Tag Archives: NES

Go on, give us a smile Modern video game characters are so moody. Just look at their faces. Trevor Philips: angry. Aiden Pearce: complete poker face, devoid of emotion. Kirby: Happiness vacuum. OK, I just used Kirby so I could make the joke, but even he looks a bit pissed …

Real f**king language Profanity can be fun. We all agree about that. Sometimes when youre trying to get your point across, a well-placed language enhancer can heighten the impact of a statement or add a little humor to it. Were all guilty of a little foul language now and then, …

No more mutants Like most former first graders, Ive been enjoying the X-Men since I first saw Wolverines claws go snikt! in 1990. The problem with my devotion to the mutants is that my love for these costumed heroes can sometimes lead to poor decisions, like assuming that every video …

Spring is here After busy months like March, which brought a barrage of awesome games in the form of Dark Souls 2, Titanfall, and South Park: The Stick of Truth, we’re down for a bit of R&R. By which we mean, a time to relax and catch up on our …

Mario got his start battling Donkey Kong, but he found his true nemesis in 1985 with the introduction of Bowser in the first Super Mario Bros. In the decades since, the famous plumber has battled the King of All Koopas so many times, and it’s pretty surprising how little has …

We can stop any time we want to We’ve all been there. It’s 2 am, you have somewhere to be in only a handful of hours, but you’re not asleep. Far from it, you’re wired, playing an MMO or a MOBA or an RTS or an RPG or a shooter. …

Working as intended Remember that time you were playing that one game, but you clipped through the world and fell until the game crashed and you lost a bunch of progress? Yeah, that’s not very fun. Bugs and glitches can sometimes ruin a good time: There’s nothing more immersion-breaking than …

The Eagle has Landed We don’t know a whole lot about Assassin’s Creed Unity besides its name and setting, but rumors are that the hero will be named Arnaud, which means “eagle power.” Sounds weird, right? Well, not exactly–it actually makes perfect sense. Assassin’s Creed’s heroes have followed fairly recognizable …

High power, low (historical) accuracy Who doesnt love some good gunplay gameplay? First person shooters are one of the marquee video game genres, and for good reason: theres nothing more cathartic than filling your virtual enemies full of lead as you valiantly save the day using an arsenal of the …

Been there, done that? It seems there are more platforming games in existence than there are unique environments on planet Earth. And that’s a problem, because interesting settings and inventive level design can make or break a sidescroller’s appeal. Too often, developers seem to fall back on the backdrops we’ve …