Year: 2013

Eric Swain External Sources

Sword, Sex and Suda 51

A while back we at PopMatters played Suda 51 latest creation, though only in a writing capacity this time, Killer is Dead. The studio sent multiple codes, so I got one and we decided ‘hold a podcast on it.’ I expressed my thoughts on twitter on beating the game, and later repeated them on the podcast, as “thoroughly mediocre.” I think it might be the most apt way to describe the game. While it does have interesting points, plenty to grab onto for a discussion and absolutely dripping with Suda 51′s artistic self all over the place, it just meh. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

November 10th TWIVGB

I took the reins from Kris Ligman for this week’s TWIVGB feature so she could go on vacation. Enjoy Montana Kris. Usually, I just fill up space here with some anecdote or quick observation regarding the round up. Instead, I want to take this time to address something I’m betting no one has noticed but has really been bothering me regarding the TWIVGBs. Way back when I first became affiliated with Critical Distance, I made a public declaration both here and on twitter, something I’m sure no one actually remembers. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Cinematic Framing in ‘Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons’

I get back to playing more recent fare with a piece focusing on an oft overlooked element in gaming and its use in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The week’s column was spawned by that all too great motivator, desperation. It was getting late and I had to go to bed early because I was working the election polls the next day. I had to be up at 5 am. I looked over my list of games that I’ve played but haven’t written anything about (every critic should make a list like this) and pick out something I could find something to say about. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

Reviews For September/October

Only 4 reviews over the last two months. It would have been more, but several things have kept them from others being published on time. Late review copies, accidental double scheduling etc. My next review round up looks to be a doozy. What is there really to say about Divekick? I’ve never been really all that into the fighting game scene or games in general. I’ve usually owned at least one for some matches with friends when they’re over as they’re generally good party games with a quick turnover. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

We Have No Mouths and We Must Scream

Just one day after Halloween, out comes our two many podcast discussion on the classic adventure game I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream. In the beginning we lament that we have to warn about spoiling the game, including puzzles. In fact, a large portion of the podcast could constitute a walkthrough because of the integrated nature of them regarding the thematic content. The puzzles aren’t divorced from the story like many traditional point and click adventure games and on that alone I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream comes out far ahead of much of its genre. | more

Eric Swain Game Issues

A Cultural History of Horror

Horror stories are meant to be dark reflections of ourselves or rather more importantly a dark reflection of what we fear most as a society at the time. This isn’t true on an individual level, because what one person finds scary, bores another and what may be a broken taboo for some, is just par for the course for others. But in the aggregate, trends pop up and these are what succeeds in scaring a great majority of the populace. Thus reflect the thinking of a society as a whole. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

‘Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly’: The Uncertainty of Control

And so, horror month comes to an end at PopMatters. Originally, I was going to this game last week and I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream this week, but a podcast recording schedule had me switch those around. I’d heard Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly was one of the scariest games of all time and I was going to see if it lived up to its reputation. Fatal Frame II had me hook pretty much from the word go. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

October 27th TWIVGB

This weekend was not as productive as I would like. Most of that can be blamed on too much sleep. For some reason I just wanted to sleep. Then come Sunday I find my brain not working at full capacity and I’m on call for TWIVGB that week. Thankfully I had all the reading done and was just slow on the writing it up. I started with the little joke of me being the resident librarian of the blogosphere and just ran with it for the theme. If I had more cognitive function I might have done a better job of weaving it all together. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

A Truthful Execution of Horror: ‘I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream’

We recorded a podcast on I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, it will go up soon and, in the meantime, I decide to look into it with what it does with horror. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream isn’t horrifying in the traditional sense of the genre, but then we tend to use horror, terror, frightening and scary as interchangeable when really, they are subtly distinct emotions. The game really isn’t scary. You won't be screaming or whimpering or see YouTube videos of people making fools of themselves. | more

Eric Swain External Sources

‘Amnesia’: The Psychological Toll of Horror

This week on horror month at PopMatters I wrote about Amnesia: The Dark Descent. Normally I like to finish a game before I begin writing about it, because often I do an examination of the whole. But with Amnesia I knew the behavior the game instills in its player going in. What I didn’t know is how complete that behavior outside the game can mirror the behavior inside the game. To properly play a horror game, you have to play it in the dark and alone. Amnesia rewards safety with staying in the dark. | more