The non-gamers who read this blog are here for many reasons. Some are family and obligated, some are friends who follow it as the sole sign that I’m not dead yet, and some just happened to stumble by while looking for something else. However, for all their differences, all these people share one complaint in common: they have no idea what I’m talking about. Gaming is an insular little hobby. We have our own jargon and incestuous little comparisons that make perfect sense if you’ve been following the hobby for a decade, but everyone else is out in the cold. So in the spirit of Nintendo’s blue ocean strategy (see, I did it again right there), this week we’ll be doing some outreach to the non-addicted community. This week we’ll be looking at gaming genres: what they’re good for, why we use them, and a primer for some of the more ubiquitous genres that’ll be suitable for linking in future reviews.

Nme.com has reported that, in a press conference to promote an upcoming documentary, Jack White and Jimmy Page have criticized the Guitar Hero franchise. The respective luminaries of The White Stripes and Led Zepplin, are upset that video games are introducing kids to music. Said White, “It’s depressing to have a label come and tell [...]

That’s right! He’s single, Ladies! Following up on the Tingle teaser seen in Famitsu two weeks ago, Nintendo has announced that the fairy-obsessed mapmaker from Majora’s Mask is getting a second game. It seems that Nintendo is trying to emphasize that Tingle doesn’t solely follow around little boys, because his upcoming game is entitled Irozuki [...]

Punch-Out!! is an excellent franchise retread, if a merely competent game. The attempt to integrate the Wii’s gestural controls will do little to entice casual gamers past the first handful of fights as the steep difficulty curve was clearly designed with a controller in mind. All in all, it’s game that’s low on content, but high on nostalgia.

Where otaku write crossover fan fiction, gamers write mods and make custom maps; though there’s usually less yaoi in the latter. Enthusiast Outatime has been working on an adaptation of Resident Evil 3‘s environments in Left 4 Dead (via Evil Avatar). The enterprising mapper hopes to build Raccoon City and its Police Department, clock tower, [...]

Blizzard announced about a week ago that the World of Warcraft is shrinking, albeit not the way you would expect. The extraordinarily popular MMORPG has finally become so large that Blizzard will be speeding up mounts, as well as the rate at which you can get them. For the unfamiliar, mounts improve a player’s basic [...]

Peggle has been getting the Tetris treatment, and not just insofar as unscrupulous companies want to steal the intellectual property. Peggle is being ported to every platform known to man, and the casual megahit has some fun for just about every type of gamer. However, the similarities end there because Peggle’s greater complexity means that PopCap has to re-optimize the game every time they switch platforms, so you never really know what you’re getting when you pick up a new version. The iPhone port has its own perks and quirks, but still feels like Peggle on the whole.

Ok, we’re down to the last 5% of the move. However, because that step can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 8 months, I think it’s time to return to your regularly scheduled video games blog. See you Monday!

Kooloo-Limpah! Steal Tingle’s Magic words and he’ll cut you! Image courtesy of 1up Anyone who ever doubted the wisdom of Nintendo’s friend codes needs to take a look at the latest issue of Famitsu (via 1up). Within, you can see that disturbing fairy wannabe Tingle has returned to darken your doorstep. So lock up your [...]

Hey all! Sorry for the dropped news on Friday, but we’re busy moving the main offices of Pixelsocks.com to San Diego! Sadly, all the skin-breaking manual labor has precluded anything like writing or playing video games, so I’m afraid you’ll be stuck with news until we’re back up and running.

In the meantime, we’re bumping the Metroid Prime: Corruption review to the top of the page in honor of its upcoming re-release in the Metroid Prime Wiimake. I mean, it’s kinda topical.