I am a gaming mom, so it should come as no surprise that my kids have gotten into gaming too. They enjoying watching me play games like Dragon Age: Inquisition, and I even let them add their two cents to the process when appropriate. But when mommy needs to have some sexy times with her pixel…
Pokemon: Past, Present, and Potential
I have never caught every single Pokémon in any game throughout the entire series. I sort of feel like I’m coming out of the closet again saying that. I know it’s the case for many people, but it still feels like I’m admitting to some wrongdoing of mine. As if some tribunal will come down…
What We’re Playing in March
Spring is beginning to arrive in the Northern Hemisphere and while the warmth is much appreciated, it’s not keeping us away from the games! What are you all playing this first month of sunshine?
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires: Battling in (Hair)Style
Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires Koei Tecmo Omega Force February 26, 2015 Okay right off the bat my favorite part of this game — introduced to me by my lovely roommates — is the customization feature. There’s nothing more enjoyable than sitting around your living room with a group of friends dissecting each part of your…
PAX East 2015 in Indie Games: Games are for Everyone
“Games are for everyone,” we say to ourselves, or on Twitter, or when our moms ask us about #GamerGate: “That’s why this is happening. Because some people think games are for everyone, and some people don’t.” PAX East 2015 is a convention that’s out to prove it: games are for everyone. And you know what?…
Game Diary: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! (Part 2)
SPOILER WARNING: The second act of Borderlands: the Pre-Sequel! sees myself and Tracy tracking down an oppressed AI named Felicity, rescuing her (the AI identifies as a her) from her uncomfortable developer/boyfriend, and immediately betraying her to Jack. At the end of this cycle, Jack’s trajectory into villainy is almost certain. In my opinion, however,…
Mortal Kombat Is A Bad Franchise And Nothing About It Is Good: A Character Design Discussion
It must have happened, but I don’t remember a time before I felt encroached upon by Mortal Kombat. I was five when the first game was released, and I was seven when the ESRB rating system was introduced in response to parents’ response to the game’s “fatalities.” This means that parents were alarmed by characters…
Game Diary: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! is the latest entry in Gearbox’s quest-oriented first-person shooter. The first entry boasted over 17 million different guns, which you could collect on a mostly random basis by opening chests. As the third of its kind (setting aside narrative-focused sister game Tales from the Borderlands), The Pre-Sequel’s pre-launch marketing was focused on…
Phone Game Review: Bounden
Bounden Developer: Game Oven Platforms: iOS, Android Price: $3.79/$4.99 07 November 2014 Shall We Dance? I have two left feet. I am actually so bad at dancing that people who’ve seen me attempt it before don’t even need my twice-dislocated knee as an excuse for me not to dance. Really, I’m only an acceptable dancer…
Choose Your Words Carefully: Text Based Games
My love for reading and my love of gaming grew twined together; some of the first words I waded through were in A Link to the Past. Choose Your Own Adventure novels seemed like the best of both worlds. I could interact with the story in a meaningful, and often deadly-for-my-character, way by simply reading…
Fifty Shades of Otome: A Mobile Market of Devotion or Defilement?
I can’t recall how I became interested in mobile otome games—I think it began with a game that was on sale on Steam. It renewed my interest in visual novels in general and eventually led me to the mobile market to further whet my palate. For those not aware, “otome gēmu” (pronounced “OH-TOE-MEH”) means “girl…
Shall We Date?
Once upon a time, our games editor, Al, asked if any of us would like to play and write about Japanese dating games or “otome.” Otome are story-based romance games largely targeted at a female, heterosexual audience. The player role-plays as the ambiguous main female character whose goal is to develop a relationship with one…