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You Are Big Boss: Antagonism and Antagonists in the Metal Gear Universe

Like war, games are by nature centrally about conflict. The player has chosen to antagonize himself or herself for the sake of feeling the pleasure of conquering the game, which makes you not Snake, but Big Boss.

Games

White Raccoon Suits and Pipe Dreams: The Problem with Nintendo's New “Easy Mode”

Nintendo games are memorable more for their grand and difficult moments than for their easy and quick ones.

Erik Kersting

Games

Moral Ambiguity and 'Pikmin 3'

From an aesthetic perspective, Pikmin 3 is everything that a Nintendo game aspires to be and more. Yet, it completely misses the fact that combining cute, sympathetic characters and mass murder can be a little off putting.

Erik Kersting

Games

New York Comic Con 2013: A Brief Recap and Photos

New York Comic Con felt smaller than the previous year but was no less crowded.

Events

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams

The Great Giana Sisters might have been created to capitalize on the voracious popularity of Mario, but that was then. Now it seems like the fabled plumber could learn a few things from his one-time disciples.

Games

Wii-U Impressions and Why It’s Okay to Forgive Nintendo

The problem with feelings of nostalgia is that they invoke such polar reactions. After all, when you feel let down by such a revered icon as Nintendo, it feels like an attack on your very childhood.

Eric Kravcik

Games

E3 2012: The Crowd, the Blood, The Screen

Pay attention to the rumblings of E3 2012 and you'll hear what may be a series of forthcoming storms.

Jorge Albor and Scott Juster

Games

The Undead Author: Artistic Ownership of Games

If, as Roland Barthes writes, “the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author,” than what happens when the author can return to life?

Games

The Limits of Retro Gaming Experiences

Ice Climber is the game that I might rank as my favorite game that lacked an end-goal, that created an arcade-like experience in which the player kept climbing for the sake of climbing and for, of course, the sake of points. Though that was not the only reason that one climbed.

Games

You Can't Go Home Again: Why Nintendo Shouldn't Grow Up

You can't go home again. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Games

'Game Over': A Look at Nintendo's Past and Future

For a long time, Nintendo has been an 800-pound gorilla of a business influenced by whimsical artists and run by proudly stubborn businessmen. David Sheff's work proves that Nintendo has exerted considerable influence over the medium's history, and the subsequent years have shown that the company will continue to do so for many years to come.

Games

Does Silence Speak in the Loudest Voice?: Misconceptions about Silent Protagonists in Video Games

Granted, Link does “hiyah,” “eyah,” and “ahh” his way through all of his post-64-bit adventures, but no amount of elfish interjections can change his status as a silent protagonist. Is a failure to communicate much, a failure to communicate?

Kevin Dickinson

Games

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Skyward Sword marks the point where the Zelda formula finally reaches its expiry date.

Reviews

Kirby: Mass Attack

Kirby: Mass Attack is both a celebration of nearly 20 years of great games and a fresh take on Nintendo's platforming history.

Games

The Undiluted Promise of Comics as Vanguard for 21st Century Media

Sometimes, rarely, a work is so good (so well-conceived, so well-executed) that it simply breaks our traditional expectations of comics literature. And this breaking allows us to glimpse the true, rare promise of what the industry can achieve. Davids Lapham and Aja's Wolverine: Debt of Death is this work.

Reviews

Nintendogs + Cats

Anyone with an affection for cute pets will find something to like about Nintendogs + Cats, but its longevity as a title is questionable.

Arun Subramanian

Reviews

Pop Ten

The 25 Best Space Disco Songs of 1976-1986

The 25 Best Classic Progressive Rock Albums

The 70 Best Albums of 2019

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 1: 100 - 81

8 Low-Budget Films That Delivered Big

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '90s - Part 1 (100 - 81)

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 5: 20 - 1

The 20 Best Metal Albums of 2019

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Mixed Media

Collapse Expand Mixed Media

PM Picks

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You Are Big Boss: Antagonism and Antagonists in the Metal Gear Universe

Like war, games are by nature centrally about conflict. The player has chosen to antagonize himself or herself for the sake of feeling the pleasure of conquering the game, which makes you not Snake, but Big Boss.

White Raccoon Suits and Pipe Dreams: The Problem with Nintendo's New “Easy Mode”

Nintendo games are memorable more for their grand and difficult moments than for their easy and quick ones.

Moral Ambiguity and 'Pikmin 3'

From an aesthetic perspective, Pikmin 3 is everything that a Nintendo game aspires to be and more. Yet, it completely misses the fact that combining cute, sympathetic characters and mass murder can be a little off putting.

New York Comic Con 2013: A Brief Recap and Photos

New York Comic Con felt smaller than the previous year but was no less crowded.

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams

The Great Giana Sisters might have been created to capitalize on the voracious popularity of Mario, but that was then. Now it seems like the fabled plumber could learn a few things from his one-time disciples.

Wii-U Impressions and Why It’s Okay to Forgive Nintendo

The problem with feelings of nostalgia is that they invoke such polar reactions. After all, when you feel let down by such a revered icon as Nintendo, it feels like an attack on your very childhood.

E3 2012: The Crowd, the Blood, The Screen

Pay attention to the rumblings of E3 2012 and you'll hear what may be a series of forthcoming storms.

The Undead Author: Artistic Ownership of Games

If, as Roland Barthes writes, “the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author,” than what happens when the author can return to life?

The Limits of Retro Gaming Experiences

Ice Climber is the game that I might rank as my favorite game that lacked an end-goal, that created an arcade-like experience in which the player kept climbing for the sake of climbing and for, of course, the sake of points. Though that was not the only reason that one climbed.

You Can't Go Home Again: Why Nintendo Shouldn't Grow Up

You can't go home again. And there's nothing wrong with that.

'Game Over': A Look at Nintendo's Past and Future

Does Silence Speak in the Loudest Voice?: Misconceptions about Silent Protagonists in Video Games

Granted, Link does “hiyah,” “eyah,” and “ahh” his way through all of his post-64-bit adventures, but no amount of elfish interjections can change his status as a silent protagonist. Is a failure to communicate much, a failure to communicate?

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Skyward Sword marks the point where the Zelda formula finally reaches its expiry date.

Kirby: Mass Attack

Kirby: Mass Attack is both a celebration of nearly 20 years of great games and a fresh take on Nintendo's platforming history.

The Undiluted Promise of Comics as Vanguard for 21st Century Media

Nintendogs + Cats

Anyone with an affection for cute pets will find something to like about Nintendogs + Cats, but its longevity as a title is questionable.

Jah Wobble Taps the Pop Group's Mark Stewart for "A Very British Coup" (premiere)

Playlist: The Best Space Disco Songs of 1976-1986

Berlin's Electronic, Post-Punkers Hope Find Their Rhythm on "Shame" (premiere)

New Age Grate Marry Goth, Doom, and Electronics on "Sylvia Won't Lie" (premiere)

Featuring Oddisee and Zenyth, Raiza Biza's "Trouble" Highlights Sociopolitical Struggles (premiere)

Honey Magpie Value the Art of Taking One's Time in "Undecided" (premiere)

Folk-pop's the Sweeplings Find Solid Ground "In Between" Connected Projects (premiere + interview)

Rose Cousins' "The Return (Love Comes Back)" Is a Gentle Reminder of Human Spirit (premiere)

Texas Psych-Rockers, the Cuckoos Release Debut LP (album stream)