In September of 2005, I let my subscription to Computer Gaming World run out. What had once been one of the finest computer gaming magazines published had degraded into sloppy writing, low-brow humor, and increasingly questionable ratings. Although it had its problems, CGW at least helped me stay on top of the gaming landscape: what games were being released, what genres they fell into, and what offerings I should expect in the near future. Now, I feel lost. I rarely know what games are on the horizon (although I do read Blue's News daily), and I even more rarely know what's recommended.

I don't surf the multi-review sites like MetaCritic and Game Rankings near as often as I should, but I really feel like I've lost touch with the gaming world. Now that I'm working full time, I have way less time (and energy) to devote to gaming, something I dislike greatly. Part of the problem is that fewer and fewer decent games are being released for the PC. I've never been a fan of the "modern" gaming systems (XBox, PS2, etc), so that doesn't help matters.

I'm yearning for more Half-Life 2. Not since the original Doom have I been so enamored with a game. Unfortunately, the Aftermath (now Episode 1?) expansion pack seems like a long ways off (in fact, I don't even know when it's planned for release). And there isn't much else on my radar at the moment. If you have a suggestion, please leave a comment. I'd love to know what games folks are playing and recommending these days. I'm open to most any genre.