So, Facebook jumps into the mobile game space, and is doing it in a manner that seems to be pretty supportive, considering. It’s taken that’s an attack on Zynga.
Zynga also lost three executives. So not a good day for them.
– Steven
Video, Film, and Television
Gaming’s Tower of Babel
A few weeks ago I discovered Rogue Legacy, a brilliant indie game that instantly became a time sink for me over vacation. I even reviewed it at NerdCaliber. No, I haven’t finished it – yet – but it is a fascinating study in getting a game “right” in a way where people “get” it. Also I want to finish it but I started a new job . . . and Cubeworld.
Rogue Legacy is a fusion of several elements:
- Roguelike randomness (deriving from the early random-dungeon game Rogue).
- Sidescrolling castle exploration of the “Metroidvania” type (reminiscent of some Metroid games and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night)
- Brutal difficulty common to both of those games and popularized in the hardcore games Demons’ Souls and Dark Souls.
- An aesthetic reminiscent of other hardcore games, Ghosts and Goblins and Ghouls and Ghosts.
Basically you go into a randomly generated castle, explore, die, and then a randomly generated set of ancestors are available for you to take on the journey again to get far enough to win – usually after a lot of descendants.
Now if you’re a gamer like me, you’re already responding to rods like “Roguelike” and “Metroidvania” and “Hardcore.” My choice of words – and Rogue Legacy’s ancestry – speak to powerful and popular concepts in gaming. In short, Rogue Legacy’s designers speak the language of people like me, and a language with years of history. They know what some of us want and how to do it and communicate it.
Netflix Is Going to Do Documentaries, Comedy Specials
Sounds like they have plans and are building on their success – and others.
I’m not really into “Arrested Development” (funny, but just didn’t get into it) or “House of Cards” (also a lot of talent, but not my thing) but they sound pretty good. So Netflix branching out is a good idea for them.
However, I’d note one thing – they’re really moving into being a kind of, well, channel. Part HBO, part Amazon. That’s going to get very interesting, and I wonder who will see them as competition – and as an ally.
I also wonder if Netflix is going to try and cultivate indie talent. That could work out well – especially as we watch what appear to be the first phases of the predicted Hollywood meltdown.
– Steven