Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

So, I was supposed to be in Orlando right now playing baseball.  We had a death in the family so that fell through, and the death part is the important thing as it was not a grandparent situation

Badge, your thoughts on flying versus train in Europe show how well that transportation system works. You have options and you can choose the one that makes the most sense. Amersterdam is a long way from Barcelona, and a flight--particularly on the discount airlines Europe has--is a great option. the SF family will be taking the plane likely from Barcelona to Nice and Nice to Vienna because it makes a lot more sense than a 12-hour train ride. And then from Villach to Vienna, to Florence, to Salerno, to Rome, the train will make more sense. Options are great. :-)

116 games attended.

• FIFA 17: could have purchased 18, but would have cost an extra $40. Since I was starting from nothing, I knew anything would be a major upgrade. It's a good soccer game, challenging, looks good, is true to the game. Shooting is a bit of an acquired skill, and there are a lot of hidden tricks to it. I like it, despite the frustration of not shooting well (I understand that was one of the changes in 18).
• Star Wars Battlefront: Again, I could have waited two weeks and purchased II, but wanted to save the money. That may have been a mistake. Battlefront basically offers the same game played a few different ways, but without any real story. It's also a bit annoying how much time lag there is when you restart a mission. Seems like it shouldn't have to completely reload, but the time it takes indicates that's what's happening. It's a decent first person shooter, looks great, sounds good, and is reasonably challenging, but it's missing the Star Wars story. Also, while the flight simulator looks cool to start, it doesn't fit into the game well; it basically feels like a half-baked add on. Full disclosure, I've never played the online version, but my understanding is that--other than getting my ass kicked by 12-year olds--it's essentially more of the same. I like the game, but it's really repetitive. Still, a pretty good option for that 20-minute window above. The other issue I have with it is that my wife doesn't want the kids playing first-person shooters, and that's where the flight simulator part of it really lets me (and my son) down. She'll soften on that as they get older (particularly since Battlefront isn't at all gory), but for now it's an impediment.
• Ori and the Blind Forest: I love this game. Traditional 2D story board (e.g. Mario or Sonic), that is stunningly beautiful (hand painted, I think), progressively challenging, and fun to play. Sometimes I get stuck trying to figure out where to go next, but overall this has been a great game. My daughter, who is very artistic, loves it too, just because of how good it looks. I thought it might be the game to give her a little ownership of the gaming system, and I was right. Has the added benefit of being age appropriate for anyone. The background story is pretty sad for emotionally sensitive kids, but whatever; it's a game and once you get past the intro, it's just figuring out the map and overcoming challenges.
• Need for Speed, something or other edition: decent little driving game. Not much to it, but the kids enjoy it. More of a throwback-type game. Basically a fancier, modern version of Outrun.
• World of Tanks: I like this game a lot. I'm a little frustrated that there's no way to block out the cursing (other than muting the whole game) from other players in the multi-player, which is the best way to play (although maybe I'm missing something). It's frustrating when you get thrown in with people who are much better than you (seems like weighting the player's skill more than the tank's relative characteristics would be a better way to queue players). My biggest complaint is that there is no two-player mode from a single console. That shouldn't be hard to do, but it doesn't exist. It would also be cool if the multi player had a way to (consistently) fight allies vs. axis type battles, rather than just a random assortment of relatively equal tanks. But it has a nice build to it, and so far we've managed to really enjoy it without spending much money on it (I bought my son a $20 starter pack, but two others of us have played it for free, and really like it). The War Stories boards are cool, and the whole thing has--again--amazing graphics. I would like it more if there were more War Stories (and more focused on actual historical events) with more in-depth playing against the AI, but overall, very happy with it.

• the X Box doesn't seem to have many options for kids (Ori, yes, but not a lot of others). The game choices are really focused on the teen and young adult categories.
• It also doesn't seem to have any good flight games. I remember playing a really cool Star Wars simulator, I think called Rogue Squadron, that could be great on this kind of system. Similarly, a World War II flight simulator could be really well done, but there don't seem to be any games that have attempted it.
• It is designed for online play, which is fine, but in a world in which privacy and keeping tabs on your kids' access to the world is important, I wish these games had more of an AI focus.