Yo Videogames

We've talked about story before, and how in the past story was seldom important to a game - often an after thought. We've changed our opinion on that over time, especially in recent years as games have become more story driven and cinematic. But does gaming have auteurs? As games become more and more like films, will we see more game directors emerge with distinct styles, and voices? And have there really been many in gaming's past?

New data suggests that the $70 price tag for next gen games has actually hurt overall sales and could lead to decreased profits for everyone. So, are games worth the money? Is the market too saturated or capped? When games like Redfall or Jedi Survivor are being released in a rough state - are AAA games a gamble for the first couple months?

Looks like Sony has lost and the Activision Microsoft deal is all but done. So, what are the possibilities? Yeah, okay, sure. We know they are going to mostly pump out COD year in and year out til they get their ROI. BUT what if they didn't? What if those ten studios they are getting brought back old IP or made some new stuff? Let's just imagine!

Nintendo had its Indie World Direct this morning and presentations like this are always good windows into where the Indie world is going. We believe there's two types of indie devs - chargers and chasers. Chargers are the guys who seem to be in the right place, at the right time with an idea lots of people wanted and they didn't even know it. This is your Stardew Valley, or your first Battle Royale. Chasers are the guys who are making games that, while possibly wonderful, are chasing the trend established by the other guys but in their art style.  This might be the best time ever to be an indie dev, no matter which type you are. There's more tools, and platforms for your game than ever. That should be wonderful for us as consumers too, right?

Is it here?! Super Mario Bros dominating at the box office. Last of Us crushing it on streaming services. Are we finally having our Marvel moment for video game adaptations? And if we are, what comes next?

So, E3 is truly and wholly dead this time, right? With nothing on deck to replace it, and no one left to save it. Plus RE4R was fantastic, but maybe some changes took away more than they added. Add to that: Lily Gao is being harassed by the worst of the RE community over her performance. This week is a round up of mini topics because it seems like so much happened in the last week.

Community driven creative development is always a big win! If only because it means the industry is seeing what people actually want, but also because it increases the longevity of a game when you have a community that can, and is, building new content for it. We saw this with Counterstrike, Far Cry, Crysis, and even the birth of the Battle Royale from Arma 3 mods. Now that the Unreal Editor has been released - are we on the verge of new game genres like the moba or battle royale?

We all saw this coming. We had a good time last week talking about lame, but beloved villains. Of course we have to do it for our beloved heroes.  So, lets talk about why our favorite heroes are lame, and maybe why that is good.

Sorry for the delay this week - I was sick and sounded awful! This week we have decided to slaughter a sacred cow. We're going after beloved villains. A good villain should be a solid foil to your hero and they don't always have to be memorable for the game or story to be good. That being said, sometimes in the course of trying to make a villain memorable, or seem more daunting, the creator will take an otherwise fine villain and turn him LAME.  

The Yoshi P commentary really stirred the hornets nest.  The early 2000's were the wild west of the digital age. Other, more poetic, writers have said that before, and sometimes it's the only way to explain it. People from all over the world were just starting to interact with each other via online gaming, forums, or even Myspace (tm). Add to that: gaming journalism, while not new, was still sorta niche. Gaming hadn't quite exploded yet and G4, gaming magazines, websites were all targeted toward a very niche, sheltered audience made of edgy, horny, dudes. To say there were common jokes, terms, and themes that today would be viewed as ignorant at best - would be a massive understatement. The point is: if you look back and haven't changed, or can't confront that past - you might be an as*%^le. Or Adam Sessler, apparently. (I don't know that, I haven't read his tweets. Don't get mad Adam, it's just a joke.) This week's episode is all about that wild a time in the early oughts' gaming media/culture. And we aren't

I have a few friends who really love VR. The conversation usually goes in circles, beginning and ending with "how to make VR worth it". Today, former Nintendo USA CEO Reggie Fils-Amie tweeted an infographic from statista showing projections that VR will remain niche in the coming years. His commentary was " Until there is a 'must play' experience, this will be true." So what is that must play experience?

Sony released it's first State of Play for 2023 and there were a couple surprises outside of the presentation too. Let's hop in and talk about Sony's outlook for 2023!

Whole lotta GaaS games are getting the axe! Many companies who went all in on live services games are now in hot water. At one point it was considered the golden goose, with an EA CEO famously saying: "If you make a single player title and don't have micro transactions - you're a [expletive deleted} idiot." Of course they went on to get lootboxes all but banned and brought intense scrutiny to microtransactions in general. Truly the villain we needed - we thank them for their service. So, was it EA who shot the golden goose? Ubisoft or Square getting greedy? A mix? Let's discuss!

It turns out Nintendo won't be light on releases this year. Both of us were delightfully surprised by this direct. But the direct being so big is probably why they didn't want to bother going to E3. Perhaps the back half of 2023 will be light on releases...

Free to play games may be running out of GaaS and E3 won't have any of the first party publishers attending. Bubbles are bursting all over and who's to say whether it is a good or a bad thing long term. Join us as we talk about the reckoning!

For the first time in years - Microsoft seems to have a little something for everyone. Personally we were delightfully surprised by the new Tango Gameworks shadow drop - Hi Fi Rush. While this line up isn't the most exciting line up we have ever seen, it is fun. And it points to Microsoft having a very good E3 this year. Let's talk about their first six months of 2023!

Ubisoft is a sinking ship. And not just because of the latest Skull and Bones delay. It just seems like it cannot get out of their own way. From unexpected bombs like Rainbow Six Extraction, to a road map littered with GaaS titles, it can't help but feel like we are watching a once legendary publisher in its death throws.

25 years ago began possibly the greatest year in gaming. 1998 saw the likes of Metal Gear Solid, Ocarina of Time, Half Life, Resident Evil 2, Banjo Kazooie and much much more. Has there ever been a year as great for as many genres all at once? Has there ever been another year where every publisher was pushing their slate this hard? 

The first six months of 2023 has some very exciting releases. But oddly enough - the back half of 2023 is a blank calendar... Does this mean E3 2023 is going to be epic? Or will there be nothing of note?

You ever miss an old trend? Maybe a game, or genre that used to dominate. Like I miss couch co-ops. I've said it before, I'll say it again but I do. Well today's episode is all about those dead trends we think could come back or at the very least that we want to come back.