First Look – Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII was a little… well, different, than its predecessors in the Final Fantasy heritage.  They changed whatever was left of the classic formula from soup to nuts, from the overland battle encounters to the new ATB fight system, the…

After THQ Partnership, Humble Bundle Goes Back to Its Roots

People love bundles.  They just do.  Computers come bundled with software.  Xbox 360’s come bundled with Kinect goodies.  Hell, some coffee makers even come bundled with coffee.  It’s inherent in humans to want value and there’s nothing wrong with that. …

Promising Fan-Made Gem to Shine as Capcom’s Street Fighter x Mega Man

When I was a wee lad, my first console was an NES. And even back then when the world lived and loved 8 bits at a time, I became a fan of Capcom – a lot of the games I…

Congressmen Propose Violence Warnings on Almost Every Game out There

[Article first published as Congressmen Propose Violence Warnings on Almost Every Game out There on Blogcritics.] It’s always a good thing to see when Congress works hard to tackle the tough issues.  You know, economic health, unemployment, foreign relations – important things.  Then you…

Why I was Done with Soul Calibur V in a Month

[Article first published as Why I Was Done with Soul Calibur V in a Month on Blogcritics.] I was seriously looking forward to Soul Calibur V before its release last month.  I’ve been a huge fan of the Soul series since their first entry (not counting Soul Edge), and…

Call of Duty: Black Ops Awarded “Best Video Game Ending” World Record, “Shenanigans” Called Worldwide

[Article first published as Call of Duty: Black Ops Awarded “Best Video Game Ending” World Record, “Shenanigans” Called Worldwide on Blogcritics.] I found some interesting information the other day.  Unbeknownst to me, Guinness (the record book people, not the beer people) have been…

88. Aggresive Behavior and Video Games – More Darwin than Bloody Violence?

[Article first published as Aggresive Behavior and Videogames – More Darwin than Bloody Violence? on Blogcritics.] The effect videogames have on the human mind has been thoroughly and widely argued for years.  And that argument rests solely on one seemingly central focus:…

77. what the hell is catherine?

[Article first published as What the Heck is Catherine? on Blogcritics.] For many months now I’ve been seeing advertisements and vague news stories about a new game called Catherine by Atlus, releasing later this year. My initial (and continued) response…

71. not that easy for kids to buy M-rated games. just ask the FTC

[Article first published as FTC Report: It’s not so Easy for Kids to Buy M-Rated Games on Blogcritics.] When it comes to behavior, videogames and the gaming community at large always seem to be on the receiving end of some criticism. …

69. video game music gets some overdue respect

[Article first published as Videogame Music Gets Some Overdue Respect on Blogcritics.] have you ever sat down for a nice gaming session and found yourself humming a tune from the game after you log out or put the controller down? how about…