How To Own PC Gaming: The Rise and Rise of Steam

If it's a fight, they're winning. And the majority are cheering Valve on.

The British Are Coming! Empire: Total War Game Diary

Empire: Total War is a sprawling mess. It's an insanely huge game, upgrading the theatre of war from the country or continent of past Total War games to three enormous landmasses – all of Europe, the East coast of the Americas (the Caribbean and the top of South America included) and the Indian subcontinent. Play the Grand Campaign, and you're having to navigate all of them.

It's entirely appropriate.

Beyond Good and Evil Retrospective Review

Beyond Good & Evil holds a strange position in gaming.

All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace

 

It's all Ayn Rand's fault.

The Witcher 2, Skyrim, Dragon Age 2: The End of Dungeons and Dragons

Welcome to the New World.

Let Me Take You Down: Perdido Street Station / China Miéville

Steampunk gothic horror; the screaming clank of dark iron machinery; birds who are men; cacti who are men; beetles who are men; men who have been remade into creatures of horror. Welcome to Perdido Street Station. How will you sleep at night?

Fallen Hero of the First World War: Noel Godfrey Chavasse

About a week ago, the final man to have seen active service during the First World War, Claude Choules, died at the age of 110. With history that is now nearly a century distant it is all too easy to forget that those involved were but human beings who happened to live through extraordinary times. Their actions during those times defined them, and defines our history, and informs how we define ourselves. One such man was Noel Godfrey Chavasse, whose honours were all but unique.

Norman Mailer's An American Dream

Controversial, sexist, vicious, brutal, melancholic. Forty-six years old, it still punches hard.

Vote 2011 UK

Today, a minority of people in the UK voted on local elections, and on the referendum on changing the voting system. The results aren't in yet, but there are several points worth making about it right now.

When Life Gives You Lemons: Portal 2 Thoughts

 

It's empathetic. It's not big, but it is clever, and it is funny. It's Portal 2.

Sound of the Gunners: Arsenal FC

It's not the most edifying time to be an Arsenal fan, but since the season is almost over, now is a good time to assess where Arsenal stand at the close of 2010-2011.