Finding the Stormtrooper complex in video games

In the year 1994, Kevin Smith wrote, directed, produced, and even acted in one of the most successful and influential independent movies of modern film culture by the name of Clerks. A famous scene from the film involves the titular protagonists Dante Hicks and Randal Graves engaged in a heated debate over the morality concerning the explosion of the second Death Star caused by the rebel faction in Return of The Jedi, an entry from the revered Sci-Fi series Star Wars. The debate was over the politics concerning the needless death over hypothetical citizens that may have been independent contractors (off-screen and script mind you) working towards the reconstruction of the planet-killing vessel for the Empire, in what could have been the equivalent of a government sanctioned job in contrast to reality.

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Ser Flash's Cheapskate Holidays

If you're like me, you're poor. You don't have enough cash to spread around as you'd like, and that often means, unfortunately, that games get the cut in favor of food, shelter or other essential commodities. But that doesn't mean you can't have hours of fun in front of your ten-dollar, 13" TV from the Salvation Army (or Goodwill, if you prefer.)

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QCF: Kirby's Return to Dreamland

Warp Stars abound! The stage franticly opens up with our pink puff-ball hero rushing through the Dreamland-scape with strawberry shortcake in tow, and with Kirby’s company not too far behind. Suddenly, a fantastical galleon-like vessel bursts off course from its route of reverie to a sudden crash-landing against the grassy surface of Pop-star that would make Launchpad McQuack blush.

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PPR 50

We've done it. We somehow survived and reached episode 50 of Press Pause Radio. And to celebrate we are returning with a three hour long show, as well as our first show with Couchbound Network. With so many games being released in the last few months, we spend the majority of the show discussing all of them. Ser, Sean, GeorgieBoysAXE and Toast will converse about titles such as Batman: Arkham City, Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Uncharted 3. The crew then debate on what makes a "Triple A" title, and if there have been too many blockbuster titles this year. Reaching fifty episodes is a great milestone for the website, and we are so happy to have shared it with you all. Rate and review us on iTunes and Zune so we can record fifty more.

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QCF: Dungeon Defenders (XBLA)

At first glance, Dungeon Defenders seems like a tower defense game taken straight out of a children's fairytale. Young children training to emulate their warrior parents are the only line of defense between all the evil of Etheria and the Eternia crystals that will protect the kingdom. However, after our time with the latest release from Trendy Games, it was discovered that this is a very deep and complex hybrid, with controls and other issues that hold it back from being one of the best cooperative experiences this year.

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QCF: Batman: Arkham City

Vicki Vale is on the scene with live coverage of Bruce Wayne’s campaign against Arkham City, a new super correctional facility utilizing the slums of Gotham into an urban prison under penal supervision. The press conference is abruptly interrupted by a covert seize and evade operation orchestrated by the new director of Arkham, Hugo Strange…but what could Strange possibly gain from imprisoning Bruce Wayne? Interference with his second life of course, and to Wayne’s chagrin, a fully cognizant action to put down the Batman.

Enter Rocksteady’s newest effort to continue the legacy of Batman in the realm of video games and to surpass all of the accolades that Arkham Asylum has earned and to advance the standard set for Superhero games. Just how far does the Bat grapple reach this lofty goal? Read on and find out.

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QCF: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

The words of T.E. Lawrence slowly initiate the start to the latest caper of Nathan Drake. Alongside him is his best friend and patriarch, Victor “Sully” Sullivan. With a toss of his cigar against the gutters of London and its bustling nightlife, the two make headway for the beginning of their latest quest for glory. Naughty Dog has had their work cut out for them with follow-up of the critically acclaimed Among Thieves, and Drake’s Deception doesn’t pull any punches…in more ways than one.

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QCF: The War of the Worlds (XBLA)

I'm not the kind of person that takes to licensed games too often. On the whole, I've not bought any movie games or games based on TV shows, as they have shown to be awful, lackluster cash-in shovelware. Of course, there are very few exceptions; Treasure's Astro Boy: Omega Factor was one of the best games on the Game Boy Advance, TDK Mediactive took Robotech: The MAcross Saga and made a pretty bitchin' side-story  in Robotech: Battlecry and Capcom somehow managed to make Disney's The Little Mermaid both hardcore and awesome. The only problem? Most other developers have sort of forgotten that quality games are actually what people want to spend thier hard earned money on, even if it's not an entirely original IP that they came up with themselves.

As such, I approached the retelling of HG Wells' War of the Worlds With a special brand of apprehension; if TV and movie conversions are generally so bad, just how will a book - from 1898 no less - actually fare?

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