The Last of Us (Gameplay)

The Last of Us (PS3) Best looking game I've seen at E3 so far... Naughty Dog studios, makers of the Uncharted series, are incredible.

I've read in articles the studio pushes themselves to do the most complicated effects to push the console to its limits, including fire, water, and sand dynamics. Their storylines, attention to details, and gameplay are amazing.

Uncharted 3

Uncharted 3

A screenshot from Uncharted 3 by IGN.com

I can't say I am an avid video game player, but I respect the art. I wanted to be a video game artist when I was younger.

I own a Wii and a PS3. I used the Wii for a little while playing Wii Sports when friends came over. Besides that, I've probably only played a couple games for it. I mainly use the PS3 to watch DVDs and access Netflix. However, there is one game franchise that has me hooked--Uncharted.

I was impressed by the movie-like storytelling (say Indiana Jones), the compelling digital renderings, and the action-puzzle gameplay. Uncharted 1 and 2 were fantastic, so I am looking forward to 3 which releases November 1, 2011.

If ratings are any indication, IGN has given it a perfect score of "10" which equates to a masterpiece.

The Death of Arcades

The Death of Arcades

by William D. SIEMER II

Finish Him! Ms. Pac-Man wins an ugly custody battle of the pac-kids and pellet support.

Do arcades still exist? Now that home entertainment technology has finally caught up to the electronics that once only existed inside an arcade machine, does anyone really need to leave their home to play the latest and greatest? Today's consoles have movement-capture technology, high-definition graphics, 3-D capabilities, and provide access to streaming movies, internet, music, photos, and more.

When I was young we had several arcades, or we could go to bowling alleys or malls. My friends and I would save our quarters and ride our bikes to the arcade to play Cruisin' USA, Killer Instinct, Street Fighter, or Mortal Kombat. We would try to learn the joystick and button combinations all the moves and Fatalities. It's a fun, nostalgic memory thinking back on it.

However, arcades are a dying art. Most of them are gone, and the bowling alleys and restaurants have quit updating their machines. You can still play some of the classics like Pac-Man and Galaga. I prefer pinball machines. There are a few places you can still enjoy an occasional game while drinking adult beverages. In the Cincinnati Tri-State area, we have Dave & Busters and Newport on the Levee's GameWorks to name a couple.

I have always had an arcade in my house in the Atari 2600. After all the technology comes and goes, it's the simplicity of classics like Asteroids, Joust, Frogger and Pitfall that continually stand the test of time.

Pac-Man: 1 quarter
Wii: 600 quarters
PS3/XBox 360: 1,196 quarters
iPad: 2,396 quarters
Typical Computer: 3,600 quarters