I am not ashamed to say it: I like books based on video game universes. Reading Fall of Reach was integral to my enjoyment of the story told in the Halo trilogy. So too did having read Revelation bolster my appreciation for what occurred in Mass Effect. My want for Mass Effect 2 after reading the second book, Ascension, could not be greater. I don’t need to see trailers or hear about how the graphics engine and gameplay have been changed for the sequel; I’m invested in the fiction. That is all the hype that I need. I was an understandably easy sell, then, when I heard earlier this year that Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, a novel based on Dragon Age: Origins and written by the game’s lead writer David Gaider, would be released.
Continue »

It’s really too bad that I’ll probably never own an iPhone (or an iPod Touch… or any other piece of Apple hardware, for that matter), because I’d really like to play this game. I can only hope that Carmack’s enthusiasm for the iPhone does not translate to him being exclusionary to other mobile platforms with his games.

This just isn’t that amazing to me, considering that if you have an SOE account for games like EverQuest, Vanguard, PlanetSide or Star Wars Galaxies, you already have the beginnings of a Free Realms account. All you have to do is go to the Free Realms website and log in. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool that people seem to be into the game (I like it, though I’ve played very little), but I thought I’d try to put things into perspective.

If you’re aching for new hints at what Guild Wars 2 will be like, look to the blog that’s linked above. These pieces of concept art shed more light on the game’s setting than anything that ArenaNet has said or shown so far.

Herein the controls for Dragon Age: Origin’s Xbox 360 version are detailed. While the gamepad controls sound cumbersome, they also sound like they’ll work fine enough. And although having to pause will probably be off-putting for most console players who aren’t used to RPGs of this type, I’m glad that BioWare doesn’t seem to have compromised on the number of spells and abilities available due to the limits that a gamepad imposes.

Way back in April of 2008 I made a post talking about some of the games I was most looking forward to in 2008. Later, in November, I made another post reflecting on that list, what I’d actually gotten to play, and what I my impressions. Right now is that time of year just before games start getting announced en masse; GDC is just a few weeks away, and E3 has been moved to June this year, up from July last year. There are some PC games that we’ve known about for a while now which will probably be coming out this year, so I think I’m ready to share my list for 2009 right now.
Continue »