Choosing a museum exhibition when charged with reviewing art seemed like a bit of a cop-out. I’ve always found history to be deeply fascinating, but these seemed more like artefacts than artworks; crude curios from a past we can scarcely imagine. How wrong I was. The British Museum’s Ice Age art: arrival of the modern mind is a… Continue reading Review: Ice Age art: arrival of the modern mind
Month: February 2013
Women, RPGs and me
The core tenet of games is the ability to inhabit other worlds. They allow us to step out of the banal drudgery of everyday existence and into the shoes of a New York gangster, a dragon-slaying hero, or a star-sailing space marine. And very occasionally, she’s a girl. To most male gamers – the one’s I’ve talked… Continue reading Women, RPGs and me
Preview: Tomb Raider
Square Enix need Tomb Raider, the latest in a line of re-imaginings by veteran developer Crystal Dynamics, to be a success. Profits have plummeted, and their last major release – Hitman: Absolution – was dogged by PR problems and some disappointing reviews. A no-holds-barred, open environment ‘survival action’ game, as they have termed it, has… Continue reading Preview: Tomb Raider
72 reasons why Xbox 720 is doomed to fail
Following the possibly spurious but seemingly well-substantiated rumours about the next Xbox (and the next Playstation), I decided to provide a thoughtful breakdown and assessment of what all that information meant. I then decided that was too much effort. I may be numerically illiterate, but seeing as 72 X(box) 0 is zero, I’m actually overcompensating.
Classic Review: Mass Effect 2
It’s chock full of loading screens with the most basic of tips, à la such prudent examples as Battlefront 2 or my favourite multiplayer game ever, 007: Nightfire. There’s far less customisation: you can only change your own armour, and the selection of both this and weapons squad-wide has been super slim-lined. You’re nannied yet… Continue reading Classic Review: Mass Effect 2
Classic Review: Mass Effect 3
One of the things I love about reviewing games after they’ve been released is being able to read other reviews. Not to steal content – I find far more creative ways to do that – but to look at how their impressions of the game shape up against yours. The appraisal of one hurried reviewer… Continue reading Classic Review: Mass Effect 3
An Abridged History of Video Game Narrative
This is the one I tend to boast about, but you’ll have to take my word for it. It was originally included in this Rock Paper Shotgun round-up via Gamer UK, but the link is broken as a result of site downtime. It does include a lengthy quote though, which you’ll find below. “The cycle cannot… Continue reading An Abridged History of Video Game Narrative