As was predicted in the dead sea scrolls, the Fieldrunners update has arrived, and it’s a biggie. The iPhone tower defense game now has two new maps, Skyway and Frostbite, and each will set you back $0.99. The new maps are more complex and ambitious than earlier offerings, with terrain features in Skyway and a [...]

It’s prudent to spend some time reflecting on what a video game review is and what makes a good one. This means identifying the audience and their needs, and then evaluating the common elements of reviews to see how and if those needs are met.

It’s the holidays, so you really deserve a fruitcake, but I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for some regifted cheesecake from Monty Oum. On the bright side, there’s lots of it, and it’s the very highest quality. Dead Fantasy I Dead Fantasy II Dead Fantasy III Dead Fantasy IV Dead Fantasy V

It’s time to admit that you’re screwed. It’s late on 12/23, you haven’t started shopping, and you’ll be damned if you’ll spend $30 overnighting presents to your friends. So what’s a procrastinator to do? Embrace your laziness. Don’t just send your gift a few days late, send it ten years late. That’s right, GOG.com is [...]

Nintendo hasn’t betrayed the hardcore gamers they created.

There, I said it and I’m glad.

However, it can be hard to reconcile Nintendo’s culture of accessibility with that position. It seems like every game gets a little easier and steals a little more agency from the player. Even the ridiculous fantasy that Nintendo’s games would play themselves has come true in New Super Mario Bros. Wii with the Super Guide. What’s a gamer to think when Nintendo picks up the controller for us and does all the hard stuff? Well, choke on your pride for a minute and listen to why the Super Guide might be a good thing.

Hey all! I don’t normally do strictly bloggy posts, but this one may impact my update schedule. I’ve finally found a day job, which will facilitate the website’s operation in the long run. In the short run, however, it may impact my posting schedule as I get the hang of keeping a schedule again. For now, I’ll try to maintain the MWF evening schedule, but if it becomes infeasible, I may have to scale back to a weekly schedule. On the other hand, I’ll definitely be able to afford my domain renewal when it comes due.

For every choice a consequence, I guess.

There’s a reason you don’t mix exploration gameplay with sandbox gameplay, and Assassin’s Creed is a good test case. You just end up with aimless repetition, even when each task is technically novel. On the other hand, as a game of carefully plotted murder, Assassin’s Creed recaptures something lost since the days of Deus Ex: freedom. Whether or not you’ll enjoy it depends on your willingness to skip half the game.

Hemisphere Games just announced via PR email that Osmos is now available for Macintosh. Osmos is a physics-based puzzler where players direct larger motes to eat smaller motes, but motes must eject their own volume to move.

If you’re wondering why you should care, we previously covered Osmos when it was nominated for four awards at the IGF and was later accepted as one of the PAX 10. It’s a clever game concept that will likely appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers.

So, if you’re a gaming leper Mac user, go check out the freshly posted demo.

I try not to trot out the games as art thing more than occasionally, because the debate is both tired and inflammable. However, every now and again, there’s a watershed event that merits a swing at that dead horse. The Smithsonian Art Museum is planning an exhibition of the evolution of art in games (via the MTV multiplayer blog) that will run from March 16, 2012 – September 9, 2012.

The Art of Video Games will show the development of visual effects and aesthetics during four decades, the emergence of games as a means for storytelling, the influence of world events and popular culture on game development, and the impact that the games can have on society. It will include multimedia presentations of game footage, video interviews with developers and artists, large prints of in-game screen shots, historic game consoles, and a selection of working game systems for visitors to play.

The page goes on to say that the Smithsonian will be taking suggestions from the public for which games best represent critical moments from gaming history. Ease off that mouse though, because there’s not yet any way to make a submission to the exhibit.

Well, I suppose there is that contact link at the top right corner of the page. I mean, if you happen to care about video games or something. You know what? I just remembered something else I have to do. Please excuse me.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood looked like it could have been Sonic’s salvation. However, a distinguished new developer and a new genre just weren’t enough to snap the hedgehog out of his deep blue funk.