This article exactly sums up my feelings on that scene, as someone who had no idea where it was coming from but I was able to piece it together by the end and I was pretty hyped for it. Too bad it wasn’t allowed to breathe as an epic moment before they force you into 15 successive “epic” moments with some of the most…

They’ll want to play what you’re playing, so unless you’re gonna only be playing N64, don’t expect to be able to force that one. :) Just in general, making specific plans for what your kids might enjoy is a recipe for disappointment. Look at it this way, you like a couple hundred games, no doubt, if one doesn’t land,…

I’ve always understood the “idea” of representation, but it wasn’t till I had daughters and saw how they’d naturally place themselves in the female roles of stories that I UNDERSTOOD it. I’ve appreciated your articles, because they aren’t some of the extreme race-baiting you see around now, and addresses what it’s…

Man I love the music from that game. I forced my way through so much of it, had to come away with something...

Having the Smash Brothers Melee tournament scene being a formative part of my experience of video game culture, I have nothing but frustration with “patch culture,” especially in esport games. Not targeting players with this, per se, just the practice as a whole is so bad for a competitive game. Just seems bizarre to…

Tetris DS’ alternate modes are wonderful too. I never really had someone consistent to enjoy them with, but forced my friends into them at every opportunity.

Oh I agree, the two-party system isn’t the problem per se, it’s more the rampant tribalism that insists “everything we do is right, and everything they do is wrong.” Hence why I wish there were more people willing and able (financially) to identify as independent. 

I appreciate his refusal to succumb to the tribalism of party affiliation. We’d all be better off if parties didn’t have so much power to force their members into the same bloc on EVERYTHING. There are often more than 2 sides to an issue, and it’s even possible that none of them are any more morally correct than any…

In the non-horror category, I’ll offer up playing through the naked Raiden part of MGS2 at 1AM with my whole family asleep and fake/skull Roy Campbell constantly berating me was also pretty dang freaky.

Hey, one of my contemporaries! After 15 years of bumming around from one career to the next (starting with teaching) and 2 Masters Degrees in the meantime, I appear to finally have a stable career path, though the undergrad loans remain unpaid.

I enjoyed all the ideas you shared here for sure.

Haha nice. I’ll keep that one in the back pocket. I usually rush CPUs out of the game, but if one happens to make it, it’s a good idea.

Yeah direct conflict is kind of a downer in multiplayer Civ. As much because the mechanics are frustrating, both solutions (simultaneous and sequential) have major drawbacks. I find games where those are banned far more enjoyable, and I have no problem with conflict conceptually.

Yes, but how many games do you actually finish? I’ve only had one LAN party finish out a game, when I snuck a Culture victory while no one was looking (or knew what they were). All other times people just quit when they’re losing.

Well, I’d say what you’re really describing is allowing them to make age-appropriate mistakes. No one’s saying to let a 4-year old jump off a roof so they find out they can’t fly, and there are plenty of mistakes a 16-year old can be allowed to make as well.

Pretty sure Civ 1 had climate change and pollution. Civ 2 did for sure.

Still waiting on Civ to realize that despite all the effort being poured into the pretty animations and fancy graphics, my favorite Civ interface experience is Civ Rev on the DS, where I can average 35-55 seconds a turn. On the PC games, this is literally impossible, and while I accept the increase that comes from the…

Is this the kind of thing that the studio could come after Square for if they wanted to? Seems like it would trigger an audit at least.

Both of these endings were fantastic. FFX I think I need to play again sometime, it hung on in my Top 5 all-time games for so long but it’s one I have barely replayed. Story really resonated with me though, even though I still have VI over it.

Try Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. I haven’t played Conquest but that game was widely considered one of the hardest FE games and has so many walls. Plus the writing is excellent, especially if you played PoE.