Gaming for those who care to think.
Posts tagged Halo
25 reasons gamers annoy non-gamers
Aug 10th
Sure, a lot of the mistrust between gamers and non-gamers comes from simple miscommunication, but that doesn’t mean some points aren’t valid. Below are 25 popular (and not so popular) reasons why gamers annoy those who don’t play games.
1. Halo is not a sport.
That’s great that you’re really into playing online games, but they’re not a sport. Not anymore than playing Boggle competitively is. Doing something where you get physical exercise rather an avatar is the first step to playing a sport.
2. The controllers are indeed too complicated.
Nintendo isn’t crazy. The controllers for the PS3 and Xbox 360 are unwieldy, especially for someone who last played a video game in the Pac-Man or Super Mario Bros. era. Manipulating it is a skill lacked by many, so why be annoyed at them?
Cardboard dreams for the Halo 3 Kid
Jul 12th
File this one under bizarre, but this young man has suddenly put some impressive work into his hobby. The video showcases a young man who has essentially recreated all of Halo’s weaponry from cardboard. Sure, that isn’t as impressive as some models, but considering the time and effort spent by someone so young, this is well worth seeing. When you see him pull out the machine gun turret, that’s when you know this kid is truly cool.
Parkour meets Halo in Mirror’s Edge
May 8th
Think of Mirror’s Edge as the video game version of the chase scenes from the recent remake of Casino Royale. Or, you know, the chase scenes from the Bourne films…if there already weren’t a game. Whatever you think of it, just realize it’s one of the most interesting looking games to come along in a while. The developers seem fairly self-assured that they’ve finally conquered the problem of jumping in a first-person title. Regardless, they do know how to cut an exciting trailer that mixes some Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time with the previously mentioned films.
The best of Halo 3 betrayals
Apr 25th
If there’s one thing that keeps Halo 3 fresh, it’s the opportunity to kill your teammates in wonderfully wild, inventive manners. Yes, your teammates. Killing the other guy is so last gen. Anyway, here are two of the best betrayal videos out there.
Earth Day: Five games that kill the environment
Apr 22nd
What goes better with playing video games than poisoning the environment for future generations? Perhaps melting the polar icecaps? Clubbing baby seals? Okay, that last one went a bit far.
Still, the point is that video games can be very bad for the environment. Take the following five games for instance. Each is addictive to the point of chugging electricity where other games only sip. Ban these five games, and the environment will thank you.
Web game of the day: Age of War
Apr 1st
What do you get when you cross Age of Empires with Halo and Lemmings? Why, Age of War of course! This little hybrid title is quite fun, if a wee bit on the difficult side. The best winning strategy seems to be to mostly play defense until the last age, and then let loose on the opposing side. Can you figure out a better strategy? Be sure to post it in the comments section below.
Classic Sidewinder level returns to Halo 3 as Avalanche
Mar 19th
If you ever played much of the original Halo’s multiplayer, then you know Sidewinder was easily one of its best levels. It was a great environment for bases combat. There have been calls for a remade version in both Halo 2 and 3, though now it looks like fans are finally getting their wish. More >
The terrible, horrible, no good, very bad game and how it got there
Mar 15th
Bad games are everywhere. In fact, they seem to be more abundant in recent years than ever before. As the video game medium has increased in popularity, so have the number of releases and with that, obviously the number of bad titles. Still, what exactly makes a bad title?
Is it under funding? Is it a lack of development talent? Is it simply a bad idea from the ground up? Yes, sometimes to each and often to all three. Still, that doesn’t explain how even the most well funded and best development teams can make a bad game out of what sounded like a surefire hit idea. More >
Activision says Tony Hawk to innovate to counter Skate
Mar 10th
Electronic Arts’ Skate was one of the big surprises of 2007. Many had challenged Tony Hawk’s dominance of the extreme sports genre, but Skate was the first to really deliver a knockdown punch with its innovative controls. Now, in the face of being outsold two to one, Activision has plans to innovate with the Tony Hawk franchise.
Speaking with USA Today, Activision Senior Vice President Will Kassoy referenced the “Tony Hawk Innovation Plan,” but refused to elaborate. What could this plan be? The easy speculation is a move toward a new control scheme akin to Skate’s. However, with Activision’s success with the Guitar Hero franchise and now Call of Duty 4 online, one should not rule out the move to a more multiplayer friendly setup. And yes, Tony Hawk Wii featuring the Balance Board seems inevitable. More >
Super Mario Fusion fuses every great game from your childhood into one
Mar 7th
There aren’t many Mario hacks, or video game hacks in general, that deserve a great deal of attention. Few are done with any real forethought or planning. Super Mario Fusion is different. Think of it as Mushroom Kingdom Hearts (an apparent subtitle). The game has Mario running through levels inspired by everything from Halo to Mega Man to Doom to Tetris.
Not only that, but the levels themselves actually look good, and fairly creative. The game is still in beta format, but you can download and play it. One has to wonder if Nintendo is keeping a watchful eye and thinking of their own Mario escapade through their catalog of games.
