As a long-time gamer & someone who's been in this same position of having a significant other far away, I suggest my favorite gaming genre- MMOs. They're social by nature & allow for collaboration. In terms of exploration, story, etc. that depends on the game. I'd suggest more of a sandbox type game. I just picked up The Secret World over the weekend (cuz it's 50% off 'til the end of the month!) for only $15. It's a "Buy To Play" title which means while it's an MMO, there's no monthly subscription fee, just buy the client & it's free forever after. TSW is a modern-day MMO w/3 playable factions- Illuminati, Templars & Dragon- & as you can guess by their names the story/writing is amazing & involves deep ties to historical events. So if you're both into history, like conspiracy theories & politics it'd be a great game. Another GREAT story-based game is Star Wars: The Old Republic, it's "Free to Play" (F2P) which means you can download it & play it completely for free. Like TSW, SWTOR has great voice-over work & the choices you make matter & affect your storyline. It's set in the Star Wars universe but even if he/she isn't into SW, the story is amazing & all the different classes have very personal story lines that are extremely engaging. Aside from TSW & SWTOR, I'd suggest looking up any other F2P games as this new business model is king right now & there's literally TONS of games you & your significant other can play right now & engage w/each other. G'luck!

It should be noted that LinuxJournal.com was the first to report on this story yet the author from Wired doesn't cite his/her sources. Great project!
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/open-source-8-bit-computer-save-world

I know folks will argue with my choice based on tech advances, etc. But by far the game that blew the console market up again (after Atari, Intellivision & Colecovision folded) was John Madden Football for the Sega Genesis. This game not only revolutionized gaming but also blasted the door open on the lucrative sports gaming, sub-market. But innovations, you ask? How about utilizing celebrity to be a part of the game & in its marketing/naming

. Besides, its the only game to date to have a full season worth of shows, for several season now, dedicated to it: ESPNs Madden Nation.

Its not a bug, its a feature!!!

Valid source as in some Windows server (after all, GoW is an xbox-only game) or something on XBox Live? That is a fail-fail proposition.

If only they could blame that on the red ring of death, as well. ;)

Quote: "Are Brits more open-minded than the rest of the world when it comes to choosing an OS?" - No, it's just that Microsoft hasn't brainwashed the British populace into thinking there's only 1 main OS for so many years like MS has.

They'll NEVER mention Linux- it's leap years ahead of Windows AND free?! Not to mention that the entire EU has sued the pants off of MS for monopolistic practices (& earlier this year, MS lost the appeal & was fined 1.4 BILLION!).
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/08/03/tech/main221521.shtml

Sure, ignorance on our part is a factor but a more important factor, I'd argue, is that MS is an American company. You could poll any European country & I'd bet the results similar to the UK's choice of OS.