MetroPulse Stories: Video Games

'Dishonored' May Be the Best Video Game of 2012 You Still Haven’t Played

coury@metropulse.com (Coury Turczyn) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 15:24:00 -0000

Dishonored came out last October and didn’t quite upturn the gaming universe despite getting good reviews and hitting several best-of-2012 lists. Sales have been okay, and publisher Bethesda has stated that it considers Dishonored to be a new franchise. Yet grumpy gamers demanding new IPs (like me) haven’t swarmed this worthy title. So I say: Put your money where your mouths are, geezers—it’s not too late.

Can the Wii U Make Video-Game Consoles Cool Again?

coury@metropulse.com (Coury Turczyn) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 15:32:00 -0000

It’s difficult to deny that the business of casual games with App Store distribution has a lot more momentum going for it than the old business model of selling consoles at a loss and then eventually recouping the investment with physical-media sales at brick-and-mortar stores. The former has far fewer costs involved in production and distribution, while the latter is clogged with huge up-front expenses that make every failed title a studio-threatening disaster.

'Borderlands 2' Revisits the Gun-Filled World of 'Borderlands.' Is That Really Enough?

coury@metropulse.com (Coury Turczyn) — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 14:24:00 -0000

Rather than transcending the original Borderlands with a new story, new challenges, and new gameplay—or at least some variations, which is pretty much the baseline requirement for sequel success—Borderlands 2 serves up nearly the exact same story, same challenges, and same gameplay. Consider it the largest and most expensive DLC add-on you’ll ever buy.

'Minecraft'’s Endless Creative Possibilities Make for a Good Kids’ Game—Maybe

coury@metropulse.com (Coury Turczyn) — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 14:59:00 -0000

This is going to be one of those first-person parental columns about children and video games. Only it’s not going to include the usual self-reassuring conclusion about my parenting skills—I have no idea if I’ve made the right choices, or whether my son may eventually develop into a supine slug whose only exposure to light will come from the glow of an LCD screen. But I do know this: Minecraft is a never-ending chasm.

'Darksiders II' Unleashes a Whole Lot of Death

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:35:00 -0000

Think of Darksiders II as the Danzig to Darksiders’ Henry Rollins. Both can be very brooding, very angry experiences, but where Darksiders’ War seethed with rage to the point where his heart pumped equal parts lava and testosterone, Darksiders II’s Death is from colder, darker places.

Keeping the Darkness at Bay With 'Dragon’s Dogma'

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:37:00 -0000

This isn’t one of those games where dragons are just another link in the fantasy food chain. Here, the dragon is the food chain, the ur-monster from which all corruption spreads. This is Saint George and the dragon, the hero strong and true charging headlong into the serpent’s flames and hoping against hope that his faith will be enough to choke it.

Game Enough at Last: What Happens When Digital Distribution Gets Too Convenient?

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 14:51:00 -0000

In an industry in which various forms of villainy are the norm, Valve is an anomaly: well-liked by consumers, developers, and publishers smart enough to avail themselves of Valve’s services instead of letting their jealousy drive them to compete (never successfully) against Valve’s products.

'Spelunky' Documents Your Failure as a Gamer

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 15:40:00 -0000

Indie darling Spelunky finally got its long-awaited HD makeover, and it’s the best thing in a long time that I completely forgot about.

Max Payne 3 is the Best Possible Game We Didn’t Need

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 21:00:00 -0000

Max Payne 3 feels pretty much the same way to me, and not just because it’s about a gritty, boozy lawman who’s over the hill and in over his head. Max Payne 3 is a game that shouldn’t have been, one that has no real reason to exist and shows it.

'Diablo III' Reminds Us That the Worst Thing About Gaming Is Everybody Else

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 14:59:00 -0000

We’re coming into an age of “finallys.” Finally, a decent Deus Ex sequel. Finally, Duke Nukem Forever. And finally, the king of loot-hoarding hack-and-slashers has awoken to take another shot at the crown it never lost. Twelve years after its last effort, Blizzard Entertainment has finally roused itself from World of Warcraft long enough to release Diablo III, the most anticipated threequel since Return of the Jedi.

'The Witcher: Assassins of Kings' Switches Up RPG Conventions

Wed, 30 May 2012 15:06:00 -0000

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings manages to clean up the few blemishes that The Witcher had, leading to an even better game.

A Fan-Based Uprising Brought 'Xenoblade: Chronicles' to America—Was It Worth It?

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:05:00 -0000

I’ve played Xenoblade: Chronicles now, and let me tell you, as far as I’m concerned, Nintendo’s Japanese market can have it back.

'Kid Icarus: Uprising' Shows What the 3DS Can Really Do. Finally.

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:05:00 -0000

I’m stuck in this weird conundrum. I can’t put Kid Icarus: Uprising down long enough to write something about it.

Understanding the Many Flaws of 'Syndicate'

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:47:00 -0000

Syndicate is a game dreamed up by corporate edict, built under factory conditions, refined by focus groups, and ingested by a public too accustomed to soylent green to know cannibalism when it tastes it. It’s a single-player shooter in the same way that a utensil drawer is a single-person buffet line. The basic tools are there, but no matter how hard you wish otherwise while you lick your fork, there’s no meat there whatsoever.

'Mass Effect 3,' Pt. II: How an Ending Can Wreck a Trilogy

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:52:00 -0000

I just beat Mass Effect 3, and I’m a little pissed.

'Mass Effect 3' Turns Up the Bitterness of War

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:00:00 -0000

Mass Effect 3 is, from the start, a game that tells a story of a war already lost.

'Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning' Sounds a Wake-Up Call to the RPG Genre

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:07:00 -0000

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a vast, immersive fantasy epic that has a lot to teach the self-proclaimed visionaries of the industry, having seemingly come out of nowhere to blow many of their best creations out of the water.

'Final Fantasy XIII-2' Atones for Its Predecessor, But Makes Its Own Missteps

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:45:00 -0000

Some people can’t just leave well enough alone. Instead, the world is treated to Final Fantasy XIII-2 as a game that apologizes for the sins of its predecessor—and commits a fresh new set of sins all its own.

Months Later, We're All Still Playing 'Skyrim.' But Why?

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:55:00 -0000

Last night I read a couple of books, cooked a passable meal, did some light housework, and tricked a colossal brass automaton into killing off a dozen or so pesky goblinoids who were ruining the ambience of the latest in a series of newly-discovered dwarven ruins. It was Skyrim. Again. Always Skyrim, never ceasing.

'Saints Row: The Third" Is Finally Absurd Enough to Work

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:15:00 -0000

The Saints Row series has always been more or less Grand Theft Auto’s id left to run rampant without even GTA’s extremely minimal levels of restraint.