Salt and Sanctuary: A ‘Souls’-Like That Gets it Right
The Souls series by From Software has become something of a guidepost for difficulty in games. It’s become common to use the series as a reference when discussing a particularly tough game, with quotes like “It’s as hard as Dark Souls” now serving as a selling point. It can be eye-rolling when tossed around too much. The problem with this kind of labeling is that the Souls series is so much more than combat. It’s lore, level design, atmosphere–things that most clones of the series forget. Yes, the games punish careless play, but the reason they have become so beloved is because
“Gundam as a Bag of Hammers” – Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt Vol. 3
Because the author does not understand the feelings he’s presenting to us and so relies on a language cobbled together from cliches, trite imagery and banal symbols he’s aped from a million disparate influences he never bothered to understand to convey feelings he’s does not understand.
Antigraviator Doesn’t Give A Damn About Realism
Antigravitor, an upcoming futuristic racing title, has no qualms about tossing realism out of the proverbial window; most of the time I’m just careening through the race tracks, the hoverbike whizzing by so quickly that the lights trails in the course make me feel like I’m inside a long-exposure shot.