This has taken a little longer to get off the ground than I intended (mainly because I have to write an entirely new script for this to work as video), but the first Anatomy of Games video entry is here at last. This takes us through Narshe, which is the first, what, two parts of the text version? Three? In any case, I hope you enjoy it and feel it was worth the wait. Fingers crossed, this is the first of two big video projects I have in the works this week...
As ever, you as a Patreon backer g...
2014-11-25 01:02:17 +0000 UTC
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And here is the latest Game Boy World. I feel pretty lousy for dropping the ball and letting work get in the way of making a video this past week, so after this I'm going to try and produce two this coming week. Plus: It's a five-day holiday here in the States. Minus: My in-laws are coming to stay with us, and they... are pretty old-school. We'll see how it goes.
2014-11-22 13:19:18 +0000 UTC
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A kind contributor pointed me to a WordPress plugin that lets me hide posts from the public but still share a link. So forget the PDFs and enjoy today's update on the site itself!
2014-11-19 18:14:24 +0000 UTC
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YouTube makes it pretty easy to share hidden content, but it's far more difficult with a WordPress blog. It's either hidden to everyone except administrators or hidden behind an ugly password protection lock. Either way, not cool.
But, I'd like to start sending out Anatomy content to you folks in advance of its publication, like I do with YouTube videos. Since I can't just share a link, I decided to export tomorrow's Anatomy update as a PDF. It's not the idea way to share, but hopefully it does...
2014-11-19 16:20:13 +0000 UTC
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Based on the replies to my solicitation over the weekend, it seems pretty obvious people are drawn much more to Game Boy World than Anatomy of Games... so much so, in fact, I'm wondering if it's really a good idea to publish so much Anatomy material. Would you all rather I produce more video content than written? That means fewer items each month, since video takes much longer to create, but I'm into it if you are.
Speaking of less content, I apologize that updates to my projects are pretty muc...
2014-11-18 20:42:41 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone! I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks again for supporting my assorted video game projects. I appreciate having the excuse to work on ventures that don't exactly have mainstream appeal.
Just to let you know, all but a handful of the Mega Man books are now in the mail — the handful belonging to people who need to send me their postal mailing address. If you're one of those folks, you received an email yesterday. Please reply if you haven't already! I'd like to get your boo...
2014-11-15 18:08:07 +0000 UTC
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In case you weren't sated with this week's video, I've provided a little more context for the game and manga localizations of the era. KABOOM! That was your skull.
2014-11-14 00:12:56 +0000 UTC
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...for the needlessly oblique title on this entry. Some attempts work out, others don't. So it goes.
Anyway, please enjoy reading about how Final Fantasy VI creates a restrictive, linear, stifling tutorial scenario... without making you feel restricted into a linear, stifling tutorial.
2014-11-12 20:13:34 +0000 UTC
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What better way to spoil what could have been a perfectly nice week right at the outset than with an upsetting Game Boy World video about the hyper-violent anime Fist of the North Star and its obvious tie-in, a fighting game for the kids-oriented Game Boy? I'm very sorry that THIS is what you get in return for your patronage.
2014-11-10 16:03:00 +0000 UTC
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In case you were eager to read more about this particular Game Boy title... here you go. Next entry is much more interesting, honest!
2014-11-07 17:40:02 +0000 UTC
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This Anatomy series is proving surprisingly challenging from a standpoint of "I can't assume all these RPG fundamentals are known or intuitive." After being a fan of the genre for 25 years, you start to take things for granted. Replaying with an eye for how the fundamentals work has been quite the exercise is seeing things from a different perspective. Hopefully you find it as interesting to read as it's been to write!
2014-11-06 18:00:51 +0000 UTC
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Hey everyone, it's a new month, and a new video to go with it. Thanks to everyone who stayed aboard (or came aboard) after the change to this campaign's structure!
As a word of forewarning, November content will likely be a little more sparse than last month's as I will be making two cross-country trips amidst the thick of review season, and I'm trying to finish out some other projects. I'll try and make up for it with quality: Expect the first Anatomy of Final Fantasy VI video and the first M...
2014-11-02 19:34:28 +0000 UTC
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Thank you so much for the support this month!
2014-11-01 06:59:00 +0000 UTC
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Because there's something horribly wrong with me, this article is (once again) not simply the video transcript but an entire second essay about the game separate from what you've seen already. Please send help.
2014-10-30 18:50:41 +0000 UTC
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More Final Fantasy VI, because you demanded it! Or at the very least, if you didn't demand it, you at least didn't decry it. Anyway, these four updates represent about 45 minutes of play time. It's a pretty dense game.
2014-10-29 19:37:08 +0000 UTC
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Yeah, I finally wrote up Pachinko Time. It's dirty work, but someone's gotta do it.
2014-10-28 23:14:14 +0000 UTC
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This video has been in the works for a few weeks longer than I intended, because (1) the game in question is huge (I recorded about 4 hours of footage across 10 hours of play) and (2) this is the longest GBW video to date. Hopefully you'll find it was worth the wait!
2014-10-25 21:32:07 +0000 UTC
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The third and final FFVI post for this week. I'm hard at work at this very moment one some videos for next week — stay tuned!
2014-10-25 01:19:58 +0000 UTC
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Because I have a feeling this Anatomy series is probably going to constitute a book's worth of content all on its own. I'll switch things up with some other projects, though! Stay tuned.
2014-10-22 20:00:55 +0000 UTC
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Did you know that today is the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy VI's U.S. launch? Well, great. Let's explore it together. This could take a while...
I do apologize for not having a Game Boy World video this week as I'd intended. A dear relative had a severe health crisis this weekend and I've been at the hospital most of the past three days waiting on the neurosurgeons to do their thing... if I can, I'll try to complete the video sometime this week.
Anyway, enjoy reading about FFVI!
2014-10-20 19:50:25 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone, just a quick message to let you know that after a small delay (my debit and credit cards were compromised last week and I've been waiting on replacements) I have ordered the Mega Man books to send to those backers what supported 'em. My order is scheduled to arrive Nov. 3, and once they arrive I will mail them out as quickly as possible.
Thanks as always to you intrepid souls — and to everyone who supports my game writing projects. You are all the best. Collective greatness. Yes...
2014-10-18 18:40:28 +0000 UTC
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Thanks for reading it! Next week: Final Fantasy Legend on Game Boy World... and Final Fantasy VI on Anatomy of Games. Dunno about you, but I'm pretty excited.
2014-10-17 23:40:14 +0000 UTC
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I am just about finished with Bionic Commando's anatomy, and I have several really big things in the work for next week. The biggest Game Boy World video yet, a new Anatomy project on a beloved game, and (fingers crossed) the first proper Metroidvania Chronicles video. Please look forward to it.
2014-10-16 18:31:24 +0000 UTC
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Next up: They do not save Hitler's brain.
2014-10-14 01:27:13 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone, as a quick notice — my plan for weekly video features has been slightly derailed for Monday by the fact that I still have a cold and can't properly do voiceover narration at the moment. Alas! So next week, I'll be focusing on wrapping up Bionic Commando in order to move on to new projects. One of those will be River City Ransom (by request!), while the other is something much more ambitious, timed to an upcoming 20th anniversary.
2014-10-10 15:20:51 +0000 UTC
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Bionic Commando was not about saving damsels in distress but rather old men. Speaking as an old man myself, I appreciate this consideration given to our kind. Sometimes we could use a little rescuing, to be honest.
2014-10-08 20:54:57 +0000 UTC
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The latest entry in the grand world of Game Boy World is a cart you've almost certainly never played... and for good reason. Pachinko Time! It's pretty lousy. But maybe that's just my cultural imperialism speaking.
In any case, since the monthly-format Patreon has hit the Metroidvania milestone already, expect something a bit different with next week's video project.
2014-10-05 14:12:37 +0000 UTC
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Hello! Here is the first Bionic Commando piece in a week or so. I'm about 2/3 of the way through this game, and once we finish it we'll move along to some other topics that, I hope, will be even more interesting (to you, if not to me).
2014-10-04 19:05:20 +0000 UTC
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The tragically delayed companion piece to this week's video.
2014-10-04 00:50:25 +0000 UTC
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Hi everyone, as I indicated last month, I've changed the structure of my Patreon from per-item to per-month. This way I don't have to feel guilty about producing content; every time I published something I worried I was going to make things too expensive and cause a hardship for you guys. And you don't have to wonder how steeply you're going to be charged at the end of the month, or how often I'll publish.
With the change in structure has come a significant change in tiers and rewards. I've add...
2014-10-02 10:32:23 +0000 UTC
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