Teenage Dream is unquestionably front-loaded, but we've saved some fun for the back end of this lengthy feature.
Remember when Eminem first started to get popular? Remember all the controversy? Those songs are so quaint now. I guess there was some uproar over Katy's Seasame Street appearance, but no one seems bothered by her songs. Is it a sign of changing times, or is rap music just that much scarier to conservative Americans than pop?
Not suggesting that we should get upset about Katy Perry songs, by the way. If anything, I'm glad that we're not freaking out over some dumb pop songs. Yay, us.
21 March 2012
20 March 2012
Pink Hair
Who's ready for more Katy Perry?
By the way, I actually love Teenage Dream to bits. It's easy to mock, but if you should know better than to look for meaning in today's radio-friendly pop music. It's dumb, it's shallow, and I have no respect for Katy Perry as a person, but, hey, those songs are darned catchy.
By the way, I actually love Teenage Dream to bits. It's easy to mock, but if you should know better than to look for meaning in today's radio-friendly pop music. It's dumb, it's shallow, and I have no respect for Katy Perry as a person, but, hey, those songs are darned catchy.
19 March 2012
Katy Cats
Like Aerosmith, KISS, and Journey before her, Katy Perry has made the transition from music to games.
Part of me worries that I'm behind the times for making jokes about Teenage Dream a year-and-a-half after its release, but these songs are still on the radio, and Adam Conover and friends released a Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) parody last week, so this is still okay, right? Plus, I doubt anyone has gone to the same convoluted extremes I have to say that Katy Perry songs teach questionable lessons.
This is the first in a four part series, so I hope there are some fans of slightly-dated pop music and esoteric Japanese-exclusive video games in the audience.
Part of me worries that I'm behind the times for making jokes about Teenage Dream a year-and-a-half after its release, but these songs are still on the radio, and Adam Conover and friends released a Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) parody last week, so this is still okay, right? Plus, I doubt anyone has gone to the same convoluted extremes I have to say that Katy Perry songs teach questionable lessons.
This is the first in a four part series, so I hope there are some fans of slightly-dated pop music and esoteric Japanese-exclusive video games in the audience.
18 March 2012
Sunday Free Game - Mega Miner
Jeez, these weekend segments need better names. Terrible!
This week's game is not terrible. It's not great either, but I played a lot of it, so that's something, I guess.
There's not too much to say about Mega Miner. It's harmless. It's about as fun as Solitaire, which is to say, not fun at all, but there's an appeal in reducing a complicated mess to something neat and orderly. Solitaire gives you a shuffled deck and asks you to sort it; Mega Miner gives you a shadowy plot of dirt and gems and asks you to dig through it. It's mindless and repetitive, but pushing that little drill to and fro helped clear my brain when I was stuck while writing this week's articles. I left it open in a second window, and clicked on it when I needed a minute to think. After a few days, I had mined every square of dirt.
Again, nothing special, but it was a gentle reminder that the "upgrade" genre isn't so bad. I needed that after Burrito Bison Revenge filled me with such bile.
This week's game is not terrible. It's not great either, but I played a lot of it, so that's something, I guess.
There's not too much to say about Mega Miner. It's harmless. It's about as fun as Solitaire, which is to say, not fun at all, but there's an appeal in reducing a complicated mess to something neat and orderly. Solitaire gives you a shuffled deck and asks you to sort it; Mega Miner gives you a shadowy plot of dirt and gems and asks you to dig through it. It's mindless and repetitive, but pushing that little drill to and fro helped clear my brain when I was stuck while writing this week's articles. I left it open in a second window, and clicked on it when I needed a minute to think. After a few days, I had mined every square of dirt.
Again, nothing special, but it was a gentle reminder that the "upgrade" genre isn't so bad. I needed that after Burrito Bison Revenge filled me with such bile.
Picture not related.
17 March 2012
Saturday Links: At Least Until I Think of a More Clever Title
Missing Songs in Jet Set Radio-HD Shows Need for Game Preservation Movement
Embarrassing. To an outsider, this may not seem like a big deal, but anyone who's played the re-release of Crazy Taxi will tell you otherwise.
Strange Mario designs didn't almost make Super Mario 3D Land, says director
It seems Koichi Hayashida is a hilarious jokester. The phrasing of his quote is adorable!
Welcome to the #molyjam2012
A game jam based on the insane ideas of a Peter Molyneux imposter's Twitter feed. This is a real event that is really happening. This is amazing.
What Happened to Gaming's "Middle Class?"
The dissolution of the middle class might be the worst trend in video games today. I'm glad someone at a major games site is shining a light on this problem.
Two Ways To Think About Nothing
Not about games, specifically, but about art, generally.
Molyneux: Milo was too emotional for the games industry
Yet more Molyneux, but look at that headline. Who could resist the chance to link to an article like that? Pete's full quote is as insane as you'd hope, although he kind of has a point. (But still.)
Embarrassing. To an outsider, this may not seem like a big deal, but anyone who's played the re-release of Crazy Taxi will tell you otherwise.
Strange Mario designs didn't almost make Super Mario 3D Land, says director
It seems Koichi Hayashida is a hilarious jokester. The phrasing of his quote is adorable!
Welcome to the #molyjam2012
A game jam based on the insane ideas of a Peter Molyneux imposter's Twitter feed. This is a real event that is really happening. This is amazing.
What Happened to Gaming's "Middle Class?"
The dissolution of the middle class might be the worst trend in video games today. I'm glad someone at a major games site is shining a light on this problem.
Two Ways To Think About Nothing
Not about games, specifically, but about art, generally.
Molyneux: Milo was too emotional for the games industry
Yet more Molyneux, but look at that headline. Who could resist the chance to link to an article like that? Pete's full quote is as insane as you'd hope, although he kind of has a point. (But still.)
16 March 2012
Bimmy and Jimmy
Edit: It's working!
I watched a terrible movie tonight and spent hours creating high-quality content based on it, but I can't get my .gifs to animate on the site.
I'll post an update if I can get it fixed. Otherwise, please take my word that it was simply too good for the Internet to handle, and that you are missing out on a real treasure.
Until then, live the code of the dragon.
I watched a terrible movie tonight and spent hours creating high-quality content based on it, but I can't get my .gifs to animate on the site.
I'll post an update if I can get it fixed. Otherwise, please take my word that it was simply too good for the Internet to handle, and that you are missing out on a real treasure.
Until then, live the code of the dragon.
15 March 2012
Who Are You?
I think the best recent development in writing about video games is the rise of personal perspective. Games journalists/critics/whoever are finally being allowed to embrace their distinct voices, and discourse surrounding the medium is improving as a result. We're seeing a wider variety of opinions, and a greater understanding of how games affect us. To me, that information is more useful that knowing how good the graphics are on a scale of 1-10.
This is my first attempt at a personal essay on Hot Lavy. I don't think it's particularly effective, or even particularly personal, but I look forward to further exploring this style.
This is my first attempt at a personal essay on Hot Lavy. I don't think it's particularly effective, or even particularly personal, but I look forward to further exploring this style.
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