Drakensang Release Date: Today
Feb 18, 2009 Gaming
Just a reminder for the folks who have been following the Drakensang notes here and participated in our contest, the game releases today!
You can get it on Amazon right here (the game’s only $29.99)
Feel free to shoot me an email or leave a comment after you’ve started playing, I’d love to know what you think.
VideoGaming Stresses Kids Out. Or Not.
Feb 11, 2009 Gaming
British researchers recently released a study stating that playing videogames can “push anxiety to such a level [and] without physical action can cause adrenaline overload. The rise in anxiety disorders is frightening.”
The article sums up the study nicely, and it’s worth a read. But it’s also worth noting that, of course, there are other studies that show gaming is a rewarding psychological experience that is overwhelmingly positive for most people.
Bottom line, a single study with the right group of people can lead you to determine just about anything.
And just in case you’re a little stressed, this picture of SportsDork favorite Scarlett Johansson helps, right?
Image via AskMen.com
And oh, if Scarlett doesn’t help, you can always try Bounty Bowl’s Happy Button!
Drakensang Contest — Winner
Feb 9, 2009 Gaming
Congratulations to Mike Rogers, our contest winner. He’ll be receiving a copy of Drakensang. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and left a caption — hope you enjoy the game!
Weekend Roundup
Feb 7, 2009 Eagles Rumors, Gaming, Random
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| Tony, She’s Not Fat |
What I was reading this week.
The Week in Quotes [Football Outsiders]
“I just feel trapped. Ever since I’ve been with Kansas City, I just feel they’ve been trying to push me out the door.”
–Larry Johnson
Dragon Age: Origins Delayed [Wired|Game Life]
Shit. Although, if it means a much better product, I am always willing to wait a little longer. Blizzard has the discipline to get it right, BioWare is hoping to do the same.
The McNabb Non-Story [Bounty Bowl]
“In lieu of actually engaging in said conversation, I’m going to offer an observation and a link. The observation is that our attraction to Donovan McNabb is no longer a sports attraction, it’s a celebrity attraction. It’s not Elton Brand, it’s Britney Spears. That is, we’re just following drama at this point, not sports. And for a page-view hungry Philly.com, well, this is just a bear on a bike for them.”
Evan Longoria, Doing Everything Right [JoeBucsFan]
This is a little old, but damn, Evan. Well done (dating a Bucs cheerleader).
Shawn Andrews Update [Bleeding Green Nation]
Well, that is encouraging.
Matt Cassel: One Year Wonder? [Blast Magazine]
Someone (maybe the Patriots) are going to gamble a lot of money that he’s not.
A Close Look: Passing Offense [IgglesBlog]
The man knows Excel.
Drakensang Contest — Game Giveaway
Feb 2, 2009 Gaming
2/18 Edit. The game is finally available. Get it on Amazon for $29.99 right here.
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The North American release of Drakensang is very, very close, and I’ve got something special thanks to the folks at THQ: a free copy of the game for a giveaway.
Drakensang, for perhaps many of you that don’t know, is a CRPG in the spirit of the 90′s “Realms of Arkania” series. It brings back the epic, party-based RPG in a rich 3D world with incredible detail and character development.
Here’s a bit from the IGN preview on the game:
In terms of mechanics and overall flavor, Drakensang evokes the best features of many popular PC RPGs. It has the focused story line of games like Baldur’s Gate, the party-based mechanics of Neverwinter Nights 2, and the depth of detail of games like those in the Elder Scrolls series. After getting familiar with the mechanics and diving into the story, it felt to us a bit like a party-based version of Morrowind, without the distraction of all those optional side quests.
The game was developed by Radon Labs in Germany, where its success was enough to get it a major North American publisher. We have the copy of the game for the commenter who provides the best caption for this screen grab.
Have fun! The contest will run until this Monday (the 9th). At that time I’ll announce the winner and get the game shipped off to them. Be sure to leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win.
Thanks for stopping by!
Weekend Roundup
Jan 24, 2009 Eagles Rumors, Fantasy Sports, Gaming, MLB, Random
Here’s a look at what I was reading this week.
Pondering the Donovan McNabb Legacy [The Big Lead]
Good discussion of Donovan’s status in NFL QB lore
Top 5 Crazy Things Playstation’s Hirai Said Today [Wired|Game Life]
Even if a couple of things might have a hint of truth, this guy is clearly out of his mind, and it’s not a good sign for Sony if someone with his head this far up his ass is calling any shots
How’s Your Hangover [Iggles Blog]
Most Eagles fans seem rather satisfied and only a little disappointed about Sunday’s loss. Not Derek.
Dust Off Your Magnifying Glass to Be Frugal and Still Enjoy Life [Frugal Dad]
I love this site, if for no other reason than this guy’s thoughts help me from hitting that “Add to Cart” button on a few things I don’t need on Amazon every month.
Let’s Look at the Linebacker Question [Big Blue View]
Keeping tabs on the enemy. The Eagles linebacker situation is immeasurably better than the Giants’.
Monday Eagles Hangover: At Least They Found a New Way to Fail [Bounty Bowl]
Some very reasonable and funny thoughts on Sunday’s loss.
Cowboys Offering Roster Spot on Reality TV [BGN]
JasonB does his usual solid work, this time taking our favorite NFL owner to task for his idiocy.
Will Shurmur’s Exit Sway Donovan [Eaglesville]
Interesting take on Shurmur’s departure. The guy who told Donovan he was benched is gone, will it affect Donovan?
Bill Sheridan Named New Giants’ D-Coordinator [Big Blue Interactive]
Some Giants react to their new D-Coordinator
Audibles at the Line: Conference Championships [Football Outsiders]
Must read, every week.
Brian Sabean and the Case of Positive Acquisistions [McCovey Chronicles]
The 3400 Club [RotoAuthority]
If you’re playing fantasy baseball this year, an important look at injury-risk pitchers.
Drakensang Demo Available
Jan 24, 2009 Gaming
If you’re like me and you were a big fan of the Realms of Arkania Trilogy in the ’90s, you’ve gotta check out Radon Labs upcoming game, Drakensang.
The game has been released in Europe for some time, the tasks of English conversion (the developer is German) and getting a North American publishing deal in place have taken some time. But the game is very close to being done, and the announcement of a release date seems imminent (should be in the next couple of months).
In the meantime, you can go to the Drakensang website and download an English demo. It’s a huge download (500 MB), but that shouldn’t scare you off if you’re as excited about the “spiritual successor to the Realms of Arkania series” as I am.
Things to Get Excited About — MLB 2K9 on Wii
The release date is March 2nd. Tim Lincecum is on the cover.
The developers have had another year to work with the Wii controllers, and you should expect some graceful refinement of an OK hitting system and an already well done pitching controls.
I’ll be keeping an eye on the early preview/reviews for this one.
Here’s a quote from Tim about the game:
“Whenever I’m hanging out at home or traveling on the road, you can find me playing video games, and I’m definitely the best gamer in the clubhouse by far. I’m incredibly stoked that 2K Sports picked me to represent Major League Baseball 2K9, and I look forward to lending my baseball knowledge to the development process.”
World of Goo is A LOT of fun, has awesome name
Jan 2, 2009 Gaming
Holiday season over the last couple of years has meant lots of time playing around on the Wii with my family. When in previous years we would be doing the board game thing, now that time is dominated by Nintendo’s epic success story.
Going into this Christmas I was looking for a new game to show off, and I had been hearing about World of Goo. It’s a tremendously catchy puzzle game that you really can’t miss. It’s available for download on the Wii (now on PC too).
The physics engine is incredible, and these guys deserve the twenty bones it’ll cost you to download it. Give it a shot!
Playstation Home
Dec 17, 2008 Gaming
I must have laughed three or four separate times during the first few paragraphs of this article.
“hope you don’t mind being the meat in dis sandwich”
That last comment they’ll say while performing what can only be construed as some kind of digital mating dance. The running man. The robot. The body pop. Yes, they will perform any and all of these dance moves in very close proximity to your avatar and with great persistence.
Yeah, that sounds about right. This kind of behavior is part of the beauty of the total anonymity of online worlds. Only here can you observe the obnoxious male in his most pure, crude form. That, and anytime you’re in the presence of Sean Salisbury.
