Author Posts

James Trauben

James Trauben was loosed from his prison beneath the surface of New Jersey over two decades ago and exiled to California, lest he draw further strength from his native soil. Contained for a time within the eldritch halls of California State University Chico, he has emerged bearing a Bachelor’s degree in History and an array of religious and philosophical trivia. Twitter
keijiinfauneintv
Gaming
James Trauben

Keiji Inafune leaving Capcom

Well, another classic developer leaving the business. Keiji Inafune, who you may recall from such obscure hits as Mega Man and Dead Rising, has decided to leave Capcom with the intention of “starting his life over.” Inafune’s recently been rather critical of the Japanese game industry, saying that it can’t continue to coast on the

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Gaming
James Trauben

Analysis – The Unlikely Hero

Once again I don my Pontification Hat (it’s comfy!). Consider this, gentle reader: most writers do not pluck their inspiration fully-formed from the ether.  Sometimes it’s more of a mugging, the writer rifling through the pockets of an influential story for interesting storytelling devices. We call the worst of these secondhand storytelling conceits cliches, but

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Iji by shaktool
Gaming
James Trauben

Compassion and Corruption

French film director Francois Truffaut argued there was no such thing as an anti-war movie, because the violence was invariably exciting on screen.  A game’s narrative is more constrained still by the demands of its genre; an anti-violence message and an exciting combat system are uneasy bedfellows. No matter how taxing and traumatic the message

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AlienBreedAssault
Gaming
James Trauben

Alien Breed: Assault

Alien Breed: Assault seems like an anachronism in today’s market, even by the standards of Live games.  Its top-down camera, run-and-gun controls, minimal dialogue, and essentially four-direction movement all mark it as a throwback to simpler times. The trouble is, Assault makes little-to-no effort to draw in anyone other than current fans of the series.

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