Mists of Pandaria Pet Battle Categories and Skills

When "Mists of Pandaria" or MoP hits the shelves later this year we will be able to see firsthand what the new Pet Battle System is all about. However, in the meantime, wouldn't it be good to know what will be up against? We do know that are adorable little noncombat vanity pets, also known as pets or companions as they are normally labeled. What kind of skills do these pets have? What we know so far we have learned from the beta release.

As far as we've seen so far there seem to be ten different categories or types of companion pets. Some we are familiar with, such as Flying, Elemental, Mechanical, Humanoid, Critter, Beast, Animal and some were not very familiar with such as Undead, Water, Dragon and Mythical. Now let's break these down and what skills we currently know of:

Flying: Anything that flies that range from balloons to the Rustburg Gull, flying companions are particularly efficient against MMM companions and weaker against water and dragon pets. Known skills consist of Dust Devil (that most likely denies LOS for spells), destructive attacks such as Aerial Ram (this harms your pet also), Gust of Wind, Glancing Blow, and Dive-bomb. Talon Strike and Eagle Eye relate to critical hits.

Elemental: These pets remained elusive during beta.

Mechanical: These hard-core pets are meant to do extra harm to humanoid pets. They also appeared to have a nasty arsenal of powers which include Ion Cannon, Bolt Shock and Beam Cannon. Other skills include a self-buff known as Demolish which appears to be a short-term damage buff and a double attack called the Drill Punch. Another attack which appears to be an AoE stun is called Sonic Boom.

Humanoid: No data on these, but wonder, what happened to the Argent Squire?

Critters: Critters are very closely related to Beasts but appear to be a more "polite" equivalents of them. They also deal more harm to although we have Humanoid pets. Critters use a mixture of defensive with stealthy power. It mimics a Rogue's Stealth and Ambush abilities and combine it into Prowl. They have rushing attacks called Stampede and Tackle, Another unique skill is called Deceit which is capable of damaging its opponents buffs - not their debuffs.

Beasts: These companions are stronger than their Critter counterparts and they use melee. This also means they are slightly outclassed by ranged opponents. As you might have guessed, their skills are fighting powers, but they also have a tad bit of Rogue as well. Slash and Chomp are just basic attacks. To stun an opponent from a distance they use Rushing Charge and Leap. They can even poison with Poison Fang and uses Roar for an AoE debuff.

Animal: Three basic attacks which appear to do much of the same thing are Thrash, Claw and Peck. This category seems to be very weakly designed and will most likely be collapsed unto another category (probably Beast) by the time Mists arrives.

Undead: Although we would have like to have seen one of these companions, we however, did not. What would have been perfect is the tiny Macabre Marionette that you get on the Day of the Dead festival that Blizzard refuses to let us keep.

Water: Water pets will have the added skill of being a combination of melee and healer. Their healing powers include Purify and heal that is an AoE (are we going to group our companions down the line?) called Rejuvenating Rain. Their melee skills include things such as Surge, Snap and Pinch, and they even have a spell called Acid Rain that is an AoE.

Dragon: Well, we all know that dragons are supposed to breathe fire, so it's a sure bet that these companions do, and they do. They can do many in fact, such as Flamethrower, Flamespurt, Dragon's Breath, Pyroclasm and Scorched Earth. They even have a cool physical hit that is called the Tail Sweep that can deal twice as much damage depending on circumstances.

Mythical: This encompasses mystical and magical. What we got was very little information but they do at least have what seems to be a DoT called Mystic Powder, but little else is known about them. Quite possibly a sorcerer (warlock) type companion?

When the combat begins between two companions, the screen zooms in on the little fella's and you get a Combat UI much like you see with all of your mechanicals in World of Warcraft. When pets are not in battle, you can pull up the information screen what tells you what skills your current pet has, and a listing of all available pets. It is greyed out if you do not have the pet yet making this a valuable list for collectors. If a companion is available, it's on that list and is greyed out. That is too cool.

This new Pet Battle System will brings hundreds upon hundreds of hours of entertainment to players and even more to the avid collectors out there. There are about 100 wild companions that need to be hunted for, and then you need to pull out one of your trained pets and go into combat with it. If you are successful and win, you might gain a new companion. You will get that companion at that level with its abilities intact, ready for you to love, nurture and help grow to be a successful little arena master.

Do You Want To Download A Flight Simulator?

Do you want to be an airline pilot or are you an aspiring private pilot? Or maybe you are already a professional pilot? Do you want to go flying without spending thousands of dollars on flight school, or plane tickets, all in the comfort of your own home? If so, then ProFlight Simulator is just the thing you are looking for.

Flight Simulator software has advanced greatly recently and graphics have gone from very basic to awesome to say the least. These advances allow you to enjoy the best flying experience ever! Now, you don't even need to leave your home to know what it's like to be a pilot.

Picture yourself sitting in the pilot's seat of a Boeing 737 getting ready for take off. You are waiting on runway 25 and you hear the sound of light rain bouncing gently off the flight deck window. Air traffic control gives you the go-ahead for take off and you ease the thrust levers forward, delivering a rush of incredible power. Amazing!! Is being a pilot your dream job? Do you want to try it from the comfort of your home using graphics that actually make you feel like you are in the thick of it all? Now you can!

ProFlight Simulator is so advanced that there are too many features for me to list in a short article, but here are a few of the most important.

The most recent flight sim X puts you right into the action by:

1.Providing a dynamic, virtual world alive with lifelike moving aircraft, wild animals, vehicles at airports, air traffic and much more.

2. Enabling you to fly pre-programmed missions all over the globe including: Airline pilot missions, flying a red bull stunt plane, tutorials just to name a few.

3. Share the skies with traffic flying past you and moving alongside you on the ground. You can even connect online and fly with your friends anywhere!

4. Fly 21 state of the art aircraft from an airbus A321 to an Extra 300 S and fly to an from thousands of airports all over the world.

With ProFlight Simulator, you can download the game and fly in the comfort of your own home instantly. Save yourself the cost of an airline ticket, flying lessons and even other, less power software that costs hundreds more.

Why Scrabble Is a Great Game

Among the many board games that have come and gone, Scrabble is one of the games that have withstood the test of time. This board game has been around for the last 63 years, and is designed for players aged 8 years old and up. This game combines all the elements of being entertaining, fun, and educational at the same time. Here are a few good reasons which make Scrabble a great game to play.

1. It helps improve your vocabulary.
One of the main reasons why Scrabble is one of the board games that have stood the test of time is that it allows players (especially kids) to learn new words. Playing this game is actually great for kids, as it introduces new words they can use in their everyday language in a fun and exciting way.

2. It helps improve your spelling.
Another benefit of playing Scrabble is that it helps improve your spelling. Players earn points in Scrabble through creating words in the random letters given during the game. Needless to say, players need to spell out words correctly in order to earn points. The longer the word, the bigger the chance to hit the special parts on the board for additional or bonus points.

3. It helps improve your math skills.
Scrabble isn't all about letters - it also requires some basic math skills. Each letter piece in the game has a corresponding point value, and the more uncommon the letter is, the higher the point value when used in a word. Tallying how many points are earned for every word created allows players to practice and sharpen their math skills.

4. It helps encourage analytical thinking.
The game Scrabble is not all about just putting a bunch of letters onto the board to create words. It also enhances a player's analytical and creative thinking. How? There are special spaces on the board that allows players to earn bonus points when their letter piece ends up there, so it should be their goal to come up with a word that will use that space. Additionally, Scrabble also helps in improving a player's strategy: you'll need to use a word which you can build your next word onto and so on.

5. It's a great way to bond with the family.
Playing Scrabble is a great way for a family to spend time together. It's entertaining and educational at the same time. Parents can use more complex words which they can explain to their kids what the word means, thereby teaching their kids new words and how to spell them as well.

Plants Vs Zombies IOS

Let me just say that I really like zombies. I mean, I doubt I'd be saying that if (and, let's face it, when) they rise up and start looking to munch on our juicy innards, but for now they're a-okay in my book. I never met a film or game zombie that I didn't like, and despite the fact that the game was made for a smartphone, Plants vs. Zombies for Apple's iOS platform is one incredibly addictive playing experience.

Plants vs. Zombies is a typical tower defense game. Here, your house stands on one side of the screen and the encroaching zombies are on the other, separated only by your lush green lawn. To keep the undead from waltzing in, you have to set up plants which will effectively combat the various enemy types that appear on the screen.

It might sound a little boring on paper, but it's actually quite fun. What an interesting mash up of differing worlds: zombie apocalypse and gardening! The plants at your disposal act almost as characters themselves. They each serve a differing purpose (some peashooters are like machine guns while some plants sit idly waiting to reach out and eat a nearby enemy) but the cartoonish design gives them a personality that makes watching them get eaten by a stronger zombie almost sad. Also, players have to be on the lookout for drops of sunlight which must be collected in order to grow new plants for when a horde of last minute zombies comes shambling toward the house.

The first few levels are more introductory, so fending off attacks isn't all that difficult. But, that just makes some of the later levels all the more challenging when you find yourself suddenly attacked by zombie pole vaulters who can jump your walnut blockades, or old newspaper-reader zombies who rush at your plants once they start taking damage.

The environments offer some nice variety, too. The action starts on your lawn, but then shifts to nighttime (when it's harder to collect sunlight), then to the backyard with its pool and a different set of water-based enemies, before finally winding up on the roof, where the angle of the playing field and lack of soil make things like corn on the cob catapults and flower pots a necessary consideration. Everything leads up to a rooftop boss fight pitting you against a really big baddie.

The game is a blast. And the music that plays walks a nice line between fun and slightly sinister. Honestly, if I hear that music playing in my house someday, I'll probably bob my head along with it while going to check all the windows for undead quarterbacks or zombies wearing traffic cones on their heads, just like in the game.

Plants vs. Zombies does nothing to sway me against the oncoming zombie apocalypse. If anything, it's reassuring to know that when I have to defend myself against zombified quarterbacks and undead disco dancers, I can do so from the relative safety of my home with little more than a few lily pads and giant walnuts.

Learn More About Online Jigsaw Puzzles

Just as so many other things have shifted into the online universe, jigsaw puzzles now have as well. You won't believe how amazing these online games and puzzles can be once you begin seeing them for yourself. Basically, the way it works is that you can select any puzzle you want, and there are thousands of different options out there across all sorts of topics and categories. Then, within your internet browser, the puzzle will pop up onto your screen. By clicking on a piece with your mouse, you can then drag pieces around and start completing the puzzle.

So that's great and easy, but online puzzles can do even more, including things that traditional puzzles never could. For example, when you are underway with your puzzle, you can select your difficulty in terms of the size and number of pieces. Just want to spend a few minutes completing something easy? That's fine, or you can select very small pieces in the hundreds or thousands for a time-intensive project. You can instantly change this, providing yourself with an endless variation for activity.

Not only that, but you can also create the pieces into unique shapes such as triangles or flat-sided squares for more fun and a greater challenge. That's something you could never do with a traditional puzzle, of course! You'll also be able to shuffle the pieces around on the screen to give yourself a fresh perspective, and all sorts of fun and interactive ways to use the puzzle system.

Clearly, jigsaw puzzles from online sites and directories are a great way to go. Even better, many of the sites and services which offer these online jigsaws do so absolutely free of charge. That means you can gain access to an unlimited selection of puzzles without paying a dime. Imagine all the money you can save by never having to buy a puzzle again! Not to mention that you won't need to worry about losing or damaging the pieces, or not having the physical space in your home to put the puzzle as you're working on it.

If you're a fan of puzzles, then it's time that you begin checking out jigsaws which are available online. The options are endless, and the price can't be better. From there, you'll see how convenient and fun they are, with unique and innovative new ways to enjoy your puzzles and be interactive in how you complete them.

Munchkin: The Card Game

"Kill the monsters. Steal the treasure. Stab your buddy."

These three tenets, emblazoned on the box to the dedicated card game Munchkin, is a fairly accurate assessment of what you can expect when your group of 3-6 players sits down to play a game. Munchkin is essentially a dungeon crawling style role-playing game, just without the pencils and paper, heavy rulebooks, and role-playing. Much of the seriousness is removed as well, since nearly every card is dripping in satire lampooning traditional D&D styled games. Humor which is only built upon with cards brilliantly illustrated by John Kovalic, best known for his Dork Tower comic series.

So if you take all that boring stuff out of a role-playing game, what does that leave, you ask? Namely a faster paced game filled with monsters, loot and experience levels. In a race to be the first player to reach level 10, you and your friends will find yourselves teaming up to take down bigger monsters, all the while screwing each other over on a regular basis. The comical nature of the game helps in defusing resentment when a player starts to feel picked on, but the right crowd could still find themselves in heated debates over the occasionally ambiguously worded card. Don't take it too seriously though. Munchkin publisher Steve Jackson Games certainly doesn't, with rules like, "Any disputes in the rules should be settled by loud arguments with the owner of the game having the last word" and cards like Cheat that let you break established rules and equip items that you normally wouldn't be able to.

The game is played with two different types of cards, door cards and treasure cards. All players start as a level 1 human with 'no class (heh heh)' with two of each type of card in your hand. A player's turn begins by entering a new room in the dungeon by 'kicking down the door' (by drawing a door card face up). Door cards often consist of curses/traps, monsters, or cards that modify the player's class or race. If the player isn't forced into battle by drawing a monster face up, they can go 'looking for trouble' and choose to fight a monster by playing one from their hand. There's a wide array of monsters, ranging from a level 1 Potted Plant to a level 20 Plutonium Dragon. Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew, though. Opposing players can make your fight tougher by playing cards on your monster that gives it bonuses such as Enraged or Intelligent, increasing its fighting power.

Defeating a monster in combat will net you an experience level and some treasure. Treasure cards are usually items that modify your combat rating such as the Mace of Sharpness or the Big Rock or special cards like Bribe The GM With Food, which allows you to immediately go up one level. If you're unable to defeat the monster, you'll have to roll the die to run away. Fail to escape and you are forced to face the Bad Stuff, consequences of your defeat that are unique to each monster. Lose a fight to a level 10 Floating Nose and you might only lose a level. Go up against a level 18 Bullrog and fail and you might get killed, forcing you to start back at level 1 and draw a new hand of cards. If you're in a tight spot, you can try to convince someone at the table to help you in battle, adding their battle rating to yours, but they're not likely to help you out for free, and you might need to watch your back.

The game is published by Steve Jackson Games, a company that has created and published a myriad of card, board and role-playing games for over 30 years, including Car Wars, Chez Geek, and GURPS (Generic Universal Role Playing System). Since its original publication in 2001, Munchkin is far and away one of SJ Games' best sellers. No wonder, since it's such a fun and amusing game, and good for small to medium groups. In addition to multiple expansions, there have also been several spin-offs such as Munchkin Conan, Munchkin Zombies, western-themed The Good, The Bad and the Munchkin, and the upcoming Munchkin Apocalypse. Several Munchkin titles are available at your local Slackers today, and according to SJ Games, all spin-offs and expansions are compatible with the original Munchkin base game.

Top Five Best iPhone Endless Runners

Thought I would mix things up a bit and do a top five list of my favorite games in one of my favorite genres, endless runners. I'm not sure of the real name for them, but endless runners will do.

Usually the idea of an endless runner game is to get as far as possible before your character dies. And your character will die at the end, there is no chance to really win the game.

#5 - Solipskier - This is a different twist on the endless runner game. While most games have you controlling the character, in Solipskier you are controlling the ground that the character is skiing on. By swiping up and down you control the height of the ground allowing the skier to pass through gates and avoid walls. You can even lift your finger up and create a pit that the skier will hopefully sail over.

#4 - Tiny Wings - A game I've already reviewed is Tiny Wings. While not really a runner, it still fits the bill because it is endless. Or at least so far as I've been able to get it is endless:) You control a little bird swooping up and down hills trying to get as far as possible before the sun sets. Gorgeous graphics and beautiful music make this a standout game.

#3 - Temple Run / Temple Run:Brave - Another game that I've reviewed before and I still find myself playing it from time to time. The idea in the first game is that you are running away from a group of monkey... things after what I'm guessing is robbing a temple. Temple Run features tilt, swipe, and tap controls with each doing a different thing. Having a power up system as well as utilities that will grant various bonuses will keep you coming back. The DLC is still around, but it isn't really a necessity to buy anything to have fun playing the game. It looks like Temple Run: Brave is just a reskinned version of the game featuring characters from the recent Pixar movie "Brave." I haven't given that version a download just yet but when I do, I'll update the review with my thoughts.

#2 - Jetpack Joyride - An endless runner with a sense of humor, Jetpack Joyride has you controlling Barry with the aforementioned jet - pack as you escape science lab. As you go along you must avoid missiles flying your way along with electric rappers and lasers that cover most of the screen. You also gather coins, vehicles power ups, and spin tokens that can be used after your character dies. There is a bit of a IAP, but it isn't terribly bad or intrusive. I've played this game far too much when I should have been sleeping.

#1 - Canabalt - Canabalt is the game that I would consider to be one of the best examples of the endless runners genre that exists for the iOS. Featuring a retro style graphics and such an excellent soundtrack that the game even recommend wearing headphones. You are running along the rooftops of a city that appears to be under attack by aliens. As you run your character must jump over the gaps between buildings, break through windows, and leap over what look like cars that are dropped from the sky. As the distance increases, so does your running speed until it feels like you are almost out of control. By that point, I usually try to run into some convenient boxes to keep the speed down since my reflexes aren't what they used to be. The game also looks especially great on the iPad and since it offers a bigger screen you won't be blocking as much with your fingers as you play.

So that's it, my list of the best endless runner for the iOS. Did I leave