Gaming Under The Influence

This week we discuss Sony’s unfortunate Westward turn. As Sony winds down support/marketing for first part Japanese development and the creators of lauded IPs (like Toyama) depart to pursue creative freedom elsewhere, the publisher appears poised for a total orientation toward GOW 2018/TLOU2-style “blockbuster” experiences.  This is a very disappointing turn for the worse.  Here's hoping we are over reacting! cheers.

Mike & Alex are pleasantly surprised by Outriders. Despite an always-online requirement that has severely hampered it in the launch period, People Can Fly has developed one fine third-person shooter. All the best parts of Destiny and the Division are here, dissected and made available for experimentation; this all takes place within a refined gameplay loop absent any map-wandering or useless flourishes.

Monster Hunter Rise is here. As with Bravely Default II before it, we are pleased against our expectations with how weird and novel this game feels, even in the shadow of MH World; the addition of vertical movement blows the gameplay loop wide open. Join Mike and Alex for a free-form discussion of Rise’s various additions and quality of life improvements to the Monster Hunter Formula. Also featuring an introduction to the weird world of Balan Wonderworld.

Final Fantasy XIII is widely regarded as the bloated hallway simulator, forgotten between its more competent older and younger siblings. This week, Mike and Alex challenge this notion and explain why Final Fantasy XIII is the JRPG we wanted and forgot we already had. A special focus on the lack of mp guage (something we discussed last week), uncompromising linearity, the hybridization of real-time and turn based elements, Also including a brief treatment of the weird and awe-inspiring universe.

Mike and Alex Return to the concept of worldbuilding, armed with new concepts and examples. What exactly defines the act of worldbuilding? What are the different components of this act? What is the antithesis of worldbuilding?

ARGUMENT: Good literature concerns not merely what has happened but what kind of thing WOULD happen in accordance with categorical necessity[i]; it is "political" or inherently collective, considers individuals not in themselves but in relation to the machine, as part of wider categorical or ontological assemblages[ii]. We are forced to cast our gaze on their metaphysics [in a manner others have done with respect to pop music[iii]].A sound metaphysics is the difference between world building and the commodification of a world, rendering it "a fictional system which can be added to infinitely", spectacle or pantomime at the level of particulars without an informing ground[iv]. It is not merely the appropriation or reuse of aspects of other worlds that qualifies a commodo-world, for all world building proceeds by decomposition and recomposition[v], does not proceed ex nihilo. The antithesis of worldbuilding is instead the appropriation of particular tropes onto a flat plane which then metastasize and proliferate as a shuddering aggregation with no governing metaphysics (or no conscious and sound one).

This week, Alex & Mike at GreenDragonCVR discuss the prolific repetition - of brands, ideas, mechanics - that characterizes the video game industry. While repetition can tend toward banality and cloning, this is not always the case. On the basis of Bravely Default II, the concept of a genetic clone is contrasted with the possibility of growing entirely new specific cases from the soil of preexisting things.

After a week jam-packed with video game news, Mike & Alex discuss some of the upcoming titles we are looking forward to including: Solar Ash, Returnal, Deathloop, & Kena: bridge of spirits. We also learn that The Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Remakes are real, announced alongside a brand new game titled Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This one described as an open world RPG, how that differs from the current mainline games? We are not quite sure yet, though it appears to need some more time in the oven. The future is looking bright for good video games as our excitement has reached a new level for 2021. Cheers, as we anticipate exciting times ahead.

Mike at GreenDragonCVR writes: news has surfaced that Ethan will return as the protagonist of Resident Evil VIII. This adds a layer of continuity with the previous entry beyond the overarching universe. Meanwhile Alex is busy with three different Final Fantasy games at once (VIIR, X, XV), which have continuity of an entirely different sort (if any). Join us for a comparison of these and other franchises to uncover some of the different ways it is possible to engage in the act of “worldbuilding”. To build a world is not necessarily to fictionalize a planet or society; a “world” is any kind of [constructed] context or ecosystem, with its own internal logic, categories and structures. It can be a whole planet, a society, a period in time or just the relationship of a few people.

Nioh 2 has experienced a renewed surge of interest since the PS5 remaster came around. But after putting it down almost a year ago, getting back into this beastly grindcore soulslike can be daunting. This week, Mike & Alex are here to go over some of the mechanical complexities and unique aspects of Nioh 2. Including a discussion of burst counters, efficient loot recyling, Nioh’s historical fantasy & overall accessibility in comparison to other soulslike games.

Also including a brief discussion of Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood & Ys IX: Monstrum Nox; both will be treated further next week.

In 2019 & 2020, the ‘AA [double-A] publishing space was flooded with more noteworthy and interesting titles than we have seen in recent console generations. Games like Greedfall, The Surge II, & Maneater recall the glory days of mid-tier PS2 publishing. The first quarter of 2021 may be lacking in huge AAA releases, but for the next few weeks you can join GreenDragonCVR for an exploration of Q1 AA titles and the companies that make them: first up is Ys IX Monstrum Nox. This game, developed by Nihon Falcom, exhibits the eccentricity and experimental style that seems to characterize ‘AA development. Next week: Little Nightmares 2