Recent Articles

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the 8th Zelda console game. It's also one of the most highly rated series. The very first game I ever beat was the original Legend of Zelda. It is the series I anticipate most every time Nintendo releases a new system. (No, I don't count Twilight Princess as a Wii game.) Skyward Sword did not disappoint. Everything from the new controls, the story, and the tweaks to the formula turn this Zelda iteration...

Random Drop Hits Us With Episode 4

After a long break between their third episode and the VGA special, Random Drop has given us a quick turnaround on their fourth episode (Does that mean the VGA special wasn't an episode? What does it all mean?!) In this installment, the crew talks about Batman: Arkham City, Dark Souls, RAGE and more. As always, the three Random Drop podcasters are Justin Huthmacher, Adam Nelson, and Rob Watkins. The podcast's home is http:/...

Random Drop's VGA 2011 Special Hits

Random Drop's fourth podcast made its way onto the web recently, after a long break from the last podcast, Oct. 24. If you're a big fan of the VGAs, then you may want to skip this podcast, as the group generally lampoons what the VGAs have become. As always, the three Random Drop podcasters are Justin Huthmacher, Adam Nelson, and Rob Watkins. The podcast's home is http://randomdrop.libsyn.com/. Episode 004's download location is...

Retrospective: Modern Warfare 3 versus Battlefield 3

Mario vs. Sonic. Metal Gear vs. Splinter Cell. Gran Turismo vs. Forza. You vs. everyone. The video game community has long been the grounds for spirited rivalries between similar franchises. Message boards become war zones, and comment sections transform into battlegrounds as devoted fans deliver their arguments and mud slinging vitriol, defending their favorite franchises with words delivered in machine gun staccato, as fast as their fingers...

The Best (And Worst) Video Games of 2011

It's that time of the year again, folks. The time when everybody starts making new years resolutions, only to break them in a matter of weeks. It also happens to be the time of the year when video game critics put out their awards for the industry. Fortunately for us, these edicts will withstand the test of time. From worst to best, find out here what we thought of 2011's offerings -- as well as those that shouldn't have seen the light of day. ...

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Review

It's impossible to ignore the FPS juggernaut that is the Call of Duty franchise. From its rabid fanbase to its yearly installments that earn millions, the franchise has -- love it or hate it -- earned a strong presence in the video game community. Modern Warfare 3 is the latest in the military first-person shooter series. This title, a continuation from Modern Warfare 2, is the end of the line that began with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in...

WWE '12 Review

Not long after the release of the previous WWE game, THQ announced it would be going back to the drawing board for the next one, WWE ’12. THQ promised to build the entire game from the ground up, including brand new graphics and animations. Early builds of the game, such as the one seen at E3, seemed to back away from most of those statements. While the final product is far from perfect, wrestling fans will be pleased to know that this in...

Battlefield 3 Review

If you were even remotely following the video game industry this year, you heard of Battlefield 3. After releasing to an enormous amount of hype following this year's E3 and a marketing campaign that set its sights on its closest competitor, Call of Duty, the game has finally come out, and the dust has finally settled. Gone is the rivalry, the hype, and the massive anticipation, and what we are left with is a look at the game with a clear head...

Jackson County Jail (1976) Review

There are some movies that are so poorly made, it defies belief that they ever made it to the silver screen. Jackson County Jail, produced by the prolific Roger Corman, is one such movie. If it were possible to gauge the IQ of the script writer from this movie, it would be pretty close to zero. Jackson County Jail is a slapdash effort. It begins in Los Angeles when liberated career woman Dinah Hunter (Yvette Mimieux) quits her job as a...

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) Review

As someone who has enjoyed all incarnations of the Mission Impossible film series (yes, even the second one, only much less so than the others), I can say without a doubt that Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is easily the best of the bunch. It takes all of the tension and dynamic teamwork from the TV series, the high caliber stunts and action set pieces from the movies, and combines them to make a highly entertaining and fast-paced action/spy...

The Dark Knight Rises Prologue Impressions

Despite being months away from a theatrical release, a six-minute prologue to The Dark Knight Rises was released this weekend, showing before Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. While it may seem odd to release a small portion of the film for public viewing before the actual release, what was done here worked incredibly well and functioned better than most movie trailers, with their spoiler-rific details. It introduced a key character, retained...

One Man's Xbox Live Support Issues

Usually, customer service and support departments operate relatively smoothly. There may be glitches and hiccups sometimes, but in the end, customers get helped. This is especially true if you're talking about companies such as Amazon, which has such an exemplary track record with customer service that, well ... I can't even think of a time when it didn't go above and beyond to help me with issues. Unfortunately, sometimes issues can linger...

The Customer Is Always (Allowed to Be) Right

There’s a point at which a company’s actions come across backward and anti-consumer, even by modern-day corporate standards. But, beneath all the seemingly underhanded, shady business tactics, there have to be reasons. Whether those reasons are good is subjective, yet they will at least be understandable. Sony has made changes in various aspects of its business model since the PlayStation 3’s release, including (but not limited...

Dark Souls Review

A fair warning: Everything you've heard about Dark Souls up until this point is entirely true. This game isn't a game you enjoy; rather, it's a game you survive. It is not meant to make you feel powerful, nor is it meant to make you satisfied as you tear through enemy after enemy. There is no strong narrative, no interesting characters, and no motivation to continue -- only the sense of pressing on and surviving one more encounter. Living one...

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review

It’s impossible to review a game like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim without comparing it to its predecessors. Bethesda has always taken great care to keep the spirit of The Elder Scrolls alive while altering and enhancing gameplay between every title, and Skyrim is no exception. A revamped interface, altered character creation and a brand new graphics engine create an atmosphere both familiar and new. Taking place roughly 200 years after the...