On Space Game Junkie, I’ll be talking about every space game ever made for a computer, and will usually be going in chronological order unless a new game is released, such as Space Pirates and Zombies. This will take a long time, as the list of games — which is currently still being completed and can be viewed here — is very extensive, but I’m damned excited about it.

This is why my “300 Word Review” project has been a bit delayed, but I still plan on accomplishing that task as well. So please, head over to Space Sim Junkie and enjoy the new site. Thanks for reading.

This makes me look back on my own PC usage back in those days. I honestly came to the PC party a little late, getting my first DOS-based computer in 1986 with the Radio Shack Tandy 1000-EX. I had a TRS-80 for the years leading up to that, which I got in maybe 1981. I actually only got my first IBM PC in 1988 with a IBM PS/2 Model 25, which was an awesome PC and ignited my love of the IBM Model M keyboard. Ahh memories…

What about you? What was your first PC-based computer?

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.

• 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.

I in no way hide that I am a massive fan of The Dresden Files series of books (and the sadly-canceled TV show as well). I’ve read the entire series numerous times and have triple dipped on many of the books (first hard copies, then e-books, then audio books) and have become intimately familiar with the OTHER wizard named Harry, Harry Dresden. At the end of the previous book, Changes, Harry’s world — the world we’ve come to know through twelve books — lay in ruin for a variety of reasons (I’m trying to avoid spoilers here). The thirteenth book in the series, Ghost Story, addresses what happened at the end of Changes, for better and for worse, and I just finished reading it a day or so ago, so I figured I’d give y’all my thoughts. Please know, this review will be spoilery as hell, so if you’ve not read Ghost Story, stop right now.

Still with me? Excellent. Now, if you recall, at the end of Changes, Harry was shot and killed off the side of his brother’s boat. We left him staring at the light in a tunnel…coming from a train. This is where the new book picks up. Harry is pulled out of the way by Carmichael, Murphy’s partner that was killed in book two, Fool Moon. After that surprising meetup, Carmichael takes Dresden to see the Captain…Captain Jack. No, not Harkness, I’ll get to that in a minute. We come to find out that Harry is neither in heaven nor hell, and because of an “irregularity” with his death, he has to go back and solve his own murder, but as a spirit, because his body is “unavailable”. We find out as Dresden is leaving for Chicago again that Captain Jack is actually Jack Murphy…Karrin Murphy’s DAD! OMG! That was a nifty thing.

Anyway, this sets off a chain of events that lead to some shocking revelations. Harry reunites with old friends — who are still reeling from his apparent death — and makes new ones. Of course, even though Harry’s been given one task, many others spring up that threaten both the spirit and mortal planes, so obviously Harry throws himself into the middle of it. An interesting notion is that spirits get their abilities and strength from memories, so in order for Harry to gain these, he has to go back into his own relevant memories, and we get to go back there with him. The book has a good deal of flashbacks, which I’ll discuss in a but, but they were mostly fun to read.

Along the way, Harry realizes the consequences of his actions in Changes, both big and small. From the power vacuum left by the demise of the red court to the brutal way his apprentice, Molly Carpenter — who was shot and bleeding at the end of Changes — has had to deal with her own power vacuum, the loss of her mentor and friend. Like most Dresden books, most of what needs attending too gets the attention it deserves, while leaving other avenues open for exploration later, so this book doesn’t give us everything we might have wanted, but that’s okay, as Butcher plans at least ten more books in the series.

In saving himself, his friends, Chicago, and the world, Harry realizes how many lines he’s crossed, and that he can likely never go back to the way things were, but that’s okay. Changes set up the ground work for an entirely new chapter, as it were, in the series as a whole, and Ghost Story is something of a breather, a transition I think, before getting on with the big show.

To keep this review simple and not overtly wordy and to not give EVERYTHING away, I’ll focus on what I did and didn’t like.

First, what I did like:

• How well Harry adapted to being a spirit/soul. His abilities were very limited, but he made the best of them.
• Sir Stuart. I loved this character. LOVED. He was awesome, and even though he’s gone off to work for Uriel (yay Uriel!) and we’ll likely not see him again, I really enjoyed the time we got to spend with him.
• The state of the world following the demise of the Red Court and Dresden’s death. I thought the power vacuums left behind in this case were well thought out and that they made sense.
• Butters. Oooohh Butters, you get better in every damned book. One of your lines made me laugh the loudest out of all of them in the entire book.
• Mort. At first I thought you were just a hukster Mort, like Harry did, but you totally came around in my book.
• Molly. Even though Molly was pretty much broken, she totally kicked ass in many ways. Her Star Trek moment was amazing.
• I liked how the addressed Harry’s deal as the Winter Knight, because I was quite curious about that, especially through the entire book since they dealt with it at the damned end.
• As crazy and evil as she is, I enjoyed Corpsetaker as a bad guy, and was happy to see her return.
• Flashbacks. I did and didn’t like this. I liked them because it gave us more insight into Harry’s background, such as his battle with He Who Walks Behind.
• Awesome Bob moments. I especially loved Bob’s apartment.
• The twist about who REALLY killed Harry. TOTALLY loved that and didn’t see it coming at all, but after it was revealed, it totally made sense.

Now, what I didn’t like:

• No Marcone. At all! Boo!!
• No Michael. With all the Carpenters running around, I was hoping to see our old friend.
• Murphy. I understand why Murphy was behaving the way she was, but I didn’t like it, as it seemed too harsh and too extreme.
• Thomas. I didn’t like this because it made me damned sad. I love Thomas, and it hurt to see him like that.
• Someone hurt Father Forthill. NO ONE should ever hurt Father Forthill!
• Flashbacks. While I did enjoy these, I kinda started to think that they went on a bit long, and that they were filling out the book more than anything else.

Overall, Ghost Story is an excellent book that had me hooked from cover to cover. It totally answers most of our questions as to “WTF?!?!” from the end of Changes, yet leaves us totally wanting more. I just hope the next book doesn’t get pushed back to July like this one did, but it’ll be a long wait regardless.

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.

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.