Media Archives

Kung Fury — A Love Letter to Inner Childishness

Features, Film | 29 May 2015

When the trailer for Kung Fury first came out, it was already enough to make testicles explode all over the Internet. It had all the good stuff — impossible physics, kung fu, time travel, scratchy video quality, vikings with machineguns, Hitler doing Tae Bo, the MicroBee, and tons of desert chrome. It was one of those Kickstarter projects that seemed too good to be true, and it even more seemed so like those other 2012 Kickstarters when things quieted down after the initial hype. Then came this half-hour donkey punch that makes no damn sense, but is so damn good. (more…)

Game Hoarding and Dealing with It

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Video Games | 24 May 2015

It has never been easier to get video games than now with digital distribution paving the way to bundles and sales all over the place. They’re great, but you then realize that you have way too many games and too little time to finish them before you know it. Video games now seldom get finished due to both oversaturation and the attitudes of gamers these days. There are so many games now, but so little time to enjoy all of them. I’m not saying outright that game hoarding is really bad, but you have to play what you buy. (more…)

Ironcast — Steampunk Mechs and Match-3 Shenanigans

by: Sonny Go

Reviews, Video Games, Videos | 23 May 2015

It took me some time to come up with this review, which was to include a review video to bring new life to the YouTube channel. After a lot of screwing around, the website has finally gotten back on the game review horse with this look at Ironcast, a British indie game that looks like a classier alternative to HuniePop in a few ways (I may or may not review it). At first, I couldn’t keep gnawing at its faults, but I’ve since had so much fun with it that I had to bump its score up a bit. (more…)

Scorched Earth: The Konami Way

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Video Games | 18 May 2015

At this point, we’ve been watching Konami turn their famed console gaming department into a veritable wasteland. Just about everything they’ve been doing has perplexed and frustrated everyone involved, from gamers and fanboys to developers and collaborators. Hideo Kojima, Koji Igarashi, and even Guillermo del Toro are some of the famous names that have recently been spurned the way a big Japanese company only can. This is certain not the first time that such a thing has happened, and it surely won’t be the last. (more…)

Reviewing My Anime Review Process 2: Out of the Blue

by: Sonny Go

Anime / Manga, Blog, Site Updates | 11 May 2015

In the last blog post I posted about my troubles with reviewing anime, I was trying to get my finger on why I was finding it a bit difficult to write anime reviews that actually made sense of the madness that tend to pervade that medium. As I continue to wrestle with those bits of self-doubt as an online critic, I then watched a video that helped me make more sense of it all. It was just a matter of getting back to the basics of storytelling, which is something I had been struggling with as a writer for years. (more…)

Playing “Lame”: On Hitting and Not Getting Hit

by: Sonny Go

Combat, Esports, Essays, History, Video Games | 08 May 2015

Since the fallout of the so-called “Fight of the Century” between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather due to how the latter won, which drew minimal amount of excitement in the actual match compared to how much hype it created, I had to finish writing this post sooner than planned. I had planned to talk about cheese and unpredictable play first, but it seems that lame play is more in vogue at this moment, so here’s a look into it from different angles. (more…)

Criticals and No Scopes: Breaking Down the Lucky Shot

by: Sonny Go

Combat, Esports, Opinion, Video Games | 03 May 2015

This has been on my checklist for a long time now, even before I posted “The Apparent Dichotomy of Skill and Luck in Games” that tackles the topic of how different games are affected by different levels of skill and luck. This time, it’s all about luck, or more of the false perception of luck in various instances when victory comes from a seemingly unlikely instance. Most people would call them “lucky shots” — many of which are not as lucky as they would like to think. This may be a new flash to some people, but they can be practiced. (more…)

Where’s Our Cut, Fool? On Paid Mods and Steam Workshop

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Video Games | 26 April 2015

It’s undeniable at this point that mods do very well in extending the lifespan of any game that supports their use. Publishers who leave them out are said to be behind the times, and those who are in the vogue seem to have been looking for ways to get in on the action. Their efforts have now culminated to this, and what seemed good now doesn’t. What seemed like a helping hand at first later became a stick-up, if you wish to see this truly as a travesty. Whatever your thoughts are on what’s happening in Steam Workshop at this point, all you have to do is look at Steam Greenlight and think about what you’d give your money for. (more…)

Shokugeki no Soma First Impressions

by: Sonny Go

Anime / Manga, Impressions | 22 April 2015

As my first pickup of the 2015 spring anime season, Shokugeki no Soma (also known as Food Wars) made me scratch my head right off the bat. I tend to only go for anime that is mostly about sexualized aspects when there’s something extra to go with the creepy bullshit (i.e. Kill la Kill). However, since food anime and manga are quite relevant to my interests (i.e. Cooking Master Boy), I had to look into this title. (more…)

Learning from Encounters in Games

by: Sonny Go

Blog, Opinion, Video Games | 19 April 2015

It’s easy enough to imagine life as a roguelike game as they both share some commonalities, especially when it comes to random encounters. As with everyday life, you can have streaks of good or bad luck, depending on the conditions and how prepared you are for all eventualities. I’ve come to a realization that perhaps those who play roguelikes and other games that feature encounters and events that call for careful decision-making and may lead to either reward or undesired consequence. (more…)

Wishlist for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

by: Sonny Go

Opinion, Video Games | 11 April 2015

Square Enix just released the announcement trailer for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, the sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution that is not a mobile or browser game (because to hell with Deus Ex: The Fall). As you can see from this website’s design (as of this posting), I quite like the look and feel of DX:HR. However, it was far from perfect as it had some “broken” parts that got in the way of immersion. These are my thoughts on what can be improved through the new game. (more…)

Shirobako Review

by: Sonny Go

Anime / Manga, Reviews | 01 April 2015

This is an anime series that I had to review due to its premise, although it did take a bit of brain-twisting to get a finger on its strengths and weaknesses. Shirobako seemed to be on a mission to show the animation industry in a more honest light, and it seems that P.A. Works succeeded there. It may have started slow and hard to follow, but it did finish strong. If you’re fascinated with art or animation and have some patience, you won’t regret watching this series. (more…)