Sex & Relationships

Overall, Mass Effect took huge steps forward for inclusiveness in games. Its racial diversity is unlike any I have seen in a game: nearly all of the major and minor human NPCs are people of color, and none of them are stereotypes. In another impressive step, not only is there an important character—the Normandy's pilot, Joker—who happens to be disabled, but a conversation with him reveals the many different layers of ableism he has experienced throughout his life. Unfortunately, the game stumbles when it comes to gender inclusiveness.

Or: Why I am dreading Alpha Protocol.

...some video games allow the player character to have sex with NPCs; even more allow the player to have romantic relationships with NPCs. What the vast majority of these games inevitably do is present relationship mechanics that distill the commodity model down to its essence—you talk to the NPC enough, and give them enough presents, and then they have sex with/marry you. This design approach is extremely simplistic and perpetuates the commodity model of sex—the player wants sex, they go through certain motions, and they are "rewarded" with what they wanted (like a vending machine).

Looking for a gift for that gamer you love or just want to have something game-related to give that special someone? Then here is a collection of potential gift ideas.

Sadly, this compilation was posted far too late for Valentine's Day. So unless your lady has a birthday or anniversary coming up, you'll need to bookmark this story for next year. Ladies shopping for guys need not worry; we appreciate NES controller underwear at any time of the year.

Killzone 2 has the Playstation fanbase divided; on this week’s show we take our stand. Plus, reviews we’d like to take back, and the sexiest listener e-mail segment ever! With Chi Kong Lui, Brad Gallaway, Mike Bracken, and Tim Spaeth.

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Topic and Game References:

• Killzone 2
• Gears of War
• Halo
• Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis
• Ready 2 Rumble Boxing
• Fallout 3
• Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions
• Ninja Golf
• Ribbit King
• Kirby's Dream Course
• Leisure Suit Larry
• Mass Effect
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope
• Onechanbara
• Rapelay
• The Sims
• Indigo Prophecy
• Fear Effect

Please send mailbag questions to podcast (at) gamecritics (dot) com.

There aren't many video games that do a good job of bringing in significant others, at least not of the kinds of games that I like to play. Sure, there are the standbys like Guitar Hero and its ilk. Super Mario Galaxy did sort of okay in this respect, albeit in a limited fashion. Of course, there are many Wii games that appeal to spouses, such as Wii Sports, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, and countless other lesser titles. But those aren't the kinds of games I usually want to play. So what's a gaming-oriented guy to do? Enter Resident Evil 5.

As part of a new Gaming with Spouses series for the GameCritics.com podcast, I thought it would be interesting to pose the following question to to several of my women friends: "If on a first date, a guy reveals that he's a "gamer" (meaning he plays a lot of video games), is this a good or bad thing?" Here are some of the responses that I got back.

Sex. Making love. Intercourse. Humping. Shagging. Getting laid. Da nasty. The old in and out. Whoopie. Popping the koochie. Ahhh… I apologize for that outburst. No I wasn't trying to improve our popularity rankings in Google. In my four plus years of writing about videogames, I rarely get to talk about what goes on in the bedroom (or anywhere else for wild and adventurous ones), so I have plenty of pent up frustration on the topic.