14 DAY TRIAL // Andrei Dumitrescu: The 2014 edition of Le Tour de France, the biggest cycling race in the world, is just a few days away and that means that all my free gaming time is occupied by Pro Cycling Manager 2014, the simulation title from developer Cyanide and publisher Focus Home Interactive.
The title does not offer a huge set of improvements over last year’s edition, but there are some cool new options when it comes to team and rider management and the player needs to pay more attention to the interplay between fitness, rhythm and daily form.
At the moment, I am playing a full season with Trek Factory Racing, trying to dominate the classic races, while also getting some solid results in the seven- and the 21-day tours.
I know I have little chance of actually winning Le Tour de France in my first year with the team, but I do plan to create a strong squad that can mount a solid challenge in 2015.
The mechanics of the series have remained pretty much unchanged at their core for a number of years, but the very nature of cycling makes it almost impossible for one team to dominate all the types of events.
Fabian Cancellara, the Swiss superstar, gives me the strength and the experience to win in classics and in time trials.
But the decline of Andy Schleck means that I do not have a capable rider who can challenge for the General Classification in Le Tour and must rely on younger cyclists and try to take some stage wins.
If cycling becomes boring, I might also engage in some more Company of Heroes 2 multiplayer.
Andrei Dobra: Even if I might go outside the city this weekend, I still plan on doing some gaming, especially since I've finally purchased a few things from Steam during the current Summer Sale of 2014. From The Stanley Parable to the Dragonfall expansion for Shadowrun Returns and quite a few others, my backlog is once again brimming.
However, I might also spend a bit of time with Valve's trifecta of great experiences – Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and Team Fortress 2 – and hopefully score a few more items that can be sold on the Community Market and then reinvest the money in yet more games.
Last but not least, I might also spend a bit of gaming time on my phone, as I've recently installed Scurvy Scallywags, the match-three puzzle game made by Ron Gilbert.