The Console Wars: Which Console Should You Buy
Games consoles feature on birthday and Christmas wish lists every year, and video games are one of the most popular forms of modern entertainment. However, deciding which console to buy can be difficult. They may share many similarities, but their differences are extremely important to any gamer. Here are some of the essential factors which differentiate the three major games consoles.
Gaming Performance
If graphics are important to you, then you’ll probably want to stick to either the PS3 or Xbox 360, both of which offer some truly amazing visuals. The Wii is generally much weaker on this front, although some of its titles are extremely attractive (the best examples being the Mario Galaxy titles).
Multiplayer Fun
While the Xbox 360 and PS3 both offer online gaming, the Wii takes the crown when it comes to group living room entertainment and party fun, with titles like Wii Sports being particularly popular.
Motion Control
Wii was designed to combine video gaming with physical activity, and really stood out in the marketplace thanks to its innovative motion-sensing controllers. In the last few year however, Wii technology has remained more or less the same. By contrast, both Xbox 360 and PS3 have developed their own competing motion-based control systems.
The PS3 motion control technology is known as PlayStation Move, which functions in a similar way to the Wii remote. The PlayStation Eye tracks the remote’s position and direction of movement, which are reproduced within the game.
The Xbox 360 Kinect differs from both the Wii and PlayStation devices in that its motion control involves no physical controller at all. Instead, the Kinect is able to track the player’s bodily movements using a camera, meaning that game control is achieved purely through physical gestures.
Extra Features
Both the Xbox 360 and PS3 can be used to watch films. Xbox 360 currently supports DVD playback (with Blu-ray support planned for the future), while PS3 supports both DVD and Blu-ray playback. These devices can also store and play music, and can be used for streaming media such as Netflix. The Wii does not support DVD or Blu-ray playback, and cannot be used to store or play music. It can, however, be used for streaming media services.
Console-Specific Flagship Games
Perhaps the biggest difference between these consoles lies in the specific video games that they offer. Most games are available on all three consoles, but an important few are not. These flagship console-specific titles are usually some of the best games available on the system.
The most notable Xbox 360 console-specific titles include the first-person shooter franchise Halo – one of the best first-person shooter series available on consoles; Forza Motorsport – the Xbox 360’s racing game franchise to rival Gran Turismo on the PS3; the Dead or Alive beat-‘em-up franchise, and the Gears of War franchise – a third-person action series offering intense gunplay in a post-apocalyptic future.
Stand-out PS3 console-specific titles include the Uncharted franchise – an action-adventure series of Indiana Jones-like peril; the Gran Turismo racing realism franchise; the unique and creative LittleBigPlanet sandbox puzzle platformer franchise, and the Killzone first-person shooter franchise.
The Wii’s console-specific titles are among some of the most well-known and best-loved game franchises in history. They include Super Mario Galaxy – the unparalleled platform series; Zelda: Skyward Sword – the latest instalment in the legendary Zelda franchise offering some of the best action adventure gaming out there; Super Smash Bros. Brawl – the unique multiplayer beat-‘em-up; Metroid Prime 3 – the latest instalment in Nintendo’s acclaimed action-adventure Metroid franchise, and an array of Pokémon titles.
To conclude, remember that no one console is better than the others – each has its own merits. The decision simply rests on your particular preferences.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Review of OPENING THE GATES of THE HEART, A JOURNEY OF HEALING
Dear Readers,
I you are searching for the perfect Christmas gift for someone in your list who has been through a tragic or traumatic experience, OPENING THE GATES OF THE HEART, A JOURNEY OF HEALING is the answer.
This gorgeous inspirational, coffee table book is a life saver for those who are seeking healing through beautiful images of gates with poetic words which match the theme of each gate. I was so impressed with the quality and substance of this book.
Clicking on the image above will lead you to the page on Amazon.com where you can purchase OPENING THE GATES OF THE HEART, A JOURNEY OF HEALING for help with your own journey of healing or as a great gift for someone who needs some support.
I you are searching for the perfect Christmas gift for someone in your list who has been through a tragic or traumatic experience, OPENING THE GATES OF THE HEART, A JOURNEY OF HEALING is the answer.
This gorgeous inspirational, coffee table book is a life saver for those who are seeking healing through beautiful images of gates with poetic words which match the theme of each gate. I was so impressed with the quality and substance of this book.
Clicking on the image above will lead you to the page on Amazon.com where you can purchase OPENING THE GATES OF THE HEART, A JOURNEY OF HEALING for help with your own journey of healing or as a great gift for someone who needs some support.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Review of Costume Discounters
Are you ready for Halloween? Well man I am now! I got lucky and received a free costume from Costume Discounters to review on my blog and I love the costume I selected and received quickly.
I chose the Deluxe Flower Child Hippie dress below and fell in love with it the minute I opened the package. I was a little apprehensive, for I am a bit of a bigger lady, not fat, just pleasingly plump, :), and was wondering if choosing one of the plus sized costumes offered by Costume Discounters would be a wise move. It turns out that it was a very wise decision, for the dress fits me perfectly!
I grew up in the late 60s and early 70s, so this dress is almost NOT like a costume for me, lol! In fact, I can remember wearing dresses quite similar to this one back in the day, but I am not sure I wore shoes at all. Just looking at this dress brings back a feeling of calmness and serenity, and reminds me of my poetry and peace loving days as a teenager. What a different world we live in now, or I'm just different. Maybe wearing this great costume on Halloween will bring back some of that old magic.
Check out the great sales they have going on at Costume Discounters now, just in time to get your costume before Halloween. They have costumes for kids and adults, lingerie, brand name costumes like Disney, decorations, and all the Halloween accessories you will need for your costume, your kid's costume, or your party. Costume Discounters has costumes for all occasions, not just Halloween!
I chose the Deluxe Flower Child Hippie dress below and fell in love with it the minute I opened the package. I was a little apprehensive, for I am a bit of a bigger lady, not fat, just pleasingly plump, :), and was wondering if choosing one of the plus sized costumes offered by Costume Discounters would be a wise move. It turns out that it was a very wise decision, for the dress fits me perfectly!
I grew up in the late 60s and early 70s, so this dress is almost NOT like a costume for me, lol! In fact, I can remember wearing dresses quite similar to this one back in the day, but I am not sure I wore shoes at all. Just looking at this dress brings back a feeling of calmness and serenity, and reminds me of my poetry and peace loving days as a teenager. What a different world we live in now, or I'm just different. Maybe wearing this great costume on Halloween will bring back some of that old magic.
Check out the great sales they have going on at Costume Discounters now, just in time to get your costume before Halloween. They have costumes for kids and adults, lingerie, brand name costumes like Disney, decorations, and all the Halloween accessories you will need for your costume, your kid's costume, or your party. Costume Discounters has costumes for all occasions, not just Halloween!
Review of ARIZONA WAY OUT WEST & WACKY
I was privileged to be supplied a free copy of the children's activity book, ARIZONA WAY OUT WEST & WACKY to review. What a wonderful book! Written by multi-award winning co-authors, Conrad J. Storad & Lynda Exley, this awesome activity, humorous history, and fun facts book about Arizona will educate and keep your kid busy for hours and hours.
Affectionately known as AZ WOWW, ARIZONA WAY OUT WEST & WACKY was designated an official Centennial Legacy Project by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission, as authorized by the Arizona Legislature. That's a huge honor for any book, but especially a children's activity book. The book is awesome, and it is so easy to see how much time, effort and thought went into creating ARIZONA WAY OUT WEST & WACKY, (AZ WOWW.) Realizing that it would take much more than amusing writing and interesting facts about Arizona to hold a child's attention, the creative team-which are all made up of Arizona residents- added word searches, crossword puzzles, coloring pages, recipes, crafts and more to the book.
My review copy of the book is totally great, but the finished product coming out very soon is a perfect bound, 8 1/2 X 11, glossy cover, high quality paperback book. Published by Five Star Publications, AZ WOWW will be distributed through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Pacific Four Sales, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, and indiebound.org. To learn more about ARIZONA WAY OUT WEST AND WACKY and to order your advance copy, visit the work in progress website, Arizona Way Out West & Wacky, or Five Star Publications.
Affectionately known as AZ WOWW, ARIZONA WAY OUT WEST & WACKY was designated an official Centennial Legacy Project by the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission, as authorized by the Arizona Legislature. That's a huge honor for any book, but especially a children's activity book. The book is awesome, and it is so easy to see how much time, effort and thought went into creating ARIZONA WAY OUT WEST & WACKY, (AZ WOWW.) Realizing that it would take much more than amusing writing and interesting facts about Arizona to hold a child's attention, the creative team-which are all made up of Arizona residents- added word searches, crossword puzzles, coloring pages, recipes, crafts and more to the book.
My review copy of the book is totally great, but the finished product coming out very soon is a perfect bound, 8 1/2 X 11, glossy cover, high quality paperback book. Published by Five Star Publications, AZ WOWW will be distributed through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Pacific Four Sales, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, and indiebound.org. To learn more about ARIZONA WAY OUT WEST AND WACKY and to order your advance copy, visit the work in progress website, Arizona Way Out West & Wacky, or Five Star Publications.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Review of Flushy, Trashy and Sinky--Natural House Products
As a person who is really trying to make a point of using only natural products, I was very happy to have received a month's supply of three Natural House products, Flushy, Trashy and Sinky. I love the cute names, but don't let that fool you when it comes to the jobs these natural household cleaning products work!
Flushy is for the toilet, sinky is for the sink, and trash is of course for the trash can. With flushy you just drop one of the packets in the toilet and watch as it breaks apart, foams and does a great job of cleaning your toilet the natural way, with products that won't harm either your toilet or the environment. It works like a charm!
I used Sinky in my kitchen sink, have actually used it twice in the last few weeks, and I can almost feel it cleaning my pipes with no guilt for me from using harm chemicals, nor worry about these dangerous chemicals harming my family or pets.
Trashy is a spray that you use on your trash can, both inside and out. I was amazed at this natural home cleaning product, for when I sprayed it on the outside of my dirty white kitchen trash can, it began cleaning before I even used a sponge to help out!
The image below gives a great visual of how the products work:
You can also watch this YouTube video to learn more about Natural House plant-based products and how they do such a great, environmentally friendly job removing dirt and germs without harming your family!
Overall I was delighted with these natural household cleaning products and look forward to soon giving away a month's supply to one of my lucky readers here at Reviewer Gone Mad!
If you are interested in purchasing Natural House products, visit this link to their online store, or you can buy Natural House products at Amazon.com.
You can also follow Natural House on Facebook and Twitter. Right now there are several blogs holding giveaways of Natural House products. One is Leslie Loves Veggies. Be sure to sign up for the giveaway on Leslie's blog before 10/12/2011, and check back for our giveaway of a month's supply of Sinky, Flushy, and Trashy very soon!
Flushy is for the toilet, sinky is for the sink, and trash is of course for the trash can. With flushy you just drop one of the packets in the toilet and watch as it breaks apart, foams and does a great job of cleaning your toilet the natural way, with products that won't harm either your toilet or the environment. It works like a charm!
I used Sinky in my kitchen sink, have actually used it twice in the last few weeks, and I can almost feel it cleaning my pipes with no guilt for me from using harm chemicals, nor worry about these dangerous chemicals harming my family or pets.
Trashy is a spray that you use on your trash can, both inside and out. I was amazed at this natural home cleaning product, for when I sprayed it on the outside of my dirty white kitchen trash can, it began cleaning before I even used a sponge to help out!
The image below gives a great visual of how the products work:
You can also watch this YouTube video to learn more about Natural House plant-based products and how they do such a great, environmentally friendly job removing dirt and germs without harming your family!
Overall I was delighted with these natural household cleaning products and look forward to soon giving away a month's supply to one of my lucky readers here at Reviewer Gone Mad!
If you are interested in purchasing Natural House products, visit this link to their online store, or you can buy Natural House products at Amazon.com.
You can also follow Natural House on Facebook and Twitter. Right now there are several blogs holding giveaways of Natural House products. One is Leslie Loves Veggies. Be sure to sign up for the giveaway on Leslie's blog before 10/12/2011, and check back for our giveaway of a month's supply of Sinky, Flushy, and Trashy very soon!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Review: Complete Idiot's Guide to American History VS. US History for Dummies
I received copies of both books in order to compare them and write this review. No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required. The views and opinions expressed are 100% my own.
From the book:
American history is one of those subjects that students frequently labor over and can seem like a random collection of names, dates, and events. Understood as a collective biography and free of the cheerleading found in many text books, the fully updated fifth edition of The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to American History explains the changing tides in America's most pivotal periods.
• From a seasoned author and researcher
• The most current and comprehensive series title on American history
• Heightened interest right now in the question of how America got where we are-a question that can only be answered by an understanding of history
About the Author
Alan Axelrod, Ph.D., has nearly 20 years of history book writing expertise and is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to the American Revolution, The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to the Civil War, Second Edition and The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to World War I. He is now the president of the Ian Samuel Group, Inc., a research and writing firm.
From the book:
Filled with fascinating trivia and lore not found in textbooks. People, places, and dates with a dash of fun — history will never be the same! Don't know much about history? Don't worry! With this friendly reference, you can bone up on all those facts you missed in history class — and have a good time in the bargain. From the Revolution to the Civil War, from the Great Depression to the Cold War, this is history the way it ought to be — fresh, memorable, and fun.
Discover how to: Astound friends with fun facts about the Founding Fathers Understand terms like "Manifest Destiny" Get a grip on the legacy of slavery Impress your family with Civil War lore Put current events in historical context.
The Dummies Way™ Explanations in plain English "Get in, get out" information Icons and other navigational aids Tear-out cheat sheet Top ten lists A dash of humor and fun.
I took the challenge of comparing the above two books and these are my conclusions:
Each book had its strong points. For instance, The Complete Idiot's Guide to American History was really much more interesting as a piece of reading material. My husband, who is quite the history buff and whose opinion I sought, even stated that he was much more drawn in by the writing of this book as opposed to the other.
However, I was much more impressed with the total layout of US History for Dummies. It was easier for me personally to navigate through.
Both books were thorough and worth having.
For me readers, I have a 50% off coupon code for any book from Idiot's Guides.com.
The coupon code is CIGBlog11 and allows for 50% off of one order of regularly priced books from www.idiotsguides.com. The discount is effective immediately and runs through October 31.
A great euphonious in every box
From the book:
American history is one of those subjects that students frequently labor over and can seem like a random collection of names, dates, and events. Understood as a collective biography and free of the cheerleading found in many text books, the fully updated fifth edition of The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to American History explains the changing tides in America's most pivotal periods.
• From a seasoned author and researcher
• The most current and comprehensive series title on American history
• Heightened interest right now in the question of how America got where we are-a question that can only be answered by an understanding of history
About the Author
Alan Axelrod, Ph.D., has nearly 20 years of history book writing expertise and is the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to the American Revolution, The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to the Civil War, Second Edition and The Complete Idiot's Guide(r) to World War I. He is now the president of the Ian Samuel Group, Inc., a research and writing firm.
From the book:
Filled with fascinating trivia and lore not found in textbooks. People, places, and dates with a dash of fun — history will never be the same! Don't know much about history? Don't worry! With this friendly reference, you can bone up on all those facts you missed in history class — and have a good time in the bargain. From the Revolution to the Civil War, from the Great Depression to the Cold War, this is history the way it ought to be — fresh, memorable, and fun.
Discover how to: Astound friends with fun facts about the Founding Fathers Understand terms like "Manifest Destiny" Get a grip on the legacy of slavery Impress your family with Civil War lore Put current events in historical context.
The Dummies Way™ Explanations in plain English "Get in, get out" information Icons and other navigational aids Tear-out cheat sheet Top ten lists A dash of humor and fun.
I took the challenge of comparing the above two books and these are my conclusions:
Each book had its strong points. For instance, The Complete Idiot's Guide to American History was really much more interesting as a piece of reading material. My husband, who is quite the history buff and whose opinion I sought, even stated that he was much more drawn in by the writing of this book as opposed to the other.
However, I was much more impressed with the total layout of US History for Dummies. It was easier for me personally to navigate through.
Both books were thorough and worth having.
For me readers, I have a 50% off coupon code for any book from Idiot's Guides.com.
The coupon code is CIGBlog11 and allows for 50% off of one order of regularly priced books from www.idiotsguides.com. The discount is effective immediately and runs through October 31.
A great euphonious in every box
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