T w e n t y S i d e d
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “#18 An Irresistible Source of Brains”
#18 An Irresistible Source of Brains
Spider-Man Part 13: Oscorp Tower Defense
Spider-Man heads back to FEAST. He changes into civilian clothes to check on Aunt May and break into Martin Li’s office. We do some extremely light puzzling and find a secret room behind Martin’s office. We find a diary that depicts Li as struggling against some sort of demonic power, but I don’t know if we’re supposed to take that literally or not. It really feels like the writer has assumed we’ve read the comics.
We also recover the file from the start of the game that talks about Devil’s Breath. We still don’t know what it is, but we know it figures into Martin’s plans and we know it’s called friggin’ DEVIL’S BREATH so it’s a safe bet it’s not a dessert topping.
There's actually a bill of lading (a description of goods for shipping) for this bioweapon? Laying aside questions of why you would meticulously document something so illegal, where the hell were you shipping it?
Martin Li shows up just as Peter leaves Li’s office. They have a guarded conversation. Martin seems to know Peter was snooping around in his stuff, and Peter knows that Li is the leader of the Demons, but neither of them seems to know how much the other knows. Li is friendly towards both Peter and Aunt May.
When the conversation turns to current events and the recent attack on the city, Martin assures Peter and May that they’ll be safe as long as they “stay out of places you shouldn’t be”. This is horseshit, by the way. Martin’s plan is to release a bio-weapon capable of causing a pandemic. Again, I feel like the writer is trying to characterize this guy but I can’t make sense of it because it was never explained how his Yin / Yang deal works.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Spider-Man Part 13: Oscorp Tower Defense”
Experienced Points: Sony’s Strategic PlayStation 5 Reveal
In my column this week, I give my take on the announced specs for the next-gen PlayStation. Below are a few additional thoughts that were too digressionalI think that this should be a word. If referral is related to the process of checking references, and funereal is being like a funeral, then something digressional should be related to or seeming like a digression. to be included in the column.
I find it interesting that Japanese company Sony has an American in charge of designing their flagship gaming hardware. Even more interesting is that the American in question is also the designer / co-programmer of Marble Madness way back in 1984. Cerny’s Wikipedia page is an interesting list of honors an accomplishments. The guy has had quite an eclectic career.
The other interesting note is that the proposed PS5 is continuing the trend of consoles and PC converging. On the console side, the Xbox and PlayStation look increasingly like PCs in terms of hardware. On the PC side, Microsoft is trying to turn the Windows ecosystem into a closed, locked-down platform using the Windows 10 store.
These goals are understandable in isolation, but contradictory in nature.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Experienced Points: Sony’s Strategic PlayStation 5 Reveal”
Diecast #253: Just Ubisoft, New PC, Captain Marvel
As always, the email address is in the header image. We tried to get all the questions this week, but the last one was a big too big to squeeze in at the end of the show.
Hosts: Paul, Shamus. Episode edited by Issac.
Show notes: Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Diecast #253: Just Ubisoft, New PC, Captain Marvel”
Game of Thrones Season Eight: “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”
This series analyzes the show, but sometimes references the books as well. If you read it, expect spoilers for both.
Once upon a time, the British – who have demonstrated that they know their way around a TV show, or indeed anything involving acting – created a show called Upstairs, Downstairs. It covered the lives of a bunch of Edwardian-era posh noble types (the titular Upstairs) and their rough-and-tumble servants (the titular Downstairs). The constrast of these two worlds within the same manor house made for such interesting storylines that it was widely copied, and the phrase “Upstairs/Downstairs” became shorthand for an entire mini-genre. Downton Abbey is probably the best-known modern example.
The reason I mention this is that Game of Thrones has a certain Upstairs/DownstairsnessA perfectly cromulent word. to it, with one key difference: the downstairs is way better. Take, for example, the genuine and cheeful comraderie between the Night’s Watch/Wildling bunch (Jon/Sam/Edd/Tormund): backslapping hugs, comic timing, people experiencing actual human emotions – now this is a show I could actually like, with characters I could root for. Even the more reserved handshake between Jon and Beric rung true. There are more nice moments, like Tyrion topping off Pod’s wine, and the characters unironically applauding Ser Brienne’s impromptu knighting.
Still got it. And by 'it' I mean my talent for hitting the screenshot key at the exact moment characters are blinking.
By contrast, everything upstairs rings off-key. The show tacked uncomfortably close to the truth last episode, when Sansa pointed out that for the past couple seasons, the quality of Tyrion’s decision making has split the difference between “drunken debutante” and “Custer at Little Big Horn.” So now, a succession of characters have to sing his praises, and talk the audience out of thinking that Sansa was right. Jon and Dany continue to have all the chemistry of olive oil and vinegar, and Sansa and Dany – well, I can’t figure out what exactly that was supposed to be. I guess they were supposed to be bonding, but it was overblocked and stiff as an I-beam.
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Game of Thrones Season Eight: “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms””
#17 Setting the Stage
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “#17 Setting the Stage”
Spider-Man Part 12: Silver Sable
At the end of the attack on city hall, the camera pans over to reveal the horrible truth that the leader of the demons is actually… the guy we already guessed it was! Dun dun duuuun!
We cut to a week later. There’s a funeral scene for Officer Davis, and Peter Parker and Miles Morales meet. Over the coming chapters they’ll make friends and Peter will get Miles a job working at FEAST.
When the funeral is over, Pete changes to Spider-Man and asks Yuri if the police have located Martin Li yet.
Hang On. When Did You Figure That Out?
This is the big reveal that Martin Li is the leader of the Demons. Peter Parker is a block away, behind a bunch of debris, unconscious. There's no way he saw this.
It feels like we missed a pretty big story beat here. How does Spider-Man know that Martin Li is the leader of the Demons? Yes, that fact was revealed to the audience in the previous cutscene, but Peter wasn’t anywhere near Li when that happened. Moreover, Pete was unconscious at the time.
At some point in the last week, Peter Parker discovered that his friend – who is also Aunt May’s employer – is a mass-murdering terrorist. That’s a really big deal! It’s also the answer to the mystery he’s been chasing for the last couple of missions. And yet this discovery took place off-screen?
Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Spider-Man Part 12: Silver Sable”
From The Archives:
Who Broke the In-Game Economy?
Why are RPG economies so bad? Why are shopkeepers so mercenary, why are the prices so crazy, and why do you always end up a gazillionaire by the end of the game? Can't we just have a sensible balanced economy?
Lost Laughs in Leisure Suit Larry
Why was this classic adventure game so funny in the 80's, and why did it stop being funny?
Silent Hill 2 Plot Analysis
A long-form analysis on one of the greatest horror games ever made.
Video Compression Gone Wrong
How does image compression work, and why does it create those ugly spots all over some videos and not others?
Project Button Masher
I teach myself music composition by imitating the style of various videogame soundtracks. How did it turn out? Listen for yourself.
Shamus Plays WOW
Ever wondered what's in all those quest boxes you've never bothered to read? Get ready: They're more insane than you might expect.
A Telltale Autopsy
What lessons can we learn from the abrupt demise of this once-impressive games studio?
Patreon!
Why Google sucks, and what made me switch to crowdfunding for this site.
Chainmail Bikini
A horrible, railroading, stupid, contrived, and painfully ill-conceived roleplaying campaign. All in good fun.
Fixing Match 3
For one of the most popular casual games in existence, Match 3 is actually really broken. Until one developer fixed it.