Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts
Windows PC
Though "stand alone expansion pack" is something of an oxymoron, Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts nonetheless expands on the original Company of Heroes to great effect. Plus, you don't have to own the original game to play this one. Follow?
GDC 08: Rise of the dead horse (N-Gage), Sid's Civilization
Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, Windows PC, Xbox 360
Long hauls through the Game Developer Conference (GDC) might be draining, but compared to the over-flogged dead horse known as N-Gage, rising again like bird on fire, it's nothing. Plus, Sid Meier was on hand to chat Civilization and the state of the art. Chris Hudak woke up and smelled the Revolution.
GDC 08: MindKit like The Force, a Charity Buzz, PlayXpert
Windows PC
The Game Developers Conference (GDC) is all about the "new and the maybe," as opposed to most game conventions, which are more about the "now and the buyme." Prospective game toys, tools and concepts were in abundance at this year's GDC, and Chris Hudak was there to take it all in; Day 3.
GDC 08: EA DICE, Mirror's Edge, Battlefield Heroes
Windows PC
EA DICE (Electronic Arts' Swedish development studio, Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment) held a schmoobooze (google it) at the Game Developers Conference last night. Chris Hudak had his boots on the ground and face in the bar... and saw a couple of cool games, too.
Boomslang CE 2007
Windows PC
If you're a tech buff willing to drop a hundred bucks on a Collector's Edition mouse, Razer is currently flogging a limited edition run of mouses based on the company's original Boomslang precision gamer mouse. Unfortunately, the Boomslang CE 2007's most redeeming feature is its spiffy packaging.
Rant: Why I hate Facebook
Internet, Macintosh, Mobile, Windows PC
Sure, the internet age allows anyone and everyone to keep a blog, keep in touch, keep a network of social similitude close at hand, in pocket or otherwise on-demand, but does that mean anyone and everyone should? Can't we all just shut off if not shut up? Chad Sapieha rants.
Pirates of the Burning Sea
Windows PC
Just a handful of years ago, pirate-enthusiast gamers were really getting the short end of the plank; they had few choices, and half of those had either already been around a long time or were just weak. Today, thanks largely to the pirate-mania resurgence fueled by a certain movie franchise, wannabe Sparrows have options again -- and Pirates of the Burning Sea is one of the best.
Pirates of the Caribbean Online
Windows PC
With a release date ironically delayed to coincide with that of Sony Online Entertainment's far-less-casual Pirates of the Burning Sea, Disney Internet Group's Pirates of the Caribbean Online is a family-friendly outing. It's also a bit "friendlier" to less-hardy hardware setups -- but it's not without its own piratical charms.
Videogames not Cyberpunk, more like Cyberfolk
Internet, PlayStation 3, Wii, Windows PC
The Nintendo Wii, Second Life, and PlayStation Home have the capacity to make our virtual existences rival our real lives. Is the growing accessibility of interactive entertainment putting us in danger of becoming a society of digital recluses, or are we as a society simply starting to warm to the idea of playing part-time in a William Gibson world? Chad Sapieha reports on the growing ubiquity of videogames in our daily routines.
2007: The Year of the 'Casual'
Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Windows PC, Xbox 360
If you look back on the year 2007, the thing that seemed to catch most people by surprise was the growth of what is often referred to as "casual games" or the "casual gamer." DFC Intelligence investigates.