My Pokemon Team Over The Years
August 25, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Video Games
I’ve been thinking about Pokemon a lot lately. Part of this is because of the nice commenters on the Best Of and Worst Of Pokemon lists I posted a while ago. People were mad about which ten I liked best, and equally mad about the ten I liked least. So I figured I’d finally come out and show what my teams were over the many years I’ve been playing. This includes only the Game Boy and DS games since the games on the GameCube were, well, meh. These are the versions I owned and played, and this list isn’t intended to be a “Best Pokemon Strategies” retrospective, but rather a “This Is How I Got Through The Games” retrospective. So kick back and enjoy a nice trip down memory road.
10 Pokemon You’d Rather Not Evolve
August 20, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Video Games
The whole point of a Pokemon game is to catch, train, battle, and evolve Pokemon, right? Naturally. Most of the time you learn your Pokemon is evolving and think, “Right on! This will be SWEET!” But every so often you have to sit down and make the tough choice: “Do I REALLY want to evolve this one?” I looked through all 493 entries of the Pokedex and came to these startling inclusions in the list of 10 Pokemon You’d Rather Not Evolve. And keep in mind, if you like the pics, click the links to see more from the artists. Okay, housekeeping out of the way, so let’s read on!
How To Game Correctly
August 6, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Video Games
We live in a very sophisticated day and age (note that age never precedes day) in which gaming has been taken to a whole new level, no pun intended . Okay, maybe pun intended just a little. As I sit here in my shorts without a shirt, listening to the yappy dog right outside my window sure to get a good stomping in about five minutes, I feel it is time to reflect on the culture that defines so many of us. But how does one “game” “correctly?” That is what I am here to do. Follow these simple steps.
The Monkey Comes Back: A Preview of Donkey Kong Country Returns
July 21, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Video Games
Yes sir, times are good for gamers.
This year’s E3 was full of a lot of win, assuming you were a Nintendo fanboy such as myself. While some announcements were completely out of left field, others were pretty expected. Donkey Kong Country Returns was somewhere in the middle, having been leaked as a thing currently in development by Retro Studios not long before E3. Leakage aside, what really matters is, we get a new Donkey Kong Country game! What an exciting time we live in! So then, let’s take a look at what we know from the preview and what we suspect will be in the final product in a little segment we like to call, “Game Previews.” What? You expected something fancy? Read more
Ten Ways The Real World Would Ruin Video Game Worlds
July 19, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Video Games
Sometimes the real world needs to stay away from our games, doesn't it?
The world is a very different, very scary place these days. Thankfully, video games are mostly blissful escapes from that harsh reality. But what if aspects of the real world started creeping into the fantasy realm? Here are ten ways the real world would ruin the video games world.
Ten Games That Work Better As Rentals
July 15, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Video Games
Because, hey, sometimes great games are just short.
The other day I gave a little rundown of the three main options for game rentals. I suppose I should have included “Borrow from friends,” but that’s a given. Today, however, I’m giving you a list of games that work better as rentals. Ready? Here we go!
Game Rentals: The Poor Man’s Guide
July 13, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Video Games
The end has come for Hollywood Video, so what does that leave for rentals?
We’ve hit a point in our life where video games are officially everywhere. We’ve also hit a point where they cost more than the average person has to freely spend all willy-nilly. When I was a kid there was always the salvation of the video game rental, but these days you have to think harder whether you really want to rent a game or just purchase it. Here’s my two cents on the subject matter, although it’s recommended you have more than two cents saved up should you decide to rent a game. Read more
Too Much Awesome Podcast: Episode 5
July 5, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Toys
Kyle and I may not be birds, but friends of a feather, that is quite true.
Today we have the fifth episode of the Too Much Awesome podcast with the return of Kyle Martinak. In this episode, Chris and Kyle discuss the general topic of childhood trends, including what Kyle calls “Schoolyard Currency,” Pogs, Super Soakers, Nerf, Mr. Potato Head, Toy Story 3, and video games. Plus, Chris makes a point of wishing Bob Chipman, the Game Overthinker/Movie Bob, was his friend. So sit back, relax, and listen to two boys reminisce about their childhoods.
Tips From a Grandmaster: Super Mario Galaxy 2
June 25, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Video Games
Want to know how to beat every inch of Mario Galaxy 2? Read on my friends.
Welcome to my first attempt at offering tips and tricks to a popular video game. For me, I’ve always felt as if I was a fairly good game player, but I was never sure if that translated to teaching. We’ll find out today as I offer Tips From a Grandmaster for one of the best games of the year: Super Mario Galaxy 2 for the Nintendo Wii.
Zelda: A Retrospective Part 2
June 23, 2010 by Chris Pranger
Filed under Video Games
Changes were in store for my beloved series. Would it mean the end for my love?
When last we left off, I was swooning over the storytelling prowess of Majora’s Mask and specifically, how dark the tone of the game placed the series. My hopes for a new Zelda game were high and I was eager to hear what would happen next. Before a real console sequel though, we’d be getting a little handheld detour first.
