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From a new Konami indie publishing initiative (Skelattack) to the release of Riot's much-hyped Valorant, plenty to talk about this week.
[I like the sorta ‘spooky Castle Crashers’ vibe of Skelattack’s art direction, FWIW.]
Yes, this is another Video Game Deep Cuts newsletter on Substack. Yes, I hope you are directly donating to support Black communities & Black Lives Matter, as many game creators now are. And yes, I hope you are thinking about ways to provide long-term systemic support, in addition to short-term support. That’s all.
- Simon, curator
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (Switch) is the latest in the typically eccentric but delightful Nintendo ‘collection of card/board games’ franchise.
Officially out now, Valorant (PC, pictured) looks like a strong Riot entry into the team-based FPS a la CS:GO, already has in-depth analyzing of tactics.
Skelattack (Switch, PS4, Xbox, PC) is interesting in that it’s Konami’s entry into publishing indie titles - the game itself is simply a ‘well-made 2D platformer’.
Gunfire Reborn (PC Early Access) is a Hong Kong-developed PC FPS that blends Borderlands & Risk Of Rain cannily, & is getting some notable buzz.
Finally, not new but ‘new old’ news, Command & Conquer Remastered (PC) gets a decent review for both graphical updates & useful ‘quality of life’ tweaks.
What (more) casual games are like for someone who doesn’t play games.
It’s wedding season in Animal Crossing on Switch (as a special in-game task!), and some of the takes on decor are already straight-out crazy.
The latest Sims 4 expansion lets you choose to live carbon neutral - in a video game, at least.
On unionization & game development - was impressed to see publisher/dev Paradox proactively agree a union agreement with its Swedish studios.
Doom Eternal speedruns are surprisingly hypnotic to watch and analyze.
The Video Game History Foundation (I’m on the board, please donate!) resurrected a completely unreleased NES game, Days Of Thunder.
Turns out Pokemon Diamond & Pearl has better encounter rates on its creator’s birthday. Fair enough!
Come for the ‘how Epic got built with shareware’ lead, but stay for the super-fascinating Gathering Of Developers history from Mike Wilson.
‘Lost’ 1992 Westone arcade game Clockwork Aquario has been unearthed and confirmed for PS4 and Switch release in 2020.
The recent article on Maxis’ internal edugame with Chevron, SimRefinery, led to a copy of the game being uploaded online & emulated - wonderful news!
How board games have embraced tabletop virtual sims during lockdown.
Zynga & Supercell’s conflicting attitudes to making games & growth. (I prefer Supercell’s - profitable, but relaxed about making more $ YoY).
You too can get letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes in the mail & solve fiendish literary mysteries.
The Last Of Us Part II is doing game accessibility right, which isn’t always simple for large-scale titles.
How AAA games currently pace (& should pace!) their replay options.
Thanks again for reading, and see you next week,
Simon.
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