Rory Hoffman
Bio
Rory is a freelance writer and editor from Vancouver, Canada. He graduated with a degree in Political Science and Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Adores the fantasy genre and any story that gives that vibe.
Stories (10)
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Among Us: A Casual Player's Review
Among Us has taken over. The revolution has come and gone, and in a plague-torn world one winner has emerged from the chaos: the cute game where you kill your friends and lie about it. Oddly appropriate. It has taken over Twitch streaming, Youtube, and most likely some aspect of your own life, even if simply by proxy. Like the rest of the world I hopped on the crazy, in moments of spare time and when friends asked if I wanted to play. I've also watched my fair share of Let's Plays in which Among Us is the chosen game. Inevitably, I've had thoughts.
By Rory Hoffman5 years ago in Gamers
Metal under the shirt: Movie's least inspired climax
Warning: this article contains spoilers for Netflix's Enola Holmes and A Fistful of Dollars. I watched A Fistful of Dollars with my dad in my early teens, and it was life changing. It was the movie that helped a genre get off the ground and it made me fall in love with Westerns. It also has a brilliant ending. The unnamed hero stands up alone to the corrupt villain and is shot down, only to rise again and reveal that he had protected himself with a heavy circle of iron tied under his shirt. He guns down the bad guy and rides out of town with cash in his pockets.
By Rory Hoffman5 years ago in Geeks
Should you play D&D?
Dungeons and Dragons was created by Gary Gygax (I know it's the perfect name for a fantasy game creator) in 1974. It derived its rules partially from previous tabletop wargames, and included elements of high fantasy mostly laid out by Tolkien in his Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It launched the RPG (Role Playing Game) genre, and since video games were still in their infancy, the game took place on a table with dice.
By Rory Hoffman5 years ago in Gamers
Apex Legends: The Game that Saved the best FPS ever made
Titanfall 2 is the best First Person Shooter ever made. I will die on that hill. It may be surpassed in the future but as of yet, it is the best. I grew up playing Halo, and that series will forever hold a special place in my heart, but the combat in Halo takes on a much more tactical feel because it relies so heavily on equipment and getting to the power-weapons before someone else. Halo lacks choice, which is both to its favour and its detriment.
By Rory Hoffman5 years ago in Gamers
The Name of the Wind: A review after two reads
When I first read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss I loved it. It was a long, epic, fantasy romp with a new magic system and a ginger hero. (The ginger hero part isn't that important but my beard grows out red and I get made fun of for it, so a ginger hero feels nice.) It was great, and unlike some books I never felt the need to check reviews or read theories and breakdowns. But the Kingkiller Chronicles was popular enough to breach the mainstream, and so whether I wanted to or not over the years I began hearing other people's opinions.
By Rory Hoffman5 years ago in Geeks
Thoughts on The Batman trailer
Let me preface these thoughts with a simple statement: I love superheroes, and my favourite superhero is Batman. Also, this is not a brief review of a small teaser. I believe fans of Batman often straddle the line between being the hardest critics of the Caped Crusader while at the same time defending him and his lore against fairly reasonable criticisms. I want to take a broader look at the recent background of Batman's big screen appearances, and what this teaser might mean for the future. If you want nothing more than a fan's thoughts on the trailer, scroll till you see the signal and read from there. With all those vaguries in mind, onwards.
By Rory Hoffman5 years ago in Geeks
Why is everything a -gate?
Watergate was a political scandal in the United States that occurred in 1972 that resulted in the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon. It was called "Watergate" because the Watergate hotel was where employees of the Nixon campaign broke in, to attempt to steal information about the Democratic Party's plans during the election. Those employees failed, were arrested, and were eventually traced back to the Nixon campaign. It was referred to as the Watergate Scandal because it had originated at the Watergate hotel, and resulted in the resignation of a president.
By Rory Hoffman6 years ago in The Swamp
Valorant: A Casual Player's Review
Valorant is first and foremost a take on the previously uncontested Counter Strike genre. It was described to me before I tried it out as a combination of CS:GO and Overwatch, which sounds intriguing, but it's not entirely accurate. I have never played CS:GO. There's no particular reason why I never played it, I just never got around to it, but I do have a decent understanding of the game based on videos and streams. Because I'm new to the genre I will for the most part be comparing Valorant to other First Person Shooters. Here I'm going to break down what exactly Valorant is as a game, what misses in terms of playability for me, a casual player, and the parts of it I genuinely enjoy.
By Rory Hoffman6 years ago in Gamers
The Zitto 9000
Tim looked up towards Jupiter through his telescope. He couldn’t quite make out the huge planet through the dim lens, but he knew it was there. He had found the telescope in a Salvation Army two years ago. It had been rusted and partially cracked down the side, the magnification was so weak it barely improved on the naked eye, but Tim loved it. He made a quick note in his book and then frowned. According to the textbook Jupiter had a bright red spot on its surface, a storm twice the size of Earth swirling at speeds faster than a hurricane. Tim thought the picture made it look like a fat, angry zit. Except nobody had ever tried to pop it.
By Rory Hoffman6 years ago in Futurism
