The Current Gaming Trifecta

Hey Murder Junkies,

It's that time again. Another week or so has passed us since I last left you and more gaming related thoughts have cluttered up my mind so I figure it is time to do another one of these articles.

This week I thought I could talk to you a bit about the state of video games in general and lay out, as I see it, the Current Gaming Trifecta.

First I'm going talk about just what this Trifecta is, then I'm going to talk about how it got that way by reminiscing some and giving some historical context. Finally I'm going to speculate on what it all means for gaming in general going forward.

To Kill or Not to Kill: A Dishonorable Review

Hello Dear Readers,

This week I'm going to talk about a little gem of a game from 2012 that was released by Arkane Studios, an older development house that makes games so fresh it still has that new-developer smell.

The game, of course, is Dishonored, a first person Thief-like that was billed as having Deus Ex-like "immersive sim-ness". You might call this genre the "sneak-em up" with a side of "slice-em up" if you want to go that route.

In this article I'm going to go into the game's pedigree, who exactly Arkane Studios are, and describe to you just how awesome Dishonored is while also picking at some nits I just can't ignore.

BioShock or BioSchlock?

Greetings friends!

Today I'm going to talk about BioShock 2, a 2010 sequel to 2007's BioShock. BioShock is wrongly considered a masterpiece by a lot of otherwise well-meaning people thanks to advances in public relations and marketing. The sequel fares a bit better but is ultimately plagued by many of the same problems as the original.

First I'm going to talk a bit about the original BioShock: It's lineage and main promises, what it did right and where it went wrong. Then I'm going to talk about the sequel, BioShock 2, and why it's a bit better despite making most of the same mistakes as the original.

Somewhere along the way I'm probably going to insult people who think these games are anything other than schlocky B-grade trash with nice window dressing. I'd rather not end up insulting people but when appraising these games honestly it's very hard not to piss the fans off. But oh well, fans blow!

Retreading Familiar Ground - GTA III: Shoreside Vale

Hello once again fellow Doomers!

Today we're rounding out the GTA III portion of Retreading Familiar Ground with a look at the game's final burrough, the residential area of Shoreside Vale.

Shoreside Vale is probably the smallest of the three islands despite its large geographic footprint. Half of the island is the airport and the other four districts are comprised of a light industrial area, two residential areas and a dam.

I think Shoreside Vale is really just there to give you more ways to view the rest of the city. From the hills in the north of the island you can stand atop the game world and take in all three islands at once.

The layout itself is probably the most interesting of the three islands. It has hills and lowlying flatlands along with bridges, tunnels and a dam that all serve to connect the two residential neighborhoods with the industrial area, which is separated by a small inlet of ocean.

That said, let's dive in and break it down district by district.

Retreading Familiar Ground - GTA III: Staunton Island

Hello once again, dear Murder Junkies

This time on Retreading Familiar Ground we continue our look at Grand Theft Atuo III's iconic burroughs by revisiting the second island of the three, Staunton Island. Once again heartfelt thanks go out to the good people of gta.wikia.com.

Retreading Familiar Ground - GTA III: Portland

Hey gang!

This time I'm going to do something a little different. This is the first in a series of articles I'll be doing on each of the distinctive neighborhoods and districts that make up the world of the Grand Theft Auto games. Since Grand Theft Auto III back in 2001 the main star of the series has not been the protagonist that players inhabits during their time in the game world, but in fact that game world itself.

I've spent a crazy amount of time in the last 13 years getting settled into the environments of these games and now I want to go back and take you with me. Hence the title of this series of articles: Retreading Familiar Ground.

Wolfenstein: The New Order: The Review

Greetings once again, Dear Readers!

Today I'm going to talk about a game property that is very near and dear to my heart. I first played it as a little boy on his dad's computer and it managed to make quite the impression on me and many other little boys and girls at the time. I start with a bit of a history lesson before describing the game and then end things with my final analysis. So sit back, grab a cold one or light something up or whatever you like doing to relax and read my report on the latest re-imagining of an old favorite of murder junkies everywhere.

Why True Doom Murder Junkies?

Greetings and Salutations Dear Readers!

I am Mr. Mechanical, an Internet Writer, Blogger, Over-zealous Anti-evangelist and Guerrilla Ontologist. I am also an artist, philosopher, citizen of the world, student of the universe and free-spirited post-existentialist. Further than that I am also just an everyday average Joe and proud to be an American. Most importantly, I am you and you are me and that means we are all together.