While I'm still ambivalent about the movie, I am unbelievably stoked about the upcoming Punisher video game. Newsarama has an interview with Jimmy Palmiotti who, along with Garth Ennis, wrote the game. Here's a snippet:

NRAMA: So along with the story, the two of you were brought in just as much for ideas on how Frank would behave and act in certain circumstances?

JP: Totally, that’s why we were hired in the first place. We wrote the basic story, created and pitched the levels and backdrops of the action to the game developers and with the dialogue we tried to define the characters personalities. One of the biggest jobs Garth and I had to nail was how Frank would interrogate people and how this was going to play into the overall story line. Thank god the teams of guys working on the game have a ton of experience where this kicks in…all we really had to do was pitch the ideas. Again, at Wizard World LA, some people got a sneak peek at the zoo level where Frank feeds a bad guy into a wood chipper and another guy into a piranha tank. Stuff like that is on each level…each being crazier than the last. It really is a fun project.

For those of you out there that love tactics, and World War 2, there's a great game that I just discovered on the recommendation of a friend. It's called Blitzkrieg, and it's a tactical real-time strategy (RTS) game set in WW2. You play as either the Germans, Russians or British/US mix and it's realistic without being too hard or boring. Plus, the some of the campaigns are modelled on historical events, which are fun to try your hand at.

While most RTS games degenerate into tank rushes or a race to build the most units, Blitzkrieg starts you off with a certain number of units in each mission and that's all you get - barring any captures you make of enemy resources. I was pleased to find that if you merely kill the soldiers manning the mortars, artillery, or AA guns you can capture them and turn them against the enemy. Soldiers can fight in squads, and you have many options such as trenches, mines, and smoke artillery. The game is very deep, but the tutorial helps you out and you learn what needs to be done.

At any rate, you learn quickly that attacks have to be supported with artillery, reconaissance is worth more than its weight in gold, and planes are very vulnerable to AA fire. It forces you to think outside the box, but you'll be elated the first time you draw attention with a dug-in infantry attack and then blindside the enemy with your armor, wiping them out in a classic hold and attack fashion.

Don't let the RTS genre throw you. It plays out in real time, but you can pause the game at any time to look at the situation and issue orders, much like the current RPGs like Neverwinter Nights, or Baldur's Gate back in the day. Utilize these tools and when you win the missions you are rewarded with upgraded units and units that survive carry over as veterans - very useful.

You should be able to check this game out rather cheap, it's not new and I don't think it blazed up the charts. If you are a war fan that gets frustrated at frantic point and click games, check out Blitzkrieg.

*The following was taken from PC Gamer Magazine, Sept 2003 Issue*

Grand Theft Auto 3, Postal, Freedom Force - these are just a few of the games that would no longer be available to minors in Washington state if Bill 1009 remains in effect.

Just when Lieberman decided to abandon his agenda on censoring video games and severely restricting who could buy what type of game, a Democrat from Washington, Mary Lou Dickerson, has introduced a state bill that makes it illegal to sell games depicting violence against police officers to minors.

Previously, this sort of law was overturned twice. A bill criminalizing the sale of "Mature" rated games to minors was struck down in appeals courts in both Missouri and Indiana. If this bill is struck down as well, it would pretty much mean that video games are in the free and clear because they are protected as a form of expression under the First Amendment. The law is being challenged by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA), who actively lobbies against censorship and outside control of the video games industry.

Senator Lieberman has abandoned his crusade against video game violence, stating that the industry was doing an excellent job of regulating itself with the ESRB ratings like "E for Everyone" and "T for Teen". These markings gave parents and kids a clear standard to judge a game by, and responsible parents could make decisions about what their children brought into the house. He was eventually convinced of this fact by the Federal Trade Commission's glowing comments on the game industry in 2001.

So why the sudden renewal of censorship against violent games? Why do the children need to be protected so badly by the government, instead of their own parents? PC Gamer brings up some good issues:

It's worthwhile to note that 1009 comes from a liberal Democrat. As Dickerson puts it, "I have one of the most liberal voting records in the state." She insists she has no interest in abridging First Amendment rights, and points out her affiliation with the ACLU. She also says she does not favor equivalent restrictions on literature, movies, or music.

"The reason I'm concentrating on videogames is because I believe they are much more powerful an influence on children," she explains. "Pediatricians and psychologists have spoken and the debate is over."

Nice try, but as the article goes on to point out, there has been no such resolution on the issue. The Surgeon General stated that, "The impact of video games on violent behavior has yet to be determined." Apparently Dickerson wants to make that determination herself.

Luckily, it looks like the bill is headed towards being overturned, based on the previous two bills of a similar nature. One can only hope. I understand that the government needs to protect it's citizens. However, protection and an iron fist into your daily activities are two different things. I'm a firm believer in the parent deciding what his/her kid can or cannot do. I don't think the government needs to tell me anything past that.

At any rate, check out the PC Gamer article if you can, or email me and I will type out a copy of it. It's actually an excellent, well-written read and very worthwhile.

I used to play Magic:The Gathering back in high school at speech tournaments, where I spoke in the Domestic Extemporaneous category (yeah, I'm a hella geek). But being a high school student with very limited income, as well as no easy way to buy cards in my small, Ohio town, I stopped because I couldn't keep up with the sets that kept coming out.

Fast forward to 2003 - Magic Online makes its way onto my computer. With $10 worth of cards, I quickly realize why I used to love Magic so much. You can play game after game, for free, and when you want new cards you can trade with just about anyone or buy cards that arrive digitally and instantaneously to your collection. It's awesome, and super addictive. Combine Magic's fun and infinite playing possibilities with the ease of sitting on your butt and clicking a mouse, and you have a winner.

My only gripes are that the new version isn't all that stable, and crashes a decent amount (the servers, not your actual program) but they are working on that. Also, the card shuffling program seems to be a little out of whack so you either get all your land in a row or none, this happens about once in every 5 or 7 games. These are minor though, compared to the goodness the rest of the program provides. Plus, I think you can redeem your cards at any time for actual physical cards if you ever decide to stop playing. Nice!

Check it out - the initial download and trial are free!

I got this great game off the PC Gamer demo disc that comes with my magazine each month. It's called Crimsonland. It's not anything deep, involved or strategic. It's just plain fun.

Remember the days of Doom and Doom 2 where all you really did was blow the hell out of stuff as fast as you could? That's Crimsonland. It's a top-down perspective with you being surrounded from all sides with monsters. Weapons, power-ups and abilities pop up sporadically for you to use, and there's a slight RPG system where you gain abilities for killing enough monsters to gain levels of experience. You then get "perks" like regeneration, telekenesis, and matrix-esque dodging abilities.

Anyways, the demo is good for like an hour or so, and then you have to pay $20 to register the game but I've probably played for 10 hours or so and I am still having a blast with it. Check it out! It's a fun little diversion that gets addictive.