QUEENSHEVA

5 Black Friday Deals Every Gamer Should Know About

This week, many families are gearing up for Thanksgiving. But savvy gamers who are short on cash have our own holiday to look forward to: Black Friday is less than a week away. If you struggle to fund your gaming addiction - or if you’re just a gamer who loves a good deal - don’t miss out on these five Black Friday deals.

Blizzcon 2017 Roundup: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Once a year, Blizzcon arrives to flood the game-o-sphere with brand new, never-before-seen Blizzard content. And this year was no exception. In fact, there was such a flood of content that you might be feeling overwhelmed. But never fear. VGFAQ is here to break down the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Blizzcon 2017.

Dear 2K Games: Protest is the Point

Video games publisher 2K Games has had a fairly embarrassing week. Following the release of NBA 2K18 - a full-priced $60 AAA game so full of microtransactions that it might as well be called “Farmville: NBA Edition” - the publisher fielded its fair share of public outcry and poor review scores. Quoth Kotaku:

The latest game in the NBA 2K series is frustrating to play if you don’t want to spend any additional money on top of the $60 you have to shell out to get the game. Technically, you don’t ever need to buy anything in NBA 2K18. It’s just much, much easier if you do.

To many, it seems only right that such a money-grubbing move has earned the publisher a spanking. But on Thursday, September 22, somebody at 2K must’ve been watching “The Princess and the Frog”, because they jumped into that hole and dug a little deeper.

When The Sixth Axis published their NBA 2K18 review, they didn’t hold back: the slapped the stumbling, microtransaction-logged mess with a well-deserved 3/10. In a sane world, this would’ve been the end of the story. But 2K - perhaps emboldened by the increasingly fascist political climate in which we’ve found ourselves since last November - decided to contact the Editor in Chief of the small publication to challenge the review score. Why? They claimed the score was made as a “protest.”

On the one hand, they’re not wrong. According to the editor, the original conclusion read:

If you’re a series fan you may enjoy what you see, and the score below doesn’t indicate the quality of the core basketball game, but rather protests how utterly invasive the microtransactions have now become.

The editor has since removed the line, and says that it was published in error. “To categorise our review and its score as a protest vote against 2K was wrong on a number of levels,” they wrote, “and it was something I believed I had removed when editing.”

But...was it wrong?

Hear me out: 2K’s whole beef with this score was that it was made “in protest.” But why should that be a problem? The entire point of the reviews process is to grade the quality of a product. If a product is so bad that it makes you want to scream profanities and tear out all your hair - if it makes you want to picket 2K headquarters with signs in hand - your review score should reflect that. 

Protest is the point. It’s not a mistake. When a AAA publisher makes an error like this, you’re supposed to call them out on it. That is the nature of public discourse. 

Nowadays, reviewers hesitate to give any game a score lower than a 7/10 unless it causes snakes to manifest in their house physically. Distributing poor reviews, even to worthy offenders, can lead to community backlash on a large scale. It can get you blacklisted by review sites and publishers alike. That’s a huge problem. It indicates a system so broken that it’s no wonder neo-Nazis got away with basing an entire anti-women doxxing campaign on “ethics in games journalism.”

A 3/10 was the rating NBA 2K18 soundly deserved. It’s virtually unplayable without buying into the in-game economy. Even longtime fans have found the gameplay boring, the narrative lackluster, and the graphics barely passable for the current era. 2K prioritized making more money over cultivating a quality game experience. That choice is worthy of protest. And calling it “protest” shouldn’t demean it - it isn’t pointless, or pithy. It isn’t fueled by a vendetta. It is a measured outcry against a bad product.

The Overwatch World Cup 2017 Qualifiers: So Far

The 2017 Overwatch World Cup has begun with qualifying rounds in four different countries. Since Overwatch released just over a year ago, players have anticipated seeing its most skilled players go head-to-head. Now, in preparation for BlizzCon, teams of talented players are meeting up to prove their might.

We Still Know (Almost) Nothing About the Ataribox

One month of hype and one “dev reveal” later, we still know almost nothing about the new Ataribox.

During E3, Atari teased a new mysterious something in one of the vaguest teaser trailers ever. Since then, Atari announced its intentions to create a new console -- the Ataribox -- to join the newest generation of home gaming consoles. Fans were floored.

Once a titan of the industry, Atari has struggled to regain its former glory since the video game crash of 1983 (also known in Japan as the Atari shock). The company -- once the chief rival of Nintendo -- has languished in relative obscurity since the early 1990’s, and has remained the “Atari” of days past only in name. The company’s brand and assets have been passed off several times, first to Hasbro, then to French software publisher Infogames.

In 2013, the company officially filed for bankruptcy, and even longtime loyalists agreed it was time for the company to hang it up. “[After] nearly 41 long and arduous years,” Gamespot’s John Davison wrote, “nostalgia is just about all the company is good for anymore.”

But then, the Ataribox was announced, and the internet went wild. One journalist called it “one of the biggest and best surprises of E3 2017.” And on July 17, Atari released the first images of the Ataribox. It looked good -- sleek, modern, but with enough Atari flare to play into any 80’s kid’s nostalgia complex.

The problem? The images appear computer-generated -- and no other details about the system were released. We still have no idea how much it will cost, what games it will be able to play, what the controller will look like… We don’t even have a working prototype to look at.

The Team Who Cried “NERF!”: Will Overwatch’s Doomfist Be DOA?

Overwatch’s newest hero – the aptly-named Doomfist – has received an update that has some players crying “nerf.”

After several months of anticipation following the release of Orisa and the environment update to Numbani in March, Doomfist was finally announced July 6th. The internet went wild for him. His anime-inspired backstory animatic got people hyped, and it’s not hard to see why. Up against a team of Overwatch’s best, Akande Ogundimu (aka Doomfist), not only holds his own but kicks ass – shortly before literally punching his way out prison.

And that isn’t all show. Doomfist is a high mobility hero who can deal serious damage to anyone in range, with an ult that can smash through an enemy team in seconds.During his initial release on PTR, he seemed custom designed for this season’s competitive meta. Characterized by high-mobility, high aggression tactics, “dive” team compositions have dominated have dominated the competitive scene this season. With his quick movement, formidable strength, and close-combat abilities, Doomfist seemed like a perfect addition to the register. But Doomfist is still in beta, and his novelty means that even pros are still learning how to play and counter him.

One Step for Womanhood, One Giant Leap for White Womankind: Discussions of Intersectionality & the New Doctor Who

Note: before reading my article, please read the article that inspired it, written by @stitchomancy.

Actress Jodie Whitaker has been cast to play the thirteenth iteration of the iconic Doctor Who. In the show’s fifty-plus year run, Whitaker is the first woman to ever be cast as the Doctor. The reaction from fans has been ecstatic. Members of the show’s cast have taken to social media to show their support for Whitaker, and to defend the decision to an expected backlash from male fans of the show.

Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor, has by far been the most vehement. “Change my dears and not a moment too soon,” he wrote. “[She] IS the Doctor whether you like it or not!”

The casting choice is inarguably an historic one -- but fans of color have understandably expressed some disappointment that the first woman Doctor won’t represent more women.

After decades upon decades of exclusion from most media, the last few years have been a golden age of women protagonists -- from Star War’s Rey and Jyn Erso, to The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen, Mad Max’s Furiosa, and now the riotously successful Wonder Woman, among others. But all these female protagonists have one major thing in common: with very rare exception, they’re all pale-skinned.

Google Play Indie Games Festival Returns to SF this September

After a strong first showcase last year, Google Play’s Indie Games Festival is returning to San Francisco this September with the promise of new talent and exciting new prospects. Last year, the festival brought together indie developers from all over both the US and Canada, and highlighted some of the most noteworthy games being created by independent developers.

This year promises to be even better. Googly Play is once again on the search for innovative, creative passion projects and fun new games to include in their upcoming festival, scheduled for this September. Competitors will be invited to demo their game in front of a packed venue of games journalists, industry buffs, and fellow indies.

And if that opportunity weren’t tempting enough, the festival offers developers a shot at a prize far more valuable than money: free marketing. When I asked indie developers at last year’s showcase about their greatest obstacles, many agreed that marketing was a huge challenge. With no dedicated team or funds to advertise their products, many indies create incredible games only to struggle to ever get noticed.

So, it’s no accident that Google Play is offering its Top 10 finalists a major marketing bump: inclusion in a dedicated Indie Corner collection for one month; promotion of your game on other Google Play channels; and promotion of your game on Android and Google Play developer channels. And those who make it all the way to the Top 3 get extra goodies, like two all-access passes to GDC 2018, and $20,000 worth of Google Cloud credit.

Top 10 Games E3 Got Us Hyped For

E3 is my favorite holiday. I look forward to it every year, and this year – like most years – it didn’t disappoint. Sure, the presentations were cringey and lackluster. (They always are. Public speaking and pasty nerds don’t mix.) But the games were sparkling when the repartee wasn’t. We’re excited for many of the games we saw at E3 this year, but here are our top ten.

4 Wonder Woman Games That Should Definitely Exist By Now

Wonder Woman has grossed over $100.3 million, domestically, in her opening weekend. In two days, the film has blasted through projections and busted records. It currently sits at a stellar 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s hard to see any way naysayers could’ve been proven wrong in a more spectacular fashion. Clearly, women-driven, women-directed superhero movies do sell. What’s more, the movie’s overwhelming popularity has ushered in a huge surge of interest in the character – “Diana Prince” is one of the top trending Google searches at the moment.

So, I’m forced to ask: where the hell is our Wonder Woman video game?

It took 75 years to make a Wonder Woman movie. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that apart from Injustice – where she’s less Wonder Woman, and more “a shrieking harpy with a singular focus on gettin’ that Superdick” – Diana has been largely absent from the myriad of DC games produced since the height of the DC animated universe in the 1990’s.

But it’s time that changed. There’s not a person alive who walked out of the theater not wanting to live through the No Man’s Land scene, and we all should get that chance. So, without further ado, here’s four Wonder Woman games that should definitely exist by now.

Warning: the following contains some spoilers for the movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, I encourage you to stop reading, get up, and go see it immediately.

Don't Shoot: An Examination of "Hello Skirmishes" in Overwatch

Every Overwatch player has been there. You’ve been queued for almost five minutes when finally a game loads up -- you’re excited for exactly 2.3 seconds before that word pops up: skirmish. 

Skirmish? Seriously?! Lame.

You pick a character -- probably Widowmaker, who you never play outside of skirmishes, but hey, maybe someday… (Maybe never.) You putz around the map, checking things out.

And then you hear it: the telltale sound of rollerblades. 

Maybe you try to get away, maybe you try to line up a shot. But the sound is getting closer. You’re cornered, no backup. The enemy Lucio whizzes into view, and you’re hiding behind a sniper rifle you haven’t the slightest idea how to use.

And then, the unexpected happens.

He waves.

“Hello!” “Hi!” “Give yourself to the rhythm!” 

And you wave back. 

“Hello.” “Bonjour.”

In fact, you stand around waving for a full thirty seconds. You use your emotes to pose at each other. You use your voice lines to create a conversation that makes no sense. You hop around. You spam crouch and walk around with your guns pointing at the sky. As other players show up, they join in. A Genji bows to you. A McCree runs up just to say “Howdy!” Then ambles off with the enemy Sombra. If anyone has the nerve to start shooting to kill, everyone gangs up on them, including you -- even if they’re on your team. 

Once the real match queues up, all this goodwill will be sacrificed in the name of competition. But for now, you’re happily ensconced in what I call a “hello skirmish,” one of my favorite features of the Overwatch community to date. 

6 Games to Help You Survive the Wait for Star Trek: Discovery

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably losing your mind over the new Star Trek: Discovery trailer, released last Wednesday. It’s been almost sixteen years since Trekkies have had a new show to look forward to - alright, twelve if we count Enterprise, but come on, no one counts Enterprise - and the few months between now and Fall 2017 may feel like lightyears to those who are as excited as I am. The good news? With years in the geek zeitgeist, there are plenty of great Star Trek games - and Star Trek inspired games - to help you pass the time, and to help bring that “final frontier” a little closer to home.

The Beginner’s Guide to Overwatch: Who to Play

So, you finally gave in and scooped up Overwatch. It’s about time. What were you waiting for? (Payday, probably.)

Well, bygones -- you’ve been caught up in the whirlwind of hype (from art, to memes, to a crazy amount of porn), and it’s time to join your friends on the objective. Except… you’re kind of stalled. When the hero selection screen comes up, you’re stumped on who to pick. The tutorial level only showed you one measly hero; what’re you supposed to do with the rest of this motley crew?

Maybe you’ve played through a few matches, picked a few heroes at random. Tracer’s on all the box art -- she can’t be that hard to pick up, right? Except… she is. You’re getting owned on the daily by your opponents, and if you have to hear about how the cavalry’s here one more time, you’re going to chuck your controller out the window.

Well, have no fear, dear reader. I can assure you that this roster has multiple heroes you’ll soon come to love playing. Let’s start out with the character I started playing first:

5 Reasons You Probably Won’t Finish the Game You’re Playing Right Now

As I stated in my article back in April, I’m a pretty big fan of Stardew Valley. I’ve sunk about 65 hours into it, only eight of which I refuse to count, because I literally fell asleep playing it. When I first started playing Stardew, I couldn’t go a day without it. I was obsessed. But since the beginning of June, I haven’t touched it — I started playing other games instead, and Stardew became yet another addition to my gaming backlog.

Like most gamers, I have what I would consider a “healthy” backlog — 30 to 40 games that I own but haven’t yet finished, because… insert applicable reason here. I swear that I’ll get around to them eventually, but I almost never do. In fact, I almost never finish the games I start, even the ones I really like. But I’m willing to bet that you don’t either. Why? Because 91% of gamers don’t finish games. Why’s that? So glad you asked.

Interview: Bao Phi on Asian Representation in Games

I contacted Bao Phi while I was researching for my recent article, #WhiteWashedOUT: The Dearth of Asian Protagonists in Video Games. As a performance poet and a long-time gamer, Bao’s written many times about the shocking lack of Asian protagonists in games, and as we spoke, it became readily apparent that he has many more valuable things to say about the issue than I do. So, with his blessing, here’s a transcript of our correspondence.

Sheva: As I've researched this topic, your name pops up over and over; you've written about this on a lot of different sites many different times. I suppose my first question would be: why do you think more people don't write about it?

Bao: By and large, the burden of bringing up, and writing about, race seems to be placed on people of color.  Race is still a very touchy subject in all media and all spheres of life.  And concerning Asian and Asian American representation, I think there's also this assumption that, since there are Asians working in game development, it's a non-issue.  That assumption is wrong in several ways: 1) Asians working in game development in Asia don't necessarily have the same experience and lens regarding representation as we do in the U.S. 2) Just because you have Asian bodies does not mean you have an Asian politic 3) If it's a non-issue because Asians work in the industry, why don't we see more Asian playable characters?  Some of the most well known Japanese franchises - Metal Gear Solid, Mario, Zelda, Resident Evil, many of the games in the Final Fantasy series, etc - feature white characters or characters with Anglo features.

Also, there has long been a conflation in the West where Asian = Asian American, which is problematic.  Just because Asians may have success in various Asian countries does not mean that Asian Americans benefit.  And due to racism, we often bear the brunt of racist backlash when we have nothing to do with that success.  Vincent Chin, a Chinese American who was brutally murdered by two white out-of-work autoworkers because they were angry with Japan for 'ruining' the American auto industry is probably the most well known example of this.

#WhiteWashedOUT: The Dearth of Asian Protagonists in Video Games

This May, Margaret Cho, Ellen Oh, and The Nerds of Color’s Keith Chow teamed up to let Hollywood know that they were tired of seeing roles of Asian characters filled by white actors. They were joined by thousands of fans, writers, producers, and actors of Asian descent, who got the hashtag #WhiteWashedOUT trending on Twitter as they aired the film industry’s filthy, racist laundry for all the world to hear. Throughout the month, the hashtag has brought attention to the shocking lack of representation faced by Asian Americans in every part of the film and television industries, and spawned several news articles, Twitter trends (including #StarringConstanceWu and #StarringJohnCho), and even a rap song about the lack of Asian visibility in media.

Although the majority of the conversation has been about the plight of Asian Americans in film and television, it raised a poignant question: where are the Asian protagonists in video games?