I just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all the people here at 2old2play to you the readers and members. I hope your Holiday weekend is filled with family, fun and of coarse, gaming.

To the staff, I want to take this time to say thank you to all the leaders of the 2old2play community for making it one of the best destinations for older gamers to meet up and game with their peers. I also need to say thanks to the clan leaders for creating such a diverse selection of clans and friends within this web site. A big thanks to the editors and news team that keep our site fresh with reviews and news from an older gamers perspective.

Lastly I would like to say thanks to the members and supporters of 2old2play who donate each month to keep the lights on day in and day out. Without your support, there would be no 2old2play.

So here is to all of 2old2play. Thank you for yet another memorable year and I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Game safe!

- Doodi

The Video Game Orchestra, widely known for it's symphonic rock arrangements of some of the most well known songs in video game history, will play Boston's Symphony Hall for the second time on Sunday, October 7th.

Our very own Dane Tullock sat down with Shota Nakama, Artistic and Musical Director for the Video Game Orchestra, at the House of Blue in Boston over the weekend to talk performing in such a renowned venue, PAX, KickStarter and what's on the horizon for the VGO.

Tickets are still available for the October 7th concert, which will feature guest compositions and conducting from video game music icons such as Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts), Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy XII), Noriyuki Iwadare (Grandia) and Kinuyo Yamashita (Castlevania). Tickets can be purchased online at
http://www.bso.org/Performance/Detail/46594/ . Use the discount code "vgo" to get a 30% discount, compliments of the Video Game Orchestra and 2old2play.

Also, be sure to check out the Video Game Orchestra KickStarter project at http://www.bso.org/Performance/Detail/46594/. Currently the project has reached 60% of its goal with less than a week left!  Full funding of this project will allow the Video Game Orchestra to bring their upcoming performance at Boston Symphony Hall to the world via a special commemorative CD, Video Game Orchestra Live at Symphony Hall. You can learn more about the Video Game Orchestra Kickstarter Project by visiting http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vgo/video-game-orchestra-live-at-sym... and follow all their endeavors via their homepage at http://www.vgo-online.org/.



We would like to give a special thanks to the Boston House of Blues for allowing us to film this interview in their Foundation Room. Learn more about the House of Blues, the Foundation Room and the philanthropy associated with this iconic venue by visiting http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/boston/foundationroom.php

I have been playing video games since the late 70s, and they have taught me some very important lessons that I surely would have missed otherwise:

1. Just because you find a loaded shotgun in a police station you shouldn't necessarily use it there.
2. A person can safely fall from any height as long as there is some hay to land in.
3. Eating wild mushrooms will give the consumer a myriad of beneficial effects.
4. If your car flips over, just floor the accelerator and the car will right itself shortly.
5. A 95 lb Japanese person can wield a 200 lb sword with ease.
6. Children are indestructible and cannot be harmed by magic or bullets.
7. Should you ever find yourself riddled with bullets, just drink some water and eat a bag of potato chips, because they are nature's surgical team.
8. You can tell if a person is a boss because the music will get faster when you see them.
9. Red barrels are filled with explosives, proceed with caution.
10. Hostile planets have the best loot.

So what things have you learned from video games? Let us know in the comments below!

I just found out today that a dear friend of ours is no longer with us. KiowaChief (kiowawarchief in our community; Aaron Gomez to his friends and family) has been a part of our community since 2007.

While not well known to 2old2play outside of The Halotards, it is no exaggeration to say that he was hands down the best Banshee pilot I ever saw. But even more than that, he was a great friend and a wonderful human being. I know we often distinguish between our real-life friends and our online friends but in some instances, it’s those we come to know only online who prove to be truer friends than some we have looked into the eyes of. I can honestly say that Aaron was someone I counted as a true friend though I never had the privilege of meeting him in person. I wish I had.

When I first came to 2old2play, like many others, I strove to find a place within our community. I lurked for a time to see if I could get a feel for the tenor of the prevailing nature of interaction here so that I would know best how to find my comfort zone. In time I found my way. Part of that was finding a solid group of people who I could relate to and enjoy spending, what I was hoping might be, innumerable hours of my time with. As I was very much a Halo fan I steered myself towards those ‘clans’ which seemed to emphasize that franchise. The first one I connected with was The Halotards. As soon as I played with these people I knew I’d found my place. Aaron (or Kiowa, as we all called him), was among the first people that I played with and added to my FL. In the few years that I have had the privilege to know him we spent many hours playing games together and I knew that every time we did it would be guaranteed fun. His laugh, oh his laugh was infectious. Anyone who had the privilege of hearing his laugh knows exactly what I’m talking about. You always knew that if you heard his laugh something fun was going on. I will miss that laugh.

Aaron, brother… I will miss you man. WE will miss you. Halo will never be the same without you. The world will never be the same without you. I know that no one will ever be able fill your shoes but I will endeavor to honor your memory by always playing for fun and laughs. You definitely made being a Halotard and a member of 2old2play a truly enjoyable aspect of my life and I am honored to have been able to call you my friend. Godspeed brother. May you rest in peace.

- HONORBOUND72

Leave your comments here on Honorbounds's blog.

MikeJames would like your help in raising money for a good cause. All he needs you to do is, you know, game.

Some of you may know that my dad died of cancer about a year ago. Since then, it has been one of my goals to fight this disease that has killed so many.

Now, you might be asking, what the heck does fighting cancer have to do with 2old2play? That's easy: game for 24 hours straight and help Extra Life raise cash for kids with cancer. Extra Life helps raise money to benefit kids with cancer, and to donate to research for a cure.

So that's 24 hours, as in one full day. And it's for charity, as in, "honey... it's not just slacking, it's for the kids." For each hour of gaming, your sponsors donate however much they’d like per hour of gaming you actually complete. Hopefully, you last the 24 hours.

2old2play is putting together a team. And not to brag or anything, but knowing that, we will reach 24 hours, we will earn each and every dollar sponsored, and we will help these kids.

If you’d like to join the team and do 24 hours of gaming for a great cause, go here and join. Once you're there, click on "join a team." The team name is "2old2play " Enter that and you are in.

Even if you can’t join the 2old2play team, you can donate and/or sponsor us via this link.

Donating is simple and tax deductable (meaning you can write it off at the end of the year). You can donate as little or as much as you want. This is basically a donation for the amount you pledge as we are allowed to make up the extra hours if we don't finish sometime afterward. Please donate only what you can afford.

This is for a great cause and helps those children who aren’t as fortunate as those of us who have lived as long as we already have. Knowing we can bring joy to their lives for as long as they have will have a lasting effect and your money can make a difference.

Thank you for supporting the 2old2play team. We won’t fail you. We will make it the 24 hours and will do whatever it takes to help these kids. Hopefully, your donations will help researchers find a cure for this horrible disease and help all of us in the future.

Thanks!
MJ

2old2play Community Manager Waterborn recently sat down for an interview via Skype with Chris DiBari, Principal Artist for the new The Warriorscomic Book Series.

In addition to his work on the Warriors comics, Chris will also be contributing artwork for the upcoming Paramount Game Studios release The Warriors: Street Brawl, coming to XBLA this summer. For more background on this title and examples of Chris' work, check out  Waterborn's Blog.

In conjunction with this interview, Dabel Brothers Publishing will graciously be donating several items for an exclusive drawing for 2old2play members. Keep an eye on Waterborn's Blog here for updates and details on how you can win some Warriors SWAG. Details coming soon.

Rumors spread that among other projects, the now defunct Ensemble Studios was also working on an Halo MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game).

Ensemble Studios closed its doors the other day, and from the various people, artists, programmers, etc., we’ve learned about some of the Studios canceled projects. The biggest one, the one that is at this minute burning up the interwebs was the revelation that in 2006-07 Ensemble Studios was working on a Halo MMO of some sort! It doesn’t look as if the project ever got pass mock-ups and an early prototype UI before it was internally killed.

Funny thing, this was at the time we reported that a Halo MMO was in the works. Since the rumors had been persistent from Halo 3 release, and when rumors and small tid-bits were leaked from Ensemble no one payed much attention. Microsoft has yet to say anything about the revelation, so as far as we know there is in development, somewhere, a Halo-themed MMO.

Gamasutra has several pictures up and even got some industry experts to break them down for us. If that's not enough, the 'Gone Is Gone' weblog has posted a Flickr gallery of the UI mockups and concept art for the "could have been" mmo.

On a personal note, and MMORPG (which is what Ensemble’s mockups look like) based on the Halo franchise doesn’t seem all that interesting to me. The series lends itself to action not grinding, though an MMOFPS would alleviate that.

Gamespot is reporting that a poll by the Pew Internet Project report revealed 99% of all teenaged boys from age 12 to 17 play video games, and 94% of teenage girls.

What sort of games did they prefer? Racing games topped the list at 74%, followed by puzzle games and sports games.

• Racing: 74%
• Puzzle: 72%
• Sports: 68%
• Action: 67%
• Adventure: 66%
• Music/rhythm: 61%
• Strategy: 60%

The favorite games named were Guitar Hero, Halo 3, Madden NFL, Solitaire (!), and Dance Dance Revolution.

Their least favorite genres?

• Virtual worlds:  10%
• MMORPGs: 21%
• Survival horror: 32%

Pew also surveyed parents of teens to gauge their attitudes toward gaming, and found that most parents were actually ambivalent on gaming’s impact on their kids. Some 62 percent of respondents said games didn’t affect their kids, with 19 percent believing them to be a positive influence, and 13 percent considering them a negative influence. Just 5 percent of parents said gaming could be either positive or negative, depending on the game in question.

Those 5% were also probably the sanest and most intelligent of the parental groups. One thing, though - if 97% of teens play video games, how come there aren’t hundreds of Columbine massacres every year? Oh, right - video games don’t create mentally ill children.

Atari is on a headhunt for pre-release reviews of their upcoming game Alone in the Dark, leaving us in the dark as to why their asking them to be pulled offline. They’re cause for action is based on the fact that these companies must have pirated the game and reviewed it illegally because it’s not out yet.

Consequently these “pirated” games always received less than fabulous reviews, ranging from a 50% or lower (star ratings of 5/10 in some of the better cases). These review sites have been told to rip down their reviews immediatly, stated by Atari themselves, or risk the consequences.

Of course, many of the press sites just hand them the finger as if to dare, while others comply to avoid any additional conflict. Some sites have received copies of the game legally through purchasing from retail outlets breaking street date, is this the fault of the reviewer?

It seems to me a few illegal copies of a game can be overlooked for additional publication about your title… unless, of course, the publications are saying your game sucks. Perhaps the pirated copies just have some bad game design which isn’t found in a legal copy, or, perhaps the game reallys sucks.

Is Atari doing the right thing here? If the copies are indeed illegal then persuing action is in their right but if they’re doing it to remove the scars of a bad review the negative press might hurt more than the negative game review ever could.

(Thanks, ShackNews)

John Diamonon of Capcom in a recent interview with the folks over at MTV Multiplayer gave a little glimpse into how Capcom determines which of their properties get the re-make love: They watch the second-hand market on eBay.

Diamonon stated, “Sometimes we see games on eBay, and that’s how you see what games people are willing to spend $80 on, it’s certainly not the only thing we do … but sometimes we look there to assess the market value of a game.”

Diamonon was quick to make clear that the also listen to their fanbase about which retro IPs they would like to see re-made and/or updated.

Capcom is in the middle of a retro-revival right now, with the recent release of Commando 3 and the release later this year of Bionic Commando Rearmed and Super Street Fighter II HD Remix on Xbox Live, as well as a completely new Bionic Commando title and highly anticipated Street Fighter IV. So if you want a Capcom game to appear on Xbox Live or see a new release, start selling and buying them off of eBay!