Console Wars: Sega Does What “Nintendon’t”?
The original “console wars” between Sega and Nintendo got a little bit feisty… both companies battled it out for the hearts (and wallets) of the gaming audience in each successive […]
Super Mario Bros: Desperately Seeking Shortcuts and Finding the WRONG Secrets
Back when the original NES Super Mario Bros. game first came out, I heard rumors that there was a secret level hidden within the game… the mysterious “World -1”. After […]
The Only Way to Win in Splatoon… and in Life
While most competitive games in the “shooter” genre tend to focus on eliminating adversaries, Nintendo’s “Splatoon” series flipped the script by prioritizing painting prowess over traditional combat tactics. Victory in […]
Mario and Sonic: Finding Common Ground Through Unified Purpose
For years, Nintendo and Sega’s respective mascots existed in an adversarial relationship… as the competing public faces for their brands, the idea that we would ever see Mario and Sonic […]
“Paper Mario”: A Deeper Experience Requiring a Larger Commitment
The “Paper Mario” series of games represent a massive departure from the simple “run and jump” side-scrolling adventures of a standard Mario game… these titles feature a narrative with actual […]
Pikmin: The Importance of Being Part of a Diverse “Body”
The Pikmin series features some of the most unique protagonists in all of gaming… taken individually, these tiny beings appear relatively weak and helpless, and at first glance the world […]
Mega Man: Balancing Free Will and an Optimal Path
My original console gaming experiences were pretty linear affairs… games like Super Mario Brothers simply took me from one level to the next, while Zelda gave me a rudimentary feeling […]
The Reveal of Samus Aran: The Answer We Didn’t Know We Needed
In the early days of video games, strong female protagonists were virtually non-existent… so the “helmet removal” reveal of Samus Aran at the end of the first Metroid game on […]
StarFox 64: “Do a Barrel Roll”!
When a supporting character in a video game gives us instructions it is typically designed to be helpful, acting as in-game representative of the game developer to give us clues […]
Dr. Mario’s Secret: Overcoming Evil With Good
While most of Mario’s gaming adventures are designed around demonstrating his physical acrobatics, in his exploits as “Dr. Mario” he gets to show off his more cerebral side by carefully […]
Finding God in Video Games 