Why I love video games, part 12,437

My sister has been home from college for the past few days, taking a timeout from the stress of finals prep and college life in general. We had the house to ourselves today so I hooked up the Wii U to the living room TV and the two of us played some co-op Super Mario 3D World for a couple hours.

A couple hours quickly turned into four or five because we were having so much fun. There's something special about handing someone a controller and watching them smile and have fun with a game you just knew they'd enjoy, and I'm telling you, nobody does it quite like Mario.

From great to unforgettable: what makes a game stick in our memories?

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. It's an effective tool for any creative medium, but I don't think it's off-base to say that nostalgia is an especially potent tool for game developers. Most of us who love video games grew up with them, so characters like Link and Mario feature heavily in our childhood memories, and we remember our favorite game worlds with the same fondness that we might remember a family vacation, or holidays at grandma's house. Let's admit it, when a new game comes along, no matter how great it may be, odds are that it won't quite measure up to the games you played and loved as a child.

Early Impressions of The Wonderful 101

I'm just about a third of the way through The Wonderful 101's main campaign and I figured this would be a good point to stop and give some impressions, because DAMN, this is one unique game.

How Come Nobody Wants A Wii U? This Thing Is Awesome!

Okay, we need to talk. If you consider yourself a fan of video games- not a "gamer", because that word is seriously lame- then go ahead and take a seat because we're going to have a discussion about the Wii U, and crucially, why you haven't bought one.