Reconnect Recap - w/e 22n June
A weekly newsletter highlighting some of the best articles to feature on Reconnect in the past week.
Kia Ora folks
I’m back! It felt good to have some time off, Tokyo was a very fun holiday and a very welcome break from the crazy world around us.
Despite all odds, there still seems to be a great amount of games coming out, I’m working through Clair Obscur Exhibition 33 and started the Alters this week. I’ve got my eye on the new Tron game and Im just waiting for the right time to get into Citizen Sleeper 2.
As always this is the Reconnect Recap, the companion newsletter to the website Reconnect. An aggregation platform of over 250 different game blogs covering a variety of topics, if your even in the mood to read something interested head on over!
This week, we’re diving into a lot of Exhibition 33, the relationship between Sony and Apple, and plenty of mentions of Exhibiton 33.
Let’s dig in.
Great Write Ups
Dragon Age’s biggest problem was management: In a story that should surprise absolutely no one, Aftermath explains how gross mismanagement reduced the quality of last years Dragon Age.
How Stellar Blade found success in China: Despite coming a year later, and not having a publisher, nor technically being allowed to be sold in China, Daniel Camiloexplains how the game reached 180k concurrents.
It’s not Cozy if you can fail: Exploring The Games continues on, the now multi month discussion, about what is, and is not a Cozy Game.
The Apple PSP: Did you know that Steve Jobs had a close relationship with Sony and often met with them to share advice and stories? Including giving his own advice on what Sony should and shouldn’t do with the PSP. ObsoleteSony writes about the experience including the critical piece of advice Sony ignored.
Our game needs a Story: David Byrne over at CreatingforGodot is making a game with his Son, and they’ve hit the point, influenced a lot by the recent release of Exhibition 33, where their game needs a story, go give his thinking process a read.
Balancing micro and macro game design: Games Alchemy dives into micro and macro elements of game design and how to incorporate them into games.
Is the state of the world preventing game advertising?: Laura Michet explains their experience with trying to advertise their game and the difficulties they have faced due to the political climate.
Midway didn’t want to deal with the GameCube: GamesAsylum explains why Midway stopped publishing games on the GameCube, in Europe, less than a year after it launched.
The console is always dying: In this great piece by SuperJoost, they discuss the common adage that Consoles are dying, something that is said just about every year. Superjoost analyses the current state and what it means for the future.
Is it Retro?: As time goes on, so increases the number of games in our past, but all they all Retro games? Scanlines dives into this question and renders a rough outline for what retro could mean.
Winter is coming, or is it?: In their latest interview, Multiplier talks about the latest Games of Thrones games and whether the best GoT is still to come or impossible.
3 Lessons from Exhibition 33: GameDev's Journey extracts three narrative design lessons from Clair Obscur Exhibition 33.
Fun Tidbits
They make Tetris and Pac Man gummies now, I definitely want to try these.
Did you know that you can go larp out your sci-fi fantasies? Check out Eclipse a three day, futuristic, first-contact, colonisation experience.
Pokemon Jazz music by GameChops , that is all.
A forty year old British video game documentary is back for everyone to watch, it tragically was able to show the downfall of Imagine Software.
Square Enix lost the source code to Final Fantasy Tactics.
Writer Recap
On today’s issue, we’re highlighting Oya from Oya’s Game Hub.
Oya provides several different types of articles, from their pieces on Co-op games, or their POV series where they give honest opinions on things like localisation.
Give them a follow!
Housekeeping
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I'm curious to hear what you think of The Alters.
Thanks for the shout-out!