[Did I expect this particular Sega franchise to come back & hit big? Nooope.]

We’re back again with  video game Deep Cuts on Substack, folks. I’m still enjoying putting these together - not least because there are plenty ‘big news of the day/week’ newsletters, but finding time to discover the alternative material is rewarding.

The ‘all the notable new games’ section may be getting too big/complex. But even working out what came out can be surprisingly tricky for the average reader, with all the platforms/microscenes out there. So I’ll keep noodling!

- Simon, curator

The Current: New Games In The Spotlight

• Gears Tactics (PC) takes the limb-strewn franchise into XCOM territory. 📰

• The Flower Collectors (PC, pictured) is an unusual short narrative game - “a simple but full-hearted spin on Rear Window.” 📰

• Fallout 76’s ‘Wastelanders’ update (PC, Xbox, PS4) - which is solo play-focused, intriguingly - seems to have elevated the game to ‘try this out!’ levels. 📰

• Paper Beast (PS4) is the under-the-radar Eric Chahi (Another World) PlayStation VR game which “throws players into a hallucinatory cyberscape.” 📰

• 2D brawler remake Streets Of Rage 4 (PC, Switch, PS4, Xbox) is a bit of a surprise hit. 📽 (BONUS: ICYMI, Treachery In Beatdown City is an intriguing 2D RPG-brawler combo. 📽)

• 4 vs. 1 multiplayer shooter Predator: Hunting Grounds (PC, PS4) has mixed reviews - game ‘feel’ better suited to dev’s previous, Friday The 13th? 📽

The Culture: Game Culture & Deep Dives

• Screenwriter (& former game mag editor) Gary Whitta has built a talk show in Animal Crossing, complete with bandleader & musical guests. 📰(Example! 📽.)

• Fortnite is more fully embracing the Metaverse comparisons with a no-shooting Party Royale mode. 📰

• How the game biz is dealing - somewhat awkwardly - with pregnancy & motherhood as a game dev. 📰

• The video game arcades struggling to survive in the era of COVID-19. 📰

• There’s a green vs. purple alien war in Grand Theft Auto Online that’s taking over the Internet? Apparently? 📰

The Past: Game History

• Vintage interview on the making of Capcom’s classic 2D fighter Darkstalkers (concept art pictured). 📰

• A visit to see Final Fantasy illustrator Yoshitaka Amano in his art studio. 📽

• Where are our queer and transgender elders in video game history? A historical look. 📽(Part of a host of interesting MAGFest talks/panels coming online.)

• How PC game ‘shareware’ came about, from Softdisk to Apogee & beyond. 📰

• A longform documentary on the genesis of megahit indie strategy battler Darkest Dungeon. 📽

The Other Goodness

• Magic: The Gathering has a wild card trading/speculation scene. 📰

• If you play PUBG on Stadia, you get to kill a lot of Derek-level bots? 📰

• 3D printing is creating a whole new fan/semipro-created market for D&D miniatures (pictured). 📰

• Elite Dangerous has a benevolent clan that currently - in a coronavirus-related goodwill gesture - just gives players rare items to help them upgrade. Aw. 📰

• There’s a streetwear scene in the extremely fashion-customizable Animal Crossing. 📰

• Sure, you know about game engines like Unity & Unreal, but which game companies roll their own engines? Quite a few, actually. 📰

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Simon.