Issue 3 September 6th 2019

New Releases Feel Like They're Made For Next-Gen, Not Current Gen

The title of this article is slightly misleading. While the overarching idea of this article is built from an experience with Gears of War 5, it focuses more on the industry as a whole and where the current generation stands. As we grow more and more excited for the PS5 and Xbox Scarlett, we begin to forget about our current consoles. According to this article, some developers are the same way. James O'Connor brings up a lot of great points in this piece, but the one I relate with the most is the expensive future of next gen. We don't know what the launch prices of the next consoles will be, but we do know what the cost of the accessories, like a 4K TV, will be. These are guaranteed to be advertised as "the only way to play the next AAA game," we can even see some of it now with the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. Some have already adopted these accessories but the majority of casual gamers don't have the money to buy a $1,000 TV. The goal of the video game industry should be to knock down the barriers of entry, not build them up. Hopefully the future won't restrict new people to adopt video games as a hobby. Let me know what you think. Have you had a bad gaming experience due to the game feeling like it was meant for next-gen?

Image credit: Xbox

The Future of VR Looks Bright With A $10 Million Investment

A $10 million dollar funding round is no small feat. I have not experienced VR yet, but I have always been a fan of the idea. I loved the idea of Oculus, but it was too expensive and I did not have a PC that could run something that intense. Today, there are more affordable options, but the lack of a robust library makes me hesitant to get into it. I still have high hopes for the future of VR though, and news like this is encouraging to see for the medium. Pair this with the announcement of Ubisoft doing making one of their major titles into a VR experience, and you get a bright future for VR.

Double Fine Presents' Future Looks Uncertain Under Microsoft

Tim Schafer is a big name in gaming, especially in the indie scene. For those of you who don't know, Schafer is founder of Double Fine and Double Fine Presents. Double Fine was one of the most notable independent developers of the past decade, known for their quirky games and commitment to the independent gaming community. Double Fine Presents is the publisher extension of Double Fine. They focused on supporting small indie games that would normally not have a way to launch their games. With the announcement of Double Fine's acquisition by Microsoft at this year's E3, the question of Double Fine Presents' fate comes up. Based on this article, Schafer doesn't know what will happen. Double Fine Presents may be scrapped, but the promise of no layoffs from the acquisition makes me wonder if Microsoft will employ those who worked at Presents and make them Microsoft employees who still carry out the same job of working with small developers. This seems like a good option to explore. It also hints at a future of Xbox where they focus on providing small developers with the tools needed to make their games and the finances to stay in business. Maybe this is a step towards a more publishing-centric Xbox than we've seen before. That excites me. Imagine a future where a company as impactful as Microsoft focuses on bringing unique games to life for all platforms instead of pushing a script of console exclusivity. A future where everyone can have access to the same beautiful and fun games, that sounds like a good time! What do you think? Would this be a smart move for Xbox or should they focus on console exclusivity? Let me know!

Image Credit: Double Fine Twitter

Nintendo Switch Online Won't Be Updated With New Games On A Monthly Basis

The initial read through of this article left me somewhat bummed. But after thinking about it for a while, I realized how it's not all that bad. One of the reasons I love Nintendo is because of their spontaneous announcements. This change to the release of games for Nintendo Switch Online adds to the spontaneity of the Nintendo model. Instead of getting one to two games a month, we could get four or five games in two months. That's like a little present out of the blue every few months. I'm looking forward to this Nintendo switch up (ba-dum-tss.) I would love to see Goof Troop added to the lineup, but I doubt it would happen due to copyright. What are some games you want added to the SNES catalogue?

Image credit: Nintendo

Nintendo Rocks The Beginning of September

As gamers were resting before the major releases begin next week, Nintendo gave them a delightful wake up call in the form of a Nintendo Direct. This Direct was one for the history books, announcing so much for their flagship console, the Nintendo Switch. If you want a kick, watch this video of Nintendo fans reacting to the Direct at the Nintendo store in New York. The first link this week is a roundup of everything announced in the Direct. In short, our cup runneth over. If you aren't too interested in Nintendo, we have a few other articles not pertaining to the Direct! The end of 2019 is going to be packed with game releases, and I can't wait to cover as many of them as I can. Thanks for sticking with me this far!

Prepare yourself for the onslaught of video games and, as always, enjoy the read!

Development

Creative Director Of Ghostwire Tokyo Leaves Company

If you kept up with the gaming community at all during this year's E3, you'll probably recognize Ikumi Nakamura's face. She became the face of happiness for gaming for the following weeks of E3 because of her unaltered joy that was evident during her short presentation. Nakamura announced Ghostwire: Tokyo, a new IP from Tango Gameworks. The short trailer teased a cool horror game based in Tokyo. Tango Gameworks have a history with inventive horror games, such as The Evil Within, so fans were excited to see what they would do next. Nakamura also worked as head concept artist on this title, so her representing this new game added to the hype. Along with revealing Ghostwire: Tokyo, Nakamura revealed that she would be creative director on this new game. In light of her leaving Tango Gameworks, many are left wondering what the cause of her actions are. In most cases, a creative director leaving during the development of a new game is not a good sign. This is even more worrisome since the new game is a completely new IP that does not have the luxury of high brand awareness. It is highly unlikely that Nakamura or Tango Gameworks will speak about why she left, but we might hear stories from inside the game studio after the launch of Ghostwire. Regardless of what happens, I wish Nakamura the best in her future endeavors and I hope that Tango Gameworks can create an awesome experience in Ghostwire: Tokyo.

Image credit: Bethesda

A Splinter Cell VR Game Becomes More Likely

I'm putting this in the newsletter this week because it connects well with the Splinter Cell article from last week's newsletter. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this article does a quick recap of the recent talkings of Splinter Cell (or you could go read last week's newsletter which is probably the better decision). The interesting discussion here is when would be a good time to announce a new Splinter Cell? Historically, this time of the year is focused on releases, not announcements (excluding Nintendo). In my mind, a great move for Ubisoft would be to announce the new title and slate it for a Holiday 2019 release. I'm a sucker for a close release date when game's are first announced, like Bethesda did with Fallout 4 a few years ago. What do you think? Is this just a flash in the pan rumor or do you think Ubisoft is about to make a big announcement?

Why You Should Play Star Wars: Jedi Knight On The Switch

File this one under why the Switch is still the coolest console this generation. I never got too involved in the Jedi Knight game series or their spin-offs, but I do vividly remember my older brothers playing and falling in love with them. I love how this article highlights the appeal of these games and how it doesn't get old. The idea that I'll be able to experience the same story and (hopefully) the same joy that my brothers did over a decade ago is incredible. Bridging the gap between generations is one of the reasons why video games are so powerful. I'm excited to experience these games for the first time on the Switch. Star Wars: Jedi Knight will be available September 24th.

Image credit: Nintendo

Reviews

Blair Witch Video Game Review

Another week, another game review. The majority of what I've read about this new Blair Witch game says that it's a mediocre horror game that doesn't get everything right. According to reviews, the atmosphere is spooky (as it should be) but the game mechanics are lacking. To me, the biggest failure of Blair Witch is the lack of marketing. I heard about this game at E3 this year and then I didn't hear about it again until last week. I would think that a game that has this large of a brand behind it would advertise itself better, but unfortunately it did not. Luckily, it's on Xbox Game Pass, which is good for two reasons. One: the developers most likely have a good contract with Microsoft and aren't at risk of taking a big financial hit due to the performance of sales. Two: Gamers can try this game out for themselves while skipping a big price tag. I never count out the chance that a game could become a cult classic despite its drawbacks, and I think Blair Witch could become just that.

Gears Of War 5 Review Roundup

Because I don't have any experience with the Gears Of War franchise, I don't have a big opinion about this new release. I'm happy for all the fans, and it seems to be that most fans are happy with this new entry. For you, I've linked a roundup of all of the reviews for Gears 5. If you've played it, let me know your review of it!

Before You Go

The End of The Beginning

It's the end of the newsletter, but it's the beginning of some big video game releases. Next week, Borderlands 3 releases. After that, we have a few games releasing at the end of the month. You can expect to see some reviews of these games in the newsletter along with my personal takes. I'm excited to see what people think of BL3. Let me know what you think of anything that's happened this week and what games you're excited to play in the coming weeks. Have a great week!

Required Reading

September Nintendo Direct Roundup

The Nintendo Direct was by far the biggest news in video games this week. Instead of linking individual articles about each announcement, I'll drop a link to a round-up of the entire Direct. It was a doozy! So many unexepected games announced, which continues to make the Switch appealing to so many audiences. Some of my favorite announcements were: Return of Obra Dinn, Little Town Hero, Deadly Premonition, Pokemon: Sword and Shield (specifically the customization), SNES games coming to Nintendo Switch Online, and finally, Star Wars: Jedi Knight. I'm most excited for these because I think they're all going to be great on the Switch. RIP to my wallet.

Image credit: Nintendo