Copying PS2 Video Games

How many PS2 users have had their video games damaged by wear and tear? Everyone who owns a video game console that takes CD and DVDs knows the feeling of not being able to use a game due to scratches. However, copying your PS2 video games is an excellent way to protect your collection and enjoy your games for years to come.

If you're looking to play copied PS2 video games, there is a lot of technology that can allow your console to read a DVD or even CD copy. The key is to put in a mod chip to play these video games. This mod chip works to allow copied CDs that were not originally coded to work on a PS2 console to boot without problems. Without these mod chips, the system would automatically reject any copied CD.

Installing and using a mod chip can put a lot of pressure on your PS2 game system. Many mod chips can even eventually wear down your laser and result in the need to buy a new one. Mod chips should only be installed by trained professionals, as it is never advisable to open up your own PS2 console without special training. Make sure to use only the best technology, as a cheap mod chip can ruin your PS2 console.

Creating the right copy of your PS2 video games also requires a special program for your computer. HD Loader is one of the most popular systems for copying and storing your PS2 games on your hard drive. This allows you to create a back up disc or keep the information there for safe-keeping. HD Loader allows you to catalog boot and load your games faster, and reduce the wear and tear on your PS2's laser. Games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that read from the disc most of the time during play will wear out your system, so HD Loader offers many advantages to archiving games that you legally own. With HD Loader you don't need a mod chip or special equipment, but you'll need the PS2 Network Adapter, a Playstation 1 game, and an IDE hard drive (Maxtor ones work the best, usually) for continued use, as well as an Action Replay Max to get the hard drive software on the memory card the first time.

Many PS2 users who want to protect their original video game use this technology to back up a disc, or use HD Loader to boot their games faster and keep their laser from being overused. However, users should be careful to not break copyright laws, since buying or downloading a pirated PS2 video game is against the law. It is also against the law in many countries to bypass any copyright technology that is installed in a PS2 video game, so make sure you check into local laws before going ahead with this kind of project.

This technology helps users restore video games that have been damaged by wear and tear and continue enjoying their PS2 experience. Protect your games and continue to enjoy the best video games in the world for years to come. Back up your collection of PS2 games today using a mod chip and special software on your PC.

For more on video gaming, visit http://gamer-revolution.net to read about everything from the issues of violent online games to the best NES cartridges to PC and Nintendo games, and much more!

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3 Red Flashing Lights on Xbox 360 - Fix Them in Under 2 Hours

Those annoying glowing lights that have appeared on your Xbox 360's are there to signal that your console has stopped working properly. This could be due to overheating, or a general hardware failure such as a loose graphics processor. Those 3 red flashing lights on your Xbox 360 can be fixed with a little bit of work - soon you will be playing your favorite games once more.

Before you can fix the 3 red flashing lights on your Xbox 360, it's important to properly understand exactly what causes the problem. There are actually two main causes for the "red ring of death". One of these is the common issue of overheating; you've probably noticed that your Xbox 360 would get very hot, very quickly whilst you were gaming. This is due to the fact that there aren't really enough cooling devices such as fans or heat-sinks inside the console. Too much heat rapidly builds up in a small area and then the console has to shut itself down and display the red lights, in order to warn you that something quite serious has gone wrong.

Another common reason you might have the red ring is due to a general hardware failure. This is where components such as memory chips, the graphics processor unit or the "X" clamps, which secure various parts in place, become loose or faulty. Loose components may be related somewhat to the problem of overheating as the constant expanding, then contracting (hot/cold) can cause problems.

Fixing the 3 flashing red lights on an Xbox 360 involves determining the exact cause of the problem on your console, and then repairing it without causing any damage to the components. All of this can be carried out using basic tools that can be found around the house, and in less than 2 hours. The only other thing that you will need is an Xbox 360 repair guide. Basically, a repair guide is a detailed collection of videos, images and written files on how to determine the cause of the error, and then fix it in a safe, reliable manner. They're not expensive (most cost around $30) especially when compared with the cost of buying a whole new Xbox 360. Don't think of trying to fix the red lights problem without one, as you will simply do more damage than good.

Click here to learn more about an easy step-by-step Xbox 360 repair guide at Xbox 360 Central that will allow you to repair your Xbox 360 in under two hours in the comfort of your own home. Read free reviews on the top repair products and learn3 red flashing lights on Xbox 360 fix

James Philipson has been involved in the electronics industry for over 10 years and has repaired more than 30 Xbox 360 consoles since the platform's release over two years ago. Please visit one of the links above and you will be able to download a free copy of his "What Causes The 3 Red Lights Error" report.

SPACE.com - Every once in a while, something will appear in the night sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up. It's likely to be that way on Monday evening, Dec. 1.

Rock Band And Novelty In Gaming

This game is a landmark. In years to come, we will look back at this game and see that this, along with Wii Fit, became the point where it all changed.
But for the life of me, I can't see what these changes are, positive or negative.

I have no doubt in my mind that both Rock Band and Wii Fit are fun. Let's not confuse my writing with that of a negative review of these games. For me these games are the catalyst for something much more.

For anyone who doesn't know, Rock Band has the same basic music concept as Guitar Hero. Coloured bars fall from the top of the screen in time with the music, and you have to hit the corresponding colour while strumming your guitar. Except Rock Back have also added a drum kit peripheral, and a singing part, which works much the same as Sing Star for the PS2. And Wii Fit is a series of mini games, all using the Balance Board peripheral, a flat quadrangle split into four pressure sensitive areas. This is all dressed up into a miracle fitness regime, in which you can have fun and lose weight.

I'm not entirely sure why these games cause such an unsettling feeling in my stomach, but they do.

For a minor history lesson, I can tell you firstly that these types of games have been around for a very long time. The guitar peripheral concept has been around in a franchise called Guitar Mania, and so too has the idea of a drum peripheral, in Drum Mania. These are not the only, and probably not the first examples, but they are the most well known after Guitar Hero. These games were limited mostly to arcades. Western arcades have all but died, whereas in Japan these machines still prevail (there's one being used in Lost in Translation), but that's another rant for another time. The Wii Balance Board is a relatively new idea, but having its roots in the Joyboard, a peripheral released in 1982. The peripherals on offer are not a new thing, so no, it's not that that's bothering me.

Large peripherals for controlling games have been around as long as games themselves. Nintendo's Robotic Operating Buddy for example. They have always had the major problem of costing an absolute bomb, especially in the light of regular priced games. 70 on Wii Fit, or 40 on GTA IV? A full Rock Band setup is going to set you back in the region of 150. That's a heavy hit for a video game, but you can buy the different parts separately, making your wallet take a slightly less insulting blow, but a blow nonetheless. But gamers do have a large disposable income, so I don't doubt for a minute that people will pay this price, even if it leaves a slightly bitter taste in their mouths, so no, it's not that that's bothering me, either.

I think, and this is a concept very deeply rooted within my brain, like a psychiatric disorder, that these games signal the next wave of novelty gaming (pejorative). I'm not sure I see myself as a "hard-core" gamer. I don't feel the need to play games' expert modes, for example. But I will strive for 100% completion, and I will attempt to play the best possible game of Halo/Super Smash Bros./Ikaruga/Guitar Hero that I can possibly play, ever motivated towards perfection. And what I see these novelty games as, is an influx of the casual gamer. We've already had a huge influx of the casual gamer in the DS and Wii, and we can already see the repercussions of that. Shelf after shelf of movie and TV tie-in games; poorly produced bilge in the attempt to make a quick buck out of the nave and gullible.

People had fun playing Wii Sports and Wii Play, so 3rd parties produce more compilations of sports and mini games. People enjoyed brain training, and so we have a catalogue of third party brain training software.

OK granted, it's going to be fairly hard for a third party company to create a clone of Rock Band that people will actually be stupid enough to buy; this game seems pretty contained in itself. But it will still bring a lot of new gamers to the fold, and these new gamers are eventually going to get bored of Rock Band and want another game. Off they pop down to Game (...don't get me started on Game) to buy another game, and what are they more likely to walk out with? The Orange Box? Bio Shock? No, Iron Man, or the Lost video game, because as a new gamer, the only concepts they have in their mind are from other media, and they feel more comfortable spending their cash on a concept they are aware of, than the "unheard of" Crackdown.

But I think more than this, the thing that is getting me the most exasperated, is that for video games to finally get the world-wide recognition that they have been denied for so long, we have had to rely on novelty: The Wii and DS, and games with crazy peripherals. Like a circus clown with a trumpet running up to you in the street, shouting "Video games are fun! You see, look! Su Doku!"

From the mouth of Fenton Bailey. Find his blog at http://fentonbailey.blogspot.com

SPACE.com - Every once in a while, something will appear in the night sky that will attract the attention of even those who normally don't bother looking up. It's likely to be that way on Monday evening, Dec. 1.

All About the Starcraft Mods

StarCraft is a military science fiction video game that came on the market in 1998 from Blizzard Entertainment. It has become one of the best-selling computer games with more than 9 million copies sold throughout the world. It is regarded as one of the best games of all times and raised the bar for the development of future video games. Based on the success of this game Starcraft mods have also been developed, by hackers who want to cash in on this success and make money on their own.

Many of the custom modifications you get when you purchase the StarCraft game use the same editor. However, with some of the newer games you have to make a few custom hacks changes to be able to get around the restrictions of the existing editor. Some of the mod creators even record their own sound effects and voices, but for the most part they still exhibit the same polished integrated structure as the original game. This is because it is relatively easy to break the balancing and produce artwork that fits in with the Blizzard creations.

There are custom mods for the StarCraft game that do have changes made in the programming. This gives these mods their own unique take on the game. Hackers that create these mods can adapt the StarCratft files and have different sounds and graphics. Some of the mods are even more intense than the original game providing for single players. Others have made extensive changes to the sound and graphics and even the action of the game itself.

There are many different mods of the StaraCraft game, some of which vary little from the original. They include:

- Aliens vs. Predator: Retribution TC - this is a German speaking version of the game with total conversion
- Brutkrieg.de's TC pack - This German version of the game features a collection of homemade add-on packs and TC's. They are bundled together and sold as one package.
- Gundam Century - This was originally called GundamCraft that replaced the StarCraft graphics with the manga mecha characters of Gundam and their robotic vehicles. The game also replaced two of the StarCraft races - Federation replaced Terrans and Neo Zion replaced Protoss. The site was shut down for a while, but is now live again. However production of new mods has not resumed.
- NeoTech - This mod features an upgrade to all the Terran forces with most of the units replaced by units that look more spectacular.
- Open Rebellion - This is a total conversion of the Brood War that very closely resembles the original version.
- Robotech: Enemy Frontier - This is a total conversion of the Robotech game of the 1980's.
- StarCraft Sickel Add-On - This is a fan built extension kit for the Brood War game. It adds to the existing line of units and allows for the addition of new units. There are two new Terran tanks, a new Zerg unit and several capital classes of Protoss.
- StarCraft Team Fortress - This mod totally changes the game so that it is somewhat like the Half-Life Team Fortress.

For more information about StarCraft mods, StarCraft map editors and lots of great StarCraft tips visit http://www.CreepColony.com

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