GoldenEye features heavily in a busy week

#21: Auto-aim off. No Oddjob.

July 01, 2022

Well, it's been a bit of a busy week in video game land. Not especially in terms of game releases (although there were a couple of good ones worth looking at - see New Releases later in the email!), but plenty of interesting things have happened over the last 7 days that you may have missed.

First off, a proper trailer for the new Monkey Island was released courtesy of Tuesday's Nintendo Direct. There's a bold new art style, sword and nautical combat, and plenty of that trademark Monkey Island humour. Creator Ron Gilbert has also stated his desire to avoid the series' tendency for overly obscure puzzles, which is nice. He's also said that the game will include its own built-in hints system, because if it doesn't then players "are just going to jump over to the web and read a walkthrough." Fair point.

There were plenty of other announcements during the Direct too, including an October release date for Sparks of Hope - the sequel to Ubisoft's brilliant and criminally under-talked-about Mario+Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.

You can see a full rundown of the Direct here.

This week also saw the release of the long-awaited GoldenEye documentary GoldenEra, which is available to rent and buy at Amazon and via iTunes and Google Play. It's good. And well worth a watch for all the Goldeneye fans reading. There's also a 'Making of GoldenEye 007' book from the brilliant Boss Fight Books currently crowdfunding. You can find more info in the Crowdfunding section later in this newsletter.

GoldenEra by Altitude Films

Speaking of GoldenEye, this August will see the UK's Centre for Computing History host the GoldenEye World Championships. Those who once proclaimed themselves and their friends to be The Best GoldenEye Players in the World can find out more about the tournament and buy tickets here. If you're that friend who always played as Oddjob, you're not invited.

Hopefully sometime soon this newsletter will feature the news that the GoldenEye remake which doesn't officially exist yet but which Rare employees keep unlocking achievements in has been released.

Finally, this week also marked the launch of the latest issue of the [lock-on] gaming journal from Lost in Cult. Many reading this will know that Lost in Cult is an official friend of The Week in Games (not sponsored, to be clear), and that I've been a big fan of theirs for a long time now. This latest issue is a little bit more special to me personally however, because... well, I'm in it.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Journey Art Director and Giant Squid co-founder Matt Nava a couple of months back and wrote an article about Journey itself and the state of art design in gaming generally. I'm a huge fan of Matt's work, so this was a big deal.

There are so many incredible writers, artists and designers involved in this project, so I'm humbled that some of my words will be featured alongside them. A huge thank you to any Lost in Cult folk reading this for the opportunity.

[lock-on] Volume 004 is funding as we speak. If you'd like to learn more you can check it out here.

[lock-on] Volume 004 soft and hardcover editions

A quick hello to the new subscribers who have joined this week, and thanks to those who have supported The Week in Games with a membership, by sharing it online, or simply by opening and reading it each week. This newsletter is completely reliant on shares and word of mouth, so your help and support is crucial, and hugely appreciated.

Take it easy everybody, and have a great weekend.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the newsletter!

NEWS

  • Former Sega Of America President and SCEA founder, Bernie Stolar has died at age 75.

NEW RELEASES:

This week saw Portal 1 and 2 dropped onto the Switch eShop during the Nintendo Direct presentation in the guise of the Portal: Companion Collection. They may be old games, but both are masterpieces, and stone-cold must-plays for anyone yet to sample them.

(PS4, PS5, PC) – June 28

(PS4, PS5, PC) – June 28

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – June 28

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – June 28

(PS4, PS5, Switch, PC) – June 28

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – June 28

(Switch) – June 28

(Stadia) – June 28

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – June 30

(Switch, PC) – June 30

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Stadia, PC) – June 30

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – July 1

UPCOMING RELEASES:

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – July 7

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC) – July 8

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – July 8

(PS4, PS5, Xbox, Switch, PC) – July 8

GAME OF THE WEEK

A randomly selected game each week! Any and all games are eligible for selection regardless of age, platform, popularity, or otherwise.

This week, the honour goes to…

Fast RMX (2017)

In the absence of any new F-Zero games from Nintendo, Shin'en Multimedia handily stepped in to fill the void with FAST Racing League on the Wii, FAST Racing NEO on Wii U, and most recently the excellent FAST RMX on the Switch.

Not quite as impressive as the landmark games that inspired them, but still worthwhile sci-fi racers in their own right.

GAMING ANNIVERSARIES

Another round of gaming anniversaries to make you feel old… Sorry!

Click through the links to see what people had to say about them.

Spec Ops: The Line turned 10!

Thomas Was Alone released 10 years ago!

Jet Set Radio is 22 years old!

Banjo-Kazooie first released 24 years ago!

Atari celebrated its 50th anniversary!

RECOMMENDED READS

Keith Stuart - The Guardian

As the revolutionary company celebrates a half-century, The Guardian looks back at everything video games owe to Atari.

Matt Gardner - Forbes

Ten years on, ‘Spec Ops: The Line’ remains one of the darkest and most pioneering games of recent memory, if not all time.

Matt Gardner - Forbes

Some of the biggest names in gaming have gathered to tell the story of a man who shaped the careers of some of the industry's most influential figures.

CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGNS

Perfect Organism: An Alien: Isolation Companion

By Andy Kelly / Unbound

Calling all Alien superfans! This is the ultimate unofficial guide to Alien: Isolation, considered to be part of the Alien franchise canon

50 Years of Text Games

By Aaron A Reed - Campaign ends July 7th

50 Years of Text Games: From Oregon Trail to A.I. Dungeon! A definitive book about the first half-century of interactive fiction.

The Making of GoldenEye 007

By Gabe Durham - Campaign ends July 8th

Based on exclusive interviews w/ the game's creators, Alyse Knorr's book covers the development & release of Rare's 1997 surprise hit.

The Gaming Chronicles - Episode 1 - The Amiga 500

By Gracious Films - Campaign ends July 10th

Ep1 - 35 Years of The Amiga 500 Computer and the continuing story of Commodore.

UNITHOR - A Brand New Joystick For Retro Computers

By UNI-Joy - Campaign ends July 21st

A new classic-styled game controller for Amiga, Commodore, Atari, PC with USB and an array of game consoles and emulators.

[lock-on] Volume 004

By Lost in Cult - Campaign ends August 1st

A premium gaming journal delivering thought-provoking stories, insightful features and carefully curated art from industry talent.

Please support The Week in Games!

If you enjoy The Week in Games, please consider showing your support with a tip or a sub from only £1 a month. You'll help keep it sustainable in the long-term, get a Twitter shout-out, and your name and social link of choice in each issue.

A huge thank you to Jake @BitBloggist and John @johnXprinter. Your support means the world, and helps keep The Week in Games sustainable.

Friends of The Week in Games!

From custom framed art and premium journals to gaming sites and beyond, our friends share similar values, a passion for quality and a willingness to support others. Please click the images below and show them some love!

...and that's it for this week!

I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Week in Games! I’d be delighted if you would consider forwarding this email to anybody you think may like it, by sharing this link on social media, or simply telling people about it!

I'm always looking at ways to improve this newsletter, so if you have any comments, suggestions or enquiries, please reply to this email directly, write to [email protected], or catch me on Twitter!

Thanks again, see you next week!