Peter Galvin

The Duke abides: Gamer takes on "Duke Nukem Forever"

06.15.11 - 2:08 pm | Peter Galvin |

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Duke Nukem Forever
Xbox 360, PS3, PC
(3D Realms / Triptych Games / Gearbox Software / 2K Games)

Duke Nukem Forever is an exploration of myth and ego, a commentary on celebrity-obsessed culture...

Oh, who are we kidding? Duke Nukem is a steroid-popping meathead who loves beer, blow jobs and blasting aliens. DNF is a direct sequel to Duke Nukem 3D, a PC game that debuted in 1996 – in those dying days of action movie excess, nu-metal and witty one-liners – and the sequel does not stray far from its roots.

That it took 15 years to release a sequel makes DNF the oldest video game joke in the industry. Following numerous delays, funding issues and company closures, its imminent release is a moment being watched by many gamers with cautious anticipation: Will the game enjoy the same success it might have had in the 90s? Or has the world changed too much, lending this joke a pitiful punchline? Read more »

Video games

Gamer road trip: E3 report!

Hyped at E3, first-person shooterBioShock Infinite will be released in 2012.

06.14.11 - 5:29 pm | Peter Galvin |

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If last week's E3 press conferences in Los Angeles are any indication, game consoles are no longer just about games. The Electronic Entertainment Expo, the year's biggest video game industry event, lavishly presented gamers with a sneak peek at the most-anticipated titles and hardware goodies looking to lighten wallets later this year. Read more »

Pulp gaming

Notoriously pop-culture obsessed Rocksar Games uses a cinematic style to please noir aficionados

05.24.11 - 4:19 pm | Peter Galvin |

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For all the serious discussion sparked by the Grand Theft Auto series, Rockstar Games' blockbuster is not the most serious bunch of games. Notoriously pop-culture obsessed, the company's otherwise earnest game stories are peppered with movie references, goofy caricatures, and dick jokes. The separation between atmosphere and content became most difficult to overlook when the series joined the current console generation with Grand Theft Auto IV. Read more »

Portal 2

A video game's second installment leaves its cult credibility unscathed

05.03.11 - 5:25 pm | Peter Galvin |

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Valve Corporation

(Xbox360, PS3, Mac/PC)

GAMER Portal 2 reminds us that "first-person" is a point of view first and a game type second. With combat-themed shooters incestuously fumbling over one another to produce the most similar experience, it takes a certain amount of marbles to deliver a shooter about strategy and narrative instead of death. But for developer Valve, Portal's sequel was never a risky gamble.Read more »

Gamer: does the dismal "Homefront" have a silver lining?

03.18.11 - 12:56 pm | Peter Galvin |

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Can Homefront’s failures inspire change in the game industry?

I’m almost reluctant to add to the media blitz that first-person shooter Homefront (now available) was and is getting. Even with low scores and plummeting stocks, the game managed to sell 300,000 copies on its first day, so to a degree it would seem the publicity has paid off. But, after being personally subjected to an overwhelming number of posters and billboards, hundreds of balloons, an anti-Korean rally, and a long schoolbus ride to a barbed-wire-laden warehouse, I was disappointed to find that behind this velvet curtain was a pretty flimsy product. Maybe Homefront will be the game that gets the ball rolling on an important issue that has been brewing for a while: game pricing.

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Video games

...And gaming for all

The Game Developers Conference in San Francisco provided plenty of hype -- and even a little controversy.

03.09.11 - 8:21 am | Peter Galvin |

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GAMER For a second there, the mighty PR machine seemed poised to devour the Game Developers Conference. The communal, feel-good GDC was built on sharing ideas, and in recent years the modest think tank had grown exponentially, as established game developers and publicity houses descended on downtown San Francisco with glossy preview events and headline-stealing announcements that previewed things to come at the summer E3 expo. Read more »

Dreadfully fun

Turn out the lights, turn up the sound, and enter Dead Space 2.

02.01.11 - 4:36 pm | Peter Galvin |

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Dead Space 2

(Visceral Games/Electronic Arts), Xbox 360, PS3, PC

GAMER Survival horror might be the game genre most affected by the environment it's played in. You'll see the best results when a player agrees to meet the title halfway: turning out the lights and turning up the volume. Then it's up to the developers to deliver on their half of the equation. Though generally lauded when it released in 2008, the original Dead Space launched with promise but ultimately was content to repeat itself for the majority of its playtime.Read more »

Admit it, you're addicted to Angry Birds

YEAR IN VIDEO GAMES, TAKE ONE: Forget Hollywood, this was the year that tiny screens held our attention

12.21.10 - 7:34 pm | Peter Galvin |

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GAMER 2010, TAKE ONE Although a large portion of the world remains blissfully unaware of a shift, the game industry has silently surpassed Hollywood as the wealthiest entertainment medium. The year was more transitory than breakthrough, but 2010 boasted a number of changes. Here are seven.Read more »