The Impact Factor

News & Views

9/19/15-9/25/15

A gnarly stomach bug may have taken me out of commission for most of this week, but nothing stops The Impact Factor! Welcome back to another News & Views. This week, I found great writing about how Metal Gear Solid V allows you to bleed for your enemies, what Mad Max says about physical disabilities, and fear of missing out. Thanks for sticking with me everyone, I hope to be back up to full speed next week: which means more great stuff here and on Twitch.

And of course you can check out the brand new episode of The Impact Factor podcast that was posted today! You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, or if you prefer other methods, check out our SoundCloud. We’re on YouTube too!

Spotlight

Worlds Worth Believing In: On Demon's Souls and Dark Souls

Ario Barzan, Gamasutra

Worth Reading

Critical Witching

Jordan Wood, MetaThesis Blog

Why it's worth continuing to cover games with low review scores

Ben Kuchera, Polygon

Your body isn't your world: The heroes of Mad Max and disability

Tauriq Moosa, Polygon

None Up

Stu Horvath, Unwinnable

Steam Fighting Game Takes Risks That Super Smash Bros Won't

Nathan Grayson, Kotaku

With Comments

Loving Your Enemies in Metal Gear Solid V

Joshua Cauller, Gamechurch

Cauller gives his fascinating take on combat in Metal Gear Solid V. In so many games the player is forced to take countless lives. You’re essentially a mass murderer. But in MGSV, Big Boss is able to incapacitate, rather than kill, essentially every foe. Cauller writes how this allows him to express his faith, bleed for his enemies, and respect life. It’s a very cool perspective you don’t see often in games writing.

Until Dawn: On Representation, the Horror Genre, and the Illusion of Choice

Bianca Batii, NYMG

Until Dawn is a game I’m still dying to play. I have it slotted for October as a part of my horror fest game and movie media consumption mega-plan. Batii’s perspective is a welcome one. She writes that, although Until Dawn does play with some of horror’s more unseemly tropes, the game doesn’t give enough player agency to subvert others. For example, the cliché and misogynistic “cat fight” is totally unskippable. Something to consider during my playthrough.

Reasons Competitive Fighting Gaming Is Better Than Competitive Fighting

Gerald, Core-A Gaming, YouTube

Click bait title aside, Core-A-Gaming produces a pretty great video expounding the virtues of competitive fighting games. I’ve said a lot of what the video discusses here on the blog before, but it’s always worth reiterating.

Watch Spelunky's creator build a hellish stage in Super Mario Maker

Nick Robinson, Polygon

Derek Yu is a fascinating game designer. Spelunky is one of my favorite games of all time. It’s cool to see what Yu puts together in Super Mario Maker, especially with his procedural level generation mindset. I really want to play his SMM level. Dangit, Wii U.