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Source: Jeff Fusco/Getty Images
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Political advertising targeting specific groups is nothing new, but this year's presidential race is taking it to whole new levels. For example, this year Barack Obama's campaign is targeting young voters with billboards in a popular video game called "Burnout Paradise."
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Monetary Problems? Not For Gamers!
I have to admit – I'm part of the solution. Money can be a problem but that's not stopping me from keeping up with my monthly Gamefly subscriptions… or from purchasing one game after another.
The latest numbers show that while most retail sales are down, video game software and hardware sales were up 18% in October. The Wii has lead in hardware sales and Fable 2 led in game sales. I fully expect the trend to continue in November, what with the new World of Warcraft expansion, as well as Gears of War 2, the new WWE Smackdown game, the new NCAA Basketball 09 all being released this month (along with my guilty pleasure, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, which I've already picked up).
So what about you? What new games have you picked up? Or has the tanking economy left you debating between picking up dinner or picking up the Wrath of the Lich King? Let me know – send me an e-mail!
A Quandary, To Be Sure...
GAME: Professor Layton and the Curious Village
TYPE: Puzzle/Adventure
SYSTEM: Nintendo DS
RATING: 3/5 - Liked it?
Okay. I love video games. We may have touched on that. But like cats and dogs, like the sun and snow... math and I don't get along.
Thus, I find myself in quite a quandary.
Professor Layton and the Curious Village is loads of fun to watch, that's for sure. The game begins with an introduction into the two characters you'll play as: Archaeologist and puzzle master Professor Layton and his apprentice, Luke (who brings to mind Oliver of "I want some more!" fame to my mind). The two are headed to a town to solve an inheritance dispute - of course, in the form of a puzzle. If you can find the Golden Apple, you'll be rich beyond your wildest dreams!
But to get to that apple, you're going to have to move matchsticks, outsmart smart-alecks, remember to carry the one, and of course, don't look too hard for the answer!
Each character you meet will present you with a puzzle - the town's most popular (and, from what I can tell, only) export.
Pros:
-There are over 130 puzzles to solve - You'll never get bored.
-New puzzles are released weekly for download via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection... just as soon as you get through those original 130, you'll have more to do!
-Touch screen controls make solving the puzzle a lot easier... and it's something I overlooked at first. I was looking for scrap paper before I realized that I had a stylus in my hand, and was able to write over the cute drawings on the bottom screen.
-The animated scenes look like they jumped off my TV and onto my DS. Beautiful. And the voice acting is superb, even if it makes me giggle a bit.
Cons:
-There are over 130 puzzles to solve... I'm just trying to catch a cat! I don't care how many aliens are on the planet, I want to catch the cat!
-You'll have to play this one on silent. The music is great... for the first five minutes. But if you find math a little snooze-inducing, like I do, you might find yourself slumped over, solving puzzles in dream-land rather than reality.
Fighting to Calm Down?
Could violent video games actually calm people down, rather than rile them up?
It's hard to believe after all we've read about school shootings being connected to "Doom", and serial killers being connected to "God mode" on first person shooters.
But as you'll find in this article, new research shows that a bit of bashing can go a long way to calming people down!
Of course, this doesn't shock me... when I get frustrated, I find it's easier to run around in GTA: San Andreas pulling people from their cars rather than throwing things at my husband! In fact, I've never really understood the connection between violent games and violence. I have a great record with rabbid headshots in Rayman: Ravin' Rabbids, but give me a real gun... and I'd probably shoot myself in the foot trying to find the auto-aim button.
I don't know... does this surprise anybody else?
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