The PAX Files: Day 2
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Posted on September 7th, 2010 by
On Day 2 of PAX, I was able to check out more games than the first day. I visited big company booths like Nintendo, Sega, Square-Enix, and Valve, as well as smaller companies with big surprises in store, too!
The PAX Files: Day 1
Posted on September 7th, 2010 by
PAX, or Penny Arcade Expo, is a gaming convention for the public started by the guys who created the Penny Arcade Web comic. Gamers get together to share their favorite hobby with others, and video game companies show off their upcoming releases. Join me on the first day of PAX as I round up some games and even look for ghosts in Seattle!
GenCon 2010 Boardgames: Co-ops, Deck building, and Civs – Oh My!
Posted on September 6th, 2010 by
The GenCon gaming convention was once again held in the Indianapolis Convention Center this past August. I’ve already reported on some of the role playing news so I thought I’d give an update on the state of the boardgaming industry. As usual, most big name publishers and many smaller ones set up shop in the main dealer hall to show off their newest and upcoming games. Games of all sorts were on display, but many of the games that made the biggest splash at the convention fell into one of three categories: cooperative games, where players primarily cooperate to defeat the game; deck building games, where players expand and refine a deck of cards as they use that same deck in play; and civilization building games, where players attempt to build up a small civilization and all that includes.
Wevenge of the Wed Wing
Posted on August 28th, 2010 by
It’s just a hodgepodge blog this week, folks. Click to read more of my thoughts on Ys Seven, my second red ring, and PAX.
GenCon 2010 – The RPG Report
Posted on August 16th, 2010 by
The annual GenCon gaming convention was held earlier this month in Indianapolis. As is my tradition, I attended for a couple days and thought I’d share my thoughts. The convention has its roots in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Gary Gygax held the first one in 1968 as a wargame convention. It quickly grew as Gygax’s Dungeons & Dragons role playing game became popular. GenCon attendance now approaches 30,000 attendees and will be the 4th largest convention in Indianapolis this year, behind both the NCAA tournament and the national FFA convention. While gaming conventions are common, Gencon is the place to be for fans of role playing games. Many companies use the convention to launch new titles and reveal upcoming plans and the only problem anyone interested in trying out a game will have is choosing from the large number of public games available.
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Some Thoughts about Endless Ocean: Blue World (Wii)
Posted on August 2nd, 2010 by
Having spent most of the winter and spring away from home, I am rather a Johnny come lately type for any video game releases in the first half of 2010. However, I’ve had some of the summer to catch up and wanted to post a few thoughts I had on a somewhat different title, Endless Ocean: Blue World. This Wii game is a sequel to Endless Ocean. Like the original, you play as a scuba diver and get to explore various pretty underwater areas using the Wii controls. I’m not going to re-review the entire game (you can go check out GamerDad’s reviews for the original game and the sequel if you need) but I wanted to comment on a few aspects of the series that make them somewhat unique.
7/11/10
Posted on July 11th, 2010 by
What are we playing? GamerMom has been too busy to “play” with anything besides the Epicurious App. GamerGirl (10) is still busy making new families and new fashions in The Sims 3 and outfitting her penguin in Club Penguin. One day she’ll figure out that there’s a game there, but for now it’s just a dollhouse and that’s good enough for her! She’s also had a go recently with that slice of super-Japanese weirdness Katamari Damacy and a bit of Peggle on top of that. GamerBoy has been busy, a little Mario Kart or New Super Mario and Mario Galaxy here, a little Mario Baseball there, and a LOT of Toy Story 3, DS and Xbox 360 versions played about equally. Me? Well….Game Review: Picross 3D (DS)
Posted on July 9th, 2010 by
I was excited to come home after a long trip because I knew that, courtesy of Nintendo, Picross 3D was there waiting for me. I’m a big fan of the previous Nintendo Picross games. One could compare them to Sudoku puzzles. While both puzzles involve numbers, the focus is on logic and deduction rather than any math skills. In basic Picross, a grid is outlined above and to the side with a series of numbers that describe how many squares should be filled in each row or column. A series such as 5 3 2 means that row contains 5 consecutive filled squares, then a break, then three squares, then a break, then two squares. Squares on the grid are slowly filled in using logic and deduction until all appropriate filled squares are found an a picture is revealed. I find Picross much more satisfying than Sudoku because I enjoy the process of creating a tangible picture. The newest entry in the Picross series takes the game into the third dimension. Rather than a simple rectangle, puzzles consist of a three dimensional grid of boxes, some of which have to be removed to reveal the shape hidden inside. At first, I was wary of the changes to the game, but soon found Picross 3D to have much of the original game’s appeal.
Cary Cleared the Casino Night Zone: Act 3
Posted on June 28th, 2010 by
On the third and last day, we just walked around and looked at some of the hotels in Vegas. Now, these aren’t just your regular hotels. They’re HUGE! If you tried to walk through all the hotels on the strip, you’d die of exhuastion! Not only do these things house the hotel rooms and casinos, each one also has a big shopping mall with a food court, a stage or two for the shows, and other goodies. Most of the hotels on the strip have a theme. Only in Vegas can you visit New York, Paris, Egypt, Venice, and Ancient Rome all in one day!
Cary Cleared the Casino Night Zone: Act 2
Posted on June 28th, 2010 by
On the second day of our Vegas trip, we mostly visited the shops on the strip. But that night we took a night bus tour to see all the neon lights in Vegas.
