2013 was defined by a number of great games, my favorites oftentimes consisting of ones with a unique vision. But before we get to those…
Category: Op-Ed
On Gone Home: I Remember Moving
Postmortem: The Emotional Impact of The Last of Us
Now that The Last of Us has been out for a little more than a month, I’ve had numerous opportunities (as I sat around doing nothing) to reflect on what did and didn’t work. I kept swinging around in semi-circles with my chair as I thought back to the major thematic beats and emotionally gut-wrenching dialogue.
I stand by my review of The Last of Us; it is a flawed game. But I constantly find myself thinking about different, highly impactful moments. I run over my review time and again, never questioning my opinion, but wondering if there was a better way to articulate it. I continue to remember the fantastic narrative beats and the rich characters that permeate all throughout The Last of Us, and little by little my rose-colored glasses tint just a shade darker. I gave The Last of Us a positive review, even if some don’t think that’s the case. I really like the game, and it will probably make it into my top ten at the end of the year (but let’s certainly not think about that now), so I’m attempting to explore why I still think The Last of Us is one of the best games this year.
Games Don’t Have To Be 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.
DRM Doesn’t Work
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.
I Am A Transmedia Consumer
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.
The Necessity Of Interactive Storytelling
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.
Introductions to Gaming
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.
8-Bit Pitchfork: Duck Hunt/Super Mario Bros.
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.
Licensing Issues: A Thing of the Past?
Video games have been one of the fastest growing entertainment forms ever. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by other types of entertainment such as TV and movies, and almost without fail, any time a major blockbuster is being released or a show gains enough popularity, a video game adaption is not far behind. In the past these adaptions have almost always been written off as poor representations of the source material, while lacking in overall quality. With some more of the recent releases and trends in the gaming industry, could bad video game adaptions be a thing of the past?
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