Just after they released the Black Friday special Amazon Canada is now offering the Cyber Monday specials. Only until December 3rd so click below and save now!!!
There's more to Skyrim than slaying dragons and looting ancient ruins. In this guide we'll tell you how to line your pockets without setting foot in a single dungeon, where to find the love of your life, and how to get on the property ladder.
How to get married
The key to marriage in Skyrim is the Amulet of Mara. This pendant is a way of showing that you're 'available', and wearing it will give you the option to propose to an NPC.
But before the option becomes available, you'll have to complete the following steps...
First, find an Amulet of Mara. These drop as loot occasionally, but the easiest way to get one is to visit the Temple of Mara in Riften and talk to the priest, Maramal.
Buy the amulet for 200 gold, then talk to Maramal about Skyrim's marriage traditions. You'll have to complete this dialogue tree to be able to proposition someone.
Now find someone you want to marry You'll need to be friendly with them first - by completing certain quests, or favours they ask of you. Here are a few suggestions...
Aela the Huntress
Location: Whiterun
Sex: Female (Nord)
Marriage conditions: Complete the Companions questline
Camilla Valerius
Location: Riverwood
Sex: Female (Imperial)
Marriage conditions: Complete 'The Golden Claw'
Erik the Slayer
Location: Rorikstead
Sex: Male (Nord)
Marriage conditions: Complete his favour then hire him
Lydia
Location: Dragonsreach/Breezehome
Sex: Female (Nord)
Marriage conditions: Become Thane of Whiterun
Uthgerd the Unbroken
Location: Whiterun (Bannered Mare)
Sex: Female (Nord)
Marriage conditions: Challenge her to a brawl and win
Angrenor Once-Honored
Location: Windhelm (Candlehearth Hall)
Sex: Male (Nord)
Marriage conditions: Give him a gold piece
There are many more NPCs you can marry, of all sexes, races and ages. You'll know they're available for marriage if there's a dialogue option along the lines of: "Are you interested in me?"
When the NPC accepts, travel to the Temple of Mara and talk to Maramal again. Wait 24 hours, then meet your spouse-to-be at the altar. You can back out at the last minute, ruining your chances with them forever, or go through with it. When the ceremony is complete you'll receive an enchanted wedding ring.
Talk to your spouse. If you own a house, you can make that your marital home. If not, you'll use their house instead. Your wife/husband will then make their own way back to your/their house and will be waiting for you next time you visit.
The benefits of married life
As well as earning an achievement/trophy, getting married in Skyrim has a few nice perks.
Your spouse will become a merchant of sorts. Talk to them once a day and ask "Has the store made any money?" and they'll give you 100 gold. This accumulates, so leave it for a few in-game weeks and you'll get a nice amount of coin.
Sleeping next to your spouse (your bed will also be 'owned' by them), gives you a bonus called 'Lover's Comfort'. This increases the speed of all ability upgrades by 15% for eight hours. This is the same effect as the Lover Stone.
Once a day, your spouse will cook you a meal. Talk to them and ask "Could you cook something for me?" This will appear in your inventory as 'home cooked meal' and will give you a health, magicka and stamina boost for a limited time.
How to buy a house
Chances are you don't own your own house in Skyrim yet. They're pretty expensive, and cost even more to fully upgrade. To be able to buy a house, you'll need to curry the favour of the local Jarl. This can be done by completing any quests they offer you, and often by becoming their Thane.
When you've become friendly with them, talk to their steward and he'll sell you a home. Talk to him again to order upgrades. Houses you buy are empty to begin with, but upgrading them fills them with furniture, decorations etc.
Below is a list of all the properties you can buy...
Breezehome
Location: Whiterun
Base price: 5,000
Upgraded price: 6,800
A small two-story house near the city gates. Either help Jarl Balgruuf until he says you can buy property, or buy it from Brill if you've completed The Battle For Whiterun.
Vlindrel Hall
Location: Markarth
Base price: 8,000
Upgraded price: 12,200
Help out Jarl Igmund and you'll be able to buy this old Dwemer house from Raerek. Upgrade it and you'll get an armour display mannequin and alchemy and enchantment tables.
Honeyside
Location: Riften
Base price: 8,000
Upgraded price: 12,300
To be able to buy this home you'll have to complete a certain amount of quests in Riften and become Thane. You get a basement, garden and large kitchen when you upgrade
Hjerim
Location: Windhelm
Base price: 12,000
Upgraded price: 21,000
You may remember this house from the Blood on the Ice quest. You can buy it when you become Thane of Eastmarch. It has an armory with display cases for your weapons and armour.
Proudspire Manor
Location: Solitude
Base price: 25,000
Upgraded price: 36,000
The most expensive house in all of Skyrim. Complete The Man Who Cried Wolf and one other task for the Jarl to be able to buy it. It has three floors and six palatial rooms.
Notes about houses
If your spouse is in another house and you want them to move to your new one, just talk to them and ask them to move.
Becoming Thane grants you a Housecarl. One of the first you'll get is Lydia after defeating the dragon in an early part of the main quest. If you have a Housecarl, a guest bedroom will appear in your house for them to live in. If they're following you and you ditch them, they'll be found here.
How to make money
Now that you've settled down with your new wife in your new house, you'll need to get a job. Sure, you could go adventuring, but there are other ways to fill your purse without straining your sword arm or getting lost in a dingy trap-filled cave.
Chopping wood Locate a woodcutters axe (buy it from a store, or find one lying around) then look for a woodcutting block. There's one in Riverwood by the mill if you're struggling. Activate the block and your character will start chopping.
Each 'chop' earns you 2 pieces of firewood, which you can then sell for 5 gold each. This is a decent way of making money, as 18 blocks of wood - that's three chopping sessions - will get you 90 gold in total. It's dull, but hey, that's work for you.
Cooking
All that food you find lying around isn't just for eating. If you find a cooking pot and activate it, you'll see a large list of pre-made recipes. By combining ingredients you can cook meat and create entire meals, then sell them on to general goods merchants (or keep for eating yourself).
Investing
If you get the Investor perk from the speechcraft skill tree, you'll be able to invest in certain stores and take a cut of their profits whenever you visit them.
Mining
If you're after something a little more lucrative, try mining. There are nine types of ore in Skyrim - gold, iron, ebony, silver, corundum, malachite, moonstone, orichalcum and quicksilver. Of these, ebony is the most expensive.
First, get a pickaxe. If you've been to the Throat of the World, travel there and climb to the peak and you can get a special tool called the 'Notched Pickaxe' that raises your smithing stats. Then it's simply a matter of finding an ore vein and activating it. As you mine, you'll get a mixture of ore and precious gems.
To mine faster, dual-wield pickaxes like weapons and 'attack' the ore veins rather than activating them. When a vein depletes, move on to the next one. It won't regenerate for several weeks.
When you have a pile of ore, look for a smelter. There's usually one outside mines, or you can find one directly to the right of the main fast travel point in Whiterun. The smelter lets you turn ore into ingots, which sell for more, and can be used to craft and upgrade armour and weapons. Blacksmiths will buy ore from you, and sometimes the foreman of the mine.
Here are some locations that are perfect for mining...
Ebony - Gloombound Mine (16 veins), Throat of the World (2 veins), Redbelly Mine (3 veins)
Smithing If you'd rather use all those ingots you've mined rather than sell them, get involved in smithing. By crafting weapons and armour you can not only create some awesome kit for yourself, but a load to sell on to other blacksmiths. See our detailed step-by-step guide to becoming an expert in smithing.
More news, movies, screens & features at our Batman: Arkham City game hub. Batman: Arkham City's not out on PC in the UK until tomorrow, but already US players are reporting problems with the mouse and keyboard version.
Specifically, it's the Rocksteady title's DirectX 11 support that's causing problems, with multiple early bird players reporting a huge increase in performance when downgrading to an older version of DirectX.
Instructions for changing DX 11 to DX 9
The Launcher can be accessed on Games for Windows LIVE and Steam to change DX 11 to DX 9 in the Settings menu.
Change both DirectX 11 Features and DirectX 11 Tessellation to OFF.
Games for Windows LIVE
Start > All Programs > Games > Right click on Batman: Arkham City and select Launcher > Settings
1. Open the Start Menu
2. Select All Programs and then the Games folder
3. Right click on Batman: Arkham City and select Launcher
4. Choose Settings then click on the arrow next to DX options to change
Steam:
Launch Steam Client > Library > Right click on Batman: Arkham City > Configure PC Options
1. Open Steam
2. Select Library
3. Right click on Batman: Arkham City and select Configure PC Options
4. Choose Settings then click on the arrow next to DX options to change
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS “Kidnapped” Season 4 Episode 11
Episode Synopsis: The Jedi uncover that despicable slavers are behind the sudden disappearance of an entire colony of people on the planet Kiros. Obi-Wan must face the imposing Zygerrian leader in a knuckle-crunching fistfight, while Anakin and Ahsoka rush to defuse a series of bombs planted throughout the colony. It’s a race against time in “Kidnapped,” a new episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, November 25th on Cartoon Network.
The Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia - It was the kind of buzz beleaguered BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (TSX:RIM) would ordinarily dream about. Thousands of Indonesians jammed into a glitzy shopping mall Friday to get hold of the first BlackBerry Bold 9790s being sold worldwide. But, fearing a riot, hundreds of police were deployed outside, tying up traffic in the heart of the capital for hours.
With a 50 per cent discount on the $540 phone for the first 1,000 buyers, lines started forming in front of Pacific Place mall on Thursday night. By daybreak, impatient shoppers started rattling the gates. And when rumours spread that the new smartphones - commonly known as Bellagio - had already sold out, the crowd of 3,000 went crazy. Several people fainted in the crush.
Indonesia, a country of 240 million people, has experienced a come from nowhere tech frenzy in recent years. With six million users, BlackBerry dominates the smartphone market in the sprawling Southeast Asian archipelago. Elsewhere around the world, the Waterloo, Ont.,-based company has not been faring nearly so well as it has been losing market share to Apple's iPhone and smartphones using Google's Android operating system. Earlier this month, tech firm Gartner Inc. said that in the third quarter RIM turned in its poorest performance to date, capturing just 10 per cent of the American market.
Analysts consider sales and market share in the North American market to be important indicators of how smartphone companies are faring with consumers. Globally, RIM finished fourth among smartphone sellers with 12.7 million units shipped and a worldwide market share of 11 per cent. That compared with 12.5 million devices and a 15.4 per cent market share in the same quarter of 2010.
Smartphones with Android operating systems topped worldwide smartphone sales with 60.4 million units sold with a 52.5 per cent market share in the quarter, compared with 20.5 million units and a 25.3 per cent market share in the same period last year.
Apple shipped 17 million iPhones in the quarter, an increase of 21 per cent, said Gartner, headquartered in Stamford, Conn. A recent study by research firm IDC put RIM in fifth place among global smartphone sellers with 10 per cent of the worldwide smartphone market based on shipments of 11.8 million BlackBerrys in the three months ended Sept. 30.
As your character grows more powerful, you will see them gain new skills and abilities to complement the superior gear they acquire.
Channeling the power of the Force to give them strength in combat and clarity in diplomacy, Jedi Consulars are respected for their leadership on the battlefield as well as their evenhanded demeanor at the negotiating table. While many devote themselves to uncovering the ancient secrets of the Jedi and use their command of the Force to defend and protect their allies, others use the Force as a means of slipping into the shadows and becoming powerful servants for the Republic.
Watch just a few of the many ways the Jedi Consular can progress through their journey in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, and let us know what you think on our Forums.
Sony have revealed that it’s essential they aren’t late with the launch of their next generation console ‘PlayStation 4′. As we have reported several times the Nintendo Wii U is due to launch in 2012 and there are rumours almost daily that Microsoft are getting ever closer to announcing their next Xbox console, possibly titled 720 or Xbox ‘Loop’.
Sony, who haven’t yet set a date on the PlayStation 4, will be well aware that the Xbox 360 beat out their console by a whole year to the market place last time out and they don’t want that to happen again.
PlayStation Europe boss Jim Ryan said at the Vita press event in London this week that;
“I think we would consider it undesirable to be significantly later than the competition” but that.. “There’s still a lot of unfinished business on PS3.”
So although their strategy is definitely now turning to the PlayStation 4, they haven’t forgotten PS3 gamers just yet…
“If you look at PlayStation 2, now in excess of 150m units installed globally, a huge majority of that was done at lower price points. There’s a considerable untapped part of the market there for PS3.”
At this stage a PlayStation 4 looks impossible for 2012 and perhaps even 2013….
Matt Holmes, the co-founder of Obsessed With Film, is back to his blogging roots...writing daily stream-of-consciousness posts for you all to digest, dissect and discuss. Personal rants, photo diaries, maybe even politics. But mostly movie stuff.
Mike Huber was reportedly working on a high-powered lift when an accident occurred on the New Orleans set.
Mike Huber, a locally hired crew member working on the set of Paramount's G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation, died Nov. 22 while working on the production in New Orleans. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths
Paramount issued the following statement to The Hollywood Reporter: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the Huber family at this time." PHOTOS: 12 Shocking Hollywood Deaths
Paramount said the safety of its cast and crew is a top priority and it is "fully cooperating with all investigating agencies as they examine the circumstances surrounding this unusual accident." TMZ reported Wednesday that Huber died while working on a high-powered scissor lift that tipped over.
Paramount will release G.I. Joe 2 on June 29; it follows G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, a hit in 2009. Jon M. Chu is directing the Lorenzo di Bonaventura-produced sequel, which will feature Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson and RZA, among others.
The project began shooting in New Orleans in August.
PATCH: What if they bring a Star Trek item? SIRTIS: Yeah, a lot of Star Trek people bring Star Trek stuff. As long as they don’t bring 30 items, we’re good. [Laughs] PATCH: Right, one per person, but it can be Star Trek. SIRTIS: Yes, that’s fine. That’s a given. When you’re involved in Star Trek, that’s a given. PATCH: Would you hope to see a version of The Next Generation in the new Star Trek movies? SIRTIS: I don’t think that’s going to happen. I would love to because I never wanted the job to end in the first place. This was my job of my life. I loved my seven years on it. I loved doing the four movies that we did, but it’s not going to happen. As we were the young kids who came along after the original Star Trek, now it’s the next next generation and I wish them all the best. PATCH: So you would have done one more movie? SIRTIS: I would’ve done 10 more movies. PATCH: A lot of us wanted you to! SIRTIS: Yeah, I know. I know. I get this all the time from fans who miss seeing us in anything new, because they still watch us in reruns all the time. PATCH: What if they cast new actors as the young versions of Troi, Picard and Riker, like they did for Kirk and Spock? SIRTIS: Exactly. You never know because you’re right, after this spate of movies, they might decide to resurrect The Next Generation with us recast young, which would be amazing. I’d be fascinated to see who they picked to play me younger. PATCH: The Trek fans remember every episode. Which ones do you remember vividly? SIRTIS: I suppose episodes where possibly something different happened. There was an episode called “A Fistful of Datas.” We didn’t leave Paramount very often but for that episode we went over to Warners and we shot it on their western set because we didn’t have a western set at Paramount. So that sticks out because that was a really good episode I thought, really fun. Then I think obviously the ones that I featured in, I remember more than ones that I didn’t feature in as much. I think my favorite episodes were the ones that were true to Star Trek and Gene [Roddenberry]’s vision. I think an episode like “Measure of a Man” where Data was put on trial to see if he’s a sentient being was really one of the best. PATCH: And now they’re all on Netflix, so not just reruns, people are viewing them instantly. SIRTIS: I know, and the other thing is they’re bringing them out in Blu-ray now. I went to see them and the one thing I always thought about TNG watching it now, like when we came along the original show looked dated, I felt that our show looked dated with all the technology that’s come along since then. But I have to tell you, the Blu-ray quality is like we shot it yesterday. It’s brilliant. I’m afraid the fans are going to have to start forking out more money if they want a really hi-def version of their favorite show. [Laughs] PATCH: We love that though, because it makes it look like a whole new show. SIRTIS: It does. It’s actually brilliant. I was in awe when I saw it. I was really, really thrilled. PATCH: Troi was so beloved by fans. Was that good for your ego? SIRTIS: Yeah, I suppose the best way to describe it is I was one of the first of the cast to do conventions on a regular basis. A few of the cast were a bit nervous about doing them but they would always ask me on Monday morning, “What was it like? What was it like?” My response was, “Well, if you have a problem being adored for two days, then don’t go.”
Doctor Who is the longest-running sci-fi show of all time—and no wonder. With an ever-changing cast of characters, run by producers who are as big fans as we are, it's been kept new and exciting every year.
We love Doctor for all sorts of reasons. So for today, its 48-year anniversary (excluding the few years it was off the air post-1989), we're giving you 48 reasons why we love this show.
1. The opening theme song.
2. The TARDIS. The Doctor loves his time machine so much, he's practically married to it.
3. It's a gateway drug to British television. In fact, it's some of the first British TV that many fans ever get to see. We hope fans continue to explore more Brit sci-fi, like the classic Blake's 7 and Thunderbirds, and the more recent Being Human and Spaced (well, not sci-fi, but certainly geek culture).
4. Humor.
5. The Girl in the Fireplace. The episode, from the Tenth Doctor, was so powerful that the plot was recycled for the Eleventh Doctor. After all, it's about a little girl who grows up while waiting for the Doctor, only to have a crush on him when he does appear.
6. The Ood. At first they were frightening. Then they were sad. Then they were frightening again.
7. It's about a guy who can travel anywhere in space and time. Seriously, what can be more awesome than that?
8. Romantic tension. Rose's affection for the Tenth Doctor was rather obvious, and we knew he cared for her. But we never knew just how much until we learned that he burned out a sun in order to say goodbye to her.
9. Martha Jones' snarky remark about Rose: "Oh, she was a blonde. What a surprise."
10. The Fifth Doctor's celery stick. It's not any man who can wear a vegetable.
11. The Doctor's different personalities. William Hartnell was crotchety. Patrick Troughton was outwardly foolish but secretly shrewd. This current Doctor, the Eleventh, is manic and funny, but he isn't afraid to make some tough decisions. We fans don't merely look forward to next week's episode, we also look forward to next year's star.
12. The Doctor Who parody, "Curse of the Fatal Death," starring British stalwarts Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Grant, Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha.
13. The Sixth Doctor, who managed to be surly.
14. Long-running plots: Bad wolf. The trial of the Time Lord. Who is River Song? Cracks in the universe. The Key to Time. These are the names of plot threads that played out over a season or more, and they make us feel like we're a part of something larger ... something that the Doctor must feel.
15. Genesis of the Daleks. If you could go back in time and kill your enemies, even before they had a chance to live, would you? The Doctor's answer: no. But he had to think realllllly hard about it.
16. Doctor Who's wonderful wiki,The TARDIS Index File. (See the episode "Castrovalva" for the origin of the name "Index File.")
17. Hotness. While she was playing Jo, the Third Doctor's companion, actress Katy Maning posed naked on a Dalek. Fans of the Fourth Doctor might remember Leela's leather vest. Current Whovians are besotted with Amy Pond's pouty lips. And let's not forgot just how adorable David Tennant is when he looks confused.
18. Earthshock. The Doctor's companion Adric died trying to divert a Cyberman ship from crashing into the Earth. He almost saves the planet, but a Cyberman damages the controls of the ship. His last words, before the ship plummets from space: "Now I'll never know if I was right."
19. Meeting historical characters. Vincent Van Gogh is all well and good, but we particularly loved seeing writer Agatha Christie, because we happen to know she disappeared to frame her husband for murder, and not because of a vespiform, as seen in the episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp."
20. River Song's luscious pronunciation of the word "Sweetie."
21. The Eighth Doctor. Played by Paul McGann, he only appeared in one episode, a one-off in 1996. But he's put in quite a few appearances in the terrific yet overlooked audio drama series by Big Finish.
22. Midnight. For god's sakes, somebody should have given Lesley Sharp an award for her perfect performance as the tragically overcome traveler, Sky Silvestri.
23. Tom Baker's scarves.
24. Dramatic tension. Learning the Doctor was the reason the Pandorica was built. Hearing the silence in the library. Saying goodbye to your companions, starting with locking your granddaughter out of the TARDIS. Some days, we don't envy being the Doctor.
25. Human Nature/The Family of Blood. What if the Doctor were actually human? In this poignant, romantic and painful two-parter, we learn the answer.
26. His companions. The Doctor's friends come and go. We wish some of them would have stayed a little longer. A shout-out to Jamie McCrimmon, Donna Noble and Tegan Jovanka.
27. The 9th Doctor's leather jacket. Every previous Doctor could have been at home plowing through books in a dusty library or lecturing at a university. The 9th Doctor was the first Doctor who could have been at home on the streets of Earth in the 21st century.
28. The Third Doctor's velvet jacket. Groovy.
29. Blink. Don't do it. Because if you do, the Weeping Angels will get you. This chilling enemy is made all the more horrific if you live in a city like London or New York, where the statues are always watching you.
30. The Last Great Time War. This unseen-yet-occasionally discussed event was played out in Big Finish audio dramas, comic books and Doctor Who Magazine issues. In it, the Eight and Ninth Doctors destroyed all of the Daleks, who had destroyed all of the Time Lords, leaving him (he believes) the last of his people in all of space and time.
31. Matt Smith's bowtie and fez. Fezzes are cool.
32. The raspy hysteria of the Daleks when they shout, "EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"
33. Other villains that make us hide behind the sofa.
34. Low-budget special effects The underbudgeted show had to suffer through bad rubber masks and weird electronic music for too many years, but in some way, it's endearing.
35. Pyramids of Mars. The episode isn't as creepy as it was when it first aired in 1975, but actor Gabriel Woolf, who played Sutekh the Destroyer, never fails to chill.
36. Spin-off shows. Okay, K-9 and Company wasn't that successful. But younger fans have a lot to love in The Sarah Jane Adventures, and more mature fans have even more to love in Torchwood.
37. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances. A nanogene cloud meets a lost little boy during the Blitz in World War II, and the results are not pretty. In fact, the only thing pretty about this episode is Captain Jack Harkness, in his first appearance.
38. The Master. He was always evil when played by Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley, but he was never so chaotically evil as when played by John Simm.
39. Rory Williams' steadfast devotion. Amy Pond is called "the girl who waited." But Rory waited even longer for Amy.
40. Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. One of the founders of UNIT (Unified Intelligence Taskforce), the very British character was seen with Doctors Two, Three, Four, Five, and Seven, as well as in The Sarah Jane Adventures. Nicholas Courtney's death put an end to the character, whose passing was mentioned in The Wedding of River Song.
41. Lis Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith.
42. Castrovalva. The first episode of Peter Davison's Fifth Doctor paid homage to MC Escher's reality-twisting artwork. Even better: thanks to his new regeneration, the Fifth Doctor was deeply confused. Hanging out in Castrovalva didn't improve things for him.
43. Adventure. Frankly, you can't get more adventurous than the characters of Captain Jack Harkness and River Song. He got a well-deserved spin-off. Where's her series? (Ooo, or have her guest star on Torchwood!)
44. Episodes with multiple Doctors. The Three Doctors. (One, Two and Three) The Five Doctors. (One, Two, Three, Five and sometimes Four) The Two Doctors (Two and Six). Whenever the Doctors meet, they seem to dislike each other immensely. However, David Tennant and Peter Davison hit it off eventually in the Children in Need special, "Time Crash."
45. Putting Hitler in the closet.
46. The Fourth Doctor's irreverent fondness for jelly babies (Think gummy bears, but denser and more sugary.)
47. Regeneration. When the First Doctor, played by the William Hartnell, left the show for health reasons, producer Verity Lambert conceived of a unique way to keep the show running: give the character a new life. Later known as "regeneration," it was retconned into the lore of the Doctor that each Time Lord gets twelve regenerations. Because of this, we've seen multiple incarnations of the Master, Rassilon and Romanadvoratrelundar as well.
48. An Unearthly Child. The episode that started it all, it featured a mysterious time traveler, his granddaughter and two people they take to the Stone Age, where its denizens have forgotten how to use fire. Happy anniversary, Doctor.
Although the PlayStation 3 had a tremendously rough launch, Sony's powerful console has managed to keep up with the rest of the pack thanks to a sizable list of solid IPs and big ticket franchises. Although it hasn't quite caught up to the Nintendo Wii or Microsoft Xbox 360 in the American market, the PS3 remains a clear powerhouse player in Japan and Europe. Sony claims that the PlayStation 3 is powerful enough to be their frontrunner console for 10 years, and with PlayStation Move, the PS3 is still changing.
With all of the major releases for 2011 out on shelves, a lot of shake-ups have happened in the last few months. Most notably, Batman: Arkham City swept us away, while The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim tore us all away from our mundane lives and told us to go dragon hunting. It hasn't been all about sequels, though, as The Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection reminded us just how good Team Ico's first two title were. Hit the jump to see which games were voted by the GamePro staff into our "Top 10" games of the PlayStation 3 right now.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 has seen a lot of great games surge onto store shelves in the last few months, with more than a couple incredible sequels staking their claim as the best of the console's crop. So far, it's looking like a banner year for Batman: Arkham City and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, although perennial power houses like Mass Effect 2, Dark Souls, and Red Dead Redemption still hold up strong today. With the year coming to close, the GamePro staff voted on the best games for the console right now, and there's been a lot of movers and shakers.
Before you start shopping for the holidays, check out our "Top 10" Xbox 360 games and why they're the best ones you can get on the console today.
Earlier in the week, GeekTech explained how hackers had managed to get the iPhone's new voice assistant Siri to do more than just take notes and tell you the weather. Since then, more hackers have come forward with other ways Siri can control things via the proxy server. The newest and most interesting though is Siri's ability to control your car.
Developer Brendon Fiquett created the hack based around a proxy server and a ruby plugin.that allows him to send commands to his car. At present, Siri can unlock and lock the car, open the trunk, and also start and stop the ignition.
[Photo: Brendon Fiquett]
Siri will currently respond to commands such as "Vehicle Start", "Vehicle Stop", "Vehicle Pop Trunk" and the slightly more conversational "Start my car", "Lock my car", "Pop my trunk".
Of course this won't work for everyone's car--Brendon's vehicle has Viper SmartStart installed so it can be controlled remotely. Therefore, models without any form or remote controlling won't be able to benefit from the tech. If you can remotely control your car, though, this could in future be good for those who frequently forget their car keys, or perhaps can't reach their keys at the bottom of their bag.
Personally, I think it'd be impressive when the likes of Siri will drive the car on long journeys for you, once the designated driver begins to feel tired (or you just don't feel like driving that day). Granted, we're probably a little ways off from that--unless Google gets its way.
Here's a video of Brendon showing you Siri starting up his car's engine. Head over to his blog to see a couple more of the technical details, including the resources needed, if you are considering trying this yourself.
Darryl Boyett asked if his home WiFi connection, which uses WPA2 protection, is safe enough for online banking.
I can't promise you that it is absolutely, 100-percent safe; but yes, it is safe enough.
If you have a router (and you should), and you have not turned off that router's wireless capabilities, then you really need to secure that WiFi connection. And WPA2 is currently the safest way to do that.
An unsecured connection allows neighbors and strangers access to your Internet connection and possibly your home network. They could stream video over your connection, slowing down your own Internet access. If they have the skills, they may be able to search your hard drive for bank account numbers and other sensitive information. Even worse, they could download something illegal, such as child pornography, and it will look to the police as if you're the guilty party.
So you need protection, and WPA2 offers considerably more than the older standards, WEP and WPA, both of which can be cracked in minutes. WPA2 can also be cracked, but if you set it up properly, cracking it will take more of the criminal's time than anything on your network is worth (assuming you're not working for the Department of Defense or the Mafia).
Check your router's menus or manual to find out how to set up WPA2 protection.
One important part of setting it up properly is to use a strong password. Your dog's name is not a strong password. Neither is ralph, humdinger, or password. But LcSGm\|lJ]Xc;<U0e=)[gHjCPvJX{6L6oW!a is a very good password, indeed (except for the fact that it's now been published in PC World). For more on the subject, see What Is the Best Way to Create Strong Passwords?
You can never achieve perfect security--not on the Internet, in your home network, nor in your real, physical home. After all, someone once stole the Mona Lisa. But you can make your home, and your home network, sufficiently secure so that criminals will look elsewhere.
Trekkies and sci-fi fans alike need not fret any longer – Star Trek 2 (a.k.a. the delayed sequel to J.J. Abrams’ successful 2009 reboot of the franchise) is at last moving forward towards production.
Shooting on the new Trek adventure is scheduled to begin by mid-January 2012; Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has even begun working on some of the film’s more elaborate effects, to help ensure the final product looks all the more slick and polished. Paramount has now settled on a new theatrical release date for the sequel, which was originally supposed to hit theaters in Summer 2012 (G.I. Joe: Retaliation is essentially serving as its replacement, during that season).
All of the main cast members in the 2009 Trek reboot (Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, etc.) are set to reprise their roles as younger and alternate-timeline incarnations of the classic U.S.S. Enterprise crew in the sequel.
EXCLUSIVE: From zombies to aliens. The Walking Dead executive producer Gale Anne Hurd and her Valhalla Entertainment have optioned Annie Jacobsen’s book Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base for a potential TV series. The hourlong project, which will be taken out to the networks shortly, will be written by feature scribe Karl Gajdusek. It will follow two men working on the base who are thrust into danger when they uncover secrets that the government will protect at any cost. Gajdusek, who was brought in by Valhalla executive Beatrice Springborn, will serve as showrunner and executive produce with Hurd. Jacobsen will be a consulting producer.
Jacobsen’s Area 51 sheds light on the highly classified military base, which has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories claiming that it is home to aliens, underground tunnel systems, nuclear facilities or even the lunar landing, supposedly staged and filmed there. Jacobsen interviewed 19 men who served the base and another 55 who had links to Area 51, including living and working there for extended periods. The book chronicles what has really gone on in the Nevada desert, from testing nuclear weapons to building super-secret, supersonic jets to pursuing the War on Terror. Area 51 was published in May and spent 8 weeks on the NY Times Bestseller List. Gajdusek, who started off in TV on Showtime’s Dead Like Me, recently wrote the Tom Cruise film Oblivion for Universal, with Joseph Kosinski directing, and The Last Days Of American Crime for Radical/IM Global. Gajdusek, repped by Verve and Management 360, is currently writing Last Resort, a pilot script for ABC executive produced by Shawn Ryan and Viking for Working Title.
Last Monday November 14th, we had play testers in the office from our community and fan sites. It was an honor to have them here and get their direct feedback about the game, which is going a long way to help us improve the whole player experience. All of them wrote about their experiences playing Torchlight 2, and we're happy to be able to share the links with you below. If you're curious about the overview, lass details, Q&A, or what our office looks like, you'll find all that and much more below.
As a special bonus, Matt Uelmen graciously lent three tracks from the Torchlight 2 soundtrack to each site - you can literally collect all three! Follow the links for your exclusive downloads, and a sneak peek into the full score.
In addition, Torchlight 1 is on sale on torchlightgame.com and Steam, just in time for the holidays!
Runic Games Fan Site provides an office video tour, huge write-ups by three testers Mika, Hawkn, and Jerich, and one of the Matt Uelmen tracks, "the Town Theme." You can get all the links to all their coverage here: There is even more to come with an in-depth write-up from Jerich's hands-on, so be sure to bookmark the page.
Flux at Inc Gamers has put out links to his hands-on experiences, the Diablo Podcast with Travis Baldree, and Matt Uelmen's track, "Steppes." Check back for his interview with Max Schaefer, which he also nabbed in the office.
For our German fans, we have coverage on the Torchlight German Fansite moderated by Telias. Read his impressions (in German), get the third Matt Uelmen track, "Vulture Pass", and links to total coverage in German.
And if you haven't yet, check out our hour long Community Q&A podcast where the dev team answers your questions!
We're thankful for our fans, and hope you enjoy all the new content. Happy Thanksgiving from Runic Games!
SWTOR recently made this below announcement to ensure that all guilds that meet the requirements (minimum 4 members with pre-order codes) can get set up for Early Access.
A few weeks ago we announced that Phase 3 of our Pre-Launch Guild Program had begun. Phase 3: Deployment allows guild members to see whether or not their guild qualifies for transfer into the game. As we approach Early Game Access for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, we want to remind all of you in guilds that the Pre-Launch Guild Program will end on December 2nd, 11:59PM CST so that guilds can be assigned to servers for Early Game Access.
This is your last chance to:
Make any changes to your guild
Ensure your guild meets requirements for deployment into the game
Designate your guild’s Allies and Adversaries
Review and accept pending guild applications
So how do you ensure that your guild makes it into the game for launch? It’s simple! All you have to do is make sure at least four members of your guild have pre-ordered the game and redeemed their Pre-Order Code at our Code Redemption Center. Once you’ve done that, you can check your guild’s page within the Guild HQ to see if you have met all of the pre-designated conditions.
If your guild does not yet qualify for transfer to the game, you still have time. Visit our Pre-Order page, secure your copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic, and redeem your Pre-Order Code to help ensure that your guild makes the cut for launch!
To learn more about guilds in The Old Republic, check out the Guilds Game System page for details and visit the Guilds FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions.
*Customers who pre-order Star Wars: The Old Republic will be able to play the game before the official launch. “Early Game Access” is the period of time before the official game launch when pre-order customers may access the game. Early Game Access may be up to 5 days. The length of your Early Game Access depends on the date and order in which you redeemed your Pre-Order Code at the Code Redemption Center. See Pre-Order FAQ for more details.
**We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that qualifying guilds are imported into a server that meets your specified preferences, but we cannot make any guarantees given the anticipated volume of guilds (among other factors). All server placements therefore remain in our sole discretion. We also cannot take responsibility for technical errors or glitches that prevent your guild from importing into the game as planned. See Terms of Service for more details.