very cruel sense of humor. Despite the growing popularity of Final Fantasy the world over, Square has been hesitant to bring ever Fantasy over to America. It took sixteen years but the interminable wait finally ended late last year. People were finally able to play Final Fantasy III.

Was it worth the wait? Probably not. FFIII first came out on the Japanese NES – the Famicom – when RPGs had simple stories and rudimentary graphics. Since that time, RPGs have ballooned to have the same budget as summer movie blockbusters, with graphics that were the envy of everything else and a score that would make Mozart weep.

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Popularity: 1% [?]

Now that Grand Theft Auto IV is finally on the market, we can begin to hear outcries from pundits around the country who have not actually played the game. Oh how tasty unadulterated ignorance can be. MADD – the angrily named Mothers Against Drunk Driving – have demanded that GTA IV change its rating to Adults Only. Why? Because you are able to drive drunk in the game.

First of all, it should be noted that driving drunk is a player’s choice. Just like killing cops and prostitutes, it is an act that is allowed but not required to complete the game. Just like people have the choice to drive drunk in real life, a choice that should never be exercised but still exists, gamers have the same choice in a virtual setting. So these mothers are angry that a video game gives people the same choice as real life. Strange.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Can you believe something called The Orange Box was one of the best games released in 2007? Even stranger, if you look past the critically adored Half Life 2 and just below the drool-inducing Team Fortress 2, there is a tiny gem that may offer the single greatest experience in all of gaming last year. Portal is candy flavored art.

It’s such a simple game. You are equipped with a portal creating gun. Using only this gun and your (hopefully) powerful mind, you are tasked with traversing a deadly obstacle course in a demented science laboratory. You are a rat in a maze, the reluctant plaything for a crazed computer.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Have you ever wondered who would win in a fight between Godzilla and King Kong? Of course not, the giant, agile monkey could run circles around that lumbering lizard. But who would win in a fight between generic knock-offs? That is the question War of the Monsters seeks to answer.

This is the direction I would like to see fighting games take–no more plodding, one-on-one battles. I’ve been doing that for 15 years! I want huge environments, destructible buildings and monsters. Lots and lots of monsters.

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Popularity: 4% [?]

Is it possible for a first date to go any worse? After waiting in line for an hour and plopping down a cool $60 to be one of the first to get my hands on the megahit of 2008, I feel obliged to try all this massive game has to offer. So I went on a real date with the very fictional Michelle. I even bought a nice pair of jeans beforehand to make a good impression, American girls seem to put a lot of importance on clothes for some reason. Tight pants was the last of my problems when it was all over, though.

Russians have a pretty cute word for carnival: funfair. You know what you’re getting into there. Instead of just eating food like two normal people meeting each other for the first time, we went to this supposed funfair down by the docks. Doesn’t trouble always spring up there? Turns out, the carnival is closed for renovation – something to look forward to as this sordid tale progresses – but a devastating turn of events on this evening.

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Popularity: 4% [?]