Browsing all articles by Jarrett Poole, Author at PIXELS OR DEATH.
Identity Crisis
Jarrett Poole | Thursday, March 28, 2013 
I’ve always been enamored by MMORPGs. Riveted by the social aspects, I’ve read countless articles on the online happenings of these virtual worlds. But there’s something that itches under my skin when I play these games. My avatar never seems personal; it’s never a unique reflection of my character. The …
Conceptual Genius
Jarrett Poole | Wednesday, March 13, 2013 
After booting up Blacklight Retribution, my gut reaction was to look into its concept art. I don’t get this instinct often, but when I do it says something special about the game itself. I’m always ecstatic when a game’s art direction influences the overall feel of a product, not distracting …
The One Thing That Dead Space 3 Gets Right
Jarrett Poole | Monday, February 25, 2013 Despite all its flaws, Dead Space 3 has done at least one thing right: it’s managed to implement a pretty damn nifty crafting system. Crafting benches provide a way to combine materials in a variety of ways. Now I can zap, shoot, explode, cut, burn, acidize, and spear my aliens …
Antichamber Review
Jarrett Poole | Thursday, February 21, 2013 
To have a level outthink you is a strange occurrence. It feels odd to have a game’s design deceive you, tricking you in ways that break conventions, but this is exactly what Antichamber does. It takes basic design principles and flips them on their heads. Things that you have taken …
Kanji’s Struggle
Jarrett Poole | Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Very minor Persona 4 spoilers ahead.
I’ve been playing copious amounts of Atlus’ Persona 4 lately. It has a full cast of compelling personalities, but compared to the other characters in the game, I find Kanji Tatsumi’s struggle the most captivating.
The cycle that the characters endure follows a very concrete pattern. …
Kentucky Route Zero Review
Jarrett Poole | Friday, January 25, 2013 
Kentucky Route Zero, developed by Cardboard Computer, is an episodic adventure game that draws players in with its aesthetic qualities. The first act paints striking visuals to create an immensely stylish world, all while surrounding you with a lush audio palette, but the real glue that holds this all together …
