Being the Esteemed Man Of Culture that I am, I subscribe to the New York Times Crossword and make a point of doing it every day. I’ve gotten quite good at it in the last year! Anyway, there’s often a bit of humor in them, maybe be it the wry puzzles of Thursdays or an… Continue reading Where It Works
Tag: Video Games
The Power of Mordor
My love of The Lord of The Rings is well documented, heck, I just reread the books over the summer (with my glorious hardcovers). There’s a lot I like about them, like how they marry a beautiful world to an epic quest, and how that epic quest is a story of vanquishing evil not through… Continue reading The Power of Mordor
Adventuring Colonialism
I really liked the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider. It was a fun adventure story with plenty of neat mysteries to uncover, plus, this incarnation of Lara was a headstrong survivalist who would find a solution to whatever stood in her way. I was totally on board, plus, I love adventure stories. Exploring ancient ruins,… Continue reading Adventuring Colonialism
Losing The Plot
I’m tired of open-world games. There. I said it. I like games that have an ending and a clear route there. A game advertising dozens upon dozens of side quests with a massive world to explore is no longer the selling point it once was. All it sounds to me now is more errands to… Continue reading Losing The Plot
Playground
Over the summer, I started playing Destiny 2 with my brother. We were both big fans of the first one, though divided by console choice and unable to play together. With his getting a PS4 and a summer of quarantine, it was time to dive into the sequel in a big way. Then we stopped… Continue reading Playground
Is It Poetry?
As someone who did a lot of literary criticism while he was in college — and absolutely enjoyed it — I do a lot of picking apart literature to explore what it’s really getting at. You’ve seen that on this blog, what with looking at how Pacific Rim resonates in the middle of a pseudo-apocalypse… Continue reading Is It Poetry?
Dark Troopers (And Reality)
The Dark Troopers first showed up in Star Wars: Dark Forces, a computer game released in 1995. They were a secret project by the Empire, a new generation of Stormtroopers: ones that were droid and not human, lethal and dangerous. Dashing rogue Kyle Katarn put a stop to that and on the adventures go. My… Continue reading Dark Troopers (And Reality)
Story Language
A while ago, Merriam Webster (y’know, the dictionary) published an article that I found fascinating. It was about language as it’s used in Star Wars and it’s a short and interesting read. The gist of it is this: In Star Wars, George Lucas used a lot of plain, English words to create his world. There’s… Continue reading Story Language
Goals
I like having goals in my video games, something to work towards. Something that once I’m done, I’m done. Once upon a time that was catching all 150 Pokémon, every now and then it’s a matter of reaching that sweet sweet 100% completion. More recently, it’s taken the shape of getting that elusive Platinum Trophy.… Continue reading Goals
Stranded Solace
I find Death Stranding’s postgame to be wonderfully meditative. I realize that the tranquility I suggest sounds quite incongruous with the game, one that I’ve said before manages to capture the terrible wonder of the sublime. But when you’ve finished the main story, uncovered the central mystery, and become quite adept at avoiding the ghostly… Continue reading Stranded Solace
Essays, Not Rants! 