[Mario steamroller-ing pirate cartridges at a Dutch airport will now haunt your dreams?]
Goodness, it’s time for yet another Video Game Deep Cuts on Substack, my darlings. This week, what’s been up? Well, another interminable quarantine week, but at least the Internet continues in good form.
Hope you enjoy all of these links, and we’ll be back midweek with the latest ‘All-Time Greats’ picks from a guest.
- Simon, curator
The Current: New Games To Consider
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Maneater (PC, PS4, Xbox One) is an open-world RPG lite action game where yes, you’re a bloodthirsty shark. It’s a bit silly.
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Extending the block-y franchise, Minecraft Dungeons (Xbox One, PC) is a “more approachable entry for the hack and slash genre”.
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Monster Train (PC, pictured), from my buddies at Shiny Shoe Games, is a super well-crafted deckbuilder which “might be the best.. since Slay The Spire”.
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Crucible (PC) is Amazon’s newest foray into game creation, and “a MOBA-shooter for the Twitch generation”, - Steam reviews currently mixed.
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Also new this week, If Found… (PC, iOS) is an indie-vibe visual novel with an intriguing eraser game mechanic.
The Culture: Game Culture & Deep Dives
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In a genre that's all about staying hidden, what should designers do in stealth games when the player is found?
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It’s the 30th anniversary of Microsoft Solitaire: did you know the game originally had a fake Excel spreadsheet ‘boss mode’ that was removed before release?
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An ever so slight upside of COVID-19: brand-new gamers are being created.
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How a dedicated team and a series of miracles led to My Little Pony-inspired (excellent) 2D fighting game Them's Fightin' Herds (pictured).
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What’s still faring well in a quarantined world - and now more accessible for those with disabilities? Pokemon Go, surprisingly enough.
The Past: Game History
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Amazing longform piece on “when SimCity got serious: the story of Maxis Business Simulations and SimRefinery.”
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You may have spotted the 40th anniversary of Pac-Man (pictured) this week - here’s a great overview of the phenom that also chats to its creator.
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A look at the Creative 3DO Blaster, a hyper-rare PC add-in card that let you play 3DO games on your personal computer.
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Was super impressed by this oral history of Rare’s Perfect Dark, 20 years after it launched - a LOT of honesty about a great game with a troubled dev cycle.
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How niche documentaries are helping to preserve video game history through in-depth interviews & reportage.
The Other Goodness
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Bored of your Zoom calls? You could always try doing company meetings in Red Dead Redemption 2.
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A detailed look at the (nearly insane) amount of graphical rework put into Saint’s Row The Third to remaster it for new platforms.
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A surprising take on the FMV game: Out For Delivery (pictured) is a “slice-of-life experience following a food delivery courier in Beijing on January 23, 2020.”
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How people find your game on the Nintendo Switch, & some modest suggestions to improve discoverability (I wrote this!)
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Here’s some cultural commentary on a new indie game that’s also Nintendo history-related - “you are a bootleg cartridge [at a Dutch airport]… and Mario is desperately trying to destroy you”.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Simon.