stories by Andrew Galbraith

Sunk by Games for Windows Live

I had a copy of the BioShock 2 Collector’s Edition nestled in my office closet for an indeterminate amount of time after finally acquiring it cheap off Amazon in the wake of a relatively underwhelming, in comparison to the first …

Review: Pulse Brings Rhythm to the iPad

 

Music is always one of the few genres of games that have either been significantly underappreciated by a majority of the gaming community or created assembly line style only to be run into the ground by money hungry publishers. …

Maturation of the FPS

 

 

Over the last two decades, First-Person Shooters have become a prime example of maturation in video games as a medium. Having always served everything to players from the perspective of a main character, certain conventions were defined by …

Press B to Hit: Splinter Cell: Conviction’s Most Shocking Scene

Editor's note: Andrew looks at what happens when Splinter Cell: Conviction's narrative makes him do something he isn't comfortable with. (Minor spoilers.) — Demian

Shock value is all about the delivery of the money shot — the instant in …

Mario, A Constant Friendship

For being nothing more than a plumber who happened to get caught up in the cascading whirlwind of events to save a princess, Mario has an uncharacteristically universal appeal that seems to stretch the world over when it comes to …

Playing Zelda Blind

Editor's note: Andrew's story of finally beating the original Zelda without FAQs or guides more than 10 years after first playing it warmed my heart. Score one for perseverance! -Brett

Strategy guides have been around since I started gaming 24 …

Toy Soldiers: A Surprise Attack of Fun

World War I was incorrectly labeled as, “The War to End All Wars”, but rightly so. It was when all the various technologies emerging at the turn of the century suddenly became used for warfare and while history buffs might …

Casual is the New ‘Hardcore’

 

 

Gamers born in the 1980s have, for most of their lives, been playing electronic games as they’ve evolved into what we have today. While many abhor the use of labels to players such as ‘casual’ or ‘hardcore’, they …

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond Lacking Humor; Disappoints

Gamers growing up in the mid-eighties have finally aged to the point of being well positioned to receive a Monty Python-esque video game and Matt Hazard sets out to do just that. In Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard

Piracy: Wenches, Rum and Video Games

Piracy is old as time, which garners it the most attention. Admittedly, I believe if something is worthwhile, it should be purchased. But, the line of justifying piracy is still blurry. Some think it acceptable to download games. Conversely, there …

Top 10 Games of the Decade

I sincerely believe that while technical achievement and graphical eye candy are all well and good, the thing that stands out succinctly best is when a game is genuinely fun. As artsy as I do enjoy my titles as well, …

Alien Breed Evolution Entertains Exceptionally

There are few times when a Xbox Live Arcade Game has been genuinely able to make me jump when a twinge of fear hits me, however Alien Breed Evolution did it repeatedly. Surrounded by human corpses and under siege as …