News
& Views
11/28/15-12/4/15
Who would have thought that early December could be such an exciting
time for gaming? I remember so many years of nothing! Last night we got some
cool news from The Game Awards, like Psychonauts
2 getting announced! And tomorrow
I’ll head off with the finacee to the PlayStation Experience. Two solid days of
gaming demos, panels, my first heads-on with VR, and lots of cool goodies. I
can’t wait to tell you all more about it! Expect a special article on Tuesday
and lots of PlayStation Experience talk on the podcast.
But News & Views is all about spotlighting some of the truly great
gaming writing out there. Each and every week I look for cool stories, insights
into developers’ minds & more. This week I have articles about developer
sanctioned ‘god mode’ in Fallout 4,
how to reduce anti-social behavior through game design, why discussing tiny
changes to a beta is important for Street
Fighter V, and much more!
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
Edeline Wrigh, Kill Screen
Worth
Reading
Rachel Catlett, Kill Screen
Ben Lewis-Evans, Gamasutra, GDC
Emanuel Maiberg, Motherboard
Danny Lewis, Smithsonian
Jason Durso, MeleeItOnMe
With
Comments
John Guerrero, EventHubs
Guerrero
gives his take on why we need to talk Street Fighter V beta minutia. The gaming populous is so used
to not having their voice heard, or having it heard years down the line. With Street
Fighter V, though, Capcom is listening to
people in a substantive and powerful way. This 4-part beta is an excellent
experiment in game development. Even with my minimal contribution, I feel like
I’m shaping the future of a game I’m really excited for. Very cool.
Justin McElroy, Polygon
I have
mixed feelings about McElroy’s conclusion. On one hand, I absolutely adore how Souls games are so confident in their design, so committed,
that they are able to deliver DLC in a unique way. On the other, this style of
accessing DLC content can be a real bummer. It’s one of the chief reasons I
didn’t buy/play Dark Souls 2’s DLC (I
was already in NG+++ for the platinum trophy). I have a similar issue here. I’m
in NG+ on my one and only account, so now I have to either start a new
character or tackle already brutally tough content that’s been made even harder
because I’m on New Game Plus. Oh well. I’m still so excited to jump into The
Old Hunters DLC.
Aevee Bee, Medium
Destiny’s flavor text is better
than the game’s main story. Bee’s tongue-in-cheek piece goes through some of
the game’s more interesting weapon/armor text. Worth a read for anyone who has
played Destiny.
Rich Stanton, ars technica
Stealth
in Bethesda Softworks games has always
been ‘god mode,’ and it never gets old. At times I feel like it’s almost a nod
to longtime fans of their work. You know that, if you spec correctly, you’re
essentially an invisible, invincible, killing machine. It isn’t some immersion
breaking thing for me. Fallout 4
never took me into a real world: it took me into a fictional one. A world in
which I could easily carry 315lbs of desk fans while using my laser musket to
kill a giant mutated mole rat.
Zorine Te, Gamespo
I love
reading what Schafer has to say. He has such a passion for games, and it comes
across so clearly. Psychonauts 2
was just announced last night at The
Game Awards and I couldn’t be more excited. I LOVE Psychonauts. If you looking to read some great insights
into the industry from someone who has been doing, and innovating upon, it for
quite some time, please read this interview. It’s worth your time.
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