Sam Laney

'SimCity' a nice place to visit, but you don't want to live there

Maxis, the developer of this 24-year-old franchise, and publisher EA decided to rebuild almost everything you know about “SimCity,” for better and worse.
17:16 May 6, 2013

'SimCity' a nice place to visit, but you don't want to live there May 6, 2013
'Heart of the Swarm' crafts a welcome makeover April 24, 2013
'World of Warplanes' already flying high March 28, 2013
'Antichamber': Playing puzzled in a house of madness March 8, 2013
Latest 'Paper Mario' is a sticky mess January 11, 2013
Geeking out at MAGFest January 9, 2013
Our favorite games of 2012 December 29, 2012
PC gaming leaps to TV December 21, 2012
Holiday rush December 19, 2012
Fall diversions November 10, 2012
‘XCOM’ revives turn-based gaming November 10, 2012
No coddling, no mercy November 3, 2012
King Mario's Midas touch August 30, 2012
Revamped 'Counter-Strike' stale as it stays the course August 30, 2012
Hands-on with the WiiU July 7, 2012
WiiU preview: Hands-on with ‘Game & Wario' July 6, 2012
WiiU preview: Hands-on with ‘ZombiU' July 6, 2012
WiiU preview: Hands-on with ‘Pikmin 3' July 6, 2012
WiiU preview: Hands-on with ‘WiiFit U' July 6, 2012
WiiU preview: Hands-on with ‘Nintendo Land’ July 6, 2012
What's up with that U? July 6, 2012
Diablo III: The post-release rush May 25, 2012
'Diablo III': Devilish fun with the Lord of Terror May 24, 2012
World of Warplanes: High flying history May 22, 2012
Star Fox 64 3-D: How not to remake May 11, 2012
'World of Tanks': Grin, aim and fire May 11, 2012
‘Kid Icarus: Uprising’: A hand-cramping control scheme May 11, 2012
'Dear Esther': Dreamy game challenges convention March 28, 2012
'Fortune Street': Can't beat Boardwalk February 13, 2012
Mario Kart 7: Treading over skill, luck and bananas January 14, 2012
Cheap gamer's paradise: The Wii January 14, 2012
'Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword': At last, lifting our Wiimotes skyward November 26, 2011
Taking tower defense to a higher level November 8, 2011
PAX convention assures like-minded gamers that they're not alone September 6, 2011
Top 5 surprises of PAX Prime August 28, 2011
PAX Prime 2011: The geek inherit the Earth (again) August 27, 2011
Nintendo offers strong lineup in preview of holiday titles July 25, 2011
'Sanctum': New twist on tower defense July 24, 2011
'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time': 3 dimensions of fun June 29, 2011
PSN accounts hacked April 26, 2011
‘Madden NFL Football’: Doesn't score March 31, 2011
‘Super Street Fighter IV’: Knockout effects March 31, 2011
Nintendo makes a visual leap with 3DS March 31, 2011
The Nintendo 3DS: Gaming’s new depth March 26, 2011
'GoldenEye': Stirred, not shaken, remake March 18, 2011
Nintendo in a new dimension February 16, 2011
Gifting and giving for gamers December 14, 2010
'Kirby' threads the needle; 'Donkey Kong' ups the difficulty December 10, 2010
Tetris blocks PTSD symptoms November 16, 2010
Disabled vets may want to wait to Kinect November 5, 2010
Playing with yarn and bananas October 29, 2010
'Civilization V': On a slow burn to rule the world October 22, 2010
‘Swords’: Don’t even touch it with a stick October 22, 2010
'Spider-Man': Spinning something great in 4 dimensions October 13, 2010
'R.U.S.E.' offers WWII strategy with a twist September 24, 2010
'Metroid: Other M’: Sci-fi series reborn August 31, 2010
‘Alien Swarm’thrills for free August 24, 2010
‘StarCraft II’ features thrilling sci-fi battles August 4, 2010
'Sin & Punishment' is good & fun July 8, 2010
'Green Day: Rock Band': Group's fans will enjoy latest version of rhythm game June 30, 2010

Sam Laney joined Stars and Stripes’ in 2007 as a copy/layout editor, and slowly convinced upper management to support his video game habit. Since then, he’s added game reviews and previews to his list of duties and moved on to the iPad. He covers PC and Nintendo systems.

Contact

Phone: 202-761-0792
laney.sam@stripes.com Tweets by @StripesSam

Live now on the Tablet Edition

Does social media add fuel to servicemembers' degrading actions?

Despite urgent efforts by the White House, Congress and the Pentagon to address the military’s burgeoning sexual assault crisis, degrading hate speech against women remains ubiquitous in the military — and it’s as close as the nearest computer screen.
Improved grenade design on the way

Troops can soon look forward to small improvements, even a possible complete redesign, of the fragmentation hand grenade.
Gallery

Wandering through Sicily with an eye for awe

A photo essay explores the charm of Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Latest Blog Postings

Stripes Central

Fort Bliss gets on the microgrid, an energy first for DOD

The Army flipped the switch on an advanced power system at Fort Bliss Thursday, taking a step towards the Pentagon's goal to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of its military bases around the world.
Stripes Central

Blue Star Families survey shows stress over finances, deployments

A by-the-numbers look at the annual survey, which surveys troops and their spouses about the successes and challenges they see while serving
Europe Traveler

Catch a Middle Ages festival on Pentacost weekend

Feel like a step back in time? Middle Ages festivals are scheduled in several German cities from Saturday, May 18, through Monday, May 20.
Spouse Calls

Less talk, more action

Pentagon programs and officials need to translate good intentions and policies into meaningful action for military families.
Spouse Calls

Q&A with a council member

Marine Corps spouse serving on the DOD Military Family Readiness Council answers questions about the purpose, actions and accomplishments of the council.
Pacific Sportsblog

Far East high school track and field meet record endangered species list

We’ve gazed at possible Pacific track records; what records will fall at the Far East meet at Yokota?

Most Read
E-mailed
Hot Topics

Marine daughter seeks dignity for ‘Devil Dog pups’ May 18, 2013
Victims: Marines failed to safeguard water supply May 18, 2013
Navy commander relieved of duty due to 'inappropriate' emails May 17, 2013
Wandering through Sicily with an eye for awe May 9, 2013
Marine who dumped toxins felt illness was payback May 18, 2013
A-10s leaving Spangdahlem marks end of an era in Europe May 18, 2013
An unexpected surprise at woman's boot camp graduation May 18, 2013
Fate of US bases depends on Afghanistan’s ability to secure, operate them May 18, 2013
VA workers say mandatory overtime won't solve benefits backlog May 17, 2013
Does social media add fuel to servicemembers' degrading actions? May 18, 2013

‘What is racial profiling?’ 01:29 May 12, 2010
Pacific Scoreboard for the April 10 edition 01:16 May 12, 2010
A night for St. Nick as Nancy, France, hosts its Christmas parade 14:23 May 11, 2010
Pacific Spotlight: Jacqueline Scott 00:12 May 12, 2010
Camp Foster Marine guilty of lies, theft 00:02 May 12, 2010
Where do Americans fit in Heidelberg crime? 23:51 May 11, 2010
Soldier gets 12 years in gang-related beating death 23:46 May 11, 2010
From the S&S archives: Photo gallery: USS Forrestal flight operations in the Mediterranean, 1975 23:34 May 11, 2010
JROTC cadets vie for honors in Far East Drill 23:23 May 11, 2010
New flight carry-on regulations for South Korea 23:17 May 11, 2010

Your Photos on Stripes Spotted

Graduation Tab
Book Club
Attention Shoppers

Graduation Tab

Don’t miss your chance to send your favorite grad a note of congratulations, printed in the pages of Stars and Stripes’ keepsake publication. The deadline for submissions is May 23rd.