Category Archives: Video Games

Skipping Through Time

Posted on February 23, 2023 by Nathan

Live A Live – This game was originally released by Square in 1994, and was directed by Takashi Tokita, who was the lead designer on Final Fantasy IV and later directed Chrono Trigger. Like the latter game, this is an RPG … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, China, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, History, Humor, Japan, Language, Magic, Monsters, Music, Names, Relationships, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Put a Zork in It

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Nathan

I remember seeing magazine ads for Zork and other text-based adventure games when I was a kid, and thought they seemed pretty fascinating. I never actually got to play any of them at the time, though. I don’t think they … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Douglas Adams, Games, Greek Mythology, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Magic, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Video Games, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Quidnunc Pro Quo

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Nathan

A Thousand Ships, by Natalie Haynes – This book dives into the thoughts and actions of numerous women involved with the Trojan War, giving their perspective on the whole thing. It utilizes a lot of sources, and gives each one … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Authors, Book Reviews, Cartoons, Catherynne M. Valente, Comics, Greek Mythology, Humor, Kirby, Mythology, Technology, Television, Toys, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Roland in the Deep

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Nathan

I think I first heard of Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso in a blurb about C.S. Lewis comparing J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings to it. Well, they do both have a magic ring that makes people invisible, and a monster … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Arthurian Legend, Authors, Book Reviews, British, C.S. Lewis, Characters, Christianity, French, Greek Mythology, Islam, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Monsters, Music, Mythology, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Poetry, Relationships, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Video Games, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Curse You, Programming!

Posted on January 19, 2023 by Nathan

I have completed Cosmic Star Heroine, which is a fairly short game, but I’d only been playing it on and off. I think I played it on the second easiest level, although I can’t remember for sure. It was challenging … Continue reading →

Posted in Final Fantasy, Monsters, Phantasy Star, Technology, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Little Robot Girl

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Nathan

WARNING! SPOILERS for all three movies reviewed herein! Speak No Evil – Beth tends to like bleak, hopeless movies, while I tend more towards the whimsical and fantastic. Obviously there are exceptions for both of us, but one sort of … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Art, Authors, Cartoons, Fairy Tales, Families, Humor, Language, Magic, Mega Man, Monsters, Music, Relationships, Technology, Toys, Video Games, VoVat Goes to the Movies, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Is a Neighbor?

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Nathan

The Ogress and the Orphans, by Kelly Barnhill – This is a children’s fantasy that seems very relevant to recent events, and it looks like that was done on purpose. The villain is a very Trumpish sort in many respects. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Art, Authors, Book Reviews, Comics, Current Events, Edward Einhorn, Eric Shanower, Greek Mythology, Jasper Fforde, Magic, Mario, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Plays, Politics, Prejudice, Relationships, Rick Riordan, Thursday Next, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Magic Junction, What’s Your Function?

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Nathan

Final Fantasy VIII – I started playing this recently, and I’m not entirely sure why, other than that it’s the only one of the first nine games in the series that I hadn’t played at all. I’ve played 3, 5, … Continue reading →

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Mazes, Memory, and Magic

Posted on December 10, 2022 by Nathan

Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke – This is the first thing I’ve read by this author, and it was pretty fascinating. The protagonist and narrator is called Piranesi after the eighteenth century Italian artist and archaeologist (not that he knows that), … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Discworld, Final Fantasy, Games, Magic, Terry Pratchett, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

I’d Idle On with an Eidolon

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Nathan

I’d been interested in the origin of the term “eidolon” after hearing the Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby episodes on Euripides’ Helen, and remembering that the term had been used in the Final Fantasy series. It’s basically a phantom, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Final Fantasy, Greek Mythology, History, Magic, Mythology, Names, Plays, Relationships, Religion, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment