My Recency Bias

  Part 1: Intro Just as I was reconsidering my Game of the Year list after playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Alan Wake 2 hits the entire list like an earthquake and plants down its flag right at the top of an already stacked list, during an incredibly stacked year. I could say that “Alan Wake 2 feels like *this movie director* or *this author* made a videogame”, but to do that would be a disservice to the folks at Remedy Entertainment, who’s only real point of comparison is their previous work, since no one is really doing what Remedy does at Remedy’s level of quality. Alan Wake 2, with its narrative complexity, gorgeous environment design, seamless inclusion of live action sequences, and thrilling gameplay, feels like a final form for how Remedy makes games. If it wasn’t already obvious, I was blown away by Alan Wake 2, and I’d like to explain why.   But first, a brief recap… The first Alan Wake ends with Alan trapped in the Dark Place, sacrificing himself to save his w...

  Mario in 2D has stagnated for the past 20+ years. After Yoshi’s Island in 1995, the majority of Mario’s 2D outings have been through the New Super Mario Bros. series, a series that has increasingly seemed like a snake eating its own tail, as the past 3 entries for each of Nintendo’s major consoles have all seemed incredibly similar in terms of both mechanics and aesthetics. Juxtapose that with the sheer level of innovation, creativity, and difference between any of the original 2D games, and you would not be called crazy to say that modern 2D Mario has seemingly run out of juice. In comes Super Mario Bros. Wonder to dispel any notion of that idea. There is not a moment in Super Mario Bros. Wonder that doesn’t feel bursting with new enemies, mechanics, or set pieces. The game’s precise goal is invoking joy and wonder, and it does both to the utmost degree.   The story of Mario Wonder has you collecting royal wonder seeds from the flower kingdom in order to defeat Bowser, ...

Play Final Fantasy VII Remake Fail to understand Final Fantasy VII Remake Play original Final Fantasy VII Play and finally understand Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade Watch the trailer for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Change all my wallpapers to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth           Guess there’s only one thing left to do.   o    Play Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion The path most taken when making a prequel is making something to be experienced after the original that explains how everything happened and how all the pieces fit into place. An example of this is the Star Wars prequels, where it’s a major story revelation that Darth Vader is actually Anakin Skywalker in Episode 5, and in the prequels, specifically Episode 3, the story shows exactly how that happened both physically and mentally. Episode 3 was never meant to be seen before Episode 5, and the same can be said for Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion . This game exists as...