andy blunden writes the following in Stalinism: Its Origin and Its Future:

"The bureaucracy, owing to its conditions of life, aspired to ownership of the means of production, but was excluded from this by Soviet law. Nevertheless, like all bureaucracies, they used their position to gain the greatest possible freedom from the control from the population."

blunden identifies the bureaucracy of a stalinist system as wielding the instruments of political violence on behalf of the proletariat (who won said instruments via revolutionary upheaval of a capitalist social order) while simultaneously negotiating greater and greater autonomy to conduct the state away from proletariat desires. this is specifically attributed to the isolation of the soviet state and the failure of international socialism in the wake of the russian revolution. when operating in a capitalist global economy and with the need to establish industrialized productive forces in a relatively undeveloped country, the bureaucracy organized markets and rigid economic control in order to create competitive parity with its neighbors.

these threads are woven tightly throughout your days as immigration officer in arstotzka. it presents the material contradiction at the heart of socialist bureaucratic rule cleanly: the regulatory actions of the bureaucracy can themselves be twisted into commodities. the ideal value of the officer's choice to accept or deny an immigrant's paperwork lies in its judgment on the fitness of a person to enter or exit a country; a binary moral evaluation of someone as a refugee, traveler, or potential productive labor vs an ideological dissident, terrorist, or purveyor of bourgeoisie exploitation. when this receives an exchange valuation in the form of "credits," a dialectic relation emerges. the need to keep one's family afloat in the face of daily expenses turns the throughput of the line into the driver of decision-making while the just impetus behind the officer's duty becomes less and less relevant. the game counterweighs this somewhat by instantly scoring you on your decisions, but it's only able to do so in terms of factual, unnuanced contradictions. forged seals on entry permits and stolen visas are smashed into the same category as those with minor typos in their region of origin and identification cards just a day or two expired. any means of quantifying the ideal behind the action of immigration squashes it into a degenerated new interpretation.

with this transformation of the action of immigration approval into a commodity, the state and its handlers are able to leverage it as such. when asian-expy country impor imposes trade sanctions on arstotzka, the latter fires back by cutting off access to its borders, withholding a service identical to its rival's cessation of the trade of physical goods. a fellow guard gets kickbacks off of detainments and cuts you into his share, giving the player the opportunity to reap rewards from detaining immigrants for virtually any small paperwork infraction. even terrorist attacks become easy paydays for the player, changing from unfortunate interruptions in your commission-based salary to a sigh of relief as a suicide bomber rushing the outpost is surgically eliminated by your hand. in all of these instances, the meaning behind these bureaucratic, theoretically necessary actions are gamified through their transformation into commodities. even the physical passports themselves are commodified by the end of the game, where surreptitiously confiscating above-board foreign passports gives your family the opportunity to create forgeries and emigrate into a different country.

in this way, the game forces the player's hand by accelerating a bureaucratization of the mind. I denied entry to a woman because she lacked an ID card even with a valid domestic visa; I immediately rationalized this because her excuse ("I left the country before ID cards were distributed") seemed incongruent with a supposed history that I had literally no basis for. at the same time, I applauded myself for making "morally correct" choices to weigh out my perpetuation of injustice, such as letting a woman join her husband even when missing her entry permit or denying entry to a pimp trafficking women through your checkpoint. in essence, the existence of the service I provided as a commodity gave the illusion of perpetual justice when I made discrete choices that defied the imposed exchange value, buoying the contradiction between moral ideal and commodified existence in the process. any sense of personal gratification off of these actions stemmed entirely from the fact that I wielded complete control over these people's lives, even if I occasionally offered benevolence. it succinctly shows the inability for meaningful revolutionary action by a single actor when perpetuating a regressive mode of a production. rather, only organized methods can viably allow for a true, international struggle for a classless society.

mechanically the game perfectly conjures the claustrophobic doldrums of work giving way to dull bouts of relief at the absence of any citation. chump sums it up rather tidily in their own review. virtually never a possible contradiction that doesn't appear during regular play at least once or twice, encouraging thorough play while simultaneously rushing you along.

It's an absolutely perfect adaptation to game mechanics from something that isn't a game. First you're taking your time, looking up everything in the guidebook to make sure you make no mistakes. Then you're strategizing about which rule checks are worth skipping because they take too long to warrant worrying about the fine they might cost you. Before you know it, it's second nature. You know that Bostan is in Republia and that the line on the MOA emblem goes diagonally from bottom left to top right. On top of this, the game is so good at increasing its complexity- each new rule fits in flawlessly with the existing mechanics, with the difficulty curve, and with the story events.

Like any great game, it feels worth mastering, but it by no means stops there, because you're in Arstotzka, a world where you're never commended for doing anything correctly, only reprimanded for doing things incorrectly. A world where you're fined heavily for the act of decorating your workspace. A world where conducting an X-ray to verify someone's sex and seizing someone's passport without any real justification aren't gross violations of rights but simply burdens, items on a checklist that must be done. Ultimately, Papers, Please is about being molded into thinking, acting, and making decisions like a robot. Come across a moral dilemma and you'll more than likely make your choice on whether or not to admit someone just based on if you've exceeded your protocol violation warning limit for the day. Human beings aren't human beings in Arstotzka, they're means to an end. Through this theme, not only does the game perfectly encapsulate both bureaucratic labor and authoritarian government as a whole, but it comes to the conclusion that no other game with moral dilemmas has been able to quite reach. When working as an immigration officer, there are no people. There are only sets of information which may or may not line up, the specific details of which are so irrelevant towards whether or not someone deserves to pass that they might as well be randomly generated.

And yet, somehow, the human side of Arstotzka shines through. Jorji is more than fine with playing the immigration game, applauding you for working such a difficult job whenever he's denied entry and vying to have more convincing papers next time. Calensk tells you that you'll earn a bonus for detaining more people, and yet he's unable to pay you fully the first few times because he had to spend more money taking care of his family than he anticipated. Even Dimitri, the man in charge of overseeing your position, the man who's forced you to become this robot, will give you a game over if you follow protocol and refuse to let one of his friends into the country. Like the rest of the game, this characterization is so effortlessly natural. The game's mechanics already made going back to get all the medals and endings worthwhile, but picking up on these details adds an additional, equally fulfilling layer. This all culminates in what I think is the high point of the entire game, and what's probably the most optimistic of the major endings. You've just grinded out nearly two-hundred credits to escape the country and are now at the hands Obristan's immigration officer with your family. But you're not denied entry, like you so very much deserve to be, you're let in. Why? Maybe the officer didn't notice your passports were forged, or maybe he inferred the situation that you were in and took mercy. Either way, it's because he's a human being, not a robot, and now your family's safe. Thanks for playing, roll credits.

metal gear solid 2 is arguably the most discussed videogame ever. you can just google “metal gear solid 2” with the words “meaning”, “themes”, “analysis”, “essay” or something like this that you will find plenty of articles and youtube videos. a lot of very good reviews on this game page here on backloggd, too. so… what can I say about it? everyone already said something. everyone already called it a postmodern masterpiece, everyone already called it a prophetic game, everyone already said how great the level geometry is, how deep the mechanics can be, everyone knows about the marketing campaign and how sexy raiden is and how well-written his relationship with rose is. everyone knows everything. what more can i say? still, metal gear solid 2 is the kind of game that you do want to say something. it feels impossible not want to, even if you lack words. for me, what i want to say this time, finishing it for the first time in 7 years, is: this is a very life-affirming game. it tells us that, even in the capitalist system we live in, controlled by the same old people, influencing everything we consume, molding our thoughts and ideals, we can still break free, shape our own personality and look for the meaning in our lives, building the future for the next generations. maybe we will not face a revolution, maybe we will not change the world, but someone will. our sons, grandsons or anyone influenced by our mark, we just need to pass the torch.

"Find something to believe in, and find it for yourself. When you do, pass it on to the future."

This isn't a game, it's art.
Kojima and his team have used the opportunity of a game to create something that cannot be recaptured.

This unique piece of media has touched me more than once and I will always remember the importance of freedom.
In the grand scheme of things, it's not enough to live life to the fullest, you have to find yourself and pass the torch to the next generation.

I have never been so moved while playing a video game.
And the fact that I arrived so late to witness the legacy of the game which is worth it, when I see that this game was a prelude to what my life has been up to now.

daddy sans

i cant believe after 7 years this game still managed to make me bawl my eyes out like a fucking baby this is unbelievable (not really im a big crybaby but . )

in preparation to deltarune i decided to replay this monumental game that wasnt able to leave my mind (actually everybodys mind) for 7 WHOLE YEARS and its still as good as i remember it

i wont say anything that wasnt already said in 100+ video analysis and review and secrets and iceberg and everything else but this is just my overall considerations and I will just pretend the people reading this are not knowledgeable about this masterpiece even though I think thats v hard but whatever

so let's just put random considerations out there

nothing will ever top this game in the indie landscape for the extreme interest that spread through the game community itself but even people that don't usually play videogame it was just abysmal i cant believe it to this day

now this can be a double edged sword fandoms kinda ruined this for me for like the longest time but I just recently realised that fandoms are different beings from the source material . shocker i know and also i was part of the fandom and therefore a part of the problem and I take responsibility for that anyhow

this time I played the pacifist + true pacifist route and I honestly never played the genocide I have no idea what it's like apart from The Moment Of Videogame History so it's something I will try next time maybe I'll leave an update under this review when I finish it but anyway I will basically talk about the pacifist route (for people who don't know for whatever reason pacifist = you don't kill any monster in the game . genocide = you kill fucking everyone) and leave the genocide for interpretation I guess

sooooooo . where the fuck do I begin with this behemoth ok gameplay it is

this is an rpg and now you're gonna think about earthbound because this gets a lot of inspiration from that one but the battle system is completely different and inventive and possibly the most innovative aspect of this entire game and something that I profoundly enjoy for its genre bending characteristics

again this IS an rpg but the battles play out in 2 ways . either you battle (there's a bullseye mechanic for that one = kill them = genocide) or you act (there's some options that may or may not calm down the enemy and leaving them satisfied = spare them = pacifist) but whatever you choose whenever you get attacked you are met with the games main gimmick and mechanic and possibly the most outstanding aspect of this entire game . the heart and square

now . if I told you that this simple and even rudimentary game design choice gets stretched to the fullest extreme in a way so mind bending and spectacular you would think im lying and I would not fault you for that

you get this cute little heart in a square and this is where the bullet hell component comes into play . "bullet hell ?" the reader inquires "as in 段幕 ? where the fuck did that come from" I hear them say in disbelief yeah honestly same and here's why this game is absolutely unrealistic in mishmashing a lot of different influences and playing with your expectations profoundly and gradually

basically every enemy got his bullet pattern (this is sooooo great honestly there's some inventive patterns out there and also every single enemy gets his shot pattern against you every turn so if there's 3 enemies they're gonna mix in one attack . hard but fun) and if youre hit by any of these bullets you get X damage so here's the rpg element . this is just SO FUCKING COOL OH MY GOD and these 2 genres blend together too well I can't believe how incredibly they complement each other im not joking

so you're gonna be asking yourself ok but this would get p tiring p soon and to that I will say that the game tries to innovate its own battle systems to incredible new heights every time with new gimmicks amazing boss battles and gripping difficulty curve and ALSO this is used not only as a sterile and unrelated battle system but specifically comes into play for narrative purposes

these interesting gimmicks range from makign you unable to move on your free will and just making you just or going through different webs or different bullets that oblige you to move or stay put its just a lot of thought was put into every single battle you're gonna encounter and that's great

story wise it's also great and kinda edgy 2012 tumblr but this is also a product of its own time so are you even surprised

a human falls into a mountain to the depths of the earth where monsters dwell then you meet main antagonist flowey and mama toriel that gets you out of danger but your character is only willing to go back to its own world so bidding farewell to toriel you explore the underworld to get out of here

now we all know how this is gonna end but the particularity of this story is every single character that you encounter

ranging from papyrus to sans to toriel to undyne to basically every fucking one bitch in this stupid game they're gonna be so charming and so amazingly characterised to hell and back that you have no other option than get attached to each and every one of them till the end of the game and again even tho the writing can and will be on the edgy side still every character resonates with you in one way or another apart from having really recognisable character designs that can be recognised by people who don't even play games but we're active on Internet during the late 2000s

the art direction is particularly grand it is inspired by the bit era of videogames and it probably adds to the entire charm of the game being this simple yet effective narrative that focuses on love

if you choose the (true) pacifist route you're gonna get into the real tearjerker ending so SPOILER ALERT for people who didn't play undertale till now which I dont think there are many to be honest so basically during the entire game you will actually grow closer to every single monster in the game like LITERALLY with single dates for every main character you will get in front of the king of the underworld aka daddy asgore and after you beat the shit out of him you're gonna be free into the human world

finishing these events is required to unlock the real pacifist where you will learn more about the backstory of the underworld where monsters and humans had a big conflict and also an insight into the story of the child of asgore and toriel that got killed before the games event in one of the best storytelling sequences of the entire game

the original human who fell to the underworld became asriels best friend and brother (and boyfriend) and subsequently toriel and asgores own kid before dying this kids last wish was to see his hometown but when asriel took his body there what happened is that humans thought he killed the kid and tried to kill him rendering him almost lifeless until he returned to the underworld and died in new home

when you get to asgore this time toriel stops you and everybody gets into the we love you (protag name) etc etc

this was actually floweys scheme to get everybody into the throne room and yada yada true motives are said and what happens is you battle with the most disgusting reincarnation of flowey into a BOMB boss battle that I love so fucking much and left a great impression on me to this day what the hell that final battle is great

so you fuck him up and its revealed that he's actually asriel so more shock value more plot twists and more final boss battles

you fuck him up make him realise its the end and he will ask you to forgive him you forgive him and hug him and you cry like a fucking bitch because asriel is the purest being ive ever seen in my entire life I love him dearly to this day what the hell

so in the end you get out with your friends start a new life and all

BOMB

now this would be kind of a mid story if it weren't for the ost

now undertale ost has been stripped from its grandeur because of the countless memes they made from it but it has to be said that even in the 8 bit something kinda style of the music its one of the most heart warming and heart wrenching osts I've ever had the pleasure to listen in my entire life and that shit baffles me to this day that a game like this has one of the best music I've ever listened to FORREAL

like heartache may be the very first example in which you're met with the greatness of Toby fox composing skills and from here its just bigger and greater feelings for every single song and this culminates in title song that plays during asriels backstory this song is possibly one of the most tearjerking songs I've ever listened to in a videogame I can't help but cry like a fucking bitch is so absolutely beautiful in a way I can't explain and the fact that it's accompanied by another super fucking sad backstory guys I can't do this shit anymore

still there's a lot of other great songs here arguably every single song in this is a fucking masterpiece if you ask me like take asgores boss battle that is a fucking bomb boss battle theme but also has some leitmotifs coming from toriel theme THATS UGHHHHHH OH MY GOD THIS GAME or like undynes boss battle that I think this one only plays during genocide because I don't remember listening to it on my pacifist route but damn those fucking trumpets people I'm sooooooo this may be my absolutely favourite song in the entire ost im so sorry and yeah I guess also … megalovania that I listened to more times on the Internet than I wanted to and I know every single note of this song it haunts me during the night but still this is a fucking great song and you got also asriels battle theme which is also another one of my fav songs but realistically every single song in this fucking OST is a masterpiece so what are we talking about

honorable mention to my fav overworld BGM

anyway

my opinion on this game changed drastically from I love it to I hate it to I love it again and thats something that happens when fandoms get into the equation

still it was and will always be one of the games that absolutely made me love the videogame media as a whole and made me meet some great people in my life and for that I'm still glad to this day

if you think this is gringey or edgy I assure you this game has more to it that meets the eye and it sure is some of the most influential piece of gaming around that has had some echoes not only in the videogame landscape but even for the Internet as a whole

so yeah

toby fox is kinda based

having a lesbian couple in this game had one of the greatest impacts on the lgbt community to this day change my mind