[Originally posted on Nightmare Mode] The world of Final Fantasy VII stands out as a remarkably bleak interpretation of the future. Released in 1997, it came long after the cold war, long before 9/11, while the economy was still booming and while environmentalism presented a concern rather than a crisis. Yet, Final Fantasy VII presents … Continue reading Displacement in Final Fantasy VII
[Originally posted on PopMatters] Last week, Daniel Tovrov wrote a piece for Popmatters on the cult of iconic movie “bad guys”.1 Through the characters of Gordon Gekko of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Tony Montana of Scarface, and Patrick Bateman of American Psycho, Tovrov argues that, even though these figures are cautionary tales about unchecked … Continue reading Playing the Bad Guy Feels Good
[Originally posted on PopMatters] Fighting games are the old video game aristocracy. Once they were mighty rulers that had enormous influence on the medium’s direction. but after years of inbreeding to keep the bloodline pure, there remain only a few disfigured vestiges desperately trying to stay relevant in a world that has been perfectly content … Continue reading Review: Mortal Kombat Komplete edition
[Originally posted on PopMatters] In the weeks after the release of Mass Effect 3, the drama around its unsatisfying ending went to some interesting places. After some discussion over whether or not the ending ought to change1, the conversation muted into whether or not it should be “allowed” to change. And ultimately, the question became, … Continue reading The Undead Author: Artistic Ownership of Games
[Originally posted on PopMatters] Much of the discourse from proponents of the “video games are art” position is centered on the medium’s interactivity as its distinguishing advantage. Audience participation, as it were, is the reason why games exist. No other mode of storytelling so often depends on the actions, reactions, and experiences of its audience … Continue reading To Play or Pause
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