Football Manager 2010

Let's be having you?

Football. What a sport.

I'd say I follow it, but following requires a bit of effort. I'd say I'm a fan, but I don't go around parading my allegiances anywhere, even if it's perfectly fine to support Liverpool these days (or perhaps was, until they started playing like the Liverpool I grew up with - losing).

I've been to very few live matches mostly because of having absolutely no desire to go. You get a better view at home, in the warm, away from the racists who think their own team's players are absolute dog-shite, what are you doing, you pillock, my nan could have scored from there.

Football fans who think they could do a better job than the players on the pitch, and especially the manager on the touchline, are just the worst. I'm sorry, but you are. Luckily for you, though, Football Manager 2010 exists so that you can have a go at being the boss in the comfort of your own home.

Please. Only have a go in your own home.

The Movies

Action!

Source // Moby Games

The urge to create can be found within us all. Some of us want to do it more than others, granted, but deep down, we humans like it when something new comes into this world, especially when we put it there.

Back in my youth, I was into movie making. Nothing remarkable, mind you, even after A-Levels and Diplomas. The movie-making bug has long since been cast out of my system, but I certainly see the appeal in going through all that effort, the blood, sweat, and tears, to get your vision onto the screen, and so does The Movies.

One part machinima creation suite, one part Hollywood Movie Studio business simulator, The Movies lets players live out their movie star dreams, taking on the role of basically everything as you strive to run a successful studio, churning out your own movies, even sharing them online for the world to see.

Will it rekindle the spark I had way back when? Am I the next Spielberg?

Railroad Tycoon 3

Toot toot.

There's something magical about trains. Kids enjoy train sets, even though they limit where the carriages can go across the living room carpet. Lots of folks admire the craft of model railways, from the simple setup to the elaborate museum piece, even though they're just going around in circles.

As a board game player, I can tell you for a fact that the hobby is full of train games. Games where you lay track, games where you buy stocks, games that newcomers can jump into, and games for the devoted enthusiast.

Video games too are no stranger to train games, and Railroad Tycoon 3 may just be the most prominent stop on the line. From laying track to buying trains and keeping your stocks in check, it offers a wealth of steam-powered, land-based, transportation management gameplay.

But is the service any good?

Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon

Toot, toot.

Not pictured: Railroads

Seeing Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon coming up on the list brought back memories of getting my hands on Transport Tycoon for the PlayStation: I was wowed by the idea, fired it up, didn't have a damn clue what was going on and quickly abandoned it.

Have I changed as a person since then? Can I competently run a railroad network spanning the country, delivering passengers, mail, livestock and much more besides?