The first Resident Evil game came out exactly when two major forms of media crossed paths: games and movies. I feel that it’s the only perfect blend of the two. — Decades: The 1990s In the late 1980s and early 90s, video games took off worldwide, seriously challenging movies as the number one entertainment industry. But the interplay between games and movies started to gain momentum as well. During the 1980s, early games looked to movies for inspiration, lifting concepts and…

Both series masterfully discuss the rise of technology in their subtexts. — Decades: 1990s - 2010s Warning: This story contains spoilers for the first Toy Story, the major MCU movies, especially Civil War and the Avengers films, as well as Spider-Man: Homecoming. If you haven’t seen these movies, proceed with caution. In one of my more popular Medium stories, I attempt to…

Five great examples, 2000 to 2005, from Nujabes to Kanye West. — Decades: The 2000s While the 1990s are known as the Golden Era of sample based rap music, the technique was perfected in the 2000s, with refined methods and new technology. Established artists built on the foundations they had laid in the 1990s; up-and-coming producers from all over the world used…

An amazing number of big media brands emerged in the 80s. Why? Because the decade also marks the beginning of our current digital lifestyle. — Decades: The 1980s In my Medium story Why 1980s Nostalgia Is Everlasting, I compiled numerous eighties movies and media properties that are still relevant today, receiving sequels, spin-offs, and tie-ins. There was an outburst of creativity in the 1980s that has not been replicated since. The reason for this: the…

It’s a question I’ve grappled with for a long time: why is 80s nostalgia so strong, still to this day? I may have found the answer. — Decades: The 1980s Back to the Future. Ghostbusters. Die Hard. What do these films have in common? They are highly original and classics in their genre. They started long-lasting, influential franchises. And: they all hail from the 1980s. In fact, scores of important visual media properties took shape during these…

One name has been missing from the conversation about game music composers: Noriko Matsueda. Around the turn of the century, she laced Square games with jazzy vibes. A tribute. — Decades: 1990s - 2000s I. Prelude: The Mid 90s Noriko Matsueda started composing game music for Squaresoft titles in the mid 1990s. Stylish mech strategy game Front Mission was the first Square title she contributed music to. Front Mission came out for Super Famicom in early 1995. …

Thanks to the 20 Year Rule, the 1980s are coming back in a big way. But 1980s nostalgia was probably never stronger than in the 2000s. Here are three of my own favorite examples. — Decades: 1980s - 2000s I’m a rather strong believer in the 20 Year Rule when it comes to pop culture, partially starting this blog because of it. Every trend moves in cycles, obviously. …

Expecting yet another on-brand Mario experience, I picked this one up without much worries that it might disappoint. But the story turned out way different than expected. — 1. Too Late to the (Mario) Party? Now granted, I got to play New SMB only now, in 2017, eleven years after its original release. I wonder what I would have thought of it back in 2006, during its original run. But then again, 2D entries in the Mario are pretty much guaranteed fun for me. …

When this spin-off to the renowned series came out in the early 2000s, it was met with quite some criticism. Journalists and gamers were used to Resi games to be (near) masterpieces during that period. — And rightfully so: Capcom had delivered hit after hit before, with franchise entries like Code Veronica or the incredible remake of the first game. Outbreak was different, kind of weird at times, but full of innovative features. It does have its shortcomings, undoubtedly. But to me, critics didn’t appreciate Outbreak’s…