The War of Consoles comes to an end... also, Beans

The console war is over

An interesting look at the console wars. Exactly what I've been saying about Xbox and PlayStation's different value propositions. And with Xbox's reveal that every game they showed this past week will be available for Game Pass at launch, it couldn't be more clear that Xbox is not pushing to sell the most next-gen consoles.

Sadly, the discourse between consoles is unending. Gamers on social media continue to compare screenshots and clips of Halo: Infinite and The Last of Us Part II and show how Xbox is bound to lose next-gen. Obviously these games are two different genres so a comparison holds no water, but I don't think that people will stop arguing about it until next-gen is here and we see the loads of cash that Xbox is bringing in through its services.

Make no mistake, PlayStation will have no problem selling the PS5, but Xbox will have the luxury of a huge recurring revenue while PlayStation will need to focus on continuing sales with incredible games.

Image credit: Kamil S

Amidst pandemic, the ESA focuses on positive impacts of gaming

The ESA is present in a lot of aspects of gaming, albeit mostly behind-the-scenes. They're keeping a pulse on the industry and keeping track of international trade agreements and possible tariffs that would impact the gaming community. Even though we haven't heard from the ESA a lot this year (thanks to the cancellation of E3 2020), their input is still valuable and informative.

Overall, this interview shows a knowledgeable take on the current happenings in the gaming world. But, I was disappointed by ESA CEO Stanley Pierre-Louis' response to the rampant abuse that came to light over the past month. He dodges and turns it into an opportunity to say that the ESA has always done well instead of straight-out condemning these actions. I understand that there's a lot of politics at play in this situation, especially for a company that is essentially connected with every major gaming company, but it's disappointing to see someone in a place of power fail to use their position to make a stance.

Image credit: The ESA

Xbox showed off this week

Welcome back to another issue of Load Save! This week's biggest headline was Xbox's game showcase. If you missed it, you can watch it here. We'll talk about it some more later in the issue, but I thought it was good! It got me hyped for next-gen, but not necessarily for Xbox Series X. If anything, it reinforced the awesomeness of Game Pass. If I get into Xbox's ecosystem, it will be because of that.

When there's a big event in the middle of the week, a lot of great articles that aren't related to it are often overlooked. So other than Xbox, we take a look at:

The CEO of ESA focuses on the positivity inside the industry

The sticky history of Samurai in Japan and how it impacts current political environment

How new game studio Beans plan to create some great games

I hope you enjoy this issue. Crazy to think that 2 weeks from now will be Issue 50! Thanks for sticking with me this whole time.

Enjoy the read, stay safe, and I'll see you next time!

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 shoot me a tweet or find me on Facebook.

Development

Ghost of Tsushima, Kurosawa, and the political myth of the samurai

Articles like these are why I firmly believe video game criticism should be encouraged. This game is really good. It's a blast to play and the visuals are beautiful. The developers have stated multiple times that they approached this historical period as respectfully as possible, but in the end, this is still a video game with a intent of making the player have fun. So while I agree with a lot of points made in this article, I think we should remember that Ghost of Tsushima is a video game, not a historical movie.

Also, as gamers, we have the ability to develop our own thoughts about the situation throughout the game. Dealing with the strict class separation in the game is something that we have to grapple with even though it's never directly addressed in the game (which I'm assuming since I still haven't beaten it.) We're also constantly reminded that we have to bend the rules of the Bushido Code if we want to beat the enemy. Other than some story missions that require stealth, you have the choice to fight the enemy in an honorable, Samurai-improved way in every open-world encounter you have. There's been a lot of times that I want to fight an enemy head-on in a way that I'm sure a Samurai would, only to be stymied by two or three other enemies attacking at once. Then I have to result to cheaper tactics like running away, using my kunai (which are super overpowered) or other ways. This pushes us to develop opinions about this game. We aren't just robots and that should be celebrated.

Let me know what you think about this. Is Ghost of Tsushima too problematic to be enjoyed? Shoot me an email!

Image credit: DotPone on Twitter

Fueling a new studio with healthy brains and healthy Beans

Normally I wouldn't cover the announcement of a new game studio, but this one caught my eye for a bunch of reasons. First off, the company is just called Beans. Nothing edgy or pretentious, just Beans.

Secondly, their website is something you have to see for yourself. (& yes, AliensInTheBible is a real website).

Lastly, their announcement of the studio comes at a time when Ubisoft is on fire. Many of their executives have been accused of sexual assault and stories of abuse and awful scenarios are coming out of the woodwork.

So, in a space where there's so many terrible stories about this company overlord, it's refreshing to read about two of their ex-employees creating something crazy and imaginative. I can't wait to see what Beans first game is going to look like.

Image credit: Beans

Clarifying Just How Exclusive The Xbox Series X’s Third-Party Exclusives Are

Microsoft is really good about making an announcement that makes everyone go "wowww" and then having it become super confusing before the end of the day (see Smart Delivery). This is exactly where their recent reveal that the games they announced at this week's game reveal were "Console Exclusive Launch."

According to Xbox, that means "confirmed for Xbox Series X. Probably coming to other consoles, but we're not sure. lol". Plus, that goes against Phil Spencer's statement about exclusivity. Most of Xbox Series X's marketing has been about everyone playing, their services, and spreading it to as many platforms as possible/ Now they're trying to market upcoming games as exclusives? It just doesn't make much sense.

Also, can someone talk to me about CrossfireX's trailer using a breathy, emotional cover of "X Gon' Give It To Ya" originally by DMX, because that had me howling when I first it. Please, watch this trailer and tell me how terrible of a decision this was.

Image credit: Xbox

Community

US Army Will Reportedly Halt Twitch Activities After Backlash

I've been talking about this for the past few weeks so I felt like it was important to follow-up on its current situation.

I think it's good that the Army is stopping for now. It would have been different if they hadn't done anything wrong, but hosting a blatantly fake giveaway is pretty terrible. If a smaller streamer had done that, they would probably run the risk of being banned from Twitch.

I also agree with AOC's proposal to restrict the Army from using video games to try and recruit people. Rock Paper Shotgun put it perfectly (this is me ad libbing though): what good is it to try and recruit people who's biggest interaction with guns is games like Call of Duty?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Shoot me and email and let me know!

Image credit: Twitch

Before You Go

One week closer to next-gen preorders

No, preorders for next-gen haven't been announced yet, but we're inevitably closer now than we were before. It's going to destroy my bank account, but I haven't been this excited for something in a long time.

Thanks for reading this week's issue. I'll see you next time!