[Originally posted on PopMatters] 2011 wasn’t a bad year for games. There were some disappointments,1 some unsung gems,2 and some outstanding successes.3 One game that struck audiences as being all three is Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham City. “Sure,” the universal criticism begins, “it’s tightly designed, it has fluid controls and the world—while having a somewhat silly … Continue reading Opening Arkham: A Defense of Arkham City
[Originally posted on PopMatters] It would be entirely fair to say to say that Nintendo “made” video games. There was a time not long ago that playing Nintendo was synonymous with playing any type of video game. Suffice to say, they’ve had a storied history centred around just handful of intellectual properties that have been … Continue reading Review: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
[Originally posted on Joystick Division] With Mass Effect 3 just a few months away and Dragon Age 3 officially announced, not is as good a time as any to talk about Bioware. The company has long been lauded as one of the few developers that have put an emphasis on storytelling. Even their games that … Continue reading The Bioware Method
[Originally posted on Joystick Division] The Legend of Zelda has been around for 25 years. Nintendo’s latest instalment in the venerable series proudly trumpets the milestone in the opening credits. There’s even an in-game reference to the two-and-a-half decades in the series. In the ever changing medium of video games, 25 years is an eon. The Legend … Continue reading Zelda’s Stagnancy Problem
[Originally posted on Joystick Division] As games have been opening up to a wider audience, one of the challenges is providing content that several different people can enjoy. A crude line in the sand is usually drawn between “casual” and “hardcore” games but the most effective way appealing to everyone is by adding extra content … Continue reading The Lost Art of the Sidequest
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