Narrative Lead
@BigBlueSkyGames
. Occasional essays on Youtube Freelance game consultant. Former games critic/journalist. Dumb food
@smoresorless
. He/Him.
Resident Evil 4 is a masterpiece. The Resident Evil 4 remake is incredible. They are different games. So is every version released between them; every time we re-release a game, we change our understanding of it, reinforcing legacies that may not be true.
During a sad moment in the ending of Super Mario Sunshine, Bowser appears to have a tear in his eye. However, this is actually a hole in his eye through which the sky is visible. As such, it is merely a serendipitous error that coincidentally fits the mood of the scene.
DID YOU KNOW? In her hit song "Espresso," Sabrina Carpenter says she can "Move it up, down, left, right,"--a valid input for Zangief's Spinning Piledriver move, slyly alluding to the singer being a grappler main
Anniversary of the night I attended a Mass Effect 2 midnight launch, was the first person in line, and made everyone salty by buying No More Heroes 2, the launch of which was not being celebrated, instead
Gamers, if you're among The Last of Us Part II who haven't voted, Golf with Your Friends to the polls. You can make a Genshin Impact and mitigate the Mortal Kombat 11: Aftermath of Trump's horrific presidency. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time to Final Fantasy VII Remake America
I was laid off this morning so today was my last at Game Informer. Thanks to everyone who's made this whole experience a blast over the years, let me know if you have leads on potential work, and unionize your workplace.
I had finally defeated the Dark Presence, which had taken residence inside "TaylorGangznutz69," and reclaimed the Crown of Light. I would level up my Battle Pass and unlock the Solid Snake skin
Been working on this for several months: A longread on Mike Ross, one of the FGC's biggest champions. It's a profile but also a bit of a meditation on burnout. Give it a read!
Whenever I remember games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, the Punch-Out remake and Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom still haven't had modern ports, I get this weird feeling of... listlessness. Boredom? You know actually I think the best term for it might be "On Wii"
Every time you stagger an enemy in FFVIIR, if you whisper "Thank you Final Fantasy Thirteen, for this great mechanic," it doubles the stagger duration. That's my pro tip for you.
VIDEO ESSAY: Elden Ring might be THE open-world game, the apex of a genre about exploring fantastical worlds. But in most open-world games, "exploring" a world actually means conquering it. Can video game worlds escape the pull of conquest and imperialism?
Everyone's always writing these long-ass explanations of why Breath of the Wild worked so well, but it's actually pretty simple: when you walk on hard surfaces it makes a nice lil pitter-patter sound
I think it's downright abusive to give a game as long and exploration-based as Elden Ring (where meandering and not worrying about speed is one of the best parts) to people a week or so the embargo.
Diversity is not just about hiring women/PoC and saying you've done the work. It's about listening to their judgment when they tell you things like "hey we think this thing you really want to do is going to make us look bad."
If you don't listen to rap, I can't impart how much of a legend MF DOOM was, both for the medium and to me personally. An incredible trailblazer, one-of-a-kind lyricist, and probably the most creative rapper of the last 20 years. Rest in Peace.
Some life news: I can finally say that I'm joining
@BigBlueSkyGames
as a Game Writer! I'll be fleshing out the world, characters, and story of their (our) first game. Making the transition to the dev side was my goal for the year, and I'm excited as hell to tackle the challenge.
Biden cuts Bernie off mid-sentence once again as he continues to temper his ambitious proposals. "You can't just put a double-jump in every game," he yells. "It doesn't make sense. How will you explain it in The Last of Us Pt. II? Ellie just what, propels herself off thin air?"
Final
#E3
scorecard:
Guerilla Collective: 3/3
Summer Games Fest: 3/3
Koch Media: 1/3
Devolver Digital: 2/3
Ubisoft: 0/3
Gearbox: 1/3
Xbox/Bethesda: 2/3
Square Enix: 2/3
PC Gaming Show: 0/3
Warner Bros.: 1/3
Future Games Show: 2/3
Capcom: 0/3
Nintendo: 1/3
Based on: # of Es
The magazine had been absolutely killing it, quality-wise. The video features were super-ambitious and fun. They were hiring, contracting with, and nurturing really strong up-and-comers and giving vets a place to break out of the established SEO/content mine stuff. Heartbreaking.
Game Informer has been closed down by GameStop and the entire, incredibly talented staff (including myself) have all been laid off. A frustrating turn of events (especially considering we were about 70% done with the next issue and it was going to have a GREAT cover).
BREAKING: Biden signs executive order making it illegal for Metroidvanias to be ambiguous about whether you can cross this gap now or if you need to come back later
I am 32 years old and I still get amped when I turn a page in a book and there's only like a handful of lines on the next one cuz it's the end of the chapter. Like hell yeah free page I'm the fastest reader ever
I'm looking for full-time work in the game industry! 13+ years of journalism, writing, marketing, and consulting exp. I'd love to put to work for you. Mostly interested in writing/narrative roles, but open to others if you have something cool in mind. RTs/DMs appreciated!
What if Zelda had an amazing, cinematic story?
What if Last of Us had incredible, skill based combat?
What if Uncharted somehow put all the violence in context?
What if Dark Souls was approachable and clear?
The answer to all of these questions and more is me, and I'm single
If the song you're using in your trailer has very pronounced percussion-centric beats and you don't sync your gunshots/impacts with those beats they should haul you off to jail
So, my last big feature for GI is in this issue. It's about Evo and how the fighting game community has grown by embracing new communities and games. I'd love for you to give it a read.
Hey! So, as announced in this episode, this is my last week at MinnMax as a regular cohort. I'll still pop on for the occasional episode, Max Spoilers, Deep Dive, etc., though!
We break down the biggest reveals from Gamescom 2021, review Psychonauts 2, and celebrate
@SurielVazquez
on the new episode of The MinnMax Show podcast!
For as much as it borrows from film, Immortality's power lies in its interactivity. It is a deconstruction of all the ways we interact with screens, one that reinvigorated my appreciation for those screens at a time when they can often feel disposable. [Video link in next tweet.]
That's a wrap for me and
@iv_javy
at Kinda Funny. Thanks to
@imranzomg
@GameOverGreggy
and the rest of the Kinda Funny crew for having us out! It was a ton of fun.
This feels true writ large, not just in games. We're reaching the limit of shareholder ownership; where companies cannot grow fast enough to appease outsider investors, and all these layoffs are basically short-term gains to get a line to go up steeply, not gradually.
Making game studios publicly traded companies is the worst idea to ever happen to videogames. The business model fundamentally doesn’t work for how games are made or how our consumers enjoy our products.
This industry deserves better funding models.
Glad the union strike worked, but goddamn a raise of $.60/hour per year for 4 years (and $5K bonus) is a such pittance for Nabisco to have fought over. The contract mostly sweeps the whole "lack of overtime pay" issue under the rug, too.
BREAKING: After weeks of strikes and protests, Nabisco workers have voted to ratify a new contract & end their strike.
The new agreement includes $.60/hour wage increases each year for 4 years, a $5K bonus for all employees, and blocks Mondelez's planned health care cuts.
After signing powerful Scrolls, Microsoft has established itself as a New Colossus in the console war. The Fallout from this deal could spell Doom for Sony faithful, or reveal the Evil Within Bethesda's new owner if it ends poorly. Mooncrash
Understand how important this is: clearly
@IGN
and
@gameinformer
editorial posted this under their editorial freedom. If these posts are gone, it very likely means their corporate owners stepped across the editorial barrier & forced the censorship of those humanitarian resources.
Any Pokémon that's large enough in Let's Go you will automatically ride (they had the idea to let you ride Pokémon of any size but decided against it). it)
Here's my review of Hades! It's not only one of the best games of the year, but also an incredible showcase for how roguelikes can be a great conduit for storytelling.
Apropos of nothing, the combination to the safe that unlocks my stash of scissors, duct tape, and rubbing alcohol is 7-34-12. If some real shit goes down and you somehow find this tweet while scavenging my apartment building, you're welcome to it