Thursday, May 27, 2010

Guild Wars Takes Out Cheaters With Style

Guild Wars is one of the better MMO's out there and has managed to beat the odds stacked against most other MMO's.  It has a certain style that sets it apart from the likes of World of Warcraft in both its gameplay as well as its community.  The team over at ArenaNet has decided to take out cheater's and bots in the game in a very entertaining way for the rest of the legit player's.  Instead of simply banning the 3,700+ accounts in the background like most MMO's, Guild Wars shows its style by unleashing an absolutely bad-ass Grimm Reaper (Pictured to the left) into the game to officially kill the player.  Say what you will but considering that Guild Wars is over 5 years old and the developers continue to insert these small touches for free is a testament to the passion and drive of the ArenaNet team.  Thank you ArenaNet and we look forward to Guild Wars 2.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Treon's Game of the Week - CANABALT

This week's game is CANABALT, a very addictive game for both the PC and iPhone.  The PC version has a typing tutor edition that will allow you to bone up on your typing skills.  Control options include Keyboard, Mouse and Typing Tutor Edition.  The levels are randomly generated which gives this simple running game near infinite replay value.  Your objective is to simply hall ass through the levels and try to stay alive as long as possible.  Your character runs automatically leaving you free to focus on jumping and dodging obstacles.  The presentation is simplistic but oddly cinematic  with its widescreen presentation and backgrounds that seem to be telling a story during your escape.  Enjoy this addictive title and be sure to check out Bit. Trip Runner on the Nintendo's Wiiware service.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Free Gold N' Fly (Goldeneye N64) Soundtrack!

When you think of the N64 classic Goldeneye, rap music is not the first thing that springs to mind but your in for a surprise when you listen to Gold N' Fly.  Hip-hop music producer Alex Kresovich has taken the soundtrack from Goldeneye for the N64 and mixed them with a variety of famous rap songs from artists such as T.I., Wu-Tang Clan and Busta Rymes.  It's impressive and serves to introduce gamers to a form of music they may not be familiar with.  I would highly recommend a download and I'm sure you'll find at least a couple songs to enjoy.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Treon's Game of the Week - Obechi

A couple weeks ago I posted about a fun little game called Boomshine.  From the creators of that gem comes Obechi.  Obechi works on a similar level as Boomshine but takes the challenge up a notch or two.  Once again, keeping things simple works in Obechi's favor making it a blast for quick, simple play sessions.  Enjoy and share!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Films That Will Change Your Life - The Cove

There's a reason The Cove won the Academy Award for Best Documentary, it has a powerful and lasting impression without being too preachy.  Until this film came along, I had no idea how much mercury is in our seafood.  I  also had no idea how brutal a human being could be to a species that is most likely more evolved and intelligent than us.  With the current man made disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, this film holds even more relevance when talking about man's brutality on the environment.  This is a must watch and must share.

The Cove Official Website

Monday, May 10, 2010

Treon's Game of the Week - Space Paranoids


If you're a gamer, Tron no doubt holds a place in your heart and with good reason.  Decades ahead of its time, Tron was a telling look at how people would literally be consumed by video games.  It may have that classic 80's touch but you can't deny its relevance when you look at things such as World of Warcraft and the life sucking Facebook and it's many games.  With the impending release of Tron Legacy later this year, the website Flynn Lives has brought us the excellent Space Paranoids from the first film in web browser form.  After a quick install of the Unity Player for your web browser, you can play this for free.  The game, while simple in concept, shows a remarkable layer of strategy for a game design close to 30 years old.

Play Space Paranoids Now!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Free Game Music! (Tommy Tallarico Albums)

Whether you know the name Tommy Tallarico or not, his impact on video game music can be felt everywhere.  He is a game music composer with titles such as Maximo, Earthworm Jim and Advent Rising under his belt but one of his most important contributions is Video Games Live.  VGL is a concert presentation of some of the most amazing game music ever produced and best of all, it's performed by a full symphony orchestra. If you enjoy video games at all, this music will resonate with you on a very core level, it's that good.  Head on over to his site and check out some free downloads Tommy has posted of his older albums.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Treon's Game of the Week - Boomshine

Relaxing, calm and addictive as hell!  Boomshine takes the minimalist approach but succeeds on many levels.  Much like Tetris, this game is perfectly suited for introducing your mom to video games due to its simple, non threatening gameplay.  You can easily pop this on for minutes at a time and have a blast.  Here's the concept in a nutshell: aim your mouse cursor, click to detonate as many of the floating balls as possible.  Enjoy and be sure to share with your friends and family.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Remain Patient and Learn Your Baby

Newborns cry, it’s a simple fact of life but very often this crying can be traced to a few select sources.  As a new father, it is very easy to get frustrated with your newborn baby because of how helpless they are.  Women generally have a sixth sense about these things but there are times when mom is busy and you have to take charge of the situation.  With this in mind, I have created a super quick checklist that you can reference when the baby starts wailing.
  • Check the diaper (Newborns pee and crap all the time and will often not give any indication)
  • The need to feed (Babies need/want to feed roughly every 1.5-3 hours)
  • Check for gas (Burping and farting are very common in newborns and it causes them a great deal of discomfort until it is expelled)
  • The need for contact (Babies are accustomed to warmth, motion and sound so expect them to crave this same stimuli once born)
When your faced with a crying baby, take a moment to collect yourself and run down this list eliminating each possibility.  It is true that other factors such as colic can be an issue but under normal circumstances, this list will work like a charm.  Commit this to memory and always remain calm, a baby can sense your frustration and will negatively react to it.