By Ronald Gordon

Hello and welcome back to the Roundup, where we pool together the articles of interns and members alike to give them a shoutout! With the many showcases and events coming and going, I was fortunate enough to get to see G4C in person before the end of June and start this heated month of July off with a great interview! Moving onto what’s written, this time around we’ve got stories from Harold about Crab God & G4C, Endless Luminous Ocean’s truly endless content, how it feels to experience Grief in Closer the Distance, Xbox Game Pass’ new price hikes, DrDisrespect being removed from Rogue Company, and so much more!   

The Games for Change Festival is a great way to connect with others in the industry, or broach topics of discussion that are less explored by the public eye. Showing up for the 21st Annual festival, Harold Goldberg took the time to talk about Ryan O’ Callaghan’s amazing talk at the Critics Circle panel at G4C 2024. Getting to watch a room full of people be captivated by Ryan’s background in teaching and the journey of Albert Dankwa III, who grew up in the South Bronx and worked until he was an important part of Microsoft, was a moment that stuck with me. Especially afterwards when Ryan was practically swarmed with people wanting to exchange business cards and info. It goes to show that the Critics Circle isn’t the only group trying to spread the message of education through gaming in the industry, and there’s plenty of companies looking to connect and get the word out. 

Endless Ocean: Luminous has quite a lot of content, which is what initially drew Khloe Wilkerson so deep into the game. Yet as she sunk deeper and deeper into the many environments it had to offer, a question rose in her mind: How much time lost is worth it? “As you dive into the mesmerizing depths of Endless Ocean: Luminous, you’ll be captivated by the breathtaking beauty surrounding you. It’s a world teeming with life, from the vibrant shallows filled with colorful marine creatures to the haunting deep-sea trenches illuminated by the enchanting glow of bioluminescent organisms.” Starting her review with a brief explanation of the beauty of Endless Ocean Luminous, Khloe soon brings forth the harsh reality that sometimes an endless ocean is a boring one. “Endless Ocean Luminous showcases exceptional graphics and a host of great features. However, on the flip side, I became bored with the game. I spent a lot of time swimming aimlessly, hoping to stumble upon something specific. But I never did. Don’t get me wrong–the game is fantastic for its ambiance and educational value, but that’s about all it offers. It would have been more enjoyable to have additional activities beyond just swimming with a simple dolphin kick and scanning ocean creatures. I was wishing for more structured objectives or challenges, such as being rewarded for scanning a certain number of creatures, to maintain engagement over extended play sessions. This is the kind of game you might enjoy casually while hanging out with friends, providing a relaxed and laid-back experience. But it feels somewhat like ‘busy work.’”

Next we have Karoline Castillo-Troncoso’s glimpse into grief thanks to Closer the Distance and the way it expertly deals with death. “Experiencing life’s tragic events first-hand ultimately leaves a lasting impact on individuals, allowing one to recognize the fragile and transitory nature of human existence and emphasizing the significance of nurturing meaningful relationships and connections while discerningly severing ties with relationships that hinder our personal growth and development.” Her opening paragraph mentions Closer the Distance’s main takeaway, the fact that we all experience grief a different way and this can either make or break important relationships, and how powerful this can be as a game mechanic. “This game offers a simulated glimpse into grief, a realistic perspective on its effects, and the different approaches many individuals take when coping. The game reveals characters with diverse personalities. Among them, common themes of guilt, frustration, sorrow, exhaustion, and feeling the need to isolate are displayed in response to Angela’s death – each depicted with distinct nuance. However, I found it beautiful to witness how different characters chose to commemorate Angela – whether it be her friend Zek’s carving a sculpture in her honor, or the simple memento of her sister Concordia, who wears her jacket.”

Founder Harold Goldberg writes in The New York Times about some graphically beautiful games, from Crab God to Riven and Rabbids: Legends of the Multiverse, which helped keep him from the grips of this gross humidity in New York City. “In a world of coral reefs, industrious sea creatures and dangerous predators, you are in debt to the eponymous Crab God. The offering begins as a Tamagotchi-style endeavor in which you must oversee round-eyed crablings with anthropomorphized names like Clawdette. They coo like babies as you hatch them, and then are given jobs to create a diverse aquatic biome.” Crab God is all about taking care of the denizens of the ocean, which requires focus, tactics, and science in order to hatch the next Crab God. “Because of the tactics and science involved, this 30-hour computer game is alluring in every way possible. I was drawn in by the balance needed to secure a thriving, stable ecosystem and details like the delightful sideways moves of a crabling holding a mallet.”

Stephen Totilo from Game File talks with a former Fallout artist on the gaming industry, and how it’s hard to make a skeleton cute. Jonah Lobe is many things, concept/character artist for Skyrim and Fallout, a 3D character artist, a designer, and someone with a mission to make a lovable skeleton for his graphic novel project. “Over a decade ago, Lobe found success inside the game industry by illustrating horrifying monstrosities for Bethesda’s Fallout series. In recent years, he has been crafting something more cuddly: a tiny, defiant skeletal character called Quiet, who will star in Quiet: Level One, Lobe’s upcoming gaming-inspired graphic novel.” I’ve always wondered what artists and designers for big games do outside of the massive projects they take part in. Someone’s small idea in a Triple A game may spiral out into an ambitious independent project outside of that, and Quiet: Level One seems like one of those with tons of potential. Stephen once again delivers an informative interview with Lobe, going from Quiet to his opinions on the industry to even his work on the Deathclaw design for Fallout 4. I’d definitely recommend giving it a read if you’re looking for insightful tidbits such as, ““The games industry is a really rocky and scary place to be right now,” he said, noting the abundance of layoffs and studio closures. “Simply working on a game and being at a studio is not granting you any kind of assurance.””

“Xbox Game Pass is changing.” Giovanni Colantonio brings us an informative look at Game Pass and its upcoming changes, which may make or break some people’s commitment to the service. “For starters, Xbox Game Pass for Console is going away for new subscribers. That will more or less be replaced by Xbox Game Pass Standard, a new tier that is missing one key perk: It will not feature ‘Day One’ games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Each remaining tier is getting a price hike. Xbox Game Pass PC will go from $10 to $12 per month, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will jump from $17 to $20 per month. Those are the tiers players will need to subscribe to in order to get ‘Day One’ games.” From price hikes to changes in what the different tiers of service have access to, Xbox Game Pass is becoming even bigger as a live service. Although this change may be at the detriment of those who want to enjoy their games, as the price increases to Standard and Ultimate edition may just cause some to abandon the service as a whole. I for one am not the biggest fan of the price hikes, but I will still maintain my Ultimate subscription solely for the sheer amount of games I have access to. Luckily, for those who don’t want to spend as much, Game Pass has the Core and Standard editions which are just as good as Ultimate without access to Day One games or etc.

Finally, we want to wish Circle member Scott Stein, the awesome writer from CNET, a speedy, post-surgery recovery. You rock, Scott! Get well soon!

Beyond the Circle

DrDisrespect, a famous Twitch streamer who has come under fire recently, is having his likeness ripped from various games, the most recent of which being Rogue Company. Rogue Company hasn’t always been the most popular Free to Play Third Person Shooter, as Wesley Yin-Poole, writer for IGN, mentions “In recent years interest in Rogue Company has dropped off significantly. After a Steam peak concurrent player count of 12,189 set three years ago, Rogue Company now averages just a few hundred players on Steam’s platform, with 236 concurrent players at the time of this article’s publication. Indeed, Rogue Company hasn’t seen a major update since 2023, indicating a deprioritization from Hi-Rez Studios amid the upcoming launch of Smite 2.” Deprioritization from the developers is usually a death sentence for most games, it’s what eventually leads to servers shutting down and games dying out before they’re truly recognized as fun. It’s no wonder that fans of Rogue Company took to review bombing the game after this decision, as it could easily be interpreted that the developers don’t fully recognize the costs that many fans may have paid. “It’s fair to say that the decision to offer Rogue Buck refunds as opposed to real-money refunds for the Dr Disrespect content has sparked a backlash from paying customers who would rather their money back than a virtual currency they deem to be practically useless. Some have taken to Rogue Company’s Steam user reviews, which are down to ‘mixed’ for recent reviews, to complain about the situation.”

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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