2015 Resolution Reflections

Thursday, December 31, 2015


2015 is nearly over, and everyone from Buzzfeed to the Daily Mail is in the mood for reflecting on the year. I've got a bit of that spirit myself, though I don't think we need another best or worst of list. I'd like to focus on something more personal. Last January, I made a single resolution for 2015; no more pre-orders. It has been almost 365 days since that post and the year has been full of big releases, each promising various sundries for as exclusive pre-order content. So, how did I do?

REDUX: Raising Kids With Games

Tuesday, December 29, 2015


In light of recent holidays and the slew of parents introducing their children to games for the first time, I though it was time to readdress the way we approach responsible gaming with our little ones. If you're struggling with ways to promote healthy game time with your family, I recommend giving this a read.

Ours has always been a house of gamers. My wife and I both play games and have since before we started dating. We courted over Halo and have used Borderlands to keep in touch with some of our friends who have moved away. Our kids have been interested in games for a long time and in recent years have started playing games on the console and PC. A while back, my brother asked me what our policy was for regulating our children's time with games and I found it difficult to answer. Since then I've received a few requests for an article on the same topic. I've taken some time to look at our rules for games and hope that what I present below will be useful.

Xbox Elite Controller: Worth Every Penny

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

When Microsoft announced the Elite controller at E3, my ears immediately perked up. I've considered getting a custom controller for some time. I've perused various sites from Evil to SCUF and have always found the price to be prohibitively high, despite the numerous options available through each site. Not long ago, however, I bit the bullet and bought an Elite. Here are my preliminary thoughts on Microsoft's first attempt at a high end controller.

Far Cry Primal And My Anthropological Anxiety

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Far Cry Primal, the latest in one of my favorite series' takes players back to the stone age. It's an era of history I've always wanted to play in. When I first came across news of the game, I devoured any media relating to it. I've seen every developer diary and all the trailers. The crafting system, collaborative hunting and the plethora of prehistoric wildlife are a big draw, but I've got a few qualms to deal with before I can really commit to the world they've created.

When Does a Microtransaction become a Macrotransaction?

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Microtransactions send a chill down many gamers' spines. They've become synonymous with greedy game-making and cheap, pay to win schemes. Usually, these things cost only  few dollars, and award the player with heaps of in-game currency, experience or high level gear. I've never liked them, I think it is a lazy waste of money that erodes challenge from games and I do my very best to avoid them. Recently though I've seen a new form of microtransaction emerge. Instead of costing only a few dollars, these are anywhere from $20 to $50 and are used to lock away significant gameplay advantages and/or content. The well worn term "microtransaction" doesn't seem to fit these monsters. Behold, the birth of the macrotansaction.

Don't Let Your Baby Die in Who's your Daddy

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Who's Your Daddy has been taking the internet by storm. Currently up for voting on Steam Greenlight, Who's Your Daddy is, at its core a 1v1 asymmetrical multiplayer game. One player play the role of a destructive infant that wants nothing more than to drink bleach, eat batteries and stick forks in light sockets. The other player acts as the father to this little monster and must prevent the child from injuring itself. It sounds sadistic and it is, but in the most hilarious way possible

The Games of My Childhood are Coming Back

Tuesday, December 8, 2015






The last two days have been very strange for me. Yesterday I learned that Double Fine will be making a remastered version of Full Throttle, my absolute favorite adventure game of all time and today I got the news that System Shock 3 is a real thing. I haven't played System Shock or System Shock 2 in a very long time, but I remember it as one of the first games to really unnerve and surprise me. These were two very influential games in my early days, so to have them return all of a sudden leaves me a bit flabbergasted.

Mayan Death Robots

Thursday, December 3, 2015
Hear me out. What if the ancient Mayan deities were really giant alien robots, competing in a series of deathmatches broadcast across the galaxy? I know what you're going to say, but it makes about as much sense as anything on Ancient Aliens. It also happens to be the premise of the new game Mayan Death Robots. Inspired by classics like Scorched Earth and Worms, MDR is chaotic and entertaining, but with chaos is not without its consequences.

It Takes Way Too Much to Play Games Together

Tuesday, December 1, 2015


I've been looking at a second TV and console setup for our living room lately. My wife and I love to plat games together, but it has become increasingly difficult to manage that seemingly simple joy. So many console games, especially AAA games have abandoned the idea of split-screen play. I've covered this issue before, but after more than two months of disappointing releases that lack any local multiplayer whatsoever, I'm brimming with frustration over the lengths I've been brought to in order to play one game with another person in my own home.