The Zelda series is a franchise that hasn’t changed much over the years. There’s an over world, dungeons, a princess in distress and an angry, magical, evil enemy. During every Zelda adventure you traverse various elementally themed dungeons and meet strange and colourful characters – this is Zelda as we know it. For the last ten years or so any changes have been incremental.  New features have been added, but the core game stays relatively the same. This is due to the fact that the series’ rabid fan base seems content with the franchise remaining relatively similar game after game. Many fans still even believe that Link and the series’… (more…)

2011 was another year of amazing gaming experiences and, for me and select other gamers, it passed virtually without issue. Unfortunately, many others seem to have gotten the short end of the pointy gaming stick. In other words, even though 2011 offered some of the greatest games released this gen, a few screw-ups, mishaps, let downs, and straight-up bad decisions made some gamers feel like the industry’s only real goal was to get them to grab their proverbial ankles.   Without further adieu – and in no particular order – we present the most defining video game letdowns of 2011. Kinect’s Lack of Appealing Games When Kinect first came out, I… (more…)

The PlayStation Vita looks awesome and I want one. In fact, I’m a Sony fan and I personally think the upcoming handheld is exactly the kind of device the average “hardcore” gamer could love like no other before. Two analog sticks? Yes please. After research and some rather unwanted personal financial honesty, however, I can no longer recommend picking up a launch Vita in good conscience to those on gaming on a budget. I say this for two reasons, number one being the tendency of handheld makers to release improved versions of a device throughout its lifecycle.  We’ll come to number two later. With reason number one, we look at… (more…)

Before I get flamed, let me first say this: I really like Skyrim. I feel that it’s one of the greatest technical achievements in video gaming in the last 5-10 years.  It just has a few issues that are really starting get to me. Skyrim is extremely engrossing and accomplishes something that many modern games fail to these days – it actually lets you craft your own story. It also offers a different experience to every single person that plays it. Perhaps one gamer decides they’re down with Bethesda’s epic main story quest, or maybe another gamer decides to join the companion’s guild and focus on that story thread. Then there are the… (more…)

I really don’t understand people who play multiplayer, team-based games without a headset. You’re playing a title where teamwork is the main focus, so you should probably use a headset, no? A little thing called communication is sort of important to team work focused games. The applications and inherent value are plain and very simple. When you get killed you can help your teammates out by letting everyone know which way the shit is flying. If you’re getting pinned and you need a hand, you can let the rest of your team know. Saw a guy run in with some buddies? Need an extra hand? Just speak up and help is… (more…)

I’ve been eagerly anticipating Skyrim for years. I’d probably even say that it’s the only release I’ve been excited about in a very long time. There’s a reason for this sense of excitment and anticipation though. Usually, when I’m interested in a game, I’m all up on the interwebs trying to gather every news snipet ever released about that particular title. In some cases, I go the extra mile and sift through gaming related forums, mercilessly hunting down the latest rumours and information. When Skyrim was first announced, I didn’t search for any information about the game at all. In fact, I’ve  actively avoided reading anything about Bethesda’s latest epic. When I finally… (more…)

As much as I hate prefacing my article by saying this, it begs mentioning. Remember when we just put a cartridge in a console’s slot and a game simply just played? This thought is almost cliché since we’re living in a digital age; some modern games don’t even come on discs anymore. But now we seem to be entering a new era, unless you buy a game brand new, you’re not getting the full experience anymore. Recent hits like Arkham City have an online pass that’s necessary if you want to play as Catwoman. So when I bought the game, in order to play as the character Rocksteady heavily promoted at… (more…)

For the last half hour I’ve been trying to remember the very first video game I ever played – but for some reason I can’t. I don’t know why I don’t remember my first video game; I can recall countless other gaming related memories (you’ve heard about a lot of them by now), but for some reason I can’t recall the very first video game my thumbs hammered away at. Perhaps I was just too young to remember? I don’t really know. What I do remember though is the first video game I ever owned. It was the first game that actually belonged to me. I didn’t take it from one… (more…)

I’ve pretty much grown up with a controller in my hands. I can’t even remember a time when I wasn’t playing some sort of video game – gaming has been an incredibly huge part of my life. You know how certain songs often remind you of specific events or feelings you’ve experience in your life? Well, that happens to me all the time, but instead of songs it’s with video games. When I think of Final Fantasy III for the Super Nintendo, I remember being in middle school, not having a care in the world and being totally engrossed in that game’s epic story. Seriously, who could forget when the world ended? (If… (more…)

Personal Computers are the most capable gaming platform of all, offering a flexibility and capability that make other formats seem stale.  Yet, despite these great features, another supposedly “AAA” multi-platform title has launched with a “gimped” PC version. Yes, you guessed right, I’m talking about Rage, the latest from veteran developer id, famous for such classics as the Doom and Quake series as well as the granddaddy of all shooters, Wolfenstein 3D. Packed with performance issues, texture streaming trouble, and general bugs, was the PC version of Rage lessened because the game also appeared on Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360? Considering the game runs well on both consoles… (more…)