🎮 A refreshing look inside the industry, development, and community

Doom Eternal's Soundtrack Has Been A Trainwreck

I linked the first article in this issue a few weeks ago, when fans of DOOM: Eternal's music noticed that some songs were clipped and didn't sound like the original composer's work. Unfortunately, their suspensions were somewhat proven true when the composer, Mick Gordon, confirmed it on Twitter.

Now, reps from id Software (developer of DOOM Eternal) have made a huge long Reddit post to defend themselves. After reading, it seems like id had to do what they had to do. In the end, they're trying to reach a deadline and put a game out, which resulted in a soundtrack that wasn't completely Mick Gordon's.

This article covers the highlights of the Reddit post, but you can read the full post here if you'd like.

Image credit: id Software

How Necrosoft's flat pay structure led to better publishing deals

I admit it: I love stories that take an in-depth look at the structure of game companies. This article is really incredible because it shows the guts of an indie dev who is taking a different approach with its pay structure. One that can often be seen as a suicide for companies: a flat pay structure. This basically means everyone gets paid the same, with the boss getting the same amount as the new hire. It's crazy to think that would ever work, but this article is a great example of it working better than a traditional pay structure.

Image credit: Necrosoft

Just For Laughs

The 9 best road trips in PC games

If you're like me, you're itching to go on a road trip. Unfortunately, we can't do that because of social distancing and lockdowns (even though some states or lifting the lockdown). Luckily, we have video games that can emulate that feeling of a journey.

Oh, and there's some fun commentary that is bound to make you laugh!

Image credit: This article/Square Enix

p.s. I would like to rally with everyone who's played The Oregon Trail and let Brendan Caldwell know that, yes, we have played it and, yes, we have felt the pain of dying from a poop-related illness.

Next-gen is now

This week, Xbox held their Inside Xbox event, which showcased a lot of really cool games that are all confirmed for the Xbox Series X. Watching it was the first time that I felt like next-gen is really here. It was also the first time that I felt this way about next-gen. It's hard to put my finger on it, but this feels totally different from last gen's jump to current gen. Graphics aren't the bell of the ball anymore, which means there's a lot of room of selling points for all of next-gen contenders. My most anticipated feature of next-gen is reduced loading times. If they can really pull it off, I'll be shocked.

Other than that, this week we take a lot of great looks inside game studios and their development processes and some incredible stories from the gaming community. Here's a few highlights:

How do developers deal with depicting war in video games?

How bootleg vinyl records is ruining the video game music industry

An incredibly in-depth Final Fantasy VII that spans years and media

This issue contains a lot of articles that bring up a lot of points to discuss. I would love to hear your thoughts. You tweet me, message me on Facebook, or respond to this email! I'm always keeping an eye on responses, so I'll be sure to respond.

Thanks for taking the time to check out this week's issue. As always, stay safe and enjoy the read!

Development

Can video games depict war responsibly?

This question is one that developers will deal with for the rest time. It expands beyond gaming as well, as any type of entertainment that depicts war will be faced with multiple challenges when creating their work. The most obvious game brought to mind is Call of Duty, as it's one of the most popular games in history and it's constantly in the market. This article takes a good look at COD and other war games and how their developers have dealt with making games about something so destructive.

Image credit: Call of Duty

Report claims Dying Light 2 doesn’t “have a vertical slice” yet, but Techland says the game is playable from start to finish

Translations can always be a sticky thing in games (and, well, everything.) Some people rush to translate something to break a big headline only to realize they did a shoddy job and messed up the translation, while others purposefully mistranslate something to bend the truth. In this situation, I have a feeling that it's the latter.

I don't claim to be an expert on translation, but I feel like it's hard to mistranslate "The game is in fine shape." According to this Polski Gamedev article, Dying Light 2 is in shambles, with no direction and only a mess to show for it. However, the PR manager of Techland (Dying Light 2 developer), Ola Sondej, says the game is doing fine. On top of that, a few developers working on the game says it's progressing well and only struggling with problems that all game dev struggles with.

Someone in this scenario is lying. It could be the translator, the sources of the Polski article, or Techland. Whoever it is, the truth will come out in some way. It could take years, but we'll find out.

Image credit: Techland

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Livestream Was a Tedious Way to Reveal An Exciting Game

Disclaimer: I don't agree with this take, but I understand where the author is coming from based on the support throughout the article.

Load Save is meant to take a deeper look at industry news and I don't want that drive to be influenced by my own personal opinions. I thought that the art livestream for Assassin's Creed: Valhalla was a great marketing idea because it drew so much attention. I haven't been interested in the AC franchise for the past few years, but seeing the announcement of this livestream done by a personal favorite artist of mine made me watch along. I can't imagine a surprise trailer or complicated ARG convincing me to do the same.

That being said, I do understand the author's point. The stream was 8-hours and it did focus a lot on minute details of the artwork, something that I'm sure over 75% of viewers did not care about. However, it was accompained by the incredible AC soundtrack, which made it great background music while I worked.

Overall, it all comes down to personal opinion, and I hope that I can continue to make Load Save a place where we explore other's opinions. What did you think about the art livestream?

In other Assassin's Creed: Valhalla news, people are upset that they didn't show actual gameplay in this week's Inside Xbox presentation.

Image credit: Ubisoft

Community

Are bootleg game soundtracks damaging the industry?

As a fan of video game music and vinyl records, this article was a great read. A few weeks ago, I linked an article about the ongoing fight between VGM composers and YouTube pages that would post their work without permission. This week, we take a look at a similar problem, but this time it's with bootleg vinyl records.

I was surprised to learn that vinyl records is one of the biggest markets for video game music. It totally makes sense as people want to own a piece of a game that means so much to them and it definitely seems like a market that a lot of companies are missing out on (coughNintendocough).

I also can't help but think that these bootlegs would decrease if companies like Nintendo would officially release their soundtracks on streaming services. Because they refuse to put the time and effort into it, fans are forced to listen to unofficial versions online or buy bootleg versions. I know that there is a lot of time, effort, and resources that would go into creating official releases of this music, but I feel like it would benefit these companies in the long run.

What's one gaming soundtrack that you would love to have an official vinyl release of?

Image credit: Iam8bit

Q&A: How Jackbox CEO Mike Bilder is grappling with quarantine-driven success

There's a good chance that you've passed the QuaranTime by playing a Jackbox Party game with friends over video conferencing. I have a few times and it's a great way to laugh and reconnect with some friends while social distancing. This interview talks directly with Mike Bilder, the CEO of Jackbox, about how they've handled their huge surge in popularity.

One thing that popped out to me was the 10-episode charity event where celebrities play Jackbox to raise money for COVID-19 charities. The event is still going on, with new episodes streaming every Friday night at 9 PM ET. Here's the Twitch link!

Image credit: Jackbox Games

Final Fantasy VII's Loveless Easter Egg, Explained

This is an icnredibly in-depth article on one man's search to find the meaning behind Loveless, a poster shown for a few seconds in the original Final Fantasy VII.

It sounds ridiculous, and it kind of is, but there's so much behind this small part of Final Fantasy VII's world that it becomes incredible. This just goes to show how in-depth Square Enix's worlds can be.

Playing The Legend of Zelda 20 years ago taught me life lessons that I'm rediscovering now

I'll always be a fan of reading someone's experience of jumping back into a gaming after a large break (or for the first time.) This article isn't an exception, as Osman Faruqi describes the joy of exploring a new world in a familiar series.

This article doesn't stop there. It goes further and describes the role of social media and gaming during this pandemic. The feeling of community brought on by people talking about old games or new games is one reason why I love social media in this strange time.

Plus, this article shows the great experience of a kid getting through a difficult game level thanks to an online chat room. That's an experience you'll never forget.

Image credit: Legend of Zelda Anthology

Shoutout: I found this article thanks to another great gaming newsletter, Gamedev.js Weekly. Check it out if you want more gaming related content in the form of an email!

Before You Go

The streaming has begun

I've been talking about it for the past few issues, but I finally have a solid streaming schedule in place! Tuesdays will be PS4 games, which right now is Warzone, Battlefront II, or Fallout 76. Thursdays will be dedicated to PC games, which I have a lot that I want to get through!

Next Thursday's stream I'll be beating Celeste! So make sure to drop by and say hey if you can!

Thanks again for taking the time to read this week's issue of Load Save. I'll see you next time!

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