Mega Man and a Perfect Plan
My original console gaming experiences were pretty linear affairs… games like Mario simply took me from one level to the next, while Zelda gave me a rudimentary feeling of exploration […]
Metroid and Surprising Answers to Prayer
In the early days of gaming, strong female protagonists were virtually non-existent…so the reveal of Samus Aran at the end of the first Metroid game was a pretty big deal. […]
StarFox and Doing a “Barrel Roll?”
When a supporting character in a video game gives us advice, it is typically designed to be helpful… but when it is given in a demanding, repetitive manner, it only […]
Dr. Mario and “Overcoming Evil With Good”
While most of Mario’s adventures involve acts of physical acrobatics, his exploits as Dr. Mario allows him to show his more cerebral side by carefully matching doses of medication with […]
Kirby and “We Are What We Eat”
Kirby has a very unique way of learning new skills in his games… he consumes an ability and then becomes capable of demonstrating that power. As Kirby literally becomes what […]
Faith, Works, and Super Mario: Happy “MAR10 Day”!
Thanks to the alignment of the calendar abbreviation for March and the tenth of that same month each year, we have the annual gaming holiday known as “Mar10 Day” (or […]
The Truth About Mario: Mario Under the Magnifying Glass
I am not sure there is a video game character who is more intrinsically woven into the fabric of the gaming world than Mario, the gaming icon who has spanned […]
The Super Mario Bros. Movie: A “Common” Complication
Well… after seeing the Super Mario Bros. Movie achieve over 1.3 BILLION dollars in box office money before turning its’ attention to streaming and physical media releases, it is safe […]
Super Mario 3D World and Post-Game Content: Saving the Best for Last
Finishing a video game can be a bittersweet experience… the characters and story that we may have been enjoying for hours, days, months, or sometimes even YEARS is suddenly over, […]
The Undefeated Adversary… Never Enough Time: “The Endgame” (Part 2)
We all know the sound… I can’t fully articulate in a manner that will adequately convey it, but when we hear it, we just KNOW. Let me try… it goes […]
Finding God in Video Games 