PixlBit

It’s time to be honest and admit that games could use more silly, stupid motivations to shoot stuff.

Basing an entire game around a gag is risky. What if the joke isn’t funny? What if it peters out after the first twenty minutes? So much could go wrong centering a game entirely on a goof. Thankfully, Ubisoft Montreal went all in with their giant farce, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, and scored a big win.  By weaving well-crafted jokes into a quality shooter, they’ve created the perfect game for fans of satire and game-bullets that should inspire other devs to cool it on the artsy-fartsy stuff every once in a while.

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It begins again...

I have always been a one-console guy. The cost of a second console has never been something I could justify, and I certainly was not going to afford Sony and Microsoft's High Definition money-vacuuming machines. With Twilight Princess looking pretty nice and the motion controls showing a lot of potential for interesting new gameplay ideas, getting a Wii in 2006 was a no-brainer.

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Fantastic co-op saves what is otherwise a forgettable journey to the near future.

In a world without Deus Ex: Human Revolution I might be more kind to Syndicate.  In that world Syndicate’s central concepts and general aesthetic presentation may appear more original - less derivative of a previously released game that did a far better job of creating a plausible, near future setting where the lines separating humanity and artificiality aren’t quite as clear as they are today.  In that world Syndicate would be far more enjoyable, if only due to the lack of any real competition.  It is good that we do not live in that world; it is not so good for Syndicate.

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It's a lofty question with grounded answers.

The idea that games can change the world sounds pretentious to me. It’s a notion I believe, sure, but in a distant sort of way, like how I faintly accept that my vote counts in the grand scheme of things. What changes, at least in the traditional sense, could games honestly cause? Then again, why not? Why couldn’t games actually change the world? That’s where Jane McGonigal comes in.

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There's depth, challenge, variety, humor, puzzles, and plenty of sidequests. What else does a gamer need?

As someone who acquired a PS2 during the middle of its lifespan, I was able to experience a wide variety of its offerings. Of the 120-something titles I own for the system, the Ratchet & Clank series has always stuck out in my mind as one of the best series on the system. It combined elements of strategy, satisfying combat, great platforming, and thoughtful puzzle solving into a world full of unique characters chock full of humor. Since the very first title, the two main characters have been on a whirlwind adventure; first together, then alone, only to finally wind up split apart, taking players through two very different and unique storylines.

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