RENT

I picked up Generator Rex: Agent of Providence with the thought that despite it being for the 10-12 year old set, my five year old son might find it entertaining. I should caveat the rest of this review with the fact that we do not watch the show and had never heard of the series, but I am always up for a new game.

If you, like me, were unaware of the cartoon, here is the general idea: Nanites have infected everything and everyone on the planet, and they randomly mutate creatures. Some creatures manage to deal with the mutations and use them (such as Rex), but most go insane and become monsters. Rex can control his mutations and use them to neutralize the monsters and their mutations. He works for an organization called Providence, and they fight against the E.V.O.s (Exponentially Variegated Organisms). The main enemy is a bad guy named Van Kleiss.

The game is a basic hack and slash with a side scroll. You learn how to use all kinds of different mutations for different monsters and scenarios, such as jumping high or smashing through barriers. As you progress through the levels, you unlock new mutations you can use. When you kill monsters or break objects, you collect nanites that you can use to upgrade your weapons. Most level are a series of mobs followed one after another with an ending boss. There were two levels that did not follow that format: one was a motorcycle ride with a monkey E.V.O. and another that involved a ride on rock tablets through a tunnel while being chased by a huge boulder.

And that is when I quit the game. First, a boulder chasing you? Maybe a 10-12 year old would not understand why I found that irritating, but I am old enough to consider it a bit of a rip off. Second, the level was nigh unplayable for me. It involved a lot of timed jumps, and these are not my strong suit. I kept dying, and my frustration level kept going up. My husband took about five attempts to get through the FIRST section, but neither of us managed to get through the next one. Third, after an initial sense of awe and wonder, my five year old grew quickly bored with the game. He likes jumping and racing, so it had little to no appeal to him (although he did like me killing the monsters and perhaps I should rethink what a good idea this was). He would beg me to play, but he would wander off more quickly each time. Fourth, maybe it was just the DS controls, but I found myself relying on only one or two different weapons (I do not think I even unlocked them all) because switching back and forth required not only the buttons but the stylus and touchscreen. It was overly complicated for what should have been a fun, simple game.

How to save money this week on Games

Happy Sunday Angels! It’s the first weekend of the new year and I wanted to bring back our game sales article. Also, I’m up early and can’t sleep. That helps in being productive for me apparently. By now you might be done with your holiday releases and looking for something new to play. Below we’ll list the latest releases and where you can save money on games to add to your collection.

New Games this week:
My Pet Puppy 3D 3DS

And that’s it!

Here’s where you can save money:
Toys R Us
20% off all clearance video games and accessories
$50 gift cert with Xbox Kinect bundle purchase
$10 off the following games:
Black Eyed Peas Experience
Smurfs
Just Dance 2, 3, kids 2
Petz
Your Shape Fitness

Best Buy
Buy an Xbox consoles and a fitness game and get a FitBit free
Pre-order the Playstation Vita now and get it a week early
Free $20 gift card with purchase of 3DS
Free $20 gift card with purchase of Wii Fit
Spryo’s Adventure $59.99
Family Game Night 4 $29.99
Sonic Generations $29.99
Raymon 3D $19.99

Target
$299 Xbox Kinect bundle with Just Dance and FitBit

Between now and December 25, Dead Island is giving away some serious loot. You know, the kind of stuff that you can’t get by going through a zombie’s pockets. Each week, you can visit christmas.deadisland.com and answer a zombie- or Dead Island-related question (or solve a puzzle) to get some kind of prize (today: a holiday-themed wallpaper).

But that’s not the biggest thing. Every week has a Big Kahuna prize, of sorts. You could win:

• A collection of 10 classic zombie flicks on Blu-Ray
• A PS3 with a hand airbrushed Dead Island design
• A 46″ Sony Bravia 3D HDTV
• A 1 week vacation for 2 to a tropical island AND a hand airbrushed Dead Island Xbox 360

If you win the island getaway, be sure to take me along, okay?

One day, during a round of going between almost every Zynga game in existence, I realized that my toddler son (then about two and a half) kept tugging on my arms and climbing on my lap. At first, I was annoyed by the constant badgering, but then it occurred to me that he was bored, asking for my attention, and I was ignoring him for a fake farm.

Not my proudest Mom Moment.

I came close to just not playing any Facebook games at all because it was obviously causing issues in my relationship with my child. Not huge issues, I realize, but since I already worked 40 hours and went to school, my time at home was precious, and this was not how I really wanted to spend it.

Then I thought, “Wait. He likes watching me play, and he asks a ton of questions. He recognizes all the animals. He’s learning about money in a way. Maybe I can find games he will really enjoy, and we can play them together.” That is what the below games are about — toddler-safe games that my son had a great time watching me play (and even helping me play by telling me what to do!) and that I thought were fun as well. YMMV, of course.

1. Lucky Train (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucky-Train/123005897752167)

This game is similar in nature and function to your typical sim game except that the entire premise is your town is built around a train station. You build structures to get passengers which earn you money, and you use your neighbors to make connections for sending trains out. There is an easily collectible currency that allows you to buy most everything, and there is the obligatory special currency that you can buy with real money. My son loves trains, so he really enjoys this one.

2. Happy Aquarium (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Happy-Aquarium/181543998551269)

There are a few different aquarium games available on Facebook, but I chose this one over the other that I have played (Zynga’s Fishville) because the fish DO NOT DIE. They just disappear. One thing I did not want to explain to my toddler was the fish skeletons that you had to clean out of your tank in Fishville if you forgot to feed your fish in time. In Happy Aquarium, your tank gets dirty, you have to feed your fish, and there are lots of crazy extra animals and decorations that are really entertaining. But you never have to deal with fish skeletons. Yick.

My tank has been replaced by my husband’s tank because he has had WAY too much time on his hands. It is a showcase of crazy with dancers, SCUBA divers, sharks, turtles, and everything else. Again, an easy currency and one you can collect slowly or buy outright.

3. SuperPoke! Pets (http://www.facebook.com/sppets)

You pick out a baby animal. They are all really cute and range from cats and dogs to sheep and pandas. You can pick various backgrounds and decorate the scenes to your heart’s content. You can also plant a garden and grow plants that bloom into more stuff for your rooms. Caring for your pet involves feeding it, tickling it, keeping it clean, and playing with it. One of the best parts is that you can go through your friends’ pets and have your pet play with them which comes with some cute little visuals of pets on swings, slides, trampolines, etc. My son outgrew this one a little quickly, but it’s still on my list as being toddler-safe and adorable.

Please note: This game now links to an external website, but I still consider it primarily a FB games since it does link back and uses your Friends List.

4. Farmville (http://apps.facebook.com/onthefarm/index.php)

Maybe this selection is just me trying to justify my time spent on the game, but I really enjoyed playing it with my son. He loves animals, so he was always telling me which ones to collect from. (“Do the cows, Mommy!”) He loved the animal noises and the various decorations, and he was always telling me where things should go. I used it as an opportunity to educate him on various animals and their sounds as well as all the fruits, vegetables and flowers you could grow. I do not play it much anymore since he seems to have outgrown it, but we had a lot of fun with it when it was still holding his interest.

5. Dog Show Friends (http://apps.facebook.com/dogshowfriends)

Another cute pet game, but this one is sponsored by the National Dog Show, which is where I heard about it. You pick out a puppy, and then you feed it, teach it tricks, and let it sleep. They are freaking adorable, and my son got to help name the second one, and he loved telling me what tricks to teach it. I wish the dogs were more like the ones in the Nintendo game where we could actually see them do the tricks, but honestly, my son did not care. He just wanted me to feed them and see the outside of their doghouses. You can decorate the houses and dig up prizes on a daily basis, and again, special currency and normal currency is available.

My son also loved watching me play just about any game that had a nice interface with bright colors and items he could easily identify or relate to. He’s almost five now, so I will soon be looking for more educational games, but I like being able to spend time with him and share something I like doing. As long as he is having fun with me, I think it’s a good time.

What was your job at Xfire?
I started at Xfire as the first person to support the sales team, which was 2 people at that time. This included handling contract details, testing ads, creating new advertising programs, implementing ad server technology, and of course, tracking revenue. I basically did everything that wasn’t involved in the actual selling of the ads. Once we were acquired by MTV, I helped grow the team and integrate with their systems. I have to give a lot of credit for my personal career success to the people at Xfire. I had a fantastic boss and a great CEO, who’ve both given me some very useful advice for Team Robot.

Are there game titles which you have worked on that our readers would recognize?
Sort of! Xfire supported pretty much every game on the market. We didn’t make games, we supported them… which is similar to Team Robot’s approach. I also worked at Slide, the makers of SuperPoke Pets on Facebook.

What types of courses have you taught to kids about building websites?
The first course I taught was at the University of Illinois, about online advertising. They didn’t have an online advertising course at the time, even though they were the top advertising program in the country. So I paired up with a seasoned professor and we designed and taught the course together. I wish I kept the course plan… we reviewed the revenue models of weatherbug, search engines, and punch-the-monkey banner ads. It’s old news now! I also taught a web course at an after school program for high school students. The kids were fantastic! And several of them ran circles around me when it came to CSS and so on, so I learned a few things from them!

What does “monetize” mean?
It’s a fancy way of saying, “let’s make money.” It seems simple, but I’ve seen too many startups focus solely on their users, with no revenue model in mind. By the time they figure out how to make money years later, it’s often too late. I also run into a lot of individuals and small teams running modest websites that just don’t know where to begin when it comes to making money. Since they’ve often never been exposed to that side of the business, they struggle to identify various options to make money, how much revenue they should expect or what levers to pull to increase revenue. I enjoy helping those small website owners learn the ropes.

Do you think that ads should appear in games?
Yes, but not in the traditional sense that most people think about. First, we need to get one thing straight… advertisers provide a service. In exchange for your attention, they give you something at a lower cost, or even free. This is how network TV and websites operate… it’s a very valuable and fair service. However, the lines are getting blurry and I think that’s a mistake. For example, product placements in movies and the ads before movies are fine, as long as I receive some value for that. Is my ticket price at the box office lower because I watched the previews? It should be. Now back to answering your question… advertisers can provide a lot of value and have fun with it in games. Give me 10 gold in Warcraft for every day that I wear a Mountain Dew tabard. Let me tweet about Nike to earn rewards for in-game pets. League of Legends sells skins for your favorite heroes, what if I could get an 80’s skin, for free, to promote the upcoming Footloose remake? This type of value-trade is the direction I think the advertising and game industry should go. It helps the brands, and it gives users get something fun in return, for free.

Were you always planning to work in the games industry?
I actually always wanted to be in the advertising industry… which was well before Mad Men made it seem so fun and sexy. I realized the ad agencies were pretty far behind the times when it came to online advertising, just like every corporation and even the Universities. So, I moved to silicon valley, where the innovation happens, and set my sights on Xfire. I got the job, and the rest is history.

You have said that you love helping geeks figure out how to make money on the web, so give us your top three tips?
1. Step 1: Make a short list of viable revenue options. Start by jotting down every creative way you can make money with your web project. Advertising, pay for premium services, subscriptions, etc, then narrow it down. To help with this exercise, have a beer, then make a list of websites you’ve given money to and those who’ve had a pay-service that make you scoff in disbelief. Then identify what made you take those actions, and apply the same logic to options on your list.
2. Step 2: Focus on the customer. Don’t stress about making a lot of money yet, instead build out the web project so your customers have a great experience and keep coming back. You won’t make any money if your customers don’t like your site. Test out your top revenue idea on the customer base, even if it’s small, and measure conversion.
3. Step 3: Iterate. Iterate. Iterate. Keep your site fresh with new ideas, always testing features to grow your customer base and their satisfaction. And continue to iterate on your revenue model. Changing things up doesn’t mean you’ve failed, it’s quite the opposite. It shows a level of flexibility that most people don’t have, and that flexibility often leads to success. Team Robot started out with 1 revenue model and we’re testing an alternate model later this year, and I expect several more iterations.
And above all else, always practice fair business. You’ll find people along the way that will suggest things like once you get subscribers, make it hard for them to cancel. Sure, if you mislead people on purpose, you will get extra revenue, but only in the short-term. If you let them cancel, it will hurt, but you’ll start to learn why they want to cancel. Knowing that piece of information is incredibly important for iterating on your product and eventually making it successful. You’ll find a lot of people strongly disagree with this advice, but you will always find me running my businesses this way. The decision is up to you.

Labor Day weekend is sometimes viewed as the last weekend of summer. But it started as a celebration for workers and their families. A way to relax from all the “labor”. The modern day version of that relaxation can mean to do nothing but play video games. To that point, Namco Bandai is helping gamers do that and save money too. The games will be discounted at the indicated pricing from 7 p.m. PST Thursday, September 1 until 10 a.m. PST Tuesday, September 6. Most games are at 50% off and are for iOS and Android devices.

Here is the list of games and their sale prices:
NBGA Titles App Store Device Current price Current In App Price Sale Price
More Brain Exercise Amazon Marketplace Android $ 2.99 N/A $ 1.49
TNA Wrestling iMPACT! Amazon Marketplace Android $ 4.99 N/A $ 2.49
Isaac Newton’s Gravity Google Android Marketplace Android $ 1.99 N/A $ 0.99
More Brain Exercise Google Android Marketplace Android $ 2.99 N/A $ 1.49
Ms. PAC-MAN Google Android Marketplace Android $ 2.99 N/A $ 1.49
PAC-MAN Championship Edition Google Android Marketplace Android $ 2.99 N/A $ 1.49
PAC-MAN Google Android Marketplace Android $ 2.99 N/A $ 1.49
Pool Pro Online 3 Google Android Marketplace Android $ 2.99 N/A $ 1.49
TNA Wrestling iMPACT! Google Android Marketplace Android $ 4.99 N/A $ 2.49

Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima Apple App Store iPad $ 1.99 N/A $ 0.99
Fossil Feast Apple App Store iPad $ 1.99 N/A $ 0.99
House of Glass Apple App Store iPad Free $4.99 $ 1.99
Isaac Newton’s Gravity – iPad Apple App Store iPad Free $4.99 $ 1.99
Mishap for iPad Apple App Store iPad $ 4.99 N/A $ 1.99
Mooniacs Apple App Store iPad $ 1.99 N/A $ 0.99
More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima HD Apple App Store iPad $ 6.99 N/A $ 2.99
Ms. PAC-MAN for iPad Apple App Store iPad $ 4.99 N/A $ 1.99
PAC-CHAIN Apple App Store iPad $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
PAC-MAN for iPad Apple App Store iPad $ 4.99 N/A $ 1.99
Pool Pro Online 3 for iPad Apple App Store iPad $ 1.99 N/A $ 0.99
Stroke of Midnight Apple App Store iPad Free $4.99 $ 1.99
ACE COMBAT Xi Skies of Incursion Apple App Store iPhone $ 4.99 N/A $ 2.99
DigDug REMIX Apple App Store iPhone $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
Galaga REMIX Apple App Store iPhone $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
Isaac Newton’s Gravity – iPhone Apple App Store iPhone $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
Mishap Apple App Store iPhone $ 4.99 N/A $ 1.99
More Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima Apple App Store iPhone $ 4.99 N/A $ 1.99
Mr. Driller Apple App Store iPhone $ 1.99 N/A $ 0.99
Ms. PAC-MAN iPhone Apple App Store iPhone $ 4.99 N/A $ 1.99
PAC-ATTACK Apple App Store iPhone $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
PAC-CHAIN Compact Apple App Store iPhone $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
PAC-MAN Apple App Store iPhone $ 4.99 N/A $ 1.99
PAC-MAN Championship Edition Apple App Store iPhone $ 4.99 N/A $ 0.99
PAC-MAN REMIX Apple App Store iPhone $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
PAC-MANIA Apple App Store iPhone $ 1.99 N/A $ 0.99
Pole Position: Remix Apple App Store iPhone $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
Pool Pro Online 3 Apple App Store iPhone $ 1.99 N/A $ 0.99
Ridge Racer Accelerated Apple App Store iPhone $ 6.99 N/A $ 2.99
Splatterhouse Apple App Store iPhone $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
Star Trigon Apple App Store iPhone $ 1.99 N/A $ 0.99
Tamagotchi: ‘Round the World Apple App Store iPhone $ 4.99 N/A $ 1.99
TimeCrisisStrike Apple App Store iPhone $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
Time Crisis 2nd Strike Apple App Store iPhone $ 6.99 N/A $ 2.99
Buccaneer Blitz Apple App Store iPhone / iPad bundle $ 2.99 N/A $ 0.99
Puzzle Quest 2 Apple App Store iPhone / iPad bundle $ 6.99 N/A $ 3.99

In Companions there are two game modes, which are the quick play ‘Single Map’ mode, and the Campaign mode. Each of the members of the four person team has a little backstory. The controls are simple taps on the characters and then a tap on the enemies to attack. Each party member has three special skills that they can equip at a time. They are limited by cool down times as you would normally see.

Graphics are limited. It’s very pixelish. You don’t actually see your characters in three dimensions. They look like little icons, or pac men. I’m not one for retro style gaming, it might be a love it or hate it type of choice of tastes. I prefer the newest most cutting edge in graphics and gameplay. The old days don’t hold any charm for me. Also the characters are so tiny and hard to see, it is difficult to know what they are doing. For the amount of graphics that are here, it might as well be a text adventure.

There were a few things that bugged me with this game. Annoyingly your characters will not attack correctly unless they are in range of the enemies and facing the right direction it’s a pet peeve of mine. I thought we were done with that old problem, now that we’re using iPads. I don’t know what they were going for here when they have competition like Order and Chaos by Gameloft to contend with. The group formation and party-wide commands do make the game act more like a strategy game, or even a puzzle game than an RPG.

Another problem is that the four of them are always are always static Minotaur, Female Elf, Human, and Dwarf and are not customizable. There are three classes to choose from for each of the the races in the four member party that changes up their stats, but still not enough to make it interesting, or to keep up with other iOS games. This one still needs some work because when you tap a particular character and nothing happens it leads to unnecessary deaths.

Companions has an inventory system, with randomized drops falling you can collect loot. Although there isn’t any shop, yet anyways. There is a way to control time in the game which is different. Called a ‘tactical pause’ it stops the game while you set up. The time is limited, but it provides a work around for the other troubles in the game.

Though Companions isn’t a perfect game it will appeal to those who like strategy games and don’t mind a challenge. If you go into it without expectations you may find it to your liking. It has the retro ambiance to it that some people really like.

It has superior graphics, and a beautiful art-style for the backgrounds. There is lots of magical glitter around. Special effects move the cutscenes and animations along with cleverly used transitions. There are flowing fountains and decorative ponds surrounded by gardens. The animal Guardians in the game who are outfitted with brass fittings that are able to translate animal to human speech. The animals aren’t the only nod to steam punk in the game. Entire areas look like they have been detailed with shiny brass whatnots. It is beautiful, and once again like the first Empress of the Deep, all those pipes and plumbing, electronics and arcing electricity, is very reminiscent of the original game of Myst. My iPad Screen Shots:

Make your own animation

Far from being just a static hidden object puzzler, the game keeps you thinking. Although the puzzles are very easy to solve, the objects aren’t always easy to see or where you would expect them to be. Of course there are locked doors and passageways, but you will have to use all of your puzzle skills to get past them. One of the best parts of the game is the sound. The music is pretty, and it changes from one area to the next. The underwater bubble noises are soothing, and you do hear a little bit of whale song added into the mix.

The full version of the game is worth the price. They also did something different and they have a Collector’s Edition with extra content. The very best part is that you can enjoy a lengthy Free demo of the game from the Apple App Store.

Prior to joining Turbine, Linda was an independent design and project management consultant, and Creative Director at Create Studios, Inc. She was at while at Blue Fang Games, and was Design Manager of the design department. She worked as a Producer of Zoo Tycoon 2: Marine Mania, and was Lead Designer on Zoo Tycoon 2: Endangered Species and Senior Game Designer on the best-seller Zoo Tycoon: 2. Before that she was Executive Producer for Strategy First, and before that… well, you get the idea…30 years is a long time!

Linda was co-founder of the former Sirtech Canada. While at Sirtech she was the Project Lead on the award-winning RPG Wizardry 8 and Co-designer of the Jagged Alliance strategy role-playing series.

Linda Currie is an industry veteran dating back to the early 1980’s, holds a B. Sc. in Economics from the Wharton School of Business and has extensive experience creating and working within teams of various sizes and functions.

Geek Woman: As a gaming industry veteran what changes have you seen affecting the role of women in game design since the eighties?

Linda Currie: There is little doubt that women are holding a wider variety of roles, including very influential roles in some of the largest gaming companies that exist and that there are more of them. Is that because there are simply more roles due to a growth in the overall industry, or is it due to an increase in the proportion of women in the industry? Alas, that’d be a good question that I’m totally ill-equipped to answer as I’ve had the pleasure of working with other women on almost every project I’ve worked on…. even in the 80s!

It seems like there are more women gravitating to art and design in gaming than there was before, are you seeing this change at all on a daily basis?

I see more and more women in every sort of role, not just art and design. As far as noting change on a daily basis?  Nope, can’t say I’ve observed change at quite that level of granularity.

If you were starting over today, attempting to break into the gaming industry, how would you do it?

These days there are more and more options for getting a foot in the door of the gaming industry but the most commonly used is through QA.  Of course with there are 1000x as many people looking to get a foot in the door so some other things to consider are:

There are an increasing number of game development programs being offered at schools throughout the country. When I first saw game development appear as academic course offerings (many years ago), I was skeptical. Since then I have seen the knowledge they bring to their students and having met and hired many great candidates graduating from these courses, I can attest first-hand to their value.  So getting into one of those programs won’t hurt and the opportunity to intern somewhere or simply make a personal connection to someone working in the industry is just the boost you need.

There are numerous other things you can (and should) be doing. Visit the wealth of game development related websites. Consider internships, paid or even unpaid if you can afford it. (Large companies often have official internship programs but your role may be small… small companies on the other hand often rely on developers wearing many hats and may expose you to a lot more variety.) Become a game guru on a given game and get yourself recognized by the devs. Read job postings to see what different roles are looking for… and develop those skills. Read books to help you understand the concepts of game design and the process behind it.

But ultimately, when you’re in a crowd of a 1000 people, whether you’ve gone to “game school”, have read every game development book known to man or have expertly mastered game X, you need to do things to get yourself noticed. Create things yourself. Teach yourself tools. Compile a portfolio of work. And make sure you make it’s easy for a prospective employer to see, read or experience your stuff. Do this and show off skill and initiative at the same time!

What challenges are there in working on design in a game that has so much source material to consider?

A couple challenges come immediately to mind. We know that our particular source material is incredibly iconic and very much loved by such a huge audience. This puts great responsibility on us to ensure we handle it with care and respect.  Then there is the incredible detail that exists in Middle-earth. It’s a lot to keep track of. Fortunately we have amazing (and much loved) Middle-earth experts on our LOTRO team and they are an essential ingredient in our ability to deliver such a rich and authentic experience to our players.

On a long running game like LOTRO, what projects are there for you to work on?

An endless variety actually! For every project we could possibly undertake, I typically put a colored sticky note on my wall. My office is now a mosaic of colored pieces of paper! We have so many things we’d like to do that there is never any doubt that we’ll run out. Our biggest dilemma is which to pursue next! And while I wish I could share some specifics (and I bet you’d like to hear ‘em), I’m afraid I have to leave you in the dark as to what those projects are for now J

Can you tell us what being a Design Director means for those who don’t know?

For me it means planting creative seeds and watching them hopefully grow into huge plants. It means providing guidance, giving feedback, sharing and shaping ideas, and acting as a liaison between design and other departments. It means problem solving. It means planning, planning and more planning. Planting more seeds. More problem solving. More planning. Rinse and repeat.

What types of tasks do you have to perform in your job?

My days are really never the same and the things I do each day are constantly changing. But there are some constants… lots of meetings, lots of email, and lots of conversations. I do little to no actual game design. I know, sounds weird huh? The reality is that I work with a team of excellent designers and they do the hands-on game design.  I get to plant seeds J

Were you a fan of LOTR prior to working at Turbine?

Yes, absolutely. I was first introduced to Middle-earth from the books… geesh, I can’t even remember how many years ago that was (either that or I refuse to count that high!) That triggered a great love of fantasy worlds and fiction.  And perhaps with that early exposure to the quintessential party-based adventuring story, it’s no wonder that my introduction to Wizardry with its party-based game play so successfully pulled me into this industry forever.

Are you playing LOTRO yourself?

Yup! I’m especially fond of my Lore-master J.

What are some of your all time favorite games, or game art?

Now that’s a hard question. There are so many games that gave me such great experiences that a favorites list would be really long… and it would go back a really, really long time.  Without doubt though, the two franchises that have had the biggest and most far-reaching impact on me were Wizardry and Jagged Alliance… without those experiences, who knows whether I’d even be here completing this interview for you today!

How to save money this week on Games

Happy Sunday Angels! It’s a beautiful day outside, and I hope you are enjoying it. Also there are a ton of sales, so that makes for some good shopping! Now let’s see where we can save money on the games we love to play!

New out this week:
NCAA Football 2012 (360, PS3)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (360, PS3, Wii,DS, PC)
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition (PS3, PC)

Where to save money:
Toys R Us
Buy 1 get 1 half off for games priced $19.99 or less
Free $50 gift card with 360 Kinect Bundle purchase
All Band Video Game Bundles are on sale
All DJ Hero, Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk video game bundles are on sale
Cars 2 360 $39.99
Mortal Kombat $39.99
Call of Duty Black Ops $49.99

Best Buy
Buy any two games get the third game free
Duke Nukem Forever $39.99
Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Dead Space 2, Resistance Dual Pack : $39.99 each

Target
Save $20 on Madden with purchase of any two 360 or PS3 games
Dragon Age II $39.99
Crysis 2 $39.99
Masters $39.99
Bulletstorm $29.99

And if you are looking for more, don’t forget the Summer Steam sale which ends today!