An Apology to The Orange Box

An Apology to The Orange Box

Might the Gaming World forgive me? May my sins be absolved? In my youth, I was foolish fool of fools. In my haste, and childish recklessness, I made a grave error: I sold my copy of The Orange Box less than two weeks after purchase. Please! Hold your chastisements for a moment, dear merciful reader. Allow me to repent, before judgement is passed. As with most games I play, I arrived late to this…

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Destructoid: "How do we stop Nathan Drake?" by RedHeadPeak

Destructoid: “How do we stop Nathan Drake?” by RedHeadPeak

A very hilarious community blog post on Destructoid by RedHeadPeak discussing some of the problems present in Uncharted’s Nathan Drake. Namely, that he is a rampaging monster that cannot be stopped.

  The article points out some amazing narrative flaws that I think often go underlooked because the Uncharted games present their story so fantastically. The first one is one I never thought of, which…

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Gaming and Misbehaving: Spore and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Gaming and Misbehaving: #Spore and The Elder Scrolls IV: #Oblivion "...despite several play-throughs of both games, I have never finished either of them." #gaming #blogpost #gamelogic #blogpost #writing

I swear on my honour that I can be a sensible gamer. I do know how to play games properly. It’s just that, now and then, I am compelled to ignore the path the game has laid out for me. It’s why people think I’m so cool and rebellious. [Turns imaginary cap backwards] Spore and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are significantly different games. One is a game a God Game where the player controls the…

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What Zelda Items would improve other Video Games? Part 2

What Zelda Items would improve other Video Games? Part 2 [January 2015] #zelda #gaming #blogpost #hookshot #blogpost #blog

Now I won’t say that I offered inspiration to the latest Call of Duty… because I obviously didn’t. What I did do was suggest a change to the game franchise that kind of, sort of, made it into the game. Which I think we can all agree is still pretty impressive… if you’re easily impressed. A year ago, I stated that Call of Duty would be improved by the Power Glove from The Legend of Zelda, and…

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Simple Fun: How do you Enjoy Playing Videogames?

Simple Fun: How do you Enjoy Playing Videogames? Some amazing games are easy to get into, some are a struggle but worth the effort, and some are supposedly bad games but you can still enjoy them anyway. #BlogPost #Gaming #Destiny #VideoGames #DeadSpace

As the New Year begins, reflection of the Old Year takes precedent. The World Wide Web is awash with Top and Bottom lists of Games from 2014. The general consensus seems to be that last year saw a few excellent games hovering above a majority of… games of a significantly lower calibre. Big promises were left unfulfilled, which left the community somewhat dejected. I personally had a good year of…

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Giving Thanks for The Little Things

What are those little videogame details that stuck with you? Giving Thanks for The Little Things #gaming #sotc #killzone #warzone #residentevil #mario #yoshi

There are lots of big reasons to love a videogame. Great gameplay, thrilling story, stunning visuals and so on. These are the major factors that decide whether a game will draw us in or not. Yet once we’ve embraced the experience, it’s often the smaller details in a game that make the journey so much greater. When we are reminded of a game we played years ago it’s often the little things that we…

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Giving Thanks: The Little Things

There are lots of big reasons to love a videogame. Great gameplay, thrilling story, stunning visuals and so on. These are the major factors that decide whether a game will draw us in or not. Yet once we’ve embraced the experience, it’s often the smaller details in a game that make the journey so much greater. When we are reminded of a game we played years ago it’s often the little things that we…

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​Gaming and Misbehaving: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

​Gaming and Misbehaving: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light A superb Co-op game that's at its best when you're failing to be co-operative. #gaming #Coop #Multiplayer #blogpost #schenanigans #laracroft #tombraider #oldpost

Tomb Raider has always been a relatively sensible series. The odd magic item or mythical monster aside, the franchise is one that wishes to be taken seriously. We play these games for a more level-headed kind of fun. Well, there’s one place where Lara Croft can go to be silly… Last week I addressed the way in which I ‘misbehaved’ whilst playing Dishonored, taking the game (and myself) to a much…

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Gaming and Misbehaving: Spore and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Gaming and Misbehaving: #Spore and The Elder Scrolls IV: #Oblivion #gaming #blogpost #gamelogic

I swear on my honour that I can be a sensible gamer. I do know how to play games properly. It’s just that, now and then, I am compelled to ignore the path the game has laid out for me. It’s why people think I’m so cool and rebellious. [Turns imaginary cap backwards] Spore and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are significantly different games. One is a game a God Game where the player controls the…

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How do you become a ‘Grown-Up’ Gamer?

How Do You Become a 'Grown-Up' Gamer? #gaming #blogpost #gamer #oldpost #dad

Hello internet, it’s been a while. Ten months since my last blog in fact. There have been many reasons for the long pause: my marriage last August; the extensive renovations on our new home; the workload that comes with being a teacher, and other very grown-up things. For a few months I wasn’t even really playing video games, never mind blogging about them.

I have, of course, started gaming…

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Does History defend the tradition of Male Protagonists?

Does History defend the tradition of Male Protagonists? #gaming #blogpost #gender

I enjoy finding parallels between Gaming and History, and the treatment of gender in each field shows some commonality. Within the realm of video games, gender is a topic of debate/discussion/angry rants all of itself. The representation of women is continuously dissected and revaluated. It’s not something that should have to be so scrutinised, but it’s good that the discussion is so positive a…

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What Zelda Items would improve other Video Games? Part 2

What Zelda Items would improve other Video Games? Part 2 #zelda #gaming #blogpost

Now I won’t say that I offered inspiration to the latest Call of Duty… because I obviously didn’t. What I did do was suggest a change to the game franchise that kind of, sort of, made it into the game. Which I think we can all agree is still pretty impressive… if you’re easily impressed. A year ago, I stated that Call of Duty would be improved by the Power Glove from The Legend of Zelda, and Adva…

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Simple Fun: How do you Enjoy Playing Videogames?

As the New Year begins, reflection of the Old Year takes precedent. The World Wide Web is awash with Top and Bottom lists of Games from 2014. The general consensus seems to be that last year saw a few excellent games hovering above a majority of… games of a significantly lower calibre. Big promises were left unfulfilled, which left the community somewhat dejected. I personally had a good year of…

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How Historically Accurate is Skyrim? Part 3

How Historically Accurate is Skyrim? Part 3 #history #gaming #elderscrolls

When I first asked the above question, I didn’t think I’d be able to write a third part. I was so sure that as I trundled further into the fantasy landscape, less historic details would present themselves. As magic and mythical beasts become increasingly prevalent, I expected to spot fewer references to the real ancient world. Whilst this is very definitely the case, Skyrimis still presenting…

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Animal Weapons – Videogames vs History

Animal Weapons – Videogames vs History #gaming #blogpost #history

If you want a game to look zany, turn any animal into a tool for destruction. The creature might be the weapon itself, useful for bludgeoning, or it might be the ammunition that you fling or fire at your confused opponents. Either way, animal weapons are usually delightful. On the other hand, animal weapons in History tend to be a bit more alarming…

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The Gunblade – Video Games vs. History

Whilst I would never consider myself a violent man, I find weapons fascinating. Whether they are a work of fiction or non-fiction, I see them as curious inventions that say a great deal about our species. Our History is full of strange and striking creations of war. It’s when Fantasy and Reality collide that things get really interesting

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