‘civilization: beyond earth’ takes strategy beyond the stars

‘Civilization: Beyond Earth’ Takes Strategy Beyond the Stars

Firaxis Games announced this week that its next installment in the popular Civilization game series, Civilization: Beyond Earth, will launch October 24 of this year. Pre-ordering will be available, with a jam-packed map set included for those who do so. Get excited people, it’s time to conquer space for humankind. ‘Civilization’ is leaving the atmosphere We are…

Gaming on a budget

Gaming on a Budget

Looking back, being a kid gamer was pretty sweet. Often times (with enough begging) you parents probably bought you a new game once in a while or as a gift. If not, allowance and extra pocket money could be put toward a trip to the Gamestop in the mall to buy one. When you weren’t…

Grand theft auto retrospective part 2: the sandboxes of time

Grand Theft Auto Retrospective Part 2: The Sandboxes of Time

So in part 1 of my Grand Theft Auto Retrospective, I discussed the humble early days of the world’s biggest video game franchise. Those trashy shows and early tours, playing dive bars and garages for petrol money and tequila shots and becoming known for wild and controversial stage shows. It’s hard to remember those heedy…

Playing a role

Playing A Role

I’ve been playing RPGs since I got a copy of Baldur’s Gate free with a desktop my family bought some years back. I would agonize over my character’s name and features, play the opening chapters, and then quit, forget about it, and start over some time later. I could probably quote those first few scenes…

Review: saints row iv

Review: Saints Row IV

The Saints Row franchise has never really been known for its subtlety. From pimp canes and samurai swords, to dildo bats and mollusk launchers, the Saints Row series has introduced us to ever increasing cast of bat-shit-crazy weapons, characters and story-lines. In this regard, Saints Row IV doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it rather makes the…

Zigg’s prepares the next explosive league of legends event

Zigg’s Prepares the Next Explosive League of Legends Event

Summoners, prepare you wallets. Riot has announced the next event to hit Summoner’s Rift… Zigg’s Pool Party. Despite Summer nearly being over (it never truly began here in Britain) the League of Legends homepage featured this little tease into the event: “Summer’s come to Valoran, and Ziggs, duke of demolition, is throwing a blast of a pool…

Gaming industry security crisis

Gaming Industry Security Crisis

We’re living in troubling times, folks. Cyber-criminals are getting smarter, and the methods we’ve got to combat them simply aren’t evolving quickly enough to keep up. The ever-increasing instance and severity of breaches we’ve been seeing of late should be evidence enough of that. Everything from Facebook to Google to Washington State itself has been…

Let’s watch “let’s play”

Let’s Watch “Let’s Play”

I’m going through a phase. Sometimes, I’ll catch myself on YouTube watching a game of Crusader Kings II unfold as a nervous guy talks off-camera in a monotone punctuated by bursts of uncharacteristic enthusiasm. The premise: a person records their gaming session, narrating as they go – highs, lows, awkward pauses, expletives and all –…

The sims: social bellweather

The Sims: Social Bellweather

I was in the dentist’s waiting room, browsing my phone for something to distract from the guilt and shame my teeth were about to feel, when I remembered a conversation I had with a friend where we discussed the representations of race, gender, and sexuality in media. Seconds later, I was where any respectable university-graduate…