[Did I expect this particular Sega franchise to come back & hit big? Nooope.]
We’re back again with Video Game Deep Cuts newsletter on Substack, folks. I’m still enjoying putting these together - not least because there are plenty ‘big news of the day/week’ newsletters, but finding time to discover the alternative material is rewarding.
The ‘all the notable new games’ section may be getting too big/complex. But even working out what came out can be surprisingly tricky for the average reader, with all the platforms/microscenes out there. So I’ll keep noodling!
- Simon, curator
The Current: New Games In The Spotlight
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Gears Tactics (PC) takes the limb-strewn franchise into XCOM territory.
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The Flower Collectors (PC, pictured) is an unusual short narrative game - “a simple but full-hearted spin on Rear Window.”
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Fallout 76’s ‘Wastelanders’ update (PC, Xbox, PS4) - which is solo play-focused, intriguingly - seems to have elevated the game to ‘try this out!’ levels.
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Paper Beast (PS4) is the under-the-radar Eric Chahi (Another World) PlayStation VR game which “throws players into a hallucinatory cyberscape.”
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2D brawler remake Streets Of Rage 4 (PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox) is a bit of a surprise hit. (BONUS: ICYMI, Treachery In Beatdown City is an intriguing 2D RPG-brawler combo.)
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4 vs. 1 multiplayer shooter Predator: Hunting Grounds (PC, PS4) has mixed reviews - game ‘feel’ better suited to dev’s previous, Friday The 13th?
The Culture: Game Culture & Deep Dives
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Screenwriter (& former game mag editor) Gary Whitta has built a talk show in Animal Crossing, complete with bandleader & musical guests. (Example!)
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Fortnite is more fully embracing the Metaverse comparisons with a no-shooting Party Royale mode.
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How the game biz is dealing - somewhat awkwardly - with pregnancy & motherhood as a game dev.
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The video game arcades struggling to survive in the era of COVID-19.
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There’s a green vs. purple alien war in Grand Theft Auto Online that’s taking over the Internet? Apparently?
The Past: Game History
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Vintage interview on the making of Capcom’s classic 2D fighter Darkstalkers (concept art pictured).
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A visit to see Final Fantasy illustrator Yoshitaka Amano in his art studio.
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Where are our queer and transgender elders in video game history? A historical look. (Part of a host of interesting MAGFest talks/panels coming online.)
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How PC game ‘shareware’ came about, from Softdisk to Apogee & beyond.
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A longform documentary on the genesis of megahit indie strategy battler Darkest Dungeon.
The Other Goodness
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Magic: The Gathering has a wild card trading/speculation scene.
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If you play PUBG on Stadia, you get to kill a lot of Derek-level bots?
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3D printing is creating a whole new fan/semipro-created market for D&D miniatures (pictured).
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Elite Dangerous has a benevolent clan that currently - in a coronavirus-related goodwill gesture - just gives players rare items to help them upgrade. Aw.
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There’s a streetwear scene in the extremely fashion-customizable Animal Crossing.
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Sure, you know about game engines like Unity & Unreal, but which game companies roll their own engines? Quite a few, actually.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Simon.