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What’s In a Name? A Racing Game With a Nutty Finish

It’s been a silly week for mobile games with suggestive names. First there was this. Then Fahey handed me something called “Noble Nutlings” for the iOS. Its icon was a beetle-browed, bucktoothed squirrel. I had no idea what to expect. Turns out this is a racing game (iOS, free download), from Boomlagoon, some ex-Rovio guys…

There I Was, Beating Down the Zombie Hordes Wearing Nothing But Cutoffs and a Chest Bandage

As far as first impressions go, Progrestar’s Facebook zombie survival game The Last One isn’t doing itself any favors. I show up in the game world wholly unprepared for the task ahead of me—torn pants, a chest wrap and a metal pipe against legions of flesh-hungry walking dead. One would assume that shoes would be…

Are You OK With Nintendo’s Fire Emblem DLC?

The gaming world is not yet in agreement about all of the right ways and all of the wrong ways for game companies to do downloadable content. Should a company charge several dollars for horse armor? Probably not. For costumes in a fighting game? Hmm. Should the DLC never be on the disc even if…

Channel Boogie Nights as “Jessie’s Girl” hits Rock Band Tuesday. (“Sister Christian” and “The Touch” are already there.)

Comic Books’ Disastrous Self-Censorship Offers a Lesson for Games Publishers, Too

“Censoring violent comic books did not reduce juvenile delinquency or increase literacy,” reasons the International Game Developers Association. “It decimated the production of one of the few kinds of literature that at-risk youths read for pleasure.” The IGDA, the foremost group representing video games developers, wrote that to Vice President Joe Biden in a letter…

Giant-Sized Hulk Will Smash Galactus in Lego Marvel Super Heroes

News broke this week that Warner Bros.’ game division has been working on a new game based on Marvel Comics character. This Game Informer video offers a first look at the game and mentions that the game’s big bad will be Galactus. According to coverage in Game Informer‘s print magazine, you’ll be doing all your…

Cosplayers Are Passionate, Talented Folks. But There’s A Darker Side To This Community, Too.

What most of us get to see, cosplay-wise, is the part where a costumed fan stands before the flash of the camera, posing as their favorite characters from movies, comic books and games. What most of us experience is the ‘product.’ The end result. But there is a person underneath that costume. That person has…

Time Surfer is a Psychedelic Sci-Fi Tear Through Tiny Wings Territory

In the popular iOS game Tiny Wings, players use a single finger to control the flight of an adorable baby bird as it slides down hills and soars through the serene sky, chased by peaceful dreams. Time Surfer is the same thing, except instead of peaceful dreams it’s the end of the universe, the sky…

Altaïr, Guest-Starring In This Week’s Episode Of The Simpsons (Well, Not Really)

Simpsons fan artist extraordinaire Dean Fraser imagines Assassin’s Creed Altair as a guest star on the animated series. Luckily, the chances of him having to swim during such an appearance would be slim. Assassin’s Creed [Springfield Punx]

Of Course The Internet Is Awash with Pokémon X/Y Fan Art

Newly announced Pokémon X/Y isn’t even a week old. Heck, it’s not even half a week old. But the internet makes it seem like the game is a thousand years old. Sites like DeviantArt as well as numerous Tumblr blogs are awash with Pokémon X/Y fan art. Here’s a very small sampling of what’s out…

Sex and Violence in Far Cry 3 Edited for Japan

For its Japanese release, Far Cry 3 is getting a series of edits that will result in a slightly different experience for the country’s gamers. According to Ubisoft (via website 4Gamer), here’s what’s different in the Japanese language version: • Wounded corpses have been cut (er, censored) • A sex scene as well as a…

You Should Be Watching This Gaming Documentary Series

Here’s a welcome break from fan-flicks and comedy videos. Psycho Crusher Productions are a team setting out to “make gamers as famous as the games they play”, courtesy of a series of films called GAM3R It’s an unfortunate title, in many ways, because it makes you conjure images of insult-spewing shooter fans and excruciating attempts…

Help Make A Video Game Magazine Called Sneaky Bastards (With Awesome Dishonored Art)

Aussie writer Daniel Hindes, who for a while has run a niche site called Sneaky Bastards, wants to take the idea of discussing stealth games to a more tangible format. Hence, Sneaky Bastards, the magazine. Promising that the magazine will feature 100% new content (as in, nothing that’s been on the site before), the first…

Microsoft Would Like To Remind Valve That Selling Hardware Is Hard

I said earlier this week that Microsoft and Sony should be worried about Valve’s Steam Box plans, because they appear to have traditional home consoles square in their sights. Well, in an interview with Eurogamer, Microsoft’s Phil Harrison (still feels weird typing that) seems to get awfully defensive, issuing what amounts as a warning to…

A Portal Figure So Good You’ll Think It Came From The Dark, Distant Future

3D printers are not machines. They are portals to a realm of dark magic, where you can conjure anything you want, in return for a plastic sacrifice. Take this, for example: this is not an expensive, professional action figure (though you’ll soon be able to get one of those). It’s something made by a human…

Christian Bale Never Starred In A Pokémon Movie, But Damn It, He Should Have

A classic piece of modern cinema. An angry man known better these days for his portrayal of Batman. A deck of Pokémon cards, some better than others. Demi Adejuyigbe has done one hell of a job with this. The Snorlax zoom is especially well done. American Psycho: Unreleased 10th Anniversary Director’s Cut [YouTube, via Go…

We Will Soon Be Able To Play Skyrim & Mirror’s Edge With Virtual Reality Goggles. Goodbye, World.

The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is shaping up to be a great piece of technology, but that potential greatness has always been tempered by the worry that most games would never support it. Thank the Maker for community-created software, then, because cybereality’s Vireio Perception driver means that games like Mirror’s Edge, Skyrim, Half-Life 2,…

If There Was a Pokémon Game On The Wii U, It Might Look Like This

There’s never been a proper Pokémon game on a home console. For reasons Nintendo have long stuck to. But hey, it’s the internet, let’s imagine that they broke with tradition, and announced a massive new Pokémon adventure for the Wii U. What could it look like? Maybe something like this. Environment artist Evan Liaw (who…

Danny Boyle’s New Movie: Inception Meets The Thomas Crown Affair Meets Rosario Dawson

You know what would make an art-heist flick even cooler? If you combined it with some extreme memory-wiping shenanigans. 28 Days Later and Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle seems to agree, going by this trailer for his upcoming movie Trance This looks quite… chaotic. The story of an art heist gone wrong, ending in amnesia,…

If You Didn’t Make This Choice In The Walking Dead, Clementine Would Make It For You

Many choices are timed in The Walking Dead, and you can always tell. Except for this one decision, and it happens to be the most gut-wrenching choice you have to make near the story’s conclusion. [Major Spoilers Follow!] That’s when you send Clementine off and you have to decide whether or not she kills you.…