Got some time to waste? The Thinking Blog presents the Top 10 “real-life” games. Some are pretty clever, a couple not so much.
Update: What a coincidence! Here are some more “live-action” video games.
Virtual Tours?
This might be a bit old, but I just recently came across it: Synthravels -The 1st online Virtual Travel Agency. They can take you on a tour of the most picturesque places in cyberspace!
Personally, I’d like to go to somewhere real, like Machu Picchu. But that’s just me.
Thirty two years and counting
Today is not my unbirthday. So I’ll be celebrating it by not posting much today. Too busy not uncelebrating.
DJing with the Wiimote
Sometimes, people are just awesomer than you. Check out DJ ! (DJ Shift 1 to his friends) use a pair of Wiimotes to control music on his PC setup. Make sure you watch both videos.
Update: It appears that the site is down. Try again later. Not sure what’s going on there. You can also try this link, has worked for me in the past.
Update 2: Okay, ignore those other links and use this one.
Here are the links to his YouTube videos: Video 1 and video 2.
Gamerzines
I got an email recently about Gamerzines, “next generation magazines for next-gen gamers.” Looked like something I might like, so I took a look at the 360 Gamerzine and was very impressed. I liked how they use Acrobat for a full-screen layout of their mag. It’s extremely well produced with great content. They’ve also got people writing for them that I’ve enjoyed in the past. The embedded videos were a nice touch.
After reading through the e-magazine, I wondered, “Why not just do this as a website instead of a PDF?” The tools to create them should be roughly the same, so why this format? They answer in their About Us page:
People love magazines; we love magazines. We wanted to produce something different to what is already on offer online, something that more closely resembles the experience of a printed magazine, together with the multimedia benefits of emedia.
While I’ve never seen videos in my print magazines, I was very impressed with Gamerzines. Check them out and decide for yourself.
New Kids on My Block, Part 4
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but I come across new gaming blogs all the time. I thought I’d highlight a few of them here.
I’ll start off with a blog that I thought I already had in my blogroll, but somehow had omitted. Siliconera has been blogging the good fight for a long time. I’ve been a reader for a while, but had no idea I left them off the Link List.
Sickr is a blog with a Nintendo angle like none other. Lots of good Wii stuff going up there all the time.
Wii Nation – Take a wild guess what they’re all about. Lots of videos. Maybe too many?
A Day in the Life of Video Games has some interesting stories from a couple guys who apparently work at a Video Game store. If you’ve ever read the Acts of Gord, you’re well aware of the comedic goldmine that is the retail video game store.
The Zen Space Chronicles is very well written blog that’s more than just video games – it’s got comics, movies, everything. Very much worth the read.
Intendo – Wow, you’d think we could get enough Nintendo blogs, but you’d be wrong! You’ve probably already been by Intendo before, as his little scuffle with Infendo garnered some linkage a while back. Still worth checking, as his stuff is still good.
Masem’s Gaming Blog is a no-nonsense gaming blog where he actually blogs about the games he’s playing, not linking to things like Mario wedding cakes or Bubble Bobble graffiti (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). Another well written blog that’s been added to my Bloglines subscriptions.
As PosionMushroom.org states – he’s “combing the internet” so we don’t have to. It’s true, he’s producing a metric ton of links. Tough to keep up with!
Video Jocks is a new site I found recently that, judging by the name, will be sports oriented, but what I’ve read so far has been pretty general gaming news. They also have a podcast that might be worth checking out.
GamingParents.org is a site run by a doctor (a pediatrician, actually) who’s also a gamer. They’ve got some good resources for parents, but what caught my eye was a section where you can vote on games and what age is appropriate for each game. This would actually be a good resource if the list was more complete and more people voted on the games. While the main site is updated very frequently, it seems like a good site to keep an eye on.
The Last Boss is a very sharp looking blog that has an interesting premise – they’re called the “Last Boss” because, as they say, “… we’re sick of playing heroes, it’s time villains had their say. This time the bad guys have the cheat codes.” Awesome.
I’m always on the look-out for new blogs, so let me know if you’ve found one I’ve missed. I’ve given up on keeping track of all of them, but I do check out most blogs I link on a regular basis. Not every blog is unique, but I have found a lot of good writing out there and it’s good to see gamers of all stripes.
Keep on blogging trucks! (A Podtacular reference, donchyaknow)
Games I’m looking forward to
In what will hopefully be a recurring post subject, here are some links to information/media (videos, screen shoots, reviews etc) to games I’m looking forward to.
Lost Planet – Lost Planet is already out and hasn’t been getting very good reviews. I keep hoping for a glimmer of hope, but none have been found. I just finished Zonk’s review and Lost Planet is looking like a rental for me.
Sim City DS – This gameplay video from EA of Japan looks very interesting. The stylus is perfect for this type of game.
Crackdown – Crackdown is quickly becoming a “definite purchase” for me. After playing the demo, I was very excited about this game. There are a bunch of videos on YouTube showing some crazy stuff you can do. This Gamespy preview is causing me to salivate. Is that normal?
Lunar Knights – Lunar Knights wasn’t even on my radar two days ago. Then I watched this video and I’m immediately interested.
The NYTimes Crosswords – Corvus mentioned a NY Times Crossword Puzzle game for the DS. Sign me up. Like everyone says, if they can do it like Brain Age’s Sudoku, it will be brilliant. (more here)
Lots of good games out there. What are you looking forward to?
Carnival is up!
Sure, I’m only a couple days behind on this, but Jason posted this month’s Carnival. You can check it out here.
Thanks to Jason for hosting. Brent at Virgin Worlds will be taking the reins for next month. Until then!
Light posting week
I’ll be out of town the rest of this week, so there won’t be a lot of posting going on until I return. In the meantime, the Carnival is still on track for tomorrow, so make sure you’ve submitted your entry or get it in ASAP!
Once I get back, I should have spent the better part of a week with a pile of half-played DS games, so I should finally get around to a more in-depth discussion about games like Age of Empires, Contact, Elite Beat Agents and others. I’m even thinking of resurrecting my Animal Crossing town, after the horrible demise my last town met.
So to recap: Make sure you check out the Carnival of Gamers at Jason’s place tomorrow, get some serious gaming in over the weekend and we’ll discuss more next week.
Carnival of Gamers update
I know it’s short notice, but if you’re interested in participating in February’s Carnival of Gamers, get your submissions in right away. It’s less than a week away. If you’ve already submitted, you’re golden, as they’ve been received and forwarded to the Carnival host. If not, send it in!
Jason of jason-preston.com has volunteered to host the Carnival on short notice. Big thanks to everyone who agreed, it was nice to see everyone so willing to help out. We’ll be filling out some of the other spots for the future with some new bloggers, which I’m excited about. I’ll be updating the Carnival page soon.
Come and join the Carnival!