Dragon Age: Origins

I am so looking forward to this game. More info on it later. But for now, check out the tactical RPG based on it, located here: http://www.dragonagejourneys.com/

The A320 Dingoo

Roms and I go way back. I probably started playing them around middle school. If you can get past the questionable legality of them, they're a great way to get in touch with the old days. And I'm about to do that with a portable emulator. I can't wait! I've heard pretty good things about the A320 Dingoo, a multimedia device from China. At just under $100 on thinkgeek I had to pick it up.

Marvel VS Capcom on a mobile device, that's what I'm talkin' about!

With a multitude of incredible features, and the homebrew community around the device, I'm a little skeptical about how its all going to work out. But curiosity can often get the best of me, so it looks like I'm gonna find out. Reading up on the specs, features and reviews on the Dingoo has really piqued my interest. It makes me wish I knew about this gadget sooner. I can't help but feel like an idiot to have spent so much time and money on things like the PSP and Nintendo DS. Now both handhelds are appreciable, but the Dingoo, with its open source platform and astonishingly low price, should set a new standard.

What the Dingoo can do for the price is simply incredible, and it should shame Nintendo and Sony. If a Chinese company can make a profit with the Dingoo, why are we paying so much more for the bigger name products, that are fanatic about DRM and finding ways to continually make money of its user base? The answer of course, is obvious. Its for the money. But perhaps a more appropriate question would be, why do we put up with it? We need to do more to support products like the Dingoo and the GP2X Wiz.

Price of the Dingoo: $100. Price to play all these GBA games on it: $0.

I don't know about you, but I'm stick of what the various game companies have been doing. Take for example, the PSP Go, or the Nintendo DSi. Sure, both systems have things to offer, but they're still largely recycled versions of their predecessors. Considering what you pay for them, there can be serious limitations. Portable emulators should be more deserving of our time and attention for the nostalgia factor alone. Not to mention the various things that the dedicated communities can offer to enhance the products.

I can't wait to get my hands on the Dingoo, I only hope it works and that it's worth it. I'm going to need it if I'm going to survive the boredom of the winter months. The Dingoo can emulate (to varying degrees of quality) the NES, SNES, Sega, GBA, NEO-GEO and Capcom 1 & 2 arcade machines. So yeah, looks like I'm gonna have a lot more to do.

Why Do They Hate Us?

Offense: Only dedicated servers for Modern Warfare 2

Offense: Will release L4D2 after just one year of the first game. Didn't live up to the promise to regularly update and support the first.

Offense: Buys out smaller developers, finds ways to ruin beloved franchises. The Wal-Mart of video games. Read into how they treat their employees...

I miss the good old days. It was an innocent time, when PC gaming was still an almost underground activity. No corporate giants, no multi-million dollar budgets, no army sized development teams. The original studios were driven not just by profit, but by passion, creativity and a willingness to take risks. The explosion in popularity of electronic entertainment has cost the hobby its very soul.

When something becomes all about the money, nothing else matters. Not quality control, consumer demands or end user convenience. We've entered a dark age in computer gaming in which we have become desperate peasants suffering at the whims of feudal lords who can dictate to us how we play our games. It's wrong, and something is going to have to happen.

Modern Warfare 2, no custom servers, clan matches, and the PC version costs as much as the console version. What a load of crap.

I don't know if its simple greed, desperation (considering the economy) or cold hearted business practices by people who probably never handled a game controller in their life. But it seems to be that companies are getting increasingly selfish, overly protective and simply wrong headed when it comes to what we the players, should want. In all their arrogance, ignorance or both, they know they have us where they want us.

They can do pretty much whatever they want, realizing that the consumer has very little power to change it. Most won't care, they'll simply put up with it. Those that do will be left with a near unwinnable battle against corporate juggernauts, or contemplate giving up their beloved hobby.

Congratulations, you just bought the Terran campaign for SC II. When you're done feel free to purchase the rest of the game, in two more parts. What's next, will we pay for each individual mission? Or maybe for individual faction units? Go ahead, we can take it. Tell us how you're gonna screw us next.

I tip my hat to those who organized the L4D 2 boycott, and those who organized the petition against Infinity Ward for their misguided decision regarding CoD Modern Warfare 2. Admittedly, I will probably get L4D 2, but only because I need another FPS, and MW 2 is no longer an option for me. How much you want to bet we'll be seeing L4D 3 in another year?

Spore originally had a 3 install limit. Because EA thought it would be too extreme to require background checks, retina scans and a full body cavity search every time you logged onto the game.

As a lifelong and passionate gamer, it saddens me to see where the industry is going. Everything from draconian anti-Piracy measures, to catering to the casual crowd (I have nothing against casual gamers, but why does that mean almost every game has to be necessarily dumbed down for mass consumption? Again, studios catering to the many, while ignoring the needs of the devoted few. In fact, the very gamers that probably made them what they are today.) to raising the price of PC games, to chopping games up into segments and dishing them out to us bit by bit, for a price of course.

Why? Why couldn't things have stayed the way they were? I'm old enough to remember the industry, the gaming scene, before all this turned into the overly commercialized, soulless, overgrown monstrosity that it has become. Maybe its hard to express in words what it used to mean to be a gamer, and what companies and their products used to mean. It something you had to have been there for, to have experienced for yourself. To have lived in the heyday of titles like Civilization, Master of Orion, the King's Quest series, Wing Commander, X-Com, to name a few.

Maybe its just nostalgia, or maybe there really was a golden age that has long sinced passed us by. An age that was ruled over by fair and gentle kings, sharing their wealth and riches with all their philanthropic generosity. What we have now is akin to a gilded age, where arrogant, apathetic lords toss coins from their stage coaches to beggars. We went from the PC gaming equivalent of classical music such as from Mozart, to meaningless pop crap from "artists" like Britney Spears. We went from a gaming Renaissance era to some 1984ish Orwellian dystopia.

"Yes, my plan went perfectly! All those suckers who subscribed to Tabula Rasa gave me the money I needed to fly into space. So long suckers!"

Richard Gariott, a modern day Nero. The Roman emperor fiddled as his city burned. Gariott flew into space while his failed sci-fi MMO Tabula Rasa shut down. Nice, feel free not to come back to Earth.

We live in a paradoxical time. The PC and videogame industries are expanding at an unprecedented rate, each raking in billions. Never has the hobby been so prolific, accepted and popular. But is this really what we want? The more it expands, the more powerful it gets, the more soul and essence it will lose. And its a tragedy. While I don't think we can beat the giants, there is a way to fight back.

Find and support independent developers. Companies that have no choice but to listen to their players to survive. Arcen Games, Stardock, Introversion Software.

If you consider yourself a veteran gamer who remembers what it was like before all this BS, we must rethink the hobby. We must find other ways to enjoy what we love, without enabling the callous software giants. This is a call to action, a time to take a stand. Gamers of the world unite!

HoI 3 Highlights Part 2

Australian troops surrendering at Sydney

Remnants of the Australian army hold out on New Guinea, but the war has already been won by the Empire. Our losses were heavy, but we managed to defeat the enemy that invaded the home islands. After the transports were sunk, it was the beginning of the end.

The Australians make their last stand at Canberra, but resistance is futile.
Hmm, what shall we do with the land down under?


Make it part of the rising sun of course!

The Russo-Japanese Alliance went on to take over New Zealand, Vichy France, Siam and Yemen. Remarkably, the alliance had managed to stay out of any major war with either the Axis or Allies. Strangely enough, the Allies were utterly defeated, leaving only the Comintern and the Axis left by the end of the game. The Axis had a slight lead on the victory points, but I was pretty happy with what I had been able to accomplish.

Most of the naval forces were used as a defensive parameter around the home islands. They were mostly effective at keeping out any transports, except for when they screwed up and let the Australian army land in northern Japan. Had they been able to bulk up their troop numbers they may have given me a serious run for my money. But having the USSR on your side helps :-D

I emphasized special forces training (although I'm not sure how that played into the campaign), as well as large infantry movements and light infantry technology. I was able to get pretty far without any major armor or artillery. Strategic bombers definitely helped, and of course my awesome carriers.

With the combined might of Soviet Russia and the Japanese Empire, the South-east Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere is realized. The allies are defeated, and most are absorbed into the Axis. The balance of power rests in the Comintern and Axis. Its a dangerous world, being carved up between two aggressive ideologies, in a new sort of cold war. Actually kind of scary if you think about it o.o

Disclaimer: No offense intended to any of the nations my empire liberated from their despotic oppressors. It's just a game. Although I like Japan, what they did in the '40s was not cool. But at least they made it up to us with anime and video games.

HoI 3 Highlights Part 1

War was declared on Australia, and the invasion begins on New Guinea. My glorious Zero fighter pilots strafe Australian troops from below. The feeble enemy air force attempts to attack my Soviet made tank destroyers, but it will be futile.

The Battle of Yap

The Australians got lucky and slipped through my invasion forces. But they won't get much farther...or could they?

Naturally, we won the battle. But something seems amiss....

Damn them! The attack on Yap was merely a decoy to send an invasion of their own! They managed to slip past the fleet and take northern Japan. This grave insult to our sacred land will be severely punished!
While the battle rages on our homeland, the vengeful Japanese navy strikes back. The Battle of Halifax Bay will be remembered as a day of glory! It was a massacre of transports, whole armies sent to the bottom! For the Emperor!

Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion

Hearts of Iron 3 Highlights

It turns out I may be a little better at geopolitical strategy games than I thought. I actually managed my way through a full game of Hearts of Iron 3. A full length AAR would be a daunting, lengthy project. So instead, I'm going to write several posts highlighting the most interesting moments. Where opportunity arises, I may inject some humor or badly photoshopped pics describing the epic war.

In this game's alternate universe, Japan decides to ally with the USSR. After promising not to make any more incursions into China, the U.S. agrees to continue supplying Japan with its desperately needed resources. As the world inches closer toward war, Japan becomes increasingly concerned about possible Soviet aggression. Fearing an invasion by the USSR if they sided with the Axis, moves are put into place to transition the country to a communist government.

The worshiped and revered Emperor manages to influence several powerful, leftist political groups. With their combined pull, they achieve a bloodless coup and become a member of the Comintern. They also succeed in uniting the Japanese Navy and Army, which up until that point had been at odds with each other. In order to appease several militant parties, the Emperor promises to wage an aggressive war that would bring the Southeast Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere to fruition. With the U.S. and Japan on good terms, the Pearl Harbor attack is never carried out. America remains isolationist and distanced from international politics. The Axis powers are gathering to wage all out war on the Allies. Japan initiates its war under the rationale that it is to safeguard southeast Asia from Axis and Allied aggression. The USSR with its massive land forces, protect Japan from most of Europe, while Japan's formidable navy fortifies Russia's eastern shores.

The pieces are put in place for World War II! Banzai!

Game Preview: Borderlands

One of the hardest things for a gamer to do is wait for an upcoming title. Truly good games are released far and few between. It's not like cinema, where there is usually at least one film a week that might be worth seeing. A gamer can wait for years for a title to come out that they know has a pretty high chance of kicking ass. Just look at how long we've waited for StarCraft 2.

Borderlands, is one such game that will literally be painful to wait for. I can safely say that October has been one of the slowest moving months in recent memory. That may be partially my fault, as I just can't stop thinking about how incredible this FPS/RPG hybrid looks like it could be.

Wait don't shoot! He's just trying to return your wrench!

The closest equivalent to Borderlands I can think of is in Left 4 Dead. Both games are four player, co-op experiences. From watching the video footage, I can tell that some serious teamwork will probably be required for this game. What sets Borderlands apart from L4D however, is it sci-fi setting, and the fact that it has a randomly generated weapon system. For me, this is by far the most compelling feature of the game. With a nearly inexhaustible supply of weapons, I have to imagine this extends the title's replayability immensely.

Added to this is the integration of RPG elements. This includes over a hundred quests, a leveling system and item shops. Like Diablo, a lot of the game world will be randomly generated, such as levels and objects. In fact, Borderlands could be the perfect game to play while we wait for D3.

Mad Max extras make cameo appearances in Borderlands

The basic story for Borderlands is like this: Several colony ships are sent to a distant planet called Pandora. Its rumored to have vast deposits of resources that could make the colonists rich. But in some cruel practical joke, once the travelers arrive to the planet, there is only a desolate landscape. Those that have the means leave the world, and those that don't are forced to fend for themselves.

However, there is a silver lining. Several sites of an ancient civilization were found, containing remnants of an alien technology. The mother lode of these extraterrestrial findings lie in a structure called the vault. Unfortunately, no one has been able to excavate it without being wiped out in the process. To make matters worse, dangerous creatures are coming out of hibernation to terrorize the planet. Presumably, its your job to fight your way through the various hostilities and hope to unlock the vault's secrets.

The L4D characters have nothing on these guys...

Borderlands is one of those games that just seem to contain everything I could possibly want in one package. And that's why I'm hoping I'm going to be able to enjoy it. Sci-fi setting, massive replayability, virtually unlimited weapons, RPG elements, post-apocalyptic/wild west ambiance, unique characters, all crammed into one package. This is an irresistible buy, and I can't wait for this eternally long month to near its end so I can finally freakin' play it. Borderlands is due out on Oct. 26th for the PC.