Video Game Deep Cuts: Valorant Rants, Skelattack... Attacks?

[I like the sorta ‘spooky Castle Crashers’ vibe of Skelattack’s art direction, FWIW.]

Yes, this is another Video Game Deep Cuts newsletter on Substack. Yes, I hope you are directly donating to support Black communities & Black Lives Matter, as many game creators now are. And yes, I hope you are thinking about ways to provide long-term systemic support, in addition to short-term support. That’s all.

- Simon, curator

The Current: New Games To Consider

• Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics (Switch) is the latest in the typically eccentric but delightful Nintendo ‘collection of card/board games’ franchise. 

• Officially out now, Valorant (PC, pictured) looks like a strong Riot entry into the team-based FPS a la CS:GO, already has in-depth analyzing of tactics. 

• Skelattack (Switch, PS4, Xbox, PC) is interesting in that it’s Konami’s entry into publishing indie titles - the game itself is simply a ‘well-made 2D platformer’. 

• Gunfire Reborn (PC Early Access) is a Hong Kong-developed PC FPS that blends Borderlands & Risk Of Rain cannily, & is getting some notable buzz. 

• Finally, not new but ‘new old’ news, Command & Conquer Remastered (PC) gets a decent review for both graphical updates & useful ‘quality of life’ tweaks.

The Culture: Game Culture & Deep Dives

• What (more) casual games are like for someone who doesn’t play games. 

• It’s wedding season in Animal Crossing on Switch (as a special in-game task!), and some of the takes on decor are already straight-out crazy. 

• The latest Sims 4 expansion lets you choose to live carbon neutral - in a video game, at least. 

• On unionization & game development - was impressed to see publisher/dev Paradox proactively agree a union agreement with its Swedish studios. 

• Doom Eternal speedruns are surprisingly hypnotic to watch and analyze. 

The Past: Game History

• The Video Game History Foundation (I’m on the board, please donate!) resurrected a completely unreleased NES game, Days Of Thunder. 

• Turns out Pokemon Diamond & Pearl has better encounter rates on its creator’s birthday. Fair enough! 

• Come for the ‘how Epic got built with shareware’ lead, but stay for the super-fascinating Gathering Of Developers history from Mike Wilson. 

• ‘Lost’ 1992 Westone arcade game Clockwork Aquario has been unearthed and confirmed for PS4 and Switch release in 2020. 

• The recent article on Maxis’ internal edugame with Chevron, SimRefinery, led to a copy of the game being uploaded online & emulated - wonderful news! 

The Other Goodness

• How board games have embraced tabletop virtual sims during lockdown. 

• Zynga & Supercell’s conflicting attitudes to making games & growth. (I prefer Supercell’s - profitable, but relaxed about making more $ YoY). 

• You too can get letters addressed to Sherlock Holmes in the mail & solve fiendish literary mysteries. 

• The Last Of Us Part II is doing game accessibility right, which isn’t always simple for large-scale titles. 

• How AAA games currently pace (& should pace!) their replay options. 

Thanks again for reading, and see you next week,
Simon.