Just Ramblin'

I see the little white Paragon symbol pop up in the corner during our conversation and I hit it. I’m trying to be the good guy here. My Shepard spouts some platitude, or helps someone, or some such goodie two-shoes thing. I can’t remember exactly what she did. I do remember my blue Paragon meter going up.

Due to StarCraft’s robust map editor, decade-long popularity in the professional circuit, and a lack of competition in the RTS space, the original StarCraft custom map community was surprisingly active. When WarCraft 3 was released, the trend continued, even spawning an entirely new genre with the custom map Defense of the Ancients.

“Just as the human memory is not a passive recorder but a tool in the construction of the self, so history has never been a simple record of the past, but a means of shaping peoples.” - Arthur C. Clarke

In 256 B.C. the two superpowers of the ancient world went to war. Rome, a rapidly growing agrarian society, needed to secure the Mediterranean coast of Italy against invasion. Which meant Rome needed control of Sicily, because it was just off their southern coast. As a society of farmers, they needed their borders safe to protect their land.

“Sparks flew.” Have you ever heard that expression? It's used to describe a great fight, or a fun date. Farrah, from the Xbox game Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, was a little of both. She was fairly useless, constantly feuding with me and taunting my lack of progress. Though the puzzles were tough, they were fair. I eventually won and Farrah came around.

I am addicted to the apocalypse. I love it. Nothing makes my heart skip a beat like the notion of apocalyptic horror. Pre-apocalypse stories involve a ragtag group of unlikely heroes that are bound together by the secret, cryptic signs that the world is about to end. They always try to save the world with their newfound realizations. No one believes them, of course.

Creation is a powerful act. Though far less fun than its flip side, destruction, creation has an amazing effect on people. The first time my little bug eyed fly-kangaroo hybrid crawled out of the digital primordial ooze, I was near giddy with excitement. The possibilities Spore affords the armchair god are near limitless.

What makes video games different from all the art that has come before it? Paintings make better visual art and books can tell a story very well. Theater can act the story out with breathtaking clarity. A live music performance can be better than even the best game soundtrack, and movies beautifully combine all of these elements into one package. So what do video games do differently?

Dear Xbox Live, I know I haven't seen you in a while, and I wanted to explain. It's not you, really. I've just been off doing my own thing, with the zombies in the mall and all that. Really, it was Dead Rising all the way with me. I wasn't off hanging around her again, I just wanted you to know.

It's a typical late night session at the computer. I'm rounding up my game before I hit the sack. A startling noise comes from the hallway. Should I check it out? Nah, it was nothing. I'll just keep staring at my monitor. It certainly wasn't anything out of the ordinary. I mean, who else would be in the house to make noise? The dog is sleeping at my feet, I'm in he

Just Ramblin'

Shame

En Taro Cuisine

Once Upon a Future History ('98 Week)

Delenda Est Carthago

Spanking Elika

Hero of the Wastes

Windmills Do Not Work That Way

Generate This!

Dear Xbox Live

Fraidy Cat

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Just Ramblin'

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