The original Scotland Yard is still very much in print. The latest edition is just gorgeous - the board is heavy with nice artwork and the box is really well designed. The original board for tracking Mr. X's movements is also still included and is really well made.
Overall a great game! You can get it for about $9 under MSRP by going to Fair Play Games.
A great example of powerful game music is in "Interstate '76". The original funk CD-audio soundtrack not only added to the wonderful experience of the game but was also suitable just for pure listening enjoyment. (Every time I hear the first few bars of the main theme, I'm completely drawn back into the game world even though I'm listening to the CD on my way to work).
Even licensed music used well provides a real connection in a game. GTA:VC was that much more cool and resonated with 80's style thanks to the amazing soundtrack.
I sent this to Mr. Byron and letters@nypost.com:
Mr. Byron,
I just read your article on Take Two and want to point out a few things:
- Your comments that video games are linked to real-world violence aren't any more true than similar links to "Helter Skelter" or "Catcher in the Rye". Just the fact that video game sales are at their highest point ever and juvenile crime is at a 10-year low and violent crime in general is decreasing completely deflates your argument. Many people do insane things for insane reasons and then blame everything and everyone but themselves. Despite that fact, you'll be pleased to know that more people have been killed in the name of the Bible and Koran than over any video game.
- The current median age of video gamers is 32. Assuming that all video games are made for children is just ignorant. Every game manufacturer voluntarily submits their games for rating which is then plainly marked on the package. Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City are both rated "M" for Mature meaning they are not intended for those under 18. Are parents who choose to buy "M" rated games for their kids any less liable than those that give their kids a bottle Jack Daniels and a pack of smokes? I think not. Some things are not meant for kids - these are two of those things. (Many large store chains to not carry M-rated games and many others require ID to purchase them just for this reason.)
- You also questioned the content itself, but the New York Post is not beyond pushing sex and violence to make money. Ironically, when I visited your article there were two Victoria's Secret banner ads running on the page featuring an extremely scantily clad woman. Your site is also hosting a "Year End Survey" that includes graphic pictures of bloody victims from a bombing in Turkey and the "Portrait of War" which shows violent street battles, bloody soldiers being carried off on stretchers, and a series of pictures showing the war wounds of children. Unlike the video games in question, your web site has *no* rating whatsoever and kids could have easily stumbled across any of this publicly-available content.
- Finally, you make a point that these games let you do "whatever you want". The fact that you chose to kill police and murder prostitutes was totally a choice of your making. Which is worse - for the game to offer the choice or for you to take it? In case you didn't know, the game also lets you spend time working as a cab driver, rescuing people in an ambulance and fire truck, and delivering pizzas. Of course, I know that kind of subject matter just isn't going to sell papers.
Sincerely,
{Me}
Slashdot Mirror
The original Scotland Yard is still very much in print. The latest edition is just gorgeous - the board is heavy with nice artwork and the box is really well designed. The original board for tracking Mr. X's movements is also still included and is really well made.
Overall a great game! You can get it for about $9 under MSRP by going to Fair Play Games.
A great example of powerful game music is in "Interstate '76". The original funk CD-audio soundtrack not only added to the wonderful experience of the game but was also suitable just for pure listening enjoyment. (Every time I hear the first few bars of the main theme, I'm completely drawn back into the game world even though I'm listening to the CD on my way to work).
Even licensed music used well provides a real connection in a game. GTA:VC was that much more cool and resonated with 80's style thanks to the amazing soundtrack.
I sent this to Mr. Byron and letters@nypost.com: Mr. Byron, I just read your article on Take Two and want to point out a few things: - Your comments that video games are linked to real-world violence aren't any more true than similar links to "Helter Skelter" or "Catcher in the Rye". Just the fact that video game sales are at their highest point ever and juvenile crime is at a 10-year low and violent crime in general is decreasing completely deflates your argument. Many people do insane things for insane reasons and then blame everything and everyone but themselves. Despite that fact, you'll be pleased to know that more people have been killed in the name of the Bible and Koran than over any video game. - The current median age of video gamers is 32. Assuming that all video games are made for children is just ignorant. Every game manufacturer voluntarily submits their games for rating which is then plainly marked on the package. Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City are both rated "M" for Mature meaning they are not intended for those under 18. Are parents who choose to buy "M" rated games for their kids any less liable than those that give their kids a bottle Jack Daniels and a pack of smokes? I think not. Some things are not meant for kids - these are two of those things. (Many large store chains to not carry M-rated games and many others require ID to purchase them just for this reason.) - You also questioned the content itself, but the New York Post is not beyond pushing sex and violence to make money. Ironically, when I visited your article there were two Victoria's Secret banner ads running on the page featuring an extremely scantily clad woman. Your site is also hosting a "Year End Survey" that includes graphic pictures of bloody victims from a bombing in Turkey and the "Portrait of War" which shows violent street battles, bloody soldiers being carried off on stretchers, and a series of pictures showing the war wounds of children. Unlike the video games in question, your web site has *no* rating whatsoever and kids could have easily stumbled across any of this publicly-available content. - Finally, you make a point that these games let you do "whatever you want". The fact that you chose to kill police and murder prostitutes was totally a choice of your making. Which is worse - for the game to offer the choice or for you to take it? In case you didn't know, the game also lets you spend time working as a cab driver, rescuing people in an ambulance and fire truck, and delivering pizzas. Of course, I know that kind of subject matter just isn't going to sell papers. Sincerely, {Me}