Guest Critic's blog

The term "Space Marine" has always been something of a misnomer. For all the "space" implied in the name, the vast majority of space marines do their fighting on good old terra firma. And while that same basic contradiction is true for Dust 514, there's no denying that its success, in this case, could connect gamers to the stars in one of the most ambitious ways imaginable.

Kalypso Media recently invited GameCritics to take a second look at the upcoming vampire-themed stealth game Dark, from Realmforge Studios. It was originally covered by Brandon Bales, but it's been a while and we were interested in seeing how it's progressed.

King of Chinatown follows professional Street Fighter IV player Justin Wong as he competes both worldwide and in his local Chinatown arcade. In about an hour, the film features Justin and his then-manager Isaiah Triforce Johnson (his actual legal name) attempting to make Justin the best Street Fighter IV player in the world. At the same time, they try elevating Triforce's fighting guild "Empire Arcadia" to the next level.

Survival horror games aren't what they used to be. Once upon a time, they were about survival and horror. It makes sense. It's what the genre is called, after all. These titles would encompass qualities of mystery and exploration as the player fought to stay alive with every step. Over the years, they've increasingly become about action, gunfights, and an overload of cheap jump scares. I prefer the former, despite a plethora of the latter.

Second Skin is a 2008 documentary by Juan Carlos Piñeiro Escoriaza about MMO players' "second skin"—their avatars and virtual life. While looking at those into titles like World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Second Life, and others, MMO players' lives seem like an easy target for humor, Second Skin manages to avoid that.

Lincoln Ruchti's Chasing Ghosts: Beyond the Arcade is a documentary focused on the 80's heyday of arcades, and a great companion piece to The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. It focuses on Twin Galaxies' founder Walter Day, and many of the infamous players from that era that make appearances in King of Kong.

Let's get this out of the way: King of Kong is a documentary in the loosest sense of the word. Don't get me wrong, I love this movie, but its biggest strength is also its biggest weakness: King of Kong skews unbiased truth for entertainment.

I implore you to reconsider your decision to initiate a widespread "PSN Pass" program this fall that would employ single-use licenses tied to a game's multiplayer component. Not only would such a program unnecessarily impede the resale options your customers currently enjoy with regard to successful titles like Uncharted 2, MAG, and Killzone 3; it would likely result in the exact opposite of your intent.

Many readers and staff on this site have praised BioWare's high fantasy epic Dragon Age: Origins for its compelling story, loveable characters, and nail-biting decisions. Truly, it is a great game, but no one has had the time or focus to closely examine each of the games major choices in an effort to discover what makes them so great. A closer examination reveals that not all of these choices are nearly as good as the others. This article aims to teach what makes story choices in a game compelling, and what makes them forgettable.