Just for Gamer

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Release Date

March 20, 2012

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, a collaboration between Capcom and Vancouver based studio Slant 6 Games, is scheduled for release this Winter. This latest offering will take the series in a completely new direction and offer a style of gameplay yet to be seen from the franchise. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City delivers a true third person team based shooter experience set within the dark and sinister Resident Evil universe. The setting of the Resident Evil universe not only provides a rich backdrop to the action but delivers a unique and thrilling triple threat battle. Zombies and Bio-Organic Weapons (B.O.W's) add to the mix as players not only compete against their team's opposing squad but also tackle this third unpredictable element that could only exist in the twisted Resident Evil universe, creating a brand new style of gameplay and breaking the conventions of traditional team based shooters. It is September 1998 and the action centers on the ill-fated Raccoon City and the horrific consequences of the deadly T-virus outbreak. With a cover up required, Umbrella orders an elite team into Raccoon City to destroy all evidence of the outbreak and eliminate any survivors. Meanwhile the US Government has quarantined the city and dispatched its own team of elite soldiers to determine the source of the mysterious outbreak. Players take on the role of an Umbrella Security Service soldier (U.S.S.), competing alone or in up to four player co-op in a battle against all the competing forces at play in Raccoon City.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Features

• Rewrite the history of the Raccoon City outbreak. Revisit classic moments from Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3
• Return of favorite RE enemies, iconic landmarks and characters, including Leon S. Kennedy who is on your hit list to eliminate.
• Rewrite the history of the Raccoon City outbreak. Revisit classic moments from Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3 and watch events unfold
• Triple threat battle as zombies and B.O.W's add to the action.
• Team based shooter set in the dark and sinister Resident Evil universe.
• Compete alone in Campaign mode as an Umbrella Security Service member or in a four player co-op team battle.

MotorStorm Apocalypse Features

• Take part in more than 40 unique races, with each track changing every time you visit them
• Survive staggering, epic real-time destruction effects – everything from machine gun fire to rocket attacks to earthquakes happening as you race
• Pick and customize your vehicles from no less than 13 classes, with supercars, muscle cars, superbikes, choppers and more now added to the legendary mix of MotorStorm classics
• Deep online features including intense 12-players online racing, sharing custom car designs with friends and creating and sharing totally new game experiences with the incredible Custom Mode Creator
• With 3D support, immerse yourself in the race as every crash and explosion come to life right into your living room in stereoscopic glory on your 3D enabled Sony Bravia TV
• 4-player offline multiplayer support with split-screen functionality

MotorStorm Apocalypse Review

Reviewed by JOHN SPANGLER "Johnny Spang"

Yeah. I agree, this is a show of power for the PS3, but don't let the great graphics be the only part of the greatness, the game is a blast! More of a visual showcase than most racing games, this Motorstorm struts out some fun racing in the process. The tracks are huge, fun and easy for beginners to get into. Mind you the difficulty gets serious later on and like many people have said on here, it can get frustrating. Youngsters will probably not want to play it for long, but if you have patience, this game is an absolute blast. Just don't let the cheating A.I. ruin the game for you. Hopefully a patch will be administered in the near future when Sony gets their network sorted out.

Reviewed by PyroDark "Incendiary"

If you had your previous Motorstorm games boxed up and ready for GameStop at the arrival of this new more advanced game, I advise you hold on to them, Still get this!, but keep the old ones.

Just like the switch from Monument Valley to Pacific Rift, the driving feel has been tweaked a little from what veterans of the previous title are used to. This is not just the old PR engine cut and pasted into an concrete jungle, the driving will take a little getting used to, and at first I was not impressed. It is possible to get used to it though, and you'll be flying around tracks faster and more effectively then you ever were in PR after a little practice. In fact I actually used to hate rally cars, now I can control them better, I guess they are a little less...randomly floaty? It's likely the handling is off a bit from PR becuase of the new perks system in which you race online to earn more then just rank, you earn vehicle upgrades both mechanical and cosmetic. In fact online IS the game now, and Single-Player Festival can be completely ignored as it does not unlock anything! (except a few extras about the new motion comic storyline and an even harder difficulty).
For me it wasn't really worth nearly ripping my controller in half just to face the cheap and cheaper AI, whose primary goal was not that they'll win, but that you won't. They constantly slam you, "accidentally" bump your back tire, or in some way destabilize you to run into something, sometimes [by the veteran class] even teaming up to "accidentally" knock you out. You would have thought the city falling down around you would be challenge enough, I felt that the cheap AI was annoying and unnecessary. I also could have done without the stupid rebels (peds) that throw molotovs and shoot machine guns and rockets at you, overheating you and then grab on to you car when you go by.

-Tracks-
If you want to play the circuits without other people distracting you or without the track interactively rising and falling around you, there is still a time trial mode with all the circuit tracks from festival unlocked from the start. A few tracks from the festival are not present in that mode simply becuase they don't loop (Such as the first city track people saw in the preview video from E3 2010). There are 8 track regions based on areas from San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Fransisco and each region has about 3 circuit routes taking place at different times in the destruction. The routes laid out are a mix of awesome and terrible. If you remember getting lost in some of the Pacific Rift tracks, prepare to get even more lost here, sometimes more than others. They did their best at laying out road flares and motion arrow signs where you need them, but sometimes it gets lost in the smoke and dust clouds and you drive through to find yourself moments from a wall or barrier. The "Interstate" tracks were the most confusing. I found myself following the "road" too often, rather then knowing when to cut across and there's jersey walls and slim immovable poles all over that can easily be overlooked and slammed into amidst all the texture blending together and coming at you at once. You just need to run the courses in Time Trial a few laps to learn the correct paths, learn what not to hit, what's breakable and what's concreted in place, and to learn all the possible shortcuts of which their are MANY, I'd say at least 3 different ways to go at every turn. A good tip in this motorstorm is to head for the ramps, even if you don't need to get up anywhere, getting air and releasing the accelerator and nitro at the same time on the way back to the ground does wonders for engine cooling now, as well as water which there is plenty of gushing out of the broken water mains and pooling in all the newly created crevices in the streets.
I'd say my favorite region is Skyline. Jumping across skyscrapers and through offices reminds me of my favorite levels from the Twisted Metals, except they never did rooftops this well. It's even more awesome when buildings are just falling left and right, you just feel like OMG WTF am I doing on these rooftops? Craziness (more so cause I usually use Big-Rigs or Monster-Trucks).

-Vehicles-
To travel these routes there are now 13 classes of vehicles to choose from. At first I thought that was way lame that there are only 3 cars for each class (not including DLC) and 2 of each are locked from the start, but now that I've tried to use all the classes I see that that's plenty. The classes are now: Dirt-bikes, ATVs, Super-bikes(Sport bikes), Choppers, Buggies, Rally Cars, Super-Minis(Hatch-backs), Muscle Cars, Super Cars(Exotics), Racing Trucks, Mudpluggers, Big Rigs, and Monster Trucks. While I was bummed most of my favorites from the last two games didn't make it over, I think I can definitely make due with what's here. What's more is you can customize them a little now.
First off, it is NOT like Midnight Club in depth so don't get overexcited about that, but it's very decent for a motorstorm game. They made sure to give you just enough to make sure your car is noticeably different from others online (or offline, you can also use them in Single Race and Time Trial). I was just happy to finally color my vehicle a normal color and get all the vinyls off. The Livery system offers a bunch of 1, 2, and 3 color full-body vinyls. I felt most of them were a little too "busy" in their designs, many of them tend to just clutter your car with detail, but there are good simpler ones too, as well as an option to just Remove.
There are enough options unlocked from the start for you to spend some time in the customizer just getting your colors right, and there are seriously a TON of vinyls, stickers, and parts to unlock via online.

-ONLINE-
I find Online to be more fun this time around, because of all you can unlock, and the fact that you can gain points for more than just where you place. That's great for me, since I'm usually happy coming in somewhere around the middle of the grid, so I don't have to kill myself with the stress of having to place high or lose points. Since the whole game is in the Online mode, they have adapted it to not simply take points when you lose, you just don't get as much. They also have increased the amount of time before DNF after the 1st racer crosses the line to 60 seconds rather then 30, so more can actually finish.

Besides your finishing position, you also gain points for Drifting, Air-time, Completing a Race (not rage-quitting) and wrecking opponents by use of the boost nudge (which is probably why people rage-quit). I wasn't too happy that the game RELIES on messing up other racers in order to get ahead, but it only unlocks some parts, new cars will still unlock even if you never wreck people.
To unlock all the, let's say Big-Rigs, you have to compete in races using the Rig that is unlocked, so no more whole packages of cars all at once. Another added feature is betting against other racers, which is why points are called "(poker) chips". I'm not a gambler so I haven't used it, but I can say someone almost always bets against me, and I almost always win that bet by the end = free chips for me :)

Apocalypse also introduces a new "Perks" system which is sort of like attaching 3 enhancements to all your vehicles. For example the ones I have allow me to:
1.) Reset faster after a crash
2.) Cool down in the air with the accelerator down (becuase I often forget to release it)
3.) Resist getting boost nudged, becuase even though I don't like to be an ass online, plenty of people have no problem running you down, remember it's actually ENCOURAGED to progress faster. I think the thing I'm most disappointed with in Online play is the host still has the option to dis-include certain car classes from a race. So it's a little hard to level up a particular class when it's always left out, and it's also good to practice a little with everything, you never know when a class you never use will end up the only one allowed and your just out of luck there.

I spent my whole first day simply trying to visit all the circuits in via time trial mode, and utilizing the customization options, Just that is a lot to take in. Just for what I did offline without the earth shaking was awesome fun but at the same time there is an off element to the ruined city in offline mode that monument valley also had, but Pacific Rift did not share. At the end of the day, when the adrenaline has run dry, you kind of want to go home. As in you would not want to just hang out in a destroyed ever-collapsing city as it falls into the Pacific, anymore then you would want to hang out in the middle of an arid Arizona desert well exceeding 100-degrees.
However Pacific Rift's Hawaiian paradise environment was beautiful, I could roam the lush jungles, passing water falls and lava-flows forever, alone or with friends. It's like it felt more inviting but at the same time deadly, whereas the same bland broken concrete rubble textures gets a little old after awhile. They did a spectacular job of thinking out how a city would break and making it look right, but you just NEED to be going too fast and be too focused on the epic race to get full enjoyment out of this setting.

However it is you prefer to play there is plenty of replay here, I'd say this should be high on every race fan's list of games to get this year.

Nintendo Wii Specifications

• CPU: IBM Power Architecture-based multi-core 45 nm microprocessor.
• GPU: Custom-designed AMD Radeon HD based on RV770 chip.

• Internal flash memory, expandable via SD memory cards and USB hard disk drives
• Slot-loading optical disc drive compatible with 12 cm "proprietary high-density optical discs" (25 GB capacity) and 12 cm Wii optical discs

• SD memory card slot (supports SDHC cards)
• USB 2.0 ports (2 at front of console, 2 at rear)
• Sensor Bar power port
• "AV Multi Out" port
• HDMI out port

• Built-in accelerometer, gyroscope, speakers, front-facing camera, sensor strip, microphone and a 6.2 inch (15.7 cm) 16:9 resistive touchscreen
• Two Circle Pads and one D-pad
• Stylus
• Select, Start, Home and Power buttons
• A/B/X/Y face buttons, L/R bumper buttons and ZL/ZR trigger buttons
• Controller sync button

• 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p or 480i, standard 4:3 and 16:9 anamorphic widescreen
• "AV Multi Out" port supporting composite video, YPBPR component video, S-Video (NTSC consoles only), RGB SCART (PAL consoles only) and D-Terminal (Japan only)
• HDMI out port
• Audio
• "AV Multi Out" port. Six-channel PCM linear output through HDMI

• Disc : Holographic Disc (HVD)
• Audio : Lossless 9.1 Channel
• Storage : 250GB-1TB Harddrive, Flash, External
• Storage Speed : 6Gb/s (SATA-600)
• Color Depth : Full Deep Color
• Color Space : x.v.Color
• Controller : Wireless, Vibration, Motion Sense (3D), Wind, Shock
• Internet : 100 Gbit Ethernet wired, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n wireless
• Connection : USB 3.0, Bluetooth 3.0, WHDI, TransferJet
• Display : QF-HDTV (3840x2160p)
• VRAM : 1024MB GDDR5
• System RAM : 1024MB DDR4
  

GTA will come with a new sequel CALIFORNIA - rumors about the brand-new series of Grand Theft Auto V starts rolling. Developer Rockstar has said that the new GTA will be ready for release in 2012.

In a shocking news, indicate that the developers of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V, already well underway.

As quoted from PS3MMGN and team XBOX, Tuesday (21/06/2011), Rockstar said it has completed the final touches to the game with a very large scale games and will soon release it in the next year.

Sources claim the game GTA V is one of the major that will encourage speculation that the map the game will be much bigger than Liberty City in GTA IV.

Pretty safe to assume that Rockstar has been working on GTA game well for a while.

Something which the question is whether true GTA will be released next year and will be applied to the Nintendo Wii U?

Star Wars: The Old Republic System Requirements

• AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz or better
• Operating System:
• Windows XP or later

• Windows XP: 1.5GB RAM
• Windows Vista and Windows 7: 2GB RAM

• ATI X1800 or better
• nVidia 7800 or better
• Intel 4100 Integrated Graphics or better

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Standard Edition
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Collector's Edition

Skyrim's main story revolves around the player character's efforts to defeat a dragon god who is prophesied to destroy the world. Set two hundred years after Oblivion, the game takes place in the land of Skyrim in the midst of a civil war after the assassination of the king. The open world gameplay of the Elder Scrolls series is continued in Skyrim, as the player character can explore the land at will and ignore or postpone the main quest indefinitely.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Collector's Edition

1. The Making of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’ DVD. This documentary DVD contains exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage, including interviews with the Bethesda Game Studios team as they take you from concept to creation and provide insights into the story, gameplay, setting, legacy of the Elder Scrolls franchise, and much more.
2. ‘The Art of Skyrim’ Official Art Book. Featuring over 200 pages of striking, full-color illustrations, sketches and models, this stunning 9 3/8” x 12 1/8” coffee table book showcases the characters, creatures, environments, and weaponry of Skyrim. With a foreword by game director Todd Howard and commentary from Bethesda Game Studios artists, readers will be guided through the game’s iconic visual style.
3. Alduin Statue. Created in conjunction with the IP Factory, this collector’s only statue stands 12” tall and is made of high quality PVC. Modeled from actual in-game 3D digital files, it showcases Alduin, the World Eater. He stands perched atop one the game’s many dragon walls that teach the player the lethal language of dragons.

• Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
• Processor: Dual Core 2.0GHz or equivalent processor
• 2GB System RAM
• 6GB free HDD Space
• Direct X 9 compliant video card with 512 MB of RAM
• DirectX compatible sound card
• Internet access for Steam activation

• Windows 7/Vista/XP PC (32 or 64 bit)
• Processor: Quad-core Intel or AMD CPU
• 4GB System RAM
• 6GB free HDD space
• DirectX 9 compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with 1GB of RAM (Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 or higher; ATI Radeon 4890 or higher).
• DirectX compatible sound card
• Internet access for Steam activation

"The Min specs get you playing, The recommended specs let you play on High, not on Ultra. You'll want beefier rig for that"

• Clip Size Mod for Para 9--Allows you to increase the size of the bullet clip for your Para 9 side arm and spend more time shooting your opponents before having to reload.
• G-MAL--Allows you to increase the size of the bullet clip for your G-MAL long gun and spend more time shooting your opponents before having to reload.
• Clip Size Mod for G-MAL--Allows you to increase the size of the bullet clip for your G-MAL long gun and spend more time shooting your opponents before having to reload.

1. If a lot of enemies, there are n LPG cylinders, do not hesitate use it, throwing into them, shoot the tube!
2. If a car n lots of enemies, up on the roof of the car ride, and use medium-range weapons (axe / rod length / the like), do not forget to let me squat to maximize the reach sometimes infected could rise to the top of the car, so be careful.
3. If there is a building / space, and lots of enemies out there chasing us, close the door, then attack from those door
4. If you look at HP critical enemy and lots and full fury, just use it

• Items from the quest and the drop is often better than in the metal case, when there are more skills required do not take the lockpick skill.
• Any chance of instant death skill is not worth it, especially xian mei, which has a sharp weapon damage largest non-explosive, with a good weapon even thug can die with a 2-3 punch (even one time with a backstab + flying strike direction head).
• Hand of god glova is a weapon that could bring down almost any enemy (ram can not), even Jason and the last boss. make them vulnerable to head stomp.
• Butcher and infected Warrior (boss) can avoid the attack to the head, attacking the body.
• The effects of weapons (poison, shock, bleed) emerged as critical.

• The effects of mod like poison, electricity, even the mod developers come to the vicinity of the main target channeled through the economical throw (30% damage around target throw), combined with + 30% critical moment and throw boomerang, it would be great against hordes.
• You can 'get back' sticky bomb that was thrown with skill boomerang.
• Do not use the hand of glova / homerun bat at enemies who are still stuck in his body throw our weapons, there is a chance his body was thrown to the place that we can not access.
• For melee weapon which is synchronous with skill logan, logan most effective & efficient use of one hand sharp weapon like a wakizashi & machete. (Critical chance up to 16%)

• You can do the flying kick (jump and kick) followed by a strike while flying nearly landed in a time jump. very useful when three more infected or come from the same direction. This certainly wasteful stamina, but with vampire skills (stamina boost when kill) this technique could be virtually free of stamina.
• Combined flying strike, backstab, and critical toward the head with lethal weapons lvl 50 deathstalker wakizashi, can produce more damage than 30rb, can kill a level 50 warrior infected (infected joint and thug) in a time o'clock. For jason I have never try, because fitting opponent Jason want from the front, because both 'Swordman'... but it should be because HP lvl 50 jason 'only' 27,000. Many people who have difficulty using a flying strike, to get the timing right, use the flying strike when the moment of stepping off you, and for effectiveness, point to the head.
• With a sharp weapon damage is incredible, fury / bloodrage xian mei is not too big benefit in terms of damage and loss range (because pake knife), if you do not feel have benefited from the assassin Guile (Level3: + about 3 bars of max HP and restore HP equal to the addition) or lighting moves (level 3: +99% movement speed) do not take any skill at all fury.
  

• Combination of feel no pain (when the fury), last stand, and make you bulletproof hardened + immune from melee attacks and live bullets at 1:25 HP bar. but not very useful considering the walker attack at level 50 can be 1.5 to 2.5 bar of HP. hm ... might be a bit handy when beaten infected.
• With a tackles, light out, and regeneration, you will rarely die because of walkers / infected. skill2 take it as soon as possible. Tackles is much more efficient than the hand of glova stamina against hordes of walkers / infected.

• The skill inspiring kick, stomp counted as a 'kick'.
• Should take skill and ignore skill vampire kick of strength.

Diablo 3 Collector's Edition

• Diablo III PC/Mac Game
• The Art of Diablo III (book)
• Diablo III Soundtrack
• Behind The Scenes Blu-Ray/DVD set
• Diablo Skull and 4GB USB Soulstone
• Exclusive In-Game Contents

What if I purchase the Diablo III Collector's Edition?

If you decide to purchase the Diablo III Collector's Edition when it's available, and then choose to add your Collector's Edition license key to the Battle.net account associated with your existing World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion, you will receive all of the benefits associated with the Collector's Edition, plus receive four months of World of Warcraft game time which is eligible towards your 12-month subscription commitment. After you purchase the Diablo III Collector's Edition you just need to input the product key into the Battle.net account associated with your World of Warcraft 12-month commitment and that account will then receive the next 4 months of World of Warcraft game time for free. For example, if you already had a month of game time on the associated World of Warcraft account when you input your Diablo III Collector's Edition product key, it would then be 5 months until your next subscription payment was due

Saints Row: The Third Release Date

Saints Row: The Third Synopsis

Rejoin the ranks of the most unholy Saints around as you return to the Row to experience gang life, post-fame. Kids are kicking around in Saints sneakers, tough-guy hopefuls are slurping Saints energy drinks and storeowners are proudly displaying Johnny Gat bobble heads on their top shelves. Celebrity status has hit — but will the Saints survive their newfound glory unscathed?

In Saints Row: The Third, fame and fortune come at a bittersweet price for the kings of Stilwater. Faced with serious demands from the legendary criminal fraternity, the Syndicate, the Saints must hit the streets of Steelport to trample their new rivals — and defend their status. Get ready for intense action, grueling gang violence and outlandish situations to spare as you take on a decaying city of sin in an all-new battle with the Saints. Buckle up and take a massive tank on a wild ride — through the sky. Duke it out against trained military forces and call in a strategic airstrike on a Mexican wrestling gang. With grit and guts galore, you and your gang will never kneel to an enemy. After all, just because you're a Saint doesn't mean you have to behave.

• Take the fight to Steelport, a struggling city of sin where you must battle it out with the dangerous Syndicate gang
• Get some serious air while driving a massive tank — right through the sky
• Return to the streets of Stilwater and discover how fame and fortune as the kings of the town has affected the Saints — for the better and for the worse
• Defend yourself against a highly trained military force in an incredibly outlandish scenario
• Take on a Mexican wrestling gang in a satellite-targeted airstrike

The Sims 3:Pets Features

• More pets mean more fun! Create a wide variety of unique dogs, cats, and—for the first time ever—horses! Build a collection of lizards, turtles, snakes, and birds. Think your Sim has what it takes to tame a wild horse?
• Be the Pet. Wield control of your Sim’s pet to chase, dig, tackle and more. Be the perfect companion or wreck havoc on your Sims!
• Pets have their own traits! From intelligent, brave, and friendly to hydrophobic, skittish, and clueless to gentle, fast, and agile, determine the personality of your Sims’ pets.

The Sims 3: Pets

Reviewed by NatS

I've been waiting for Sims 3 pets since I first heard about it and I must say, it was worth the wait! I had trouble with the code (EA gave me the wrong code) but other than that, no problems so far. The detail in the pets is amazing, and there are so many more interactions you can do with your pet than you could have had in Sims 2. Sims 3 Pets is worth the money because you get so much with this expansion. A new town is included, as well as new furniture, clothes, hairstyles, patterns, and there's an Ice Cream truck that rides around the city! You won't get bored of this game anytime soon, that's for sure.

Reviewed by Capn_Underpants

Well, if you're a fan of previous 'Pet Expansion Packs' then this is something you'll definitely like. Instead of going through what I do like (since I know most people here have already done that), I'll tell you the things I don't like.

1) Warnings --> You get 1 warning if your pet is getting neglected. After that they take ALL of your pets away. Getting caught up in the story of your sim or having a baby like I did made me not socialize with my cat as much. In the end all 5 of my animals were taken away because my cat got too needy to socialize (see #3). That's a big turn off. Then when I try and adopt my pets back they say that I can't adopt for a while. So all of my animals get adopted by others and I can't see them anymore.

2) Buying Objects --> Buying your pet objects is located where the baby section is. However, it doesn't have ALL of the pet supplies in it. So I had to filter and scroll and scroll and scroll to just find a ball for my dog and horse. Why wouldn't that be where all the pet stuff is? Why is this stuff hidden? It's a inconvenience.

3) Socialize Moodlet --> This moodlet is the one I find the most annoying. I feel like I have to talk to them forever for it to increase. And for a family with a great number of pets it gets annoying. You have to go from one to the other and when you finally finish the first pet needs to be talked to again. It leaves no time for 'sim' time.

That's about it. I think it's a well done game overall. It's a lot harder the more pets/sims you have. So I suggest starting out slow would be the best.

Reviewed by Vicki Moyer

Praises for Pets! Compared to the previous four Sims 3 expansion packs, this one is a 5-Star winner! I had no troubles with the install once I removed my mod files. Afterwards, I returned all mods but the one needing an update and had no problems with the game. (Remember to apply the DEP fix for Window 7.)

I want to rave about the in-game animations. The graphic artists at EA paid close attention to details and captured tons of lifelike movements of our furry friends. Dogs and cats frisk and pounce, eat, sleep, hunt, beg, scratch, roll over and play dead, just like living dogs and cats. I don't have a pet anymore and sorely miss her but watching the little sim cats and dogs play on my monitor brings me both pleasure and melancholic delight. If you don't appreciate the artistry that went into animating these little sims animals then you have missed the joy of Sims 3 Pets.

Want a custom pet? Enter Create A Sim for Pets. Peruse the prebuilt breeds. There are dozens of them. Or build your own mutt or stray cat (or horse). CAS for the animals has lots of "sliders" and customizations, perhaps even more than CAS for sim people. After getting the hang of the advanced options, I created the perfect Schnauzer and Siberian Husky. My cat is a Manx-Scottish Fold with cheetah-like markings. Assign your pets their own personality traits and unleash them into a new household.

High free-will sims will care for their pets. Don't need to worry about filling the food dish or getting the animals' attention. My household of four handles their cat and two dogs easily.

I was bored with Sims 3 and all the expansion packs until now. I watch the pets more than the household sims. I'm having a blast and appreciating all the hard, hard work EA artists and programmers put into this game. I highly recommend Sims 3 Pets over all the other expansion packs. Now if EA would just come out with a fabulous Seasons. Diehard sims fans can only hope.

• The Wandering Isle starting zone is actually a giant turtle!
• Pandaren characters will start out Neutral and choose either Alliance or Horde at level 10.
• Pandarens will be able to be the following classes: Monk, Mage, Priest, Hunter, Rogue, Warrior, and Shaman.

• Monks will now be a selectable class for the following races: Pandaren, Dwarf, Human, Draenei, Gnome, Night Elf, Orc, Tauren, Blood Elf, Undead, Troll.
• Monks will use Cloth and Leather items.
• Monks can use the following weapons: Hands and feet, Fist Weapons, One-Handed Axes, One-Handed Maces, One-Handed Swords, Polearms, and Staves.

• New Playable Race -- Pandaren: Adventure through Azeroth as World of Warcraft's first neutral race and decide whether to side with the Alliance or the Horde.
• New Playable Class -- Monk: Unlock the secrets of pandaren martial arts and do battle as a damage dealer, healer, or tank.
• Level Cap Increased to 90:Learn potent new spells and abilities while exploring uncharted zones and taking on challenging new content.
• New Zones:Explore the lush Jade Forest, treacherous Kun-Lai Summit, and other exotic areas of Pandaria designed for high-level characters, and uncover the mystery of the Wandering Isle.
• Scenarios: Join up with some friends to achieve a common goal, such as mounting a defense against invading monsters, in a flexible new type of PvE challenge.
• Dungeon “Challenge” Modes: Master the ultimate five-player time trial to earn prestige rewards in a new dungeon mode that will put your resolve and coordination to the test.
• Pet Battles: Challenge other players’ companion pets with your own collection in a new tactical mini-game, and find out who's king or queen of the pint-sized battlefield.
• New Talent System: Customize your character to suit your play style with the newly overhauled and improved talent system.