Author: Kaile Hultner
-
Put 2023 in the trash and threaten 2024 with a knife
We’re back. Pitches open, book club starts in a week. No Escape from 2024.
-
Have An Unacceptably Long Post Analyzing Green Day’s New Singles That I Wrote Instead Of Doing Work
As I slowly “retvrn” to writing more seriously about the music I like in addition to writing about games and politics and so on, it occurs to me that so far I’ve really just scratched the surface of my tastes or even really examined why it is that I like what I do. I grew…
-
On the Trolley Problem of Playing Destiny 2
The final season of Destiny 2, “Season of the Wish,” released today. As is usually the case with seasonal updates, Season of the Wish comes with new gameplay modes, new gear and weapons, a new seasonal artifact to level up, new challenges to cross off your list, and new narrative content to sink your teeth…
-
Song of the Year: SAMIAM, “Lake Speed”
Hey, I know I said I was taking a break from writing for a while, but before I go: “Lake Speed,” off the album Stowaway by East Bay pop-punk veterans Samiam, is my favorite song of the year. In the context of the rest of the album, it’s “just” an opener, a way to bring…
-
A break to not be broken
Hey y’all, I am taking a break from writing for a while. This is primarily for practical reasons; while I’ll be away from here, I’ll be contributing on a project for Critical Distance through the end of December. I’m really excited, and you’ll hear more about it (and have a chance to participate) later this…
-
What Does It Mean To Be Blink-182 in 2023?
Imagine you’ve been doing something for a long time. I mean, a LONG time. Several decades at least. You’ve become famous (well, notable) for the thing you do, and even when you’ve decided to stop doing that thing or do something else, you still have people coming up to you thanking you for doing the…
-
It Hasn’t Been A “Good Year” for Games
UPDATE: A friend sent me a link to this website which has been keeping an even more granular account of games layoffs and studio closures. By this site’s count, there have been roughly 107 different layoffs and closures this year, with over 6,000 people fired in the past ten months. So, you know. It’s fun…
-
First Glimpse: My Work Is Not Yet Done
I’ve been heavily anticipating Spencer Yan’s upcoming game, My Work Is Not Yet Done (Mac ver: itch.io) (Sutemi Productions/Raw Fury), since it was announced a few years ago. Ahead of Steam Next Fest we finally have a very small demo of the game that showcases its movement, controls, a good chunk of lore and worldbuilding,…
-
Complexity and Flatness
It’s weird to call a game in which your character avatar is climbing a massive tower “flat,” but that is what Chants of Sennaar – by Rundisc and published by Focus Entertainment – feels like out of necessity. The game’s principal mechanic is language learning, but how that works in practice bears little resemblance to…
-
Cyberpunk’s Critical Reevaluation Feels Rushed
I’m enjoying myself in Cyberpunk 2077, and that bothers me. To be clear, it doesn’t bother me because I find myself stuck in 2021, unwilling to acknowledge that a game studio – especially one with the resources and willingness to crunch like CD Projekt RED – can’t improve a video game post-launch. I’ve seen what…