Many gamers aren't aware that there is a place for those desperately in need of skillz, a judgement-free environment where you can invest points in the ability trees that interest you. Please call today.

You spend literally years trying to avoid these nasty little suffixes and raw neologisms, and then one day you start using them in a purely ironic way, and now it's all I can do not to append "z0r" even in ordinary conversation. Even Brenna used it, once, but I think she might have been trying to ridicule me. Which I richly deserve, actually, if the language centers of my brain are now taking their cues from rounds of CounterStrike played four years ago.

I had missed a couple pieces of key game news while submerged in my book writin's and my entire other life, it might have been my presumption that there wasn't anything going on and I just missed it. In any case.

I don't need to say anything about F.E.A.R. single player, I'm sure - ads for it are on virtually every site I read, including my own, but we came to them and offered them space on purpose. F.E.A.R. is made by the No One Lives Forever team, one of the most underappreciated FPS series in existence. They're local, I was able to get in for a playtest, and though I'm almost certain I signed something that said I couldn't talk about it I doubt they're going to knock down my door for saying the firefights are spectacular.

Dungeon Siege II, demo is out, and there's a lot of gameplay there for a demo. Looks better than I expected.

Also, and this was something I didn't miss but forgot to mention, the Half-Life 2: Aftermath trailer is up. Half-Life 2 ended abruptly, as you're probably aware. I was able to come to terms with it at the time, the lateness of the hour and the rush of victory commingling to produce some higher purpose for it all, but the longer I get away from that moment the less satisfied I am with its conclusion. I have come to realize that I would pay any price to have genuine closure for those events, an urgent desire which I have come to see as part of a larger Valve plot.

(CW)TB out.

could i be more vague

It's been two weeks since PA took root on the Dark Iron server with the intent of crushing the Horde. Hundreds of people have mailed me to tell me that playing in a PA guild and battling the Pandas has reignited their love of the game. Speaking personally I can say that I intended this mage character to be an alt, but I've haven't played my level 60 rogue in two weeks. I'm having such a fucking blast on Dark Iron it's ridiculous. Last night I grouped with players from "Cardboard Samurai" and "Annarchy" in an effort to complete some quests that were a bit high for me. It's just cool to know that you can fall in with any of these people and be confident that it's gonna be a good group.

I gotta give Skull and his guilds credit. They've been hitting us hard every night. They still out level us for the most part and last night I must have been killed about six times by some "level fuck" horde in Lakshire. Eventually we spread the word though and we we're able to beat them back with numbers. Tycho and I have been working as hard as we can to level so that we can start leading some raids and take the fight to the Horde. We're just about ready to start doing that and already we've begun making plans and discussing strategies.

The server is literally overflowing with people at this point. When we started it was empty and now I wait in a 200 person line every night to play. But it's worth it because the energy on the server and the (all in fun) tension between the PA and the PvP guilds is just awesome. I'd like to thank all the players in all the guilds both Horde and Alliance. You all have made Dark Iron a really incredible place to play.

Rumors of invaders from the west assaulting the server are certainly worrisome. Their tenuous alliance with the Horde is unfortunate. Their ultimate destruction is guaranteed.

-Gabe out

Fruit Fucker Prime is now available in the form of a very nice 8x10 laser cell. This is one of our smaller not so limited edition prints. It looks real nice though and it’s the perfect size to put up in your cubicle, your locker or even your prison cell.

It is also worth mention that I used the search engine to find that comic. Ninjas apparently updated it in the night and never told us. Finally you can find that strip you liked with the word “potato” in it.

-Gabe out