Big Buzz in Console Gaming
By: John Parry
Tuesday was huge for console gaming! Two new consoles were announced and one of the most popular franchises of all time is making its 3D debut.
Valve’s Piston
Valve is set to enter the console market soon, and they brought a (non-working) model of their Piston to the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show.
Read More
—————————————————————————————————————————————–
Pokémon Black 2 Review
By John Parry
GameFreak has released a numbered sequel in the main Pokémon series for the first time ever. Is it worth $35?
Vitals
Platform: DS
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: GameFreak
Year: 2012
Story Mode
The story mode in Pokémon Black 2 is certainly a different take on Unova. While Black and White featured 150 new creatures, the sequels offer over 300 Pokémon in the regional Pokédex. The player’s path through the region is also a breath of fresh air.
Read More
Read MRead
———————————————————————————————————————–
‘Last Story’ Isn’t For You
By: John Parry
No, this article isn’t a review, nor is it really about “The Last Story” at all. It’s a semi-angry explanation as to why every North American outlet shouldn’t have bothered publishing a review of this game.
Let’s start with Operation Rainfall–they’re the real story here…
——————————————————————————————–
Gaming Addiction: Plague or Oddity?
By John Parry
On August 7th, Ohio teenager Tyler Rigsby collapsed at his aunt’s house following four straight days of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Instead of examining similar media reports, Fire & Ice reached out to actual gamers to hear firsthand what they had to say about addiction and what the misconceptions are.
——————————————————————————————–
6 Reasons Handheld Gaming Isn’t Dying
By: John Parry
Portable gaming has recently seen a shitstorm of blogging investors and even gamers who think dedicated handhelds are doomed. Nintendo is especially doomed, in case their projected 2013 profits and the Wii beating out PS3 and Xbox 360 in global sales fooled you. We’re taking a good hard look at some numbers that suggest dedicated handhelds aren’t going extinct. At least, not any time soon.
6. Smartphones Themselves
Have you ever tried typing on an iPhone? It can be any phone without a keyboard. Was it a good experience? We didn’t think so. The iPhone’s God-awful touchpad plus autocorrect combination has inspired a whole website about how much it sucks to communicate via text on an iPhone…..
Read More
————————————————————————————–
4 Awesome Alternate Rules for Your Favorite Childhood Games
By: John Parry
This week in Gaming we’re revisiting some of your favorite childhood activities, Fire & Ice style. To keep things fresh, we’re offering you some cool variations on the classics.
4. Hide n’ Go Seek–The Lazy Way
Have you ever caught yourself playing Hide n’ Go Seek and wishing you could skip the whole “exercise” part? Our favorite alternate rule is that the seeker only needs to call out the locations of the hiders in order to “catch” them. No need to worry about your friend on the track team or what type of shoes you’re wearing; just point ‘em out and the round is yours!
So imagine when you’re “it” and you convince your friends to try the new rule. You count to twenty and start searching. When you don’t immediately spot anybody, you take up a subtle hiding place of your own–one with a nice view of home base. ….
Read More
——————————————————————————————
Wii U’s Tragic Flaw (is Totally Fixable)
By: John Parry
Nintendo made waves at E3 this year when they announced the Miiverse, a big first step into the realm of social networking. Remember, this is the company that insisted in 2004 that “nobody wants to play online.” Fire & Ice is here with an alternate theory on why Nintendo’s entering the social media game, and why it’s no big deal if Miiverse flops.
Most of us just assumed Nintendo is trying to bank on the success of Facebook and Twitter. It’s not a bad theory at all, and in fact Nintendo might laugh their way to the bank if social media-loving gamers enjoy the Wii U–but what if Nintendo’s decision to build the Miiverse is based on more than social networking’s popularity? What if Nintendo has misinterpreted feedback from their core audience?….
———————————————————————————————–
What You Learn Playing Mario Kart with a 7-Year-Old
By John Parry
You picked a seat near the back of the plane, hoping the window seat to your left would mercifully remain empty. A mother and young son approach, looking for two adjacent seats. You suddenly realize the seat behind the one to your left is also open. Your plan has backfired, and you’ll be sitting next to a 7-year-old on your way to Philly.
“Why did we have to fly on Southwest instead of Air-Tran or anything?” he chokes out through tears as he bemoans unassigned seating. “Then Dad would be here and I could be next to you!”
You resist the urge to point out that his mother just handed him a bottle of water between the seats. Then he mentions Pokemon to his mom, and you know the perfect solution. You whip out your black Nintendo 3DS and wait for the magic to work.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————–
“4 Great Albums That Go Perfectly With Your Favorite Shooters”
By John Parry
Contemporary video game soundtracks have made serious strides since the days of the NES, and we’re not just talking about sports games or Rock Band. Uncharted, Halo, and Quake brought quality tunes to the table. Sadly, shooters tend to tone down the soundtrack when you’re actually playing, especially in multiplayer. Sometimes you just have to find a good album and crank out the kills. We’re talking about albums like…
4. “One By One” by the Foo Fighters (Gears of War)
Marcus Phoenix simply has to be a rock-n-roll guy. There’s no way you can chainsaw a Locust without pumping guitar riffs into your ears. Chainsaws aside, the dystopia in Gears of War lends itself to an edgy 90s-rock sound. The lyrics of the Foo Fighters bring it all together.
——————————————————————————————————————–
The 4 Greatest Achievements in Obscure Online Gaming
By: John Parry
Ever since Xbox Live hit the scene, online gaming has been all the rage, but have you ever wondered just how far people will go to connect? These are some of the most impressive feats in obscure online gaming, and we’re here to break them down for you.
4. Highest Multiplayer Rank in The Conduit
High Voltage Software debuted The Conduit at E3 in 2008 and it was an instant hit. That might be described as a high point for the series, because it’s been all downhill since. The Conduit debuted to somewhat positive reviews in June 2009, and eventually went on to sell over 350,000 copies. If you didn’t play online during the summer of 2009, you’ve got your work cut out for you when it comes to ranking up…..
———————————————————————————————————————-
Super Smash Brothers: A Beginner’s Guide
By John Parry
Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 was an instant multiplayer classic. More than a decade after the N64’s demise, the console remains a staple in college dorms, because darn near everyone enjoys some old-fashioned Smash. If you haven’t yet been indoctrinated, it can be intimidating to see the intensity that can arise from a hotly contested grudge match. Here are the basics, courtesy of Fire & Ice, so next time maybe you can pick up a controller too.
7. Damage: How Does That Work?
In a standard fighting game, each player has a health bar, and damage done by the opponent reduces the health bar. The players hack away until one player “KOs” the other. Super Smash Brothers turned this model on its head….
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Monopoly: The 4 Things You Need to Know
By: John Parry
In elementary school, Monopoly was that game the older kids played but you didn’t fully understand. Then after growing up a little you were old enough to lose miserably. Finally after a few more years, or so, you were old enough to understand the game a bit better, and be completely frustrated by your dad’s underhanded tactics (which worked flawlessly every time). Today we’re here to tell you how to be an honest winner at Monopoly using unadulterated logic.
4. The Rules Your Family Uses Are Probably Bullshit
So you sit down to play a friendly game of Monopoly with the family. Fine. It’s not the weekend you had in mind, but it’ll be more fun than last week’s yard work extravaganza. Before you start playing, you’ll want to lay down the law with your goofy rule-breaking parents. Let’s debunk some popular house rules….
————————————————————————————————————————
Video Game Lingo for Dummies: RPGs
By John Parry
Role-Playing Games are incredibly diverse, yet much of the language is surprisingly consistent across the genre. Many RPGs are similar to Dungeons & Dragons, and the influence there is clear. Every gamer has a favorite RPG. If they deny that, they’re either lying or they’re not a gamer. Without further adieu, here’s a crash course on the quintessential RPG speak.
5. Level (also: Level-up, Leveling, Level-grinding)
The term “level” generally refers to one stage, one chapter of a video game. Role-Playing Games, however, aren’t always broken down into stages, sometimes offering one broad “world” map. Skyrim, for example, is busy generating a vast open area and shifting dragons around while you smash pots…..
———————————————————————————————————————–
Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 Review
By John Parry
This week we’re taking you back to an early point in the life of the GameCube. How early? Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 was also the last game published for the Nintendo 64. With excellent review scores, THPS3 represents a high point in the series, striking a balance between the limited scope of the first two games and the zany gameplay in Tony Hawk’s Underground.
Vitals
Platform: GameCube
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Neversoft
Year: 2001
———————————————————————————————————————-
Video Game Lingo for Dummies: Racing
By John Parry
The racing genre is often bent on trying to provide a simulation experience, and the vocabulary of its players reflects that. Nearly all of the slang specific to racing video games is imported directly from real race tracks. This list is for the gamers interested in the genre, and racing fanatics who are curious as to how their terms translate into the virtual world.
6. Wheelie
In Real Life: A wheelie occurs when a vehicle’s front wheel or wheels rise into the air while the vehicle is in motion. Wheelies are most common on motorcycles or dirt bikes. In drag racing, wheelies are dangerous, and vehicles are equipped to prevent them.
In Video Games: Wheelies are a fun way to show off your vehicle’s prowess,……….
——————————————————————————————————————–
4 Reasons to Skip Halo 4
By John Parry
The Halo franchise has amassed a mountain of awards, millions in revenue, and hordes of adoring fans. With Halo 4, however, comes a slew of reasons for gamers to call it quits—especially for the most diehard Halovers.
4. The Developer Isn’t Bungie
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Bungie was the developer for every major Halo release up until Halo: Reach. Many of Bungie’s entries in the series have received perfect scores. Halo 2 and Halo 3 both set sales records upon release. Microsoft and Bungie agreed to part ways following Reach, and Microsoft retained rights to the Halo series.
Enter 343 Industries, Microsoft’s pet replacement. So 343, can you live up to Bungie’s legacy?….
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
6 Misconceptions about Pokémon
By John Parry
Every video game has its critics and skeptics. Pokémon has more. Whether it’s college students rambling about their Game Boy years or FPS fanboys engaging in Genre Warfare (patent pending), myths and false ideas about Pokémon are plentiful. Here are the top six that can drive a trainer nuts.
6. “It’s the same game over and over.”
Myth: Gamefreak slaps a fresh coat of paint on the old creatures, adds a few more creatures, profits.
Pokémon mechanics have changed wildly over the years, even if the adventure is recycled. You might scoff, and then lecture us about how far video games have come in terms of storytelling–and you’re right; we will not blame you for demanding a fresh story for your $35.
