Choplifter HD Review

If, like me you are in your thirties you might remember the original Choplifter game which was released in 1982 for the Apple II. A few years later it was ported over to other home computers and then in 1985 Sega released an arcade version which proved popular. Choplifter was a simple game, yet incredibly addictive. The premise was to shoot down enemy weaponry in your path and to rescue friendl... more.

I hesitate to post this article since there are already so many horrible stereotypes about Americans, and this piece of news reaches an entirely new level of insanity.  Before long, a new spin will be put on social gaming…The Pentagon itself is spending massive amounts of money ($32 million!) for universities, researchers, and game companies to develop games for casual players to test US weapon... more.

Mario eats mushrooms, Yoshi spits out turtle shells, RPG characters consume potions and ethers.  Food has a magical purpose in video games – improving stamina, restoring health and even bringing people back from the dead.  To be honest, I never thought much about the food in video games.  I just took it for granted that mushrooms could make Mario grow bigger and Phoenix Downs could restore li... more.

We’ve all been there – fights with your parents/spouse/kids to turn off the video game.  After all, the world at large knows video games are just a waste of time…right?  So what if you had the opportunity to play video games and be able to say, “Yeah Mom, I played Zelda all day long…but I helped a bunch of hospitalized kids because of it.  So what did you do today?”  That’s a pre... more.

Video games are banned for many reasons, often related to drugs, sex, and violence and sometimes treatment of certain religions (ex. Malaysia banning games that are explicitly anti-Muslim).  Some countries ban games due to historical references, such as Germany banning games for Nazi references and Iran banning Battlefield 3 for a fictional US invasion in Tehran. Sometimes aspects of games are... more.

Scandinavia – land of the midnight sun and free college tuition; home to Vikings, IKEA, and Legos.  This region of Northern Europe (including Denmark, Norway, Sweden and sometimes Finland and Iceland) is often omitted from the itinerary of world travelers visiting Europe, though it is rich in cultural and history. I find that when I talk to Americans about Sweden, they often forget the name ... more.

Last month Trine 2 was released on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network.  It is a wonderful fantasy puzzle platformer with truly phenomenal graphics that have critics raving. After writing an article recently about the incredible reviews for Trine 2, it was time to try the game out for myself, and I’m glad I did! Three characters are united by the Trine and embark upon a challenging journey... more.

I know the title of this article may seem farfetched.  For years, videogames have received enormous criticism for being too violent and resulting in increased violence among gamers.  Swarms of articles questioned the effects of video games.  Concerned parents closely followed research attributing gaming to violence.  Could the stigma against video games finally be reaching an end? A vas... more.

People and their world records.  Can you imagine forgoing sleep to play a video game for over 70 hours straight?!!  George Leutz is currently in the midst of attempting to beat a 28-year-old world record for Q*Bert and is already over 24 hours into the challenge.  It is his third attempt so far. George Leutz is playing Q*Bert at Richie Knucklez’ arcade in Flemington, New Jersey.  You can ... more.

How many video game music downloads are on your iPod?  The music from video games is so addictive, you sometimes can’t get enough of it from just playing the game.  Not only have symphonic renditions of music appeared in video games, but video game music has appeared in symphony halls around the world. I spent much of my life going to classical concerts – symphony performances, the opera ... more.