[Great to see commissioned illustrations in articles - in this case by Sonny Ross for Polygon.]
Somehow, someway, we’re still putting Video Game Deep Cuts on Substack, folks. Particularly this week, with all that’s going on, it feels weird to be putting out a newsletter about video games. But I had the links already, you can read it if you like and… see you next week?
- Simon, curator
The Current: New Games To Consider
-
Poly Bridge 2 (PC, Switch) is an enjoyable looking sequel to the physics-tastic bridge building simulator.
-
Sludge Life (PC, Switch) is a first-person lo-fi open world game with a lot of weird, grungy character.
-
Wondered why there’s no other Paper Mario-style cutout art/lite RPG games? Bug Fables: The Everlast Sapling (Switch, PS4, Xbox, previously on PC) did too, & it’s being very well received.
-
Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath (PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC) is new story & character DLC for MK11 which includes Shang Tsung (!) & Robocop (!!).
-
Shantae & The Seven Sirens (iOS, PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox) is a well-reviewed full release of the latest (formerly Apple-exclusive) 2D character platformer.
The Culture: Game Culture & Deep Dives
-
This 6-part deep dive into Epic Games (from the Epic Games Store to Fortnite) is very long, but pretty much unmissable.
-
The debut of Umurangi Generation (pictured), a first-person photography game where you can document a ‘world on fire’, seems… apposite.
-
From farming to trucking to bus driving, why do millions play games that replicate regular jobs in forensic detail?
-
Did you think anyone could do a 3 hour 18 minute review of the Final Fantasy VII remake? Well, Tim Rogers did, & it’s typically entertaining.
-
The definitive history of Magic: The Gathering’s Commander game format.
The Past: Game History
-
Controlling sewing machines with a Game Boy? Now someone has emulation working for it. (Check out his full article archive, including GB fish sonar.)
-
This untold history of Arkane Studios documentary is stupendous, including much detail on canned games like Half-Life spinoff Ravenholm.
-
The McDonalds MMO (pictured) was totally a thing that existed.
-
Sega collectors, did you know about the miniaturized Sega grand piano you can use MIDI files on, ‘player piano’ style?
-
How the makers of Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection dug up a long-lost, unreleased game.
The Other Goodness
-
A Louis Theroux-ish investigation into virtual world Second Life’s most expensive brothel.
-
Why Fortnite’s and Apex Legends’ top players keep colluding to stay close to the top of the rankings.
-
Giving the Game Boy Color two identical screens - inspired by someone doing the same thing to a GBA SP. (And let’s not even talk about ‘I made the Game Boy longer for no reason’ , lol.)
-
Talking to Respawn about the storytelling & lore in Apex Legends - interesting to see narrative woven into ‘seasons’ of big-budget multiplayer shooters.
-
How Runescape is helping Venezuelans to survive in 2020 by virtual ‘gold farming’ for much-needed cash.
Thanks for reading, and see you - I presume - next week.
Simon.