Players react to new games
Ali Fernand – Functions Editor
It’s an exciting time for players at the university. Major gaming companies Rockstar Games, Nintendo and PlayStation have all had news to share with fans.
Rockstar- Students have been waiting for news about popular titles. However, there have been unexpected events. Just last week it was revealed that the popular game Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) was hacked.
“From what I understand, there was a kid in the UK who recently got flashbacks that are in GTA V and clips of GTA VI,” said biotechnology major Miles Bagoly, senior.
This was announced by the developer of GTA, Rockstar Games. They stated on Twitter that an illegal third party accessed and downloaded confidential information. This included the source code for GTA V and footage from the sixth game they are currently developing. Fans of the game are afraid that this leak will push the game back even further.
“I could see GTA VI being delayed for another year, because they have to change a lot of the work they’ve already put into it,” Bagoly said.
This controversy has raised conversation about what game development looks like. Bagoly said that just because early game footage doesn’t look good, it doesn’t represent what the game will look like when it’s finished. Game developers were able to declare solidarity and ease the concerns of fans.
“A lot of developers are taking a stand with Rockstar and releasing their early game footage,” Bagoly said.
News of the GTA hacker was released in the same week that companies teased new games. Nintendo and PlayStation – both big names in game-hosted showcases that reveal new titles.
Nintendo- “I’m looking forward to the Square Enix games; I love them all,” said computer science major Anthony Jenkins, a sophomore. “I’m really excited for Bayonetta 3.”
The Nintendo Direct lasted about 45 minutes. More than 15 matches were teased that the students could predict.
Square Enix and Bayonetta are highly anticipated by Nintendo fans. Some mainstream Nintendo titles showcased in this stream were The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, Kirby and Splatoon.
“They have a lot of very strong titles, but they’re not really trying to innovate for those titles,” said Jason Summerfield, Senior Vice President, Business Information Systems.
Many of the titles Nintendo is working on have been around for decades. For young adults, these were games that existed in childhood. Nostalgia is attached to these long-running series. However, students feel a lack of enthusiasm when it comes to their new developments.
“As far as Mario Kart and Smash Bros, it’s been pretty bad,” said senior education major Nick Vitale.
Nintendo has announced the third wave of Mario Kart 8 downloadable content set for December 2022. The last update for Super Smash Bros Ultimate was released in October 2021. Nintendo isn’t the only one with disappointed fans. PlayStation has started to worry fans because they have been releasing games that were exclusive to them on PC.
PlayStation- “I’m not sure it’s a strong business decision to put some of their exclusives on PC,” said Summerfield. “I think PlayStation is at its best when it holds onto the exclusives very tightly.”
Despite their business decisions, PlayStation games still have games that students look forward to.
Jenkins is excited about some PlayStation games: Forsaken, Skull and Bones, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Overwatch.
At the PlayStation State of Play, SONY announced that they were working on a remake of Resident Evil IV. This is a popular horror series that was originally released in 2002.
“Resident Evil is one of my favorite series,” said Summerfield. “It feels quite dated, so when they announced a remake, I was really hyped.”
However, students remain optimistic about the current state of the game. This year has included the releases of the games Elden Ring, Cult of the Lamb and Stray.
“For games, this year is very good,” Jenkins said.
