The Sixth Edition

I first started playing the Civilisation series during my first year in University. I remembered the network had the program installed and one just had to go out searching for a clean one to start playing. Failing that, I always had a copy of it in my bag but installing it could be a pain. It was fun times especially after my end of year exam while waiting to return home for the summer break.

Then came the second version - aptly called CIV 2 - which was even better. New instalments came every few years and about 5 years ago I remembered playing Civilisation IV on my Mac.

The creator if the series, Sid Meier had always been my favourite designer. It stemmed back from his 1988 release, Pirates! I remembered spending many weekends at home for break from MRSM enjoying it, sometime playing it through the night.

Then came Railroad Tycoon which I played while waiting for my SPM results and Colonization. Then came the spin-off Alpha Centauri which I played in between my calls as a Houseman in England. All were great franchises and I must say were my favourite games.

Civilisation VI was a big jump from the previous version. Very detailed and as result time-consuming. I have yet to complete a game. I spend a few hours last weekend after the instal exploring the game and it was huge! I wished that I have more spare time to play.Mayne in one of those spare weekend I could binge on it ….

As Promised

So, right after reaching home I took the boys as promised. We went to a mall near our home, KL Festival Mall. On the top floor, there was a amusement area and one of the game console there was called Animal Keiser.

You put in the tokens - worth RM3 - into the slot, then play a quick game. At the end of that, a card would come out from the slot. These cards have power-up on them the next time you play the game and as you progress you become stronger. The cards were also collector's item and the boys exchanged them with their friends at school.

For the last couple of nights, the boys had been at it almost constantly bordering on annoyance.

Since I was busy last night, I had to take them out today after their Quran class. The nett result was eight new cards between the two of them. Not cheap, but at least it kept them off my back. At least for the next 24 hours .........

Wii U

Over the years, the only game console we had in our household was the Nintendo Wii. We had PSP and iPads of course, but we were talking consoles here. We never bothered with PlayStation, but we loved our Wii. When I was in the US, the Wii U was released, but I want sure if the games and consoles were compatible in Malaysia. So, I gave it a pass.

But when I found a unit being sold during our trip to Plaza Damas, I just couldn't say no. We went straight to buy it.

It wasn't a local unit, so, it needed a step down voltage unit. I was pretty sure it was a North America set from the voltage setting, but it worked fine. The Wii U was definitely an upgrade from the Wii. The graphic was better, the games were more sophisticated. It can still play the original Wii games and some of the peripherals were still compatible.

The console also came with a small handheld display unit called the Gamepad. It connects seamlessly with the console via Bluetooth, and it required a separate charger. So, I had to get a couple of step down transformers to play the game.

I bought the black 32GB unit, which came with a game called Nintendoland, which showcases what the Wii U can offer in terms of gameplay. I also bought a couple of extra games for the boys.

After playing for a couple of times, the unit appeared more responsive, but I just wished that we had a bigger TV. The one we used for games was an old CRT TV. It was good enough, but not HD! The sound was also pretty basic from our setup. I was sure we were yet to explore then full potential of the Wii U. At this time, the games were still limited.

But from what I explored so far, it certainly retained the same charm as the original Wii. If you loved the Wii as a casual gamer like us, I was sure you would love the Wii U. Adventure time!!!!!

Colmar Part II

The first stop when we arrived t Colmar was to have lunch. Pizza and pasta it was. The boys wanted to have a walk about, play with some sand art and play some of the games at the stalls. This game needed token and the token were rather expensive actually. It was especially expensive when we did not win anything in return.

Following the trip up and down the hill towards the Japanese Garden, we decided to get back into the car and headed for the Rabbit Park. The park was a five minutes drive away.

Welcome to the Rabbit ParkIdlan trying out a spot of old school games. Nah! Did not catch on ...I think Anita was rather wary of the rabbits. She was hiding away behind Idlan.Come on fluffy little thing ...Sharing is caringIt was great fun there with Irfan especially adventurous. The weather was also gorgeous, and we ended up spending close to an hour there. Next, trip back in time for dinner. We had some Chinese food at KLCC as Anita had to do some quick shopping.

Come on. Eat more fatso ...Irfan wondering if they eat carrotsIt was still sunny by the time we leftA quick trip, just 45 minutes away from my home was the tonic I needed. Great fun it was.

Addicting

Anita was never that big a game fan but she finally caught up with Angry Birds. Oh! my God! She was up until 1 am last night. As soon as I arrived she just could stop talking about it. She's downstairs at the moment. Wonder what she is up to?