Survivor’s Evolving Metagame – Part 1: The Metagame Emerges

Survivor’s Evolving Metagame – Part 1: The Metagame Emerges

PROLOGUE: I NEVER METAGAME I DIDN’T LIKE One of the hardest aspects of creating a game—and consequently one of the most interesting aspects—is the idea of game balance. Games live or die based on how well balanced they are. Whether it’s through a series of extensive checks and balances or just through introducing random chance,…

Chocolate-Flavored Chocolate: The Hyperreal World of Girls’ Last Tour

Chocolate-Flavored Chocolate: The Hyperreal World of Girls’ Last Tour

“Say ‘cheese!’” Okay, but…why? From the time that we’re children, we experience people telling us to say “cheese” when taking a photo. Many of us never question it until much later in life, if at all. Why say “cheese” when cheese has nothing to do with photography? With a bit of thinking, it’s easy to…

The “Baccano” of Pulp Fiction: Omake

The “Baccano” of Pulp Fiction: Omake

This was my original first chapter for “The ‘Baccano’ of Pulp Fiction,” detailing how both Baccano! and Pulp Fiction are descendants of pulp magazines. I’m pleased with how a lot of it turned out, but I ultimately made the decision to cut it for two reasons. The first is that I’m not an expert on either pulp…

The “Baccano” of Pulp Fiction

The “Baccano” of Pulp Fiction

“Hey, Isaac?” “What’s that, Miria my dear?” “What do you suppose they call the Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?” “Hmm…well, Miria, I believe they’d call it a Royale with Cheese!” “Wow! Is that because of the metric system?” “That’s exactly right, Miria! Because of the metric system!” “Baccano” is an Italian word translating roughly…

Steins;Gate and the Trolley Problem

Steins;Gate and the Trolley Problem

Note: this post contains heavy spoilers for the original Steins;Gate anime. If you had the power to change the natural course of things for the better, would you do it? What if, even if the changes were a net positive, they ended up hurting someone? This is the question posed by the Steins;Gate anime, and…

Getting Along with Hopelessness: The Existential Joy of Girls’ Last Tour

Getting Along with Hopelessness: The Existential Joy of Girls’ Last Tour

Part 1: Zetsubou~, Zetsubou~, Zetsubou~ …So there was no hope after all. All those years, toiling away alone…. But well, now that I’ve failed…I feel so relaxed. ~Ishii, Chapter 16 Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryouko, localized as Girls’ Last Tour, is a series by Tsukumizu that focuses on Chito and Yuuri, two girls driving around a post-apocalyptic…