Looking for more of the biggest and best articles from 2013? Look no further…

Has THQ’s Demise
Made the Game Industry Healthier?

The final pieces of THQ found new homes this week as 505 Games acquired the Drawn To Life series, Gearbox purchased the Homeworld franchise, and Nordic Games scooped up the rest. While the popular publisher is no more, THQ’s demise may lead to an uptick in the overall health of the game industry. (Read More…)

World of Warcraft’s Next Expansion
Should Be Its Last

It’s no secret that Blizzard’s immensely popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft (WoW), has been suffering ever since the release of the game’s most recent expansion, Mists of Pandaria. Whether it’s the pandas, the retcon, or the multitude of changes to the game mechanics, World of Warcraft has lost over two million subscribers since Mists of Pandaria released last September. The most recent statistics released by Blizzard state that WoW has dropped to 7.7 million subscribers.

At one point in 2010, WoW boasted 12 million subscribers, so the number of subscribers has been steadily dropping, and is almost at only 50% of its highest number. Whether this is due to an influx of free-to-play MMOs, a lack of continued interest in the world of Azeroth, or the rise of the MOBA genre, World of Warcraft seems to be on its last leg. According to a recent comment from Game Director Tom Chilton to IGN, Blizzard may have read the writing on the wall. The announcement directly mentioned the next patch for Mists of Pandaria, stating that it would “bridge the storyline between Mists… and the next expansion.” He went on to hint that the next expansion for World of Warcraft would be announced at BlizzCon, which is set to happen this November. I personally believe that Blizzard should make this the final expansion for World of Warcraft, tying up the story of Azeroth. (Read More…)

Next Gen Marketing Malarkey:
5 Buzzwords I’m Already Bored Of

While the launch of two new consoles is an exciting event, this one has been slightly marred by marketing departments using inane buzzwords to hype up frantic fans until there is nothing left but over-expectations and broken hearts. It has become a bombastic practice that often leaves companies in a bigger hole than where they started, as fans and critics peel away the poor PR paint job to uncover a myriad of lies and deceit. Here are a few words to cry BS at. (Read More…)

Warp Zoned Rewind: HD Remakes

Well kiddies, it’s about that time… time to bid a fond farewell to the seventh generation of our favorite hobby. And what a generation it was! Lasting longer than any console cycle before it, this generation brought more than just some amazing titles. The console has become an all-in-one entertainment hub, as opposed to being “just a gaming system.” From apps like Netflix and Hulu Plus to the advent of motion control and the renaissance of indie games, there hasn’t been a better time to be a gamer. We have come so far in these past eight years, and the future looks brighter than ever.

As we play our Wii Us, and eagerly anticipate Microsoft and Sony’s consoles with bated breath, I feel it’s prudent to take a look back at this generation and discuss some of my favorite video games. Titles that left a lasting impression on us. Titles that will forever live in our collective memories as some of the most enjoyable experiences we’ve ever had.

Since there are so many amazing games, I’ve decided to list my favorites based on genre. In this article, I’m going to go with a new genre that emerged this generation: HD remakes. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, HD remakes helped older gamers relive fond memories, and gave a beautiful history lesson to people who recently discovered this hobby. Here are my favorite HD remakes of this generation. (Read More…)

Warp Zoned Rewind: Scariest Games

The newest entry in our Warp Zoned Rewind series, our look back at the seventh generation’s most memorable moments, brings the scares. Today, we’re talking about the games that left you teetering on the edge of your seat.

With the lights out and the sound turned up, your clammy palms grip the controller as your character stands just short of the end of a hallway. You pause for a moment, trying to gather the courage to force yourself forward, despite knowing full well that what waits around the corner is nothing short of pure horror. But you must press on, because it’s the only way to rid yourself of the evil that lurks. Plus, you get an Achievement for killing it! Yes, folks, in honor of Halloween, Warp Zoned brings you five of our favorite fright fests… (Read More…)

Warp Zoned Rewind:
The Jackasses of the 7th Generation

Welcome to the second entry in our Warp Zoned Rewind series, an ongoing look back at the seventh generation of gaming. Today, we’re going to talk about the biggest examples of jackassery in the video game industry from the last eight years… developers, journalists, marketing reps… people from all walks of life proved that gamers are a force to be reckoned with. So sit back and relax, gamers, as we take a look back at those we love to hate. (Read More…)

Why I Bought A Wii U Game Without Owning A Wii U

Yes, you read the title of this editorial correctly; I bought a game for a console I do not own. The game in question is Ubisoft’s ZombiU. It is not a gift or present for a loved one; I fully intend to use it myself. But why would I spend money on a game if I don’t own the console to play it on? That’s just madness, right?

Well, no.

The first reason I bought it was because I need new underwear (by all accounts I may need more once I have played ZombiU). British retailer The Hut was offering a deal; buy three pairs of boxer shorts at £15 ($23.75), and get ZombiU for £20 ($31.50). So I could pay £35 ($55.25) for boxer shorts and the game, or £40 ($63) just for the game. I like a bargain when I see one, so I snapped it up.

But again, I can’t play it. Yet. (Read More…)

The Wii U: It’s All Just A Little Bit of History Repeating

Bashing Nintendo’s new console has quickly become a troll’s favourite pastime. Not a day has gone by in 2013 without a cluster of articles marked with the words DOOM and GLOOM in big bold letters, attracting fanboys from all sides of the fence like moths to a flame, caught in an endless argument of whose favourite manufacturer is better. Then news came that Deep Silver would not be publishing Dead Island: Riptide or Saints Row IV on the Wii U. It all reached a fever pitch during the GDC, when DICE confirmed that Battlefield 4 would not appear on the platform either. You could hear the carving knives being sharpened, with many asking how would Nintendo’s new console survive without major third-party support? Later in the week, Kotaku’s Kirk Hamilton asked Epic co-founder Mark Rein if the Wii U would run their brand spanking new Unreal Engine 4. His response, one of laughter, was hastily clarified on Twitter as Epic sought to smooth their relations not only with Nintendo, but gamers in general, who hounded Rein’s account. Giving Epic the benefit of the doubt, I could not help thinking that we’ve heard these arguments before.

Then I realised we had. (Read More…)

The New Conservatism of Nintendo

Nintendo has never been known for having a liberal attitude. Even with a diverse range of characters, the publisher has fallen back on reimagining their various iconic characters (such as Mario, Link, and Samus) through the decades. When the company was still battling with rival Sega, it was Nintendo that took the moral high ground, often censoring blood or religious imagery from games on their systems, most famously in the original Mortal Kombat, where blood was replaced with sweat and the finishing moves were toned down. In recent years, Nintendo has even throttled back the power of its consoles (compare the Wii and Wii U with the PS3/Xbox 360 and PS4/Xbox One) versus competing systems. However, with the end of this year’s E3 Expo came a decisive contrast in how gamers and journalists alike perceived Nintendo, and that for better or worse, the company has entered a new era of conservatism. (Read More…)

Wii U: The Little Engine That Could
(and Should)

Ever since the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One, game journalists have pushed out editorial after editorial asking, “What can be done about the Wii U?” Brenna Hillier of VG247 says “Nintendo needs to reach beyond its catalogue to save [the] Wii U.” VideoGamer asked, “Is this the end for the Wii U?” And Gamenesia ran with a fanboy-baiting title pointing to the fact that the Wii U was outsold by the Vita in Japan, despite the release of a new Mario game. Yet looking at the sales figures in the same article, we can see that the margin the Vita outsold it by was a massive 42 units. Not only that, but the article fails to mention that the 3DS XL sold more than the Vita, the Wii U, and the original 3DS combined. The most ridiculous figure in that list is that the Xbox 360 sold 342 units in one week. The original Wii beat that with 457 sales.

But I digress. Hillier’s article is filled with vast generalisations quoting “the Twitterati.” Worse, she stuffs words in Nintendo’s mouth by using inverted commas as if the company has somehow uttered them, or, at the very least, thought them (“We’re Nintendo, and we do what Nintendo does.”).

Reading this article made me angry for a number of reasons. One, she is absolutely right – yet she has written this piece with a pessimistic crudeness – “Nintendo knows it bollocksed the Wii U marketing” – that also reeks of a self-aggrandising attitude toward the product itself. “It’s no longer fashionable to believe in the Wii U,” smirks the subheader.

And that made me even angrier, because this is where she is dead wrong. Why? Because it’s never been fashionable to believe in the Wii U. Ever since it was released, it has been a target for fanboy journalistic hooligans who would take shots at the console like Melissa Bachman would a sleeping lion. (Read More…)