Sound Shapes is a music-based 2D platformer developed by Queasy Games (with the assistance of Sony Santa Monica studio), and published by Sony. It was released on the PS3 and PS Vita in August 2012 and on the PS4 in November 2013. MSRB is $10. I played the PS Vita Version. Everyone knows that a … Continue reading Sound Shapes Review: A Musical 2D Platformer That’s More Than Meets the Ear
Like the contrite parent of a neglected child, I've missed the PlayStation Vita's 10th Birthday in February, and now I'm trying to make it up to it. Though, in my defense, it's not like Sony tried to remind me or anything... Sony's unveiling of the PlayStation Vita at E3 2011. I'm still fascinated by this … Continue reading The PlayStation Vita: 10 Years Later
As a hobbyist game journalist / game reviewer, I try to research how the “professionals” do their job and learn something new from every person I come across. As I listen to them I ask myself questions such as, “How does this critic ‘show and not tell’ with their writing?”, “How do they stand out?”, … Continue reading My Top 5 Video Game Reviewers
Time spins on, my friends. With each passing Holiday season, I'm reminded that my childhood was a long time ago, and it's only drifting further and further away into the past. My parents gifted my siblings and I a PlayStation 1, our first video game console, in the Christmas of 1998. I remember plugging that … Continue reading My 2021 In Gaming
It’s that time of year again! I really look forward to my Mini Review Marathon. It’s a good writing exercise to try and condense my opinion about a game down to just a paragraph or two. This year I have nine such reviews lined up for all of you! 1. Ultimate NES Remix (Nintendo 3DS) … Continue reading Mini Review Marathon 2021
Dark Souls is an Action RPG developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco. It was originally released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in October 2011, then on PC on August 2012. A remastered version was released for the PS4 and Xbox One in May 2018 and for the Nintendo Switch in October 2018. … Continue reading Dark Souls: 10 Years of Dying Over and Over
As we discussed in a previous post, Hideo Kojima is the first game designer to create a Postmodern video game. Postmodernism is an artistic movement that began in earnest in the late 20th Century, though its roots go all the way back to the 1910s with Dadaism and Surrealism, such as Rene Magritte's The Treachery … Continue reading Hideo Kojima, Part 3: Deconstructing Video Games
In 2012, Kojima said in an interview with The Guardian that he has a highly active imagination, and that even in adulthood he has to keep his mind from wandering off and making its own stories. He even paused during the interview to discreetly share what was going through his head at that very moment … Continue reading Hideo Kojima, Part 2: The Surreal Art of the Visual Metaphor
Hideo Kojima's Instagram bio states, "Game Creator: 70% of my body is made of movies." As we've recently learned, Kojima's love for movies runs deep into his childhood. It has stayed with him through difficult times like when his father passed away, or when he was striving to make it as a game designer. They … Continue reading Hideo Kojima, Part 1: How a Film Geek Makes Video Games
The 1963 film High and Low begins with a renowned Japanese shoemaker, Mr. Gondo, sitting in a luxurious living room. He is surrounded by his fellow company shareholders. Dozens of shoes pile up on the center table. Between puffs of cigarettes, the men discuss how to move their shoe company forward, and the conversation quickly … Continue reading The Life and Times of Hideo Kojima
Hookshot, Charge Beam, Revive 