Posts tagged words with friends
The Backlog: That Old Familiar Feeling edition
Oct 29th
The definition of familiarity.
We’ve all been playing games long enough to know what we like. Regardless of whatever revolutionary new series or unusual indie gems might come along, there’s always going to be room for those games that we know we’ll love specifically because they feel like home. So whether we find that comfort in the villages of Albion, behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car or in the heft of a plastic instrument, we all recognize that sometimes it’s best to stick to what you know.
Backlog: Summer Vacation Edition
Jul 17th
It's summertime in the Northwest, which means it's time to come out from under cover and enjoy the scenery, like Crater Lake (photo by D. Bonham).
Much like a bad sunburn, we’re back after a little mid-summer hibernation. Aaron is still out in the Oregon woods getting his camp counselor act on, but Nick and Doug have been snug in civilization and playing games. Doug, now properly equipped with a TV from the 21st century, has been building cities and breaking tackles, while Nick has been matching three, hitting apexes and staring down a worthy opponent. All very thrilling.
But enough of that, let’s get on to the gaming.
The Backlog: Call a Plumber, the Great Plains are Flooded edition
May 31st
The new Mario game is out, though we’re all still playing Red Dead Redemption. Alan Wake is also mentioned in this week’s edition, and Nick even played a real board game. Like, one that has pieces and tiles and you have to have a large, flat surface to play it on.
What an interesting year for games, and what a fantastic year for consumers. We have new iterations of old franchises (Mario), revamped sequels (Red Dead) and fresh concepts from established developers (Alan Wake). The most amazing fact about that previous sentence is every one those games came out during the month of May, which further means we’re only halfway through 2010.
Oh hell yes.
The Backlog: Red Dead Way of Life edition
May 22nd
Some might deride it as simply GTA: Old West, some are praising it as one of the best games of the year (Metacritic has its issues but just look at that aggregate score right now), but however you structure it, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption is out and is the hot topic of the week. Aaron and Nick have started to sink their teeth into Rockstar San Diego’s western tale, while Doug is still struggling with the wild grizzly bear that is graduate school.
Enough about that nonsense, though. Let’s get on with the show.
The Backlog: Hey Ken, can I borrow that lawnmower? edition
May 15th
Street Fighter season is officially back in full swing, and you know what that means: Ken jokes are in vogue once again. Whether you’re poring over exhaustive guides to master Ken’s deeply nuanced fighting style or just enjoying a brain-dead pun, there’s no time like the present to dig into Capcom’s latest fighter.
Of course, there are a whole lot of other great games you could be playing too, whether you’re gaming on-the-go or squeezing every last ounce of enjoyment from a couple of recent big-name console games like a certain site editor. Anyone who can finish Mass Effect 2 on insanity is a stronger person than I.
Anyway, let’s get down to it.
The Backlog: Final Collision Fantasy with Friends edition
May 7th
Our Backlog is full of Awesome Sauce this week. Don’t believe me? Good. You shouldn’t.
But click the link anyway, please. We know when you don’t!
The Backlog: Go Get Some Sun edition
Apr 24th
This is how I spent my last weekend in Seattle: taking a ferry to Bainbridge Island. Walking around I got the impression I'd stumbled onto the village belonging to The Others from Lost. I later discovered that the actor who plays Juliet actually lives there, so…there you go.
Can you believe it? A third post in a single week. You’d almost get the impression that we like writing about games.
There’s no tongue-in-cheek theme this week. Just…c’mon. Have you looked outside? It’s supposed to be sunny and almost 70 degrees. This probably isn’t gonna happen again until July, so put down that controller, call off that Icecrown Citadel raid, and grab your iPhone so you can experience the great outdoors…with a bit of an insurance policy in tow, of course.
The Backlog: Better Late Than Later edition
Apr 21st
Last week’s post, which was intended for Friday, had to be re-appropriated by our crack team of internet henchmen at this tardy hour, and even though it’s late it’s fashionably so. In fact, it’s so fashionably late, Tim Gunn would be proud.
He’s from Project Runway.
Why do I know that?
The Backlog: Raw Power edition
Apr 10th
Iggy approves of the gratuitous display of raw power.
We are bringing the thunder this week; the appropriate background soundtrack for the Backlog this week can be found right here. Aaron is blowing stuff up in a variety of games; Doug is breaking free from the shackles of the standard Xbox 360 hardware; and Nick is breaking hearts and tiles with another great Scrabble lookalike.
So kick back, put on some real proper ass-kicking music, and prepare to have your mind BLOWN AWAY!