Couch Lounger

Another year brings another broken gaming model. This time it takes the form of a beloved franchise in Star Wars: Battlefront 2.

These days we’re use to games that break out of the box and companies that release tons of garbage that could have been programmers’ weekend projects.

When you pay $60 for a new game from a top company you expect a full gaming experience. You don’t expect Farmville-style up-selling spam. So gamers were rightfully angry when they found out Battlefront 2 would ship with a pay-to-win storefront (game companies are calling this a “mechanic” now).

So another E3 has come and gone, and with it we are witness to whole slew of new and exciting things.  This year we certainly were not left wanting, with some of the biggest footage including titles like Fallout 4 and Uncharted 4 (those particular captured my interest the most).  But overall, what else did we learn?

If the thought of gamers as professional athletes makes you smirk, look no further than ESPN’s latest coverage of Blizzard’s Heroes of the Dorm tournament.

The training regiment may involve hundreds of stationary hours rather than gruelling sweat, but proponents argue that “cyber athlete” is a real thing.

A truck carrying a shipment of Special Edition Splatoon Amiibo has been stolen in Europe. Tough luck, says Nintendo to the hapless customers who pre-ordered toys that will never arrive.

A year after meeting during a game of Mario Kart, this couple returned to the video game store for a Legend of Zelda themed wedding. A Super Smash Bros tournament was had during the reception.

Amazing how a new soundtrack can make a film even better…

Lots of people are rightfully excited at the chance to directly support games they are interested in through sites like Indiegogo and Kickstarter.

What happens when big studios move in and run marketing projects that are designed to advertise and have no chance of actually funding games? Does their behaviour poison the water for indies who are trying to justify their budget?

Everything old is new again as retro gaming continues its march across the market. The editor of Retro Magazine is wagering that now is the right time to introduce a cartridge-based console that will let today’s consumer focus on the game and not all the other bells and whistles we normally find tacked onto the “big” consoles.

Konami has voluntarily delisted itself from the New York Stock Exchange. It is still trading in London and Tokyo, but no longer considers it economically justifiable to maintain a presence in the American market.

Modern games can have extremely realistic-looking environments and situations. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that you’re really just looking at a bunch of coloured triangles.

Until, of course, you run over a spot the developer hadn’t anticipated and fall through the floor. Because… it doesn’t actually exist. The suspension of disbelief is gone.

Enjoy these five hilarious game glitches.