High?

A lot of critics are saying the $300 price is a little too high, and it is not ideal for casual gamers. Casual gamers actually make up most of the customer base that purchased the original Wii. It goes without saying, the Wii-U is an entirely different console altogether, and as such, it will be competing in a different market.
The first Wii was not competing with current gen consoles per say. In fact, a lot of consumers who bought a Wii did not own a Xbox 360 or PS3. While the Wii was clearly in the same market, it didn’t take part of the consumer base from the other consoles but instead drew from a different audience entirely.
The Wii-U, on the other hand, will be competing with Microsoft and Sony’s new consoles when they release. Many speculate that the other next gen consoles will launch sometime in 2013. If that theory holds true, then the Wii-U will have been on the market for at least a year, maybe more. That means by the time the new consoles release, there will probably be a price drop.
Until then, it looks as if we’ll have to cope with Nintendo’s current prices. Although, considering what the console comes bundled with (a GamePad), we’re okay with the price. Sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think!

Halo 4 Sound Design

 

Technicolor Game Sound in Burbank is proud to announce their work on Halo 4, one of the most anticipated video games of 2012. This impressive breadth of work features Cinematic Sound Design by our talented staff, including Mark Jasper, Lydian Tone and Chris Pinkston and Cinematic Mixing by Jasper as well.

The team in Burbank was also responsible for the motion capture dialogue recording (Chris Pinkston, Jim Morgan), both English dialogue recording (David Walsh and Morgan Gerhard) and editing (Daniel Khim, David Walsh and Emma Weston), and mixing of international versions in 11 languages (Lydian Tone, Chris Pinkston, Dutch Hill).

Set against the backdrop of a United Nations Space Command (UNSC) military academy, a group of highborn cadets are training to be the next generation of soldiers in the UNSC's ongoing war with insurgents in the outer colonial planets. Among these cadets, Thomas Lasky struggles with his doubts about this war and the burden of expectations he may not be able to carry.

To be released on November 6^th, a fun fact for HALO fans is that the voice of “Worker 1” was done by Conan O’Brien. Here’s a link to a clip from his show, shot at Technicolor in Burbank during his recording session.

 

 

New Xbox coming in fall 2013

Microsoft's next-generation game console will be based on AMD's 6000 series processor and have six times the power of the Xbox 360, sources tell IGN.

The next iteration of Microsoft's Xbox could hit retailer shelves as early as fall 2013. The new Xbox will be in production by the end of this year and arrive in late October or early November 2013, sources close to the project tell IGN. The new game console--often referred to as Xbox 720--will be based on Advanced Micro Devices' 6000 series graphics processor, with support for DirectX11, 1080p HD, multi-display output, and 3D. The new processor, which was unveiled late last year, will give the new Xbox six times the processing power of Xbox 360 and 20 percent greater performance than Nintendo's forthcoming console, the Wii U, sources said. In October, the game developer Web site Develop pegged the launch of the next console for 2013, something a source on the Xbox team confirmed. Microsoft released the Xbox 360 in late 2005, and rumors about when a new console would arrive--and what capabilities it would feature--have been rampant in recent months. Xbox fans' appetites were whetted by word last month that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had granted the software giant a patent for an "integrated gaming and media experience," in which content could be recorded on a game console. Source: news.cnet.com

Dirt Showdown-Crashing for Cash

Hands-on with some hi-octane single-player content

- According to Codemasters, Dirt Showdown will be its most connected game ever. Codemasters is investing a lot of energy in spruiking the game's extensive multiplayer options, as well as its new social tracking service RaceNet (which you can read about here), but solo play hasn't been left out of the equation.

- After some hands-on time with the first half-a-dozen events in Career Mode the divide Dirt Showdown is attempting to straddle is clear. The menu overlays and transitions instantly smack of the Dirt series players have come to admire and the car and track visuals themselves retain that familiar Codemasters aesthetic. It's abundantly obvious, however, that Dirt 4 this is not. This is something a bit left-of-centre.

- The action in Showdown is divided across three categories. There's circuit racing on tight courses peppered with obstacles, shortcuts, and jumps, there are 'Hoonigan' events focusing on the freestyle stunt driving that has made Ken Block a YouTube deity, and there are demolition derbies.

- The brief taste of the fairly standard circuit racing we had actually proved surprisingly unremarkable, at least in single-player. It's hard to get too emotionally attached to the unlicensed cars that make up the bulk of the vehicle roster in Showdown and the racing itself didn't really seem altogether different from similar arcade racers. Things improved for the Hoonigan events on hand to test; these freestyle driving trials are significantly more engaging and are satisfyingly tricky. Players will be challenged to string together a series of high-speed drifts, donuts and more in a fashion not dissimilar to the Gymkhana content in Dirt 3. It becomes most evident here the handling model has been honed somewhat; it's more arcade-like. It's accessible yet shallow. Dirt devotees may find themselves divided on this issue.

- The destruction events were the most spectacular in our preview build and represented half of the available events we could test. Two of them were arena contests where the object of the game was to build up points by ramming and writing-off opponents, and the other was a race on a small course with multiple crossovers. The racing works well, with the crossovers adding the risk of sickening T-bones on every lap, and the second of the arena-style events was particularly fun too. Set on an elevated platform players are awarded points for knocking other cars off and onto the ground below. It may remind older gamers of the Skyscraper Mode in Destruction Derby Raw, released way back in 2000 on the original PlayStation, although the difference here is cars knocked off the platform can get back into the mix via one of a series of ramps positioned around it.

- Codemasters' knack for crunching collisions is front-and-centre in Showdown's demolition events and it's as impressive as ever. Players will be able to view especially impressive crashes from multiple angles via Showdown's new 'Crashback' system and, in single-player events, upload clips directly to YouTube.

- As a sideshow to the standard, broader Dirt series we wonder a little about lasting appeal. The point of progressing is to build up cash you can spend on purchasing and upgrading your vehicles, but overall there does seem to be significantly less variety here than Dirt 3 and you could certainly build an argument at this stage that the best parts of Showdown could've been absorbed as additional modes in the current Dirt formula. However, we haven't seen all there is to the game yet, and the racing we have seen is typically robust. Dirt Showdown will hit shelves late May. Source: xbox360.ign.com

Crysis 3 Soon

Crytek and EA have revealed that Crysis 3 will be coming to PC and consoles in 2013.

Set in New York, Crysis 3 will once again cast you as Prophet, but all is not as it was. New York has been encased in a Nanodome that has seen it transform into a literal jungle rather than just an urban one. Swamplands, rivers and dense copses of overgrowth mean that Crysis 3 looks more like the original game in the series than its sequel.

Split into seven separate areas called the Seven Wonders, the environment within the Liberty Dome will see Prophet use all new alien- and nanosuit tech to hunt and survive on a revenge mission against the Cell Corporation.

Cevat Yerli of Crytek had this to say: "Crysis 3 is a thrilling mix of sandbox gameplay, advanced combat and hi-tech human and alien weaponry that shooter fans will love. Leveraging the latest CryENGINE technology, we're able to deliver seven unique themes that offer stunning and visually loaded gameplay experiences. We cannot wait until people get their hands on the game."

EA also announced details of the different pre-order bonuses that will be available at retail. Details of those are below.

Crysis 3 is the ultimate sandbox shooter, realized in the stunning visuals only Crytek and the latest version of CryENGINE can deliver. Assess Adapt, and Attack starting spring 2013 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.

Best Iphone Games

You've got yourself an iPhone and you want to play some games on it. You might not want to just plunge into the App store. It's a jungle, and it is full of bad games.
Let us help you.
What's on top of the iPhone charts may not always be the most cleverly designed experiences. But, we think the ones below show off the appeal of iPhone gaming in the best possible light. And these games should make your commute and your line-waiting just a little more fun.

1. Angry Birds
True story: someone the other day asked me what Angry Birds was. So, for you, random person, here's the basics. You're in control and crew of feathered friends who've had their eggs stolen from them. Get your revenge by flinging the titular birds at the pigs' abodes. Look, you should just play it. Everyone else is.

A Good Match for: Frustrated set designers. The enjoyment generated by the destruction of the porcine dwellings in Angry Birds is countered only by the joy of a new challenge.
Not for Those Who Want: things to fall in place. Angry Birds' material properties seem inconsistent. One minute, glass breaks and the next minute it's the last thing holding up the roof that you need to crash down on a pig general. Make up your mind, Angry Birds.

2. Bejeweled

One of the most popular game franchises ever finds one of its best iterations on Apple's mobile phone. The hook here is the Diamond Mine mode, which use the same match-three mechanic to dig through layers of dirt… to expose more gems… to dig though more layers of dirt. Get the point?

A Good Match for: Fireworks lovers. A good stretch of Diamond Mine offers up explosions of color and sound that rival those of any Fourth of July celebration.

Not for Those Who Want: The standard, more placid Bejeweled experience. While it looks nearly the same, Diamond Mine Mode presents players with a nerve-racking twist on vanilla Bejeweled.

3. Cut the Rope

Simplicity's been the key to success for ZeptoLab's hit physics puzzler. As intricate as the levels get in Cut the Rope, the slicing and tapping methods by which you get cute little alien Om Nom his candy never feel too complicated to execute.

A Good Match for: Grade schoolers. Who loves candy more than kids? Plus, the cartoony presentation and easy mechanics will draw them in right away.

Not for Those Who Want: Easy puzzles. Later levels of Cut the Rope will test the mastery of most players, as ropes, balloons and whoopee cushions get deployed in fiendishly maddening ways.

4. Drop 7

AreaCode's numerical puzzle game may be the most perfect short-session game ever created. As falling numbers land on a 7×7 grid, you need to make them disappear by matching the number of vertical or horizontal spaces match the digit. Yes, it sounds tedious but when the rules finally click in your head, it's a lifetime addiction.

A Good Match for: anyone who spends a lot of time waiting for things or people. Whether it's stuck in traffic or waiting on a queue at the bank, a few quick levels of Drop7 will make any kind of stationary drudgery more bearable.

Not for Those Who Want: Productivity. It take superhuman willpower to resist the siren call of Drop7 and if you want to get anything done after installing it, make sure your iPhone's out of reach.

5. Edge

Arguably the cleverest platformer on iOS, Mobigames' acclaimed release has users moving a cube along the gaps and floating platforms of a geometrically disjointed world. Edge delivers a solid-feeling inertia and

A Good Match For: M. C. Escher admirers. The levels in Edge look like 8-bit deconstructions of the Dutch artist's perception-challenging drawings. Some of them will have the same electrifying effect on your brain cells, too.

Not for Those Who Want: To avoid virtual touchpad's. The usual problems with iDevice interfaces—finicky acknowledgement of inputs, greasy screens—will force you into using Edge's most inelegant control method if you want to complete it.

Grand Theft Auto V PC, PS3,XBOX 360 - GTA 5

DescriptionTrouble taps on your window again with this next chapter in the Grand Theft Auto universe, set in the city of Los Santos and its surrounding hills, countryside and beaches. A bold new direction in open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online multiplayer, Grand Theft Auto V focuses on the pursuit of the almighty dollar in a re-imagined, present-day Southern California. (credit: IGN.com)

Features: (credit: wikipedia.org)
*Grand Theft Auto V is an upcoming open world action-adventure video game from Rockstar Games
*The game will be the first major title in the Grand Theft Auto series since Grand Theft Auto IV (2008), which started the fourth “era” in the series.
*The game is to be set in fictional Los Santos in the state of San Andreas and its surrounding areas, based on modern-day Los Angeles and Southern California
*Additional features revealed in the trailer included golf, planes, jetskis, a working gym, and police chases, making it look like a spiritual successor to 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
*RP-M+ for Rating Pending, Targeting a Rating of Mature or Above

System Requirements
* OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
* CPU: IIntel Core 2 Duo 3 GHz or similar
* RAM: 3 GB
* HDD: 20 GB free disk space
* Graphics: 512 MB Graphics Memory
* Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
* DirectX: Version 9
Supported Graphics Cards: Nvidia 8600 or ATI 3870