The whole “are video games art” debate isn’t something I’m going to get into today. Or maybe ever. Many have debated this topic already, most are more intelligent than I and are better connected to the industry. But I do want to touch on why I think games are as good an entertainment medium as any.
Movies, live theater, TV and books have a long, established history of being the “go-to” for when people want to relax and enjoy a story that isn’t their own. Video games, being the newest entertainment, are often ridiculed as something that only children or immature adults should dabble in. That it never could be more than a passing fad. That it would never resonate with people on a highly emotional level – one of the undeniable goals of “art”. READ MORE
Since the very moment I was aware of both tactics games and Pokemon, I’ve wanted a Pokemon tactics game. It seemed like the perfect fit; while the series had all this fun customization and management, the real frustration was in the linearity and repetition of the one-on-one, menu-based battles. But despite the constant flow of spin-off titles, we weren’t getting it. Pokemon Dash, you guys? Really?
Apparently what it needed was some outside intervention. READ MORE
The year is 2098. Three mega-corporations control the world and battle each other for supremacy. The general populace huddles in virtual worlds to escape reality, while employees of the companies use that same virtual technology to battle each other in four man tactical warfare. Sound intriguing? Well, forget all of that, because none of it matters. READ MORE
When I was a kid, my dad would take my brother and me on fishing trips. We weren’t the most outdoors-y people, so we always threw our fish back (if we caught any at all) and got lunch from a local restaurant. It was in these swaths of time that my dad taught me about pinball. It didn’t matter that your grilled cheese had arrived when you were about to earn an extra ball on the Demolition Man table. READ MORE
As a kid, I loved trading card games such as Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! or Nintendo’s Pokémon, playing matches with other kids at school, trading on the playground and arguing over the best cards and strategies. One game that I never got into was Magic: The Gathering, a trading card game targeted toward an older audience, sporting high-fantasy card art designs and more mature themes. I went into Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 as an absolute newcomer, knowing absolutely nothing about its rules, cards or workings. In the end, I am glad I did, as it allowed me answer two questions: does it serve as an adequate introduction to the trading card game for new players, and is the game good enough to stand on its own without relying on its source material?
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