Game Freak, Pocket Card Jockey and the Beauty of Creation
“Pocket Card Jockey” is a mix of horse racing and solitaire, where the better you play solitaire, the better your horse performs, but not without correctly paying attention to a handful of factors like the motivation, mood, and positioning of your horse that could be a boon for your performance and sponsor or spell out […]
You and I are Polar Opposites: Not your typical highschool romcom (and I really mean it)
Winter 2026 has been a very busy season. Not because of the constant blizzards (as I write this, I’m stuck in New Jersey an extra day after break), nor because of the incoming major proposal deadline (I’m doing this instead), but because there is an abundance of new anime to watch. With an incredible roster […]
‘Final Fantasy Adventures’: Your mystical bittersweet journey
Last semester, I finally purchased a retro game collection that has been sitting on my wishlist since 2019: Collection of Mana featuring Final Fantasy Adventures for the Game Boy, Secret of Mana, and for the first time outside of Japan, Trials of Mana, both for the SNES. The Mana games are some of Square Enix’s […]
Why are there days off for Jewish Holidays?
Brandeis has fundamental origins within the fight against religious and ethnic segregation, as it was founded by the American Jewish community in 1948, when higher education was limiting the entrances of those in minority ethnic and racial groups, as well as women. Part of that comes from their established policies and mission statement to support […]
Will you conquer your backlog?
The Backlog is a pillar of gaming discourse and general self-deprecating humor. A never-ending list of titles, new and old, at the whims of the player, sounds perfect on paper. You always have something to play … or so it seems. The backlog is a list of games; they aren’t the literal games themselves. […]
Games to play on Halloween
Want to play something spooky? Something to get you in the Halloween spirit … but what’s the vibe, y’know? Maybe you don’t want to be scared shitless, you just want to have some spooky vibes! Well, I’m here to help, with some specific recommendations that range from Haunted House to Graveyard to Nightmare. Note, I […]
Playing as a nameless protagonist
Let’s do a thought experiment. Think of a video game. I’ll give you 10 seconds. OK, now, does that game have a protagonist? Can you name them anything from Dennis to Poopface? Have you ever thought about why that is (or isn’t)? The main character of a video game is one that the player […]
The games of my summer 2025
Starting in May and ending in August, the Brandeis school year has returned from vacation (and for those who stuck around during the heat, God bless your air conditioning units). But even as the last breaths of summer lift students out of bed and into classrooms, I can’t help but reflect on all that I […]
‘AI: The Somnium Files’: the value of voice acting
As the Pesach break was approaching, I had the urge that everyone has during the spring: to spend money. I opened up the Nintendo Switch eShop and began browsing the best selling tab before checking my wishlist for anything that caught my attention. I noticed a game has been sitting in my library for a […]
Anime spring 2025: ones to watch (IMO)
This anime season has been jam-packed. Never since last spring has a spring season ever been so springy. But there’s just too much to watch! What are you gonna do? Finals are coming up, class sign ups are on their way and summer is just around the corner. Well do I have an array of […]
The Nintendo Switch: Eight years of playing with portable power
Eight years. Eight years ago. March 3rd, 2017. 2025. Eight years ago it was around my Bar Mitzvah, and we moved earlier that year from my home of ten years. My new home still had the familiar faces of my immediate and extended family, and many familiar faces from my old home made the trip […]
‘Hotel Dusk: Room 215’ – A novel gaming experience
Over this February break I took some time to play a game that has been rotting in my backlog: “Hotel Dusk: Room 215” for the Nintendo DS. Developed by the now defunct Cing Inc. and released on Jan. 22, 2007, you play as Kyle Hyde, an ex NYPD detective turned salesman looking for his former […]