In the ashes of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, amid the bloat and pretense of the games industry, always must there be a presentation... always must there be game trailers... and always must there be those who commentate. So it is we find ourselves in the aftermath of this year's collected summer showcases, a cavalcade of announcements and information to parse in its wake. For my part, I set forth to once again note the games (and, occasionally, people or moments) that stood out - for good or ill. Today, we tackle that which was displayed at Sony's State of Play, the OTK Games Expo, and the Summer Game Fest... Sony State of Play The High Point: Astro Bot Is it nakedly playing off of lingering nostalgia for various Sony properties, current and forgotten? Yes. Is it unmistakably taking cues from other more successful platformer series? Absolutely. Nevertheless, the team at Sony seem to have nailed the charm when it comes to their robot mascot, which is half the battle for cr...
As other, brighter folks have pointed out, 2019 seems a key transitional year for the games industry as all hands prepare for the next (maybe last?) console generation. Questions abound about the future, about the culture in and around the medium, and about the responsibilities those in power must face. Let us turn, then, to the titles I felt stood strongest (in my own experience) during this past year. These works not only impressed and endeared themselves to me, they illustrated the thankless labour and dedication of people in the industry who - let's not beat around the bush - deserve far better. 5) Blazing Chrome Is it shameless in building itself upon the foundational gameplay and sci-fi action imagery of the Contra games? Yes. Does that make it any less of an impressive r endition of that same style of run-and-gun action? Not one bit. Blazing Chrome starts off with absurd excess and never really lets up, thoroughly basking in over-the-top frenzied gunfights agains...