(Posted by: Harrison Milfeld)

_When Nintendo first unveiled the Wii six years ago, the idea of motion-based gameplay was both an ambitious and risky idea for a company looking to get back on top. Despite its potential (and resounding success), the Wii’s use of motion gaming has been hit or miss during its current life cycle. Small flashes of motion gaming brilliance such as Wii Sports, World of Goo, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption offered what to expect, yet tacked-on experiences dominated the Wii’s landscape. The word gimmick was not that hard to apply for Nintendo’s so-called revolutionary console; however, all it takes is one game to make good on Nintendo’s promise in 2005. That game being The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

The latest iteration in the long-standing Zelda series, Skyward Sword, is the cultivation of five years of hard work and how motion gaming can be something other than gimmicky. Throughout my 30-plus hour experience, Nintendo was able to bring in the best aspects of Zelda, be it dungeon design, visuals, characters, gameplay, atmosphere, music, and even intriguing puzzles. This, along with the main development focus of Wii MotionPlus, separates Skyward Sword from its predecessors by making the entire adventure it a worthy challenger to the timeless Ocarina of Time.

Hit the jump to read the conclusion of the review.

(Posted By: Alex Deckard)

Steve Jobs is dead.

Weigh that for a second.  Steve Jobs, the face of Apple during its most prosperous years, is dead.  Gone are the trademark semi-excited keynote speeches.  Gone is the thick black turtleneck.  Gone is the innovation and creativity that Mr. Jobs brought to the table wherever he went.  Whether it was Apple or Pixar or any number of smaller projects he worked on, he was a boon to every industry he touched.  His vision of a world where music was bought online and computers were designed with a user in mind was one that polarized people.  But whether you’re a Mac fanboy or a PC purist, you can’t deny the effect the man has had on the industry at large.

When Steve Jobs stepped down earlier this year, it was reportedly to spend more time with his family.  Now, that’s code for a lot of things, and in this case, dying was one of them.  There is no doubt that Steve Jobs knew his time was short.  He stepped down so he could spend his last months with some dignity.  His loss will be felt, but the industry will move on.  So let’s all take some time to mourn the passing of an industry luminary and a great man.

(Posted by: Alex Clippinger)

Hype for the third installment in the famous transhumanist series Deus Ex was pouring in months before the release date. After all, if asked to prove whether video games can have legitimate plots or artistic merit, a well-versed gamer would look no further than the Deus Ex franchise, and Human Revolution more than lives up to these expectations.


Let’s look at the latest installment with a ground-up review after the break.

(Posted by: Eric Rees)

Full disclosure: I have worked at Gamestop before for quite a while working behind the counter and doing many other things.

Here's the long and short of the news story so I can get to the editorial piece about this: Square Enix paired up with OnLive, a digital distributor of games, to package a free copy of Deus Ex: Human Revolution into every copy of the game that was sold at Gamestop. Therefore, Gamestop employees have been told to open the new games and take the codes out, and sell them as is. 

So here's the stitch. It's widely known around the industry that Gamestop has been planning a digital distribution model for a long time now, and this would give you a good idea why Gamestop isn't too happy about this. But everyone is up in arms at Gamestop for doing this, and when I mean up in arms, I mean very very agitated. But why does everyone get so angry so quickly whenever the nations largest brick and mortar game retailer does something they don't like?

Posted By: Alex Deckard

This is an argument that occurred on Facebook between several parties, one of which was a contributing writer to Gameshoe.net.  All the names have been changed to protect those involved.  The names have been changed to characters from Mass Effect because I found it amusing.  If you want to read it in the voices of the characters, you are welcome to.  It makes it funnier.  Please enjoy.

(Posted By: Alex Deckard)

The Supreme Court has spoken, and we won.  Video games have been provided with the same protection as books, movies, music and all other forms of art.  One of the majority Justices, Antonin Scalia wrote:

Video games qualify for First Amendment protection. Like protected books, plays, and movies, they communicate ideas through familiar literary devices and features distinctive to the medium. And "the basic principles of freedom of speech . . . do not vary"

Wow.  Looks like we’ve got friends in high places, or at least non-crazy people in high places.

(Posted By: Ryan Clark)

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge. Hrm. Don’t know what to truly say about this game, as I oscillate between thinking it’s a ton of fun, and wanting to drop kick Bethesda into a goddamn wood chipper. A forewarning, I will drop minor spoilers. It can’t be helped. That being said, let’s begin.

By: Alex Deckard

Well.  Here it is.  The big one.  The unreleasable game.  Duke Nukem Forever.  As a gamer and a journalist, I have spent a large amount of time waiting for this damn game.  And I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me hoping for true greatness.  But I’d also be lying if I said I was expecting it.  And that is where I take issue with some reviews I’ve read.  So, without further ado, here’s my review.

By: Alex Clippinger

5. Halo: Reach

What list would be complete without a nod to a franchise that has firmly established itself in gaming history? Surprisingly enough, I decided to prefer Halo: Reach over the original Halo game. The reasons for this are somewhat contextual: in my opinion, the potential of Halo: Combat Evolved wasn't fully realized in Halo 2 & 3. Though the sequels' multiplayer is considered top-tier, I felt like their campaigns started to become too straightforward and at times gimmicky for my tastes.

Reach's slogan about how we already know the outcome is part of its appeal. There's something appealingly Norse about soldiering on (no pun intended) knowing that the core characters are ultimately doomed. There's an interesting dramatic irony between the character holding the gun and the player holding the controller, and it's something I think Reach balances rather well in its storytelling.

To top it off, Reach boasts breathtaking graphics, with attention to detail from everything from the sweeping landscapes to the attention paid to the combat environments. The biggest thing Reach can boast over Halo 2 and 3 is the part where I give a damn. For God's sake, Reach has normal people. Civilians, even! It's not just a Spartan running around Futuristic Environment Number Four shooting Alien Group Number Four Hundred and Fifty-Seven.

By: Alex Deckard

For those of you unwilling to read the following article, here’s the short version:  Uncharted and Resistance got us all excited, then a bunch of things we didn’t care about got announced, then Sly Cooper, then an incredibly intriguing EVE tie-in.  Then they started talking hardware.  Firstly, there was a neat 3D display that can make split screen not suck by dividing the signal and feeding it through the 3D glasses.  Just look it up, it’s awesome.  Finally, there was the Playstation “I hope this is better than the PSP” Vita.  Big HD touch screen, dual sticks, front and rear facing cameras, a touch pad on the back and NO MORE GODDAMN UMDs.  If all you wanted was a brief highlight reel, stop here.  If you want more, follow along after the break.