"OVERBYTES" Takes On The PS4

Playstation 4 has been announced. Underwhelmed? You could say that.

»»  read more

Glenn Beck: Video-Games Responsible For Sandy Hook Massacre

Oh, fudge.

(Hey, while you're hear, have you watched our new episode yet?)

Y'know, for awhile there I was a little worried that the American right-wing might've been doing something very smart in regards to their relationship with video-games. While it's not a perfect alignment, it's my observation that the worst aspects of gaming culture right now - centered, as these things tend to be, around the multiplayer-shooter genre - line up pretty well with The Right's most poisonous elements: Misogyny, angry-white-man paranoia plus the attendant homophobia plus "Men's Rights" lunacy that goes with it and, of course, worship of (but complete lack of respect for) the gun culture.

So when I saw things like Ollie North pimping "Call of Duty," my worry was: "Oh great, they've figured it out. They'll never regain footing in the rest of the entertainment industry; but gaming having any kind of ideological bent is such a nascent thing that they could easily slip in and claim this medium for their own without much resistance - and the only thing worse than the bro-gamers dominating the market would bro-gamers as a voting bloc."

Fortunately, The Right has demonstrated rather completely that they prize the short-term financial and electoral gains they get from being the obedient lapdogs of the gun industry FAR more than they do their long-term relevance as a political force; and so they've enthusiastically jumped onto the "Guns Don't Kill People, Violent Video-Games Kill People!" bandwagon - anything to prevent gun manufacturers' from losing business. In the latest salvo: Glenn Beck, preaching the "medical facts" of the Great Desensitization Lie:

Well, that was unpleasant. Hey, why not watch some Shameless Self-Promotion to wash your brain out?

»»  read more

EPISODE 82: "Never Grow Old"

The recent East Coast blizzard slowed production a little bit, but the show must go on! Here, The OverThinker responds to Warren Spector and David Cage's controversial DICE lectures:

»»  read more

Nintenception

It sounds like a backhanded compliment, but really the "Mario & Luigi" RPG series (Superstar Saga, Partners in Time and Bowser's Inside Story, thus far) for portables have probably been the story/humor highpoint for Nintendo franchises for the better part of the last decade. Sharp, funny, self-aware, perfectly balancing sincere "quiet awe," unobtrusive fanservice and a knowing self-awareness. The first 3DS installment has now been announced as "Mario & Luigi: Dream Team," with the now-standard alt-dimension storyline taking place partially in the realm of Luigi's dream...



Dream-world, eh? Hm...

Nintendo? I don't ask for much - which is good, since you're kind of the opposite of generous when it comes to this stuf... But if Wart (the dream-world heavy from the U.S. SMB2) turned up here in some capacity it would make me just about the happiest boy in the world. Bonus points if he brings Mouser, Triclyde, Fryguy, Clawgrip or any combination thereof with him.

»»  read more

OVERBYTES: "A' la Carte"

A new OVERBYTES argues on behalf on a new way for buying games digitally:

»»  read more

Perfection

Little sick of gaming-nostalgia mash-ups? Me too. But this? This is FUCKING BRILLIANT.

»»  read more