Category: Viewpoints

Ubisoft co-founder Yves Guillemot recently said in an interview, “I think we will see another [console] generation, but there is a good chance that step-by-step we will see less and less hardware.”

More recently at E3, EA introduced Origin Access Premier, a Netflix-for-games streaming service which gives players access to more than a handful of games for a flat, monthly rate. Even Xbox has already started to play with Game Pass and by the end of the decade, I’m sure more publishers will announce their own services, as well.

What Netflix did to movie theatres and DVD players and what Spotify did to CD players and radio, streaming game services will inevitably do to the PlayStation and Xbox consoles (at this point Nintendo plays by its own rules so let’s move them aside for now).

There’s a very possible future where a smart TV and a game controller will be all anyone needs to load up Square Enix’s probably-coming streaming service and dive straight into Octopath Traveler. But what does this mean for indie games?

In order for this to be successful publishers will need to beef up their library in order to compete with each other and they may find (as Netflix has found with their premium content) AAA games to be too complex to pump out quickly enough.

Indie games could be the solution. Steam already offers an experience in which indie games populate most of their storefront, peppered in with extremely popular AAA titles. It would be easy to see EA mirror this infrastructure and bulk up their EA Originals line to try to curate a better offer for their Origin Access Premier service. This creates tremendous potential in the growth of the indie market.

However, in this console-less transition, indie games might begin to suffer an image problem too. It’s not unreasonable to think indie games will be held to a higher, possibly unfair standard. By removing price tags and putting all games on a level playing field, games like Tunic will be given the same scrutiny from players as Halo Infinite.

When players are paying the same base price for an indie game as they are for an AAA game, will they be okay with the obvious size and graphical disparity? Will gamers be upset if indie games make up the bulk of any prospective streaming? Gamers who already play a wide breadth of games may instantly think this won’t be a problem, but for the gamer who only plays Call of Duty annually, will they be upset that they’re paying for a service that keeps offering them indie games?

On the flip side, this could be an opportunity for that Call of Duty player to try their hand at smaller stories. There’s no extra work required to boot up Celeste when none of your friends are online and play a few levels in-between shooting matches.

Indie games could see a boom in their audience as they are paired next to games that they would otherwise not be associated. There can be tremendous potential to appeal to audience that wouldn’t otherwise choose to buy the game, but plays it now because they’re handed the experience for free.

The outlook may be bleak for consoles, but the future is uncertain for indie games. There could be tremendous potential to take advantage of future streaming services as long as they hold fast to their quality and create fun experiences.

We like to bring you the latest from the indie scene, focussing on the small guys and not just giving the limelight to the big hitters out there. But every now and again, one of the bigger names gets something uniquely right, so much so, that you can’t explain it. For me, personally, it’s Sea of Thieves – if you would allow me to explain why.

I haven’t played much recently, my controllers have sat to one side for longer than they normally would and for longer than I’d normally like them to. What with starting a new job and planning a wedding, my evenings haven’t been as relaxed as they have been in the recent past. But Sea of Thieves has been the one game that has kept me coming back for more and, on some occasions, for a few hours at a time. A few hours these days is a significant thing.

Off You Go!

For many, this would probably not seem like a big deal or something out of the unordinary, but I’m not normally one for online gaming, opting for the classic solo experience, or one to play games that don’t really have a ‘point’ or endgame either. When I’m gaming, I like them to have a reason for doing something, making me want to play or justifying what I’m doing pushing me towards the end goal. But Sea of Thieves doesn’t have that. It’s very much a case of ‘here’s the world – off you go’ and allows you to make your own memories and experiences.

What I also like as well is that everything you can collect and buy (using in-game currency) is all cosmetic. There’s no imbalance of power or a shift in dynamic when you level up and, to date, you won’t be on the back foot should you jump in at a later date. This, to me, is gaming done right and fair. No over-powering and no dividing the community and, what’s more, the content that is coming for it is going to be both regular and free. That’s something that can’t be said for most games out there that are hungry for the contents of the wallets of loyal fans.

Don’t get me wrong, Sea of Thieves isn’t without its criticisms as it isn’t the perfect game. The voyages on offer at present can get a little repetitive and until the bigger chunks of content arrive, it is limited in variety. The hungering deep has just arrived though, whereby you can summon a Megalodon which requires the completion of a series of preceding quests before you can do so. Plus there’s still more to come in weekly updates and larger content drops in the Cursed Sails in July and Forsaken Shores in September.

That aside, my enjoyment for the game has not come from the content, more the enjoyment of just playing the game and being able to enjoy it. It’s not a game where it makes you rage or be tempted to throw the controller through the window and has quickly become that title where I send a message to friends asking if they’re going online. When they do, we have a great time exploring and just sailing, chatting whilst we do and playing a shanty or two en route.

The occasional tense moment where you find someone else in your world and don’t know if they will be friendly or hostile also makes you doubt whether or not you should have cashed your booty in sooner. It scratches an itch and allows me to unwind and catch up with some friends, whilst meeting up with some new people should we decide to voyage with them.

It’s hard to pinpoint what the ‘it’ is when a game does it for you and it’s completely subjective, but is there a game that you enjoy playing and keep coming back for more?

We’re almost halfway through the year which can only mean one thing: inevitable disappointment when the sun doesn’t make a significant appearance again during the summer months.

That and the fact that we are a very short time away from this year’s E3 convention which is already shaping up to be quite the show. We’ve already had some pre-show leaks thanks to the Canadian arm of Walmart listing some potential upcoming games early, but hopefully, there are some big surprises still in store!

There are also many questions that need answering this year; what games will carry the Xbox One X forward? How will Nintendo approach 2018 and will Sony have any surprise hardware up their sleeves?

Battle Royale: The New Zombies?

Alas, this article isn’t just about the big E3 build up. No, it’s about something more concerning; there’s an epidemic on our hands. We thought the zombie craze was bad (somehow there’s life in the old limbering corpse yet) but I feel that the ‘Battle Royale craze‘ is going to be far more significant.

When I say significant, I don’t necessarily mean positive either…

Before we get off on the wrong foot though, I’m not here to deny the popularity or success of the likes of PUBG or Fortnite. They have seen masses of players and followers flood over various platforms and social media alike, which is perfectly acceptable.

Likewise, it’s nice to see something a little different and it gives more people a choice when it comes to their online shooters beyond the likes of the usual Call of Duty or Battlefield.

What I don’t like though, is that we are starting to see people jump on the Battle Royale bandwagon and rush to have their own version of this mode included. From a business perspective, I can see why they would do this. If it brings in the numbers and also the money, then, of course, they will try to get in on the action.

However, when it is a detriment to an existing formula and series, then I don’t think mimicry is the best form of flattery in this instance. You see, it’s all well and good that the upcoming Black Ops game has a battle royale mode, but at what cost?

The single player campaign may be expendable to them, and others, but what about those who want a single player mode? There are some, myself included, who like playing the single player mode from the Call of Duty franchise and, without it, they may not even play it.

Without question, variety is the spice of life and that is certainly true in the games industry as it is nice to have something different and, without innovation, it would be a very boring marketplace indeed. But as Fortnite, or PUBG for that matter, aren’t direct competitors for the big hitters out there and are doing their own thing, just let them be. Appreciate them for what they are, and leave them be.

Others can mind their own business, continue with business as usual and try to innovate rather than renovate which is something that is lacking in the industry if you ask me; innovation. Heck, why can’t we try and innovate when it comes to campaign and single player modes to keep things fresh? Treyarch has said there’s plenty of value in their upcoming outing, but that’s in modes that are looking a little tired now.

Maybe make the campaign more expansive, more dynamic and more engaging. Give it some worth beyond a warm-up or prelude to the online modes perhaps?

But we shall have to wait and see if anyone else jumps on the hype train that is running 24 hours a day to destination Battle Royale. Do you like Call of Duty making this bold move or are you one of those who will refrain from playing Black Ops 4 because of this?

Let us know in the comments below.

In the beginning, computers were functional but not intuitive. With invention came innovation and today the world is walking around with personal computers in our pockets.

Technology’s ease of use has lowered the barrier of entry for game developers; it has democratized video game development and given the power to the people.

The Rise of Independent Voices

Software like Game Maker Studio, Unity, and Stencyl have opened the gateways for amateur hobbyists and small indie studios to tell a story and create an experience that, just fifteen years ago, would’ve been restricted to mass-market video game titans.

We are at a time when indie games are at their most prosperous and the call to action is here to begin filling the void of diverse, untold stories. In the 90s we got games with male protagonists or female protagonists with busty tops and wide bottoms. Granted the men were in peak physical form as well.

Today, we still carry this tradition onto a new generation, but also sprinkle in protagonists like Mae, a twenty-year-old cat college dropout, from Night in the Woods and Madeline trying to scale the titular mountain in Celeste.

The innovations in game development have opened the door for these types of representations, which can only be helpful in expanding the longevity of video games and growing the possible market.

Gameplay Ideas

It’s not just representation of characters, either. Indie games have become a breeding ground of new gameplay ideas from fresh perspectives.

The shooter is a genre that is as old (if not older) as the people playing them. It’s gotten faster, it’s added locked-on aiming, it’s added a battle-royale mode, but it hasn’t truly evolved in any monumental way since the second Halo brought playing online to the mainstream.

That changed or is in the process of changing, with the help of indie titles leading the charge.

Superhot, a game that blasted onto the scene in 2017, introduced the idea of syncing your own movement with the game’s speed. They added a new perspective to the genre and created new opportunities to interact with FPSs.

Call of Duty slaps a fresh coat of paint onto their engine each year, but Superhot took the shooter genre and created a new way to play and think about killing your enemies.

An Influx Of Indie Game Developers

Indies have redefined characters and gameplay, but the biggest space that has developed from an influx of indie game developers is story. Games like the aforementioned Night in the Woods, Firewatch, and Undertale have tackled political issues and stories that would never dare be addressed in a AAA title.

The ease of technology afforded by innovation has opened the market for indie video game developers to contribute their voices to the gaming scene. They have brought with them new characters, gameplay, and stories that can now appeal to a vast number of niche markets that were once thought to be unattainable from the AAA perspective.

Power has been given to quieter voices in the past few years and with Steam and Switch leaning hard into indie games, the roar doesn’t look to be silenced anytime soon.

Yes, believe it or not, you read the title card correctly. DayZ, the phenomenon that swept the PC gaming scene by storm in 2014, is finally making its way over to consoles. This process only took developer Bohemia Interactive 4 years to finally port it.

The question I have for Bohemia is: isn’t this port a couple of years too late?

Resurrect DayZ From The Dead

Four years ago, all you heard was how amazing DayZ was. It was consistently a top-played and top-streamed PC title. It had adrenaline pumping gameplay, and was overall a very intense zombie survival experience, because not only did you have to worry about running into a horde of zombies, but at any giving moment you could be getting hunted by a fellow player.

At that time there was nothing like it, but 4 years on, the DayZ scene has changed drastically.

Let’s face it, DayZ is nowhere near as popular as it used to be. If you take a look at Steam charts, this game has been haemorrhaging more and more players every single year. This could be directly related to the recent rise of the battle royale genre.

The Battle Royale Effect

DayZ and the battle royale titles have similar gameplay loops: being a player in a large open environment, you have to use the terrain, loot supplies and fight other players around you in order to survive.

Another issue that could have caused DayZ’s demise is the fact the game is STILL an Early Access title after being playable for over 4 years. And, to make matters worse, DayZ still has some of the same glaring issues that it did when it was originally released in Early Access. The main issue? A lack of an end game.

Yes, the end game has been the biggest issue for Bohemia since the beginning, they can’t seem to figure out what players want to do in their title.

DayZ’s end game is simply ‘survive for as long you can with your character’, and that’s it. So, you end up doing to the same gameplay loops over and over again. Loot supplies, avoid zombies, kill or hunt other players to take their loot, and avoid getting killed at all cost. Yeah… sounds pretty repetitive right?

So, what I’m assuming is after the rise of games like PUBG and Fortnite, Bohemia is thinking, in order for their title to survive, they need to tap into a new audience. And, this seems to be why they’re finally porting DayZ over to Xbox. I understand the reasoning behind this because the brand still has some recognition, but is it too little too late?

We will find out soon enough if Bohemia can bring DayZ back to its glory days when it launches later this year on Xbox One.

In the meantime, you can check out some early gameplay footage of DayZ running on an Xbox One X down below.