Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ["AO" Version] Cheats, Codes, Hints, Tips

Bug - Hood Loss
While playing the European English version of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas with the latest patch of 1.01, I encountered a bug.

The bug occurs near CJ's house. I bought in the northwest of ballas territory when it comes to fighting turf, not too far from the beach and ammuNation.

While fighting a turf war normally there are 3 waves, ie you survive the first wave and then the second and when you survive the third "the hood is yours".

The trouble occurs near Jefferson's neighborhood as you drive to a nearby drive to take territory. While standing on rooftops, I survive the first wave of attacks but as I shoot a lot of Ballas a couple of them run away from me and are noted as purple triangles and squares in the green grove street territory. If I wander too far from the Flashing Red "contested territory" I get a message saying to "get back into the war zone".

I have stood in the war zone for 20 minutes only to just stand there with nobody coming after me, hence if I leave the war zone I don't get to win that area because after a couple minutes I lose it. Therefore I cannot simply go way out of the warzone and chase down the enemies. It is a glitch because there is no way to win the territory.

Hack - Tommy Vercetti Cameo
This changes part of the character01 file. Delete the extracted file if you want things back to normal.

Unverified. Go to the file character01.rar in the directory .../install/gtasa/... and extract it. You will find the code for the character known in the game as C.J. But if you want good old Vercetti back, then change the three digit number from 0 1 1 to 1 0 0. This should change the character, I don't know if this will work on all of the people's computers but it worked on mine.

Unlockables: Fits

Croupier Uniform: Complete the mission "Breaking the bank at Caligula's"
Gimp Suit: Complete the mission "The Key to her Heart"
Medic Uniform: Date Katie to 100%
Overall's Outfit: Date Helena to 100%
Pimp Suit: Date Denise to 100%
Police Uniform: Date Barbara to 100%
Racing Outfit: Date Michelle to 100%
Valet Uniform: Complete the mission "555-WE-TIP"

Unlock: Girlfriend's Cars

Bandito: Date Helena (Her car doesn't have any doors)
Green Hustler: Date Denise to 50%
Monster Truck: Date Michelle to 50%
Pink Club: Date Millie to 50%
Police Ranger: Date Barbara to 50%
White Romero: Date Katie to 50%

Cheats Codes
Type these codes in during gameplay.

SPEEDFREAK: All Cars Have Nitro
NIGHTPROWLER: Always Midnight
FLYINGFISH: Boats Fly
BUBBLECARS: Cars Float Away When Hit
STATEOFEMERGENCY: Chaos Mode
BLUESUEDESHOES: Elvis is Everywhere
SPEEDITUP: Faster Gameplay
CRAZYTOWN: Funhouse Theme
ONLYHOMIESALLOWED: Gang Members Everywhere
BIFBUZZ: Gangs Control the Streets
ROCKETMAN: Have Jetpack
PROFESSIONALKILLER: Hitman In All Weapon Stats
CJPHONEHOME: Huge Bunny Hop
FULLCLIP: Infinite Ammo, No Reload
WHEELSONLYPLEASE: Invisible car
NATURALTALENT: Max All Vehicle Skill Stats
BUFFMEUP: Max Muscle
WORSHIPME: Max Respect
HELLOLADIES: Max Sex Appeal
KANGAROO: Mega Jump
NINJATOWN: Ninja Theme
STICKLIKEGLUE: Perfect Handling
ROCKETMAYHEM: Recruit Anyone (Rockets)
GHOSTTOWN: Reduced Traffic
BRINGITON: Six Star Wanted Level
SLOWITDOWN: Slower Gameplay
ITSALLBULL: Spawn Dozer
OHDUDE: Spawn Hunter
JUMPJET: Spawn Hydra
MONSTERMASH: Spawn Monster
FOURWHEELFUN: Spawn Quad
VROCKPOKEY: Spawn Racecar
WHERESTHEFUNERAL: Spawn Romero
CELEBRITYSTATUS: Spawn Stretch
FLYINGTOSTUNT: Spawn Stunt Plane
TRUEGRIME: Spawn Trashmaster
GOODBYECRUELWORLD: Suicide
PLEASANTLYWARM: Sunny Weather
SCOTTISHSUMMER: Thunderstorm
EVERYONEISPOOR: Traffic is Cheap Cars
EVERYONEISRICH: Traffic is Fast Cars
TOODAMNHOT: Very Sunny Weather
PROFESSIONALSKIT: Weapon Set 2, Professional Tools

Unlockables

To enable the Ak-47, Tec-9, Sawn-Off Shotgun, and Molotov Cocktails to spawn in the Johnson's Family Home complete all 100 tags in Los Santos.
To enable 50 percent extra health complete level 12 of the paramedic mission.
To enable fireproof complete level 12 of the fire fighter missions.
To start the pimping mission, enter a broadway (low-rider vehicle) and press R3. Drive the prostitutes to their destinations for big cash. After the tenth "trick" prostitutes PAY you rather than you paying them.
BF Injection: Get First place at the Dirt ring race Las Venturas Stadium.
Super GT: Get all Bronze medal in Driving school.
Dune Buggy: Beat the score of 25 at the Dirt Ring.
Hotknife: Get all gold medals in the Driving school.
Jet Pack: Complete the Airstip asset near Las Venturas.
NRG 500: Get all gold medals in Bike School. This bike can be found quite easily in a car park near the Johnson house.
Rustler: Get all Bronze medal in pilot school.
Freeway: Get all Bronze awards in Bike School.
Hotring racer: Get First place in 8-Track.
Monster Truck: Win it by beatin the 8-Track Tournament.
Stunt plane: Get all silver medals at the pilot school.
Medic Outfit: 100% with Katie Zhan
Pimp Outfit: 100% with Denise Robinson
Racing Outfit: 100% with Michelle
Police Outfit: 100% with Barbara
Keep weapon after getting busted: Date Barbara
Keep weapon after getting wasted: Date Katie

From Yahoo Games

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas ["AO" Version] Cheats, Codes, Hints, Tips

Bug - Hood Loss
While playing the European English version of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas with the latest patch of 1.01, I encountered a bug.

The bug occurs near CJ's house. I bought in the northwest of ballas territory when it comes to fighting turf, not too far from the beach and ammuNation.

While fighting a turf war normally there are 3 waves, ie you survive the first wave and then the second and when you survive the third "the hood is yours".

The trouble occurs near Jefferson's neighborhood as you drive to a nearby drive to take territory. While standing on rooftops, I survive the first wave of attacks but as I shoot a lot of Ballas a couple of them run away from me and are noted as purple triangles and squares in the green grove street territory. If I wander too far from the Flashing Red "contested territory" I get a message saying to "get back into the war zone".

I have stood in the war zone for 20 minutes only to just stand there with nobody coming after me, hence if I leave the war zone I don't get to win that area because after a couple minutes I lose it. Therefore I cannot simply go way out of the warzone and chase down the enemies. It is a glitch because there is no way to win the territory.

Hack - Tommy Vercetti Cameo
This changes part of the character01 file. Delete the extracted file if you want things back to normal.

Unverified. Go to the file character01.rar in the directory .../install/gtasa/... and extract it. You will find the code for the character known in the game as C.J. But if you want good old Vercetti back, then change the three digit number from 0 1 1 to 1 0 0. This should change the character, I don't know if this will work on all of the people's computers but it worked on mine.

Unlockables: Fits

Croupier Uniform: Complete the mission "Breaking the bank at Caligula's"
Gimp Suit: Complete the mission "The Key to her Heart"
Medic Uniform: Date Katie to 100%
Overall's Outfit: Date Helena to 100%
Pimp Suit: Date Denise to 100%
Police Uniform: Date Barbara to 100%
Racing Outfit: Date Michelle to 100%
Valet Uniform: Complete the mission "555-WE-TIP"

Unlock: Girlfriend's Cars

Bandito: Date Helena (Her car doesn't have any doors)
Green Hustler: Date Denise to 50%
Monster Truck: Date Michelle to 50%
Pink Club: Date Millie to 50%
Police Ranger: Date Barbara to 50%
White Romero: Date Katie to 50%

Cheats CodesType these codes in during gameplay.


SPEEDFREAK: All Cars Have Nitro
NIGHTPROWLER: Always Midnight
FLYINGFISH: Boats Fly
BUBBLECARS: Cars Float Away When Hit
STATEOFEMERGENCY: Chaos Mode
BLUESUEDESHOES: Elvis is Everywhere
SPEEDITUP: Faster Gameplay
CRAZYTOWN: Funhouse Theme
ONLYHOMIESALLOWED: Gang Members Everywhere
BIFBUZZ: Gangs Control the Streets
ROCKETMAN: Have Jetpack
PROFESSIONALKILLER: Hitman In All Weapon Stats
CJPHONEHOME: Huge Bunny Hop
FULLCLIP: Infinite Ammo, No Reload
WHEELSONLYPLEASE: Invisible car
NATURALTALENT: Max All Vehicle Skill Stats
BUFFMEUP: Max Muscle
WORSHIPME: Max Respect
HELLOLADIES: Max Sex Appeal
KANGAROO: Mega Jump
NINJATOWN: Ninja Theme
STICKLIKEGLUE: Perfect Handling
ROCKETMAYHEM: Recruit Anyone (Rockets)
GHOSTTOWN: Reduced Traffic
BRINGITON: Six Star Wanted Level
SLOWITDOWN: Slower Gameplay
ITSALLBULL: Spawn Dozer
OHDUDE: Spawn Hunter
JUMPJET: Spawn Hydra
MONSTERMASH: Spawn Monster
FOURWHEELFUN: Spawn Quad
VROCKPOKEY: Spawn Racecar
WHERESTHEFUNERAL: Spawn Romero
CELEBRITYSTATUS: Spawn Stretch
FLYINGTOSTUNT: Spawn Stunt Plane
TRUEGRIME: Spawn Trashmaster
GOODBYECRUELWORLD: Suicide
PLEASANTLYWARM: Sunny Weather
SCOTTISHSUMMER: Thunderstorm
EVERYONEISPOOR: Traffic is Cheap Cars
EVERYONEISRICH: Traffic is Fast Cars
TOODAMNHOT: Very Sunny Weather
PROFESSIONALSKIT: Weapon Set 2, Professional Tools

Unlockables

To enable the Ak-47, Tec-9, Sawn-Off Shotgun, and Molotov Cocktails to spawn in the Johnson's Family Home complete all 100 tags in Los Santos.
To enable 50 percent extra health complete level 12 of the paramedic mission.
To enable fireproof complete level 12 of the fire fighter missions.
To start the pimping mission, enter a broadway (low-rider vehicle) and press R3. Drive the prostitutes to their destinations for big cash. After the tenth "trick" prostitutes PAY you rather than you paying them.
BF Injection: Get First place at the Dirt ring race Las Venturas Stadium.
Super GT: Get all Bronze medal in Driving school.
Dune Buggy: Beat the score of 25 at the Dirt Ring.
Hotknife: Get all gold medals in the Driving school.
Jet Pack: Complete the Airstip asset near Las Venturas.
NRG 500: Get all gold medals in Bike School. This bike can be found quite easily in a car park near the Johnson house.
Rustler: Get all Bronze medal in pilot school.
Freeway: Get all Bronze awards in Bike School.
Hotring racer: Get First place in 8-Track.
Monster Truck: Win it by beatin the 8-Track Tournament.
Stunt plane: Get all silver medals at the pilot school.
Medic Outfit: 100% with Katie Zhan
Pimp Outfit: 100% with Denise Robinson
Racing Outfit: 100% with Michelle
Police Outfit: 100% with Barbara
Keep weapon after getting busted: Date Barbara
Keep weapon after getting wasted: Date Katie

From Yahoo Games

Halo 4 to be Launch Title for Next Generation Xbox?

Gearbox again rumoured to be at the reins.
Master Chief's next big outing could herald the launch of the next generation of consoles, with rumour abound that Halo 4 is to be amongst the first wave of titles for the Xbox 360's follow-up console.

Alluded to in the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine, which has been thumbed by Joystiq, Gearbox are said to be working on the fourth instalment proper in the bestselling series. Gearbox's own Randy Pitchford – currently doing the rounds extolling the virtues of the studio's imminent Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway – was recently quoted as saying of the company's next project, "When you find out what this is, you'll likely agree that I can't oversell this one."

Gearbox is also currently at work on Aliens: Colonial Marines, a full-blooded first person take on the film series that's proved such a rich inspiration for the Halo universe.

Powered by IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Need for Speed: Most Wanted Cheats, Codes, Hints, Tips

Hint: Bounty Increase
You can raise your bounty as much as you want and complete that part of your milestones. First get in a pursuit and then find a ledge (ex. on top of the buses at the bus station) go as closes to the end of the buses away from the up ramp as possible without falling off and without a cop following you up the ramp. Then sit there and watch the cops go crazy. It's better if your heat is 2 or up as the lower level cops will sometimes lose sight of you and you'll cool off. At higher levels though the police will hover below you ramming into each other and everything else. This destroys their vehicles which in turn raises you bounty and length of your pursuit. You can sit there as long as you like but check behind you periodically just to make sure one of them hasn't gotten smart enough to come up the ramp. The highest I've gotten off one pursuit is almost 6 million bounty.

Unlock All Cars
On the Press Start screen, input iammostwanted

Hint: Straight Drivin'
Engaging nitrous oxide shifts the weight of the car and in layman's terms, your car will attempt to straighten out. Combined with speedbreaker, it is possible to take on almost any turn without an appreciable loss of speed.

Hint: Roll Over Spike Strips
When approaching an6y roadblock with a heat level greater than four, use the slow-motion effect to avoid spikes strips completely. (Unverified.

Hint: Re-Random Pink Slip
After defeating a blacklist rival, you may opt to take the pink slip from them. Since the contents of the pink slip is randomized, you should make an effort to save the game before racing a rival -- reload the game and restart the race if you get something you do not want.

POWERED BY IGN.COM

Friday, August 22, 2008

$399 360 Elite confirmed?

(As reported by gamespot.com) What we heard: At the beginning of August, Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog predicted that Microsoft would be slashing the price of its three Xbox 360 models. According to the site's mole--which accurately predicted the launch of the 60GB 360--the 120GB Elite would slip $50 to $399, the now-60GB Pro would fall $50 to $299, and the hard drive-less Arcade would slip $80 to $199. The last reduction would have the potential to upend the console race, as it would make the powerful 360 $50 cheaper than the best-selling $249 Nintendo Wii.

Today, game-blog Joystiq appears to have uncovered confirmation for one-third of the price-cut theory. This evening, the site posted what it claims is a scan of a forthcoming promotional flyer for RadioShack, which began selling games late last year. According to the flyer, the Elite will cost just $399 as of Sunday, September 7, a week after Labor Day.

Why would Microsoft so drastically discount its console? For the simple reason that, to keep the 360 competitive, it has no other choice. Since the release of the exclusive Metal Gear Solid 4, the PlayStation 3 has been on a roll. According to NPD figures released last week, the once-dominant 360 was outsold by the PS3 224,900 to 204,800 respectively. While both consoles lagged far behind the Wii, which sold 555,000 units during the month, the PS3's Blu-ray capabilities give it an edge in the long run, both in terms of high-def video playback and game-media storage. At QuakeCon last month, id Software's John Carmack announced the forthcoming action game Rage would have inferior graphics on the 360 due to the limited size of its DVD format.

The official story: Microsoft reps had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: Likely not bogus. While not proof positive, the flyer looks authentic. And didn't a RadioShack flyer predict the 20GB price drop to $299 earlier this summer?

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Studies: Video games can aid students, surgeons

Parents, don't put away those video games just yet — today's gamer may be tomorrow's top surgeon. Researchers who gathered in Boston for the American Psychological Association convention detailed a series of studies suggesting video games can be powerful learning tools — from increasing younger students' problem-solving potential to improving the suturing skills of laparoscopic surgeons.

One study even looked at whether playing "World of Warcraft," the world's biggest multiplayer online game, can improve scientific thinking.

The conclusion? Certain types of video games can have benefits beyond the virtual thrills of blowing up demons.

In one Fordham University study, 122 students in fifth, sixth and seventh grades were asked to think out loud for 20 minutes while playing a game they had never seen before. Researchers studied the children's statements to see if playing the game improved cognitive and perceptual skills.

While older children seemed more interested in just playing the game, younger children showed more interest in setting up a series of short-term goals needed to help them learn the game.

"The younger kids are focusing more on their planning and problem solving while they are actually playing the game, while adolescents are focusing less on their planning and strategizing and more on the here and now," said Fordham psychologist Fran Blumberg, who conducted the research last year and plans to submit it for publication. "They're thinking less strategically than the younger kids."

Studies by Iowa State University psychologist Douglas Gentile and Dr. James Rosser, head of minimally invasive surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, compared surgeons who play video games to those who don't.

The edge went to gamer surgeons, they found, even after taking into account differences in age, years of medical training and the number of laparoscopic surgeries performed. In laparoscopic procedures, surgeons use small incisions, thin surgical tools and video cameras to see inside the body.

One study of 33 laparoscopic surgeons found that those who played video games were 27 percent faster at advanced surgical procedures and made 37 percent fewer errors than those who didn't.

Advanced video game skills also were a good way to predict suturing abilities, according to their study, which was published in the Archives of Surgery in 2007.

Research Gentile and Rosser conducted for a second as yet unpublished study of 303 laparoscopic surgeons found those who played video games requiring spacial skills and hand dexterity performed better at those skills when tested later compared to surgeons who didn't play videos, Gentile said.

"The single best predictor of their skills is how much they had played video games in the past and how much they played now. Those were better predictors of surgical skills than years of training and number of surgeries performed," Gentile said. "So the first question you might ask your surgeon is how many of these (surgeries) have you done and the second question is 'Are you a gamer?'"

Some videos games even appear to sharpen scientific thinking skills.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison looked at a random sample of 2,000 chat room posts about "World of Warcraft" to see what the players were discussing. The game is set in a fantasy world where players hunt, gather and battle to move their characters to higher levels. Players who work together succeed faster.

The research found the game encouraged scientific thinking, like using systems and models for understanding situations and using math and testing to investigate problems.

The vast majority of the discussion participants, 86 percent, shared knowledge to solve problems and more than half, 58 percent, used systematic and evaluative processes, researchers found.

The forums show that gamers are "creating an environment in which informal scientific reasoning practices are being learned," said Sean Duncan, a doctoral student who worked on the "World of Warcraft" report with lead author Constance Steinkuehler. The paper is set for publication in the Journal of Science Education and Technology.

The news wasn't all good.

Other studies confirmed earlier research that found students who played violent games tended to be more hostile, less forgiving and believed violence to be normal compared to those who played nonviolent games. And those who played more entertainment games did poorer in school and were are greater risk of obesity.

On the Net:
American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/

BOSTON (AP)