The Republic of T.

Kerry Computer Game

Via BAN News.

I usually avoid violent computer games, particularly the "first person shooter" variety. (One notable exception was Quake, which I used to play when I needed to work out some frustrations.) However, I might have to make an exception for the computer game based on John Kerry's official Vietnam records.

Later this month the presidential candidate's service in Vietnam -- the subject of ongoing controversy -- receives the full video game treatment with "John Kerry and the men of Swift Boat PCF-94."

Available for download from kumawar.com as a free seven-day trial, the game will put players in the combat boots of a 25-year-old Lt. Kerry on Feb. 28, 1969, the date he earned his Silver Star citation.

Players will have the opportunity to view and participate in the action from Kerry's perspective, up to and including the point where Kerry beached his swift boat on the banks of the Mekong and chased down the enemy on foot.

The game comes courtesy of Kuma Reality, a New York City game developer that specializes in creating games -- or what it calls "interactive reporting" -- based on real-life battles.

Now, when will they make a computer game based on George W. Bush's Vietnam records?

The Sims 2

It came today, at work. I had this sneaking suspicion that UPS delivered to the building around noon, so I went downstairs to check and there it was. I think it had just arrived. I managed to restrain myself and stay at work the whole day. :-)

I can't promise much in the way of blogging tonight, as I'll obviously be busy once the kid goes to bed.

9/12

A co-worker of mine introduced me to an online computer game called September 12th. (Shockwave player required.)

Play it, and see if you get the point.

Woo Hoo!

OK. It may be a bit childish of me, but my copy of the DVD edition of The Sims 2 shipped today. I found out via an email from Amazon.Com. I have to admit, I can hardly wait. I started anticipating it early this week, and now I know it's on the way. I just wonder what I'm going to do between now and when it arrives. I'll guess I'll be checking out the newly revamped website and playing around with Body Shop. When it does get here, I predict many late bedtimes and bleary-eyed mornings in the days and weeks that follow.

Just for fun, here's a radio.blog of some free tunes from the website for the game.

Simulating Politics

I have two interests that have never, ever, been successfully combined. But, I'm always hopeful. So when Political Machine turned up in my Amazon.Com recommendations last week, I took note. I read the reviews on Amazon, sought reviews from a few other souces, and filed the information away in my brain. They were mixed, but slightly more positive than negative. That, plus a look at the screenshots told me that it wasn't likely to be a terribly complex gaming experience. Still, when I ducked into Best Buy during a family shopping trip (it's hard to keep me out of there) and found it on the shelf, I thought it might be worth a try.

I've been burned before.

Sims 2 Countdown

One of the things I rarely every write about on this blog is my enduring obsession with computer games. For those who don't know, I am a long-term addict when it comes to computer games. I'm sure which one was the first I ever played, but I think it was (and I'm not counting "Pong") some version of Lemonade Tycoon—a lemonade stand simulation. That may have been the start of my particular dedication to the simulation genre of computer games. If Lemonade Stand got me started, then it was the original SimCity that sealed the deal, and lead to my purchasing just about every game in the "Sim" series. (I even bought SimHealthCare which came out around the time the Clinton healthcare plan was being gutted.)

The be-all/end-all of course was The Sims. When I first heard about the game from my brother (who shares my obsession with the genre, but leans more towards flight simulations), I couldn't wait for it to come out. And when it did, I can't begin to count the time I spent with it. I think the most amazing thing about it was the the infiinte possibility, and the storytelling side of the game (though it seems more a toy than a game). I didn't think the game could be improved upon until I heard about the Sims 2, which brings the Sims into the world of 3D, allows them to age, and even pass on thei DNA.

Tonight, I succumed and pre-ordered a DVD copy of The Sims 2 online, which will be released on September 17th. I figure it's easier to order it online than to attempt to coordinate a special trip to buy it. In the meantime, I'm amusing myself by playing with the Body Shop Sims creation tool from the game website. The picture in this post is one of my first creations, Ali.

Rolling Back

Not to literally beat a dead horse, but this AlterNet column reminds me of what I've always said of the brand of conservatives we've seen since the days of Ronald Reagan. These people want to take us back to the days when "father knew best" and everyone else knew they're place: women in the kitchen, queers in the closet, blacks in the back of the bus, etc." I guess I was too young to be aware of it at the time, but learning in the past week that Reagan started his campaign in the very city where civil rights workers Schwerner, Goodman, and Chaney were killed just about knocked me off my chair. So did the first sentence of this column, which I don't want anyone to miss.

The Reagan revolution rolled back the clock to the pre-civil rights days when blacks, minorities and women knew their place.

It goes on:

Reagan then got down to business. He tore into Washington bureaucrats, i.e. the Democrats, big government and welfare. He then shouted the words that everyone wanted to hear, "I believe in state's rights. I believe that we've distorted the balance of our government by giving powers that were never intended in the Constitution to the federal establishment."

The Reagan revolution didn't merely return America to a world in which God, patriotism, rugged individualism, militant anti-communism and family values ruled supreme. There was the ugly, and dark subtext; unspoken but understood, and indeed anticipated, that the Reagan revolution would roll the clock back to the pre-civil rights days when blacks, minorities and women knew their place.

The whole article is worth reading, as it goes on to describe that part of Reagan's legacy that went unnoticed in the past week.

Sneak Preview

It's been a while since I blogged about computer games (an interest of mine) but I thought I'd share that the first official movie from "The Movies" (a simulation game about making motion pictures) is now available for viewing.

I think this game isn't coming out until October of this year.

From The Screen to the Monitor

There's a trend going on lately that I particularly like. Some of my favorite television shows are becoming computer games. OK, it's not a new trend (there was an "X-Files" game out years ago), but in just the past year or so.

"Law & Order" came out with a computer game based on the show, which put the player in the role of both detective and assistant D.A. I got the game when it came out, and found the play pretty enjoyable, even though my old computer was not quite up to the task (which was a signal it was time to upgrade). Now they've come out with a "sequel" computer game that I haven't tried yet. But I just might give it a whirl, to tide me over until The Sims 2 hits the shelves.

"CSI," another favorite of mine, came out with a computer game based on the show last year. I got the game, and though it was enjoyable, I went through it pretty quickly, solving most of the cases without having to backtrack or get help. In fact, there was only one on which I didn't get a perfect score. So in a day or two I was done with it. Still, there's going to be another CSI game coming out in May, and I might give it a try as well. From what I've read, they've made some improvements to the game, after reviews of the first game voiced opinions similar to my own.

For now, though, there are no new games out that I really want.

Game Boy

I have a confession to make. I'm a adult male who is also an avid computer gamer. I've never written about it here, but it's true. I'm not sure what the reason is. I think it's got something to do with the escapism that computer games offer: the opportunity to be someone else, or go somewhere else, and to actually control things. My first real computer game (and I'm not counting Space Invaders or Pong) was probably Sim City Classic. I don't remember how I became aware of the game, but I played it incessantly, and I think I bought every game Maxis (now Electronic ARts) came out with.

Anyway, the reason I'm writing about it now, is because I'm awaiting the release of some new games this year, and I thought I'd write a little about them, on the chance that someone out there might share my interest and enthusiasm.