STAFF WRITER,
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“Like Skyrim with guns” is how Adam Kovac, host of the popular Machinima YouTube channel, referred to Far Cry 3. Ubisoft, the game’s developer and publisher, apparently liked the quote enough to put it on the box’s cover. I myself thoroughly enjoyed Skyrim, and also have a certain fondness for games with guns, so I purchased Far Cry 3. Far Cry 3 was not “like Skyrim with guns,” and neither is Far Cry 4—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Dragon Age: Inquisition, the latest title in Bioware’s Dragon Age series, is an outstanding game, every bit deserving of the numerous “Game of the Year” rewards it has received. I’ve completed both prior Dragon Age titles, and loved both almost without reservation, even the extremely divisive Dragon Age 2. However, while Dragon Age: Inquisition may very well be the most well-designed title yet, I find myself partially dissatisfied, despite having played it all the way through and enjoyed it thoroughly.
So you’re probably wondering (as most of the gaming world is), whether Pokémon Omega Ruby Alpha Sapphire (ORAS) is worthy of the Pokémon legacy. To answer your question, Pokémon ORAS is as fun and addicting as last year’s titles, Pokémon X and Y. Not only that, it’s a worthy remake of the original Hoenn-set titles, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (and this is coming from someone who considers Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire to be the height of the series’ innovation).
Licensed games are typically, to put it delicately, awful. More often than not they’re simple cash-ins, next to nothing is spent developing them, and, in the case of Lord of the Rings properties, the publisher knows that the picture of Gandalf on the cover will make back any expenses several times over. Thankfully, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor is not your average licensed game. Production values, along with several unique ideas, make it a game worth playing, especially if you’re a fan of Tolkien’s The Lord of The Rings.
“Civilization: Not Earth” might very well be a more appropriate title for the latest game in the hit Civilization series. I say this because Civilization: Beyond Earth fails almost entirely in going beyond what was done in the last Civilization title, Civilization V (which was released in 2010). This is especially disappointing when taking into account the outstanding reputation of Fireaxis Games, developer of the Civilization series.
One of the main reasons many people in the gaming community have heard about ‘Gamergate’ (something that is neither representative of gamers, nor comparable to Watergate in any real way) is because Anita Sarkeesian, a self-described “feminist media-critic/blogger” has seized upon the conflict (if one can even call it that) to draw attention to her own personal agenda. Sarkeesian believes that the portrayal of women in video games is sexist, and has used the issue of ‘Gamergate’ to help her criticism gain traction. According to MSNBC’s The Reid Report, ‘Gamergate’ is “an online battle of the sexes over how gamers are portrayed, and the sometimes violent reaction to women who speak out.” As far as I can see, this is what some in the media would like it to be, but not what it is. This entire controversy feels manufactured.