Reading List (May 2017) (Patreon)

I have a weird and eclectic collection of things for you this month. I'm sure you can find a few things worth reading or watching, though!

I missed a comment last month from Jordy who asked "How do you find these articles?". The answer is good YouTube subscriptions, good RSS feeds, and good Twitter follows / filtering!

Prey

Prey Shows That Bethesda's Review Policy Is Even Bad For Bethesda - Kotaku reckons that Bethesda's refusal to send out review copies ultimately hurt Prey. I reckon Bethesda may rethink this policy down the line...

[Video] The cancelled Prey 2 had an incredible plot twist - Chris Bratt has got some juicy deets on the other Prey sequel, which sounded rather fascinating. Don't miss the Lost in Concept video for more gameplay stuff.

Thanks, Prey, for Not Making Easy Mode a Guilty Pleasure - Waypoint talks about the generous difficulty settings in Prey. 

[Video / Text] What Works And Why: Prey’s Intro - Tom Francis (Gunpoint) compares the intros to Prey and Deus Ex Mankind Divided to explain why one works better than t'other.

From modders to mimics: a people's history of the "prop hunt" genre - Robert Yang traces the lineage from prop hunt game modes in shooters to the mimic in Prey, and notes how important modding has been for creating new mechanics and genres.

An Ornament in the Void - New level design Zine Heterotopias looks at the artistrey, architecture, and aesthetics of Prey's Talos-1 space station. 

The Rest

Roam free: A history of open-world gaming - Here's a humongous and detailed history of the open-world genre, from Colossal Cave Adventure to Elite Dangerous. I'm keen to do something a bit like this in video form one day. 

[Video] A Wii Ulogy - Be real, George, you only made this video because you came up with that awesome video title. But, either way, this is a cool look back at an ill-fated console that will go down in Dreamcast-like infamy I reckon.

[Video] Was Metroid Prime: Hunters Any Good? - The way Charlie says "smelly bad ones" in this video gets me every time.

Persona 5 deserved better: a translator's take on a subpar script - It's true, something about Persona 5's translation was a bit wiffy. This Polygon post, and the site Phantoms of Translation, go in-depth on the issues and the possible causes.

The Complete, Untold History of Halo - Waypoint has got a huge oral history of the Halo series, with memories from all the key players at Bungie and 343. You're gonna need some time for this one...

What it’s like making games in Pakistan - I found this fascinating. The most interesting part for me - with a lack of schools and courses, many game makers turn to YouTube videos and tutorials.

Picture in a Frame - An interesting piece about how genres named after games (like Metroidvania, roguelikes, and potential Souls-likes) can stifle creativity.

By positioning particular games as the blueprint, the term has limited the ideas of what constitutes a legitimate approach and erased alternatives. It doesn’t allow space to deviate from those ideas, or allow games to be understood on their own terms.

[Video | CC] Who Invented the D-Pad? - The Gaming Historian looks at the history of this iconic bit of gaming design, and also the legal issues that led to the weirdo knock-off d-pads on Sony and Sega consoles.

[Video | CC] The Life & Death of Mad Catz - As Mad Catz files for bankruptcy, Lazy Game Reviews looks at how this company got its start and rose from knock-off NES pads to making fight sticks for Capcom.

Was Uber’s CEO really the second-best Wii Sports tennis player? - This is a really weird and overly detailed - but ultimately fascinating - expose on a strange claim about Wii tennis.

[Video] Trailer Takeaways — What makes Flinthook's gameplay trailer Damn Near Perfect? - This guy breaks down the trailer to Flinthook, to find tips for indie game teasers. Don't miss the comment from the trailer's creator, Dom2D ("End on an opening -  a mystery, a bonus, a story hook").

How to Make a Not-Shit Game Trailer - Speaking of trailers, Evolve (indie PR firm) offers some tips for making better videos to show off you game.

Designer Interview: Crafting Flinthook's hookshot wasn't easy - And speaking of Flinthook, Tribute Games talks about nailing the controls for its main mechanic. Lots of in-depth stuff about how they went through many different iterations and control schemes. 

[Video | CC] The Consequences of Reducing the Skill Gap - Core-A talks about Street Fighter V's direction, and how the needs of pro players and spectators can clash.

[Video | CC] How Going Underwater Changed Game Music  - More lovely music analysis. This one is packed with examples, both visual and auditory.

[Video] Breath of the Wild Soundtrack Analysis - And here's a chunky four-part musical analysis of Breath of the Wild. The videos look at the Hyrule Field theme, the main theme, Kakariko Village, and Hyrule Castle.

[Video] The Conflicted Combat of Darksiders 2 - Following the announcement of Darksiders 3, Turbo Button takes a look at the melting pot of mechanics that is Darksiders 2's combat. 

In the Best Video Game Stories, Our Choices Don't Matter - Kotaku makes the argument that choices don't always have to be capital C choices that change the entire game. Some spoilers for Life is Strange and Night in the Woods.

[Video] Nier: Automata's Uplifting Existentialism - This is grand, Super Bunnyhop goes in deep on the themes and subtext of Nier Automata. If you're going to talk about stories in games, do it like this.

How Inside's levels were designed - Sounds like Playdead has an interesting way of making games where anyone can just write over anyone else's work. How they made functioning game after all that is anyone's guess...

Crafting the bizarre, off-kilter gameworld of Little Nightmares - And from Inside to an Inside-inspired game, the lovely horror game Little Nightmares. 

6 Reasons For Having a Defenseless Protagonist - Frictional Games argues for removing combat in horror games. They would say that, having made Amnesia and SOMA!

[Video | CC] Why Do Nintendo Games Look Like That? - PBS Idea Channel talks about the factors that lead to Nintendo games having a rather cohesive visual language, and looking different to games on other platforms. I pop up in the comment response video!

[Video] An Ode to the Cannery Level from What Remains of Edith Finch - This is the third Super Bunnyhop video on this list! What the heck. You should just go to subscribe to him, really. I picked this one simply because I am kicking myself that I didn't make this video. Gah, missed opportunities...

[Video] Respawn plays: The Beacon - Some interesting thoughts and stories from developer Respawn, as they play some of the Titanfall 2 singleplayer mode.

Beyond Games

[Video] Born Sexy Yesterday  - This is a pop culture trope that I had definitely noticed before, but never realised how often it pops up.

[Video] The Dolly Zoom: More Than A Cheap Trick - And here is a shot that you've definitely seen before but now you know what it's called and how it works!

[Video] David Fincher - Invisible Details - David Fincher uses loads of CGI, but it goes way beyond Benjamin Button and impossible Fight Club sequences...

How an episode of The Simpsons is made - Want to know how an episode of The Simpsons is made? Now you know how an episode of The Simpsons is made.

[Video] How obsessive artists colorize old photos - I found these coloured black and white photos to be so stunning. A real window in the past.