Uncategorized

Pokémon Designs Aren’t Getting Worse, They May Be Getting Better

Without fail, a new Pokémon generation will bring with it a wave of criticism—the idea that Game Freak has progressively gotten worse at designing new Pokémon. I’ve noticed that folks who are critical of new Pokémon will typically point toward the original 151 Pokémon as examples of amazing, if not the best, Pokémon design. I…

Please welcome Patricia Hernandez, who has written for us throughout the year, as our newest full-time reporter/critic.

Happy 25th Birthday, Final Fantasy. It’s Time To Get Your Act Together.

Happy birthday, Final Fantasy! You were first released in Japan on December 18, 1987. You’re 25. Good times. Now listen. We need to talk. There used to be a day when seeing the name “Final Fantasy” meant we were about to play something fantastic, when your “brand”—as the kids like to call it these days—was…

Peter Molyneux Needs Your Money ASAP Because “I Am Not by Any Measure a Hugely Wealthy Individual”

Peter Molyneux hasn’t really had to worry about the money needed to make games before. Back when he was making games as a smaller operation, he’d starve himself until a project was done and kick the software out into the world. Then, in his later days as a Microsoft exec, he had access to the…

The World Of Men Is Split On The Hobbit. What Did You Think?

Opinions on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey are like those bookends that came with the collector’s edition of The Fellowship of the Ring. Lots of people have ’em, but no one knows quite what to do with them. Jason and I had very different takes The Hobbit. We both agreed the 48fps tech is a…

The Stargate Dials Infinity Blade in Teal’c’s Revenge

After several months as not much more than a guided tour and a terrible round of golf, Arkalis Interactive’s Stargate Command app finally gets its game on, and that game is Infinity Blade, more or less. Available as a $.99 download within Stargate Command, Teal’c’s Revenge casts players as everybody’s favorite mascara-wearing Jaffa warrior as…

This List of Young Over-Achievers in Gaming Will Inspire You And/Or Make You Feel Like a Senior Citizen

Forbes‘ 30 under 30 spotlights some of the gaming younger stand-outs. The guy who made the Oculus Rift is 20? Borderlands 2, written by a near-infant??? Of course, to some of you, these people will seem old, old, old. Way to make me feel old, too! 30 Under 30: Games and Apps [Forbes]

Sony’s having a big PlayStation store sale for the next three weeks. Behold the baaaahgains.

CityVille 2 ’12 Days of Presents’ Part 3: Everything You Need to Know

We’ve reached the halfway point in CityVille 2‘s “12 Days of Presents” Christmas event, with Day 6 just unlocked a few moments ago (as of this writing). As you might expect, these quests grow pretty complicated as we go along, but we can thankfully work on all of them at the same time over the…

Video Games And The Sandy Hook Shooting: Two Very Different Reactions

Over the weekend, two men sent me two very different messages regarding last Friday’s massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. One was from Antwand Pearman, an up-and-coming gamer/reporter/event-organizer who runs a small outfit called GamerFitNation. He was flagging my attention to what he calls a proposed “demonstration of peace.” He calls it Day of Ceasefire…

Grown-Up Strategy Gaming Goes On A Diet, Comes To The iPad

If you’ve ever played a turn-based strategy game on the iPad, chances are you’re playing a game with PC controls and/or design shoe-horned onto the touch-screen device. Some are OK, some can even be good, but you can never shake the feeling that you’re playing a game wearing somebody else’s ill-fitting shoes. Battle of the…

You’ll be able to download the PC version of Resident Evil 6 on 03/22/13. Specs and full details here.

Now You Can Play Angry Birds Star Wars on Facebook

The magnificent mobile mixture of Angry Birds and Star Wars that swept the mobile game charts gets social today, as Rovio launches the Angry Birds Star Wars Facebook game. With weekly friend tournaments and five new levels to compete in every week, the Facebook version of Angry Birds Star Wars sounds perfect for players that…

Transformers Legends is Out, Suddenly Mobile Collector Card Games Make Sense

My lengthy struggle with mobile collectible card games might have been avoided completely had DeNA released Transformers Legends sooner. It’s not just that the bot-themed collectible card game, available now on Android, features characters from an entertainment property I’ve been in love with for nearly three decades, but it certainly helps. The card fusion mechanic—combining…

Those Cute Pikmin Were Going to Be Your Weapons

Man there’s nothing like the feeling of commanding a squadron of Pikmin, is there? Over the course of two games, Nintendo’s too-cute strategy franchise has given you armies of multicolored plant creatures to mess around with. The little guys are so helpful and adorable that it tends to feel really bad when some of them…

Now through 1 AM Eastern tomorrow, Fruit Ninja and the rest of Halfbrick’s iOS titles are free. Grab them here

This Week’s Facebook Winners and Losers: Candy Crush Saga Gets What It Deserves

I spent an inconveniently substantial portion of last night trying to clear away gels in one level of King.com’s Candy Crush Saga. Knowing that an additional million people are experiencing the same frustration this week makes me feel better. The King.com / Zynga competition is really starting to heat up, thanks in no small part…

The classic NES Mega Man series is coming to 3DS via the US eShop, Capcom announced. The first title lands on Dec. 27.

The Nintendo 64 Christmas Screams, Remixed For 2012

A modern, animated and slightly terrifying take on Nintendo’s most storied of Christmas tales. Not suitable for small children. NINTENDO SIXTY-FOUR [TerminalMontage, via Destructoid]

Young Chinese Man Turns To Grave Robbing To Fund His Gaming

A young man in Fujian province is in deep trouble this week after going on a rampage through a mausoleum looking for buried treasure. The young man, nicknamed Xiao Hai(海）until trial, just turned 22 years old and, according to those that knew him, was “addicted” to video games. He had problems distinguishing reality from fiction.…