T w e n t y S i d e d
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “DM of the Rings Remastered CXXXVIII: Another Cunning Gambit”
DM of the Rings Remastered CXXXVIII: Another Cunning Gambit
Trophies and Achievements Are Fine. Good Even.
Achievements and trophies have been a contentious addition to the gaming space since their initial releases. The majority of people mostly ignore them. Some find it mildly annoying to have their immersion or momentum broken up by a HUD element obscuring the action. Some really hate them, viewing them as trivializing and undermining the individual game’s enjoyment or message for the sake of short-term dopamine. Certain dopamine deprived monkeys, like myself, love them. And for the sake of this article I will refer to them all collectively as trophies, as the PSN system is my area of focus.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Trophies and Achievements Are Fine. Good Even.”
Wednesday Action Log 11-05-25
This week was once again, uneventful.
I played more Slay the Spire, and pretty much spent the whole week trying to beat the game with the Defect. Yesterday I did it with great effort and luck. And now I’m going to try to beat it as the Watcher.
I did also play a few rounds of R.E.P.O. since the monster update came out. I’ve only seen a few of the new monsters, but they have definitely spiced things up.
How’s everyone else doing this week?
DM of the Rings Remastered CXXXVII: Let’s Get This Parley Started
Slasher Movie Franchise Origin and Evolution
The origin and evolution of horror movie franchises is rife with commentary, observations, and analysis. Some of it is even good. The sub-genre of “slasher” movie might be the most visible category, although personally I don’t view slasher movies as distinct, per se. The things that horrify us, or startle us, or discomfit us provide horror categories as far as the fundamental nature of a film goes. (Although, I will admit that genres and sub-genres as we think of them can be very useful when trying to find something to watch on a streaming service. Sometimes you want gory kills; sometimes you want creeping dread, sometimes you want commentary and comedy.) The fundamentals of horror, I think, are more closely associated with concepts like “conflict types.” You know, “man vs. nature,” “man vs. man,” and “man vs. himself.” While it would be easy to just say, “Well, sure; that’s ‘survival horror,’ ‘slasher,’ and ‘psychological'” you have to acknowledge the incredible number of caveats you would have to employ to subsequently categorize every horror movie. All of which is to point out viewing slasher movies, especially the big franchises, through the lens of genre isn’t useful for ALL analysis.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Slasher Movie Franchise Origin and Evolution”
Phasmophobia Deserves a Second Chance
Some years ago, Phasmophobia blew up on Twitch. It was everywhere. It seemed like everyone wanted to run into a haunted house, wander around not really knowing what to do, then inevitably get murdered by a restless soul. Eventually, people figured out the mechanics and patterns to correctly identify the ghost with relative accuracy. With this familiarity the initial thrill wore off. The trend passed. Like so many fad games that came before it, Phasmophobia died.
Or did it?
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Phasmophobia Deserves a Second Chance”
Wednesday Action Log 10-29-25
I played Slay the Spire. That’s pretty much it, I did nothing else.
The only thing worth mentioning in Slay the Spire is that I got the achievement for killing the Transient before it disappeared.
This isn’t to say it was a bad week or anything, just uneventful.
How was everyone’s week? Hopefully eventful. But not bad eventful.
From The Archives:
The Mistakes DOOM Didn't Make
How did this game avoid all the usual stupidity that ruins remakes of classic titles?
Stop Asking Me to Play Dark Souls!
An unhinged rant where I maybe slightly over-reacted to the water torture of Souls evangelism.
The Best of 2018
I called 2018 "The Year of Good News". Here is a list of the games I thought were interesting or worth talking about that year.
Silent Hill Turbo HD II
I was trying to make fun of how Silent Hill had lost its way but I ended up making fun of fighting games. Whatever.
Batman: Arkham City
A look back at one of my favorite games. The gameplay was stellar, but the underlying story was clumsy and oddly constructed.
Fixing Match 3
For one of the most popular casual games in existence, Match 3 is actually really broken. Until one developer fixed it.
Joker's Last Laugh
Did you anticipate the big plot twist of Batman: Arkham City? Here's all the ways the game hid that secret from you while also rubbing your nose in it.
This Game is Too Videogame-y
What's wrong with a game being "too videogameish"?
Autoblography
The story of me. If you're looking for a picture of what it was like growing up in the seventies, then this is for you.
Trusting the System
How do you know the rules of the game are what the game claims? More importantly, how do the DEVELOPERS know?