8th September video games roundup: Scrutinising the Saudi takeover of Evo, and Ghost of Yotei has the nicest locales
All the news and events in the world of video games today.
It's 8th September and we're back like a magnet to attract all of today's gaming news and goings-on. Speaking of which: have you finished Silksong yet? No? Tut tut! What have you been doing?
What you should have been doing is reading Matt's wonderful deep-dive on the making of Until Dawn with the game's creative director Will Byles. It details the many twists and turns in a remarkable game's development.
Our live coverage of this event has finished.
Good morning, good morning. So I put a fairly good stint in on Silksong yesterday and... hit a bit of a wall. Not a difficulty spike per se, such as a boss I couldn't beat, but more of a 'I can't work out where to go' moment. I'm determined to work it out but I ended up getting fed up of traipsing back and forth, trying to figure out where to go.
How are you all getting on with it?
"We have a story to tell" - MachineGames has ideas for another Wolfenstein game
MachineGames may be all about Indiana Jones at the moment, but that doesn't mean the studio has necessarily stopped thinking about its Wolfenstein games. As part of a new Noclip video about the making of Wolfenstein, studio head Jerk Gustafsson revealed the team would like to make a sequel to New Colossus.
"That journey for BJ, even during those first weeks at id, when we mapped out New Order, we still had the plan for at least [BJ], what would happen in the second one and what would happen in the third one," the developer said.
Final Fantasy Tactics sequel could be on the cards
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles director Kazutoyo Maehiro has stated if the remake sells well, a sequel could be on the cards.
"I think I speak for everyone who's worked on the original Final Fantasy Tactics, and is working on The Ivalice Chronicles as well - we'd really like to see that happen," he said.
The remake is out at the end of the month - will you be buying it?
The games industry has a Soulslike problem
Is the term Soulslike being overused? Are there really too many Soulslike out at the moment? Or are players mis-using the term?
Most recently, Silent Hill f has been described as a Soulslike, which producer Motoi Okamoto has debunked. "This is one of the things that we see - the term Soulslike - being thrown around on the internet quite a bit," he said. "And I think it's a label that's a little bit disingenuous. Modern players will see like, oh there's a stamina meter, there's a dodge, and they're like, 'Okay, it's a Soulslike'."
Do you think the games industry has a Soulslike problem?
Mr_Grinch says: I find the development of Until Dawn fascinating. I was one of few people who loved the Move controllers, and I love horror, so when I read a very early article talking about the game I was excited.Until Dawn ultimately wasn't that game, but it did turn out to be one of my favourite games of all time. One of few games I replay (along with the Uncharted games AND Super Mario World) on a close to annual basis.
That's my really long way of saying that I LOVED the article, it was a breath of fresh air in a sea of Silksong. I'm a BIG metroidvania fan, but really couldn't get in to Hollow Knight despite a fair few attempts. I don't begrudge the articles, it's popular, but I am getting a little bored personally ;)
I love seeing enthusiasm for games like this. Do you have an optimum playthrough for Until Dawn?
FTJT says: My big 4/9 purchase was SW Outlaws on Switch 2, and while I'm still in the shallow end I've been really enjoying it so far. There are elements of big ubi open world, but then you're wandering around a market and everyone's jabbering at each other in Huttese and any complaints feel irrelevant. Absolutely impeccable use of the licence
Excellet Huttese jabbering. 10/10 would play again.
Rogueywon says: Also, should have said, if you don't already own it via the Deluxe Edition, don't spend money on the Indiana Jones DLC. I blasted through it in around 3.5 hours on Saturday morning. It's just a condensed version of the base-game's weakest bits, with endless ledge-jumping in underground tombs and a return of the boring boat stuff. There's no real immersive sim stuff and no big action set-pieces. By all means, give it a whirl if you already own it, but don't shell out £18 for it.
Oof!
The Saudi takeover of Evo gives fighting game fans an uncomfortable choice
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"Last week, RTS, co-owner of Evo, the biggest fighting game tournament in the world, announced it had been acquired by the Saudi Arabian city of Qiddiya. While far from the sole event of note across the genre, Evo remains a symbol of sorts for the fighting game community. Of all the tournaments, it is Evo that is held in the highest regard. Now, that community must choose between its long-lasting values and the bag."
So writes Connor in his sterling op-ed on the Saudi Arabian takeover of Evo, that was announced last week. Now the scene, historically one based on an "all challengers welcome" philosophy, is faced with a near-impossible choice - but one players and fans must make nonetheless.
The Last of Us season two scores its first Emmy
The second season of The Last of Us, which comprised seven episodes, has won its first Emmy.
At this weekend's Creative Arts Emmys, The Last of Us took home the award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series. This was for the second season's second episode, known as Through the Valley.
PlayStation just shared a very soothing Ghost of Yōtei video
If Monday is getting to you (I woke up thinking it was Sunday, so there's a little taster of how my day started. Pleased to say it is now going a little more smoothly ), then why don't you take a moment to pause and breathe with this 10 minute Ghost of Yōtei video PlayStation has just shared.
It has no gameplay or anything like that, but does offer up some very pretty shots of Ghost of Yōtei's landscapes, which are all set to an extended version of The North from the original soundtrack composed by Toma Otowa. Ahhh.
Controversial shooter Ready or Not has now passed 3m console sales
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Developer Void Interactive has announced that Ready or Not - which was released on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in July of this year, following a spell of PC exclusivity - has now sold over 3m copies on consoles.
This brings the total number of sales across all platforms to over 13m, the developer said in a press release.
Keanu is up for being in Cyberpunk 2
Speed heartthrob Keanu Reeves - yeah I'm going there - has said he's up for reprising the role of Johnny Silverhand in Cyberpunk 2. The question is, will Johnny Silverhand feature in it?
The first game was all about Silverhand, remember, but it did have an end, and presumably CDPR will want to tell a new story this time around in a new city. But I wouldn't necessarily rule out the possibility of a cameo. How can you say no to Keanu Reeves, after all?
Getting the music right in a James Bond game is everything
Bond films are synonymous with songs. You can probably sing your way through the entire Bond movie catalogue. A new Bond film's title song is a major moment. So how is IOI approaching this daunting legacy with new Bond game 007: First Light?
That's what Bond superfan Alex Donaldson is out to find out in a recent interview IOI.