Reflections on Gaming

Jumpscares, tension, low-frequency rumblings, gore, body horror, torture, unrelenting monsters and nightmares; all of these things and more are found in horror in all media, but video games have the unique property of throwing you INTO the fray and requiring you to make split second decisions. What makes horror effective and good? What are examples of both good and bad horror? Find out on this episode of Reflections on Gaming! Don't miss our streams every week, talk to us live! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Join in on the discussion and reflect with us! Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming Music for this episode: Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

How does the original Kingdom Hearts hold up today? What changes have been made between the original version and the Final Mix, and do those changes solve all possible problems? How does the gameplay, story, and overall tone stand against later changes in the series? At the core, what made Kingdom Hearts special, and does it still feel special today? We discuss these questions and more in this episode of Reflections on Gaming! Don't miss our streams every week, talk to us live! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Join in on the discussion and reflect with us! Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming Music for this episode: Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Gaming has permeated every facet of goods. T-shirts, candies, art prints, statues, plushies, screensavers, pins, and many many other items are made based on every video game you can think of! But as the market becomes increasingly saturated, there is always the danger of anti-consumerist practices encroaching on the market to save or make a quick buck. This week, we discuss many of these types of paraphernalia, including some of our personal favorites, and tackle the difficult topic of anti-consumerism from the biggest names in gaming! Don't miss our streams every week, talk to us live! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Join in on the discussion and reflect with us! Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming Music for this episode: Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

How are we affected by the reviews we see online for games we have or haven't played? How do we feel about a game when we see reviewers completely trashing the game, giving the game the highest possible praise and an 11/10, or if reviewers are divided and are doing both? We discuss the effect of reviews and the importance of making your OWN decisions this week on Reflections on Gaming! Let us know how YOU feel about game reviews! Don't miss our streams every week, talk to us live! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Join in on the discussion and reflect with us! Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming Music for this episode: Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

On this special 30th episode, we take a very "measured" look at a well-beloved JRPG from the Playstation 2: Rogue Galaxy. We "discuss" the "good" and the bad about this game, and take a very "level-headed" approach to this "review." Absolutely all the points we make are fully thought-out and represent our true feelings about the game, and we feel that our review IS legitimately fair!  ...But let us know if you don't agree! We'd love to hear from you! Don't miss our streams every week, talk to us live! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Join in on the discussion and reflect with us! Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming Music for this episode: Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What is good and bad, and how does a video game track the consequences of actions made by the player? A buzzword in video games just a few years ago, morality systems were extremely pervasive in the PS3 era. inFAMOUS, Mass Effect, The Witcher, and many others tried to implement morality systems to varying degrees of success. This week we discuss many different systems and their pros and cons, and give our thoughts on morality systems as a whole! Don't miss our streams every week! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Join in on the discussion and reflect with us! Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming Music for this episode: Werq by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4616-werq License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

How have rewards changed over the decades in gaming? How did we go from cheats permeating the entire industry to the vast overemphasis on trophies? We discuss the history and current state of rewards and trophies in video games, and suggest how rewards can be improved in the future on this episode of Reflections on Gaming! Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Don't miss our streams every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 PM MST! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com

What the heck is up with Dark Souls?? Why did it make such a huge splash when it first came out and why has it continued to remain in the consciousness of the internet gaming years after its rise to fame? We discuss this in terms of exactly what about the game itself has caused such a stir, and give our take on why it is still hailed as such a gem today. Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Don't miss our streams every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 PM MST! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com

Choices govern everything about our lives, and their incorporation into video games has been a talking point for years at this point. In this episode of Reflections on Gaming, we analyze the different ways that choices are included in games, from the best to the worst, and discuss what we think could be FUTURE of player independence in games! Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Don't miss our streams every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 PM MST! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com

The controversy surrounding TLOU Part 2 turned out to be blown completely out of proportion in the wake of the largest number of Game of the Year awards in history, many of the awards being people's choice awards as well. We dissect why TLOU Part 2 got panned by so many players and why that sentiment gained so much traction when they obviously didn't represent the vast majority of opinions regarding the game. We also talk about the best and worst parts of the game are, and our own opinions on the game and its controversial, devastating story. Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Don't miss our streams every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 PM MST! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming

A return! After a hiatus from podcasting for multitudinous reasons, we are back with the finale to our trio of Jak and Daxter Reviews! Upon our return we have ditched our (too) long-form reviews and condensed and distilled our thoughts on this game and the series in general. How does it stack up against its predecessors, and how does the game stand on its own? Join in on the discussion below at any of our social media accounts and channels! Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Don't miss our streams every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 PM MST! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming

The finale of our deep-dive into Jak II! In this episode we do a full retrospective of the entire game after discussing the final few missions and what we consider to be the best final boss in the series! Come reflect with us and enjoy our retrospection on a very enjoyable game of a bygone era. Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Don't miss our streams every week! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming

In the penultimate episode of our review/deep-dive of Jak 2, we discuss not only the infamous races that have caused many a player to rage-quit, but the indisputably most difficult mission in the entire game! Which one? Listen and find out, then let us know about your experiences playing Jak 2! Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Don't miss our streams every week! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming

In our third Jak 2 episode, we discuss the game's shift in story and first real boss fight! What did the developers at Naughty Dog (in our opinion) get right, get wrong, and what could be done to fix the things that we find problems with? Listen and find out, then let us know what You think! Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Don't miss our streams every week! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming

Part 2 of our deep-dive into Jak 2! Runnin', gunnin', and flirtin' with Orange LIGHTNING. What else is in store? Come listen and find out! Follow us on social media! Discord: discord.gg/RWHb25t Twitter: twitter.com/ReflectionsonG1 IG: instagram.com/reflectionsongaming/ FB: www.facebook.com/reflectionsongaming Don't miss our streams every week! twitch.tv/reflectionsongaming Send your thoughts to: reflectionsongaming@gmail.com Support us for the price of a cup of coffee: ko-fi.com/reflectionsongaming