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Private Notes
Before we force ourselves to face the reality that is 2020, I want to take one last look over the previous decade. More than that, I want to think about what influence means.
Today's video column isn't a comprehensive retrospective so much as a thought process, going over some of the biggest names in the past decade of games and seeing what impact, if any, they had on the industry.
All that considered, I do come to a conclusion and I do name the game I believe had the most influence in the 2010s. Is it The Witcher 3? Fortnite? Dark Souls?
It... sure is something.
Cats, starring Taylor Swift and Idris Elba as horrible nightmares, is a fine example of how movies are starting to resemble videogames in terms of how they're treated post-launch.
It was basically patched after it went to theaters, replaced with a new version that changed effects and performance timing. Combined with what Marvel has been doing with films such as Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, the concept of post-launch content for movies running at theaters is getting very game-flavored.
The jokes about films getting patches and DLC have all been made, but there's a serious point to be considered, especially when it's predominantly fandom-centric movies getting constantly fiddled with.
As a term, "Metroidvania" has existed for almost twenty years, used to describe a certain sub-type of action game. A game like Metroid. Or Castlevania. Y'know, a Metroidvania.
Some critics really don't like the term. They think it's aesthetically unpleasant, obscure, and inaccessible. They don't think the term should be referencing two other games, and that doing so makes it useless for anyone who hasn't heard of Metroid. Or Castlevania.
Should the term be abolished? Should we work on a replacement, since few critics have? Is this an accessibility issue? I guess this video will address those questions. Maybe. Probably.
Pokémon Sword & Shield shifted over 16 million units worldwide despite a significant amount of pre-release controversy. Angry older fans may have promised a boycott, but the game's success has rendered much of the backlash over "Dexit" rather toothless.
This is because Gamer Boycotts don't really work, and the concept has been so thoroughly discredited after years of failed attempts that it invites mockery and overshadows any legitimate complaints or grievances.
From Modern Warfare 2 to The Wind Waker, whenever The Gamers(tm) decide not to buy something, that thing gets bought. A lot. So let's not use the rather poisonous "B" word, eh?
Credit. When people work on something, it's only right to expect those people get credit. Unfortunately, the videogame industry is a wasteland of sleaze, and companies seem to think credit is optional.
XSEED caused a fuss last year by claiming it was policy not to credit workers who have left the company, even if their work is part of the game. While the studio's tone deaf nonsense turned heads, it's far from the only company that doesn't give proper acknowledgement.
Withholding credit is another example of how the game industry mistreats people simply because it can get away with it. It's unfair leverage to make an unrepresented workforce compliant. Crediting standards need to be enforced, because non-negotiable enforcement is all the game industry seems to respect.
Blizzard Entertainment President J. Allen Brack is a man who knows he doesn't have to apologize, and that's why he's never done it.
Sure, you may feel like you've heard him apologize, and he may even say sorry. He doesn't actually apologize though, and after several issues with Blizzard and its behavior, the hallmarks of the Brack Apology - the Brackology - have become clear.
His routine is transparent, but it never needs to be anything else, because he knows full well he doesn't have to apologize. Not for Blitzchung, not for Warcraft 3: Reforged, not even for how Blizzard damaged the careers of an entire league of pro Heroes of the Storm players.
The Brackology is never sorry, but it is always insulting.
Influencers are like proper celebrities now, so we have to listen to everything they say.
Ninja is an influencer, and he has plenty to say. Recently the Mixer Man caused a fuss by extolling the virtues of anger and deriding the notion that a videogame is "just a game."
This sparked up the age old Hardcore Gamer debates, and I've got bugger all else to do this week, so let's talk about competition, attitudes, and Cucumber Succulence!
Did you know a new Terminator film came out? If you pay attention to the "AAA" videogame market, you'd know. You couldn't help but know.
Terminator: Dark Fate has been placing its product all over the game industry, treating a number of high profile games like stops on a press tour. The result is T-800s everywhere.
Gears 5, Mortal Kombat 11, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, all three have been plagued by little metal skeletons. More importantly, these Dark Fate promotions turn players into billboards, and those players pay for the privilege.
Let's talk about Dark Fate, product placement, and how companies are doubling down on their marketing promotions and expecting people to pay to become living digital commercials.
We're all dying from flu here at Jimquisition Headquarters. It's not coronavirus! Anyway, let's talk about remakes, their critical acclaim, and what their success says about the industry.
With Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and Final Fantasy VII Remake on the horizon, it's a good time for nostalgic reimaginings. And why wouldn't it be? They're more exciting than the new stuff!
It's a subject we couldn't get away with not discussing. Coronavirus. The global pandemic that's reached a scale beyond previous outbreaks. The reason your dad bought all that toilet paper. A real kick to our species' ass.
GDC and E3 got canceled, WWE is hosting events in empty venues, and pretty much everybody has been impacted by the virus in some way, shape, or form. So let's talk about how it's touched the game industry, and then we can just go OFF on American healthcare and cAAApitalism, because why not?
GameStop has finally closed its doors during the recent health crisis, despite remaining adamant it would continue to expose its workers and customers to risk.
It's among several videogame retailers that have fought to stay open and ignore sensible quarantine advice. Their staff have been frustrated and scared, but the CEOs don't care. The CEOs aren't the ones expected to handle used games without hand sanitizer.
EB Games, GameXChange, CEX, and GAME UK have been doing the same, flying under the radar as GameStop took all the heat. They're all as bad as each other.
These are companies so desperate to stay in business, they'd risk causing sickness and even death to keep the doors open.
Laugh and the world laughs with you? Not entirely true, apparently.
In my career, I've been told to be more positive, to produce happier content, to smile more. I've been told I need to publish videos about great indie games or do more optimistic Jimquisitions.
I need to be less negative. I need to stop depressing people. I need to stop dumping on Bethesda.
And yet, the actual results of posting positive content paint a far different picture than the rhetoric in comment sections, and while we can put some blame on YouTube itself, a simple fact is that most of you adore the misery.
Boosters are a common form of microtransaction across the videogame landscape. XP Boosters are easily the most common, but currency boosters and other forms progress speeders are out there as well.
They're pretty insidious, as we can easily see with Resident Evil: Resistance, Call of Duty, and the hundreds of other games using them.
Aside from the usual manipulation involved with microtransactions, boosters exert a level of control that keeps players hooked to a game so they can maximize their investments.
And screw loot boxes being in a Resident Evil game, by the way.
Spoilers are a touchy subject. They have been for decades, and the explosion of mainstream "nerd" culture has only made it touchier. People don't want movies, books, shows, or games ruined for them by learning big shocks, twists, and plot points ahead of time.
This is fair, and when something like Final Fantasy VII Remake happens, it opens the question - is the statute of limitations on spoilers altered when something's remade? Even for something as famous as Final Fantasy VII?
On top of that, we must look at spoiler culture as a whole, our obsession with the notion of spoilers, and who our fear of them really benefits (spoiler, it's corporations).
Final Fantasy VII Remake is looking set to be one of the most controversial releases of the year - funny, considering fans thought it was a slam dunk. Unfortunately for those fans, FFVII Remake is something... unique.
A subversive take on a beloved RPG, Square Enix's weird retelling of Final Fantasy VII is either cleverly written or deceptively advertised depending on who you ask. Maybe it's both.
When is something ingeniously unexpected, and when is it just false advertising? As we discuss Final Fantasy VII Remake, Aliens: Colonial Marines, BioShock Infinite, and even The Last Jedi, we're going to sort this all out. Or not. I might be lying.
If you're watching this video because you sent Jim Sterling an email and got a link to this in response, you'll want to watch and understand why I have very little regard for your sponsorship offer.
I am inundated with emails from companies trying to get me to do paid promotion for them. Whether it's simple sponsorships or full-on advertorials, PR companies seem intent on trying to get me to do something I very famously DON'T do.
It's insulting, and indicative of a marketing firm that's bad at being a marketing firm. If your research is so utterly flawed that you'd think MY audience is a "good fit" for your Magic the Gathering commercial, you're officially bad at your job. Now go away.
No one single developer deserves to have their game leaked, and it should not happen to them. Some companies deserve the undermining and embarrassment that leaks bring, however.
Naughty Dog is still reeling from a massive content leak for The Last of Us Part II, a leak that gave away pretty much the whole story and showed off a bunch of gameplay not intended for public witnessing.
At first it was thought the leak came from within, revenge by an angry developer who was sick of Naughty Dog's working practices, but that is allegedly false. In the wake of discussion over the leak's source, however, one important point has been drowned out - those aforementioned working practices.
Naughty Dog isn't just a company riddled with crunch. It's a leading example. And it deserves to be shamed.
Konami is Konami, and Konami is the worst. This was first argued years ago and it's only gotten more true. So true, in fact, that Konami barely qualifies as a game publisher anymore. It makes casino toys and dabbles in gaming.
Really, Konami should just go far, far away and let Capcom take over. Capcom should have Silent Hill, Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, and Frogger. It would do better with them, and it already has experience making the kind of games that Konami's long-neglected library would thrive as.
Give Silent Hill to the team that revitalized Resident Evil. Give Castlevania to the Devil May Cry developers. Capcom should have all Konami's stuff.
Over 50,000 people signed a petition begging Electronic Arts to let them give money... to Electronic Arts.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 received its final major update recently, and fans have taken that to mean the game is dead, even though it's still being supported with fixes and regularly scheduled events. The game will be playable for some time to come, but fans are begging for premium content to "save" it.
There's a steady implication that games stop being worth playing the moment they stop getting new content, that a game lasts as long as its virtual currency does, that games need constant updates and that we must plead and pledge money to get them.
What rot. Begging publishers for their predatory attention is not what I'd call a positive activity.
The year before a console launch is incredible because you can lie about anything you like. I'm assuming it's okay for everyone to do it, because the game industry does it every generation!
The PS5 and Xbox Series X (XSX?) are due out this year, and the tone has been set for another half a decade of total bollocks. It's fine though, because it's Liar's Year. You can say what you want, and nobody can call you out!
What happens when a medium that communicates largely through violent content becomes obsessed with realism? Traumatic experiences for developers is what happens.
As "AAA" studios achieve evermore believable violence, the artists creating these games are pressured to study the real thing. For years, developers have been poring over authentic imagery involving hangings, stabbings, slaughter and death.
They do this without any psychological guidance or structural care. Rarely are they even warned what they're in for. And as companies like Naughty Dog try to make us feel like we're actually murdering somebody, the question must be asked... who the hell even wants that?
It's Pride month and people are in the streets, not so much to celebrate identity as to protest police brutality and systemic oppression. Things are not okay in America, and people have had enough. They're making their voices heard.
Thankfully, THE BRANDS are looking out for everyone by pretending to care about anyone but themselves.
With Pride and Black Lives Matter protests coinciding, corporations are working overtime to bring insincere platitudes to the people. Their words are empty in a world where the very thing allowing injustice is the same thing these companies champion and exploit for profit on a daily basis.
Activision is very generous, and there is nothing cynical about its charitable donations. If you think otherwise, you're probably some sort of unAmerican monster.
Let's not consider the company's unwarranted financial subsidies, tax dodging, and contributions to the very socioeconomic system that makes most charities grimly necessary. Let's not think about Bobby Kotick's vast wealth, or how billionaires use philanthropy to maintain their unchecked power.
So long as you don't think about anything, Activision is very generous, and there is nothing cynical about its charitable donations.
The Last of Us 2 is finally out, and while I won't say Naughty Dog's murder party is one of the most overrated games of all time, I will declare that its achievements have been... overstated. A lot.
Among absurd comparisons to movies and overall contentious discourse, we have the game's very own director using a situation to try and show up a journalist who only recently exposed Naughty Dog's poor treatment of its staff.
So let's talk about that time The Last of Us Part II was compared to Schindler's List, and the absurdly bad faith fallout that certain industry leaders tried to stir up.
The game industry is rotten from within and without. Nakedly, openly abusive of its staff as a matter of course, the stuff it actively hides and covers for consists of more personal, and more horrifying abuse.
Today's episode isn't funny. It's angry. It's frank. It's not a video I enjoyed making, or enjoy publishing. But it's the grim epitome of what we talk about here.
Oh... yippee.. I get to talk about this now. Hooray?
Because the world of videogames can't stop drowning in gasoline for one hot minute, we've got to talk about the "Gamers" who spend less time playing games than they do finding people to attack and threaten online.
Do they even play games, or is this their whole life? Either way, a gaggle of idiots is currently harassing voice actor Laura Bailey for something she didn't do. She literally didn't do it, her character did, and she's getting the blame.
Why are they going after her? Why are they so incredibly pathetic? Why do people who claim not to hate women behave exactly like people who hate women? And what have "AAA" publishers done to curb the hate in their own communities? Sigh... let's talk about it.
Come for the sarcasm, stay for the particularly spicy speech at the end. Either way, it's time to consume our favorite videogame products!
The past few months have been rough both in and out of gaming, and I've come to understand that my weekly dose of pessimism is Literally The Actual Problem. The time has come to compartmentalize, make excuses, and ignore the game industry's rot.
It's not like we want to think about Ubisoft's abuse when it has a bevy of hot new products to sell us! Ubisoft doesn't want us to think of it either.
This is another heavy episode containing discussion of abuse. A few weeks ago, I was distraught, devastated, and overwhelmingly saddened by the accounts of misconduct in the game industry. Now I am angry.
I am very angry, and very disgusted, and I've saved a lot of pent up rage for Ubisoft, a company that went above and beyond in its protection of predatory men and systemic exploitation.
The publisher used this past week to BURY the story under a mountain of previews, trailers, and announcements, which the press dutifully lapped up. As the publisher has successfully drowned out the abuse allegations with sheer noise, it's time we started shouting back.
Ubisoft spent years protecting mental and physical abusers, and CEO Yves Guillemot should never be allowed to forget that.
Nintendo fans are prone to becoming upset very quickly, and I believe it my professional impartial duty to say that their distress is entirely their fault.
An industry fueled by perpetual hype is a problem in and of itself, but some fanatics need very little prompting to set themselves up for major disappointment. In fact, some of them need literally nothing.
So, while we take a brief break from all the abject horrors of the game industry, let's poke fun at Nintendo fans, and fanaticism overall, because it will be fun.
For years, Ubisoft performed a progressive lie, broadcasting its "wokeness" while abusive predatory executives claimed women can't sell.
Today's video looks at that hypocrisy, the hypocrisy that Ubisoft has indulged in for perhaps its entire existence. A public pantomime of inclusivity, and a private culture of hate, harassment, and outright assault.
I'm often asked how one can continue enjoying videogames published by exploitative, harmful corporations. In truth, there is no "ethical" way to do it, not if you're trying to avoid giving money to scumbags, but I'll help you try to feel better about it!
Really though, a lot of the dilemma involved in buying a game from Ubisoft or Activision can be solved with one simple attribute - patience. Unless of course, you plan to do one thing I have no intention of condoning.
Unless Mulan is involved.
Aeon Must Die! looks like a terrific game, and I always like to pay attention when Focus Home Interactive publishes something. Attention is something this game has a lot of, and not in a good way.
Limestone Games, the studio behind the game, has been accused by former staff members of crunch, exploitation, abusive behavior and outright crimes. This blew up before Sony's recent State of Play event, but has been forgotten about already by an ever-momentous news cycle.
We here at The Jimquisition, rather than forgot, spoke with the ex-Limestone team to find out more. So here we are!
Naughty, cheeky Microsoft has purchased smelly, old, dirty, old Bethesda. Obviously, it's got Bethesda's parent company Zenimax as well. Zenimax is a toilet.
There's plenty to talk about here, from Zenimax and Bethesda's history as corporate bullies to the benefits Microsoft will see as we enter a new generation and the Xbox Series faces off against the PS5.
Also, we are under the sea!
We've talked a lot about crunch and other forms of industry abuse this year. We've raked multiple companies over the coals for their unethical and often exploitative behavior. We will keep doing that.
What do we do, however, when this nasty behavior is perpetuated by one of the "good" ones? What if, say, CD Projekt RED was accused of overworking staff in hostile conditions?
Well, according to those excited for Cyberpunk 2077, we should just look the other way.
Marvel's Avengers has only been out for a matter of weeks and it's already going the way of Battleborn, or Evolve, or Anthem, or indeed any other failed "live" game.
The comparisons to Anthem are most apt - a cynically motivated loot-based "AAA" disaster with an embarrassing dip in player numbers soon after launch. It turns out not even the Marvel name can keep players attached to a sinking ship.
Can we finally admit the "live service" gold rush has been like every gold rush? Can we just admit that the few success stories do not outweigh the mountain of failure surrounding them?
Sega has been enjoying its 60th anniversary, and while it's had a celebratory weekend of fun content, the occasion is not without controversy.
Specifically, the release of a Golden Axe prototype from the early 2010s has been criticized by former developers. The demo was made with aggressively brutal crunch involved, as well as the kind of poor management we've come to expect from such stories.
Sega made this all worse by calling the demo Golden Axed and telling everyone it was janky and messy. Understandably, those who broke themselves on this thing haven't been thrilled.
So, let's talk about how publisher feel so entitled to dismissively benefit from the workloads they dump on their staff.
The ancient debate over content creation and copyright has flared up again, this time with a wannabe Stadia director claiming Twitch streamers should pay a fee to broadcast gameplay.
It was part of a larger claim that recent DMCA takedowns of Twitch videos are deserved, because apparently it's good when record labels have content scrubbed from the Internet over alleged music rights violations that nobody's been informed about.
Should be fun to tear into that ridiculous assertion, so let's do that. Happy Halloween, etcetera!
Yes, it's time to talk about Cyberpunk 2077 again. The game just got an incredibly short delay, and the threatening response from so-called "fans" has been pathetic and alarming.
It's weird that people who claim to love the company and its games were so quick to harass and threaten to kill the people who work there.
The protection CDPR's branding gets from people is so far removed from the contempt shown to CDPR's talent. In any case, this exhausting news cycle of a game doesn't need a three week delay. Let's give it the time it needs extend development by three years.
I've been told my videos are too political and that I should just stick to games. Usually, I ignore such strange criticisms, but after one of the most grueling weeks in American politics, maybe we should try it.
Let's give the totally apolitical what they want, and do an episode of the Jimquisition completely devoid of such contentious ideas or biases. It can totally be done. Probably. Maybe.
The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are finally out in the wild. Well, that's only theoretically true. They're officially out, but finding an available one has become a trial.
Both the PS5 and Xbox Series have had bungled preorders and a terrible launch rollout. Doesn't matter to them, but what about the rest of us poor saps? And what does a game critic do when they're all out of Demon's Souls?
Let's find out!
After a long and arduous journey, I have acquired a PlayStation 5 home entertainment console and I did it all on my own. It's time we celebrated how better I am than everyone else.
Also, I suppose we could talk about the PlayStation 5, right? Talk about what it does, and looks like, and how ridiculous large it is. So let's do that as well!
Even though it never surprises me, it always disappoints me to see games media pundits fall over themselves to repeat corporate propaganda in defense of corporate garbage.
The arrival of the PS5 and Xbox Series X has been used as an excuse to finally raise game prices... after years of using fixed game prices as an excuse to fill their games with predatory monetization. I wonder how they'll justify their microtransactions now!
At any rate, the obligatory chorus of apologists are backing up the decision with one heck of an argument. The exact same argument they've been using to justify publisher nastiness for years and years and years.
Ever since I first started criticizing the business practices of mainstream videogame publishers, people have been quick to remind me that it doesn't matter what I think, people will buy games anyway.
The facts are the facts, and I can't dispute the truth that publishers enjoy success regardless of how they treat their staff and their audience. They will continue to make money, even as the industry faces scandal after scandal, and publicly sneers at all accountability.
I'm told that all this is proof that the publishers are right. They set out to make money, they made money, and that justifies all the exploitation and abuse. But they're wrong. Money isn't a validation. It's only a motive.
Cyberpunk 2077 is finally out, which means people are unhappy, because that's how videogames work.
We know the routine with massively hyped "AAA" videogames by now. Before the game is even out, it accrues a mass of fans who've already decided to love it and will attack anyone who disagrees. Then the reviews come out, and all hell breaks loose.
Between a stagnant games media, permissive industry, and violently zealous fans, videogame discussion is well and truly broken. As broken as Cyberpunk 2077, which - after all the controversy and hassle - launched as a complete bug fest!
Hey, did you hear about Cyberpunk? The game of the year, except the versions that are total junk!
It's a singin' Jimquisition this week as we take a look at the unbelievably humiliating week CD Projekt RED has endured since the incompetent release of Cyberpunk 2077. It's been quite an ordeal.
From bugs to takedowns to international appeasement, CDPR has managed to do to its credibility in a matter of days what most publishers take years to accomplish.
It's that miserable time of the year once again. 2020 has been a hellscape of dread and confusion, but there is one thing you can always rely upon - the annual rundown of the crappiest nonsense games can offer.
From Marvel's Avengers to the horrendous XIII Remake, we look at the ten games embodying this awful year with their awful awfulness. You might be surprised at some of the picks. You might not.
Anyway, VIDEOGAMES!
