Smalltalk with James Robertson

One of the things I always disliked about running games on Windows was what happened to the OS - it tended to get unstable after running a game (and sometimes while running a game). I've learned this week that the problem isn't limited to Windows.

Last night I was playing Dragon Age on my Mac, while running the normal number of apps I have up (a scarily large number, I'll admit). The game locked up, and locked the Mac up with it. After a power switch reboot, I tried again - and watched the same thing happen.

So.... I ran DragonAge without any of the other things I normally run, and things were better. This is why I like console gaming :)

Technorati Tags: mac, video games

This is cool news:

How do you feel about walled French cities? Farmers? Roads? Cloisters? If you answered any of those questions with a full-throated rebel yell, then I'll presume you're already familiar with Carcassonne, the tile-based board game in which you lay out farms and cities and populate them. You'll likewise be glad to know that the game's making its way to the iPhone and, eventually, the iPad.

I haven't played recently, but I've invested many a happy hour into that game :)

Technorati Tags: iPhone, iPad, carcassonne

BioWare has another DragonAge expansion scheduled to drop:

No one knows what it is, or where it's coming from design-wise, or why it exists at all, but according to Microsoft's Xbox 360 press blog, it'll be available on May 18 for 400 MS Points, or $5. Before you get too excited, recall that Dragon Age Origins: Awakening--the last major expansion for the game--costs $40 in the store (equivalent to 3200 MS Points).

For that cost, it really can't be much; sounds like a new area for Awakening, maybe?

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I loved the original StarCraft - I hope the sequel is as good as it sounds. It's hitting stores on July 27th; I think I'll have my credit card ready :)

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Spotted in Engadget

The Boy Scouts of America have finally recognized that most important of modern children's pastimes with the creation of a "Video Games" belt loop and pin.

Just in case you had any doubts about what the relevant survival skills were for a modern boy...

Technorati Tags: console, boy scouts

I keep seeing stuff like this written about it:

so i'm at 25 hours in, at Chapter Ten and here's the scoop. If you're looking for the "Free Roam" and travel stuff that 7, 8, 10 & 12 had, its in the 3rd act of Chapter 11, which sorry to say is a good 30 hours of play into the game.

I don't have a link, because that came across a chat session -but it's consistent with what I read (and hear) from people playing the game. What on earth were they thinking?

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I'm downloading DragonAge for Mac (the deluxe pack). Yes, I think it's fair to call this an obsession now :)

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Spotted in Engadget

Are we gazing onto the cusp of a new horizon, one where our Xbox 360 storage needs aren't shackled to overpriced proprietary hard drives? Probably not quite. Our best friends at Joystiq have managed to obtain documents (corroborated with multiple sources) showing that the folks in Redmond are mulling over an option to enable USB mass storage support for its game machine.

We already know that game vendors would like to move to downloadable content, if only to stop outlets like Gamestop from selling used games. That tells me that this report is probably true

It's the middle of the workday, so the only person who really gets to look at the game now is my daughter - who is camped in front of the TV as I write this. Me? I'll have a shot at the expansion this evening.

Technorati Tags: dao, xbox

I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of Dragon Age: Origins Awakening, the expansion pack to Dragon Age: Origins . I've been playing that game since Christmas, although I moved on to Fallout 3 this week, after my third run through of DAO. Now, I'll have to ponder which game I really want to spend time with :)

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