Snakes On A Plain Biscuit

You’ve seen the movie Snakes On A Plane, right? No, me neither. It is by all accounts a terrible film however, that only got made due to internet hype that never translated into ticket sales. A shoddy unprofessional effort, that somehow snagged Samuel L. Jackson so it had a professional, talented face to show to the world. This reminds me of the games industry, and its laughable attempts to convince governments and mainstream media that it mass produces valid art.

Why we enjoy videogames

The point, I realised after I’d started typing this sentence, is that the fundamentals of how and why we enjoy gaming are much simpler than we may suspect. Staying with Red Dead Redemption for a moment; it’s a great story, some of the moral choices are interesting, and there are so many set objectives both big and small, it’ll take you dozens of hours to do everything. Not to mention the multiplayer modes. But come on; are you telling me you didn’t buy that game because you get to be a cowboy? Not at all? You get a horse and a lasso and everything!!

Religion, Atheism & Videogames (Nihilistically Ever After)

If you consider yourself to be a follower of a religion, have you ever thought about how your gaming hobby might clash with the teachings of your prophet/s or god/s? If you’re an atheist, has it ever occurred to you that perhaps turning your back on all such belief systems has allowed you to sidestep a potential moral minefield when playing videogames?

Critical Talk: The first Critical Gamer podcast has landed!

We thought that there weren’t nearly enough podcasts on the internet, so we’ve started our own. Hurrah! In this, our very first podcast:

* Shake your fists! As you agree or disagree with the Modern Warfare 2 vs Bad Company 2 opinions within.
* Nod your head sagely! As three of us have our say on the prospect of PlayStation Move and Natal.
* Get Excited! As we discuss LittleBigPlanet 2.
* Scratch your head in confusion! As you hear how the British will overthrow their government via the sale of biscuits.

Critical Talk is hosted, edited, and produced by Steven (who also wrote the intro music). He is joined here by Michael and Anthony.

Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Package Hits PS3 Today

Stimulus Packages for everyone! The Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack has arrived on PS3 today.

Easy Does It

Look at Heavy Rain. Even if you choose the highest difficulty possible you can’t fail in a way that requires a restart, and it’s actually quite difficult to get your character killed without trying for the most part – and even if that happens, the game continues. A game where you’ll never, ever be forced to go back – easy. What’s that you say? My supersonic radar will help me. BEEP. Oh, replay value, you say? Multiple endings, hmm? Yes, you’re absolutely right – but it doesn’t make the game any less easy, does it?

Fired Infinity Ward heads create new dev studio with EA

After taking a month or so out of work since they were kicked out of Infinity Ward by Activision’s security division, Jason West and Vince Zampella are back in the game, today announcing the formation of Respawn Entertainment, a development studio partnered with EA.

Not so Modern Warfare

With the recent sackings at Infinity Ward, and the worrying press release that three new Call of Duty games are being developed, and that Activision are looking at “new digital business models” (subscriptions?) for the franchise, the question is where does the money making war machine go from here?

Grumpy Gurevitz: How Long?

How many hours a week do you put into gaming, and when doing so for how long is each period of gaming? I haven’t seen any stats, but I bet the average reader of this wonderful site is 20+ and so is either in or about to enter the world of work, relationships and possibly kids.

Where Are Our Celebrities?

Members of a development team don’t have appeal for members of the public in general. People with a passion for gaming are often very interested in what these people have to say, particularly if it’s something about an as – yet unreleased game. People with only a casual interest in gaming however couldn’t care less what the developers have to say. They don’t know or care who they are.

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