Dark Souls II

Games are losing crucial parts more and more often as the servers that support online components are taken offline.

One big instance of this is Games for Windows Live, Microsoft's attempt at bringing the Xbox Live experience to PCs. The service was never successful; the games that supported it were few and far between, and PC gamers were never interested in joining Microsoft's walled garden.

When rumors started flying late last year that GFWL would go away this summer, gamers started to get worried.

Even though gamers were never fans of the service, a number of games that use Games for Windows Live are fan favorites. Some, like Fallout 3, have been patched to use Steam instead while others will just fade away.

Dark Souls (the first one) is one of the games left in the lurch. This cult hit's online aspects are woven into the single player enough that playing without them would affect the experience for a majority of players.

Bandai Namco has stated, however, that Dark Souls "will remain fully functional on Games for Windows Live for the foreseeable future," and that it is "currently seeking avenues to continue support and ensure functionality of Dark Souls on other services."

Bandai Namco states they plan to have more news and updates on this in the coming months, so we might see a patch or Steam key distribution in the near future.

Use a chess clock to keep track of move and play times
Tick tock

Use a chess clock to keep track of move and play times

These chess clocks feature dual clocks for players to control their own timers, and loud alarms so everyone knows when time is up. These clocks can be used for other 2-person games, like checkers, that may benefit from a game timer.