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The Video Game Canon: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with a look at the creation of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and the massive growth of the Call of Duty franchise. Here’s a teaser…
General William Tecumseh Sherman famously declared that “War is Hell” in a speech in 1880, though I think it’s safe to assume that more people are familiar with the anti-war protestations of a certain green Muppet from 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back. While this sentiment has existed in the public consciousness for hundreds of years, the basic structure of a game as a confrontation that pits the player against the CPU (or another player) makes armed conflict an ideal setting.
War might be Hell, but it has also been very good for Activision’s bottom line thanks to the Call of Duty franchise.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Posted in Features, PC, PS3, PS4, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Tagged Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
SteamWorld Dig 2 Review: Groundbreaking
It’s hard to believe that four years have already passed since the original SteamWorld Dig first graced gaming systems. Image & Form’s platformer came out of left field and garnered attention and praise from gamers and critics alike (it was even in the running for the “‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson Award” in our annual Golden Pixel Awards roundup). At the time, we couldn’t wait to return to the SteamWorld universe and see the characters “fleshed out” in a sequel, so-to-speak.
Instead, the next entry we got in the series was a spinoff, SteamWorld Heist. It was still set in the same universe as Dig, but Heist wasn’t a direct sequel, and took place much further in the future. Gameplay was also different, as Heist took on a turn-based strategy approach as opposed to Dig’s resource-collecting, mining, MetroidVania style. While fun in its own right, many wanted to see a return to SteamWorld Dig’s roots.
And almost half a decade later, we got our wish. (more…)
The Video Game Canon: Mega Man 2
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with a look at the the blockbuster success born out of the simple ambitions of Mega Man 2. Here’s a teaser…
The first Mega Man game is a bit of an odd duck, which has become even more pronounced as the years go by. The graphics are simplistic, the sound is tinny, there’s only six Robot Masters instead of the traditional eight, and there’s even a score counter (a feature that was jettisoned from the dozens of sequels that followed). There’s just a smoothness to subsequent games in the franchise that Capcom had yet to master with the first entry.
But like most Mega Man fans, I only learned all this after the fact. At the time, whatever memories I have of the first game were formed by guide writers who described it as an unfairly difficult game, old episodes of Captain N, and the fact that none of the local rental outlets owned a copy (unsurprisingly, Lee Trevino’s Fighting Golf was always available).
I finally got the chance to see what all the fuss was about with Mega Man 2, which was also the first game in the Mega Man franchise to be spearheaded by Capcom’s Keiji Inafune. With an expanded role in the sequel’s development, Inafune became known as the “Father” of Mega Man to plenty of fans, and codified many of the traditions and patterns the series is known for.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Distrust Review: Go a Little Mad in the Cold
Distrust is a game about survival in the harshest of climates. The game opens with a mysterious bright light and a helicopter crash. From there, you are stranded in an unforgiving Arctic environment with limited supplies and an ever-growing sense of dread. You take control of two survivors trying to make their way to the safety of an abandoned scientific research facility, and along the way you have to make harsh decisions that will lead to your success… or doom. (more…)
Content Crash #13: Why Aren’t Developers More Open With Fans?
Hey everyone! Welcome to the Content Crash podcast. With me, as always, is Keno Eastmond.
This week I wanted to focus on a designer/programmer who went on Twitter to say why developers aren’t more candid and open with the game development cycle. The underlying theme of the thread was that gamer culture is so toxic that being candid in public is dangerous.
You can subscribe to the Content Crash podcast on YouTube or SoundCloud.
Kickstart This! The Devil’s Eight and Village Monsters
Games are like any form of art or entertainment… you need to be in theright mood to play them (or at least to enjoy them).
Sometimes I want a game that totally surprises me, bringing me something completely unusual and off the rails that makes me sit up and say “WOW” in big shiny letters. Other times, I want something familiar, a genre that I can soak in like a warm color-bombed bath and a game that just does everything perfectly. This game will usually offer an experience I find familiar, but with something slightly different to keep it fresh, and with lots of little touches that let me know the game designer cared enough to include them.
Thankfully, in the Kickstarter realm, the world is your oyster, and you can usually find both. There are now over 200 games on Steam that started life as a Kickstarter project… some that are wacky and way out there, while others deliver the essentials with a smile.
Which brings us nicely to The Devil’s Eight and Village Monsters… (more…)
Content Crash #12: Should Game Journalists Be Good at Games?
Welcome everyone to the Content Crash podcast. I’m your host, Dan Hartnack. And with me, as always, is Keno Eastmond.
We’re chasing a number of stories this time including another look back at Gamescom 2017 and PAX West 2017 and the possible plotline for Half-Life 2: Episode 3. But the one discussion I’d like to have is if game journalists should be good at game.
This question came about because a journalist from VentureBeat uploaded a video of a playthrough of Cuphead. Recorded during Gamescom, Cuphead is an upcoming side-scrolling shooter with a highly-stylized Disney feel, and it looks amazing. But anyway, the journalist uploaded a video of his experience with Cuphead and he is just downright bad at the game.
So, should game journalists be good at games? Let’s discuss it.
You can subscribe to the Content Crash podcast on YouTube or SoundCloud.
The Video Game Canon: Super Mario Kart
Dig deeper into the Video Game Canon with a look at how Super Mario Kart strengthened and shattered friendships after it debuted in 1992. Here’s a teaser…
Even from its earliest days, the personalities behind the video game industry looked to pro wrestling’s combination of spectacle and soap opera for tips on how to behave. This dedication to competition came to a head in the early 90s when Nintendo and Sega engaged in the first “Console War.”
Beginning with the “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t” campaign in 1990, Sega began mercilessly picking at their rival over a variety of claims, some provable and some not. But that was just a warm-up for the infamous “Blast Processing” campaign and Nintendo’s eventual reply of asking their fans to “Play It Loud.” The Genesis and Super NES used these advertisements to compete in a head-to-head contest for the love and support of gamers everywhere, but the heaviest fighting actually took place on playgrounds and lunch tables between kids that weren’t even old enough to shave.
No game better symbolized this battleground of friend-versus-friend than Super Mario Kart.
Visit VideoGameCanon.com to continue reading this article and to explore the complete Top 1000.
Posted in Features, Retro, Top Story, Video Game Canon, Wii, Wii U
Tagged Super Mario Kart