January 2012
2 posts
1 tag
Why I haven't Posted a Damn Thing in...Forever
Hey, just a quick word to the…seven-and-a-half of you who enjoy reading what I have to say. It’s likely become all too evident that I haven’t posted a damn thing and have gone on to assume that, like 98% of bloggers the world over I’ve gotten bored and lazy and have stopped posting anything.
Well this is only half-true! Turns out I’ve got something of a gig with a...
6 tags
My Top Five Games of 2011
I don’t want to get too hyperbolic here, as I feel like this next statement could be seen as potentially “controversial”, but after a lot of internal debate and soul-searching I’ve realized that 2011 was the year that saved video games. For myself, at least. This may have just been the first tentative steps of adulthood breaking through this warm coat of arrested...
November 2011
1 post
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Why Gaming Sucks: Retailer-Specific DLC
Despite the protestations among the wide-eyed navel gazers within the world gaming community, the video game industry is, at its heart, very much a business. Individuals (such as myself, oftentimes) can go on ad infinitum about the jaw-dropping technical majesty of a car taking a perfect turn in Forza 4, or the beautiful art direction of games such as Okami or Kirby’s Epic Yarn, and a tear...
September 2011
2 posts
6 tags
Evolution and Revolution: The Changing Face of...
When I started playing video games, a wide-eyed child fascinated with the concept of taking the moving pictures on the television and telling them what to do with my NES controller, the core ideas behind gaming were simple and concrete; you’d move Mario to the right because that was the only damn direction to go, you`d jump on top of enemies for points, and it ended with you fighting some...
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Games You Should've Played (But Probably Didn't):...
Remember when you were a budding post-adolescent and started having this almost instinctive urge to start “raging against the machine”? That feeling of needing to fight The Man, whoever That Man may be, though in retrospect probably juvenile and almost assuredly stupid, has become the basis for untold stories, films, and video games, though none have been created with such bravado...
July 2011
1 post
1 tag
Video Game Violence, the Norwegian Tragedy, and...
Last week one of the worst domestic acts of terrorism this century was committed in Norway, with the coordinated bombing of a government building and the shooting of a labour party youth camp leading to the deaths of over 80 innocent people, many of which having not even been given the chance to reach adulthood. It wasn’t perpetrated by a terrorist cell of bearded, Islamic fundamentalists,...
June 2011
1 post
6 tags
I'm Taking A Slight Sabbatical
For the (slight) number of individuals keeping up on my insane electronic rantings, I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s been like a month since I’ve written, well, anything. Without boring you with the details, let’s just say I’m going through something of an existential crisis, and I’m likely going to be taking the rest of the month off to get real life in...
May 2011
7 posts
3 tags
Games You Should've Played (But Probably Didn't):...
The prehistoric theme has been vastly under-utilized in the world of video games. I mean, what comes to mind? Jurassic Park for the Genesis? Christ it was difficult. That cancelled BC game for the xbox? Just another case of Peter Molyneux being the step-father of the video game world, promising the world and then letting us down. The Dino Crisis series? The first one was terrible, the second one...
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8-Bit Musicality: Queens of the Stone Age: No One...
It’s been a while since I’ve had any real discussion on video game music, largely because I kind of ran out of VG music that I liked and wasn’t already a lot like the stuff I had shown previously.
But! I’m back, with music of the quasi-video variety! In my travels I’ve come across a curious hobby of individuals who frequent the internet, specifically the idea of...
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US Government Officially Considers Video Games Art
And somewhere right now, Roger Ebert is screaming into the night.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), a program under the federal government created to decide which art projects are deemed worthy of federal funding, recognized video games this week as an official art form worthy of endowment, in a move that’s sure to have gamers across the globe smiling in a smug,...
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Mortal Kombat: A History of Secrets, Glitches, and...
The latest iteration of the Mortal Kombat series seems to have struck a chord with the gaming public, as critics and the gaming public agree that the image of a man with his name tattooed across his chest punching the head off of a scantily-clad woman is just what they’re into. (To see exactly what I just described in all it’s brutal glory please click here!)
Though I suppose this...
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Mass Effect 3 Delayed Until 2012
One can almost hear the chorus of despair coming from gamers the world over.
A note was published on Bioware’s message boards and facebook page earlier yesterday, with executive producer Corey Hudson stating “today we have confirmed that Mass Effect 3 will be released in the first three months of 2012,” adding that “The development team is laser focused on making sure...
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Crazy Portal 2 Cube Tricks
Portal 2 has by this point been out for, what? Two weeks now? That sounds like an appreciable amount of time for the internet to take the game, break it down, and abuse its mechanics to commit acts of insane virtual chicanery.
CASE IN POINT: The following video, by a guy or a group I believe is calling themselves Schrodinger’s Geek (an awesome name to which I give a hearty thumbs up, by...
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Games You Should've Played (But Probably Didn't):...
In a day and age where it feels like the world of Japanese video-gamery is becoming more and more marginalized, with the only genre’s from across the sea still at their best being bullet-hell shooters, discomforting hentai adventures, and Tekken, I feel the necessity from time to time to think back on the days when Japanese video games weren’t just the gold standard, but the gold...
April 2011
5 posts
2 tags
How Nintendo’s Vague Announcements Make an...
By Bill McDonnell
Ignoring how stupid that fucking tag line is, I think “Curious Boner” is probably the most accurate description. For the longest time I was a Nintendo fanboy. Kind of all through my youth. I had every iteration of gaming technology they put out, save of course the Vietnam flashback inducing Virtual Boy, and the Gameboy Color (since I was satisfied with my forearm...
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Sony's Got Some 'Splainin' To Do
If you consider yourself fairly technologically “tuned-in” then I’m sure you’re well aware of last week’s Amazonocalypse (or as I like to call it, “the day the internet died”). Though I am by absolutely no means a man of the techno-scholarly nature, from what I can glean out of the confusing techno-babble is that Amazon cloud services has a direct tie to...
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Quick Review: Mass Effect 2: The Arrival
I guess it’s time for Shephard to go on another suicide machine. I swear, he must just be quoting John McClane constantly by now. “Join the Alliance, they said…have a good tiiiime, they said…”
I’ll keep this quick, because I honestly feel that if you’ve played Mass Effect 2 you know exactly what it is you’re getting into with this downloadable...
5 tags
Tekken and Street Fighter, Living Together, Mass...
…It’s a Ghost Busters quote. Oh come on, you must’ve gotten that one!
…Anyways, though this isn’t exactly news of the earth-shattering variety (to be honest I’m mostly doing this for the Ghost Busters reference), new videos of the next major fighting franchise cross-over, Streetfighter X Tekken, were released by Capcom and Namco earlier this week, in...
8 tags
Gaming and Aging, or, How I Learned to Start...
I’ve been playing video games all my life. I don’t remember when I started, I just know that really as far as I’ve had cognition I’ve had a Nintendo system. I think that as the story goes my Grandmother got my brother and me an NES for Christmas, an event which I feel my parent’s sorely resent, looking back.
I guess I’m the definitive “2nd...
March 2011
5 posts
1 tag
21st Century Gaming and 21st Century Godhood
By Francis F. Dec
(Editor’s Note: So I’ve been trying for the past couple months to convince any of my friends, acquaintances, or really anybody passing by if they’d be willing to write something for me within the realm of video games. Finally somebody bit, and my associate Francis wrote this up for me. I’m hoping this becomes a more commonly-occurring theme in the...
4 tags
Thumbin' Through The Classics: Earthbound
It’s been waaaay too long since I’ve just sat down and written something about video games purely for the sake of writing about video games. So I’ve decided to rectify this horrible situation by starting a new feature, called Thumbin’ Through The Classics, where basically I mine the depths of my misspent childhood to discuss with you some of the best good-ol’ games...
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Half-Life 2 as (Terrifying) Pixel Art
Does it make anyone else feel devastatingly old that Half-Life 2 is now six-and-a-half years old? I mean, there are kids that can walk, talk, and likely play video games better than me who were not alive when Valve’s wunderkind was released upon the world.
And now I’ve managed to find a video that somehow makes me feel even older. But at least it’s a pretty awesome video; that...
4 tags
Sunday Musical Interlude - Mar. 6 2011
In my attempts to continue to find new and different video game music to bring forth (much of which, to be completely honest, is discovered during drunken youtube scavanger hunts at godless-o-clock), I come to you with something new and pretty damn awesome.
Anybody remember Megaman? Little dude, blue helmet, weapon of mass destruction grafted onto his arm? There’s been some pretty damn...
7 tags
Games You Should've Played (But Probably Didn't):...
First things first lets address the elephant in the room: A big reason why I feel compelled to write this article this week is because Beyond Good and Evil is as of Wednesday available on Xbox Live Arcade, for the pauper’s sum of only ten dollars. If you’ve never played it before, man go and download it right the hell now. It’s okay I’ll still be here when you get back.
...
February 2011
9 posts
4 tags
Sunday Musical Interlude - Feb. 27 2011
Holy Hell it’s almost March. GDC is this upcoming week, games are starting to coming out (Only eight more days until Dragon Age 2 Day!), and my broke-college-ass has juuuust enough money to support both my gaming habit and dietary needs. So all is in balance in the world.
Including this week’s Sunday Musical Interlude, my favourite feature of which I have a sinking suspicion...
Bethesda Releses Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Gameplay...
And, in the process, makes me somewhat embarrassed that I just got turned on by a video game. Nov. 11 cannot get here soon enough.
(Originally posted by Giantbomb)
4 tags
The 90's Were A Lost And Magical Time, Now Seen In...
Video game advertising these days does not hold a candle to the way things used to be in the 90’s. And at this point I may not even mean that ironically. Granted, these days production houses and their marketing teams can put together a pretty slick package, but do they have the totally-radical-bro style that made the 90’s a decade so near and dear to our hearts?
I’m...
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Sunday Musical Interlude Feb. 20 2011
Alright, let’s keep this week short and sweet. If you’re a veteran of the gaming wars like I am than this track needs absolutely no introduction. If not, than it’s basically the iconic track of one of the most iconic computer strategy games of all time.
I tried to find an actual name behind this music, but I suppose the title “Terran Theme 1” will have to be...
7 tags
Review: Stacking (Xbox 360) (PS3)
There’s got to be something in the water over at Double Fine Productions. I mean it, the folks over there seem utterly crazy.
“Oh hey, what video game are you working on right now, Double Fine?”
“You know, the usual. An adventure game about a summer camp for psychic children, a band roadie getting sucked into a world created from metal music, a group of...
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Sunday Musical Interlude - Feb. 13 2011
…Alright it may technically be the the 14th of February, but I’ve been busy! I swear!
And even better, seeing as how it is, at least in the eyes of our corporate overlords, that most romantic of days, then I’m going to literally scour the bin of video game music for something that could potentially, or at least partly fit the bill for a romantic song!
Okay, let’s see...
4 tags
Where Does the Future of Video Gaming Lie?
Modern-day video gaming is currently in the throes of a number of very interesting revolutions. Within the past month the gaming world has born witness to both the official unveiling of Sony’s new mobile gaming device, tentatively titled the NGP but more colloquially known as the PSP2, as well as the unveiling of the North American release date and pricing for the 3DS, Nintendo’s...
3 tags
Sunday Musical Interlude - Feb. 6 2011
This week is something of a stretch, seeing as how it isn’t technically a song made for a video game. But damnit, it’s in a video game, and it’s a pretty good song too, so I’m considering it acceptable.
The game? Borderlands. The song? Cage the Elephant’s “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked”. Although Borderlands itself was missing a bit too much story...
5 tags
I'm Super Excited About Bulletstorm...
…but only because its advertising is crazy.
Bulletstorm, the latest gun-happy shooter from People Can Fly (the guys who brought you such classics as Painkiller) and Epic Games has been getting a lot of media attention as of late. In part due to the recent release of their demo, which despite its truncated length seems to be going over fairly well with people. But, personally, I think...
January 2011
11 posts
3 tags
Sunday Musical Interlude - Jan. 30 2011
For this week I’m taking things in a very…different direction. I guess considering the amount of time I’ve sunk into Dead Space 2 the past few days I’m on something of a horror kick, and so what better way to celebrate video game music than by showing what could be one of the most odd, ominous, and generally disturbing sound tracks from the classic Super Nintendo era!
...
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Review: Dead Space 2
For my money, you really can’t do the horror genre better than putting the setting in space. Combine the traditional fear of, you know, psycopaths/monsters/aliens wishing ill upon you with a foreboding sense of loneliness and claustrophobia that only the infinity of space can instill, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for fright. Needless to say, I’m a big fan of the movie...
2 tags
Square-Enix has other Final Fantasy games it wants...
Earlier in the week I went off on something of a rant about Square-Enix’s announcement to release Final Fantasy XIII-2, a title which still takes me a good minute to write out and also leaves something of a bad taste in my mouth.
But that’s not why I’m writing now! If you’ve been keeping up to date with the utterly crazy business plan Square-Enix threw down a while ago...
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Sunday Musical Interlude - Jan. 23 2011
For this week’s iteration of “Sunday Musical Interlude”, I’m going with something that I got a chance to listen to over December and have played at least once daily since. It was initially recommended by the stalwart champions over at Giant Bomb, and I have to say is goddamn they were right about this song.
Without any further ado, here’s the menu music for Pacman...
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Quick Review: Digital: A Love Story (PC)
Mainstream video games these days are becoming a thing of over-saturation; the stories have generally already been told, the scenes have been…seen, and every new character is a shade of one’s already witnessed. In essence, if a game doesn’t have you playing the stoic soldier with a heart of ice and a smooth trigger finger, a young brash post-teen striking out from home in...
3 tags
Square-Enix is making a sequel to Final Fantasy...
Now, of course, the first and most important thing that comes to mind is why god why.
For the uninitiated, Final Fantasy XIII came out roughly spring of last year, and when it was released the public’s anticipation was swiftly replaced with rage. White-hot nerd rage. And I’ll go so far as to say that when I finished XIII I was really finished with it.
All the charm of Final...
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Sunday Musical Interlude - Jan. 16 2011
Welcome back to another edition of “Sunday Musical Interlude”, wherein I show you whatever video game soundtrack has been stuck in my head for the past week.
For this installment, I’m putting on a pedestal the musical centerpiece of last-year’s out-of-its-fucking-mind brawler Bayonetta. The track, “Fly Me to the Moon”, may sound somewhat familiar to even the...
3 tags
Games You Should've Played (But Probably Didn't):...
Since I enjoyed the last article so much I’ve decided on doubling down with the concept of “Games You Should’ve Played”, and so for this second installment I’m going to tell you about the hidden beauty that was Deathrow for the original xbox.
Developed by Swedish outfit SouthEnd Interactive (the same guys who I just found also made the recent super-cute puzzler...
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Games You Should've Played (But Probably Didn't):...
I’ve decided that I need to start making some public service announcements in regards to this confused diatribe of articles I call a blog. Hence a new series of articles, based around games that I loved, but for some reason few others acknowledged. I’m coming to the defense of the defenseless! The little games that don’t have a voice to speak for them! Etcetera, etcetera!
To...
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Sunday Musical Interlude - Jan. 9 2011
Welcome ladies and gentlemen to 2011! It feels like a while since I’ve done one of these, but getting back into the swing of academia (with its vagaries of studying swiftly followed by drinking) is taking its toll.
This week I’ve got a track from one of my favourite indy games of last year, VVVVVV, an awesomely titled old-school platformer that at last glance was selling for...
3 tags
Thumbs on Fire's Random Awards of 2010: Most...
Obsidian, you and I need to sit down and have a talk. I love you, I mean I really do. You’ve got all these grand dreams and lofty goals of making some of the best western RPG’s in the bizz, and I really dig that.
I mean, a Mission Impossible-esque spy game with Mass Effectian dialogue options and a deep plot that has multiple endings? That sounds great! Oh, and you’re also...
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Thumbs on Fire's Random Awards of 2010: Favourite...
In the next couple of days I’ll finalize and post up some manner of unordered “Favourite Games of 2010” list, but to be honest I’m even more excited about writing this up. Every year there are a couple of moments in gaming that make you drop your jaw, pump your fist, or just force you to pause the game for a second and think about what exactly you’d just done.
It...
December 2010
12 posts
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Thumbs on fire's Random Awards of 2010: Best Game...
So like most things I inevitably end up writing about, it was less that I decided on this particular award and figured out a winner, and more that I found the winner and then realized this was something that need to be discussed. So without further ado: Super Meat Boy has hands down the best damn trailer of this year.
Though there were a good number of interest-piquing,...
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Sunday Musical Interlude - Dec. 26 2010
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Crazy Kwanzaa, etc. etc. to one and all. It’s been a while since I’ve written anything, but the dual beasts of holiday eating and drinking have been taking up an inordinate amount of time. No more, however!
This week’s “Sunday Musical Interlude” is from one of the most iconic game series ever to grace the virtual landscape. If...
3 tags
Quick Review: Infinity Blade (iPhone)
In what is the first and quite potentially the last of its kind, I’ve decided it’d be a good idea to review the iPhone game (that still sounds weird to me) Infinity Blade. Developed by Chair Entertainment, the guys who made last year’s stellar Shadow Complex, it’s become evidently clear that the mission statement over at Chair is to take gaming venues not necessarily...
2 tags
Deus Ex: Revolution Delayed
This is a terrible thing to wake up to.
It seems that, due to the less-than-stellar year Square-Enix has been having, they’re basically burning down what’s left of their fiscal projections for 2010 and stacking all their eggs into 2011, as a press release reported today (via kotaku) states:
With weak sales performance of console game titles that have been newly released during...
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Video Game Clothing: This Shit Needs to Stop
Now, being a gentleman of the nerdly persuasion, I can understand the difficulties that fashion creates. I mean, god, it is a constant daily struggle just to insure that I don’t end up looking like the neighbourhood bag-man due to an unkempt appearance. And, to be honest, there are a number of days where I still manage to fail miserably.
I mean, I get it, fashion’s hard. Especially...