Hawkeye is a really good adaption of the Hawkeye comics, and probably more of a direct adaption of a Marvel comic than any of the other movies or shows. Most MCU properties borrow parts or ideas from source comics while making something new; Iron Man 3 took cues from Extremis and Infinity War took both… Continue reading Hawkguys
Author: Joshua Tong
Best Zelda Game
Essays, Not Rants! 496: Best Zelda Game Link’s Awakening is the best The Legend of Zelda game. And I say this as someone who loves Breath of The Wild for its exploration and horse music. I usually prefer the classic top-down Zelda games (Link To The Past, the Oracle games, Minish Cap), maybe because I… Continue reading Best Zelda Game
Cinenarrative Dissonance
Why does Mario have extra lives? Oh I get it, it makes sense for a game, but is he a supernatural plumber that can come back from the dead? It’s good old-fashioned ludonarrative dissonance, the tension between gameplay and story that haunts gaming criticism. But for all the talk about its presence in video games,… Continue reading Cinenarrative Dissonance
Loopynarrative Resonance
So I’ve been digging into Deathloop lately, a new PS5 game that I’m playing because I now have a PS5. It’s a really rad game, the central idea being that you’re stuck in a time loop — like Groundhog Day or Palm Springs — and wanna get out. The twist is everyone on the island… Continue reading Loopynarrative Resonance
Playroom
In anticipation of Horizon Forbidden West, I set about to try and get myself a PS5 and, after several tries, got one. I’ve started playing Deathloop (which is a delight) and do look forwards to playing the upgraded Spider-Man soon, but what’s really charmed me is Astro’s Playroom. It’s included on the console and is… Continue reading Playroom
Reading Time
I haven’t been reading as much since I’ve moved. A big part of that is due to longer having my subway commute. You can’t exactly read while you’re driving, owing to the whole, y’know, fact that you’re driving. I’m sure I could put on an audiobook (though it’s not the same), but I do wish… Continue reading Reading Time
Nine-Nine Out
Brooklyn Nine-Nine was a show I liked to classify as a low-fantasy (I snuck it onto the fantasy side of a chart I did some time ago). It existed outside of many of the issues surrounding policing, give or take the occasional episode. Notably, though, the villains in Nine-Nine were often corrupt police officers, sometimes… Continue reading Nine-Nine Out
Metal Gear Spectre
I wasn’t expecting No Time To Die to draw so much on Metal Gear Solid in its story, and yet, here we are. Granted, the Metal Gear series borrowed heavily from James Bond, what with the central idea of a single operative on a clandestine mission into a supervillain’s base where, armed with gadgets, he… Continue reading Metal Gear Spectre
What if… It was all about stories?
I knew that What If…? was gonna be a show of twists on stories that we knew, different takes on characters and events in the Marvel universe. What if T’challa became Star-Lord? What if Ultron had gotten his new body? What if there were zombies? It’s been a merry delight. They’re variations on a theme,… Continue reading What if… It was all about stories?
Anime Star Wars
I’ve been slowly making my way through Star Wars: Visions since the anime anthology dropped on Disney+ a week and a half ago. Slowly because I don’t wanna rush my way through it, but also because there’s a lot of other television to watch (What If…? and Ted Lasso are both wrapping up their seasons,… Continue reading Anime Star Wars
Essays, Not Rants! 