Recently Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander (R) said, “I think video games are a bigger problem than guns, because video games affect people.” As a personal rule of thumb I try to never talk politics. This is a bold statement by Senator Alexander that hits close to home for me so I have decided to throw my hat into the ring.

I have never heard of anyone dying at the end of a video game but I have heard of people dying by the end of a gun. Has anyone ever gotten “PTSD” from playing a video game? Probably not, they can be intense at moments but not enough to give someone “PTSD”. Don’t get me wrong I’m not against guns, I grew up in a house with guns. My family is very avid duck hunters and deer hunters. I’m just saying how anyone can think that a game is more dangerous than a gun. I would let my 5 year old play a game but I am not going to let her play with a gun. You know why? Because guns are dangerous and video games are not.

Violent games are not meant for children. Still to this day, there is a belief that video games are made for children, which is not true at all anymore. The average age of a video game player today is 27 years old. These are people who have jobs, careers, families, and a mortgage for crying out loud! That is who the violent video games are designed for. I know the difference between the game and real life. This is what politicians should be talking about. Instead of trying to censor works of fiction, they should be telling parents to watch what they purchase for their kids.

Contrary to popular belief, not all video games are violent… only the good ones! LOL… I’m just kidding. But seriously, with ESRB ratings, there should be zero confusion on the type of content is in a game. As Gamer parents, it is also important that we don’t play certain games in front of our children.

I agree that more research needs to be done on the effects on children but I don’t believe for a second that video games are more dangerous than a gun. Only someone that knows nothing of video games or the industry would make a blatantly idiotic comment like that. I have been playing all types of video games for over 20 years. I have never wanted to emulate anything I have played in a video game in real life. My parents taught me to play responsibly and I have taught my kids the same. Video games are not going anywhere. They are here to stay and they are only going to become more popular with new innovative technology that can bridge the controller gap and make games more user friendly for the masses.

Wreck it Ralph is full of inside jokes for gamers of all ages. I enjoyed seeing some of the more retro characters in the film of course my daughter had no idea who they were but, she also thinks flat screens have been around forever and that Unicorns are real.

Imagine Bowser, Zangief, and M. Bison sitting in a circle for a “Bad guys” support group… Major throwback! To all “retro” gamers, the movie Wreck-it Ralph provides a funny look at the lives of old and new arcade game characters. The Disney movie features Wreck-it Ralph, the antagonist of the game Fix-it Felix. The story revolves around Wreck-it Ralph who works to destroy and wreck the building for Fix-it Felix to fix. As the plot of the game wears thin on Ralph and he starts yearning for the attention and friendship of the residents of the building, he starts wondering… What can he do to change the course of his life?

Ralph attends the support group of bad guys to have a constant reaffirmation of their roles as bad guys but Ralph has another thing in mind. Realizing he has a chance to change his fate, he sets off on an adventure and ends up saving the whole arcade from a tyrant and a viral menace.

Along the way, Ralph makes friends with Vanellope von Schweetz, an outsider “glitch” in the game Sugar Rush. But there’s more to her than what Ralph realizes. In the end, he made life better not just for himself, but for the other characters as well including Fix-it Felix, Sergeant Calhoun and a group of nomad characters.

This movie is entertaining as you catch characters like Ryu, Ken, Pacman and Sonic. But the characters can be interesting and entertaining for the newer generation too. I think kids of all ages can enjoy this movie and learn a thing or two. The downside? Sugar Rush made me crave for sweets! Toffee, Laffy Taffy, Bearded Papa’s cream puff! It’s out on Redbox on Blu-ray and DVD and it was worth the $1.50 I spent to watch it with our daughter and would recommend this movie if you want a funny and touching movie at the same time.

There are several reasons quick scoping is frowned upon in the Call of Duty community.  The individuals that have perfected the quick scope technique are usually pretty hard to stop even when playing in hardcore mode.  This is mainly due to the one shot one kill capability of the sniper rifle.  Another reason these quick scoper’s invoke rage quitting tantrums is the fact that they can post up, kill you from a distance and also run around gunning innocent players down.  The sniper rifle is not meant to be used this way.  You don’t see this in real life do you?  That’s because a true military sniper would look like an idiot and probably get a whole lot of grief from his fellow soldiers.

On that note, I have found myself in a private match trying my hardest to figure this style of game play out.  Is it the thought of going toe to toe with the quick scoper or being able to taunt the other players and hear them lose their minds over my new found skill set?  Either way, ill try and try again until I master this reckless Call of Duty ruining style of game play or give up because I just can’t do it.

The reality of it all is, it won’t ever stop and that’s fine by me.  It takes a lot of patience and practice to get it down, so who am I to get upset because I’m being dominated.  A few ideas to address this issue have come across my table.

1. No more one shot one kill unless the player is stationary for 2 seconds or the gun is fully aimed.
2. Quick scoping lobbies or non quick scoping lobbies.

One thing’s for sure, we all need to get use to it; Call of Duty isn’t going to spend the time or money doing anything about an issue that really is only an issue to the player who can’t hang with the quick scoper.  I for one will continue my quest to out play the Gods of the sniper rifle and fine tune my trigger finger in order to gain the upper hand and ultimately claim victor.  Even if it’s only in one game.

The publisher confirmed Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, launching on Oct. 29 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii U. A version for Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 4 is also in development. Ubisoft has been in devlopment with Black flag since 2011 which makes us wonder if these so called leaks are just Ubisoft trying to slowly get the word and peak gamers’ interest at the same time.Ubisoft is calling Assassin’s Creed 4 the “first naval open-world game.”

Black Flag will focus on the “golden age of piracy,” as players explore the Caribbean as a buccaneer during the 18th century.
“Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag tells the story of Edward Kenway, a young British man with a thirst for danger and adventure, who falls from privateering for the Royal Navy into piracy as the war between the major Empires comes to an end. Edward is a fierce pirate and seasoned fighter who soon finds himself embroiled in the ancient war between Assassins and Templars. Set at the dawn of the 18th Century, the game features some of the most infamous pirates in history, such as Blackbeard and Charles Vane, and takes players on a journey throughout the West Indies during a turbulent and violent period of time later to become known as the Golden Age of Pirates.”

The next Assassin’s Creed game will attempt to stick to real-world events within the historical timeframe, but will also feature notorious seafarers such as Blackbeard, Calico Jack and Charles Vane amongst its cast list, similar to the various appearances of Leonardo da Vinci in previous games.

In switching gears in the series, Ubisoft is attempting to incorporate a history lesson into the game as it takes us on this high seas adventure. While I admire their efforts in taking the non-fictious moral high grand compared to those of other open world genre.s I personally could’n't care less. I believe Ubisoft is going to have a hard time to get gamers like myself to shell out another $60 bucks every year they come out with a new series. I have enjoyed previous A.C. but seems to me that the franchise is becoming a bit stale. Theer was alot of hype about A.C. 3 but I don’t feel it lived up to the hype. If video game companies are going to keep milking the heck out of there franchises until we are completly sick of them, they are doing a great job. Hold on I have to sneeze AAAHHHHHHHH GEARS OF WAR!, sorry about that anyways you get my point when is it enough. In refuting my arguement some may say what about COD  its the highest seller of all time. That’s true and you know why? What other first person shooter are die hard shooter fans going to get their fix from? Don’t worry, I`’ll wait. Battlefield 3 you say/ Laughable! Gimme a break. There are no other great multiplayer first person shooters to choose from. We have no choice but to go out and buy the next game getting milked in the series until something better comes out.

Published by: Ubisoft

Genre:  Action

Release Date:

United States:Q4 2013  UK: Q4 2013   Australia: Q4 2013   Japan: Q4 2013

Also known as:Assassin’s Creed 4

An unexpected and riveting journey that tells the dark and more human past of Kratos before he became the “Ghost of Sparta” will enthrall you with epic-and brutal over-the-top action, that retains the signature gameplay of this storied franchise in a full-fledged single-player campaign.

God of War has gone multiplayer for the first time ever take the visceral, larger-than-life God of War combat online with our new empowering solo and team-based multiplayer experience. You will start as a lowly warrior who pledges himself to a god and compete to bring glory and honor to Zeus, Aries, Poseidon, or Hades. Gain their Favor to master new abilities, magic, armor, and unique weapons as you rise to become the favored Champion and Legend of Olympus.

Kratos has been doing some training in the offseason because he is back with all new revamped and intense combat action experience; you will feel every impact as Kratos destroys his enemies. Kratos also now has the ability to steal weapons from his enemies, acquiring powerful secondary attacks, allowing for unimaginable vicious combo attacks and new strategies. Combine the Blades of Chaos with your enemies’ weapons for the most lethal attacks. If all that wasn’t cool enough, Kratos has been hanging out with the Prince of Persia. It seems like he may have picked up a thing or two because now you will be able to use Kratos’ new Life Cycle mechanic ability to control the flow of time in various environments to solve the secrets of some of the grandiose obstacles you will encounter, but you will also use it to freeze enemies during combat. Shift the power of time to slay your enemies.

As always, God of War will push the limits of the PlayStation 3. God of War: Ascension will elevate the franchise to visuals above and beyond anything previously seen in God of War. The God of War team has muscled every last pixel, blood, sweat, and tears into the most stunning God of War game, of all-time. Ascend with Kratos on his journey, and don’t forget to take in “the views”.

God of War: Ascension returns players to the storyline of the epic God of War franchise. Join Kratos as he seeks freedom, redemption and the clarity to avenge his family. Or seek your own glory in epic 8-player multiplayer battles.

Release Date: March 12, 2013

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content

Genre: Action

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

Developer: SCE Studios Santa Monica

I have read and heard most of the arguments out there. I believe the answer boils down to one thing- you! Are you the type that likes to keep games for long periods of time and milk every single achievement out of it, including multiplayer. Or are you the type that gets a game and knock it out in less than a week? I would probably fit into this category, lol. Whatever the case maybe I believe that we have to decide what is best for us as gamers. Both Gamestop and Gamefly have their strengths and weakness.

At this point, it’s pretty safe to say Gamestop has a monopoly. We have gotten to the point where you can go into a Gamestop to trade in a game and they hand you a flaming bag of poo and then ask you if you would like to reserve something. Then they turn around and sell your game for almost twice what they gave you for it, I mean come on! Cars don’t even lose 50% of their value when you drive them off the lot. The best part about the whole thing is that we go back! Yeah! That’s right, we go back for more flaming bags of poo when we could sell it on Ebay, but that takes time and money and we want to trade them right NOW! So we just settle for the flaming bag of poo. We leave feeling completely ripped off and violated until next time when we do it all over again.

I have had Gamefly for 2 years now and let me tell you why I will never buy another game again. When considering how to spend your hard earned money on games, you have to think about what game it is and your personal playing style. But let’s put that aside for now and just look at the numbers. New games sell for usually about $60 bucks. A one year membership to Gamefly is $191.40 assuming that we are not getting the first month free or discounted. You can buy about 3 brand new games for that price. I personally will usually beat about two games a month and then send it back. So let’s do some more math- 2 games a month at $60 bucks a piece for one year is $1,440 bucks. This is how much it would cost me to buy all these games outright. Remember I have Gamefly so I only pay $191.40 a year. Which saves me $1248.60 dollars and that my friend is money in the bank.
The great thing about Gamefly is I still get to play all the latest and greatest titles for as long as I want and when I’m done I just send it back and get something else. What happens if I buy a game and it sucks? Im pretty much screwed and out $60 bucks. But with Gamefly, I only pay $15.95 a month so it’s no big deal. I just send it back and get something else. The very best thing about Gamefly is that I don’t have to worry about Gamestop raping me on my trade-ins every time I go in there. That my friend is why I choose gamefly.
I understand everyone’s situation is unique to them, and what works for some may not work for others and I get that. Financially speaking, you can’t really go wrong with Gamefly but, it’s like what I said in the beginning. It’s your hard earned money and you spend it as you see fit. This is just my opinion.

The news comes via San Diego Comic-Con, where it was announced during a panel titled “Gears of War: Past, Present and Future.”

Judgment was officially announced at E3, though several story details leaked beforehand. The game is a prequel to the previous Gears games, following the story of Kilo Squad, including returning favorites Cole and Baird in addition to new characters Garron and Sofia.
The game will also include the new OverRun multiplayer mode, which is basically a blend of Horde mode and Beast mode.

Before the rise of the Lambent, the sinking of Jacinto or the detonation of the Lightmass bomb, there was Emergence Day – when the Locust horde burst from the ground and set Sera on a path toward near annihilation. Gears of War: Judgment brings players back to the terrifying aftermath of E-Day, before the events of the Gears trilogy, for the most intense and challenging Gears game yet.
Written by Tom Bissell (journalist and author of “Extra Lives”) and Rob Auten, Gears of War: Judgment follows Kilo Squad, led by fan-favorite characters Damon Baird and Augustus “The Cole Train” Cole, as they defy orders and attempt to rescue the city of Halvo Bay from destruction at the hands of the Locust onslaught.

Island map takes place on an archipelago of islands off the coast of Halvo Bay, which serves as a supply and refueling depot that feeds the larger military machine along the coast. The individual islands are connected by a series of bridges and tunnels, forming a network of unknown size and security. This is restricted territory, and civilians are not permitted on, or even near, any of the islands.
Published by: Microsoft
Developed by: People Can Fly, Epic Games
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Release Date:
United States: March 19, 2013
UK: March 2013
Japan: March 2013
Australia: March 19, 2013
M for Mature : Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

About this game

Welcome to the city of Columbia. Floating amongst the clouds, cruising far above sea level, this is a place unlike any you’ve ever seen. Please enjoy your voyage…

The third game in the popular Bioshock series, BioShock Infinite breaks away from the underwater setting of the first two games to take players into a floating city held aloft by dirigibles. The game is set in 1912. You play as Booker DeWitt, a disgraced former private detective who’s picked up a new case. Your goal is to find Elizabeth, a young woman who’s gone missing and return her unharmed. The only problem is that she’s being kept on this flying city. Columbia was once a symbol of America’s success as a nation, floating around the world as a traveling World’s Fair, a marvel of human innovation. But strange things have happened since Columbia’s unveiling in 1900, and now the city has disappeared into the clouds. DeWitt knows how to find it, but over the years stories have been told about Columbia having unlawful heavy armament and deranged citizenry. Do not expect this to be a pleasure cruise.

Release Date: March 26, 2013

MSRP: 59.99 USD

RP-M+ for Rating Pending, Targeting a Rating of Mature or Above:

Genre: First-Person Shooter

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: Irrational Games

Not all specifications have been released but there are a few that might peak your interest:  Supercharged PC Architecture, X86 CPU – cores, Enhanced PC GPU – @ teraflops, Local HDD, and 8 GB RAM – GDDR5.  Don’t forget, the PS3 only had 512 MB RAM.  Huge difference.  Not only does the PS4 offer these exciting specs mentioned above, users will also be able to play PS4 games on their Playstation VITA through the PS4. Great idea Sony.  What could be cooler than this, one might ask?  How about the fact that users will have similar capabilities with all Sony devices including, Xperia handsets, Bravia TVs, BD players, and Sony tablets?  With a controller that is equipped with a touch pad and all the above mentioned candy, the 400 dollar price tag isn’t looking so bad.  As if that wasn’t enough, keeping up with XBOX, Sony is introducing the Playstation 4 Eye.  With its two high-sensitivity cameras equipped with wide angle lenses and 85 degree diagonal angle views, Sony claims these cameras will be able to distinguish between players and background movement for a better gaming experience.

You may not agree with the pricing of the PS4 or the fact that PS3 games will not be compatible, but one thing is for sure, Sony is taking the Playstation to the next level in gaming.  So watch out Microsoft and Nintendo, Sony is in for the win and they aren’t out to make friends.

When EA decided to create Dead Space 3 I’m sure they were thinking, how can we enhance the experience of Dead Space 3? How about we scare the crap out of them and their friend, every buddy knows getting the $#%@ scared out of you is always better with a friend, right???

Dead Space 3′s story follows closely in the footsteps of its predecessors. Hopefully, you played Dead space 1 and 2 so you remember every last scattered detail having to do with markers and their sundry effects on humanity. If not, you’re out of luck: aside from a brief “previously on Dead Space” video in the menu, you may have a difficult time trying to catch yourself up with what’s going especially because the narrative moves quickly in the beginning. EA has introduced some new characters to the Dead Space series which kind of compounds the problem, which can make it even more difficult to follow.

The game has the same creepy sound effects as the first two which is enhanced greatly if you have surround sound or a good quality headset. The enhanced music and sound effects on top of the creepy creatures trying to kill you around every corner are what makes this game so scary. The co-op experience gives this game a fresh new take on saving the world. You are able to share in every experience with a friend and make it nice to have someone by your side when you’re constantly taking down droves of monsters around every corner.

The other great thing EA has integrated into Dead Space 3 is its all new introduction of a robust weapon crafting system; it takes a significant step forward in terms of depth and flexibility. Every classic weapon, from the plasma cutter to the ripper, has been broken down to its basic components, spare parts you can cobble together at a workbench to create the most insane monstrosity you can concoct. There are literally thousands of different weapons combinations to create from. You are constantly upgrading adding new attachments and accessories and if you are unhappy with your little creation just disassemble it and start over with something new. The roster of enemies is a wildly varied bunch, and their mutations require different approaches to combat. This will have you constantly tweaking and switching out parts to find that perfect combination to take down certain types of enemies.

EA has approached Dead Space 3 with a “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it attitude”. They have made the game even more enjoyable to play through a campaign with a friend and the new weapon system they have created is absolutely terrific. There are times throughout the campaign where you will find that the narrative drags on a bit but overall it’s a great game that aims to please if you know what I mean.

Score 8.5/10