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Mass Effect Trilogy

…focusing on the trilogy’s continuing influence in game design and its enduring fandom.

The Evolution of a Universe: From RPG to Action-Shooter

As a series, Mass Effect has evolved substantially in terms of gameplay, from what Shamus Young deemed “episodic” play that was heavily reliant on RPG mechanics to a much more streamlined experience in the third game with combat that has been compared by Matt Goldberg (though not exactly favorably) to Gears of War. The most striking difference in play happens between the first and second installments of the franchise, with Mass Effect 2 giving up a…

October 13th

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  • Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 – Kimimi The Game-Eating She-Monster Kimimi takes a fresh look at one of Castlevania‘s less-appreciated installments.
  • The Mumbling of Control | Unwinnable Jeremy Signor digs into the foreboding sound design at the heart of what makes Control so creepy.
  • HAPPY HALLOWEEN – DEEP HELL Skeleton reflects broadly on the importance and value of horror games.
  • Falling From Heaven | RE:BIND Catherine Brinegar profiles a game about bein’ Lucifer ‘n killin’ stuff.
  • October Spookfest: Misadventures of Laura Silver | Unwinnable Gingy Gibson explores a spooky murder mystery which subverts the

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November 17th

…is Hamfisted and Creepy – No Escape Trevor Hultner examines instances of queer and especially ace misrepresentation and erasure in Death Stranding.

  • UNLUCKY SKIN – DEEP HELL Skeleton articulates the embodied, exhausting experience of Death Stranding.

    • “Every time I lift something with my right arm, the muscles in my shoulder scream at me. They’ll twist in ways that are uncomfortable, or the joint will pop. I’m not in danger, I’m just being reminded that I could be by my body. Death Stranding allows us, as players, to feel weight. It’s unique in that it’s a videogame…

    April 2020

    …status quo capitalism and structural racism with the aid of a “fascist” run-through of Disco Elysium. (Manual captions) [Content warning: contains numerous videos and images of, and references to, real-world instances of police violence, including killings of unarmed civilians. Also contains fictional depictions of suicide. Also a moderate spoiler warning for Disco Elysium]

  • Final Fantasy VII – A Literary Analysis – Games As Literature (1:32:33)

    The Game Professor presents a deep, deep dive into Final Fantasy VII (the main title only, he stresses – not the remake, not the spin-offs), looking at its complex thematic explorations of overt

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    • May 24th

    …Gatcha Game Superstitions – Uppercut Jay Castello gets at the heart of the rituals we indulge to stave off randomized outcomes in games, looking here specifically at BTS World. Gosh, remember holding Down+B to catch Pokémon?

  • Give peace a chance (even in action games) – Kimimi The Game-Eating She-Monster Kimimi celebrates the risks of experimental sequels via a bold early installment in the Front Mission series.

    • “Gun Hazard’s flagrant lack of concern with satisfying a standard checklist of mech-related tropes infuses the game with an electrifying frizz of wild possibilities – anything could happen without warning,…

    June 28th

    …Signor’s Games Initiative Jeremy Signor celebrates Maridia, biomes, and world designs that elide rudimentary categorization.

    “What could have been like every other aquatic level actually becomes a melancholy, lonely trek through a far flung feeling series of caves, coves, and warehouses.”

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    Three meditations on retro classics. Well, one is nouveau-retro, but still…

    • RESTLESS DREAMS – THE MEN’S TOILET Ed Smith presents the first installment of a (possibly?) book-length examination of Silent Hill 2.
    • Baby Thief – Gloomwood (Demo) | RE:BIND Emily Rose plays a retro revival FPS that brings the…

    Mission Statement

    …warning policy

    If we have to link to something abusive for the sake of context, or if something deals with a tough subject in a way that might be triggering to others (for instance, a post on sexism might recount the author’s experience with abuse), it will in all circumstances be bracketed by content warnings. At present, Critical Distance provides content warnings for at least the following: racism, rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, ableism, child abuse, graphic violence, and graphic nudity.

    Similarly, whenever we link to content that is heavily reliant on images, audio, or

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    July 12th

    …maximizing the therapeutic applications of high-difficulty platforming games.

    “You put the game away and reflect on your journey. You think that you’ll probably return to these types of games when something bad happens, because the repetition and sense of control you have when you do something right is comforting. You know how to succeed, and it’s just a matter of getting there.”

    Critical Chaser

    Some weeks I put funny stuff in the closing segment here. Other weeks, I save this spot for mic-drop kinds of pieces. This is an instance of the latter.

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    The Stanley Parable

    …direct fashion. Writing for Art Blog, Maeve Griffon evaluates TSP as an interactive digital installation, and Guido Pellegrini comes from a similar approach, ultimately seeing the game, and perhaps the walking sim genre at large, as akin to a self-guided virtual museum tour.

    Speaking of walking sims, Grace Maich ran a comparison between Gone Home and TSP, and speculates as to why the former received so much more hate for being “not a game” than the latter. In a Gamasutra blog post, Kris Graft sees games like TSP, Gone Home, Papers, Please, and other indie contemporaries as depicting a…

    Metroid’s Samus Aran

    …“It’s true,” she writes, “Nintendo did change Samus Aran. But they didn’t change her instantly. Team Ninja’s take on her as a weaker, and frankly, smaller protagonist was not an overnight transformation.” Lange draws from games, manga, and other media to illustrate this process.

    Since its release, we have been presented with more proof that Other M was not an unfortunate misstep. The 2014 release of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U inspired a wave of responses to a brand new design for Zero Suit Samus, a version of the character who already possesses a skintight outfit…