Media coverage from cynical bastards since 2011.
I love Metro 2033; but it isn’t fun
In an effort to catch up in time for its sequel, I’ve been playing a healthy amount of Metro 2033 recently. For those reading who aren’t familiar with the series, it’s set in post-apocalyptic Russia, where the few survivors have flocked to the subway tunnels to escape the destruction and radiation. Most of the game takes place in these tunnels, with some infrequent and ill-advised trips to the surface. [Read more...]
I had my copy of SimCity ready to be installed and I was eager to play. At the designated time of release, I entered my 25-digit product key and hit the download button. Nothing happened. The download servers were already at peak capacity and no one could download the game they had purchased. Luckily, I had a physical copy of the game, so I did something I haven’t done since probably 2005: I put a physical game disc in my disc drive and installed it from there. Around fifteen minutes later my install was complete and I was ready to start playing SimCity.
Nope, that definitely didn’t happen.
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In the wake of the release of last year’s The Walking Dead from Telltale Games, a lot of discussion began over whether or not it was a “game”. There were a variety of reasons for this, many argue, but the most common is that the mechanics of The Walking Dead simply aren’t “deep” enough. These sort of discussions have popped up a lot in the past, but the question is still worth examining: exactly what constitutes a game?
WARNING: The following editorial is a dissection of Bioshock Infinite’s plot, themes, and ending. Reading this before playing the game would be doing yourself a severe disservice. There may also be spoilers for the game’s progenitor, 2007′s Bioshock.
Hi, my name is Clint and I am a transmedia consumer. I’ve watched video game movies and short series. I’ve read video game comic books. I’ve even been known to dabbled in video game novels from time to time. Whew, that was a difficult thing to get off my chest. Okay, Clint, you’re alright. Take a deep breath and everything will be okay. [Read more...]
Don’t worry, she’ll walk it off.
In lieu of doing my typical editorial, this week fellow editor Clint Prentice and I have a letter-based discussion about ludonarrative dissonance in Tomb Raider. In functions as a complementary piece to his review, which you can find here.
I’ve been playing To The Moon recently, a generally wistful 2D light-adventure game with a pixel art aesthetic. In it, you play as two scientists who travel through a person’s memories Eternal Sunshine-style with the express intent of changing one thing: each of their clients is on their death bed, and wants to believe they accomplished a goal they never could. For the elderly John, that wish is to go to the moon.
Hello everybody! This week I am substituting a normal editorial for something a little different. I am going to teach you all the best ways to introduce non-gamers to our wonderful hobby in a case by case basis. [Read more...]
It is hardly uncommon to hear discussions about choice in games today. From The Walking Dead to Mass Effect, the idea of games adapting themselves, even in preset ways, to your choices has become quite a prolific one. And why not? Nothing says immersion like being given the ability (or at least an illusion) of freedom in an otherwise static narrative. So why is it that the most commonly implemented “moral choice” system is still that of binary moral choices?
In an odd turn of events, my regularly scheduled editorial will be replaced by a special feature. I’ve reached out to a staff writer at Pitchfork (who wishes to remain nameless), and he expressed interest in writing a review. We’re honored to have such an infamous site lend us some of its unique flavor.
