Xbox 360 was the number one smash hit for Christmas gifts last year. The reasons are obvious: more visual effects, better console, incredible action, and excellent game choices. This year again teens will be playing Xbox 360 games with their friends, comparing games at school, and buying, renting or swapping the new Xbox games out this year. Here are some of the top picks for Christmas 2006, in a variety of categories, such as action, adventure, shooters, sports, and role-playing. Something for everyone.
1. Gears of war - Shooter
Now this is what next-gen gaming is all about! I've logged over 13 hours of game time so far, and haven't even finished it, but that's because I'm milking this baby for all it's worth. The campaign experience is one to be savored, as there probably won't be anything like it again for quite some time. Gears of war is one of those titles that comes around every couple of years and raises the bar so high that it almost spoils every game released in the next six months.
This third-person shooter thrusts gamers into a deep and harrowing story of humankind's epic battle for survival against the Locust Horde, a nightmarish race of creatures that surface from the bowels of the earth.
Gears of war is about teamwork in a big way. All game modes, levels and scenarios are designed specifically to encourage cooperative play, whether it be with A.I. partners or human players (with A.I. teammates designed with specific strengths, weaknesses and personalities). Also, voice recognition will be available for players, and voice chat to discuss strategy with your friends.
2. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter - shooter
The face of war has changed with Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter. Enemy lines are blurred and there is no clear opponent. New enemies and threats require a new type of warfare and a new kind of soldier. Enter the Ghosts.
In 2013, the U.S. Army will implement its Integrated Warfighter system. IWS combines advanced weapon systems, satellite communication devices, and enhanced survivability features into a fully integrated warfare combat system. Equipped with cutting edge weapons and communications systems, you will find yourself, one of the Ghosts, immersed in a detailed universe which is warfare of the future.
One gamer exclaimed, "This game is a pure showcase of next gen gaming. the graphica are downright gorgeous and this actually helps to immerse you into the story. and the story is riveting enough to actually make you care about mexico city... do your self a favor and buy this game."
3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - RPG
Like earlier games in the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion is designed to present a living fantasy world that gamers experience on their own terms. The game is populated with over 1,000 NPCs, each leading a fully realized life, following regular schedules according to their individual wants, needs, and positions. Players are encouraged to interact in the world as they choose, as noble heroes, greedy villains, or anything in between. The game's main story and its sidemissions provide plenty of fast-moving adventure.
Advised one fan: "This Game Is Like Crack. Massive enivornment; Beautiful graphics; Great ambient music and sound; Totally engrossing gameplay. This game is unbelieveable. If you like RPG's in the SLIGHTEST, buy it."
4. Fight Night Round 3 - Sports
Easily beating the competition, Fight Night Round 3 brings the most intense boxing videogame experience ever to the virtual boxing ring. Film-quality graphics establish Fight Night Round 3 as one of the best looking and playing Xbox 360 sports games ever produced. The graphics feature devastating punch impacts unparalleled in any game or film.
Outside of the ring, gamers can establish intense rivalries through pre-fight events and trash talk, putting more purpose and passion behind their every hit. The visuals in Fight Night Round 3 are so excellent that they actually enhance the gameplay. The gameplay has been revamped from what was already an excellent experience in Round 2.
5. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent - action
The bestselling Tom Clancy's "Splinter Cell" game takes on an entirely new direction. You play as a double agent for the first time ever in Splinter Cell Double Agent. You'll take on the dual roles of covert operative and ruthless terrorist, where your choices of whom to betray and whom to protect actually affect the outcome of your game.
Experience the relentless tension and gut-wrenching dilemmas of life as a double agent. Lie. Kill. Sabotage. Betray. But above all, save and protect the innocent. How far will you go to gain the enemy's trust? As covert operative Sam Fisher, you'll infiltrate a vicious terrorist group and seek to destroy it from within. Carefully weigh the consequences of your actions--kill too many terrorists and blow your cover. Hesitate and millions will die. Do whatever it takes to complete your mission, but get out alive.
6. LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - action
The war between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel alliance has left the galaxy far, far away a huge mess! But luckily with LEGOs, rebuilding is easy! Play through the original trilogy, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, as all three movies are re-created using LEGO bricks. You can play as one of 50 different characters and can even get out of vehicles and ride on various creatures.
Our recommendation: If you liked the first Star Wars game, this one should definitely be on your list. If you've never played the first game, then this one must be on your list! So really, there isn't any reason not to own and play this game.
7. Madden nfl 07 - Sports
With Madden nfl 07, innovative rushing controls allow you to control the running game like never before, with all-new jukes, cutbacks, and the distinct running styles of your favorite backs.
For the first time, in a football video game, you can step up as the lead blocker to create a hole, and then take control of the tailback to smash through, jump over, or tear away from any would-be tackler as you head for the end zone.
One fan raved, "Overall it was exactly what i was looking for, ... the new features are all fun, and the individual camera view for every position in superstar mode gave u a feeling of really playing as the character. This will be a great game to play alone or with a group of friends."
8. Dead Rising - action
Dead Rising follows the harrowing saga of Frank West, an overly zealous freelance photojournalist on a hunt for the scoop of a lifetime. In pursuit of a clue, he makes his way to a small suburban town only to find that it has been overrun by zombies. He escapes to the local shopping mall, thinking it will be a bastion of safety, but it turns out to be anything but.
In the intense struggle to survive the endless stream of zombies, players have full reign of a realistic shopping center, utilizing anything they find to fight off the flesh-hungry mob. The variety of stores in the mall offers players an endless supply of resources including vehicles, makeshift weapons and more. Players encounter other survivors along the way, and by helping them, acquire valuable clues as to what has happened and how to survive.
I couldn't say it better than one fan: "Thousands and thousands of zombies to kill in a myriad of ridiculous ways; tons of things to see and try throughout the mall; great sense of style; a plot that manages to be intriguing without intruding too much on the action; and fantastic sound effects."
9. Saints Row - action
Welcome to Stilwater, an open-world city with attitude, a city controlled by rival gangs, a city you are about to take over in Saints Row. As a low-level thug in the Third Street Saints, you'll do whatever it takes to get the money and build the respect and power you need to muscle your way to the top. Be careful, though. Your actions have consequences within the game, and around every corner lurks a new threat.
Numerous vehicles are available to "borrow," pedestrians can be slugged or robbed at gunpoint, and there are an assortment of missions to advance the game's primarily storyline. Some features include: fun, responsive driving controls; excellent on-foot shooting action; impressive presentation, featuring amazing explosions and great audio; and a well-written, well-acted story to compel you to keep playing.
10. Hitman: Blood Money - action
On the run from rival assassins, Agent 47 hops a plane to take care of business stateside in Hitman: Blood Money. Players will guide Agent 47 through a number of locales, including New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas as he performs hits. It's up to the player to determine the manner in which a hit is executed, but the "rookie training" mode can show amateur assassins how to help targets have "accidents," by pushing the victim over a ledge or pinning him underneath a heavy object.
The amount of money earned from completed jobs varies depending on the cleanliness and professionalism of the hit. Agent 47's paychecks can be spent in a number of ways including bribing reporters, customizing weapons with one of 15 upgrades, or paying pedestrians for information. open-ended stealth action gameplay lets you sneak around, or run and gun; beautifully crafted mission set pieces seem appropriately big and complex; large variety of realistic weapons; and great combination of action and strategy.
Jason Purnell is a gamer providing valuable tips and advice on gaming systems, cheats, and especially Xbox 360 games. He is the author of the new book, Winning Xbox 360 Games: Strategies and Tips from Some of the World's best video Gamers. An avid gamer himself, Jason also writes articles on gaming. For more free tips on Xbox 360 games, go to: http://www.Xbox-360-Game-Reviews.com.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Top 10 Xbox 360 Games Your Kids Want For Christmas This Year - Guaranteed!
Obesity - Cause and Remedy
A well-known psychologist recently wrote about the issue of obesity in America for the Practical Advise column, which appeared in my local newspaper. The title of her article, Obesity Is A medical Illness, Not A Behavioral Disorder, shocked and frightened me. She stated, Obesity meets all of the clinical definitions of a disease.
In view of the fact that this is a syndicated column and hundreds of newspapers will carry this article, I am compelled to write a rebuttal to this outrageous miscarriage of facts. Maybe with some stretch of imagination, being obese may have earned a medical disease diagnosisbecoming or staying obese is the result of emotional adaptations and indoctrinationsenvironment, family, religion and society are contributors to the onset and proliferation of obesity.
The frightening aspect of this article is the proclamation that obesity is a disease, reinforcing the doctor's role as an authority and the persons role as a helpless sick person. This indoctrination instills the belief that a "disease," is out of the direct control of the person and that the doctor has a "treatment," and that the person must "listen to the doctor" in order to "get well again." Thus, learned helplessness and submissiveness is then vastly amplified by this insidious edict. The person becomes more dutiful to the doctor and to the demoralizing principles of prescriptions, which is the mainstay of Traditional Western medicine. Denial of ones responsibility for ones health and compliance to the doctors authority becomes a way of life, anchored in place by false facts.
The national Center for Health Statistics, 2007, set the obesity rate for Americans at 31 percent. This statistic is no doubt low, because many obese people do not appear in statistical data, because they seldom use medical services in order to be counted.
Side effects of obesity includes: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea and depression, which are diagnosed as medical conditions. However, from a metaphysical standpoint, these issues can be traced back to emotional issues which precipitated the person to use food as a coping mechanism.
Reasons for excess weight include:
Emotional issuesFear, Hidden anger, Resistance to forgive, Need for protection, running away from feelings. Insecurity, Oversensitivity, Self-rejection. Seeking fulfillment, Childhood traumasexual abuse, corporal punishment and verbal abuse
Diet high in carbohydrates
Lack of exercise
Thyroid imbalance
Insulin imbalance
Adrenal problems
water retentionkidney/heart malfunction (edema, phlegm accumulation)
Weak digestive function
Blood sugar swings (glycogen/insulin imbalance or hypoglycemic/diabetes)
The Cause of Obesity - http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Cause-of-Obesity&id=152996, Its Not Only The FoodIts Also What You Tell Yourself: Maintain Your Ideal Weight The Right Way, Weight MaintenanceRelapse Prevention Part I http://ezinearticles.com/?Weight-Maintenance---Relapse-Prevention---Part-I&id=619711. See also, Weight MaintenanceRelapse Prevention Part II.
successful approaches to weight loss include:
Eat regular, balanced meals (small meals 5 times/day)30 percent fats, 30 percent proteins, 40 percent complex carbohydrates (vegetables, with some grains (no wheat). This practice coupled with Eat Right for Your Type by Peter D'Adamo is a clear, simple food plan for each blood type that anyone can follow. For example there is a direct connection between stress, autoimmune disorders and red meat in the type B system. I can attest to this research. Long before Eat Right for Your Type was published, I discovered red meat caused me to feel stressful due to pain in my stomach and nerve endings. It felt like my stomach lining and nerve endings had been scraped until they were raw. I discovered this pain was prevalent after eating red meat, thus, I stopped eating red meat and the pain in my stomach and nerve endings ceased. Many years later without knowing my blood type, I read Eat Right for Your Type and wondered if my blood type was B. After checking my blood type, I was not surprised to discover my blood type is B positive.
The process of changing your eating habits might seem insurmountable. However, consider the end result and the effort is worth any falsely perceived difficulty.
Walk outside or on the treadmill at least 10 minutes after eating the evening meal.
Take specific proven herbal compounds before each meal to increase metabolism and to assist in releasing fat and curb water retention.
Take specific nutritional supplements for the thyroid and adrenal gland, both crucial to the weight-loss process.
Have acupuncture treatments to help balance the organ systems (pancreas, live, endocrine function), to reduce cravings and curb the appetite (ear acupressure is available for those who fear needles).
hypnotherapy is imperative if you have a strong underlying emotional cause for excess. How does one determine if one has a strong underlying emotional cause? The answer is simpleif you did not have a strong underlying emotional cause, you would not have gained excessive weight.
Losing and maintaining ones ideal weight requires an earnest commitment to healthier living. The end resultfeeling and looking betteris well worth the effort.
If your best efforts fall short of your desired goal weight, consider hypnosis administered by a Certified Hypnotherapist, who specializes in Mind, Body, Spirit healing.
hypnosis is a dynamic and vital healing process embracing all aspects health care. hypnosis is client-centered with its focus on the discovery of the origin of a persons issues. through the process of hypnosis/regression the unconscious mind goes to the original cause, which then gives the person and practitioner the opportunity to process the original feelings surrounding the original experience/cause. These surrounding feelings can be healed, thus empowering the person to live the life they want to live.
This study confirmsHypnosis is more effective and works more quickly than traditional talk-therapy or psychoanalysis. In a hypnotic state, you are more receptive to new ideas and you can more effectively process the emotions linked to the experiences, which created pain, fear, sadness, anger, guilt, shame, humiliation and low self-esteem.
through hypnosis you connect with your subconscious mind, which puts YOU in control of your subconscious mindthe most powerful and empowering aspect of your brain.
Dorothy M. Neddermeyer, PhD, Life Coach, Hypnotherapist, Author, "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life." Dr. Dorothy has the unique gift of connecting people with a broad range of profound principles that resonate in the deepest part of their being. She brings awareness to concepts not typically obvious to one's daily thoughts and feelings.
http://www.drdorothy.net
Water Help To Lose Weight - Three Proven Methods That Can Help You Lose Weight
Does taking in large amounts of water help to loss weight? Losing weight is not rocket science. It's simply a matter of taking in less calories each day than you're using, or burning more calories than you're using. This means that if during the course of your regular daily activities you are burning 3,000 calories, then you'll want to eat foods that add up to less than that amount.
For example, if it's determined that a person of your size uses that amount of calories each day, then putting yourself on a diet that only allowed you 2,000 calories per day would put you on course to lose two pounds per week. How, you ask? Because it takes 3,500 calories to either gain or lose one pound of fat. By reducing you caloric intake by 1,000 calories daily for seven days you'll have lost 7,000 calories from your body, or 3,500 x 2 = two pounds.
drinking plenty of water is an essential part of your daily routine. It helps to flush your system and is better for you than any other liquid beverage on the planet for maintaining good health. drinking a big glass of water before you eat a meal is not a bad idea. Keep in mind though that even if you're dieting you'll still need to get the proper nutrients in your body, so don't substitute water for too many meals.
You could fast one day per week and drink nothing but water. This will not only help you to lose weight but you'll also help to flush your system out. Everyone, dieting or not, should fast from time to time.
Summary - If you're wondering if water will help you to loss weight, yes it can, but don't abuse it. Cut your calories, drink water and begin an exercise program. Doing these three things can rapidly speed up your weight loss and you'll be doing it the healthy way.
Are You "Fed Up" With Fad Diets? Find Out The REAL Truth about Losing Weight Right now By Visiting BestWayToLoseWeight.org or by clicking on Water Help To Loss Weight. Joe Simmons is a former U.S. Army Sgt That Wants You To Live A healthy life. Get Ready, Get Up, Get Moving and Get Your life Back!
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