Friday, December 21, 2012

Review: Hotline Miami


Hey Kids, want to go on a trip? How about a psychedelic murderous rampage against some gangsters with a variety of weapons while wearing a pig mask? Hope you're not shy about stomping guy's heads into a wall and slitting peoples throats! Welcome to Hotline Miami!

Monday, December 17, 2012

The Often Overlooked Archives: Dungeon Keeper

Dungeon Keeper launched in the United States on June 26th, 1997.  I don't know how, at ten years old, I came across this garish, vile, and extremely fun game, but I did and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Its unique game play has left me craving games like it. Sixteen years later and I still like to boot the game up once and a while just for old times sake.  Dungeon Keeper was well received when it was launched back in the 90's but through the years I've often brought it up in conversation and no one seems to remember it.  What about the game made Dungeon Keeper continuously stick out in my mind?  Why did I love it so much?

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Air Patriots Review



Amazon game studios was introduced and launched their first game “Living Classics” for Facebook back in August of 2012. In November Amazon followed up with their first Mobile App, Air Patriots. I've been playing through the different maps and seeing what the game brings to the table. Amazon is already a part of my every day life. Can they break through into the game development world and become even a greater part of that life?


Thursday, December 6, 2012

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review

The re-release of XCOM: Enemy Unknown on Steam was my first experience with an XCOM game and I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. A deep turn based strategy game with some aspects of city simulation thrown in with a decent story that really keeps you hooked. Let's take a look at why this game is in my opinion a must own, not only a fans of the XCOM series, but for fans of strategy games in general.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

The Often Overlooked Archives: Shadowrun


 Titles flop for a variety of reasons. Unrealistic expectations, bad release day timing or misrepresentative PR among other reasons can lead to quality titles getting a bad rap. I've decided to start a new series of posts to shed some light on past titles that I believe didn't get the attention they deserved. Let me start with a little game called, Shadowrun.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Black Ops 2 Multiplayer: The Beast I Love to Hate


I'm still playing it. I don't know why sometimes. That's a lie, I sure as hell know why. My stupid pavlovian response to not only seeing XP and Levels pop up on my screen but intermittently getting score streak rewards. But is it really worth it?

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Pushmo Review



I'm not usually one for puzzle games but the positive word of mouth around Pushmo led me to purchase it before going away for the weekend. It turns out 6.99 buys you a lot of game these days and isn't indicative of the quality. For what it's worth, Pushmo may be just a plain better game than most 3DS retail releases.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Halo 4: Review

In 2010 Bungie announced that they were leaving Microsoft and signing a deal with Activision, therefore leaving Halo behind. Soon after it was announced that 343 would be taking over the Halo franchise and making another trilogy. This caused a lot of anxiety among fans of the franchise. After playing though Halo 4 it is clear that there are still somethings to be concerned about, overall the core of Halo is alive and well. Read on after the break to see my full thoughts.






Monday, November 5, 2012

Liberation Maiden Review


Looking to dodge missiles and shoot the flashing weak spot on enemies while piloting a President's flying Mech? Then Liberation Maiden may be the downloadable 3DS shooter for you.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Dishonored Review

From the first gameplay trailer, Dishonored intrigued me. The art syle, atmosphere, gameplay, and overall story that I viewed peaked my interest. I recently completed my first run through of the game and can't wait to play it again. I haven’t played a game like Dishonored for a long time and usually stealth action games are not my cup of tea. For me to be drawn into a genre I usually don’t play at all, the game has to be captivating,  and Dishonored surely delivers. Read on for my thoughts on the game, the good and the not so good.


Monday, October 29, 2012

Make a Choice: Halo 4 or Black Ops 2


The epitome of first world problems. There are too many good games coming out in too short span of time and I don't have time to play all of them. Furthermore, with two of them being multiplayer focused shooters I'm not sure I want to play both simultaneously  I've already made my peace with the fact that Assassins Creed 3 will have to wait but trying to get to a point where at least my close friends think I'm mediocre at a FPS requires dedicating yourself to one game. How is one to choose?

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Dungeon Village

With my recent conversion from an iPhone to the Samsung Galaxy S3 (which is great by the way) I've come across a few great games in my short time with the phone. Dungeon Village is one of those great games. Dungeon Village is City Sim/RPG available on both Android and iPhone. The object of the game is to build a village in which characters of the world can live in while exploring dungeons, collecting items, battling monsters all while helping your village grow. This highly addictive game is well worth the $5 price tag and once you start playing you'll find it almost impossible to put it down. I apologize in advance for your new lack of productivity.


Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Blood Brothers: A cell phone game worth your time?

It's no secret that more and more people are gaming on their phones. In fact 33% of all smartphone users are gaming on their phones thanks to Iphone and Android. In years past, the quality of games you could get on these devices really hasn't been up to par with mobile gaming platforms like the PSP or Nintendo DS. Recently; however, there seems to be an influx of console/PC developers porting their games to cell phones with mixed results. We also have seen some relatively unknown developers start to produce some quality titles. Allow me to share with you one such game, Blood Brothers for Android.

Monday, October 15, 2012

PAX EAST Passes on Sale: 3 day sold out

PAX East badges went on sale October 7th.  By October 9th the three day badges were sold out.  Single day passes are still available here.  If you've never visited PAX I would highly recommend it.  It's a great weekend with like minded people.  I've been to PAX East all three years that it's been in Boston, it gets bigger and better every year.  Penny Arcade truly aims to out due themselves every year.  Read on for some information about PAX and some helpful tips for those first timers among us.  Hotels are already selling out!

Friday, October 12, 2012

Gaming on a Intel 4000 Ultrabook




I recently purchased the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31a-DB51. During my previous  Ultrabook post  I spent a lot of time talking about the Acer TimelineU M5. After going hands on with the TimelineU at a local computer shop my quick conclusion was its not a Ultrabook, at least not in my view. It might meet the requirements to be branded as one but I believe anyone who is attracted by the word Ultrabook will be extremely disappointed in what they pick up. The TimelineU M5 is a skinny laptop to be sure however it's still hefty and underwhelming even for the price. I bought my first Ultrabook recently, and it includes a Intel 4000 graphics chip. This site is a gaming blog and I'm a gamer, let's talk about what the Asus Zenbook Prime does and does not bring to the table in terms of gaming. Does the Intel 4000 finally allow gamer to purchase an integrated graphics laptop without sacrificing gaming?

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Playstation 4: Requirements to Succeed in the Next Gen

Sony should be asking themselves one fundamental question as they gear up for their next generation console launch. Why should consumers purchase our new Playstation? The market has shifted significantly since the Playstation 3's launch - more people are gaming on their phones, on their tablets and perhaps more significantly, on their PC. The current generation of systems are clearly showing their age and anecdotally you will find numerous cases of gamers buying a gaming PC because the consoles feel so dated. Furthermore, why buy a Playstation 4 and not an Xbox 720 or even the Wii U? Here are what I believe are the main features and changes that Sony needs to nail in order to be successful in the coming generation of consoles.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Total War Battles: Shogun

Over the weekend I picked up the game Total War Battles: Shogun off Steam for $4 and I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised. This mobile game port to PC while short, is a good bang for your buck and certainly worth the download. If you're into puzzle games and the Total War series, this is one game you should take a look at.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Guild Wars 2: From Love to Apathy

Guild Wars 2 is an impressive entry into a flooded MMO market bringing changes that are a breath of fresh air. I’m currently 50 levels into the game. I feel as though I have experienced enough to do a review of the game. While I have only obtained level 50 thus far the game has been out a month now and there are plenty of level 80 characters, read on for my thoughts on the game.

Friday, September 28, 2012

A Look at Lord of the Rings Online

With the upcoming expansion for the Lord of the Rings Online, I thought it would be appropriate to take some time to give you an idea of what this game is all about. I've been playing the game on and off since it's release in 2007 and I feel like it is a game that gets overlooked in the world of MMOs. With the October 15th release of Riders of Rohan coming up, this may be the best time for you to jump in and give this game a try!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Torchlight II Review


Torchlight II released this past Thursday to much rejoicing from fans of the previous game as well as loot treadmill junkies like me. Two friends and I decided to take the weekend and marathon through the game on Veteran to see how it measured up. We walked away with a bagful of loot and good memories.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Planetside 2 Preview


Planetside 2 is a Free-2-Play First Person Shooter done in an MMO format which is currently in a Closed Beta. While at PAX East I saw a booth for it and I passed it up. I had heard of the first one, never ended up playing it and was not really interested to do so despite my love for the FPS genera. The other day, I was given a beta key, so I figured I'd give it a try. After about 10 hours of play, I'm actually pretty surprised. A huge world, great character customization and a system that makes it very easy to jump into combat has made me very excited for the rumored full release in December. In this post we'll take a look at some of the highlights from my experience with Planetside 2 so far.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Wii U Announcement Roundup

Nintendo just wrapped up their Wii U press event where they announced the launch date for the US and UK along with prices. We also got to see what kind of software support they will have coming with the unit. Read on for details and my thoughts.



Friday, September 7, 2012

Guild Wars 2 Impressions: Opie

Having never played the first Guild Wars, I went into this game with zero expectations. Playing during the Beta, I enjoyed most of my time in the game and had high hopes for it's release. After about 20 hours or play time, I'm not overly impressed with this game. The graphics are fantastic, the crafting is very cool and the world exploration elements are great, but that is where the fun ends for me. I know I'm not of the popular opinion on this, but hear me out...

Monday, September 3, 2012

Guild Wars 2: Updated Impressions from a Level 36 Guardian

At level 36 and nearly forty hours into Guild Wars 2, I think I can safely say I've got a firm grasp of what the game offers at this point and what it does not. I've had some revelatory moments as well as some ho-hum events. Here's what I think so far...

Friday, August 31, 2012

Torchlight II Release Date Announced at PAX Prime

Runic games announced at PAX Prime as well as with a simultaneous press release that Torchlight II will be released on September 20th, 2012. Amazing that the date is right around the corner! Full press release, below.

Review: Xenoblade Chronicles

It's been a long time since I've put more then 50 hours into a video game. Even longer since that game was on a Nintendo console. Xenoblade Chronicles released in Japan in 2010 and finally made it's way over to the states in April of this year. Outside of what I heard from friends about the game, going in I had no expectations. After 62 hours and 44 minutes my journey over and through the worlds of Mechonis and Bionis was complete and I still wanted more. In this review we'll take a look at some of the awesome features that made my 62+ hours (and counting) with this game one of the most enjoyable experiences I've ever had with a JRPG. So dust off that Wii, fire it up and get ready to finally use it for more then a cute, family friendly Mario game! There are no spoilers in this review.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Raw Thoughts from the Guild Wars 2 Headstart


Guild Wars 2's Headstart access unlocked this past Saturday so I was able to take full advantage of a free weekend to play about 24 hours worth of the game. All things considered, it was the best MMO launch in recent memory despite some brief downtime. I've collected some raw thoughts on my experiences so far.


Friday, August 24, 2012

SNES Enix Games You Need to Play

In this post, we'll be looking at some of the lesser known RPGs on the SNES published by Enix in the 1990s that I think are still worth taking the time to play through. The games talked about here are games that I played as a child that I can still pickup and play today. Enix was a powerhouse in the SNES RPG world during the 90s but a lot of their games went unnoticed. Let us take a look at some of these games you may have overlooked.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Guild Wars 2: Launch Times


All the writers of TGN are in total Guild Wars 2 mode here. I, for one, am quite anxious to get in and see some higher level zones on my Charr Guardian than I was able to in the Beta Weekends. Luckily, AreaNet has done us all a favor and emailed out the exact times the servers should go live so we can get to work leveling as soon as possible.

Details below:

Monday, August 20, 2012

Darksiders II: First Impressions


After what many fans have considered a long wait Darksiders II was finally released this past Tuesday. I took some time to sit down with the sequel to one of my favorite games of 2010 to see if it would live up to my expectations. After completing only the first area of the game I can say, overall, I am not disappointed. 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Guild Wars 2: Manage your Expectations

Let me preface this article by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Guild Wars Beta weekends. That being said, some of the hype I read around the web is getting borderline unrealistic. It's far better for people's enjoyment of the game to temper their expectations for what the game is and what is possible in the genre. While ArenaNet boasts a few features they bill as genre redefining, I think on release we'll find a perfection of the current generation MMO formula rather than a revolution of Massively Multiplayer experience.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Streamer to Watch: GuardsmanBob

We at The Gaming Nook have gotten back into League of Legeneds recently after a long break mostly due to the release of Diablo 3.  Now that the dust has settled, we've all jumped back in with both feet.  This includes watching some of our favorite streamers.  In this post, I'd like to highlight one of our favorite streamers, GuardsmanBob.  It's rare to find a streamer that can keep his viewers informed while at the same time, keeping a cool head while playing and Bob does both of these things very well.  If you're not already watching him, you should be and here is why.


Friday, August 10, 2012

Classic Koei

In the historical simulator world, there has always been one company that has had the market cornered: Koei.  In the time of 8-bit/16-bit consoles Koei led the way (mostly because no on else wanted to) in historical simulation games.  Even at a young age, I was a history nerd and loved anything that could combine 2 of my favorite things, history and video games.  These days, you might know Koei as TecmoKoei since they purchased Tecmo in 2009 and they're most well known for games such as Dynasty Warriors and Warriors Orochi.  In this post, we'll visit the games that spawned these two franchises including some others that were little known but can still be addictive today.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Xbox 720: Requirements to Succeed in the Next Gen

Microsoft should be asking themselves one fundamental question as they gear up for their next generation console launch. Why should consumers purchase our new box? The market has shifted significantly since the Xbox 360's launch - more people are gaming on their phones, on their tablets and perhaps more significantly, on their PC. The current generation of systems are clearly showing their age and anecdotally you will find numerous cases of gamers buying a gaming PC because the consoles feel so dated. Furthermore, why buy an Xbox 720 and not Sony's "Orbis" or even the Wii U? Here are what I believe are the main features and changes that Microsoft needs to nail in order to be successful in the coming generation of consoles.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Elder Scrolls V: Dawnguard PC Review

I poured around a hundred and fifty hours into The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim after it's initial release and over a hundred into Oblivion. Days of my life have been devoted to exploring Tamriel and Cyrodil.  Suffice it to say, I am a fan of the series and was excited for the first DLC of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: Dawnguard to launch on PC.  That wait was over as of two days ago when Dawnguard became available on PC.  The game has been available on Xbox for a month due to an exclusivity deal between Microsoft and Bethesda; however, the game is not yet out on PS3 due to some technical bugs according to Bethesda.


Friday, August 3, 2012

Tower Wars Preview


Tower Wars is an upcoming tower defense game from the folks at Super Villain Studios. Recently, The Gaming Nook got some hands on time with the beta. Tower Wars looks to stand out from the pack with skill trees, resource management, and impressive multiplayer. At the same time the game strives to retain everything we know and love about the tower defense genre. Read on through the break to see why Tower Wars breaks the mold.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Classic 8-Bit/16-Bit Sports Games

Back in the day, your only options for sports games were not so limited like they are today.  Now you pretty much have the base franchise games, NHL XX, Madden, Backyard Whatever, and anything else EA can churn out before a new season starts.  There was a time when EA put thought into a game and made it fun.  There was also a time when developers other then EA and 2K made sports games.  In this post, I'll bring you back to a time where sports games where fun, creative and had some level of replay value rather then being your standard cookie cutter sports game.  Coach Bricka demands you join him!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Gabe, Blizzard and the Hate on Windows 8


Recent statements by industry luminaries have led to a cacophony of internet dribble about how Windows 8 is clearly the devil incarnate. Let's step away from the speculation and look at the facts.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Review: World of Tanks

I was first introduced to World of Tanks at PAX East in Boston and it was not received well.  They had two people that had no business instructing people on how to play any game, let alone a game as in depth as this one.  After a disappointing 10 minutes of game-play and listening to the same 30 seconds of a dubstep song on repeat, I had written this game off.  But a discussion with my father regarding World War 2 history a few months later led me to give the game another go and what I found was very surprising.  The historical accuracy pulled me in and the HUGE, in depth skills trees have kept me interested ever since.  In this post, we'll take a look at some of the pros and cons of this game and what really makes this free-to-play shooter worth the download. 

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Phantasy Star Online 2: Quick Reference Guide

I present to you a guide for Phantasy Star Online 2 which will cover several of the most common translations you'll find yourself needing in game.  If you're looking for a guide on downloading, installing and getting logged into PSO2, please see my Phantasy Star Online 2: A Quick Start Guide.  This guide is intended to give you an "at a glance" translation for things such as quest menus, player menus and statistics.  This is not intended to be a guide on how to play the game.  There are several items that will be mentioned here that will not be explained in it's entirety simply because it's beyond basic gameplay.  I hope this helps!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Review: Dear Esther


Fair warning: you may not consider Dear Esther a true "game" in the normal sense of the socially accepted word. You might be better off considering it an interactive story. I bought Dear Esther during the recent Steam sale for pennies on the dollar after hearing some rather positive press about the game when it was released. After playing through it I feel as though I owe Robert Briscoe and the rest of the team some more money.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Less Buttons, More Depth


Increasingly I find a common development principle permeating most of the new games I play. Less moves to learn. Less buttons to press. Shorter combos to memorize. I've found it in my fighting games, in my MMO's and my MOBAs. And for a short time it irked me. They're taking out the complexity. They're dumbing down the things I love. But after some time I came to realize the positive aspects of this approach to game design.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Phantasy Star Online 2: A Quick Start Guide

Recently I was turned on to an online RPG by the name of Phantasy Star Online 2.  Now I am familiar with the Phantasy Star series (only the ones on Genesis really) but I never really made an attempt to play the original Phantasy Star Online.  I've always been weary or the Phantasy Star series as it always seems a little too Sci-Fi and over the top exaggerated robot for me, so when I heard that it was only released in Japan (until 2013) and completely in Japanese, I was even more skeptical.  However, after playing ~20 hours of the game, I could not be happier with my decision to give it a try.  As good as the game is, the problem of the language barrier still remains.  As my knowledge of the Japanese language is poor at best, I found getting started incredibly difficult.  Because of this, I've combined translations I've found with my own personal experience to bring you this quick start guide that I hope will help you on your way to getting your first Phantasy Start Online 2 character started.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Path of Exile: My Time with this Free to Play Dungeon Crawler



Thanks to the good folks over at developer Grinding Gear Games, I was able to spend some time with their upcoming free to play Action RPG: Path of Exile.  I spent a few hours exploring the first areas of this game and it’s clear, it’s a Diablo clone that enhances on certain areas and lacks in others.  The game is currently in beta and the following thoughts should be taken with a grain of salt as they are subject to change. 

Focusing on the differences to start, Path of Exile has an intense Passive skill tree that you’ll be putting points into after a few minutes of play.  The amount of customization the player is allowed to do is impressive while at the same time borderline overwhelming.  Here’s a link to the passive tree in it’s current state over at the official Path of Exile site.  Take a moment, poke around and see for yourself.   The game does not utilize gold or any money system.  Instead it utilizes a system of breaking down objects into raw materials which can then be combined to make new equipment or gems. The game really throws you in and introduces a lot in the first 10 minutes. It can be slightly overwhelming especially if you’re not a hardened Action RPG player.  This could just be for the beta however. 

Monday, July 16, 2012

They're the Same Game Right?

WRONG!  In the time of Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis it wasn't uncommon to see a game with the exact same title on both systems end up being completely different games.  These differences could range from a key feature being left out or an entirely different game genre.  The end result: the same game being preferred on one console over the other.  In this post, we'll take a look at a few of the games I remember being significantly different between consoles.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

AirMech for Steam Beta Preview


I don't care what you call them. Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. Action Real Time Strategy. Or my favorite, DOTAD - Defense of the Ancients Derivative. There has been a plethora of these types of games to choose from recently all with their own unique take on the genre. From the team that brought you Fat Princess, AirMech leapfrogs from the Chrome Store to Steam as frantically paced cross between real time strategy games and tower defense.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Q&A With Twitch TV Streamer Chaide

The Gaming Nook had the pleasure of picking Twitch TV Streamer Chaide's brain through a Q&A to get his thoughts on the streaming community, it's future, and gaming in general.  In his answers to the 14 questions we asked, he covers topics such as how he got started, some important things to know if you're thinking about starting your own stream, and even some streamers to check out.   This was a great opportunity for us to get a close look at one of the streamers leading the future of live game streaming. We hope you find it as informative and enjoyable to read as we did.

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Revisiting Disappointing 8bit/16bit Sequels

There was a time before the internet when you had only a few options to determine how good a new game was.  You could hear about it from friends, read it in the newest issue of Nintendo Power or Electronic Gaming Monthly or base your decision to rent or buy the game on previous games in the series.  In this post, I'll highlight some of the games that I decided to dedicate a weekend or in some cases, even a school vacation and a months worth of allowance to, only to have expectations crushed and most cases, leave hugely disappointed.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Gaming Ultrabooks for Less then a Mortgage Payment


2011 was a big year in the computing industry.  Tablet sales grew and the introduction of a new kind of laptop dubbed Ultrabook hit the market in quarter three.  What exactly is an Ultrabook? It is a laptop that needs to meet certain Intel guidelines in order to market themselves as an Ultrabook.  They must be a certain weight, have a fast resume time, SSD in the system, and be under a certain thickness to meet Intel's standard or you just have another laptop.  The big crux as to why, up until this month it was hard to find a gaming Ultrabook is very simple.  Dedicated graphics are heavy due to the cooling systems that need to be implemented to avoid a meltdown.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Shock Humor and Being Offended: My Time with Cards Against Humanity


If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.
-Benjamin Franklin

Typically our blog tries to cover video gaming or related topics but I feel as though one little card game wants me to break this unwritten rule we usually follow. For those that don't know, Cards Against Humanity is similar to Apples to Apples but "for horrible people". Each round, one player asks a question from a Black Card, and everyone else answers with their funniest (or most offensive) White Card. I was finally able to get a deck of these after the product being out of stock on Amazon for many weeks.
I brought out Cards during the tail end of a party at my house as I thought the remaining late-twenty-somethings would get a kick out of it. Four hours later my face and abs hurt from laughing so hard for so long and yet as much fun as we were having I'm not sure I would have wanted my mother in the room. You see the "offensive" nature of Cards goes all the way. When you see a Black Card played that asks, "Why do I hurt all over?" and your options in your hand are "Auschwitz", "The Milkman", "A Zesty Bean Burrito" and others just as bad - you know what kind of experience you're in for. You also discover that your sweet innocent wife has a dark sense of humor you never knew about.

The four hour experience got me thinking about humor and games. So often during first person shooters or action games we start laughing uncontrollably from our own grisly death or that of a friends. While that might seem disconnected from seemingly racist, sexist or misanthropic humor contained in Cards Against Humanity; I believe it's one in the same. Horrible violence occurring on screen and wildly offensive statements and comparisons all make us laugh even as we try to sputter how horrible it was. Some people still will get upset over these types of situations or find the whole ordeal repulsive but I think there's significant evidence to suggest that a good portion of those people are merely displaying behavior they believe society expects of them.

A man getting his head blown off by a shotgun is a horrible and offensive thing and yet The Last of Us demo had people cheering and laughing. People cringe at stories of a man eating another mans face after consuming bath salts and will make jokes about the situation moments later. These terrible things can be joked about because they help us rid ourselves of the negativity and bad feelings we have about the subject matter. Offensive jokes, ala Cards, are able to be enjoyed because no one actually believes any of the things they are saying. The ideas presented are so terrible as to enter the realm of ridiculousness. This subject matter is to be mocked and played with because no one actually feels the way the joke states.

I think this is healthy. Have those over the top violent moments in your video games and make those offensive jokes as horrible as possible. I think Dolly Parton said it best,

I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I also know that I'm not blonde.
Lighten up people.

Buy Cards Against Humanity