After a very long hiatus from blog posts, I have finally penned one for the grinder. This lull has mainly been down to real-life issues jumping in the way and what little time I've had left has been pumped into reviews. However, I am back and raring to go so grab a brew and enjoy my latest ramblings about the games industry.
I distinctly remember the excitement I felt when booting Half-Life 2 up for the first time. I had been living in a house with no internet (an unthinkable concept these days) and Valve had decided to use this stupid new DRM thing called Steam (it’ll never take off folks said). The only solution was to cart my desktop across Reading, plug into a friend's dial-up and download the eagerly anticipated sequel. My none gaming friends made fun of my geeky excitement as the download completed: I flipped to offline mode and made the journey back home. Of course, my efforts had been worth it as Half-Life 2 was a milestone in single-player gaming experiences. Two years later we received Episode One and a year later Episode Two arrived to much fanfare. As the climactic sequence came to a tantalising end I was pumped and ready for the next instalments of this seminal story. Little did I realise, it would never come.
So what happened? Why did Valve seemingly abandon one of the most popular games in the industry? The story goes that despite a few solid attempts at a third half-life game, it was issues with the incomplete Source Engine 2 that was the final nail in the coffin. This is one of the best demonstrations of ultimate success, killing that hunger a company has for the product they once mastered. On paper Valve is doing very well of course, as they are still plugged into the never-ending river of cash from their digital platform Steam. They have also never been fully dormant, with fingers in various tech sectors such as VR and now the handheld market. Yet the games they once made have unfortunately ceased to be supported, the incredible Half-Life Alyx being a notable exception. In fact, this game only makes the break even more frustrating because they clearly still can make exceptional games.
Blizzard is another example of a company having the world at their feet, only to buckle under a multitude of pressures. Flagship games like Diablo, Warcraft and Overwatch are all seeing troubled times in various ways. Making Diablo a mobile game in such a tone-deaf manner was one of those moments that became an infamous gaming meme. Now the monetization model is laid bare, not many can deny the Blizzard we once knew is gone. It is mind-blowing how a company with almost unlimited resources and talent can make so many bad decisions, in the apparent preference of profit over reputation. The same could be said for Bethesda or Bioware, falling from grace due to poor management, shortsighted policies and just too much interference from investors. The question I ask myself when considering how these massive companies have collapsed in on themselves is, is this an inevitable consequence of success?
As we crawled out of March, knackered from all the games that have kept us up late, the radar for April was almost empty. Looking back it has been an epic start to 2022, kicking off with the PC version of God of War. After a very successful Death Stranding and Horizon port, I think this one should seal the deal on a greater commitment from Sony to PC gaming. God of War was already astounding on PS4/PS5 but the PC version just takes it all to the next level. The news that Spider-Man, a game I adore on PS5, is also getting a PC release in September is a real shot in the arm for PC gaming. It will be interesting to see how it runs when not being supported by the bespoke SSD setup that has clearly proven itself with games like Rachet and Clank. I just really hope that Sony adds PC support for the adaptive triggers on the PS5 controller, as these make playing games like Spider-Man and Death Stranding so much more engaging.
Horizon Forbidden West wasn't on PC of course but I had promised myself a month off to sink into the stunning sequel from Guerrilla Games. As with other Sony exclusives, expect to see this on PC once the exclusivity gold rush has run its course. Weird West is my latest review and by gum, it’s a cracker. From Wolfeye Studios, who splintered off Arkane, this is western with a difference. You step into the shoes (literally) of not one but five characters, all with vastly different abilities and backstories. What sets this game apart is how much there is going on under the hood from environmental effects to real consciences for your actions. You can literally kill any NPC and the game just keeps on ticking. Find out why this is a definite contender for my game of the year in my review. Another notable game this month has been V-Rising, with a similar look and feel to Weird West. You can check out my thoughts on my preview sitting in the oven.
Our brand new rig is now here and it is a thing of beauty. Even though the system has the chops to run games at 4K it seems like 1440p is still the sweet spot and I’m really happy with that choice. I have just run through the Metro Series and even Exodus is getting 180 FPS. I am now digging into Red Dead Redemption 2 which also runs like a dream with everything cranked up to ultra. I’ll be honest, Red Dead 2 is one of the games I was most looking forward to on the new system and I’m happier than a pig in shit. It still holds up as the most realistic and detailed game world ever created, check out some screenshots below.
As the dust settles from a week of game shows, we now have a far clearer vision of how 2022 will pan out and beyond. In the void of E3 these shows now have a more fragmented offering. Bookended by Geoff Keighley’s Games Fest and the Xbox/Bethesda show, this year saw a good number of excellent games. However, I’ll be covering the show in a separate article so for now I’ll leave that there.