Gamer Freak

Skyward Sword

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:33:02 +0000

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword may well be the Zelda game the world has awaited since the award winning The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed playing Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess — but none of these had the same magical feel as Ocarina of Time with its emphasis on music as a key aspect of the magical energy and plot of the game.

Luckily today a new game trailer at IGN caught my eye, and it seems to feature Zelda attempting to bestow a harp and its magical song upon her friend Link, moments before they are disturbed by the arrival of the game’s villainous adversary Lord Ghirahim, who seems bent on disrupting the transfer. If you watch this from Mississippi or anywhere else in the world, you will see instantly what I mean about the magical element of music making its return in this game. Enjoy.

Used Game Market Soars

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:20:23 +0000

People have been selling and buying previously owned video games for years. I remember in the 1980s when you could find used Atari 2600 cartridges cheap in certain sections of popular retail and electronics stores. That trend continued into the 1990s and is now in full swing, possibly due to the number and variety of gaming systems currently available. Playing used games is very economical, and people tend to treat this method of obtaining great games in a similar way as DVD rentals: they know that after they have played, they can trade their used games in for credit towards other games, or sell them and get back some of the money they spent.

Popular game specialty store chains that deal in used or previously owned games for all systems, such as GameStop, often sell new, never before used games as well. They also might have system rentals, or used systems that have been certified to be in working condition and can be purchased at considerable savings. The next time you’re in the market for a video game, give gently used games a chance. Check out the infographic here to see how successful the market for used games has become.

Ebay Video Games

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:28:23 +0000

This season, video games are definitely hot Christmas gifts! Almost everyone wants video games, no matter what age or gender. Yes, there are fifty year old grandparents playing console games or gaming apps on their smart phones or tablets. The numbers being reported by Ebay this holiday season are something for game developers and companies to rejoice about. Sales across all platforms have been nothing but up, and the outlook may be even brighter for the after Christmas sales that will surely take place. Let’s take a look at just how many video games are getting moved in this year’s frenzy of consumer spending activity.

One thing that catches my attention is that the biggest moving genres of video games selling on Ebay right now are Action and Sports games. In the action genre, I’m thinking this includes Modern Warfare 3, among others. It’s such a popular game, there’s even a Special Edition Jeep named after it. Nintendo, Electronic Arts, and Activision are the top selling game producers, with Lucas Arts trailing at the end. So, for the curious who want to know more about video game sales on Ebay, check out this infographic:

It’s a Gamer’s Paradise This Christmas

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:46:59 +0000

So many great video games have recently been released that if your favorite gamer didn’t rush out to buy all of them the moment they went on sale, there’s plenty to choose from for excellent gift ideas this holiday season. Modern Warfare 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and a host of other titles add up to easy solutions to all your gifting dilemmas when it comes to gamers. Not sure which games your buddies are likely to need or want? There are plenty of other ideas too, and one of the most comprehensive places to find them is in this infographic I found yesterday. Let’s check it out!

According to data collected from a recent survey, the most sought for gift this Christmas is the iPhone 4S. It tops every other gift in all other categories as the most desirable item of the season. Among the tablets and readers, only three were at the top of wish lists around the world: iPad 2, Kindle Fire, and Nook. Unfortunately for the Nook, it barely scrapes in at the lower end of the three, while (you guessed it) the iPad 2 leads with a broad margin over the Kindle Fire. Here’s a look at some of the hottest gifting trends this year. Hopefully it will give you a few ideas for last minute shopping.

Nintendo Popular as Ever?

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 20:30:51 +0000

For many people, the ultimate among the first modern consoles was the Nintendo game system. Many people do not realize that when the company was first created, it was a card company — a manufacturer of playing cards that began in the late 1800s and kept this course until 1974. It was at that time that Nintendo took its first steps into electronic gaming, not by creating its own game system, but by purchasing the rights to sell the Magnavox Odyssey systems. It would not be until 1977 that Nintendo began to make its own hardware. In 1985, the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) launched in the United States to great success and rave reviews. Since that time, Nintendo with its increasingly advanced consoles and hand held gaming devices, as well as exclusive game titles like the Mario and Zelda series, have kept the company on top as the most iconic console of all time.

But that depends on who you ask. Certainly, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation have superseded Nintendo in recent years in some ways, but Nintendo systems continue to enjoy a special brand of love and popularity no other console can boast. So, what were the humble beginnings of Nintendo, and how did it grow into the company we know and love today? Click on the image below to learn all you need to know about Nintendo.

Lego Arcade

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:59:00 +0000

Some of us are old enough to remember the video arcades of the 1980s, and because we spent so much time and money there buying tokens to feed those machines, they hold a special place in our hearts. So do Legos. Fortunately, Legos remain as insanely popular as ever, even though many of the classic video games have experienced some lack of enthusiasm with the arrival of far more exciting and high tech games like Halo and World of Warcraft. So, what do vintage, 80s arcade games have to do with Legos (besides the obvious fact that I squished them into a paragraph together?) Plenty, as you’re about to see.

People have been creating elaborate animations with Legos for a long time, but this one really caught my eye. That’s because it is a tribute to some of the greatest arcade games that ever existed. Frogger, Space Invaders, and Pac Man all get a tribute in this video. Enjoy it!

Social Gaming Evolution

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:36:24 +0000

Social gaming has been on the rise for the past five years, but it’s origins go back farther than you may realize. The first social gaming took place in video arcades, when groups of friends huddled around their favorite pinball or video game machines in two, three, or multi-player mode trying to outdo one another in rounds of turn-based competition. The arcade was the only place to enjoy serious gaming for many years, but soon, home video game systems like those from Atari and Intellivision brought near arcade quality gaming into living rooms everywhere, and as these systems improved, there was a short period of time during which people sort of went into hiding, alone with their favorite games. They’s spend hours alone in the darkness with only the glow of the game to keep them company, utterly tuning out the world.

Later, private home gaming became more social again as groups of friends sought out one another’s homes instead of arcades. Arcades went on the steep decline during that time and never made a resurgence. The early game consoles evolved into the modern ones we now enjoy. But game consoles now connect to wifi networks, providing hours of game play with other people online, not just at the same location. And mobile gaming has become even more social than this.

Click the graphic below for more information: