Welcome to the podcast home of With a Terrible Fate, your first and final source for literary studies of your favorite video games. Subscribe for a range of accessible deep-dives into the storytelling of specific video games, as well as the theory of video-game narrative more broadly. Find all our written, audio, and video content, along with options to support us, at https://linktr.ee/withaterriblefate.
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Celebrating & Analyzing Zelda's Character Ahead of Echoes of Wisdom
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The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is here! In preparation for diving into a brand-new, Zelda-centric Zelda adventure, join Dan and Aaron—neither of whom had started this new journey at the time of recording—as they return to their roots as Zelda fans and analysts, exploring the range of representations and symbolisms Princess Zelda has borne th…
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PS5 Pro and Technologies of Storytelling
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What is the value of a PlayStation 5 Pro, and which console technologies beget innovations in video-game storytelling? Especially with the advent of a 30th-anniversary PS5 Pro, the time is right to dive into a conversation surveying some memorable moments in tech-grounded narrative innovations from the PS1 onward. What difference do graphics and lo…
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Can Normative Inquiry Become Gaming's Next "Lore Analysis"?
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The With a Terrible Fate podcast is back with a vengeance! On the heels of Aaron's relocation to Los Angeles for his PhD, we've settled into a new weekly recording time and are excited to share more regularly scheduled conversations about the storytelling of video games with you, our dear listeners. First on the docket is a follow-up to the convers…
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The Moral, Immersive, and Esoteric of Video Games
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On this week's episode of With a Terrible Fate's podcast, join Aaron and Dan in a treacherous, invigorating relitigation of domains of video-game discourse with a reputation for being too messy and inert to matter to the ordinary gamer. The two main bugaboos on the agenda are "morality" and "immersion" in gaming. What does it mean for games to have…
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INSCRYPTION, Game Mothers, and Gaming Rituals
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***WARNING: THIS EPISODE IS HAUNTED!*** The characters in the first game we discussed were haunting our podcasting software, so please excuse some small technical difficulties throughout the episode and a rather abrupt kickoff on account of a lost introduction. We jump directly into spoilers for Inscryption, a game that ought to be played without s…
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Lies of P, Philosophical Catalysts, and Charitable Replays
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On this episode of the With a Terrible Fate podcast, we celebrate Dan's birthday with a conversation ranging from becoming a real boy to becoming a... real old man! We begin with a postgame analysis of Lies of P in which it takes Aaron and Dan a hilariously long time to uncover that, contrary to their first impression based on each other's perspect…
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Fairy Tales, Fantasies, and Fourth Walls
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This week, With a Terrible Fate's podcast is a romp ranging from adaptation to serialized storytelling to metafiction. We kick off discussing Lies of P in the contexts of Pinocchio, Miyazaki-inspired games, and philosophically-minded stories as Aaron nears the conclusion of his first playthrough. (He's since wrapped this up, so stay tuned for overa…
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PAX East 2024, Second-Chance Games, and Perilous Platinums
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This week on With a Terrible Fate's podcast, we celebrate the communities, black sheep, and arduous challenges of gaming! We begin with Aaron breaking down With a Terrible Fate's lecture on bosses at PAX East last month, along with broader reflections on everything from cosplays to upcoming indie games you won't want to miss. All the talk of bosses…
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First Thoughts on Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
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This week on With a Terrible Fate's podcast, Aaron and Dan take a deep breath and dive into their very first, unfiltered, spoiler-rich thoughts about Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Save this episode until you've finished the main scenario and are ready to dig into its microscopic and macrocosmic implications! We're already eagerly planning new analyses…
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How to Get to Know a Video-Game Character
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On this special edition of the With a Terrible Fate podcast just ahead of analyst Dan Hughes' wedding, Dan and Aaron wrestle with the marvelously multifaceted problem of how we can best come to understand the nature of characters in our favorite video games. What draws us to specific protagonists in party-based games? How can game-based conflict ac…
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Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Infinite Narrative Lessons
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This week on With a Terrible Fate's podcast on the storytelling of video games, we kick things off with a discussion of Dan's recent journeys through Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, only to discover the game as a surprisingly illuminating throughline for a rich diversity of reflections on the structures of serial video-game stories, the interpretat…
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Video Game Analysts' Journey Across Japan
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On the latest episode of With a Terrible Fate's podcast, Dan Hughes and Aaron Suduiko fire up the mics two weeks after their vacation in Japan to share stories from their journey and reflect on how their latest adventure through the cultural progenitor of so many video games has informed how they think about the medium! From stumbling upon the myth…
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What Do We Do When We Talk About Games?
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This week on With a Terrible Fate's podcast about the study and culture of video-game storytelling, we take a reflective look at the good, bad, and ugly of what it means to talk about games. Where does lore analysis end and literary interpretation begin, and how can streamed "book clubs" of games help create good-faith homes for a positive mode of …
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Awards, Holiday Gaming, and Demos!
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With the last month of the year upon us, join the With a Terrible Fate podcast for December-themed game reflections! From the culture developing around the Game Awards, to analyzing what counts as a "holiday gaming experience," to reflecting on evolving standards around game demos, spoilers, and recommendations, this episode is stuffed with plenty …
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Do you find yourself bouncing back and forth between multiple games, or running a few different playthroughs at the same time to support different mindsets or moments throughout your day? Take a listen to this latest podcast episode, in which Dan and Aaron explore the many reasons for which we might bounce gymnastically between multiple games, and …
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Products & Artworks; JRPGs & Ghostbusters
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Welcome to the latest incarnation of With a Terrible Fate's podcast: unstructured, organic conversations about current gaming experiences, how they inform our understanding of the world, and how they relate to the broader language of video-game storytelling! In this inaugural episode, Dan Hughes and Aaron Suduiko discuss their recent adventures in …
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A Very Special Halloween Gaming Podcast
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On the spookiest day of the year, join With a Terrible Fate in a free-wheeling conversation about the past, present, and future magic of horror storytelling in video games. In a brand-new podcast episode, Dan Hughes and Aaron Suduiko haunt you with reflections on the good, bad, and ugly of scary interactive stories, including: Old and new glitches,…
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Pokémon Rose Episode 17: ”What’s That On Your Shoulder?”
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This Friday the 13th of October on Pokémon Rose: from MissingNo. and a skeletal Kabutops to Drifloon and Gengar, take our hand on the spookiest day of the year and wander with us through the pokégraveyard. Stay on the lookout: if we're unlucky enough, we may just be visited by the origins of ghost stories, Ghost Pokémon, and the spooky folklore tha…
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Pokémon Rose Episode 16: ”The Legend of Arceus”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: an exposition of mythopoeia, a study of the Pokémon world's perennial quest for meaning and explanation in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, and how mechanics of exploration, Pokémania, and myth equip players to confront one burning question: "How do we dream in a shapeless void?" Credit to Qumu Music for the music in this ep…
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Pokémon Rose Episode 15: ”Welcome to Sinnoh”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: an introduction to Generation 4 of Pokémon (Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum), the value of taking your childhood passions seriously as you grow up, and the surprising perspective of falling in love with a game as an adult only because you chose not to play it in your childhood.…
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Pokémon Rose Episode 14: ”What Dreams May Come”
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This week on Pokémon Phi Rose: five-time Pokémon world champion Dan Hughes reflects on Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and contemplates what might have been if he'd taken a different path and adopted a different dream.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 13: ”A Tale of Two Rivals”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: the story of how Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire turned the series' rivalry paradigm on its head through a new kind of character—and a new kind of role for the player.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 12: ”What Team Aqua Did”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: studying how the enemy teams of Pokémon developed from mobsters into a trenchant lesson on the limitations of personal dreams.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 11: ”The Value of Effort”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: a deep dive into the game mechanics of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire that gave birth to the modern Pokémon metagame—and a study of how those mechanics unexpectedly enhanced the heart of the series' storytelling.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 10: ”Change in the Hoenn Region”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: a study in what it's like as a gamer to feel as though the new entries in a beloved video-game series were no longer being made for you—and foreshadowing of how, and why, you would ultimately return to that series.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 9: ”Is Celebi Real?”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: a time-travel episode in more ways than one, exploring the legendary intersection between a unique Pokémon and a real-life Pokéchallenge.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 8: ”Return to Kanto”
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What happens when a video game's sequel takes you back to a world you'd thought you left behind—a world that's kept moving without you? Find out in this week's episode of Pokémon Rose, studying the return to Kanto in Pokémon Gold and Silver.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 7: ”The World of Johto”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: how Game Freak's approach to mythological storytelling created a world that simultaneously felt old and new to players of Pokémon Gold and Silver.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 6: ”The Partner Pokémon”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: how the explosion of available Pokémon in Pokémon Gold and Silver led to the innovation of a special Trainer/Pokémon bond that continues to this day.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 5: ”A New Beginning”
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This week on Pokémon Rose: a discussion of how Pokémon Gold and Silver set the standard for a Pokémon sequel.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 4: ”From You, 25 Years Ago”
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On this special episode of Pokémon Rose: a reflection on the meaning of the original Pokémon anime to gamers and '90s kids, on the occasion of Ash's final episode in the anime.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 3: ”We Succeeded”
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Where did Mewtwo come from, and what does he have to do with the implicit storytelling for which Pokémon has become famous? Journey back with us to the original postgame in this week's episode of Pokémon Rose.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 2: ”Smell Ya Later”
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What makes for a compelling rival, and how do video games bridge the gap between fictional characters and real-life rivals? In the second episode of Pokémon Rose, join Dan in a study of how the Pokémon model of friendship and competition has evolved from Blue to Nemona.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose Episode 1: ”I Choose You”
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How do the iconic words "I choose you" define Pokémon, and how do they inform the relationship between a player and his starter Pokémon? In this first episode of Pokémon Rose, join Dan in reflecting on how Pokémon teams subvert the typical JRPG party experience.Oleh With a Terrible Fate
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Pokémon Rose: A New Retrospective Audio Series
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Today, on Pokémon Day 2023, With a Terrible Fate is proud to introduce a new, weekly audio series by seriesrunner and video game analyst Dan Hughes: Pokémon Rose: A Nostalgic Look Back! Tune in to this introductory episode to learn what the series is about, and how Pokémon can be a cipher to our past, present, and future as gamers—and as people. Re…
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Director’s Commentary: The Gwyn Moment
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Join Aaron and Dan in a behind-the-scenes look at "The Gwyn Moment," a reflection on how Dan's experience with the first Dark Souls led him to think about video-game storytelling, Miyazaki, and his own life differently. Topics include: why it can be hard to take good video-game recommendations from friends; how gamers get motivated to care about th…
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Director’s Commentary: How Elden Ring Turns Its Player into an Outer God
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Join Aaron and Dan in a behind-the-scenes look at the argument that the player of Elden Ring is an Outer God, not a Tarnished. Discussion topics include: why Elden Ring's endings are puzzling in the first place; what we can learn about Elden Ring from Miyazaki's other work; how Elden Ring uses lore differently than Dark Souls; why the Golden Order …
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Announcing a Change in the Podcast
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This week, we come to you with an update about the future trajectory of With a Terrible Fate's podcast endeavors. In summary, we're going to be working to retool our audio material around deep-dives into our written analytical content, as well as longer, less frequent explorations of the most fascinating topics concerning video games as a storytell…
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Director‘s Commentary: The Path to Necron in Final Fantasy IX
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In the inaugural issue of a new type of With a Terrible Fate audio content, join Aaron and Dan for a deep dive into the publication's most recent analysis, "Critical Review: The Path to Necron in Final Fantasy IX." Discussion topics include: what video games can learn from theater; the good, bad, and ugly of games that "break the fourth wall"; how …
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What does it take to put two great video game series together in a successful mashup? Join us this week in a free-wheeling exploration of the concept of "Silent Souls": a hypothetical mashup of Dark Souls and Silent Hill, inspired by a provocative internet image of a Catarina Knight sitting by the rest stop James Sunderland visits at the beginning …
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What happens when the cosmic proportions of a Bandai Namco JRPG collide with the intimate, personal storytelling of deep character study? Join us this week as Aaron begins an analysis of Scarlet Nexus, the "brain punk" video game that's equal parts psychology of the self and psychology of the Other. In side quests, Stefan continues his Yakuza: Like…
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Playable Leitmotifs (with Laila Carter)
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Iconic musical themes from games such as The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, or Undertale are deeply ingrained into the minds of any avid gamer. This week, With a Terrible Fate video game analyst Laila Carter joins us for an exploration of how these and many other leitmotifs frame, complement, constitute, or even subvert video game stories. Support…
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Maps are profoundly practical. They help players find orientation in extensive game worlds, indicate points of interaction, and track progress. Yet by the same token, they complicate a player's relationship to the world of a game's fiction. This week, we discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly of those complications. Later: Stefan kicks off his Yak…
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Diving into the depths of the human psyche is something the progenitors of psychoanalysis could have only dreamed of. Yet, games such as Persona 5, Silent Hill, and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice enable us to do just that—at least within the domain of play and fiction. Join us for a discussion for a ride through various formations of mindscapes. Furt…
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What to expect from Steam Deck
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A new challenger joins the market for hybrid handheld gaming: Valve‘s Steam Deck. This week, we discuss whether the Steam Deck may change where and how the stories PC games will be experienced—and what lessons the Switch can teach us to guide our thinking. Later, we contemplate recent rumors revolving around Netflix's supposed plans to stream video…
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EarthBound’s Flavor Text (with Max Gorynski)
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The flavor text of EarthBound tells a story you might have missed. This week, Aaron and Dan chat with fellow video game analyst Max Gorynski about the new article in his ongoing analysis series, A Comprehensive Theory of EarthBound. Later on, we discuss Nintendo's announcement of the Switch OLED model, the value of hard copies, and the transformati…
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Reading Circle: Johan Huizinga – Homo Ludens
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What is play? What are its functions and why do so merrily do it? One of the most influential books to address these questions is Homo Ludens by the Dutch cultural historian Johan Huizinga. In our brand new reading circle, we discuss the first section of Huizinga's renowned engagement with the intricacies of play. Later on, we discuss and analyze o…
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Our main story today is about Returnal, one of the few PS5 flagship titles at the moment and part of the recent resurgence of "roguelikes," commonly understood as games that feature mechanics setting avatars back to near the beginning of the game and largely resetting their progress every time they die. We analyze Returnal as a multiply psychologic…
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Playing the Pandemic (with Dr. Arno Görgen)
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Video games return to the topic of pandemics time and time again. The Resident Evil series continues to indulge in close-up outbreak scenarios; The Walking Dead has brought players to tears at the emotional impact of loss; creative twists like Plague Inc. introduced the role of a pathogen on a quest to conquer the world; the infamous Corrupted Bloo…
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However one might spin it, video games often require a substantial time commitment, usually much more so than other storytelling media. Eventually, a player might lose interest, feel overwhelmed, or simply get disconnected from her own role in the story. In this week's main story, grounded in the first half of Aaron Suduiko's new "Final Fantasy VII…
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