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If there’s one thing that the developers of the NHL series have made their mission statement since jumping to next-gen consoles, it’s to improve some element of gameplay from one installment to the next. Now that NHL 13 is ready to show, the developers at EA Sports are claiming the largest year-to-year improvement that players have ever seen. Skating, Shooting, AI, Goalies and Graphics have all been tweaked and refined for NHL 13, and after playing the game at E3 2012, it’s hard to disagree with the team’s assessment....

It’s not very often that a game like Rochard comes out. In terms of gameplay and story everything is very by the book - but that’s what makes the title so polarizing. Rochard has a peculiar quality to it, nothing about the game is really stand-out, but in the end it manages to be a lot of fun. Rochard is half-puzzle game/half-shooter and the story follows space miner John Rochard as he and his team unearth a strange artifact - while searching for a fuel element....

Legendary cartoon writer and producer Joe Ruby has tragically passed away. Along with his creative partner Ken Spears, Ruby helped create classic Hanna-Barbera toons like Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and Jabberjaw. He died of natural causes at 87. Ruby met Ken Spears when the two were working at Hanna-Barbera, and an enduring partnership was born. They conceived of Scooby-Doo at the studio as a response to complaints about cartoon violence, and it’s hard to find a less objectionable premise than a group of teens debunking mysteries with a talking dog (Scrappy-Doo notwithstanding)....

Lots of people love some good behind-the-scenes material, and the more candid, the better. Well, it’s hard to get more candid than an out-of-nowhere Twitter thread inviting users to ask any questions they want, and that’s exactly what former The Simpsons writer Josh Weinstein did. Weinstein, who served on The Simpsons as a writer and eventual showrunner between seasons 3 and 8, decided to get some engagement going with fans of the show via a Twitter thread....

When it was announced that longtime Naughty Dog Creative Director Amy Hennig had left the Uncharted developer there were initial rumors that suggested she had been “forced out” of the company. Shortly thereafter, however, Sony issued an official statement that hinted the breakup was amicable. Still, there lingered an ongoing suspicion that all was not right at Naughty Dog, specifically with the Uncharted development team. Then came word that Game Director Justin Richmond had also left Naughty Dog, further fueling that speculation....

Most fans are aware of Nintendo’s bigger franchises such as Metroid, Star Fox, and Kirby - and just about everyone, gamer or no, has heard of their iconic Mario and Zelda series. But with this major studio being around for so long, churning out countless games over the years, it’s easy for a few to slip under the radar. Whether they had limited releases, lacked mainstream appeal, or didn’t receive much marketing, there are certainly some great titles that were overlooked....

Star Wars is one of the biggest and best media franchises in the world. While the franchise is the best known for films, it also consists of animated movies, TV series, books, comics, merchandise, and, of course, video games. From Star Wars’ beginning, the franchise spawned numerous games, some better received than others. For the majority of the time, or more precisely, from 1993 to 2013, the games were published under LucasArts, but today Electronic Arts is handling the Star Wars license....

Not only do gamers love modding their favorite games, but the most avid fans customize their consoles too. Just like speed racers would to their Japanese import vehicles, every now and then, Microsoft will take the liberty of doing it for them. Though they can only be earned through million to one prize draws, or by forking over a good chunk of savings, some limited edition Xbox consoles are so beautiful that it’s totally worth it....

Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the latest video game in this generation to feature a superhero character. Superheroes nowadays are treated like mythological figures. They have deep and interesting lore, almost everybody knows who they are, and their stories often provide a lesson. Miles Morales, although a new character in the superhero genre, has made quite an impression on comic book fans all around the world. He and the characters around him have earned the love and praise of comic readers, moviegoers, and video gamers....

People don’t typically buy games hoping that they’ll exponentially increase in value years down the line. There are games that for whatever reason become a hot commodity, and as a result, sell for insane amounts of money. If you were to look at a popular game that sold well and was reviewed well, it probably wouldn’t sell for nearly as much as a title that did the complete opposite. When it comes to getting value out of old games, the rarer the title the more it can sell for....

God of War has become a hallmark in the Playstation history of games. In turn, Kratos and the cast of characters along with him have become a favorite of gamers all over the world. Nevertheless, the fandom has gone to another level. Many people have become so inspired by these characters that they have gone to the next step: getting these individuals inked on their bodies. The tattoos below are some impeccable pieces of art....

VinPit CARFAX AutoCheck CarVertical EpicVIN Bumper ClearVin Cebia VinFreeCheck AutoDNA What is VIN? The best VIN decoders CARFAX AutoCheck CarVertical EpicVIN Bumper ClearVin Cebia VinFreeCheck autoDNA Where can you find the vehicle’s Vin number? Dashboard near the windshield of the driver side Inside the drivers’ or passengers’ door jamb Under the engine hood On the steering wheel By the glass windows Inside of body panels, the frame, and other components Documents (title, insurance, manuals, registration cards, etc....

Fanart is a truly amazing medium – created with the passion and love of people who love their fandoms. Sometimes, the work of someone that was simply contracted to create some art can feel as though much less heart was put into it, especially if they have no special connection to the source material. The other great aspect of fanart is we get to see worlds that would otherwise stay separated collide with one another....

Released in 2001, Metal Gear Solid 2: The Sons of Liberty was considered a crowning achievement in the medium. The game world presented an unprecedented level of interactivity with the environment and AI, but gameplay was not the only area where it pushed the medium forward. The narrative Hideo Kojima crafted is a deep and complex web discussing themes about culture, free will, censorship, and the way modern technology will shape the world....

Destiny 2’s Beyond Light expansion was met with equal amounts of anticipation and skepticism. Players were to be given an all-new story, subclass, location, and features to play around with, along with the usual level of content that most expansions add, while at the same time gutting a significant portion of the game’s content, moving it to something Bungie calls the “Content Vault”. It was a surprising decision, but one the studio felt was necessary in order for the game to still be open to new players without feeling too bloated....

There was a time when open-world games were few and far between, but the success of Grand Theft Auto as a series after going completely going 3D ended up changing this notion completely. Grand Theft Auto III ended up taking over the gaming world by storm, showcasing just what the medium was capable of when creative geniuses were at the helm of driving the next generation of video gaming experiences. The template of Grand Theft Auto III ended up being massively influential for obvious reasons, with this formula being improved bit by bit until Rockstar Games perfected their development all the way in 2013 with the release of Grand Theft Auto V....

In every sci-fi nerd’s fantasy come true, the cast of Ridley Scott’s 1979 space-set horror film Alien is reuniting 35 years later to voice their original characters in a new set of bonus missions for Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation. Releasing as a pre-order exclusive first before being made available for download some time after the game’s release, the Nostromo Edition of Alien: Isolation will allow players to take on the role of Ripley, Dallas or Parker in two missions based on scenes from the film....

For some odd reason, society has a fascination with the apocalypse. That mysterious event that will bring about the end of the world as we know it is a hot button topic for many people, if only because we know nothing about it, or even if it’ll actually happen. Mostly the focus is on the “how” and the “why.” Well, if movies and video games are to be believed, the “how” will involve the dead rising from their graves to consume the flesh of those still standing....

Inspired by Nintendo’s 2020 hit Animal Crossing: New Horizons, an indie social sim titled Amber Isle is currently in development. In Ambertail Games’ debut game, players will assume the role of a human in a prehistoric society, and will run a crafting business on a peaceful island. The characters are all stylized after different dinosaur species, which the developers comment aren’t use often enough in mainstream media, comparing them to the many species of Pokemon....

Assassin’s Creed 3 is almost here, with the recently-released launch trailer reminding the world that the adventure will be the biggest and best title in the series so far. But while some may already see the third numbered release as the final chapter of the current story, Ubisoft says this is just the beginning. And it’s that promise that has enticed more players than ever to sign up early for another walk through the pages of history....