Cascade Arcade: 3DS gamers latest victim of catch-up
The recently announced unsightly slidepad accessory add-on device has gamers talking (or should I say grumbling) about the handheld.
An interview with NHL 12 producer Sean Ramjagsingh
Sean “Rammer” Ramjagsingh, a producer on NHL 12, spoke with The Cascade about the new game and some of the features.
Cascade Arcade: Addressing the rampant sexism in games
Gender inequality became a surprise controversy during a panel discussion in mid-August at the Melbourne Freeplay games festival. The panel discussion included, most notably, Zero Punctuation’s Ben “Yahtzee” Crosshaw, as well as literary and theatre critic Alison Croggon and the owner of JumpButton game magazine, Drew Taylor.
Cascade Arcade: Most players never make it to the end
Growing distractions and the increased age of most gamers has led to reports that only one player in every 10 ever makes it to the final credits in an average video game.
The debate rages on: is Starcraft a sport or not?
Paul and Dessa attempt to answer the age old question.
Cascade Arcade: Bill 978 to make sharing videos of video games illegal
Just when the Supreme Court finally shot down a California law that would restrict underage gamers from buying violent video games, a new bill sprung up to strike even more fear in the hearts of gamers everywhere. United States Senate Bill 978 aims to make the “performance” of copyright material a jailable offence. That would make uploading a replay of yourself playing a video game a felony, not to mention simply embedding a YouTube video of someone else playing a copyright video game. Because each viewing of the video would constitute a performance, embedding the video would make you liable for the activity as well.
Sony and Nintendo unveil cool devices with silly names
The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is by far the biggest show of the year for the video game industry. At this year’s E3, both Nintendo and Sony unveiled sequels to the game machines that have paid their bills for several years. Nintendo announced the Wii U, sequel to the incredibly popular Wii. The new device comes with an iPad-like tablet as a controller, which allows a portable screen to add to the possibilities of a game. Sony announced a portable device called the PlayStation Vita, which becomes the official sequel to the popular PlayStation Portable (PSP). The device has two sticks, touch pads, and cameras. Both devices promise to offer a ton of new software and many new ways to play.
Cascade Arcade: Another lego game
By now, the Lego console games have become a staple of fun, addictive, and easy group gaming. However, turning movies into video games does not always make for fun and varied game play. After all, every movie has slow, boring parts.
Cascade Arcade: Video game play-by-play
With the emergence of online team-based gameplay, the popularization in parts of the world of elite pro-gamers, and the ease of sharing gameplay videos over YouTube, it should be no surprise that video game commentary is starting to grow in popularity.
Cascade Arcade: Portal 2
Prepare to be dazzled like never before; Portal 2, released on April 18, is the most charismatic puzzler in existence. It is a fitting sequel to the 2007 cult-favourite that had fans quoting lines of dialogue for years afterward, like “the cake is [not] a lie” and “now you’re thinking with portals.” For a game so dearly treasured, it speaks highly of Portal 2’s quality that it can live up to the incredibly high expectations set by its predecessor.
Cascade Arcade: FarmVille and the Fear of Loss
It can be one of the most motivating factors, and one of the most paralyzing addictions, but loss aversion is an unavoidable, emotional component of being human. It’s the force that compelled you to sit through the rest of a horrible movie, so you wouldn’t have wasted the money, but it’s also the reason you wrote your final paper at the end of the semester. It could even be the reason you’re still in a bad relationship. The fear of loss can drive us to do things that the promise of a comparable gain simply can’t match.
Cascade Arcade: No time to explain
Imagine if you will, that you’re standing in front of your television. Maybe you’re playing a video game. Then, with reckless abandon, what appears to be a clone of yourself comes crashing through the nearest wall.
Cascade Arcade: David Cage wins at BAFTA Video Game Awards
Celebrating the best the gaming industry has to offer in both talent and innovation, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) held the Seventh British Academy Video Games Awards on March 16. The awards are amongst the most prestigious in the video game world.
Cascade Arcade: PAX tackles geek parenting
As gamers reach adulthood, an interesting and unusual thing happens – the become parents themselves. Just like anything to do with parenting, it can be a challenging and confusing adventure as these geek parents begin to incorporate gaming into the lives of their young children.
Cascade Arcade: PixelJunk Shooter 2 Review
On March 1, Q-Games released the long-awaited sequel to their popular side-scrolling, twin-stick shoot-and-rescue PSN puzzle game, PixelJunk Shooter, and the second offering in the series does not disappoint. Despite promising fans the game before the end of 2010, the added development time appears to have gone to good use, as the game adds plenty of variety while keeping the focus just as tight as ever.
Cascade Arcade: The age when exclusive deals rule
Valve recently announced that with the purchase of the PS3 version of upcoming blockbuster Portal 2, players would be given a free Windows and Mac OS version of the game. It signals a trend in exclusivity deals that has taken the gaming world by storm lately, but it also provides a glimpse at something far better.
Cascade Arcade: The Walking Dead destined to become episodic adventure
When Robert Kirkman created the zombie apocalypse comic book series The Walking Dead, he couldn’t have imagined just how successful it would eventually become. After years of success and the development of a cult following, the comic book and novel series was translated into a critically acclaimed television show on AMC. Just days ago, Telltale Games has announced a project to create several iterations of the series on multiple game platforms over the next few years.
Cascade Arcade: Why games will never be as popular as film
Every five to ten years video games leap forward in potential and scope through increases in technological innovation. In just 30 years we’ve gone from Frogger to Red Dead Redemption, from the goal of crossing the road to the goal of crossing former gang members. Yet even as the dream of a more mature, evolved game grows ever loftier, they still don’t get a word in at the office water cooler. The problem is that games just can’t compete with the mass appeal of film.
Cascade Arcade: Mobile gaming and the next generation portable
More than ever we find ourselves doing things on the go that we used to do at home. With the emergence of the cell phone as an all-in-one device, gaming has become one of those things. The Nintendo DS and the PlayStation Portable have also played key roles in the development of the industry, but mobile gaming will take another step forward with the release of the Nintendo 3DS on March 27 for $250 and the recently-announced PlayStation NGP (also referred to as the PSP2) coming in late 2011.
Cascade Arcade: Little Big Planet 2
I never thought the world would need a sequel after the gaming community created and shared well over three million levels for the original, but after a week with LittleBigPlanet 2, I can’t imagine going back. It helps that all of those levels are backwards compatible and freely available in this latest iteration of the famed-PS3 platformer. It isn’t just a shiny coat of paint on old levels that takes this game to a new dimension, though; it’s the new tools, and the brilliant ways to innovate and make something more unique with far less effort. For the non-creative types, that means community levels have a lot more to offer.
Cascade Arcade: The game geek
Whether originating from childhood teasing or just an overwhelming love of video games, there is a growing segment of the population sacrificing their social lives for a life of hardcore gaming.
Cascade Arcade: Rampant censorship is holding games back
While you might think that the only thing the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) game ratings do is keep away the most extremely violent games, what they actually do is keep developers from even trying to make games that rival what is common place in film, music, and television. Censorship mainly comes from the big three console companies: Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, as well as from the corporations that sell games, like Wal-Mart.
Cascade Arcade: Rockstar unveils L.A. Noire
The company behind Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption has unveiled their latest project, L.A. Noire. Produced by Rockstar Games and developed by Team Bondi, L.A. Noire promises to be a gritty detective game taking place in a “perfectly recreated” 1940s Los Angeles. The game is being directed by Michael Uppendahl, one of the directors of the hit series Mad Men.
The PSN and the end of personal privacy
Every day, in every way, we take our privacy for granted. The stalls always have walls and a door; the toilet paper is flushed down the toilet, away from prying eyes; people don’t watch what you do in front of your computer.
May 30, 2011 | Categories:Commentary, Opinion, Video Games | Tags: Chris Bonshor, Playstation Network, PSN, Sony | Leave A Comment »