Twenty Sided

By Josh Posted Monday Aug 23, 2010

 Mass Effect 2: Mordin Solus Part 1Previous Post

Next PostMass Effect 2: Mordin Solus Part 2 

For those who don’t read the heading. (i.e. everyone) This post is from Josh, not myself. I went all fanboy on Mirror’s Edge when it was showcased at E3. Then I played the demo. Then I elected to cherish that illusory dream-game hinted at in the trailer rather than spoiling that image of perfection by actually playing the thing. I like to pretend that the perfect game I saw is still out there, just waiting for a release date.

However, if you actually want a review based on facts and first-hand experience, then Josh has you covered.

-Shamus

Steam, at the very least as a digital distribution platform, is great. Now I know Shamus has expressed a number of very valid concerns about the idea (and indeed, strong possibility) of a Steam monopoly and all of the ways that could go wrong â€" and I am in absolute and total agreement with every one of those concerns â€" but there is a reason Steam is by and large the PC digital distribution platform. I can, with confidence, say that the sales held regularly on Steam have led me to try dozens of games (if not hundreds â€" my account has nearly 125(!) games on it) I would never have considered playing otherwise. One such game is an odd little title released back in 2008: Mirror’s Edge.

I’m not really sure what mirrors have to do with anything…

When Mirror’s Edge came out, I’d been following it with some interest, but I thought the concept was, frankly, rather crazy (First-person acrobatics? Tell me that doesn’t sound like a recipe for frustration and disaster). And the reviews I skimmed after the game was released seemed to reinforce this notion. But when the game is on sale on Steam for $5? Well… It can’t be that bad.

Right?

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Mirror’s Edge Review Part 1:
Running into Walls”

Josh Viel is the primary editor and producer of the Spoiler Warning video series. You can support the show by backing the Patreon.

 Mass Effect 2: Mordin Solus Part 1Previous Post

Next PostMass Effect 2: Mordin Solus Part 2 

81 comments

Silent Star Wars

By Shamus Posted Saturday Aug 21, 2010

Filed under: Movies 25 comments

 Scott Pilgrim vs. MY FACEPrevious Post

Next PostWARMACHINE 

Link (YouTube)

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 Scott Pilgrim vs. MY FACEPrevious Post

Next PostWARMACHINE 

25 comments

Experienced Points: The Rise, Fall and Rise of Adventure Games

By Shamus Posted Friday Aug 20, 2010

Filed under: Column 77 comments

 Stolen Pixels #222: Breen Interviews the Companion CubePrevious Post

Next PostExperinced Points: Bargains are for Cheaters 

The internet is plastered with ads for Kane & Lynch 2, sequel to the original ugly self-important chore from Eidos in 2007. If the sequel is anything like the first, you’ll pilot a completely unlikable jerk from one murder spree to the next in order to thwart some bad guys so bland I can’t think of a metaphor boring enough to… meh. The combat had all the fun and energy of churning milk in January. I quit when the story got to Havana. I have no idea how it ended. But in the alternate ending I wrote for myself on the wall using a black sharpie tightly clenched in one fist, Lynch died, Kane’s men died, the cops they gunned down recovered and then launched an enormously successful anti-crime program for youth, the secret conspiracy guys continued to do nothing interesting forever and ever, and Kane’s stupid ass went back to prison. If this is not how the game ended, please don’t tell me. I’m happy with the one I wrote.

What? Oh. Sorry. Anyway. Kane and Lynch 2 is everywhere and yet nobody talks about the wonderful things Telltale games is making for us. This is my own small attempt to rectify this injustice.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 Stolen Pixels #222: Breen Interviews the Companion CubePrevious Post

Next PostExperinced Points: Bargains are for Cheaters 

77 comments

Stolen Pixels #222: Breen Interviews the Companion Cube

By Shamus Posted Friday Aug 20, 2010

Filed under: Column 54 comments

 Stolen Pixels #221: After Curfew, Episode 9Previous Post

Next PostExperienced Points: The Rise, Fall and Rise of Adventure Games 

Hey. You guys aren’t tired of this meme, are you? This is still okay, right?

Cool, cool. Just making sure.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 Stolen Pixels #221: After Curfew, Episode 9Previous Post

Next PostExperienced Points: The Rise, Fall and Rise of Adventure Games 

54 comments

Spoiler Warning 3×1: Andrew Ryan’s Pipe Dream

By Shamus Posted Thursday Aug 19, 2010

Filed under: Spoiler Warning 205 comments

 Please Rise for a Message from RutskarnPrevious Post

Next PostSpoiler Warning 3x2: This Episode is Too Symmetrical 

Something to think about for a second before venturing forth is that this is the first episode of the third season of Spoiler Warning, which introduces our fifth host and the first BioShock game (which is our second first-person shooter and the second game where Josh gets to chug a fifth to cure secondary wounds) as well as our first session to feature a fourth commentator.

Here is a breakdown of who is on the show:

Josh plays the game, records the episodes, and edits them. He’s a sometime anime reviewer at the Escapist. He’s also one of the admins of the Death by Kukri Team Fortress 2 server.

Mumbles is our President of Bioshock Commentary. She’s also one of the admins of Death by Kukri.

Rutskarn is our Director of Bioshock Commentary Services. He runs the blog Chocolate Hammer and was the 37th President of the United States. He’s also a fully licensed punologist.

Shamus is our Lead Bioshock Commentary Engineer. He photoshops the Spoiler Warning title cards and also runs the blog Twenty Sided. And if you clicked on that link you really need to slap yourself. We’re working on the honor system here, so do the right thing. Use your dominant hand, open palm, aim for the cheek.

Hello, person from the future. This space used to have an embed from the video hosting site Viddler. The video is gone now. If you want to find out why and laugh at Viddler in the process, you can read the entire silly story for yourself.

At any rate, the video is gone. Sorry. On the upside, we're gradually re-posting these old videos to YouTube. Check the Spoiler Warning page to see the full index.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 Please Rise for a Message from RutskarnPrevious Post

Next PostSpoiler Warning 3x2: This Episode is Too Symmetrical 

205 comments

Mass Effect 2: Mordin Solus Part 1

By Shamus Posted Wednesday Aug 18, 2010

Filed under: Game Reviews 120 comments

 Dance Dance Revolution:
Learning To Push ButtonsPrevious Post

Next PostMirror's Edge Review Part 1:
Running into Walls 

Introduction

Half a year ago I promised that I’d write more about Mass Effect 2. After scourging the lame-brained main plot, I felt like I needed to explain why I liked a game despite the failings of the story. I mentioned that Dr. Mordin Solus was the best part of the game. It’s true, but it’s more than that. He’s the best character in the game, and his backstory is linked to the best mission in the game, which stems from the most interesting elements of the Mass Effect universe. Mordin stands above the other characters in the game because his dialog is good, and his dialog is good because he’s perched atop a mountain of lore. I feel like I can’t talk about him until I talk about the mountain. Which is why it took me half a year to write this. Every time I sat down to write 1,000 words about Mordin I found I needed to write 3,000 words about other stuff first.

If you haven’t gotten the clue yet, this series is going to be a long ramble about stuff that many of us will already know. Also, I’ve sprinkled the text with TvTropes links because I’m feeling sadistic.

In Mass Effect 2, the story of Dr. Mordin Solus doesn’t begin when you meet up with him. It begins two thousand years before the opening of the first game. So before we meet Mordin, let’s meet the galaxy…

Continue reading ⟩⟩ “Mass Effect 2: Mordin Solus Part 1”

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 Dance Dance Revolution:
Learning To Push ButtonsPrevious Post

Next PostMirror's Edge Review Part 1:
Running into Walls 

120 comments

Stolen Pixels #221: After Curfew, Episode 9

By Shamus Posted Tuesday Aug 17, 2010

Filed under: Column 119 comments

 Experienced Points: Revenge of the LitigatedPrevious Post

Next PostStolen Pixels #222: Breen Interviews the Companion Cube 

Dr. Breen is back! I gave After Curfew a break after the big seven part series leading up to strip #200, but I think it’s time for another.

What gets me: As of the first 9 comments at the the Escapist, it was obvious that 3 of them didn’t read the side text. I always knew this was probably the case, but I didn’t want to know, if you see what I’m saying. I’ve come to accept that a good portion of the coming generation are a bnch of txt spk-ing lzrs, but have we really come to the point where 1 in 3 human beings will look at this:

…and say, “Oh man. No way am I going to read that whole thing.”

Sadness.

Shamus Young is a programmer, an author, and nearly a composer. He works on this site full time. If you'd like to support him, you can do so via Patreon or PayPal.

 Experienced Points: Revenge of the LitigatedPrevious Post

Next PostStolen Pixels #222: Breen Interviews the Companion Cube 

119 comments

OLDER POSTS

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From The Archives:

Introduction

Patreon!

Batman v. Superman Wasn't All Bad

Philosophy of Moderation

How to Forum

Charging More for a Worse Product

In Defense of Crunch

The Mistakes DOOM Didn't Make

Games and the Fear of Death

The Loot Lottery

Seven Springs