Games

EQEmulator

2008-04-30T11:48:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned my ongoing obsession with recapturing my "old" gaming days by playing old board and arcade games before - yes I truly think it's become an obsession!

This month it's been EQEmulator. My wife and I played the original EverQuest off and on since its launch in 1999, finally wrapping things up for good in late 2004. Recently we've been searching to recapture that online experience again by returning to worlds we had left behind. Since EQ was the first MMO we played and the one in which we spent the most time, it was logical to seek out the world of Norrath once again. After checking up on the status of the current live game, I stumbled across something I had seen years ago - EQEmulator. Basically, it's an EverQuest server that's been developed from the ground up to 'emulate' a real, live EverQuest server housed at Sony. With the proper client package (the game you can buy in the store), you can connect to a server running EQEmu and play for free. Now, you still have to buy the game, but do not have to pay the monthly subscription charges.

If you just want to play on any of the "public" EQEmu servers, all you need is the Titanium Edition of the EverQuest client. You must have this version in its entirety - not the equivalent in expansions or Platinum editions. It must be this specific version of all the files. If you want to run your own server just to goof around (which I did, it's pretty neat to put yourself into the Plane of Time at level 1) you can get that here.

Here are some useful links to get you started:

EQEmulator Player's Guide
All the basics on how to set up your EQ client are here.

EQEmulator Server Discussion
This is the forum at EQEmulator where you can find the server that fits the playing style you're looking for.

Jest3 Emulator
This is currently my favorite server. Single group "raid" content (yes, dragons with 1 group), solo friendly zones (less "kill on sight" critters), and custom content (a ton of it). Also, Easter egg loot, meaning anything can drop anywhere.

Check this out and drop me a comment to let me know what you think!

Xbox Live Arcade

2008-02-24T20:48:00.002-05:00

For a long time I avoided checking out Xbox Live Arcade because I didn't want to get sucked into the nickel and dime game of buying content for my Xbox 360. I always thought the cost of Live Gold (now $60 a year) was steep enough. It's true there is a lot of free content for many games (bonus maps, themes, missions, etc) and occasionally Microsoft does release a full game. On the 360's second birthday last November, they release Carcasonne, one of my favorite board games, for free. This game is basically what turned me on to XBLA.

Looking through the library, there are some real classics in there. Many are ones you've seen in on other consoles, such as Galaga, Asteroids, Missile Command, Dig Dug, and Ms. Pac Man. Some I remember spending countless hours playing in the arcades of the 80's, like Gauntlet, Tron, the newly released Discs of Tron, Robotron, Time Pilot, and a bunch more. It's really awesome to also see Doom and Sonic the Hedgehog again. I was also excited to see Catan, another one of my favorite board games. You can also find some of the best, current Internet classics like Zuma, Hexic, Geometry Wars, and Bejewled.

You can play all of them in trial modes, which allow for a few levels of play, or play with certain restrictions. If you want to buy the full versions, they run around 800 points for most of them, which is $10. This isn't a bad deal, since may of the RealArcade games are $15 or $20, but they should release them in packs. $10 is a bit steep for truly ancient games like Asteroids. Some are priced a little cheaper, at 400 points (or $5) which isn't too bad, but many of those older ones simply won't hold your interest, no matter how much you loved them 30 years ago.

Yes.. Space Invaders is over 30 years old! Insane, isn't it... games have come such a long way. Luckily, XBLA keeps us feeling young as we can play all those old games as if they were new... sort of.

Free Online Board and Card Games

2008-01-27T12:47:00.000-05:00

Every so often, I come across online versions of great board and card games that we play. As a family, we enjoy some of the more complex strategy games that we've featured on this site before (such as the Catan series).

Many of these games have inspired amateur programmers to design their own online versions for everyone to enjoy. We've started to compile a list of the games here and will continue to add them as they are discovered. Most of them require signing up for a free account on specific online service or a small download of the game client. Many of the sites and services also have rules and guidelines available. Services such as Brettspielwelt require a little extra effort to learn how to use their gaming client.

Acquire
A strategy game of stocks and minor empire building. Players place tiles to form companies, buy stock, merge and acquire other companies. It's one of the best of its type but its been out of print (the original Avalon Hill editions) for some time and very expensive on auction sites. Luckily there is an online version!

NetAcquire - this free standalone gaming client is best version we've seen. I've been playing this one for many years and it was recently updated to a new version. There is no service associated with it, but the game can be run in a constant host mode for your friends.

Carcassonne
There are a few online versions of this excellent tile-placing strategy game. Players score points by completing various structures (mainly roads and cities) or usurping them from opponents. It's one of our favorites.

Carcassonne at AsoBrain - one of the oldest and best online versions. Requires a free login account with AsoBrain.

Carcassonne at BrettspeilWelt - another excellent version, requires a free account. They also have the expansion versions available (Inns and Cathedrals, etc).

Carcassonne on Xbox Live - this is actually one of the prettiest versions. If you have an Xbox 360, check it out. It's pretty cheap (800 points). Now, of course this isn't free, but it's worth mentioning. It was offered for free on the Xbox 360's second birthday in November of 2007.

Citadels
An excellent card game where players attempt to build small cities with gold gained by playing cards in strategic order. Each card has a personality with specific characteristics or benefits to aid players or restrict opponents in their city building.

Citadels at Brettspeilwelt - An excellent real-time version. Requires a free account on the service and runs best with their game client.

Citadelles - An excellent real-time version that allows you to play with an AI opponent. Requires a free login account to play with other people.

Dominate Game (Risk) - This is essentially the classic game of Risk. Learning the system takes a little big of time, but it works well and supports specific map scenarios and custom configurations. A free login account is required. A paid version is also available for a few added perks.

Lost Cities
An deceivingly simple two-player strategy game where players go on expeditions by laying sequentially numbered cards down to score points. The style of playing before drawing adds a level of difficulty to the game. Unfinished expeditions lead to possibly devastating point losses.

Lost Cities by Ken Huffman - A very simplistic version with light graphics, but it works and you can play with a human opponent. Requires a free login account.

Lost Cities at Game Pixies - A simplistic version that runs under Java but allows play with both a human opponent and an AI player. Requires a free login account.

Princes of Florence at Brettspeilwelt - An excellent version of this popular resource and city building game. Requires a free account on Brettspeilwelt.

Puerto Rico - A standalone, multiplayer client of this hugely popular city building and economic strategy game. Players manage buying and selling crops to support their minor empires. This version requires installing a free programming client called Curl, and a free login account on a gaming server.

Ra
An interesting tile/bidding game where players attempt to acquire artifacts through an auction system. Simple to learn, not so simple to master! This one is a classic.

Ra at BrettspielWelt - Playable at BrettspielWelt with a free online account, using their gaming client. It's a decent version and very popular on the service.

Settlers of Catan
An insanely popular tile-based empire-building game. Players build roads, sea lanes, cities, basic armies, and metropolises while managing resources and expanding their fledgling empires. One of the major draws to Catan is that the arrangement of tiles completely changes the game each time it is played. Some versions have map tools built in to design your own layouts. This link brings you to our Catan page with links to all the online versions and information.

Tigris and Euprates
Probably one of the best strategy board games of all time, it is also one of the most difficult to master. It is essentially a tile placing and empire building game with a little Chess and random elements thrown in. Players attempt to control colored/themed tiles by putting leaders adjacent to them. Conflicts occur changing leadership and ultimately scoring points each round. The winner is the player with the most points in their lowest scored color/theme. It's extremely addicting.

Tigris and Euprates at BoardGameGeek - this is currently the only online version we're aware of. It is not real-time (you get an e-mail when it is your turn) but the board updates every time someone makes a move. It is basically a PBEM/online hybrid, or turn-based version, but it works well.

Years ago there was an online Java server that supported Tigris and a few other games like it, but I believe it to be offline. If you know of this service, please leave a comment and let us know!

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More to come. There are many more games on BrettspielWelt for sure - we'll add those and more to expand the list.

Magic: The Gathering PC

2008-01-23T21:25:00.000-05:00

Every so often (almost yearly now), I feel a great urge to revisit games that I had spent countless hours playing in the past. Many times they are games on ancient or defunct computer systems (Atari or Commodore), 20-year old arcade games, or DOS-based classics. Microsoft's move to Windows XP left a lot of MS-DOS and even Windows 95 era games in the dust. Even with the XP's compatibility mode (which thankfully has worked for a good deal of favorites), many games won't run or worse yet, won't even install.

Magic: The Gathering is one of the most successful collectible card games and has seen its fair share of electronic versions. One of the most popular was Microprose's PC version released in 1997 for Windows 95. It used cards from the fourth edition of the game (with many deadly cards like Black Lotus and Serra Angel) and the two add-on games (Spells of the Ancients and Duels of the Planeswalkers) added cards from a couple of expansion sets each. With all versions installed, and the ManaLink patch for multiplayer, it was a steal for the price. It was also graphically adequate for its time. The single player campaign mode was actually a lot of fun. You could also build custom decks and download those built by other players. All of this was before the official online version, MTG Online a few years later.

Recently, a friend enlightened about Shandalar.com's instructions on how to get the Microprose version up and running under Windows XP! Now, there are other options for running these old games (using Virtual PC, which I may cover in a future article) but this procedure will allow you to play without too much hassle. The whole thing takes about 10-15 minutes. I would recommend getting the fix file and loading into the compatibility tool instead of going through all of the settings for each .EXE file in the game.

Even if you've never played Magic before, this is worth checking out. The game can seem complex at first, so do yourself a favor and spend a little time reading the basic rules and learning the flow of the game. There is also a built-in tutorial to teach you the basic phases.

I've tried it out and am happy to report that it works very nicely! I am happily plundering cards and riches in the land of Shandalar once again!

Update: Shortly after I started playing this version, I discovered that a player-made patch - Manalink 2.0 - existed. You have to register and go to the "shop" to download the patch (or search on a BitTorrent site). It includes a ton of missing cards from the sets included in the game (gold-bordered legend creatures, etc) that you can use for dueling. Very very cool!

WoW Addons

2008-01-19T22:10:00.000-05:00

After a six month break from the game, I re-activated my World of Warcraft account. The first thing I noticed after logging in was that all of my addons were out of date or broken.

Addons or "add-ons" are third party programs or interface modifications that interact with the WoW client. The vast majority of them change the user interface (UI) or add enhancements, such as statistics, to an already flashy environment. Nearly all mods/addons are likely safe for use and sanctioned by Blizzard, but it is important to check on their status from time to time to ensure that they have not been banned. As with any modification, these are all "use at your own risk". Some may cause odd environment behavior.

My current favorite is FuBar 2.0. FuBar is really a base modification that allows for a slew of smaller modules, or plugins, to be used with it. All of the plugins end in "..Fu", so you know they they'll work with FuBar. Some of the best plugins include LocationFu, BagFu, QuestFu, and RegenFu which help manage the game elements they are named after. For example, BagFu tells you how many total slots you have open out of your maximum available, and QuestFu adds real-time checking of quests you have in the area you are currently located in.

Another popular standard base is Titan Panel 3.1. With the standard install, Titan Panel shows your current XP stats (how much you're getting per hour, time to level, etc), a real time clock, bag information, a one-click all bag opener, group loot mode, and PVP honor stats. Just as with FuBar, Titan allows you to load dozens of plugins to enhance its basic features.

If you hope to make any money in WoW, you have to check out Auctioneer. The main draw to this addon is its ability to scan and track auctions in near real-time. Once a scan is completed, statistical data appears when mousing over items in your bank and inventory. Even if not using the auction extensions, the Informant tool shows where items are used. Did you ever wonder if that black pearl you found is worth keeping? Auctioneer will tell you what trade skills need it. The latest version also includes tools to post multiple items at once and compare all available statistics to compare what you want to sell with what is on the market.

Another essential is Gatherer. This one is absolutely awesome for any character that mines or gathers herbs. Gatherer will update your world map with nodes as you find them, and probabilities of what other elements were gained over time. This in itself is worth the download, however, if your guildmates also use the mod, you will receive updates from nodes they find, and vice versa! Over time, you could may have all your maps filled with nodes from your endeavors and your industrious guildmates!

Our growing World of Warcraft information page has these links and more to enhance your playing experience!

Power Grid

2008-01-13T17:35:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since we've looked at any new board games. For my son's 15th birthday, I decided to check out a game I've been thinking about for some time, called Power Grid. It's highly rated on various board gaming sites and rightly so.

The main reasons I tracked down a copy of Power Grid include its basic premise of resource management and expansion/empire building elements, and the fact that people say it's just about as fun with two people as it is with three or more. This factor is important to us since many of the more complex board games require a minimum of three people to get the most out of them. We've played a few games with just the two of us and can attest that it truly is fun for two, although the game is designed to play with up to six.

In a nutshell, players try to supply power to the most cities as possible by buying power plants and the resources required for them. Much of the game comes down to the strategy of when to upgrade your plants and the condition of the resource market. Resources generally get more expensive as the game progresses as more players buy them up, especially if more than one or two people are using the same resource types. This balances out a bit in the latter half of a session when the more expensive plants come into play, allowing for a better conversion of input to output. In other words, you start with plants that can power one or two cities for two to three resources, but later one plant may only require one or two resources to power three or four cities.

Each game turn consists of five phases: you buy plants through an auction process, then buy resources, expand/build your power network into cities, and finally decide your income based on what cities you want to supply power to. The player turn order changes each turn, much like Aladdin's Dragons. The building phases reverse the order, so you may not always wish to be the turn leader. This adds another level of balance. The player that gets first dibs on a power plant won't get first grabs at the resources - a key strategy point as prices rise.

The basic game comes with a board that contains a map of the United States on one side and Germany on the other (the game was designed by Germans, of course!) Expansion boards allow for new maps of other European countries and I imagine we'll want to check those out soon. So far, there are two map expansions - Benelux and Central Europe and France and Italy for a total of four more countries. Late in 2007, a card deck expansion was also released, allowing for some truly customized scenarios or the ability to increase and balance the number of power plants.

Power Grid is one of those beautifully crafted games that is not difficult to learn, but very challenging to master. We didn't spend three hours trying to decipher the rules (although some rules could be clearer or organized better) and by the second game we had it down well enough to skip consulting the rules more than once or twice. The Gamers Cafe highly recommends Power Grid for all ages! There's some basic math, and some chess skills may come in handy (planning for future moves), so we recommend an age of ten or higher.

Check out our specialized Power Grid page for more information on the game, and how to play it online!

Rock Band

2008-01-06T11:42:00.000-05:00

This Christmas, we picked up Rock Band Special Edition for our son, Lance. We knew he wanted one of the rhythm games for our XBox 360, and were excited to see Rock Band at the top of the list. Naturally, part of the excitement was that would could play it together as a family.

We've spent a good deal of time with the game and have a good grasp on the instruments and gameplay. It's a lot more fun than I thought it would be (and I already knew it would be). There's something unique about a game where you can actually put yourself into it, and I don't mean virtually, but physically. Most games, you control your avatar or online persona through a series of challenges that can be both fun and tedious. Rock Band not only puts you into the role of a rock star, but asks you to perform like one!

The deluxe package comes wired versions of a guitar, microphone, drum set, and the game. The only downside you only get three of the supported four instruments (a second guitar allows for both a lead and bass at the same time). My guess is Harmonix figured you already had one from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (which works fine in most cases - the exception being the Les Paul PS3 model, which isn't compatible with Rock Band at this time). The base game comes with about 45 tracks ranging from classic rock tunes, to older punk tracks, and some radio rock from the last two decades or so. The selection is tilted a bit towards recent radio stuff that is probably less "rock" than some of the classics included. Regardless, there is a good mix for those looking to rock out to some Black Sabbath, The Who, and The Rolling Stones. As of right now, there are already over two dozen downloadable tracks on XBox Live as well. We grabbed the Metallica and Black Sabbath pack (both are must-haves). The only downside here is the difficulty - you won't be playing Metallica too well unless you're already a guitar hero!

I defaulted to being the drummer simply because my son wanted to play guitar and my wife wanted to sing. I have a love/hate relationship with the drums - they can be degrading if you can't get the rhythm down. However, once you get the hang of them, I think drumming is the best role in the band. It's certainly the most physical and satisfying, especially when you finish a drum solo with a hearty cymbal crash. I have vowed to become a Rock Band drum master!

All the instruments share the same general scoring and performance method. The more notes you hit, the higher your score. Missed notes can be 'heard' and too many will get you booted from the show. Every so often you get the chance to perform a solo to get the crowd going. Once you learn how special notes (called energy notes) and the scoring works, you can bring back failed bandmates and generate frequent solos. The vocalist's solo time is best for shouting out to the crowd or belting out a heavy metal scream! Points generate stars for the performance which gain the band fans. As the band gains popularity it gains a manager, roadies, buses, jets, and the entire world opens up for shows.

With an Xbox Live account linked to a Windows Live ID, you can hook it up with an account on the Rock Band official web site to compare your stardom with other rockers and see how your band ranks up with others. The cool thing is that you only need Xbox Live Silver (the free account) to get this all set up.

Rock Band has given us a way to all enjoy something together - it's the ultimate party game!

StarCraft II

2007-05-29T10:48:00.000-04:00

Almost two years ago, we caught some chatter from various sources about a secret Blizzard project that we were pretty sure was Diablo III. Finally, we now know the true nature of what's been going on. Last week, Blizzard announced development on StarCraft II, which may not have been a total surprise, but it was certainly a welcome one.

For years, gamers have been begging Blizzard to work on a follow up to one of the highest player-rated real-time strategy games of all time. The story, lore, and well-balanced races of the original StarCraft made the game extremely compelling and addicting. In an era where there are way more games than I have time for, I actually completed StarCraft, and its expansion called Brood War.

If you somehow missed it, you should check out the original StarCraft before the second one arrives. The price on the entire StarCraft Battle Chest edition is only $20. This edition is highly recommended! You get everything - both the original game and the expansion, strategy guides for each, and it's packaged all onto one DVD!

So, for now, we can forgive Blizzard for not giving us Diablo III. Although there's no true release date, we're thinking Christmas 2007 wouldn't be a bad idea!

For more info on StarCraft II, visit Blizzard's official SCII site, and various videos from YouTube on gameplay, and the official announcement in Korea.

Dell Deals

2007-03-22T18:25:00.000-04:00

Recently, our daughter's 6-year old desktop machine started experiencing unhealthy shutdowns. After a few weeks of dealing with a failing machine, she decided to buy a new one with her saved birthday money. Naturally, we turned to Dell Computer, knowing that they offer some of the best deals on new computer hardware.

She was able to get an Intel Pentium D (dual core) desktop, with 1 GB of RAM, a 100GB hard drive, DVD/CD burner drive, AND Windows Vista Premium for under $550 delivered! We even upgraded the video card from the integrated graphics option to an entry-level nVidia model. The value of Vista Premium is $250 alone!

She is happily up and running playing her favorite games again, thanks to Dell!

We keep an ongoing post of all Dell Home Deals on our specials blog. Be sure to check it to see what Dell is offering each week. Most of the time they are discounts or special coupon codes. You will also find free upgrades on RAM, hard drive space, or flat panel monitors thrown in for free!

Direct2Drive Game Downloads

2007-01-06T12:09:00.000-05:00

Well, it's a new year and you've probably got a little bit of cash to spend from the holiday season. Now is the time to get all of those games you've been looking at for the last couple of months! Here's what's on top of the list at Direct2Drive, the place to download your own copies of excellent PC games (and movies). Why bother going to the store when you can download the games online, and often for less than retail prices!

Bearing the name 'Sid Meier' (of Civilization fame) guarantees an excellent gaming experience. Railroads is no less than you would expect. This one's a winner!

Also:

Speaking of Civilization, the price has dropped on Civ IV. Now download Civilization IV for $39.99 from Direct2Drive!

Don't miss the long-awaited shooter, F.E.A.R.. Also now only $39.99!

With the first official expansion due in less than two weeks, you can miss this opportunity to score World of Warcraft for $19.99 now! You get a full month free, so even if you decide not to keep playing, it's worth $20 just to get in a month's worth of playtime.

Don't miss this one. Fans have said the single player story and campaign is better than the first game, with more party options (no more silly AI members) and of course a beautiful, new graphics engine. This one's a must for RPG fans!

MommyMall.com Games

2006-12-11T16:51:00.000-05:00

We are now MommyMall.com games! Please let us know if you have trouble finding anything while we are in the process of moving the files over.

Card Game Favorites

2006-12-08T15:09:00.000-05:00

Continuing on with our Christmas recommendations, I'm not talking about your basic game of Spades, Poker, or Rummy. Our favorite card games may be themed, adventure related, or simply just a lot of fun for the whole family. Check out the Gamers Cafe selections below and see what you think!

One of the most challenging and interesting two player games we've played recently has to be Lost Cities. There are five, colored expeditions for each player and only one set of ten numbered cards for each expedition. The goal is to attain 20 points in your expedition, but if your opponent outscores you, you could be in for some trouble as you'll miss your goal. It's a game of timing and strategy.

Another great family pleaser is the Clue Card Game. This version is actually more fun that the board game, especially with three or more players. Instead of marching around the board, players make accusations based on where they are in the country, and from peeking at other players' cards as events come up during play.

We also enjoy a series of thinkers that employ some brain power. Wizard is a great variation of the classic game of Spades, with a "Wizard" card that overpowers aces. It creates some interesting strategic decisions. Also try Phase 10, a terrific game for many people. There are ten phases, each with a different requirement to fulfill (a set of 3, a run of 7, etc). It's easy to get left behind if you can't satisfy your phase! Think of Set as an advanced form of Memory, where you match cards. In Set, there are many ways to match that will keep your gears spinning and your mind sharp! Don't miss Quiddler, another game by the makers of Set and Wizard. Players build words and try to outscore their oppononets. It's a bit like Scrabble, in a faster paced format.

A personal favorite of mine is a game called Citadels. In this game, players build cities for points. Each round, cards are dealt to players that contain personalities with special powers. Some characters disable others, some double your money income, and others allow you to take another player's city buildings. It involves some degree of planning to outwit your opponent(s).

Last year, I purchased Poison since we often find ourselves with three people. Players attempt to fill three cauldrons with numbered cards until a threshold is reached. The player that overflows the cauldron has to take the cards. Avoid the poison vials and score the least points to claim victory!

All of these are some of our favorites! So instead of playing Rummy and War with standard cards, check these out! They are all excellent games.

Board Game Favorites

2006-12-06T15:23:00.000-05:00

Over the past couple of years, I've made a point of purchasing a new tabletop game for the family to enjoy at Christmas time. They range from short, 2-player games, to longer, multiplayer (4 or more) games. We play a wide range of types - from adventures and strategy, to thinkers and puzzle games. Below is a short list of some of our favorites. I am happy to say that ToysRUs.com has an excellent selection - much more than they have in the retail stores! Others are available at Amazon (use our links to get you right there!)

This one pretty much started the board game craze for us: The Settlers of Catan Board Game. It's a great mix of strategy, resource management, and empire building. It's not too complex and the design provides an extremely high replay value. Check out my Catan links for more information on all Catan games. If you are already a Catan fan, you might enjoy a more challenging version - Cities & Knights of Catan. We've also thoroughly enjoyed the space version, which focuses a little more on exploration. It's called Starfarers of Catan! All of them are board game classics! Over a year ago, I wrote a full review of the basic games!

The next two series are for those long, winter nights where it's just too cold to go out! Even if you don't live in colder areas, they are perfect for a night of family gaming.

Our first love in this arena is easily the Lord of The Rings Board Game. It's a very interesting game of cooperation. Up to five people take the role of the hobbits and try to make it to Mount Doom to destroy the ring! Two expansions came out for this one and both are excellent. My son's favorite is the Sauron expansion, where one player takes the role of Sauron and attempts to defeat the Fellowship! The other is called Friends and Foes. This one works in conjunction with the other two and adds more help for both sides (good and evil).

The second game could be considered as "D&D Lite". It's called Descent: Journeys in the Dark. It's a giant dungeon crawler where people play the heroes and someone plays the Dungeon Master, who controls all of the creators in the dungeon! The basic game comes with a ton of plastic monsters and a lot of board pieces, and a good set of scenarios and quests to get you started. Advanced players can create their own adventures! Heroes level up as they complete quests. Both dice and cards are used to supplement the quality game design.

This last one is an older game, but it's a classic. It's called
Acquire and it's available at KBtoys.com. It's an excellent mix of strategy, empire building, and smart trading. This one's been a crowd pleaser for many years. It's definitely on our top ten of all time! Acquire is one of those "easy to learn, difficult to master" types.

There are certainly many more out there, and many more than we own. Check out these and we'll be back with more suggestions tomorrow!

World of Warcraft 2.0.1 Update

2006-12-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

It's here. It's live! World of Warcraft 2.0.1 "Before the Storm" - the last major content update before The Burning Crusade expansion - is up! There's a good amount of excellent new features in the latest patch. Among the favorites are the new Looking For Group interface, PVP (player verus player) arenas, and a completely new honor points system. The new LFG panel allows you to search and advertise your goals to other people. Looking to finish a specific quest or start an instance? The LFG tool makes it a lot easier; no more spamming the LFG channel! There's no longer a need to "grind" out PVP honor. With the new points system, PVP enthusiasts can now buy items and goodies directly with the points earned. The new arenas allow for teamed play, in groups of 2, 3 or 5 people. Consider them a type of PVP deathmatch!

What? You're not playing World of Warcraft? We are - all of us! It's great family fun for teens and up! It's a great time to get into the game, just before the new expansion is released in January!

Need more WoW? Check here for our page with all of your WoW needs.

If you're thinking of picking up World of Warcraft for someone, consider a 60-day game card as well! You only get a month free with a purchase of the game. This will ensure two more months of excellent adventuring in a beautiful, online world.

Madden NFL 2007

2006-09-19T12:43:00.000-04:00

I have been playing the newest installment in the Madden franchise, 2007, and it is a lot of fun. The game was released on August 22, and I made sure to get the game as soon as it came out. Madden uses a tuned up, improved version of the NCAA 07 engine, which in turn was an update version of Madden 06 on the XBOX 360. Shaun Alexander, the 2005 MVP, and running back of the Super bowl losers, the Seattle Seahawks, is on the cover of Madden 07. Many people wait to see if the “Madden curse” will affect him. Historically, players featured on the cover of Madden games have had less than positive seasons.

The big new feature of 07 is the Lead Blocker mode, in which you take control of a lineman to block for your running back, and then switch back and control your back. One of the other new features also has to do with the running game. It’s called the highlight stick, and you use it to ovoid the defense. The bigger, more powerful backs try and power through the defense, and the smaller, faster backs evade and juke out the players. The best feature is not new, but was missing from the 360 version of Madden 06. This feature is the Superstar mode, which was added at the last minute. The main thing that makes this year's Superstar mode different is how you play on the field. If you play a receiver, you only play as the receiver, so while you make the catches, you do not call the plays or make the throws. This adds some great variety to the mode, making the gameplay different from all the others.

The game still has a few collision problems, but it is much less than it has ever been, and much less than NCAA Football 2007. Characters have fatigue, and will get tired if used a lot. Unfortunately, the characters do not sub in and out like they used to, so fumbles will happen frequently if you use one player too often. Another problem relates to a new feature, in which you unlock Hall of Fame characters by achieving things. What is bad about this is that the characters become part of the roster and can be signed in Superstar and Franchise mode, which taints the rosters for many, many years.

Wikipedia has a great wiki (or entry) for the entire Madden Franchise, as well as having one for Madden 2007.

Team Xbox has a great review of Madden 2007 for both the Xbox360 and for the original Xbox.

IGN has a great site that lists the Madden rankings of all the players on all 32 teams in the NFL.

WoWWiki

2006-09-04T13:28:00.000-04:00

Wikis are the blogs of 2006. Properly supported and updated, they can be one of the best sources of information second only to a good Google search. They are great for subjects that require databases but provide a much friendlier front end than sites that simply put you in front of a search box.

Nearly two years after release, various sites still strive to be the best information source for World of Warcraft, the massive (and I do mean massive) online RPG based on Blizzard’s uber-popular Warcraft franchise.

One of the best online sites for quick one to two click information for WoW is the official WoWWiki. For anyone that has used Wikipedia (is there anyone that hasn’t?), it provides an extremely easy to use tool for just about anything WoW-worthy. Need a recipe for those Volcanic Shoulders? How about where to find sungrass? Maybe you would like a map for The Deadmines? Check WoWWiki.

One of the best features of the wiki technology is how things are hyperlinked. If you’ve used a CD-based encyclopedia, common terms are clickable and those that require their own pages will have one. For example, with quests on WoWWiki, you can search on the quest title and a page will display. Links within the page for that particular quest include information pertinent to that quest (NPCs you need to visit, locations, etc). These links take you to pages with information on those topics specifically.

Yes, the other database driven sites do this too, but wikis tend to load faster since they are simply Web pages, which means you arrive at the information faster. As information changes, the wiki pages get updated by moderators. Since the pages are visible to everyone on the planet, data can easily be validated by players so that everything is as factual as possible.

In particular, their character chart is of interest, especially if you are trying to figure out what type of class/race to play.

Another excellent area is their Burning Crusade pages, with constantly updated information on the first official expansion.

Be sure to check out our new World of Warcraft page for links to excellent WoW resources.

Call of Duty 2

2006-09-03T16:22:00.000-04:00

Call of Duty 2 is a shooter that came out for the PC, PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube. It was recently ported to the Xbox 360, so I had to try it.

The game is based during WWII, like its predecessor. It has three campaigns, Russia, America, and Britain, all of which are quite fun. The best part, though, is the multiplayer mode. The only problem I have with multiplayer is that Xbox Live only supports 8 players, but the maps are huge, so it can get a little slow at times. I have never had problems finding people to play with, however, even late at night. If you have friends with 360s, you can link four of them together to play with up to sixteen people, which is simply awesome.

Xbox Live allows you to purchase bonus maps, which is great, but it seems a little lame that you have to purchase the maps on top of the price of Xbox Live Gold. One of the best features of playing on Xbox Live is the headset, which allows for better tactical, real-time strategies with teammates. Not surprisingly, the game also looks stunning. All in all, the game is one of the best on the 360, and a must buy for fans of the franchise, fans of WWII shooters, or fans of FPS games in general.

Visit GameFAQs.com a full walkthrough of Call of Duty for the Xbox 360
Also, Visit Gamespot for a full review of Call of Duty on both the 360, and the PC

Download World of Warcraft

2006-07-28T17:59:00.000-04:00

There's no longer an excuse to ignore the craze that has drawn over 6 million players worldwide. World of Warcraft is now available by download, straight from Direct2Drive! Included in the already discounted price is a full month of play within this online paradise. Take the plunge and discover the beautiful and dangerous world of Azeroth, created by masters of gamecraft, Blizzard Entertainment.

Fans of any Blizzard game already know the level of quality to expect. WoW includes all the splendor, excellent design, and humor that exists in the Warcraft franchise. After playing within the EverQuest worlds for nearly 7 years and dabbling in a few other MMORPGs, World of Warcraft has, for me, recaptured the excitement of discovery and adventure within a persistent, online world. The game caters to both hardcore and leisure players with its experience system. Levelling up and tradeskilling are no longer tideous tasks, and the world is so huge, it would take many months for even the most dedicated player to fully explore.

Save a trip to your game retailer and check out WoW on Direct2Drive, at a discounted price that includes a month of play!

Download War of Warcraft from Direct2Drive Now!

New Super Mario Bros.

2006-07-17T23:31:00.000-04:00

The most recent game I rented is a game called New Super Mario Bros. The game is a lot of fun, especially for fans of the original Mario games. The game has lots of the stuff that made the NES games good, along with something from the newer versions, making this one of the best games for the DS I have ever played. One of the best parts is the fact that, if you get a little bored with the normal game, you can play some of the many mini games that the game includes. They are all very addicting, much like the mini games in the Mario Party games.

I enjoyed most of all, the 2-D greatness, back from the Mario World games. I personally think that the original side scrolling gameplay is much better than 3-D, in certain cases like Mario and Sonic. This is especially apparent in the Sonic games, as the originals are still fun to play today, but the Sonic franchise has had a hard time fitting in with the 3-D games. It feels good to know that 2-D side scrollers will still be made, and hopefully they will remain as fun as New Super Mario Bros.

Visit Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, for a great article about New Super Mario Bros.

Visit Nintendo for the official New Super Mario Bros. site

XBOX 360 First Impressions (Part III)

2006-07-10T14:47:00.000-04:00

So far, the 360 has proven itself to be a worthy purchase. The games are decent, the console is powerful, and the controllers are finely crafted.

One feature that I was specifically excited about, is the Media Connect option. With Windows XP Professional, you can share a music and picture library with the 360. The interface for the music function sorts everything shared by artist, album, or genre. It is very much like iTunes. It will read playlists anywhere in the shared folders. All this is performed when the folder structure is first shared on the PC. The Media Connect service does seem to eat up a good deal of resources on the shared machine, however. With Windows Media Center Edition 2005, you can stream video to the 360 as well.

Finally, I was pleased to find that the 360 supported digital via a fiber cable that piggybacks off of the main A/V connector. The 360 comes with a component cable, but since my surround system currently uses S-Video, I bought a $15 S-Video 360 cable. It also contained the fiber jack. It was nice to finally hear true surround sound. Games like Oblivion and Need For Speed really came alive with fully positional sound for greater immersion.

We didn't test the DVD playback much since we have a nice DVD player, however support of 720p resolution ought to satisfy most DVD fans. The 360 does not support DVD-Audio or Super Audio CD, but I wasn't concerned with this.

Need for Speed on Xbox 360

2006-07-05T12:48:00.000-04:00

I recently got an Xbox 360, and one of the first games I got for it was Need for Speed: Most Wanted. I had played the game on the original Xbox before, so I knew it was a great game. This game is one of the few ports form the Xbox that lost nothing in the translation. The graphics are great, and look like they belong on the 360. The controls feel great, and the gameplay is identical to the original game. The game is a hoot to play, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys racers.

I also have some other news on the Need for Speed franchise. A new installment, called Carbon, is in development, and looks quite pretty. The game is not going to be a sequel to Most Wanted, but I am sure it will be fun all the same. Fortunately, Carbon is coming out for almost everything imaginable, from mobile phones to the PS3, so anyone can play it. I cannot wait to be able to play this new Need for Speed game, and I hope that more information will be out soon.

XBOX 360 First Impressions (Part II)

2006-06-30T08:35:00.000-04:00

Here we are again with our impressions concerning our shiny, new XBOX 360.

One of the main reasons I've wanted the 360 was for Oblivion. I've played all the Elder Scrolls games on the PC and heard that the 360 version was "made for" the 360. I admit being a little apprehensive, formerly a firm defender of PC gaming - especially for RPGs of the first person type. I have never truly enjoyed first person games (shooters or otherwise) on console machines because I am a keyboard/mouse combo junky. I enjoy have a full range of motion that I can control the speed of. Using a joystick, you are a slave to its speed and impreciceness. This problem has led to many deaths in Halo and other shooter games. After a few hours of Oblivion, I was relieved to find that the controller worked very well with the game. It was a little more difficult to perform true thrusting and lunging moves, but once learned, the action was actually more pleasing and exciting using a controller than I believe it would have been with a mouse and keyboard.

We also have Need For Speed: Most Wanted, MLB 2006, Call of Duty 2, and Tomb Raider Legend. All of these games look amazing, especially MLB. The players look as if you are watching a telecast of a baseball game. Oblivion is alive and quite scary in the dungeons. We have the machine hooked up to a 32" tube television (a very high quality one) and everything looks great!

We turned on XBOX Live to see what all of the fuss was about. The Silver service basically allows you to get XBOX updates and game patches. That's it. You can't play any of the games (to my knowledge) with other people without signing up for a Gold account. Since the 360 system comes with a free month of Gold, we enabled that. We were a bit dismayed to see that any extra content (outside of patches) would cost more money, on top of the Live charges. Oblivion, for example, had new content (horse armor) for about $3. Buying new content on Live consists of spending points. You can buy points online or from retail gaming outlets. Twenty dollars buys about 1600 points. Most of the useful things are over 500 points. Features like themes (based on sports teams, etc) are 150 points. Most of the downloadable content is simply fluff, but some things, like the Microsoft Arcade games, aren't too bad of a deal.

Electroplankton

2006-06-25T12:43:00.000-04:00

One of my recent game rentals, was a game called Electroplankton. The game is not a true game, much as Brain Age is not a true game. The game is all about making music with the fishes, or Electroplankton, in the game. It has 10 different kinds of Electroplankton, and each one has its own style of music. You tinker and manipulate the Electroplankton until you get sound that you like.

Electroplankton has two modes, a performance mode, which is basically a sandbox or a practice mode. It also has a mode called audience mode, in which you play the game while the game messes with your set up while you are playing. There is no kind of high score, and no unlockables, which keep replay value relativity low. Electroplankton also has no kind of saving, so all your musical creations are destroyed when you turn off the power. I am not sure if the game is worth a purchase, but it makes a great choice for a rental.

XBOX 360 First Impressions (Part I)

2006-06-19T08:07:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I proclaimed that my days of keeping up with PC upgrades were over. I vowed to stop spending hundreds of dollars every two years and simply buy a new console for games. Keeping that in mind, we decided to purchase an XBox 360 two weeks ago.

Although the 360 isn't "new", it is for us. So far, I am pleased with the machine and have a few comments.

First, the machine is physically better looking than the original. It's not nearly as thick and bulky. It's sleek and looks stylish enough to leave on display next to our entertainment system. The construction seems solid and not as fragile as my trusty old PS2. However, the power supply, now a separate unit, is simply huge.

We purchased the full 360 package (not the "core" system) which included a hard drive, a wireless controller, headset, a component video cable, free XBOX Live Silver, and a month of Live Gold Service. More on the Live service later.

We bought an extra wireless controller as well. They are a big improvement over the originals (especially that horrible first edition XBOX version). They are slimmer and feel very comfortable. The wireless range and signal strength is remarkable. We were able to control the XBOX from down the hallway and around a corner from the machine (about 25 feet away or more). The ability to power up the machine from the controllers (using the embedded "X" symbol button) is a nice touch. The console has a four quadrant circular display to tell you which controllers it detects. As more controllers are turned on, more quadrants light up.

The new 360 dashboard (user interface) is very easy to navigate, with tabs and easy access even during gameplay. At any time, the X symbol brings up the dashboard, much like Alt-Tabbing on your PC pops you back to your desktop while playing a game. The set up and configuration of outputs and video settings was a breeze and only took a few minutes; the same goes for getting the system online using the embedded network card (Ethernet).

So far, we could find no faults with the machine. It looked great, the interface was well designed, and the controllers were exceptional, possibly better than the infamous PS2 controllers (my personal favorite).

In Part II we'll look at the games and the Live service. And finally, Part III will examine some of the machine's extended features, such as Media Connect and how it interfaces with a surround sound system.

Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day

2006-06-07T15:49:00.000-04:00

The most recent game I rented was Brain Age for the DS. It is a very good game, and I ended up buying it, which you can do through some game rental stores if you want to keep your rented game.

My whole family enjoys the game, and the game allows you to compare scores and results, creating some friendly competition. The “game” is really a compilation of simple reading, counting, and arithmetic, but it somehow makes the game fun. The game uses both voice and writing recognition, and while they both are usually problem free, the game seems to have problems with the word blue, and the writing can have problems if you write numbers certain ways.

Brain Age throws in some Sodoku puzzles for extra brain sharpening, and you end up with quite a good game.

IGN reviewed Brain Age and gave it an eight out of ten

Nintendo put up an article out of Nintendo Power of Brain Age. They gave it a five out five

Gamespot put out a list for Brain Age that has all the unlockables and what is needed to unlock them

G4’s show X-Play reviewed Brain Age and gave it a four out of five