Rediscover our favourite moments from past Let’s Play! family gaming weekends, plus tips and resources to spark creative energy at home.......

While everyone waits for Snyder's upcoming Justice League cut to be released, fans might want to bide their time playing these videogames.......

Did you know lots of well-known videogames originate from the North of England? Read on for an exploration of our fantastic local games industry.......

According to the rigorous definition of Game that I will provide, creating "dank memes" IS a video game.One of the painful things about being in the games biz for a long (LONG) time is that you see the same tedious arguments brought up and rehashed, again and again, by new generations. I am writing a series of posts to settle these debates once and for all.No need to thank me. When I get the Nobel Prize, don't worry about sending the medal. I just want the money.This time, I settle a question that has tormented academics and Mad On Twitter types alike: What is the definition of a game?How This Tedious Discussion StartedWhen the Indie Boom hit, several games of the genre called Walking Simulators came out and achieved huge financial and critical success. I personally enjoyed many of them greatly. (Despite this, I still use the term "Walking Simulator" because I find it funny.)When they first gained notice, a certain portion of the gamer community was angered by the acclaim for Walking Simulators, sniffing in response that they "Aren't games."This is, of course, entirely the wrong way to phrase their complaint. What they should have said was, "These games, whatever their good qualities, strip away everything we value in gaming and don't give us enough hours of distraction for our limited dollars, and the fact they are being treated as the future and only thing of value in our medium fills us with resentment."Whether you agree with that sentiment or not (and there's plenty to say on both sides), it is a statement you can actually debate on its merits.But this debate, such as it was, was moot. Last I checked, Walking Sims (even really good new ones) are selling modest numbers and games where you shoot monsters in the face are still making billions.So there was no reason to continue the argument ...According to my rigorous definite of Game, this IS a video game.But Then Academia Got Involved.A lot of people go to college to study videogames, and some try to create advanced critical analysis of the form. Don't blame me. It's not my fault.I studied theatre in college, which was a fantastic experience. When I was there, I observed that people new to an art form constantly try to attach firm definitions to everything in it."What IS a play? What is acting? What is a work of art? What is the explicit definition of joy? And beauty? Dude, my hands are HUGE! They can touch anything but themselves!"Exercises like this are not useless. It's good, when you’re young, to spend a lot of time thinking about the nature of your art form. Then you stop, because you realize that the nature of art is a very slippery thing. Whatever rule you come up with, someone else will become awesome by breaking it.Here's the deal with art: Your brain compels you to make a thing, then you make it, then people dig it or they don't. The end.Despite this, otherwise sensible people still actually spend time trying to define a game. Google "What is a game" and marvel in wonder. It's really quite the thing. A whole bunch of definitions, none of them adequate, because they're all too broad or too narrow or too abstract.So I'll settle the issue and save everyone a bunch of time. This is important to me because I'm working on a cool new indie role-playing thing now, and it'll be out soon, and I want to be sure I can call it a game so I don't get in trouble with the FDA or whatever.According to my rigorous definition of Game, this is NOT a video game.What Is a Game?Consider the large, highly profitable genre called Hidden Object Games.Here's how they work. The game says, "There's a squid on the screen." Then you find and click the squid. Then you do the same thing with a sandwich or a skull or whatever.Is this a game? I mean, hell, I'm not 100% sure this counts as an ACTIVITY.But it has to be a game. How do I know? Because "Hidden Object Game" has "Game" in the name.So just clicking a few times makes it a game, and you have to click just to launch the game. Sooo ...According to my rigorous definition of Game, this IS a video game.The Answer!If you're asking, "Is this a game?" it's a game. Sure! Why not? Who cares? It might be a good game or a long game or a bad game or a word processor.Semantics arguments are lame. Argue about the content. What is a game is trying to do, how does it attempt it, how well did it succeed, and why? That's all that matters.Wait. You Didn't Actually Define a Game.So if you're hangin' out and someone starts to discuss with you what the definition of a game (or gameplay, or play, or immersion, or ludonarrative dissonance) is, do what I do!Step 1: Nod sagely and adopt an expression of extreme concentration.Step 2: Point over the person's shoulder and shout, "Hey, what's that!?"Step 3: Activate the ninja smoke bomb you have in your pocket. FWOOOOSH!Step 4: Sneak into another room.Step 5: Talk to literally anyone else about literally anything else.Problem solved!According to my rigorous definition of Game, this IS a video game.This Is Ridiculous. By Your Laughable Definition, Photoshop and Excel Are Games. That Is So Broad As To Be Meaningless! But What If You First Define Gameplay To Be ...OK, you've broken through. My decades of experience have enabled me to have one simple, unquestionable test for how to peel apart interactivity for a productive purpose from interactivity for an entertainment purpose. First, you ... Hey, what's that!FWOOOOSH!As An Extra Multiball Reward For Making It All the Way to the End of This Mess, I Will Settle Once and For All the Question: "Are Video Games Art?"No. Never. Don't be silly.### If you're intrigued by giant indie RPGs with cool adventures and epic stories, you can wishlist our next "game" on Steam. News about our work and random musings can be found on our Twitter.......

Student chap books created at The Writer's StudioWriting by Kiana: Who am I? I am…An older sister A travelerA basketball player A reader A volleyball player A thoughtful person A friend An ambitious person A writer A dependable friend A doodler Kiana Rodriguez.A studentAn artistAn optimistic personA loving personA good listenerA talkerA shopperWhat is poetry? Pablo Neruda, Nicanor Parra, Gonzalo Rojas, Octavio Paz Life doesn’t frighten me at all-Maya AngelouExpressing your feelings towards society, nature, yourself, or others. A form of writing that can be used to express a persons feelings or thoughts.Writing poetry is like painting with words.“Poetry is, after all, like music, a universal language.”-Six American Poets“Shelley called poetry ‘the record of the best and happiest moments of the best and happiest minds.’” –The Pocket Book of Verse “A major poet contributes to the development of the art of poetry by the magnitude or the implacable center of gravity of his vision and craft.” –Major American PoetsMermaidsPeople may not believe,But there actually aregorgeous, magicalcreatures living in the sea.They are very colorful,stunnung even.These type of people, orcreatures are all very different.Some think that they are cursed, being alive in the sea and all.But it really is a nice, carefreeway of living.Would these type of people like to walk?Well of course they would.I think that they would likely prefer being back in the ocean, though.They are perfect types of people that seem to never be found by us.They are always graceful, sometimes evendelicate.Their colorful bodies make them mysticaland amazing people.Hunters In the SnowInspired by painting By- Pieter BrueghelThe sun is escaping, and my friends and I are getting home.Lampposts and bright streetlights are being turned on in the distance.It snowed last night, so the snow is still fresh.I exhale, and can see my short breath in the air.My partners and I are now trudging downhill.We see many ice skating families and kids having fun.Laughter and joy is in the air, but not for us.All that my companions and I want to do is get home.Its been a long and tough day, and we have already walked four miles.Snow is falling now, and it is coming into our heavy snow boots.Our feet are blistered from the long walk.Our hands are freezing, but we will almost be at rest in our small houses.We pass the ice skaters and happy kids.My fellow hunters and I separate to get to our houses.I’m finally home, finally at rest.Wild ThingsBased on Where the Wild Things AreWritten by, Maurice SendakAnd then Max said “Be still!”And everything suddenly became still.All of the chaos stopped,The wild things were still.The wild things were quiet.There was peacefulness on the land.Calmness everywhere Max went.Even almost serenity.Max had tamed the wild things,using a powerful trick with his eyes.He stared into their yellow eyeswithout even blinking once.This was when Max was called the wildest thing of all.Girl by the Window Painting By- Daniel GarberThe girl stands in the room, reading a story.Light comes in from the window,Her shadow reflecting against the mirror.She can hear children’s laughter outside;She can smell the sweet smell of fruit coming from the kitchen.There are two chairs beside the girl,But she doesn’t sit.She is too intrigued to even look up from the page when I walk in.New York CityPhoto By- Kiana RodriguezWhy do people leave New York City? As I walkthrough New York City, I see many things, suchas people, stores, buildings, and vendors. Butwhat stand out the most are the colorful lights.There are lights of all different colors, shapes,and sizes. They are all giant advertisements thatmake the special city stand out, make the cityextraordinary.When you’re in New York, it seems as if you want to stay there forever. This peculiar city has adifferent feel to it than most other cities, the feelmakes your trip feel surreal.But people have jobs to get back to, and their extremely boring lives. Most people do try to get back to this gorgeous and exciting city as soon asthey can. My mother broke every dish in the house the day that she was told that she was fired. She was mad. Mad isn’t even the right word. She was furious. She had lost an amazing job just because she had shown up to work at 8:03 one morning instead of at 8:00 sharp. I mean who fires a person just for that? My mother was so furious because she is the one that makes most of the money in our house. My father is always on these so called "business trips," so my siblings and I rarely ever see him. So, I have been trying to help out with the house more to make my family's and mothers life easier. I make my family dinner, clean the house, and get my younger brother and sisters ready for school in the morning, even though mostly everyone is in a sour mood. One night, my mother had a good interview, which she thought had gone fairly well. So, she was in a great mood. "Thank you Elizabeth," she had told me, " All of your help has really helped keep our family on top." "No problem mom" I had replied. That night she got the call that we had been waiting a month for. She had gotten the job! It was also very well paying. From that day forward, everyone was in a great mood all of the time. Two friends named Johnna and Clara are going out to a restaurant to see if they would be a good match of friends for each other. They are both twenty-three years old, looking for a friend, and very creative.“Hi Clara Foster” said Johnna.“I’m not Clara Foster,” said a stranger.“Oh, sorry” said Johnna.“Hi Johnna Wu” says Clara.“Hi Clara!”“Should we take a seat?” asks Clara.“That would be nice.”“How old are you?”“Twenty three turning twenty four,” says Johnna “what about you?”“I am twenty three years old.” responds Clara. “So, I read on your profile that you enjoy drawing, playing the violin and piano. How do you pursue these talents?”“Well, I go to school at Julliard, so it’s not very hard to run after these activities.” Says Johnna.“And how so are you creative?” asks Johnna.“I have a career as an interior designer, so I kind of need to be creative in order to keep my job.”Johnna laughed.The waitress comes to take their drink orders.“I’ll have a diet coke please” says Clara.“I will also have a diet coke”The waitress leaves to get their drinks.“So, what do you like to do in your free time?” asks Johnna.“I like to read, go to the movies, and be with my friends and family.” says Clara. “Oh, and I also love to shop, but only when I have the money for it. What do you like to do, what are some of your hobbies?”“Well, I like to draw, hang out with friends, play the violin, play the piano, and sing, as I have already told you.”“That’s so cool!” said Clara.“Thanks.”“Are you any good at drawing?”“Well, I think so. But everyone else probably doesn’t think so.”“I bet you are, you seem very creative.”The waitress comes and takes their food orders.The waitress immediately brings their food and they eat up.“That was delicious,” says Johnna.“I agree.”“I think that we would be good friends if we chose to hang out again.”“Me too,” said Clara “we have so much in common, we are both very creative, smart, and like to be with friends.”“I would love to see one of the rooms that you have designed,” says Johnna.“Sure,” responds Clara “and I would also like to see one of your drawings and hear you with all of your surely amazing musical talents.“Then we should meet again sometime.”“Yes, we definitely should, how’s next Tuesday for you?”“Tuesday is great.”The waitress then comes out with the bill.“I’ll pay,” says Johnna.“No its fine, dinner’s on me tonight.”After some more of going back and forth on who should pay the bill, the waitress offers to split it, each lady would have to pay about half of the total amount.“That’s what we’ll do.” says Johnna.“Yes, that would be fabulous.”They both get up and leave after they pay.“Dinner was very nice, I’ll see you next Tuesday.” says Clara.“Yes, dinner was marvelous, bye Clara!”“Bye Johnna!” My name is Sophia. I really like to lie, and am really good at it. Yes, I know I shouldn’t be lying, but sometimes, I need to. For example, I spare my friends feelings by lying when I need to. Or if I’m embarrassed when I’m doing something, I lie and say I was doing something else. Last night I was grounded. I was supposed to go to the movies last night with my friend Alison, but of course, my parents wouldn’t even let me out of my room. Today when Alison asked me where I was last night, I told her that my cat got bit by a donkey and lost so much blood we had to take her to the vet. Thankfully, this is not true. I was stammering a lot when I had told her this, so I actually didn’t think she would believe me. But Alison believed it, she is so gullible. I don’t think anyone else would of believed it. And yesterday, when my teacher asked me why I didn’t do my homework, I lied and said that I hadn’t done it because my printer was out of ink. She raised an eyebrow like she didn’t believe me. This didn’t work because a couple of nights before the teacher saw my mom out buying ink a couple of nights before. These aren’t the best examples of me lying, but I actually think I’m a pretty amazing liar. Not a lot of people believe me when I lie, but the people that believe me are the only ones that count.So, last night my family and I were in a restaurant. I borrowed my brother's old crutches and went out like that, with one foot barefooted. Once we got to the restaurant, I told everyone I saw that I had broken my foot when an elephant stepped on it. But, the waiter wouldn't serve us! We asked her why nobody was coming to take our order and she told my family that it was because I wasn't wearing a shoe, and that that restaurant had the right to refuse service to shoeless people. The waitress somehow knew I was faking the foot injury. So after arguing with her, we decided to leave. Once we got home, my mom started to make pasta, my favorite. I love the smell of my mom making the food. While I was waiting for dinner to be ready, I went up to my room and started reading my old diary. I couldn't believe what I had written in there! I wished that I had a let donkey, and said that I had wanted to marry Justin Bieber. The diary also said that I also had a pet unicorn living in my closet, which I still do. Just don't tell my parents.Writing from Hannah: Musical, Booky, WhovianReading, Sleeping, FezzesRunning, Biking, Playing SoccerDoctor Who, The Fault in Our Stars, DivergentWeeping angels, Heights, ClaustrophobiaThe library, Friends, MathTo go to a good college, Get good gradesGallifreyThe Fragile Castle (a Poem)Time goes byAnd the castle agesIt’s secret writtenWithin many pagesHidden in the castleRests the book of lifeIt is unwrittenUnless you choose to writeAnd the castle standsWith many different fortsThough the outside is strongInside it hurtsSo be careful with the castle that’s a beautyBecause the guards are always on dutyThe Girl at the Sewing MachinePainting by: Edward HopperLong daysShe sitsWith the clothThat binds her life.Her handsHer delicate handsThread by threadWeave the clothStitch by stitchLace her lifeNoNoThe cloth does not define her lifeThe cloth does not decide her fateThe cloth decides her every living momentFor when her life endsHer living will continueAnd never will she reach deathSo long as she’s spinningThe birds will continue chirpingAnd the sun will rise and setAnd the girl that continues sewingWill never meet her deathThe Girl in the ShadowsShe standsAlonePaper clasped in her handHazel hair graciously combed and brushedHer shadows reflect in the mirrorThe light filters through the faded curtainAnd softly lands on her faded sapphire plush chairThe lamp behind them seems to glowHer nightgown shinesIn the soft lightAnd the soft baby blue dressReflects her emotionsThe Process of Writing a Poem (a Poem)I agree; poetry is discouragingIt takes a lot more than wordsTo make it more encouragingIt takes willand skilland all of your driveto make it more interestingIt is quite a diveA dive into the unknownThe unwrittenThe unspokenBut as soon as the light is shoneThe words are writtenEngravedInto stoneNever to be erasedThe Surfing Lesson (a Flash Fiction)It was a beautiful morning in the Outer Banks. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, the waves were gentle, and the sand was warm. Then my dad had to go and ruin it all. “Hey Clara, how about we try some surfing today?” he asked, munching on a cinnamon roll. He set down the morning paper. “It’d be fun.”I shrugged. Didn't seem that bad. After all, it's not like I could drown in that water. "Sure, why not?" I replied casually. “Sounds good. Go get changed, and I’ll meet you by the water in five minutes, yeah?” “Sure.”I went upstairs to change, and five minutes later, my dad and I were standing besides the ocean. I inhaled the ocean breeze, and the smell of warm sand. It was truly a beautiful morning. “First and only lesson in surfing,” my dad said, angling his surfboard so it hit the water right. “Don’t fall. Good luck Clara.” Then he took off. I was about to protest, but he was already halfway in the ocean. I groaned inwardly and copied my dad. I wasn’t prepared for the cold water that hit me as soon as I entered. It was about 20 degrees in the water, I swear. I almost fell off the board from the cold. I fell of 5 seconds later, when I slipped. My entire body hit the freezing cold water, and I yelped. It literally was 20 degrees. I coughed and sputtered, and when I looked up, my dad was sitting on his surfboard. “Now Clara, that is not how you surf,” he said disapprovingly, hauling me back up. “Watch and learn, grasshopper.”He paddled off, leaving me to shiver on the board. I watched as he approached a wave, then stood up at the last second, expertly swooping with the wave. As the wave crashed, he turned back, and paddled back to me. “Now you try,” he said, gesturing to the oncoming wave. I inwardly groaned again, and paddled toward the wave. I braced myself for more cold as I approached the wave.Just as the wave rolled over, I hopped up, and squeezing my eyes shut, flung my arms out. After two seconds, I opened one eye. I was still standing. And I was surfing. I then opened my other eye in surprise. I was surfing. I was actually surfing. I let out a whoop of joy, but then looked to the side. There was a huge purple fish swimming on the other side of the wave, staring directly at me. It opened its mouth to swallow bubbles, and I screamed. With my concentration broken, I fell into the water. I rose back to the surface to see my dad lecturing me disapprovingly. “You have to try harder, Clara,” he scolded, hauling me back up again. “Yes,” I said, suppressing a smile, despite the cold. I had a feeling I could do it this time. “One more time, perhaps?”The Pant Problem (a Flash Fiction)It was around 4am when I felt a shake on my shoulder. Katherine was leaning over the edge of the bunk. “What?” I grumbled. “I can’t find my pants,” she moaned. Under different circumstances, I would’ve laughed, but at 4 in the morning, I was in no mood to laugh. I managed to mumble ‘lovely’ before tumbling off to sleep again. In the morning, Katherine still hadn’t found her pants. This stirred up a lot of trouble from our cabin; Annabelle even made a song for it. After two days, someone checked the bottom of a table, and we found her pants sitting in a dusty corner. Finally, the pant problem was solved. The Beetle ChaseIt was a beautiful day outside. The sun shone brightly, but not too bright. The air was nice and warm. Everything was fine and lovely. Except, of course, the beatles. If I were in a room with my biggest fear, I would probably be stuck with these giant beetles that kept on flying around me. They were huge, each probably 4 inches wide and 2 inches tall. They had huge wings that buzzed whenever they flew, and wide buggish eyes that always seemed to be targeting me and staring me down. I screamed as another beetle flew by my arm, missing it by a near millimeter. Of course, Angelina was having a real kick out of this, cracking up every time a beetle flew near me. She grinned as another one flew past. “Oh look, I found where the beetle stung me,” she said with a mischievous smile. That got the reaction she was expecting, which was me running like a maniac to the other side of the sidewalk. I screamed again as I dodged another beetle, which missed me by a narrow 5 centimeters. I was really starting to hate these beetles. Angelina laughed so hard, she almost crashed into a beetle. She yelped, then quickly ran back to the sidewalk. When we reached the other side, there weren’t as many beetles, so I finally calmed down, though Angelina still was laughing. “It’s not funny,” I grumbled, swinging around to make sure there weren’t any beetles following us. “Of course not,” she replied, still laughing. “The beetle sting wasn’t funny at all, in fact, it rather hurt. A lot.”I smacked her arm, then yelled as a beetle flew past my arm. I jumped back, almost crashing into Angelina. And then, almost tripping, I ran for the entrance, dodging beetles as I went. We finally made it, though rather painfully. Of course, Angelina wouldn’t fully stop laughing till 2 days later. That was the most painful part. The Bad BossBeing the boss of a top company isn’t as fun as it sounds. For instance, take this morning. I had just gotten a cup of coffee from our luxurious cafeteria, when one of my co-workers approached me.“Uh, sir, uh--” he started nervously. “What?” I sighed. “I regret to inform you that I might have miscalculated our business markets, and we have taken a turn down to 15%--also, there appears to be some bugs in your offi--” “You’re fired,” I said, without letting him finish his sentence. “Nobody in my company miscalculates markets so easily. Also, what did I say about bugs?” I waved my hand as he gaped at me. “Now shoo, I’ve got a coffee to drink and work to do.”When I reached my office, I had another co-worker waiting for me, along with many bugs. “Sir, we have a problem--” he started. “You don’t say,” I said, gesturing to the many bugs that filled the room. “Yes, that and also--”“KILL THEM!” I ordered. “Y-y-yes sir,” he said hastily, walking out of the room. I really hated bugs, as you can see. I have many cans of bug spray that usually gets sprayed, but not today apparently. I sighed again. Co-workers could be soannoying. Being the boss helped, since I could degrade them and all, but still. So annoying. I was well into the marketing calculations when another co-worker approached me. He opened his mouth to start talking, but I immediately waved my hand. “You’re fired,” I growled. “Get out of here.”He opened his mouth to protest, then seemed to see my expression. He saluted (which was even more annoying), then quickly walked out of the room. At around 3 at noon, I got a call. With a sigh, I picked it up. “Hello?”“Ms. Lethbridge, I’m afraid--”“Well whatever you’re afraid of, it had better get the heck out of here, because I don’t care. If it has to do with bugs, then you’re fired.” There was a pause on the other side of line. “Well?” I finally said. “There are bugs--”“Say what now?”“We’ll get it fixed,” he promised, then hung up. Finally, after 3 hours of marketing calculations (this time with no interruptions), my work day was over. With another sigh, I packed up and left. So as you can see, being a CEO pretty much sucks. You are stuck with a bunch of idiots who constantly bother you. Character Dialogue Location: Some random restaurant in some random placeA: Hello. M: Hi. A: So how’s life? M: It’s good. I haven’t really been doing much these days, just sitting around and playing videogames. A: Wow. You’re unemployed? M: Yeah. I attended Penn State, got my degree, and from there it kind of went downhill. I got married, but then divorced. Got a job, then got fired. I’ve been unemployed ever since. A: Wow. I’m sorry. M: Don’t be sorry, it’s not your fault. A: Yeah. M: I do have a job interview on Thursday though, for a gaming company. I might be testing their games and writing a little bit of code. A: Wow! That’s cool. M: Yeah. So how’s your life? A: Good, I guess. It’s a little busy. I work during the day at Microsoft, and then go to pick up the kids I’m supposed to babysit. On Mondays and Thursdays Jack has baseball practice, and on Wednesdays and Sundays Rose has swimming. Martha also has tennis on Tuesdays and Saturdays. It’s a busy week for me. M: Woah. You have to babysit week round? A: Yeah. Their parents are on a very urgent business trip in Cardiff. They’re not coming back till next year. They just don’t want to bring their children along. M: Oh. That’s nice. A: Yeah. *awkward silence*M: This food is great, you know. A: Yeah. I really like the spaghetti. M: Yeah. The pizza is good too. A: Mmhmmm. It’s awesome. *awkward silence* A: *checks watch* Well, I best be going. Rose, Martha, and Jack are probably stirring up some trouble right now. I’ll pay the bill. M: If you insist. *Amy pays bill*A: Until next time. M: Until then. Imagery Exercise (Located on an island in Puerto Rico)The blue water glistened beneath the boat, its crystal clear waters reflecting the image of many impatient snorkelers waiting to hop off. Beyond the crystal waters stood a majestic mountain tinted a warm shade of brown as the sun stood off overhead. The smell of fresh sand and rocks filled the atmosphere, warming the air. The water was sleek and cold, but warm enough to swim in. Fish danced beneath our feet, swimming excitedly in circles. Colorful coral lined the bottom of the sea, glowing brightly in the spotless water. You could almost taste the warm air, sunny and bright, like it was a baked cookie. The sound of the lapping waves filled my ears, with a splish-splash every time it hit the sand. Sleek seagulls called overhead, flying in wide circles above us in the air. There was a happy and sunny mood to this island, a sense of warmth that radiated off of every living creature. Poems by Shana: The Girl and the LetterThe dawn light fades through the lustrous curtainThe light shines upon the dull blue couchThe luxurious room was dimly litA girl stood behind the couchHer shadow reflecting upon the mirrorHer blonde hair falling down her pale faceHer gown, falling down onto the groundBeautiful, in every wayHer eyes, focused onto a letterThere was somethingSomething in the letter that bothered herThere was something that she could not speak ofHer heart was dropping every word she readHer big bright eyes, filled with sorrowHer quivering mouth, trembled with fearShe knew that no matter whatShe couldn’t stop what was coming.FearA fear:A deep secretSomething you bury deep in your heartSomething that you dare not tell anyoneA fear:Rejection?Heights?Dying?A fear:Something I dare not tell anyoneA fear:FearThe fearThat is eating us aliveThe fearThat is haunting our deathThe fearThe fearHow do you overcome, the fear?How do you overcome the fright?Step on stage and just say:I fearMy ParadiseThe aqua wavesCrash against the creamy sand beachThe tropical breezeBlows against the tall, lengthy palm treesWhere were palm trees?Where were the sand beaches all my life?Of course, they were right hereWaiting for meAll alongMy Good FriendGoodnight moonI’ll see you again tomorrowWhen I open the curtainsAnd you light up my room once moreWhen I open my mouth to speakI know you’ll be there, listeningWhen you tell me a storyI’ll be there too, listeningWhen you are happyYou don’t show it muchBut on your faceI see a dimly lit smileNo matter what I feelI’ll always knowThat you my friend Will be with me wherever I go. The Father’s BlessingThe sunHiding behind the tall brave treesThe housesReflecting upon the river watersThe roadSloping downwards onto a bridgeThree girlsResting upon the dusty bridgeTheir eyesSparkling from the bright sun raysTheir thoughtsMesmerized by their calm reflectionsTheir dressesHighlighted by every colorTheir mindsFilled with the memory of their past calm daysTheir soulsCleansed with peaceTheir FatherGazed from afarHis heartFilled with depressionHe knewThat his death was nearHe knewThat he had to say goodbyeHis eyesSlowly closedHis mindRecited his prayer:Let them be beautifulLet them they be lovedLet them to forever be able to gaze out On to the calm waters as long as they liveLet my three beautiful daughtersBe happy......

Bandai Namco Games Community Manager J. Kartje ushers in the new free-to-play, PS3 exclusive, single player only Soul Calibur: Lost Swords game on the Playstation Blog. You should be able to find the title to download and play later today when the Playstation Network updates it's game's listings. As added incentive to try the game out, logging into the game within the first four weeks grants you a set of bonus items that you can use in-game as a special gift from the Project Soul development team. If you're looking for further information on the title, Videogames Brasil recently interviewed the project's lead producer Masaaki Hoshino on the game and describes what we can see in the game for everyone.......