In Medias Resolution

As many of you may already know, Shadow of the Colossus is a delicate and very unique video game. The Player Character is a boy/young man named Wander. He has travelled to a forbidden land via his trusty horse Argo, and he bears the body of a woman who is apparently dead. When he reaches the temple at the heart of the Forbidden Land, he makes a deal with the spirit Dormin. If Wander slays the 16 colossi of the Forbidden Land, Dormin may revive the dead young woman. With the c

Today is my first day back in the world of the living after suffering through some kind of viral infection since last Thursday. High fever, nasty constant body aches, no sleep, and basically feeling utterly horrible for a few days in a row. Feeling better now after getting some good medicine from the hospital. But wow, I have to say, it is downright horrible to have a high fever and chills in this horrid summer weather. Being sick means being vulnerable and that's when all th

There really isn’t any game out there quite like Carnage Heart. Genre-wise, wikipedia lists it as a “mecha-based, turn-based strategy game” or “puzzle, programming sim.” And the great thing is that both of those genre descriptions is accurate. Carnage Heart was a game where you played the role of a military commander, sent to the moons of Jupiter in order to command armies of robots to fight a war for resources. The only thing was that in this fictional future, the robots wer

I remember seeing this game at the local Blockbuster Video when I was a kid. This is a really, really weird game. The basic plot is as follows: you start as a fish in the Cambrian era, and must fight/eat/evolve your way through a billion years of Earth's history in order to marry Gaia, the spirit of the Earth. In the course of all that, you eventually uncover and foil a plot by aliens to inhibit the evolution of humans. I know that sounds ludicrous, but if you don't believe,

"Suidobashi, we have a giant robot, you have a giant robot. You know what needs to happen. We challenge you to a duel." Actually, what needs to happen is that MegaBots​' MkII and Suidobashi heavy industry​'s Kuratas need to have a baby. And here's why: TL;DR version: VERDICT So, if Suidobashi Heavy Industries' Kuratas and MegaBots' MkII had a baby, it would combine the technological advantages, mobility, and innovation of the Japanese Kuratas with the brute force power, tonna

I had a Highlander-esque Quickening moment this morning while I was ruminating on why I am pursuing a PhD. I'm speaking in somewhat general terms, but I do believe that those invested in a PhD-track program do not enter into this journey lightly, and those who may have done so mistakenly may soon find that it is not for them, which is a completely benign thing so long as said folks can transition successfully into whatever else is best for them. Now, more specifically, for th

Chris from November 2005 (via Xanga blog archives): "...My term on the JET Programme will be finished by July of 2006, at which time I'll have to move on to something else. Of course, I have been thinking a lot about Graduate School, but I find my academic passions meandering about in a VERY obscure field (as usual, I suppose). I want to study narrative in video games using a comparative studies angle, sort of like trying to study the "literature" of video games with maybe Jo

I swear. One day, when I am a professor of my own lab, I will play this song, the Final Fantasy Main Theme (orchestral), for the graduation processional theme for the students who will be graduating from my lab with formally-recognized degrees in Game Studies. #personal #inspirational

I sat down to have a semi-informal chat with Dan P from the Infinite Lives Podcast. Within the almost 3 hour long talk, we discuss Robocop, Second Life, Metal Warriors, Usagi Yojimbo, The Philippines. #podcast #infinitelives #interview #personal

Los Desperados de NAIST, covering Guns 'N Roses' "Patience" circa Mar. 2013. from left to right: Christopher Yap: Lead Vocals Ori Png: Lead Guitar Mauricio Burdelis: Rhythm Guitar and Backup Vocals Au Gai: Rhythm Guitar Miguel Patiño González: Drums Proud of you guys. Miss y'all. #personal