Tag Archives: Half-Life 2

The Endgame:The Horror of Absence in The Last of Us

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Javy Gwaltney

“I love order. It’s my dream. A world where all would be silent and still, and each thing in its last place, under the last dust.” –Samuel Beckett, Endgame [Spoilers for The Last of Us ahead, y’all] Since its release, … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Conversation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Challenge is Conflict: How Difficulty Makes Game Narratives Work

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Mark Filipowich

Back when Twilight Princess was first released, my girlfriend—who has liberated Hyrule almost as many times as it’s needed it—had only one complaint: it was too easy. The puzzles were well enough designed but a misstep hardly left a scratch … Continue reading →

Posted in Critical Conversation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Firing the Canon: Black Mesa

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Edcrab

Black Mesa is a faithful recreation of Half-Life, for better or worse. It plays like a fusion of Half-Life andHalf-Life 2, as you might expect from a fan project attempting to recreate the original using the sequel’s engine. Well, more … Continue reading →

Posted in Firing the Canon , SERIES | Tagged Barney , , , Episode 1 , , Episode 3 , Gabe Newell , , , , Lambda Complex , SDK , , Valve , Xen | 1 Comment

Horror Done Right: Being Gordon Freeman

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Karl Parakenings

by Karl Parakenings “…His figure is synonymous with the darkest urges of instinct, ignorance, and decay. Some of the worst excesses of the Black Mesa incident are laid directly at his feet. And yet, some continue to imbue him with … Continue reading →

Posted in Criticism , Horror Done Right | Tagged , Call of Duty , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment