Laboratory of Mathematics and Writing

Omikron: The Nomad Soul I remember trying Shenmue over a decade ago. I believe I was in grad school or just before entering. I can't quite remember. Now, Shenmue is often touted as one of the Dreamcast greats and incredibly ahead of its time. Perhaps I played it too late because after playing through only the first disc, I failed to appreciate it and stopped playing it. I still have a copy and perhaps I will make another attempt in the future. It's really just a murder mystery with barely any action in it. The setting is generic. The plot is generic. None of it captured my attention for very long. Again, I'll give it another go in the future. After all, Dreamcast is my second favorite console. Comparison I mentioned Shenmue because it is the first thing that popped into my mind while playing Omikron: The Nomad Soul. Just like Shenmue, Omikron is also a murder mystery with some action in it. What sets it apart, howeve...

Early Y2K Music Lenny Kravitz in 1995. He could pass for an agent in the Matrix The first half of the 1990s, and then some, was dominated by two major musical movements: grunge and gangsta rap. Both genres stayed popular and relevant well into the early Y2K era and even beyond. Gangsta rap carried its influence deep into the 2000s with artists like 50 Cent, while grunge eventually evolved into post-grunge. Both were immensely popular, but each scene faced major setbacks through a series of tragic events. As their initial waves began to fade, new musical movements started to emerge: dance music, boy bands, R 'n' B, girl pop, pop punk, and, my personal favorite, nu metal. Tragedy in Grunge First, Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994. This alone dealt a huge blow to the grunge scene, but there were other troubles as well. Layne Staley of Alice in Chains strug...

Super Nintendo Masterpiece I played this game after I played Terranigma; by several years, in fact. I first played Terranigma in the early 2010s and was instantly enamored by it. After many years, I played Chrono Trigger and was also instantly enamored. The reason why I hesitated for so long to play Chrono Trigger is because it's turn-based. I never liked turn-based combat and still don't. I will discuss this game's combat later. The Highest Praise Throughout high school and throughout college, everyone on the internet and in real-life heaped the absolute highest possible praise upon Chrono Trigger. It almost always appeared at the top of best-of lists. Some of my acquantances even opined that it was the greatest game of all time. I still didn't budge. It wasn't until I encountered a loose cartridge at a local retro game store for ninety dollars that I bought it and played it. I guess all the hype throughou...