Thursday, April 30, 2026

Writer's Block: The State of the Nation

 

The State of The Nation

“Welcome to Graham Grahamson’s State of the Nation, where we discuss all of the political news of the week. This is my co-host Kathy Kelly.”

“Great to be here, Graham.”

“And let me also introduce former Conservative political adviser Craig Kolstein, author of Where Is My Country? Can you Find It? and host of the Straight Talk podcast, available on all the major platforms. How are you today, Craig?”

“I’m doing just swell, Graham. Really eager to get into the new developments of the week.”

“Alright. First, let’s discuss the events of KPAC, where the President had a set back this week when he attempted to seize a child in the audience and drag him backstage.”

“Oh boy. This is a doozy.”

“Frankly, I think you’re correct here, Craig. I can’t see how absconding with a small child helps the President’s political agenda.”

“It must be mentioned that onlookers at the event said that the President made several comments indicating that he planned on taking the child in question backstage with the purpose of draining said child of his bodily fluids and consuming his flesh.”

“That’s really pushing it, Graham. In the interest of impartiality, I don’t think you can repeat such ridiculous statements.”

“There’s apparently a recording, Craig.”

“For the record, KPAC have denied the allegations that the President intended to harm the child and have stated that any recording of the event played without the express consent of KPAC is forbidden and subject to legal action.”

“Well the President is certainly known for being impulsive. He’s not a typical politician.”

“This is just ammo for his critics, who are pushing the grotesque slander that the President is not entirely human.”

“Could you extrapolate further on that, Craig?”

I don’t think it’s really my place to repeat them…”

“He certainly doesn’t show up much in the daytime.”

“That’s correct, Kelly, the President has yet to give a daytime appearance while the sun is still high in the sky.”

What are you suggesting, Kelly? Come on. Don’t be afraid to say it.”

“Look, I’m not suggesting anything. I do think it is curious that the President seems to abhor the sunlight.”

“The man has a skin condition! You’re really going to buy into these rumors?”

In other news, Secretary of War Pug Kegley said in a press conference yesterday that the war with the Vatican would soon be over. America troops seized control of the city-state Friday night. Critics of the administration have questioned the need for a military conflict with the Church, but officials claim that the Pope was harboring nuclear materials and planned on distributing them to terrorist groups.”

“Where’s the evidence? That’s what I want to know.”

“Look, the Pope and the President have been feuding all year, starting with the Pope’s comments criticizing the administration’s immigration policy. This is an unconventional President, one prone to battling it out in the arena with his critics, and while I don’t think any military action against the Church was warranted, I do think the Pope should have been careful with his comments. Look, he’s the vicar of Christ. He’s supposed to be above politics.”

“You think the Pope was wrong to speak out against the President’s detainment camps?”

Yes, I do, Kelly. I don’t really think it’s his place.”

“There are substantial allegations that the people taken to these camps never come back, Craig. There are also photos circulating that appear to show mass burials.”

“Do you believe everything you see? Hell, half the videos on the internet are completely fabricated with AI. I think we have to take any claims of so-called ‘death-camps’ with a grain of salt. Could this administration be a little more transparent? Sure, I’d like that. Does that mean they’re harvesting illegal immigrants and sucking their blood? Now you’re talking crazy.”

Alright. Well it’s time for our weekly voter check-in, where we interview an average Joe and ask them their opinion on the state of the nation. This week we have Mr. Lawrence White from Hillsboro, Ohio. How are you today, Lawrence?”

“I’m doing okay, Craig.”

“What is your opinion of the President’s war with the Vatican?”

“It’s stupid, Craig, just plain stupid. I’m still reeling from his last war. Gas prices are unaffordable, and most of my paycheck is spent at the grocery store. I can barely pay my mortgage! They’re also laying folks off at my warehouse left and right. What we have now is a country in crisis. It’s not what I voted for.”

“Did you vote for the President, Mr. White?”

I did. Three times! You know, during his first administration, when the Blood Plague was running rampant, I didn’t blame the President. This country needs strong bio-weapons, and cuts during Stollmeyer’s Presidency really opened the door for a disaster. And then when Cortez won and the Blood Horde overran the Capital, I think the media really did the country a disservice by calling all of those patriots ‘monsters.’ But the President has lost focus. He’s not thinking about the red-blooded Americans who voted him into office two years ago.”

“What do you make, Mr. White, of the allegations that at KPAC the President tried to apprehend a small child and drag him away?”

I don’t like it, Craig. The President ran on meat and potato issues like the price of eggs. What was he going to do to that kid back there? There’s a substantial portion of his base that want him to release the government’s files on human trafficker Count Orlok. But he won’t. He’s stonewalling us, and I don’t understand it.”

“You do realize that the President and Count Orlok were close friends? It’s been alleged that the President’s own name shows up in those documents over two-thousand times.”

“Yeah, I just don’t know, Craig. None of it makes any sense. The President said he was going to do something about all the illegal immigrants running around committing crimes, but agents came to my warehouse and grabbed my buddy Hernando, who was a good family man, and we haven’t seen him since.”

“What would you say to the President, if you could?”

“I’d tell him to get back to focusing on the working class. I voted for him because he was a tough guy, a business man who didn’t talk like a normal politician. Sure, some of the stuff he said was kind of vulgar, but we needed that in Washington. Too many people were afraid to say what they think. I think he needs to abandon turning the east wing of the White House into a mausoleum and do something about gas prices.”

“Thank you, Mr. White. That concludes our voter check-in segment. What do you think of what Mr. White said, Craig?”

“I think he was right on the money. The President needs to stop being distracted by children and right the ship and focus on the economy.”

“Kelly?”

I guess I want to ask Mr. White why he continued to vote for the President despite all of the calamitous events that seem to follow in his wake.”

“Very good. Let’s close the show by briefly covering a comment made by former President Cortez yesterday at a fundraiser for her struggling Labor Party. I would like to warn our viewers that offensive language was used. Mrs. Cortez said to the media in attendance that ‘Somebody needs to do something about that fucking vampire in the Oval Office.” What do you think of Mrs. Cortez’s comment, Craig?”

“Completely uncalled for, Graham. Just deplorable. It seems to me that she’s advocating violence against the President, and I expect repercussions. You just can’t make a comment like that, not in today’s volatile political environment. I think the President would be completely in his rights to seek legal recourse against Mrs. Cortez utilizing all the power of the Justice Department.”

“Kelly?”

“Mrs. Cortez calls them like she sees them. What I want to know is…”

“I’m sorry, we’re all out of time. Catch us next week on Graham Grahamson’s State of the Nation. Thank you for watching. Goodnight.”


Wednesday, April 29, 2026

Video Game Review: Resident Evil Requiem

 

Resident Evil Requiem is Capcom's attempt to reconcile the various types of gameplay the series is known for. The first third or so of the game is a tense survival horror experience that evokes creeping around the Police Station in Resident Evil 2, albeit from a first person perspective like Resident Evil Village. The rest of the game is more akin to Leon Kennedy's adventures in Resident Evil 4. Both parts are great, however the earlier sequences involving Grace, a stammering FBI agent way out of her depth, are the stand out sections. Having been assigned to investigate a disappearance in the same hotel her mother was killed in (man, what a dick her boss must be), Grace finds herself kidnapped and taken to a crumbling hospital full of freshly-turned zombies and grotesque monsters that defy description. The Girl, a giant hag that tries to get the drop on you from vent shafts, in our Mr. X-like big bad. The Girl is creepy as hell, and she thunders around and wheezes through the darkened ruins, making circumnavigating her quite the thrill. She is heavily indebted in behavior to Alien Isolation's xenomorph, but there are no desks or lockers to hide inside, which is disappointing. As you wander through the hospital, you'll collect tools to help you unlock more of the place, and you'll struggle to manage your inventory. Every run outside the safe room is like a survival expedition, and it's classic Resident Evil. So when the game basically turns into Fallout 3: Leon Kennedy Edition, you might be a tad disappointed. It's not that these parts are bad--I actually really enjoyed upgrading Leon's arsenal while headshotting zombies--it's just such a difference from the earlier sections with Grace that it'll likely feel discombobulating. However, Leon's parts have their own highlights, including a tense climb through a falling apart skyscraper that evokes the bridge section from Half-Life 2.

Graphically, Resident Evil Requiem is a Triple-A title that earns its budget. Ray-tracing is used to great effect, and lights reflect convincingly on gleaming surfaces. All together, it's a really nice-looking game. I did encounter some stuttering during the Racoon City parts, but turning down Mesh Quality to low fixed it, and visuals didn't noticeably suffer.

Requiem is good, but it's about a fifteen hour game that lacks replay value and whose best parts come early. If you're a veteran of the series, it's probably worth it, but if you're looking for more than a mid-length single player adventure, then perhaps wait for a discount.
















 

    

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Writer's Block: A Poem For My Son

 

A Poem For My Son

My Love is a faint, fair thing

Cast out like the stars

Scattering across the sky

It twinkles when I remember

How I held you in my arms

A little breathing life

Curly-haired,

Writhing,

Too large to be rocked to sleep.

Yet we did it

And you fought.

And now

A decade past,

I look back at those scattered stars

And wonder where it went

My baby

I will always love you

No matter how time

Tears us apart.


Friday, April 10, 2026

Thoughts on Metroid Prime Remastered

 

Metroid Prime Remastered is the first Nintendo game I've ever completed. In short, it was a bit of a slog but fun over all. Here are my pros and cons of Metroid Prime.

Pros:

Exploring a well-developed world. A Switch remaster of a 2002 Gamecube title, Metroid Prime feels fairly modern in its world design. Samus must battle the various flora and fauna of Tallon IV as well as Space Pirates and mutated Metroids, and traversing the varied environments, from the dusty temples of Chozo Ruins to the frozen wastes of Phendrana Drifts feels natural while still being well-crafted. The Switch isn't powerful by modern standards, but the artistic design holds up, and I found myself appreciating the graphics.

Getting Upgrades Is Fun. Metroid games are all about getting suit and weapon upgrades that allow you to return to previous areas and unlock new ones, and Prime does this very well. It was always thrilling to get a new upgrade like the jump boots or plasma beam. Samus's armor feels like a real battle suit, with its various vision modes and the Morph Ball, which is used mostly for easy but cool platforming sections.

This Isn't a Normal FPS. Metroid Prime's gameplay is a blend of platforming, environmental exploration, and first-person combat. The left trigger locks on to enemies, so aim isn't a factor. Avoiding enemy attacks by jumping while cycling through your arm cannon weapons is what's important. Usually I detest platforming in first person games (Neon White being a huge exception) but I didn't miss many jumps in Metroid. Scanning enemies and figuring out what weapon works best is also crucial. In the late game, many Space Pirates will only be vulnerable to specific arm cannon modes. So gameplay is more complex than just pointing and shooting.

Cons:

Old Game Design Conventions Crop Up. No fast travel is a bit of a pain when you must traverse half of the map in order to find all of the Chozo Artifacts so that you can defeat the final bosses. Also, save points are few and far between. While I enjoyed the final boss fights against Meta Ridley and Metroid Prime, I could have used a save point right before each battle.

I Don't Think I Would Have Finished This Game Without a Walkthrough. Metroid Prime isn't terribly difficult, but man is it an artifact from a different time. The locations of some of the Chozo Artifacts, all twelve of which you need in order to fight the final bosses, are obscure to say the least. The one in the magma levels was literally hidden inside a pillar that you had to look at with your x-ray vision mode. To find another, you have to climb atop a not obviously accessible room, shoot a radar dish in an inaccessible area of the map so that it falls down and creates a hole that you can roll into with the Morph Ball. How you would have figured how to find the aforementioned artifacts without using a guide, I have no idea.

Do I recommend Metroid Prime Remastered? I think it's a cool entry point to a classic franchise as long as you're willing to use a walkthrough. If you want to keep your gamer cred and go into it blind, do so at your own risk.  

Writer's Block: The State of the Nation

  The State of The Nation “Welcome to Graham Grahamson’s State of the Nation, where we discuss all of the political news of the week. Thi...