A path through the grass on the beaches of Hilton Head, SC

There are a few different schools of thought when it comes to profiting from older video games. Some companies, such as Sega and SNK, package 30–40 games together and release them at a discounted price on modern systems, while companies like Square-Enix repackage the games individually and port them to every conceivable system at or near full price. Occasionally when a company remakes a game they will include the original version as a bonus for finishing the game (as was the case with the remake of Metroid for the GameBoy Advance). PC game makers Valve have opted for a much different course.

Valve has released some of the most beloved PC games of all time, and to celebrate the release of their new high profile game Left 4 Dead, they are offering PC gamers an incredible deal. Through the digital distribution site Steam, gamers can purchase a copy of Left 4 Dead for $50, or they can purchase Valve’s entire 22-game catalog for $99 instead of the $234 retail price. Thanks to virtually no overhead with digital distribution, Valve can let gamers experience some of the most critically acclaimed games from the past decade (such as Half-Life and Portal) for less than the cost of a single new game.

From a personal perspective as a longtime gamer, this is a fantastic way to catch up on a lot of the more popular games from years past while not having to break the bank. It is nice to see a game company that is interested in rewarding fans...

There is something nostalgic about pulling out a pair of those old red- and blue-lensed glasses, popping a copy of The Giant Gila Monster into the DVD player and kicking back in your favorite recliner to remember the glory days of 3D cinema. Unfortunately nostalgia isn’t the only thing you get out of that scenario; if you watch more than 20 minutes chances are you’ll also get a splitting headache, thanks to the blurry, multi-colored glasses. This is but one of the reasons 3D was never more than a cinematic niche that film companies would occasionally use to generate interest in an otherwise dreadful film. But as the great Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a-changin.”

Utilizing technology from California-based RealD, moviegoers can now enjoy 3D movies without the fear of crippling migraines by the end of the first act. While glasses are still required, they are now clear and resemble a pair of sunglasses. And unlike the old days of 3D, where two projectors were needed to project the image (which often resulted in image distortion), movies are now projected through a single digital projector.

As a result of these recent breakthroughs Hollywood is coming back to 3D in a huge way. James Cameron is returning to the silver screen with his live action/animation hybrid Avatar, which is his first film since 1997’s Titanic. Also in the pipeline are a couple of high-profile animated pictures. Pixar is set to release Up, while Dreamworks is coming out with Monsters vs. Aliens. Horror fans will also get to enjoy the third dimension with the fourth Final Destination movie.

With so many...

On the waterfront in Beaufort, SC.

Learning a new language is a daunting and often expensive task. In order to even take the first step someone would have to buy a guidebook, then follow that up with expensive CDs to hear how words are pronounced. The cost grows even greater in order to check your pronunciation skills by either picking up high cost computer software or hiring a tutor. But software publisher Ubisoft aims to change all that for the low cost of $30.

My Language Coach is a new software series for the Nintendo DS handheld system that uses that system to the fullest. Taking advantage of the touch screen on the DS, students can practice writing in their new language with the stylus, as well as practicing vocal pronunciation with the built-in microphone.

Currently available in Chinese, Spanish, French and Japanese, My Language Coach contains 1,000 lessons with roughly 12,000 words and phrases to learn. Also included are a variety of mini-games to reinforce the lessons, as well as a series of exams to test the student on what they have learned.

While this software isn’t a one-way ticket to becoming fluent in a new language, it will go a long way toward building a foundation from which to build on.