By Nicholas Lives
10. Mario's original name was simply "Jump-Man," back in 1981 when the plumber (but back then he was supposed to be a carpenter) jumped over his first burning barrel in "Donkey Kong." He was later named "Mario" after a heated argument took place between some Nintendo employees and their landlord, Mario Segale.
9. The name "Donkey Kong" for Nintendo's famous ape character actually originated as a mistranslation. The game's creator Miyamoto had originally thought the word "donkey" to mean "stupid" in english, so he believed American audiences would translate the name as "stupid ape." He was laughed at when he tried the name out in America, but the name stuck.
8. The arcade game Pac-Man was originally titled Puck-Man, but the name was changed when certain people pointed out that vandalizing the "P" would result in looking like a rather nasty curse word.
7. Andrew Ryan, one of the main antagonists from the 2007 hit game Bioshock, is loosely based on real-life author Ayn Rand, the author of the infamous Atlas Shrugged. His name, Andrew Ryan, comes from an anagram of Ayn Rand's name.
6. This one might seem obvious to some people, but you'd be surprised at how many people don't know about this: The name "Pokemon" derives from a shortened version of the series' original name: "Pocket-Monsters." It all makes sense now, right?
5. There are over 50 characters with the name "Jack" in gaming. To name a few, there's Jack Carver, Jack Slate, Jack Walters, Jack Marston, Jack Krauser, Jack Ryan, and Jack Cayman. Not to mention other Jacks like Jack Sparrow, Jack Bauer, Jack Skellington, and so on.
4. Despite the game's title, the protagonist of the game "Mind-Jack" is NOT named Jack.
3. Using the prefix "re" for naming video game sequels is an increasingly popular naming tactic. See: Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Resident Evil: Revelations, Dead to Rights: Retribution, The Matrix: Reloaded, Read Dead Redemption, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, etc. etc.
2. Replacing letters with numbers is also an incredibly popular sequel naming tactic. See: F3AR, THI4F, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing, etc. etc.
1. Finally, the most interesting fact my readers will read today: There is only one notable video game character that shares my name, "Nick." And he's just some sarcastic jerk from Left 4 Dead 2. Lame.
 Who says games can't be art? Image by Google. By Nick Lives
The term "Indie" is often synonymous with "artsy" in the many mediums the word is associated with. That being said, "artsy" isn't necessarily synonymous with "boring." For those unfamiliar with the term, "indie game" simply means "independently developed game."
These types of games don't have millions of dollars to spend on realistic graphics and the latest lighting systems, so often they will have to rely on pure innovative game-play to make their experiences enjoyable.
These games weren't created so they could make lots of money, these games were created because the people who created them had a passion for games. So without further ado, I give you:
The Top 3 Indie Games You Need to Play:
3. Braid Platform: Xbox Live Arcade, Steam
Braid is a game about making mistakes. You play as Tim, a man who has made the biggest mistake of his life. A mistake that caused his so-called "Princess" to abandon him. In Braid, you don't just play the game, you live out Tim's life and help him try to undo the mistakes in his life. With an art style that makes the game look like a living painting and with a story so poetic in nature, Braid is a game you must play for the experience alone.
2. Super Meat Boy!Platform: Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare, Steam
Just like Braid, Super Meat Boy! is also a game about making mistakes. But unlike Braid, Super Meat Boy! isn't about undoing those mistakes, It's about trying over and over again until you get it right. You play as Meat Boy, a courageous little guy who happens to have no skin. When Meat Boy's girlfriend, Bandage Girl, gets kidnapped by the nefarious Dr. Fetus, Meat boy must stop at nothing to save her. In the process you will die many times, but with its fast placed game play, you're almost guaranteed to say to yourself over and over again: "Just one more try."
1. Minecraft Platform: PC
Last on our list is a game with such popularity, its design has been ingrained in our very culture. In Minecraft, you are given the world, and in this world, your only task is to create. By gathering materials with your hand-crafted pick-axe, you can build anything your heart desires. Minecraft may very well be one of the best proofs that a game doesn't need fancy graphics to be fun.
Nicholas Lives Movies/Music Editorundeadmoose@yahoo.comSeeing as there isn't much gaming news worth mentioning this week, I think I'll go ahead and use this time to tell all you Hawkeye readers out there about a wonderful free-to-play independent game called Space Critters.Space Critters is a fun little free game about survival. Think Geometry Wars meets Tower Defense. You are an intergalactic exterminator, and your mission is to destroy as many space critters as possible before they eventually shred you to pieces. As an exterminator, you have more than just guns to suit your exterminating needs. While sending out endless streams of bullets at your enemies with Right Click, you can rapidly Left Click to place down energy shields that can defend your hide as well as destroy any monster dumb enough to run into it. As you kill more monsters, your score increases. As your score increases, you get bigger and better upgrades for both your guns and shields. As wave after wave of all different types of space critters continue to eat away at your custom-built energy shield fortress, you can be sure there won't be a dull moment in this action-packed arcade game.Space Critters will run smoothly on any PC. Mac edition is in progress. If you wanna try it, you can download it HERE!Oh yeah, and did I mention that I made this game myself? And that the awesome background music was provided by Alta's very own Jordan Farr?Try it folks, and let us know what you think!
 Image courtesy of hcplive.com By Nicholas Lives Movies and Music Reviewsundeadmoose@yahoo.comIt’s no secret that videogames and violence have been longtime partners since Pacman chomped down on his first frightened dead person (ghost). That being said, why is it that violence so often translates to fun in videogames? Taking a quick look at the most popular videogames of today, one sees a strange correlation between a game’s success and a game’s violent content. To put things into perspective, here is a short list of some of 2011’s best-selling games: 1 - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 2 - Just Dance 3 3 - Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 4 - Battlefield 3 5 - Portal 2 Let’s breakdown this list of games now shall we? In first place we have Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, a game about being an “American hero” who makes the world a better place by shooting its inhabitants. Nothing violent or trivializing about that, is there? Next we have Just Dance 3, a game in which you flail your arms and legs around wildly in an attempt to get the darn Wii sensor to read your movements. This may not sound very violent, but when you take into consideration that most people play these games in their basements or living rooms, surrounded by lamps and possibly other people, an accidental punch to the face isn’t that far off. In third place, we have Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, in which you pilot another “hero” who shouts at people so violently that it causes them to fall on their tushies. Oh yeah, and you slay a bunch of dragons; which, according to the game’s story, are an endangered species. It looks like there isn’t much sympathy for wildlife in these games, eh? Speaking of sympathy, the next game on the list is a game I have no sympathy for whatsoever if only due to its incredibly obnoxious “theme song.” That’s right, Battlefield 3. Supposedly this game about shooting foreigners is in direct competition with the previous game about shooting foreigners, Call of Duty. Although the choice of which one to buy seems a bit trivial. “Which country would you rather side with in a videogame? America or America?” Finally at number five, we have the delightful Portal 2, a game about theoretical physics. While I’m proud to say that this game is probably the least violent amongst all the other games, I will admit that the plotline; in which an omniscient (and not to mention rude) computer ridicules you for your weight while trying repeatedly to murder you, is not the most family friendly of concepts. Luckily, the game does end rather ( SPOILER WARNING) bittersweet, which is more than I can say for most of the other games on this list. So where was I going with all this? Oh yes that’s right, that violent games sell well because they contain some amount of violence one way or another. Is this to say that no game can succeed without including violence? Of course not! My theory is that the only reason violent games sell well is because: A) they are designed well. B) Blood effects and violent actions in general lend powerful visual stimuli as a way of rewarding the player for every successful kill they land. Considering this idea of visual stimuli, I whole-heartedly believe that, if accompanied by the right kind of visual effects, a game about hugging people could be just as fun as a game about shooting people. I also encourage you, the consumers, to try and expand your game collection beyond simple shooters and sports games. The industry won’t make games that we don’t buy, so encourage them by not buying games about shooting foreigners. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m getting off this soap-box before it starts falling over.
First-person-shooters have the player use teamwork to battle through hordes of enemy soldiers to victory.
Nicholas Lives
Movies/ Music Review
undeadmoose@yahoo.com
While it's easy for the media to point to violent video games and label them as "monstrous" or "a deadly influence on youth," not many people stop to realize that many video games can actually teach some valuable life lessons to those who are open-minded enough to see them. Whereas previous generations of kids have grown up watching Sesame Street for their life lessons, many new generations will be playing the latest Zelda or Call of Duty for theirs. Is this a bad thing? Well, let's just see what kinds of lessons games have been teaching us for years.. this time starting with everyone's favorite shoot-em-up: Call of Duty.
Call of Duty: Shooting games aren't the most sophisticated breed of the gaming world, but even mindless games like Call of Duty have something to teach us. The lesson? When there is a will, there is a way. These games are famous for putting the player in seemingly impossible situations. You are always outnumbered. You are always outgunned. Yet despite this, you know that there is always a way to overcome it. No matter how many times you die, the game always reminds you that despite the odds, you can do it. A friend can come in at any time, when most needed. As you look down the barrel of a Desert Eagle, Captain Price tackles the attacker to the ground, and you both fight together and live.The lesson we can take away from this game is that even when life is at its worst, there is always a way to beat it.
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