A couple years ago I could be quoted as saying RPG’s were the best video games around with detailed characters, in-depth storylines, and beautiful cinemas. However, it seems most video game companies today pride themselves on having beautifully rendered cinemas in their games. There are video game companies that don’t use cut scenes like Valve but other popular companies like Square-Enix use them constantly. It’s entertaining to look at a video game from a Playstation game and compare the graphics to a new generation console’s output to judge the quality’s improvement. There appears to be a growing trend with video games, RPG’s in particular, with large amounts of cut scenes and limited game play.

The question I pose to you is, “Is too much money and time going to graphical presentation that could be going into other more tangible aspects?”

(more…)

Video games have always been my own personal hell, as I have a tendency to be perfect in everything I do. I had to be the person with the top kills in a shooter, I always have to have top performer in Rock Band, and when it comes to a Korean grind MMO I’ll always aim for the max level. When it came to playing World of Warcraft though, that attitude had to change–a little. Instead of the entire group being rewarded with an accomplishment, only a few choice individuals were rewarded. Despite the annoyance of the system, I grew fond of it. You worked hard to get your new piece of shiny loot, then you would sit in a capital city for a few days just so that everyone who inspected you would congratulate you or ask where you got it. Despite how annoying it always was, you’d answer, just to see the reaction of how great you were.

Lately I have noticed how lackluster accomplishments have become and how little of a challenge games are. There have always been cheat codes for console games that would make everything easy, so I grew attached to MMORPG’s. World of Warcraft is the one I’ve played for three years now and well, what is there left to that game that can be considered a challenge?

(more…)

Remember the good old days when you wanted to wear a t-shirt with Samus on it, you’d have to print out the image backwards on transfer paper from your printer and then ask your mom to iron it on a plain shirt? Unless you were one of the lucky kids who got video game apparel from Japan, seeing a gaming shirt was a rarity. One kid would come to school with a Nintendo shirt and was considered a god not only between gamers but to the rest of the school yard.

Nowadays you can visit a mall anywhere and see at least five different people wearing gamer apparel, from the greased up old man to the emo kid sitting in the corner to the young teen girl in a short skirt. It’s no secret that acquiring clothing for your favorite game is easy; gaming is more mainstream and where there’s mainstream, there’s big money. Large video game companies like Bungie and Steam have high quality merchandise readily available for its fan base due to a demand. You can do a simple search on Ebay and come across thousands of gaming merchandise.

(more…)

If there’s one thing I have always deterred myself away when it comes to my favorite video games, it’s generally the fandom. I’m not saying I dislike fandom in general, because I’ve met some of my best friends through social communities. Still, there is a good reason why I only dabble a bit in fandom and if you know a thing or two about fandom, you completely understand why. Basically, it’s because people tend to become very defensive about their beliefs, especially their favorite pairings.

(more…)

Recently, I’ve found myself putting away my keyboard and trying out some good ‘ol console fun on my XBOX 360. The game I am really digging right now is the popular title Rock Band. Personally, I’ve yet to see a more involved game than this.

Interactive games have always interested me, having been a big fan of Dance Dance Revolution and different arcade variations of hand drumming games. Back when I was a blossoming gamer the most interaction in a game I ever had was shooting ducks with the giant orange Nintendo gun. In this day and age there are several interactive games where you can be more involved. I can name off a huge list, but you see them any time you walk in a gaming store. Some popular examples to entertain you though are Beatmania, Singstar Amped, Manga A Go Go, and Guitar Hero.

So when Rock Band was released I finally felt justified in picking up an XBOX 360 and playing this game for myself. The reviews I read were great and hearing how much fun my friends throughout the states had with the demos was just more encouragement.
(more…)

I am one of those people who doesn’t notice the change of holidays until my online game patches for it. One day I’ll log into my World of Warcraft character and see Christmas trees decorated with weapons and know that Christmas is coming soon. Nothing perks my game up more than logging into a virtual winter wonderland. Seeing as I am an Internet junkie, I have seen my fair share of holiday themed events in different online games including the responses, not only from other players, but the game developers regarding them.

Several MMORPG’s have their own holiday themed events and I wanted to share the diversity between them with the rest of you.

(more…)