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Archive for the ‘Editorials’ Category.
A few days ago, it came to light that Konami was enforcing certain restrictions on reviewers working on Metal Gear Solid 4. Now, this in and of itself is nothing unusual. Most commonly, gaming companies restrict when the press can release their reviews, and as a matter of professional courtesy, most members of the press abide by these restrictions.
Continue reading ‘Editorial - Konami’s Restrictive Review Requirements Reek’ »
Hello hello, folks. Back again with another NPCast, and this time we’re talking about something near and dear to the hearts of millions. Just a few feet away in the back of the car they’re driving, actually. How can this magical mystery burn-liquid have an impact on escapist male power fantasies and puzzle-oriented dating sims involving catgirls? Mankind may never know. Not that this stops me from opining on the subject, of course.
Continue reading ‘NPCast 04 - Then What Will You Doooooooo? o/~’ »
Note to self: The unofficial Tales of Symphonia drinking game you read about on the internets is not to be played by the faint of stomach. Taking a shot every time somebody has an aside and then says “…oh, nothing,” when somebody asks them about it basically means you might as well just start drinking as soon as you start the game. Believe me, it’ll catch up.
In any case, the title sums up this cast’s content; ‘the Topic of’ added to respectfully differentiate this from the surprisingly good On Writing by Stephen King. Yes, that Stephen King. Also, the Metal Wolf Chaos plug can adequately be explained by watching this documentary of the American electoral process.
Continue reading ‘NPCast 03 - On the Topic of Writing’ »
So in between beating up insane hobos in Condemned 2 and watching countless variants of Caramelldansen, I managed to finish up Mass Effect. I felt inspired (read: contractually obligated) to give my two cents in parallel to Cortney’s review of same. After attempting feebly to review the whole thing in a faux-foppish English gentleman’s voice, I gave up and went off into some tangent on how games should and should not start. Mass Effect provides an interesting case study of the latter. Observe!
Continue reading ‘NPCast 02 - THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO (Mass Effect)’ »
And so it begins, our first genuine foray into podcasting. Just a short piece on what we’re doing here out on the cold, cruel internets, and sorta-true observations of the media which are dedicated to covering our pasttime. Sit back, relax, and try to imagine how people ever got old DOS games working. Seriously, it will boggle the mind, even the minds of people who lived through that era.
Continue reading ‘NPCast 01 - And We’re Off!’ »
If you’ve been following game news lately, you’ll know that Kevin McCullough is the latest non-gamer to take aim at our hobby and prove that he can really miss the mark when it comes to understanding what we do. Continue reading ‘Editorial - Ignorance is Massively Effective at Boosting Blog Hits’ »
I spent last night screaming at big-screens, small-screens, wide-screens, and flat-screens with a restaurant full of Steelers Nation. We were echoing the emotions of our bretheren on-site at Heinz Field up the river; we were echoing the emotions of similar clusters of fans all over the city; we were echoing the emotions of every native son and daughter of the ‘Burgh. At the end of the night, after a nail-biting conclusion, screams and cries of despair, and speculations of next year’s prospects, I knew the meaning of the word “tune.” I was in harmony with this unruly mob. And that made me think.
(Honestly, this has relevance to RPGs. Just not yet. Hold on…) Continue reading ‘Editorial - Co-operation… makes it happen…’ »
That’s, like, so 1996…
I’m T.J. “Nerdboy Himself” Condon, and I’m insane. Or so I’m lead to believe.
But first, an introduction. I’ve been gaming for about 20 years now (Or roughly 83% of my time on this moist rock), and tend to do a bit of writing on the topic. I hold a degree in Film Studies, which I primarily use to dissect video games on an artistic level, just to action a personal vendetta against Roger Ebert. (Besides, anyone who gives Borat four stars can’t have his head on straight.) Also, upon receiving a copy of Star Ocean for the Super Famicom from a friend who had recently visited Japan, I proceeded to import-mod my Super NES with a $.25 paring knife and a pair of hedge clippers. I call it “devotion.” Continue reading ‘Editorial - That’s, like, so 1996…’ »
Numerous would be the number of editorials written about the nature and purpose of reviewing video games; countless, the number of words. The token truism is that on the one hand, a factual breakdown of a game’s mechanics - its controls, its visual style and the quality of its presentation - is necessary to inform the reader, but on the other hand a reviewer’s own tilt can and usually does influence their opinion. Tiresome button-mashing in a fighting game, endless grinding in a role-playing game, constant shooting in, of all things, a first-person shooter; few are the games that don’t have a deal-breaker for somebody, and so even the best review is anything but the final word. Continue reading ‘Editorial - The Use and Uselessness of Reviews’ »
With Disgaea 3 coming up soon, I thought I’d make up a list of a few simple changes that could help make things a little more convenient for the player. I realize that a lot of these will only appeal more heavily to those who go above and beyond the requirements to beat the game, but I still feel that they would be convenient tweaks nonetheless, especially with as many all-powerful extra bosses the last two Disgaeas had. This editorial is, of course, assuming that many of the basic game mechanics, such as specialists, carry over into Disgaea 3. Continue reading ‘Editorial - What I’d Like to See in Disgaea 3’ »
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