Dennis McCauley - Power Up http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/dennis_mccauley RSS Feed for Inq Col Dennis McCauley en-us Tue, 13 May 2008 20:02:05 GMT Power Up | 'Entertainment' is gone from E3 event http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/dennis_mccauley/20070713_Power_Up___Entertainment_is_gone_from_E3_event.html SANTA MONICA, Calif. - The video-game industry's big dance is a lot smaller. For the last decade, I've attended the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, as it is known. As the video-game industry grew, each show became more ear-splitting and more jam-packed than the one preceding, until last year 60,000 sweaty gaming types herded themselves into the Los Angeles Convention Center. Power Up | In planning a long car trip, don't omit games for the kids http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/dennis_mccauley/20070629_Power_Up___In_planning_a_long_car_trip__dont_omit_games_for_the_kids.html So you're packing the car for that long drive to the Poconos or Jersey Shore? Don't forget the games. Take it from the voice of experience - if you've got kids and a car ride, nothing cuts down on those annoying, plaintive whines of "Are we there yet?" quite like a good portable game system. There are a number of options available. McCauley, Dennis http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/dennis_mccauley/5951347.html Power Up | Hard-boiled 'Hotel Dusk' is worth checking in to http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/dennis_mccauley/20070126_Power_Up___Hard-boiled__Hotel_Dusk__is_worth_checking_in_to.html When one considers the Nintendo DS, light gaming fare such as Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS or Animal Crossing generally comes to mind. You probably wouldn't expect to encounter a gritty, film-noir adventure on this popular handheld. But that's exactly what players will find in Hotel Dusk Room 215. The new game is a hard-boiled detective story, the likes of which novelist Raymond Chandler could have been proud. Power Up | A 'Burning' expansion of World of Warcraft http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/dennis_mccauley/20070112_inq_weekend_WK-POWER.html If you planned to go cold turkey with your World of Warcraft habit anytime soon, forget about it. In fact, prepare to become addicted all over again. On Tuesday, a long-awaited expansion, The Burning Crusade, will launch. WoW players are already frothing over this $39.99 release, which is the first official add-on to the immensely popular online role-playing game.