Look, man, we can only do so much in a week. As hard as we try to give you frequent updates, filled with tasty reading treats, we’re just a small group of writers. That’s why Digital Love Child will be adding a new, weekly feature that highlights some of the best videogame criticism and/or reporting from other people.
Thus, the debut of In Other Words.
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Vox Media launched their much-anticipated games website this week and the first run of features is solid. My favourite of the week was former Escapist Editor-in-Chief Russ Pitts’ look into the development of the grandly uneven Dead Island.
Dead Island: The Reckoning, by Russ Pits via Vox Gaming
Pitts’ insight into the challenges imposed on Dead Island‘s creator, Techland by both itself and the internet hype machine is valuable for critics, players and developers alike. As we all chase the next big thing or agitate for smarter game design it’s valuable to witness some part of a process where an extremely ambitious group of talented individuals had to whittle down their vision into something that was, ultimately, achieved only a fraction of what it set out to do.
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Another new website launch this week saw Penny Arcade expand its empire with The PA Report. Ben Kuchera, formerly of Ars Technica, now runs the news-focused offshoot of the webcomic and has already proven the strength of his chops to a new audience with a fantastic profile of Twisted Metal and God of War creator, David Jaffe.
Kuchera’s audio recording of Jaffe giving Kotaku’s Editor-in-Chief Stephen Totilo hell is slightly terrifying and an appropriate reminder for all critics, journalists and editors to exercise caution when condemning a real person’s character. That kind of thing has consequences, after all, and if you can’t adequately back up your argument it can have pretty nasty results. I won’t take sides on the piece in question (it mostly comes off as a series of misunderstandings), but, suffice it to say that the handful of minutes where Jaffe lays the issue bare are as raw a response to editorial accusation as I’ve heard in some time.
Aside from this aspect, Kuchera’s piece is noteworthy, too, for doing what every good profile should: giving the reader an excellent portrayal of its subject.
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Patrick Klepek continues to test out non-news features at Giant Bomb with the second installment of Backtracking. The latest in a series where Klepek chats with developers about their favourite games sees Remedy Entertainment’s Aki Järvilehto talking through his affection for Diablo.
Backtracking: Remedy’s Aki Järvilehto Loves Diablo, by Patrick Klepek via Giant Bomb
Backtracking is a novel idea and one that gives readers a better peek into what influences the people who make the games we play. An Alan Wake creator talking Diablo is a fine proof of concept and the kind of unexpected combination of product and influence I’m sure we’ll see more of as the feature goes forward.
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And a last, shameless plug for my interview with Deepak Fights Robots designer, Tom Sennett for Kill Screen (it’s my site goddamit. Let me have this). Tom is a true original and a developer with a bright future full of batshit awesome games. What made the final, published edit is only a fraction of the topics we talked about, but gives a good idea of who he is and how he works. I want that Miyamoto game jam to happen.
One Up: Tom Sennett, by Reid McCarter via Kill Screen
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That’s all for now.
