In From Pixels to Polygons, we examine classic game franchises that have survived the long transition from the 8- or 16-bit era to the current console generation.
After months of looking at the evolution of gaming’s biggest franchises, it’s time to end this year’s run of From Pixels to Polygons by looking at the game (and series) that helped put Nintendo on the map: Donkey Kong. It may not be as popular as Mario or as well-received as Zelda, but Donkey Kong has a long and storied history and is still going strong today.
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Whether or not you actually like the current movement of more narrative-focused games, such as the critically acclaimed Gone Home, it’s clear that it’s not going anywhere. Look at Quantic Dream, a team Sony has put a ton of weight (and money) behind, delivering experiences with high budgets and minimal gameplay. There is a place for these experiences in the industry, and they deserve our attention, yet certain games only highlight the fault of their stories when it becomes so much of the focus.
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Most games include some inherent element of randomness, typically either the draw of a card or tile, the roll of a die or both. There are some exceptions, notably abstracts or cat-and-mouse deduction games, but even pillars of strategic gaming like Agricola have variables that change from game to game to mix things up. In Canterbury, designer Andrew Parks has offered up an experience with no randomness (other than determining start player) that still manages to play out differently each time. READ MORE
I’ve been playing the just-released Wii Party U this week. It’s home to some objectively-atrocious game design at times, and it features arguably the most obnoxious character in the history of games. Still, Wii Party U can be very fun, when it knows to be a party game first and foremost. READ MORE
The Breaking Bad series finale aired September 29, and a void has been created in my television-watching schedule that will not be replaced anytime soon. It has received hyperbolic praise for the acting, direction, cinematography and level of commitment to a storyline that bordered on dark comedy in the first season to a tragic, operatic finale that left audiences shocked, speechless, stunned and satisfied. We’ve never seen anything like it. READ MORE
