Jim Lynch: Off the Top of My Head…

Wow. This looks great. StarCraft II continues the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the legendary original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and brand-new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles [...]

Another cool game available via Steam. I bought it yesterday but haven’t had a chance to play it yet. The No. 1 online action game in the world, Counter-Strike: Source, is now available for Mac OS X via Valve’s Steam distribution platform, and is free for those who already own it on Windows. “CSS is [...]

Hmm. Has Valve actually confirmed this? I must have missed it if they did. I’d love to see it though. The Mac Steam client is pretty good and I have high hopes for the Linux version. Recent news that Valve Software will soon be releasing a Linux client promises to provide another option for Linux [...]

Team Fortress 2 was released this week and it’s Team Fortress 2 Free Weekend on Steam. Valve today released Team Fortress 2 on Steam for Mac alongside a wealth of unexpected bonuses, namely a new in-game “Training Mode,” the ability to play the game for free on PC or Mac until June 13, and a [...]

Well I reactivated my WAR account recently to play with a friend who had gotten the game. I was shocked to see so many servers reduced to low population status. When I left WAR it wasn’t too long after it’s initial release and it was packed with people. But when I returned it was like [...]

This guy has a good point, you can get REALLY carried away with adding mods to World of Warcraft: As Blizzard Entertainment’s designers created it, WoW is set in a pretty, almost placid Tolkienesque universe. But for the hardcore gamer, that pristine landscape is begging for augmentation. There’s just too much to track: At any [...]

I will be very happy indeed if DirectX is weakened by OpenCL and OpenGL. OpenGL is now more competitive with DirectX than ever. Microsoft’s stumble with Vista and its DirectX/Direct3D version 10 has also helped to stall its momentum in the market. Microsoft plans to add OpenCL-like support for GPGPU computing into DirectX 11 in [...]

And it’s going to be an MMO too. Hmm…well I can’t blame Lucas for wanting to take a ride on the MMO gravy train with this game. World of Warcraft is getting old and lame. And Warhammer Online doesn’t yet have a lock on its audience the way that WOW used to. So there’s a [...]

Well you don’t generally expect to read something like this about Apple. I didn’t expect much from games on the iPhone. I had visions of casual games, perhaps a fancy take on solitaire or a version of poker that takes advantage of the handset’s touchscreen. Surely not a true mobile gaming experience. Boy, was I [...]

Well, well, well…talk about power corrupting! Is it me or this more than a little ridiculous? If somebody misbehaves on the EA forums and they get banned then they also get banned from playing EA’s games? How absurd. I predict that this, along with the use of DRM, will end up resulting in lost sales [...]

FYI if you’re into AA, 2.3 is out for macs. Become a member of the world’s premier land force; trained and equipped to achieve decisive victory anywhere. Earn the right to call yourself a Soldier, letting the enemies of freedom know that America’s Army has arrived. Make a difference in the world-and in yourself-as you [...]

Interesting but still not enough to make me want a PSP. A small California software maker has developed a program designed to bring at least part of Apple Computer’s iTunes experience to the new Sony PlayStation Portable. The software, the latest in Information Appliance Associates’ series of PocketMac tools to link handheld devices with PCs [...]

Blizzard is still struggling with WOW’s success. I’ve seen some definite lag and been thrown off at least once (right as my group was about to enter the Scarlet Monastery…NOT a good time for the server to go down like that) but I still love WOW. My character has moved into his 40s and the [...]

Good thread on Slashdot about the demise of Tribes. I used to love Tribes 1. It was my favorite game. I haven’t played it in ages though. I’ve moved on to UT 2004 and World of Warcraft. I tried Tribes Vengeance and I really wanted to like it. But I just couldn’t warm up to [...]

Jim Louderback has a good analysis of Sony’s PSP. All in all, I think the PSP will be extremely popular among hard-core gamers, especially those who spend hours each week banging on their PS2s. I wouldn’t buy it for kids, though, because it’s too fragile. And I think the lack of robust media playback—non-writable UMD, [...]

Wow, this sounds cool! A blue dragon? Nice! Diremaul, a new dungeon for players level 56-60, is now open and ready for business. Diremaul is populated by a fierce tribe of ogres and is located in the western region of Feralas. Diremaul will be limited groups of no more than five players each. Two new [...]

Ars has a good review of WOW. The good, the bad and the ugly – Teldrassil style The good * It redefines addiction and takes it to a new level. It should be regulated by the FDA. * The environments are just gorgeous. * Nice backstory and a well-crafted, interconnected world. * Different classes, professions, [...]

Good overview of the gaming situation on Linux. Plus there’s an interview at the end with the Cedega Product Manager from Transgaming. I think Linux has a lot of potential but there needs to be much more direct support from gaming companies for it. It should not be any more difficult to install and run [...]

Macworld has a look at Doom 3 benchmarks. Also see the discussion thread in the Macworld forum. I wish I could say I was excited about seeing Doom 3 appear on OS X but I’m not. I am more excited about the idea of games based on the Doom 3 engine appearing though but, after [...]

Interesting details on the next gen game consoles. I feel very blase about these new systems though. I have a Gamecube gathering dust in my living room. These days I prefer online, multiplayer games on my computer to sitting in the living room and playing on the TV. Plus so many of the games for [...]