• Review,  Video Games

    Review – The Urbz: Sims in the City

    I grew up in a small rural town, population somewhere below 2000 (the signage was never quite clear on the number). The pervasive boredom of growing up in an area with no consistent social scene is probably the greatest factor in my embracing of video games as a hobby. It also meant that I’d perpetually be envious of city living,…

  • Review,  Video Games

    Review – The Sims Bustin’ Out (GBA)

    The Sims on PC was a massive success, selling somewhere past the 10 million mark. That’s still pretty impressive today, but was incredible back in 2000. Electronic Art was eager to cash in on their new hit series, so by 2003, the tap had been turned on and the ports and spin-offs had begun to flow. There were two separate…

  • Miscellaneous

    Happy 1 Year Anniversary!

    My first full year of running what was then called the Game Complaint Department. It's actually kind of painful to reach back that far into my memory, as that's right before my life got really tumultuous. Also before I started doing this professionally. So, I was still writing this on someone else's time.

  • Review,  Video Games

    Review – The Sims Bustin’ Out (Console)

    The console port of the original The Sims was okay. It did what it had to do, which was translate the game to console, while also adding on some extra features, like a light story mode and multiplayer. It wasn’t bad, honestly, but it did leave some room to grow. So much room, in fact, that less than a year…

  • Review,  Video Games

    Review – The Sims (Console)

    When The Sims launched on PC in 2000, it quickly established itself as a landmark title. It was the first major success for Maxis since SimCity 2000’s 1993 release, selling somewhere in the neighbourhood of 14 million copies and establishing itself as one of the best selling PC games of all time. Having said that, it has aged horrifically, having…

  • Review,  Video Games

    Review – Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2

    Lisa had been our partner in volleyball for the entire two week vacation, and in that time, she had never removed her thong bikini. We doubted that she, and indeed, any of the girls, had packed anything aside from bathing suits for the trip. We discussed the state of that apparel, nestled firmly between her two buttcheeks. She had been…

  • Video Games

    Console Command – Virtual Boy

    The 90’s were a weird time for video games, when you actually go back and think about it. Most people in the west choose to remember the Sega Genesis’ battle with the Super Nintendo, then later the Sony Playstation vs. the Nintendo 64. That’s a simple way to remember the 90’s console market, but when you dig into it, you…

  • Review,  Video Games

    Review – Coffee Crisis

    The beat-’em-up genre is one of the simplest formulas in gaming. During the early 90’s, following the release of Final Fight in the arcades, the genre exploded and found itself host to all manner of licensed tie ins. If you had a super-hero, action movie, or mascot that you needed to cram into an interactive format, the conveyor-belt beat-’em-up was…