Blog Posts by Mike Smith

Bog-standard 6-sided dice - Morguefile They've been with us forever, providing civilization after civilization with convenient,
pocket-sized random-number generators to supply their gaming, gambling, and
entertainment needs.

But of all the shapes in the world, why did they all settle on the cube as the perfect shape for
dice?

Actually, there aren't all that many suitable shapes, considering the needs of game players.
Most importantly, a die has to be fair -- that is, it must have an equal chance
of landing on any of its faces. It also needs to roll well, but not too well,
and have a clearly identifiable top face. Trickier than it sounds.

Fortunately, math provides us the perfect place to get started, with the set of shapes

How to see more of this stuff. - Morguefile Energy costs are sky-high, and they're not going down any time soon. And although
video games provide more bang for the buck than some other pastimes we could
name, it's not exactly a money-saving hobby.

But with a few simple tweaks, you can overhaul your gaming habits and equipment,
reduce your energy usage, and increase your ailing bank account. Here's how.

Turn it off!

Obvious, right? Convenient though it might be to leave a game running while you run out
for more delicious Cheetos, you're wasting energy that could be put to better
use. Even if you're forgetful, there's no excuse: all modern consoles have
auto-power-off features buried down in the set up menus. Set 'em, forget 'em,
save

Sales are brisk Where would we be
without video game retailers? A stalwart of the business since day one, they're
still a vital part of the industry ecosystem, providing a window into the
games world in thousands of malls and high streets, giving gamers a place to
hang out and browse, and, of course, supplying a healthy selection of great deals without the painful delays of online shopping.

But, like any business,
they're in it to make money, and they're not necessarily telling you exactly
how they go about doing it. Check out a few of the dirty (literally, in some
cases) secrets of the video game retail trade.

They're making
a  bundle on your trade-ins

Just how do specialist retailers like Gamestop stay

Did you Know? Star of the multi-million-selling Tomb Raider game series and successful movie franchise, Lara Croft is by far gaming's
most recognizable heroine. The acrobatic aristocrat's adventures traveling the globe, exterminating wildlife, fighting villains, and
swiping ancient artifacts are well documented, but there's more to the character than feats of derring-do. Read on for a few lesser-known Croft tidbits.

She's been played by more people than just Angelina.

Without question, Angelina Jolie is the most famous person to ever
step into Croft's crop-top and shorts. Indeed, Lara would earn Jolie a nomination for the coveted Worst Actress gong at the Golden Raspberry anti-Oscar ceremony. (She would

Darkspore [PC]

Spore Lore Maxis -- the studio behind massive hits like Sim City and The Sims -- has been on something of a downward trend over the last few years.
Mind you, when you've created the top-selling PC game of all time, down's the only way to go. And although Maxis's most recent release, 2008's Spore, attracted massive hype during its development, the game eventually turned out to
be a bit of a disappointment.

Undaunted, they're back this week with Darkspore, which trades the original Spore's epoch-spanning, amoeba-to-astronauts scale for a much tighter focus and a whole lot more action. Rather than designing your own species, your gene-bending activities only go as far as customizing the

Was once on top. The Nintendo Wii has been a staggering success. Its combination of innovative control,accessible games, and inexpensive hardware colossally broadened the video games
market, reaching a new batch of consumers nobody else knew existed.

But its once-proud
sales are sagging, its software releases are fewer and further between, and its
competitors are closing the price gap. While an expected price cut might have
you thinking about finally picking one up, we suggest you reconsider. Here's
why.

-- It's technically dated.

By far the biggest criticism levelled at the Wii is in regards to its limited technical capacity. From day one, the system lagged notably behind the visual bar set by the PS3 and

Classic party games like Trivial Pursuit, Taboo and Twister have enlivened countless millions of get-togethers over the years.

But how many more games of Pictionary can you really stand? There comes a point where you just need something new -- and thankfully, there's a whole host of lesser-known party games out there that'll give your next shindig a jolt of newfangled fun. Here are six of our favorites.

Wits and WagersWits and Wagers

A classic Trivial Pursuit may be, but it's not the most forgiving of games. No matter what your general-knowledge weakness is, it'll find it, and lay it bare to the ridicule of your friends. But Wits and Wagers is a trivia game with a difference: if you don't know the answer

Mortal Kombat [X360, PS3]

Once, it was every parent's worst nightmare -- but these days its fans
are more likely to have kids of their own. Now in its nineteenth year, one of
the original video game nasties is back to terrorize the small screen: Mortal
Kombat, a revamped version of which releases this week on both Xbox 360 and
PS3.

Once again, it's a time for Kombat. Unless you're in Australia,
that is, where the powers-that-be have deemed the new take on one of history's greatest fighters too violent and outright banned it. Killjoys. Still, for everyone else out there, Mortal Kombat looks to be a worthy successor to its
noble and fondly remembered predecessor, racking up scores into the 80s and beyond on both platforms.