Year: 2010

Eric Swain External Sources, Recent Posts

My Stint at TWIVGB is Over

Well I did my two weeks at Critical Distance writing the This Week in Video Game Blogging feature. I can honestly say that I have even more respect for Mr. Ben Abraham. How he can keep that up week after week is beyond me. Maybe it had something to do with the fact I was new and hadn't gotten used to it. Maybe it had to do with the first time I did it was the most prolific week ever in quality video game criticism. I don't know, but hats off to you man. And if you ever need a fill-in (hint hint) you know where to go. | more

Eric Swain External Sources, Recent Posts

Working for the Weekend on Critical Distance

As some of you may know, or care, Ben Abraham will be gallivanting off to GDC thanks to the generous contributions from around the blogosphere, proving once more that some people have way too much free time on their hands. All kidding aside, I'm sure Ben will do a bang up job covering the event. For those of you who don't know him and will be going, he'll be the one introduced as the Permadeath guy.  He will also have an Australian accent and probably be the only one with a tan. | more

Eric Swain Recent Posts, Thoughts

SLRC – So Long Righteous Comrade

SLRC is dead Long Live SLRC So reads the title of the ever-changing acronym SLRC blog. Ben Abraham if not the most prolific internet critic is definitely one of the most important. Besides his own blog he was the creator of Critical Distance, an effort to bring all the best of game criticism under one URL after the game has had time to be digested. Probably the most ambitious project in the ludodidecahedron. Ben is the reason Far Cry 2 is recognized as much and taken as seriously as it is. | more

Eric Swain Critical Responses, Recent Posts

The Nature of Reading: Interpretation and Auteurism using Final Fantasy VIII and Mulholland Drive

Recently on twitter I was pointed to an essay on Final Fantasy VIII that differs from the more generally accepted reading of the game's story. If you have not read it yet, before you proceed with this post, please do. First let me speak on the essay itself. I think it's a beautifully argued and supports its position admirably. The Squall's dead theory hadn't ever occurred to me. Never once did it enter my mind that discs 2-4 were a death dream. | more

Eric Swain External Sources, Recent Posts

VGHVI Podcast Appearance

Last Thursday I played Bioshock during the simultaneous VGHVI playthrough, while talking on Skype with Denis Farr, Roger Travis, Micheal Abbot and several others. Roger took that conversation and made a podcast out of it. He was doing the recording and unfortunately Skype kept kicking him out so he didn't get everything, probably for the best. He does a wonderful job editing out a lot of the blank spaces and stumbles. Note for next time: if VGHVI decides to do another single player playthrough, choose a game less audio intensive. | more