Morning DLC: Video Games News And Rumors 1/5/2016
"Mega Man co-creator and crowdfunding enthusiast Keiji Inafune is the most prominent name attached to upcoming Xbox One exclusive ReCore, but the game is being written by former Bungie man Joseph Staten, The New York Times reveals in a recent piece about heroines in games.ReCore follows the exploits of Joule, the last remaining person on the desert planet Far Eden, who must employ the help of robots to support her on a mission to revive the human race."
This is an interesting move for Comcept and Microsoft Studios. Staten had previously wrote Halo 3: ODST and worked on the early, story-driven version of the original Destiny story as lead writer and design director, before they flushed that down the toilet and opted for “I could tell you” shenanigans. Staten’s comments about Joule and her characterization provide hope for the game’s story.
"Last year, we reported on the news that someone had 100 percent finished The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time whilst blindfolded – an impressive achievement which undoubtedly took a lot of determination and skill.However, we’d argue that Terry Garrett has gone one better – he may not have collected every single item but he’s totally blind and has never “seen” the game in action.Garrett lost his left eye when he was 5 and his right eye when he was 10, and has to play based on sound alone. Using a special chair fitted with two speakers that split the left and right audio, Garrett began his quest to finish the N64 masterpiece way back in 2011. He used an emulated version of the game so that he could quick-save and reload whenever he became stuck."
When dedicated to something truly important to them, it’s marvelous just to see how human will, alone, can be enough to motivate one to overcome some truly special challenges. Shoutouts to Garrett for completing his journey. I guess Majora’s Mask is next?
"The final episode of EP’s 25th season aired earlier this month. And according the show’s creator, Victor Lucas, EP is now on hiatus until it can find another broadcaster to pick it up.…Before becoming EP daily, the show used to follow a weekly format. The reviews segment of the show was probably the best part. It featured Lucas and video game music composer Tommy Tallarico, two guys who could not have had more different tastes when it came to gaming. But that’s what made them so much fun to watch."
Even after hearing the story a few days late, it doesn’t lessen the impact it has on me. I grew up with Victor Lucas and Tommy Tallarico, who were my first influences in video game criticism as a small Toronto boy. Whether it was Tommy’s insistence on Resident Evil characters having more than one sound for walking around or either party’s willingness to use the full 1-10 point scale, I wouldn’t be where I am today without Electric Playground or Reviews on the Run. Here’s hoping that Victor Lucas et al of the ElecPlay group get picked up elsewhere, or are on to something better even soon!