https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7KOA_k79yo

Colin Moriarty, IGN:

Graphically, the new treatment is most impressive with Journey, but maybe that’s because I only played through a brief portion of Swan’s black-and-white intro sequence. Journey was a looker on PS3; it’s somehow even more beautiful on PlayStation 4. The lighting effects, the sand, and the way your character’s robes move and sway make for an aesthetically impressive experience. Journey truly is an incredible, emotional game, and it seems that it’s set to remain so on next-gen hardware. I’m not so sure I actually want to play it again on PS4, but that’s because I promised myself I’d only play it once through on PS3. The game resonated with me so much that I’m afraid seeing it all again would ruin that experience.

John Siracusa must be excited.

Megan Farokhmanesh of Polygon, in conversation with Nate Fox of Sucker Punch, on the inclusion of Fetch as a playable character in Infamous: First Light:

Until now, Infamous has never given a female character a leading role. This was largely because of the assumption that “we thought that the demographic of game players were dudes and they identified with dudes,” Fox said. He pointed to BioWare’s Mass Effect series; in 2011, the developer said only 18 percent of players chose to play as a woman. That number was reiterated during a PAX East panel last year.

I love the admittance of assumption. Happy to see this message being spread throughout AAA Dev teams.

Ed Catmull, excerpt from Creativity, Inc.:

For all the care you put into artistry, visual polish frequently doesn’t matter if you are getting the story right.

I have always said I’d lose it the day we lost Robin Williams. The man’s work always seemed to help me make sense of this world.

As Genie, he taught me that anything was possible. As Peter Banning, he taught me to never grow up. As John Keating, he taught me how to look from a different perspective. As Sean Maguire, he taught me the importance of companionship.

Growing up a child of divorce, I never saw my father as often as I’d liked. My father is a child at heart and I can never get enough of his company. When he wasn’t around, I was able to find his humor and guidance in the performances of Robin Williams. I will never be certain of how I made a connection between my father and Robin, but losing Robin feels a lot like losing family. 

RIP, Robin Williams. My thoughts go out to the Williams family.

I had the fortunate opportunity of seeing Ed Catmull, president of Pixar Animation Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, DisneyToon Studios, in a moderated conversation today.

During the Q&A, an audience member asked Catmull if there exists a current icon who fills the roll of Walt Disney, a man known as a figure who focused on the impact of technology on human experience and story and delivered his message to the public via TV broadcast. While my head went straight to Neil deGrasse Tyson as a viable figure, Cutmull’s answer was quite interesting.

A bit of Catmull’s reply, paraphrased by yours truly:

You can’t make another Walt or another Steve or another John. I think this is a problem the games industry faces. They make great experiences but have a hard time telling great stories. I think we have yet to see who will make that happen.

He deliberately went out of his way to focus on the games industry. He had also made reference to the games industry earlier in the discussion; however, the context is now escaping me.