It's a struggle for me to write an intro to get into the body of talking about Modern Warfare II (2022), which is, surprisingly, an increasingly common sentiment as new iterations of the Call of Duty series release. The more they release, the easier it is to just begin discussion by saying something along the … Continue reading New, Old Ghosts – Modern Warfare (2022)
Category: Games
Survival Horror 101: How to Do Survival Horror
Welcome to Survival Horror 101, I'm a mildly broke college student who has been playing Survival Horror games since I was 5 and I'm not at all qualified to be giving a lesson like this. FIRSTLY: The most important elements of a Survival Horror game are found in the title itself: "survival" and "horror". That … Continue reading Survival Horror 101: How to Do Survival Horror
Idyllic Meadows of Game Development
When it comes to developing games, most people have a preference to where they work. I prefer to sit in a slightly less than comfortable chair, with tons of potential distractions around me, because it helps me figure out problems by being unable to focus on it for more than five minutes. However, there are … Continue reading Idyllic Meadows of Game Development
Remake, Revisit, Remind – “Resident Evil 3”
So this entry is a bit late to the submission date, and I apologize for that— I wanted to shoot you an email before Friday came and, well, ultimately it took way too long to formulate my thoughts and create what I believe my definitive opinion is about this. Now, that being said, this will … Continue reading Remake, Revisit, Remind – “Resident Evil 3”
Games and Continuity: A Light Switch, it is Not.
Alright, so let's talk another broad topic: Continuity. For this example, we'll be talking about the two most recent DOOM releases from id Software: DOOM (2016) and DOOM: Eternal (2020). The former will be referred to interchangeably as DOOM and 2016, while the latter will be referred to as Eternal. There will be some story spoilers for Eternal, so that's your … Continue reading Games and Continuity: A Light Switch, it is Not.
Balance is Found Everywhere
When it comes to video games, one of the most important factors is balance— and that doesn't just apply to multiplayer. Balance is found in the narrative and gameplay down to the smallest nuances. For this week's example, we're gonna be talking about Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts III. Kingdom Hearts III. There's a lot to unpack … Continue reading Balance is Found Everywhere
something something Games as a Service
As a concept, Games as a Service has been around for a decent while now, with the first game to fall under that umbrella that became commercially successful being Blizzard Entertainment's (now Blizzard Activision) World of Warcraft MMO. Games as a Service is, to put it lightly, a game that requires a subscription (or, now, a … Continue reading something something Games as a Service
Nostalgia and Roses, dirty socks and fine wine
A full disclosure that I'm sure is no secret to anyone that knows me: Capcom's Resident Evil is a series that, for all it's missteps and hiccups and highs, I love through and through. From the pre-rendered, low quality halls of the 1996 classic Resident Evil to the action-packed entries found from Resident Evil 4 to Resident Evil 6, and even … Continue reading Nostalgia and Roses, dirty socks and fine wine
Narrative – A Small Look
Narrative in video games isn't too far off from narrative in movies (and most other forms of media). They center around a singular character (or group of characters) that is typically the crux of the events of the story in some capacity. Now, that's extremely derivative and probably the most basic comment ever, so let's … Continue reading Narrative – A Small Look
Toxicity and Gaming: Acid Pits Pock the Land
When discussing gaming, toxicity is something that is brought up more often than the actual content of games. Toxicity exists in multiple forms— hate messages, review bombing, and literal death threats to name just a few— but they all combine into the whole that is considered the toxicity present in gaming as both an industry … Continue reading Toxicity and Gaming: Acid Pits Pock the Land
C. B. Irby 