Back – way back – in the halcyon days of 2007, the original Puzzle Quest was released on XBox Live Arcade. While, at the outset, it seemed like another Bejeweled clone, of which I had already played my fill, it actually housed a much deeper game, complete with RPG elements, and multiple strategies with which the game could be played. While I had vowed to swear off all match-three games due to a complete and utter addiction to PopCap’s flagship title, the addition of new and different ways to affect the board, in addition to having an actual opponent who I had to outplay, brought me back to the fold.

Fast forward to about 6 months ago, when Joel and I got a preview of the new Puzzle Quest 2, and were promised one singular thing: More. More matching, more spells, more minigames, more character options, more, more, more.

Boy, did they ever deliver.

Continue Reading…

Pokemon: whether you love it or hate it or hold no opinion on it, you’ve definitely heard of it. Whether you’ve encountered it in video game form, card game form, cartoon form, or any other endless number of merchandising forms, it’s pretty tough to avoid. Pikachu snack foods, Pikachu party favors, even Pikachu airplanes; there is denying the reach of Pokemon in global culture.

But where did it all start? Many people, even if they recognize those “pokemans,” they may have absolutely no context to put them in – they just are. For those in the know, the truth is that Pokemon first came onto the scene first in 1996 as a rather unassuming Game Boy RPG in Japan and later spread to the rest of the world in 1998. In the world of Pokemon, these creatures roam the world, just waiting for a strong trainer to come along, kick the crap out of them, stuff them into a techno-magical ball, and then train them into being BFFs. That may be a rough summary, but I challenge you to tell me it’s wrong.

Continue Reading…

1. The Impossibility of the Internet

I did not think I would ever play Mother 3, but I did. The window for a real release by Nintendo had come and gone several years ago and every time I checked on the fan translation efforts, they were either mired in drama or seemed hopelessly far away from completion. I had made my peace with it, was content simply to imagine what it might be– the way I had a fever dream once when I was a little kid about playing Super Mario Bros. 3 years before it was released, with mutated Tryclydes and Shyguys that would chase you through mazes.

But — all things are possible given the Internet and enough time, and so I’ve played Mother 3. I am curiously happy about this, the same way I would be if I ever got to experience zero gravity. There are some things you simply don’t expect to ever do.

Continue Reading…