Two weekends ago, while going through some boxes from my move two years ago, I found my Age of Empires III collector’s edition. When I moved, I neatly repacked that collector’s edition box, and therein were my game discs. Since I didn’t have them, I couldn’t play the game (which meant that, when I felt … Continue reading Dispatches from the Front
Category: Video Games
Last night, after a particularly grueling day at the office, I decided to blow off some steam by grinding civilizations under my boot. But instead of pulling out Age of Empires III, as is my wont when I feel the urge to pillage and conquer, I went older school — Age of Empires II. I … Continue reading On Taking the Wonder Victory
A group of Orcs rushed down the rocky, snow-covered mountain trail toward my party. My two-handed sword was held out in front of me, and as the orcs approached I swung. The sword connected with the lead Orc. He staggered under the blow, and my momentum carried him into the Orc immediately behind him, knocking … Continue reading On Waging the War in the North
Every day brings the One Ring closer to Mordor. Every day brings The Lord of the Rings: War in the North closer to me. Here’s the launch trailer: Holy fuck! There’s a dragon! And it’s breathing fire! This is me. Being excited. Breathing fire! To get excited — because the game comes out on Tuesday … Continue reading On Dragons Breathing Fire
For the first time in about five years, I am really excited about a video game. Specifically, Warner’s The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, which is coming out next week. I used to get excited about video games all the time. I just had to have this or that or the other. … Continue reading On Anticipating the Next Lord of the Rings Game
On April 6, 2005, I bought LEGO Star Wars for the Xbox. (I also blogged about the death of Pope John Paul II and Tartan Day). Today, September 9, 2011, I finished LEGO Star Wars 100%. I built all seventeen minikit starship models. I scored True Jedi on all seventeen levels and built the Tantive … Continue reading On Completing LEGO Star Wars
When I worked for EB Games, especially toward the end, it seemed like every major movie property, and some television properties too, was becoming a video game. James Bond, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, the Spider-Man films, etc., etc. Books, though? Actual printed books? They weren’t really game fodder. Comic books seemed easier … Continue reading On Books I Would Like To Play
Today I went to GameStop. I’d gone out to Barnes & Noble, in search of the new issues of MOJO and Uncut, but all I could find were last month’s issues, and while I found a Sherlock Holmes book I wanted, I eventually put it back on the shelf. (I also noticed that my Barnes … Continue reading On the Next Lord of the Rings Game
I have an account at DailyKos, the progressive online community, though I’ve very rarely used it in the past six or seven years. Maybe I’ll post a diary once a year, maybe I’ll log in and make a comment on a post that interests me. Maybe. This morning I saw a diary entitled “Confessions of … Continue reading On Retail Experiences
I woke this morning to two messages on Facebook from an old acquaintance. Someone who worked for me at EB Games a decade ago had passed away last month. His name was Chris Jackson, and I met him one of my first days working for EB Games in Exton in June 1999. He was a … Continue reading On Remembering An Old Employee
So, how long have I had an Xbox 360? Five years? How much have I played it? Umm. I think maybe three hours. Today I hooked it up, attached a network adapter, and signed up for Xbox Live. Like I said a year and a half ago, I really wanted Snoopy Flying Ace. I’d never … Continue reading On Taking to the Skies with Snoopy
Yesterday, Andrew Sullivan‘s blog at The Atlantic linked to an essay at The American Prospect by Monica Potts on how civ-building computer games don’t really allow for liberal-progressive solutions to life’s problems. Games like The Sims and Civilization model a rightward ideology, if not by design then certainly by practice. There are many ways to … Continue reading On Civ-Builders and Authoritarianism