Unlike most children I was never restricted on anything I did as a kid. If I wanted to dig a hole to China, which I attempted, my parents didn’t care. (Although I can’t say the same for my uncle who stumbled into said hole drunk and was forced to spend his night there.) Stay up all night? Sure! As long as I made it to school the next day. In fact I received my first gun when I was only seven. Needles ...

  If you grew up in the 70s or 80s, chances are really high that you spent some quality time in an arcade.  You see, kids.  Long ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth, we used to spend time outside our homes at a place called “the mall.”  At the mall (whether indoors or outdoor strip mall) we could roam around aimlessly –OR– assuming we had some cash, we could spend an afternoon basking in the glow of ou ...

  Yes, you read that right, and I am not being sarcastic. A little while ago, I finished LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, a hundred percent completion. This is easily the best gaming experience I have had this year. Possibly the best one I have had this generation. Wondering why I am holding this game in such high regard? Well, after playing the whole game in two player mode with my son, I will tell you ...

  In which game did you first encounter Samus?  The original Metroid, Metroid Prime series, Super Metroid, Other M, or maybe some of the cameos Samus has had?  Samus Aran is a character known not only to retro gamers but to current gen gamers as well.  In fact, ask the experts on gamer web sites, television programs and magazines and you’ll be reminded that Samus and the Metroid series are one of the b ...

  The second game in FromSoftware's Soul series wants to introduce you death, to have you embrace it. The back of the case reads "Prepare To Die" and you will die a lot. Extraordinary deaths that will bring rage and yelling, which may even feel cheap but will improve your play. Dark Souls makes no apologies for its difficult onslaught, there is no pause button and you can be attacked while in item menu ...

Assassin's Creed III   Assassin's Creed III: Fighting for Freedom By Veritas Ubisoft is set to release the next episode of their Assassin's Creed series. Continuing Desmond's adventure, the Assassins versus Templars conflict moves to a new stage: America's War of Independence. This being a numbered title, there is a new protagonist, Connor Kenway. His story certainly looks engaging by the glimpses of m ...

  I will be the first to confess that I often have used video games to escape, what I consider, my boring existence. The thought of exploring unknown lands and becoming a hero has captivated me since I was a child. Even as an adult, it fascinates me. To take the role of a protagonist you know is destined for greatness and help them achieve it gives you a sense of self accomplishment unlike any other. T ...

  Arguably among the best Xbox 360 shooter games in history, Halo is coming back in force. Fans of the series since the start cannot wait to once again play as the man, John-117, Master Chief. While there may be some hesitation as to the change at the helm, from Bungie to 343 Industries, the continuation of the series shows a well thought out depth. The first of a new trilogy, Halo 4 picks up a few yea ...

  Naughty Dog's newest entry is sure to keep players clutching their controllers. In this PS3 exclusive, protagonists Joel and Ellie try to survive a post apocalyptic world where people are almost extinct. The beautifully rendered architecture is being reclaimed by nature through crawling vines, protruding roots and stagnant water filling the streets. Clearly, the catastrophe that wiped the city out di ...

  Developer Treyarch is back to consolidate it's position as developer of the best first person shooter games for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC with Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. This installment is slated to rank among the best xbox 360 shooter games in both sales and playability. The original Black Ops still stands as one of the fastest selling as well as one of the highest selling video games of all time. Shoo ...

  You don’t have to be a retro gamer to recognize the mug of that smiling Italian plumber.  Mario has become the most recognizable name in video game history, selling his face on all sorts of video games (and board games – yes, there is an awful chess game as well) across varied game genres.  You would be hard pressed to find any dirt on him, especially if you were born after the 1990s and the decline ...

  As a child of the 70s, I have encountered role-playing games of all sorts, beginning with Dungeons and Dragons to the various spin-offs (oh, how I miss Marvel Super Heroes).  With the advent of home computers, some of the first games created for the PC were RPGs.  They were text based for a while, but that was not too unlike D&D, though missing the fun social component.  As technology increased, ...

  On my Facebook page, Elite Girl Gamers, I get people constantly asking my opinion on why there aren’t many female characters in games. I can tell you my opinion on this subject always surprises people when I say, “I couldn’t care less.” I’m not a feminist. I understand there are differences between the sexes. “Men and women are equal!” No…no they are not.  “Equal” is the wrong term.  I cannot lift th ...

  My husband bought Skyrim the day it came out. I saw him playing it, and had no idea what was so enchanting (pun intended) about the game. Oh, wow. You can take women’s clothes off and ravage people’s homes? Wow…innovative-- I thought sarcastically…at first. And then I picked it up and started playing it. Needless to say, the amount of sandwiches my husband has since received since I started playing t ...

  I love video games and I love Star Wars. Really when you think about it Star Wars is a licence that in theory should just produce great game after great game. While there are some fantastic Star Wars games out there. Sadly there are also some that are just terrible. I wanted to share my top 5 Star Wars games with you guys. 5: Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2 (GameCube) 2002 This game has a great pedigree w ...

  “Yaaa-hoo!  You’re all clear, kid!” Who doesn’t love the 1983 Atari classic “Star Wars” arcade Game.  An X/Y control yoke with triggers, vector graphics, and digitized audio from the movie.  This game was years ahead of its time, and if your arcade had the cockpit cabinet instead of the upright, you really felt like you were in the movie.  Of course, when I look back at those days and compare that to ...

My son was born November 16, 2010. About a week before he came into the world, I stood in line at my local Wal-Mart for over an hour, feeling like I was going to explode, hoping he would wait just a couple more hours to make his grand entrance into the world just so I could get my hands on that shiny, cellophane-coated box containing Black Ops. Last year with the release of MW3, my husband and I dropped our ...

  I’ve been getting inundated with new information on Black Ops 2 the direct descendant and heir to the franchise that has arguably re-invented first person shooter games for Xbox 360 and PS3, and upon seeing some (alleged) new innovations and improvements, I am getting more and more excited with every day that passes about this Xbox 360 shooter game, and thought I’d share some of the new information I ...

  I’ve been playing video games my entire life. It started with NES, graduated to Game Boy, advanced to Sega Genesis, and evolved into PlayStation. I took a brief hiatus in my late teen years to drink and smoke, do drugs and have sex, but then quickly returned to an old refuge of gaming in my early 20’s with Call of Duty.  Even though I have progressed as a gamer to playing all kinds of games, the Call ...

  As the saying goes, truth can be stranger than fiction. It’s no wonder that history has endlessly fascinated us as a species; there are some incredible stories that have unfolded over the years!  We shouldn’t be surprised then, to encounter some of these giants of the past striding through that most modern of genres: video games. Let’s take a look at the top historical figures that continue to have a ...

"I can’t believe it. I survived the onslaught. By far this was the heaviest firefight I’ve been in. I don’t know if it was my fast reflexes and instinct that got me through it or dumb luck. I don’t know that I even care. I got more kills than I had expected, and there’s plenty of loot to sift through. Still, things aren’t all good. I don’t have to look at my health meter to know that I’m hurt. My vision is ...

    by Dr Nikki Anyone who personally knows me KNOWS how much of a Call of Duty fanatic I am. I have over 212 hours logged in just on Modern Warfare 3 alone, not to mention all the previous COD games. It still shocks some people to find out that behind my gamertag lies an actual girl. Welp, excuse me–woman (I use the term loosely). I like to think I am pretty good. My record would show that, of co ...

  by Dr Nikki Girls don’t like things they can’t understand. (Especially shooter games for xbox 360, PS3 or PC) That’s why most girls don’t play video games. Anything past simple button combinations throws most girls, right off the bat. Now, I must say, when I first started playing first person shooter games for xbox 360 and PS3, all I could basically do was look at the ground, and throw grenades. That ...

    Female characters in video games have increasingly taken on a more dominant and commanding role. It’s hard to imagine now, a good RPG, Action Adventure, or shoot-em up game without a female character. Long gone are the days of Super Mario where you had to save the princess. The proverbial princess has now come into her own and needs no saving. In any fighting game I have ever played I have alw ...

    The date was October 31, 2006. I remember because I still have the receipt. I had previously gone to GameStop and purchased an Xbox Action Replay Kit. At the time it cost around forty dollars but it was worth it for what I had in mind. I was planning to hack my very first game console. I was fascinated by anything hacking, tweaking, modifying or reverse engineering. The first thing I ever hack ...

  The years come and go and some games define time. Some retro games are never to be duplicated and when it comes to a top ten list, there’s always a mention. They're the icons of today’s video game boutiques and mom and pop shops love using the game characters for their store logo. These are the games of the past that gave way to the future with original style and design. They’re the cornerstones to t ...

2012 Will see the rebirth of an existing franchise, and the continued rise of a relative newcomer. Will either of these be able to Dethrone the King of shooters, COD? Halo 4 and Borderlands 2 enter the fray and look to Frag COD Black Ops 2. While the gameplay dynamic and game setting of these contenders is much different than that of the Call of Duty games, at the end of the day, they are vying for the same ...

      I had a few months to go before my vacation out of the states and Battlefield 3 was right on schedule. Had Modern Warfare 3 been released earlier, I might not of even purchased the game. Battlefield 3 is the reason that I still haven’t played that Modern Warfare 3. I wanted a game that was going to keep me busy until the day of my flight and so Battlefield 3 came parachuting to the resc ...

    Tom Clancy’s name has been put to many very well received games over the years. Many people even non gamers, have had their head turned by the fact that his name is on a game. Ghost Recon Future Soldier is actually the fifth game in the Ghost Recon series, and in some ways it is trying to go back to the series' roots. You see, the very first Ghost Recon game was also the first Tom Clancy game ...

Gamers the world over have gone crazy over Battlefield 3 it is one of the most played games on Xbox Live, and one of the best xbox 360 games ever . In fact, many gamers call it one of the very best Xbox 360 shooters that we have had so far. What is really cool about Battlefield 3 is that the expansion packs that have been released are far more than just a quick “cash in”. Armored Kill is the third out of fo ...

What makes the Max Payne series so special is not just the fact that they are good video games, but they are also fantastic stories that really pull you into their world. There are very few video game characters that are as much fun and complex to play as Max Payne. Max Payne 3 is perhaps Max’s greatest adventure yet and is becoming one of the best xbox 360 games. The story in Max Payne 3 will see Max move ...

Castle Crashers Tips, Tricks and Cheats A few little hints and tips to help you restore peace, and score with the princess!!! I was so excited when Castle Crashers was first released. I loved scrolling beat em ups as a kid. Streets of Rage, Turtles in Time and Final Fight being my favorite. Sadly, when gaming moved into the world of 3 dimensions, side scrolling beat em ups never quite managed the transition ...

Halo 4 Master Chief is back! When it comes to icons on the Xbox 360 there is one guy that probably comes to most gamers’ minds, and that guy is John-117 better known as Master Chief. Halo really kicked the Xbox off when it was first released, and each release has been met with great excitement from the fans. Halo 3 was a fitting end to that part of the Halo story, and Halo 4 is going to be the start of some ...

  Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 While there is no doubt that many gamers buy each and every Call of Duty game mainly for the multi player experience they are going to get, there has always been a single player story mode to play along side as well. With the more recent Call of Duty games it’s unusual to hear gamers say that they completely ignore the single player campaign. Black Ops 2, however, looks to c ...

A series that many feel had lost its way over the years, certainly came back with a bang when it was rebooted just a little while ago. Medal of Honor was once the big dog in terms of shooters ...

As of late I've noticed a growing trend. It is a trend that makes me suspicious and skeptical at the same time. A trend that may ruin my beloved experience with Xbox 360 shooter games. I'm sitting in front of my TV, weapon selected, timer is counting down, and my waypoints are clearly marked on the map. My squad leader is calmly and effectively communicating our strategy. Focused now, readying for the sprin ...

The Nintendo Wii It’s not about what system you bought, it’s about what system was never on the radar, the Nintendo Wii. Amen! You can’t smoke and drink to Nintendo Wii games. Maybe you just got home from work, you don’t want to play Wii Fit, you’re looking for your couch. Cut that out!  Pass me my wireless controller, headset, and make me a sandwich! Remind me why I work so hard, to play that basketball ga ...