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What Did You Play This Weekend?

Island Dog — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:59:49 -0400

I wanted to play much more this weekend, but I did manage to get a few games in. First up, I have taking on The Political Machine 2008, as I'm trying to get as much play in before the election as I can. I'm also slowly progressing in Spore. It's getting kinda old, but I really want to see how it plays out.

On the consoles I played just a bit of Battlefield: Bad Company. I was looking for a new 360 game to play, but nothing really caught my eye this weekend.

So, what...

Do graphics matter that much?

Draginol — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:13:00 -0400

I know I'm very happy with how well Sins of a Solar Empire has done. For its pre-release marketing, we d did a lot more with it in terms of screenshots. The game is really really pretty. I wonder how much of its success is due to the fact it just looks so darn cool?

Save On Car Insurance... By Playing Games?

kryo — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:24:58 -0400

In an interesting new twist on the popular 'save on car insurance' line we see on TV all the time, Allstate has announced that they're looking into giving drivers discounts on insurance for playing driving sims and visual or mental exercise games.

It's certainly interesting that more people are now taking note of the benefits of games such as Brain Age, which has helped bring gaming to a wider audience, particularly with those older than the typical gamer demographic. Though the benefit of the driving sims I'd question a bit; since they're supposed to simulate actual driving, is Allstate going to provide wheels, pedals, and extra monitors, or (more likely) will people need to go to the insurance office to play?

But alas, there's a downside: you have to be over 50 to participate. So it looks like youthful twitch-gamers won't be getting dirt cheap insurance purely by virtue of their place on the high score list.

What Upcoming Games Are You Looking Forward To?

Island Dog — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:53:57 -0400

We are just over the first half of the year, and the fall and winter lineup of games is really starting to take shape. What are some of the upcoming games you are looking most forward to? Here's my list.

Demigod
Spore
GhostBusters
Aliens: Colonial Marines
C&C: Red Alert 3

There are quite a few more, but I just can't think of the names right now.

What Did You Play This Weekend?

Island Dog — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:16:23 -0400

Well it's Monday, and it's that time to tell everyone what you played this weekend. I was actually caught up in Star Wars: Force Unleashed this weekend. It's a good game, but it did have so much more potential. The force effects are just awesome, and any Star Wars fan will enjoy it.

My kids are really loving Spore, so I hop on with them a bit and give them a hand. I think they do a better job than I do with it.

So what did you play this weekend?

IGN Blog: Building a Demigod

Island Dog — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 16:54:55 -0400

The latest update in the Demigod blog at IGN comes from Dru Staltman and NateSimpson from Gas Powered Games. They talk about the process of creating the characters featured in Demigod.

"Imagine Hercules and Achilles locked in combat. The two heroes trading blow for blow in an epic melee. The heroes tossing each other through buildings, chasing each other across the fields of antiquity, and eventually a crushing defeat and valiant victory. This epic combat is something that would be fant...

What Did You Play This Weekend?

Island Dog — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 15:41:46 -0400

Well we missed a couple weeks, but I wanted to keep this going. A lot of work this weekend catching up from my trip, so it wasn't a real big gaming weekend for me. I did manage to get in a bit of gaming on the DS, which I played some Anno 1701, which is also a great PC game.

It wouldn't be a complete weekend without getting my hands dirty with the Demigod beta. I would imagine quite a few of you felt the same way.

So, what did you play this weekend?

Tonight is Our First ‘Super Tuesday’

Island Dog — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:09:45 -0400

I just wanted to put out a reminder that tonight is our first ‘Super Tuesday” where Stardock staff will be online waiting to smash….I mean play some rounds of The Political Machine 2008.

From Boogiebac’s post:

Get your fancy shoes shined up and your speeches practiced...it's time to take your game to the big leagues with PM2008: Super Tuesdays!

Starting Tuesday, September 23rd, the team at Stardock will be online for some 1 on 1 presidential campaigning. Join us us until the ...

Download or Retail?

jamreal — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 09:26:40 -0400

Here in the world of pcgaming while many people still dont understand how it works,for e.g some people dont know how to troubleshoot some are tired of crashes some say its dying that i just dont believe at all, and then you get people saying you need a monster pc to play you favourite game that is just bulls**t. personally i've got a good system not over the top but dont see why i should upgrade it anytime soon because it plays everything just fine. C2D 2.4 overclock to 3.00ghz (someti...

Forbes: Spore’s Piracy Problem

Island Dog — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 03:58:31 -0400

Spore is a game that has been hyped up for what seems like several years now. However, with it’s release last week most of the press and fan coverage of the game has been limited to one thing……it’s DRM. One of the top stories this week was an organized “protest” at Amazon.com where over 2000 reviews were placed giving Spore a 1-star rating because of it’s included DRM measures. Forbes Magazine has an article about the piracy of Spore.

“EA had hoped to limit ...

Not a blog person

Zeneroth — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:05:40 -0400

Usually i'm not a blog person, who keep blogging frequently. I have tried writing a blog before but fail to keep my interest in writing stuffs. Maybe due to some difficulties in maintaining self hosted blog and have only a few friends visiting.

Well after spending sometimes in Impulse, Stardocks community, i really feel comfortable here. It's a reasonable community, no flaming, trolling (at least for now). Nice community for gaming really. So i feel like sharing my thoughts for this great com...

RPG Transportation Methods

erathoniel — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:03:09 -0400

When making a RPG, one common flaw is that the developers never seem to play the game. This is attested to by the awful methods of transportation in some RPG's on the market today. I'll give examples of good/bad games, then examples of good/bad systems.

Good Games-

Oblivion: Quick travel and mounts, though the mounts are more just annoying, as well as potential level-up speed increases.Morrowind: Level-up speed increases, freeform traveling (Flight from Seyda Neen to Balmora, now departing...

GameSpy Previews Sins of a Solar Empire: Entrenchment

Island Dog — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 10:03:55 -0400

GameSpy takes a look at the upcoming Entrechment expansion pack for the hit PC game, Sins of a Solar Empire from IronClad Games and Stardock. Of the many new features and improvement in Entrenchment, GameSpy dove right into the new Star bases and what it means to the overall game.

"Of all the new goodies available in Entrenchment, the real showstoppers are the new star bases. These massive structures are designed to completely change the nature and shape of the "stellar terrain...

Controll freaks over at Egosoft forum?

Mystikmind — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:54:03 -0400

Hi

Seems as though the moderators over on the Egosoft forum are becoming a bunch of controll freaks?

You just have to see the numbers of lockouts and lame reasons for the lockouts. Then compare that to other game forums and see what i mean!

The Lighter Side of Stardock at PAX

Island Dog — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:15:31 -0400

Frogboy showed off some pics of Stardock, Gas Powered Games, and Ironclad at PAX, but I wanted to show a more “lighter side” of things. These images are courtesy of Melibee.

Big pictures are always cool. You just can’t help but to pose in front of them.

Not sure what this setup was, but it sure looks like fun! Who is that getting ready to take a dive?

I...

How Many Hours a Week do you Devote to Games?

Island Dog — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 08:33:05 -0400

I thought it would be fun to take a quick informal poll on how many hours our members devote to playing games. It’s probably hard for some to get an exact count of the hours, but I would be curious of a round-a-bout figure of your time invested per week.

I would mine is near the 20-25 hour mark but it’s hard to say for sure. That does include all types of gaming whether it’s on a PC, console, or portable.

So what about you?

Shadowrun Character: Kichirou Ken

erathoniel — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 20:34:59 -0400

Kichirou Ken Shadowrun 3 Character Sheet (I play fast and loose with the rules to make this guy, using BeCKS and a whole lotta karma. He's VERY high level. And, I will guarantee, cybered/bio'd beyond all sanity/legality).

BIO-INFOCurrent NameKichirou KenStreet NameSmokeReal NameKichirou KenCreator ErathonielArchetypeStreet Samurai
VitalsRaceHuman (changeling)
Height6'4" cmSexMaleWeight160 kgEyesBlackHairBlackBirthdate UnknownBirthplace SeattleTotal Karma0Unspent Karma0Descr...

My first Warhammer 40k army - Da Orks

Phazon88 — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:18:27 -0400

My first real introduction to the Warhammer 40k universe was with the Dawn of War series of real-time strategy games by Relic Entertainment. From that moment I really enjoyed the 40k universe, and the variety of races that populated it. I enjoyed their representation in Dawn of War so much I couldn't resist getting some of the W40k minatures.

In particular I really got attached to the Orks, a brutish civilisation (if you can even call it that) that loves nothing but to fight and wage war agai...

Election "Game" Coming to Xbox Live

kryo — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:31:12 -0400

Microsoft announced today that they plan to soon add a new "game" to Xbox live soon--the 2008 elections themselves! Starting next Monday, Xbox Live users will be able to register to vote directly through the console's online system; polls and forums are planned as well.

Is this really a good idea? While there is certainly an argument to be made for getting gamers involved in government, is this really the right (and secure) way to go about it?

MyColors: Sins of a Solar Empire available

Draginol — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:11:43 -0400

For those of you who purchased Sins of a Solar Empire Collector's Edition (which is what you automatically get when you purchase directly from Stardock either digitally or the CE box) you get the Sins of a Solar Empire MyColors theme. Just type in your CE serial # (visit here to have Stardock email your serial #) into MyColors. If you have the CE version, you should be able to see it from the update page within Sins of a Solar Empire.

Batman Game Details Revealed

blitxxx — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:11:17 -0400

While EA Games is troubled by the development status of the upcoming “Dark Knight” video game adoption (*cough*), Edios slates a new Batman title based upon the comic franchise.

Batman: Arkham Asylem will place players in Batman’s cape as he battles the Joker, whom has meanicingly taken control of Arkham Asylem and unleashed all of the maniacs. Other characters in the game include classic villains such as The Riddler, Penguin, Scarecrow, and Killer Croc, with allies Commissi...

The Space Rangers 2 Expansion

garyriley1982 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:54:37 -0400

Ok, i have found out that you guys arnt going to be providing the expansion for the UK, my problem is the version i have is an elextronic download from you, how do i get hold of the expansion and get it to work for your electronic download? i had terrible problems with another company with CIV4 and trying somthing like this (electronic download and CD copy of expansion) so i am reluctent to 'buy to try' i also dont want to spend more money getting a game i already have just to play its expansion...

California Wasting Money

CrazyC0330 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:24:20 -0400

While it never comes as any surprise to people that actually play video games, various state Governments continue to waste tax dollars by drafting laws to regulate the sale of videogames, only to have them deemed unconstitutional.

You've probably read elsewhere about how this has happened in Minnesota, and New York. In 2005, California Govenor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law that fined anyone found selling violent games to minors. That law has since been overturn...

Interesting Facts About Gaming and the Games Industry

kryo — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:33:01 -0400

The Entertainment Software Association released its annual report this week, with a variety of tidbits about the gaming industry in general that some of you may find interesting (I did, at least!).

Gaming's not just for kids. Contrary to what some senators or representatives would have you believe, video games aren't chiefly made for or played by kids. In fact, 63% of console game players and 73% of PC gamers are adults. More, it's not just guys either. 28% of console gamers and 40% of PC gamers are female.
When kids are the ones playing games, their parents aren't as ignorant of their habits as you might think. 91% of parents with gamer kids buy the games or are present when they're bought, and 90% keep an eye on what sort of games they play (kids may borrow games from friends, after all). A majority (55%) say that games are a positive thing for their kids.

E3 Comments

Fuzzerker — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 12:06:02 -0400

Well, since I'm starting a gaming blog, I figure the best place to start with is E3. This is really just a wrap up of some of the big titles that we heard about at E3.

Fallout 3

Fallout 3 is the latest in the Fallout series and takes place in a post apocalyptic Washington D.C. Everything has been ravaged from a nuclear war, and people have moved themselves into giant underground vaults in order to protect themselves from all types of ugly creatures and characters that live in t...