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Reading List End-Of-Year Special 2019
🕑 Added 2019-12-21 15:00:02 +0000 UTCHello!
So, like last year, I wanted to turn the final Reading List of the year into a big recap of 2019's games. So I've gathered together the best writing and videos on the game’s stand out releases.
There's stuff on the music of Sayonara Wild Hearts, the design of Star Wars Jedi, the art of Gato Roboto, the politics of Call of Duty, and much more.
Some of these pieces were on previous reading lists, so apologies if you've already seen some of this stuff before. I just wanted to try and make it super complete!
Without further ado, let's get into it.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
[Watch | CC | 15 mins] Sekiro, Difficulty & the Importance of Perspective
[Watch | CC | 11 mins] Examining the Themes and Story of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
[Read] Sekiro and Difficulty: Why Cheese is Far Worse than an Easy Mode
[Read] Sekiro Is Way Better When You Stop Playing It Like A Souls Game
[Read] The Master Swordsman
Resident Evil 2
[Watch | CC | 4 mins] Resident Evil 2 is not the remake you think it is
[Watch | CC | 10 mins] An Examination of Resident Evil 2's Mr. X
[Read] How Capcom updated Resident Evil 2 for 2019
[Read] Why Resident Evil 2's City of the Dead scares us
Pathologic 2
[Watch | CC | 1 hour] Pathologic 2 is an Underrated Masterpiece
[Read] A Russian Crucible: Pathologic 2 and the Problem of Video Game Difficulty
[Read] Is Pathologic 2 Too Hard For Its Own Good?
[Read] Pathologic 2 Is Getting Difficulty Sliders, and That's a Good Thing
Disco Elysium
[Read] How Disco Elysium's opening sets the stage for existential revolt
[Read] The World is a Tough Place, but We All Live in It
[Read] Disco Elysium and Finding the Beauty in a Cynical World
Slay the Spire
[Watch | CC | 11 mins] How Slay the Spire’s Original Interface Almost Killed the Game
[Read] In Slay the Spire, Knowledge Is Your Weapon and Your Downfall
[GMTK | CC | 10 mins] Why Synergies are the Secret to Slay the Spire's Fun
Devil May Cry 5
[Watch | 1 hour] Devil May Cry 5 Review | TGBS
[Watch | 11 mins] Devil May Cry 5's Director On Making An Unforgettable Action Game
[Read] The Importance of Phones in Devil May Cry 5
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
[Watch | 20 mins] Learning to Love Fire Emblem: Three Houses
[Read] Fire Emblem Three Houses non-Byleth relationships feel more significant
Indivisible
[Watch | CC | 14 mins] The Animation of Indivisible
Gato Roboto
[Watch | CC | 6 mins] Gato Roboto's Animation
Apex Legends
[Read] Apex Legends is a game-changing multiplayer experience for women
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
[Watch | 13 mins] How Link's Awakening Rearranges a Soundtrack
[Watch | 23 mins] Link's Awakening Remake Critique
[Watch | CC | 35 mins] Link's Awakening - An Allegory for Dreaming
[Watch | CC | 10 mins] The Only Zelda Game Without A Hero
Outer Wilds
[Watch | CC | 38 mins] Outer Wilds Critique | The Opposite of No Man's Sky and My Game of the Year
[Watch | 30 mins combined] How the Heck Do We Talk About Outer Wilds? / Part 2: Being There
[Watch | CC | 18 mins] Outer Wilds: Death, Inevitability, and Ray Bradbury
[Read] In the Reflection of a Dying Star: Wonder and Terror in Outer Wilds
[GMTK | CC | 14 mins] Clockwork Games and Time Loops
Kingdom Hearts III
[Read] Kingdom Hearts fails most of its women
Metro Exodus
[GMTK | CC | 14 mins] Why Metro Exodus is 2019's Most Immersive Open World Game
Far Cry New Dawn
[Watch | 21 mins] Fixing Far Cry - A Critique of New Dawn
[Read] How to Play Far Cry New Dawn in 'Dad Mode'
[Read] Far Cry’s villains aren’t working anymore, and New Dawn’s twins are the final straw
Sayonara Wild Hearts
[Watch | CC | 12 mins] Turning Pop Music into a Video Game
Gears 5
[Watch | 6 mins] Gears 5 lacks weight and intensity
[Read] Gears 5 Is Playing Catch-Up With Ideas That Are Already Outdated
[Read] No Blood for Imulsion: Gears of War and the Military-Industrial Complex
Control
[Watch | CC | 7 mins] Real-time Destruction in Control
[Watch | 17 mins] Control: The Weird and the Eerie
[Watch | CC | 21 mins] Control, Anatomy, and the Legacy of the Haunted House
[Read] Object of Power
[Read] Remedy’s Control Is Actually a Cold War Thriller
Baba Is You
[Watch | CC | 9 mins] Good Game Design - Baba Is You
[Read] Designing Baba is You's delightfully innovative rule-writing system
[GMTK | CC | 16 mins] How Baba Is You Works
Ape Out
[Read] How Ape Out Creates a Soundscape Worthy of Smashing
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
[Read] Koji Igarashi can’t stay away from demons and vampire
[Watch | 50 mins] Bloodstained: Mediocrity of the Night - A Bloodstained Critique
The Division 2
[Read] The Division 2 and the Severing of Politics from Video Games
Death Stranding
[Watch | 35 mins] The World of Death Stranding
[Watch | CC | 5 mins] How Sneaky Hideo Kojima Fans Saved Death Stranding
[Read] Death Stranding Finds Hope in Despair
[Watch | CC | 32 mins] Keep Running Up That Hill: An Analysis of DEATH STRANDING (Spoilers)
[Watch | 24 mins] On Death Stranding, Bike Touring, and Cultivating Personality
RAGE 2
[Watch | 22 mins] Rage 2 and Game Feel
Yoshi’s Crafted World
[Watch | 10 mins] How Yoshi's Crafted World Crafts Level Music
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
[Read] Sitting In On A Design Meeting For Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
[Read] How did Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order get so unusual?
[Read] Why Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Doesn't Have Fast Travel
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
[Watch | 9 mins] Why the Guns In Modern Warfare Sound So Incredible
[Read] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Is a Brutal and Disconcerting Portrayal of Combat
[Read] Call of Duty and separating art from politics
[Watch | CC | 25 mins] Does Call of Duty Believe in Anything?
Untitled Goose Game
[Watch | CC | 8 mins] How Four Friends Made Untitled Goose Game by Accident
[Watch | CC | 11 mins] Untitled Goose Game and Player-Driven Comedy
Phew! That's 70 videos and articles, which should keep you busy over Christmas! Normal service shall resume come January. See you then!
Mark
Comments
Game Maker's Toolkit
Sadly haven’t tracked that this year, but I’ll try to do it next!
Germanos
Are the returning links/materials somehow tagged?
Game Maker's Toolkit
Cheers, I'll add it!
Game Maker's Toolkit
That's a good idea! I'll update it now.
Swolomo
There’s no shame in posting your own videos on the list for the games you covered. You could do a [GMTK] tag before it.
Luis Guillermo Jimenez Gomez
Great list, thanks for this Mark. If I may add one, George Weidman just published his Death Stranding video this week. It's a very George video. https://youtu.be/k86mmvZR-sI
Mark M
You really kill it with these reading lists, I remember the one from last year too. Can't wait to get stuck into this!
Dan Root
Good one Mark! Crumbs, I can't believe some of these came out this year. Completely forgot Yoshi's Wooly World was this year!
