There was a boss that made him quit Metroid Prime 4, but he rallied later simply so the official record would not record him having been defeated by it. He ultimately found success, but it eroded what was left of his affection for the game. There's a lot of post-mortem content out there about the game's difficult birth, but the early part I played was cool and good! Maybe I just stop there.
There was a period of time where demos were considered to be a net negative for sales, and lots of smart people said so, and sometimes they would gesture at a chart while they made these claims so I'm completely sold. Now it's pretty clear that they've come back for a variety of reasons I think about when I'm in the bathroom. They constitute guerilla tactics in an era where distribution is a fait accompli - in essence, a fait that has already been accomplished - and that has necessarily destroyed discoverability. The two things exist at distinct poles, and you can try to ameliorate them in various ways; sometimes Steam does know what I want. A playable demo sidesteps all that. A demo, for the unaware, is kinda like Early Access but it's small and free. Playable demos are something your friends put you on to, mixtape culture; the call comes from inside the house. Indeed, you're receiving a call now.
- Somebody on Bluesky asked me if I'd checked out Void War, but I'd never heard of it, making Void War-checking nearly impossible. It's some real perverted FTL type shit with a heavy coat of Citadel paint. Only barely anonymized 40k grimdark themes abound and the demo is a blast. Feels like a "total conversion" mod in some ways, but I don't mean that as a pejorative. Gonna keep an eye on this team for their Second Game.
- I think everybody has a game they reserve a chamber of their heart for, something you feel like only you really understand and in an era of Service Gaming it's the proverbial home you can't return to. Atlas Reactor is absolutely that for me. Turn-based PvP was always a fraught realm to even attempt, but they actually made it work by situating the gameplay around trying to read and outplay other characters. I ended up befriending the designer a while back in an attempt to offer him rich commiseration opportunities, and he eventually told me about his new thing which was not Atlas Reactor but was a neon-drenched action/rhythm hybrid called Dead As Disco. It's fucking great! You can even play to custom tracks in the demo, which I would describe as weirdly generous. I'm so glad it's good! He has a super tender heart. I didn't want to have a conversation with him that was even remotely close to, "Remember how your last game failed? Well, buckle up."
- Moraq says that Dragon Quest VII Reimagined has an awesome demo too, and I'm willing to believe him because I don't have an appetite for this flavor at the moment. I caught a trailer and I'm a complete sucked for the tilt-shift diorama vibe. If you are thinking "Dragon who?" or Quest What?!" this is the one with the slimes. Like, the little slime guys.
(CW)TB out.
