The penultimate entry.

We are about to be drowned in retail merchandise, and so before that black night I want to hold these tiny missives above the waves:

I have played Dawn of War a fair bit in Skirmish mode, both before the recent single player demo and after, and it's nice to see the game tighten up so well in that span. As for the demo I just mentioned, I'm going to upgrade that to Immediate Download, authorization CG-4334HG87. The audio alone, filled with roaring voices and discharged ordnance is already the best use of the license on record. It was often the case that I would perch, as a crow might perch, upon news sites waiting to pick and peck at new Warhammer 40k information in a gaming context. Did it meet with my satisfaction? Does it accurately present the regulations set forth by the holy codices? My thinking on the topic of Warhammer licensing and videogames has progressed somewhat. As much as it pains me to admit it, there are simply people who do not want to stand around a table in a basement that smells like cat piss, rolling dice and moving figurines in tiny increments for twelve straight hours. Which is crazy. But I'm at the point now where I just want people to experience the rich fiction, cool armies, potent units, and painstaking character of that universe - which Relic has been extremely true to.

If you don't have time for the demo at the moment, at least get your hands on the intro video. If you can see that clip and then resist downloading the demo it introduces, then you are more man that I am.

The Tribes: Vengeance demo was also very much to my liking, if a bit short - but at this point nothing shorter than the full retail release would bring satisfaction. Still playing the online multiplayer demo, still enjoying it, and it's the last time I'll say it but I really do need a way to find my teammates. Okay, done. Now my mind has turned to the story they'll try to tell with it. I really want to see how different Tribes interact with one another. I had typed in a bunch of other things I was curious about, and then deleted them because it made me look like a complete retard. I don't know what to tell you guys. This is my series.

If you are curious about the history of the Tribes Universe, or if you are a dumb fucker from Firing Squad in need of rehabilitation, please make use of this excellent resource at Tribes Roleplayers. Beginning at 3350, you can see the events that underpin the franchise - you can click on any of the white text at the left to expand that period, which I desperately hope you will do, because then it won't just be me that does that.

I usually try to avoid linking these, as doing so implies that I am an optimist, which is desperately out of sync with my role as your hard-nosed intercessor to the gaming industry. However. I am also very selfish, and a full suite of Thief 3 editing tools is squarely in my best interests, so here it is: a letter writing campaign to Eidos, how quaint! If for no other reason, do it simply to delight in the anachronism!

You're quite aware that I have a great deal of affection for Prince of Persia, starting at the version I had on my Amiga, going forward, skipping over Prince of Persia 3D, and then liking it again with Sands of Time. With the next game, "Warrior Within," seeming to focus on a dark sensibility and new combat system, I was kind of afraid that it had adopted a genre switch away from Action/Adventure and excise the platforming and puzzle solving that I've enjoyed up to this point. The earlier videos they released seemed to verify my fears. They released a new movie yesterday though, I saw it over at 3D Gamers, which appears to depict a much more balanced experience. I'd imagine that since the combat was a source of so much complaint in Sands they felt they had to get that message out first, but it's nice to know the elements I liked didn't evaporate for whatever reason.

After playing a bit more Burnout online yesterday and not seeing any of the odd behaviors that enraged me so, I can now officially appreciate the fact that EA has put a game online for the Xbox. When their system was caddywompus, it made the fact that they persisted in using their own lobby system another offense in a long list. Now that it functions properly, I can see it as more of a doctrinal difference. We both agree that there is a God, for example, and we both believe that he embodies a certain suite of eternal characteristics - we're just trying agree on what he likes for breakfast.

(CW)TB out.

do you believe it in your head