Studio 1 - Week 10 - Related Works HH

Red Dead Redemption 2

When I was younger I was very interested in big open-world Rockstar games, really just for the sake of it. But I’m older now and my interests have changed and I have to say that I did not really feel excited about RDR2, a Western-themed action game set in 1899. The game puts you in control of an outlaw cowboy, who, with his gang, must survive the wilderness of a rapidly changing southern USA. Like in other open-world games, as soon as I was able to, I ran off in a random direction, keen to explore all of the world before doing any of the missions. I jumped on a train that took me quite far, and then stole a horse which rode me around the remaining parts. Curiously, this experience left me feeling fairly empty. Most of this year I’ve been playing Persona 5 which is full of wholesome characters, and unpredictable and strange moments; it’s a wild ride that leaves me feeling that I’m in expert hands. In RDR2 all I’m doing is running around shooting people and horses and crocodiles, tying people up and running away from enemies. Yes, I know I am in control, and I could be doing the missions, but really I am just feeling this is a very male, very American, macho display of power, rather than a nuanced, intricate game that is the result of intelligent planning. Sorry if that’s a bit pretentious.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

I’ve played Zelda games since I was about six though in the 11-year gap between Twilight Princess (2006) and Breath of the Wild (2017) I kind of forgot about the series (sorry, Skyward Sword). During these years, you could probably argue that AA games changed a lot, and there was a growing tendency towards games having massive maps and giving a feeling of having a diverse world with unlimited places to explore. The makers of BOTW decided that having a vast open sandbox was necessary for the series to survive, and the resulting game is fantastically fun to play, but recently a few hardcore fans of the series have told me that they think this is their least favourite Zelda. The series is well known for its mythical storyline, spooky and puzzling dungeons, and usually fairly clear goals. In BOTW the player doesn’t really have to follow any strict path, in fact, you can just run straight to the final battle almost as soon as you start. This means that while I do love playing this game, I’m not playing it in the same way I’ve enjoyed other titles in the series. Instead of immersing myself in the quest, I’m enjoying climbing mountains, jumping off them (with my glider) and running off in a random direction to see what I will encounter; in other words, immersing myself in the gameplay mechanics (which are great). So, is this Zelda? I’m surprised that more hardcore fans are not debating this.

Festival Tycoon

Keen to find some music festival-themed video games, Google told me all about Festival Tycoon, an upcoming Steam game where you manage a festival. From the jump you make decisions about where you want your festival to be, what sort of musicians you want, before figuring out ticket prices, sponsors, advertisements, shops, insurance and broadcasting. It’s essentially about budgeting the money you have to put together an event that will hopefully make a profit. Then, once the festival starts you watch over proceedings from above, and need to restock stalls, clean the toilets and generally make sure everything runs smoothly. I haven’t thought about games like this for ages, and it’s really helped me conceptualise the folk festival that will be happening in my upcoming folio project, and all the elements I will need to consider.