Unwinnable

There are so many overt religious references throughout all of the games of the highly-celebrated Zelda series that it would be hard to not explore them and extrapolate meaning (assuming there is one).

For the sake of context, I grew up in an extremely reform Jewish household, so there are probably many biblical references in these games that I am not aware of or don’t care to pay attention to. There’s also a book that specifically explores Christianity in this series. In short, from my experience, I have had more of a profound religious experience playing these games than I ever had in synagogue.

Anyway, let’s start from the beginning. (more…)

In the most recent of the Legend of Zelda game Skyward Sword, hardcore players noticed a startling change. Link could actually get tired in this game. So tired that he has to sit down, recoup his energy and collect his thoughts. As a human, I tend to do that too. Except when I kick back and relax, it’s normally with a beer.
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Today’s kids probably won’t remember whether they first played Angry Birds on their parents’ smartphones in the grocery line or Halo on their older cousins’ XBox, but I’m just old enough to remember a time before the ubiquity of gaming consoles and just young enough to have never played on a Nintendo 64 without feeling all retro about it. I remember my first videogame. And I remember when my love of gaming first started. Funny thing is, there were a few years between the two. (more…)

The following is the latest in a series of journal entries chronicling the author’s descent into next-gen gaming degeneracy – from getting his first television in years to trying to figure out why the @$@”$)@ you need two goddamn directional pads just to walk down a fucking hallway. (more…)

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is my first attempt at a Zelda game since The Adventure of Link. So yes, I missed out on A Link to the Past, arguably the best game in the series if my friends are to be believed. The 3D revolution brought on by Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask? The cel-shaded glory of The Wind Waker? Skipped all that, too. I did buy Twilight Princess, but I admit I did so solely for far more nefarious purposes. So Skyward Sword is a complete sea change for me – one that, frankly, hurts the series more than helps. (more…)