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An Ode to ‘Lego Star Wars: The Video Game’

February 11, 2019 Editorials

With the second Lego movie recently hitting theaters, I thought of another one of my favorite combos: Legos and Star Wars. I have no carpentry skills whatsoever, and if you told me to build a birdhouse, I would fail epically. However, even at a young age, I was a Lego connoisseur and could create anything that crossed my path. I was obsessed with Legos and Star Wars, and even built the Lego Millenium Falcon all by myself. You can envision my excitement when I found out there would be a Lego Star Wars video game. Game on bro. When I first found out about Lego Star Wars: The Video Game I was ecstatic. It would be the perfect blend of the loves of my life at the time. Now imagine the pain that came with that when I realized it was initially released on the Xbox and PS2, but not on the Gamecube. Oh,…

‘Super Mario World’ Still Holds Up

February 4, 2019 Uncategorized

One of my favorite early memories in life was playing on my grandpa’s Super Nintendo as a kid. Sure, there was a pool, a swing-set, and a huge backyard to do pretty much anything, but I was always drawn to the Nintendo. I looked forward to loading up my save files and continuing my journey from last time on the road trip. Super Mario World was one of my favorites. It was such a beautiful world, a side-scrolling game that was simple enough yet challenging at the same time. This game was great back then, and it still holds up today. The first thing about this game is how amazing it looked for the time. The colors all pop and the graphics on this game are so much better than its Super Mario Bros. 3 predecessor on the original NES. The world is so visually pleasing, and it makes you appreciate all the hard work…

Why is ‘Super Smash Bros.’ Adored by All?

January 23, 2019 Editorials

The first Super Smash Bros. changed the game (pun intended) when it came out in 1999. Never before had characters across other games come together like that. The concept of the game was relatively simple: various characters duke it out on stages designed after each character’s respective games. Who would’ve thought how much impact this would have on the gaming community. There are so many things that make Smash Bros. adored by the gaming community. One of the first is the story mode. Having to battle your way against enemy after enemy on their home turf with limited lives can be challenging. All of the times you get eliminated off that stage makes it worth it when you complete the story in full. That Master Hand was such a tough last opponent, and watching the hand explode and crumble away is such a satisfying feeling, no matter how many times you defeat…

Who Else Needs an Open-World Joker Game?

January 23, 2019 Editorials

Rumors are flying around on the internet about a new Batman Court of Owls game, but that’s not what we are here to talk about today (but we will at some point). Instead, I want to talk about an awesome concept that I think any Batman fan would enjoy, no matter if you know what the Court of Owls is or if you don’t even know Batman’s secret identity. Upon thinking about what DC has planned for this upcoming year, and in particular their Joker origin movie, I thought of a great video game idea. I want to explore Gotham as one of the greatest villains of all time – Joker. Yes, you get to play as Joker in a few video games like the Injustice series or even a little bit in the Batman: Arkham series, but never has he had his own game. How cool would it be…

Spider-Man: Arkham City

February 19, 2019 Editorials

With 2019 underway, I was reflecting back on 2018 and some of my favorite video games of the year. One that immediately sticks out is Spider-Man. The gameplay mechanics were great, the story was wonderful and touching, but I can’t help but think it’s exactly like any Batman Arkham game, except you are controlling a more athletic, web-slinging Spider-Man instead of the Dark Knight. The Spider-Man combat relies heavily on combos, many of which you earn and unlock as you level up throughout the game. You can also rally these combos together into a multiplier where you can then knock out opponents with a single hit if you reach a certain point on the multiplier scale. If there is a big dude, you have to web him up, or stun them with a gadget, and then you can proceed to beat them to a pulp. If there’s a guy with…