I was pleased to see an increase in boardgame love while attending PAX East this year. There were tons of games being demoed by the developers, and one of the games that caught my attention right away was Forbidden Desert. If the titles sounds familiar, chances are you've played Forbidden Island, the previous game from Gamewright. Forbidden Desert is more than just a reskin, and while the co-op roles of the previous gamer remain intact, there are other changes made that have improved upon the product. My friend and I sat down at the Gamewright booth and got to play a quick game.

It's no secret that the next generation of consoles is on the way. Heck, they are kinda already here, if you count the Wii U as "next generation." Each generation does something to enhance the previous, and it's not just the visual/ graphics specs. When the 360 and PS3 launched we were introduced to the achievement/trophy system which was a great idea. By rewarding players for doing what they do (play games) it added quite a bit to the replay value of a certain game. I know I personally have played certain games longer than I normally would just to get a few extra trophies or slightly increase my gamer score.

Companies are in the business of making money, and the video game industry is no different. The current-gen systems allow developers to expand their cash by offering additional content for an already released game, something that could not be done back in the Sega Genesis days. These video game big-wigs will try anything to make a buck off consumers, and you can't blame them since that is the nature of any business. There are a variety of ways this can be done, and in the end only you can decide whether you are being exploited or not.

I will admit that I am getting a bit sick of all the video game Kickstarter news. Double Fine thought outside the box to snag some extra funds, and it worked since they made a huge amount of money. Of course, it didn't hurt that the developer and the man behind the studio are both known for crafting excellent, high-quality games, so helping back Tim Schafer's crew isn't really too much of a risk...you know you will get your money's worth.

Oh new consoles, how I loathe you. It's inevitable...eventually the current hardware just isn't up to snuff anymore as new technology comes out that can offer a better gaming experience. Every console has done it (except the poor Jaguar); the NES eventually developed into the Wii, the Genesis failed for the most part as the Saturn,  the PS1 just added some numbers to it until it got to the PS3, and the Xbox did a full-on 360 to get to it's current state. The latest technology trends seem to be high-tech stuff like motion (or non-existent) controllers, voice control, 3D technology and more. So is there enough new tech out there that the likes of the 360 and PS3 can't handle? To be honest, I have no clue. When it comes to technology I stay pretty oblivious to stuff that's only on the horizon and only pay attention to what's currently available. So for all I know maybe there are plans for systems with double the graphics capabilities of what we currently have, or that can microwave that breakfast burrito for you while you load up your most current save of Uncharted 4. My point in all this jibberish is that I can care less, and even if the technology is there and warrants some upgrades, I don't want it.