Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Prague, and Setting Games in Beloved Cities

The most exciting thing about Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is that it takes place in Prague. It is the first time a videogame with such a budget has been set in a place that I know very well. The excitement of to see and inhabit a futuristic, cyberpunk Prague is what compelled me to play […]

Rogue: Reflections on ASCII Imagination

Rogue was one of, if not the first, games that really captivated me. I don’t remember exactly how old I was when I started playing it, but I couldn’t have been older than nine. This was at a time when storage was measured in megabytes. Back then, technology wasn’t even close to what it is […]

Luftrausers: Inspiration vs. Depiction in World War 1 and 2

When I first heard that some people had raised criticism of Luftrausers for its Nazi imagery and claiming that you were playing as a Nazi, I went “huh”. I didn’t totally disagree with them. I too noticed a call back to a time of dogfighter World War 2 aces and super weapons, with stylized and […]

Valkyria Chronicles: Maidens of an Atomic Bomb

Valkyria Chronicles is a Japanese RPG/Strategy Hybrid whose story and setting is based on Europe during World War 2. It addresses World War 2 themes such as fascism, concentration camps, and atomic weapons. In the game, atomic weapons take the form of Valkyrur, a race of beings that disappeared long ago. However, once in a while a descendant of […]