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At first, I wasn’t sure what to do for the 100th entry of The Memory Card. All I knew was I wanted to make it special. I have been doing this series for almost five years, and am still in shock that I have written this ... more
If someone told me years ago that one of my favorite videogame moments in recent memory would happen in a Rockstar game, I would probably have laughed. And maybe pushed them into a mud puddle. I love Rockstar and think they m... more
When you are playing a videogame, it is natural to want to attack and destroy your enemies. Be it with a master sword, a spread gun, a whip, or some other wicked form of weaponry, when you see an enemy in front of you, tappin... more
Can you imagine playing a videogame that forced you to remember everything you once learned in grade school? What if The Legend of Zelda required you to know the order of all the periodic elements before brewing a red potion?... more
When you play a certain videogame series or genre, it is sometimes expected that you will encounter some form of memorable videogame moment. If you are playing a Metal Gear Solid game, for instance, you know one of the boss b... more
Summer is in full swing. And with summer comes a slew of blockbuster movies filled with ridiculous, over-the-top action sequences. Action sequences that impress with their combination of chaotic choreography and unbelievable ... more
In a big-budget videogame, most of the memorable moments (alliteration!) occur during the game’s extended action sequences or over-the-top boss battles. And there is nothing wrong with that! I will always love my battle... more
At first glance, the Mario games exist in such a pleasant, colorful universe. Smiling clouds watch over the land with nothing but love in their soft, fluffy hearts; stars with bushy gray moustaches fly through space, laughing... more
Have you ever played a videogame that you liked -- but didn’t love -- only to encounter a sequence that is so creative and well-designed it makes you wish the entire game contained more memorable moments like it? When t... more
Family is a central part of anyone’s life. For better or worse, your family has a profound effect on you and changes your life in one way or another. Because of the emotionally deep connection everyone has to family, vi... more
One of the great things about videogames is how absurd they can be. Whether this absurdity is intentional (Noby Noby Boy) or unintentional (“All your base are belong to us!”) it’s always nice to see games th... more
How do videogames punish the player for doing something wrong? The easy answer is they kill them. By performing a key jump or sword swing incorrectly, the game punishes the player by taking away one of their lives. But what a... more
There is a terrifying sequence in George Orwell's classic novel 1984 that finds main character Winston Smith tied to a chair with a giant cage full of rats attached to his face. Rats are Winston’s worst fear and, throug... more
We all know the way it works. You play through a level in a videogame, encounter an unexpectedly hard section, and your main character plummets into a bottomless pit ... or is singed by a giant dragon ... or is blown up by a ... more
There is a large focus on choice in the videogames of today. In games like Infamous and Fallout, for example, players are tasked with choosing between a good or evil path. It is an interesting mechanic that, unfortunately, le... more
A damsel in distress. Those four words perfectly describe the basic plots of numerous videogames over the years. From the popular Mario series to even things like Ghosts 'n Goblins and Wizards & Warriors, a large majority... more
For everyone that is old enough to remember, the decision to buy either a Super Nintendo or a Sega Genesis was a major one. Did you make the choice to buy the Super Nintendo -- a solid, classic console with some incredible ga... more
For as many people that praise the modern Final Fantasy games for their glorious, technically impressive cutscenes, there is an equal amount of people that criticize them for being far too overdramatic and emotionally empty. ... more
After a hiatus that went on much longer than planned, I am very happy to announce that The Memory Card is back for its fifth season! For anyone reading this that is not familiar with this feature, The Memory Card is a long-ru... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. I can’t believe this is the fourth season finale of the Me... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. As a huge fan of old school videogames (SNES 4 LIFE!), I love wh... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. The realistic passage of time is something surprisingly ignored ... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. What makes a good boss battle? When you break it down, it’... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. We all have experienced our fair share of sad moments in videoga... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. Regardless of their varying types of gameplay, videogames genera... more
"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. How many of you reading this right now have attacked a chicken with your swo... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. Halloween is always such a fun time for me. Not necessarily beca... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.For the last two weeks, The Memory Card has put on a fine suit an... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.Last week was the first edition of a three-part Memory Card minis... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.As a huge fan of retro games, I tell myself over and over again t... more
"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.I was originally going to write about an entirely different topic t... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.Love is portrayed in many different ways in videogames. In epic J... more
"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.Online multiplayer is revolutionary. The fact that almost every con... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.For years, role-playing games have introduced numerous, colorful ... more
“The Memory Card” is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.Sequels can be very rewarding for a player if done right. Instead... more
"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. What happens to videogame characters after they die? As a gamer, y... more
"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time. I have witnessed a multitude of videogame moments over the years t... more
"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.The feeling of discovery. It’s a pretty extraordinary feeling... more
"The Memory Card" is a seasonal feature that dissects and honors some of the most artistic, innovative, and memorable videogame moments of all time.Wow. I can’t believe this is the start of the fourth (!) seas... more
This is it, kids: the Season 3 finale of The Memory Card. Like always, though, this feature will be back before you know it for a hopefully star-studded Season 4. My love of classic 16-bit era sprite graphics is so strong tha... more
For concerned parents, the formation of the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) and its decision to display ratings on videogame boxes must have been a huge relief. But, honestly, how much does it really work? For ever... more
Even if a videogame features extreme fantasy elements that have no connection to reality, usually these elements at the very least fit into the context of the game’s story. Take a game like Final Fantasy, for instance. ... more
There are many different reasons specific videogames are great. Some have outstanding characters, some have surprisingly intelligent writing, and some contain beautifully orchestrated music. While all of these individual aspe... more
Here’s the scenario: You are playing a videogame and reach an unexpected gameplay twist. Confronted with a timed sequence, your taken-by-surprise skills fail you and the sequence ends unsuccessfully, resulting in an irr... more
Videogame controversy springs up in the most unlikely of places.While most people associate this controversy with modern games -- from the Grand Theft Autos to the God of Wars -- there were many cases of videogame scandal pop... more
Death usually falls into two categories in videogames.There is category one, the more commonly seen of the two, when a main character such as Mario or Samus falls into a pit or depletes his/her health bar and just quickly ret... more
No matter how pretty the graphics or epically huge the enemy, if a boss fight is not creative, it fails to impress. Not to single out one game, but ActRaiser is the perfect example of this. The bosses in that game -- while di... more
One thing that is great about videogames is designers can pretty much do anything they want within the virtual world they create. While, of course, there is a general audience they want to please, videogame designers don&rsqu...; more
This being the landmark 50th edition of The Memory Card (wow!), I decided to focus on something special. And by “special” I mean a videogame moment that affected me more than any other in the last five years. Now,... more
Ho, Ho, Ho! Welcome, everyone, to a very special Christmas edition of The Memory Card.Holidays and videogames are strange bedfellows. While Christmas is a huge holiday and celebrated by millions of people all around the world... more
