Your deals are so tantalizing. Mass Effect 1 and 2 for $10 each? Yes, please!

If there's any way to make the transition to digital distribution a smooth one, this is it. I'm starting to like the convenience of disc-less, packaging-free gaming. Every time I get a great game like Amnesia, The Witcher, Deus Ex or Left 4 Dead 2 for $10 or less, my skepticism is whittled down just a tiny bit.

I'm starting to think that this all-digital lifestyle might not be so bad after all. I'm beginning to forget what it was like to go to an actual store... When was the last time I bought any type of media, be it a book, a game, or music, from an honest-to-goodness store? Why go to Walmart when I can go to Walmart.com? It may not be possible to send food digitally yet, but I sure as heck can order it online!

I fear the worst. I don't know how much longer I can fight the convenience of an internet-centric existence. Must... resist!

I've always been a console gamer. My first console was the Gamecube, though I played N64 and Super Nintendo at friends' houses before that, falling in love with games like Super Mario Bros and Mario Kart and cementing the foundations of my future as a gamer. This summer, I built a gaming PC so I could use programs like UDK for level design and hopefully try out some PC games.

At first, I found it hard to get into PC gaming. I was used to a controller and mouse and keyboard controls didn't feel as intuitive as my friends who are into PC gaming told me they would. I couldn't get into the games I had. I kept playing them anyway though and now I'm playing games I wouldn't have had the chance to otherwise. Starcraft 2, Amnesia, The Witcher... I'm certainly seeing why PC is a great platform.

A big draw for me is Steam. I do like to have boxes on display on my shelf, but I'm becoming accustomed to digital downloads. Having all your games in one place where updates are downloaded in the background is great, and some of the Steam sales are ridiculous.

I look forward to beating some games I always wanted to play and maybe (maybe) getting good at Starcraft.

If you've never read Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and you don't want the end spoiled, read no further!

I've really been wanting to dive into Starcraft 2 lately. I've never gotten too into an RTS before and the multiplayer seems like a completely unique experience, so i checked out some matches on youtube... Dear God. I've seen my friends play the game and I knew it was competitive and that it's a phenomenon in Korea, but seeing the top players in action with their 2-300 actions per minute was insane!

I've decided that the Starcraft franchise is a training program for our inevitable war with the aliens. The game is teaching us how to manage resources, allocate our army and research new technologies. Blizzard has whipped people into a frenzy and Korea has created a competitive infrastructure where only the best survive and even they must constantly adapt and create new strategies. It all reminds me of Ender's Game, where Ender finds out that the simulations he was using for training were actually real; he was killing aliens all along!

I don't think we're actively waging war with the aliens yet, but by the time they decide they're bored with Earth's existence, the Starcraft-playing population will be ready to meet them with brilliant strategies and an astronomical number of actions per minute! In essence, Blizzard seeks to save the world. They made World of Warcraft to distract us from the true purpose of Starcraft 2. I'm on to you Blizzard...

Amnesia was on sale on Steam for $10 this past week so I scooped it up. I was going to buy it anyway so I couldn't resist the sale. After playing through the game, I almost feel bad for only paying $10 for such an amazing game.

The game was both in line with my expectations and unexpected at the same time. The horror elements and creepy atmosphere were to be expected, but the extravagant puzzles caught me by surprise. The game is very reminiscent of old  adventure games like Myst, although it's a bit more linear. You're constantly trying to utilize your inventory to gain access to a new area as you uncover the secrets of your past and try to stay far away from the shadow that chases you through the halls of Brenneburg.

The game handles horror better than others that claim to fall into the survival horror genre. You are completely powerless against the shadow and your only chance for survival is to run and hide. Coupled with the simple mechanic of opening and closing doors and moving objects like chairs and rocks, this makes for a frantic dash to break the shadow's line of sight and slip into a room, closing the door and barricading it with furniture whenever you see the creature. It's a heart-pounding occurrence that doesn't get old.

The puzzles are intuitive and difficult. I felt frustrated at times, but it was the kind of frustration that drove me forward, searching for a clue or item rather than quitting the game. I felt an immense sense of satisfaction when I successfully solved a puzzle, and the castle became a series of clues foreshadowing future complications as I learned the st

The experience is tense from beginning to end and the tension drives you to think a step ahead. Going back to an area where you know the shadow could be because you forgot to gather an item or didn't read a note carefully enough is terrifying.

Overall, I loved Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It was one of the few games that actually scared me and the puzzles were rewarding enough to hold my interest for the duration of the experience. The game is a steal at $20 and it's frequently on sale on Steam. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an engrossing horror experience. 

I just played the demo for Amnesia: The Dark Descent and I'm impressed. The thing that sets good games and bad games apart for me is immersion and Amnesia has it in droves. My favorite games of all time share this in common. Games like Metroid Prime, Metal Gear Solid and Dead Space, to name a few, take the emphasis off the "game" elements and place it squarely on surviving in the world of the game. You're not looking for the morph ball to get a high score, you need it to reach new areas.

Amnesia has such a tense and strong atmosphere that I'm able to be completely immersed in the game. The sound design and visual effects that indicate your fall from sanity keep you on your toes. You're often acting on instinct rather than knowledge of the game's mechanics or design. You're not trying to win - the game states this explicitly from the beginning - but rather survive in this hellish world.

Games that put the focus on their world and integrate game mechanics deeply into the environment and story are able to immerse me and are more memorable than games that hook me with scores and special abilities that are extrinsic to the game world. The two approaches - immersion and impulse - can be equally fun, but I find immersive experiences to have more impact on me as a gamer.

I can't wait to experience the full game and be scared the whole way through!