This post was previously titled “Gully Bell and the Infinite Foolishness,” which was my attempt at playing with the title of that Smashing Pumpkins album. Anyway, this isn’t about somber moods though, but more on a mix of grief and consternation that comes with the release of a Triple-A game, especially one that has so much hype behind it. It gets so much praise and wanton desire even before it’s released, but then becomes a letdown once it’s out and people start acting as if family members died. It’s a puzzling bit of human behavior in regards to consumerism. (more…)
Commentary on the Progression of Western RPGs – Part 1
Recently, I rediscovered a rather half-hearted editorial I wrote for CheatMasters about the evolution of western role-playing games (WRPGs) just after the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on November 11, 2011. I personally favor WRPGs over Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) because they were what I had more fun with growing up. With that in mind, here is a commentary of what I had written in that editorial, pointing out what I had gotten wrong then, and more. (more…)