Akting Out

A Triumphant Return To Fighting Game Greatness

For those of who mimicked Scorpion’s infamous “GET OVER HERE” and felt slighted by Mortal Kombat 3, this one’s for us.

No more clumsy run button. No more “Heroic Fatalities”. No more saturated roster featuring palette-swapped versions of Scorpion and Sub-Zero. Netherealm studios resurrects one of gaming’s great franchises with a simple, yet robust control scheme, some of the best visuals ever presented in the genre, and enough blood, guts, and gore to turn even Hannibal Lecter’s stomach. In almost every way imaginable, Mortal Kombat is a success.

This is a deft reimagining of the story, blending the familiar with an edgier storyline. Old-school gamers may remember that the first Mortal Kombat game was actually the tenth in the game’s story; Shang Tsung had been victorious in the previous nine tournaments, thanks to Goro (and we all remember the four-armed, what-the-f*ck-is-that monster Goro). In this new story, Shao Kahn, lord of Outworld, has conquered Earthrealm, massacring everyone in the process. Defeated and broken, Rayden, the series’ god of thunder and protector of Earthrealm, sends a message to his past version of himself.

On the eve of Mortal Kombat’s ninth tournament, the younger Rayden receives this warning, along with visions of the future that will pass should Earthrealm’s warriors fail. Galvanized by these visions, Rayden hurriedly assembles Earthrealm’s warriors, along with anyone else who might stand against what’s coming, and leads them into Mortal Kombat.

Netherealm returned Mortal Kombat to its five-button roots (two punches, two kicks, and a block) and revamps the system from Deadly Alliance. Thankfully, you no longer have to switch stances repeatedly to execute certain moves; weapons are drawn automatically throughout the course of battle. While some characters have extra stances from which they can deliver more powerful strikes, they are no longer mandatory, functioning more like add-ins. Sequential button strikes are still the key to success. Interface is tight and responsive. New to the gameplay are a super meter, which allows players to execute Enhanced moves (think Street Fighter’s EX moves), Breakers (think Killer Instinct’s Combo Breaker) and X-Ray moves (think PAIN). Thankfully, all of these moves are simple to execute, usually requiring two button presses to get things going.

This may be one of the best-looking fighting games ever made. Netherealm demonstrates their mastery of Epic’s Unreal engine by presenting characters that register plausible emotional depth along with gut-wrenching broken bones and bloody mutilation. None of it is drastic, or jarring; when your character gets up a bloody mess because Scorpion just stepped on their chest, it’s believable. The X-Ray moves are the game’s visual standout, aside from the fatalities. As a jaded gamer who has lost track of how many foes I’ve digitally decapitated and dismembered over the years, I still winced every time one of these was executed. Cyrax’s is a good example; with the Powerbomb finisher, you actually see the spine contort and the jaw shatter.
The arenas are so well-executed that they’re almost distracting. One scene I couldn’t get enough of featured priests making a human sacrifice during the battle. Arena fatalities, such as our beloved pit, are back.

The fatalities are back, and they are awesome, there is no simpler way to put it. Thankfully, among the two million game modes Netherealm gave us is a fatality tutorial, which is great for practicing button inputs and distance. Plus, if you want to skip all of the action, this is for you. Kung Lao’s saw fatality is most certainly not for the faint of heart—and it never gets old.

Speaking of game modes, Netherealm has assured that you’ll be playing for months; aside from the traditional climb-the-ladder, the game comes complete with a variety of test-your-might modes, including a roulette-like Test Your Luck. The Story mode, while occasionally feeling hurried, raises the bar for storytelling in fighting games. An extensive quest involving every character in the game, this nine-hour mode provides in-depth looks at some of our favorite characters. You’ll see human versions of Cyrax and Sektor, and learn the truth behind the hatred between the doomed Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

Mortal Kombat is a vivid and stellar reimagining of a defining franchise. For those of us who had waited for its return to greatness, it’s worth the asking price. For those of us who enjoy fighting games and want to see what all the old-schoolers are talking about, it’s still worth the asking price. Here’s hoping Netherealm keeps things going, and we get a Mortal Kombat 2 in the same vein.

Note: This game is rated M by the ESRB. This may be one of the most violent video games ever made. Not recommended for children.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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I’ve long said that parents should be taking responsibility for what their children watch, read and play, especially since the nineties when violent video games became a controversial topic. Rather than censor the violence, I feel it’s better to educate parents so they don’t bring games into their home that they may not want their children playing. I grew up gaming; most of the people I grew up with are still gamers themselves, so it’s easy to take the knowledge for granted. I assumed that everyone was familiar with the ESRB and the ratings system. I was wrong.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend and co-worker was telling the story of how she picked up a PS3 for her children and Call of Duty: Black Ops to go along with it. My jaw hit the floor at hearing this; no way would I ever allow either of my kids, no matter how good their grades, to play something like that. I couldn’t understand why this woman would allow her children to be exposed to something so gratuitous, and I was about to lay into her until she explained that she had absolutely no experience with video games. Her kids had asked for it, and she bought it, it was that simple.

That’s when it hit me what little some parents know about these games their kids are playing.

Now that gaming is a mainstream hobby, I think it’s more important than ever to educate parents, and any interested party, on the ESRB and the rating system in general. As gamers who have grown and become parents ourselves, it’s not just our responsibility to defend our livelihood; it’s also our job to help those not in the know make better decisions.

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB for short) is a nonprofit organization that functions the same way the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) does. The difference is that where the MPAA rates movies, the ESRB rates games. Because ratings are so rarely enforced, the efficiency of the ESRB has often been questioned.

Almost any video game available for purchase has been rated by the ESRB, and can be viewed in the lower left hand corner of every title.

Figure 1: Rockstar’s wildly successful “Grand Theft Auto” has earned its M rating from the ESRB. Note the tag in the lower left hand corner of the picture.

All titles are broken down into the following categories, with short explanations explaining each rating. Here’s a quick explanation of what you need to know, along with a breakdown of each rating.

Figure 2: The ESRB Rating System

The most common games these days are typically rated either “T” or “M”. When it comes to a T-rated title, I strongly encourage you to research the title a bit. Information is almost always available online, and while some “T” rated titles might contain material that you consider okay for your children, others may not.

Figure 3: Generally, Sega’s “Sonic The Hedgehog” series is comprised of titles rated “E”, which means the mischief in this game is okay for anyone to view.

Figure 4: Mortal Kombat, a long-running fighting game series, will almost certainly be an M-rated title upon release for its depictions of violence.

The best way to ensure what your children play is to first learn the title of the game they’re playing, and then enter that title into the search engine of your choice to see what the title is about. If the ESRB hasn’t rated it yet, wait for a rating to be assigned before making promises or decisions.

You can learn more about the ESRB by clicking here. There are also mobile apps available for both droid and iPhone users so information can be gathered instantly by snapping a photo of the title.

Thanks for reading.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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I’ve always thought exclusivity in the land of video games was a bad thing; if one company owns the rights, it has no competition. If there’s no competition, there’s no incentive to raise the bar.

Electronic Arts has held the game-making rights to the NFL for several years now, and while we’ve seen several minor improvements over the years, in my opinion, we haven’t seen anything as innovative as the leap to 3D in 2002. So when Madden NFL 11 hit shelves last week, I was hesitant to drop sixty bucks on it.

So was it worth it?

Longtime fans of the series may be disappointed; it’s still Madden, and it’s still a lot of fun, but there’s nothing new here. I erroneously told a friend that the series had done away with the traditional game settings; I was wrong, and I discovered that after getting into Franchise mode.

As always, the animation has been tweaked to look more realistic, and players reflect being tackled at the body or the legs. Gang tackling still looks like the last thing you want to be at the bottom of. All of the familiar staples, such as Playmaker and life-ending hit-stick tackles, are still intact. In-game athletes still play like their real-life counterparts; Michael Vick has DEFINITELY lost a few steps.

The game’s big draw, the new “Gameflow” system, is absolutely nothing special. Essentially, it comes down to you allowing the computer to choose your plays for you. If you don’t like what the computer chooses, you can always audible at the line, but that’s what the system is about. It eliminates time in the playbook but also removes a sense of control. On the plus side, it pays attention to the team you’re using; defensive teams like Baltimore will use a lot of confusing blitzes on defense (that work) while offensive powerhouses like the Saints will pass three of four downs, after a healthy fear of Reggie Bush has been established.

Overall, it’s Madden, and it’s still a lot of fun, but the time of a recession, is it worth dropping sixty dollars on? For those of you who own Madden 10, I’d have to say no. There is simply not enough that is new here to justify the better part of a hundred dollars. Diehard fans of the franchise will be pleased, but those of you who have played Madden 10, and casual fans of the series, are better off waiting for a used copy. Good game, just not good enough to spend sixty dollars on.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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Dear Electronic Arts;

Hey, longtime fan here; always loved the Madden and Need for Speed franchises. Lately, though, you seem less like the popular kid we all want to be like in and more like the whiny brat  who has to have all the toys and keeps screaming; “LOOK AT ME!!”

I have three examples for you. Let’s examine the Dana White conundrum. The man approached you about doing a game based on Mixed Martial Arts, which is emerging as a popular sport. ‘No’ would’ve been a more dignifying response, but you wouldn’t even take a meeting with the man.  You told him that Mixed Martial Arts “disgusted you”. You also told him that Mixed Martial Arts “wasn’t a real sport”, you “wouldn’t touch this thing” and you wanted “nothing to do with it.”

Okay, not quite how I would’ve gone about it, but everyone’s entitled to their opinion. But then, eighteen months later, you have the audacity to reveal your own MMA title for the 360?

That’s cold. But most single mistakes can be forgiven.
I have more.
Let’s take a look at (ugh) Dante’s Inferno. Did you do everything under the sun to hype this game, or what? Let’s be straight. It’s not a bad game, but you went straight to the Cliff Bleszinski playbook for this one. This is God of War on the 360. In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that if God of War had never been made, we never would’ve received Dante’s Inferno.
The game has not opened to rave reviews. It turns out that not all the hired protesters and an animated adaptation are not enough to distract players from the truth; you ripped off God of War. The game is just barely good enough to keep us from going up in arms. Oh, and the animated film isn’t so hot, either.

My last example hit close to home, and I strongly hope you reconsider what you’re about to do.
So now you’re going to start charging us what everyone else releases for free?

Granted, there are valid arguments as to why you’re doing this, but I think you’re overlooking one vital thing; you’re developing expensive, luxury items as the country attempts to emerge from its harshest economic depression in decades.
Being of the mentality that video games should be accessible to everyone, not just the top twenty-five percent, the idea of paying up to fifteen dollars for demos—even extended demos—seems like milking the cow to death. I know things have been rough for you these past few years—join the club. But you’re not hurting for money. This is an unnecessary, selfish move. If you really wanted to boost your customer base, and show them that you give a damn as to how they spend their hard-earned money, why not give these extensive demos for free, on the condition that the consumer gives feedback? No one goes broke and you get free beta testers. Everyone wins.

Sadly, a lot of people will continue to support your practices. A lot of people may even buy into this PDLC crap. You don’t get to where you are without knowing how to survive.
I, however, will not, and I will encourage others to save their money for the full version of your titles and hope that they’re worth the wait. I also hope that you think long and hard on your future releases, realize that there are many viable options for games before you shut someone out, and rely on the quality of a game, rather than a pointless media blitz, to help it sell.

Then we’ll all be happy.

Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,

Avery K. Tingle
Gamer

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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I think it all started with Capcom, back in the nineties. Street Fighter 2 wasn’t just an awesome video game, it helped mainstream gaming. Follow-ups were justifiably expected.

Champion Edition allowed us to play as the final four bosses! Great! Awesome!
Hyper Fighting gave us…new colors…and sped up the gameplay! Um, great! Awesome!
Super Street Fighter 2 was a significant jump, introducing new technology (Q-Sound) and four new characters! Now this is what I’m talking about! Beautiful! Updated graphics! Right on!
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo upped the difficulty, gave us super moves, and the hidden boss to end all hidden bosses. Pretty good.

Bear in mind, when these titles came to the home market, you had to buy each title individually. There were restrictions on what tech could do, so this was understandable. If you were to line up each of these titles when they were new, Capcom made approximately one hundred and twenty dollars on nothing but upgrades.

We should never have indulged this. Look where it’s brought us.

I think the whole idea of downloadable content is a freaking hustle. These companies needed no assistance maintaining their bottom line when they released titles in their entirety. Granted, in small doses, I understand how downloadable content/add-ons can enhance the consumer experience, but when you start to deny players key features for not buying at a certain time, or on the right platform, then you’re ripping them off.

What started this little tirade was Popcap’s Bejewled Blitz. I compete in the weekly tournaments on Facebook, and was quite surprised to find that someone who hadn’t ever gotten more than 100k at that game had suddenly broken the half-million mark. At first, I assumed that he had just gotten really good.

Then I learned that PopCap enabled new boost features to players—only available to those who play on the computer.
I don’t play Bejeweled on the computer, but I thought enough of the app to buy (I said buy, as in SPENT MONEY I WORKED FOR ON) it for the iPod Touch. So I was pretty pissed off to learn that the bonuses were not made available to the paying customers.

Pardon me, but in what world does this make sense?! An unlevel playing field is unfair in any situation, buy why are the rewards greater on the free version?

This is where downloadable content and nonsense add-ons go too far.  I don’t mind paying for a portable version of a game when it’s worth it, but I shouldn’t be penalized because I can’t make time for another version.

I can’t see myself buying anymore PopCap games if this is how they choose to do business. I’ll keep my three dollars and do something else.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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We’ve been reading about the war in the Middle East for nearly twenty years. When you read the words on paper (or on a screen, as technology progresses), your mind paints a picture based on the description. Stimulating, but not entirely suitable for the ADHD (Attention-Deficit-Hey!-Dog!) generation.

For years, people have been looking for a way to accurately depict what’s happening in the world. Thanks to intrepid journalism and some pretty daring filmmakers, we’ve been on the ground floor for some of the Armed Forces skirmishes. We hear and see snippets of what they go through…but unless you’re there, chances are the memories don’t last.

So how do we create unforgettable, brutally real, yet relatively harmless experiences that accurately show what soldiers—and people—around the world are going through? How do we take what some would rather ignore and make it impossible to turn away from?

Infinity Ward found a way.
I don’t traditionally play first person shooters (Red Faction: Guerilla Warfare, which I found enjoyable, was my first one since Halo 2), but I try to investigate anything that generates as much hype as Modern Warfare 2 did. The outset of the game warns that some levels might be deemed offensive and wisely gives you the option of opting out of these missions. Figuring that I’m about to experience a bunch of racial slurs against Muslims and death-to-America propaganda, I choose to play through the offensive missions.

And I promise you, I’ll never forget what I played through. Neither will you.
I don’t want to spoil it, but if this title is even a hint of what soldiers (and people) are going through around the world, then I have a newfound respect for our armed forces and a great swell of sympathy for those who live in fear of this kind of thing—which happens almost every day, it seems.

This game is so intense that I often found myself pausing just to walk around and catch my breath—because I wasn’t breathing, during the game’s more intense moments. But beyond its stellar gameplay, Modern Warfare 2 is a shining example of what video games can do for storytelling when properly executed. In fact, I firmly believe that just as books were eventually translated to film, video games represent the next arc of storytelling, and perhaps the most potent medium of this generation.

The scene in question succeeds not just for flawless execution, not because the game gives you the option to bow out (you will not want your kids anywhere near this, I promise), but because the scene is horrific without being tasteless or exploitative. And following this scene presents a very realistic possibility of what might happen should episodes like this be allowed to continue in the real world.

What we experience on foreign soil in this game is nothing compared to what happens when the war comes home. And best believe, in this game, it does come home.

Why do we expose ourselves to stories? Why do we flock to heroes, villains, and everything in between? What is it about Batman, Superman, Wolverine, Harry Potter, Edward/Jacob/Bella, Link, Leon Kennedy, or Kain/Raziel (pretty good summary, I think) that causes us to return to the medium of our choice over and over again?

Personal opinion; these people, with their powers, wits, guns, magic or all of the above, involve themselves in danger and intrigue that we can only dream of. They deal with the same moral decisions we face but at much higher levels, with much more devastating consequences (Batman broke a moral code to assassinate Darkseid in DC’s Final Crisis). Most importantly, they do what we can’t; even if the cost is great, they get closure. They beat the bad guy. Justice wins, and in the end, I think that’s what a lot of us wants. The good guy wins, the bad guy goes to jail or hell or whatever.

But in books and movies, we only get to see and passively follow along. In Batman: Arkham Asylum, we got to be the Dark Knight and experience life from his point of view. No book or picture can rival that, although if it weren’t for those, we wouldn’t have the video game.

Reading and watching these soldiers in action is nothing compared to what Modern Warfare 2 accomplishes.

If we really love drama so much that we will sink millions of dollars into franchises just to keep them going, maybe video games can do what few other titles in other mediums have; as they immerse us in their stories and force to experience things we probably couldn’t handle in real life, maybe we can begin to prevent our own self-destruction. Instead of condemning video game violence, we should realize that a lot of this is inspired by real life. Maybe we could use the multi-million dollar video game business to learn from our mistakes, as well as tell better stories.

Cause zombies could rise up, and Skynet could take over the world. You just never know.

But in the meantime, I applaud Infinity Ward for their courage and execution and hope to see others follow suit. Titles like this not only justify the sixty dollar price tag but advance the interactive medium.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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I got this idea from facebook; I’m friends with a lot of writers, most of whom can talk intelligently about their favorite book and why it had such an impact on them. I’ve had my share of good reads, but video games have had the greatest impact on me. The ability to immerse yourself in a virtual world and become a hero (or villain) is amazing to me.

I’ve played a few hundred games in my life, some stick out more than others. I wanted to take a little time and list the top ten games that have had the biggest impact on me, and why. Love it, hate it, here it is.

-Honorable Mention-
These are all great titles, some of them are timeless, but they didn’t leave the same impact on me as those on the top ten list. Still, they deserve a shout out.

Tetris (Jaleco)

Ms. Pac-Man (Namco)

Dr. Mario (Nintend0)

Tekken 3 (Namco)

Art of Fighting 2 (SNK)

Xenogears (Squaresoft)

Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)

Metal Gear Solid {the entire franchise} (Konami)

Parasite Eve (Squaresoft)

And now, without further ado, my top ten favorite video games of all time.

10). Yars Revenge (Atari 2600) (Atari)

Back in the day, this game was something else. The game actually spawned an LP (ten points if you know what that is). Basically, peaceful, mutant flies had their sister planet destroyed by the Quotile. You took control of a small squad of yars (one at a time) and tried to take revenge. Hence the title.
You spent a lot of time dodging the heat-seeking destroyer missile and the quotile itself when it came at you, but the game was the first action experience I ever played. You summoned the Zorlon Cannon (by eating the Quotile’s shield or touching it). You waited for the Quotile to turn into a swirl and come at you. You fired the Zorlon Cannon. You go the hell out of the way. Destroying the Quotile in this way earned you the most points–and made you feel mad cool.

9). Gargoyles Quest (Game Boy) (Capcom)
I’m pretty sure this was the Game Boy’s first action RPG. You played Firebrand, throughout an extensive campaign to free the ghoul realm from King Breager, who was locked away by your predecessor centuries ago.
This was the most expansive game I’d ever played on the Game Boy. There were literally hours of exploration ahead of you, many ways to beef up and customize Firebrand, a rousing soundtrack, and graphics only Capcom could produce on the dot matrix scream. Some of these battle were just plain scary. It also followed through with an epic final battle and a satisfying ending.

8). Fatal Fury Special (Neo-Geo) (SNK)
Okay, this may be more for nostalgia than anything else, but I’d be loathe to list a top ten that didn’t include Terry Bogard somewhere. This game wasn’t phenomenal by any stretch, it was just very, very good. The hype was that you got to play any character from the Fatal Fury franchise (Richard Meyer is absent, however), but what I remember the most was how big these characters were and how hard they hit. Every punch, kick, and slam to the turf was beautifully orchestrated by SNK’s sound team. They sounded painful, and they sound even better on the XBLA version.

7). X-Com: UFO Defense (PC/PS1) (Microprose)
I’d never played an RTS before this game, and I’m still not into the genre, but this game was awesome. You took complete control of an elite armed forces whose sole duty was to repel alien invasions. I mean complete control; you built bases, bought ships, recruited troops, the whole nine. You even micromanaged your troops, who always began as scrubs and then turned into crack shots. You had to answer to the United Nations every month; if you weren’t doing your job, the project was canned, and your game ended. Eventually, you had to journey to the aliens’ (and there were so many aliens) homeworld and take them out at the source. I’m hoping this comes to XBLA, because it won’t play on Vista…

6). Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (Sega Genesis) (Sega)
Sonic the Hedgehog was good. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was what a sequel should be. It gave you the option of a partner, and you could turn him off—or play him solo. Two player co-op could’ve used a little work, but the competitive play was stellar. It could get brutal on the special stage, which was all a matter of timing, and knowing where the rings were. My favorite aspect of this game was that the chaos emeralds finally had a point; when you collected all of them, and grabbed fifty rings…

5). Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (Sega Genesis) (Sega)
Despite not having Yuzo Koshiro at the helm, this game boasted one of the best scores of the era, a soundtrack I still listen to today (listening to right now, in fact). Sega went ridiculously above and beyond with this game; you spent levels leaping from rock-to-rock as a cliff fell, hanging hundreds of miles from the Earth under an airship, and inside a mutant factory. The controls were responsive and made dispatching your enemies fun, rather than frustrating. It had the most inventive boss I’d ever seen at the time, actually reversing your controls at time. I bought the Sega Genesis pack for the 360 almost exclusively for this title.

4). Star Ocean 2 (PS1) (Square-Enix)
Another game fondly remembered for its epic soundtrack. When Enix said there were eighty possible endings, they weren’t kidding. You could sit down for six months with this game and probably not uncover everything. I went through it twice before I had to go back to work.
Another thing that set this game apart was the character interaction. You actually separated from your party in towns and developed relationships with them by speaking and making choices. This is one of those games I can go on and on about, but I have to move on…

3). Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS1) (Konami)
It was a tough decision to put this game at number three. It could’ve been number one. Castlevania’s first outing on the Playstation turned out to be one of the greatest games to hit the system, maybe of all time.
At the peak of 2D animation, you played as Alucard, Dracula’s son, who invades the castle to tear it apart. You recap the events of the last game (which was on the turbografx-16. Ten points if you remember that, but if you do, you’re really old) before launching Alucard’s campaign. You start the game as a bonafide bad-ass, but just when you think this is easy, in one of the game’s well-voiced cutscenes, Death robs you of your abilities, and then this game gets interesting.
This is arguably the greatest game in the series. The artwork and animation are breathtaking, the controls fluid and responsive, the soundtrack is award-caliber. The game is also long and deep—it takes about twelve hours to find everything. I love this game so much I actually own it on two systems—and if they come out with an iPod version, I’ll get that one too.

2). Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo (Arcades) (Capcom)
I think the series peaked out here. Fairly-balanced, competitive gameplay, new animations, the introduction of super moves and one hidden, bad-ass mofo that was harder than hell to get to, SSF2 Turbo was the defining title of the Street Fighter 2 era. And yes, the soundtrack to this game was excellent.

1). Final Fantasy VII (PS1) (Square-Enix)
One of the hallmarks of a great game is its ability to draw players in who otherwise may not be interested. Final Fantasy VII put RPG’s on the map; it made us see what the rest of us were missing. I succumbed to the hype and almost lost my job to this game. Sefiroth may be the greatest villain to grace a video game, simply because you knew you couldn’t beat him. Aerith’s death may forever stand out as one of gaming’s best moments; for the first time, a lot of us cried playing a video game, including yours truly. For a game to pull you that much into its own world that you develop emotional connections to its characters is nothing short of greatness.

A friend of mine asked me tonight, when I was putting this list together; “Aren’t the Final Fantasy’s boring?”
Yeah, I used to think so. The story of Final Fantasy VII was its real selling point; never boring, always compelling, you had to know what was happening next. Squaresoft crafted a beautiful world that was plausibly on the brink of disaster and you really felt like it was your presence that made a difference. No game did that to me before, no game has done it to me since.

So that’s it, my top ten favorite video games of all time. I hope no one was offended; I wasn’t trying to discount any titles, I could only go off of the games I know.

Here’s to all the great titles coming out in the future! Thanks for reading, God bless and be safe!

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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Two Days Ago.

Hell of a way to spend an Easter.
My hands are on my knees. I’m trying to control my breathing, and sweat is running down my forehead, into my eyes. The muscles in my arms feel like worn-out rubber bands; if I throw one more punch, they’ll snap and go lifeless.

But this choice is not mine. The woman I have knocked down twice now trots out to the center of the ring for the third and final round. She moves quickly, a spring in her step, as though I have not spent the past six-some-odd minutes turning her face into spaghetti sauce. Disgustingly, there’s not a mark on her.

I’ve fought ten straight; all victories, all by knockout, none going very far into the second round. No one has challenged me until now. But this woman, Sheila, she’s come out and absorbed everything I could throw out her. She then repaid my first knockdown by using a jab-cross-uppercut combo to send me promptly to the canvas. I had never been knocked down before.

But I got back up. We traded more punches, both nearing exhaustion, when we were saved by the bell. Check that; she was saved by the bell. I would’ve thrown punches till the end of time if it would’ve put her on her back.

But the third round is about to start. My shoulders ache and throb as I raise my hands to my face. The announcer starts the fight and I’m immediately on the defensive. Rules don’t seem to apply; I protect my face and she still slips that damn jab through. I try to sway and dodge and she stops me by sending a cannonball into my ribs. I feel it. I did not get enough of a reprieve in between rounds.

Come on. Focus. Think.
She makes a classic mistake and sends her jab too wide.I slip beneath it and send my own into the side of her face. She took it! She’s stunned!
I capitalize, following through with a cross. Another jab, and another, and another. Hard cross. She can’t keep up. Time to make my point. I send body blows crashing into her with such force that her hips appear to be dislocated. When she looks as though she will block low, I begin to pepper her face with jab-cross combos again. She’s against the ropes; she has no idea what to do.
Heavy body blow, heavy body blow, uppercut to the body, colossal uppercut to the chin. I put everything I have into the punch because I have nothing left.

Blessedly, she flops to the canvas. As she’s counted out, I try not to rest my hands on my legs. Part of me wants her to get up. The wiser part of me hopes she stays down.
The count reaches ten without her showing any signs of life, and I feel like Rocky Balboa after the last fight with Clubber Lang.

This was not a day in the street; I haven’t gone back to fighting. This was Wii Sports. Boxing, to be specific

Two days later, my entire body still aches as though I had the fight of my life. My blood sugar has noticeably dropped. I didn’t do anything but play a video game.

I’ve been playing video games for over twenty years, and I have never seen anything like this.
It hits me; Sony and Microsoft will never catch up. I wonder if they both know that; they’re fighting for second place, and maybe that’s why they felt the need to make their consoles total entertainment packages instead of dedicated gaming machines.

I won’t lie; I have never been Nintendo’s biggest fan, mostly because the family-friendly games that made up a lot of their library didn’t appeal to me, and the few MA games they had, well, they weren’t good (SNES Mortal Kombat, anyone?). When the wars were going on, I was one of Sega’s loyalists.

But as I have gotten older, although I never foresaw myself owning a Nintendo console, I have learned to respect Nintendo more and more. They do one thing; they do games, and they do it better than anyone else out there.

Not that I don’t love my 360, I do. But coming home to pad-gaming after literally punching my way to victory on the wii is one hell of a reality check. The way of the pad has begun its epilogue. Now, sure, we’ve had the Sega Activator and even the (ugh) Virtual Boy, but this is the first time we’ve ever had true, motion-sensing control as a mainstream method of interaction on a gaming console.

For Sony and Microsoft, it gets way worse, too; you can actually get into shape using the Wii! Screw a gym membership; pay roughly $350 for a console and a couple of boxing games, and it’s better than a morning run. I’m still bloody sore, for crying out loud.

Oh, that $350? That’ll buy you a new Wii and a couple of games. That will not get you a new PS3.

I love gaming, I love the culture, and I love waiting to see what happens next. I’d love to see how Sony and MS plan to keep up, because they have their work cut out for them.

For now, this is clearly Nintendo’s house.

(c) Avery K. Tingle for Akting Out LLC

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