Tag Archives: editorial

Today Blockbuster Video’s current owner, Dish Network, announced plans to close the remaining 300 Blockbuster stores in the US, something most people assumed happened years ago anyway. Blockbuster Video was the undeniable monolith of home entertainment when I grew up, and now its fossils litter empty strip malls all over …

Dear ex-babysitter: Describing 1996’s Resident Evil as “a cool game where you play as a secret agent and fight snakes and stuff” to a 10-year-old kid was kind of fucked up. Especially when said 10-year-old a) loves video games, and b) is particularly sensitive to scary things. Laugh all you …

Having a deep affinity for the Metal Gear games, at this point, sort of puts you in a box. Somehow, in the fifteen years since the original Metal Gear Solid, it’s become a series that can define you as a gamer, and your opinion on it seemingly reveals much about …

First there was SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system whose open design aims to spur innovation. Then there were Steam Machines, a range of Valve-branded systems with SteamOS pre-installed that will provide a legitimate non-Windows alternative for PC gamers come 2014. Now, Valve has concluded its trio of announcements with a …

Tomb Raider’s storytelling is excellent, though it might not be immediately appear so. You see while Tomb Raider’s dialogue is decent, it’s hardly a revolution in game writing. Similarly, its acting sits comfortably within the “strong for a video game” camp, but is hardly Oscar-worthy. And the direction of its …

“To kill for yourself is murder. To kill for your government is heroic. To kill for entertainment is harmless.” Wait, what? I’m, like, an hour into Spec Ops: The Line when this message pops up on a loading screen. “What a weird thing to say,” I think to myself. But …