November 22nd 2023.
Alan Wake 2 - Where Did It Go?
It seems like the original Alan Wake didn't make a huge splash in the gaming world, and it looks like its sequel is following in its footsteps. It's hard to tell if the game actually did well or not, as digital-only releases often don't make much of a stir. I've heard nary a peep about it, either online or in real life, so it's likely that the wider world is unaware of it. Even worse, it's already getting a major Black Friday discount to £27 on PC, which is a sure sign that it hasn't sold so well.
Remedy has had a rough go of it too, though they at least have Epic Games backing them up. But that's not much of a consolation when no one is playing their games. It's a shame, as they make some really great titles.
The Future Of Video Games
It's almost surreal to think that Elon Musk, of all people, was once bad at Quake. It makes me wonder what kind of business execs we'll have in the future. Will the next generation of techbros buy up developers and make games for their own amusement? Or will they be more focused on establishing a healthy gaming landscape?
At the very least, we can hope that the next generation of games will be more carefully crafted. Pokémon is already planned to stick around for hundreds of years, so it'd be great if Game Freak could bring it up to PlayStation 5 standards. It'd also be great if they could take a few years off to create some new tech and get their priorities straight.
The Dude Abides
It's a real pity that the Hogs Of War Kickstarter didn't get funded, as the developer only managed to raise £47,478 out of the £150,000 goal. Still, it's heartening that the developer is still looking to make the game, and the Kickstarter has at least raised the profile of the game.
Speaking of games, I just got the new Splatoon Triple Pack amiibo characters and the manta ray looks amazing. It's huge and incredibly high quality, so it's no wonder why it costs £38.99. It's definitely worth it.
A Delayed Game Is Better
It was interesting to see how a quote from Shigeru Miyamoto started going around, saying that ‘A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.’ It's a shame that CD Projekt has proven this quote to be no longer accurate. Even though Cyberpunk 2077 was a hot mess at launch, it still sold the same as if it had been released correctly. It's a troubling precedent, and it's no wonder that the number of broken games at launch is only increasing.
We can only hope that the next generation of games will be carefully crafted and released when ready. Until then, we can just keep our eyes open for any games that do get released correctly. Who knows, maybe one of them will be the next big hit!
Alan Wake 2 - Still Asleep?
It's been a while since the original Alan Wake game came out, and while it wasn't a major hit, I'm starting to worry that Alan Wake 2 hasn't done well either. It's hard to tell for digital-only games, but I haven't heard anyone talking about it, either here or elsewhere on the internet or, god forbid, in real life. It's like the world doesn't even know it exists.
The worrying thing is that the game is already getting a major Black Friday discount to £27 on PC, which doesn't sound very healthy. If it had a physical release it would definitely be one of the most heavily discounted games. Poor Remedy, they never seem to have much luck. It's good that Epic Games have their back, but I'm not sure that's done much to boost their sales.
Pokémon's Century-Long Success
The Wednesday letters page was glad that Elon Musk hadn't bought a video games company yet, as a reader contemplated 100 years of Pokémon. It's amazing to think that the franchise is planned to last for hundreds of years! Unfortunately, it does feel like the franchise needs to be put on ice for a few years and given some time to develop new tech and sort out their priorities. That probably won't happen though, which is a shame.
The Future of Business?
It's strange to think of Elon Musk, the world's richest man, wasting his early life being bad at Quake. It would have been better for the world if he had decided to become a pro gamer or start his own company, but that would have definitely been gaming taking one for the team.
It makes me wonder what the next generation of business execs will be like. Video games didn't exist when Jim Ryan was growing up, but if the next billionaire techbro gets into a position of power, will they be buying up developers just for laughs or to troll whatever console they don't like?
Hogs Of War - A Kickstarter Failure
The Hogs Of War Kickstarter was sadly unsuccessful, only raising £47,478 when the goal was £150,000. Since it was an all or nothing deal, the developer won't get any of the money.
The developer plans to still go ahead with the game and they said the Kickstarter had raised the profile for the game with all the interest. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.
Splatoon Triple Pack Amiibo
I recently got the Splatoon Triple Pack Amiibo characters delivered from Nintendo Store and the manta ray in it looks amazing and is very big. The two characters that come with it are also okay. No wonder it cost £38.99, as it looks really high quality.
Shigeru Miyamoto's Words of Wisdom
It's interesting to see how the quote, ‘A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad’, spawned itself, but what really surprised me was GC's comment that CD Projekt has proven that the quote is no longer accurate. On the one hand it means that every game can be saved, as long as the foundations are good, but on the other it also means that there is no incentive to get things right the first time. Who cares? It'll still sell the same.
This is a worrying state of affairs and, as good as 2023 has been for games, the number of broken games at launch is only increasing. I fear that CD Projekt getting away with Cyberpunk 2077 and showing no obvious remorse has set a bad precedent that more and more companies will follow.
Atari 2600+ - A Review
I recently read a review of the Atari 2600+ and it's clear that anyone interested in buying one would already have an original Atari, as it's a similar price. The review also made me think about Shigeru Miyamoto's words of wisdom - that a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad. It's worrying that CD Projekt have proven that the quote is no longer accurate, as it means there's no incentive to get things right the first time. Who cares? It'll still sell the same.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
