Another E3 has wrapped up, and with it Todd and Ken (not to mention the rest of us) say farewell, but not before giving their impressions of the show. And since the local news was relatively tame tonight, our intrepid heroes (one of whom is self-flagellating – and no, I’m not going to say which one) may actually focus on events of the show. One can only hope. E3 DAY 3: XBOX DISAPPOINTS WHILE GAMECUBE SOARS By: Todd Hargosh, GiN Director of Product Testing Is it me, or does it seem like these three days came by too darn quickly? … Continue reading Wrap It Up →

Well, we thought nothing could make the fantasy world of E3 more fantastic would be to pit our own Todd Hargosh and Ken Urben in rival columns about the show. Things are heating up as both contestants don their gloves and recieve last minute instructions from their managers. They shake, and there’s the bell…. E3 DAY 1: THE BEGINNING By: Todd Hargosh, GiN Director of Product Testing As I am writing this review in my hotel room, I am also watching Los Angeles Channel 13 (KCOP) news. After watching some of the best news broadcast I have seen in a … Continue reading It Begins! →

The 2000 Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences may have been held back on March 22nd, but the actual awards were distributed this evening at the L.A. Convention Center. Diablo 2 won the coveted Game of the Year honors, and Electronic Arts snagged 5 individual honors for their PS2 snowboarding hit SSX. Here is a list of all the categories and the award winners: CRAFT AWARDS Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction-Final Fantasy IX (Square-PSX) Outstanding Achievement in Animation-Final Fantasy IX (Square-PSX) Outstanding Achievement in Sound-Medal of Honor: Underground (Dreamworks Interactive-PSX) Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition-Medal of Honor: Underground (Dreamworks Interactive-PSX) … Continue reading AIAS Awards →

Sometimes I hate my job! I really hate it when I express loyalty towards a system, only to have the system’s developer stab me in the back. I’ve been there before, most noticeably with the Atari 7800 (Dang you Tramiel! I should have known when you were fired by Commodore that you’d be up to no good.), and when Nintendo shoved their 8-bit NES to the back burner when they launched the SNES without backward compatibility. No wonder why I am so harsh against certain companies! Unfortunately, I never thought I’d be expressing the same hatred against Sega. I’ve been … Continue reading Backstabbed →

On the day I am writing this, it will mark one month since the PlayStation 2 was launched to the public. As everyone knows I was the only one on my staff (at least I think this) who was lucky enough to pick one up. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t consider myself lucky. In the month that followed the launch, I have seen nothing but disappointment for Sony’s new console, and it makes me wonder how the mainstream press continues promoting it over the Dreamcast. I know that Sony was successful with their launch, as the initial 500,000 units sold … Continue reading PS2 Day One →

Poor, poor Ken. Not only did he NOT obtain his PlayStation 2, as he stated in his Friday column, but he had to explain all that he went through in order to fail in the end. Me, on the other hand, ended up on the ladder of success. Next to this computer monitor, sits my brand new PlayStation2 in all its glory. Believe it or not, I wasn’t really looking forward to getting one in the first place. I’m sure everyone knows my love of Sega, its Dreamcast, and it’s godlike Internet gaming service. Also, with all the trouble I … Continue reading No Lovin’ For Ken →

We’ve all heard the debate of which format is better for gaming, the PC or the console market. Heck, it’s got as big as the Coke vs. Pepsi debate. Forthe longest time, I, being a dedicated game tester, decided to stay equal onboth sides. But recently I have delivered my own attack on this ongoingissue. At the beginning of the year 2000, I noticed an article in a computer gamespublication that caught my eye. This editorial criticized the SegaDreamcast, and in particular, its top-selling sports titles, NFL2K andNBA2K. It seems that the person who wrote this column decided to attack … Continue reading PC or Console? →

It was a quiet, sunny, Tuesday afternoon, and I was walking through Washington’s National Press Building. Suddenly, something way off in one corner caught my eye. It was a tabletop version of the arcade classic Gyruss. "What is this doing here," I asked myself. This was definitely a sight for me to behold, considering that I have not seen this game (aside from emulation or console translation) for over ten years. It was then I realized I had stumbled upon a traveling classic video game exhibit entitled Videotopia, presented by the Capital Children’s Museum and the Electronics Conservancy. Videotopia is … Continue reading Gamer heaven in traveling computer game museum →