Working in a game store for a living means I interact quite often with the “normies” or “muggles”. These people go to a game store with no idea what they’re going to buy and ask questions, like “what’s the newest game out?” That’s all that concerns them about their purchase. There are without a doubt hundreds of cheaper, most likely better, titles on whatever console they own, yet the newness of the game is most important. Writing about games for a pretend living means this type of behavior fascinates me and leads me to constantly ask why. READ MORE
Just for a second, could you all keep watch so I can slip this incredibly-late column under my editor Graham Russell’s office door? See I’ve been very, very busy lately as I’ve started a new full-time job. My new gig is at a place I’m sure you’re all very familiar with. It’s an establishment where one can purchase video games. It’s called… Play… Shop. Yeah, PlayShop. That’s the ticket.
I really shouldn’t be telling you this because at my store we get all the hottest game news before the general public. Having my own column on a popular game site such as this one, I can’t help but leak some upcoming game news to my adoring readers. I’ll even let you guys in on all the best pre-order bonuses coming up later this year. This season is going to be huge for games, with popular titles like Gears of War 3, Batman: Arkham City and Camping Mama, so there’s a lot of very juicy info after the break. READ MORE
Americans seem to share some kind of cultural ADD. Our media is pretty much built on repackaging and reselling the same ideas to ourselves over and over again. Whether it’s remakes, sequels, reimaginings, adaptations or good old fashioned plagiarism people can’t help but eat up anything familiar and safe. READ MORE
Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A bunch of racial stereotypes fight in a world tournament for ultimate power. Wait, is that every fighting game? Well, some games do it better than others, and Power Stone is at the top of the list. In a time where we were hit with a glut of fighters based on basically the same play mechanics, Power Stone was able to shake things up and stand out. Read on to find out what set Power Stone apart from other fighters, and why we desperately need something like it today. READ MORE
When most gamers think of licensed games based on some existing property like a TV show or movie, they often jump to the conclusion that it’s bad. Yes, in recent years, many licensed games are pushed out by a third party on a limited budget and a short development window, and they’re meant purely to capitalize on the success of the existing thing. This isn’t always the case, though. Many great classic games are based on TV shows like Duck Tales, Aladdin and all of the classic 8- and 16-bit Disney games. Occasionally, even a modern game comes along that not only is fun but perfectly captures the essence of what makes that popular property so great. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law is… sort of that game? Read on to find out why I’m so conflicted. READ MORE
