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ERIK CHALHOUB
LOCATION
California
Erik is quite possibly one of the biggest Ocarina of Time fans ever, and is still terrified of redeads. Holds an A.A. degree in Journalism, and a B.A. degree in Modern Literary Studies. erikchalhoub@gmail.com
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FEATURED POST
Even though this message is probably too big to fit on one, let's celebrate the storied legacy of game cartridges.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 |
Comments (7)
POST BY THIS AUTHOR (15)
When you think of a scary game, what comes to mind? Resident Evil? Dead Space? What about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? Find out why Nintendo’s opus is one of the scariest games ever made.
Thursday, August 04, 2011 |
Comments (13)
Characters with superhuman abilities dominate video games. Truly ordinary human beings rarely turn up. Is that a good thing?
Friday, July 29, 2011 |
Comments (4)
The problems with physical copies have sneaked their way into digital downloads, but in a different form.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011 |
Comments (1)
Most games strive to create a believable and interesting atmosphere...but maintaining its effectiveness can prove difficult.
Thursday, July 07, 2011 |
Comments (6)
Examining the term “beat” in regards to video games reveals that it is not a straightforward concept. “Beating” a game has two levels: the authoritative, and the subjective.
Sunday, July 03, 2011 |
Comments (3)
The diminished interest in arcades reveals the irony of social gaming: As the medium has become more social, we are becoming less so.
Friday, July 01, 2011 |
Comments (8)
Once the king of control, the D-pad is now insignificant today. What might the future hold for our beloved directional pad?
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 |
Comments (21)
Before I knew about review scores, I used to buy games based on how "cool" their covers looked. This is virtually impossible for me to do today.
Monday, June 27, 2011 |
Comments (6)
Saving is an integral part to any game, but you may not be aware of how it affects your playing style.
Friday, June 17, 2011 |
Comments (2)
Receiving a new video game system for Christmas can be a welcome surprise...unless you share a similar experience to my Christmas of 1997.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 |
Comments (2)
When I was little, graphics meant everything to me. Today? Not exactly.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 |
Comments (3)
After playing Team Fortress 2 for 282 hours and counting, it is safe to say that I'm obsessed. What makes this game so addicting?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010 |
Comments (2)
COMMENTS BY THIS AUTHOR (31)
"This seller must be fond of Mario Party 2 and 3...
I'm getting some ideas...sell all my N64 boxes on one separate auction, and the instruction manuals on another. Oh, and MAYBE sell off the cartridges, but who wants the actual game when you can just have the box? ;)"
Monday, August 29, 2011
"Yes. Then I went to my room and cried."
Thursday, August 04, 2011
"Wow, I only got 2/9. I'm kicking myself for not getting #4!"
Thursday, August 04, 2011
"
All these comments made me realize that I'm not the only one who is scared of redeads, thanks!"
Thursday, August 04, 2011
"I take back everything I said about redeads. Tingle is the most terrifying character, not only in the Zelda series, but the entire video game medium!"
Thursday, August 04, 2011
"I like this. It might be frustrating at first, but it gives you more of an incentive to play through the game and hope that you can regain your powers. It also forces you to rethink your strategy for conquering each situation."
Friday, July 29, 2011
"I haven't had a chance to play MGS2, I'm still stuck on Metal Gear Solid for the PS1, damn impossible helicopter boss fight! haha. If I remember correctly, MGS2 got bashed a bit by the critics, mainly for the fact that you play as Raiden for most of the game. The example you gave about the sniping sequence sounds frustrating, just knowing that you are not playing as the main "badass" of the game. The fact that Snake kept beating you to the punch seems to rub it in."
Friday, July 29, 2011
"I hadn't thought of it like that, good point. Even though my point in the article is to switch things up, in Bioshock I wasn't ready to switch gears just yet, which is why I was a little disappointed with the Big Daddy part. I was loving the scary moments, even though my wrench was becoming too powerful, and the enemies became weaker as a result. Anyways, kudos to 2K for not letting the scares become stale before they switched up the experience."
Monday, July 11, 2011
"I remember that part in Bioshock! I think it was in the Medical Pavilion. You had just picked up a new plasmid, and while you're all distracted thinking about how awesome it will be, that splicer just appears out of nowhere! I think that was by far the scariest moment I ever encountered in a video game.
I also feared the dead bodies lying around...which were not actually dead once you got close to them. Many jump out of your seat moments there!
In regards to the whole game, I agree with you about the rare "jump at you" moments. I felt that they weren't abused, and were not predictable like in Doom 3. But, I felt that the game lost a lot, if not all, of the scary moments once you turn yourself into a Big Daddy. Nothing to fear once you become all-powerful.
Same goes for Bioshock 2. Since you're a Big Daddy the entire time, the game felt like one big escort mission, and there was really no scare moments."
Monday, July 11, 2011
"Unfortunately I haven't played Alan Wake, but from your description, I like the fact that you lose your weapons, gives enemies their threat back. I also have to agree that once you become too powerful, it ruins that feeling of helplessness, and the fear as well.
Bioshock, definitely, I should have mentioned that in my article. Same thing happens as in Doom 3: get too many weapons, and the threat of the splicers is diminished. But even with all those weapons, the wrench was still my weapon of choice!"
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
"I can totally relate. Those Steam deals are just so irresistable. You can't help but buy more games than you will have time to play...I bought the complete Eidos pack almost two years ago, and have still yet to play every game in the pack."
Sunday, July 03, 2011
As much as I like shotguns, it really does destroy any sense of fear or urgency. Such as in Halo: Combat Evolved, when you first encounter the Flood. The first time I played that level (at age 12), I was terrified of them, but unsurprisingly, I no longer feared them once I found the shotgun.
The shotgun is good for games where mass carnage is the goal (Duke Nukem, Left 4 Dead), but give me just a pistol for horror games and I'll be happy (and scared, of course). "