[In Camouflaj’s just-out PSVR title Iron Man VR, you can definitely… punch things!]

And once again, again, we’re here with  video game Deep Cuts on Substack. Lots of things going on, but here’s some interesting and relevant links about games to round out your week. Enjoy them!

- Simon, curator

The Current: New Games To Consider

• Townscaper (PC) is “a cute and chill little town building toy game where you can create small or large towns.” 📽

• A new reboot of madcap/unorthodox racing title Trackmania (PC) - with an odd subscription-based biz model - is getting decent but confused reviews. 📰

• Iron Man VR (PlayStation VR) is Camouflaj’s title that’s one of the highest-profile late PSVR releases - seems great conceptually, but has some issues. 📰

• Now on console, Assetto Corsa Competizione (PS4, Xbox - also PC) is limited to 30fps on console but still an impressive hardcore sim racing title, tho bugs need ironing out. 📰

• West Of Dead (PC, Xbox, PS4) is a dark Western twin-stick shooter with permadeath and a complex but rewarding combat and cover system. 📰

The Culture: Game Culture & Deep Dives

• How Satisfactory’s developers lied to their players & why the players loved it. 📰

• Payload delivered: how Team Fortress 2 modders did what Valve wouldn’t. 📰

• Why have these people been playing Cookie Clicker for seven years? 📽

• Why Kentucky Route Zero connects the dark past of adventure games in fascinating ways. 📰

• Nintendo is taking down Animal Crossing glitch YouTube videos, and creating quite a debate by doing so. 📰

The Past: Game History

• A look at why the Monkey Island game series might not be what you thought. 📽

• How frantic arcade classic Robotron 2084 got put together. 📰

• The unsung genius who tempted Nintendo's president to pick up a joypad. 📰

• How EA remastered the FMV for Command & Conquer’s cutscenes. 📰

• Boomshakalaka: How the original NBA Jam caught fire through chaos 📰/📽

The Other Goodness

• On how the history of how video games and game shows interact. 📰

• Why ‘90s CD-ROM game Obsidian is a spectacle of surrealism. 📰

• Worryingly in-depth on how Supercell’s Hay Day Pop functions from a design/monetization perspective.📰

• Explaining how the sprite decompression in Pokemon Game Boy titles works. 📽

• The forgotten game engine? Criterion’s RenderWare powered a whole era of hit games. 📽

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