A quick little announcement from Game On!:

• Thanksgiving Day, we’ll be open from 4:00 PM until 10:00 PM. Since that’s only half our normal hours, the day pass for that day will be only $10.
• Black Friday we plan to be open from 10 AM to 2AM (normal schedule). Stay tuned for any upcoming deals.

Just a quick FYI to anyone thinking of dropping by on July 4th. We’re closed. We’ll be open at our regular time, bright and early Tuesday morning (10 AM).

Does anybody out there miss the Bawls that we used to so proudly display and disseminate from our cooler? Do you long for its caffeinated nectars while playing your latest round of whatever?

Well you’re in luck. Starting tomorrow (Friday at the latest), Game On! will have Bawls back in stock.

Come get some.

As part of our iGames membership, Game On got the opportunty to let our customers try out Sid Meier’s Civilization V, a turn based, strategy game about winning the world through conquest, diplomacy, science, or culture. Much like its name, Civilization is about building a culture, about making cities and researching technology, about managing resources and working either with or against fellow players to take over the world. Pinky and the Brain would be envious!

The premise is fairly simple. You are in control of a civilization which you get to build from the ground up to become the kind of place you want to be. You begin by selecting what kind of cilivation you’re all about, from the likes of Ghandi to the ruthless Ramesses II, and this choice affects the units you make and how the game reacts to the player’s actions. Winning can entail anything, from conquering neighboring nations to becoming culturally advanced, to taking off into outer space. From ancient are, you grow onwards, into the future that may as well resemble Manifest Destiny.

The game can be played alone — and I speak honestly when I say the AI can play aggressively against you — or in the company of friends. Here at Game On we’ve witnessed sessions that last well into the night. A little like more familiar table top adventures, games can be saved and played over several days, weeks, months, but it’s also addicting enough that once you start, it’s hard to put Civilization down for long.

The map itslef is composed of invisible hexagonal tiles. All menus rely on basic left and right click of the mouse and no part of the UI is complicated or hard to navigate. A giant “searchpedia” exists to answer and all questions you might have about all aspects of the game, but strategy still relies on your own wit and skills.

As part of the promotion, two hours are provided free for your give Civilization 5 a shot and let us know what you think. From time spent playing, we’ve discovered that it can be very enjoying and challenging to team up (humans vs. AI is always interesting) and also to win through anything besides conquest. Your mileage may vary.

Just a friedly reminder that a.) we’re still alive and kicking, and b.) that Friday Night Frag Fest is coming up. Check them out at at http://www.fnff.net/. This year, it’s happening June 25th through 27th at the National Western Complex.

I’ve also heard it told that they might be dropping by this Saturday, so you might make your way over to check them out.