Wii Fit

Thanks for coming.  Good luck finding one…At the local Target this morning (8:30 AM), there were still two on the shelves.  I was there buying ink for my printer.   :/ 

Gaming

It’s been awhile since my last post (end of term blues…).  I did want to post a link to a gaming blog maintained by one of my former students.  It’s called the game whisperer and it focuses on the Nintendo Wii and the gaming industry in general.  It’s worth a visit so please give it a look.  And “M’s” new masthead is pretty darn fabulous.  So dude: when will we see a ww2-themed review? 

Lux Delux and WW2

All right…for the last little while, I’ve been a little obsessed with a RISK-like game called Lux Delux (on the MAC side).  I’ve been playing a map based on 1940s Europe, and I have to say that I’m only winning about half the time (because I don’t really think out my moves…I just kind of go for it). 

Lately, I’ve been doing a game a day, in-between classes, in-between writing and updating lesson plans, meetings, etc, and it’s been a decent diversion.  I’ve decided I’m partial to beginning in the south, building up as I go, and then pouching on down opponents (bots) to collect their cards (armies).

Admittedly, I’m little chicken to take the plunge  and buy the full version of the game, and try a few other ww2 maps like Market Garden, Okinawa,  The Pacific theatre, Tanks: Afrika Korps, and Barbarossa.There might be a few others among the 500 plus maps.  But it was a pleasant surprise to find the game, and give it a go (for 30 tries at least, until it plays no more and it’s decision time). 

Battlefield 1942

Every once and a while, I dig into a box filled with old computer games and load Battlefield 1942. I own a few WW2-themed FPS type games, but this one went above and beyond, especially on the multiplayer side of things. Now I don’t game much anymore (got to work), but I did enter the Market Garden map, which has this nicely rendered B-17 for any old Joe to fly. So during a game, I stowed away in the ball turret (cause I can’t fly in the game…I always crash after three seconds) and went for a ride. A more schooled player came along after a minute or two and we were off.  It’s surprising, too, after the game world has moved on to “bigger and badder” titles, that BF 1942 still has such a strong online community. I think this says a little about the game play on the MP side. So during the course of this 2 or 3 minute flight, one German plane jumped us thinking (s)he would get an easy kill. Not so as I scored on splash in a river.  At other points, I got to lay down some fire on some low level bomb drops on players out in the open. Wild stuff! Now of course, I know Market Garden and the B-17 follow different historical paths, but since I’ll never actually get to take a spin in one, I couldn’t resist.  Other vehicles in the game are drive-able/fly-able too, including the P-51 and the ME-109. Though I have to admit, my favorite ride in the game is this little gem…

It’s really one of the few ways to get around in the MG map (it’s quick) and not get blown up by the B-17 and P-51 patrolling the skies. And the learning curve is slight. Just get on, accelerate, and hold on.NOTE: for some reason, every time I make an edit to this page, the editor returns all text above the picture to one single, BLOB paragraph.  I’m officially tired of trying to fix the problem, after the tenth time as there is football to watch.

Risk

So I used to play RISK when I was a kid, never thinking much about beyond the fact that it was a huge, huge time suck.

When I got this “classic” (read: Target purchase) 1959 version, I thought, “man, I’m going to kick folks around the board. Yeah right!

Check the colors: I’m green…the one who knows all about Ike and broad fronts, about Monty and gambles, about Hurtgen forest dashes. I’m pinned into Australia and Asia by a less than 10 YO, with a love of pink and a desire to fortify and grind down.

She’s got game and a little luck on her side.

Brothers in Arms

Love the BIA, with its control-able squad feature. It’s a game that is about positioning and flanking. The preview for the new BIA is here, and it has been out for some time. I will say this: it rots being an xbox guy with no hope of upgrading to a new system anytime soon. You know…bills and all. But the game looks so _lush_.