Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews are a time honoured method for using some other work to launch into a discussion of another matter. Medium Difficulty is uninterested in telling anyone if a game is good or bad, or whether or not it is worth the price of admission. We are interested in critical takes on games that are able to discuss broader matters (whatever they may be). What are the games’ goals for itself, whether or not it achieves them? Why are they significant? What human impulse do they speak to?

Alpha Protocol: Just hope you get lucky (A Review)

Posted on October 27, 2013 by John Rathiganthan

Not long ago, a friend of mine recommended I take a shot at Alpha Protocol. He knew that I enjoy action RPGs and that I love spy games. Some years ago, the same friend also recommended that I try Dark … Continue reading →

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Close Playing: The Swapper

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Justin Keever

  I am the last undamaged consciousness. If I can even call myself undamaged. I am the sole survivor of a plague; I am the sole survivor of a machine. I am an avatar, generated from something meaningless, or something … Continue reading →

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EQUIP WOLF SHIRT>USE:WHISKEY// ON: THE NEXT GENERATION AND THE DESIRE

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Michelle Perez

[18+ GAME] is the measuring stick for which all video games will judged in the future. If you still play console games or PC titles you’ll notice a general overlap in content and features associated with precedents set by titles … Continue reading →

Posted in EQUIP WOLF SHIRT>USE:WHISKEY , Humour , Reviews | Tagged , Approached By A Musician , , , EQUIP WOLF SHIRT , , , Predator Drone , , , | 2 Comments

Ride or Drive: Mr. Neeble and DiRT 3

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Dan Solberg

Learning to drive a car can be a stressful experience. When I was in high school I took driving lessons from a certified instructor named Mr. Neeble, a stern old man with the relentless cadence of a film noir mobster. … Continue reading →

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The Game is Talking Back: A Review of “Killing is Harmless”

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Bq Roth

As I write, Brendan Keogh’s new book has been out for less than a week, and has already been declared a landmark of games criticism. The book’s primary qualification for this opinion seems to be its length, around 50,000 words, … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Conversation , Reviews | Tagged Ben Kuchera , BQ Roth , , , Gamasutra , , self-analysis , , Stolen Projects , Suicide is Painless , | 3 Comments

The Incredible Machine: Auto-Amputation and Incredipede

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Kyle Carpenter

What happens to your body when you play games? Or, more specifically, how do you think of your body when you enter a game space, when you begin to identify with not your own self, your “meat,” but rather with … Continue reading →

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An Ode to Stanley & Esther

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Miguel Penabella

Popular gaming culture today swells with generic shooters, unoriginal shtick, franchise building, and overproduced games from big developers that rarely deviate from anything already on the market. The release of more and more games with each passing year renders many … Continue reading →

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Gamers Gamely Game Games: A Review of The Metagame

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Nico Dicecco

You have five cards in your hand, each one bearing the title of a different game. For fun, let’s say you’ve got World of Goo, King’s Quest, Prince of Persia, Silent Hill and Myst. The judge turns over a card … Continue reading →

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Dishonored, Kickstarter, and the Nostalgia Delusion

Posted on October 27, 2012 by Karl Parakenings

I’m tempted to think this is all Tim Schafer’s fault. At the beginning of 2012, “indie” meant the same thing that it did with Kyle’s article in April, just after the release of FEZ: 8-to-16-bit platformers with a twist. At … Continue reading →

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La Mulana and The Archaeology of Design

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Kyle Carpenter

The remake of La Mulana has finally been released, and it is good – probably the optimal way to experience this impressive game. Consider that the review portion of this article, and go buy it: now let’s jump into why … Continue reading →

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