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CultureGhost Trick Has One Of The Catchiest OSTs On The DS
Ghost Trick was one of my favorite games on the DS. A big part of what made it so good was the amazing music. The whole concept behind Ghost Trick is making ghostly possessions a game mechanic. That meant every object in an area was either a potential tool to be manipulated or a method…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 30, 2019 -
UncategorizedMonster Asks Tough Questions About Morality, Fate, And Justice
An anime series based on a manga of the same name by Naoki Urasawa, Monster is a work that constantly forces you to question your sense of morality and ethics. Good and evil become a bloody mess through the series and rarely gives your wounds the time to coagulate, instead, seeping blood until all the…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 30, 2019 -
UncategorizedFinal Fantasy XV Has One Of The Best Endings In The Series
Every Final Fantasy game has had special meaning to me, even the more controversial ones like X-2 and XIII. While they have their flaws, their incredible production values and Square Enix’s desire to innovate on the series makes every iteration feel like a brand new experience. As much as I wanted to, I didn’t get…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 30, 2019 -
UncategorizedTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Was Arcade Co-Op Action At Its Finest
I miss arcades. I have so many fond memories of visiting them in my childhood, from playing Bubble Bobble and launching hundreds of bubbles to a World Wrestling Federation game whose title I can’t recall even though I can see it clearly in my head like it was yesterday. I went to a whole lot…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 30, 2019 -
UncategorizedThe Castlevania Anniversary Collection is on sale this weekend so I picked it up as it includes the Japanese editions of some of the classic games. I knew there was an array of differences between the US and Japanese versions, but it’s been neat seeing them directly. One of the most interesting is that in…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 30, 2019 -
Uncategorized‘Shop Contest: The Poké Ball Guy Winners!
Last week, Zack asked everyone to “spread the horror of Poke Ball guy.” He’ll be back next week, but he graciously asked me to stand in as judge for this weekend’s shop contest. I got to say, it was hard as there’s so many great entries. Most of them made me burst into involuntary laughter.…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 30, 2019 -
UncategorizedWhat Are You Playing This Weekend?
This weekend is for catching up on a million things, writing, cleaning up, and taking out the garbage. Oh, and squeezing in some Devil May Cry 5. Ever since I read the articles by Heather and Tim about DMC5, I’ve wanted to dive in. Devil May Cry 5 is just as amazing as I’d hoped…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 29, 2019 -
UncategorizedResident Evil 6 Isn’t That Bad
I’d read so many reviews bashing Resident Evil 6, I skipped it when it first came out. But when I saw it on sale in the PlayStation store, the curious part of me couldn’t resist. Was it really that bad? To my complete surprise, I really liked it. RE6 is more like an action game…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 29, 2019 -
UncategorizedChrono Cross Was A Bad Sequel, But A Brilliant Game
In many ways, the reason Chrono Cross is one of the most underrated JRPGs in gaming is because of the comparisons to its predecessor, Chrono Trigger. Chrono Cross is a somber and meditational work, exploring destiny, fate, and decisions in a way that is more philosophical in nature than Trigger. Cross lacks the quirky humor…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 29, 2019 -
UncategorizedFinal Fantasy VIII’s Surprise Twist Nearly Ruined It For Me
Final Fantasy VIII is easily one of the most action-packed and compelling games in the series. It was amazing when it first came out, and as I play through the recently-released remastered version, I’m enjoying it just as much. But even 20 years later, some of the choices made by FF8‘s story are still confusing.…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 29, 2019 -
UncategorizedNaruto Has Some Of The Best Battles In Anime
I’m loving Naruto. I only recently started binge watching the show on Netflix. I’d always been aware of the anime series, but never knew what it was actually about. I’d wrongly assumed it was a kid’s show and didn’t think much of it, but on a whim, I started streaming it and have been hooked.…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 29, 2019 -
UncategorizedThe Original Street Fighter II Is Still My Favorite
I recently picked up the Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection and started playing through all the different games in the series. The original Street Fighter II alone had multiple updates that added new characters, abilities, and balance tweaks. I’ve always enjoyed the prequel to the series, Street Fighter Alpha, with its anime aesthetic, super combos,…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 29, 2019 -
UncategorizedThe First Suikoden Is An Underrated Gem For The PS1
If there’s one series I wish more gamers knew about, it’s Suikoden. A Japanese role-playing game with tactical strategy elements, it was developed by Konami and released on the original PlayStation. I’d actually played Suikoden II and III first, really enjoying both. Suikoden II was one of the best JRPGs on the PS1, a game…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 29, 2019 -
CultureTrack: Naeem | Artist: Bon Iver | Album: i,i
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 29, 2019 -
Kotaku EastJapanBeloved Anime Character Finally Gets His Own Store In Tokyo
Doraemon, a blue robotic cat from the future, now has his own store in Tokyo’s Odaiba—the first of its kind for the character, apparently. The shop, called Doraemon Future Department Store, features an array of Doraemon related goods. What makes Doraemon so cool is that he always pulls out an array of gizmos from his…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 29, 2019 -
CultureThe Three Amigos
Zak Foreman is an artist at Epic. You can see more of Zak’s stuff at his ArtStation page
By Luke Plunkett Published November 28, 2019 -
CultureGeekOn! is currently running a Kickstarter for a whole range of board game travel/transport accessories, some of which I’ve tried out previously (the portable dice tower + nesting tray is great). Things are a bit pricey individually, so the bundles are where it’s at.
By Luke Plunkett Published November 28, 2019 -
UncategorizedMidnight Diner’s “Chicken Fried Rice” Episode Combines Good Food, Video Games, And Family
Midnight Diner is one of those shows I approach like a late night snack; I save it for special occasions, wait until I’m in the right mood, then savor its company. The new season just released on Netflix and as the first episode centered around a game director, I thought it was the perfect episode…
By Peter Tieryas Published November 28, 2019