Gamertell

So, here’s the scenario. You loved the crap out of the old Mega Man games on the NES, so you downloaded Mega Man 9 (the retro-perfect re-imagining of the franchise), only to have your butt kicked back to the 1980s? Well, Destructoid editor Anthony Burch has kindly posted some advice in a video aptly titled How not to look like an idiot in Mega Man 9. Burch breaks down the game’s old-school design and offers some crucial tips (especially helpful to newbies and old-school gamers who may have forgotten some of that MM muscle memory).

MORE »

The field of video game journalism places writers in opinionated positions. They write the same types of stories as newspaper journalists - news, features, opinions and reviews - but also must entertain their audience.

In addition, the news stories are often regurgitated press releases. Take a six or seven paragraph press release and condense it down to three or four. This gives writers a bit of freedom as to how to handle their articles.

Especially if said video game journalists are working at a blog, much like this one. They are often called upon to be witty, to provide information and entertainment that 20 or 30 other sites aren’t to get more web traffic.

However, some blog writers are willing to go too far by isolating and insulting a portion of their audience in order to appeal to the largest - males age 13-27 - demographic…

MORE »

Attention “green” gamers and anyone who cares about their electric bill: your next-gen consoles are ridiculously power-hungry. According to a post at Destructoid, a PS3 (not in use, but turned on) will run you $250 a year in electricity (about 5x what a refrigerator costs to run for the same amount of time). The Xbox 360 is comparable, but the Wii will only run you about $25 for a year’s worth.

That’s a whole lot of energy. I’d throw in a “now you’re playing with power” joke, but it’d be so inappropriate. Lesson learned: turn off your damn consoles when you’re done playing.

Read [Destructoid]

• Help the environment, buy an energy efficient TV
• South American inner tubes defend your gadgets
• Amazon launches new “frustration-free packaging” option

‘Tis the season for smootchin’ and squeezin’. Sure, that might mean you have to drop your controller for an hour or two and pay attention to your significant other, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any love and romance in videogames.

In my most recent CiN Weekly magazine column (published February 13, 2008), I point out a few of the more romantic moments in videogames, going back to a few including the arcade game Popeye.  You have Mario’s eternal quest for some sweet Princess affection, as well as some sultry smootches in the Final Fantasy franchise. A little more recent, Singles: Flirt Up Your Life takes a more direct approach, while Second Life lets you meet other singles through its online interface. Finally, there’s a bit of love in Halo 3, as well as the somewhat sexy yet unnecessarily controversial scenes in Mass Effect.

There are, of course, a few other articles out there that pair love and videogames:

• GameZone has an article from 2007
• Desructoid also goes back a year with a look at love in games
• ClassicGaming goes old school with a multiparter
• There’s also Gamespot’s uber-pink romantic retrospective from who knows when (complete with improperly coded image files)

You certainly must have your own romantic gaming experiences. Do you snuggle alone with your joystick or have you found a videogame you and your loved one can play together? Do share…

Read [CiN Weekly] Also Read [GameZone] Also Read [Destructoid] Also Read [Classic Gaming] Also Read [Gamespot]

• MySpace suicide court case begins
• Four games that redefined their genres
• Dell’s Black Friday 2008 ads leaked