Online games are a social activity. Of course, as with any social activity it’s much more fun to be with people you know then with complete strangers. How often have you agreed to meet a friend or friends on a specific server online only to find out they are not there or the server full? Even better, you get onto the server and quickly discover that you are surrounded by a bunch of smack talking “L33T” players who feel compelled to mock everyone else on the server. Kind of sucks the fun out of a “game” doesn’t it? Personally, l find that most online games are much more enjoyable when l am with people l know or at least with people who have the same mindset when playing.
So, how do you get everybody in sync so that they meet up at the same place? Well, how about xfire? I know, l know, ANOTHER instant messenger. This one is different though. This is made for all you gamers out there. Xfire was created by the team at Ultimate arena and is designed to help all you gamers stay in touch with each other whenever you are online. Simply put, if you have ever used an instant messenger you know the basic concept. You have a small window, which pops up and tells you who (from your buddy list) is online. Want to text chat? Great. Go for it. The difference with Xfire is how it controls your buddy list. Not only will you see who is online but also what game they are playing, which server, ping and number of players already playing. Want to join in? As simple as clicking the join button. Even better, it appears that xfire is adding new games to its list all the time and is open to suggestions via it’s forums for additions. If it’s new and has a multiplayer, odds are you’ll find it listed with xfire.
O.K, sounds like a good idea but does it work? Actually, it does exactly what it says it will (how often does that happen!). Not only that, it comes with some really nice features. I for one really like the customisable text at the bottom of the display. You can set up your message to display whatever you want or go with the selected options. You can let everyone know when you are ready to play, just want to chat or when you will be back online. Handy. When l see a friend is offline l no longer have to wonder if (s)he is coming back soon or not. All l have to do is read the note and l know (s)he will be back at 8 (assuming you have reliable friends).
Top that off with the fact that the whole thing is under 500KB and incredibly easy to install and l’d say you’ve got a winner. Once you install xfire you’ll probably want to add people to your buddy list. Don’t know anybody? Well xfire will automatically give you your own contact online with a massive buddy list to begin with. Since l found that kind of defeated the whole purpose of why l was using this program to begin with (knowing where my friends are, not total strangers) l simply deleted the name and began adding my own friends. To add friends, xfire has a nice little utility where you can send them an invitation via email. Once they accept and download the program, they are automatically added to your buddy list. Now you can see each other whenever you go online. Did l mention the fact that it is skin able as well? Snazzy!
Overall, this little utility rocks. It’s small, efficient and does what it is supposed to do. No spyware, no popups, nothing. This doesn’t mean it’s perfect but it is certainly going in the right direction. The xfire is not going to replace all the other instant messengers out there. If you want video or audio options, well use something else. But if you’re looking for a way to make online gaming all the more enjoyable then go get the xfire. I’ve been using the xfire for a couple of weeks now and l’ve gotten all my gamer friends on it to. It hasn’t let me down yet and it’s nice to get in on the ground floor as they say. Soon, l expect (at least in gaming circles) the standard question to be “What’s your xfire name?” and you will know what they are talking about. If you are interested you can download the latest beta at www.xfire.com. And say you were a part of the xfire experience way back when.
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