Sora: Under-Qualified but Uniquely Gifted
Sora was a very unlikely protagonist when we were introduced to him in the first Kingdom Hearts game… small, young, with no combat skills to speak of and barely able […]
Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday
At multiple points in Kingdom Hearts we are given access to “guest characters” who can join our party and help us out for a while… but they don’t get to […]
Kingdom Hearts: A Lower Level of Difficulty
I tend to play most games on their default setting, but when my young daughter wanted to play Kingdom Hearts with me I dropped the difficulty level down to the […]
Unskippable Cutscenes and Unwanted Waits
I have a love/hate relationship with cutscenes in video games… the first time I watch them, they typically provide meaningful exposition as well as a chance to catch my breath. […]
Kingdom Hearts: Beauty and Purpose Within Our Diversity
On paper, the concept behind Kingdom Hearts shouldn’t work… the development studio that was responsible for serious gaming franchises like Final Fantasy was going to create a game that would […]
Keyblades, Armor, and the Weapons of our Warfare
The sheer accessibility of playing a Kingdom Hearts game is one of the reasons the series became so popular, but that doesn’t mean the missions they contain are easy… success […]
Why We Love Gaming: Conflict Resolution 101
The medium of video games has certainly grown and evolved over the years, but one of the most consistent and appreciated aspects of playing games is the agency that it […]
Don’t Give Up: Deep Calling to Deep
Even after all these years of successfully playing video games, there are still times when I get “stuck” on portions that feel impossible to beat. It could be a an […]
Game Saves and “Trust Issues”
When it comes to my video game saves I have some “trust issues”… while saving a game on my hard drive feels safe and natural, trusting an important game save […]
Streaming Solutions: Answers From the Cloud
When Microsoft first announced their plan to deliver a “cloud gaming” experience, allowing gamers the ability to stream entire games without downloading them first, I was pretty skeptical. Most games […]
Finding God in Video Games 