How do you say good-bye to someone who has been an integral part of Avault since before you can remember? You could do a sappy retrospective of their body of work, add an orchestral soundtrack, and bring a tear to the eye of everyone reading. You could write a brief farewell and announcement of their departure for their fans. Or you could say nothing and quietly hope that no one notices the change in the masthead.

But what if the body of their work can be summed up with an acronym and a word? “DRM bad!” What if they have no fans and only adversaries? What if the sudden rantless silence is too much to go unnoticed? Yes, the rumors are true. Doug Lombardi’s Valve has swooped in and captured the one and only (thank the gods) Tsar Alaric Teplitsky.

And while we honestly wish Alaric nothing but the best, he’s stirred up too much controversy over the years to simply let him go with a handshake and cheery good-bye. Instead, we wanted to allow each writer a free shot at him, right out here on the front page. Unfortunately, only one was brave enough to let me actually see what they intend ahead of time, but the rest have vowed to chime in below in the comments (which I hope I’m fast enough to moderate).

What follows comes from the fingers of Matthew Booth…

When I first started writing reviews for The Adrenaline Vault, I couldn’t stand Alaric. Now, almost a year later, he still finds a way to upset me on a regular basis. I’m not sure if it’s the smug, professionally done portrait on his Avault posts, his overwhelming hatred for practically everything, or the popularity of his posts that upsets me most. I suspect my uneasiness with his work is a combination of all three of these things. Regarding his negativity, Alaric hates more games than the number of games I’ve played in my lifetime. In fact, Alaric hates games he doesn’t even know exist.

To keep things fair, I might not relate to his bottomless negativity, but darn it, I respect the man. Alaric is passionate about what he does and I think a lot of his criticisms stem from him having higher expectations than a majority of the population. When it comes to gaming, I don’t expect much so I’m rarely angered by a game. Whereas Alaric, my polar opposite in most things, hasn’t lost his desire to hold everything to a nearly impossible standard. He reminds me that keeping my expectations low reduces my disappointment in the gaming industry.

Alaric, we may disagree on most things, but I appreciate you having a hand in bringing me back to PC gaming, and always being there to tell me I’m wrong (even when I’m right). I hope Valve is ready to step their game up if for no other reason than to avoid one of your infamous rants. Don’t let us West Coast hippies turn you soft!

In the end, Alaric may be a royal pain in the donkey, but you can’t help but love him. He makes sure to keep me on my toes regardless of the hour, and is always willing to plead his point or toss out ideas at 1am. (Make what you will of that regarding his alleged social life.) He’s also not afraid of hard work, and has proven more than once an ability to make the impossible happen. I’m going to miss our late night chats, our arguments, but thankfully not our friendship (I threatened him with grievous bodily harm should he fail to drop by now and then).

Fair winds and following seas, my noble adversary. You will be missed.

Now, do I send Doug a thank-you note or a sympathy card?

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | 13 comments

You’re midway through an awesome RPG, and you’re working your way through that quest where you find the thing, and kill the dude that will give you the perks to take on the big bad. You know the one I’m talking about. And suddenly, out of nowhere, you fall through a staircase, or get trapped behind a table, or actually find yourself below the map. You try to exit and reload, but something’s gone horribly wrong. Depending on how diligent you are at saving, and how the game is designed, you may have only lost a few minutes, a few hours, or weeks of work! And sometimes, when you go back and retry, the glitch occurs again, and again, and again!

We’ve all been there! Usually it’s just an irritating annoyance, but sometimes it’s catastrophic and prevents a GREAT game from achieving what it was designed to. Depending on the severity, sometimes I’ll just walk away from a particular title completely. It’s just not fun if I can’t complete Quest X, so I move on to the next big RPG. I’m not talking about floating heads, Donkey Women, or paint brushes that just hover in midair. The bugs I refer to are the ones that have the potential to completely destroy the experience until patched.

While working on my review this week (for a game you’ll get to read about Friday), I sadly had just such an experience. This time I found a work around and was able to continue, but while I frantically sought a solution, I was reminded of a similar experience I had long ago in Oblivion, and felt like commiserating. Please share your worst “bug” experiences below, and what you think about large games that get shipped with these time bombs lurking within.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | 3 comments

Dear Santa,

This year I’m not asking for world peace or a 36-hour day. I’ve actually set my sights a little higher this time, and while I know I’m asking for a lot, I think you’re the only one who can grant this particular Christmas wish. I would like an Xbox 360 that lasts more than 18 months.

I know, I know. Impossible, you say. There isn’t an Xbox 360 on the planet that can survive the abuses I put it through. Marathon sessions of Dragon Age, Halo, Fallout and Borderlands always seem to take their toll, and usually right after the warranty runs out. I really thought that I was being smart last year when I bought the extended Target warranty. But you see, you need to have your original receipt, and after 18 months of sitting in my wallet, you can’t read it, and Target refuses to honor the barely legible agreement. I even obtained a copy of the transaction from my bank, but without that code, I’m done for (and so is my Xbox).

So you see, all of those awesome games that have just released or that are coming out in the next few weeks – I won’t be able to play them. No RPG goodness, no hours on end of family game night and smack talking, no shiny new reviews! I’d ask for a PlayStation 3 (they apparently never break), but then what about my collection? What about the titles languishing on my hard drive? At $200+ every 18 months, I might as well subscribe to WoW and forget about console gaming altogether.

So please, Santa, please bring me a new 360 that won’t break.

Yours very sincerely,

Michele

PS — And, if you can’t accomplish this miracle, Patrick could use a new PC, Lieren needs a 500W power supply, Alaric would like a new tinfoil hat, Ed should get a grown-up game, Mike Smith wants a pony [the kind you drive, not ride. Ed.], and I will take that world peace after all.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink | 9 comments

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?

It’s true the controller these same idiot parents purchased does closely resemble the hand gun. While they could have easily purchased one in vibrant orange and white, they opted for the realistic model (most likely because they’re gun enthusiasts – tragically irresponsible ones), but that’s their right, and while the controller itself may have contributed to the situation, it was not the Wii, the controller or even the child that caused this. It was the stepfather. Before all of you go off to storm Nintendo HQ with letters about how they could have avoided this, scroll back up. This situation was caused by an idiot that thought it would be cool to use a loaded gun to scare some dogs off of his property, and then left it lying around for a toddler to get her hands on!

And before you start with the sympathy pleas about how the parents are suffering enough…stop. I don’t feel sorry for them and only want to know why the Sheriff hasn’t already charged them and thrown them under the jail.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments

As 2008 came to a close, I appeared as a guest on the Avault Podcast, and found myself posed with a difficult question to answer. “What was your favorite game of the year?” I say difficult, because I didn’t have a favorite. I quickly thought of which game had spent the most time in my 360’s DVD drive and blurted out Supreme Commander. Were there other games that were better? Sure, but my criteria for rating a game are a little different than most. For me, a game has to have staying power, and a Game of the Year must be one that lingers not only in the memory, but also on my playlist. Sadly, 2008 didn’t have such a champion for me, and 2009 looked like it might end the same…until very recently.

As the last few hours of 2009 wind down, I find myself reflecting on it as a year of some excellent gaming opportunities. As the year began, we were still engrossed in the universe of Fallout 3, and we spent the first few months working through the remaining DLC expansions. Some were good (Broken Steel), and others just awful (Mothership Zeta), but in the end they were just DLC, and so cannot be counted. I think, perhaps, that I might need to change that definition for next year; 2010 might very well find some DLC on my list if my current hunch is correct.

So moving onward from Fallout 3, lots of games were released in the first three quarters of 2009. There were some great sellers (Madden NFL 10), some interesting but not-so-great sellers (Godfather II), and some that were just major disappointments (Wet), but overall, nothing stellar. Nothing that would stand out and make you go, wow!

Then a series of games rolled out just in time for Christmas that had us scrambling to acquire them: Borderlands, Brutal Legend, Dragon Age: Origins, Left 4 Dead 2 and Assassin’s Creed II. I’m not a shooter kind of girl, but Borderlands I found fun, intriguing and perhaps deserving of its role-playing shooter distinction. There wasn’t much in the way of story attached, but the background was sufficient to hold my interest, the guns and the ability to finally use one with some distinction was enjoyable, and the heart-pounding action of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned was more of a rush than I had experienced until that time. Indeed, as the last few weeks of 2009 neared, it seemed that I actually found a game worthy of the title Game of the Year.

Then came Christmas morning. Santa Claus had gifted me the familiar package that could only be a movie or a game, and as it had been on my list, I knew that it could only be one of two things: Dragon Age: Origins or Brutal Legend. Wish granted, and Dragon Age it was. My adventure had begun. I’ve already spoken at length about the game in my review, so I won’t repeat myself here, but I will say that it breathes. The story, characters and dialogue assume a life of their own and transport you away to another world where magic is real and dragons still exist. If true adventure is what you seek, then I invite you to join the Grey Wardens in their battle to beat back the Darkspawn. You just might make a few friends along the way and create some tales for the Bards to sing for generations to come. I’m a hard one to please, but depth of story and potential for longevity make Dragon Age: Origins my Game of the Year for 2009.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2010. | Permalink | 3 comments

People often say that kids “don’t come with instructions”, and while I could argue that point (my first two are Navy brats and I was presented with a 800+ page manual when the first was born, and even my youngest came equipped with a stack of booklets), I’m willing to concede that becoming a parent is a lot like getting hired for a job for which we have little formal training. So what do you do? Well, most of us spend the first couple of years doing everything in our power just to keep them alive. Don’t believe me? You’ve probably never thought about it much, but think of all those vaccinations, the degree to which you’ve either baby-proofed your home or the numerous times that you’ve leapt across the family room to retrieve that older child’s too small toy from your toddler’s clutches, the “Don’t talk to strangers” talks, and the all-time favorite “Don’t do drugs”.

Taking care of our children’s health and well-being is a full time job, but nowadays, many people don’t treat it as such. I’m not here to spout the evils of letting the TV be your babysitter, not knowing who your tweens are hanging out with (though I will allude to something similar later on), or buying alcohol for your teenager. What I did break out my soap box for, however, is to talk to you about paying attention to what your kids are playing. Why? Because my name is Michele and I’m a gamer. A gamer that is REALLY tired of the bad rap that some games get when they “fall” into the hands of someone’s little darling!

Step 1: Listen to your kids
The next time that Darien asks you to buy that latest game, ask him a few questions. What is it about? What is it rated? Why do you want THAT game? Rather than intrusive (the earlier you start doing this the better – 12yos are easier to train than 16yos), you’ll be surprised to find out that your child would actually love to talk with you about their favorite hobby. You just might find out that you like it, too. Once you’ve gotten your answers (and if not jump online together), do your homework. Just because a game carries a particular rating, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a foregone yes or no for your kid. Trust me on this one. Your personal beliefs may take issue with the language demonstrated in a T title, or you could be like me, and have no problem with decapitating a clearly fictional creature with a sword. The point is it’s YOUR child – not MINE. You need to help your child make these decisions based on your own moral make-up. No one – not even the ESRB can do that for you.

Step 2: Watch your children
Once the two of you have done your homework and purchased that game, stick around. Not only might you discover that the two of you can have a lot of fun either taking turns or playing together, but you still need to play parent. I’m not saying hover, but I’ve always been a firm believer that gaming systems, and for the most part PCs connected to the Internet, belong in the family room and not in a child’s bedroom. You should do whatever works best for your own family, but keep a couple of things in mind. You may want to still check out the content in that game you purchased, and see if it’s in keeping with your personal values (some games can be tricky that way). In addition, you’ll want to keep an ear on who your child is playing with. We’ve all heard the horror stories about online predators, and sadly they’re real. Even if the person on the other end isn’t a predator and just a…well…typical 16yo boy, you still might want to keep tabs on the conversation. Grab a book, pick up knitting or actually take a spectator’s interest in the game. You’ll sleep better knowing what your darling daughter is up to.

Step 3: Talk to their friends’ parents
This is the tricky part. Be friendly, be open, and accept that offered cup of coffee. You don’t have to become best friends or even LIKE the parents of the kids yours play with, but you should at least know their names and have a general feel for what kind of people they are. Talk to them, find out what their kids play and do, and gently let them know what yours are and aren’t allowed to do. You’d want to know if they were the kind of people to leave a loaded gun lying around, wouldn’t you?

And that’s about it. I know, preaching to the choir, but what may seem like a no brainer to most of us, isn’t to the average mom you find trolling your local GameStop or Wal-Mart. Just trying to avoid the next CNN story about “Left 4 Dead 2 banned in Australia”, or “A Texas 10yo stole his mom’s car this morning”. I prefer writing about the fun side of gaming.

Okay, carry on! I’ll step down now…uh…can someone give me a hand…it’s kind of high up here.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments

For all of our regular podcast listeners, and those that aren’t (might want to look into that – you’re missing out on some great entertainment, information, oh and yeah FREE GAMES) Turks, our Lead Podcaster extraordinaire, has had a new addition. No, it’s not an advance copy of Fallout New Vegas. It’s a baby girl.

Madison was born at 3:39pm on Thursday April 16th. She weighed 8lbs 13oz, is 21 inches long, and both mom and baby are doing awesome!!! Reports indicate that she’s not ready to Wii, yet, but Turks is already looking into teaching the future gamer how to operate the much less vigorous DS.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2009. | Permalink | 8 comments

Previously on Avault…

But what about the forums? Enter Kyle and the Andrews. Andrew Waterman is our brilliant software engineer, and Andrew Slane our fabulous (pronounced with the brightest SF accent you can muster) graphical designer. Slane (we refer to all Andrews by their last name here – there’s just too darn many of them) is actually the one responsible for our new “BuyIt” etc. icons. Whenever we need to add some pretty to the site – Slane’s our man. Kyle (Kyleicious to you 360 bubbas) completely revamped everything with his own hands. We relaunched the forums…and…we relaunched them again.

As I mentioned before I’m not the tech monkey around these parts, so I couldn’t begin to tell you how they managed it (my tiny brain would explode if they even shared the details with me), but they were at it for long nights for long days, until finally…there was once again a place for OBob to spread his hate and discontent, and a place for Chip to ban the trolls of the galaxy. Kyle is the man, so remember that the next time you feel like slamming him on the boards. (Pause to reflect and then slam away.)

The future looks bright for Avault, and it’s due to the A-Team that’s been assembled through the years. Some are more visible than others, but it’s these “invisible” guys that really need our thanks. They are the ones who keep the lights on and the wheels turning, and make the rest of us look good (okay not awful). To quote our founder and lead prognosticator “It’s amazing how “work” can make a team come together, especially one that is divided by real world distance like ours is. I actually feel part of something special. Our team can take on any task and come out on top.”

I love it when a plan comes together.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments

Previously on Avault…

Backups are cool – when they work. Initially we thought that the fix would be simple – just boot up the backup. Unfortunately there wasn’t one. It hadn’t done its thing. There was no record of what once had been the Adrenaline Vault – or was there?

Deep in the jungles of darkest Brazil (okay, maybe in the suburbs, but work with me here) lived that well-known explorer of computer servers and databases – Saulo Benigno! What? You’ve never heard of Saulo? Then you’ve never been here. Saulo is the man behind the curtain, and fortunately for everyone concerned – a pack rat. Back in September, he’d been tweaking around in preparation for the new site design, and made a “just in case” backup. When the tweaking was done, a copy of the entire Vault was saved to his hard drive. So when the drums started to beat, and the scramble commenced, a hero emerged.

Saulo in conjunction with Andrew Waterman (our brilliant software engineer) were able to resurrect her from the ashes and within days the site was relaunched on our brand new shiny server (thanks to Angel). The evil, cute and fuzzy server gremlin was then forced to slink off, and in true Scooby Doo villain style: “I would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for that meddling Angel and that darn Brazilian Pack Rat.”

So, it was February, and our site had time traveled back to September, but without the forums (we’ll get to that part later). 5 ½ months of material had been lost, and we needed to get current and fast!

On another hard drive, far away in the snow belt of Upstate NY, our data had been found. Another OCD pack rat on the other side of the world had insanely saved every news story, every feature and every review that had been published on the site for the last two years. Enter Michael Smith, our assistant editor. His mission…retype every piece of HTML code, retype every word, and upload every image from the last five months (okay not EVERYTHING – we figured that no one was interested in five-month-old news), and hit the publish button for every…single…one. We locked him in his office at an undisclosed location in Philly (no cheating OBob), and refused to let him out until absolutely everything was republished. Don’t feel too bad for him, as we slid food under the door, and it only took three weeks.

But what about the forums? To find out the answer to this and other questions, tune in next time to this same Vault Channel.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2009. | Permalink | No comment(s)

If you’re of a certain age (or at least have cable and can get Sleuth), then that phrase conjures up none other than the infamous A-Team. I was thinking about that last month while we were scrambling to restore Avault and make it “better, stronger, faster” than before.

We have an incredible team here at the Adrenaline Vault, and sadly, most of them go unnoticed as they creep around behind the scenes keeping things running. How important this team is became very evident a few weeks ago.

For those of you new here, let’s just say that Avault was on the brink of total annihilation! Think I’m exaggerating or exercising the heck out of my poetic license? Nope, not in the slightest. I’m NOT a tech monkey (ask any of my professors), so in layman’s terms…

The server was dying. It had become terminally ill in recent months, and refused to acknowledge the fact that it was even ill. There were warning signs, the occasional hiccup here and there, but whenever the doctors took a look at it, it refused to let them know all of its symptoms and just how grave the situation was. So, the well-meaning doctors would hand it a prescription and send it on its way. Unfortunately, while it was dying, it was also losing its memory. Little bits and pieces were falling away daily, and still, the poor server chugged along as best it could without saying a word. Its memories perhaps fading forever.

Finally, one cold February morning, nothing…nada…zip. No Avault! My first thought was maintenance (we do do that from time to time), but it soon became apparent (as everyone began to ask the same question) that we had gone poof! Emergency medics were called in, the drums were sounded, and everyone scrambled to learn the sad truth. We were dead in the water without a paddle and no backup! Was the site gone? Would we rebuild? Would OBob have no place to spread hate and discontent?

To find out the answers to these and other questions, tune in next time to this same Avault Channel.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2009. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Wow! 2008 is already more than half over, and I still haven’t even put a dent into my “to do” list. Oh well, there’s always 2009. It took me by surprise when I was asked what the best games so far this year were because I’m still waiting for some of my favs to release. In the mean time, yes, I’ve been playing games, but so far, 2008 isn’t matching up to the year we had in 2007.

That’s not to say there haven’t been good games or that there haven’t been games that I loved on release day, but the measure of a great game is one that’s still in the disk drive months (or in the case of the Civilization series, years) after release day. Notable titles have crossed my path these last seven months. Kingdom under Fire: Circle of Doom, Assassin’s Creed, Seven Kingdoms: Conquest, Lost Odyssey and Stronghold Crusader Extreme stuck in my head, but are they still being played? Not really. Lost Odyssey had a captivating storyline, but once it was done, it was done and shelved next to Oblivion and the early Kingdom under Fire titles.

The only game that still gets taken out of its box is Kingdom under Fire: Circle of Doom, and not by me. Its longevity is due to the fact that it has long term appeal to teens that enjoy getting together with a group online and tackling the same foes repeatedly on the extreme setting. They produce weapons for one another, work their way around the patches that were added to limit their abilities and have formed quite the little cult following. Do I think they’ll still be playing it this time next year? No, but for now, it appears to be the best 2008 has to offer.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2008. | Permalink | No comment(s)

It was an ordinary day. I kissed my hubbie good-bye, shipped my youngest off to school, started my eldest on her Algebra and Biology lessons, and then began my commute to work. I stopped off for coffee in the kitchen, and then dashed into the office (5 feet away) to check on my mail and get my work in order for the day. My assignment for the day: spend 8 hours with my Xbox and put together a review for the site. I put in the new disk, and was greeted with GRIIIND…WHIIIIR…followed by what I’ve been told is the “red ring of death.”

I’m not completely technologically deficient, so I of course checked the guilty disk (no scratches or grooves) and tried another disk, but with sadly the same results. My barely one-year-old console was ill, so I logged in to the MS doctors (tech support) and began the (is it just me) ridiculous process of troubleshooting. The end result. Make that call and talk to Max.

Max is Microsoft’s friendly tech support computer, and while he doesn’t seem at all patronizing, I’d been through this drill before when my system was brand new, and knew where this would end up. I was going to have to ship it back to the manufacturer and have it worked on AGAIN!!!

Now, this is my first 360. I bought it a year ago, and replaced the optical reader (don’t try to make them look pretty and vertical – keep them horizontal) within the first few weeks. I was under the impression that all warranties had been extended at the time, but soon learned that this was not the case. In the meantime, I also have two regualar Xboxes, and have never had a problem with either one in the five years they’ve been used, abused and moved around the world.

When my call was transferred from the oh so cheerful Max to somewhere where English and my accent make communication difficult, things got ugly. After ten minutes of reading off my 12 digit serial number that the tech support gentleman was convinced I was reading incorrectly becasue he kept receiving only 10 digits, he asked me if I tried another disk. (Well, duh, why else would I be talking to you?) “How many disk?” (Does is matter? Two should be sufficient, but let’s just say six) “No problem…” He then went into all of the detailed shipping instructions that I’d been through before, gave me my ticket number and then he dropped the bomb.

Since this is my “second repair” it would only cost me $99.99 for the repairs and shipping, and they’d throw in another year of warranty and 30 days of Xbox Live. Apparently my one year warranty that had been extended to two had run out two weeks prior. (Did I mention that I’d only bought it a year ago? Okay, a year and two weeks, but that’s still not two years.) There was no record of the second year warranty, so it was either pay the hundred bucks to repair my year-old almost 500 dollar system or live without. Options…I didn’t see any, but given the fact that the cost of repairs almost exactly equalled the balance of my checking account and that I refuse to give the credit card companies a dime…I said thank you and that I’d have to discuss it with my husband.

Hubby came home and hit the ceiling (he’s good like that) and issued expletives that I can not repeat here, except something about Bill Gates and Sasquatch toes. He is, however, a genius, and the 360 is fixed and in perfect working order. The cost? Just under 5 dollars, and about an hour of labor.

The Hitachi DVD drive that’s manufactured exclusively for Xbox 360 has a slight flaw. The spindle that holds in the disk is held on with glue, but this glue when subject to heat can melt over time. The top of the drive acts like a magnet — and whoosh. The spindle comes loose and gets stuck to the top of the drive. If this happens to you, you can actually see it if you peer inside.

The instructions that follow will void your warranty, but if you’re like me and facing the alternative… Anyway, I hope that these links help someone else down the road that finds themself in similar circumstances.

The first link shows you how to properly open up the console. It does mention the purchase of a special tool, but with the proper screwdriver bits, you can avoid the 65 dollar tool purchase (we found the one we needed in my husband’s Gerber tool kit).

The second link is an actual Youtube video that explains both the problem and the solution. All you need is a small tube of super glue and some patience.

Hopefully, you’ll never need these instructions.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2008. | Permalink | One comment

First, before the egg nog goes to my head, I’d like to congratulate our chief editor, David Laprad, on his upcoming wedding this month. And ask the question, who gets married over Christmas? He may think that he’s going to save on the gift giving, but as the only woman on staff, I must warn him and any of you that might consider it, you can’t count something as both a Christmas and an anniversary gift. She’ll smile, and “say” it’s okay, but she’ll never admit it to her mother.

And that brings me to the question of the season. What are you going to buy that special someone for Christmas? Diamonds are out of the question; she’ll think of all those poor children working in the mines and what Leo would think if she actually got to meet him. A new car? Let’s get real. With the current price of gas, she’d probably want an electric scooter instead. What that special someone REALLY wants is a new video game. Okay, maybe not the best gift for EVERYONE, but if she doesn’t want a video game, then what do you really have in common anyway? Keep the game for yourself. It’ll never complain about how much time you spend with your computer or why you only have energy drinks and beer in the fridge.

The following is my top ten list of must have games this Christmas.

1. Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom. I know it doesn’t come out until January 8th, but gift certificates are good, too.

2. Assassin’s Creed. This game ROCKS!!! Look for my review in the next week or so.

3. Crusader Kings: Deus Vult. I love taking over the world.

4. Empires in Arms. I love running the world.

5. Kane and Lynch. Really not my kind of game, but Jason made me want to play it with his review.

6. Guitar Hero III. A must have for EVERYONE.

7. Dance Dance Revolution. Work off those extra holiday calories!

8. Ultimate Duck Hunting. Remember how much you loved blowing away those cute little guys when you were a kid? It’s back and it’s brand new.

9. The Golden Compass. Let the adventure continue. The kids want it, they just don’t know it exists yet.

and finally…

10. Madden NFL ’08. So what if your team’s not going to the big game? You can take them there on your own.

Have an awesome holiday season!!!

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2007. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Eight p.m. usually indicates that dinner is done, the messes of the day have been handled, and all work and homework are complete for the night (or as done as they’re going to get).  You settle into your lazy girl recliner or scoop up that fuzzy blanket and settle in for three hours of escape (I know the increase in reality programming has made that more difficult every year, but work with me).

You click the remote and go, “Huh? Reruns!” Sadly folks, this might very soon be true.  It could be months before you find out if Bones and Booth are ever going to get down and dirty, if Sara will really walk away from looking for trace evidence on mutilated corpses, and if Chuck will get promoted to assistant manager of the Buy More.

DVDs are good, but Blockbuster takes at least a day or two to deliver the next three episodes and sometimes they arrive out of order.  If you’re like me, your DVR still has a month’s worth of prime time waiting to be watched, but then what?   History channel documentaries?  There’s only so much you can learn about the Winchester mansion.  Fortunately, there’s still a way to stay connected to your favorite show or television characters: play the games.

Many popular shows have taken advantage of the booming gaming industry (one of the reasons for the strike in the first place) and launched their own show-based games:

• American Idol for the PC and PS2
• Sponge Bob
• CSI
• 24: The Game for the PS2
• The Sopranos: Road to Respect for the PS2
• Lost, out in February for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
• Heroes (in development)

The list goes on, but these might help to get you started and tide you over until your favorite shows return to prime time.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2007. | Permalink | No comment(s)

I thought I’d start off this puppy by telling you a bit about myself and how I ended up here.  As you probably read in my bio (hopefully, you skipped right over my pic), I’m a grad student in Information Technology Management.  Basically, that long identifier just means I’m a tech geek that hopes to land a real job when I grow up.  Last spring, while studying for exams, I came across a link. (You know, the ones they put in the back of textbooks that say things like, “Would you like to know more?”)  I followed the link due to my obsessive nature to know everything I can about a topic so as to avoid any essay surprises on exam day, and found my way to Avault.  They just happened to be looking for new reviewers that day.

Games are nothing new for me, as I’ve been playing them since I can remember.  I was never any good at the old pizza shop games like (gasp) Space Invaders or Pac-Man, but another accident one Christmas got me hooked for life.  There was a stupid little electronic game called Dungeons & Dragons.  It was nothing more than a random puzzle with sound effects, but I wanted it, and my doting aunt lovingly obliged.  She did not, however, understand I was asking for an electronic game, so the sales clerk gave her something quite different.  That Christmas, I received a box.  Inside said box were three books, a set of strange looking dice and a green crayon (it was years before I figured out what the darn crayon was for).  I smiled, said thank you and went to bed that night very disappointed.  Months later, I was bored one day and started reading through the books.  The years that followed were filled with adventures I’d never imagined.

There have been many articles written over the years that fantasy gaming can kill, and that violent videogames can harm young minds.  Thankfully, my parents didn’t even know what those things were.  All they knew was that once a week, they were responsible for hosting game night for my friends and me, and that we played in the basement, rarely made noise and stayed out of trouble.

The games have moved out of the basement and into the living room, and now I’m that parent. The difference is that we play together as a family — everything from Medal of Honor to Dungeons & Dragons and Oblivion to Grabbed by the Ghoulies.  If it’s made for four-player gameplay, we’re there.  If not, we take turns. The house rule is that if you die, you pass the controller.

We might not be a typical family.  I work at home as a writer and go to school, one of my children is home schooled, the other attends private school, and my husband works at a nearby university. We’ve traveled and moved all over the world, but one thing hasn’t changed since before my husband and I were married.  Saturday night is game night, and we all play together.  Gaming provides a release, and fantasy gaming a creative outlet for young minds.  Watch them, yes, but let them play.

For you old school gamers, Saturday, November 3rd is Worldwide D&D Game Day.  Check out your local gaming supplier for fun and activities in which the whole family can join.

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2007. | Permalink | 4 comments