Video Game Deep Cuts

The ‘all the notable new games’ section may be getting too big/complex. But even working out what came out can be surprisingly tricky for the average reader, with all the platforms/microscenes out there.

– Simon, curator

The Current: New Games In The Spotlight

• Gears Tactics (PC) takes the limb-strewn franchise into XCOM territory.
• The Flower Collectors (PC, pictured) is an unusual short narrative game – “a simple but full-hearted spin on Rear Window.”
• Fallout 76’s ‘Wastelanders’ update (PC, Xbox, PS4) – which is solo play-focused, intriguingly – seems to have elevated the game to ‘try this out!’
• Paper Beast (PS4) is the under-the-radar Eric Chahi (Another World) PlayStation VR game which “throws players into a hallucinatory cyberscape.”
• 2D brawler remake Streets Of Rage 4 (PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox) is a bit of a surprise hit. � (BONUS: ICYMI, Treachery In Beatdown City is an intriguing 2D RPG-brawler combo. )
• 4 vs. 1 multiplayer shooter Predator: Hunting Grounds (PC, PS4) has mixed reviews – game ‘feel’ better suited to dev’s previous

The Culture: Game Culture & Deep Dives

Screenwriter (& former game mag editor) Gary Whitta has built a talk show in Animal Crossing, complete with bandleader & musical guests.

Fortnite is more fully embracing the Metaverse comparisons with a no-shooting Party Royale mode.

How the game biz is dealing – somewhat awkwardly – with pregnancy & motherhood as a game dev.

The video game arcades struggling to survive in the era of COVID-19.

There’s a green vs. purple alien war in Grand Theft Auto Online that’s taking over the Internet? Apparently?

The Past: Game History

• How PC game ‘shareware’ came about, from Softdisk to Apogee & beyond.
• A longform documentary on the genesis of megahit indie strategy battler Darkest Dungeon.

The Other Goodness

• Magic: The Gathering has a wild card trading/speculation scene.
• If you play PUBG on Stadia, you get to kill a lot of Derek-level bots?
• 3D printing is creating a whole new fan/semipro-created market for D&D miniatures (pictured). �
• Elite Dangerous has a benevolent clan that currently – in a coronavirus-related goodwill gesture – just gives players rare items to help them upgrade. Aw. �
• There’s a streetwear scene in the extremely fashion-customizable Animal Crossing.
• Sure, you know about game engines like Unity & Unreal, but which game companies roll their own engines?Quite a few, actually.

Source： Simon/Video Game Cuts