Massively

http://www.massively.com/

Daily news about MMOs.

Isn't It Romantic

Yesterday we attended the Milwaukee Rep's production of Isn't It Romantic at the Stackner Cabaret.

Four talented performers (bass, piano, drums, voice) featuring the music of Kern, Rodgers, Hart, Gershwin, and Gershwin.

Sprecher Black Bavarian on tap.

Female gamers

Women and girls make up 40 percent of the gamer population, according to the Entertainment Software Association, the video game industry's trade group. And with game software sales at $9.5 billion last year, companies are paying closer attention to the titles women seek out.

- Washington Post (link here)

Spore

It's an ambitious adventure filled with humor and eye candy, but at the end of its first week of release, Spore has already been the subject of much grumbling among game fans.

A bite-sized version of Spore released for the iPhone for $9.99 was the No. 1 selling application at iTunes last week.

- Washington Post (link here)

Another mixed review.

I beat World of Warcraft

Closing in on its fourth birthday, World of Warcraft remains the leviathan of the massively multiplayer realm, with more than 10 million subscribers. Almost all of them will buy the new expansion, no matter when it arrives. The big question is whether Wrath can attract a cadre of new fans and seduce the few ex-players who have conquered their Warcraft addictions (for now).

- NY Times (link here)

I quit, but like all ex-addicts (regardless of their addiction) I think about it every day.

Freeciv

Freeciv is a Free and Open Source empire-building strategy game inspired by the history of human civilization. The game commences in prehistory and your mission is to lead your tribe from the stone age to the space age...

- http://freeciv.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Spore

The real frustration with Spore is that the team behind it was capable of such high achievement in the areas it focused on, while other parts languished.

- Seth Schiesel, NY Times (link here)

A much more mixed review than some previous reviews.

Spore

Spore, produced by Electronic Arts, promises much more than the day-to-day adventures of simulated people. It starts with single-cell microbes and follows them through their evolution into intelligent multicellular creatures that can build civilizations, colonize the galaxy and populate new planets.

- NY Times (link here)

Very gushy review.