T w e n t y S i d e d
This week I have had more time than last week, but unfortunately I got a little sick, so once again, very few games have been played.
What’s everyone else doing?
Wednesday Action Log 12-04-24
More of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth; on the significance of Jennifer Connelly (Part Two)
We left Labyrinth at what I described as a transition point in the movie. Sarah is now stuck at the bottom of an oubliette (one of many in the labyrinth, Hoggle will inform us shortly), although Jareth will continue to refer to “the” oubliette and “it” as if there is only one. Was it a script inconsistency, or an intentional reference to the fact that Hoggle is a product of the story while Jareth is the storyteller? Much like many insane Kubrickian hypothesis, I don’t think it matters. As far as the story goes, she *is* in *the* oubliette, and that’s all we need to know. The labyrinth is “full of them,” according to Hoggle, and considering Sarah is dealing with more significant matters than the pedantry of the Goblin Kingdom…it is, after all, only the setting…they may as well all be the same oubliette. And as we have seen, they *could* all be the same oubliette, all leading to same possible outcomes.
DM of the Rings Remastered XCVIII: Ooooh! Shiny!
Wednesday Action Log 11-27-24
This week I’ve done barely anything. In my free time I’ve been watching YouTube, but I’ve barely had enough time to commit games. Next week I should have more, so hopefully then I will have anything to talk about.
How’s everyone else this week?
DM of the Rings XCVII Remastered: Gets Me Right Here
An Analysis of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, or Why is Bowie so friggin’ sexy? (Part One)
I originally thought a post on Labyrinth would be pretty large; epic even. The more I worked it over in my mind,the concepts got simpler and simpler (famous last words). My original premise was based on the observation that most people remember Labyrinth for, well; David Bowie’s balls. And the skintight pants prominently displaying his equipment. We must be honest, as well; David Bowie is a pretty sexy fella and the entire presentation of Jareth the Goblin King does nothing but accentuate this idea. Sooo…that means Labyrinth is about growing into sexual maturity, right?
No, it’s not. That wasn’t the original idea, it’s not in the script, and it’s not explicitly in the movie. It’s just that everything related to the Goblin King, especially *in the second half of the movie* carries sexual overtones.
Wednesday Action Log 11-20-24
This week I’ve been playing more Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord.
So far, I’ve learned that turning down the damage reduction really hurts. Last time I played I had damage reduction set to easy, so I was effectively invincible with heavy enough armor. But now I have to learn what it’s like to take damage.
Also, since I’m not making most of my money from smithing, I’m having to actually learn how trade caravans and workshops work, instead of making one really good sword and having enough money to pay an army for a year.
Anyway, what’s everyone else doing this week?
From The Archives:
Tenpenny Tower
Bethesda felt the need to jam a morality system into Fallout 3, and they blew it. Good and evil make no sense and the moral compass points sideways.
Seven Springs
The true story of three strange days in 1989, when the last months of my adolescence ran out and the first few sparks of adulthood appeared.
Programming Vexations
Here is a 13 part series where I talk about programming games, programming languages, and programming problems.
Overused Words in Game Titles
I scoured the Steam database to figure out what words were the most commonly used in game titles.
Game at the Bottom
Why spend millions on visuals that are just a distraction from the REAL game of hotbar-watching?
Self-Balancing Gameplay
There's a wonderful way to balance difficulty in RPGs, and designers try to prevent it. For some reason.
The No Politics Rule
Here are 6 reasons why I forbid political discussions on this site. #4 will amaze you. Or not.
Silent Hill Origins
Here is a long look at a game that tries to live up to a big legacy and fails hilariously.
Philosophy of Moderation
The comments on most sites are a sewer of hate, because we're moderating with the wrong goals in mind.
The Disappointment Engine
No Man's Sky is a game seemingly engineered to create a cycle of anticipation and disappointment.