By Ronald Gordon 

Hello and welcome to our post-New York Game Awards Roundup!! I’m so glad to be back, once again highlighting the talented interns and writers within the Circle to give their work a well-deserved blast. With the Awards having come and gone, it’s about time we look at not only the many photos that have been published, but also the best moments from within the show as well. Alongside that, we’ve got some news about the NYVGCC hosting the Minecraft Writing Challenge as part of the Battle of the Boroughs, Serenity’s review of the dark and gun riddled El Paso, Elsewhere, Giovanni’s thoughts on why FF7 Remake deserves a second chance, and so much more! 

The 13th Annual New York Video Game Awards ceremony went off without a hitch, bringing developers and gamers from around the world together into the SVA Theatre to celebrate another year of fantastic games. We’ve got plenty of pictures to share from the event, including some with our Legend Award Winner, Neil Druckmann! 

Having won the Andrew Yoon Legend Award for his dedication for bringing fantastic stories in the games he’s helped to create, Neil Druckmann had plenty of insightful words about what it takes to make it in the gaming industry: A dream to pursue and the inspiration to pursue it. In a humbling, moving ramble of Thank You’s to other developers and the teams of people he’s worked with throughout his years with Naughty Dog, Neil related that his career wouldn’t have been as impactful without those around him trying to accomplish their dreams. Once again, we at the Circle give Neil a big Congratulations for winning the award and his culture-changing work! 

Neil wasn’t the only one to win something big that night. Aside from the awards given to the talented developers of the various AAA and Indie games of 2023, the event featured a raffle that was decided at the end of the show. The raffle featured a rare Collector’s Edition box for The Last of Us Part 2, featuring an art book, the digital soundtrack of the game, a large figure of Ellie playing her guitar, and so much more. Alone, the box is worth hundreds, but a signature from Neil Druckmann himself made it priceless. The winner of this prize, a YouTuber who goes by GuardianWolfJilly2, was overjoyed to have won such a prize, even going as far as to post it to their Twitter and review their experience over a video on their channel.

Moving away from the Awards, the Circle is aiming to do much more with scholarships and opportunities for underserved students this year, including something new called the Minecraft Writing Challenge. Much like the soon-to-be returning Battle of the Boroughs, in which the NYC Department of Education challenged groups of students from different schools within NYC to craft and create solutions to problems we face in our everyday lives in the Xbox game, the NYVGCC seeks to do the same but with written word. Students from 9th-12th grade will have to submit a 600–750-word game narrative for the chance to win a $300 cash prize courtesy of the NYVGCC. Any one student from any school-based sponsor can submit, but they cannot work in teams and only four winners will be chosen, but any of those four will have the opportunity to become paid interns with the Circle like many others has done in the part! Here’s the form to submit!

Captivated by the surprising story, Serenity Cruz brings her experience of El Paso, Elsewhere, where tears are swapped for bullets. El Paso, Elsewhere is a rare case of a game that doesn’t stop itself from having a deep narrative and action-packed gameplay. Each fight feels important and equally emotional to not just for main character James Savage but also to Serenity. In her article she relates, “The way this intricate story is tied with satisfying gameplay – along with the pain that comes with attacking a being you loved – makes for an amazing game. The shooter with heart (and some anger), is nicely divided into chapters with cutscenes, levels, or a mix of both. The careful way it’s written and acted bring characters to life and believability. That’s extremely important when considering James Savage, who is a determined and dedicated person, despite some flaws. Having such deep emotions portrayed by using a strong voice rather than simply having the player read the text offers a layer of understanding and empathy – and it successfully connects the player to Savage throughout the game.” Mentioning character connection as the most important part of gameplay. El Paso, Elsewhere makes an effort to bring a melancholy to its mania, showing the player that not only can there be action in a game, but there can also be drama as well. 

Stephen Totilo understands that the recent announcements of Starfield coming to PlayStation may be a little jarring, but also theorizes this won’t be the last time Microsoft games end up on Sony Consoles. Addressing the topic of the possible diminishing value of Xbox Consoles thanks to this news, Stephen writes, “A $3 trillion company that just spent $69 billion to acquire a massive game publisher is unlikely to exit gaming any time soon. But Xbox is known for bold strategy shifts, some wiser than others. The future value of owning an Xbox could hinge on how many of Microsoft’s games come to rival consoles and how soon they do after releasing on Xbox and PC. Notably, none of the reporting or rumors has Microsoft releasing marquee games day and date on PlayStation, as it currently does with Xbox games launching simultaneously on PC.” Hearing that proposed console exclusives aren’t always going to be exclusive isn’t assuring news, but there’s bound to be a benefit to Microsoft ensuring that their games reach as many people as possible, even outside of console restrictions. 

In the ever competitive realm of ranked multiplayer, Alyssa Mercante believes that few games do it as good as Apex Legends does. Celebrating its 5th anniversary, Apex Legends plans to do a lot to rework its Ranked multiplayer systems, something that Alyssa relates isn’t done for other competitive multiplayer games. “As a consistently frustrated Overwatch 2 competitive player, I was pleasantly surprised to see the ranked changes in Apex Legends Breakout, the 20th season of Respawn’s battle royale. The upcoming season is focused on giving players a better understanding of why they’re at a specific rank and what they can do to improve. It’s part of Respawn’s larger shift towards more transparency, a welcome adjustment considering so much of what goes on under the hood of multiplayer games is subject to obfuscation.”

Showing genuine care for the quality of their online experience, Respawn seems to be keeping pace with other developers by ensuring they deliver the most reliable experiences to their concurrent players. “That’s why Respawn’s upcoming Apex Legends Ranked changes are such a breath of fresh air—it really feels like the team wants players to know the ins and outs of the ranking system so that they can leverage that knowledge into better performances and, ultimately, higher ranks.” 

In preparation for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth coming out later this month, Giovanni Colantonio seeks to give Final Fantasy 7 Remake it’s deserved respect for being proof that a great remake is entirely possible. Retelling the context of FF7 Remake’s release, Giovanni writes, “Fans of the original Final Fantasy VII, both a genre-and childhood-defining RPG, were already skeptical about the project due to the fact that it would only adapt a very short slice of the 1997 release. Those frustrations would get compounded by some much more serious ones: Remake would launch weeks into the social isolation era of COVID-19. Despite getting a warm critical reception, the unusual remake would quickly become a polarizing game among fans.” Not having the full support of the fans of the original FF7 might have impeded a bit of the game’s initial launch, but that doesn’t mean that the remake didn’t try its best to appeal to those who would hear it out. “Though I’ve always felt like Final Fantasy VII Remake got a bad rap at launch, the split reaction to it only reinforces its point. There was immense pressure for Square Enix to deliver on fan expectations. Straying from the original’s path would be a risky move that would undoubtedly ruffle some Chocobo feathers. But you don’t often make great art without bold decisions.” 

Beyond The Circle 

If you’re looking for an insightful exhibit on how games can connect, engage, and excite youth into pursuing future careers in the gaming industry, look no further than “Video Games: The Great Connector”. Coming from a partnership of CCNY and the Harlem Gallery of Science, this pop-up exhibition features three segments where visitors can interact with games and see how they can be utilized for different personal subjects. From practicing emotional regulation to increasing awareness of the world around you, “Video Games: The Great Connector” is a 1 hour and 20-minute experience of everything positive that games could bring to anyone looking to better themselves through entertainment. Definitely check it out, it’s entirely free and open to the public! 

Ronald Gordon is a New York Videogame Critics Circle Member & Mentor. He was the first of our writers – or any intern anywhere – to complete an internship at Rockstar Games.

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