About Me: Writer, artist, musician and student. Always.

...but I still love them.

I've been flirting with Final Fantasy Tactics since it first landed on the PlayStation in 1997. The capabilities of the little grey box were a land of promise on a new technological horizon, and it still holds a point of fascination of me. One of the fun aspects of retro gaming is seeing what the developers could - and couldn't - do with the limitations of the console.

I actually think it's a shame that Microsoft and Sony are pushing things to such an extreme. Where's the fun in working with a system that can effectively do anything you want it to? Sure, I know that every time you add capability, someone can push it, but reality doesn't pan out that way for the masses.

[read the full post...]

5 comments

...still outpaces its remade cousin.

I think when you view Secret of Mana through the lens of youth you see a fantastic adventure into the unknown, filled with colourful and quirky monsters, a few friends and a delightful assortment of classical weapons. When you learn about the origin and execution of the game’s development, you begin to understand why it’s just so darn flawed. However to this day it stands as a legendary representative of its console and respective generation, the venerable fifth, to be exact.

[read the full post...]

5 comments

...but I don't want to be a bully about it.

I'll just have to suck it up, and I really don't want to skewer this game quite before it has a chance to enjoy it, but the fact is that I got it for a 90% discount, and that's not good news for this game. So, I'll write around the specifics while talking about the conundrum a bit.

So that's how you spell that. Thanks, Chrome! 9_9

Anyway, is there anything worse than reviewing a game that has the most sincere of intentions but lackluster execution? If I were to grade this project, I'd say it earned a solid A+ in High School Computer Science. Isn't it amazing what kids can do these days?

[read the full post...]

3 comments

...is very British.

I suppose I should have seen it coming, and I won't dive too deep now, but it's good. So far. Consistent animation, variable voice acting - how many productions have top notch VA? This is coming from Square/Enix, there shouldn't be an excuse for this. It's a beautiful game, almost lush; the world is written with deep lore and a satirical sense of humour that just doesn't seem possible in North America.

Of course I'm wondering just how predictable it is. I see some of the setups already; a questionable motivation, a naive protagonist... been there done that. That's okay, too, if it's well done - and so far, it is. So here's hoping the rest of the ride is of the same quality.

Meanwhile...

[read the full post...]

5 comments

...pre-written, it's easy!

The frog's enthusiastic, the beetle, not so much. So the frog is me, first thing in the morning whereas the beetle is me the rest of the time. Okay, so yeah, maybe it's chintzy of me to post a link to another site. You don't have to leave HG, just pin the tab and come back the instant you're done.

Oh yeah. Right. The reason I'm posting this. So whilst writing a novel I decided to start posting short stories on Medium.com once a week as an experiment. It's okay. Not the explosion I hoped for, but I'm still pretty newbish to this whole marketing thing. Self promotion. Blah.

I'd rather be writing.

Aaaanyway... I started posting those stories in the middle of October. It was a way of coping with Halloween and my birthday, which happens around the same time.

[read the full post...]

...writing a novel isn't as easy as it looks. You mean you can't tell?

You know how Fred Austure made every other dancer look like they were trying to dance with their shoes on backward? He practiced nonstop and was unrelenting in his precision. Whether he was dedicated or a jerk is up for debate, but making something look effortless does require a certain level of commitment.

My lead in thought was that writing a novel doesn't show the perfectionism that went into the text, since you're only seeing the end result. However, that perspective is not only narrow, it's wholly mistaken. Writing is a matter of mental discipline - speaking as one who is evidence of that fact. Polish comes with repeated attempts and hard work.

Always hard work.

[read the full post...]

3 comments

But sometimes I feel like it.

I've been bothered by the idea of leaving HG out in the cold where my writing routine is concerned. The accomplishments have not been earthshattering, but it has been good for my capacity as a writer. So, I'm going to tool out some Switch reviews of the games I've enjoyed in the last six months.

Now, that's not going to be a lot, since paring back how much I play comes into effect, but... ah well, that's okay. I guess I'll just start where I start and finish where I finish.

Nice to see the front page changes finally came into effect. Heh.

[read the full post...]

2 comments

Additional Articles:

[01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] [07] [08] [09] [10]