HIGH The drive from Blaine County back to Los Santos, and seeing the skyline for the first time. It was only then that I began to grasp just how much larger the map was compared to any other game.
LOW Trevor and Michael fighting over the same thing for the fifteenth time.
WTF First-person doggystyle. It'll make you laugh.
HIGH The combat system once all the moves are unlocked.
LOW The first several hours.
WTF Gabriel Belmont's neck is bigger than his head.
HIGH: Unique and visceral camera work.
LOW: Everything else.
WTF: The level where you run around naked with more open bloody wounds than Jesus in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ."
HIGH My first 9,999,999 point combo.
LOW Space Harrier.
WTF This game teaches us that even angels engage in pedophilia.
In my review of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, I disagree with my peers that the game is not a compelling example for games as art, rather it's perfect for a sports argument. Take 36-year-old David Dague of Chicago. When interviewed by The Associated Press, he said the game's launch is like the start of football season for a sports fan, and the comparison couldn't be more fitting. But there's another, more obvious landmark the game reaches in the form of its controversial level, "No Russian."
HIGH Covering a human player with AC-130 armory.
LOW A hole-ridden plot that ends in obvious sequel bait.
WTF Tactical nuke?!
Two articles touch on the subject of experience behind a game critic. The most recent example is MTV's Stephen Totilo not being adept at basic moves for Street Fighter II, a heralded and historically important game series.
As video games mature, so does its criticism. Totilo and N'Gai Croal bring a certain air of legitimacy in the mainstream media that many other writers in the industry lack.
However to maintain a level of balance and fairness, a critic needs to be very well rounded.
Doing a hurricane kick in Street Fighter is as basic for a gamer as what a film lover would do in citing a movie like Annie Hall or Citizen Kane.
Sure a gamer need not necessarily need to grow up in that era, or be heavily involved in the culture.
But imagine if a movie critic knew nothing of Annie Hall? Or Raging Bull? Imagine a videogame critic not even knowing how to do the most basic move in fighting games?
As long as the critic is forthcoming about it, I don't think any credibility would be lost.
However, and more importantly, I would know who to trust less.
As an extension to Chi's excellent blog post about Nintendo not catering to hardcore gamer, I stare at my Wii every day and think to myself, "When am I ever going to use you again?"
If Gears of War is anything at all, it is compelling evidence that videogames can be enjoyed purely as a visual and aural experience. Don’t get me wrong, it’s also a fun, frenzied shooter. But the one thing that sticks out in most people’s minds about this game is the presentation, and that’s precisely where its triumphs lie.
Even before a new installment in Nintendo's fabled The Legend of Zelda series hits shelves, it has the uncanny ability to ignite heated, passionate discussion on its untested merits. At the same time, it often summons cool, breezy reflections on the overall series and its special qualities. And what happens afterward? More of the same thing really. But there was one significant outcome after the release GameCube's Wind Waker and the Nintendo 64's Majora's Mask—Twilight Princess.
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