March 19, 2008, we get a preview of The Sims 3. I am an unabashed Sims fan. Every time I load a new expansion I get hooked all over again. Even when the expansions aren’t that good, or are just more of the same, the underlying game is beautiful in both its simplicity and its […]
New Europa Universalis Expansion
March 5th, 2008 · 1 Comment · Paradox
Europa Universalis III: In Nomine will be released early this summer. Quite an accomplishment considering they still have to finish Rome in the next month. Start in October 1399, at the coronation of Henry IV of England. Experience over 50 more years of gameplay, experiencing the Byzantine Empire, Tamerlane and the end of the Hundred […]
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EA Cool With Meier
March 3rd, 2008 · 1 Comment · Electronic Arts, Industry
At a lunch meeting I was not invited to, Firaxis designer-in-chief Sid Meier told Newsweek’s N’Gai Croal that he’s fine with EA buying Take Two. We worked with Electronic Arts ten years ago. We respect them highly as a company. They’re a great company. We enjoy working with Take-Two. We’ll let them sort that out. […]
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Culture as a Mechanic or, Get Out of My Head Michael
March 3rd, 2008 · 5 Comments · Blogs, Design, Firaxis, History
While trying to use propaganda posts in Sins of a Solar Empire last week, I started thinking about cultural control in strategy gaming, how culture assimilation is an either/or proposition, how an homogeneous culture is assumed to be better than one with spillover from neighbors, how rival cultures bring nothing with them but trouble. Then […]
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American Civil War
February 28th, 2008 · 7 Comments · AGEOD, Civil War, Gameshark, Review
My review of AGEod’s American Civil War is now up at Gameshark. I really like what AGEod has been doing, and this title is a smart pickup for CDV.
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Dwarf Fortress
February 27th, 2008 · 6 Comments · City Builder, Indie Games, Interview
Don’t miss John Harris’s interview with Tarn Adams, the creator of one of the best (and most user unfriendly) city/empire builders in recent memory. Dwarf Fortress is a game that is captivating, addictive and terribly, terribly mean.
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