🎮 The creator of Pac-Man loved to protest while listening to Led Zeppelin

Ubisoft Is Making Accessibility Part of the Company's DNA

This is a great interview detailing the steps that Ubisoft is taking towards accessibility in games. It's been a while since I've played a Ubisoft title, so I haven't had a chance to see these options in action, but the author does a great job of highlighting Ubisoft's introduction of accessibility options in games like Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.

What stands out the most to me is that Ubisoft is more than comfortable saying that they are learning how to integrate accessibility with every game. They aren't blowing their own horn, saying they're the best. They're pointing to the community and saying, "we can do this because the community is telling us what to focus on." It's so encouraging to see a big company like Ubisoft taking accessibility so seriously from the start of the development all the way to post-launch support.

Cheers to the Ubisoft Accessibility team for leading by example.

Image credit: Ubisoft

Don't expect next-gen console launches in China anytime soon | Opinion

PSA: This is an opinion piece, so keep that in mind when reading through it.

The possibility of no next-gen consoles launching in China is hard to believe, but it might happen due to China's strict regulations on gaming. If you've been reading Load Save for a while, you probably know a bit of the background of China's gaming regulations. If you don't know about it, this article links a few helpful articles to get you caught up.

In my opinion (stemming from very limited knowledge of the situation), I could see next-gen consoles launching in China, just after the initial launch happening this Holiday. The Switch didn't officially launch in China until December 2019, more than 2 years after its initial release. Either way, Chinese gamers will still have a chance to import next-gen consoles soon after its Holiday launch, so they won't be completely without next-gen.

Image credit: PlayStation

Pac-Man Turns 40: An Exclusive Interview With The Game's Creator

Did you know the creator of Pac-Man loved listening to Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple while protesting the Japanese government in high school?

This article is such a cool look at the creation of Pac-Man and its impact on the gaming world. It's hard to believe that people didn't think that Japanese games would perform well in the States back in the 80s. Today, we owe so much of our gaming roots to Japan.

If you're looking for a little background music for this article, might I suggest this?

Oh, and in celebration of the 40th anniversary, Bandai Namco and Amazon are releasing Pac-Man Live Studio, a Twitch app that lets players play the original Pac-Man as well as create their own levels!

Happy 40th to the cheerful Puck!

Image credit: Official Pac-Man Twitter

Looking at Triple-A development and classic games bringing families together

This week was a treat. There are two great articles in the Community section about gaming bringing families together and one of them might be about The Legend of Dragoon. I'm always excited when I find one article about that subject, but this week had two, so I hope they lift your spirits as they did mine. Other than that, some of this week's articles include:

How the creation of Pac-Man changed the gaming industry

Ubisoft's drive to make every game accessible

The power of fear in Ghost of Tsushima

Thanks for checking out this week's issue. As always, stay safe and enjoy the read!

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!

You can also find Load Save on Facebook and Twitter where I post more gaming articles!

Development

'Ghost of Tsushima' Art Director on Using Fear to Fuel Samurai Combat

After seeing and reading more information about the upcoming title from Sucker Punch, Ghost of Tsushima, I can confidently say that it's my most anticipated game right now. I love the studio and I love the idea of being able to freely explore Feudal Japan.

But I am worried about a few gameplay mechanics that this article touches on. The concept of turning into the Ghost, a character that the eyes of Feudal Japan see as disrespectful because of his fighting style, is really cool, but I want the option to become the Ghost. I think this was hinted at during the gameplay trailer last week, as it showed two ways to take out an enemy camp.

Having the option to attack enemies front on or through stealth is not a new concept, but the weight that Sucker Punch is putting behind it is. Sucker Punch has said that the player won't have to choose between the Samurai and Ghosts path, which disappoints me a little bit, but I think it will make for a better experience all together. They did mention that there are certain story beats that connect with either being a Samurai or Ghost, which will be amazing. Plus, don't expect to see any Assassin's Creed-esque sword fights going on. If you're surrounded, you will be overwhelmed and killed (according to the devs).

To be honest, I'm most excited about being able to gather materials and talk to people while you're on your horse!!!! GOTY.

Image credit: Sucker Punch

Revisiting the AI of Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation is one of my favorite video games ever, so taking a look at the guts of the game is a treat to me. If you've never played Isolation, then you should go do that. But until then, all you need to know is that the game is built around the incredibly smart AI of the Alien. Isolation's developer, Creative Assembly, needed to create an AI that could live up to the menacing, genius, and horrifying character of the original Alien movie. This video showcases the inner-workings of the Alien's AI and how it's so incredible.

Sheesh, I really love this game. I've never had the same experience that Isolation gave me. The fear of hiding under a desk while the Alien stomped around the room is unmatched. I could go on and on about the design of the Alien and how it is so good, or you could go play it. You should probably do the latter.

Note: this is originally a video, but the article provides the transcription of it if you can't watch it right now.

Image credit: Creative Assembly

Q&A: Designing the gorgeous metroidvania Ori and the Will of the Wisps

Interviews and articles with Moon Studios, the developer of the Ori series, are always so pleasant to read. The team is so transparent with their work and it's clear that they love metroidvania games.

It's surprising to think that metroidvanias were "almost non-existent on the market" when development began on Ori and the Blind Forest. Since then, metroidvania's have become a hugely popular genre, with a ton of Indie games taking on the genre. Ori and the Blind Forest was one of my favorite games of 2015 and The Will of the Wisps is still in my backlog. I can't wait to get to it!

Image credit: Moon Studios

Community

Why I loved playing Duke Nukem 3D with my dad

A short but sweet look at one of my favorite things ever: video games bringing a family closer together.

Image credit: This article/Gearbox

Connecting through The Legend of Dragoon | Why I Love | GamesIndustry.biz

I can't tell you how excited I got when I saw the The Legend of Dragoon cover for this article. Let me tell you, the following story did not disappoint.

This is a beautiful story about the connection between a father and daughter that was fostered through video games, the most prominent being The Legend of Dragoon. As someone who also had a childhood marked by this incredible JRPG, I can relate to the author's perspective on so many levels. Just reading through descriptions of this levels in this game brought back so many memories.

Normally these types of articles are hard to come by, but I'm so happy that I could link two of them in one issue.

Image credit: Legend of Dragoon Fandom

Before You Go

This community is incredible

Thanks for stopping by to read this week's issue. This past week has shown me how awesome the gaming community is. I've been supporting St. Jude PLAY LIVE for a little bit, but I just found out that it has raised over $25,000,000 for St. Jude since 2014. That's incredible! It's so great to be apart of this incredible community and I'm so glad that I can talk about all the great things we've done.

If you want to donate to St. Jude PLAY LIVE, you can do so through my stream!

Thanks for sticking around. I'll see you next time!

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