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I know everyone must have, at least once in a lifetime, a reason to wish for everything to stop around him/her, and in most cases, this is also involving someone they love. For me, one of the many reasons to have the entire world frozen in time around me is Civilization, the brilliant game series forged by Sid Meier. Anyway, before Civilization, there was another great game, called Colonization, and now it seems we're going to be able to enjoy it once again, in the full glory of the Civilization IV graphics engine!



According to Sid Meier himself, now holding the director of creative development position at Firaxis Games, "We've received many requests from fans over the years to bring back Colonization and now seemed to be the perfect time to do that."

The Civilization IV engine provided a fantastic foundation for a new Colonization experience and allowed us to create something great for both new players and long time fans of the game," he concluded, and the countless hours I've spent with Civilization IV are a proof to that, as well as the feeling of emptiness I get by the lack of time for playing it anymore, because for me(and a large part of my friends), Civilization is one of those games I will never get tired of, never-ever!

Colonization will get 2008 graphics, a new interface, improved diplomacy options, modding tools, and will allow you to "lead one of four European nations on a quest to conquer and rule the New World."

Expected to arrive this fall, Sid Meier's Civilization IV: Colonization will surely be a great addition to any Civilization fan, as well as a game surely worth buying for those strategy fans that didn't grab any of Mr. Meier's games!

Feelin' ready for a contest? No, it won't be a wet T-shirts contest, although summer is raising hell all over around me, and if you're not living in Alaska, Siberia or another really cold area, I am sure you are going to face hellish temperatures pretty soon, if it didn't happen already. Just as a side note, global warming is real, and is caused by human activity! Those denying this are welcome to drop their comments at the bottom of the article, but now I'll have to leave that aside and talk about the upcoming Overlord: Raising Hell game from Codemasters...

Overlord: Raising Hell is expected to arrive on the 20th of June, and today, Codemasters started its quest for the worst boss in the UK. Do you think you're up to it? Well, let's see what is this all about first, shall we?

"Codemasters wants to find out if UK employees have been forced - just like Minions - to do the bidding of their mean manager and is asking them to anonymously submit their own stories and bizarre boss experiences,” reads today's press release."

Now, the prizes...while best entries will be published on the page created on Codemasters.com for this purpose, the best submission will earn its creator a PlayStation 3 and the copy of the Overlord: Raising Hell game itself.

Oh! Missed reading the details but want to participate as soon as possible, so you want to know where to send your stories? Well, Worst.Boss@Codemasters.com should be fine. Good luck!

Do you like to play with animals? Big cats, especially? Well, when I say "Puma Games" I am not thinking about such things, so those of you who were expecting such things will be disappointed. Anyway, to make a longer story short, "Puma games" is about the world renowned sportswear brand Puma, who just got involved in the first MMOG that is trying to "recreate the game of football and its accompanying luxury lifestyle." Sounds interesting enough to read on? Well, here we go...

According to the (boiling hot) press release I have here, Football Superstars, a game created by a UK based company, called CyberSports, "features thousands of human players online in a virtual world competing with and against each other."The big deal is that the game is completely free to download and play, since "PUMA products and branding incorporated interactively in the game play courtesy of IGA Worldwide, the leading provider of in-game advertising. Players will not only have the ability to experience the awesome speed of the PUMA v1.08 Speed Boot but also visit a virtual facsimile of London’s Carnaby Street concept store in-game, to kit their avatar out with the latest PUMA lifestyle apparel."

Just great! Free game with in-game advertising. I don't know about others, but I have nothing against it. Just look at what these people have to say about the entire "operation":

"We are very excited about our new partnership with Football Superstars as it provides us with a unique opportunity to communicate the brand and it’s benefits to a wider audience." (Richard Callaway, Head of Sport PUMA UK)

"We are proud to facilitate the execution of this campaign, which aligns a leading sports brand with one of the most innovative community-based football games. With the engaging opportunities available within Football Superstars, we believe this is the first of many. This strong integration between both parties will set the standard for other brands looking to get in the game."(Giuseppe Bellanca, VP Ad Sales Europe at IGA Worldwide)

These being said, I think that "Puma games" just got a whole new meaning. A better one.