There have been countless books about self-help and what you learned in Kindergarten is all you needed to know and some Dr. Phil mumbo jumbo. I’ll tell you where I learned all I needed to know: Atari 2600. I put a ridiculous amount of time and energy into untold numbers of games and they taught me some valuable life lessons. Failure is not the end, but an opportunity. One of the first things you learned when you began playing the Atari 2600: the reset button is your friend. Read More...

Last week I discussed my feelings about downloadable content which is one of two things that have drastically risen in the last few years to become a common site in the video games industry. Today I want to take a look at the second which are Special Edition releases. Before I actually get to the different pieces that are actually packaged within, I’d like to share what I think should be the definition of various special editions because I’ve seen several different variations in my time. Obviously these are the Special Edition, Collector’s Edition, and Limited Edition. I know that for many people there really is no difference, but I disagree. Read More...

Normally when I write a new installment for this series I tend to focus on a specific video game that I would like to see come to fruition. For the next two weeks though I’ve decided to change it up a little and discuss more general subjects. This week I’d like to discuss downloadable content with next week shifting focus to collector’s edition. Both are areas of video gaming that have become staples over the last few years and both have given us distinctive examples of what works and what doesn’t work. We’ve seen so many DLC packs and limited edition releases that I think you could create a perfect stencil that every developer and every publisher should follow because it would deliver the best extension of a game every time. Read More...

Second Skin is a documentary that follows the lives of seven people as they delve in to the world of MMORPGs. The film was directed by Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza and produced by Victor Pineiro Escoriaza and Peter Brauer. The synopsis from the site reads: “Second Skin takes an intimate look at three sets of computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by online virtual worlds. An emerging genre of computer software called Massively Multiplayer Online games, or MMOs, allows millions of users to interact simultaneously in virtual spaces. Of the 50 million players worldwide, 50 percent consider themselves addicted. Read More...

In the past I’ve talked about some of the things that are universally cool. Things like ninjas, kung fu billionaires, the zombie apocalypse. Now I come to another one of these staples and that is a heist. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a law-abiding citizen and I believe that people are innately good and only a very small percentage of human beings are legitimate criminals. However having said that, no matter how much I would never go along with it in real life, I have to admit that part of me would be excited to be a part of a crew that takes down scores. And with so many movies that has successfully portrayed this kind of thing, Heat, Ocean’s Eleven, Public Enemies, etc. Read More...

Gameloft, never one to rest on its laurels when it comes to the mobile gaming market, has released what might be one of the most ambitious iPhone titles to date.  NFL 2010 takes the thrill and excitement of the NFL license and goes mobile; allowing you to transport your favorite players and teams anywhere. From the site: "Experience real football and play for the Super Bowl against the Cardinals, Steelers and the rest of the NFL on your cell phone. Every 2010 player and over 100 plays make this a complete sports game. Read More...

It only took two days for Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution to sink its hooks into me. I became addicted like no other game I’ve played before. But as much as I love Civ Rev, there are so many little things that could make it so much better. Before I get to the suggestions though I should mention, I’ve never really played any of the Civilization games that preceded Revolution so it’s entirely possible that the features I want to see were part of the formula prior to the franchise’s makeover. However having said that I found a lot of similarities between Civ Rev and a far less known PC game called Starships Unlimited. They are essentially the same game except where Civ Rev is focused on Earth and using historic civilizations, Starships Unlimited is set in a fictional universe and utilizes a variety of alien races along with humanity. Read More...

It’s no big secret that I’m about as much into comic books as I am video games, which is saying something. I’ve always felt that comics and video games are natural extensions of one another. That is why it’s easy for properties to cross over so that we have games that have been adapted from comics and vice versa. Marvel Comics is probably the best example of using a comic to create a video game. They have inspired the most adaptions. Read More...

From id Software’s site: “Immerse yourself in the first person experience that takes your iPhone or iPod Touch beyond previously imagined limits. Introducing DOOM Resurrection, a brand new, technologically advanced, heart-pounding chapter in the legendary DOOM Saga! Scientists on a remote research facility on Mars have lost control of their experiment and all Hell has broken loose. As the last surviving marine, you must defeat the intruders and help the remaining scientists unravel the mystery of what happened and more importantly, figure out how to stop it. You must succeed! Read More...

Pro gamers' league signs big deal with Electronic Arts Another blow to your mom's nagging about how video games will never get you any where just flew onto the scene. EA and Major League Gaming have just penned and signed a new deal hooking up EA as a major sponsor for their gaming tournaments. Something that will totally draw more than their average 600,000 people they get now and 5000 to 7000 that show to the live events. Not to mention to bring some big pull with EA Sports and other franchises under their belt now being added to the list of titles to be played for cash and prizes. With the first major event starting at the end of next month. Read More...

Last week when I was discussing the changes I would make for the upcoming Smackdown vs. Raw 2010, I got to thinking about another annual franchise that’s due to hit store shelves soon. NHL 10 is perhaps the sports game I am most excited for this year and with a North American release date of September 15th the wait has just about two months left. Of course with so little time left until release, it means that all the little things I hope and wish for probably won’t make into the final game. But this is a wishlist and as such I can still dream about what won’t be but might be in the future. Read More...

For fans of the WWE, there was a lot to love about last year’s WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009. Visually the game was astounding. The characters models were about as lifelike as you could possibly get with attention paid to the smallest details. A great amount of time was spent revamping the tag team matches adding things like hot tags, illegal blind tags, and having inactive teammates being more attractive while standing on the ring apron. Add in the Inferno Match which debuted in the 2009 game and you have one heck of a game. But having played so many of the previous WWE games (going all the way back to when the company was still known as the WWF) I personally felt like there was so much I had seen before that had been cut out. Read More...

Clearwire officially launches WiMax in Las Vegas When you think of Las Vegas and Gaming, the first place you go is to the table game and gambling. It is the staple in Vegas. But it looks like soon, like in a few weeks, gaming could take a slight twist in the town. At least as it comes to online portable gaming. Maybe make the town a bit more family friendly. Who knows? Read More...

I think if you look at the landscape of films that have been adapted from video games, generally it looks a lot like what comic book movies were like when they were first being released. Yes the original Superman and the original Batman movies from the mid-late 1980’s are classics, but look down the line at some of the sequels. Look across the board to movies like The Punisher or Captain America. These were awful movies. Read More...

Mass Effect Galaxies, formerly Mass Effect: Jacob's Story, is an iPhone game developed by Bioware to offer fans of the franchise a little more in the way of mythology and action. It's a top down shooter with a great deal of personality for such a tiny title. It is not required to enjoy the series, but playing the game does give you insight into more of what is going on with characters you will encounter in the highly anticipated sequel, Mass Effect 2, Jacob and Miranda.Many of the same options in the 'higher end titles' appear here, including biotic powers and branching conversation trees. Unfortunetly, using the branching conversation mechanic here does not seem to have as much weight as it does in the aformentioned big brother to this game. Read More...