Windows into Warcraft: Part One

In the dark, cold days of early December 2010, the inevitable truth once more made itself known. I was going to play World of Warcraft again.

I had been aware that this day was coming. Ever since Cataclysm was announced, I knew it would spark a renewed interest in that accursed game. My relationship with MMOs is devilish and circular. I get pulled into their vast expanses and unmatched depth, turned off by their repetition and vanity, and then my desire lies dormant until I feel the call in the back of my mind once again.

An event with the in-game magnitude of Cataclysm was, to me, a clear indicator of my inescapable future. I would resubscribe. That’s all there was to it. The genre has worn me down over these many cycles as I’ve stopped even trying to fight it. Instead of obsessing and pondering and planning over my return, I simply jumped in. The better to get it over with, I thought. 

And so, on December 11, 2010, I made it official. I once again provided Blizzard with my credit card information, adding me to the millions upon millions of hopeless souls that now must surely provide the bulk of that wicked company’s income.

I’m not going to lie, my reintroduction to the world was hardly dramatic. 

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Daily Contemplation: Dragon Age II on Macs on day one

The Mac version of Dragon Age II will be available right along with the PC version on the game's release date, March 8. Not only that, but it will come on a hybrid disc that includes both the PC and Mac versions.

This probably isn't news, but it's the first I've heard of it. I do wish more developers would do this. Blizzard in particular has long been good about supporting the forlorn Mac gamer, but few other studios have been. I realize those that play games on OS X are a small percentage of a PC game market that's not terrifically healthy to begin with these days, but Apple fans are a loyal bunch and certainly appreciate when they're thrown a juicy bone like this.

Plus, as Macs run on Intel processors these days, it's easier than ever to create a Mac version of a game. I'm sure it's still no cakewalk, but the OS X gaming situation is certainly better than it used to be. Apple is putting passable graphics cards in even lower end machines and, with the advent of Steam for Mac and other digital download services, it's easier than ever for Mac gamers to purchase games for their OS of choice.

Strangely, there's no sign of a Steam version of Dragon Age II for the Mac yet. This is especially disappointing as, in today's increasingly multiplatform, digital world, it's a pain to be forced to purchase separate versions of the same game just to use it on all of your capable devices. Steam's terrific service allows you to purchase a game and not only easily install it on any computer you own, but also gain access to either the PC or Mac versions of anything you buy. It's one of the most consumer-friendly places to purchase games, and it's sad that Dragon Age II won't be taking advantage of that on the Mac side, at least at first.

In any case, good on Bioware for throwing Mac users a bone. Hopefully they'll respond in kind and actually purchase the game so this kind of thing will continue to become more prevalent. 

Daily Contemplation: Kindle getting page numbers

Kindle owners can apparently look forward to an upcoming software update that will bring them, among other things, real page numbers.

Sometimes it's the little things in life that can bring so much joy.

Kindle users have long had to deal with the incomprehensible "location" system that attempts to manage the fact that, technically speaking, digital books don't actually have pages. It does so poorly. When was the last time you referenced where you were in a book on your Kindle by the location? Did you leave off at location 3567 or 4216? 

Don't get too excited, though. Amazon has apparently decided to abandon those users unlucky enough to have enjoyed their Kindle for more than a year or so. In a lousy, lazy move one can only imagine is designed to drive sales of recent Kindles, the page number convenience will come only to those who have the most recent generation of Kindle device.

Lame, Amazon. Really lame. 

No word yet on whether it will ever come to older devices, but my guess is they're out of luck. Then again, the features will be appearing in other Kindle apps, such as the iOS version, so maybe there is still hope.

Read more about the upcoming update at Macworld.

Daily Contemplation: Marvel vs Capcom 3 Shadow Mode Announced

In a totally unremarkable move, Capcom has announced DLC for a game before it's even on the shelves. Far more notable is the fact that it looks as if it will be rather nifty and free to boot. 

Shadow Mode will essentially see you fighting against AI simulations based off of playing styles of notable fighters. Some of those already announced include the game's producer, Assistant Producer, a QA team leader, and other members of the staff. Notable community members seem like a no-brainer somewhere down the line.  

When I first read about this I was dismayed because I assumed Capcom would charge for it. Other fighting games, such as Virtua Fighter 5 and Tekken 6, have included similar features which I greatly enjoyed, only MvC'3s new mode will pit you against actual names instead of faked ones. Modes like these can potentially add a lot of life to a fighter and I'm glad to see MvC3 including one. I must admit that, though the recognizable names are nice, I hope the game will do the fake opponents thing too as I imagine the virtual personalities in this DLC are going to be way above my skill level.  

I also hope the rumors that this will be free are true because man would that be a nice change from the norm. Capcom's no stranger to charging stupid prices for virtual costumes and such, though they certainly aren't the worst DLC abuser in the genre (I'm looking at you, BlazBlue). They have released substantial online modes for free for both Street Fighter IV and its followup, if memory serves.

In less impressive MvC news, it will apparently feature an option that lets you simulate Internet lag to practice for less than ideal conditions. Yay?

Review - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

The apocalypse is all the rage these days. Blown up, devastated, ruined, and post-nuclear worlds are as inescapable as the inevitable doom these glorious nightmare scenarios envision. It seems there’s something about imagining humanity’s demise that has captured our collective attention of late.

We’ve squeezed the apocalyptic fruit of so much juice that it seems to have nothing left to give. The apocalypse has become boring. How’s that for strange?

Enslaved manages to infuse this overdone concept with new life by abandoning the bland brown grit traditionally favored as the end of the world’s color of choice. Instead, it opts for a greener palette, one that sees nature as regaining its rightful control over the land after humanity has made itself scarce. 

While Enslaved dazzles with its unique setting, it decidedly lacks a historical focus. Those hoping to learn the details of this world’s downfall will be disappointed. Enslaved plants its foot firmly in its fictional present and you learn little more than vague hints of backstory throughout the course of the adventure.

The game finds its true strength in its characters. The world sometimes seems a confusing jumble of disparate elements, full of lush greenery and sentient robots alike, but the characters you encounter along the journey, while few in number, will quickly endear themselves to you. By the end of the game, you’re sure to care far more about the people than the land. 

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