Suicide Squad Kill the Justice league

Welcome back, Rocksteady!

I was practically unaware of who the Suicide Squad were before that 2016 movie. I mean, I had heard the name but never really got involved in one of their storylines in the comic world, as that was the world they primarily inhabited. And I remember hearing more about them in the months to come and finding the concept a little novel, if vapid. It told the tale of a task force of C-list villains, with some B-list thrown in, tied to a secret black-ops task force run by the government wherein they would be forced to undergo countless suicide missions under the promise of a reduced prison sentence. "That sounds like a cool idea!" I thought initially. "But probably more for a single spin-off tale, I can't imagine a concept like this having much legs." (Boy was I wrong.) 4 Years later and people still go on about the latent potential of the Suicide Squad brand, even after that meh movie sucked a lot of wind out of folks sails. It's like DC's own version of the Guardian's of the Galaxy. A relatively unknown superteam, outside from the comic diehards, who shoots their way into the forefront of the mainstream seemingly overnight. I suppose, then, that it shouldn't surprise me that they ended up getting a game.

Rocksteady, arbiters of the Arkham franchise, have deigned to show their face after nearly half a decade in solitude to feed the bat-starved masses once more. This time, however, it is not to tease our latest adventure with the caped crusader and co (that's being handled by Warner Bros. Interactive) No, this game jumps the moral line to put us in the long-awaited shoes of the bad guys; the Suicide Squad. Although, if rumors are to be believed, this wasn't the first idea that Rocksteady had for their Arkham follow up. Yes, despite the tease for the Suicide Squad at the end of Arkham Origins, apparently Rocksteady were deadset on making that Superman game we were all excited for before getting their idea killed by the notoriously fickle arbiters of the DC licence. (You know, the guys who had Deathstroke pulled from the Arrowverse because they might make a movie with him in it someday and they didn't want audiences getting confused?) So now we're stuck with second fiddle (third, if it's true that Gotham Knight's Court of Owls story was knicked from another Rocksteady proposal.) And that's... fine... whatever...

Hey, 'split milk' and all that. Let's count the blessings we have now that Rocksteady are still alive and kicking like I was 90% certain that they weren't. (God, news of their bankruptcy would have been the hardest pill to swallow. I don't think I could have handled that one.) Now we have a new impending action adventure game from a studio proven to be excellent at making them, and this one is noteworthy for boasting an ensemble cast. That's right, just like 'Gotham Knights', Suicide Squad is set to feature several playable characters that can be experienced in co-op play or alone for the entire story. (So is Warner Bros. copying Rocksteady's homework or is it the otherway around?) I must say that I find this new age of co-op rather curious, though completely useless to me, and wonder just how it'll blossom in the gaming age to come.

But let's talk about the game. 'Suicide Squad kill the Justice League' is a game that pretty spells the whole thing out from it's title, but I still want to take the time to acknowledge how good of a title it is. I don't mean the game, I haven't a clue how that's going to turn out thanks to us receiving a grand total of no gameplay whatsoever, I mean the actual title of this game. It's so goofy and silly, bringing to mind the wacky 'Put X character in Y Scenario' formula from the late eighties, ('Earnest goes to camp' and that ilk) whilst conceptual invoking a really messed up scenario where Earth's Mightiest Heroes have been sentenced to death by a ragtag group of antiheros. That title alone highlights so much from the duplicitous, often antagonistic, role of Suicide Squad Project leader Amanda Waller, the irreverent happy-go-lucky vibe of this particular franchise and the sheer absurdity of a bunch of C-tier villains taking on the unbeatable Justice League. It's simply a superb title. 

As for the trailer with which Rocksteady choose to announce this trailer, it was alright: Although conspicuously devoid of actual gameplay. From it we've learnt that we're moving to Metropolis for this game (Finally, out of the shadows of Gotham) and appear to be in the midst of a Brainiac invasion. You see, these were the sorts of high-level threats that I wanted to go up against in a Superman game, glad to see that hasn't entirely gone by the wayside. The Suicide Squad, consisting of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang and King Shark, all hang around whilst displaying more chemistry then we saw out of our extended time with the Batfamily in the Gotham Knights reveal. (Something feels wrong about that fact.) After showcasing the many ways in which these villains can kill whilst being distinct from each other, our protagonists happen upon their target, whom they're none-too-pleased to learn is Superman. That's right, not Bizzaro, but Superman sporting a purplelish glow implying some sort of Brainiac brain washing. (To which Amanda Waller decided the best cure would be a death sentence. Why did the Justice League put up with her again?)

So here we have a pretty intriguing tale of a David vs Goliath showdown wherein we're going to discover how the Justice League is going to be felled by a clown with a baseball bat, a sentient Shark, A sharpshooter with a superiority complex and a guy who throws boomerangs really good. It's not quite the line-up of the upcoming movie 'The Suicide Squad' (In which everyone is cast), but it's a curious band of mismatched misfits who I'm sure is going to become endearing during our extended time together. And I'm quite sold on finding out how they go about bringing down the Last Son of Krypton, the Princess of Themyscira and the Fastest Man Alive. (And I'm just as excited to see these classic characters rendered in Rocksteady's trademark, accurate yet distinct, style) It's certainly a narrative strong enough to hang a game on and I'm prepared for the ride.

In terms of what the actual gameplay might entail, there we've been left a little in the dark thanks to this largely cinematic trailer, but there have been some additional tidbits. Firstly, yes this is a title in which you can switch between members of the Suicide Squad in order to touch those different playstyles. (It's unsure yet if this switching is as 'on the go' as it could be in Arkham Knight, but I have hope.) Secondly, this is a apparently going to be a shooter as much as a beat-em-up, with each character having as many ranged weapons as melee ones. (Not sure how I feel about that yet) And thirdly, although this could just be marketing speak, apparently each character has as much, or more, nuance and complexity to their movesets as Batman did. Now sure, Rocksteady have thrown us other Arkham characters with their own movesets but they never quite felt as fleshed out as the main man's did. Could Suicide Squad be the game to change that? With the addition of shooting and all the unique skills that could be tied to that, maybe. (I'm just waiting for the inevitable challenge maps that task us with using literally every skill-move on approximately 3 guys.)

Honestly, it's quite surreal to think that after so long without any Superhero games whatsoever we're getting three in three years straight. Avengers for this year, Gotham Knights for next year and 'Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League' for the year after that; what a time to be a Superhero Stan! As a fan of the Arkham games it's great to know that their universe is getting continued by this game (and, crucially, not Gotham Knights) and I'm ecstatic to see the world of DC make it to the digital space practically whole hog. (Yes, I know Injustice exists, but I like seeing these heroes in their proper habitats.) I find it curious how co-op is appearing in literally all these games right now, but I'm not bemoaning it so long as it doesn't get in the way of a solid narrative. Although, judging by Rocksteady's past, I doubt that'll be a problem. The long and short of the DC fandome event? Not a thing has disappointed me yet, except that this game is slated for 2022, that is pretty far out. (Who knows, maybe the wait will be worth it.)

Epic V Apple: Dawn of Pettiness

Do Apples bleed?

Yes, that's right there's been one more major development in the real life Anime duel between the Grey fruit and the gaming's premium mircotransaction dairy cow. And this does have the potential to be the last major update for a long while due to the disappearance of this case to the Phantom Zone, otherwise known as courts, meaning this duel will go the way of every Dragon Ball Z fight and get itself ballooned to the length of months when it all could have been solved in the twenty minute mark. (Damn you, Filler gods!) So whilst Apples prepares it's darkest arts and squares itself with the sacrifices it will take, Epic prepares it's spirit-bomb and must call upon the aid of his allies for their contribution, and I cannot miss this opportunity to look them over one last time and see what becomes of the world's most dangerous game: Corporate scuffles.

So maybe you've been keeping abreast of everything or maybe you haven't, either way; here's your regularly scheduled recap. Last time on 'Epic X Apple': Elders of the Epic clan decide that they've had enough of spending the 30% commission that one is required to commit in order to display goods on Apple-san's markets, prompting a brazen move on Epic's part to publicly declare a complete circumvention of Apple's Market place, specifically for their most promising product; Fortnite. Unfortunately, this breaks the ancient pact signed long ago between the two clans, providing the impetus for war between the old frenemies. Does the Epic-clan stand a chance against the might of the Apple empire? Will their court injunction be enough to stop the Apple clan for going straight for the kneecaps? And will any of the other clans have the bravery to step up and stand with Epic? Find out on this week's episode of 'Epic X Apple'! 

So the cliffhanger from last time was really where it was the most heated in this fight. Apple had decided to kneejerk against Epic in the most hardcore way and threatened to remove Epic's developer account in the Apple ecosystem, a move which would cut off all of Epic's software from the store, including 'Unreal Engine'. (The most popular game engine in the world next to Apple's own Unity.) This would essentially make any game developers on the Apple store incapable of updating their apps and utterly freeze their development efforts. Now on one hand this would really be a shot-in-the-foot to Apple because they'd be screwing over a lot of their own developers who had nothing to do with this back and forth, but they were betting it would hurt Epic a lot more due to the loss of trust they'd undergo as being the 'instigator' of this fight. Naturally, this dirty tactic was frowned upon by the parties involved and Epic sought out a court injunction to prevent Apple from making this bold move. Well the results are in and the court says; Apple is not allowed to bring this private scrap between the two companies into the ecosystem of the entire Apple market just for a power move. This started as a petty bar-room brawl, that's how it should end.

So quite a blow to the Apple camp right away; who knows how they will ever recover from this? But the hits to the gut just keep coming, it would seem, as no sooner had that news started doing the rounds that a new contender entered the ring to confirm their support for the underdog in this fight; Epic. Microsoft, famed Apple competitors, roused their sleeping selves recently when they heard about the drastic measures Apple threatened to take and came out in condemnation of Apple's practises. They argued, as the Courts ultimately ended up ruling, that Apple were overreaching in attempting to kill off Unreal just to strong-arm Epic, and cited their own racing game 'Forza' for mobile, as potential collateral in all of this. So on one hand they've said nothing that everybody doesn't already know, (they didn't even touch on the 30% commission issue as Mircosoft charge something similar.) but on the otherhand it makes for attention grabbing headlines and certainly does paint Apple as the greedy dictatorial overlords that Epic needs them to appear to be in order to win this battle of cultures.

As a consequence of all this, the heads over in the Apple camp have had a distinct change of pace when it comes to how they wanted to handle this, and it's pretty much an inalienable invitation to legal war. You see, when Epic first received a limp glove-slap across the face, with the removal of Epic from the Apple store, it was done with the stipulation that as soon as Epic swallowed their damn pride and came crawling back to Apple's standards, everything could go on as normal. Of course, with how transparently orchestrated this whole affair was it's obvious that Epic wasn't going to go for such an easy L. 'They're not that weak-willed'. This tactic of "We'll slap you around, but you can come back home at any time" continued for a long while, up until Saturday where Apple, the mile long ship, cottoned into the obvious fact that Epic were in this for the long haul. (Duh!) That day, Apple terminated Epic's app store account, making it so that Epic can publish and support no more games on the Apple infrastructure. Chilling indeed.

What started off as a very robotic exchange of documents has evolved into what feels like a very emotional charged and personal anime, and I for one have no idea where it plans to go from here. On one hand you'd think that there isn't any chips left to lay on either side but on the otherhand there is a huge number of other developers on the Apple platform that stand to gain if this 30% commission is successfully clapped back against, or if Apple are forced to concede a second marketplace on the Apple infrastructure. (Which I feel is Epic's ultimate plan.) The only question is how many of those devs are willing to risk biting the hand that feeds them in order to fight for their own well being; as this is certainly a high-risk, high-reward proposition. It's in everyone's interests to be on the right side of history here.

It is quite amusing, sitting as a fellow with no stakes one way or the other, to watch Epic prostate themselves as the Jesus of small-time developers when they are themselves a violently rich corporation. Apple took the time to point that out themselves, their store had helped greatly shore up Epics funds but now they've suddenly decided they are too good for Apple and thus need to go their own way. It's hypocrisy that a lot of people fall far, though one might argue that it might be good in the long run if Epic can force their way onto Apple devices and start offering their patented 15% commission. But then, why in the world would Apple ever wantonly agree to be undercut by a competitor on their own devices? Does any court actually have the power to force Apple to self-sabotage like that? And if Epic win this fight, who will they go up against next? How long before they turn on Microsoft and Sony to start forcing their way onto console stores? Epic is essentially kid Goku right now, ever ready to fight bigger folk around them and push further than one would think possible, but make no mistake they will turn into the mega-corporations they apparently 'oppose' if they get their way. It's the circle of corporate life.

The breaking up of major tech companies is something that needs to be done and sooner rather than later, but this should be in the effort to cut down on monopolies rather than to make way for a new, potentially bigger, one to take it's place. Now I'm not claiming that Epic has some sort of deep-seeded design on total global market domination or anything (at least, not to any degree of commitment which could make me legally liable) but I worry for the precedent they work to set in the very near future. I'm no economist, I can't speak for the wide-spread commercial ramifications or benefits for the world that Epic is attempting to pave they way for, I just know that from a consumer level this spells a level of impending inconvenience that I'm becoming increasingly uncomfortable with as the age of data-supremacy descends across the globe. Am I sounding like a paranoid old lady over the fact that Epic want to get their software on my phone, computer, console, fitbit and pace-maker? Maybe. But I'd rather be a pearl-clutcher than a blind fool who reacts several years too late.

Tell Me Why

Ain't nothin' but a heartache

DONTNOD entertainment have carved out quite a reputation for themselves over their relatively short 12 years being active, to the point where some would even refer to their games as a 'type'. Personally, I've been cognisant of just about every single one of their game launches, so it might be a bit bias of me to claim how big they've become in image alone, but even in exaggeration there is a hint of truth. Starting with 'Remember Me' back in 2013, I remember distinctly not being too impressed with their game on a good few levels, not least of all for the narrative which I thought was messy and failed to stick to it's own rules. Lo and behold, here we are in 2020 and they've carved themselves into a studio renowned for their narrative-based games and storytelling- all the while still failing to stick to their own established narrative rules every now and then. (Guess that's a thing people like now?) Thus it's little surprise that their latest project, 'Tell Me Why', follows suit.

Perhaps best known for the work in the Life is Strange games, DONTNOD have developed something of a routine; mounting interesting premises and then completely scrapping what made that curious in favour of character driven narratives. (Not saying that's a bad thing, each to their own. Just feel like they could work harder in marrying those two sides of their narratives.) Whatsmore than that; they've also established this distinct visual style for comic book-esque visuals with a smooth, almost airbrushed, finish. This doesn't make it into all their games (which is for the best, I don't see this working so well in Vampyr) but it has for this new title 'Tell Me Why' which works both for and against this title. On the positive, it's a pleasing aesthetic to look at that doesn't shoot for total visual fidelity and yet is pretty enough to be it's own style. On the otherhand this style has been used exclusively on 'Life is Strange' properties up until now, thus that inherently ties 'Tell Me Why' with NODS' reputation for confused inconsistent and oddly fantastical storytelling, when I get the impression that this title wants to be a little more serious and grounded. (Then again, these are the guys who introduced then ignored a plot point involving a surprise second moon, so I should know better than to think I've got their number.)

The premise itself is actually quite intriguing on the surface, which is why I'm interested in giving this story a shot. It follows these Ronan twins making their way back to their hometown to come to terms with their 'troubling' childhood trauma with the hopes of getting to the bottom of it so that they can both move on with their lives. Seems simple enough, but when that trauma seems to involve their mother suddenly attacking one of the kids, Tyler, with a shotgun and then ending up dead; the seeds of a mystery start to lay themselves. Now as it just so happens, these twins have a supernatural bond whenever they are close to one another, (Because DONTNOD can't help but bog down their own stories with ancillary supernaturalism) but the way this manifests does have the potential to prove a satisfying framing device for the story, so I won't ride them too hard until the final chapter comes out and they completely bottle it with a spiral into nonsense. (I'm grumpy this morning.)

The twins actually have the ability to see flashes of the past whenever the are struck with intense emotion, and I will concede; that's quite apt for story like this. In the way that the story appears to be laid out, there's a cold-case of a mystery who's details played out years ago when both the protagonists were still naive children who couldn't have accurately comprehended the world around them. With this power, however, it allows them to revisit moments like those with the perspective of adulthood to really comprehend these events and learn the truth behind them. That's super cool and a clever implantation of the abnormal. This likely also extends to seeing events that neither of them were there to witness, as that's the only way I can see them truly unravelling the mystery of what really happened the night of the attack. I'll be honest, this sounds like an interesting mystery with the potential to really subvert and surprise if it's handled right.

Of course, the glue of the game which will pull it all together isn't in it's mystery but rather in the relationship between the twin protagonists. (I think we've yet to get a really seminal 'unravel-the-mystery' game in the industry and I very much doubt DONTNOD will make the first.) Both of these protagonists are positioned to have spent a very large part of their growing up apart from each other, likely under different foster homes, so in reuniting and coming to solve this mystery we have a story that purposes to tell the re-connection of these characters in the present as well as to their shared past. Now whilst I may mock DONTNOD for their failings, may that never be misconstrued to say that I disparage their efforts of telling character stories because they can do that, and do it well. In fact, I get annoyed when their other stuff gets in the way of solid character interactions and emotional building. So for these twin's relationship to be the beating heart of the story is a definitive move in the right direction for this studio's talents, in my opinion.

Something that I'd feel remiss in failing to discuss, though more in line with the studio's talents in general over this specific game, is the quality of the world design that I've noticed from these developers. This title marks their latest milestone in this regard but even all the way back in the original Life is Strange they've coveted this unique eye for building very terrestrial and realistic world spaces that feel lived in. Even when the graphical splendour isn't quite as exploited as it might be, such as in this trailer which I feel has a, perhaps purposely, duller palette, they've always managed to craft this slices of life into the narratives which deftly enriches the lives of the people so integral to these plotlines. Even looking around their old family house you can read the story off the walls and on the desks, this is an art of environment that DONTNOD have slowly been getting better at and in the glimpses of this game that I've seen I think they just might have reached a height as immersive as 'Gone Home'. And if you remember my thoughts on that game's environment you'll know I offer high praise.

Though if I have one huge fear going into this game, it's the same shortcoming that DONTNOD borrowed from their genre influencer, Telltale Games; I don't think the choices will matter. Now don't get me wrong, DONTNOD and Telltale both dived into choice based narrative games and made something impressive for the times that those games existed, but the genre grew distinctly stagnant in the barrage of choice-based games that came after to the point where it was hard to see how the game-type had grown. Choice that felt impactful in the days of Life is Strange 1, (which I feel bad about spoiling so I won't) just feel hollow today, and we reach the point that unless a decision has the ability to drastically shift the direction of the story, rather than just hit you with an immediate consequence and solider on, we feel a little underwhelmed. DONTNOD have a habit of leaving all their big choices till the end, and that's just a little too late to justify the concept in my book. Now they have no impetus to change things on my account, of course, but I hope that with the reputation they're receiving as the, currently, sole purveyor of high-quality choice-based adventures, they'd take it upon themselves to push the artform a little, even if just as a test. (Imagine a serious tale that diverged as wildly as 'The Henry Stickman Collection' or 'A Heist with Markiplier'; now that'd be the game to turn heads!)

But I'm sure what DONTNOD have at their disposal right now is entirely serviceable. In fact, I can attest to that with some evidence as, during the writing of this article, the first episode of this three-part journey is out and people seem to be enjoying it. Theirs is a studio with a somewhat unique talent for portraying realistic relationships and interpersonal drama, and the more they play to that strength I hope translates for more success for them. As an amateur writer myself I feel a little invested in the plight of this plucky studio, and wish them the best in their endeavours especially as narrative-driven gaming isn't as widespread as I would hope in today's age. Here's one studio that's changing that one story at a time and I salute them for their efforts. Also, the game's real cheap on Steam right now; Pick it up if your so inclined; support the storytellers.

Black Myth: Wukong

The Phoenix can fly only when it's feathers are grown

I don't think I'm personally among China's biggest fans these days. And you know what, I bet on some obscure server database somewhere, good in the company of hundreds of thousands others, that feeling is very much mutual. But if I try to focus this blog back to it's original purpose and think of the influences that China has had on the gaming market- no, their practises still stick me off. (Go figure.) The Chinese 'Game Market' has consisted entirely of low-effort online ports of popular worldwide franchises and an absolutely nauseating amount of mobile games that are seeped in microtransactions. Just absolute bottom of the barrel garbage has dominated the gaming industry in one of the most populated countries on Earth, what kind of sick twisted joke is that? And to make things worse, through Tencent they've managed to slowly start spreading their toxic practises to the rest of the world too, most notably for that no-show Diablo Immortal. But what if there was the one game to break the mould, to rewrite the playbook on 'what a game made in China can be' and to actually hold up on the world stage? Well that game exists, ladies and gentlemen, and it's called 'Black Myth: Wukong'.

Hailing out of the Middle Kingdom, 'Black Myth' is a game not within the stable of any of the big Chinese game companies, it doesn't even have Tencent for a publisher, this is a title that is independent with eyes on being AAA in today's market. The team currently working on it, moderately sized at about 40, consists of new comers to game development as well as veterans of Tencent's gaming division, and what they all share seems to be undeniable talent in their respective fields. This trailer, as much as it was a statement of intent, was apparently call for recruitment for any talent out there as they wish to settle into an active development routine, and if what we've seen so far is anything to go by then this team certainly have the vision to drive such a project. What started as perhaps something of an insulated project with big dreams has hit absolute payload in the past week with this footage, and I'm curious if this 'Game Science' team had any idea just what a ripple this would have on the gaming world; although I'm happy that it has.

So what is the footage to this indie game like, how does it's aspirations of shaping up to AAA stand? Shockingly well, as facts would have it. The game looks breathtaking in it's design, concept, movement, cinematography and just the plain tech making it all run. And bare always in mind, reader, that this isn't some highly polished cinematic or a final-look gameplay demo; it's a first look. A proof-of-concept before the actual hard development takes form for the next 2 years, at least. What I'm saying is, this game has no right to look this good. The only other game I can think off which looked this fine at this stage would have to be Cyberpunk 2077, and that was from a game being made by a much bigger team with a huge influx of the industries finest working there. Now to be fair, Wukong doesn't quite match Cyberpunk's fidelity or scale, but it looks just as tantalising fun to get one's hands on, and isn't that what it's all about?

Trying to evaluate all that happens in the footage is hard, as it is about 13 minutes long with extended gameplay footage and even a full-blown trailer at the end. (But I'll do what I can.) Firstly, I must say that it's heartening to finally have one of the most well-known stories in gaming make it to consoles without having to coat it in some sci-fi paint or stick it in an orange jumpsuit. (Sorry 'Enslaved: Odyssey to the West' and 'Dragon Ball', sometimes I just want the original.) This story is set to follow Sun Wukong and his famous 'Journey to the West', although some of the trailer's dialogue, along with the tag on the title 'Black Myth', leads me to believe that this will adopt some sort of 'the untold story behind the tale' vibe to it. The character of the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, has been adapted so many times in media that it's hard not to feel an instant connection to him. Of course there's the aforementioned references in 'Monkey', and Goku; but you also have some Easter eggs in games like 'Sleeping Dogs' and even outside of gaming there's the classic show 'Monkey Magic'. (Actual great show)

Straight away it's notable how much the team chose to draw from the, naturally, rich lore of the Monkey King and his many powers. Transformation is a big part of his story and as such we see that it seems to be the basis for the diversity in the fighting system in this game, and maybe even some of the traversal. (As Sun starts off as a cicada.) Sun Wukong famously has 72 transformations that he can adopt at any time, and this seems to have translated into a sort of fluid combat system that borrows it's stances from games like Yakuza. But that isn't the only inspiration. There are crowd control effects from 'God of War', intense one-on-one fights with plenty of dodging from Dark Souls, a split-second parry system that appears similar to Sekiro, and just a bevy of ludicrously fine animations to back all of it up. Seriously, even now I can see the personality from Sun Wukong's fighting style and I positively love it.

Speaking of combat, the enemy design also got a look over in this gameplay and, again, it looks great. There's a definite Souls inspiration from what I've seen so far, not so much in the animal soldiers that comprised the first half of the trailer but certainly the second half. Firstly we see that great shaggy white-haired wolf who looked right out of Bloodborne with his pleasing fur physics, then there were the insectile creatures who literally look like Sewer Centipedes from Dark Souls 3, and even some Lizard soldiers who look- like Man-Serpents. (Obviously.) But then there are the huge monsters that seem reminiscent of Bayonetta or God of War in their scale, or the armoured soldiers of heaven whom I didn't get the best look of but which all looked great on the other side of Sun's Jingu bang.

In fact, this entire trailer looks good. And I'm not just talking about graphical fidelity here. (Although, on that note, it does look graphically great as well.) When adapting a story about an epic adventure, heck, the epic adventure, it behoves one to focus on capturing that spirit of adventure and diversity in location and struggles. And whilst the first half of the trailer showed off an incredibly solid basis for gameplay, the following footage after Wukong gets interrupted by his older self, nails the adventure concept to a T. We see beautiful sweeping shots that all appear to be captured in the one-shot style that the recent God of War popularised, adversity in the pain the Sun appears to be wracked with in the presence of a Yaoguai statue and character development in that we see Wukong as his kingly self, riding his nimbus and taking on the armies of Heaven in a Dynasty-Warrior-style bout that just oozed epic scale. Quite simply, this game looks like a trip. One I desperately want in on.

Game Science have been a little overwhelmed by the way their incredible looking title has blown up all over the world, and the founder, Feng Ji, has been eager to temper expectations. He's already called for people not to take the footage too seriously, as it apparently doesn't represent their best work. (Almost makes it sound like he's flexing on us from another light.) He comments that the water physics aren't done yet, (Didn't even notice it) the frame drop in the fight against the heavenly warriors (Didn't care, scene looked dope) and that the music didn't always fit. (But where it did fit, the effect was magical.) But it's good that the team is remaining humble, they're not going down the Star Citizen route and proclaiming themselves god incapable of making mistakes. What's more, they plan to disappear and get their nose into making this game without feeding into their new found fame, now that's the mark of a studio in it for the craft. Personally, I always love to see an indie game that looks this good hit the world, just as I'm excited to see stories told from culture you don't get exposed to too often. Black Myth: Wukong looks like everything I could possibly want out of a Chinese game, and I didn't even know I wanted a Chinese game. Good luck to the team, and I await any and all updates with bated breath.

Mission Accomplished

We did it!

Never before have I felt a bigger sense of pride and accomplishment for services rendered. Forget all that loot box nonsense, screw actually getting qualifications for good test results, get out of here: meaning connections with loved ones; you've all been trumped by the holy news that graced us just recently. What is that news? Well, unenlightened ones, allow me to elucidate. You see, during an investor call, Sega made the startling admission of their new strategy going forward from today; to 'aggressively' pursue PC ports like the entire gaming world has been begging them to do for literal decades now. (It's almost as though you work in an industry where your consumers literally tell you the things they're willing to pay for or something. Weird.) And what was it that paved the way for this absolute paradigm shift in direction? The performance of this year's port of 2012's PS Vita re-release of Persona 4; 'Persona 4 Golden'. (champagne all round boyos!)

Of course, there are a great number of factors that have gone into play for this latest turn around and each one of them should be given their deserved due. First there is the global pandemic, who remembers that thing? (If it weren't for the sweeping changes to daily life that touches everything outside my door I might've forgotten) Well due to the understandable loss of physical sales (with every games store being shut down) it only made sense for everyone to be heading digital which would naturally lead them towards storefronts that have gone completely digital years ago such as the entire PC ecosystem.

However, the same could be said for digital console storefronts so there has to be more to it then that. Well, there's also the fact that Persona 4 Golden had, up until now, only been released on PS Vita, a console which is notable only for being slightly more successful than the Wii U. (Okay, it was also an impressive feat of engineering at the time but that didn't help it shift units.) So what I'm saying is that next to no-one got the chance to play this special edition, so now they want it. Or maybe it's because the entire gaming market that doesn't own a Playstation has been starving of Shin Megami Tensei content forever and we'll literally throw money at you if you let us. (Oh wait, I just circled back around to my original point. Maybe it really is just that simple!)

But do you know what really gets me? The fact that honestly knocks me for six everytime I hear it? The fact that Sega are apparently surprised by this outcome. That's right, after the years of pressure, pleading, reasoning, begging, they say that Persona 4 Golden on Steam performed "Significantly higher than expected". Well ain't you just the easiest to impress people in the world... (Quick, get a ball and string and they may give you a three-game contract.) Okay, maybe it sounds like I'm being mean (I am) but it's because this is just such a simple equation in my eyes that I cannot comprehend the apparent bewilderment here. You have an entire franchise built upon being a turn-based RPG, don't you think it'd be best received on a platform ideal for spending hours going through stats and strategising, over one that values high-octane excitement and instant gratification? Why do you think Epic didn't release Valorant on Switch first, because you go where your key demographic is! Am I talking to a wall? I feel like I'm talking to a wall.

So it very much seems that, if we hand't have flocked to the Steam store in order to snap up Persona 4 Golden and make it one of the most played games on Steam at release, maybe Sega wouldn't have come to one of the most basic conclusions ever; That JRPGs belong on PC. (And Switch, to be fair. I love me some casual Xenoblade Chronicles 2.) So pat yourselves on the back all those that spared the odd $15 ATLUS' way for the good of a clueless publisher. And know that I say that as someone who hasn't even had the chance to play my copy (which I bought literally the moment I found out it existed) due to the dual reasons of being too busy at the time to spare anything and that the Port was laggy for me with seemingly no fix. Something they refrained to patch for a heck of a long time. In fact, I'm going to check right now if it's still laggy... Yep, still is. (That's just a bullet I'm gonna have to bite, huh.)

So what does this move actually mean? What will we as a gaming community get out of Sega moving to make more PC ports out of their games? Quite simply, this pretty much confirms that Persona 5 Royal is coming to Steam and I couldn't be more jazzed right now. Perhaps, however, we'll start to see some of Sega's future titles make it Steam at the same time as other consoles, which could mean that Shin Megami Tensei could end up on PC, or... well I don't really care about anything else to be fair. But this could set a precedent for these Japanese developers realising that outside of Japan their RPGs are much better served on PC than on Console. (So perhaps we can avoid this irritating situation with Final Fantasy 7 Remake still being a bloody Plash Speed exclusive. Yes, I know it's not a traditional JRPG but an action adventure that's perhaps best served with a controller, but damned if I still want some consistency out of my FF releases. If the original's on Steam, this should be too.)

Although to be fair, this isn't a move that's entirely unprecedented by the Sega team, so there must be someone in the decision making team with their head screwed on right. 4 years ago there was actually a plethora of great Sega titles that were nowhere to be seen on PC. Vanquish, Platinum Games' decent shooter-slasher; Bayonetta, Planitum Games'... other shooter slasher... and Yakuza were all noshows. In fact, many didn't even believe a localisation of Yakuza would ever happen, let alone a port. Yet here we are with complete HD remaster ports of Yakuza 1 & 2, Bayonetta and Vanquish on Steam, and no word on Bayonetta's other games because Nintendo's still an arse who lives in the last century. (Get with the times Old man, cross pollination is the future!) It was just Persona which really started breaking records for Sega to really push them other the edge, and I think it's going to be a change for the better. (at least I hope so.)

Now before I close this out I do want to talk about how much of a victory this was, not just in turning the heads of a classic mile-long-ship scenario, but in proving something that has been postulated on for so long now; that voting with our wallets works. For literal years now the gaming industry has been fraught with anti-consumer practises, greed, extortion and down-right idiocy from the people in power, and these have been situations that have persisted. More than that, we as an industry have often rewarded these people. Whenever we hear a new story about a studio being wrecked with crunch hours or toxic behaviours and work cultures, that very rarely comes to effect the commercial success of the product being made, reinforcing the crappiness and ensuring it'll continue. Just a few days back I wrote about a particularly pernicious fall out between developers and their company, a situation where every developer ended up quitting/getting fired due to not being paid. And even in that extreme I'm only 50% sure that it'll have a tangible effect on the sales. I'm not sure if people don't hear about stuff or they don't care or they don't feel like they can do anything, but they can! This proves it. SEGA were mincing no words when they said that the commercial success fuelled their decision. Same for the turn around of Star Wars Battelfront 2, achieved because customers simply played with their incredibly powerful chip, their willingness to purchase. I know it's weird to get so meta with a post like this but I need to let this out somewhere, just as we're responsible when something celebratory like this happens, we're complicit when the opposite is allowed to thrive, and coming to terms with that could really allow the community to affect the good of the games Industry going forward. (Chew on that. Or don't, what do I know anyway...)

Psychonauts 2

In my Cosmic Eye

You know, it must be rather intimidating to be the sort of person praised as an auteur for your string of numerous cult classics. (These are the sorts of things I suppose about, lacking any creativity or talent of my own.) These are the shoes that  Tim Schafer finds himself in everytime he sits down to work on a project, and I can't help but wonder if that level of pressure ever gets to him. What I mean is, a great many creative folk that I've met are driven by their desire to perpetually improve and thus are bolstered by a figure who appears to be more successful, talented, driven.etc. than them. When you reach the sorts of pedestals that folk like Tim reach there has to be a degree of loss as you realise your competing against yourself, and that can really sink or float a lot of people. Then again, maybe Tim is just driven by the desire to, for once, receive the commercial success everyone seems to think he's been due all these years. (Seriously, him and Double Fine deserve a hit.)

Perhaps that game will be Psychonauts 2, it certainly has the sort of word of mouth to get a lot of people talking. (15 years of build-up since the last entry will do that for you) For it was at the Microsoft event that we got our only substantial showing of an exciting looking title in the gameplay trailer for this game. That's right, the game is real. It wasn't just that curious little VR title from a while back, no there's an actual honest-to-goodness game waiting for us somewhere down the line. (How exciting!) For those unfamiliar, Psychonauts is a platforming adventure game about an eponymous agency of telepathic agents who travel through people's minds in order to fix what's wrong with them. No, this isn't Persona 5, it's Psychonauts. No idea how you could get the two mixed up...

In the trailer footage alone you can already tell that this game isn't quite as... stereotypical as a lot of others from it's genre, these devs are just on a notably different wave length. Every single ounce of the trailer that we saw was absolutely dripping in surrealist creativity and it is quite honestly sublime to look at. Even re-watching it back I was struck once again by just the assault of psychedelia and the desensitising nature of it all, all heightened by the lovely singing cords of Jack Black giving his 60's tribute. That's right, Jack Black is in this game too. But what am I supposed to take from the trailer, what do I remember? Well, nothing and everything, if you know what I mean. The art of platforming has had interesting ups and downs over the past decade, but I can look upon Psychonauts 2 and see a game that seems to have learnt all the right lessons and discarded the bad-ones, all without losing itself. (Which is good because the original Psychonauts has not aged badly at all.)

As for specifics of the sort of environments the game will show us, well that's hard to say. What we saw from the trailer seemed to all take place in a single mind, and one that was dripping in spirituality at that. The very premise of a game like this allows for vastly different travelling environments as you explore the psyches of newer and ever more messed up folks, so it's hard to get a feel of the progression one might see in variety. But even with this one world in particular to look at there was so much going on. There were the kaleidoscopic drops, the relationship with colour and movement, the odd mess with perspective; there wasn't a single frame of this trailer that look dull or uninspired. Which either speaks to the talent of the marketing agency that cut the trailer or the quality of the minds and hands working on the game. (Maybe a little of both.) Seriously, if this is anything to go by then literally every mind that Raz and the team invade throughout the course of this game is going to be a bonafide work of art.

And know that I don't say this as another fan of the franchise who's desperate for their latest fix, no. I am just as new to all of this as the average man, in fact I'm almost virginal to Tim Schafer too. (To his work, I should specify unless that starts to sound any weirder than it already does.) True, I have played and completed Costume Quest 2 (and not the original) but I'll be honest, that didn't even really feel like a full game to me. I haven't joined Manny Calavera on his quest to upsell premium tickets to hell in 'Grim Fandango', (I think that's what he does) Nor have I slain hordes of demons in Jack Black-led rock RTS 'Brutal Legend'. I never got the chance to finish 'Broken Age' (Although I really should get back to that, I think I just hit the end of Act 1) I ain't never heard of 'Headlander' (Although maybe I should have, the reviews are nuts!) and I- Oh wait, I played the hell out of Massive Chalice- I didn't know they made that! That was an alright game, for the times when I was sick to death of X-com. (Although those times didn't come very often so I never actually completed a full campaign's worth of the game.) And, most importantly, I've never played Psychonauts 1, nor 'Rhombus of Ruin' (the VR prequel to this game), so all this insanity is mostly new to me too.

I say mostly new because, like I implied at the beginning, I've heard of it by reputation. I'd wager anyone who's spent anytime around the gaming news cycle has heard of a Tim Schafer game at least once. He's 'The king of cult' some might say. (Not 'the King of Cults', that's something else entirely) Thus it's due to this second-hand familiarity that I found myself interested in this game that doesn't really look like anything else in the modern market. With every game seeming to head to new horizons that push or evolve their genre to new categories, it's refreshing to have one title that is comfortable being in a familiar genre and merely pushing itself to excellence within that field. And as someone who used to play quite a lot of action adventure platformers back in the day, this does give me some of those old school vibes whilst still appealing to my modern sensibilities. (Making it the best of both worlds!)

There is a certain amount of undeniable anticipation revolving around this title, and not all of it is in the positive sense. There's always that fear you have when approaching these sorts of 'too many years in the making' style games when you find yourself wondering why exactly this took so long. Was it a matter of waiting until the exact right time to pull everything off, or did this turn into another 'Duke Nukem Forever' or 'Star Citizen', with an unclear vision that kept getting reiterated and added upon until it bloats like a drowned pig, then softens into sludge. Such games tend to become discussed and lionised anyway. Not for virtue, but for hype. Such is the way of marketing, I suppose. (God, my reference game is weird today.) Now I'm not saying the same fate will befall Psychonauts 2, besides I hear it only entered active development relatively recently, but one has to wonder; what exactly did all those publishers hear to make them turn this game down for all those years? Sure, Tim says that the game is too 'esoteric.' (okay, he didn't use that word but such was the gist) But what if it just plain wasn't a good idea and the whole concept will fall apart when it comes to launch? That's probably just my pessimism getting the better of me, though, I'm sure this game will be the great follow up all the fans have been waiting for. (Because no sequels ever disappoint afterall...)

There is something to be said about a team that can illicit this amount of devotion and support, and can construct a trailer that easily was the best of the entire event in which it sat. These guys are clearly some of the most talented folk sitting in Microsoft's stable right now, and it remain to be seen if Phil and the gang know how to get them the success that they deserve. Do I believe that Double Fine will be the Xbox answer to Suckerpunk or Naughty Dog, no, they're not that kind of studio, but what they are is a storied studio with a dedicated following, and if Psychonauts 2 continues to get front billing by Microsoft this arrangement could turn out great for all sides. As for me, I need to start getting on Psychonauts 1. (Which is on Steam for literal Peanuts, by-the-way. Don't muss out.)

Tetris Effect Connected

Spiralling down

Does the noble art of gaming get any more retro than Tetris? Of course it does, but I'd argue that Tetris is the only game of that age with persists to the modern day largely unchanged from it's original premise. I mean, think about the features that have been added over the years; there's been the ability to quick drop pieces when you don't want to wait, sometimes you have the chance to save a piece if you want to keep it for later... And that's it. 36 years and only quality of life changes have come to this game that's still a popular and a beloved piece of gaming lore and history, that's got to be one of the most enduring concepts of all gaming time. Move aside Pong, get outta here Asteroids, be gone Space Invaders, it's all about Tetris in today's day and age. But with all that present and clear in mind, why would anyone sign up for this new 'Tetris Effect' in the light of so many free alternatives online. (You can even find Google's free Tetris game from a few years back if you look for it.) Well let's take a look at this new 'Tetris Effect Connected' in order to find out.

Firstly, however, I would like to get everyone up to date about something you likely subconsciously knew but never really thought about; Did you know Tetris is an IP? Of course it is, you must think, but with how much the game gets around one would be forgiven for thinking that it's free domain. It absolutely is not. In fact all of those old-school games are brands and no-one really considers what that means. Pong is an IP that I'm not entirely sure has even been tested, it's so basic and overused that I think there'd be a hell of a time for the owner to prove that they've tried to defend their license. Asteroids is a worthless IP that literally no one wants hold of nowadays. And Space Invaders is an old arcade game which, apparently, is now in the hands of Square Enix, of all people. (Now that's an IP trail that I'd be really interested to follow.) Only Pacman really makes sense as a brand because it prominently features an iconic, if criminally underused, mascot. (Okay, he made it into Smash, I suppose that's the pinnacle of all mascots, no? Keep dreaming, Kaplan, OW's never joining the fight.)

Okay then, so who holds the rights to- The Tetris Company. That's right, these guys literally pulled a Pokemon and called their licencee 'The Tetris Company'- the balls on these guys, huh. In fact, it might be more appropriate to say that Pokemon ripped on them because, that's right, TTC has been around since 1996, two years before The Pokemon Company. (My entire world was just turned on it's head.) Theirs was an organisation started by the original creator of Tetris and- the man responsible for making Japan's first major turn based RPG? We have Henk Rogers to blame for the entire JRPG genre? Who'd a thunk? Either way, these fellows came together in order to crack down on the plethora of derivatives that were spawning off of the Tetris brand and secure distribution rights for the good of the franchise. So what does the good of the franchise look like today? Well for a good many years it looked like Electronic Arts, and if you've ever played Tetris on your phone for the past decade then there's a good chance that's the version you've played.

But such is the issue with IP's, because as soon as it moves suddenly every version of that game becomes defunct. I'm pretty sure there's more killed-off copies of Tetris then there are actual licenced Tetris games in existence. (Actually, that's not the hardest brag right now considering there's only two, currently.) Tetris was wrestled out of the steel grip of EA in 2018 in order to launch a brand new title, Tetris Effect, which is named after a real phenomenon where one plays so much Tetris that it begins to take over their subconscious. (Which, in consideration, isn't the most serious and terrible occurrence in the world. I use to dream in Minecraft blocks now and then, and there ain't too much wrong we with me as consequence.) Tetris Effect took the classic concept and decided to seep it in visually pleasing effects, melodious tunes and enough quality of life content to make Tetris a staple game in one's library. So what exactly can Tetris Effect Connected add onto that? What even is Tetris Effect Connected? Good questions.

Well the trailer for Tetris Effect Connected, which debuted during the Xbox conference, was quite unhelpful in clearing up even the most basic of these queries. The trailer showed off Alexey Pajitnov for it's first screen (the original creator) but apart from that it was all unremarkable. Just a bunch of diverse faces sitting down to play Tetris like it's the most hardcore gaming experience they've ever sat down for and not like their favourite Battle Royale just got hit with an update and so they're playing this to pass the time. (I know I'm being a bit of an ass here, but I can't stand this pretentious 'I'm changing the world' style trailers.) To their credit the trailer came attached with a song, I mean I think it's derivative trash but at least they hired a song writer and someone who somewhat resembles a musician. (Although it might have just been a voice box with Emily Warren programmed in, I couldn't quite tell.) Either way, it wasn't a patch on that accursed earworm from the Bugsnax trailer, so better luck next time.

As far as what this actually means for the game, I'm unsure. Aside from the apparent fact that multiplayer is coming to Tetris and- wait, didn't we do this already? That's right, last year Tetris 99 released which pit 99 players against each other to see who could last the longest, with aggressive actions involved such as sending completed lines into the stage of your competitors. Surely when compared to that, anything Tetris Effect Connected can pull off will be a let down, no? Also, a minimal point but I just it might be important to point out that Tetris Effect Connected it not, as it might seem, a sequel to Tetris Effect. Despite the fact that this was shown off during an Xbox event wherein Microsoft have been desperately trying to hammer home how much effort they're putting into bringing games to their console, this game is merely a free update that's sending this title into the next gen. (I feel a little misled, I'm not gonna lie.)

I cannot, for the life of me, find any concrete information about what Connected brings to the game which was special enough for a whole new trailer. The trailer boasts about having 'an optimised singleplayer' but honestly, that is one of the most nothing boasts I think I've ever read in a marketing slide. 'Optimised' is meaningless, what did you optimise? Is the game-time faster? Does it run better? Are the graphics less intensive? What the hell do you mean!? What I can confirm exists, however, is the multiplayer mode which appears to be taking the basic premise of Tetris 99 and transposing it to co-op play. That is to say, four folk (cross play across all of Microsoft's platforms) working together to make lines to send them against AI enemies who do the same against them. It's a chill and cute twist upon that classic Tetris formulae but, again, not exactly brag worthy. Ghost of Tsushima just dropped an entire multiplayer mode out of the blue without any real fanfare, they didn't need to hog the Sony press stage in order to announce this. Does that make this trailer indicative of Microsoft's lack of new titles then? I'd say so. They just lost Halo for launch day and now they've got to advertise games that folk already own at their own trade show. (That's rough, buddy)

But alas, I feel as though I've been ripping into Tetris fans and that's not why I wanted to write this. I just wanted to wrap my head about the unnecessarily confusing world of modern day Tetris and maybe glean some insight into the marketing process while I'm at it. Therefore I shall reiterate, if you're a Tetris fan who hasn't checked out Tetris Effect then I absolute recommend you to at least look the game up, it has a lot of really cool features to it that really bring the concept into the modern age in a unique manner; and, of course, the game's out today no matter what this recent Connected trailer might have you believe. Good game, odd trailer.

Aeon Must Die Should Die?

Why must it always happen with the cool-looking games?

You know what; there's too many games getting thrown at us this year. Without the structure and sanitation of a schedule, we've been bombarded with gaming events for 3 months straight and I- look, I don't even remember what game was announced at what event anymore, okay? Was this an Xbox game? Sony? Independent?- If a game falls down in the woods where no one heard it then did it make any sound at all? (By the way, of course it does. Never understood that 'riddle'. Sure, it's supposed to be existential or whatever, but there's much more profound statements on imperceptibility and consequence. Take Dark Souls' larger narrative for exa-) Wait, what was I talking about again? Right, video games. There's so many of them that you really need some sort of special story to make your game stand out, something wild and out there which get's your game's title in the headlines and turns your head. Something like 'Aeon Must Die' did.

Except nothing like what 'Aeon Must Die' did, because that trainwreck of a situation is sure to give a profound effect on how this game, and studio, survives going into the next year. (Remember boyos and girls, all publicity absolutely is not good publicity. Only idiots with broken moral compasses think that's the case.) I'm being serious when I say that the absolutely state of the conversation surrounding this game is probably one of the worst cases that a small game studio ever wants to be in, and I am fascinated to see what becomes of it all. But what's more than that, I'm also a little heartbroken at it does mean we might never get to witness the gem-of-a-title that this could've turned out to be. But before we dive into the drama, how about I tease the game that was meant to be so that you can feel as bummed out as I do.

First up I must mention, the reveal trailer for this game looks unfairly beautiful. It's dripping in that neon metal aesthetic that looks as though that iconic 80's animation edge never got swallowed up by Disney's overly wholesome takeover. (Am I blaming Disney for the death of Heavy Metal's legacy? Yes, yes I am.) The game has this sharp dystopian heartbeat running through it, punctuated with cyborg suits, buzzing energy accents with warm colours, and a comic-book dynamism to it all that makes the action feel alive and vibrant. There's even that sense of over-the-top melodrama that I thought was long lost to the realm of Anime, still beating in the heart of a title like this, seeped in the pangs of an electric guitar. Quite simply, this is an aesthetic that I don't think anyone was expecting to see again out of the animation world, bought to the modern age with all of it's bells and whistles. Even as this turns out to be just a beat-em-up in content, (a genre I've never really been in love with) I'd be a fool not to respect the passion in all of it.

And yes, the story is just as OTT as the visuals. (Would you have it any other way?) Aeon, the emperor of the Void armada, has been attacked in an attempted assassination attempt that left him without a body. Luckily he has transferred his consciousness into your body and is now embarking on a classic tale of revenge against all those that wronged him for the chance to sit on the throne as the dread emperor once more. Nothing deeper or existential about that, just a pure style narrative of vengeance that perfectly compliments the genre and world that's been built. Violence, decadence and monochromatic environments all spun together in a bloody loom for our entertainment and delight. Long story short, this is a game that looked like it had the makings of becoming an unreserved cult classic, but judging by the skewered like-ratio on the trailer, I think it's safe to say that those dreams are in the process of being scuppered. Buying this game now is little more than a testament stating that you support toxicity and abuse, and that's a reputation sure to hurt first day sales.

The tale began with the release of the trailer of Aeon Must Die which, unbeknown to the public, was the last straw in a long-line of transgressions. At the same time as the trailer was being released to Youtube, another cut of the trailer surfaced online with the title "Aeon Must Die (Original Version) TRUTH IN THE DESCRIPTION". Now that's a eye-grabber if ever I've seen it, and for once this isn't a clickbait title. In said description were laid a great many accusations, such as that the trailer was produced with "abuse, manipulation and theft", that "people who have worked on every shot of this (trailer) are no longer with the company holding IP rights" and that some employees straight "Were not even paid for their work." So it's safe to say that these are some serious accusations that one does not make lightly, and this would be cause for some serious scepticism had this new trailer not handily come attached with an entire google doc's worth of receipts.

Now, admittedly, a lot of what was discussed in the enclosed documents was all about IP disputes and, not to undermine what these folk went through, I'm just not in the exact right state of mind to go into the ins and outs of legal rules right now, maybe tomorrow; but I think I got the general gist of things down. (That handily comprehensive 'Intro' helped) As far as I can tell there was some issues involving a seemingly endless amount of crunch and unpayed work that turned out to be just unbearable for the development team working on the game in question. They tried to get some legal help to figure everything out and discovered that the company and entire IP was covertly taken from the founder. Attempt were made to reach an accord and they were ultimately shut down by management and shareholders. So after that they made a hailmary to try and reach out to the publisher and that's when things really got out of hand.

Focus Home Interactive, the publishers of AMD, completely swallowed the call for help that they were sent and simply chose to do nothing, except for narc on the developers to their boss. This, predictably, resulted in threats of firing and lawsuits levied against the team in an attempt to twist their arms into quiet subservience. The entire team had handed in their resignation letters at the time, but in the light of this betrayal Limestone games saw fit to fire them before their resignation date, which certainly has the potential for some legal ramifications if the team can confirm it's true. They were met with another gauntlet when the publisher finally got in contact with the team and asked for proof of Limestone's doings. This effort led to the compiling of many documents, a few of which are comprised in the google doc that is now in the public eye. The result? A call wherein the publisher claimed to have processed little to none of the information they were given and decided to basically tell the team to get back to work and finish the game. This is in spite of the impending Playstation state-of-play in which AMD was scheduled to show despite the entire team being fired and there being an ongoing struggle of IP regarding the footage. They were left on their own.

Now all the team are left with is to go public with everything that they legally can right now and hope for the best, whilst maybe opening themselves up to a libel suit while they're at it. Focus Home Interactive has handled this sort of public negative press before, but judging from their seeming inherent lethargy the biggest issue won't come from them. (Every controversy regarding them has to do with the studio's inability to do so much as a phone call or write up a document. This office must be comprised of actual sloths or something.) Limestone games, on the otherhand, have been waving around lawsuit threats like it's going out of style, so things have the potential to become really messy in the days to come. All this is bearing in mind that we haven't even heard Limestone's side of the story. (although I've been in enough toxic work environments to guess that it's going to be imprecise waffle with no merit and absolutely nothing substantial to justify or refute these accusations. That's just how these sorts of people operate.) Whatever happens, a whole slew of reputations have been tarnished within the space of a week and a promising looking game has the stench of taboo permanently ingrained on it's record. Sometimes the gaming industry really sucks to be around, you know.

Gotham Knights; What aren't you telling us?

Enter the Knight

What a knight we've had. (See what I did there? Knight?) In the vein of all events like these, DC fandome has come and bombarded us all with an absolutely nauseating amount of filler with a slant few actual trailers and announcements thrown in there. And As someone who as never been the most out-and-out DC fan I must say, everything I saw actually did seem at least somewhat cool. That teaser for The Batman looked great, Synder's Justice League cut looks intriguing enough to give a shot (Fool me twice...) and the two games they announced seemed pretty solid and interesting. That's right, as you'll probably have known by now, DC announced two new games in the near-to-far future and I intend to talk about both of them in great detail in the months to come. For now, however, I want to address the rollercoaster of emotions I had when hearing about 'Gotham Knights'.

So here was a game which was apparently leaked the night of this event, so most everyone knew it was coming, but I was a rube who was still waiting for 'Suicide Squad' and thus I was pleasantly surprised to see that Warner Bros. Interactive were hard at work on a whole other game inbetween. Whatsmore, this game is set in Gotham and was dealing with the Bat family! And the trailer even started with the chilling announcement that Bruce Wayne, and through him Batman, is dead. "Oh my," I immediately thought, "Are they picking up the Arkham-verse? Is this a direct continuation on from 'Arkham Knight'?" To which the answer is a pretty decisive, 'No'. The trailer then went on to show us that Commissioner Jim Gordon was also dead (Something which never even happened in 'The Dark Knight Returns') and that his daughter, Barbara, was suspiciously non-crippled. Evidence if ever you needed it that this was not an Arkham-verse game. Despite the fact that Warner Bros. literally own Rocksteady so what would the actual harm be in borrowing their storyline? And why have your game set-up be so oddly similar to the last Batman game's leaving off point? And why not hire Kevin Conroy to do Batman? (So it's safe to say that 'immediate disappointment' was the first emotion I associated with this product.)

As it happens what this game is actually about is another version of Gotham city wherein Batman is presumed dead under mysterious means and thus he's called upon his extended Bat-family to take up the mantle in his stead. That means Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing and- Red Hood? Have joined the fight. Hang on, Batman called up Red Hood before calling on Kate Kane? Doesn't Batwoman operate out of Gotham too? She wouldn't even have to relocate! (This some straight bull.) And, once again, this is proof that Arkham's storyline is not being considered, because despite the odd character shift that the Arkham Knight went through in the last few minutes of the story, I doubt Batman would give him the keys to protecting the city. In fact, even without the whole 'Arkham Knight' story this still rings odd to me; Red Hood kills people, no? Isn't that adverse to Batman's entire ethos? But hey, maybe he'll need that sort of hardline willingness to break the rules given the fact that these Gotham Knights are set to go up against The Court of Owls.

That's right, afterall this time of speculation we're finally getting a Batman game featuring The Court of Owls, and it's not being made by Rocksteady. I mean, not to knock on Warner Bros. Interactive, but that's a big shame. Rocksteady proved for years that they had that special eye for capturing the heart of the Batman's rogue's gallery, and I feel like no matter how good The Owls are bought to life, Rocksteady would have done it better. But I should probably spill in case you're unaware. The Court of Owls was a rare example of a newer comicbook hero storyline that introduced a brand new enemy and yet still proved to be neither overly derivative nor lazy. It introduced a new criminal organisation into Gotham that was formed off of some of Gotham's oldest and most influential families, all dead-set on playing the 'shadowy cabal that guides the hand of politics'. And they also happen to dress like owls, a natural predator of bats. (Apparently these guys have secretly been around for generations, so that was just a coincidence.)

So there we have it, a new Batman to get all riled up for. Except; Warner Bros. were nice enough to give us a little bit of a Gameplay demo so we could see exactly what this game has in store for us (Isn't that nice) and what we saw was instinctively troubling to some. Before I address this I must say, this perception is in no way WB's fault, they were just a victim of bad timing and the industries' bad habits. The second any of us saw that this game would feature 4 heroic main characters and multiplayer, the Avengers game popped to mind alongside those accursed words 'Live service'. Now I don't have the strength to get into why a live service Superhero game sounds pretty crappy, but judging by the dubious reactions around the Internet I don't even need to. Matters were only worsened bit way through the trailer when we saw enemies with level numbers above their heads, and splash text with damage indicators. In short; Warner Bros. did everything in their power to make this game appear to be a Live Service, thus putting the fear of god into all us Batman fans who just wanted a good game, not another second job. And the funny thing is; I don't even think this game is actually a live service at all. Actually, I think it sounds like a pretty cool little game.

Now I'm not going so far as to call it a worthy successor to the Arkham games, but even without that title this footage did work to scratch my Batman itch somewhat. Set in an openworld of Gotham, likely adapted from Rocksteady's work on Arkham Knight, 'Gotham Knights' feels like 'Middle Earth: Shadow of War' bought to the world of Batman. Which is strange, as 'Shadow of War' actually adapted it's gameplay from the Arkham games. (Funny how cylindrical things can be.) So whilst the combat lacks the impact of previous Arkham titles, there's still that level of fluidity and agility which made Arkham such a great power trip. Throw that base ontop of the fact that all the hero's of the game seem to have their own movesets and gadgets, and there's a solid foundation right here. Speaking of those other heroes, they can join the player through the co-op system which ,strangely, is said to consist of only one to two people, making for some great dual takedown opportunities.

So this isn't some hub-based mess like Avenger's is shaping up to be, that's good, and it appears to just have some RPG mechanics and systems thrown in rather than turning out to be another soulless Live Service, that's great! But that doesn't automatically mean the game is any good, and indeed some of what we saw did sort of hit my 'mediocrity' bone a little bit. First off, the mission we saw in the trailer depicted Batgirl racing on her bike in order to stop >sigh< a portal shooting up into the sky. Really guys? Isn't a meme by now for how lazy a plotpoint this is for Superhero stories? Fan4stic, Suicide Squad, Avengers, Man of Steel, Ghostbusers, Star Trek and I think Justice League, (I forget) it doesn't really bode well for your narrative ingenuity. Then there is Batgirl, who was the focus this gameplay, (and who's likely my future main.) she just felt off. Not to say that every version of a character should be a carbon copy, but there are a few running personality traits characters keep in order to make them recognisable. Batgirl is one of those that has changed considerable over the years, not as much as Supergirl has (in the comics, not that abominable CW show which I still watch. Send help.) but enough to be a great character capable of holding their own story. Thus it's not as though there's no precedent for Batgirl to play the wise-cracking aloof hero, but when that's the stereotype for every screen hero ever, (such to the point where DC is literally re-releasing Justice League in order to pivot from that stereotype. Along with other things) it makes all of her witticisms stick out like poor, unfunny, cringe-soaked, thumbs. And then finally there is the boss of this encounter, Mr Freeze. His bossfight just looked super generic from what we saw of it, a far cry from his depiction in the Arkham series as one of most ingenious and memorable encounters from 'Asylum' and the 'Origins' DLC 'Cold, Cold Heart'. It's just more fuel for the fire which says that Batman license was in better hand with Rocksteady, they knew how to play to a villian's strengths beyond his apparent powers and make a setpeice worth remembering.

Yet even with my criticisms, and they go on beyond the three I mentioned, I haven't written this game off nearly as hard as I've written off Avengers. In fact, I haven't written off Gotham Knights at all. I like the idea of a co-op adventure with the Batfamily, and am glad for the small miracles coming out way such as the open world aspect and the ability to play solo. The RPG aspect coming to the game has, if done well, the potential to really throw some growth into the gameplay and though I've already picked Babs as my goto, there's not a hero on offer here that doesn't appeal to me on some level. I want to play as them all and that's one of the most important desires to establish off the bat. (I did it again! Didn't even mean to that time.)Who knows what this game could be capable off once it fruitions? Individual character narratives as they each undergo their growth into becoming the sorts of heroes they need to be in order to live up to Bruce's name? Will we get some interpersonal drama as Red Hood clashes with the others over his penchant for killing? Probably not, but I can look to that great batsignal in the sky and hope.

Fortnite V Apple: Grudge map of the decade

This fight just got personal.

I was wilting over here, you know. Melting into a cesspit of my own mediocrity and boredom. No, not just because of this pandemic and the chaos it's wrought on our daily lives, truth be told I've been healthier these months indoors over my times outside them, no my malady was much deeper seeded than that. There's just been nothing going on. Or to be more precise, nothing surprising going on. Even when the Covid cases started hitting I felt more "Yeah, that sounds about right given everything else that's happened this year." And whilst the world of gaming has kept itself moving through all this, it's almost as though the rest of the world has frozen still. That curse was somewhat broken just this past week when Epic threw it's gauntlet at fellow dirt-bag company Apple in some heroic battle against commission prices. Talk about giving me what I didn't know I needed!

Now I have a reason to pay attention to the news once again, and care about the happenings of real life outside of my digital escapism. Two greedy gluttons are slugging it out in the parking lot and I'm hear for every second of it, there is quite literally nothing else in the world right now that I'm more invested in. Do I honestly care about the extortionate way that Apple go about wringing it's app developers of commissions? Not really. I don't even own any Apple products, never have. Am I really rooting for plucky Epic Games to break the glass ceiling and change the phone app market forever, no and I never did support Epic. But if these idiots are willing to rip chunks out of each other I will holler like a howler monkey in excitement. And if you think that little metaphor there is a little heavy handed or melodramatic, just wait until you hear the latest developments/ new ultimatums, which Apple has levied at Tim Sweeney's door.

You see, Epic have very much positioned themselves in the role of the selfless freedom fighters, campaigning for the rights of everyone who uses the Appstore, but in reality they're just petulant whiners who purposefully broke the rules so they'd have an excuse to leverage the legal system against Apple. Does the ends justify the means, that's a question for your own time, but don't you fall for Epic's 'wounded hero' act, this was a movement born from that most selfish of emotions; greed. And if you don't yet believe that, then try this on for size. Apple were already aware of Epic's desire to break free from their commission model prior to the brazen circumvention tactics they implemented, starting this whole mess. How did they know this, you ask? Is Tim Cook prescient? Perhaps, but the heart of this matter is far more mundane. You see, in the filing against this lawsuit Apple has let a great many related documents fall into public domain, including recordings of correspondence between Apple and Epic where the game developer begged for exemption from the commission. Not abolition; exemption.

Now, of course, this probably wasn't an offer made with any serious intent in mind; this was likely just an establishment of a recordable dialogue so that it can paraded in front of the court and Epic can weave a sob story about how 'unreasonable' and 'closed to ideas' Apple is. They even went so far as to wind Tim Sweeney, Epic's CEO, into the correspondence to make it look like they really gave it all. Maybe there was a hail mary chance in hell that Apple would respond 'Wow, no one's ever asked for exemption before. Just for that, no more commission on Fortnite; and I crown you, king of Apple!' It was only after being tuned down that the narrative changed to bringing down the commission for everyone, but isn't it telling that Epic started this whole affair with themselves in the forefront of their concerns. They could have just, I dunno, go around the big App developers for the Apple store and got a petition written up to set this off, but they wanted the more personal touch, I suppose. How suitably 'Epic' of you, Tim.

But Apple went one step further than just tattling on Epic, oh for you see they've got a murder technique of their own. Ol' Tim Cook's been winding up his Divine Sandstorm for a while now and he's ready to let it loose on Sweeney at practically any moment. They were very blunt at first; Epic broke the rules and now they are in the time-out corner. This can all be over and normal relations can start the second that Epic bites the bullet and retracts their position like a coward. (And kiss the ring, obviously.) But then they slipped into threats, as Apple causally let it slip that if all this nonsense isn't dropped promptly (too prompt, in fact, for this matter to ever see the light of a courtroom) then Apple will suspend Epic's working relationship. Fair enough. Except, apparently that would ban all software that makes use of Epic's property from appearing on the Apple App store. Okay then, so how bad can that be? Well, ladies and gentleman, I hate reminding even myself of it, but Epic are the folk who created and license the Unreal engine. Oh man.

If you somehow didn't know, the Unreal Engine is perhaps one of the most used engines in all of the gaming industry, second only, perhaps, to Unity. (Which Apple has a very good working relationship with.) So yeah, banning Unreal is like taking a nuke to deal with a mole-hill, Apple want to make it very clear in this game of chicken that they have the biggest wheels. A straight-up ban on unreal would hurt countless App developers revenue and they would have no one to blame but the greedy company who kicked the hornet's nest to begin with, shattering Epic's working relationship. Honestly, this is an incredibly dirty move on Apple's part, and Epic's rightly trying to get the courts to forbid this before the deadline. (And I have to say, this really doesn't help Apple with the whole 'tyrannical dictator' angle which Epic is trying paint right now.) I just wanted a fair ballgame, and this underhanded little legswipe has even me calling for the Ref. See what you've done, Apple, you've got me siding with Epi- Urg, I just threw up over my keyboard in attempting to type that unholy sentence. For shame, Tim. For shame. (That's aimed at the Cook, not the Sween)

If Epic aren't able to get in the way of this death move headed their way then they'll have no choice but to step down and reveal just how self serving this whole 'Crusade against the app-store' ultimately was. Although, one has to really wonder about this 'mutually assured destruction' stance that Apple seems to be taking. Are they really under no threat at all of hurting their own consumer base by wantonly killing half their apps? I know who has more to loose in this stand off, and I'm sure Epic are in no delusions to that either, but are Apple really willing to saw off a forearm just to prove a point? I wonder. I really do wonder about the company that was too scared to air a biopic on Dr Dre's life that they themselves commissioned. (Okay, maybe that was more stupidity on the part of their smooth-brained CEO, but I think you get my point.)

To think that this is the sort of fallout raining down in the preliminaries, before anyone has even seen a courtroom, is wild to think about, and I just can't wait to see where this Anime fight leads us next. Will there be gladiatorial chariots? Is Apple going to enter the Avatar state? How far does Tim Sweeney need to be pushed before he "Reject(s) my Humanity!" and throws on the stone mask? And who's theme is going to start playing at the eleventh hour when all the chips are down? As you can likely pick up, I am freakin' enthralled by all these goings ons, and I loathe the lethargy of the court system which'll likely mean it'll take months for juicy court details to hit my hungry lips. (It's infuriating.) But when that day does come, when il Vento D'oro starts jamming out and we all become acutely aware that proceedings have started, you can bet I'll be there with my popcorn and coke, ready to eat it up!