Author Archives: Tom Auxier

Everything is happening now!

When I finally got back on the internet after long years of snow, one of the first things I read was this profile of my favorite author, Haruki Murakami, in the New York Times. There was one part of this

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Everything is happening now!

When I finally got back on the internet after long years of snow, one of the first things I read was this profile of my favorite author, Haruki Murakami, in the New York Times. There was one part of this

/ One Comment

When the lights go out

The Saturday before Halloween, 2011, Nighttime: When the world ends, it’s never as much fun as Fallout. It was around six PM and I was sitting in my room playing Dungeon Defenders for a review. It had been snowing for

/ 3 Comments

When the lights go out

The Saturday before Halloween, 2011, Nighttime: When the world ends, it’s never as much fun as Fallout. It was around six PM and I was sitting in my room playing Dungeon Defenders for a review. It had been snowing for

/ 3 Comments

To retro is not enough

When I was in eighth grade in 2000, I had a lot of trouble with school. It’s a familiar story. I had been popular as a younger kid because, while I was a good student, I cursed before the other

/ One Comment

To retro is not enough

When I was in eighth grade in 2000, I had a lot of trouble with school. It’s a familiar story. I had been popular as a younger kid because, while I was a good student, I cursed before the other

/ One Comment

Review: Rochard

Not at all what I was expecting. When you hear the title Rochard you think of something discreet, something possibly French, something with gravity based platforming and shooting (okay, I knew that before I went in). You expect an experimental,

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Review: Rochard

Not at all what I was expecting. When you hear the title Rochard you think of something discreet, something possibly French, something with gravity based platforming and shooting (okay, I knew that before I went in). You expect an experimental,

/ Comments Off on Review: Rochard

Sequels that should have been: Doki Doki Panic

Somewhere, if we ascribe to the comic book based theory of alternate worlds, in another earth we are playing Doki Doki Galaxy instead of Mario Galaxy. In America, we would have localized it to Heartbeat Galaxy, and we would be

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Sequels that should have been: Doki Doki Panic

Somewhere, if we ascribe to the comic book based theory of alternate worlds, in another earth we are playing Doki Doki Galaxy instead of Mario Galaxy. In America, we would have localized it to Heartbeat Galaxy, and we would be

/ Comments Off on Sequels that should have been: Doki Doki Panic

Review: Kirby's Return to Dreamland

Suddenly, with little warning, a new Kirby game. And not just a new Kirby game: the first great Kirby game since the underappreciated Kirby: Canvas Curse. Watching it at E3, there were doubts in my mind how Kirby would take

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Review: Kirby's Return to Dreamland

Suddenly, with little warning, a new Kirby game. And not just a new Kirby game: the first great Kirby game since the underappreciated Kirby: Canvas Curse. Watching it at E3, there were doubts in my mind how Kirby would take

/ Comments Off on Review: Kirby's Return to Dreamland

I ain't afraid of no Phantasmaburbia

It’s long been my opinion that indie developers should latch onto an obscure but happily received classic and run with its ideas. The indie platformer community has done this with Super Mario Brothers 2 (or Doki Doki Panic) and I’ve

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I ain't afraid of no Phantasmaburbia

It’s long been my opinion that indie developers should latch onto an obscure but happily received classic and run with its ideas. The indie platformer community has done this with Super Mario Brothers 2 (or Doki Doki Panic) and I’ve

/ One Comment

Review: Dungeon Defenders

Fate, cruel and twisted, conspired to prevent me from reviewing this game. I think it all started when I bought the game a scant twelve hours before we would get an official review copy like some sort of real video

/ 3 Comments

Review: Dungeon Defenders

Fate, cruel and twisted, conspired to prevent me from reviewing this game. I think it all started when I bought the game a scant twelve hours before we would get an official review copy like some sort of real video

/ 3 Comments

A Portable Hole in the heart

I miss when fantasy could be just that: fantasy. I miss optimistic worlds, where things might get rough but the player characters could pull through in the end. I miss the sense of wonder at what’s different, and the appreciation

/ 8 Comments

A Portable Hole in the heart

I miss when fantasy could be just that: fantasy. I miss optimistic worlds, where things might get rough but the player characters could pull through in the end. I miss the sense of wonder at what’s different, and the appreciation

/ 8 Comments

October Omnitopic Roundup: DLC

Hello friends! Another month concluded, this month with a massive snowstorm that wiped out a week of Western Massachusetts time and left me sitting cold and alone in my room, pondering my fate as a human being. Would I freeze

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October Omnitopic Roundup: DLC

Hello friends! Another month concluded, this month with a massive snowstorm that wiped out a week of Western Massachusetts time and left me sitting cold and alone in my room, pondering my fate as a human being. Would I freeze

/ One Comment