GenCon 2009 Report – Gamer Boardgames
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Posted on August 24th, 2009 by
What is a gamer boardgame? My previous GenCon report covered family boardgames, games that are great to play with younger kids, or informally with friends who drop by for dinner. Gamer games are slightly more complex and tend to last a bit longer (an hour or two).
GenCon 2009 – A Photo Essay
Posted on August 22nd, 2009 by
Two reports down, two to go. No additional posts today, but feel free to head on over to Boardgame News to check out my photo essay on the convention. I’ll be back next week to finish up with coverage of the more advanced boardgames and then wind up with an overview of collectible gaming, video games, and the just plain strange at this year’s GenCon.
Cary’s 2009 Summer Movie Round Up
Posted on August 21st, 2009 by
Well, summer is wrapping up, and along with it wraps up the summer blockbuster movie season. I saw quite a few movies this past summer, so I figured I’d give out my brief impressions and opinions on them. Hey, you have a better idea for a blog topic? (I’m just joking). Anyway, here’s what movies I saw. Oh, and if you don’t want to wade through my entire long winded blog, but want to know about some good movies to take the whole family, just look for the paragraphs highlighted in green.
GenCon 2009 Report – Family Gaming
Posted on August 21st, 2009 by
In the past few years, GenCon has made a concerted effort to appeal to a broader audience than the stereotypical gamer geek. They have a areas set aside for kids to play boardgames, trips to the local museums and movie showings for gamer spouses, there’s even a giant highway billboard I see every day on the way to and from the convention that advertises GenCon as a family vacation destination. For the most part, I think they are succeeding. Even in the past five years that I have attended, I have noticed a significant shift in both the family-friendly offerings and a much larger family contingent of attendees. As I’m a big boardgaming fan, I managed to find more information on boardgames than can fit in a single article. So today I’ll focus on games and companies that are family-friendly. Next time we’ll cover boardgames that are cut out more suitable for enthusiastic gamers.
GenCon 2009 Report – Role Playing Games
Posted on August 20th, 2009 by
GenCon has come and gone once again in Indianapolis, leaving attendees with a bit less sleep, a bit more crowded game rooms, and a bit lighter in the wallet. However, most can claim to be satiated for the moment. GenCon is four days of concentrated gaming in one of the oldest and largest game-focused conventions in the US. I was able to attend for two days and spent most of my time roaming the large dealer floor, checking out the upcoming games. Started as an offshoot of TSR (the original Dungeons and Dragons company), GenCon has a strong role-playing presence in addition to the large number of boardgame and slightly fewer electronic gaming companies. For today, I’ll focus on the role playing game news that I found most interesting. In future articles, I’ll cover the electronic and the boardgame news from the show.
Tales of Monkey Island: Episode 2: The Siege of Spinner Cay (PC, WiiWare)
Posted on August 20th, 2009 by
When we last left Guybrush Threepwood: Mighty PirateTM, he had narrowly escaped the mystic winds of Flotsam Island, as well as the mad doctor who wanted his voodoo-cursed hand. But, the pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay has boarded his ship en route to rescue Guybrush’s wife Elaine. A swashbuckling battle ensues, and Morgan chops off Guybrush’s cursed hand, leaving him with a ‘handy’ hook. Now, setting sail for the Jerkbait Islands, Guybrush encounters a group of androgynous Mer-Folk, who task him with finding three mystic artifacts. These artifacts can lead him to a magical voodoo sponge that can soak up the Pox of LeChuck that Guybrush has unwittingly released, which is infecting pirates all over the Caribbean. But can Guybrush find them all before a group of nasty infected pirates completely take over the Mer-Folks’ home of Spinner Cay?
Bookworm Adventures 2
Posted on August 19th, 2009 by
Bookworm, Popcap.com’s awesome little wordsearch game, is now $2.99 at the Apple App store. If you have an iPhone or Touch, you need this app. I’ve been playing it constantly and my daughter (9) likes it too. But I’m really here to talk about Bookworm Adventures 2, PopCap’s clever little take on word search prowess with vague RPG/Adventure elements.
GamerDad PAX ’09
Posted on August 19th, 2009 by
I have some bad news. I’m not speaking at PAX this year. No panels, no packed halls for my GamerDad speech and no filling in for the ECA’s Hal Halpin to talk games and politics despite the fact that GamePolitics.com continues to snub me (hey, email them about that please). The reason? Two-fold. One: I’ve attended proudly for 3 years running. Two: There’s no need for me to continue. Come in to find out what I mean and read the complete story.
Beatles Rock Band
Posted on August 18th, 2009 by
There’s something (pun intended) about the way they move, but the Beatles have always attracted me like no other. In fact, the very first commercial recording I ever bought was THE LP (yeah, vinyl) of The Beatles mind-blowing Abbey Road. This memory, from when I was 9 or so, made me make a parenting decision I’m still very proud of. Instead of having my kids listen to that insipid children’s music crowding the playgroup – I spun the Beatles. The result? I have a 9-year old and a 6-year old who listen to the Beatles frequently and will be able to sing the vocal tracks of the upcoming Beatles Rock Band without error. The game comes 9/9/09 and that same day new remastered recordings of each album, with extras, will be released. Will it be bigger than, well you know? Can’t wait! I just can’t –
Game Review: Brave: A Warrior’s Tale (360)
Posted on August 17th, 2009 by
Village Chief and elder Brave spends his days telling stories to the young members of his tribe, passing down wisdom from his ancestors and teaching the children lessons through his tales. His latest yarn tells how he, as a younger Brave, defeated the evil spirit Wendigo. His tale is so vivid that the children can almost see it happening right in front of them. Join young Brave in this 3-D action platform jumping adventure based on Native American folklore and mythology.
