Sundays are for coming back from Christmas and New Year in a stupor. Let’s wake up with the week’s best writing about games and game-related things.
For PC Gamer, Robin Valentine wrote about a TikToker who’s deliberately trying to make the worst videogame of all time and now they’re trapped in a hell of their own making. Apparently it’s a 2D platformer about a rat with a boomerang and a grenade launcher, with plenty of infuriating rules and unskippable bits of dialogue. Could probably chuck some cues from Starfield in there, ayooooo.
In order to test the levels, EW has to actually play them—and the game is so infuriating and tedious that they seem to be creating a private hell for themselves. One attempt to beat the first level, very early on in the game’s life when it was still mostly just a basic platformer, took 145 tries. A more recent attempt to beat level 2 took over 1,000.
Over on Gamesindustry.biz, Brendan Sinclair spoke to various industry analysts about their predictions for 2024. This is more for the business-minded, but some interesting tidbits. Some talk around generative AI and one analyst predicts an uptick in MMOs and turn-based RPGs. Oh, and a little thing ‘called’ the Switch 2.
Established live service titles leverage nostalgia, drawing inspiration from the success of Fortnite OG and World of Warcraft Classic. However, not all live service titles are created equal, and returning to roots does not guarantee a resurgence in player engagement.
2024 is a massive year for big RPGs, so Emily Price’s article for Unwinnable on what makes a dungeon a dungeon is worth a read. What makes a good dungeon? Lots of things I suppose, but so long as there’s no bullshit traps that pop you back to the start of a room if you get caught – that’s a win. Repetitiveness can be fine, too, so long as you’re able to counteract samey fights and platforming with a myriad of tools. Thoughts on good dungeons, anyone?
A megadungeon only remains interesting when it’s both cohesive in its whole and distinctive in its parts. To return to that essay on aesthetic flaws, “whenever there are multiple forms of representation working together, there is the possibility of different aesthetic values about those kinds of representations clashing.” The smoothness of In Stars and Time greatly contributes to each loop feeling like an individual “floor” of something larger: every time something little changes, it feels sufficiently new. In contrast, each repetitive Diablo dungeon is alike in its structure and design, and since the differences mostly extend to visuals, I see that smoothness as a flaw.
For The Guardian, Blake Montgomery wrote about the first person ever to beat Tetris. I’d honestly recommend watching the video below, as it’ll give you a greater idea of what went into the achievement and the context surrounding it.
Vince Clemente, the president of the Classic Tetris World Championship, told the New York Times: “It’s never been done by a human before. It’s basically something that everyone thought was impossible until a couple of years ago.” The game was first released in 1985. Willis plays on a cathode-ray tube television, practicing roughly 20 hours a week, according to the Times.
Music this week is “Follow Me” by MÒZÂMBÎQÚE & Vertefeuille. Here’s the YouTube link and Spotify link. Starting this year off with a chill dance track, typical from me.
In a bit.
