Contributor: Trent Hoose

One look at the titular building in Batman: Arkham Asylum, and you can understand why Gotham City has such a problem with homicidal madmen. Outside, the place makes the typical cemetery look like a Smurf theme park. Inside, it’s even worse, what with i …

You’d think the characters in the SoulCalibur series would’ve gotten tired of the whole “quest for the sacred sword(s)” thing by now and retreated to their couches to watch Matlock reruns. Not so. After 12 years, Cervantes, Astaroth, Yoshimitsu et al a …

We all have ideas about what happens to us after we die. We think about how we’ll walk through the Pearly Gates, hang with the angels or surround the throne of God. We might imagine heaven as being filled with fluffy clouds, classical architecture, tow …

If someone sauntered up to ya, spit out his chaw and started talkin’ ’bout a Western, yer brain might jump to the title of an old Louis L’Amour paperback you once picked up in a used bookstore. Or maybe you’d think of that John Wayne DVD that’s collect …

I walk into town, trusty dog at my side, looking to replenish supplies and maybe pick up a better ax. (The one I have just doesn’t seem to cleave Hobbes and Banshees the way it used to.) But the moment the townsfolk catch sight of me they all run away …

If you’re one of those people who always wants to pull out the Risk game whenever friends or family are looking for something fun to do—or you just look forward to dressy occasions because your Napoleon hat makes you look so tall and commanding—then I …

The battle for top honcho among gaming consoles rages on. Does the PS3 have the best graphics? Will the family vote win the day for the Wii? But for those with enough cash to afford all the bells and whistles, the personal computer still reigns as king …

“Why so serious?” So says the evil Joker in The Dark Knight, the bleakest Batman movie ever. And, though the Joker wasn’t talking to Batman, he might as well have been. Never the cheeriest of superheroes, Batman has recently become the cinematic poster …

I often marvel at how incredibly realistic video games can be nowadays. After making my way through some virtual cave or jungle, I feel like I ought to dust the grime and cobwebs off my clothes. And the complexity of current interweaving gameplay is li …

Gamers are pulling down their blocky visors and once again keeping a steely eye peeled for Covenant forces. Which can mean only one thing: Halo is back.

Today’s action video games are, on the whole, often pretty similar. Gamemakers drop players into hyper-adrenalized situations, give them obliterating weapons, high-powered vehicles or bulging-muscle superpowers (sometimes all three) and let them have a …

What would you think if science could pull some genetic tidbit out of your DNA and give you the power to relive past memories? I’m not just talking about your own memories, either. How about your grandmother’s or your great-great-great-great-grandfathe …

Growing up in Iowa, some sports were important, some weren’t. Important: Wrestling. Not important: Pro hockey. You’d think that a state that spends much of the winter in an ice-lock would inspire more love for this sport. Not so much. It wasn’t until I …

When I heard the word ninja as a kid, all kinds of cool shadow-leaping wonders filled my imagination. I’d think of a black wrap-around costume, exquisite swords, whisper-quiet—almost superhuman—tumbles and flips, and, of course, those ninja stars that …

The latest fantasy role-playing adventure from the makers of the Baldur’s Gate games invites players into an intricate, engaging epic full of dark foes and murky moral conundrums.