People who enjoy being insulted should read Trevanian's "Shibumi," a satirical spy novel that disparages nearly every ethnicity, occupation and political body in the modern world. The author calls it a "bitter pill" written only to fulfill contractual obligations and afterward "there was no point in me writing further in this genre … or anyone else, for that matter." Only a few things escape ... more.

Castlevania Harmony of Despair is not your typical Castlevania game. As either Alucard, Jonathan Morris, Shanna, Soma Cruz, Charlotte Aulin or Shanon, you must battle Dracula and his demonic powers. Unlike previous Castlevania games, CHOD is segmented into stages. The stages are enormous; they are filled with traps, trademark Castlevania creatures (i.e. Axe Knights, Fleamen, Mermen, Zombies, etc.,... more.

Gamers everywhere were disappointed when High Voltage software decided to scrap Gladiator A.D. for the Nintendo Wii. Gladiator AD was a violent fighter that placed the player inside a Roman arena, battling various opponents for survival. The game played  from a 3rd person perspective, and the action was bloody and full of fatalities.  Gamers everywhere were anticipating the release of this title... more.

Take a moment and think back to the heyday of classic 16-bit computers. The Atari ST and Commodore Amiga were the platforms of choice for computer gamers during the mid 1980's and late 1990's. The 16-bit computer era gave birth to a multitude of classic games that continue to survive today in one form or another. (Team 17's Alien Breed, for example, has been resurrected on today's modern platforms... more.

Bejeweled is a fine game. Better than Tetris, in my humble opinion, and it's worth having one of the innumerable varieties on any iPhone. But not this version. Call of Atlantis presents the well-known "match-three" puzzle game as a quest of recovering seven crystals of power from ancient civilizations such as Rome, Greece and Babylon to "restore the Altar of Poseidon and save the fabled sunk... more.

Limbo is similar to games like Another World (Out of this World in the US) and Ico. You are given brain teaser after brain teaser, compounded by endless puzzles that make you feel like you are in limbo. One puzzle can have you stumped for hours. Some of the puzzles feel like they serve no purpose other than to frustrate you, and make you pull your hair out. Limbo is exactly what it means... more.

What does a spaceship accident, alien creatures, and running around collecting keycards and unlocking doors all have in common? Think Team 17’s latest game, Alien Breed: Impact for PC. After your spaceship crashes into a drifting space hull, your mission is to investigate the floating hulk for any survivors and, well, to collect keycards and unlock doors. The majority of AB:I is spent doing j... more.

Maybe I just don't get it. I prefer Coltrane to Cobain and musicians who focus on licks instead of looks. Guitar Hero for iPhone has admirable traits, not the least of which is the $2.99 starter-pack price. The touch-screen interface has novel aspects compared to a couple of other major players in the genre. But ultimately what you're playing is a hyper-slick variant of the ancient catch-the-bo... more.

What is it about zombies and iPhones? Maybe the invasion is an allegory for a civilianization willingly turning into Pod people controlled by the decrees of the Apple overlords. Maybe it symbolizes the severance of intelligent communication between humans as eyes and ears became merely an extension of their devices. Or maybe it's just because zombies are easy enemy fodder for game programmers w... more.

Once upon a time there was a stellar children's show where hallucinations, bulimia, vagrancy and rumored homosexuality didn't threaten the fabric of the community. Bilingualism was good, Pox News unabashedly broadcast trash and Monsterpiece Theater's "Me, Claudius" wasn't elitism run amok. Then the forces of commercialism and political correctness invaded. Lessons became dumber, profits took pr... more.