Free Games For The Win! Part 2

2012 was another landmark year in gaming.  The details, from the audio to the video to the controls, are all reaching higher standards with each passing month.  The next generation of gaming started with Nintendo's Wii-U, and the evolution of gaming as an art was evident in games such as Journey and Spec Ops: The Line.  One of the biggest trends from 2012 was the rise of free-to-play gaming.  League of Legends, a game I mentioned in the last "Free Games" entry, has become the most-played game in the world, averaging 12 million active players... daily.  However, the rise in free games wasn't just for the hardcore; games in the mobile realm also experienced a meteoric rise in quality as the year went on.

Today I'm going to present to you some more free games I've found across the Internet.

Jetpack Joyride - http://halfbrick.com/our-games/jetpack-joyride/

Let's start off with a free game that you can put on your phone and enjoy.  Available for iOS and Android, Jetpack Joyride has actually been around for a pretty long time.  I'm not sure that it's been free this whole time, but this lovely little game from the makers of Fruit Ninja is a short, simple game that involves avoiding obstacles, collecting coins, and getting as far as you can to the right before you get hit and crash.  It's a fun little distraction, and I can certainly see it having some long-term appeal for those of you who are score junkies.  Everyone should check out Jetpack Joyride.

Star Wars: The Old Republic - http://www.swtor.com/

The number of free MMORPG's available these days is staggering, but you'll find no other with a developer like BioWare on board.  Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) started as a typical pay-to-play game, like World of Warcraft, but eventually evolved their model to follow the majority of the market because of its inability to compete with WoW and Guild Wars 2.  However, this does not mean it's an inferior game.  It's a few years old now, and some of the qualities of the game will show that, but for no fee (except if you want to pay a bit to get some of the add-ons), it's hard to find an experience that matches the quality of this game.  One of the beauties of this game that separate it from other MMORPG's is its appeal as a single-player experience.  BioWare is known for single-player masterpieces such as the Mass Effect series; they bring that pedigree to create an expansive world with what many consider to be the best story line in any multiplayer RPG on the market today.  It's a hefty download but if you've been looking for a role-playing game with a story to dive into, look no further than the no-cost experience that is SWTOR.

Kingdom Rush - http://www.kingdomrush.com/

Kingdom Rush is available online on websites like Kongregate.com and in the mobile app market.  This is a tower defense game involving different types of towers with different strengths that you can upgrade to have even more power as the game progresses.  The game increases in difficulty as you progress (like most other games), but also provides extra challenges to complete once you've gotten through most of the levels.  There are a lot of free tower defense games online worth checking out (including Bloons TD, also available on Kongregate), but I think that Kingdom Rush is the most polished of them all and provides a good amount of variety and activity to keep players continuing.  The artwork and the style of play also make it pretty accessible for all, as it isn't just little pixels moving across a screen.  The paths are clear, the monsters look like monsters, and your heroes look like the army you'd have when... your kingdom... gets rushed.  Had to be done.  Again, Kingdom Rush is available on mobile devices but can also be found online.

A few more games I'd like to mention: Planetside 2 is quickly becoming a very popular multiplayer shooter.  The game involves holding and controlling points by working with other people in temporary squads and battalions to take control of these points for your faction.  It's available for free in several places, including Steam.  The Company of Myself is an older but still very playable game available on Kongregate.com.  It's a pretty deep phase-based puzzle game that also sends a strong message within the art.

Once again, if you have any other suggestions, feel free to post them up.  There are literally thousands and thousands of free games out there; you've just got to find them and give them a shot, and you'll eventually find what you're looking for.  Happy gaming, everyone!

NFL Playoff Predictions

Yes, my friends, it is that time once again.  It is time for me to settle in and give you my predictions for this year's NFL playoffs.  You know, there's always parity in the league, but this year, all 12 teams seem to have a legitimate shot of going all the way and thus, predicting the outcomes is gonna be even harder.  Well, it's not like I get these 100% (or even 50%) right, so let's take a stab at it anyway.

Wild Card Round:

Seattle Seahawks at Washington Redskins: RG3 and Alfred Morris have brought the Redskins fans back to life.  Russell Wilson is helping lead the most complete team in football right now.  The Seahawks didn't play well against the Rams in week 17, and the Redskins put up a nice performance against the Cowboys to earn this spot.  Because of their respective week 17 performances and the fact that this game is in Washington, I have to go with the Redskins, 20-17.

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers: Adrian Peterson is a beast.  Nine yards shy of the NFL record and if there was even a minute more on the clock, the record might've been broken.  Week 17 was a close one, but remember that about a month ago, AP ran for 210 against Green Bay and the Vikings still lost.  Christian Ponder just isn't good enough to get it done; Aaron Rodgers definitely is, especially with Greg Jennings returning back to form.  Green Bay wins, 24-13.

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans: The Seahawks might be the most balanced team in football, but the Bengals aren't far behind right now with their solid offense and top-10 defense.  Houston has stumbled into the playoffs, losing three of their last four games.  Matt Schaub has to show up big for the Texans to have a chance.  Lately, the Bengals have looked better on both sides of the ball, and so I'm willing to take the upset here: Cincinnati wins, 24-23.

Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore is decimated on the defensive side of the ball, but they're still finding ways to compete and win.  Will the "Chuck Strong" magic continue for Andrew Luck and the Colts?  The Ravens will win if they keep feeding Ray Rice the ball; Joe Flacco has a strong arm but Rice is, without a doubt, the best offensive player on that team.  I can see the Colts getting ahead early and Baltimore abandoning Ray Rice too soon.  The Colts win, 31-21.

Divisional Round:

Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons: Coming off of a hard-fought win against Seattle, the Redskins go to Atlanta to take on a Falcons team looking to prove themselves.  Matt Ryan and company have always looked good in the regular season, but have yet to show strength in postseason play.  Despite having the best record in the NFC, you'll be hard-pressed to find any expert predictions that have the Falcons representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.  I'll take Atlanta in this game, 34-27.

Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers: Defense wins championships, which is why the 49ers are always in the thick of things.  Green Bay doesn't have a very strong defense, but they have an offensive juggernaut quarterback who has a Super Bowl ring and would love to earn another.  Last year was heartbreaking for the 49ers after a stroke of bad luck caused them to lose to the eventual champion New York Giants.  The Packers defense has shown that they can't stop good running backs, and Frank Gore is one of the best.  San Fran wins, 24-16.

Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos: It's safe to say that Peyton Manning and the Broncos are the favorites to win the Super Bowl.  The Bengals are hard-nosed and tough, but Peyton knows how to finesse his way through these types of defenses.  The Denver defensive stars will control the Bengals offense, and this one won't be close.  Denver wins, 31-10.

Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots: Well look, it's another classic Colts vs. Patriots matchup.  Or is it?  This is a very different team from the team the Patriots are used to seeing.  Don't be surprised to see the Colts put up 7-14 early points on New England.  Then, however, Tom Brady and company will bog down and take the game back over.  This will end in another landslide score as Brady and Manning prep to meet again in the AFC championship.  New England wins, 37-17.

Conference Championships

San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons: Most people will be more excited for the Broncos/Patriots showdown, but this game shouldn't be ignored.  There are big playmakers on both sides of the ball, and I think we'll see them make those big plays in this one.  The 49ers will run the ball often as they look to slow down the Falcons at home, and playaction passing will net Colin Kaepernick some big plays downfield, whether with his feet or his arm.  Atlanta really wants to get to that Super Bowl to prove they can hang with the big boys but just like San Francisco last year, Atlanta will learn that they gotta take the heartbreak and come back stronger next year.  San Fran wins, 27-25.

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos: We know one thing: the weather is gonna be cold.  One constant with any Manning v Brady matchup is that the game comes down to someone not named Manning or Brady.  When you look at both offenses together, there are two big playmakers: Demaryius Thomas for Denver and Rob Gronkowski for New England.  I think the Gronk and Wes Welker will jumble Denver's defensive packages and beat them through the middle of the field, and I think that New England's defense holds up just enough to contain these young Denver wide receivers.  New England wins, 24-21.

Super Bowl XLVII

San Francisco 49ers vs. New England Patriots: Perhaps I didn't make objective predictions here, because this is actually the Super Bowl combination I most want to see.  The 49ers are the hard-nosed, confident team, ready to physically dominate the game.  The Patriots are the wily old veterans: they've been here before and they know what it takes to win the big one.  I expect this game to start out in San Fran's favor.  They'll run the ball over and over and wear down this Patriots D.  They'll make big plays on defense early, and they'll get ahead by two touchdowns.  However, we know that you can never count out New England and that Brady-led offense.  New England will storm back and have everyone shaking their heads: "Oh no, not again, not New England again..."  San Francisco can bring the kind of pass rush that the New York Giants have used to beat Brady in the Super Bowl (twice), but the Patriots will come in understanding that, and the genius Belichick will find a way to beat it.  This game will keep everyone on the edge of their seat for the fourth quarter and... the Patriots will squeak it out when whoever San Fran's kicker is misses the game-winning field goal at the end of the game.  New England wins the Super Bowl, 27-25.

I certainly wasn't accurate last year, so we'll see how I do this year.  Enjoy the games!

The New York Jets are a Disaster

Even though it was unannounced (and unplanned), let's pretend that the large amount of time it's been since I last wrote to you guys was a sort of "holiday hiatus".  All of us need breaks, right?  Now in reality, sometimes the motivation to write just isn't there.  I haven't been particularly enamored with any story I've read recently, so I haven't had much to share with you.  Today's story is somewhat minor, but it did get my mind going.  I'll share some thoughts on the recent developments with New York's other team (you know, the one that hasn't won a Super Bowl in forever), and then I'll touch on some odds and ends here and there.  Sound good?  Here we go.

Rex Ryan, coach of the New York Jets, recently announced that he will finally bench embattled quarterback Mark Sanchez in favor of a backup.  Everyone's been waiting for the Jets to make this move, feeling that Tim Tebow, with his success from last season, deserved a shot.  However, Tebow is not the new starter.  Greg McElroy, former quarterback for Alabama and a 7th round pick from two years ago, will take over as the starting quarterback for the New York Jets.  Subsequently, rumors are already floating that the Jets will look to trade away Sanchez and Tebow when the season ends.  We won't know until it plays out, but what in the world is going on in New York?

Let's address Tebow first.  Clearly, the team has no confidence in Tebow's ability as a quarterback.  Tebow himself has finally shown his frustration in interviews, though it has still remained within his mild-mannered and classy persona.  Remember that last off-season, the Jets gave up a 4th round pick (a pretty valuable pick) to acquire Tebow, and the Jets claimed he would make an impact as a part of the organization.  Well, they weren't lying.  Mark Sanchez certainly felt more and more pressure as he struggled and fans were chanting Tebow's name in hopes that he'd get a chance.  Tebow still sees the field here and there, but he hasn't been "unleashed" like he was in Denver last season.  Now, he's been kept on the bench in favor of a 7th-round pick who has looked mildly serviceable in the two NFL games he's played in.  Just as Tebow suggested in an interview, it's becoming harder to see why the Jets even picked him up in the first place.  My vote goes to the "we wanted attention" idea.  Why else would the Jets give up a fourth-round pick and barely use him?

This is the first time in Sanchez's entire football career that he's been benched.  Admittedly, it was time: Sanchez has looked really bad this season.  I would love to see him traded so that he could get a fresh start, as sometimes, that's all a quarterback really needs for success.  However, Sanchez was signed to a pretty big contract last offseason, and teams will not be keen to take on that sort of money when Sanchez will probably be the backup wherever he goes.  There are just very few teams interested in taking on a medium-salary, struggling quarterback like Sanchez right now.  Either way, Sanchez's time in New York appears to be done, unless he can make some big strides in the offseason to improve.

Finally, it's nice to see a guy picked so low in the draft get a shot now.  Since the Patriots' steal of Tom Brady in the 6th round of a draft, and the success stories of some undrafted players, NFL teams have become more aware that the greatest gems could come from anywhere at any time.  Greg McElroy has never been particularly impressive, but this opportunity will be great for him, giving him a chance to be named the starter for week 1 of next season.

And note, with the offseason coming, there are some names out there (namely, Michael Vick) that the Jets may be interested in pursuing.  Keep your eye on them.

Now for a serious turn.  I wanted to quickly touch on my feelings about the incident in Newtown.  This tragedy is just so hard to comprehend.  Even the innocent children of our nation aren't completely safe from these mass murderers.  Though it may be hard to see now, I believe that positive things can spring forth from this situation, and that the attention given to the circumstances of the incident will help to make America a better, safer place.  Now, it is a bit alarming to hear that Wal-Mart's gun sales (especially in assault weapons) have increased dramatically since the event, whereas places like Dick's Sporting Goods have temporarily stopped selling those weapons altogether, but I suppose that's capitalism for ya.  Whatever the circumstances truly were, I pray that this awful event will stick with all of us and help us to continue to practice the golden rule, as even something as basic as that may make all of the difference.

Nice to be back, and talk to you all again soon!

The Text Message Turned 20

Hi all.  It's been awhile, hasn't it?  Looks like November 18th was the last time I checked in with you.  Naturally, the end of the semester is getting in the way, but I'm happy to have a moment now to share about an article I stumbled upon earlier today.  We all need to take breaks, right?

Apparently, it has been exactly 20 years and two days (I'm late on the uptake, apparently) since the first ever text message was sent: On December 3rd, 1992, an engineer sent the message "Merry Christmas." to an executive.  Isn't it crazy that a lot of you probably have at least one good friend who's younger than the text message?  According to CNN.com, 6 billion small message service messages (like texts) are sent in the United States everyday.  Among teenagers, texting is the most common form of communication, as 75% of teenagers text, sending an average of 60 texts per day.  And, as a fun aside, "women are twice as likely to use emoticons in a text message than men, but men use a wider variety of emoticons, according to a recent study by Rice University." (CNN.com)

I can barely remember when texts were irrelevant, and people were still using phone calls to communicate.  I actually remember an instance when I was in middle school (right around '99-'00) when I was attempting to flirt with a girl, perhaps "ask her out", and I was forced to call her at her house to talk to her, because she had yet to get on this new thing called "instant messaging" that all of us kids were adapting.  I was quite the nervous wreck and was a fail during that phone call.  The conversation didn't last long.

Beyond flirting, texting and messaging has made life a little easier.  Autocorrect fails aside, using text to communicate rather than voice allows us more time to consider our responses to our friends.  If you're unsure about whether your friend can pick up the phone right now or not, you send them a text, assuming that they're more likely to see it than to check their voicemail.  Simple, convenient, and quick; this is why we're glad that texting exists.

So yes, it's been two days since its 20th birthday, but let's celebrate the text and all that it has brought into our lives.

My finals are coming, but hopefully I'll be back soon.  Til then, enjoy life!