5-ways-celebrate-national-video-games-day

September 12 is National Video Games Day, so the obvious way to celebrate is by playing games all day. Instead, try to think outside the console and dedicate some time to other video game activities that celebrates the long history of gaming and characters like Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog.

The game is not an official government holiday, but it has gone viral and grown throughout the years. People celebrate with tournaments, top 10 lists and more.

Visit a Classic Arcade

Video games were more thrilling when you didn't have to just flop onto your couch and press the "Power" button. Get your quarters ready and visit some local arcades to play new games and classics.

The website AURCADE offers a state by state arcade tracker including smaller venues with arcades like laundromats and bowling alleys. This is great trip for parents with children as you can introduce younger ones to arcade games that you loved.

Make Your Own Game

You've played hundreds of video games, now its time to use that knowledge to make a game of your own. You don't need a design degree to make simple Flash games online for free. The best parts of these games is customizing them to your own tastes and applying personal features.

One of the best websites for beginners is Sploder.com. The website is dedicated to creating free Flash video games. The "Platform Creator" allows you to create action-based games like Mario and Mega Man. It has dozens of enemies and design elements that you can manipulate for hours before sharing with friends.

Design a Video Game T-Shirt

Video game shirts are still super popular. Whether you're rocking a retro Pac-Man ghost or a PS3 controller, you can find dozens of t-shirts online. Designing your own will had a more custom feel and make you appreciate it more.

Two websites offer t-shirt designing options. Custom Ink is perfect for gaming groups and clubs because they have gaming designs and work easily with bulk orders. Casually Hardcore has multiple shirt types and dozens of logos you can add like controllers, video game slogans and Super Mario question mark blocks.

Host a Video Game Party

Gather your friends together for the ultimate video game party. Set up multiple TVs and have a large selection of games and consoles to choose from. Once the basics are set up, the party will take off from there and features tons of gaming throughout the night.

Play Your Favorite Game

One of the most important parts of National Video Game day is to ensure that you dedicate time to your favorite game of all time. You may not have played it in years and enjoying it again will bring back some great memories.

5-reasons-why-elder-scrolls-online-will-inevitably

With the recent news that Zenimax Online Studios is developing the first ever Elder Scrolls Massively Multiplayer Online game fans of the series are getting riled up. Ever since the last installment of The Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, the popularity of the series has skyrocketed, but who could blame them? With amazing graphics, literally endless game play, and a record low number of bugs for a Bethesda Game Studios game who could resist the mouthwatering action of 2011's Skyrim. However, in a reverse of the old apple saying, one extremely sweet apple can ruin the bunch too. Thus here are five reasons why The Elder Scrolls Online will inevitably fail to meet expectations.

It Will Be Compared to Skyrim 

With only two years separating the two games, The Elder Scrolls Online's elder sister, Skyrim, will cause her to falter and then die. The reason is simple, with the bar set by Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls Online will not be able to make the jump, it's impossible. Unless Zenimax is planning on delivering a supercomputer with each game it physically can't even meet with the graphics type Skyrim utilizes, photorealism. Not to mention the disturbing lack of the loveable/hateable dragons that so many have become accustomed to slaying/watching-fly-into-the-ground-in-circles.

Other People Will Spoil Your Fun
Sure it's one of the M's in MMO, but it just wouldn't be The Elder Scrolls with other people. With everyone making choices around you, The Elder Scrolls Online will feel like a World of Warcraft, Rift, or Everquest rip-off. The environment that its preceding siblings have set up is one that simulates life, to some extent at least. Throw thousands more people in there using a chat box to voice their innermost thoughts and doing exactly what you are, the game will get pretty monotonous.

MMO Limitations Bog Players Down
With over thousands of MMO's floating through cyberspace, it's rare to find one with the extreme amount of freedom an Elder Scrolls game offers. Even if you did, the popularity of the game would definitely be little to none. Making a MMO with an Elder Scrolls amount of freedom and keeping popularity from dropping implausible and possibly impossible. Players who are still considering playing The Elder Scrolls Online get ready for the limitations by playing another MMO in the meantime.

Zenimax Just Isn't Bethesda
Face it, when another company steps in and takes over, it's never really what you expected. Of course, the change isn't always bad, but I feel for The Elder Scrolls Online's case it unfortunately is. Bethesda has been credited with the making of two beautifully constructed series of games, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, while Zenimax is a virtual infant in the game making industry, and the chances of an infant being a first-shot hit is slim to none.

It Won't Have Bethesda's Rainbow of Glitches
If you've played any game produced by Bethesda, you probably have run into at least a baker's dozen of glitches, but most of the time it's kind of cool watching a dragon fly tail-first into a tree and disappear. It's quite like a challenge, or bragging rights as to who has experienced the cooler mishap. Without Bethesda spearheading the operations, you can pretty much kiss those quiet Easter Eggs goodbye. Well, until Bethesda comes out with The Elder Scrolls VI.

5-easy-budget-video-games

In case you hadn't noticed, the economy is having a hard time. If you're a gamer, a new $60 title may be out of your reach right now. Until you can once again afford to go to GameStop to pre-buy your copy of Uncharted 2 here's a list of great titles you may have missed, which now you can get for a single crisp Andrew Jackson.

Prey (PC, XBOX 360) Price - $6 PC; $9 XBOX 360

Prey is a first-person shooter about Tommy, a Native American, who finds his home suddenly engulfed by a giant alien ship. The result, of course, is slimy alien carnage. It has a few elements that set it aside from the slew of other shooters. Most of the weaponry in the game is alien that the hero finds in the environment; some are typical and some are rather unusual. The game uses portal technology allowing enemies to spawn anywhere. You also use portals to navigate through the ship, and the game engine uses varying gravity. Tommy is endowed with spirit powers including the ability to leave his body and pass through certain barriers, a spirit-guide hawk to help guide you through the levels and an interesting near-death experience when you lose your health.

If you're a shooter fan and want a good game for a few bucks definitely pick up this one. The game also has a Limited Edition version which included die cast figurines, concept art, downloadable soundtrack and comes in a fancy tin. You can pick up the Limited Edition for $10.

Counter-Strike: Source (PC) Price - $20

Valve's Counter-Strike: Source is an online multi-player shooter, originally based on a Half-Life modification. You are either a terrorist or counter-terrorist with a variety of weaponry playing against others in a multitude of objective games. From hostage rescue missions to free-for-alls, to player-created modifications involving zombie infestations the gameplay ranges across the spectrum. CS is fun for a casual player, if you don't mind getting shot a lot at first, and also for serious players. The game can incorporate "clans," or groups of players who play together often having tournaments and ranking systems. The realistic shooting physics can be daunting at first. The recoil of your gun will cause your bullets to hit higher than indicated on your sights, just like a real weapon. Moving causes your aim to decrease significantly. It doesn't take long to get into the swing of things. If you enjoy shooters and haven't had the experience of playing against dozens of other human players, take some time and get this game.

The server menus are stripped down and very simple to navigate. Valve's Steam program manages the servers much better than other online gaming servers like Microsoft's Games for Windows.

The Elderscrolls: Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition (PC, XBOX 360, PS3) Price - $20 PC,

The Elderscrolls IV: Oblivion, Game of the Year Edition is a beautiful open-world fantasy experience created by Bethesda. The incredible graphics, the vastness of the worlds, the storylines, side missions, characters and gameplay in general made this 2006's Game of the Year in multiple outlets. In the Game of the Year Edition you get the Shivering Islesand Knights of the Nineexpansions, making for a near endless game experience. When I played Oblivion the first time I never even got involved in the main storyline; I became so enamored with side missions, factions, gaining skills, gaining wealth and just having fun. The criticisms of the game included occasional drop in frame rate for the Xbox 360 version, a nonsensical leveling system which caused the bad guys to level up with you and some dialogue that was repetitive and limiting. The game's faults are like trying to find something wrong with Lamborghini. The games musical score and brilliantly rendered environment can cause the player to simply get lost in this impressive game. *note: The Game of the Year Editions for PS3 and XBOX 360 are a few buck more, but you should be able to find the regular edition for under $20.

The Orange Box(PC, XBOX 360, PlayStation 3) Price - $20 XBOX 360, $20 PS3, $25 PC

I broke my $20 dollar rule on this one, but not really. In The Orange Box you get not just one game, but five games. Half-Life 2, its first and second expansions Episode 1and Episode 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. Individually each of the games has won a Game of the Year award in various outlets, including the expansions, and together they form a quintet of awesomeness.

Let's start with Half-Life 2. In 2004 there was one game, Half-Life 2. It was a game years ahead of the field in graphics and brilliant in gameplay. You are Gordan Freeman, a scientist/butt-kicker, who has been awakened from stasis after the events of Half-Life the original, to...well...to fight monsters. To make a long story short, HL2 is, by itself, an incredible game.

The expansions, Episode 1 and 2, continue the storyline adding things like an incredibly intelligent and divers AI companion and improved graphics. Both expansions are just as fun as the original game.


Team Fortress 2 is a game played online with Valve's servers. It is different from most other online multi-player shooters. You can choose from nine distinct classes, each with their designated weapons and special abilities. The differences in the playable characters make team-play and strategy essential. The game is fun and Valve instituted a sort of achievement tracker to add incentive. The game-play is simpler and more casual than some other online shooters and can be more fun than a frustrating match with the more hardcore gamers.


Portal is the real gem of The Orange Box. In Portal, you find yourself in some sort of a testing facility where a computer voice runs you through a gauntlet of puzzles involving a portal gun that creates teleporting rifts in flat surfaces. The game is a challenging, mind-expanding exercise that progressively gets more difficult, and more fun. The computer voice that is guiding you through the levels, GLaDOS, is reminiscent of a darker Hal who goads you on with promise of increasingly more elusive "cake". The games dark humor and developed twists are especially amusing and interesting when you are trying to figure out an elaborate puzzle. I'm fairly certain Portal is one of the only games to have a character that is an inanimate object who has won multiple awards in the gaming field. The Companion Cube is a block that in some levels you must find ways to transport it with you as you navigate the puzzles. After you have completed the game, you have options to go back through the levels with more difficult standards that border on impossible. Portal is worth the price of The Orange Box in and of itself.


Star Wars: The Force Unleashed(Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and 3, Wii and handheld platforms) Price - $15 XBOX 360, $15 PS3, $20 Wii

I am only going to review this game for the Wii. Being a tremendously hopeless Star Wars nerd like I am, I must say, if you don't have a Wii, by all means sample this little number, but I'm fairly sure they wouldn't be nearly as fun on another platform.


The Force Unleashed takes place in between The Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope. You find yourself as Darth Vader's apprentice hunting Jedi. The game, by itself, is good, but not great. We all know the Wii lacks the powerful graphics of the other mega-platforms, but the graphics do deliver. The story is fun, allowing Star Wars fans a glimpse of some unknown stories in the Star Wars timeline. The bad guys are diverse and manage to stay fresh throughout the game. The levels are big and can be challenging at times. It is fairly easy and intended for a wide audience, including newer gamers. (My wife doesn't play a lot of video games and loves this one.) The real fun comes from Wii's unique motion-detecting controllers. When the Wii was introduced, I know that there were countless other Jedi-loving fanboys like myself who were thinking one word. Lightsabers! I was waiting for a game to incorporate lightsabers into the Wii remote technology and LucasArts did not let me down. The different swings and combat moves depend on how you direct your Wii remote. The nunchuck attachment is how you manage your force powers. So with one hand you're choking the life out of someone while you're slashing and throwing your lightsaber with the other. It is fun! Even if you aren't a Star Wars fan, this one would be a definite addition to a Wii lovers library. Pick it up, and may the Force be with you, gamers!

The hyperlink under the prices for the games are the cheapest ones I could find new at this time. Your best bet to get one of these games is probably walking into Wal-Mart or Target. They seem to have usually have the lowest prices on games, plus you don't have to worry about shipping or waiting for it.

4-features: every-video-game-have

Video games have evolved past only being simple platformers or trying to get the highest score. With all the advances in gaming, it's surprising that some titles can lack certain features that should be standard in modern video games. Here are four great features every game needs.

Difficulty levels 

While the ability to change difficulty levels is pretty standard, there still games like the Legend of Zelda series, that don't allow gamers to adjust how hard or easy the experience is. One default difficulty can leave younger gamers frustrated and experienced gamers bored. Not only do difficulty levels make the game more appealing to a wider audience, they also give gamers a reason to replay.

Auto-save and saving when you want 

Auto-saving is a necessary feature in story driven games. There have been many times, like in the first Mass Effect, where I have gotten so caught up in what's happening the game that I forgot to save. One poorly timed death can make gamers lose hours of play. Fortunately, the other games in the series have frequent auto-saves. If a RPG or story heavy FPS wants to keep gamers interested and not disrupt the flow of the plot, autosaves and the ability to save often is a must.

Tracking achievement or trophy progress 

Achievements and trophies have been available in video games for years. However, it can be impossible to figure out just how close you are to getting an achievement. If the trophy is unlocked after defeating 2,000 enemies, it's hard to keep track without help. There are games like Left 4 Dead and the Gears of War series that give players in-game stats on how they're doing. Every video game that features achievements or trophies should help the player keep up-to-date with their progress.

Local co-op play 
If a game has a campaign that is able to be played online, it should also have local co-op. Halo and Borderlands can include it, so why do other games like Dead Island only include online co-op? The popularity of online multiplayer seems to have overshadowed the experience of playing with someone who is sitting next to you. Local co-op won't work with every type of game, of course. However, the experience of playing a racing or FPS game locally is one that many gamers look forward to.

Not including these features doesn't make a game automatically bad. Although, as games become more depended on plot or offer over 50 achievements, features that help the gamer keep track of their progress should be included. Hopefully with the next generation of consoles, more games will embrace features like auto-saves and changing difficulty levels.

3-pretend-games-play-children

My daughter is terrified of storms. Unfortunately for her, we live in Florida. She's had to weather many hurricanes and tropical storms. We play pretend games to pass the time and help her stay calm during the worst of the storm. Here are three games that will keep kids entertained while you wait for a storm to pass.

Pretend you're camping.

We put on our pajamas and bring our sleeping bags and pillows into the living room. Our daughter brings her favorite dolls and stuffed animals. We have battery operated flame-less candles. We put those in the center of the living room floor and sit around them. We pretend the candles are our campfire. We tell stories and sing songs. Then we lay down in our sleeping bags and point out constellations we imagine in the sky.

Pretend to be reporters.

My daughter loves to play spy, so being a reporter is right up her alley. She dresses in what she feels is her most professional business attire, often borrowing items from my closet. Her father plays camera man and videos her with our digital camera. I'm usually her assistant. We have hurricane impact windows that don't need to be boarded up. She peaks out the windows and then she reports on the conditions she sees outside. She also conducts interviews (of our cats) to see how other citizens feel about the storm. Sometimes she writes her report down and distributes it to her father and I as a newspaper.

Pretend you're shipwrecked.

We build a big "cave" in the living room by taking the cushions off the couch and draping blankets over it, the armchair and coffee table. We start off sitting on the couch cushions on the floor. They act as our boats or rafts. We listen to the wind and rain and imagine our boats tossing and turning then crashing on the shore. We are thrilled to find the cave and take shelter inside.

These games are great to play even when we lose electricity. After all, electricity isn't usually available on a camping trip or when you're shipwrecked and reporters need to be prepared to deal with all types of conditions. They keep my daughter distracted and entertained until she either falls asleep or the weather calms down.