Feature
Waiting to Respawn: Don't Take The Story Out of Multiplayer
Last week, Bitmob staff writer Rus McLaughlin pondered the usefulness of narrative elements in multiplayer modes in his piece “Multiplayer Doesn’t Need A Narrative.” You can probably guess his stance from the title. McLaughlin admits that certain games have incorporated
Waiting to Respawn: Don't Take The Story Out of Multiplayer
Last week, Bitmob staff writer Rus McLaughlin pondered the usefulness of narrative elements in multiplayer modes in his piece “Multiplayer Doesn’t Need A Narrative.” You can probably guess his stance from the title. McLaughlin admits that certain games have incorporated
REVIEW TO THE DEATH: Analogue: A Hate Story vs. Super Deep Throat
Cut to the chase and call Analogue: A Hate Story and Super Deep Throat companion pieces. The first, Christine Love’s newest femi-techno product o’ praise; the second, a game about having sex with women’s mouths. Yet, despite this
REVIEW TO THE DEATH: Analogue: A Hate Story vs. Super Deep Throat
Cut to the chase and call Analogue: A Hate Story and Super Deep Throat companion pieces. The first, Christine Love’s newest femi-techno product o’ praise; the second, a game about having sex with women’s mouths. Yet, despite this
Crysis, The Almost-Sandbox-Style Shooter
Last week I went skydiving with my friends. We were headed towards the tropical Lingshan Islands, to be specific. After a brief pep-talk on the plane, we took the inevitable leap of faith and plummeted through the night sky.
Crysis, The Almost-Sandbox-Style Shooter
Last week I went skydiving with my friends. We were headed towards the tropical Lingshan Islands, to be specific. After a brief pep-talk on the plane, we took the inevitable leap of faith and plummeted through the night sky.
The Transphobia At Atlus Needs To Stop
Trans characters have little of what could be considered a history in games. There are examples, here and there, but they’re very clearly the exception. They’re obscure cases to be looked for. However, Atlus is fairly unique in being one
The Transphobia At Atlus Needs To Stop
Trans characters have little of what could be considered a history in games. There are examples, here and there, but they’re very clearly the exception. They’re obscure cases to be looked for. However, Atlus is fairly unique in being one
That joke isn't funny anymore
Video games aren’t good at making you laugh. They aren’t because, in a video game, you’re supposed to make yourself laugh. Sure, they can have lines that make you chuckle. They can employ absurd sight gags. But the games that
That joke isn't funny anymore
Video games aren’t good at making you laugh. They aren’t because, in a video game, you’re supposed to make yourself laugh. Sure, they can have lines that make you chuckle. They can employ absurd sight gags. But the games that
The Weight Of Failure: A Close Reading of The Darkness II
[This discussion centers around the ending of The Darkness II. Spoilers aplenty. Proceed at your own risk.] Doctor Vic says, “You die here, you are really dead. It’s over.” A disgruntled Jackie Estacado stands at the edge of a rooftop,
The Weight Of Failure: A Close Reading of The Darkness II
[This discussion centers around the ending of The Darkness II. Spoilers aplenty. Proceed at your own risk.] Doctor Vic says, “You die here, you are really dead. It’s over.” A disgruntled Jackie Estacado stands at the edge of a rooftop,
How Video Games arrived
Some may say a lot of gamers are like me: a varyingly unemployed twenty-five year old who grew up on X-Men cartoons, Super Nintendo video games, and fruit roll-ups. As a generation we saw movies like Clerks and we envied
How Video Games arrived
Some may say a lot of gamers are like me: a varyingly unemployed twenty-five year old who grew up on X-Men cartoons, Super Nintendo video games, and fruit roll-ups. As a generation we saw movies like Clerks and we envied
After Pressing Start: On the Docks of Shadow Moses
The Metal Gear Solid series is widely known for two things: its excessively convoluted storylines and themes, and presenting those themes in incredibly obtuse ways. Its longwinded, feature film-length cutscenes and often overwrought dialogue are frequently lampooned for being far
After Pressing Start: On the Docks of Shadow Moses
The Metal Gear Solid series is widely known for two things: its excessively convoluted storylines and themes, and presenting those themes in incredibly obtuse ways. Its longwinded, feature film-length cutscenes and often overwrought dialogue are frequently lampooned for being far
Afterlife: Beyond Mere Death In Games
People have a hard time dealing with death. We don’t just grieve over lost loved ones: we mourn complete strangers and celebrities we’ve never even met. Death is a subject that is difficult to approach, so it’s unsurprising that game developers have incorporated death in a way that is either crass, facile or both.
Games don’t really have ‘death’ in the sense of finality: it’s just one long stream of life, punctuated by save points to which we can rewind after a mistake. Narratively, the only universe that exists is the one where we played perfectly. What could be more fake, hollow and unrealistic than a perfect life? Games should be able to give us new perspectives on life, rather than conforming to ideal ones.
Afterlife: Beyond Mere Death In Games
People have a hard time dealing with death. We don’t just grieve over lost loved ones: we mourn complete strangers and celebrities we’ve never even met. Death is a subject that is difficult to approach, so it’s unsurprising that game developers have incorporated death in a way that is either crass, facile or both.
Games don’t really have ‘death’ in the sense of finality: it’s just one long stream of life, punctuated by save points to which we can rewind after a mistake. Narratively, the only universe that exists is the one where we played perfectly. What could be more fake, hollow and unrealistic than a perfect life? Games should be able to give us new perspectives on life, rather than conforming to ideal ones.
The Campfire presents: The Nutcracker
The Campfire is a new column where we regale you with tales of our video game adventures. This is a story about a Spartan getting shot in the testicles.
Team snipers.
How I loathed this gametype lurking within the team slayer playlist of Halo 3’s matchmaking. Even though 90% of the time I would get to play something fun, occasionally I had to subject myself to this riff raff to avoid getting down-ranked for quitting a game. I prefer beating my opponent’s stupid face in with the butt of my gun(*) to staying in one spot and scanning the area for anyone foolish enough to walk into the open. This was not going to be my idea of a good time and certainly was not a pleasant way to introduce my friend sitting next to me (logged in as a guest) to online-multiplayer in a first-person shooter.
The Campfire presents: The Nutcracker
The Campfire is a new column where we regale you with tales of our video game adventures. This is a story about a Spartan getting shot in the testicles.
Team snipers.
How I loathed this gametype lurking within the team slayer playlist of Halo 3’s matchmaking. Even though 90% of the time I would get to play something fun, occasionally I had to subject myself to this riff raff to avoid getting down-ranked for quitting a game. I prefer beating my opponent’s stupid face in with the butt of my gun(*) to staying in one spot and scanning the area for anyone foolish enough to walk into the open. This was not going to be my idea of a good time and certainly was not a pleasant way to introduce my friend sitting next to me (logged in as a guest) to online-multiplayer in a first-person shooter.