Author Archives: Jake Shapiro
Publisher meddling, and what could’ve been Beyond Good & Evil
Beyond Good & Evil is a cult classic, and rightly so. The French adventure from Ubisoft Montpellier combines Legend of Zelda-style nonlinear gameplay with quirky characters and a stunning color palette, as well as Pokémon Snap-inspired photography… Continue reading
Costume Quest = Fight Club for Kids
Costume Quest is a lil’ downloadable RPG developed by Double Fine Productions, the company founded by Tim Schafer of Grim Fandango and Psychonauts fame. Its inception came about during Double Fine’s tumultuous Brütal Legend period in 2009, when they h… Continue reading
Ranking Premier League kits
I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time, but I wanted to wait until the season started so we could see all the new kits. Here we go.NOTE: Some people can’t seem to figure it out, but the phrases in parentheses are in fact hyperlinks to teams’ away… Continue reading
Sage Francis and Li(f)e
For some reason or another, I’ve been writing a lot about rap lately. But while Wale brings the more mainstream go-go-infused D.C. hip-hop and Boots Riley makes more political rap-funk, Sage Francis does his own thing. The Rhode Islander’s music is muc… Continue reading
CM, a fantastic story. I'm glad you still read…
CM, a fantastic story. I'm glad you still read my blog, even if a lot of the stuff I write about may not exactly be up your alley!Being from Washington, DC, I feel a connection to Ottawa. Both North American capital cities that are overshadowed by … Continue reading
Thoughts on the NHL 11 demo
The demo for EA Sports’ upcoming NHL 11 was released to Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network yesterday. I’ve spent hours upon hours playing NHL 10, so I was eager to get my hands on the demo for the new one. Thoughts:The goodThe revamped faceoff syste… Continue reading
Ranking Major League Soccer uniforms
It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. Unlike most soccer leagues around the world, all MLS clubs have the same kit manufacturer: Adidas. As we saw in my World Cup kit ranking, Adidas on average makes some of the best uniforms around. Some peo… Continue reading
Boots Riley, the Coup, and Street Sweeper Social Club’s new EP
Boots Riley is one of my all-time favorite people. His Oakland-based political rap group, the Coup (click the link, it’s a fantastic song), has been around since 1991 and writes far sharper activist commentaries than any current political punk groups w… Continue reading
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the best film I’ve seen all year.
I didn’t have high expectations going into the theater to see Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It got mixed reviews from critics, and cinemas are billing it as a kids’ movie. But as it turns out, Scott Pilgrim is the best film I’ve seen all year. Edgar Wri… Continue reading
Wale’s Attention Deficit, and D.C. music
In the ’80s and ’90s, the Washington, D.C. punk rock scene was in full force. Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Fugazi, Nation of Ulysses–the list goes on and on. D.C. had arguably the most important indie music scene in the country. It died out in the ’00s,… Continue reading