Ali Fernand – Features Editor
It’s an exciting time for gamers at the university. Huge gaming companies Rockstar Games, Nintendo and PlayStation have all had news to share with fans.
Rockstar- Students have been anticipating news on 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 gained backfiles that are in GTA V and clips of GTA VI,” said Biotechnology Major Miles Bagoly, a 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 of GTA V and footage from the sixth game that 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 will have to change a lot of the work they already put into it,” Bagoly said.
This controversy has raised conversation around what game development looks like. Bagoly said that just because early game footage does not look great, it does not represent how the game will look when it is 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.
The news about the GTA hacker was released in the same week that companies were teasing new games. Nintendo and PlayStation – both big names in gaming- hosted showcases revealing new titles.
Nintendo- “I’m looking forward to the Square Enix games; I love all of them,” said Computer Science Major Anthony Jenkins, a sophomore. “I’m really excited for Bayonetta 3.”
Nintendo Direct lasted about 45 minutes. There were over 15 games teased that students could anticipate.
Square Enix and Bayonetta are highly anticipated by Nintendo fans. Some mainstream Nintendo titles showed off in this stream were The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, Kirby and Splatoon.
“They have a lot of really strong titles, but they don’t really try to innovate for those titles,” said Business Information Systems Major Jason Summerfield, a senior.
Many of the titles that Nintendo works on have existed for decades. For young adults, these were games that existed during their childhood. Nostalgia is tied to these long running series. However, students feel a lack of enthusiasm when it comes to their new developments.
“In terms of Mario Kart and Smash Bros, it has been pretty bad,” said Secondary Education Major Nick Vitale, a senior.
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 is not the only one with disappointed fans. PlayStation has begun to concern fans because they have released games that were exclusive to them on PC.
PlayStation- “I’m not sure that it’s a strong business decision to put some of their exclusives on PC,” Summerfield said. “I think PlayStation is at its best when it is holding onto those exclusives really tight.”
Despite their business decisions, PlayStation games still have games that students are looking forward to.
Jenkins is excited for a few 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 franchises,” said Summerfield. “It feels pretty outdated, so when they announced a remake, I was really hyped.”
However, students remain optimistic about the current state of gaming. This year has included releases of the games Elden Ring, Cult of the Lamb and Stray.
“For games, this year is really good,” Jenkins said.
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