=== Who's the Man Behind the Curtain?, cont. ===

 ... What is the influence in the World Cup, though?  You had an American team playing a European team, with an African ref.  What does FIFA care whether the U.S. advances over Slovenia?  The U.S. TV market is like 150 times Slovenia's.  Is it that (1) FIFA is trying to grease England's skids to the knockout round?

Or, perish the thought, (2) DO gamblers influence refs in the World Cup?   Is that what happened, was that the African ref was threatened and bribed so that crime bosses could profit?

Read more >

Video games are designed to entertain, but what does that exactly mean? What makes the little interactive stories and puzzles of games fun? Well, in most cases it's all about simulating an experience, especially one that the player will never actually have in real life. Some games manage to create a truly immersive simulation while others seem to miss the point entirely. The most important thing a game designer has to remember is that a game is best when it is designed around the thing being simulated rather than plopping that thing into a series of designs and mechanics that don't have anything to do with the fantasy the game is supposed to be playing out. This is the major distinction between, say, two of the most memorable super hero games in history, Superman 64 and last year's Batman: Arkham Asylum. The latter represents the best case scenario for a video game about an iconic comic book hero while the former has long been Exhibit A in the ongoing case for how not to design a game.

Read more >

Because May was such a good month for browser games, the monthly Best Of list couldn't be limited to just three releases. The following four games weren't quite as impressive as the Top 3, but they deserve an honorable mention.

Read more >

This weekend I got into a surprisingly long and involved conversation with a Simming friend about what I meant by "good" or "bad" traits.  She hadn't thought about the traits beyond which ones she found funny.  Admittedly I tend to overthink this game from time to time.  (Not possible!)  But taking a high-level look at traits can give your overall gaming strategy a big boost.


Read more >

All in all, May 2010 was a great month for browser games. In fact, there were so many great selections that I'm dividing this article into two parts. Today we'll look at the creme de la creme of the month and later this week we'll take some time out for the honorable mentions that didn't quite make it into the top 3. So, as for those top 3, the name of the game this time around is genre done right. All three of the best browser games from May didn't do anything particularly new, they just happened to take the best of their genres and leave behind the usual snags.

Read more >

Eidos Montreal have released the third trailer for their upcoming game Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the third installment in the Deus Ex series and a prequel to the original Deus Ex game. Add to that, the game is now available for preorder from major retail outlets. It seems that eight years after Deus Ex: Invisible War unwittingly sent the franchise into hibernation, Deus Ex is back. With a bang. A very big bang.

Read more >

Last week, I impulsively reinstalled Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword on my computer, out of frustration at the writer's block I was experiencing at the time. Forty-eight hours later, I found myself uninstalling Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword, not pleased at going to bed at 3 a.m. I know, I should have known better. But after watching the trailer for the upcoming Civilization V, I have two questions for Sid Meier and Firaxis Games: why, you magnificent bastards, do you see fit to ruin my life with another one of your brilliant and masterful strategy games? Also, how? How do you intend on outdoing Civilization IV, which won at least 9 Game of the Year awards?

Read more >

There was once a time when console role playing games had an uphill battle against the slicker, more action-oriented fare that dominated home gaming systems. They had less impressive graphics, required more reading than most juvenile novels and had nearly incomprehensible character statistics that were never properly explained in any instruction material. These days, RPGs are painfully pretty digital fireworks complete with voice acting and massive budgets, though they've gotten a bit too mechanically simplistic for most old school fans of the genre. In the 1990's when 16 bit consoles dominated at-home gaming, it was the golden age of role playing games, especially for those who owned the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. There are countless lists online and in magazines that mention the best RPGs of that era, but why exactly were those games so impressive?

Read more >

thumbs ache from buttons

mashed all day for the high score

I'll beat tomorrow

Often times the best part of browser-based video games is the way the technical limitations of the medium inspire designers to do something new and clever with an old genre. Simple mechanics and old-school graphics don't mean a game can't still surprise and delight players. This month's entries are nothing if not surprising and delightful.

Read more >