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Online Poker!

If you have some free time and need some entertainment play these cool online poker games. And you can learn a new strategy, play either free rolls or for real money or chat in forums with other players.

Game Commentary

The social side of gaming (J. Morgan, 01/15/2008)
Video games will rot your brain and ruin your social skills, or so our parents told us. Yet, as Jeff Morgan explains, the gaming industry has tried to combat this stereotype by developing games like "Halo" and "World of Warcraft" with complex multiplayer components that have spawned virtual societies.

Featured Sites

IGN.com
When you think of video games, this should be the first site that comes to mind. IGN has forever been a staple on the internet with its reliable supply of in-depth coverage on the game industry. From previews and reviews of all of the latest games, to updated news and cheat codes, IGN is the one-stop source for the serious gamer.

Fearless Gamer
Great games blog that covers all the news, reviews and cheats that a serious gamer wants to know.

Gamervision
Cool social networking site for gamers.

/Gamer
This well-known gamer blog is must-reading for game fanatics!

Kotaku
This slick games blog will entertain you and inform you about the gamer life all at the same time.

Joystiq
Another cool games blog.

Video Game Controller Family Tree
An interesting family tree chart that displays the evolution of various game controllers throughout the years. While the site is still in the early stages, it's amazing that no one thought of making these obvious connections earlier.

Articles

Get a pro ball in Wii Bowling
You don't have to hide your Wii Bowling addiction here. The game is great, and there's no better way to show off your dedication to the craft than a pro ball. Follow these easy steps to unlock the pro ball and hang onto it.

Cool Online Games

Classic Pac-Man It's the arcade favorite you remember, with some cool twists!

Animator vs. Animation Game The stick figure returns! Fight with him�?or against him.

Games Web Guide

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Game QuickTakes

QuickTakes Archive

Iron Man 2

One of these days, video games based on movies will stop sucking. Either that, or developers will finally become wise and stop producing the things altogether. Sadly, “Iron Man 2�?isn’t even based on the movie, instead having its story created from the ground up. You’d be forgiven for thinking this would actually give the game its own legs to stand on, but no. Instead what we have is a total mess, featuring some guy who doesn’t even sound like Robert Downey Jr. delivering some of the worst dialogue ever written for a game (somehow Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson did come along for the ride). To top that off, the graphics look like something the PlayStation 2 could have handled and the controls are clunky at best. Fans of the comic book and movies deserve better, but they don’t even get average with this wreck. Downey Jr. was wise not to waste his talents on this epic failure. ~Jason Thompson

How to Train Your Dragon

Another 3D animated movie, another video game tie-in to go along with it. This time around it’s DreamWorks�?“How to Train Your Dragon.�?A so-so movie deserves a so-so game, and Activision has pretty much nailed that quality right on the head with this title.  Players get to control either Hiccup or Astrid as they train their dragons on the Island of Berk to prepare them for entry in various tournaments. Mostly, this game comes off as a weak cross between any of the “Monster Rancher�?games and any two-player fighting game you’d care to name, though with no real excitement to speak of. When you’re not training and customizing your dragons, players are forced to go around the island in search of items to make recipes in their cookbooks or do other menial tasks that are part and parcel with games such as these. My five-year-old was interested for about 20 minutes and then decided that it was time for another round of “Toy Soldiers.”�?See, even the kids know the good games these days. ~Jason Thompson

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

It’s only been two years since the release of “Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass,�?so it’s a little surprising to see another game come out for the Nintendo DS so soon. You won’t find any fans complaining about the quick turnaround, though, because “Spirit Tracks�?is even better than the last outing. In Link’s newest handheld adventure, Princess Zelda is double-crossed by one of her closest confidants with the intent of using her body as a vessel to resurrect the evil Demon King. The catch, however, is that Zelda’s spirit is still very much alive, and for the first time in a “Legend of Zelda�?game, the princess joins Link on an adventure to restore the Spirit Tracks that imprison the Demon King and return her spirit to her body. With the ability to take control of Phantoms, Zelda can now help defeat enemies and solve puzzles that Link wouldn’t be able to do on his own. It’s just a small part of the gameplay, but it really helps to keep things fresh, especially when everything else feels so familiar. Though Link has since traded in his boat for a train, traveling around Hyrule is virtually the same, while controlling his movement with the stylus continues to be a royal pain in the ass. (I mean, really, there’s a D-pad on the system �?why not use it?) Despite some minor quibbles, though, “Spirit Tracks�?is actually a pretty solid experience. It might seem a bit short for a “Legend of Zelda�?title, but it serves as a nice distraction while fans patiently wait for the next console version to arrive. ~Jason Zingale