The Joys of OpenEmu

For a rather long time, I was not a fan of classic game emulation. I viewed it as a bastardization of the gaming medium. I also wondered how you could possibly enjoy playing an old NES, or Genesis game on a computer, while not using the original hardware or controllers. Also, having separate emulators to configure, and issues with improperly mapped controls, emulation just couldn't deliver the experience I was looking for.

Fast forward to current day. My views on emulation have turned around thanks to the help of OpenEmu. OpenEmu is a fantastic piece of software that allows you to search, sort, and organize all of your ROMs. The interface reminds me very much of iTunes. It also has the ability to launch the game right where you left off, even if you didn't create a save state. When it comes to the controls, it has a tendency to automatically detect your USB controller, and even properly map the controls for you. I have only tested it with 2 controllers so far (Logitech USB Rumble Pad, and Xbox 360 controller), but I must say that it works fantastically. In OS X I did need to download a driver so that my Xbox 360 controller would be compatible.

Adding ROMS to OpenEmu is very simple. You can simply drag and drop your rom files into the main window of the application, and it will sort out your ROMs and place them under the Console category that they belong to. OpenEmu even attempts to find the box cover art for all of your games. One of the best things about OpenEmu is that it is 100% free. To go grab this fantastic piece of free software, head on over to http://openemu.org . Feel free to comment, and let me know what games you've been playing.

Team Fortress 2 is Now Free to Play

It's been made official today.  Valve Software's smash hit, Team Fortress 2, has gone free to play.  Originally released in 2007, the game has received more than 200 updates.  The community around the game is still going strong, and this will hopefully add more players to the mix.  Something that influenced Valve's decision in all of this has been the success of the Mann Co. Store within the game.  This allows you to pay actual money for items within the game.  None of it is necessary since you can be randomly awarded the items, or even craft them yourself.  You can choose to pay if you don't have the time or the patience.

Along with the announcement of going free to play,  the Uber Update dropped.  This brought new items for the Medic, Heavy, Scout, Spy, Demo, Sniper, Soldier, and Pyro.  Some classes got more love than others (and one completely skipped.  Poor Engineer.).

I strongly encourage anyone who hasn't played TF2, to give it a shot.  All it will take now is a little patience for the download, and the creation of a free Steam account.

Zombie Week Redux: Wednesday - Plants Vs. Zombies

Many of you have probably already played Pop Cap's puzzle/defense game Plants vs. Zombies, but in case you haven't I'm here to let you know a bit more about it.  PvZ is a delightful game available for the iPhone, iPad, and PC/Mac.  The objective is to prevent the hilarious zombie horde from entering your home and eating your brains.  Your faithful friends, plants, are here to protect you.  You acquire sun power to help generate more plants to keep your home (and brains) safe.  The zombie characters are very well done, and the plants abilities and names are well thought out.  This is a game that I thought I would never enjoy, but became addicted to it like crack.  If you don't own it already, pick it up for any platform.  You do, however, get more content in the PC/Mac version of the game.  There are various mini games that you do not have access to in the iOS version.  Though no matter what you play it on, you'll have a blast.

Do You Want to Start a Game Dev Company? Sure, We All Do.

If you're anything like me, you've wanted to create your own game development company (and travel to space, but I digress).  Now you can with the help of Game Dev Story on the iPhone.  Game Dev Story allows you to take the reigns and be the boss of the next Valve, Blizzard, or BioWare.  You have control to name your company, pick the name, genre, and platform of your games, and hire/fire staff.  The game also has big events similar to E3 for you to participate in, and it lets you control what you spend and where for your advertising.

I enjoy the game's clever names for the people that you can hire for your company.  Many names are similar to those who work in the gaming/technology industry.  You'll see some famous musicians scattered throughout the sound designers, and of course, the amazingly talented programmer Gilly Bates.  The better your staff, the more successful your game.  It's a good idea to pick genres that work together when developing your games.  They tend to be more successful, but it is a challenge in the beginning of the game.  Sometimes you get developers that have very different styles/capabilities.

This game isn't fresh from the AppStore, or free, but it is worth picking up.  Though this game was developed for the iPhone, I strongly suggest you play it on an iPad if you've got one.  Since the game is in the style of 16-bit graphics, it still looks great stretched to the iPad's display.  Just to warn you, this game causes mild cases of time travel.  I started playing this on a Tuesday, and now it is the end of April.  Pick up Game Dev Story for $3.99 on the AppStore today.

The Making of Portal 2. There's an App For That

Recently on the iTunes App Store for the iPad, there was an app released called "The Final Hours of Portal 2".  This app is an interactive book, if you will, for the iPad.  It provides you with back story on the developers, and the processes behind the making of Portal 2.  

You get a pretty good look into the backgrounds of the developers of Portal and Portal 2.  It also delivers a great interactive experience.  There are polls, photos, and videos.  There is so much jam-packed into this app.  Some may argue that content like this should ship with the game, but for $1.99 you won't find any complaints from this gamer.  

To pick up your own copy of this app, click here and enjoy.