Game Design
Ongoing coverage on Game Design.
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Subnautica 2 dev says "go play Sons of the Forest" if you don't like its lack of violence
Developer Unknown Worlds Entertainment has stated that Subnautica 2 is not a combat-focused game, suggesting players who desire violence should play titles like Sons of the Forest instead. This response has caused community backlash, with some players expressing disappointment over the perceived dismissal of feedback regarding base defense and the game's overall design.
Lego Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight Is The Best Lego Game In Years
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight revitalizes the licensed Lego game formula with a nostalgia-rich story, humorous writing, and Arkham-inspired combat. The game successfully blends elements from various Batman films and comic arcs to create a fresh experience. It focuses on building the Bat-family and offers deeper mechanics than previous Lego titles, making it a return to form for the series.
Dracamar Review | TheXboxHub
Dracamar is a family-friendly 3D platformer that evokes the golden age of the genre with its vibrant art style and abundance of collectibles. While it lacks strong character design and can be overly simplistic for hardcore players, its engaging gameplay, varied levels, and surprising mechanics make it a delightful experience, particularly for younger audiences. The game runs on Xbox Series X and features smooth controls, though some minor bugs were encountered.
Subnautica 2 mod makes creatures killable, despite its devs' desire to convince players to "use non-violent and more creative solutions"
A new mod for Subnautica 2 allows players to kill creatures, a feature intentionally omitted by developers Unknown Worlds who aim to encourage non-violent solutions. The 'Killable Creatures' mod, created by Domelll, enables players to damage creatures using in-game tools. While the developers advocate for adaptation and coexistence, the mod offers PC players the option to engage in combat, with discussions ongoing about its impact on the game's intended experience.
The Subnautica 2 fish self-defence debate rages on, as the game’s non-violent themes clash with player desire to fend off underwater threats
Subnautica 2's emphasis on non-violence, where players must evade rather than fight aggressive creatures, is causing frustration among some players who desire defensive options. While developers Unknown Worlds, including lead game designer Anthony Gallegos, are committed to this design choice, they are open to ideating on new ways for players to defend themselves without resorting to killing. This clash between developer intent and player desire for self-defense, particularly against smaller threats, is a recurring point of discussion within the community.
Pokemon Champions producer explains how they decide which Pokemon to include
Pokemon Champions producer Masaaki Hoshino explained in an interview that Game Freak's Shigeki Morimoto is consulted on which Pokemon are included in the game. The development team prioritizes Pokemon that are easy for new players to understand and battle with, with plans to carefully introduce mechanics like Mega Evolutions and Terastallization.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies Review – Luck and Skill
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is a critically acclaimed RPG that offers a unique take on espionage, focusing on player choice, consequence, and the psychological toll of spycraft. Despite minor technical issues and a lackluster soundtrack, the game is praised for its powerful prose, fleshed-out characters, kinetic narrative, and stunning art direction, making it a worthy follow-up to Disco Elysium.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies review: "Being built from Disco Elysium's bones is a blessing and a curse for this spy RPG"
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies, a spy-fi RPG from ZA/UM, is a spiritual successor to Disco Elysium, sharing many of its narrative and systemic elements. While it offers rich writing and a compelling story, it struggles to escape the shadow of its predecessor, leading to a sense of familiarity and occasional clumsiness. The game features a more malleable protagonist and interesting character relationships, but its tone can sometimes feel like an imitation rather than an evolution.
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies Review – Cascading Choices
Zero Parades: For Dead Spies is an RPG that largely follows the blueprint of Disco Elysium, focusing on dialogue, choices, and skill checks rather than combat. While it struggles to escape the shadow of its predecessor and some of its mechanics feel less defined, the game offers a compelling spy narrative with a richly realized setting and an engaging protagonist. The game introduces new mechanics like managing ailments tied to different faculties, adding a more gamified approach to failure and risk-taking.
Adventures Of Elliot Shows How Flexible HD-2D Can Be
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales demonstrates the versatility of Square Enix's HD-2D art style beyond RPGs, applying it effectively to the action-adventure genre. The demo showcased engaging dungeon exploration, varied combat mechanics, and puzzle-solving elements reminiscent of classic titles like The Legend of Zelda, while also introducing modern enhancements and player-feedback driven adjustments.
Games Inbox: Will Nintendo make more cross-gen Switch games?
Readers discuss Nintendo's potential strategy of releasing more cross-gen games for the Nintendo Switch, with some expressing concern over the quality of recent Switch-only titles. Other topics include the story modes in Mortal Kombat 1, the influence of console exclusives, and the changing gaming preferences of older players.
Forza Horizon 6 Guide – How To Change The Weather And The Time Of Day
This guide explains how to manually change the weather and time of day in Forza Horizon 6 using the EventLab's Route Creator. Players can create custom routes to set specific weather conditions and time spans, overriding the default free roam settings outside of story mode.
LEGO Batman’s Gotham Could Be Its Biggest Selling Point
This article discusses how Gotham City's design could be the biggest selling point for LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. It emphasizes the importance of a dense, layered, and interactive city that rewards exploration and player engagement, rather than just padding playtime with generic activities. The author suggests that leveraging LEGO's building mechanics and incorporating unique character abilities could make Gotham a dynamic playground that enhances the gameplay loop and narrative.
Subnautica 2 Early Access Review – Waterworld
Subnautica 2 has entered early access, offering a larger and more ambitious experience than its predecessor. The game focuses on survival crafting and exploration on the alien planet Proteus, featuring a narrative involving colonists, mysterious phenomena, and genetic adaptation. While the core gameplay loop of diving, resource gathering, and base building is strong, the article notes that the full story will take years to unfold and that optimization is still a work in progress.
Zelda: Twilight Princess did what Ocarina of Time couldn't because Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto really "wanted to see Link fight on horseback"
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess implemented mounted combat, a feature Shigeru Miyamoto had desired since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. While Ocarina of Time allowed horseback riding, it lacked combat capabilities, a gap Twilight Princess filled with Link fighting on horseback. Director Eiji Aonuma confirmed Miyamoto's long-standing wish for this gameplay element.
What would be your go-to gaming soundtrack to recommend to a non-gamer?
This article discusses which video game soundtracks would be best recommended to non-gamers, exploring tracks from games like Final Fantasy 10 and L.A. Noire. The author shares personal experiences and asks readers for their own recommendations to introduce people to the world of video game music.
Path of Exile 2 just shattered its biggest barrier to entry, even leapfrogging Diablo 4
Grinding Gear Games has significantly improved the accessibility of Path of Exile 2 with its latest 0.5 update, 'Return of the Ancients.' The update introduces in-game build guides, allowing players to follow exact skill tree paths and item stat priorities, making it more approachable than ever, potentially even surpassing Diablo 4 in ease of entry. Game Director Jonathan Rogers stated that the goal is to make the endgame feel like a natural continuation of the campaign.
Sunday Postmortems/Retrospectives
This article argues that The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings represents a unique point in game development that is unlikely to be replicated. It suggests that the specific combination of factors that led to its creation, including its narrative depth, character development, and mature themes, are no longer as prevalent in the modern gaming landscape.
The Coma 3: Bloodlines Review | TheXboxHub
The Coma 3: Bloodlines concludes the horror trilogy with an ambitious narrative that can be enjoyed standalone but offers more for returning players. While it expands on previous gameplay mechanics, including combat for one character, the game suffers from frustrating backtracking due to an ungenerous save system and occasionally random enemy AI. Despite these flaws, the atmospheric 2D world, superb character design, and chilling audio create an enjoyable, albeit sometimes frustrating, Korean horror send-off.
The Witcher 2 never made the jump to PlayStation, and I feel bad for those who've never experienced it
This opinion piece reflects on the enduring quality of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, fifteen years after its release. The author laments that the game never received a PlayStation port, making it a missed opportunity for Sony console owners, and highlights its foundational role in the development of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.
