We Need to Talk

You may have noticed that we've been less attentive of late. We just want you to know that it's not your fault. Our eyes aren't wandering to other projects because we don't like you. You're the best, you really are. In fact, you deserve better. I hope we can still be friends.

And who knows? Maybe we'll be back some day. It's possible. But let's not build up unrealistic expectations. Things change, people change. We're moving on. If we come back and you've found other blogs, we won't be angry. We hope you find happiness.

Thanks for all the memories. The archives will stay, but comments are closed.

Pole Dancers and Rappers and Models, Oh My!

by C.T. Hutt

I won’t bother to question why many of the celebrities from the worlds of film and music were invited to E3. Any event with so many people in attendance deserves some live entertainment and I understand Mr. Eminem has written some exceptionally catchy tunes about his strained relationship with his mother. I’m okay with that.

And while I feel kicking off the big show with a scantily-dressed pole dance 75 feet in the air is not only a display of poor taste but further reinforces the stereotype that the gaming community is a horde of slathering undersexed man-babies, that is not my main issue with E3’s opening ceremony. My problem is that few of these people or performances have anything to do with video games and yet they‘ve received significantly wider press coverage at E3 than the actual individuals who work in the medium.

No Need to Explain

by Daniel Bullard-Bates

Alan Wake is the creator and the protagonist of the world he inhabits. Whether he is living through one of his own stories, dreaming, or insane, his personality informs every element of the narrative. After playing Remedy’s Max Payne games, I expected Wake to be more two-dimensional than he is. He is impatient and quick to anger with his wife but his devotion to her is clear. More interesting is the fact that his writing is riddled with clichés which are then reflected in the world he inhabits. In another context, I might call the Taken (shadowy figures controlled by darkness) poorly written, but Remedy has pulled a little trick to remove themselves from this criticism: They are Wake’s creation, so their cheesy design can only be blamed on him.

Collect Everything

by Daniel Bullard-Bates

Collectible items have become standard fare in video games. If you haven’t collected all the flags in Assassin’s Creed or shot all the stars in Resident Evil 5, there’s still some meaningless task left to be accomplished. As irritating as those two examples are, however, it is possible to make collectible items a valuable part of the game experience.

Let’s talk about how: