So over the weekend EGX Rezzed was held at the NEC in Birmingham and i was lucky enough to be able to get myself down to it on the Friday. For those who are unaware of what Rezzed is the way i describe it is like a more indie based Eurogamer, although this year for…
Category: General Commentary
Why Are Multiplayer Games So Forgettable?
Image from Flickr User: BagoGames Why is it so difficult for a multiplayer game to hold the attention of the gaming populace? Many of us who’ve been gaming for a few years can list plenty of single-player games that left an impact one way or another, but despite the apparent popularity of multiplayer games (shooters…
When Games Get Personal
I’ve been intermittently playing The Simpsons: Tapped Out for a little over six months. Say what you will about such time sucks, but I’ve been having a pretty good time in my ten minutes here and there with a beloved cast of characters that I know well and enjoy. During a recent “quest,” one of…
Yoshi Needs New Ideas, Not Sequels
(Image by Flickr User: walknboston) Yoshi has been my Nintendo character of choice for a long time. Be it Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart, Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, or Mario Party, Yoshi is my dinosaur. I know I’m not the only Yoshi fan out there, why else would Nintendo treat his inclusion in games like…
The Pixelated Trend
When I started playing video games, it was the era of “early 8-bit” (Atari) and “8-bit” (NES) graphics both astounding (Super Mario Bros. 3) and terrible (Home Run). That “video game look” pervaded pop culture until “pixel” was as common a word in our lexicon as “game.” And we loved our sprites no matter how…
No Heroes or Monsters. Only Man
(Image by Flickr User: JBLivin [cc]) By now, DisHonored by Arcane Studios has reached the status of an instant classic. It’s unique setting, superbly-executed combat and stealth mechanics, and intriguing characters have cemented its status as one of the premier titles of the last generation. What I found to be its best and perhaps most…
Titanfall: A Launch Day Experience
Our expectations late Tuesday afternoon didn’t differ from many who picked up their new Xbox One Titanfall bundles after work. Though there was a sizable a crowd in the Gamestop that afternoon, we got our system without incident. On the way home we discussed its placement and talked about how much we looked forward to…
Why Games Should Do Away With Extra Lives
I grew up playing video games that used extra lives. The old “Mario” games had them and the old “Donkey Kong Country” series, too, and it was just a feature that you had to deal with. As you played through such a game, level by level, it was always on your mind how many lives…
The Wonderful(ly Frustrating) Complexity of Pokemon
(image by Flickr user: mattjerome_88) Pokémon is perhaps among the most misunderstood series in the industry today. They’re games we don’t take very seriously for a variety of reasons: it’s obviously aimed at little kids; the “monsters” look silly; the plot is formulaic; the only change with each sequel is the amount of monsters available;…
Dear Pokémon, Is It Too Late?
You’ve seen TwitchPlaysPokémon, yes? It’s become such a thing (phenomenon? mess?) on the Internet that’s it’s hard to escape; but, if you’ve no idea what I’m talking about, then click the link and check it out. Pokémon Crystal is currently streaming, but prior to just a few days ago, it was streaming an emulated version…
VIRTUAL BASTION 