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Maddy Myers

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Review: Mortal Kombat 9

Gross miskonduct
Mortal Kombat 9 represents everything that's awful about video games. It's trashy, it's corny, it's gory, it's sexist, it's racist — and it's deceptively addictive.

By MADDY MYERS | May 10, 2011

It's a long story
In spite of the obstacles to making Martin's story succeed as a TV show, someone at HBO must be a fan, because Game of Thrones — named after the first book in his series — makes its live-action television debut this Sunday, April 17.

By MADDY MYERS | April 14, 2011

Review: Dragon Age 2

Building character
Dragon Age 2 appears, at first, to have little going for it. The combat system stoops to Kingdom Hearts levels of easy. You press the basic attack button as fast as you can while occasionally switching to other buttons for more-powerful abilities that recharge.

By MADDY MYERS | March 31, 2011

At PAX, everyone gets along

Game faces
PAX East came to the Boston Convention Center this past weekend, bringing 69,500 gamers together for three days of video and computer-game demos, nerdcore concerts, panel discussions about the industry and gamer culture at large, and chances to meet the convention's hosts, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the author/artist duo of the popular gaming webcomic Penny Arcade.

By MADDY MYERS | March 16, 2011

F. Murray Abraham brings his Shylock to ArtsEmerson

From Cleopatra to Picasso to Alan Turing: Spring theater in Boston

Familiar faces
Famous historical figures come to life on the Boston theater scene this spring.

By MADDY MYERS | March 14, 2011

Gaming, rape culture, and how I stopped reading Penny Arcade

When Dickwolves attack
One September evening in 2005, I sat in a packed MIT lecture hall and watched as Mike Krahulik drew the Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory on a blackboard.

By MADDY MYERS | March 07, 2011

Review: Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Flashy fan service
MvC3 doesn't even attempt to take a stand on crossover match-ups, since all the fighters must be of comparable strength, or the game won't function. Is it ridiculous to see the Phoenix lose against Magneto? Yes. Fans of X-Men know that's impossible, but in this game, anything can happen.

By MADDY MYERS | February 23, 2011

Review: Dead Space 2

The engineer, unmasked
It's been three years since Dead Space, both for us and for protagonist Isaac Clarke, who wakes up with no memory of what's happened since we last saw his simple spaceship-engineering assignment turn into a fight against undead monsters called Necromorphs.

By MADDY MYERS | February 02, 2011

Sexiest video game studs of 2010

A banner year for pixelated pieces of ass
Shameless objectification. That’s what gamers like to see: toned, fit bodies performing fantastic physical stunts in skimpy outfits. Thing is, the games industry isn’t just pandering to their straight male audience these days. We’re starting to see some equal-opportunity eye candy.

By MADDY MYERS | December 22, 2010

Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops

Historical fiction: Black Ops packs the Cold War with action
Like other Call of Duty games, Black Ops is rated M for Mature, but that rating doesn't cut it anymore.

By MADDY MYERS | November 17, 2010

Review: Kirby's Epic Yarn

Gaming in Neverland
Kirby's Epic Yarn is for the kids

By MADDY MYERS | November 02, 2010

Review: A good old-fashioned Screw

Ryan Landry and Molly Schreiber star in Stoneham's Henry James ghost-story classic
Stoneham Theatre's staging The Turn of the Screw in time for Halloween (it plays through November 7) comes as no surprise, but director Caitlin Lowans turned heads when she cast Gold Dust Orphans founder Ryan Landry as one of her two stars in Jeffrey Hatcher's 1997 two-actor adaptation.

By MADDY MYERS | October 29, 2010

LO500 Battle of the Week: World of Warcraft vs. The Sims

Do you pull for the plumb-bobs, or do you do it for the Horde?
The Sims and World of Warcraft both came out in the early aughts. The franchises are two of the most popular franchises of all time, alongside Myst , believe it or not. But unlike Myst , these two games have had years of expansion packs and upgrades.

By MADDY MYERS | October 18, 2010

Interview: Drilling Ryan Landry and Molly Schreiber

A screwy turn
A screwy turn

By MADDY MYERS | October 13, 2010

Do violent video games beget real violence?

By MADDY MYERS | September 28, 2010

Review: Halo: Reach

A long goodbye
Throughout Halo: Reach 's campaign, you are haunted by the thought that, at the end, you will die — and that with your death, the Halo empire will come to an end.

By MADDY MYERS | September 21, 2010

Review: Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World: The Game

This video game sticks to its niche
The Scott Pilgrim vs. the World franchise is a dork media triathlon encompassing the original graphic-novel series, the movie, and now the video game. Each piece of the Scott Pilgrim tri-force seems designed to persuade you to seek out the other two.

By MADDY MYERS | August 29, 2010