Good day everyone. It's fall time and around here it's like someone just turned off the heat. I'll take it though because that's also time for wood splitting and stacking and various other winter preparation projects. Speaking of which, that stuff has kept me so busy that I have basically paid zero attention to gaming news. I haven't even turned on my PC in the last three days. So let's take a look at what info I did run across.
Hideki Kamiya, the creator of the very horny, Bayonetta, is leaving Platinum Games. According to his own words though he'll still be busy and continue creating "...in my Hideki Kamiya way...". The full read is available at Polygon.
The WGA Strike is ended with a presumably good deal for everyone involved. Writers will get higher pay, contract expansions and better residuals among other positives, but importantly there will be protections against AI. The concern has been that AI could step in to "write" scripts and screen plays etc and then an actual writer could be brought in at a steeply discounted rate to edit whatever the AI did to make it viable. This creates issues with stability and livelihood of those who already find it incredibly difficult to make a living as writers and editors etc. For instance, folks who were involved with Orange is the new Black, a very popular show a few years on Netflix, were receiving residual checks for as low as $20. Reasons for that have a lot to do with classification of media. Streaming services are still considered "new media" even though they've been around for quite some time now and the rules are different than established sources like movies and TV. Hopefully now that the strike deal is met those rules can change and people who are trying to make a living and survive will be better equipped to do so. USA Today has more details here.
It's worth mentioning the strike isn't over for actors. And before you say something like -They make millions, what do they have to complain about? Just remember that most actors don't make millions. In fact many don't work most of the time or get called to work and based on rules of contracts have to accept low paying jobs to scrape by. Not to mention those who employ actors and writers I.E. studios, make billions. Of course there's much more to it than that, but here's hoping that one deal being made can help the others along.
What are we playing?
Greywolfe: finished the neverhood! it's a very beautiful looking and sounding game and it's a very fun game to watch, but it's got the most awful puzzle dynamic: either puzzles are over in two minutes flat, or they would take that long, except that the designer made TOO MUCH of that puzzle. eg: there's a memory game puzzle that RESETS YOUR PROGRESS as you go. and that has 48 [!] cells. it does not appreciate the player's time at all. playing the last of a series of versions of king's quest 4 this weekend, which i should speed through. [that's called "retold" and it is very worth your time.] - after that, i dunno. going to maybe start rolling games off the year of the animal spreadsheet again. [that's a project where - this year - i just play games with animal universes and protagonists. it's been interesting. lots of new-to-me experiences in a sort of very niche theme.]
AJ: Marvel Midnight Suns and Zool Redimensioned.
Scrooloose: I'm busy AF. Today is rainy though so maybe I'll find something to play, I just don't really know what yet. AC 6 is a good bet.