Reading List (February 2021) (Patreon)

Hello!

Yesterday, the UK prime minister and scarecrow Boris Johnson unveiled the roadmap out of the pandemic. Also, the sun is out. And the new video is coming together for release this week. I'm feeling pretty good! 

So, let's celebrate with a bunch of videos and articles I found this month.

Designer Notes

[Read] How IO made the Hitman trilogy, its stealth masterpiece - PC Gamer talks to IO about making Agent 47's swan song.

[Read] Hitman 3's Argentina mission marks an important first for video games - Inverse reckons Hitman's Mendoza level is "one of the most faithful representations of Argentina to date." IO explains how it was made.

[Read] Jason de Heras on Twitter - Jedi Fallen Order's lead combat design breaks down a single bad guy from God of War, to talk about common enemy characteristics.

[Read] In Praise of Messy Design - Elegance is often a goal for game makers. Kitfox Games (Boyfriend Dungeon, Moon Hunters) argues in favour of shaggy, baggy, and craggy games.

[Read | Long Read] The Oral History of 'Guitar Hero' - An enormous history of a flash-in-the-pan franchise. "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith made more money for the band than any of their studio albums."

[Watch | CC | 31 mins] Bugsnax Designer Explains How (& Why) Each Bugsnak Was Created - Noclip talks to Young Horses about the process of coming up with this bonkers food-based adventure.

Critical Hit

[Watch | 9 mins] Why Open World Horror Is The Most Underrated Genre In Gaming - Evil Within 2 had a surprising addition for a horror game: a small open-world area. From The Attic reckons this created a surprisingly good addition to the genre.

[Watch | CC | 20 mins] Why Sunshine’s Volcano is the Worst Level Nintendo Ever Made - It's a bold claim from Ceave Gaming. He doesn't just break down why the level sucks, but also argues that Nintendo traded its reputation for a quick buck.

[Read] The legend of The Legend of Zelda - GamesIndustry celebrates the 35th anniversary of Zelda by asking some very clever people, and also me, to talk about the history of the franchise.

[Watch | 12 mins] Analysing Prey's Extraordinary Opening - Ben Plays Games looks at the twist intro for Prey, an introduction he puts on par with Bioshock and The Last of Us.

[Watch | CC | 12 mins] Dishonored in 2021 is a Different Kind of Grim - Writing on Games replayed Dishonored, and found its plague-ridden city hit different in a global pandemic.

Culture Club

[Read] Where do gaming’s urban legends come from? - NME looks at the best kind of conspiracy theory: video game mysteries. I heard if you beat Mario 64 without jumping, Wario gives you a kiss.

[Read] The Growth Of Virtual Cycling Comes With Convoluted Cheating Scandals - As sports go digital during the pandemic, entirely new ways of cheating have started to emerge.

[Read] Elite Dangerous players say they’re being scammed, trapped in space, and forced to work - "For many players, the allure of Elite Dangerous is the freedom to explore the Milky Way galaxy. But, for a dedicated few, the real draw is making other people miserable."

[Read] What a woman games journalist experiences in a week - Critic Mary Gushie talks about the disgusting level of abuse that women receive for doing their job.

Hardware Store

[Read] Here’s Why PS5 Joysticks Drift (and Why They’ll Only Get Worse) - PS5 and Switch controllers have come under fire for their drifting triggers. Turns out a cheap part used in all modern pads is to blame.

[Watch | CC | 17 mins] PC Master Race Tries to Beat Xbox Series X - I don't usually care about tech spec in-fighting, but this was very interesting: Linus Tech Tips tried to make a PC that outperforms the Series X, for the same price. Expect some compromises, including a pink controller…

History Corner

[Watch | 9 mins] WILD GUNMAN '74: The Forgotten First FMV Game - This was Nintendo's first game released in America: a game that used 16mm film, putting it ahead of the first Laserdisc FMV games.

[Read] Spilling the secrets of the canceled Curse of Monkey Island movie - What happened to this movie? And did it turn into Pirates of the Caribbean? Polygon has the story.

[Read] Before Fortnite, There Was ZZT: Meet Epic’s First Game - Tim Sweeney's first game was an ASCII adventure where you could code your own levels - a philosophy that perhaps paved the way for Unreal Engine.

[Read] Legend of Zelda Development Files - Look at concept art, design documents, and technical papers for the first Zelda game.

Business Lunch

[Watch | CC | 54 mins] Inside Supergiant Games During the Overwhelming Reaction to Hades 1.0 - Noclip has been following the development of Hades for a couple years. This final episode, looking at the amazing reception to the game, is a heartwarming treat.

[Read] Amazon, Google and why you can't just invent a blockbusting games developer - "The failure of two online giants shows you can’t just pour in money and watch games pop out – a game studio culture takes time to develop"

[Watch | 30 mins] Shadow of Law: The WB Games Nemesis Patent Controversy - Warner Bros got a patent for the Nemesis System. Hoeg Law goes in depth on what the law actually says.

Beyond Bytes

[Watch | CC | 14 mins] Monsters University and Disability - This YouTube video makes the argument that Mike's journey is an allegory for living with a disability. Intentional or not, it's a compelling watch.

[Watch | 24 mins] How I got my film on Netflix - A productivity YouTuber I follow got a documentary on Netflix. Here, he shares the journey, including the ups and the downs. Inspiring stuff.

[Watch | CC | 8 mins] How a Film Camera works in Slow Motion - The Slow Mo Guys often shoot things like explosions, but I reckon these vids that slow down fast-moving tech are the most interesting. Look at that little hook, pulling down the film!