I want to use my imagination again!

23d ago ... We have lost appreciation for good art design and graphical fidelity along with the ability to enjoy a great story time and time again. I sat at home today and played through another round of Final Fantasy XIII-2 and realized at that instant we have reached a point where graphics are no longer the determining factor in games. As I sit in awe at “Academia -500 AF”, which is one of the final loca...

Can Hacking/Piracy Be Considered Acceptable?

24d ago ... So with the recent news of the Wii U's supposed hacking, I thought I would ask the question presented in the headline while providing my own thoughts on the matter. Piracy is something I think almost any big gamer is guilty of at one point or another and whether they know it or not. Downloading a free game or perhaps playing a copy that friend made for you, for instance. The use of ROMs, ISO...

Joining the Dark Side

24d ago ... Well, it's come to this. Me, an avid and voracious supporter of all things Xbox, has decided to go the way of so many before me, and purchase the Playstation 4 on release. There's been a lot of supposition on what the new Xbox will bring to the table, and though nothing so far is concrete, the overall outlook from the standpoint of a hardcore gamer is that the PS4 is going to be the machi...

The Mods of N4G

24d ago ... A few years ago I was one of these users that thought the mods of this site were either grossly negligent/incompetent, or randomly prone to bouts of fanboyism depending on what mod I "dealt" with. Like many on this site, I had moments where I felt there was a huge injustice being done to me, or just as big an imbalance of who could speak out the most and who couldn't. Thanks to many encounters...

My PC (Steam) experience

24d ago ... Gaming have always been a huge part of my life. I started gaming on the Atari 2600 as a kid, then moved to the NES and I had countless hours on Contra and Super Mario Bros. I was blown away when I first played Sonic on my SEGA Genesis. The time I got my Playstation one I realized that gaming was no longer a kids hobby, I was blown away by the immersive worlds, deep stories and mature themes and...

Beyond: Two Souls And How It Shows Evolution

26d ago ... With talks on the internet of where the industry is currently headed, it's hard to imagine where exactly we're heading. A year ago I was convinced virtual reality would be the next step, but it seems this new generation is more about social interaction and media expansion. From Wii U's Miiverse to Sony's online interaction innovations, console gaming seems to be stepping into territory more so...

Nintendo Direct and E3

26d ago ... If there's one thing Nintendo defenders have been stating for the past couple of months more than anything from what I've seen (myself included at times), it's for those clamoring for more Wii U software to hold their tongues until after E3. And in one way or another, we have been right about that. Nintendo has opted to wait until E3 to give us true reveals on several games that were merely ann...

It's Nintendo's fault we think the WiiU is underpowered

27d ago ... I think we hurt Nintendo's feelings, guys. I remember when the DS and Wii were both enjoying the limelight. Sales were high. Review scores were high. Popularity was high. The number of games being released each month was high. And yet, I do recall several industry big-wigs (as well as gamers on our forums) saying - to the effect - "Nintendo is not a technology company". That must've stuck wi...

Opinion: We Run the Risk of Visual Stagnation

27d ago ... So far, the most we've seen from next generation graphics is primarily from Sony's Playstation 4 reveal event. We've seen the machine supposedly running game engines that look pretty close to CGI visuals that you would sometimes see in an animated movie. Technologically speaking, it's pretty cool. It certainly has many Sony fans excited, with many wondering where that leaves the upcoming new Xb...

Microsoft's TV Ambitions are a Cop Out

28d ago ... So, Microsoft have finally stopped pretending there isn’t a third Xbox on the way and has found it in their hearts to give us a date for the big unveiling. Like the good consumers they take us for we’re supposed to watch the countdown timer patiently with baited breath. Then, when the time is upon us, Microsoft will bestow its new master plan for gaming on the world. It is said that this pla...

Four things I learned from a casual gamer

29d ago ... My gaming experience stretches back into my early childhood. Propped on the trophy-wall of my memory are countless consoles I've owned, countless online lobbies I've conquered, countless adventures I've embarked upon, and all the years of experience that goes along with those. I am a hardcore gamer. I pre-order and I Kickstart. I argue and discuss on message forums. I own more games and game sy...

The Drawing Board: Halo

29d ago ... I don't usually do stuff like this, but I think I need an outlet so let's give it a shot. These days, I cant help but notice that there are some big names in the video game industry that are too afraid to stray away from previous entries. Long lasting franchises like Pokemon,Starcraft, Resident Evil, The Legend of Zelda, and many others seem uninterested in adding new elements or perspective...

January to March In Scope, Part 2

29d ago ... Saying goodbye to January and February, we welcome March. It's rather useless to say that March wasn't a busy month for the industry. I had to make Part 2 completely dedicated to the month for that very reason. There were a lot of cheers and a lot of jeers, but the one thing that remained constant was debate. There was a lot of debate among reviewers, gamers, developers, and publishers over som...

The state of the industry as I see it...

29d ago ... I always wanted to be involved in the gaming industry in some way when I was younger. Whether that be a programmer, a level designer, a tester, or just a journalist of some sort for gaming related news. When I was growing up through the PS1/N64 days gaming was a magical thing to me. I'd go to the store with my family, see an awesome new game on the shelves and beg my parents to get it. Ever...

Video Game Pricing

29d ago ... What can be done with a video game by developers is astonishing. I never imagined that video games would offer the experiences that they currently offer. It’s simply amazing. Along with more sophisticated games come higher budgets leading to more expensive games. The current pricing model is that all games are created equal but this is simply not true. A game that reviews at a 5 out of 10 is pr...

Really, what's the point of another GTA?

29d ago ... I've come to the point of realizing that most gamers have their niche. Some of us love MMO's, some dig FPS games, alot of us go in for open world single player titles. The list goes on... But something else I've been realizing that some games aren't really evolving like others are. Take for example GTA V. From what I'm seeing the game has some beautiful graphics, intriguing storylines, and,...

Why I hate fan boys

29d ago ... In this article I will be talking about fan boys, (as the title suggests,) and why I hate fan boys. Before I continue I understand that there's a difference between opinions and a fan boy, someone who puts an opinion down respects other user’s comments and thoughts, a fan boy will start an all-out war if someone's opinion is different to theirs. My first point why I hate fan boys is becau...

Why mainstream games journalism is failing the gamer

29d ago ... This is a subject I have been wanting to talk about for quite some time. I feel its time I finally got this off my chest, on how the current state of games journalism is hurting the very audience that supports them ,the gamer. This is isn't a rant about somebody having different opinion than my own, its about how the gaming press close relationship with the game publishers and its public relati...

Rebuttal: Is the quality of games declining?

30d ago ... ⇌ Author's Note: Please note that this is not a personal attack of any kind. It is merely a respectful counter argument. Thank you. ⇋ It's not an uncommon opinion that the quality of video games today is declining and there have been a plethora of theories as to why and how. I've heard some people claim that developers would rather try to impress you with a cinematic blockbuster hit with lit...

Is the quality of games declining?

30d ago ... I recently finished Bioshock Infinite and I can honestly say it disappointed me. It just didn't feel like the game Levine was making it out to be. Sure, the story and atmosphere are amazing, but there was one very important element that left a sour taste in my mouth. What's that, you ask? The actual gameplay... I figured I was perhaps the only one to feel like this, so I discussed it with a...