After a few internships and game conferences, I actually know the names and faces of a few people behind some great games. I first heard about MySims at GDC when I met a programmer who worked on it. Then, in the fall, I took a game design class with Robin Hunicke, who was the lead designer. I respect the work of both these people, so I wanted to see what this game was all about.

I have to admit that I am new to the Sims series (unless you count Sim City). However, I do understand that certain aspects of MySims are Sims conventions, such as the gibberish voice-overs. Also, I don't exactly fall into the younger, more casual demographic for MySims, so I did my best to review it accurately given the intended audience. Please note that all comments are based on the Wii version, as opposed to the DS version.

MySims is one of the happiest games I've ever played. All the avatars seemed very excited and hopeful. My own avatar was adorable and skipped around joyfully wherever she went. The entire art style reflects this happy, friendly theme. MySims managed to make everything cute and adorable, from metal detectors to loading screens. This seemed to enhance the game in almost every way. I only had an issue with the cutesy animations when I was trying to point at small features on the customization screen, and my avatar was so excited that she kept bopping around. So instead of changing her eye shape, I changed her hair. Or her mouth, depending on how she was dancing. Overall, it was a rather minor annoyance.

The entire game seems to give players plenty to do and guide them to their goals. For example, when I left my avatar idle while taking a cell phone call (in the real world), a pop-up appeared to help guide me towards my next task. If I were confused, this notice could be quite helpful. The game appears to be set up so players never feel lost and alone in the world.

Yet players don't have to do exactly what they are told at any given moment. About half an hour into the game, I was given a whole bunch of blueprints for items that I could build. By then, I had also learned how to build and remodel houses, prospect (with my trusty metal detector), and plant trees. Resources seemed abundant for those who seek them out. Also, activities are not limited to structured quests or events. I was happy to discover many ways that I could interact with the world around me, from snoozing on a bench to splashing in a fountain (and giggling, naturally).

I think that MySims is generally a decent game, with a careful attention to detail. It seems to be very friendly and well-suited to those who like to explore and build. If I were younger, I think I'd really enjoy it. I'm curious to see what my cousins think, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with them soon.  

As a child, I looked up to Lara Croft. She was smart, brave, and beautiful. Lara broke out of the rich girl stereotype and pursued her dreams. Aside from her unrealistic proportions and illegal tomb robbing, Lara is a relatively positive role model.

Like any fan, I tried my best to learn more about this woman I admired. I owned a PlayStation, but I lost interest in Tomb Raider 2 shortly after the tutorial. The game was difficult and required a set of skills that I didn't have. I turned to comics instead, reading about Lara's adventures in the Top Cow series and Witchblade crossovers.

As I grew older, I have played each new Tomb Raider demo, hoping that the next one will finally capture my interest. Lara has certainly charmed me, yet I never seem to want to play her games. How could a series with such a compelling character frustrate and bore a gamer like me?

I recently played the Tomb Raider: Anniversary demo. It was well-received by critics; the PC version scored 83 on Metacritic. The various revisions to levels and mechanics from previous games sounded promising. I wanted this to be the Tomb Raider I had been waiting to play and love.

At first I was impressed by the shiny new graphics and fluid animations. Clearly motion capture had greatly benefited this series, as Lara now moved with the grace of a real gymnast. Anniversary felt like a next-gen experience and I was thrilled to be immersed in a fantastic set of ruins.

Yet Anniversary soon fell prey to the same faults that caused me to grow tired of its predecessors. I was utterly alone, aside from the sparse enemies who scared me half to death. The graphics were so seamless that I had a hard time figuring out where to go. For example, there were two exits from the starting area, but the most obvious exit seemed to be a ladder cruelly just inches out of my reach.

I felt that the game was rather unforgiving. I got stuck at one point and I had nowhere to turn for help. My feeble attempts at finding a solution caused me to fall into a river, where I was swept downstream and over a waterfall to the beginning of the level. I had the distinct feeling that these puzzles were catered to fans of the series: those who knew how to solve the puzzles could solve them easily; those who didn't were out of luck. While I do appreciate puzzles in games, I felt that I was thrown into the lake without first learning how to swim.

I don't believe that Tomb Raider: Anniversary is a bad game. Tomb Raider fans would likely find it to be a welcome addition to the series, given the lovely graphics and next-gen upgrades. However, I may have reached the point where I give up on the Tomb Raider series. I'll always admire Ms. Croft, but perhaps I'll have to appreciate her from afar.  

I'm always wary of over-hyped games. I first heard about Spore almost two years ago when a fan in one of my classes drooled over an early video. I smiled politely at him and nearly forgot about the game until it surfaced on blogs in full force a couple months ago, in anticipation of its release.

Spore is one of those games like Halo where it's been marketed to the point where even non-gamers have heard of it. I get annoyed when I tell people that I study video game design and they immediately associate it with adolescent boys wasting their lives away, mindlessly shooting each other over an internet connection. Spore is probably a better association, but I'll admit that I've never been a member of Will Wright's legion of fans. I've heard that a lot of girls play The Sims. However, when a girl tells me that she only plays The Sims, I nod and smile and often change the subject. The Sims players seem more similar to those who only play casual games, so it's often harder for me to discuss the finer points of game design and narrative with them.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when the first hour or two of Spore played like a casual game. The beginning was practically a copy of flOw, Jenova Chen's brilliant thesis project that was recreated and released for the PS3. He was hired as a designer on Spore, but it still seemed ridiculous to me that I was playing the same game when I liked the music and aesthetic of flOw better.

After I got out of the initial stage, I was able to move onto the land. The game then became confusing. As a player used to complicated RPG interfaces, Spore was befuddling in its simplicity. Everything had been reduced to a visual representation, but this created a ridiculous amount of tutorial to explain what button to use for each function. Then there was a system to "make friends" with other creatures. I didn't understand why some creatures would be my friends and others wouldn't. Why did some creatures have such steep requirements to be friends? It took me a long time to figure out that each friendly action, such as dancing or singing, had a level. If I had a high dance level and a low singing level, it would be hard to make friends with creatures would wouldn't dance with me. This was completely determined by chance, which was frustrating.

Spore was largely praised for its character customization as well. This aspect also became frustrating. I like forming an attachment to my character and I try to make them as cute as possible. In Spore, however, your character's attributes (such as dancing level or health) can be directly tied to the parts you put on them. I became upset as I had to trade out parts I liked, such as a cute set of ears, for a different set just because it had better attributes. I began to see why a lot of games, such as RPGs with upgradeable armor, will either hide the armor or give you the option to equip cosmetic armor. I wanted more control over my character's appearance without having to sacrifice my character attributes.

Spore has been relatively frustrating for me so far. It hasn't been terribly difficult, but I feel as if it wasn't made for me. I respect what the Spore team is trying to accomplish and I understand their desire to make the game accessible. However, that doesn't mean that it will appeal to a more hardcore gamer like me. I would like to continue playing Spore to see if it improves in later stages. I've heard the real game comes after evolution is complete. I just hope that this game is compelling enough to catch my interest before I get to space.