I think I know where these alternate timelines are going. At the beginning of the season, it was reasonable to assume that everything we saw on the island was part of the straight chronology – the timeline we’ve been following since the very beginning. So, Oceanic Flight 815 crashed on the island. The pilot was eaten. Hatches were cracked. Tailies were found. Tailies were killed. Secondary islands were discovered. Others became DHARMA became original Others. Shacks rocked. Donkey wheels were spun. Everything got groovy as we did the time warp back to the 70′s. Jughead blew his stack. Jacob lived. Jacob died. MiB Locke began assembling his army. Sawyer called someone tubby. All that happened in one constant timeline – no matter where the island happened to pinball to.

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Yesterday, the Tennessean reported that three-year-old Cheyenne Alexis McKeehan shot herself in the abdomen with the family’s handgun in their Wilson County home. Sheriff Terry Ashe said the girl’s stepfather had taken out his gun to try to frighten off dogs that had been hanging around the home, and then put said loaded gun on a table in the living room. Cheyenne had been playing a Wii game with a controller shaped like a gun that looked very similar to the real handgun. The apparently unattended toddler then pulled the gun off of the table and it went off, killing the three year-old. No charges have yet been filed.

Sadly, what do most people remember about the above story? That a three year-old was playing video games and died. Now normally I just report the news around these parts and keep most of my two cents to myself, but this time, I have to scream. Why did the reporter feel the need to even mention that the girl was playing a video game? What if she’d mistaken it for a water gun? What if she’d just been curious? She was three years old!!! You don’t leave a three year-old alone with a butter knife or an actual glass, who in the world is moronic enough to leave one alone with a loaded gun?

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Like another famous castaway, I write to you one-handed, having just had a wisdom tooth extracted with nary a coconut or sentient volleyball around to comfort me during my recovery. Halfway through what should have been a very routine extraction, the oral surgeon offered me the bravery prize. When they start cracking wise like that, you know things aren’t going 100% according to plan.

Anyway, I made it through without a tear shed, knowing I had a night of ice cream and “Lost” in my future. And as we hit Episode 6, just two episodes away from the hump, it feels like the pieces are falling into place. The game board seems set and Lindelof & Cuse have everything in place as we rush head-on towards the end of this rare event – a densely mythological, heavily serialized show that’s being allowed to lower the curtains on its own terms – at the best possible time.

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Ever since I became a college graduate, and thus, a full-time worker, I’ve thought very little about the price of games. I’m no longer a starving student, living on peanut butter sandwiches. I’m now a career man…still kind of living on peanut butter sandwiches. I have a decent paying job, and I can afford to drop $60 on a new game if I have the desire to perform such an action. And if that game only lasts me six hours before I’ve completed it, you know what I’ll say? Good. Because I have nothing against a game that doesn’t overstay its welcome. In fact, I cherish it.

I see an obsession with game length all the time on Internet message boards, in other site’s reviews, and even amongst some of my friends who are still students. I’m referring to the folks who analyze dollars spent against their hours of enjoyment. Well, let me tell you people something: you’re going about it all wrong. We shouldn’t be judging the value of a game based on how many hours it can provide us. We should gauge its value based on how much enjoyment it’s going to give us. Sure, the latest RPG can keep you busy for the next 40 hours of your life, but if it’s a ho-hum experience, wouldn’t you rather play a game that’s eight hours and is an absolute blast? And wouldn’t you rather spend $60 and have fun for a few hours, instead of spending $60 and you know, have some mildly entertaining but forgettable good times?

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So, at the beginning of the year, I was all set to fly to Las Vegas to attend the Consumer Electronics Show and cover the sights and sounds for Adrenaline Vault. My fiancée, Heather, and I decided to make it a mini-vacation. We had our plane tickets and lodging all ready to go. My appendix, however, had other plans.

On Jan. 3, three days before we were supposed to fly out to Vegas, I started to get a sharp pain in my abdomen. It started after I had eaten a mystery-meat lunch Heather had made, so I assumed it was just my stomach dying as it tried to digest the awful food. The pain increased sharply, but the Bears game was on. It was the last game of the season for them, so I fought through it.

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Always on the lookout for game deals, yesterday I joined the flock of vultures picking on the festering carcass of my local Hollywood Video store. I was greeted by a huge sign: “Store Closing! Everything Must Go!” Knowing that they rent (or used to rent) video games, I decided to see what bits of gaming flesh might be left on the store’s bones after being picked clean by the local predators.

To my surprise, aside from the years-old stuff that nobody wanted to play (even when it was new), I found a fairly good assortment of new Xbox 360 and PS3 games that hadn’t yet been snapped up. Notable in their absence were any Wii games; either they were the first to go, the store owners are hiding them, or they’re keeping them for themselves. Two items caught my eye: Killzone 2 and The Saboteur, both for the PS3. They were displayed in the New Release section and did not have price tags attached. This puzzled me, since by almost any reasonable definition of “New Release,” Killzone 2 should’ve been off that list six months ago, having been released in February 2009. So, I went to the sales counter to inquire, and was told by the teenage goth with studs in his chin that, if there’s no price tag, they’re not for sale (perhaps the huge sign in the store window lied to me when it said “Everything Must Go”?). “Come back in five or six days,” the counterwaif told me, while not even bothering to look up from what he was doing.

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About a week ago, I found an article on EW.com in which Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly announced their post-“Lost” plans. That got me thinking: how about dreaming up some future career marks for some of my favorite “Lost” cast members?

Before hitting that proverbial wish list, I’ll cover Fox and Lilly.

According to Fox, he aims to ape David Caruso and turn his back on TV for good. After a successful run on “Party of Five,” followed by his arc on “Lost” (his character was originally written with Michael Keaton in mind), he wants to explore the Hollywood hills and make his mark in the movie biz. While I think that’s a decent plan – to trade on his goodwill from this show – I’m not sure Fox has exactly what it takes to be the strong leading man on the big screen. While I like the dude, there’s a dryness to him (think David Duchovny) that works better when establishing a long-running character. TV seems to fit him just right. Besides, we’re still basking in the Golden Age of television drama. I’d take “Friday Night Lights,” “The X-Files,” “Lost,” “Millennium,” “Battlestar Galactica” and countless other shows rather than most multiplex fare any day.

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This week, Ubisoft Entertainment has once again decided to spit in the face of every PC gamer in the world. They have announced that, in order to play their games, you will be required to be connected to the Internet. Should a connection be dropped for any reason, your progress in the game will be lost. This applies to at least three of their upcoming titles.

What this means to you is that you will not be able to play these games on a plane without paying for an in-flight connection (assuming one is offered). You will not be able to play them if a squirrel chews through your cable. You will not be able to play them while you are waiting for the phone company to install your connection after you move to a new house. You will not be able to play them if your wireless is spotty. Of course you will not be able to play them where there is no wireless access (assuming a wired connection is also not available). Should your Windows have a networking hiccup, should your kid pull a cable, should there be a power surge…yeah, you will lose your progress.

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Last week I made it abundantly clear that I am not a Kate fan. She just has a knack for dragging the story down. Sure, once upon a time I thought she was 8 miles of eye candy, but that stretch of road is way behind me. Give me the dearly departed Juliet any day of the week. This week we got a heady dose of mythology-expanding goodness. With that said, we have a lot to chew on, so let’s dive right in.

The perfect salve for a Kate episode is a Locke chaser. It seems like the writers know well my disdain for Freckles and her so-called life, so they always make things right with my world, season after season. And often the Locke episodes don’t disappoint. In fact, they are usually heavy on the mythological sweep that hooked us in the first place. And last night was no exception – with some big answers provided – assuming we are to believe the guy revealing them, which might be a pretty tall order.

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In case you missed Part 2.

Not a day goes by when I am logged on to LOTRO that someone does not comment on their anticipation for one day raiding in Rohan or stalking orcs in Mordor. Many players seem to have a longing to visit all the areas of Middle Earth that are central to the story of Frodo, the Ring, and his companions, and yet, every time I hear someone say these things, I silently chide them (after all, there is no need to troll others while taking down Gorothul) for missing the most amazing thing LOTRO has accomplished. LOTRO is not just an MMORPG with a story; it is an MMO that has utilized the wonderful setting of Middle Earth to tell the untold stories of elves, dwarves, men, and hobbits.

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After quitting World of Warcraft about a year ago, I haven’t played much in terms of MMORPGs. Sure, I did dabble in Aion for a short while, but I found it ultimately uninteresting and did not renew the subscription when my complimentary review period ran out. The lack of such long-term gaming commitments was not altogether a bad thing. It allowed me to spend more time playing other games; 2009 was my most productive gaming year ever, with 19 games beaten. On the other hand, I did miss a persistent, neverending world. I also missed all the good times I enjoyed with my last WoW guild. BloodBonded was full of amazing people, and we shared some really great gaming moments together.

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In case you missed Part 1.

Last time around, I spoke about the skirmish system in the Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood expansion. Now I want to narrow my focus and draw attention to something smaller. A single instance, in fact. Today, let’s talk about Sword Halls and why it is a well designed instance for three people.

Now, before getting started, I am sure someone is going to flame me and complain that, with all of the beautiful content in Mirkwood, why focus on a three-man instance that can be run (if you have me in your group at any rate) in less than 20 minutes? One reason is because there is no need to talk about Sammath Gul or Barad Guldur. The big stuff gets plenty of discussion. And yes, I think Sammath Gul is also a well designed instance, if only because it is one of the few instances in which marginalized classes (Loremasters, Burglars who focus on CC, Captains who do more than heal) get some real action that lets them use their class capabilities to the fullest. But in focusing on Sword Halls, I want to illustrate the small things that Turbine did correctly. I will also, inadvertently, point out how some players betray their own gaming ignorance by not seeing the full potential of such a small instance.

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Never one to shy away from big philosophical issues, I thought I’d just grit my teeth and tackle this one head-on. Rather than discuss specific games in detail, judging the merits of one over another, I just thought I’d ask, “Why do we play video games?”

Firstly I should at least apologise to you all. Asking such a question obviously could spoil the gaming experience for some of you. I suppose its almost in the same ballpark as asking a “what’s the meaning of life?” question. Do we really care or do we just like the experience? So is it better not to question and just keep our heads down and get on with it? Why question the experience? I play games, so I’ll just enjoy them. Questioning why we play might well spoil the whole experience for us. So with that thought as a warning, read on at your own risk!

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The Siege of Mirkwood expansion to Lord of the Rings Online has been out since December. It has gotten a lot of good press from our competitors (I’m not going to run up their site traffic; you can look up their reviews yourself). Most of that good press is rightfully deserved. In spite of the smaller amount of content compared to the last expansion pack, Mines of Moria, Mirkwood offers the right amount of gameplay for the price: free to multi-month subscribers when it was released. It’s a great expansion to what I think is already an excellent MMO with an excellent community.

But I don’t want to do a review of the game. Instead, I would like to spend some time discussing the finer points of the game design that Turbine put into the title. I want to point out the small things that they did right, to which I hope other designers are paying attention.

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Previously on Lost…

Don’t panic. This happens every year.

I’ll get into it in detail below, but after last week’s slam-bang premiere, which kicked off the season in style and simultaneously left our minds stirred, shaken and blown – we were bound to get that patented Lost letdown where the writers stop for a spell to get everyone’s bearings straight. It’s akin to setting the chess board – they need a little bit of exposition to get the characters pointed in the right direction – especially considering this is the final lead-up to the end game.

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