Hello viewers,
I wanted to get into an appropriate groove with this feature, so we’re doing this thing just a couple weeks after the last entry. From here on out, you can expect to see a post at roughly the start of each month.
Before we dive into the offerings, a gentle housekeeping note (and also since it’s the beginning of the month): everything we do here at Critical Distance is made possible by reader (and viewer) support. From our weekly and monthly roundups to our Critical Compilations and ongoing archival efforts, from the podcast Keywords in Play to our periodic activity jams, we’re still here and still kicking because of y’all. Thank you for donating to our Patreon page, sharing the roundups and participating in our growing Discord and social media communities!
Speaking of our activity jams, we have a new one going on as we speak! It has been dubbed the 2024 Critical Distance Fansite Jam! Check out the post for information on how to join the jam, and get your HTML coding fingers warmed up!
This Month in Videogame Vlogging highlights the most compelling critical videos about videogames from the preceding month.
Welcome to the Sicko Zone
From sports games that act more like universe builders to DOOM WADs that make your eyes bleed, these critics have blessed us with a celebration of interesting stuff on the margins.
- Why College Football Video Games hit Different (What Madden can’t do) | Kofie (16:38)
Kofie Yeboah breaks down what college football video games did differently from pro sports titles like Madden and NBA 2K and speculates about what might still be possible. - you can zone out to this video, I won’t mind | Jenna Stoeber (13:41)
Idle games are often derided by mainstream gamers, but as Jenna Stoeber discusses, these games might be just what you need to take a load or two off. - The RETURN of LICENSED GAMES | ThorHighHeels (44:57)
Thor (mostly) celebrates the return of one of the weirdest subgenres of games. - I CANT GIVE YOU ANY THING | juliette necro (20:57)
Three decades after DOOM‘s initial release, mapmaking in the game’s original level editor tools has mostly been solved. So then: where can we find real beauty? As juliette demonstrates, it starts by breaking those well-established rules. - I Want to Tell You About My Favorite Fight Scene | Jacob Geller (31:41)
This is not a video about a particular game, but rather, a form of choreography. Jacob Geller brings together The Matrix, Sifu, John Wick, Ip Man and The Raid to tell a story about, uh, well. It’s in the title.
History Lessons
It’s easy to get caught up in the contemporary games discourse, and in the process forget that the games we love today have roots dating back years, if not decades. These videos are helpful reminders of that.
- Project Firestart (1989) | Origins of Survival Horror | RagnarRox (40:16)
Ragnar Ulricson painstakingly breaks down this cult classic Commodore 64 game and points to all the elements that would find their footing in modern survival horror and cinematic horror platformers. - The Lost F-Zero Games Are Restored & Playable | DidYouKnowGaming (12:22)
The crew at DidYouKnowGaming cover the history behind and discovery of the recently-uncovered Satellaview F-Zero tracks and music. - Returning to Monkey Island | Noclip (1:35:33)
Danny O’Dwyer talks to the original creators of the Monkey Island series to learn how the latest game, Return to Monkey Island, came together and how they reckoned with the series’ past in the process. - Let’s Play Boku No Natsuyasumi 2 – Episode 01 | Dia Lacina (1:19:28, ongoing)
The Boku no Natsuyasumi series, developed by Kaz Ayabe and Millennium Kitchen, has never seen a western release. In this let’s play series, Dia and Em from Abnormal Mapping begin their run through the second game in the series, which was only just translated by fans into English last November.
Hoisting the Black Flag
This pair of essays sit in conversation with each other amid a broader discourse about piracy’s place in videogames, as well as how related subjects like copyright infringement and plagiarism intersect.
- The Case Against Palworld | Jack Saint (32:42)
Jack Saint dives into the typhoon of discussion surrounding controversial survival sim Palworld, and emerges with a nuanced take that neither absolves Pocket Pair of its alleged plagiarism, nor celebrates Nintendo’s notorious litigiousness. - Video Game Piracy Is Good, Actually | Lextorias (33:34)
Lextorias examines the history of game pirating and digital rights management, the decades-long debate over copyright in general, and several arguments for and against piracy.
Grab Bag
These two videos were just really great and didn’t fit into other broader discussions this month.
- My Experience Acting and Writing for God of War: Ragnarok | ProZD (16:53)
Voice actor SungWon Cho talks about his stint writing and doing the motion-capture for Ratatoskr in Sony Santa Monica’s God of War: Ragnarök. - Incorporating Accessibility into PVP Multiplayer Games | Access-Ability (14:36)
Journalist Laura Kate Dale ponders the challenges and opportunities that creating multiplayer experiences that are accessible to people with disabilities might bring to the game-development table.
Critical Chaser
- Pollyanna (I believe in Mother 3) | jan Misali (1:05)
I believe a dream can still come true.