Author: Zachery Oliver
Zachery Oliver, MTS, is the lead writer for Theology Gaming, a blog focused on the integration of games and theological issues. He can be reached at viewtifulzfo at gmail dot com or on Theology Gaming’s Facebook Page.
I make a point of finishing most games that I review. Even though I may enjoy or vehemently dislike a game, I always intend to finish. Often, a video game that could, theoretically, provide a goldmine for review purposes simply falls to the wayside on Theology Gaming for this very reason. Although that particular point isn’t, to my knowledge or the original review policy or the new one, I made an unwritten law unto myself to never review games that I haven’t personally loved/suffered through.
In that sense, Pixeljunk Eden represents the sort of game I want people to avoid, and it perfectly demonstrates that strange demarcation line between “game” and “non-game” deserves more exploration. Like saying “Dear Esther is a game” versus ‘Super Mario Bros. is a game”, we need more specific terms for describing these interactive experiences. They are not the same. A simple hand wave won’t take it away. If PixelJunk Eden IS a game, then we can easily consider it a rather bad one. If it isn’t, then why bother with a star rating, right?
Everybody wants to go to Heaven
But nobody wants to die
I can’t fear death no longer
I’ve died a thousand times
Redbelt is a really strange film. Advertised as some sort of karate/martial arts spectacular (seriously, just go look at the trailers and advertising campaign for proof, even the poster contains spoilers), all of that smoke and mirrors obscures a movie with rather complex themes and ideas. In other words, if you like mixed martial arts, then please avoid this little experience. It definitely does not like that spectacle at all.