For those new to the series, plural protagonism is based on this article I wrote for PopMatters. Plural protagonism occurs in a game when there is no individual main protagonist leading a group: the group itself becomes the hero. Each individual maintains their identity while contributing to the narrative in equal measure. Moreover, they are … Continue reading Plural Protagonism Part 7: Super Mario RPG
[Originally posted on PopMatters] Agarest: Generations of War works—the buttons do basically what they’re supposed to, the story is reasonably sensible, pursuing objectives is compelling even if only by a Skinnerian interpretation—but not much more can be said about it. There are truly inspired concepts that fail to be executed and there are woefully tired clichés … Continue reading Review: Agarest: Generations of War
[Originally posted on PopMatters] I have seen how this year’s NHL season will end. The Los Angeles Kings will beat the New Jersey Devils in 7 games, P.K. Subban will win the Norris Trophy, Zach Parise will have an unlikely 52 goals to claim the Rocket Richard title, Joe Thorton will astound with 90 points on … Continue reading Review: Franchise Hockey Manager 2014
[originally posted on Unwinnable] Videogame interactivity is so great. Who wants to watch a hero when you can be the hero? That’s the promise games keep giving us on the back of the box, isn’t it? But they seldom deliver on that promise. Games welcome their players to a world, lay out a central conflict … Continue reading View From the Side
Between review games I’ve been picking away at Deus Ex: Human Revolutions. It’s a game with a fair share of problems: the shoehorned-in boss fights completely break the game’s tone, its plot and characters are wafer-thin, some of the character designs are a self-parody and it’s clumsy with some of its more complicated themes. Still, … Continue reading “We’re helping people, Adam”: Deferring Responsibility in Deus Ex: Human Revolutions
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