Friday, February 19, 2016


News & Views
2/13/16-2/19/16

It’s finally here! I can’t believe I got to spend a couple evenings this week with Street Fighter V! The lab week has been long, but all the rest has been pretty darn great. I hope you all have a great weekend. Onto News & Views!

News & Views compiles the week’s best video game stories, writing, opinions, editorials, and everything in between! Check out the links below for great writing about the eerie reality of commitment issues in Catherine, dealing with the death of a family member through Monkey Ball 2, and how Xbox Live Arcade almost never happened!

And of course please 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
Phillip Kollar, Polygon

Worth Reading
Michelle Ehrhardt, Kill Screen

Kris Graft, Gamasutra

Patrick Klepek, Kotaku

Matthew Kim, VICE

Alyssa Kai, Medium

With Comments
Ed Smith, alphr
Smith’s piece is a great one, and one both a) I never expected to see and b) we need far more of about the industry. The way games toy with history, cultural and sociological trends is an interesting one. At times, it feels like video game developers are less aware of how a game exists as part of the larger conversation about certain issues. Smith writes about how in GTA: San Andreas the rewriting of the LA riots is problematic. It distorts the truth, which could potentially damage someone’s understanding of one of the most shameful events in recent US history.

Richard Li, Gamespot
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the tutorial in Street Fighter V is not at all helpful. Capcom has been doing a great job making guides and other resources for the community, but more tips are never a bad thing! Li runs down nine things to think about while playing SFV that aren’t as simple as what buttons to press when.

Alex Osborn, IGN
I don’t want to imagine a present, or future, of gaming without the Xbox Live Arcade. I write without hesitation that it indelibly shaped the gaming landscape. It changed what we think of as games released for general consumption, and it certainly contributed to the growth and prominence of the indie game scene. I love reading stories like this, and I think you will too.

Thomas Bidaux, Gamasutra
We talk a lot about Kickstarter on The Impact Factor podcast. Is it a net good, despite the many horror stories that come out of the service? Thankfully, we have Thomas Bidaux to answer that question. Bidaux runs down the entirety of 2015 Kickstarter games: the successes, the failures, and trends for the future. Essential reading for those interested in where game development is now, and where it is going.

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