Electronic Arts Inc., the largest U.S. video game publisher,is laying off 200 to 250 people from its online unit, about one-third of the staff of Redwood City, California-based EA.com. It was not immediately clear if the cuts would mean the elimination of any of the offerings on the EA.com site.
It's somehow appropriate that a column called Forgotten Games should get forgotten for about a year, but as with many things we can't always get what we want... at least not when we want it. I'm happy to report that I've recently located my stash of old Role-Playing Games, and at the top of the stack was the second game on my list from oh, so long ago - Gamma World, published by "The Game Wizards," TSR.
Agone is a new roleplaying that has just been translated from French into English from a company called Multisim). What drew me to the game initially was the artwork on the cover of the book and Eminence Grise's (GM's) screen. I also learned later from another booth that games in France will only sell well if the artwork is of superior quality. This is leading at least one games manufacturer to have their next edition designed by their French artist. I was able to pick up the main book and the screen, which included a very nice poster-sized map of the world for just under $50. What happened to the days of $20 games? Oh well, let me tell you about this new game.
Are two heads better than one? Maybe, maybe not, but certainly a double-bladed axe is better than a single bladed axe. Or is it? Is double your pleasure always double your fun? Apparently so, according to the new Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook.
The first time I saw it in the store, I believe that I actually snarled at it. I continued to do that for about a month after it came out. Then, in a fit of weakness, I broke down and bought it. I told myself that the only reason I was buying it was so that I could run better Mindflayer encounters, and so that I could eventually throw a Githyanki at my party. (How I loved the Githyanki when the Fiend Folio first appeared on the bookshelves.) Now that I have sat down and read through The Psionics Handbook, I'm actually happy that I succumbed to the temptation.
The problem with Online Role-Playing Games like Everquest and Diablo II is that they have nothing to do with Role-Playing. It's all click-and-kill, repeating the same actions and quests over and over again to gain power, money and items, with little thought given to character, interaction or true development on a personal level. But maybe that's because such things are truly impossible. Perhaps this recently discovered journal can explain what it's like to be a real character in a world bereft of meaning. Or perhaps it'll just emphasize the futility of trying to explain the inexplicable.
There are many tried and true role playing adventure themes: rescue the valuable kidnapping victim, slay the evil monster roaming the countryside, find the precious artifact, beguile the sultry and provocative Wood Nymph Queen and make her your love slave, to rule the forest by your side for all eternity while her entourage of nearly as sultry Wood Nymph Princesses breathlessly await your every order, and...
Have your gaming sessions fallen into a rut? Tired of your tried-and-true, well-known RPG systems? Then it's time you put aside your Monstrous Manuals and your Vampire Players' Guides and picked up a homebrew RPG, one of those little-known RPGs made by gamers, for gamers. There are hundreds of these floating around on the Internet. The only problem is separating the good stuff from the crap, and we here at Gamegrene.com will now be doing that for you with the Homebrew Review.
Star Wars is revered by millions, and the buzz about the upcoming online Star Wars game is increasing steadily. But what if, contrary to what everyone thinks, the game sucks? Because we all need a good laugh now and again, here are the Top 10 possible reasons the forthcoming Star Wars Galaxies MMORPG will totally suck, in chronological order.
Last year's DragonCon was by far the best convention I had ever attended, so naturally I'd been looking forward to this year's for some time. Despite not being able to fly there, and thus suffering through a 12-hour road trip, I managed to arrive at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta late on Thursday night, the night before the con was to start.
