🎮 PlayStation brings the heat and My Little Pony brings the punches

PlayStation Studios brand will launch alongside PS5

Last week was Xbox's turn in the spotlight, this week was PlayStation's. Out of nowhere (as all of PS5's announcements have been), PlayStation announced the new PlayStation Studios, the overarching studio that includes all of PlayStation's first parties. Imagine Xbox Game Studios, but with PlayStation instead (and it looks like PlayStation took more than just the idea from Xbox).

On top of that, we saw the first gameplay from a PS5, thanks to Epic's reveal of Unreal Engine 5. Both of these announcements were on the same day. Oh, and Sucker Punch went in-depth about Ghosts of Tsushima on Thursday during PlayStation's State of Play. So PS worked overtime this week.

It was funny to witness PlayStation blow it out of the water this week in terms of gameplay while Xbox failed to meet expectations last week. The difference in marketing may have played a part in the end results of both presentations, which makes me wonder if this is an early indication of how marketing of next-gen will go for both players in the future.

Will Xbox continue to hype weeks/months in advance only to disappoint? Will PlayStation continue to stay quiet and shock people with surprise announcements? Only time will tell. Let me know your thoughts!

Image credit: PlayStation

Here's The Not-E3 2020 Press Conference Schedule

Consider this a preemptive link for a summer that is going to be filled with game announcements. Because all announcements are happening digitally, a lot of companies are opting for the element of surprise, meaning PlayStation and Nintendo really love to preview a big announcement that's happening two days from now. Add in the frequent interviews and reveals of Summer Game Fest, and you get a lot of information that could happen at any time. So this is a good resource to check back on to see what's coming up in gaming announcements.

This is a good one to bookmark.

Image credit: This article/ESA

How the Game & Watch Impacted Nintendo's Handheld Gaming Product Vision

I'm not gonna lie, I nerded out while watching this video. It touches on so many business aspects that I've been learning in University for years and discusses how Nintendo knocked it out of the park with their approach.

If you like Nintendo, great business strategy, or looking at the history of gaming, this video will blow. your. mind.

Image credit: This video

“The world of loading screens is over,” but you’re still going to make me crawl through a damn rock

This author has a bone to pick with shimmying through a rock opening.

I don't completely agree with this take (it was also clarified that the section in question was not a loading screen). I enjoyed squeezing through rocks in certain games as it can add to the tension of what's on the other side. I remember playing Outlast with all the lights off and headphones on (the way it should be played). I was shimmying through some shelves, shaking with anticipation of what was on the other side, when a big ugly grabbed me from behind, forcing my first-person camera to whip around and see this mutant. That was when I physically jumped, turned off the game, and never played it again. It was a great experience!

But the last bit of this article is what I agree with. While the entire world is losing their mind about the Unreal Engine 5 Demo, I didn't quite feel the same. I understand the excitement of what's possible, but we won't see this for a the next few years as game devs will be making games that are compatible across generations. So while this looks amazing, is it something we can actually expect? I'm not so sure.

Let me know what you thought about the Demo. Are you a bit skeptical or are you 100% on the hype train?

Image credit: Epic Games

Let's Take A Breather

What are your favorite gaming websites?

I want Load Save to grab articles from all across the web, but there are a lot of gaming sites with a lot of great content. So what's your favorite website? I want to highlight different opinion pieces and stray away from linking the same authors every week. Shoot me an email and let me know some of your favorite sites and authors!

Things are heating up

This week was PlayStation's week to shine with its showcase of next-gen capabilities. Although that was the gaming highlight of most people's week, there are some articles that you have to read, like

How Nintendo's Game & Watch impacted their whole gaming outlook

The work that goes into localising video games

How a My Little Pony game made its way to EVO

These are only some of the great articles from this past week. Find even more of them below, plus I finally found a super easy way for you to send me any comments or questions about each week's issue. All you have to do is click a link and Gmail should pull open a draft email already addressed to me (the link is below). I'm looking forward to hearing from y'all!

As always, enjoy the read and stay safe!

Let's Talk!

Each issue of Load Save is filled with articles that encourage discussion. If you have any comments on this week's issue or just want to say hey, shoot me an email!

Development

PlayStation's Long, Complicated History with Backward Compatibility

As we get closer and closer to finding out more about the PS5, one question stands out in my mind: "How will backwards compatibility work with the PS5?" We already know that most of the PS4 games will be playable on the new system, but I'm still holding out hope that classics from the PS1 and PS2 era will be playable as well. I mean, how else am I going to play The Legend of The Dragoon? (pleasemakearemake).

It hurts everytime I read about the cell processor of the PS3. I remember the pain of trying to get my PS2 discs to work. Day after day of downloading the PS2 emulator again, inserting the disc, and seeing an error message. Hopefully, that dreaded error message won't be seen on the PS5.

Image credit: Nikita Kostrykin

Why localisation is a vital part of games writing

Load Save has had a few articles about localisation, translation, and culturalization in past articles. Each article I read about these topics surprises me with how deep they go. I, like most gamers, never put much thought into the effort behind localisation. I assumed it was as simple as translating a game's script into a different language, but there's so much more.

This article goes in-depth about the intricacies of localisation and translation in video games and media as a whole. It's a great read that will definitely expand your mind.

Image credit: Ludo Narra Con

Gaps and Pauses: The Role of Negative Space in Games

It can be super fun to jump into a game with a lot going on. There’s nothing like starting up a new RPG and uncovering every secret each corner has to hide. I’m playing The Witcher 3 right now, and that’s the case for me. Every house has something in it, every village has some underlying quest. But eventually, this leads to burnout. This is where negative space can be a welcome reprieve.

In another article listed in this week’s issue, “'The world of loading screens is over,' but you’re still going to make me crawl through a damn rock,” I mention how crawling in between a stack of shelves built suspense in Outlast. This is a great example of negative space being a coverup for load screens and a way to build up to a huge scare. Negative space is something that makes video games feel so much more like art, but it can be misused.

Take a look at Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a game that I would have adored if it wasn’t for the graphical errors. Fallen Order uses plenty of negative space with its elevators, which are common throughout the planets. But there’s no reprieve provided, no interesting exposition, only a jumpy screen as the game desperately tries to load the next area.

Nevertheless, negative space can be a great way to add layers to a game and I hope to see more of it in next-gen.

Image credit: Konami

p.s. Insert my favorite use of negative space, the incredibly long ladder.

Perfect Dark Turns 20 - The Definitive Story Behind The N64 Hit That Outclassed James Bond

This is a late addition, i.e. I'm adding it 30-minutes before this issue is scheduled to launch!

I missed Perfect Dark, but I understood the significance of this game and impact it had on the industry. This is a hefty read, so hopefully you can find some time in your quarantine to read through this great article.

Image credit: Nintendo Life

Community

How a rejected My Little Pony game helped save a historic tournament

I never would have thought that My Little Pony would be somehow be connected with EVO, a huge fighting game tournament. But here I am, reading an article that tells a wonderful story of a community coming together to make a dream reality, not to mention that the reality was an incredible game.

Image credit: Mane6

Before You Go

Summer is in full swing

Sumer is in full effect, and that means game announcements are on the horizon. This is such an exciting time in gaming behind we are on the cusp of next-gen, so everything announced is going to look larger than life. I can't wait for the future of this industry and for the future of this newsletter.

Remember you can find Load Save on Twitter and Facebook! I'll be posting more articles throughout the week on those platforms, so stop by and say hey.

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

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