In light of EA's super vague announcement of a new Mass Effect game, a lot of people have been raising the question of whether it should be a prequel of sequel-- with "prequel" seeming like the easier choice; and "sequel" seeming like a far dicier proposition, due to Mass Effect 3's multiple endings and controversial standing. But in my mind, the choice isn't really a choice at all. It has been...
I think the all -digital future might actually be a myth when it comes to games. Yes, yes. I know. Pick your popped-out monocles off the floor and let me explain. For 90% of the population, "good enough to stream Netflix" is all the internet speed they need. There are no other applications of internet where further bottlenecks exist. So why would they be willing to pay for more speed, which the...
What is the Wii U? Why does it suffer? The Wii U is a weird, misguided attempt to try and sell to the hardcore with a casual pitch, and to try to sell to the casual with a hardcore pitch. The hardcore aren't buying it because they know enough to know it's not real next-gen; and the casual aren't buying it because they don't know enough to know it isn't just a Wii. How do you fix that? Either wi...
(This is a weird thing that I found myself compelled to write immediately after finishing Bioshock Infinite. And after writing it, I figured I might as well post it somewhere, since it took so goddamn long. I'd like to make clear, I don't think this is a "better" ending to Bioshock Infinite, or anything like that. The ending is surely the way it is for a number of great reasons, both purposeful...
I was listening to the most recent Bombcast today, hearing them lay out their somber predictions for the next generation of consoles with all the excitement you might bring to a goddamn baby funeral, when I suddenly decided that, even though I will probably buy the next XBOX, I am, as of now, more excited to hear about the next PlayStation. Why? It's all about possibility. (That could even be t...
Attention, world: Saying "the writing in video games is bad" has become one of the least constructive criticisms on the planet at this point. I don't even disagree-- most of it probably is worth complaining about; but 90% of the time, the people making that complaint-- whether it be industry types on a podcast or armchair critics on twitter-- just say "it's bad" and leave it at that. In what wa...
I did a hybrid-style, "compare and contrast" thing when I finally finished Mass Effect 3 a couple days ago-- I watched the original ending, waited a few hours while the Extended Cut downloaded, then finished it again with the Extended Cut. I had two reactions. (Spoilers, duh) One: I now totally understand why people were enraged at the original ending of that game. It bummed me out and confused...
(So, I wrote a comment on a news story today that ended up being long enough that I figured I might as well add a sentence or two for an intro and slap the thing into a bloggy blog. For posterity! And also for the quest I guess.) Dead Space 2 announced its first forthcoming bit of DLC today - on the very day the game itself was released. An increasingly common move that has a tendency to feel,...