The premise is simple. You start with nothing to your name, spawning in the middle of a forest, on a mountain, on top of a cliff, or in any one of the vastly different biomes. You quickly set off to build the essentials for the night: You need a pickaxe to mine for coal for torches, which you need to build on a workbench, preferably inside a small, enclosed help. When night falls, the mobs spawn, and it quickly turns into a game of survival. As you explore the countryside, dig deep mines, and amass a collection of resources, you in term build better items, equipment, and building blocks to construct massive structures, elaborate traps, creative musical feats, and much more.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about what makes this game awesome.

1) It’s rewarding

There’s a very simple mechanic at play here: you are a witness to your own triumphs. Whether it’s a huge transportation system using minecarts, a decadent mansion, a giant stone castle, or massive mining operation, you get to create your own world how you want it. And frankly, you’re able to do some amazing stuff.

Some examples:

• We built a giant pyramid out of cobblestone, lined with torches, and topped with a golden tip.
• Built into the side of the pyramid, there is an obsidian entry that delves deep into the center of the earth, that opens up into a giant cavern with lava pouring out of the ceiling, and a single walkway to reach the other side — where it turns out you’re in a satanic shrine.
• Outside the pyramid, in a nearby desert, a pixel-perfect replica of the Aricebo Message towers into the skyline.
• In a far-away jungle, a fortress is built upon the tallest cliff, being seen from anywhere on the island, and a giant tower peaks out of it.

2) It’s creative

I have a simple thought on this:

The game is as creative as you are. The more imagination you have, the more you will get out of the game.

Having a child-like wonder when exploring worlds and creating your own place in it is paramount to having a fun time in this game. If you find you aren’t terribly creative, imaginative, or just think too much about everything, this game probably isn’t for you.

It’s essentially Lego for gamers.

There’s also a ton of creativity when it comes to mods and texture packs for the game. Basically, you can change the game to kind of have it be whatever you want it to be.

3) You make your own fun

The game gives you no objectives. There’s no purpose in the world. You’re here to do what you want. And like it’s working on projects (hopefully collaboratively, it shines online), it is fun to create a great many accomplishments.

There’s tons of projects. For the logically minded, you can use redstone circuitry to create an actual CPU. For those more creatively, you can create your own pixel artworks (oh, here’s another cool pixel art gallery). Want to create a massive underground maze system? Why not?! Maybe put a chest with an awesome treasure at the end. Maybe create a massive cliff-side fortress. Maybe create an intriquite trap system with locking doors, drops into lava, or rooms filled with zombies. Why not?! While you’re at it, you can create a giant dirt mound in the middle of an ocean with a house on top, or an underground golden palace.

Does this all sound too epic? You can build a wood house next to a pond, creating a small farm, planting and harvesting crops in the day and sleeping through the night. Sometimes, you just need the simple pleasures to make it through the day.

You basically just get an idea, and you do it. You make your own fun.

Conclusion

There’s really no better word to describe MineCraft than addicting. I’ve played it off-and-on, for awhile, but when I get into it, I get really sucked in. It’s scary addictive. You can get a taste of what MineCraft is like by trying out MineCraft classic on their website. And as long as you’ve got a creative mind and the ability to make your own fun, you’re going to love this game. Trust me.

As some of you know, I’m the founder, webmaster, graphic designer, and guest shoutcaster over at QuakeLive.tv. Quake Live TV runs very much like a business, but we’re all volunteers and our costs are paid for by donations (thanks to an awesome, supportive community).

So what is Quake Live TV? Well, it’s an organization that broadcasts live, competitive video game matches with some of the top professionals. While a lot of our coverage is of community-run events, a lot of our coverage is of the professionals competing in high-level tournaments. We’ve covered over 1,000 competitive matches in our one and half years of operation, with some of our more popular live broadcasts reaching thousands and thousands of live spectators simultaneously. In the past year, we’ve had over 400,000 visitors on our website.

To sum it up: we’re the #1 broadcasting organization in North America Quake Live coverage, and we’re slowly becoming one of the more reputable names in eSports.

While some people scoff at the idea of playing video games professionally, some do pretty well. For example, Anton "Cooller" Singov (who is coming to QuakeCon) has made more than $130,000 in his career. Sure, he’s not going to be able to retire on winnings from professional gaming, but it’s still a good chuck of cash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_Singov

For those of you that are curious as to what competitive gaming is all about, I wrote a four-page magazine article that details the ins-and-outs of the scene.

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Back to the big news:
Quake Live TV is going to be the exclusive broadcaster of QuakeCon 2010.

So, what is QuakeCon? What does this mean?

Here’s a snippet of the Press Release:

Quake Live TV, a community-run broadcasting organization, is set to provide exclusive video coverage of QuakeCon 2010. QuakeCon, the largest LAN party in North America, is hosted annually in Dallas, TX and is home to the Intel® QUAKE LIVE® Masters Championship. Known as one of the most prestigious gaming tournaments worldwide, this year boasts a prize pool of over $50,000. After three years of main-stage action QUAKE LIVE® remains a top choice for competitive gamers.

Check out the rest of the press release on GamesIndustry.biz. I actually wrote the majority of the press release.

Essentially, QuakeCon is a big deal. Biggest LAN in North America, biggest free LAN in the world, and it hosts thousands of gamers at the event with tens of thousands tuning into the coverage from around the world.

My company is going to be that coverage.

I’m really happy to go there and be working alongside my fellow founders Steve "GreasedScotsman" Huff and Ben "FishStix" Goldhaber. These guys are legit. Also along with our promotion to the official coverage team means we get comped rooms, VIP passes, interviews with Bethesda and id Software execs, and a lot more really cool things.

In fact, if anyone has any questions for id Software, Bethesda Game Studios, Splash Damage, Respawn Entertainment (the founders of Infinity Ward, the guys who made call of Duty), Arkane Studios, or any of the pro gamers… let me know!

Anyway, I’m super excited about this and just wanted to share it. Hopefully you guys tune and I have your support!

Matt "Mattc0m" Richards
www.quakelive.tv

• KOTOR 2
  I’m super excited to get my hands on this one, because I’ve been wanting to try out the Restoration Mod for ages. Now I get to! I’m installing it right now, actually. Woo!
• Mercenaries 2
  The first Mercenaries was one of my favorite console games of all time. The destructible environments, the ability to hijack anything, the warzone environment, a huge arsenal of airstrikes, artillery, and bombing runs. the ability to drop vehicles anyway. There was simply a massive amount of carnage and a very cool sandbox approach to it that just worked. Sadly, that was the first one. While the second one promised all the same things, and more, it got crummy reviews, so I did not get it. However, on sale I picked it up for really cheap. and it’s turned out to be not so bad! I’ve made it a bit over half way through, and it’s pretty damn intense. However, it’s a bit buggy, the graphics are so/so, and the storyline is horrid. But, coming into this game with very low expectations, I was pleasantly surprised!
  Score: 7/10
  
• Company of Heroes
  I’ve been replaying this classic with a friend. Mainly, we’ve been digging into the LAN skirmishes and battles. Whether it’s a 2v2 versus computers, 1v1 matches, or any other sort of arrangement – we’ve been having a blast. I only had really focused on the single player when I played a couple years ago, and replaying with a focus on the multiplayer aspects has been fun. What a classic RTS! It’s really made me want to pick up World in Conflict, though. The macro-heavy, tactical RTS games have really gotten so much better, thanks to games like CoH and WiC!
  Score: 9/10

View some cool trailers of upcoming games by reading more.

I’ve been really looking forward to Dragon Age, Borderlands, Halo 3 ODST, Bad Company 2, Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Brutal Legend, and more. The thing is, I’ve got to narrow it down to pick only a few. It’s so difficult! Here’s some cool, recent trailers.

Left 4 Dead 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Dragon Age: Origins

It’s a pretty good time to be a gamer. However, It’s not a good time to be a poor college student.

Such a simple concept. Play Quake 3 online, for free. Add in a friend’s list, matchmaking, skill levels, statistics, awards, and other community features? Nice. Did I mention it was free?

You play it right from your browser – only a quick, two minute install before you’re playing. You can play within the browser window, or set it up into full-screen. You can edit and tweak all the options to your heart’s desire – it’s essentially the Quake 3 engine.

The more I play it, the more I am addicted. It’s quickly taking over my “game to play” when I’m bored and need a 5-10 minute distraction (which often turns into 15-20 minutes). This was once a niche that Counter-Strike: Source filled for me. but now it is Quake Live.

Check it out at www.quakelive.com – it’s in public beta right now! Free, fast, and fun! I give it a big thumbs up – Quake 3 is a smooth, classic FPS gameplay that is very straightforward. It keeps to the basics, and that’s a hell of a good idea.

Also keep in mind we’re developing a shoutcasting website for Quake Live at www.quake-live.tv

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View my Game of the Year selections for 2008. A bit late, yes, I know… but better late than never!

Watch as Fable 2, Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, Sins of a Solar Empire, Call of Duty: World at War, and many other top caliber games compete for one of the top 10 spots on this year’s list!

Please give me your comments and feedback on my selections.

Thanks!

Ever since the invention of bots within Counter-Strike, people have been restricting them to use knives only. and putting massive numbers of bots. Nothing is quiet as fun as mowing down dozens of rushing bots. Well, that idea expanded into actual “Zombie” modifications within Counter-Strike, which provided a lot of replay value. The idea of battling zombies within the Source engine can be largely accredited due to these inventive modders.

[singlepic=92,115,100,,left]So then the idea of Left 4 Dead was born: a teamwork focused game where you and three other survivors had to battle zombies throughout infested cities, towns, and countryside. And who doesn’t like destroying massive amounts of brainless zombies? It’s a lot of fun. Toss in “boss” zombies, the ability to revive fallen teammates, limited ammo and items, and a few other key features, it really gives you a fun gameplay experience.

The most inventive feature they touted was the AI that orchestrated the battle – dynamically determining zombie numbers, where items were placed, when bosses would spawn, when the “horde” would rush, and many other elements. This AI makes decisions to keep the battles frantic, then build up suspense, then throw you back into the fray again. It is accompanied with dramatic, moody music that keeps your heart pumping.

[singlepic=93,115,100,,left]The single most impressive aspect of the game is the level design. The game looks and runs beautifully, but the level design is spot on. Not only does it look great, but every area seems realistic, yet you’re always flowing in the right directions. Even though it is pretty linear, the wide open maps and long view distances make it feel rather non-linear. But as you twist and turn through sewers, hospitals, abandoned houses, offices, airports, tunnels, and forests. you’re always experiencing something new and different throughout the levels.

Teamplay is the pure, focused center of Left 4 Dead. If you wander off by yourself, you’ll quickly be surrounded by zombies or grabbed by a boss. But more than that, you’re required to keep track of your friend’s back, give them a health back if needed, share locations of grenades and health pills, and other vital communication. The different types of weapons play a nice role together, offering shotguns, snipers, and rifles to help you plow through the zombie hordes, so everyone needs to balance out.

[singlepic=90,115,100,,left]The best way to describe Left 4 Dead would be “chaotic.” And this is an entirely positive remark. The chaos of the game makes you constantly on the edge of your seat, running away from zombies, killing off as many as you can. This pure, unadulterated madness is entertainment in its purest form. It’s an absolute blast when you’ve got zombies surrounding you everywhere, guns blazing, people going down, and your friends screaming at each other.

My biggest complaint is that the entire game is a bit bland. It lacks character, it lacks charm, and as a whole it can be rather forgettable. The characters lack any sort of depth, so much when someone dies, you don’t feel any remorse or even the slightly tinge of concern. If you’re boiling it down to movie terms: it’s all action, but there’s no drama. Which is a bit unfortunate, because the game could be better if there was a better sense of realism and authentic to it all. it would let you delve deeper into the experience and become absorbed. Sadly, that doesn’t really happen.

[singlepic=91,115,100,,left]Left 4 Dead accomplishes what it was trying to do, but at the same time, I wish it tried to do more. Left 4 Dead is a marvelous, no holds barred action-packed experience. Well it does offer a few scares at first, once you become accustomed to the game, it’s not an entirely scary, deep, or immersive experience. Instead, it’s chaotic, fun, and fast action gameplay. It has superb sound, graphic, and level design, and technically it’s a fantastic game. The focus on teamplay works well, and so it’s enough to set it apart from other shooters. By itself, Left 4 Dead is a great game. But due to its focus on teamplay, if you have a buddy or two to play it with, it’s an even better game.

[rating:8.5/10] 85%

Spore is a game that had a ton of ambition. From The Sims and SimCity creator Will Wright, people were expecting a deep simulation game – from cell stage to controlling an entire galaxy. What they got was a fusion of a casual game and deep, customization toolset. That being said, these leaves people who were expecting a real simulation or strategic game elements sadly disappointed.

[singlepic=94,115,100,,left]Before Spore was even released, the put out the Spore Creature Creator. This was pretty entertaining, it was full of customizations, different ways to make creatures, and limitless possibilities. It was incredibly creative, and it allowed a certain ease of use along with a ton of features. This felt really well done, and it was fun to make about a half dozen creatures in maybe two hours. After I had my fun with the editor, I eagerly awaited the game.

Sadly, the editor is by far the best part of the game. It is relatively easy to use, yet it is incredibly deep, has tons of options, and you feel both creative and accomplished. You get similar editors for building cells, to buildings, to tanks, to spaceships. These editors aren’t exactly a draw for me, though. I wanted to bite down into some deep, interesting gameplay.

[singlepic=97,115,100,,left]Spore lacks any sort of deep, interesting gameplay. The gameplay, put simply, is shallow and boring. You could call it “casual,” sure, but Spore is a prime example of an excellent idea being dumbed down to appeal to a mass audience. Sadly, it loses all respect from any gamer looking for an actual challenge or anything genuinely interesting. It has the most basic ideas when it comes to each of the phases, but lacks any sort of depth or strategy beyond the surface. How could expanding from the cellular level to the galactic level be such a bland, boring experience?

Spore does have good graphics, and runs relatively smoothly. The real gem is all the variety in the creatures, planets, buildings, and other additions. Maxis had a solid base to start on, but the incredibly creativity of the user-built creations makes the game much more fun. This system of downloading user content automatically works well, and you always seem to get cool, unique stuff in your world. This idea works well, and is one the big key points of the game.

[singlepic=96,115,100,,left]My six year old brother probably had more enjoyment out of the game than I did, fooling around in the Creature Editor for hours. I just couldn’t lose myself in all the customizations and creations like he could, and thus I feel I wasn’t really who the game was targeted towards.

I wanted that simulation from the cell stage to the galaxy stage, I wanted to get lost in deep and interesting gameplay, I wanted each stage to be full of strategy and decisions. Sadly, everything was boiled down to a “good” or “evil” decision – basically, do you ally yourself and eat veggies, or do you eat other creatures and conquer other civilizations? Needless to say, I was the “evil” one.

[singlepic=98,115,100,,left]Overall, Spore leaves me torn. All the user-created content, how it’s dynamically added into your world, and the graphic engine make everything look so cool. The editor is fun, for a bit, but editing and creating new “stuff” isn’t really my thing. I’d rather just play the darn game. and that’s where it breaks down. Playing the game isn’t really nearly as fun or deep as it should be. I felt undeniably bored when I finished my first game, and really never felt like digging back into the game again.

[rating:6.5/10] 65%

Post-apocalyptic games are becoming more and more common, but the Fallout series has always been a step above with its combination of retro styling, devastated landscapes, and a complete and realistic post-apocalyptic world. Fallout 3 continues this trend, but moves to a brand new engine, as well as a new perspective. Despite the changes to the series, is it still a groundbreaking phenomenal game? The answer, of course, is yes.

[singlepic=86,115,100,,left]The single greatest quality that Fallout 3 achieves so perfectly is the atmosphere. The eerily futuristic world in which civilization has been destroyed is remarkably spot on. The land is devoid of life, the urban landscape are abandoned and dark, and the countryside is desolate and war-torn. The entire world is so realistic, and looks so amazing graphically, that it’s hard not to get lost in it.

The gameplay is strong, drawing certain elements from Fallout, but also adding and improving on those ideas. The change of perspective in this next generation Fallout proves to be successful, and draws you even further into the world. Exploration, leveling up, character interaction, questing, and other discoveries are all compelling and fun, making the game one entertaining piece after the next.

[singlepic=88,115,100,,left]Combat, the cornerstone of this game, is fast, violent, and fun. It’s definitely a huge step over Oblivion, which combat felt a bit drab and dull in. Instead, you’re greeted with over-the-top visuals, guns that pack a serious punch, and just crazy mayhem all around. Whether you’re blasting a Super Mutant’s head off with a sniper rifle, planting a series of mines that’ll explode the legs off your pursuers, or pulling out a flamethrower to clear an entire room of enemies in a painful, flame-filled death. it’s all so much fun. Especially in VATs, where your gruesome kills are glorified via slow motion camera, radial blurs, and the perfect angles of the camera.

The problem with Fallout 3 is eventually the newness of the game wares off. While the atmosphere, the landscape, the gameplay, and the combat all keep you entertained at first, it loses steam after about 20 hours into it. The game’s pace isn’t as fast, and in fact is can become drearily slow sometimes as you wander around the environment. You begin to feel repetition and dullness wear in. and suddenly this new, great game isn’t getting played anymore. Who wants to invest an hour or two just to wander around a devastated landscape, when you feel you’ve already “been there, done that.”

[singlepic=87,115,100,,left]It may seem like a minor complaint, after all, the first 20 hours were really great. Hell, those 20 hours were groundbreaking and memorable. But after you’ve used the weapons, killed 100s of enemies, and seen dozens of fragmented structures, you stop experiencing anything new or fresh. And while those 20 hours may seem like a long time, a good bargain for the $50 PC game, I really wish I could have enjoyed it longer. I feel like I should be enjoying it more. but I find myself not looking forward to delve back into the world as much as I used to, and this disappoints me.

This game is top tier in every regard, though. From graphics to sound to gameplay to controls to combat to atmosphere. it is all excellent. Fallout 3 deserves many of the Game of the Year awards it has received. Sadly, for me, it lacked replay value. but it also lacked a little heart. Sometimes the entire world seemed too lifeless, too dull, too drab.

Even with a few complaints, is it still a good game? Hell yes. It’s a great game. It’s an amazing game. It’s a truly revolutionary game.

[rating:8.7/10] 87%

Most people aren’t likely to be newcomers to the Call of Duty series – they know what to expect. But for those who are new, here’s a brief recap: It’s highly fast, cinematic and polished gameplay with dazzling visuals, intelligent enemies, realistic settings, arcade gameplay, and excellent map design. The Call of Duty series has long been the on the cutting edge of FPS games, only getting better and better with time. However, World At War is not a breath of fresh air. It’s more of the same – albeit, it’s a very good “same.” But it’s still the same.

[singlepic=82,115,100,,left]Taking off where Call of Duty 4 left, World At War traverses back to World War 2. It is a much better game than Call of Duty 3 (the last WWII game in the Call of Duty series) in every regard, and it really captures the atmosphere and intensity of the war. The voice acting helps set this tone, with the help of Jack Bauer actor Kiefer Sutherland himself leading the US forces to victory. In the Russian campaign, Gary Oldman lends his voice to mentor and officer.

The campaign, as any Call of Duty game, is fun and fast paced. It’s also incredibly on rails – there’s only one exact way to complete every mission. That doesn’t detract from it’s level design or fun factor. It’s a blast to play through – finding flamethrowers, rushing positions to bayonet them, riding on tanks, Molotov cocktails, sniping. it’s all there. The real fruit is at the end though, as you unlock the Zombie survival mode, which is a huge blast.

[singlepic=83,115,100,,left]In terms of replay you can play the game on your own, cooperatively (by yourself or online), play the zombie mode by yourself or with up to 3 other friends, or the multiplayer. The multiplayer setup is exactly like Call of Duty 4, with the addition of more perks, ranks, unlocks, weapons, and such. It’s definitely got a more polished feel to it, and that urgent need to level up to get that “next cool thing” is still there.

My complaint is that it’s just too similar, to formulaic, too much of the same exact thing over and over again. As much fun as busting out the flamethrower in the campaign was, I really felt like I’d done this all before in previous Call of Duty games. Don’t get me wrong, I love the formula, but it definitely lacks the freshness found in Call of Duty 4. Repetition can really kill a game for me.

[singlepic=84,115,100,,left]That being said, it’s Call of Duty, and I love Call of Duty. And the Call of Duty sets a high bar – it has excellent level design, fun weapons that handle legitimately, great sound effects and music, and truly next generation graphics. It lives up to that level of polish you expect to see in a top tier shooter, and the game keeps you constantly entertained and wanting more.

It’s still got all the magic found from the earlier games, the developers have carried the formula well. But it’s nothing you haven’t seen already, and it doesn’t break any boundaries. The good news is it’s not trying to break boundaries, it’s trying to give you some more of that good ole Call of Duty action that so many people have come to love. And it achieves that perfectly.

[rating:8.5/10] 85%

Here’s the schedule:

I fully except not to get all the reviews on time. However, I’ll do my best to keep within this time table.

I’m also playing through Crysis: Warhead, Need for Speed Undercover, Far Cry 2, the Penny Arcade game, and Burnout Paradise.

I also could write a review on Assassin’s Creed, World in Conflict, The Witcher, Frontlines: Fuels of War, and others.but I’ll put those off, for now. Maybe next week? Who knows!

At the end of the week, I also hope to post my 2008 Game of the Year picks.