VonGeekenstein » Gaming

Awesomely Helpful Website – Can You Run It?

Brian Rubin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:29:29 +0000

My PC is a bit over five years old now. I built it to last, but for the last year or two it’s had more and more trouble running modern games on it. I do plan to upgrade when I finally find full-time work, but for right now she serves me well.

However, sometimes a game will be on sale for a ridiculously low price (like, $4 or something) on Steam or GamersGate, and I’ll be curious if I can run it on my PC. Recently I found a website that can help with that question entitled Can You Run It?.

This site scans your system and tells you simply whether your PC meets the game’s minimum requirements. It’s been very handy for me, so I figured I’d share it with y’all, especially those on laptops or netbooks.

Frozen Synapse is 50% off on Steam This Weekend!

Brian Rubin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:14:59 +0000

Wow guys, another awesome deal I felt the need to share with y’all! Steam is having a sale on Frozen Synapse wherein you can get this AMAZING game for only $12.99 for the base version, or $14.99 for the version which includes the amazing soundtrack. I’ve written about Frozen Synapse before, and while I still suck at it, it’s still an amazingly fun time. Go check it out, especially now that you can also snag a demo and try it out for free first.

Steam’s Daily Deal is 75% off Beat Hazard!

Brian Rubin — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:40:09 +0000

Hay guise, I don’t usually pimp deals like this, but today you can get Beat Hazard — the amazing music-based shoot ‘em up that I’ve talked about before — for 75% off today on Steam, making it a mere $2.50. If you want all the DLC, including the amazing Ultra add-on, you can get it all for $3.25. This is an amazing game that y’all shouldn’t miss.

Might and Magic Universe 50% off this Weekend at GOG.com

Brian Rubin — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:44:33 +0000

The awesome folks at Good Old Games are having what might be their best promo in a long time, maybe ever. The ENTIRE Might and Magic series is on sale, which includes:

RPGs Might and Magic 1-8
Turn-based strategy games Heroes of Might and Magic 1-4, along with Heroes Chronicles

These are some of the best games of their type, and will give you hundreds, if not thousands of hours of exceptional entertainment. If you’ve never played any of these games, check ‘em out, they are well worth your time and money. They also include the soundtracks to nearly all of the games, which are all excellent.

300 Word Game Reviews: A Writing Exercise and a Challenge to Myself

Brian Rubin — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 03:51:33 +0000

When I was a professional gaming journalist many moons ago, I realized I had two things given to me by others that I don’t have now…structure and order. Structure because I had someone else doling out writing assignments (at least until I became Editor-in-Chief a few times) and order because others also set deadlines. I do enjoy writing a great deal, but I realize I do more of it when someone else kicks me in the ass to do so, and this blog has honestly suffered for it. I was thinking of ways to not only try to revitalize this blog (yeah, as if it was ever vitalized), but to also learn how to give myself both structure and order as well, and I came up with an idea…, regularly posted gaming reviews of all the games I own.

As of today, I own a smidge over 600 games (I’m something of a collector). Most of them are on PC, but some are also on the Dreamcast (stop laughing) and the Playstation 3. Therefore, I’m going to start posting a 300 word review of each of them at least once a day, in order, until I complete the list.

Why 300 words? Back when I first began to learn search engine optimization (SEO) copywriting, I was told an article should a 300 word minimum. In this instance, I realized that giving myself a cap will force me to be concise, as I can be fairly wordy given the chance (stop laughing!).

So in a couple of days, I’ll begin with my first review, 1701 A.D. Gold. Why in a couple of days? Because while I’ve owned the game for a while (got it on sale, of course), I’ve not…actually…played it. So I hope you enjoy this little writing exercise of mine, and thanks for reading.

Are We in A New Golden Age of PC Gaming?

Brian Rubin — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 03:37:38 +0000

I’ve always been of the opinion that PC gaming’s golden age began around 1992/93 and ended around 2000, and that since then PC gaming hasn’t been as…innovative and unique as it once had been thanks to the rise of consoles and the changing nature of video games into a more mainstream audience. Well, for the past year or so, I’ve noticed a sea change. Whereas for many years gamers would cry “PC GAMES ARE D0MED” and so on because more and more AAA titles were finding their way to consoles first, we’re now seeing that…that rarely matters anymore, because thanks to two forces in PC gaming, it’s really becoming the premiere gaming platform once again. These are digital downloading and independent developers.

First, let’s look at digital distribution. In the early days of DD, I totally dismissed it, saying (in a posh, snooty accent), “I want physical copies of my games on a disk, with physical manuals, damn your eyes!” to no one in particular…and then I purchased my first game on Steam. Games, actually, since it was the X-Com collection. ALL of the X-Com games for maybe $5, couldn’t pass that up…and then I loaded the game…without a disk or anything…and I started coming around. Now, I’m the complete opposite, as I’d much rather prefer a more convenient digital copy of my own (is it my own? Silly licensing, I’m not sure anymore…) than a physical copy. This happened just in time, as fewer and fewer stores carried boxed copies of PC games in favor of carrying console games almost exclusively (GameStop with your pitiful little PC shelf, I’m looking at you).

While digital distribution has assuredly helped the sales of AAA titles, where DD has really helped PC games blossom and flourish again is the independent scene. With graphics now getting to the point passed the “wow” factor in games — i.e. they matter, but aren’t as much a driving factor as they may have been, especially in the heyday of 3D acceleration and such — developers can now focus more on gameplay, and they’re doing that in spades. Thanks to DD platforms like Steam, Impulse (which you better not fuck up, GameStop), GamersGate and many more, independent developers have a way to distribute their games that’s easier and more widespread than ever before. Games like Space Pirates and Zombies, Super Meat Boy, Gratuitous Space Battles and much more have sold thousands upon thousands of copies not only through their own site, but through digital platforms such as these.

This combination has brought us such an onslaught of great PC gaming one could easily drown in it, especially with the prices of most games being as affordable as they are. While many AAA games are still $60 a pop upon release, indie games can sell for $5 and up, and this low price point can actually help sell more copies and make the game even more profitable.

Because of all this, I’m now convinced we’ve entered a new golden age of PC gaming, where innovation and creativity once again are triumphing over tired formulas and overworked genres. The amount of high quality indie games, such as Minecraft, Terraria, A.I. Wars, Capsized, VVVVVV and others show that innovation is alive and well in the PC gaming arena, and I hope it continues on this way for a very long time.

Favorite Gaming Commercial?

Brian Rubin — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 21:43:08 +0000

Over on my favorite forum, Quarter to Three, someone asked what the best video gaming commercial was? I submitted the excellent Chu-Chu Rocket commercial, because as you can see below, it’s truly amazing.

What do you guys think? What is the best or your favorite video game commercial?

Giving Gamers a Bad Rep – Couple Sells Kids To Fund Gaming Obsession

Brian Rubin — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:22:39 +0000

According to a story entitled “Couple Sells Kids To Fund Gaming Obsession” on ktla.com, a Chinese couple sold their three children for money to use for gaming in Internet cafes. Their second born girl was sold for freaking $500, while their first born boy was sold for around $4,600. Apparently, they “didn’t know they were breaking the law”. Really, morons? Y’all thought selling YOUR OWN DAMNED CHILDREN was just okay with your government?

This is flat-out disgusting and ridiculous, and yet stuff like this totally gives gamers as a while a bad rep in the media. Sigh, I hope those kids are okay, but the article doesn’t say.

Frozen Synapse – Still Kicking my Ass after Thirty Games

Brian Rubin — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:30:33 +0000

So a little while back I got this game called Frozen Synapse, which the creators term “A Simultaneous Turn-Based Strategy Game / Turn-Based Tactical Game”. It kinda looks like this:

I’ve played about thirty games so far in the twenty plus hours I’ve played it and have managed to win maybe two or three, with a couple of draws as well. I’ve been playing mostly multiplayer, and my ass is getting reamed, but in a fun way. I have to admit, I’m not much for multiplayer games, but the turn-based nature of this game is freaking perfect, because I can still play when I want.

I’m slowly getting better…very slowly, but I’m honestly not getting frustrated at all. The game is so viscerally satisfying and fun to play that even losing is a pleasure (though winning moreso). If you’re on the game, hit me up as veloxi. If you’re not, check out the official site above for videos and reviews, as it’s totally worth the admission price.

Sol: Exodus to Make Space Sims “Fun” Again?

Brian Rubin — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:59:59 +0000

The folks at Kotaku — who I honestly take with a big grain of salt, usually — touched upon my favorite genre in gaming with an article entitled “They Want to Make Space Combat Games Fun Again”. Who are these “they” folks, you ask? Why the folks behind Novalogic’s own space sim, Tachyon: The Fringe, starring Bruce Campbell, who are working on a new space combat game called Sol: Exodus. In this article, “they” talk about the space sim genre’s demise, and how they hope to revitalize it for a new age by making it more appealing to today’s mainstream gamer, not just the niche gamer that space sims of old appealed to. Chris Stockman, level designer on Tachyon, has some great insights into the genre’s slow demise, and how they hope to revitalize it with some new, fresh blood. All I know is, Sol: Exodus will have spaceships, so I’ll be playing it.