It’s no longer taboo for video games to feature sexual intercourse but that doesn’t mean developers have successfully crossed that particular uncanny valley. Sex in most modern games is still either an awkward affair where the player taps buttons to direct an unfolding scene, or something only alluded to by a fade to black – like some Hays Code-era noir flick.
We used to laugh at pundits like this who say video games are worthless trash — or worse, a tool of the devil meant to torment your soul. That is, until we played Amy, which proves those sentiments exactly right.
A vestige of the
Take a fun, arcade-style racing game. Add some very colorful graphics. Load it up with a ton of explosive weaponry, upgrades and multi-player functionality to keep you coming back for more and you have TNT Racers for your PlayStation Network.
‘Batman: Arkham Asylum’ and the equally impressive sequel ‘Arkham City,’ have vaulted the Caped Crusader to a force more powerful in gaming circles than the man in black himself.
In one corner, we have PlayStation, the video game console engineered by Sony that’s currently in it’s third evolution on top of its PSP, PS Vita and PlayStation Move installments. Along with game play, users can stream movies and TV shows through Netflix and Hulu, listen to music and more.
In the other, we have Xbox, Microsoft’s sixth-generation console that was the first technology in the game world to feature a hard disk drive, which eliminated the need for memory cards. The newest installment, Xbox 360 with Kinect, gives players the ability to use their own bodies and voice as the controllers.
The one thing that’ll make the Van Halen reunion with David Lee Roth work and last beyond the band’s upcoming tour and new album is if the principals are having a good time. Well, judging from last night’s beyond intimate gig at Café Wha? in New York City, that won’t be a problem.
‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ is just about everything we could want in a video game.
December 15, 2011 It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, decorating, get togethers with family & friends, stress, bills & holiday madness! Sometimes you just need to take a break from it all. Speaking for myself, I can get so busy preparing for the holidays I never get around to actually celebrating or enjoying it. So exactly how does one slow down, kick back, relax & attempt to remain in the Christmas spirit?
Think back to that classic ‘Jeopardy’ skit on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in which a Keanu Reeves impersonator says “I know kung-fu,” causing Alex Trebek to respond, “No, you don’t.”
You’re excused if you’ve last track of all the marquee video games that have hit shelves in the past several weeks. Just like Tim Tebow, game publishers hold back their best stuff for the end. Even those of us who play and read about games constantly have trouble keeping track of what’s out there.
TV has the Nielsens. Movies have the box office. Music has the Billboards. Video games have Raptr, the official video game rankings, and they just awarded ‘Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim‘ with the honor of being the Most Played Game of 2011.
Back in college we spent too much time playing Tekken games at the student union while everyone else was doing stuff like inventing Facebook, stealing the idea for Facebook, having sex or doing drugs.
