Games for Mind Strengthening

Who doesn’t like to play games over the internet or purchase PC games as they are believed to relax some people’s mind? Online games are a rage for kids as well as adults these days, as they are considered to be one of the best stress busters today. But apart normal strategy games, brain teasers which help in exercising the brain cells and strengthening the mind has gained widespread popularity among masses. They not only prove to be a great source of entertainment but also train you brain muscles to keep them active and polishing to help them function better and an in intellectual way. Here are some games which prove really helpful for the mind.

“Inside and Outside”, “Two in One” or “The monkeys and Brain Games” help improving your attention span. These games basically test as to how sharp your attention towards things is. How much of importance you think paying attention is and how paying attention by the end of the day pays off is best proven by these games, as they hone the activity of exercising the cells which help in improving our attention skills.

“Picasso” or “Brain Teasers for the weekend” are the best examples for improving your memory to a large extent. Simple yet very helpful games to help you exercise your memory power and to test you as to how much more you need to work on the memory span of your mind.

“Towers of Hanoi”, “The Blind beggar”, “The Empty triangle” and “Tipping the Scales” improve the planning strategies of your mind. They are basically patter recognition and planning based games which help you think and plan things in a better way and help develop your brain to think of situation planning more.

Visual brain teasers like “Men­tal Imagery and Spa­tial Rota­tion”, and “Train your Frontal and Pari­etal lobes” test the limits of your peripheral vision. It helps you to solve puzzles based on how strongly you see and observe the visual. It connects the intellectuality of the eye and mind.

“Words in your Brain”, “Party for Polyglots” are some Language and Logic  brain teasers which test and exercise your mind based on your language and logic. It mainly tests your logic based on how well you understand things. Develops a lot of logical sense and builds in relating your language skills and your logical reasoning to solve teasers.

Crossword puzzles, Sudoku puzzles, and Jigsaw puzzles can actually increase brain power. Learning something challenging also helps. Games such as these help in keeping the brain mentally active and help us in coping up with all the daily stress we go through at school, college or work.

“Fork in the Road” or “The Unkind­est Cut of All, Part 1 of 2” are some Math puzzles which help in exercising the brain in a very efficient way.  They act as big time stress buster, fun to play, and also train your mind and activate your thinking cells in a very effective way, that would help you think on issues in a much easier and sorted way, as they help in developing your thinking process and activate your grey cells for their efficient usage!

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Top 5 Mind Power games

Our brain is a powerhouse and along with physical health, it is equally important that we take small efforts to keep our brain active and alive.Your brain is a complex muscle – use it or lose it.

Here are some games that help improve your brain power and are equally fun at the same time.

1)      Scrabble

Scrabble helps in memory improvement and acts as a mental workout. The thought process that goes into your head before forming words on the square tiles can actually benefit you and help you with your daily activities in life otherwise.

2)      Puzzles and word puzzles

Working on puzzles boosts your thinking powers and your problem solving skills. It acts as a high quality mind game that is not only an effective pastime but also activates corners of your brain.

Word puzzles like crosswords, brain teasers , anagrams etc  keeps your mind pumping along with updating your vocabulary.

3)      Chess

Chess is a game that trains your brain and increases your thinking speed , reasoning abilities and brain creativity. This is the perfect brain gym that can keep you engaged and hooked onto the game for hours.

4)      Jenga and pickup sticks

To play jenga or pickup sticks , you need to strategize and plan in your head before every move you make. Also taking a block or stick out from the pile requires massive amounts of concentration.Focusing and concentrating are aspects of the brain that are easily covered by this game.

5)      Memory games

Memory games in reference to places , names , objects , sentences etc is an excellent way to sharpen your brain and improve your memory and retention skills. Long term memory span problems are common these days. Sometimes it’s even hard to remember things in daily lives such as names , phone numbers etc. Memory games played on a regular basis will help solve this problem.

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Top 10 Games in 2012

For all the PS3, XBOX 360 or Wii game lovers, 2012 is going to be a very exciting year. There are many new games releasing in 2012. Many of the developers have also updated and expanded their existing old games and they are releasing the new version this year. Here is the list of top ten games in 2012:

1. Halo 4 – Halo 4 is the eighth sequel to the Halo franchise. This game is developed for Xbox 360 and this version of the game has been developed by 343 Industries. This game will be release in the holidays in 2012 and it is very much expected to sell out during first few hours. If you really want to purchase this game it is best to book it in advance.

2. Grand Theft Auto 5 – Grand theft auto V (GTA V) is the fifth installment in the GTA franchise and it is expected to sell out like a bomb. The GTA 5 is going to be one of the most anticipated games of this year.  The release date of Grand Theft Auto V has been the main topic of discussion amongst the GTA addicts for a while now.

3. Mass Effect 3 – This action role-playing game has been developed for Microsoft windows, PS3 and Xbox 360. Let us find out what happens to the galaxy and commander Shepherd.

4. BioShock Infinite – This first person shooter video game was developed by irrational games. It will be released in October this year and it is developed for Microsoft windows, PS3 and Xbox 360.

5. Diablo III – This horror themed action role playing video game was developed by Blizzard Entertainment This is the third installment of the game and it is believed to become a highly anticipated game in the year 2012.

6. Borderlands2
7. Max Payne 3
8. Tomb Raider 2012
9.  Guild Wars 2
10. Kingdom of Amalur – Reckoning

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Top 10 Games for your Play Station Portable (PSP)

Play Station Portable or PSP is a video game, and as the name suggests is portable. It is great vogue among gamers who are constantly hooked to their PSPs. Due to its popularity; many versions of it came to the market including PSP 4. When searched, we come across multiple games in the market for PSP, but few are able to bag the top 10 category.

• Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower – Also known as the Vampire Chronicle, was release in July, 2004. The game was nominated in the category of the top 3 fighting games by Gamespot. There is a sequel to this game as well called Vampire Savior 2. The film gives an amazing 2D experience with all characters in anime style. It also has multiple player option. The catch is they game makes the Dracula look more gruesome with the physique of Superman.

• MLB (Major League Baseball) – This game is for all the baseball fans. EA games launched MLB that offers you to set your difficulty at each level. It was also designed for Xbox 360. It is an exciting game for the baseball lovers as it provides you with the feel of an actual baseball game with its sound quality and video effects.

• Twisted Metal: Head on – Designed by Incognito Entertainment, the game was release by Sony in 2005 for the Play station 2 series. It is still considered to be one of the best games. It has two sequels to it – Twisted Metal III and Twisted Metal 4. Head on also includes minigames which players can get access of via teleporters. Or by various sites on the net that provide minigame playing facility. Critics acclaim it to be a game “what every lunatic would love! Bring the artillery on!”

• Ridge Racer - It is an arcade series developed by Namco. The crux of the game is racing in and around this fictional city called Ridge. The cars used in this game are also fictional that have the look of the real like cars. The cars here have taken the name of different cars that are used in the other NAMCO games. Reiko Nagasse is the mascot for this game. The name was later changed to Rage Racer.

• Wipeout Pure – It is a part of the Wipeout series specially designed for PSP. It uses the Wi-Fi service for Wipeout’s multiplayer games. The game introduces the players to the FX300 racing league. The story goes like this new league is announced 31 years after the sports concept came to an abrupt halt. It is indeed interesting how racing cars are backed by rocket launchers and bazookas.

• Spider Man 3 – Specially designed for PSP by Treyach, it is based on the movie Spider Man 3. The game includes additional characters that were not there in the movie. The game includes two villains Morbius, the Vampire, and Shriek. The spider man in this game can also change to his black suit from the red one and can roam about freely in the city and land on the ground. These features were not there in the previous versions. Critics comment, “Fight with power bosses, wicked policemen, insane scientists all throughout the game and pump your adrenaline to the maximum.”

• Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit – It is a 2010 Bafta award winning racing game. It set against a fictional city called Seacrest County. The game has been developed by EA. The players can compete in various types of races. There is also an additional game mode called Hot Pursuit, where players can compete online. Players can also download new cars and race events online by paying some money. So “Tune up your gears and buck up to meet the rivals of the underground.”

• Ape Escape Series – The game was developed by Sony Entertainment Limited. It is a Japanese game series. The game is known for its unique game play and ape related humour. It is a light and a fun filled game. The main aim of this game is to use gadget arrows as many as possible and capture monkeys.  Minigames to this game is also available that need to be unlocked as the main game progresses.

• Lumines 2 – It is the sequel to the game Lumines. The sole objective of this game is to move various coloured blocks across the screen such that each line of a block has just one colour. It is a puzzle game.

• Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 Remix – The game is also known as THUG 2 and is loosely based on Viva la Bam. This game is similar to the previous version. The environment created gives the feel of 3D and one has to go about meeting goals. Mostly the goals involve skating in and around different things or performing combos. There are two modes to this game: Classic and Story.

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PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita is next to the PlayStation Portable (PSP) as a part of Sony PlayStation brand of Gaming devices. This handheld gaming device was released in Japan and few other parts of Asia in December of 2011.

The device consists of two analog sticks, a 5 inch OLED multi-touch capacitive touchscreen, front and rear camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and optional 3G.

PlayStation Vita is fully compatible PlayStation Portable games which are available on the PlayStation Network and the PlayStation Store. Here are the PlayStation Vita features: -

3G – PS Vita 3G/Wi-Fi has changed the way games are by keeping real-time scores and competitions with other players online.  This 3G is powered by AT&T mobile Broadband Network.

Front & Rear Cameras – You can transport your world or yourself into the games that you are playing on PS Vita by using the front and rear cameras on the PlayStation Vita.

Six Axis Motion Sensor – Now with the motion sensor on PS Vita you can experience a completely different gaming experience. Through the Motion Sensor, now the users is able to touch, tilt and steer the PS Vita and manipulate the game environment as they want.

Touchscreen – PS Vita comes with a multi-touch display with a 5 inch OLED screen.

Rear Touch Pad – The rear multi-touch pad provides the user with better control while freeing up the front OLED touch screen.

GPS – PS Vita comes with GPS through which you can locate, connect and play with your friends.

Cross Play – Cross play is a feature of PSV through which you can continue a game that you have been playing on PS 3 on PS Vita. You can also join in multiplayer games on PS vita and play against players on PS3 consoles.

Dual Analog Sticks – This device comes with dual Analog Sticks.

OLED Screen – Through the OLED screen you can see and play your games beautifully on a 5 inch OLED screen. This screen displays around 16 million colors.

PlayStation Vita Price is starting at $ 249 which is totally affordable and completely worth it.

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Top 10 indoor games

From ages people have invented various types of indoor games. Apart from amusement, Indoor games bind the members of the family. There are card games, indoor sports, board games, and table top games. Here is a list of ten popular indoor games.

• Chess: Chess is popular since centuries. A board game, chess involves a lot of patience. You have to be clever and calculate your moves. There are two opponents, each has 16 pieces and there are 64 squares. The ultimate aim is to “checkmate” your opponent’s king. It’s interesting and it won’t let your brain rust!

• Carrom: Carrom is played on a board and there can be a maximum of four players. There are three coloured coins: black, white and red. Red is the queen. You have to ‘pot’ all your coins before your opponent does. It is also called finger billiards.

• Tic tac toe: Very common and almost known to everyone, tic tac toe game needs minimal setup. It is a paper pencil game with 2 players. There is a 3*3 grid and each player takes turn for filling X and O. Placing three respective marks in diagonal, horizontal or a vertical line can make you win.

• Table tennis: Also known as ping pong, in this a lightweight ball is hit by two or four players. A hard table and tennis rackets are required. You have to quick as the play is fast.

• Foosball: It is also called table football. It is a table top game based on football. A coin toss usually decides the initial service. There are 8 rows of ‘foos men’. Whoever scores the predetermined number of goals, wins the game.

• Darts: It is throwing game where ‘darts’ are aimed at a dartboard fixed on a wall.

• Hide and seek: It is a very old game but is still popular. A player, designated as “it”, counts till a pre-decided number while in the meantime other players hide somewhere.  The player “it” finds other players and when are sought, they assume the role of “it”.

• Card games: There is a pack of 52 cards, four suits: spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts. There are picture cards of jack, king and queen. Different games are played with varying number of players. Bridge, Rummy, 28, are among the popular ones.

• Table hockey: It is also called rod hockey or board hockey. It is a game of two players and is derived from ice hockey. It is also similar to the concept of air hockey.

• Scrabble: A 15*15 game board in which two or four players score points by forming meaningful words. The words are formed in a crossword fashion, across and down. The Official Scrabble Players Dictionary has words which can be used in the game.  This game is available in 29 different languages.

In today’s technological world, internet has everything available on it. All these games are available on internet also. In fact, there are countless other games too. Few websites for online games are:http://www.gameguru.in/  , http://www.pagat.com/ , http://www.mastersgames.com/index.html

You can choose any game of your type and have unlimited fun.

Note: the information is collected through secondary research

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