Friday, March 20, 2015

News & Views
3/14/15-3/20/15

Games, games and more games! I have put together a lot for you all in this week’s News & Views. Nintendo made huge waves when they announced they had partnered to develop smartphone games using Nintendo IPs, and that they are working on a new gaming console! I also found some interesting pieces about a professional baseball player using video games to relax during spring training, a history and perspective on how video game breasts are made, and a whole country advocating for Minecraft to be banned. I have a lot of games stacking up on my plate too. I splurged and purchased Final Fantasy Type-0 since I have been hankering for a new JRPG to play. It didn’t hurt that it came with the Final Fantasy XV: Escape Duscae demo, either. And, perhaps even more importantly, Bloodborne comes out next week (!!!). Bloodborne is my most anticipated game of the year and I cannot freakin’ wait to jump in. Anyway, onto the articles! See you all here again soon.

Spotlight
Steve Lubitz, Pixelkin

Worth Reading
Ryan McCaffrey, IGN

Ben Kuchera, Polygon

Interview with Al Lowe, Nodontdie.com

Kayin, Kayinworks

Patricia Hernandez, Kotaku

Tim Rohan, The New York Times

Charlie Hall, Polygon

And the rest!
Luke Plunkett, Kotaku
Nintendo stole the news cycle this week with their two big announcements. I, as well as many others, predicted Nintendo would be jumping into the smartphone space eventually. Guess “eventually” is 2015. I am not as doom and gloom as others about this, and am cautiously optimistic for some quality releases.

Taylor Hoyt, YouTube
I am a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series (FF6 is the best one, period). XV’s development has been a long, arduous process. Hoyt covers the history of the game’s development quite well, from its early announcement to its transformation to its pending release.

Patricia Hernandez, Kotaku
Hernandez investigates a topic that I bet very few know anything about. It is fascinating to get insights from people who work in this field. Be warned though, the article has a lot of graphic content.

Mrtube, Reddit
Reddit user Mrtube goes through IGN’s top 25 PS3 games of all time, breaks down their release dates, and compares that to the PS4’s current library. There is a lot of outrage that this generation of consoles has not had a “great” game yet. Mrtube, through his analysis, demonstrates that this should not be totally unexpected.

Dave Tach, Polygon
A follow up on the story I posted in last week’s News & Views. Following its brief spotlight in House of Cards, Monument Valley sold like crazy. Cool to see this little title make such an impact.

Patrick Klepek, Kotaku
Klepek perfectly encapsulates the sheer joy of playing a Souls game. The perfectly titrated difficulty means every gain is earned, and beating some of the tougher bosses can induce some serious dopamine release. One of the many reasons I cannot wait for Bloodborne next week.

Hurriyet Daily News
Minecraft is a cultural & generational phenomenon. Pretty much every kid plays Minecraft in some capacity, whether it is on smartphone, computer, or console. The game can also be quite addictive. The overwhelming impact of Minecraft can be seen in this story, in which Turkey’s Family Ministry advocates for the game’s ban because of how much kids are playing it. Unreal.

Jessica Plautz, Mashable
I know it is not games, but I couldn’t help it. I love Breaking Bad. It is the best show ever made. I cannot tell you how hilarious it is that fans attempt to throw pizza on top of Walter’s house. Poor homeowners, though.


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