@darth_navster: yeah def check all your indie game stores/pawn shops for some of these. It's a big shame Sony didn't do the same for their PS2 stuff, and I'm not trying to be a fanboy, that is genuinely shitty when you see how MS handles it.
I dont like roguelikes at all, but this is easily one of my top games this year. Only the first level is endless corridors, you go to a JSRF-like city level after, and the third level is pretty different too. You also unlock more of the story on each run, and it has a couple different endings. The weapons are the real stsr here though, combat is so fun that even just grinding in the factory is something I can spend a long time doing.
This reminds me a LOT of Limbo, a game Brad gave 5 stars, has similar physics-based puzzles, and was also starkly beautiful albeit in a different way. I guess a lot can change in 6 years.
I just got home with my copy, and I'm not going to watch this until I've played it, but Dream Team was my first Mario & Luigi game and I absolutely loved it. It is very long, and the story is very silly, but the game frequently made me laugh out loud. I love all the variety in the battle system too, and I knew Paper Jam would be a day one purchase for me based on that. Can't wait to dive in!
I've really been enjoying reading all the hubris around this film. This piece has given me a lot to think about, thanks Austin!
I saw it once during the 1-7 marathon event and then again a few weeks later, it has way better dialogue, acting, and action than the prequels, however it's also pretty heavily reliant on the older films for a lot of its story beats. I know there are people on both sides of that fence, but it was highly apparent to me especially after the marathon. I don't think that makes it a bad film, just not a fantastic, groundbreaking one like IV or V imo. Regardless, I'll be pumped for VIII as long as they take a few more risks and add something unique to the Star Wars universe.
Also, as a lifelong Star Wars fan, I'm really jealous that The Force Awakens is the one that the current 15 year olds get while I'm stuck with my "fond" high school memories of pretending to enjoy Revenge of the Sith. The Ubisoft game was dumb fun at least, even on the GBA. However, TFA is a masterpiece of a movie in comparison to the Lucas prequels, and I'm stoked that everyone everywhere is now excited about Star Wars again.
In regards to your question, I think Five Nights at Freddy's does a good job of using cinematic techniques for its storytelling. You can't leave the security office, you have limited power, you can only look left and right, and you are basically defenseless. Everything about the game is deliberately restrictive, even down to the graphical style. Being in a dingy, creepy place isn't unusual for horror, but having such harsh limitations on your character really heightens the sense of terror; it could be over at literally any minute if you don't know what you're doing. Other survival horror games give you a sense of agency that prepares you for the terror, but this game does away with all of that and only gives you the bare minimum.
There's a mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 where Russia invades a suburban neighborhood in Virginia, and you as Americans are deployed to defend it. You have shootouts in people's backyards, in a plaza parking lot, and more. Maybe I'm wrong, but I haven't seen a ton of military combat in this setting in the media. Usually, war settings are reserved for the Middle East, so I found it interesting that we get to see what it would look like if the US got invaded by another country, and even participate in it. It's easier for us to comprehend current images of war in third world countries because it doesn't look like our world, but seeing it in our reality seems so ridiculous, and scenes like this could break down that way of thinking. It's a highly implausible scenario for sure, but it gave my 19 year old self something to bring up when discussing images of war in history class, only to have the dialogue turn sharply into a lukewarm debate on video game violence at the mere mention of the CoD franchise. Oh well. I think the first two Modern Warfare campaigns do a good job of providing explosive action while also condemning the war machine, which is a difficult balance to achieve.
Back to Star Wars, I really hope there's some more games planned for the new universe. I'd love a Jedi Academy reboot that serves as a prequel to The Force Awakens, since they do discuss Luke training a new generation in the film. You could even choose to side with Kylo Ren or Luke, sort of like how you make a moral choice at the end of the original game. It could also have loads of custom options and all that, and if it uses the Battlefront engine then aww yeah. Platinum would do the combat, in my dreams.
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