Games HOT SPOT - Top 5 Most Wanted

Age of Conan – The Hyborian Adventures

A massively multiplayer online role playing game -much like World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online - Age of Conan is instead set in Robert E Howard’s Conan universe and details the struggles of the people in the land of Hyboria.

Choosing one of a dozen different player classes (be it assassin, barbarian, magician or a number of a hybrids of these), you set off to find fame and fortune for your online character as you play with - or against - thousands of other real players.

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World of Warcraft

The first thing that struck me about the WOW: 60 day time card was the outer packaging. This is because, when the boss threw it across the room to me and said "review this, dude", it connected with the side of my head. I was also struck in a far less literal sense however, by the artwork on the packaging which sported a picture of a lovely female elf - a lovely elf with some serious eyebrows that is. Before I could put forth the proposition that an in-depth review was impossible because the Time card was in fact a "pre-paid card" and not playable game - the boss had already vanished with a decidedly maniacal laugh.

The World of Warcraft 60 day time card is guaranteed to supply you with large amounts of fun and adventure - 60 days worth to be quite exact (and only if you own a copy of the PC game World of Warcraft - a small, yet important detail). To begin with, my time card experience started with a moment of anticipation before I first broke the seal around the cardboard exterior and peered inside at the hidden depths of the mysterious package. However, this feeling of awe was quickly replaced with confusion when a plastic ATM shaped card - not a circular game disc - plopped out onto the desk. After unsuccessfully attempting to use this card in a real ATM down at the local mall,
I soon realized that the card had an alpha-numeric string printed on the back that has to be entered into WOW, thereby exchanging it for more time adventuring in the land Azeroth - as opposed to goods and services from confused salespeople.

All said and done, the World of Warcraft 60 day time card is a great buy, and as long as you understand that it is indeed a time card - not a game- you'll reap a great deal of enjoyment from it - roughly 60 days worth of enjoyment, we'd say.

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Mass Effect

Mass Effect is the latest epic RPG from the masters of the genre at BioWare, who are also known for their Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire series of RPGs.

Set in space in the year 2183, Mass Effect tells the story of what happens after humanity discovers Prothean technology following the settling of Mars – a technology which allows interstellar space travel and fosters the realisation that we’re not alone in the universe.

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World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade

World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, an MMORPG game, is the exciting new expansion to Blizzard's
award-winning massive multiplayer online role-playing game.

Alrighty then, before we get this review started we need to get some important information/ ominous warnings out of the way first. To begin with, Burning Crusade is not a stand alone game, so you'll need the original World of Warcraft game to bask in this expansion pack's love. Secondly, it grants existing players -who have maxed out their characters level to 50- a chance to aspire to an epic level 70. And thirdly it is an expansion pack guaranteed to reignite your Warcraft addiction and will be wholly responsible for many a long gaming night, day, night, day - we think that you're getting the idea...

After all that time spent leveling, instancing, grinding in the original WoW, this new expansion picks up several years after the events of the original game. With renewed strength the heroes of the Horde and the Alliance have begun exploring new sections of land and have even broken through the Dark Portal into the mysterious continent of Outland. Unfortunately - or fortunately for the brave - this means hordes of demons and epic bosses will be attacking your "not-as-awesome-as-I-first-thought" character.

In addition to the increase of the level 70 cap, your new quest is made more bearable by the inclusion of new flying mounts, hundreds more items, socketed items, and most important of all - two new races: the Blood Elves and the Draenei. Basically the Draenei let the goody-two-shoes Alliance players finally have a Shaman-esque class, and the Blood Elves offer Horde fans a chance to bust out some evil Paladin justice.

While it's true that this expansion pack doesn't revolutionizing for the World of Warcraft, aficionados will still get their rocks off with Burning Crusade as it is jam packed full of interesting new content, which ultimately translates into fresh new adventures in Azeroth. Fans are well advised to make the purchase and do their part in helping out either the noble Alliance or the insidious Horde. Preferably the Horde - because good is dumb.

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Flight Simulator X

Microsoft’s been in the flight simulator business for over 25 years and with version 10 – simply titled Flight Simulator X (FSX) – they’ve produced the slickest and most authentic simulator yet.

The more immediately obvious improvement on previous versions is the upgraded graphics engine, offering the most realistic visuals seen in the series. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With an increased altitude ceiling, new aircraft, a mission generator and improved multiplayer options (including the ability to man air traffic control and safely guiding planes in and out of airports), there’s never been more to do for newcomers and experienced virtual pilots alike in this highly respected simulator series.

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