Podcasts: BRP 35 & 36, & Digital Cowboys 143 March 6, 2010
Posted by shoinan in Podcasts.Tags: digital cowboys, video games
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Crisis Of Confidence March 4, 2010
Posted by shoinan in Self-Analysis.Tags: edge, video games
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Disclaimer: moany, self-involved post, which this disclaimer doesn’t justify, but I’ve typed it all out now, so if you choose to read it, deal with it.
For no discernible reason whatsoever, a huge pang of anxiety about my writing has emerged from underneath the bed and is giving me an absolute nightmare tonight. Now of all times, after securing more freelance work, with useful amounts of money actually starting to come in for what I’m doing. I mean, even the prospect of an Indian takeaway isn’t helping, and usually a half-decent korma is enough to plain stop me thinking, let alone worrying.
To clarify, I’m not asking for reassurance here. Well, I am, but I don’t think any reassurance will actually provide any reassurance. Does that make sense? Let me try to explain.
ShoNTell #22: Gaming Doesn’t Get Tougher Than This! March 3, 2010
Posted by shoinan in ShoNTell, YHL! Feature.Tags: heavy rain, video games
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Two weeks in a row? Say it ain’t so. Yeah, I’m actually starting to juggle all my freelance work with all the work I’m doing at TGR and writing in my blog this week. And even playing video games as well. Of course, I’m sacrificing what little of my sanity remains to do so.
The one thing I’m not sacrificing is my Masterchef time. How could anyone sacrifice Masterchef for anything? Don’t they know that cooking doesn’t get tougher than this? Well, that is, until the quarter-finals of course. Then it doesn’t get tougher than that. Well, until the semis. And then the final. And then actually cooking in an actual restaurant and not on some loudmouthed reality show for amateurs.
Where was I? Oh yeah, video games, ShoNTell, all that jazz. Let’s do that.
Heavy Rain: Win Or Choose? March 2, 2010
Posted by shoinan in Design, Theory & Play Habits.Tags: heavy rain, video games
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I’ve been thinking about the esteemed Jared Newman’s comments in response to my (spoilerific) blog post on Heavy Rain. I just wanted to throw out a quick thought on something that occurred very early on in the game, something I think represents the best example of what (I think) Jared was talking about, namely Heavy Rain trying to present itself more as an interactive drama with no correct choices than as a video game to be beaten.
Heavy Rain: Player Or Director? March 1, 2010
Posted by shoinan in Game Criticism, Narrative Discussion.Tags: heavy rain, video games
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Note: big spoilers for Heavy Rain in this post
Happily, I played through Heavy Rain before this weekend’s PSN-gate. Any Big Red Potion listener knows that this has been my most anticipated game of the year, maybe of this generation.
ShoNTell #21: Singing Robots and Ninja Robots February 26, 2010
Posted by shoinan in ShoNTell, YHL! Feature.Tags: chrono trigger, video games
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Yeah, time to start this up again. If I’m going to keep doing pimpage rather than blog posts – this week my reason/excuse is that I’m seriously ill – I may as well get back into the habit of doing them in these round-up posts. That way I get to actually talk a bit about some games I’ve been playing too. Which was the idea of the ShoNTell thang when I first started it… hmm. Yup, after twenty-seven years of it, I still get rather surprised by my own idiocy at times. Here’s a full and hearty ShoNTell.
BioShockHorror February 15, 2010
Posted by shoinan in Pimpage.Tags: bioshock 2, video games
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I Honestly Really Did Like Valkyria Chronicles, Honest February 8, 2010
Posted by shoinan in Game Criticism, Pimpage.Tags: valkyria chronicles, video games
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Let me be clear: Valkyria Chronicles is good. Really bloody good. Absolutely compelling, terrific fun, full of depth and replay value. Can’t wait for the sequel. Wonderful, wonderful game. I really enjoyed it.
I just wanted to be absolutely clear because, even with the praising preface in my returning Very British Gamer column on the game, it still feels like I launched a scathing attack on it. Truth is, I could’ve been talking about one from a large number of video games in that column. It just so happens I’ve been playing Valkyria Chronicles.
I’ve got war and politics on the brain, subjects not too compatible with praise when it comes to gaming. It’s very hard not to at the moment with the Chilcot inquiry, and I think a lot of my thoughts on that have been bleeding into my writing of late. After all, my first piece for Games Abyss also went up, and it’s all on current affairs and gaming. Hopefully I can redirect my writing into less serious matters. I can at least say that my next major freelance piece won’t be on matters so grave, so that’s good.
Anyway, I’d be honoured if you checked both those bad boys out and let me know your thoughts. I’d say more, but BioShock 2 is here and demands my attention. One last thing before I go, though. It’s time to ‘fess up again: I was so so so wrong about Valkyria Chronicles based on my demo analysis back in 2008. Looking back, I just didn’t get the game at all. I’m not going to speculate on whether that says more about me than demos or vice versa…
You Have Lost! is a blog about video games written by me, Sinan 'shoinan' Kubba. I'm the editorial and features director at TheGameReviews and I also host the Big Red Potion podcast. As you can see, I'm also a pirate but not of games (ha). E-mail: shoinan AT gmail DOT com. Screename: shoinan [PSN, XBLA, Steam & Twitter]. Your comments and feedback are always welcome. Please subscribe to my satiating feed by clicking 
