Load Save - 🎮 - Xbox's marketing spread, Among Us' rise to the top, & more

Gaming coverage is growing at Bloomberg, The Washington Post and Wired

It's fun to look at an outside view of gaming. Maybe you're like me and you've noticed a lot more people talking about gaming. But even I'm surprised when I see a list of huge publications that have dove into covering gaming news because the industry is growing so fast.

It's a cool feeling to know that so many people are investing in an industry that you've been a part of for so long. When I was younger I was always nervous to say that my hobby was gaming because I didn't want to be judged, but today that's not a worry. In fact, it can be one of the best conversation starters.

I'm really happy to be riding this wave of gaming popularity by creating content. It's technically not the best because it's being flooded by people so the chances of me getting views/subscribers/any indication of success are low, but it's a fun feeling that I'm a part of this huge movement. Yeah video games!

Xbox's next-generation strategy threatens to disrupt the console business l Opinion

This week was Xbox's time to shine (I feel like I've said that before...)

After a graceful recovery from the leaked announcement of the Xbox Series S, the company came full force with the details and collectively blew everyone's mind. We all expected the Series S, or the Lockhart, to be announced, but the price point and specs were what shocked everyone.

It will be interesting to see this spread of a marketing strategy: releasing an expectedly priced console with great upgrades alongside a cost-efficient model to reach more consumers. Will it work? I could easily see gamers buy the PS5 for the new tech and great exclusives and pick up the Series S a little later down the line to play lesser-known 3rd party games with Game Pass.

It will be so interesting to keep up with the performance of all of these next-gen consoles. Sidenote: the author here (Christopher Dring) uses a great phrase here that I think would make an incredible marketing slogan: "Join the next-generation." Imagine that beside the incredible price of the Series S. I get chills.

Image credit: Xbox

So much hype

Welcome to another week of Load Save!

The next-gen hype is really heating up. In fact, my hype is at an all time high because Super Mario 3D All-Stars comes out this week, PlayStation is definitely going to announce the price and release date for the PS5 this week (if they don't I'll lose it) and we're getting closer and closer to November. So many great things are happening that month, I just can't wait.

This week, we look at:

How huge companies are investing in game reporting

How an indie dev is looking at alternatives to violence in gaming

The stellar Super Mario 64 port that already exists

Thanks for checking this article out! As always, stay safe and enjoy the read!

Development

Darewise: "We have a social responsibility" to provide alternatives to game violence

While reading this article, I realized that the games I'm currently playing and enjoying aren't violent games. I'm still having a great time with my friends in Fall Guys and outside of that I'm running through some classic Mario games.

I know the feeling of playing an overly violent game and thinking, "is this weird that this isn't making me have a reaction?" I feel that the mindless violence I'm inflicting/watching should set me off, but it doesn't This is probably because I've grown numb after all these years.

I'm a big fan of Darewise's position in this. They aren't saying "get rid of violence!" They're asking why there can't be more games that provide the social connection like Fortnite that aren't based on violence. This is a really interesting approach, and I'm going to keep an eye on their new game, Life Beyond.

Image credit: Darewise

What Does The PS5 Bring To Kena: Bridge Of Spirits?

Even though this game was sadly delayed to early 2021 after this article was written, I'm still really excited to play it when it releases.

The details mentioned here seem so incredible. I'm so excited to experience this world and see how the DualSense interacts with it. Now, will my feelings change after having my hands on the DualSense and games for a few months? Perhaps, but that's not what's completely keeping my interest.

The world and the story are what I have the highest hopes for. This world looks beautiful, and even though we haven't actually seen much of it, I'm still so excited to explore it (that's probably why I freak out every time a new screenshot is posted).

I'm definitely keeping an eye on this one.

Image credit: Ember Labs

Among Us' Improbable Rise To The Top Of Twitch

Among Us is one of the indie-darling games that the streaming world has fallen in love with. This is a great read because it points out that these games that seem really "simple" are still hard to make and even harder to market/get out to the public.

There's been a popular twee going around the past few weeks talking about the irony between the mega-hyped next-gen consoles and the most popular games being Fall Guys and Among Us, two games that appear as "simple." I feel like that's a disrespect to the game devs that made these hit titles and the work that went behind making the game feel simple and fun while still running great. Give these devs more credit!

Image credit: InnerSloth

Community

The Best Video Game Remakes

This generation has definitely been a golden standard of remakes. Classic titles like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro returned gamers to their childhood (still waiting on a Jak & Daxter remake), while other remakes like Resident Evil and Shadow of the Colossus introduced players to worlds that they might have missed.

These were all great remakes from this generation, but this article goes a bit farther and grabs some remakes from past generations. Did your favorite make the list?

Image credit: This post

A great Super Mario 64 port already exists, on the Nintendo DS

I'm in mega-hype mode for Super Mario 3D All-Stars that's launching in less than a week, so I'm reading every article that's even a bit related to it.

I remember the Super Mario 64 DS port. In fact, it was my first experience with SM64. It didn't grab me then, but I did find a love for it later on through the Wii Virtual Console.

This is a neat love letter to this original port and shows how Nintendo adds more ports while still maintaining the original beauty. Will we see something similar happen with the titles in 3D All-Stars? I hope so!

Image credit: Nintendo

Before You Go

Thanks for sticking with Load Save

To be honest, these past few weeks have been incredibly challenging. Because of this, Load Save (and most hobbies) have fallen to the wayside, but it's all so encouraging to see that people still read and interact with the newsletter each week I send it out.

So thank you for sticking with it. It encourages me to stick with it during the tough times. I can't wait to be reporting on next-gen news as it comes out. We're in one of the most exciting times of gaming and I couldn't imagine not sharing my thoughts with all of you.

Next time, we'll know the price and release date of PS5. I can't wait. Until then!