A techno composer once told me how his album had been postponed for over a year because the record label didn't want to release it into heavy competition, and competition kept surprising them (events, album release dates, etc). The publisher was delaying a finished product so long it hurt the designer, and was making no apparent progress in its...

...gamers acknowledge that gaming takes a backseat to other things, including everyday distractions like phone calls. In most multiplayer games, gameplay cannot be paused; and when gameplay can be paused, at least one person is left sitting idly in boredom. Left 4 Dead

...games could learn a great deal from Left 4 Dead, particularly in regard to combat roles. In Left 4 Dead, no person in the group is mysteriously regarded by all enemies as the tank, so all players have to keep an eye on each other. "Grouping" hardly describes it. This is as close to real soldier camaraderie as I've ever experienced

A while back, David kindly asked if I wanted to join him in interviewing the SOE Seattle team behind The Agency. Of course, I immediately said "hell yes!" and sent him half-a-dozen questions. Then I realized that, not only was David going to use all of my questions, but he also used over a dozen questions of his own! Much to my surprise, SOE was...

...game music still lagging behind film music, in general? The work of composer John Williams in film always acts in a support role yet is always memorable. In Jurassic Park, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and countless other films, Williams' music manages to captivate movie goers without distracting them...

I've played a lot of them. In a family with five kids and twice that many close cousins, playing lots of board and card games is to be expected. So I thought I'd run through a handful and briefly describe what features made each of them fun. The idea was brought on by Brian's ongoing community project. MONOPOLY Monopoly is, first and foremost, a...

...games or play often to be annoyed by disparity in controls. One game uses Left Trigger to aim and the next uses it to direct squad mates. One game uses the Y button to jump, another B, another Left Bumper. It would sure make life easier for gamers, especially occasional

...Games. You can immediately play through the beta at that link and offer any feedback to the developers. The full flash version will apparently be free. This first level (surprisingly long) is fluid and fun, though I wonder why the developers chose the "S" and "/" keys for jumping, rather than the Spacebar, which seems more standard

...games for a long time is dynamic enemy AI with enough sophistication to shape a gameworld without overly frustrating players. If AI characters each have a variety of goals and a variety of behaviors for achieving those goals, then gameplay can continually surprise and each player can have unique experiences to share. But even when games...

...game. I can think of no other game in which players necessarily alternate between strategy and tactics at such a regular pace. Gameplay is equally balanced between action and turn-taking. Each turn begins with the two teams selecting competing strategies. That's not unique, but the need to then execute those strategies and tactically adapt...