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Remember Super Mario Bros: The Movie, where all of the koopas, goomba and even Yoshi were weird cyber-punk dinosaur freaks? No? Let's jog your memory...
The new issue of Atomix Magazine is out, and with it, my piece on Role Playing Shooters. Many of today's most popular series have taken to combining shooter and RPG elements, manipulating the fundemental mechanics of each genre. Some are shooters with RPG elements and some are gun-centric action RPGs, but some of them blur the line between the two to create a new genre all together.
Shao Khalvin is available on Meat Bun for 24 dollars. Shirts are printed in limited runs and will stay on sale until their stock runs out.
Since Batman: Arkham City was released last week, questions have been raised regarding the repeated use of the word "Bitch" in the game. The problem isn't the abuse of foul language, but the context: In the game the word is used almost exclusively as an expletive towards women. As Kirk Hamilton from Kotaku points out, it's pretty much always said in anger and in response to a woman - mostly Catwoman - getting the upper hand over a male enemy. Moreover, the criminals definitely get more worked up about Catwoman kicking their ass than Batman or even Bruce Wayne. If the question is; "Is there sexism in Batman: Arkham City?" the answer is definitely yes. But Arkham City isn't a sexist game.
Via Rockstar
Ok, so there probably isn't going to be much of a "rumble": Battlefield 3 is coming out this week. If the game is half as popular as the media has made it out to be, every single dollar leaving a gamer's wallet will be going to EA and DICE. It's a shooter. It's very pretty. I'm not sure there's much more that needs to be said.
Of course, despite BF3's likely domination of the new release shelf this week, there are other games coming out. A couple, anyways.
When I look for a new gaming themed shirt, I generally tend to skew more towards something that not only refers to a game, but turns the basic image on its head in a funny or amusing way. The idea that the designer not only knows the content, but understands it's themes and cultural signifigance to the point that can manipulate it shows a certain level of thought, which I appreciate. Though it's simple and doesn't use many of the game's more powerful icons, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better visual representation of a modern classic.
A Man Chooses isn't a mash-up or witticism, but it too showcases thoughtfulness. As a Bioshock shirt it succeeds where few others have, embodying a very complex game without getting caught up in the game's visual identity. The Big Daddy and Rapture are both very popular subjects for game-inspired artists of all stripes. While they are iconic, however, it's easy to get caught up in their aesthetics, and lose sight of Bioshock's bigger picture.
A Man Chooses is available today (October 21st, 2011) on Ript Apparel for 10 dollars. The shirt may be available on a later date via the artist's website.
Today's the last discussion of Gears 3 with the Kotaku Game Club. We're discussing Beast and Horde mode this time. It's the last week on the game, so I also expect they'll be some final thoughts on the game mixed in as well.
If you haven't been reading along with KGC or sat this one out because you aren't playing Gears 3, you should still stop by because there'll also be a thread to suggest what game you'd like us to play next as a group. I'm sure you'd be interested in sharing your thoughts on at least one new or upcoming game.
