10/05/2007

Sony's PSP Wows, but Only if You Stick to the Games


Jump gate
84 MB

ftp://ftp.edome.net/online/clientit/Jumpgatefull_eng.exe



Kayak Extreme
20 MB
Serial: E-PP9N-GNK5-LNKV

http://downloads.smallrockets.com/downloads/kayak/sr-kayak-demo-v01.exe



Manhunt (Rip)
190 MB

ftp://211.139.39.1/incoming/.яя%20%20яяя%20%20я.D%2015248.я%20%20яяяяя./.яя%20%20я%20%20яяя.%20я.%20..%202.06.я.%20яя%20%20яя..%20/ЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬЬssssssssffffffrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr/rdsrghfhdfghdfhdfhdfh/



Megaman X4
13 MB

http://paginas.terra.com.br/informatica/gamez4ever/MegaManX4.exe



AmericasArmy200Download.exe
650MB

ftp://24.222.228.44/Public_Files/Games/AmericasArmy200Download.exe



Manhattan Project
178MB

ftp://24.222.228.44/Public_Files/Games/Manhattan%20Project.rar




Midtown Madness
156 MB

ftp://24.222.228.44/Public_Files/Games/Midtown%20Madness%202.rar



Praetorians
454 MB
ftp://24.222.228.44/Public_Files/Games/Praetorians.ace



Virtua_Tennis
166 MB

ftp://24.222.228.44/Public_Files/Games/Virtua_Tennis.ace



Ford_Racing_2
183 MB

ftp://24.222.228.44/Public_Files/Games/ISOs/Ford_Racing_2.nrg



Illegal_Street_Racing
103 MB

ftp://24.222.228.44/Public_Files/Games/ISOs/Illegal_Street_Racing.nrg



Marine_Sharpshooter_2_-_ Jungle_Warfare
640 MB

ftp://24.222.228.44/Public_Files/Games/ISOs/Marine_Sharpshooter_2_-_%20Jungle_Warfare.nrg



Stable_Masters_2
87 MB

ftp://24.222.228.44/Public_Files/Games/ISOs/Stable_Masters_2.nrg




Mini golf Gold
3 MB
Registration: TSRJHPUTUM

ftp://dns.bmtmicro.net/MiniGolfGoldDemo.exe



Monkey Island 1
3 MB

http://www.clanlc.com/monkey/monkey%20Island%201.zip



Monkey Island 2
6 MB

http://www.clanlc.com/monkey/Monkey%20Island%202.zip



Moorhuhn Kart 2
34 MB

http://a849.x.akamai.net/7/849/8543/0001/bild.download.akamai.com/8543/moorhuhn/Setup_MHK2-XS.exe



Moorhuhn X XXL
17 MB

http://www.wmouse.ru/Games/SetupMoorhuhnX-XXL.exe



Mortal Kombat
3 MB

http://visacardfree.chat.ru/mk1.exe



Mortal Kombat 2
9 MB

http://megababki.chat.ru/mk2.exe


Mortal Kombat 4
12 MB

http://www.gamed.info/files/fight/mk4full.rar




Need for speed
34 MB

http://www.flashback-aw.net/files/n/need_for_speed.zip
http://www.flashback-aw.net/files/n/need_for_speed_files.zip




Need for speed 3:Hot Pursuit
29 MB

ftp://ftp.mds.mdh.se/pub/win32/games/need_for_speed_3/nfs3.zip




Need for speed: Hot Pursuit 2
611 MB

ftp://202.118.223.39/game/NFSHP2.ISO




Need for speed: Motor city online
428 MB

http://softaz.net.ru/go.php?id=75




Need for speed 5: Porsche 2000
186 MB

ftp://ftp.cablenet.com.ni/pub/juegos/driving/NFS5.zip

Sony's PSP Wows, but Only if You Stick to the Games

By Rob Pegoraro
Sunday, March 20, 2005; Page F07

Sony has often won big by thinking small. Portable gizmos such as the Walkman, the Discman and the Handicam helped make this company the consumer electronics power it is today. But until now, it hasn't tried to run that play with its most successful product of the past decade, the PlayStation line of video-game machines.

That changes Thursday, when Sony introduces the PlayStation Portable -- PSP for short. This $250 device is Sony's answer to Nintendo's Game Boy and DS handhelds. It also represents yet another try by Sony to get into the portable-media market Apple's iPod owns.



Rob Pegoraro says the $250 Sony PlayStation Portable is a 'peerless' gaming machine, 'combining sharp graphics, deep game play and easy online connectivity.' (Julia Ewan - The Washington Post)

_____Related Article_____

• With a New Toy, Plenty of Titles to Play: Two-dozen game titles will be available for the Sony PSP when it hits store shelves this week. Here's a look.



_____Recent Columns_____

• Seeking a More Intuitive Search Tool (The Washington Post, Mar 27, 2005)
• BitTorrent May Prove Too Good to Quash (The Washington Post, Mar 13, 2005)
• Headaches for Photo Filers (The Washington Post, Mar 6, 2005)
• Fast Forward Archive

_____Help File_____

• Undoing a Disk Partition and E-mailing Photos (The Washington Post, Mar 27, 2005)
• Complete Help File Archive




___Personal Tech E-letter___
Washington Post personal technology columnist Rob Pegoraro answers reader e-mail and expands on themes he touches on in his weekly newspaper column. The e-mail version of this weekly feature includes links to the latest gadget and software reviews.
• Click Here for Free Sign-up
• Read E-letter Archive








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The PSP does only one of those jobs well, and you can probably guess which one. As a portable game machine, it's a peerless piece of work, combining sharp graphics, deep game play and easy online connectivity. As a multimedia gadget, however, it's a dud.

The PSP's sleek appearance backs up its gaming orientation. This booklet-sized device -- 6 5/8 inches by 2 7/8 inches by 15/16 inches, weighing 11 ounces with headphones and remote control -- carries a similar layout of buttons to that of a PlayStation 2 controller, plus a sharp, wide-format color display. At about 4 1/4 inches wide, with a 480-by-272 resolution, it's larger than other game players' displays and almost as sharp as those on handheld organizers.

The sum of these parts looks just different enough from other portable widgets -- and cool enough in its own right -- to draw reactions from passerby that range from intrigued to awestruck.

The PSP's breakthrough feature, however, can't be seen from outside. Its WiFi receiver allows PSPs to link up for peer-to-peer wireless gaming or, if within range of a separate WiFi access point, competition across the Internet. That second option is absent from the PSP's chief competitor, Nintendo's $150 DS. (Web access would have been a pleasant bonus but there is no browser available on the PSP.)

Setting up a PSP for Internet game play is harder than necessary, thanks to Sony's awkward interface for entering the lengthy alphanumeric encryption key most WiFi access points require.

Otherwise, though, multiplayer mayhem on the PSP is laughably simple. Select "multiplayer" from a game's menu, choose between local or Internet-wide contests (in a fit of jargon, the PSP calls them "ad hoc" and "infrastructure"), then wait for opponents to show up.

In The Post's newsroom, two PSPs joined the same game in seconds and maintained the connection up to about 110 feet away. Two Internet-hosted games were almost as quick to set up and showed no signs of lag, the slow response time that can gum up online games.

You can also play PSP titles solo, of course, but it's just more fun to compete against other people. You don't get the same sublime sense of satisfaction when the car you incinerate with a hail of missiles is driven by the computer instead of your co-worker.

10/01/2007

FIFA 2008 [FULL] PC PSP

http://www.updee.com/if/0fifa08.jpg


Screen Shot: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sports/fifas … index.html


System Requirements: Intel Pentium 2.8 GHz, 512MB RAM, 128mb Graphics Card


Installation Information:
=========================
Just extract the archives and burn/mount with your favorite software.
Install, when asked for serial enter: X8MM-RWM9-FIFA-KFLT-FIFA
Copy our crack from DVD to game dir overwriting the old then play.



Download
Part-01 Part-02 Part-03 Part-04 Part-05 Part-06
Part-07 Part-08 Part-09 Part-10 Part-11

เครดิต: ท่าน tana_sana เวปเพื่อนบ้าน

Sony PlayStation Portable/PSP hands-on review

 

 psp04
We got our dirty mitts on a PlayStation Portable! Read on for a nice long review with plenty of pics:





Introduction




Ever since the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) was
announced at E3 in May 2004, we have been eagerly
anticipating the hottest console launch (sorry Nintendo DS) this year, even if it is only for the Japanese market
right now. We were fortunate enough to get a unit to test a mere five days after the Japanese release date and have
been playing with it all weekend. The Sony PSP features a large 4.3-inch 16:9 widescreen LCD TFT screen with a
480x272 resolution, button layout similar to the PlayStation with a digital control pad, an analog stick, circle,
square, triangle, x, and 2 shoulder buttons, USB 2.0 connectivity (via mini-USB), a Memory Stick Duo media slot, and
802.11b WiFi support. It uses Sony's proprietary Universal Media Disc, which stores up to 1.8GB in a format
reminiscent of MiniDiscs. The Japanese launch release date was December 12th and the first shipment of PSPs quickly
sold out. 




psp01




The Box




We got the Standard edition PSP, which comes with the PSP itself, a battery, an AC adapter, and a manual, along
with Ridge Racers and Minna No Golf Portable. (The Value Pack adds a 32MB Memory Stick Duo, a soft carrying case, and
headphones with an in-line remote.) The box does not come with a sticker seal of any sort, which we weren't quite
used to considering anything and everything comes with some sort of factory seal here in the US.




When we shook the product box, we could hear some rattling around. We weren't too thrilled about that, since the
unit did come a long ways from Japan. Luckily, when we opened the package, the PSP fits snugly into the surrounding
cardboard, the rattling we heard was mostly likely the power adapter cables. We noticed a lack of any type of demo
disc included with the unit. Some PSP Value Packs apparently do come with a UMD Demo Disc, but we've also heard
from a few people that got Value Packs without any demo discs inside as well.



psp05




The Unit Itself




When you first lay your hands on the PSP, you immediately notice the screen. The 4.3-inch display dominates the
device, it looks like it takes up two-thirds of the real estate on the front fascia. In other words, massive. The
unit feels expensive, and exudes sexiness, much like Apple's iPods (and you know how big of a fan we are of iPods).
The unit feels perfectly balanced when held with both hands. It does not feel like a $200 console (Japan MSRP for
console only) at all. We're sure Sony is losing a few hundred bucks off each unit sold as the PSP easily feels like
it's worth $400 of gadgetry (when compared to portable video and audio players and the DS). We feel Sony could have
gotten away with a $300 sticker price, but in an effort to destroy Nintendo's firm grasp of the handheld gaming
market, they've set the price just $50 more than the Nintendo DS (which was released in both Japan and US markets
just last month). It feels like an extreme bargain for two bills. The screen is immersive, drawing you in when
playing videos or games and so big that you may not need your glasses to play. The black color fits well and matches
the Playstation 2's color. The dimples across the top row of the screen reminded us of carbon fiber, currently the
rage in import tuner cars.




When you pay for a new console, you expect it to be perfect. Alas, ours was not. We noticed two lit pixels
(always-on pixels), one in the middle of the screen, about one-fourth of the way down, and one near the very right
edge of the screen. So out of 130,560 pixels on the LCD screen, we got two defective ones. It's actually not too
noticeable unless you look for it and we didn't notice until we played with the PSP in pitch black darkness. We could
make a big fuss, but we'll just deal with it, and hope that Sony will be as honorable as Nintendo when fixing units
with dead pixels for their customers.




Another complaint of the PSP so far has been the
ejecting UMD problem in which the user in the
video appears to flex the PSP quite a bit to get it to eject spontaneously. We're happy to report that we didn't
have such problems with any self-ejecting discs and that our PSP is built rather solidly, though we didn't dare to
twist the unit as hard as we could. We initially had some light squeaking noises when we pressed right on the
directional pad, but after a weekend of use, the annoying sound has disappeared.




The PSP, with battery, Memory Stick Pro Duo, and UMD inserted, weighs 10.3 ounces, making it fine to put in a
jacket pocket (with case or cover of course), but not exactly friendly in a pants pocket with its long form factor.
We've heard of some Japanese folks wearing the PSP like a necklace (there is a strap handle at the bottom left
section of the PSP), but as cool as that may make them look, we didn't think our necks could take the strain.




psp33


Unfortunately, with the fine glossy screen comes the problem of fingerprints and smudges. While we didn't use latex
gloves while handling the unit, we were very careful to try and handle it with the utmost of care. That said, there
were smudges around the control buttons within seconds. It's pretty much unavoidable to smudge the smooth front
cover, so we recommend a very soft cloth to wipe off smudges and smears, but make sure the cloth doesn't scratch up
the LCD. The back of the unit is textured plastic and does not smudge. Within an hour of playing some games on the
PSP and constantly wiping off smudges, there were some light scratches on the screen. We're hoping that Sony will
sell replacement PSP faceplates at a reasonable price.




The front of the PSP unit has the directional pad on the left side, and the analog thumb stick (looks like speaker
mesh) below that. The analog thumb stick is quite a burden to use since it's so far down, as there is no thumb
support from the unit when you use it. It was fine to play Ridge Racers with it, but after 15 minutes, we felt as if
we were getting thumbitis with a sore thumb joint. To the right of the LCD is the standard circle, square, triangle,
and x buttons any Playstation junkie has become accustomed to. The left and right trigger buttons are at the top of
the unit and are clear, looking a bit like jewelry. All buttons on our review unit were easy to press and click fast
if necessary.




  psp10




The bottom edge of the PSP is raised ever so slightly, with buttons for Home, lowering and raising the volume,
brightness, sound settings for various music genres, and Select and Start buttons. While Home, Select, and Start are
quite easy to press since the size of the buttons are a good size, the volume and brightness and music buttons take
quite a bit of effort to depress as the buttons are half the size of the other ones and further away if you use your
thumbs to depress. Since you may use the volume buttons quite a bit, it's a bit of a pain and there seems to be
enough room on the left bottom side to put in larger buttons for volume. But at least the volume buttons are not
essential for quick pressing during gaming. For brightness, there are three settings, from Dim to Bright to Brightest
(our wording), we found Bright to be the adequate enough. Since there's still not much sun in Seattle this time of
year, we were unable to test the PSP in direct sunlight.




  psp09




The left side of the unit has the WiFi switch, a quick flip up and the WiFi mode is set to on.




psp08




At the top edge is an infrared transmitter, a mini-USB connector and the Eject button for loading UMDs. Sony is
planning an infrared remote controller for the PSP, and it looks like any future PSP add-ons will be plugged in up
top, as there's two locking holes on each side of the mini-USB port.




psp07




The combined power and hold switch is on the lower right side, you can push the switch down for hold, and pushing
the slider up turns it on. The button always returns to the middle after pushing it up, which we found a bit
annoying. A simple On/Off/Hold switch would have been easier to handle. When you power it on, the PSP returns you to
where you left off (like returning from a hibernation state in Windows XP, but without any delays at all). When you
toggle hold during a game, the PSP buttons become disabled, and the game just continues. Hold is probably most useful
when playing a video or a music album and you don't want any accidental button presses to interfere.




  psp06




The bottom right is where the AC adapter plug goes in, which we find is quite an odd placement for it. When gaming
with the power line plugged in, your right hand will feel the cord and plug. While it doesn't interfere per se, it
would have been much neater if the power port was placed on the top edge of the unit. Not a huge knock, just a slight
inconvenience. The left side is where the headphones plug in. When used, the headphone plug doesn't interfere with
our movement as much as the AC adapter one because the headphones plug is on the bottom half of the PSP. Also at the
bottom edge a sticker in a recessed area, with the product number and serial number in the middle. We don't we see it
lasting after a few months of hardcore use nor do we see the point of this sticker, as there is actually an etched
serial number in the battery compartment.




USB Connectivity




In USB Mode, if you have a Memory Stick Duo or Pro Duo inserted, you can connect a mini-USB cable to
the top of the PSP, and it acts like a USB drive, allowing you to access any folders or content on the Memory Stick.
Windows XP immediately recognized the device as a Removable Disk after we plugged in the cable. File transfers both
ways were incredibly fast thanks to the USB 2.0 support.




psp20





Universal Media Discs




The Sony PSP uses a proprietary 1.8GB Universal Media Disc (UMD) format, in part an effort to thwart
piracy and so they can control what gets released for their system. They are much like MiniDiscs (the actual disc
just slightly smaller), but with one serious drawback, a gaping hole in the back of the plastic case (no doubt for
the PSP to read in data). While we know some of you are very meticulous and careful when handling your disc-based
media, we also know quite a few people that have scratched up DVDs and games. We just don't get why Sony didn't put a
metal faceplate over the hole like they do for MiniDiscs.




UMD games are packaged in a plastic section which the UMD fits snugly into. But there is no small plastic case for
UMDs (ala Gameboy carts) and one can not reasonably be expected to carry around the full game box when transporting
extra games with the system. We're sure third party UMD plastic cases will be out soon enough, but for now, you'll
have to resort to carrying the whole game box, as we don't recommend just putting a UMD in your pocket to carry
around.




The UMD drive makes a whirring noise at times when loading games or levels (but not while actually playing). It's
not too obnoxious and sort of sounds like a hard drive spinning up, but you do hear it. After living with solid state
handheld games (cartridges), we had to get used to load times again. The original Playstation 1 had horrid load times
for some games, but it did improve over time as programmers got to know the system. We hope the same will be true for
the PSP as it took 19 seconds after selecting UMD to get to the Namco logo on Ridge Racers. During the game, it took
10 seconds to load the course after selecting all the options. For Minna No Golf, it took 25 seconds to get to the
intro screen and 16 seconds to start playing from the menu. It's tolerable but an aspect that could use
some improvement.







Targeting the Adult Market




While kids will surely be begging their parents for the PSP (my 4 year-old nephew asked his father for one
immediately after seeing it), Sony is targeting a more mature audience. We don't see younger kids handling the UMDs
with the open area well and we can just picture screen scratches within a day after little Jimmy has their hands on
one. As a friend pointed out, this system is perfect for the Japanese audience, a country where they are known for
cleanliness, neatness, and taking care of their electronics well. That, sadly, can not be said for the American
audience (in general), we are just more rough with our gear. It will be interesting to see if Sony changes the PSP at
all for the American audience and we're thinking the USA warranty should be at least a year.  This may be one of
those times where you will actually want to purchase the extended warranty program.




  psp21




First Bootup




At first bootup we were greeted with the option to choose between Japanese and English. Next you can give your PSP
a nickname (for network play) via cellphone type text entry (press 2 three times for the letter C, etc). Seeing how
the PSP has plenty of room for a keyboard layout on the screen, we would have much preferred that. The Japanese are
used to the phone keypad text entry system, so I'm sure it's not a big deal to them, but for the US release, we hope
they change it. Another annoying interface aspect was when we entered our IP address for the PSP. We had to scroll up
and down through 256 numbers (0 to 255), rather than manually entering numerals. It's not very fun to scroll for 16
sets of numbers.




After setting it to English the menus are pretty self-explanatory, the main options are Settings, Photo, Music,
Video, and Game. Some of the options may not be available if you don't have a Memory Stick Pro Duo
inserted.





Japanese Differences




As was the case with the Japanese versions of the PlayStation 1 and 2, the button you choose to select with is the
Circle button not the X button (like in the US versions). The X button thus becomes the back or cancel option. When
you're used to using X to select everything, there will be times you forget and accidentally hit the wrong button.
The manual is in Japanese, not that we needed it at all for anything. Other than those two things, the PSP itself is
very English-speaker friendly.







Battery Life




The PSP is powered by a 100-240V (5A) universal power adapter, which means you can use it anywhere in
the world practically. There have been reports of a weak two hours of battery life when playing complex 3D games. We
fully charged up our PSP battery and popped in Ridge Racers for non-stop gaming. We set the brightness to the middle
level and set the volume to 15 button presses from 0 (the max volume is 30). That level of brightness and volume is
adequate for the average gamer during gameplay. With no breaks in between, we played non-stop for 3 hours and 35
minutes. We also tried another Ridge Racers test, playing one game, then letting the system run through the replay in
an infinite loop. That test also resulted in a similar playtime of 3 hours and 31 minutes.




While not superb, 3.5 hours is acceptable and you can always buy a spare battery (~$45) if you need it.
Cheaper third party batteries will show up sooner or later as well. We had really hoped the PSP could be charged via
mini-USB, but unfortunately Sony did not include that support. But to be fair, our mini-USB cable was not able to
charge our Motorola RAZR V3 cellphone either, though
the phone is supposedly capable of doing so. So it may be that we have a bunk USB cable. If anyone has gotten their
PSP to charge via USB, let us know. We'd also like to see a cigarette lighter power adapter for long road trips.




After 3.5 hours of nonstop gaming, the unit is just barely warm to the touch. I ejected the UMD and the disc felt
just the tiniest bit warm too. So hopefully that's a sign of no overheating problems (which plagued the
first-generation Sony Playstations, anyone remember turning it upside down to alleviate the problem?).




psp38






Memory Stick Duo




The Sony is hoping that the PSP will help make the Memory Stick Pro Duo a viable memory card format,
especially since the PSP does not take any of the older Memory Stick formats like the Memory Stick Pro. It only takes
the tiny Duo flash memory card, which is about 85% of the size of a Secure Digital (SD) card. We believe the highest
current available size is 512MB, retailing for $130 at stores (or about $85 shipped on eBay), and we have not seen
the 1GB version in stock anywhere. You will need a Memory Stick to save your games or if you want to play MP3s or
videos on it. The Ridge Racers save game takes up about 700K and Minna No Golf Portable needs about 769K.




After formatting your Memory Stick Duo or Pro Duo in the PSP, you get a PSP directory, and GAME, MUSIC, PHOTO,
SAVEDATA folders within that. The game folder will eventually house downloadable games or demos from the Internet,
music is for your MP3s, photo for your JPGs, and save data for your saved games. Video files need to go in a
different folder which we will get into later this week.






psp35




Photos




For photo viewing, GIF, BMP, and PNG files aren't supported by the PSP, but standard JPG ones are. When you have a
full-sized 4 or 5 megapixel JPG file, the PSP takes a bit of time for it to load, about 3 seconds for a 1.8MB JPG
file. It automatically crops the photo (most photos are in the 4:3 format), leaving white space on the sides of the
picture when it is displayed (see above).




psp36psp37




For photos that you have cropped or Photoshopped to the PSP's native 480x272 resolution (say hi to my
Yorkshire terrier, Yoda), the picture loads immediately and looks sharp with
excellent detail. You can get file information (filename and file date), do a slideshow, or zoom in to certain parts
of the picture. The photo gallery works much like Windows Explorer, showing a thumbnail of the picture, the filename,
and date. You can also create folders within the \PSP\Photo directory in Windows Explorer to organize your photos. In
the Photo section, when you press the Triangle button, you can delete folders or pictures, or get more information
about a picture, including its full resolution and which camera took the shot by accessing the EXIF information
within the JPG file itself.






Playing Music




The biggest knock on Sony in the past has been their insistence of using the ATRAC format, forcing you
to convert your beloved MP3s to their proprietary format before their players could play it. They have finally
listened to their users and done away with ATRAC only with native MP3 support in the PSP. Just drop files into your
PSP/Music folder and your PSP can play them directly. The speakers are at the bottom of the unit, and the two little
holes on the bottom produce good sound. We played a variety of MP3s just fine, including some variable bit rate ones,
but we're sorry to report that we didn't have any ATRAC files to test out.




Playing Videos




Videos look amazing on the widescreen. The picture is sharp and detailed, and colors are vibrant. While it's fine
to hold the PSP in your hands when playing games or watching short clips, it gets a bit tiresome if you're watching
something an hour or more in length (rest assured that Sony will be putting out a stand for the PSP).




  psp22




psp23







WiFi Setup




Setting up the 802.11b WiFi is easy. Just name your connection (Home, Work, etc), put in the SSID access point
name, a WEP key if any, and then setup IP and DNS addresses (or choose automatic if using DHCP). There's a network
test when you are done, telling you your current signal strength and whether your Internet connection succeeded or
not. Taking a page from Microsoft, you can also update the PSP OS via a Network Update. Our tech geekiness led us to
try to update the system (it's less than a week old) before even playing games. Our system already had the latest
version, as there were no updates from Sony.






The PSP in Public




Not that we expected anyone to,  but no one noticed when we whipped out the PSP to wait in line at the post
office (for a lousy 30 minutes!) to mail a package. But we were surprised when we started playing while standing in
line at Best Buy (to get a Sandisk 512MB Memory Stick Pro Duo for a whopping $130) and got no attention, either
(though we were only in line for about 10 minutes). The checkout droids didn't say anything either.




But when we took the PSP to the mall for a little tour (just outside a game shop), it was a different story.
Within a few minutes a bunch of kids who looked to be aged 10 to 12 were asking questions about it, mainly where we
got ours from and how much. (Kids these days must be on a different allowance scale than when we were kids, because
when we said it would be just $200 come March or so, they were all over it and said they were sure that they'd get
one.) Within 10 minutes we had gathered a small crowd of ten, all drooling over the gorgeous screen. With the
Nintendo DS anyone looking over your shoulder may have a hard time to see what's going on, while the PSP is also a
watch-while-I-play kind of system, and the people that were looking over our shoulders at the mall didn't have any
problem seeing what was going on. We didn't stay too long, fearing a mob scene as people started calling their
friends over.




psp25





PlayStation Portable vs. the Nintendo DS



We love the Nintendo DS, but it is bulky and feels and looks like a child's toy from the 1980s compared to the
PSP, which is definitely one well-designed, slick little handheld. The DS weighs exactly 10 ounces with the thumb
strap, battery, and DS game inserted (10.4 ounces if you add in a GBA cart), just slightly less than the PSP's 10.3
ounces. But two 3-inch screens does not beat one 4.3-inch one, at least not in this case.




  ridgeracerds




The DS has a touchscreen on the lower LCD, which makes for more interactivity than the PSP, and the PSP would make
for a great PDA if it had touchscreen functionality. While Nintendo is planning to
add music and video to the DS for $50, the PSP has both
features already, and video just won't be the same on a 3-inch DS screen, especially when compared to the PSP's
4.3-inch one. When we consider that the primary purpose of the PSP is to play games, the graphics of the PSP just
blow away the Nintendo offering. The two powerful 32-bit MIPS R4000 CPUs overwhelms the Nintendo DS ARM7 and ARM9
processors. One direct comparison would be Ridge Racer DS vs Ridge Racers for the PSP, both created by Namco. The DS
version has some chunky pixelated graphics (see above picture courtesy of
GameSpot) and the lower touchscreen looks rather useless in terms of
gameplay usage. The PSP's Ridge Racers is Playstation 2-like, with smoother graphics and more detail in the cars. The
one redeeming factor of Ridge Racer DS is that only one copy of the game is needed for up to 6-player wireless
multiplayer action.




psp34




  psp27




PlayStation Portable vs. Creative's Zen Portable Media Center





The Creative Zen Portable Media Center (PMC) is a portable media player with a 3.8-inch 4:3 screen and
a 20GB hard drive, but beyond the hard drive (and perhaps 7 hour video battery life and TV output), it does not
compare too favorably with the PSP. Since we do not yet have the Sony Image Converter software, it is easier to
transcode video files to the PMC. But the PMC is a lot thicker and uses the 4:3 screen format, which in the current
age of HDTV is going the way of the dodo bird. Interestingly enough the Sony PSP AC adapter can actually charge the
PMC as well since the plug fits and both units use the same voltage power. Watching standard 4:3 size videos is okay
on the PMC, but when you go to 16:9 format shows or movies, you definitely notice the annoying black bars on the PMC.
In direct video comparisons, the PMC picture looks washed out (as you can tell in the pictures) and much grainier.
I'm not sure why the 4:3 video on the PSP wasn't bigger, but it's still more clear and detailed. In the 16:9 Shark
Tale trailer, I have no idea why the PMC didn't set the video to 16:9 format, as the original source was widescreen,
but again, the PSP handily wins that comparo as well. 




The PMC has only one speaker (at the bottom right corner of the screen) for mono sound, whereas the PSP has two
little speakers for stereo sound. The PMC has slightly better sound (even with only one speaker) and has a higher
maximum volume, but when using a pair of Shure E3C earbuds to listen to some MP3s, we found audio fidelity to be
great in both devices, with no noticeable quality difference.






PlayStation Portable vs. Apple's iPod photo




Apple's iPod photo handily beats the PSP in terms of
the MP3 interface, ease of use, playlist creation, and storage space. We didn't have an standard iPod or
iPod photo to do direct comparisons with, but we did do
a listening test with an iPod mini. Again using Shure E3C earbuds, we found no discernable difference in audio
quality between the PSP and the iPod mini, as both were equally superb with a variable bit rate MP3. When viewing
JPGs, the 2-inch iPod Photo screen size just doesn't bode well for viewing pictures, plus you need to use iTunes to
convert any JPGs into a format the iPod Photo can read. The PSP can directly read any JPG file (and fits the JPG onto
the screen) and the pictures look gorgeous on the 4.3-inch screen, but the only downside of the PSP is that you can
not listen to an MP3 file while browsing photos and it doesn't output the picture to a TV.




Is the PSP an iPod (or iPod Photo) killer? No, but could it be an iPod video killer (when and if that finally
comes out)? Perhaps, but only if Memory Stick prices go down in price and storage sizes go way up. Or if Sony opens
up the UMD format (we can hope, can't we?) and lets people write to their own 1.8GB UMD discs. We're not sure what
Apple has in store in terms of a video iPod player, but obviously they'd have to make the screen at least somewhat
comparable to the one on the PSP and loads better than the iPod Photo's 2-inch screen.






Games




psp31




psp32


Ridge Racers is definitely a hit, and we've yet to hear anyone buy the PSP without buying RR too. Just like the
original Ridge Racer was a success when the Sony PlayStation came out, Ridge Racers is a system seller. The intro CG
looks amazing, and when you play the game, you get a sense of speed, which you need in a racing title. There were no
graphic pop-ups, but you can notice jagged edges (jaggies) if you look close enough, namely the edge of the course
(the bottom of the side walls) as you are driving. It may be a little distracting to some, but we aren't that
critical to count it as a major flaw. The game itself has some intentional motion blur (we hope intentional at least)
when you see the computer controlled cars turning in corners, their brake lights will blur a bit on the screen. There
is some Japanese language in Ridge Racers, but overall, there's plenty of English and one can navigate through it
reasonably well without knowledge of Japanese. We had to tear the PSP unit away from our test group of gamers to even
try our other game.




  psp30




Minna No Golf Portable (Everybody's Golf, or Hot Shots Golf in the US) is a good golf title. The graphics are
solid, but it is golf, and we didn't experience anything spectacular from this one. We do find it weird that our
character runs at hyperspeed immediately after striking the ball, and waits at the spot for the next swing, even as
the ball is rolling to that point. You can put topspin or underspin on the ball, and you can also hook and slice the
ball around trees. It uses the familiar old three click method for the golf swing, click once to start your swing,
once to set the power, and once for accuracy. It's the same method that's been used since Links for PC has been
around. The menus are heavily in Japanese, and while we were able to start a game by pressing the Circle button a few
times, we had no idea what we chose. There may be guides or FAQs at GameFAQs

by the time you read this.




  psp26




Conclusion




The Sony PSP is a great handheld gaming console, one that could prove to be as revolutionary as the
original Nintendo Gameboy was, not only because it's basically a handheld PlayStation 2 with powerful graphics, but
because of all the other value-added features it comes with, namely the photo viewer, the audio player, and video
player. The most amazing thing, hands-down about the PSP is the large 4.3-inch widescreen LCD, which is simply
amazing to see in person, and at two hundred bucks retail, it's definitely a good value. There is no handheld gaming
competitor that comes close to it right now in terms of gaming power, and if weren't for the low storage capacity and
high price of the Memory Stick Pro Duo, it might even hold its own as a portable audio and video player. The photo
viewer is superb and sharp and the sound quality of the audio player is at least on par with the iPod mini. The
videos when played back from Memory Sticks are superb, there's no doubt that movies on UMD will look just as great on
the widescreen.




Now maybe the time to put in your pre-orders for the February or March 2005 US PSP launch, that is if you can
resist importing a system (around $500+ right now, check our PSP price watch). We really hope Sony holds to their
word of no region coding on PSP games (we don't mind so much if UMD movies are region encoded), because we'd rather
not have to rip apart our PSP to install a region-free modchip (which will surely come if there is region coding for
games). You will pay a bit of a premium for a PSP now, unless you know someone in Japan that can get you one. The
question of worth is of course dependant on what your income level is and how much you value having the latest
system.




Sony PlayStation Portable Price Watch




Dead or lit pixels will continue to be an issue for any PSP buyer (as it is for any sort of LCD screen) and it's
the only main gripe of our system. We're more forgiving than most for the slow load times, as it is the first
generation of software, so this should get better over time. The battery life isn't amazing, so another battery is a
necessity if you plan on playing the PSP more than four hours a day away from an AC outlet, and we do wish that
it could be charged via USB. Other issues: it'd be nice if Sony made text input in the menus a little easier, and we
would have loved to have found an Internet browser within the OS, seeing how easy the WiFi was to setup and get
working. Greater Memory Stick Pro Duo storage sizes at more affordable rates should come as the system matures, as
the PSP would an amazing powerhouse with a cheap 4GB of storage.




A special thanks goes out to Siu-Wai Ho of Kicks Hobby in Seattle, WA
for providing the Sony Playstation Portable unit to us a mere 5 days after it's Japanese release. Thanks!




  psp24




  psp15




psp02




psp03




psp11




psp12



psp13




psp14




psp16




psp17




psp18




psp19




psp28




psp29




Dan Wu's personal reviews and commentaries can be read on his personal site,

http://www.wooba.com.

9/27/2007

Marrio Forever 4

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

9/21/2007

5 Great Reasons for Downloading Bingo Games

Super Text Twist



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Key gen


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5 Great Reasons for Downloading Bingo Games

Bingo is a game which has been played by many individuals throughout the world for years. Today, those same individuals who love to play bingo can do so in the comfort of their own home. Online bingo games are a fun way to play bingo at one's computer. There are a number of wonderful online bingo websites which enable individuals to download bingo games and start playing right away. There are five great reasons for downloading bingo games and these will be discussed in the paragraphs below.

Entertainment

Perhaps the number one reason why individuals play bingo is for entertainment purposes. Downloading bingo games online brings the fun right into one’s computer room. The entertainment factor that individuals enjoy with bingo card games is replicated so that people can have fun at home as well.

Convenience

Another reason why more and more individuals are downloading bingo games around the world is due to the convenience factor. Rather than having to drive to a bingo parlor to play a few games of bingo, one can do so via the Internet and never even have to leave the house. The convenience of playing bingo online is a great reason to download bingo games and play at home.

Meet New People from Around the World

Individuals who download bingo games not only will have the entertainment and convenience of online bingo games but may also be able to meet new people from various areas around the world. Many online bingo providers who enable individuals to download bingo games will also provide bingo chat room accessibility before, during or after game play. This allows bingo players to converse with one another, almost as if they were sitting at the same table in a bingo parlor. One might just find that they enjoy conversing with others almost as much as playing the game itself.

Wide Variety of Options When Downloading Bingo Games

Those who choose to download bingo games will find that they have a wide variety of options when it comes to types of bingo games. Individuals can play for free or pay to play, depending on the individual site. There are also a multitude of different bingo games which one can play online. Downloading bingo games opens a wide variety of options for individuals interested in playing this game online.

Enjoy Excellent Graphics

Those who download bingo games and play bingo online will find that many of the bingo websites present bingo games in the form of excellent graphics. The graphics that many websites utilize to present these games are of such high quality that they provide even more enjoyment for the player.

Conclusion

These are just some of the wonderful reasons to download bingo games and play games of this type online. There is a little something for everyone when it comes to finding the perfect online bingo game in which to partake.

About the Author: The author of this article is Kelly Smith, Editor of The Bingo Guy http://www.TheBingoGuy.com
Online Bingo Development - from Birth to Growth


Bingo actually originated long back in the mid 16th century, when the French with their passion for "Le Lotto", adopted their version of the game, which strongly co-relates to today’s version of bingo.

Traditional Bingo has been a popular pastime for many years worldwide. It has become a meeting place for friends, family and new people in a much-relaxed atmosphere. Surprisingly, there are over 60 million bingo players across the globe, majority of them being women of North America.

Online Bingo - bingo on Internet - has been an evolution in the bingo generation. Online Bingo was a relatively minor industry as recently as the year 2000. However, there has been an explosion of popularity in the past six years. The world's growing familiarity with Internet is one factor for the game's online proliferation.

You may ask yourself, how can playing bingo online give the same level of satisfaction as playing bingo with family and friends in a traditional bingo hall? In a recent survey done by a popular online bingo portal, the number one reason for playing bingo online, was meeting new people.

Online Bingo’s increasing popularity..

Traditional bingo halls, brimming with smoke and crowd, make managing multiple bingo cards difficult at times. Some players struggle to get to the bingo halls or they simply do not have the time. Besides, there are several other factors leading more people every year to stay away from bingo halls and play the game from the comfort of their own homes: -

1. Socializing: Online bingo is a multi player, one game involving players from all over the world. You can socialize with your friends and befriend hundreds of new ones at the press of a button. Featuring hours of chatting and hours of fun, Online Bingo has gained tremendous popularity among males, females, young and old.

2. Convenience: It might be hard to get to the bingo parlor these days, due to job, family, weather or health considerations. Online bingo is convenient for those players who don't have the night in the week for live bingo games. The people you meet playing Bingo online are the type you'll meet in a live bingo parlor. They tend to be friendly and talkative and share a love of the laid-back bingo camaraderie. If the weather conditions are bad, you can enjoy the game on your computer in the convenience of your own home.

3. Technological Advancement: Online Bingo sites have colorful flashy graphics and entertaining sound effects to enhance your overall gaming experience. The new generation of online bingo site allows you to play bingo instantly without downloading anything. Just sit in front of the computer, visit your favorite online bingo portal, one mouse click and you are ready to play and travel to the amazing world of online bingo.

Due to improved technology, you can play as many cards as you want, thereby increasing your odds of winning with more cards. You never have to worry about completing your cards as your bingo cards are filled in automatically. Your account is automatically credited if you have the lucky card.

4. Always On: The best part - online Bingo is always open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Just go and sit in front of the computer, visit you favorite online bingo portal, one mouse click and you are ready to play and travel to the amazing world of online bingo.

5. Bingo Chat: Yet another interesting feature - Bingo game panel enabling chat windows, allow players to chat among themselves. Each site has Multi-Chat feature accompanied by a Chat Host, also known as CM. Chat Host is responsible for recreating / supporting the online bingo hall atmosphere, and introduce special games amongst the players of that particular hall. Multi chat also allows you to meet new friends, share the excitement with real-time interaction. Though rare, chat rooms are monitored by employees of the online bingo sites. This ensures that bingo players adhere to the gaming ethics.

Current Online Bingo Experience..

Initially, online Bingo experience was no match to the conventional bingo hall. People preferred the sights and sounds of real world bingo hall, watching a bingo number popping up on the screen. Today, the online experience has dramatically changed. Online bingo games industry has really done a fantastic job on giving the online players a perfect bingo hall atmosphere.

Most sites have a voice actor to imitate the bingo callers found in live action settings. What makes contemporary online bingo so entertaining is the multi-level interaction with your fellow players and enjoying full control over your gaming preferences.

Online Bingo is a highly competitive business as hundreds of websites are competing for customers, and willing to give compensations, perks and cash prizes on a daily basis. While most bingo game sites may require you to pay game or membership fees through your credit card, some bingo sites offer free online bingo gaming. You may experience this kind of exhilarating game online without having to pay for anything.

Free online Bingo games don’t require any monetary deposits, and therefore no stake-money involved. The site is divided into a number of halls, assigning some peculiar character - zodiac signs or types of flowers etc. On registering yourself at the site, you can enter any one of these halls and start playing.

Playing free online bingo games is a good pass-time. If you are a Bingo enthusiast and do not have the time or opportunity to go to the nearest Bingo hall, then BingoBilly.com is the perfect place to play free bingo online.

Besides giving you the chance to exercise your speed, skill and number-recognition abilities, Bingo Billy gives you the opportunity to meet new people as well. At Bingo Billy, you’ll find the best deals in Bingo, which are unlikely to be found at your local Bingo hall. Start Playing Now!





About the Author: Dimitry Gapkalov is the manager of www.bingobilly.com , Bingo Billy provides the ultimate bingo experience with a trusted, secure and credible company. The company/ website is owned and operated by the largest online gaming company in the world.

PS2 Racing Games Cars PC Game

Feeding Frenzy



http://www.uploadtoday.com/download.php?956a125f6ee0645d9efa36d7a54e3629
Cars PC Game

The Cars PC game is inspired by the Pixar/Disney film that bears the same name and has been developed and released in several different versions for several different players. You can play the Cars game online or download it to your PC and play it on a Microsoft Windows system, an Apple Mac or an OS X. If you have a game console you can play cars the game on PS 2, PSP, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii Xbox and many more. Even though it can be played on many different types of players Cars the Pixar game is not the same from one version to another. For example, if you play Cars the movie game on Nintendo DS or PSP the game play is different from the game play of the Cars PC game or from the game play of a cars game that you would play online. If you want to play race car games that resemble the Cars PC game all you need to do is start an online search for similar race games.

The characters that you can race as in the cars PC game differ from one version of the game to the next. For instance, in the PS2 and Wii Xbox versions you can play characters like Boost, DJ, Luigi, Wingo, Sally Carrera, Mater, and Sheriff. In the PSP version, in addition to the characters mentioned before, you can play characters like Lightning McQueen, Fillmore, Ramone, Doc Hudson, Flo, Lizzie and Sarge. The race cars that you can drive in the Nintendo DS version include Gasprin, Sputter Stop, Vinyl Toupee and Leakless. The cars PC game is not only inspired by the Pixar/Disney movie of the same name, but it is developed to be a continuation of the animated motion picture.

The Cars PC game has different levels that are fun to play for kids of all ages and adults as well. In the Nintendo DS version of the game the levels include That Blinkin’ Light, Piston Cup, World’s Best Backwards Driver, Casa Della Tires, and Gesundheit! If you want to play race car games on your PC you can start an online search for car games, choose your favorites and download them to your computer.

PS2 Racing Games

Games like Grand Prix Challenge or Colin McRae Rally 3 feel a lot more realistic when you are holding an actual wheel in your hands. However, for the keyboard lovers a simple search for race car games com can bring these games on to your personal computer.

From the feel of the Formula 1 track to the atmosphere of underground racing ps2 racing games have it all. A game like Midnight Club II by Rockstar uses everything at its disposal, even the music, to re-create the world of midnight underground racing. In many games you race for victory, here you race for survival and you love it all the way.
But if you are looking for the real fury in ps2 racing games try ATV Offroad Fury 2; the cut-offs, the bumps, the dirt and the high jumps will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. If you want to enjoy this game online all you need to do is search for race car games com and download it to your computer.

In WipEout Fusion you get to combine combat and futuristic hover car racing for a pleasure trip to cyber space you will not forget soon. If you prefer a less brutal race Need for Speed Underground is one of the ps2 racing games that will offer you a smoother ride. It’s all about the pleasure of driving and before you take your car out on the street you can also customize it. When you are looking for the thrill of a rally race all you need to do is turn your attention to Colin McRae Rally 3 and enjoy the tight corners, the dirt roads and the power sliding in this spectacular and authentic ps2 racing game.

A very original game you can play at the arcade is Burnout 3, also available to you through racing game download. In this game you gain speed by bumping into your opponents and car crashes that happen at mind blowing speeds keep your adrenaline pumping at all times.

Ps2 racing games have everything for the driver in you: Grand Prix Challenge and Colin McRae Rally 3 for the sports driver in you Need for Speed Underground for the pleasure cruiser and games like ATV Offroad Fury 2 or WipEout Fusion for the more adrenaline oriented. And if you prefer to play these games online you can find them on any race car games on the Internet. Just take the wheel and enjoy the roar of the engine.

9/15/2007

Football Manager 2007 ( Full Option ) [Sport]

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000GHED7S.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Minimum:
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP,
1GHz processor,
128MB RAM

Rec:
Windows XP
AMD or Intel Dual Core 2GHz
1GB RAM
1024x768 32Bit display
650MB HD Space

Download::9  part น่ะคับ

http://sv4.gushare.com/file.php?file=8a … 5c017a05df

http://sv5.gushare.com/file.php?file=57 … 4988436b27

http://sv4.gushare.com/file.php?file=0d … cd60846047

http://sv5.gushare.com/file.php?file=20 … 69b6c25938

http://sv4.gushare.com/file.php?file=c0 … 1354f58c8c

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http://sv5.gushare.com/file.php?file=ae … cc267952fd

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http://sv4.gushare.com/file.php?file=da … a71de82bce
rway as far as the videogame publishers are concerned.

Having adopted a yearly moniker instead of the traditional seasonal updates sandwiched between major releases, there seems to be a greater emphasis on Sports Interactive to stretch the barrel with each subsequent release of Football Manager. Though the change to the traditional release structure brings some questions as to exactly when the "major" new features will make an appearance, Sports Interactive and SEGA would likely argue that each annual update now contains a mixture of major new features and subtle improvements - a gradual evolution of the series. With lofty claims of more than "100 new features", Football Manager 2007 is a jump in the right direction, a refinement of the series to-date in the customary manner, making it just that little much better, thus rendering the last one obsolete - the circle of addiction faced by the many followers of Sports Interactive and their games.

Amidst suggestions that Football Manager has, perhaps, become a little too complicated for its own good, the initial change centres around the issue of accessibility. The attempt to make the experience a little more "accommodating" to newcomers is evident right from the start, presumably part of the same plan to appeal to new markets such as console gamers. A 'Set-up Wizard' steps the player through the intimidating tasks of creating a manager, setting up leagues and getting into the game. It's tough for a FM follower to understand how difficult this can possibly be, so the option to dismiss it all and opt for an 'Advanced Settings' style that's closer inline with previous titles is more than welcome. One particular new feature that is more appreciated, is the addition of a 'Past Experience' option, reminding the demanding fans and whinging players who the boss is with the many years of FM/CM experience stacked behind you. Although it's a quick solution to players concerned about a manager with a lack of experience, it does raise the expectations placed upon you for immediate success.

The overhauled 'Flexion' interface is the next noticeable change. With a new 'Ticker Bar' that initially seems to do little more then clutter the screen by offering "easy" navigation icons to the Squad, News, Shortlist and several others, I'll admit to them becoming a handy shortcut in many instances, though the information on the bar is rarely significant. Based upon designable 'skins', alterative options to suit everybody's interface taste will be available soon.

Developing the interaction between manager and player is a continuing challenge for Sports Interactive, an area in which FM 2007 makes significant strides towards accomplishing. Increased options to handle various aspects of a player's career, whether it's gushing praise at your want-away star player or "tapping up" a potential transfer target, create a stronger sense of handling issues on a personal level and forging that special relationship between manager and player. Being able to let players know you're resting them instead of being dropped without explanation, watching their morale plunge in the process, is an addition of monumental stature in this area, one of the many little changes that adds up to a lot. Although there's always going to be room for even more types of interaction and actions possible, this aspect of the game is beginning to feel like you're actually having a significant role and impact on a player's performance.

In the continuous strive to simulate the changing world of modern football, FM 2007 introduces increasingly popular aspects such as 'Feeder/Parent Clubs' and the dreaded 'Take-Over'. A larger club can take advantage of sending unwanted players or developing talent out, or perhaps having the first option over any of the feeder clubs most promising players; consequently the smaller club can gain financially from its bigger brother. Mirroring the daily talk of club take-overs in the real world, aspiring billionaires (or those willing to take a risk and plunge a club into debt) are a constant feature throughout the game and provide a significant new introduction to the game. Whether scripted by the team at Sports Interactive or sheer coincidence, a few months into my first season brought talk of a take-over at Upton Park �“ if that's the case, Liverpool and Chelsea will both finish mid-table and miss out on Europe next year!

Scouting has seen the most significant development, providing greater control with more thorough and informative reports. A scout checking out your next opponent will produce a comprehensive report, detailing the team's formation, style of play, star players and whether there's any injuries in the squad. The true tactician will take pleasure in scrutinizing the highlights from the report, hoping to discover the smallest chink in the opponent's defence. Scouting potential transfer targets has also been made more useful then ever, with the option to send a staff member out to watch over a specific player or from a region. Taking into account new 'Knowledge' levels that determine a staff member's effectiveness in any particular country, the resulting report is a comprehensive summary of the player's ability, potential, strengths, weaknesses, recommendation and transfer options.

Expanding upon the half-time talks introduced in its predecessor, FM 2007 now allows aspiring managers to issue inspirational comments before a match, during half-time and a final word on the performance after the match. A new feedback option also allows you to see the effect your talk has had on individual players, which although feeling largely random, does at least suggest you have some kind of influence.


Although still a fiddly area to perfect, Training as a whole feels more accessible then before, making it easier to gauge how a player is developing and encouraging to try out different routines for players. It's still not perfect and an obvious area for Sports Interactive to improve. Given the demands of individual training schedules to suit the varying demands of the players, it would be useful to create broad parent schedules covering the major areas and then fine-tuning an individual's routine on the player's Training tab. It's also difficult to judge what affect varying schedules are having on a player, because it's hard to determine what brought about a peak or a dip in improvements. Adding the dates of when a schedule starts, stops and changes to gauge its effectiveness over a certain period, would be a welcome 'new feature' for next year's version!

Away from the improvements to the scouting and player interaction, there's little that could be labelled as monumental new additions to the staple FM formula. Instead SI have worked away at a multitude of smaller aspects, which combine to make FM that little bit more enjoyable, at times inducing the "collapse-of-your-social-life" addiction that Sports Interactive are renowned for providing. Being able to nurture players back to full health by sending them to the reserves until match fit is a great addition, equally the ability to target a specific opponent during a match by forcing them on to their weaker foot or putting a hard tackle in. The true handicap on many FM follower's aspirations has finally been removed with the option of moving to a new stadium, provided there's adequate funds or the board is willing to suffer the debt. The crop of new talent when young players join the clubs feels more developed and believable then before, with authentic 'pre-contract' options and the flow of new players dictated by a club's resources. Playing a more significant role, the chairman and the board can go above your head when accepting an offer for a player; although it's a frustrating option when you know the people making that decision are doing it entirely for the money, it nonetheless captures the increasing depiction of football as a business.

Sports Interactive once again overcome any initial scepticism with a multitude of little touches and new introductions combined to make Football Manager 2007 an essential update - just that little bit better then before. A return to the "One More Match" compulsion that signifies Sports Interactive's work, Football Manager 2007 is going to keep you company for all the long and late nights on the way.