Nic's Response to IGN's "A Newer Hope"

[Edit: This article was originally written in October 2013. On May 1, 2014 IGN decided to rerun the article that this article is responding to. So here we are again. I've made a few minor edits here and there to 'celebrate.']

Back in August, IGN posted an article entitled "Star Wars Episode VII: A Newer Hope." Its central thesis is that George Lucas never really understood Star Wars and its greatness. He created it, and presided over it. But he "never got what made it so special." However, the sequel trilogy there's a new hope that Star Wars films can be enjoyable again.

You know us. Here at The Inner Dorkdom we enjoy the Prequels. And we believe that although entertainment can educate and inspire us, it's something that should never cause us to despise other people, or treat them poorly.

But I must admit, when I read articles like this (even if they are written with more civility than normal) part of me wants to punch people (the authors in particular) right in the mouth.

Of course I would never do that. That’s taking things incredibly too far.

So instead I offer you, dear Inner Dorkdom readers, a point-by-point response to the article.

Incomming

Hey, folks!

Just wanted to apologize for the lack of posts lately. School has been killing my free time lately (only 2 more classes to go until I graduate, though! Whoo hoo!)
There are several reviews that I've written, but haven't gotten around to posting yet. They'll be up soon.

In the meantime, here's what you can look forward to:

Bravely Default (3DS) - Review

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (PS4) - Review

Skyborn (PC) - Review

Titanfall (Xbox One) - Review

-Josh

An Interview with Game Composer, Winifred Phillips

As some of you may or may not know, video game music is extremely important to The Inner Dorkdom. Even as a kid, I not only thought that the music present in Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda enhanced the games’ gameplay, but I actually enjoyed the music. Since then, I have gone on to purchase soundtracks to games and listen to them on a regular basis.

The last soundtrack for a game I bought was for the Playstation Vita game, Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation. It was a soundtrack “eat up” with excellent melodies and themes which stick with you for an eternity, a trait that all soundtracks should have. In my personal opinion, the composer, Winifred Phillips (composer of games such as LittleBigPlanet and God of War), crafted a soundtrack that impressed me like no other had in recent years.
So much game music is released these days that, to me, sound like afterthoughts which ride the wave of a large scale production. Winifred’s work, however, shows a love for keeping the player engaged in gameplay, as well as for keeping those aforementioned melodies stuck in your head.

We were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to interview Winifred, as she has just authored an excellent book entitled A Composer’s Guide to Game Music. In her book, Phillips gives amazing insight into composing music for games, being in the industry as a composer, and tips on what one needs to get the job done. Check out the interview after the jump!

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Review)

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

There are quite a few games I would like to see resurrected or have a sequel from the 8/16-bit era. Chrono Trigger, Blaster Master, Ninja Gaiden (NES storyline and gameplay, please), Final Fantasy VI, Actraiser… All of these games, in my opinion, deserve some kind of new, modern game that pays homage to their predecessors. There are probably millions of people out there who never played Actraiser, so they have no idea how great that game was. People have been clamoring for a Chrono sequel since Chrono Cross, and I fear that people may eventually forget about the series altogether if a new entry doesn’t get released anytime soon. A modern day outing would be a perfect way to expose gamers to classic games, while giving all of us that played them originally a way to relive the past.
Lucky for us, one of the greatest games of all time - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past - has just gotten a sequel in A Link Between Worlds for the Nintendo 3DS.  I’ve got to say, I didn’t see this one coming. The question is, “does it live up to the original?”
Find out in my review… which just happens to be after the jump!

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Review)

Platforms: PS4, PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, PC

Another year… another Assassin’s Creed. Is that a good or bad thing? Find out after the jump!

**WARNING!! There may or may not be spoilers for the game contained in the review. Do not read if you don’t want to have anything revealed too early!**

Things Have A-changed!

Indeed they have! Find out more after the jump!

Things Are A-changin'?

Very big changes could be coming to The Inner Dorkdom really soon! How does more regularly scheduled podcast episodes sound? What about a new Star Wars podcast focused on Star Wars: Rebels (which will be so eloquently and irrelevantly called “The Clone Cast”)?

Stay tuned for more details!

-Josh