
New information on the PS5, Jacob Geller on the look of AAA games giving a feeling of quality through status and prestige and the beautiful worlds found outside of them, Razbuten on what it's like for a new player to get into online games, New Frame Plus continues their series on the principles of animation, Devil May Cry 5 developers react to speedrun, Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition removed from Steam, Steven T. Wright on the desire to see games expand their concept of combat by not always using HP and his look into the competitive community surrounding the original Doom, Alex Kane learns how PUBG Mobile was made in four months, Epic reveals new exclusives, Summoningsalt covered the half decade long quest of multiple speedrunners attempts to beat the fastest Punch Out times, how developers are handling Covid-19, and more.
Gaming News (Announcements, previews, release dates, interviews and writing on upcoming games, DLC and game updates, company and developer news, country news, tech, mods)
QuotePS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny provides a deep dive into PS5’s system architecture and how it will shape the future of games.
7 Important PS5 Features, Explained
QuoteIn lieu of a traditional GDC talk, PS5 lead architect Mark Cerny presented some of the next-gen console's key specs on a livestream. While the talk did include a lot of jargon, there are some key takeaways for gamers to note.
Inside PlayStation 5: the specs and the tech that deliver Sony's next-gen vision
QuoteSony has broken its silence. PlayStation 5 specifications are now out in the open with system architect Mark Cerny delivering a deep dive presentation into the nature of the new hardware and the ways in which we should expect a true generational leap over PlayStation 4. Digital Foundry had the chance to watch the lecture a couple of days ahead of time and had the opportunity to talk to Cerny in more depth afterwards about the nature of the custom PlayStation hardware and the philosophy behind its design.
PSN download speeds will be slower in Europe to preserve internet access
QuoteSony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan has announced that starting today, download speeds from the PlayStation Network (PSN) may be slower in Europe.
Defining the Next Generation: An Xbox Series X Technology Glossary
QuoteAs we enter a new generation of console gaming with Xbox Series X, we’ve made a number of technology advancements across hardware and software that will take your gaming experience to the next level. We’ve created the below guide to help familiarize yourself with some of the new terms we’re introducing to describe the tech and functionality of Xbox Series X.
Microsoft monitoring performance and usage of Xbox Live due to “unprecedented demand”
QuoteMicrosoft has said it is currently monitoring the performance and usage of its Xbox services.
What the heck is DirectX 12 Ultimate and what does it mean for PC gaming?
QuoteMicrosoft announced a new version of DirectX 12 yesterday, which is the bit of tech that allows games and other types of software to work with your PC’s audio and video hardware. Dubbed DirectX 12 Ultimate, Microsoft are calling it “the best graphics technology [they’ve] ever introduced” and have declared it “future-proof” for next generation games thanks to its built-in support for ray tracing, variable rate shading, mesh shaders and other techy bits. But what exactly does it do and why should you care? We reveal all below.
Industries Of Titan and eight other games are Epic's next exclusives
QuoteSpring has not yet sprung in my neck of the woods but Epic are busy planting the seeds for new games regardless. They’ve announced the next “PC exclusive titles” coming to the Epic Game Store throughout the season and it’s a nice-lookin’ bunch. Control’s first DLC is among them, as are several solid indie games you may recognize from trailers and reveals during last year’s E3 presentations.
2020 Independent Games Festival & Game Developers Choice Awards
QuoteEnjoy this (pre-recorded) broadcast of the 2020 Independent Games Festival & Game Developers Choice Awards!
Life Sucks, But At Least It's Better Than Wasteland 3's Reality
QuoteI know we're dealing with a lot, but Wasteland 3's world makes me feel slightly better about our own.
How a would-be priest explores the horror of God in videogames
QuoteSpencer Yan was at the beach, chatting with a friend and pondering the horizon, when he felt the proximity of something like a god. “I was struck by this profound sense of coldness and acute loneliness. Everything got very bright all of a sudden, and then very dim, and I felt utterly alone and insignificant in the world, like all my actions would just evaporate.
Here’s your “first glimpse” at STALKER 2, and there’s “more to come in 2020”
QuoteGSC Game World announced STALKER 2 in 2018, and since then we’ve seen little of the game. Yet while it seems the game was announced principally to court publishers early, production is proceeding slowly, but surely. It got a website with early art and music in 2019, and the developers announced earlier this year it would be built in the Unreal engine. Now, at last, the devs have revealed the first STALKER 2 screenshot.
Phantom: Covert Ops Gameplay Is Basically Splinter Cell... IN A CANOE! - Ian's VR Corner
QuoteThe final release date for Phantom: Covert Ops gameplay has finally been announced and to celebrate, Ian has left his VR Corner to go sit on a lake! He's not just there to take in the scenery though - his real mission is to play through the Phantom: Covert Ops demo to show you what you can expect from Phantom: Covert Ops Quest gameplay when it releases. Can Ian managed to canoe his way to a stealthy victory or will his chances of success sink without a trace? Find out, right here!
The Sims’ former boss is building his “deepest” project yet at Paradox
QuoteRod Humble is a former executive VP at EA, where he led development on The Sims 2 and 3, and former CEO of Second Life creator Linden Lab. When it comes to open-ended, systems-driven sandbox games, it’d be fair to say he’s one of the most experienced designers in the business.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s first DLC pits you against cat god Beerus
QuoteDragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s first DLC has been (partially) unveiled – it’s called A New Power Awakes – Part 1, and it sets you on a quest to take on Beerus, Universe 7’s God of Destruction. He also happens to be a cat.
Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition has been knocked off Steam
QuoteMortal Kombat has suffered a Fatality. At the behest of publishers Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition has been quietly removed from Steam. With no public statement to on, rumour has it that the 2011 beat ’em up’s removal might have something to do with rights regarding a certain sharp-fingered 70s dream demon.
GameStop Stores Shutter Across the US Following Pennsylvania Coronavirus Closures
QuotePennsylvania's state officials have forcibly suspended all GameStop business licenses in an effort to combat the spread of coronavirus.
GameStop Finally Closes Stores To Customers
QuoteSherman also said in the letter that GameStop will be giving 80 hours of extra paid time off to those employees at closed or closing stores who are eligible for it, and two extra weeks of pay to those who aren’t.
Here's how game developers are handling the Covid-19 outbreak
QuoteOver the last week or so, game developers and publishers around the world have been announcing their action plans amidst the Covid-19 outbreak. Bungie have offered advice to other companies, Ubisoft said Rainbow Six Siege might miss a few patches, and many others have sent their employees home, dev kits in hand, to make sure production plods along, all the while doing their part to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Esports
The Middle East's first female esports team debuts at Girl Gamer 2020
QuoteAs host nation, the United Arab Emirates was entitled to enter a team but six months before the event no Emirati team existed. At that moment, local organizing group Galaxy Racer Esports and government partners held trials to form "the Middle East's first female esports team."
Crowdfunding News (not sharing everything I find, just ones that look interesting, have known talent behind them, and a chance to succeed)
QuoteSea of Stars is a turn-based RPG inspired by the classics. A prequel story set in The Messenger’s universe, it tells the story of two Children of the Solstice who will combine the powers of the sun and moon to perform Eclipse Magic, the only force capable of fending off the monstrous creations of the evil alchemist known as The Fleshmancer.
Content I found interesting this week (interviews, recommendations, think pieces, history, music, culture, design, art, documentaries, criticism, etc)
28 great GDC talks you can watch for free right now
QuoteTwo dozen hours of insight and entertainment to make up for this year's canceled Game Developer's Conference.
Against the Hegemony of Hit Points
QuoteGames don’t necessarily need less violence—but they do need more varied approaches.
Half-Life: Alyx Behind the Scenes, Part 1: How Valve Found Its New Alyx
QuoteWriter Erik Wolpaw and designer Chris Remo on casting characters old and new, Campo Santo's influence, and more.
QuoteWhy it took 13 years to come, and why it shouldn't be 13 years until we see another.
The Messenger and the Myth of Progress
QuoteAs the Xbox Series X and PS5 loom on the horizon, Sabotage Studio offers an alternative to how we think about console generations.
QuoteIn this article, I will identify two traps that many indie game developers fall into that either prevent them from finishing their projects or extend the length of the development to a point where there is tremendous pressure for the game to succeed. I call these traps "death loops" because of the fatigue and burnout they can cause (and how easy it is to get stuck in them). The article will also offer some suggestions on how to break out of these loops.
The Doom Multiplayer Fans Still Ripping and Tearing 25 Years Later
QuoteIf you’re a seasoned gaming fan, you’ve probably enjoyed a multiplayer title or two that withered on the vine before it could attract a sizable playerbase, like Lawbreakers or Battleborn. On the other extreme side of the spectrum, however, there are some games that attract a hardcore, raucous audience that hold on for years—or even decades. Such is the case with id Software’s Doom, the brutal, blood-soaked granddaddy of the first-person shooter. Over its decades-long reign as the most modded game of all time, legions of intrepid player-creators have molded the game in accordance to their own aesthetic whims. In a sense, they have clawed the mantle of authorship away from id Software entirely—even if they don’t always agree in what direction to go next.
Before Infamous Was Infamous, It Was a Superhero Animal Crossing
QuoteThe story behind the prototype that led Sucker Punch to Empire City.
How PUBG Mobile was made in four months
QuoteTencent looks back on the game’s first couple years
QuoteCan a person be haunted?
This piece is hard for me to write because I feel as though I’ve been writing it for years. It’s always been there, this low hum under my skin, everytime someone talks about Kentucky Route Zero. Every time a new act comes out, it’s been waiting.
How Madden Forced Me to Confront My Inherent Racial Bias
QuoteAsk anyone that’s known me since I bombarded my father with an unyielding sales pitch on the virtues of buying me a Sega Genesis with NFL Football ‘94 Starring Joe Montana packed in and they’ll tell you there are two cultural throughlines that molded me: sports and video games.
QuoteIn truth I can seldom think of Metropolitanism without thinking of Raccoon City. It stands as a sole difference from the many west coast cities of videogames, and in defiance of the east coast playgrounds. One of the few places that is not a playground. I have been inside of Raccoon City: seen its bars and taverns. Rolling hills and forests, mountain vacation homes populated by bizarre treasures. The circumstances of my life in Raccoon City all involve violence and survival. During all of that: it was always important to take a minute to appreciate. A rare city built into it’s own history. Modeled after places on the far east coast and in the midwest like Minneapolis. Network mazes of brickwork and repurposed buildings. Old waterways and sewers that tie everything together.
How Doom Eternal makes Doomguy relevant in 2020
QuoteAgainst these apologists, arrogant would-be leaders, and appeasers, stands the reassuring simplicity of Doomguy. He doesn’t speak because his motives require no explanation. What is happening to Earth is unconscionable and must be stopped. That the Maykrs depend on Argent energy to survive is no justification at all for sacrificing billions of innocent lives in their despicable pact with Hell, and for enabling their invasion the Khan Maykr, too, must be stopped.
Rebuilding A Virtual City As The Real World Crumbles
QuoteIt’s a very strange time in the world right now, to say the least. As the world’s governments address covid-19, there’s one major nation that’s been dragging its feet: the United States of America. As Wall Street receives cash injections while workers worry about losing their jobs, it’s fallen to local communities to look after each other. I’ve found that spirit reflected in the games I am playing. It’s especially true in Final Fantasy XIV lately as players work together to rebuild the city of Ishgard.
The Latest 'Final Fantasy XIV' Villain Is Populism Incarnate
QuoteA class-conscious savior narrative confronts its discomfort when "the people" want to save themselves.
What Online Multiplayer Is Like For Someone Who Doesn't Play Games
QuoteIn this episode of Gaming For A Non-Gamer, I tossed my wife into the wide world of online multiplayer. It went about as well as you guessed it would. This is what online multiplayer is like for someone who doesn't play games.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/razbuten
QuoteSupport me: https://www.patreon.com/JacobGeller
What Does It Mean To Be A Metroidvania?
QuoteSupport the channel on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ArchitectofGames
Metroidvanias are a beloved genre that have been around for decades - but they've only gotten popular relatively recently. That's a bit of a problem, because instead of having years and years worth of games to be inspired by, most metroidvanias are forced to remake the classics over and over again.
Why is this a problem? And what can be done about it? The Architect has a few ideas, and it's going to involve a round trip across Zebes, Nibel, and several spooky castles to figure out what's up with metroidvanias, and what the genre is actually all about.
ANTICIPATION - The 12 Principles of Animation in Games
QuoteAnticipation is one of the 12 Principles of Animation, and it has an enormous impact on gameplay! So how has it influenced the play of games like Sekiro, Smash Bros and Celeste?
Support New Frame Plus on Patreon! http://www.patreon.com/newframeplus
Drew Scanlon's Global Game Documentaries - Noclip Podcast #26
QuoteBecome a PATRON to unlock more videoshttps://www.patreon.com/noclip
Cloth Map's Drew Scanlon joins Danny to talk about the trials and tribulations of filming gaming documentaries that focus on the location, people and politics of places all over the world.
Devil May Cry 5 Developers React to 83 Minute Speedrun
QuoteRide along with three key members of the Devil May Cry 5 development team: Hideaki Itsuno (Game Director), Matt Walker (Producer), and Michiteru Okabe (Senior Producer) as they celebrate the one year anniversary of DMC 5 by watching speedrunner DECosmic blast through it!
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