Nick Dinicola made it through college with a degree in English, and now applies all his critical thinking skills to video games instead of literature. He reviews games and writes a weekly post for the Moving Pixels blog at PopMatters, and can be heard on the weekly Moving Pixels podcast. More of his reviews, previews, and general thoughts on gaming can be found at www.gamehounds.net.
Columns
Monday, May 21 2012
To Build a World or to Tell a Story?
Plot just provides us with a win condition, it is not necessary for the act of play. I can enjoy a game without plot, but I can’t enjoy a game without world building because that is a game without rules.
Friday, March 23 2012
The Method to the Madness of 'Modern Warfare'
In a series in which World War III is just a subplot, it’s clear that Infinity Ward is more concerned with character resolution than it is with plot resolution.
Thursday, January 26 2012
Batman Is Boring in ‘Arkham City’
Batman is a bit player in his own story, and I think a lot of that stems from his desire to save everyone.
Friday, November 18 2011
If You Can’t Help Me, Just Die: Survival in ‘Dead Island’
Dead Island is old-school survival-horror game, a subgenre that seems to have largely disappeared from the medium with the ascension of the action-horror game.
Monday, September 26 2011
The End of the World Makes Sense in ‘Bastion’
The multiple endings in Bastion all feel like natural conclusions to the story.
The Narrative Pastiche of Games [19.May.11]
The Assassins' Politics [29.Mar.11]
The 'Assassins' Religion [14.Jan.10]
Reviews
Monday, May 14 2012
Xenoblade Chronicles
There’s a lot of stuff you can ignore in Xenoblade Chronicles and a lot that you probably should ignore, but there’s even more worth embracing.
Monday, May 7 2012
'Fez' Is So Much More Than What It Seems
Once Fez gets its claws into you, you’ll be thinking about it at work, in the car, on the toilet -- every second of the day until you can return to it.
Monday, April 16 2012
Ridge Racer: Unbounded
As fun as it is to race in Ridge Racer: Unbounded, it wears out its welcome by the halfway point.
Monday, March 26 2012
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations
There's some surprisingly good combat at its core, but the game is completely unwilling to teach it to me.
Friday, March 9 2012
'SSX' Is Mechanically Perfect
SSX walks that fine line between nostalgic reverence and modernization to create a game that feels both classic and new.
Gotham City Imposters [20.Feb.12]
'SoulCalibur V' Is a Very Vibrant Game [6.Feb.12]
Fractal: Make Blooms Not War [9.Jan.12]
Need for Speed: The Run [5.Dec.11]
Battlefield 3 [28.Nov.11]
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon [16.Nov.11]
Orcs Must Die! [24.Oct.11]
'Rage' Has the Barest Bones of an RPG [17.Oct.11]
Dead Island [16.Sep.11]
The Baconing [9.Sep.11]
Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team [3.Aug.11]
Dungeon Siege III [1.Jul.11]
Alice: Madness Returns [20.Jun.11]
Red Faction: Armageddon [17.Jun.11]
Brink [27.May.11]
Shift 2: Unleashed [6.May.11]
NASCAR 2011: The Game [18.Apr.11]
Crysis 2 [8.Apr.11]
Dead Space 2: Severed [28.Mar.11]
Bulletstorm [7.Mar.11]
Dead Space 2 [4.Feb.11]
'Vanquish' Is a Refreshingly Unique Shooter [13.Dec.10]
'Fable 3' is the Quintessential Mixed Bag [19.Nov.10]
Quantum Theory [1.Nov.10]
Dead Space: Ignition [25.Oct.10]
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West [11.Oct.10]
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virture [8.Oct.10]
Arc Rise Fantasia [23.Aug.10]
Clash of the Titans [20.Aug.10]
'DeathSpank' Oozes Personality and Wit [2.Aug.10]
Naval Assault: The Killing Tide [14.Jul.10]
Military Madness: Nectaris [20.May.10]
Red Steel 2 [16.Apr.10]
Toy Soldiers [26.Mar.10]
Heavy Rain [19.Mar.10]
0 Day Attack on Earth [10.Feb.10]
Dark Void [25.Jan.10]
Puzzlegeddon [6.Jan.10]
Madden NFL Arcade [14.Dec.09]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 [30.Nov.09]
Mini Ninjas [16.Nov.09]
Dead Space: Extraction [16.Oct.09]
'Splosion Man [14.Aug.09]
Little King's Story [12.Aug.09]
Battlefield: 1943 [3.Aug.09]
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings [12.Jun.09]
Blogs
Friday, May 25 2012
'The Witcher 2' Does the Exposition Dump Right
All of the plot is laid bare in the final conversation of the game: a climactic Q&A session.
Friday, May 18 2012
The Evolution of Alan Wake
The character of Alan Wake has evolved in appropriate ways over the series, but what’s more interesting is how the mechanics have evolved with him.
Friday, May 11 2012
Nathan Drake Shouldn’t Shoot People… He Should Punch Them
It lessens Drake’s heroism to see him shoot someone, not because it makes him a violent man, but because it makes him look weak.
Friday, May 4 2012
‘Fez’ is a Very Personal Puzzle Game
Fez is a puzzle game built around the idea that people’s minds all work differently.
Friday, April 27 2012
Of Snowflakes and Sociability: Mutiplayer 'SSX'
The multiplayer of SSX is a collection of lesser used innovations pieced together in such a way that each one complements the other.
'Anomaly', the Simple Start of a New Genre (Moving Pixels) [20.Apr.12]
‘Resistance 3’ Proves the Deficiencies of Health Packs (Moving Pixels) [13.Apr.12]
Bioware Finally Gets the Morality Meter Right in 'Mass Effect 3' (Moving Pixels) [6.Apr.12]
The Fallible Morality of 'Mass Effect 3' (Moving Pixels) [30.Mar.12]
World Building With Tweets for 'Mass Effect 3' (Moving Pixels) [23.Mar.12]
Combat as Character Development in ‘Assassin’s Creed’ (Moving Pixels) [16.Mar.12]
What 'AMY' Says about Gender Roles in Survival-Horror Games (Moving Pixels) [9.Mar.12]
Evil Can Be Cute: The Morality of 'Warp' (Moving Pixels) [2.Mar.12]
The Helpless Protector in ‘AMY’ (Moving Pixels) [24.Feb.12]
The Online Pass Is Only Appropriate For Single-Player Games (Moving Pixels) [17.Feb.12]
The Advantages of Playing 'Skyrim' at Your Own Pace (Moving Pixels) [10.Feb.12]
‘Modern Warfare 3’ Successfully Revisits the AC-130 (Moving Pixels) [3.Feb.12]
'Amy' Is a Horror Game That Is Broken in All the Right Ways (Moving Pixels) [27.Jan.12]
Get Rid of the Mini-map (Moving Pixels) [20.Jan.12]
The Hypocritical Cynicism of 'Battlefield 3' (Moving Pixels) [13.Jan.12]
The Best Collectible I’ve Ever Collected (Moving Pixels) [6.Jan.12]
Joining the Cult of Abstergo (Moving Pixels) [16.Dec.11]
Familiarity Breeds Suspense in ‘The Run’ (Moving Pixels) [9.Dec.11]
A Good Menu Sets the Mood: Part 3 (Moving Pixels) [2.Dec.11]
The Strength of Dialogue in ‘Enslaved’ (Moving Pixels) [18.Nov.11]
Creatively Derivative (Moving Pixels) [11.Nov.11]
Unwanted Empathy in ‘Rage’ (Moving Pixels) [4.Nov.11]
The Dangers of the Beta-Demo (Moving Pixels) [28.Oct.11]
The Paradox of Modern Horror: Staying Alive (Moving Pixels) [21.Oct.11]
‘The Thing’ (the Video Game) Also Deserves a Remake (Moving Pixels) [14.Oct.11]
Big Names Should Work On Small Games (Moving Pixels) [7.Oct.11]
Recaps Made Easy in 'Deus Ex: Human Revolution' (Moving Pixels) [30.Sep.11]
Scary Transmedia Synergy Within the 'Gears of War' Universe (Moving Pixels) [23.Sep.11]
What Do ‘Gears of War’ and ‘L.A. Noire’ Have in Common? (Moving Pixels) [16.Sep.11]
Cyclical Stories in Video Games (Moving Pixels) [9.Sep.11]
Thematic Confusion in the Branching Narratives of Video Games (Moving Pixels) [2.Sep.11]
Xbox LIVE Indie Game Round Up -- Part 2 (Moving Pixels) [26.Aug.11]
Pixel Hunting Is Fun in 'L.A. Noire' (Moving Pixels) [19.Aug.11]
Chasing Achievements in ‘From Dust’ Makes Me A Better God (Moving Pixels) [12.Aug.11]
'Half-Minute Hero' is Literally a Parody of Itself (Moving Pixels) [5.Aug.11]
The Most Loving Suicide Mission Ever (Moving Pixels) [29.Jul.11]
"Child of Eden’s" Identity Crisis (Moving Pixels) [22.Jul.11]
Collaborative Conflict in 'Mass Effect' (Moving Pixels) [15.Jul.11]
Creation and Destruction in 'Solar 2' (Moving Pixels) [8.Jul.11]
The Many Genres of ‘Nier’ (Moving Pixels) [1.Jul.11]
The Hair Makes the Woman in 'Alice: Madness Returns' (Moving Pixels) [24.Jun.11]
Open Arenas Are No Open World in 'Red Faction: Armageddon' (Moving Pixels) [17.Jun.11]
Playing the Persona in ‘L.A. Noire’ (Moving Pixels) [10.Jun.11]
Puzzles Are Strategy in ‘Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes’ (Moving Pixels) [3.Jun.11]
The Badge Pursuit Challenge in 'L.A. Noire': A Pre-Order Bonus That’s Worth the Day 1 Purchase (Moving Pixels) [27.May.11]
I Want to Play the Victim in ‘Dragon Age II’ (Moving Pixels) [20.May.11]
Xbox LIVE Indie Game Round Up (Moving Pixels) [13.May.11]
The Perfect FPS Protagonist (Moving Pixels) [6.May.11]
'Goldeneye 007': A Good Game, But Not a Good Wii Game (Moving Pixels) [29.Apr.11]
‘The Conduit’: A Gateway Game (Moving Pixels) [22.Apr.11]
'Broken Sword' and the Ever-Evolving Adventure Game (Moving Pixels) [15.Apr.11]
You’re in No Position to Change Anything in ‘Dragon Age II’ (Moving Pixels) [8.Apr.11]
An Almost Playable Classic: More on 'Maniac Mansion' (Moving Pixels) [1.Apr.11]
Subverting the Power Fantasy in 'Bulletstorm' (Moving Pixels) [25.Mar.11]
3D Games Are for the Audience, Not the Player (Moving Pixels) [18.Mar.11]
A Good Menu Sets the Mood Redux: Three More Memorable Menus (Moving Pixels) [11.Mar.11]
Moving Pixels Podcast: 'Dragon Age' Expanded? (Moving Pixels) [7.Mar.11]
How Not to Make a Multiplayer Game (Moving Pixels) [4.Mar.11]
A Slice of Wartime Life (Moving Pixels) [25.Feb.11]
The Paradox of Modern Horror: Running Away (Moving Pixels) [18.Feb.11]
The Paradox of Modern Horror: “Survival Horror” (Moving Pixels) [11.Feb.11]
Killing Kids Is Scary (Moving Pixels) [4.Feb.11]
Fun Times With Ratchet and Clank (Moving Pixels) [28.Jan.11]
The Two Faces of 'Dead Rising 2' (Moving Pixels) [21.Jan.11]
My Slow Start With 'Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit' (Moving Pixels) [14.Jan.11]
Pigsy's Perfect 10 (Moving Pixels) [7.Jan.11]
Gaming and Politics in 2010 (Moving Pixels) [24.Dec.10]
The Frightening and Uncomfortable World of 'Metro 2033' (Moving Pixels) [10.Dec.10]
'Burnout' Ruined Racing Games For Me (Moving Pixels) [3.Dec.10]
Mass Effect 2 (Consuming Consumables) [22.Nov.10]
Forced Politics in 'Fable 3' (Moving Pixels) [19.Nov.10]
Forced Alliances in ‘Fable 3’ (Moving Pixels) [12.Nov.10]
Epic vs. Episodic Adventure Games (Moving Pixels) [5.Nov.10]
Kids Can Be Cruel: The Sadistic Girls of ‘Rule of Rose’ (Moving Pixels) [29.Oct.10]
Some Comments on Video Game Commentary Tracks (Moving Pixels) [22.Oct.10]
'Project Legacy': My First Facebook Game (Moving Pixels) [15.Oct.10]
The Least Suicidal Suicide Mission Ever (Moving Pixels) [8.Oct.10]
Words Can Kill: The Creative Process of Alan Wake in 'The Signal' (Moving Pixels) [1.Oct.10]
'Dead Rising' Does Zombies Right (Moving Pixels) [24.Sep.10]
‘Clash of the Titans: The Video Game’ is ‘Clash of the Titans: The Director’ (Moving Pixels) [17.Sep.10]
Considering the Slow Burn of 'Final Fantasy XIII' (Moving Pixels) [10.Sep.10]
Combat Mechanics as Character Development in 'Final Fantasy XIII' (Moving Pixels) [3.Sep.10]
An Intimacy with the Handcam in ‘Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days’ (Moving Pixels) [27.Aug.10]
An Obsession with Progression (Moving Pixels) [20.Aug.10]
The Lasting Accomplishment of 'Max Payne' (Moving Pixels) [13.Aug.10]
Dreaming in 'Limbo' (Moving Pixels) [6.Aug.10]
The Spiritual Sequel to the 2008 'Prince of Persia' (Moving Pixels) [30.Jul.10]
Making Emergent Stories Matter: Considering 'Left 4 Dead' and 'Medal of Honor' (Moving Pixels) [23.Jul.10]
Party Division As Character Development in 'Final Fantasy XIII' (Moving Pixels) [16.Jul.10]
Why Do I Cheer For War? (Moving Pixels) [9.Jul.10]
My Ending Is My Canon (Moving Pixels) [2.Jul.10]
The Lasting Accomplishment of 'Indigo Prophecy' (Moving Pixels) [25.Jun.10]
How Open Is Your Open World? (Moving Pixels) [18.Jun.10]
Red Dead Redemption: A Linear Open World (Moving Pixels) [11.Jun.10]
A Good Menu Sets the Mood (Moving Pixels) [4.Jun.10]
Alan Wake and the Proper Use of Product Placement (Moving Pixels) [28.May.10]
The Worst Kind of Consequence: Losing Control in 'BioShock 2' (Moving Pixels) [21.May.10]
Five Movie and Game Pairings (Moving Pixels) [14.May.10]
Achievements Change The Way That I Play (Moving Pixels) [7.May.10]
Demon's Souls is the Future of Survival-Horror (Moving Pixels) [30.Apr.10]
Are Wii Shooters Better Than The Rest? (Moving Pixels) [23.Apr.10]
Rubi vs. Bayonetta (Moving Pixels) [16.Apr.10]
I'd Rather Be Stealing Gold (Moving Pixels) [9.Apr.10]
The Loyalty Missions of 'Mass Effect 2' (Part 3) (Moving Pixels) [2.Apr.10]
The Loyalty Missions of 'Mass Effect 2' (Part 2) (Moving Pixels) [26.Mar.10]
The Loyalty Missions of 'Mass Effect 2' (Part 1) (Moving Pixels) [19.Mar.10]
Building Worlds With Words in 'Mass Effect 2' (Moving Pixels) [12.Mar.10]
Our Role as Actor in 'Heavy Rain' (Moving Pixels) [5.Mar.10]
The Brilliant Horror of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Moving Pixels) [26.Feb.10]
Discussing Spoilers: Does It Ruin the Game Experience? (Moving Pixels) [19.Feb.10]
I Am a Traveler: Inventory Management in Borderlands and Dragon Age (Moving Pixels) [12.Feb.10]
Prototype and inFamous: Ambition or Polish (Moving Pixels) [5.Feb.10]
You’re Not as Important as You Think: Choice and Consequence in Dragon Age (Moving Pixels) [29.Jan.10]
DiRT 2: A Racing Sim for the Arcade Fan (Moving Pixels) [22.Jan.10]
Turning Frustration into Excitement: Random Battles in Dragon Age (Moving Pixels) [15.Jan.10]
Downloadable Content as Product Placement (Moving Pixels) [8.Jan.10]
Transitional Period: Adapting PC Genres to Consoles (Moving Pixels) [18.Dec.09]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Consuming Consumables) [17.Dec.09]
Dead Space: Extraction (Consuming Consumables) [11.Dec.09]
Silent Conversations: Communicating Without Voice Chat in Online Games (Moving Pixels) [11.Dec.09]
The Mystery of Assassin's Creed (Moving Pixels) [4.Dec.09]
Modern War in Modern Warfare 2 (Moving Pixels) [20.Nov.09]
It's A Mad Mad Mad MadWorld (Moving Pixels) [13.Nov.09]
Cut Scenes Can Work in Games (Moving Pixels) [6.Nov.09]
That Good Ol' Ultraviolence (Moving Pixels) [30.Oct.09]
Does This Hurt? A Look at Torture in Games (Moving Pixels) [23.Oct.09]
The Next Visual Leap in Gaming (Moving Pixels) [16.Oct.09]
Moving Pixels Plays Telephone Part 3: The Right to “Gank” the System in Video Games (Moving Pixels) [9.Oct.09]
Lost in the Past (Moving Pixels) [2.Oct.09]
War is (Fun As) Hell (Moving Pixels) [25.Sep.09]
Punishing in All the Right Ways (Moving Pixels) [18.Sep.09]
The Fine Line Between Challenge and Punishment: Comparing Peggle and Trash Panic (Moving Pixels) [11.Sep.09]
The State of Social Commentary in Gaming (Moving Pixels) [4.Sep.09]
The Boycott of Shadow Complex (Moving Pixels) [28.Aug.09]
The Contradictory Support for Online Gaming (Moving Pixels) [21.Aug.09]
Parody Games and the Changing Face of Collectibles (Moving Pixels) [14.Aug.09]
Your Virtual Physical Self (Moving Pixels) [7.Aug.09]
Homelessness in The Sims 3 (Moving Pixels) [31.Jul.09]
Permanent Death in Far Cry 2 (Moving Pixels) [24.Jul.09]
The Future of Gaming is...Adventure Games? (Moving Pixels) [17.Jul.09]
Going HUDless for Immersion (Moving Pixels) [10.Jul.09]
Choosing The Experience Over The Challenge (Moving Pixels) [3.Jul.09]
Consequence Without Morality (Moving Pixels) [26.Jun.09]
Developing Characters in Valkyria Chronicles (Moving Pixels) [19.Jun.09]
The Flawed Horror of Silent Hill: Homecoming (Moving Pixels) [12.Jun.09]
Looking Ahead (Moving Pixels) [5.Jun.09]
Subverting the Power Fantasy in Call of Duty 4 (Moving Pixels) [29.May.09]
Why You Should Care About Dom's Wife (Moving Pixels) [22.May.09]
A Case for Regenerating Health (Moving Pixels) [14.May.09]
Morality and Karma Systems (Moving Pixels) [8.May.09]
