I’ll shamefully admit it: I’ve never beaten Super Mario Bros.

So the other day, I buckled down for a Super Mario Bros. 3 marathon with my nephew, age 7. While playing, I realized that Mario is timeless, and sure as my little nephew is growing up with him now, we’ll still remember Mario in a century.

Mario, Link, Master Chief, Solid Snake. These gaming monuments speak to desires and dreams rooted deeply inside of us, and the experiences they offer will never die.

Read More »

When it comes to video games, Hollywood has it all wrong.

But with the recent release of indie film The Legend of Zelda: Hero of Time, it seems gamers can finally watch a faithful adaptation of a great game. It’s not a big budget production, but the film crew nailed it better than the hot shots at large movie companies.

Sure, they don’t have the best special effects or big-name actors, but where the rest of the movie industry has failed, indie filmmakers can create movies actually deserving of their video game-based content.

Read More »

Sam Lake is the lead writer behind Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake. His scripts helped propel the Max Payne series to positive reviews, and his writings will be equally essential to this new title’s success.

But it’s rare for developers to prioritize the role of a writer like this. Frequently sidelined as an afterthought, writers — also known as narrative designers, depending on your opinion — hardly ever work as closely with a development team as Mr. Lake does.

Rather than marginalizing writers, more developers should take Remedy’s approach and embrace them. We’ve seen the success of story-driven games like Metal Gear Solid. Narrative designers make games come alive, and we simply can’t afford to treat them like dirt anymore.

Read More »

Games have come a long way since the quaint, bygone days of Tetris and Asteroids. These days some attempt to challenge our thinking, others to make us laugh or cry.

Even with such a broad range of games, people often narrow the field to one possible future. For example: All games will become completely open-ended. Games will never tell stories effectively. And so on.

In reality though, unique genres have emerged in which all of these (and more) possibilities are being explored. The old FPS and RPG genres just don’t cut it anymore. Video games cover more ground than people realize, and these new game categories will eventually encompass games as distinct from one another as sculptures are from oil paintings.

Read More »

Saving the world and thwarting the malicious plans of evil organizations is tough work even for video game heroes. And while characters like Master Chief get all the glory, their trusty partners are often behind the scenes pulling all the strings unnoticed.

Without their directions, these main heroes would have become hopelessly lost. In addition, many gamers would’ve slowly gone insane without these vital instructions. So this is for all those unsung sidekicks out there, this is another hormone driven Fuck-Marry-Kill: The Trusty Sidekick Edition!

If this does not offer the acknowledgment they deserve, then I’m not sure what will.

Read More »

Sometimes the word “stop” evades the ears of certain people. The people I’m talking about are those who seek to capitalize on a successful franchise by releasing a half-assed sequel.

While these people are no murderers or rapists, I still feel like smacking them in the face for selling out some classics. At least then I can pay back some of the pain those developers have forced me to endure.

Anyways, here’s an ode to gaming sequels that should be shot, sterilized, and blasted into space so we may never see them again… God help any aliens that get their hands on these games. (Okay that was an exaggeration: These sequels aren’t necessarily bad, just disappointing — with exception of the first game on the list.)

Read More »

Sorry all you gameplay advocates out there: You happen to be dead wrong about the beast of a debate that is gameplay versus graphics.

I am here to save they day and set all wrongdoers on the path of righteousness a.k.a. graphics.

Granted, I may be on the small side of this argument, but that does not mean support is meager. In fact, there is overwhelming evidence for graphics, considering the fact they are constantly addressed in reviews and previews. Plus, graphical analysis articles of PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of a given game remain popular.

Graphics can make or break a new game on the market. Let us begin this argument of epic proportion. Read More »

Like any new form of artistic expression, video games have faced an uphill battle in gaining legitimacy as a story-telling medium. (This may have something to do with the fact most of the best selling games out there have more freakin’ sweet guns than emotionally compelling characters.)

Well, all of that’s about to change. Below is a video-game-themed play I’ve written, a potent treatise on the woeful human condition. Savvy gamers will notice each line of the play is quoted directly from a video game.

Read More »