The lights are on
I like Ben Hanson. I consider him a good friend, and he does some amazing video work for our site. However, he's also a complete moron. While we were filming our show floor tour, I decided to play a little game with him. Both Ben Reeves and I were wearing wireless microphones, so Hanson could hear us no matter where we were. I told him to look away, and said that Ben Reeves and I were going to hide and see how long it takes him to find us. More
The dumbest thing I saw at E3 wasn't Nintendo Land, Wonderbooks, or the guy dressed as a horse. It was Ben Hanson.
Last year, I tried a little experiment when my dad visited me in Minneapolis. He never really understood why I love video games as much as I do, so I sat him down and recorded him playing five games. As expected, he hated Heavy Rain, was frightened by Katamari Damacy, and generally hated every second of the experience. He just left from his annual trip to Minneapolis, but I wasn't about to let him fly back to Kansas City without playing another handful of games that he'll hate. More
My father made his annual trip up to GI, and I couldn't let him go home without playing more games that he can't stand.
I sit next to Bryan Vore, and there's a reason he's heard the sound of metal balls rolling across plastic for most of his work days this year. A little before Christmas, I saw this crazy ball maze game at a mall, and immediately sent my mom a picture of it as an idea for a Christmas present. The holidays rolled around, and I opened up the Perplexus Epic. I knew that I'd get consumed with the game, but didn't know if other members of the GI staff would share my enthusiasm. A couple months and two more Perplexus purchases later, and we're still only halfway through the Epic. More
In the Game Informer office, the sound of metal balls rolling across plastic has increased about 4,000% since Christmas.
Ever since I moved to Minneapolis a couple of years ago to work for Game Informer, my sisters and I have started a bit of a tradition. Every time I come home to visit, we wind up in a bet based around a round of bowling. This originally resulted in tame consequences like getting hit with pies or eating spoonfuls of cinnamon, but eventually graduated into more undesirable acts like vomiting a gallon of milk or drinking a smoothie from hell. The girls eventually wised up and realized that I keep beating them at bowling, so they switched up the bet this time and focused it around go-karting. They beat me, so it was my turn this holiday break to do something stupid. More
I lost a bet, so my sisters got to cover me in assorted crap and make me run a quarter of a mile. It sucked, and you can watch it here.
Like many gamers, I was skeptical when I saw the first concept video of Kinect. Adults and children were shown playing trivia games together, fixing busted tires at pit stops, scanning their real-life skateboard into a video game, and pretending to be a kung-fu master or Godzilla. I was initially skeptical of the peripheral, doubting it would work as advertised. My skepticism grew as the marketing campaign pushed forward, with Kudo Tsunoda knocking virtual balls back and forth everywhere from E3 to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. These demos started resembling gimmicky motion-based Wii minigames more and more, and I set my sights low for Kinect. More
My history with the peripheral started with skepticism, graduated into cautious optimism, and has been on a steady decline into disappointment as time goes on.
Last month, I flew out to California to visit Obsidian and write our South Park cover story. THQ is publishing that game, and I learned that their PR rep Neal had been crashing midnight game launches in the Professor Genki suit from Saints Row: The Third. He happened to have the suit in his car during the trip, and asked if I'd be interested in donning the cape, stunt suit, and oversized head for the Skyrim launch. I've long been a fan of making an ass out of myself, so I said I'd be there with bells on. More
While I was writing the South Park cover story in California last month, I got a chance to step into the oversized shoes of Saints Row: The Third's sociopathic Japanese cat mascot.
All of us gamers are insanely busy right now, dedicating whatever free time we have to our pursuits in Skyrim and Arkham City, or leveling up our characters in one of the season's big shooters. It seems like we've been hit by an avalanche of great titles in the past few months, but as I thought back, I realized that 2011 isn't an anomaly. I think back to working at Gamestop in 2001, and selling countless copies of titles like Grand Theft Auto III and Metal Gear Solid 2, along with the big launches of the Gamecube and Xbox. With all the fervor over this holiday's games, I decided to take a look back and compare this year's lineup with the one from a decade ago. More
Sure, we're bogged down in Skyrim, Arkham City, Zelda, Uncharted, Battlefield, Modern Warfare, Mario, Assassin's Creed, and more, but the holiday season was arguably even more crowded ten years ago.
I've spent plenty of time discussing my love for the Mario series in articles and on Replay, and playing through Super Mario 3D Land brought back lots of great memories. Nintendo fans are thrilled about the game's inclusion of the classic Tanooki suit, so I put together my ten favorite Mario power-ups in honor of its return. More
In honor of the Tanooki suit's return in Super Mario 3D Land, I look back at my ten favorite forms of Mario.
Outside of a trip to England, I had never traveled outside of the country until this last week. That’s why I was thrilled to learn that Tim Turi and I would be going to Japan for the Tokyo Game Show. I was excited about experiencing such a radically different culture, especially when it came to culinary options. To say my diet in America is limited would be generous, as I exist on a diet of frozen pizzas, macaroni & cheese, and peanut butter sandwiches. I knew things would be substantially different in Japan, and I told myself that I’d be willing to try any and all food options available to me. For the first several days, we ate miso ramen, curry, sushi, and other Japanese favorites. Then Tim Turi saw an Outback Steakhouse and LOST HIS ****ING MIND. More
During my trip to Tokyo, I witnessed an utter freak-out from my fellow associate editor.
Like many iPhone owners, much of my last week has been spent nervously steering a certain Barry Steakfries away from certain death. Jetpack Joyride released recently on iOS, and my in-game clock is quickly approaching 10 hours. Considering it rang up at 99 cents, I can confidently state that I’ve gotten my money’s worth out of the title (and I have no plans on ending my time with the game any time soon).I wouldn’t say I’m an expert at the game, but the sheer amount of time I’ve spent with it has taught me a few things so far. I’ve played 245 games, killed 5,724 scientists, collected 98,075 coins, and flown a grand total of 430,777 meters. My personal best is 6,313 meters, placing me in 585th place out of 261,862 players. Like I said, I’ve got a ways to go but I’ve learned a few helpful hints so far. Below, you’ll find some tips that have helped me out. More
After playing 245 games, killing 5,724 scientists, collecting 98,075 coins, and flying a grand total of 430,777 meters, I've learned a few things that have helped me in the popular iOS title. Check out my tips here.
I've never been a big reader of fiction, but I decided to start giving it more of a shot recently. While trying to decide where to start, I heard a ton of hype around the office regarding Game of Thrones. I was hesitant considering my general dislike of the fantasy genre (couldn't even finish the first Lord of the Rings book), but the fact that HBO picked it up for a series eased my concerns. Some of my favorite shows ever aired on HBO, so I have faith in their ability to pick good source material. More
I just finished reading Game of Thrones in preparation for the HBO series, and here are my dumb picks for who played the characters in my head.
There's a good reason why Mario is the most recognizable face in the history of the gaming industry. His core titles have been, without exception, fantastic gaming experiences and pure platforming bliss. While the plumber has seen missteps in spin-off series like Mario Party, Mario Sports Mix, and his Olympic romps with former rival Sonic, the core series is as close to perfection as we've seen in a long-running franchise. With this blog, I'm inviting plenty of debate in the comments about how it should be ordered. Some gamers hate Super Mario Sunshine, others will passionately debate whether Super Mario Bros. 3 or World is better, and others will trash Super Mario Bros. 2 for not being a "real" entry. Regardless of what your personal choices may be, here are my picks for the ten best Mario titles of all time. I'm not weighing factors such as historical importance...these are ranked strictly on fun factor. Debate away. More
I break down the ten best entries in gaming's most famous series. No Karts, no Parties, no sports...strictly the core Mario titles.