New updates from Oldschool Computer and Abandonia.

I've been pretty busy lately enjoying my new Quad-Core setup, playing games ranging from F.E.A.R and Crysis to Transport Tycoon and GTA and other misc games. While it's good to change "turf" sometimes just for the joy of it, newer games can't really compete with the spirit of the old era. Ok, given, FEAR scares the buttocks off me and the story is arse-kicking good, but pixel-love is pixel-love. It's like Ron Gilbert said in the designer's thread interviews over at Gamespot (freely quoted): "Games today will eventually meet a wall, because they have so high demands for hardware/specs. Games are about experiences, and a good story rules any graphics - any day".

And when talking about scary, who doesn't remember the Alone in the dark-series, one of the very first survival horror games to enter the game-scene? Or Ecstatica, a strange yet compelling adventure that has you on tip-toes, Resident Evil that literally kept you begging that there wouldn't be a zombie around the next corner, Silent Hill scared the bejesus out of players and at the same time tought us that the radio is your best friend and System Shock that just was plain creepy.

Even though many modern games surely succeeds in giving us great experiences in addition to the obvious eye-candy, the latter isn't required as we've seen so many times. That said, you should of course treat yourself some digital nutrients once in a while - until you feel ashamed and go back to the old games that never disappoint :)

As a sidenote I'm planning something pretty neat for The DOS Spirit next month, so stay tuned.

Until next time, tada!
-bakkelun