Tag: Musings

Star Wars Games Are Best When They Let the Weird Jobs Matter [Guest Article]

Star Wars games have always had one very obvious problem.

The Jedi are standing right there.

They have laser swords. They have magic space instincts. They get dramatic robes, ancient temples, moral crises, and the sort of destiny speeches that make everyone else in the galaxy quietly check their schedule and wonder whether they still have to pay rent.

So naturally, a lot of Star Wars games end up orbiting the Jedi fantasy. And fair enough. When it works, it works. Jedi Knight, Jedi Outcast, Jedi: Fallen Order, and Jedi: Survivor all understand that swinging a lightsaber around while the galaxy collapses is, scientifically speaking, quite fun.

But the strange truth is this: Star Wars games are often at their best when they let someone else have the controls.

Not the chosen one. Not the last hope. Not the robed person in the middle of the poster.

The bounty hunter. The clone commando. The pilot. The smuggler. The soldier. The mercenary. The doomed fool in a cockpit wondering why the Empire brought that many TIE fighters.

That is where Star Wars games get interesting.

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Is gaming as we know it coming to an end?

Before I start my speculative rant, I just want to say that I’m no expert in any of this—this is just what I gather from reading news, and taking the temperature on the current console market (with PC hardware included) for the last couple of months. I try not to be all doom and gloom, but man, it’s hard not to! I think gaming, on both PC and consoles, the classical way, is coming to a brutal end, with a lot of suffering included.

It might not happen, with everything turning out just fine, like in the fairy tales of old. But if there is one thing life has taught me: happy endings are rare!

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Animated Resident Evil 2 in the works (fan project!)

I came across this trailer that is about a year old now, and what can I say? The animations and the visuals are pretty darn good, and it has that charming jank I love about machinimas of the past. Like many of the more intriguing Resident Evil fan projects out in the wild, the creator Atlier is making sure the atmosphere of the old PS1 & PS2 games is maintained in his vision of Resident Evil 2. What is also interesting here (going by the trailer) is that there are scenes from at least two other games in it: Resident Evil 3 and Resident Evil: Outbreak. Both of which take place during the chaos of Raccoon City. I’m curious how he will incorporate these two games (if that is the plan) into one full length movie. Ambitious, but cool!

The video is a year old now, thus, it’s fair to think the animated film is dead in the water. However, it’s not his latest video – that’s only 6 months old. So, I got faith in it, and I’m hoping it will be as good as the trailer indicates. Check it out after the jump!

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First-Person Resident Evil 2 demo

Here is something unusual. A first-person demo of Resident Evil 2 (1998 version), which retains almost everything from the original third-person experience – from atmosphere to gameplay. It’s fascinating to see the game from this viewpoint, without it having been updated to make it feel and look like a modern title. Now, this demo is not new. Yet, it’s a first for me, and it left an impression. Meaning: I had to share. I have not downloaded and tried it for myself, as the video down below is enough for me. However, I’m always amazed what hobbyists mod and game-makers create out there in the world for us to enjoy! Take a look for yourself. The YouTuber HeyDudeitsMosh provides the video. If you want to try it yourself, you can find the creator Perro Autonomo over at itch.io with links.

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Stop Killing Games – Video Games Europe response

As many of you might have noticed, the Stop Killing Games movement created by Ross Scott has reached over 1 million signatures, forcing the European Commission to take a look at the issue. The movement is altogether good, despite what certain questionable YouTube e-celebs say about it. Essentially, it’s a big consumer movement, trying to make sure we get to keep playing the games we buy, without dystopian publisher interference. Like removing access to our purchases. However, that is not my main concern with this post…

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