The release of HD remasters of old games may be grumbled at by some as unnecessary and even distractions getting in the way of developing brand new titles. However, there are plenty of good games, both mainstream legends and hidden gems of the past, that do deserve to be enjoyed by a new generation. I don’t know if Space Colony: Steam Edition is one of them, but maybe someone out there can appreciate it, especially those who are into building and management games. (more…)
It has been 101 years since the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, paving the way for the First World War. It ended empires and welcomed the modern age; this world we have now is because that happened. This post is also a whole year late, but maybe this is the best time for it as there are now more ways than ever to learn about that piece of history, as well what came before and after it. We now have videos, games, and other new media that shows us what would be the cause for everything else that happened in the 20th century and what’s happening now in the 21st century. (more…)
What we’re seeing now may be the start of a sea change with AAA gaming companies. As late as last year, they were doing deplorable things with impunity, as if knowing their products will get bought anyway. We can keep going on with big bad capitalist monsters and sticking it to “The Man”, but this development affects both big and small. It’s just that when you see a giant putting things right, it’s a bit unexpected due to the norm. (more…)
After posting about the things I liked from E3 2015, I now put on my war face and talk about the stuff I didn’t like. When I was listing them down, I noticed that many of my negative opinions were many other people’s positive ones. With that, I knew I had to post this here to balance my little coverage of E3 2015 out and to attempt putting things into perspective. There are a lot of things to be excited about—even if that optimism may be seen by some as ill-advised—and there are a lot of things to raise eyebrows at. (more…)
Seemingly as if it’s making up for the travesty that was 2014, the video game industry put up their usual masturbatory exhibition known as E3 in an attempt to make panties wet in advance. Okay, pardon me for that crass introduction, but I’ve always been cynical about shows like this. People seem to get their hopes up, only to be angry and disappointed about the results; I only want good results. However, E3 2015 was hard to not watch as it was churning out hype after hype, and I can’t help but consume it like everyone else. (more…)
One day, while watching my usual string of YouTube videos (covering a wide range of topics), I came upon an interview with someone most people may not have heard of, but had lived through a very interesting period back in the late 1970s that isn’t very well known. It’s a bit unusual, but there have been similar examples since.While I may not really be an expert in this subject, I thought the similarities I saw were enough to write about and share here. (more…)
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…)
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…)
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…)
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…)
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…)
Two Sides of E3 2015: Hype and Cynicism
Despite the negative things in E3 2015, it was still the best one in years. The previous ones had either been underwhelming or just downright sedate. Due to its apparent success, there was something clearly observable through the proceedings. Some were giddy and elated by the announcements, while others responded with either poker faces or just outright exasperation. Each party looks at the other like they’re the enemy; the excited ones look at the cynics as bitter old men and the cynics look at them as idiots who never learned. Despite that, everyone involved cares about gaming, so let’s look into the root of this difference. (more…)