Video Game Round-Up: October 20, 2017

"Super Mario Odyssey" by Iain Reed (SoulStryder210)

Humble Bundle has been acquired by media giant IGN. [Gamasutra] “Media giant IGN announced today that it has acquired Humble Bundle, the company best known for selling packs of indie games at pay-what-you-want prices. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. This is potentially a big deal for game developers, since Humble has expanded beyond its bundling business to publish games, pay devs to make games for its subscription-based monthly game club, maintain a subscription-based online game trove, and operate an online game storefront. However, a press release confirming the deal also noted that Humble will continue to operate independently in the wake of the acquisition, with no significant business or staffing changes.”

Gaming Round-Up: Microtransaction Criticism

"Fallout" by Fabled Creative

Behind the addictive psychology and seductive art of loot boxes by Alex Wiltshire: “Loot boxes are everywhere. They're in shooters, RPGs, card games, action games and MOBAs. They also take the form of packs, chests and crates. They're filled with voice lines, weapon skins, new pants or materials to get you more loot boxes. They're in free games and paid ones, singleplayer and multiplayer. They can be free to open and paid for with real money. You may feel an almost violent antipathy to the very idea of them, but you've probably also opened a fair few. The appeal isn't hard to grasp. Opening a loot box is a rush: a moment of anticipation followed by release. That colourful animated flurry is often accompanied by disappointment, but is sometimes with the joy of getting exactly the item that you wanted. And then you feel the gambler's pull to open another, pushing you back into the game to grind or digging into your wallet to earn or buy your next one.”

Link Round-Up: BioShock Anniversary

Homage to BioShock by Johann Corgié

BioShock film could have been made today, director says

"Verbinski said his team was eight weeks into working on the film, which is based on Irrational Games’ dystopian first person shooter of the same name, when the studio pulled the plug on the project. Verbinski said the studio wanted to give the film a more accessible rating (like a PG-13), and he didn’t want to make the movie if it wasn’t going to be rated R."

BioShock is Still Great, 10 Years Later. Here's Why.

“The game holds up reasonably well today, played especially with an eye for its immersive sim DNA and less as a straight shooter. It's especially fun to hack machines and make them do the work, or let your wacky environmental powers wreak havoc on the ecosystem—bait splicers out to a shallow pool and electrocute them, or enrage a big daddy and lure them into a circle of death. It's nowhere near as deep an immersive sim as its cousins in the Dishonored or Deus Ex series, but those elements are still fun to play with, and add needed variety to subsequent playthroughs. I still enjoy its grand, theatrical style—Sander Cohen descending the staircase at Fort Frolic, the pivotal "A Man Obeys" scene, and the statues and banners and signage about the world that are the opposite of subtle, but they sure make their mark. This is a grand, jazz-hands flailing vision, and where it can be accused of being corny, it was never ashamed to go all the way.”

Posters: Classic Arcade Heroines

"JumpGirl" by San Diego-based Ástor Alexander

Part of the "Classic Arcade Heroines" series

Prints available for purchase from Society6.

Posters: Adventure Awaits

"Adventure Awaits" by Fabled Creative

Prints available for purchase from BigCartel. US$20

Posters: Super Mario Bros 3 World

"Super Mario Bros 3 World" by Madrid, Spain-based Ana Pascual

Posters: Hyrule Macrocosmica

"Hyrule Macrocosmica" by Philadelphia-based Jude Buffum

Illustration: Video Game Nouveau

"Video Game Nouveau Tomb Raider" by Michael Fitzhywel

Posters: Mass Effect: Andromeda

Mass Effect: Andromeda Propaganda Posters by Lou Webb

Posters: Legend of Zelda Redux

"Legend of Zelda Redux" by Nathan Anderson

Gaming Round-Up: May 22, 2017

"Prey Fanart" by UK-based Rose Davies

Infographic: Video Games Are Good For Your Brain

Review: Injustice 2 is a rewarding fighting game for fans and first-timers alike

7 fascinating facts you didn’t know about Overwatch

8-bit Music Theory breaks down why Mario music sounds "fun", examines nonfunctional harmony in Chrono Trigger, investigates the history of Zelda overworld themes, and plenty more.

Gaming Round-Up: May 15, 2017

5 Moms in video games who deserve our thanks - "These invisible mothers do have relationships with their children but we rarely have the opportunity to experience it. These mothers cannot grow alongside their kids the way a father/child duo can. That’s not to say that moms are doomed to stay as passive figures forever. There are games where mothers do exist, and their presence does not go by unnoticed. Here are some of our favorite maternal figures in video games."

Dead, Evil Or Distant: The Reality Of Motherhood In Gaming - "It would be fair to say that the invisibility of mothers is more a symptom of a larger issue in modern storytelling than it is a pitfall of video game writing alone. But while it's becoming more common to see a female heroine in a film or TV show, VideoGames remain a few steps behind."

Video: World of Warcraft on the NES

"World of Warcraft on the NES?!" by Rkade Soup

This fun video made by Rkade Soup imagines what an NES version of World Of Warcraft would have looked like, complete with old-school music. He’s also done videos for Sister Location and Overwatch that are worth checking out when you get a free moment. But for now, have fun going through a 8-bit version of Azeroth.

Featured Site: 1001 Rogues

1001 Rogues is a browser-playable game inspired by the classic 1980 dungeon-crawling video game, Rogue only it features a new story every day.  There's a twitter bot that tweets a summary of the day's new story when it's generated each day at about 2pm UTC.

Rogue was the great-granddaddy of dungeon crawlers.  It's a very simple game that has been ported to nearly every major operating system released in the past thirty years.  It's a fascinating game that anyone who calls themselves a video game fan should try at least once.  Via

Crafts: Hyperion Riffle

Hyperion Riffle by Bekah Ewers

"Hyperion asks, what good is a gun that doesn't shoot where you point? Get a gun that's as accurate as you are!"  Check out this Borderlands-inspired riffle!  I'd love to see a Borderlands-themed line of Nerf toys.  I think they'd sell like hot cakes, but in the mean time, Bekah Ewers helps us imagine the possibilities.

T-Shirts: Life is a Lie

"Mr Meeseeks: Roses are red this life is a lie shirt"

Prints available for purchase from iFrogTee. US$26.99

No truer words have ever been spoken. If I went to the gym, this would be the t-shirt I would wear.

Woodwork: Woodlands: Hyrule Wood Map

Woodlands: Hyrule (Link to the Past) Wood Map by Neutral Ground

Available for purchase from Neutral Ground. US$150

"Seeking more than just an idyllic Hyrulean view? Whether you’re in the market for a Magic Cape or a Bug-Catching Net, you’ll find yourself on the fast track to the kingdom’s hidden wonders with your exclusive Neutral Ground treasure map.

Unlike traditional Hyrulean maps, the pioneering Neutral Ground edition shows you all areas of the world before you travel to them. Traipsing into thieves’ dens and falling into hidden wells is a problem of the past with your trusty wooden map in hand.

This remarkable map is more accurate than a Hylian Fortune Teller’s crystal ball, pointing intrepid adventurers towards secret tunnels and laying bare the mysteries of mist-shrouded forests.

But that’s not all! Built from durable, lightweight Skull Woods timber, the Neutral Ground map doubles as a raft for travelers interested in taking the watery route through Hyrule. Find your fortune faster with this Neutral Ground map!

This Woodlands map is a collaboration with Minneapolis native Alex Griendling. Mage of graphic design and co-founder of Lunar Saloon.

Your legendary Hyrule treasure map is etched on timber harvested from the Skull Woods by master Hylian lumberjacks. It measures 18-1/2" wide by 14" tall. You will need to exchange rupees for USD to purchase your map in our online shop.

Includes a keyhole slot on the rear for hanging."

Gaming Round-Up: February 6, 2017

Zelda Tarot Card by Thomas Randby

A Burnt Torch: Darkest Dungeon, Mental Health and Lovecraftian Horror [Paste Magazine] “Darkest Dungeon [wiki] is a tactical, party-based roguelike with a Lovecraftian flair. You play as the last heir of a fallen noble house. It’s your job to recruit and command a set of heroes, sending them into the decrepit bowels of a ruined estate—and the corrupt environs surrounding it. 

"Eventually Atari came to us and said, 'What do you guys really want out of this?'" On the thirty-fifth anniversary of the popular arcade game, Benj Edwards chronicles the rise of Ms. Pac-Man and how a few MIT students created the next big thing off the back of the previous big thing in 1980s arcade history.

A History of Deus Ex's Racism Controversies “With futuristic, sci-fi sequel Deus Ex: Mankind Divided [YouTube], developer Eidos Montreal has once again found itself walking atop the fiery coals of controversy.

How Designers Engineer Luck Into Video Games

Martian Immigration Nightmare [via mefi projects] An online game specifically made to call out Elon Musk on his collaborationism with the Trump regime. Will you manage to board the Mars rocket, or will you be crushed by an unsympathetic bureaucracy?

At The New Yorker, Raffi Khatchadourian writes about the future of interactive films, with a focus on the company joined by Her Story developer Sam Barlow. 

Original design documents and sketches for the first Legend of Zelda game

Richard Stanton has started a new column at Kotaku which looks at British game developers big and small. The first entry focuses upon shmup designer Jeff Minter.

Mash-Up: Dota Characters Disney Style

"Crystal Maiden" by Igor Artyomenko

Dota Characters Illustrated in Disney Style

Gaming Round-Up: May 9, 2016

"Transistor" by Inhoo

A. Johanna DeNiro of Sub-Q looks at the work of storied IF creator, Rybread Celsius.

Allegra Frank explains how Fragments of Him offered her catharsis after the shock of losing someone by confronting pain head-on.

Brent Ables contemplates the connection between Dark Souls and art history.

C.T. Casberg asserts that Dark Souls is best enjoyed with others, and that the staggered release undermined its social qualities.