Last week I discussed my feelings about downloadable content which is one of two things that have drastically risen in the last few years to become a common site in the video games industry. Today I want to take a look at the second which are Special Edition releases. Before I actually get to the different pieces that are actually packaged within, I’d like to share what I think should be the definition of various special editions because I’ve seen several different variations in my time. Obviously these are the Special Edition, Collector’s Edition, and Limited Edition. I know that for many people there really is no difference, but I disagree. Read More...

Normally when I write a new installment for this series I tend to focus on a specific video game that I would like to see come to fruition. For the next two weeks though I’ve decided to change it up a little and discuss more general subjects. This week I’d like to discuss downloadable content with next week shifting focus to collector’s edition. Both are areas of video gaming that have become staples over the last few years and both have given us distinctive examples of what works and what doesn’t work. We’ve seen so many DLC packs and limited edition releases that I think you could create a perfect stencil that every developer and every publisher should follow because it would deliver the best extension of a game every time. Read More...

In the past I’ve talked about some of the things that are universally cool. Things like ninjas, kung fu billionaires, the zombie apocalypse. Now I come to another one of these staples and that is a heist. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a law-abiding citizen and I believe that people are innately good and only a very small percentage of human beings are legitimate criminals. However having said that, no matter how much I would never go along with it in real life, I have to admit that part of me would be excited to be a part of a crew that takes down scores. And with so many movies that has successfully portrayed this kind of thing, Heat, Ocean’s Eleven, Public Enemies, etc. Read More...

It only took two days for Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution to sink its hooks into me. I became addicted like no other game I’ve played before. But as much as I love Civ Rev, there are so many little things that could make it so much better. Before I get to the suggestions though I should mention, I’ve never really played any of the Civilization games that preceded Revolution so it’s entirely possible that the features I want to see were part of the formula prior to the franchise’s makeover. However having said that I found a lot of similarities between Civ Rev and a far less known PC game called Starships Unlimited. They are essentially the same game except where Civ Rev is focused on Earth and using historic civilizations, Starships Unlimited is set in a fictional universe and utilizes a variety of alien races along with humanity. Read More...

It’s no big secret that I’m about as much into comic books as I am video games, which is saying something. I’ve always felt that comics and video games are natural extensions of one another. That is why it’s easy for properties to cross over so that we have games that have been adapted from comics and vice versa. Marvel Comics is probably the best example of using a comic to create a video game. They have inspired the most adaptions. Read More...

Last week when I was discussing the changes I would make for the upcoming Smackdown vs. Raw 2010, I got to thinking about another annual franchise that’s due to hit store shelves soon. NHL 10 is perhaps the sports game I am most excited for this year and with a North American release date of September 15th the wait has just about two months left. Of course with so little time left until release, it means that all the little things I hope and wish for probably won’t make into the final game. But this is a wishlist and as such I can still dream about what won’t be but might be in the future. Read More...

For fans of the WWE, there was a lot to love about last year’s WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009. Visually the game was astounding. The characters models were about as lifelike as you could possibly get with attention paid to the smallest details. A great amount of time was spent revamping the tag team matches adding things like hot tags, illegal blind tags, and having inactive teammates being more attractive while standing on the ring apron. Add in the Inferno Match which debuted in the 2009 game and you have one heck of a game. But having played so many of the previous WWE games (going all the way back to when the company was still known as the WWF) I personally felt like there was so much I had seen before that had been cut out. Read More...

I think if you look at the landscape of films that have been adapted from video games, generally it looks a lot like what comic book movies were like when they were first being released. Yes the original Superman and the original Batman movies from the mid-late 1980’s are classics, but look down the line at some of the sequels. Look across the board to movies like The Punisher or Captain America. These were awful movies. Read More...

The zombie apocalypse is one of only a handful of things that are universally cool. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how prepared you are), a zombie invasion is likely to never occur, as such the only way to take on a horde of the undead is in a video game. Quite a few titles have been based on the zombie apocalypse, but I’ve always felt like there was something missing. Left 4 Dead is probably the best zombie game to come out in the last few years and just about anyone who’s played it is looking forward to the sequel. As great as it was though, I found it to be a little too mechanical. Read More...

I consider myself a hardcore gamer, and as such I do my best to play a lot of different games. But no matter how satisfied I am with the titles that are released year in and year out, I can't help but wish for something else. Now don't get me wrong, just about anything I could ever want has been released at some point, and yet I still can't help but feel like if someone else had worked on the game it would have taken the game to a whole new level. That's what this is all about. The Ultimate Gaming Wish list is a look at what I would like to see on the horizon. Read More...