Tag Archives: video games
Cheating and Video Game Narrative
In all too many books and movies, the hero is saved at the last moment by the hand of God. Luck, fate, or some almighty force stands in and maintains order. Perhaps the hero finds an impossible last measure of strength. Perhaps he finds another weapon hidden among some debris. Perhaps she discovers that her [...]
Wii Fit
One of the original selling points of the Wii console was that by its very nature, the control scheme necessitated more activity and movement in game play. This allowed the launch title Wii Sports to have an exercise theme beyond merely being a sports game. Several people also attempted to use that game to lose [...]
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
For many video game enthusiasts there is simply no bigger game than the Smash Bros series. What started as a low budget effort by Nintendo to produce a four player variation on the popular two-dimensional fighting game genre, has exploded into one of the most highly anticipated and wildly popular game series in history. The [...]
Posted in Reviews, Video Games, Wii
Also tagged convergence, mario, nintendo, pokemon, wii, zelda
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Gorillas
One of the first narrative video games was Nintendo’s Donkey Kong, which debuted in 1981. It’s thin storyline followed a mustachioed man as he leapt over barrels to save a woman from the clutches of a sexually frustrated gorilla named Donkey. With its physics, real time game play, and plot, Donkey Kong was truly a [...]
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
The take off popularity of the Ace Attorney series has caught a lot of people off guard both in Japan and abroad. The series of interactive legal dramas has been a landmark success for Capcom, and Phoenix Wright, it’s star, has enjoyed a cult following among players around the world. Players were further caught off [...]
Posted in Nintendo DS, Reviews, Video Games
Also tagged ace attorney, hero, Nintendo DS
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Super Smash Bros Brawl: The Subspace Emissary
There is no story more eloquently told in the medium of the video game than the tale of the hero. Virtually every narrative video game made today is a take on the heroic epic which forms the foundation of literature and informs modern storytelling. The Smash Bros. series is popular franchise of fighting games which [...]
Posted in Reviews, Video Games, Wii
Also tagged convergence, mario, media, nintendo, pokemon, wii, zelda
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Geometry Wars Galaxies
If you look at the list of games on our Reviews page, there are generally two types of games. The first are games with a strong narrative. They have engrossing stories and great characters. The second are games which lack those things, but make up for them in some other way relevant to new media. [...]
Professor Layton & The Curious Village
In an essay on interactive fiction, writer and game theorist Nick Montfort describes how virtually any new medium can be treated as a literary device. He notes that even puzzles and riddles can be reviewed as works of interactive fiction, held to the same standards as conventional fiction. First in a series of games, Professor [...]
Posted in Nintendo DS, Reviews, Video Games
Also tagged layton, mystery, Nintendo DS, puzzle
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Endless Ocean
An increasing number of higher profile games are dropping a focus on narrative and refocusing on experience. This is easy in video games– audience experience goes hand in hand with plot. Endless Ocean abandons dramatic tension and focuses almost entirely on experience. The player chooses his or her path, and creates a personal narrative within [...]
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
War is ultimate form of conflict. It arises from scarcity of resources and the clash of ideologies on a wide scale. Beyond rivalries, beyond clans, beyond feuds and skirmishes, war is the peak of human conflict. It is the end of dialogue, the beginning of madness. It is with a firm understanding of these principles [...]
