Sonic Generations (Xbox 360)

Sonic Generations is the highly anticipated video game title to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog s 20th Anniversary. Delivering the definitive gaming experience for Sonic fans old and new, Sonic Generations sees Sonic the Hedgehog playable as both the much loved classic 1991 character, and the modern day video game hero he has become in this exciting new fast paced adventure. Set across three defining eras from 20 years of Sonic the Hedgehog video game history, the instantly recognisable environments of Sonic Generations have been re-built in stunning HD and are now playable in both classic side scrolling 2D from 1991, as well as modern 3D style found in Sonic s most recent adventures. Each incarnation of Sonic in Sonic Generations comes complete with his trademark special move, Spin Dash and Spin Attack for Classic Sonic, and Homing Attack and Sonic Boost for Modern Sonic. An innovative new interactive menu system allows for complete immersion in Sonic s universe with favourite character
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GRAND THEFT AUTO SAN ANDREAS PC

Five years ago Carl Johnson escaped from the pressures of life in Los Santos, San Andreas a city tearing itself apart with gang trouble, drugs and corruption, where film stars and millionaires do their best to avoid the dealers and gangbangers. Now, it s the early 90 s. Carl s got to go home. His mother has been murdered, his family has fallen apart and his childhood friends are all heading towards disaster. On his return to the neighbourhood, a couple of corrupt cops frame him for homicide. CJ is forced on a journey that takes him across the entire state of San Andreas, to save his family and to take control of the streets. Minimum System Requirements: 1GHz Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon Processor. 512MB Ram. 64MB Video Card with DirectX9 compatible drivers (Windows 2000 & XP, Vista Basic). 128MB NVIDIA GeForce 6 Video Card (Vista Premium/business/ultimate). 8X Speed DVD-ROM Drive. 3.6GB of free hard disk space for a minimal install. DirectX9 compatible stereo sound card.
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Need for Speed Most Wanted (Xbox 360)

Prepare yourself for thrills and spills in the latest instalment in the Need for Speed video game series, developed by Criterion. Most Wanted boasts many finely crafted features so that you can race through an intriguing open world, take on your rivals and leave the rulebook behind as you tear through Fairhaven City. Drive a series of vehicles or master the vehicle of your choice and you can compete against the 10 best cars in the game. Modification is also possible, whether you decide to reinforce your chassis, add track tires or protect your car from the powerful impact of collisions. To be Most Wanted, you ll need to outrun the cops, outdrive your friends, and outsmart your rivals. With a relentless police force gunning to take you down, you ll need to make split second decisions. Use the open world to your advantage to find hiding spots, hit jumps and earn new vehicles to keep you one step ahead. In true Criterion Games fashion, your friends are at the heart of your experience. In
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Civilization Beyond Earth (PC DVD)

A new science-fiction-themed entry into the award winning Civilization series. Set in the future, global events have destabilized the world leading to a collapse of modern society, a new world order and an uncertain future for humanity. As the human race struggles to recover, the re-developed nations focus their resources on deep space travel to chart a new beginning for mankind. As part of an expedition sent to find a home beyond Earth, you will write the next chapter for humanity as you lead your people into a new frontier and create a new civilization in space. Explore and colonize an alien planet, research new technologies, amass mighty armies, build incredible Wonders and shape the face of your new world. As you embark on your journey you must make critical decisions. From your choice of sponsor and the make-up of your colony, to the ultimate path you choose for your civilization, every decision opens up new possibilities. Features: Seed the Adventure: Establish your cultural ide
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Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox 360)

Los Santos: a sprawling sun-soaked metropolis full of self-help gurus, starlets, and fading celebrities, once the envy of the Western world, now struggling to stay afloat in an era of economic uncertainty and cheap reality TV. Amidst the turmoil, three very different criminals plot their own chances of survival and success: Franklin, a former street gangster, now looking for real opportunities and serious money; Michael, a professional ex-con whose retirement is a lot less rosy than he hoped it would be; and Trevor, a violent maniac driven by the next big score. Running out of options, the crew risks everything in a series of daring and dangerous heists that could set them up for life. The biggest, most dynamic and most diverse open world ever created, Grand Theft Auto V blends storytelling and gameplay in new ways as players repeatedly jump in and out of the lives of the game s three lead characters, playing all sides of the game s interwoven story. All the classic hallmarks of the g
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Lifeless Planet (PC DVD)

Lifeless Planet is a new 3D PC action adventure and puts players in the moon-boots of a volunteer astronaut on a one-way mission to a life-bearing planet far outside our solar system. But after a rough landing, the promise of a new Earth soon fades with the discovery that the planet he was to explore is now barren and inhospitable. Alone in this wasteland, his fellow astronauts missing and his oxygen tank leaking, the astronaut s situation turns desperate. He begins to explore the planet for his missing crew members, only to discover a deeper mystery: an abandoned Soviet-era laboratory. Was his mission a hoax? Is this really an extra-solar planet or has he been shuttled to a lonely region of Siberia as part of a deceptive propaganda stunt? Soon his quest for answers becomes a fight for survival as he learns this land is not as lifeless as it first appeared, when a mysterious young woman saves him from a strange and deadly phenomenon. Is she a hallucination? Is she really an ally? And
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Crysis 3 (PC DVD)

In Crysis 3 the hunted becomes the hunter! Crysis 3 advances the state of the art with unparalleled visuals and dynamic shooter gameplay. Players take on the role of Prophet as he returns to New York, only to discover that the city has been encased in a Nanodome created by the corrupt Cell Corporation. The New York City Liberty Dome is a veritable urban rainforest teeming with overgrown trees, dense swamplands and raging rivers. Within the Liberty Dome, seven distinct and treacherous environments become known as the Seven Wonders. This dangerous new world demands advanced weapons and tactics. Prophet will utilize a lethal composite bow, an enhanced Nanosuit and devastating alien tech to become the deadliest hunter on the planet. Set in 2047, Prophet is on a revenge mission after uncovering the truth behind Cell Corporation s motives for building the quarantined Nanodomes. The citizens were told that the giant citywide structures were resurrected to protect the population and to cleans
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The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind – Game of the Year Edition (PC DVD)

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Game of the Year Edition includes Morrowind plus all of the content from the Bloodmoon and Tribunal expansions. The original Mod Construction Set is not included in this package. An epic, open-ended single-player RPG, Morrowind allows you to create and play any kind of character imaginable. You can choose to follow the main storyline and find the source of the evil blight that plagues the land, or set off on your own to explore strange locations and develop your character based on their actions throughout the game. Featuring stunning 3D graphics, open-ended gameplay, and an incredible level of detail and interactivity, Morrowind offers a gameplay experience like no other. In Tribunal, you journey to the capital city of Morrowind, called Mournhold, to meet the other two god-kings of Morrowind, Almalexia and Sotha Sil. Your journey will lead you to the Clockwork City of Sotha Sil and massive, epic-sized dungeons, where strange and deadly creatures await
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Angels and Despair – 5 Game Pack (PC DVD)

Contains 5 shadowy hidden object adventures! Dark Angels: Masquerade of Shadows Save the human race from demonic forces. The Saint: Abyss of Despair Solve the horrifying supernatural mystery and save the life of an innocent child! Deadly Voltage: Rise of the Invincible Can you stop a mysterious force from a parallel universe from taking over the world. Secrets: Alien Town Enter into Forbidden and discover a mystifying maelstrom of unexplained phenomena. Motor Town: Soul of the Machine Hidden in the eerie depths of is a stunning mystery.
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Minds and Mystery – 5 Game Pack (PC DVD)

Contains 5 mysterious hidden object adventures! Alex Hunter: Lord of the Mind Can you solve the mystery behind the missing professor. The Fog When a strange dark figure causes a terrible accident, it s up to you to find the truth. Cruel Games. Red Riding Hood Will this seek-and-find adventure have a fairytale ending? Gourmania 3: Zoo Zoom Dig in with and enjoy the fine hidden object cuisine experience. Shtriga: Summer Camp Capture the spirit of a dead witch before she claims another victim.
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Dragon Age Inquisition (PC DVD)

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Super Smash Bros (Wii U)

In Super Smash Bros. multiplayer games, characters from all Nintendo universes meet up in Nintendo locales to duke it out. Bring together any combination of characters and revel in the ensuing chaos that we have come to associate with the game. An action-packed fighting game, Super Smash Bros.features a ridiculous number of characters that have appeared on Nintendo platforms, from Mario to Link to Pikachu to the Wii Fit Trainer! As they square off in famous locales drawn from the rich history of Nintendo, literally anything can happen in Super Smash Bros. and usually does. With limitless customising options, items and weapons that boggle the mind and a wealth of modes, Super Smash Bros. has truly infinite replayability. Use your chosen character’s unique attacks and special moves to damage your opponent, then hit ‘em with a smash attack to send them flying off the stage! The higher your opponent’s damage – represented as a percentage – the farther they’ll fly when launched
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Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo Wii U)

Four players + three dimensions = Super Mario fun! Work together with your friends or compete for the crown in the first multiplayer 3D Mario game for the Wii U console. In the Super Mario 3D World game, players can choose to play as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, or Toad. Whether you like to play alone or with friends, there is plenty about the game that makes it a fantastic family purchase. Super Mario 3D World has support for up to four players. You may be familiar with the series or a total newcomer, but whichever category you fall into you can t fail to have fun. The game also features great new options like the cat transformation ability, which lets you climb walls and attack enemies with your kitty claws. Features of Super Mario 3D World Each character has unique abilities and play styles. For example, Princess Peach glides over gaps, while Luigi has his trademark extra-high jump. The new cat transformation allows players to run on all fours, pounce on enemies, attack in midair,
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New Super Mario Bros U (Wii U)

New Super Mario Bros. U is a multiplayer Platforming adventure that provides a new take on a classic Nintendo franchise that will delight players of all ages and experience levels. A Wii U launch title, New Super Mario Bros. U offers a new way to experience Mario fun like never before. Game features include: support for up to five players, the new Boost Mode and Challenge Mode, unique uses for Miis, and new block elements that can be used as navigation aids. New Ways to Play and Share Your Mario Fun New Super Mario Bros. U is a new, side-scrolling adventure featuring Mario, Luigi, Toad and your Mii character. Now s your chance to step inside the Mushroom Kingdom and explore new worlds, new power-ups and new ways to play. Up to five players* can jump into the fun, with up to four people using Wii Remote controllers and one on the Wii U GamePad. The experience is different, depending on which controller is used. Key Game Features The Wii U GamePad controller offers a new way to experien
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Your Kit Lens is An Excellent Lens

As the saying goes, quality lenses are a lot more important than good bodies when it comes to investing in camera gear. They last longer, retain their value more, and have more utility overall than, say, buying the latest DSLR that will become obsolete in 3 to 5 years. But if you are into photography for the first time, you’ll likely buy an entry level camera that comes bundled with an inferior, even crappy, kit lens. Or is it?

Do you really need quality gear to take good pictures? Spend thousands of dollars on red/golden rings lenses?

It is no surprise that people often hold camera manufacturer’s kit lens in low regard. They used to be plagued with issues like lack of sharpness, aberrations, chromatic fringing not to mention a gimmicky build quality with slow, noisy autofocus. However, these times have long gone and the kit lens has long evolved ever since then.

Nowadays, modern kit lenses have mostly addressed these numerous issues and have made them strong choices for the beginner (but also advanced) photographer.

Where the kit lens excels

First of all, the sharpness and resolution of all modern kit lenses are nothing short of excellent. Even on large 24MP APS-C sensors, these small lenses will outresolve the image sensors despite what some critics may say.

No, it can’t compare with a L lens, but for a piece of glass that costs merely $150-200, it performs admirably well.

Most of the kit lenses today also include aspherical elements to reduce aberrations, and nearly all of them come integrated with vibration reduction, allowing anyone to shoot at 1/20, even 1/10th of a second with steady hands in dark light.

What might surprise a lot of you is that kit lenses might be actually sharper than dedicated ultra-wide lenses, since they don’t have a retrofocus design. Here’s a comparison if you don’t believe me.

Also, the wide-angle focal range included with kit lenses is hugely useful. A 18-55mm lens should really be only used at its widest angle, 18mm. This focal length is more than wide enough for most uses, including landscape photography. Unless you are always shooting landscapes, there really isn’t any reason to consider something else for the job.

In fact, since excellent sharpness is one of the key factors of the modern kit lens, just about any kind of work that isn’t reliant on bokeh and depth of field can be done handsomely with it — things like architecture or even street photography. And yes, it can be used as a short telephoto in a pinch, but with a slow minimum aperture and (the lack of) bokeh it really isn’t a viable solution. More on that later.

Boats at Blue Hour. Taken with a 18-55mm kit lens.

Another thing worth considering is that the minimal focusing distance of these lenses are amazing. They can’t do 1:1 macro, but 25 centimeters minimal focusing distance (i.e. your lens can focus from infinity to 25 centimeters in front of your sensor) is better than 75% of the lenses out there in the market and will allow any beginner to at least experiment with macro photography.

Adding extesnion tubes/close-up filters will allow you magnify even more, while using a reversing ring can allow you to do 1:1 macro at nearly no cost!

And finally, people often ignore weight when buying lenses. While the features of a pro lens are certainly better than those of a kit lens, you’ll pay for that not only in price, but also in weight. Heavy lenses are not only bulky, but they also make all but the heaviest pro DSLRs unbalanced and heavily front-weighted, which makes the camera awkward to operate.

Packing less and less heavier means walking and seeing, and enjoying photography more, and a lens that weights a mere 200g is basically nothing.

Where the kit lens falls short

The kit lens today has long evolved from the cheap placeholders from the past, but even though its improvements are impressive, the kit lens still has some flaws.

To start off, build quality obviously isn’t the best. The whole lens is made out of plastic (no, metal mirrorless lenses are not really considered “kit” lenses in my opinion) except for the glass and the electronics.

Even the mount is made out of plastic, and although it is (almost) never going to fall apart, you probably have already thought about it before. The whole plastic feels wobbly and looks cheap, but heck, for $150 it’s pretty decent. And it isn’t totally bad either, since plastic and cheaper parts means a lighter lens.

Also, the aperture of these lenses are only half-decent. A maximal aperture of f/3.5-5.6 is not that bad, but it is still below standard for most good zooms and a whole level below fast primes. If you are shooting landscapes or architecture, this shouldn’t matter at all.

But as I’ve mentioned earlier, don’t expect to shoot portraits or get silky smooth bokeh with a 18-55mm lens, it simply won’t happen. Investing in an inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 lens is probably one of the best photography investments you can make for portraits (and photography in general).

Note : Some people may criticize the limited focal length of the kit lens, but I really think that it is one of its core strengths. 18-200mm walkarounds might be convenient, but not only are their image quality often worse than kit lenses, but they are bulky and encourage bad photo habits (precisely because they are just so convenient!).

Another example of how well a kit lens can perform with the right technique and skills. Lake Morraine, Alberta, Canada

The bottom line

Kit lenses are, despite their shortcomings, excellent lenses with amazing capabilities if used well. If you think that you’ve outgrown this lens (I haven’t yet myself and still use it on occasions!), don’t buy another zoom yet. Instead, consider investing in prime lenses. 50mm, 85mm, 35mm, or pretty much any focal length.

Seriously, with a prime and a standard zoom, you’re all set for 95% of the potential photographic tasks out there. The rest is up to you.

Remember: it’s the photographer who makes the picture, not the camera!

About the author: Wei Xi Luo is a photographer based in Montreal, Quebec. He is the blogger behind Photograph IO. This article originally appeared here and a Follow-up on here

Your Kit Lens is An Excellent Lens