Issue 4

Details On Ghosting, Racism, and Employee Abuse Inside Indie Developer Nicalis

This is a long read, but it's important. While the title of this article attributes some mistake to the game publisher Nicalis, it seems that the majority of the issues stem from the company's president, Tyrone Rodriguez. The article details the issues of ghosting, racism, and abuse apparent inside Nicalis. It's important to read these kind of articles and understand what is happening in the industry so we can stop it. It should be a crime to prey on someone's passions to get them to work in unimaginable conditions. This is what happened in Nicalis. If we let this go unchecked, it will continue to grow within the industry and push talented people out of the field. We can't let people in positions of power ruin others' love of video games. It is important to note that Nicalis' ghosting seemed to be rooted in a lack of prioritization. This is a bad business practice, but it's not as despicable as the way that Rodriguez treated his employees. What are you thoughts about this? Do you think this is a contained situation or do you think it's prevalent in the industry?

Image credit: Nicalis Twitter

GameStop To Close 200 Stores

Most of us remember the days when it was a treat to go to Gamestop. When I would go the mall with my family, I looked forward to hanging out in Gamestop and playing the demos for as long as I could. Those days seem to falling away. Gamestop is trying to remain in business in some sense, but it looks like it won't be as a brick-and-mortar store. I can't imagine what strategy would implement saving the physical stores. If they cut down on the quantity, then the average consumer will be 25 miles away from the nearest location. What will drive the consumer to make the trip to Gamestop? If this is their plan, they will have to increase the quality of the stores to encourage people to visit. In its current state, Gamestop stores are a hassle. You can't go buy a game without four or five rewards/membership programs being shoved down your throat. I hate to see people lose their jobs, but we live in a different culture that doesn't support Gamestop. Gamestop needs to adapt, and I'll be impressed if they can make it out on the other side.

Image credit: Gamestop

The Action's In Tokyo

It all went down in Tokyo this week. Tokyo Game Show, or TGS, is happening right now and we're getting some in-depth looks at heavy hitters like Death Stranding and Final Fantasy VII Remake. Like last week's Nintendo Direct, I'll drop a link to a roundup of all the exciting news coming out of Tokyo this week. Aside from that, we have a few somber stories about the future of brick-and-mortar game stores as well as abuse in the video game industry. As always, I would love to hear your feedback. Respond to this email to let me know what you think or to just say hey! You can also find me on Twitter @SethMcMorris.

Thanks for clicking, enjoy the read!

Development

Anthem Joins EA Subscription Service

This seems like the smart move for Anthem. In the inaugural issue of Load Save, I wrote about Anthem's decline following the quiet release of the Cataclysm patch. It's been seven months since launch, and it seems like EA isn't too concerned with making this game as awesome as it could be. I can see the developers providing updates to make sure that the game runs smoothly but not focusing on adding new elements to the game to bring in new players. Nothing is wrong with catering to your current player base, but it's still a bummer for the disappointed fans that were let down by the rushed release of Anthem. Most companies go through a "dark period" of making ill-advised decisions and mistakes but eventually will course correct. Do you think EA can do this? Or is this another nail in the coffin?

Image credit: EA

Pokemon Sword and Shield Might Have An Autosave Option

I was playing Pokemon: Let's Go Eevee just the other day and I thought "man, I wish this had autosave." There's been countless times that I'll forget to save, turn off the console, and lose hours of progress. Am I a dumb person? Yes, but autosaving is something that we've grown used to in the video game community. Purists will still say it makes games too easy, but I enjoy the extra safety net. This article brings up the interesting point of strategic saves used to manipulate Pokemon levels and catch rates, which I never knew about. However, I would be surprised if the option to manually save was removed. If Game Freak is smart about this, they'll implement options to toggle autosaves and manuel saves. What do you think? Are you for or against auto saving in Pokemon?

Fallout 76's In-Game Store Gives Fans The Cold Shoulder

Fallout 76 really can't catch a break. It's not that people are being overly harsh on it, it's that the dev team keeps making mistakes like this. Transparency is the key word for video game culture today, but it's a pretty big mistake to say that you're being transparent but act in a non transparent way. It makes me sad because so many people were ready to give Fallout 76 another chance after this past year's E3, but it looks like Bethesda wants to stay in their grave. I'm excited to see the statistics for returning players after the big "Wastelanders" update launching soon.

I wrote about how I felt about Fallout 76 six months after its release. Spoiler alert: I wasn't a fan. In my article I say that I wouldn't return to the game, but this new update looks very enticing. Somebody stop me before I get disappointed again

Image credit: Bethesda

Reviews

Borderlands 3 In-Depth Review

This is a great in-depth review of Borderlands 3. I was initially excited for the announcement of BL3, but the "charm" of the Borderlands world didn't feel the same. After reading this article, I figured out that it's because I'm not as interested in the crude nature of these games as I once was. I remember feeling this way about halfway through Borderlands 2, and it's sad to see that the series hasn't evolved much since then. If you're interested in a thorough (and slightly negative) look at Borderlands, this a great read.

Image credit: Borderlands Twitter

Borderlands 3 Review Roundup

For those of you who don't like to read long reviews, here's the roundup of scores from a few different outlets.

Community

EA Has The Most Downvoted Reddit Comment, Receives Guinness World Record

I wonder if EA received a plaque from Guinness World Record. I really hope they did. Someday, this article will be found by historians. They'll study it and wonder "what were loot boxes?" Then, one of these historians will break off and revive the loot box model, becoming the villain of the future age. Actually, that'll be the plot of my new movie. I'll call it "The Loot Box Coffin"™.

Image credit: EA Twitter

Dreamcast's 20th Anniversary: Interviewing Those At The Frontline

This week marked the Dreamcast's 20th anniversary. I heard multiple opinions on the Dreamcast this week, ranging from "it was ahead of its time," to "people are blinded by nostalgia glasses. It really wasn't that good." I find myself somewhere in the middle. The Dreamcast is and will always be a great mystery to me. I love hearing the crazy stories about the Dreamcast and learning more about what video game culture was like, which is why this article is so great. Perhaps the Dreamcast had ideas that were ahead of its time, but that's not the reason it will be remembered for generations to come. The real reason is because Dreamcast developers had the idea to make Seaman. Just watch this commercial for it and cringe with me.

Image credit: Gamasutra

Long Read

Red Dead Online’s Frontier Update Makes The World Fun Again

It took me about five months to beat Red Dead Redemption 2. Now I'm a slow gamer, but RDR2 took me so long that my friends were shocked that I still had not beaten it after four months. Needless to say, I loved the game. I loved riding across the map to complete one side quest of teaching a widow how to survive. I loved missions like these not because they were fun, but because I had a connection with the characters involved. The world was alive, and every trek across the plains of New Hanover was a new experience. This article reminded me of the way I felt playing the story of RDR2. It's hard to emulate the feeling of that world, but it looks like RDR Online has done it well with the Frontier Update. I love seeing a redemption (pun intended) story of games. RDR Online launched to a lukewarm response, with an empty world and player griefing that scared away new players. This update adds something to do in the Online world and provides a perfect excuse for role players to jump back into the world of RDR2. Cheers to Rockstar for a great update, and happy trails to the players!

Image credit: Rockstar Games

Before You Go

Thanks For Stopping By

Thanks for checking out another edition of Load Save. Borderlands 3 was the first of a list of major releases coming out over the next few months, and although it didn't impress everybody, I'm glad that it met the needs of those who wanted more Borderlands Insanity. Will upcoming releases like Death Stranding turn out the same way? Or will they break records? I can't wait to find out and let you know what I think about them.

Until next time!

Required Reading

Tokyo Game Show Roundup

Tokyo Game Show has been the biggest source of news in gaming this week. Rather than drown you with details about every announcement from TGS, I'll link a roundup of announcements that you can peruse through at your leisure. The Show runs until Sunday, September 15th, so announcements will still be coming out after this issue is released. Keep up with them at this link! So far, my favorites have been Kojima convincing more people about Death Stranding, even though I'm already sold, Final Fantasy VII Remake looks sick, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot looks insanely fun.

Image credit: metro.co.uk