Malindy Hetfeld Mar 18, 2021. 5 minute read
Real Hobbies to Complement Reading Some Extremely Long Manga
Let me make one thing very clear: despite what Gen Z says, I’m not old. I’m not. I do, however, clearly remember buying my first volume of One Piece. Somehow more than 20 years have passed since then? I gave up on One Piece when I began to doubt I would live to see its end, but I get…
READ MORE >Malindy Hetfeld Oct 7, 2020. 6 minute read
Behind the 80s Shoujo and Mecha of 13 Sentinels with Akiyasu Yamamoto
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim isn’t just Vanillaware’s most unusual project yet. It’s also the studio’s biggest. Created by a team of less than 30 people, it’s an uncompromising deep-dive into all of (the often contentious) studio director and writer George Kamitani’s passions. Blending sci-fi and anime tropes with non-chronological storytelling,…
READ MORE >Malindy Hetfeld Jul 2, 2020. 5 minute read
Early Assess: City Builder Surviving the Aftermath Is Hard to Enjoy in 2020
Games have always been obsessed with bleak visions of the future. All the better to justify combat: a mechanic so central games practically raised us on it. To let go of combat means not only to ask players to adapt, but for creators to envision radically different ways of playing. But this correlation…
READ MORE >Malindy Hetfeld Jun 12, 2020. 5 minute read
Streamers Are Getting in on the Animal Crossing Tourism Business
From the unspoken rules of being a good host, to popular island themes, in-game tours showcase the best of island decorating in Animal Crossing. Island touring — the act of showcasing other people’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons islands on YouTube — is a steadily growing part of the social experience surrounding the game. The Animal Crossing franchise has long had a thriving…
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