The Berlin Wall gave way to revolution that swept the Eastern Bloc in the summer and ultimately resulted in the dismantling of the Iron Curtain 20 years ago today. The communist-controlled GDR is no more and Germany reunification followed this historic event. However, sections of the concrete wall still stand in museums and parks all over the world.

I was five years old and too young to remember the live news coverage from 1989, but I was fortunate enough to observe eight graffiti-filled panels of the Berlin Wall at The Newseum in Washington, D.C., the first stop of my cross-country roadtrip. This experience, along with the world’s remembrance and the media’s replaying of the timeless news coverage, put the pivotal moments into an even greater context.

Interviewing Netflix VP of Corporate Communications Steve Swasey, reviewing games like NHL 10 and Wipeout HD and playtesting yet-to-be releases titles for my Just Cause 2 preview and Star Trek D-A-C preview kept me busy.

Reporting on Star Trek D-A-C was especially interesting. First, it involved a trip to the Paramount Pictures. There I was, driving my roadtrip-dirt-covered 1997 Toyota Corolla through the iconic wrought-iron gates of the Paramount lot and visiting the last major film studio to have its headquarters in a Hollywood zip code. Second, I played the game while wearing 3D glasses and experiencing the benefits of the NVIDIA’s 3D Vision Kit.

“All of [the action] appeared as if it were happening two inches off the screen, thus combining two of life’s geekiest things: 3D graphics and Star Trek. Truly a match made in nerd heaven,” I wrote in my article. (more…)