video games – Oddball Update

My Next-Gen Game Plan (Or: How GameStop Bought Me an Xbox One)

September 15, 2013September 15, 2013 Chief Oddball

Since video games are my #1 hobby, I naturally spend the better part of my spare hours dedicated to making sure I get more of them. That statement carries more weight now than it has in some time, because 2013 is the year both the Xbox and PlayStation platforms introduce their next-generation console hardware.

The Xbox One and the Future of Video Games

June 6, 2013June 7, 2013 Chief Oddball

As recent statements from game publishers and hardware makers appears to show, what the games industry is aiming for now is a locked-down system of bite-sized drib-drab entertainment that you don’t own, can’t modify and should feel good about paying full price for even long after it’s been released.

Xbox None

May 24, 2013May 24, 2013 Chief Oddball

Ooooh guess what guess what? This week Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One, hardware successor to the Xbox 360 game console. It’s been a long seven and a half years since the 360 landed in stores, and it’s probably been the game console that I’ve gotten the most enjoyment out of (my SNES comes in at a close second).

Oddball Review: Tomb Raider (2013)

March 26, 2013March 26, 2013 Chief Oddball

This Lara is different than the walking-tall, nigh-indestructible badass personified by Angelina Jolie in her film portrayals of the character. The new Lara Croft bleeds. She screams. She cries. She shakes and shivers. She limps about, clutching her wounds and recoils from physical efforts too taxing for her damaged frame to tolerate. She is far more real.

Just When I Thought I Was Out, PC Gaming Pulls Me Back In

December 16, 2012December 17, 2012 Chief Oddball

It all started with Diablo III, and from there things began to spiral out of control. From Faster Than Light to System Shock 2 and even a brand new Radeon video card [!!], this is the tale of my rediscovery of PC gaming.

Oddball Review: FTL (Faster Than Light)

December 6, 2012December 6, 2012 Chief Oddball

I’m a huge fan of video games and space opera (Star Trek, Firefly and such), so when I discovered a tasty blend of both in FTL, a space exploration game for the PC, I was immediately intrigued. Although I didn’t immediately bite, a few days later a tweet arrived in my timeline from CheapassGamer informing me that FTL was on sale for 40% off.

A Grab Bag of Game Impressions

October 14, 2012January 23, 2013 Chief Oddball

I've come to the conclusion that I really, really like the Borderlands 2 soundtrack. Being a fairly gaudy shooter-looter, Borderlands 2 is not the sort of game that you would expect to have a sophisticated musical palette, but it's one of the best game soundtracks I've heard this year.

A Taste of the Mechromancer

October 11, 2012October 11, 2012 Chief Oddball

Just a quick update tonight as I come off a couple hours of Borderlands 2 goodness, during which I sped through several additional levels as Gaige the Mechromancer. Now that I’m getting class skills, it’s becoming quite interesting. I’ve decided to mainline the “Ordered Chaos” branch of Gaige’s skill tree.

Games and More Games

October 10, 2012October 10, 2012 Chief Oddball

As my mom recently pointed out, I think gaming is in my blood. As a kid I was always the one who wanted to drag out the Knight Rider board game, or The Game of Life, or Aggravation or even freaking Mouse Trap, much to the eye-rolling consternation of my parents.

Face Value: Dead or Alive 5

October 4, 2012October 7, 2012 Chief Oddball 2 Comments

Known in some circles as the “beautiful fighter” — and not necessarily in a congratulatory sense — Dead or Alive is nonetheless my favorite fighting game series, and that status is only reinforced with the introduction of Dead or Alive 5.

Tag: video games