OK, well I couldn't wait for the final release of Boot Camp, so I installed the Beta version. It was very easy to do. I now have Windows XP on my MacBook! Once I installed mega anti-virus protection, I downloaded a couple of demos to mess around with to see how they'll run. I'm finding that the video card in my MacBook is pretty wimpy, so most of the problems I encounter are due to that and not due to Boot Camp. I'm playing Dreamfall: The Longest Journey right now, and I've had no problems! I was able to get the Thief: Deadly Shadows demo to run, but to do this I had to change the processing core to single from duo. I'll play that after I finish Dreamfall. I had problems with demos for Penumbra and Broken Sword 4, but that is because of my wimpy Intel GMA950 video card.

All in all I'd say Apple has given us a great thing -- it has opened up the library of Windows games to Mac users. How this will effect the publishing of Mac ported games, I have no idea. I just like being able to have more options now.

OK, so I see I haven't blogged in over a year! I've played a few interesting and not-so-interesting games, but for the most part have not had the itch to game and have been very busy with a multitude of other things -- going back to school being one of them. 

I have a new MacBook, thanks to my wonderful hubby, and now that I'm getting the itch to game again, I've been doing a little research on my Mac-related options. Well, the Mac doesn't have a great selection of games for the adventure gamer. Most of the games that get ported to the Mac seem to be FPS and Strategy games (and Sims!) -- not my stuff! But I am very excited about Boot Camp -- it's Mac's new program that will let you boot Windows on your Mac. It's in public beta right now, but I'm going to wait until the final release to get it. It has gotten great reviews so far, though, and it seems to be able to play pretty much any Windows game. It opens up the whole library of Windows games to the Mac -- worth getting excited about! It's like having the best of both worlds, IMO. Final release comes out in October with the Leopard OS release, so I'll be posting then!

April is an exciting month for me! I have 2 daughters with birthdays in April--my 16 year old will turn 17 and my 4 year old will turn 5! :) April also brings to me some of my most anticipated games--Dreamfall: The Longest Journey and Tombraider: Legend. Also, Keepsake has been shipped and I've had my eye on that one too. I'm not sure which I will get first. I'm concerned about the requirements on Tombraider and whether I'll even be able to play it on our computer. I will have to check out Dreamfalls reqs and compare. I hope your April will be as fun as mine! Happy Gaming, Everyone! :) Bev

I'm ready to end my semi-sabbatical from video games. I took a much needed break, though I do still play Guild Wars periodically. But now I'm getting the itch to play some of my favorite games--adventure games. I've loaded Myst: End of Ages on my mac, I'm getting Scratches and Return to Mysterious Island in the next week, and that's only to keep me sane until April when Dreamfall comes out. I'm ready to kick back and do some serious puzzle solving! I love the Adventure genre, and I'm looking forward to playing some games where I don't have to kill anybody or worry about getting killed, lol. I guess when Guild Wars: Factions and Tombraider: Legends are released I'll get back to good ol' fashioned killing and dying. :P Happy gaming, everyone! :) Bev

A couple of months ago I posted a link to a great little comic called Healbot Blues, a strip about Guild Wars done by a very talented toonist. Well, he now has a website put up that showcases all of his work--fantasy, d20, superheroes, etc. Check it out at Crit Hit Comics. Post a comment to let me know what you think!

Happy gaming, everyone! :)

Bev

I've taken a little break from gaming to concentrate on other areas in my life, like planning on going back to school, applying for scholarships, selling my business, etc. Guild Wars is still my favorite game, though I don't play it nearly as much as I used to. I think I just needed some time off...but I think a peek at the next chapter, "Guild Wars: Factions", this weekend will be enough to light the GW spark again. I logged in for a bit yesterday and tried to adventure a bit in the Underworld and was immediately annihilated. Now that's the GW I love!

I'm still IMpatiently waiting for Dreamfall: The Longest Journey and Tombraider:Legends to be released. Oh, and do I dare to dream that Broken Sword: Angel of Death will be on the horizon soon?

Hmm..interestingly it seems there are only sequels on my list of anticipated games. Of course, Dungeons & Dragons: Stormreach would be on that list, but their monthly subscription fee keeps me from considering it. Hopefully more game developers will see successful online games that don't charge monthly fees, such as Battlefield and Guild Wars, and realize that it is not such a poor business model after all.

Happy gaming, everyone. :)

If you are a fan of "table top" RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, then check out the Knights of the Dinner Table magazine. It is a combination comic and gaming magazine. The first half of the mag is dedicated to one of the funniest strips you'll ever find regarding playing table top RPGs. The art isn't the greatest, but believe it or not it really grows on you after awhile, lol. The writing and characters are top notch, and it's no surprise that it just keeps getting more popular -- their subscription base runs all around the world! I have the privilege of being the proofreader for the magazine, so I can get my grubby little mits on it early...mwahahaha...

Anyway, they do have KoDT web comics they put up, which is sometimes original material, sometimes pulled from the mag. Take a look at some of the others online. It's a great way to check it out...just click on the page to bring up the next page in the strip.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Gaming, everyone! :)

I know, pretty much all of my posts so far have been regarding Guild Wars. I just don't have any other games that interest me right now. I've been waiting for Dreamfall:The Longest Journey to be released (delayed!) and Tomb Raider:Legend (delayed!)...so until then, it's Guild Wars for me.

I regularly visit the Guild Wars Guru site for information regarding the game, and to check out their forums. I came across this thread posted by an extremely talented toonist...I think anyone who plays Guild Wars (and even those who don't) will find it extremely enjoyable! Check out  Healbot Blues to brighten up your day with a smile.

As I mentioned in my last blog post, we had received 2 new guild members to our fledgling guild. What was exciting is that those 2 people had asked to be in the guild, without being pressured or "recruited" from anyone else. I was clear in explaining (before they joined) that we were a small guild, just getting started and that we still weren't active in PvP or GvG matches yet, though we were hoping to be once we attained more members and experience. They said that they just wanted to be in a guild that was active and helpful...both of which we are.

Anyway, the 2 new members have already dropped from the guild, this only within a week of their joining. I am wondering what it takes to gain commitment from members. Granted, they are probably just kids, but it just seems sad that people don't understand what it means to commit to something, even at a young age. Sure, it is "just a video game", but on the other side of that, a guild is not just a group of henchies that you join up with -- it is a group of very real people with very real expectations and feelings. I would not commit myself to any group, whether it be a video game guild or a RL guild, without taking it very seriously. Since this is not an isolated incident (this has happened a few times now) I have to wonder..are we doing something wrong? Is it because they are all younger ( those that quit have all been under 15 I think)? Should we try to recruit older members?

Still, we have 4 very commited members now, and even if we never get another member, I can honestly say I would never go anywhere else, as this guild rocks. The members are friendly, fun, active, and very helpful. The Chocolate Dragons will persevere! :)

Well, I have been having a great time playing Guild Wars with my husband, Scott, and our guild leader, James. And we now have 3 more members in our guild, one of them being our best buddy. I am so looking forward to adventuring and smashing baddies with our new members. Hopefully one day our guild will grow big enough for a little GvG action... :)