Featured Stories In 1990, with the original Nintendo console at its peak popularity, the Mariomaker staged a national tour of convention centers, complete with a...   More

Headout Education is the measuring stick of civilization. But not everyone can sit through a lecture about Teddy Roosevelt’s later years without getting distracted by squirrels frolicking outside. Some    More

Music Stories My Game Boy sucks. Manufactured in 1992, it is a dirty, yellowing gray. The “select” button is clogged with a mysterious black goop, the batteries are held in with gaffer tape and only half of   More

Featured Stories About 24 hours ago, I started playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 online in the middle of the Willamette Week office. I have stopped for food, bathroom breaks and occasional unescapable professio   More

Arts & Books Remember that contest that Ground Kontrol won last June? Well, they're just about ready to SHOW US THE MONEY! Actually, they're about ready to show us the newly remodeled Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade space, an overhaul that bought them new games, expanded floor space and a superfly-sounding TRON theme. And a 3D cybersex room. Okay, no cybersex room. And no word yet on the constant fog machine/strobe ...   More

Retailtherapist Today Valve, the fabulously witty devoloper of the Half Life and Left 4 Dead franchises, released its video game distribution client, Steam, for Mac. Steam has been a huge hit on Windows as a means of game distribution without stores or shipping fees, and the software's consumer friendly file sharing policies–buy a game on one computer, and you can download and play it on any other as long ...   More

News When I first signed on as an intern at Willamette Week—or more specifically when I first drugged and stole the identity of the guy that signed on as an intern at Willamette Week—I did so for one very specific reason; to meet women. Unfortunately, the glamorous, jet setting lifestyle I was prepared for was a bit shy on jets, and a bit light on the glamor. The whole “unpaid” ...   More

News Its a tough life, playing video games for all hours of the day then writing about them. Few understand the level of commitment it takes. The hand cramps, the eye strain, the deadly “gamer stigmata” towards girls. Okay, so it's actually pretty awesome, but it does lead to some awkward moments, like having to go to my local rental store and avoid eye contact while putting down Hannah Montana ...   More

News If you have a detective's instinct for minutiae (or you are “that guy” who goes to parties and tells people that Vader's chest plate was totally on backwards when he was fighting Ben in Star Wars Episode IV), you'll notice an addition to the title of this web column. Gone is “GameVania.” But in its passing we can introduce its successor: GamerVania. I know! Awesome, right? Well, ...   More

News After weeks of releases dominated by crap about ponies and Hannah Montana (my new least favorite game ever—you got lucky Legendary), there is a plethora of video game action this week. And not a World War II game among the bunch! This was the first week I actually had to pass on reviewing games I really wanted to play, due to the volume of prime releases available. Then again, despite the ...   More