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On The Razor’s Edge of Difficulty: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

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The relationship that video games have with pacing and challenge is somewhat unique among mediums of entertainment. A book or movie may be challenging to get through, but there will never be anything that is physically stopping you from continuing. There are no boss battles in movies. There are many games (particularly from the late 80s and early 90s) that are nearly impossible for even the most seasoned gamer to beat.  When I was younger, I rarely finished a video game. This is partially because I was an unexperienced kid and partially because video games were more difficult. This created a strange expectation; no matter how much a I loved a certain game, I didn’t expect to see the end of it. I have never had this expectation with a book or a movie, if I enjoy a book or a film, I finish it. Frequently while playing a game I would reach a particularly challenging section and I would get stuck. This could be an obtuse puzzle or something that pushed my reflexes further than the
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2018 in review

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2018 In Review I played a lot of different games in 2018. Here are my thoughts on those games: Breath of the Wild : This was by far my favorite game of last year. I have never been a fan of the Zelda series but this title blew me away. I appreciated the free formed nature of exploration. The game gives you very little direction and encourages you to climb up high, look for something and head in that direction. The dungeons are much smaller than in previous Zelda games, which I liked because it meant the solution to any puzzle you are tackling is in the room with you. Also considering the game is running on the fairly limited hardware of the Switch it looks beautiful. Mario Odyssey : I had a lot of fun with odyssey, but in some ways it was disappointing. It didn’t nail the exploration elements for me and there was no real challenge until the end game. Then it felt like the difficulty ramped up to the point of frustration. That being said odyssey is packed full of
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A Simpler Time Part 4: Finale 1999

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1999 was a year of momentous change. Almost all of the major titles were in 3D and took a large step towards looking more like a modern game. Some of the classics from 1999 included Tony Hawk Pro Skater - The first in a long line of titles where you could play as your favorite skater (or Darth Vader) and achieve tricks and heights we could only dream of. This game and those that followed had awesome soundtracks and precise addictive gameplay. There were also hidden areas and collectibles. I spent hours and hours as a kid playing Roller Coaster Tycoon - This was probably my first experience with a simulation game. Building a theme park and designing the most over the top, and sometimes very unsafe, roller coasters was a blast. Donkey Kong 64 - One of the last games made by Rare for Nintendo before they were purchased by Microsoft. DK 64 was a game all about exploring and collecting. To its own fault actually, some people complained there was just too many things to collect. I d
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A Simpler Time Part 3: 1996-1998

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1996 was a huge video game year for me. The Nintendo 64 released and it featured four titles that made it into the top 30 of my top 50 list (now top 51 since I updated it).  Crash Bandicoot ,  Super Mario 64 ,  Pokemon Red  (and Blue for losers), and  Mario Kart . In the long run  Mario 64  was the most important title from 1996, as it became the template and gold standard for all 3D games of the generation, but I am going to be discussing  Crash Bandicoot . I recently purchased the  Crash Bandicoot N'Sane Trilogy , which is a careful recreation of the  Crash Bandicoot  trilogy in HD. So far I have beaten the original  Crash  so here is my retro review: Crash Bandicoot - I want to start by saying  wow this game was hard. I gave up trying to 100% every level around half way through because it was driving me a little crazy. That being said I loved it. The challenge felt fun and fair. The levels are unique  and varied and are short enough that even if it took me 20 tries to b
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A Simpler Time Part 2: 1993-1995

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“Twenty minutes, and then you have to go outside,” my mom said, as she turned the timer above stove to the twenty-minute mark. My brother and I race downstairs. I open the panel to the right of the CRT television screen. There are two metal dials and a plastic knob. I push the knob in and the screen crackles to life as white noise fills the room. I then move to the top dial and twist it, every channel that goes by makes a satisfying click. I set the channel to three...or four, I could never remember what channel had to be set to turn the NES on. As I fumbled with the television that my family has had since long before I was born, my brother, Paul, was readying the NES. He placed the game in, snapped it down, and hit the power button. The screen flashes red and then black, there is no noise. He hits the reset button, nothing. The power is cut and the white noise returns. I feel panic. I run to stairs and yell up to pause the timer. Paul removes the cartridge, blows into it, and sna
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A Simpler Time Part 1: 1990-1992

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Like so many of my contemporaries, I have a deep nostalgia for the 90s. Maybe it was a simpler time or maybe it is just my fond childhood memories. So many of these memories take place in my basement, playing my older siblings’ games on our old wood paneled CRT television. The 90s were a pivotal period for video games: the shift from 2D to3D, the rise of SONY as a gaming juggernaut, the fall of SEGA, and leaps in computer technology all contribute to the 90s being the most important decade in video game history. This will be the first of a three part series exploring video games in the 90s. Let's go through a journey of the 1990s together.                                                                                                         We start at the end—the end of the third-generation of video game consoles. The Super Nintendo (a.k.a. the Super Family Console or Famicon in Japan) launched in Japan in 1990, but did not arrive in North America until the following year.
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God of War (2018) Review

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The original God of War trilogy was a best seller on the PS2 and PS3. The game features Kratos, the half son of Zeus on a revenge quest against the gods of Olympus. In his quest to kill his own father Kratos murders hundreds if not thousands of innocents and shows no compassion or forgiveness for anyone he crosses.  God of War (2018) shows how much gaming as a genre has evolved over the last decade. Gone is the Kratos who was filled with ceaseless, often unjustified rage who kills and destroys indiscriminately in his quest for vengeance. Kratos is still angry, but it often boils below the surface as he tries to set an example for his son, Atreus, who is your companion throughout the game. Kratos struggles as he attempts to be a patient  and supportive father. This attempt at being restrained makes the moments when Kratos lets his rage loose feel so much more impactful.  God of War takes place in the realm of Norse mythology. The game opens with Kratos chopping down a tree to
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