Usually the holiday season is a downer for me. Unlike most people, I don't truly celebrate Christmas. No, I don't celebrate it for religious reasons (I am a reformed Roman Catholic turned Baptist after all), or anything else of that matter. Since I left home to live on my own, the holidays just don't mean much to me anymore. I don't even put up a tree in my apartment. To me the holiday season is nothing more than a two or three week vacation. On a positive note, however, Christmas Eve does have its high point: it is the anniversary … Continue reading Happy Holidays to YOU→
Well, dear Play chums, another year has passed and another Christmas looms. My seasonal shopping and present wrapping has been done, but the spirit of Christmas has yet to take hold. The endurance test that is the office Christmas party takes place this Friday, which got me thinking about people I'd actually like to have Christmas dinner with. So, to save you from the lamentable Christmas round-up, I have selected a list of game characters and industry personalities to grace the ultimate seasonal get together. First of all we must have rules. No characters from licensed games, so no Tony … Continue reading Best of the Year→
Earlier this week I wrote a review on the PS2 and Xbox releases of Battlestar Galactica. The original rating was meant to be a 3 1/2 out of 5, but because of our "must average" scale, it ended up getting a 4. While discussing the game with several other individuals, I ended up getting in heated debates over the new Sci-Fi Channel revision. I myself am a Galactica fan, but from what I have read since early May involving the Sci-Fi version, all hell was breaking loose about the series being a "re-imagining" of the series, and not a remake … Continue reading The New Battlestar Galactica Rocks→
Whilst you lot were chomping on your Thanksgiving turkey in America, a war was raging in the UK. The gloves are off and the battle for second place has begun. The console war has just taken a turn for the bloodier. Christmas is looming and the kids and young at heart are getting their best stationary out to write that all important letter to Santa. Sony is currently the console equivalent of the Christmas fairy, sitting pretty at the top of the tree. Meanwhile, a cut-throat tussle for Sony's scraps has ensued at the bottom of the tree and it … Continue reading Console War, UK Style→
Several months ago, in one of my commentaries, I came out of the DDR closet and have been open about it ever since. I knew I had nothing to be ashamed of. I'm a DDR addict and I am proud of it. In a more recent commentary, I even had the dilemma of deciding on whether to pick up the latest US DDR title (DDRMAX2, hereafter referred to as MAX2) or to import DDR Extreme (DDRX). After researching the track lists of both games, I decided to give both of them a try, and needless to say I am pleased … Continue reading Report To The Dance Floor→
‘Mainstream' is a dirty word in the world of gaming. Call someone a ‘casual' gamer and that's tantamount to fighting talk. Casual gamers buy FIFA instead of Pro Evolution Soccer and think movie licenses are a guarantee of quality. They are the sole reason that the rest of us have to endure sequel after sequel of mediocre platformers and Bond games that aren't Goldeneye. Why buy Rez when you can play another driving game? That's what the casual gamer thinks. Then they download all the cheats and use the walk-though like a step by step instruction manual. I mean, how … Continue reading Has Hardcore Gone Soft?→
During my last commentary, I gave my opinions of the Jokia Un-Gage and the eventual failure I predicted it would be. Turns out I may have been right all along. In its first week of release, my sources say only 5,000 units were sold in the US, with an additional 500 in the UK. Not only that, but both EB and Gamestop are now selling the Un-Gage at $199, although it is actually due to an instant rebate. Still, even with a $100 price drop, there is no way that the Un-Gage will even have a slight chance against the … Continue reading Nokia N-Gage Fails In Sales→
Point and click adventure games are dead! Or so Charles Cecil would have us believe, if his opening statement at the ECTS 2002 press conference is to be believed. This only holds only any significance if you know that Charles Cecil is the creator of point and click greats such as the Broken Sword series. When it comes to mastery of an engaging narrative driven game, Charles, or Mr Cecil is the king. Nevertheless, I must protest and declare that Charles is wrong. Now, this is not something I take lightly, believe me. Here is a man who has single-handedly … Continue reading Point And Click FOREVER→
Computer games can be so realistic that they are downright scary, and that can be a good thing. Researchers at the University of Quebec in Outaouais found that video games can be more effective in treating patients with phobias than commercially developed virtual environments costing as much as $10,000, and the games do it at a fraction of the cost. "In some respects, despite their low cost, therapeutic virtual environments derived from games are superior to their commercial counterparts," researchers reported in a study published in the November 5th issue of the journal CyberPsychology & Behavior. Using map editing programs … Continue reading Games That Heal→
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