Checkpoint 9: Checkpointy No. 9
We're a bit late but let us make it up to you with an extended list of super cool games for you to play right now!
Howdy! How is everyone doing? Hangin' in there? We both hope you're all okay out there. Now just make yourself comfortable, put on a pot of coffee and take a break, you've earned it! For this month's mailer Sam has put together an incredible list of games that are easy to get into. Do you like thinky puzzlies or twitchy jumpies (or anything in between), there is something for everyone. Plus we've rounded up a bunch of cool reads and vids for you to check. (This month's email title is a bad pun on the 2016 action-platformer game Mighty No. 9 by Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune, look I had to come up with something 'cause Sam wanted to go with "Checkpoint over NINE thoooouuusssaaaand games" — J) That's about it for the intro, let's get to the good stuff!
Essays But It's Video
No better time to sit down and watch some interesting video deep dives, give that brain muscle a little workout maybe. If the YouTube algorithm has failed to serve you the good stuff, we've picked out a fine selection for you right here.
First, let's check back in with one of last month's Checkpoint guests, Sam Machell, who has just launched a six-part series exploring virtual landscapes for Client Culture. The first episode on Minecraft is incredible and you should watch it right now.
HeavyEyed is back with episode 2 on the language of video games, this time looking into how we talk about games and how conversations on video games have changed over the years.
The good folks at RE:BIND also shared their favorite picks of video essays. Plus they had a chat with Jacob Geller, creator of excellent videos himself. And go check out Jacob's Big List of (Other People's) Great Essays for countless hours of viewing material.
Conversations But It's Writing
Some nice chats between cool folks about playing games and making games.
Wonderful person and amazing DJ/producer Octo Octa talked to Jezebel about finding escape in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Cartoonist Simon Hanselmann has also been playing everyone's favorite island getaway game and had a chat about it over at Deep Hell.
Uppercut interviewed the British duo behind SFB Games about the long road from Newgrounds to the Nintendo eShop.
Spencer Yan is currently working on the visually stunning "pilgrimage simulator" My Work Is Not Yet Done (really you should peep the trailer) and spoke to Rock Paper Shotgun about finding the divine in video games.
Games But It's Isolation
Like pretty much anything in our lives, the current situation is also having an effect on games and gives a bit of a different context to playing them. So let's unpack the experience of playing games during these uncertain times.
Join Cian Maher on a virtual hike across the landscapes of Death Stranding and Breath of the Wild.
Social distancing is making gamers out of all of us, Madeleine Holden checks in with the accidental female gamers of the coronavirus lockdown.
Playing The Division 2 is making James Whitbrook a bit nervous.
Taylor Hidalgo oddly finds comfort in video game apocalypse.
Cameron Kunzelman on why games have always obsessed over pandemic authoritarianism.
Sam's List of Nice Accessible Games To Play For Everyone
So! Spare-time doesnt always equal motivation huh! I’d planned to have a real good scour of Itch and all the cool stuff people on my Twitter feed are posting about but I ended up just playing a lot of Hitman 2*. So! I figured, why not make the most out of the lack of work I’ve put into this months mailer and just write a nice list of games for people who might be finding themselves more bored than usual! Some nice non-committal, easy to get a hold of pieces of escapism.
* Recently it just felt really nice to spend a couple hours planning the best way to throw a rich dickhead off a balcony. Can’t think why.
A Short Hike
You’re a cute bird climbing a mountain helping other animal folks out on the way up. Great to look at and listen to, with absolutely the sweetest story. Good for anyone with currently dealing with Animal Crossing envy!
Getting Over It
Not exactly stress free this one, kinda designed to be exactly the opposite, but is definitely smart and long and hard to beat. You’re a naked guy in a cauldron trying to scale a big pile of junk with a sledgehammer. Like banging your head against a piece of art you really like.
Universal Paperclips
You push a button and make paperclips. Then you buy a machine that pushes the button for you. Then you upgrade that machine, etc. If you like seeing numbers go up this is for you! You don’t even need to look at your phone half the time(though you should, speshly towards the... end) it’s wicked.
Alto’s Adventure and/or Alto’s Oddysey
Back when everyones was all “oooo monument valley oooooo its so pretty wow so groundbreaking” all the COOL people were playing Alto, cos you actual do stuff in this one. A wicked side-scrolling snow/sand boarding game, with challenges and upgrades, and llamas if you’re young enough to still find them, and the word, funny.
Human Fall Flat
Goofy physics-y co-op puzzle platformer that’s super great to play with a couple friends. Not so great to play with single-joycons though unfortunately...
Stardew Valley
The farm game. If you like the idea of having a little farm on your phone and little folks you can chat to and marry alongside it, this is probably the best farm game. Almost pretty to look at, a few too many pixels for me. And that fucking bed in the intro sequence...
Dissembler
Really nice minimal puzzle game, kiiiinda similar to, but better than, that New York Times pattern one they did but locked behind a paywall after a few gos cos mainstream news media is a soulless propaganda-fueld money machine.
Undertale
In 100 years this game is gonna be right next to Mario 1 filed under “Classic Games (From Before Our Ancestors Uploaded Themselves Into The VR Crystal Orbiting The Sun)”. A game where you can make friends with monsters instead of killing them, with some of the best characters and music and story in any media in a long time.
Snakebird
A cute and fiendish puzzle game. Level 8’s a fucker.
Pikiniku
Goofy nonsense platformer about how rich people suck. Some really sweet moments and even sweeter headgear. Fantaaaaaastic soundtrack by Calum Bowen.
Hole Down
Shoot a ball into a hole and watch it bounce around and break blocks and make it so you can shoot more balls to get more games and pay for more balls to shoot.
Donut County
At first your just moving a hole around enjoying swallowing stuff up and then suddenly you’re really into this great story about friendship and a raccoon. Really cool and cute and smart.
Hitman GO
I think this is now free? Or at least is for a bit? A neat turn based puzzler based on the Hitman franchise, really good this. Plus it looks SO nice, all like a cool tilt shift boardgame. Stylish!
rymdkapsel
The coolest looking space station building game out there easy, really smart and slow. Expand and defend your super cool looking base. Makes you feel clever!
What The Golf
An infinitely imaginative golf game, super un-serious and self aware and wicked fun.
Baba Is You
The puzzle game where you solve the puzzle by changing the rules. Such a cool premise and such a great game, gets proper hard but never frustrating. Feels like doing a suduko but it’s actually enjoyable and you dont need to buy a newspaper.
Pilgrims
My girlfriend really really enjoyed this one. One of the first Apple Arcade games, you help out olde fashioned folks by choosing the right item or person (represented by lovely looking cards in game), to solve their predicament. Super funny and is beautiful to look at. Reminded her of Janet Ahlberg’s fantastic illustrations, which is a real punch in the nostalgia-gut.
ABZÛ
Like Journey but underwater, and also better than Journey. Very medative and cool looking, super peaceful. Lots of nice fish to look at!
The Witness
A cool puzzle game but I think the guy who made this is a bit of a pretentious twat so please feel free to skip it.
Good Job!
A really nice (fantastic co-op) physic-sy puzzle-ly work simulator game out on Switch a couple weeks ago. You gotta try and complete tasks like water flowers or stack crates in particular places while I don’t help at all and fuck about with the fire-extinguisher-on-a-wheely-chair physics. Great fun, for me.
That about wraps it up for this one. Thanks for reading another silly email from us two doofuses! We'll be back next time with the regular format. Or not. Who the heck knows! But there will definitely be more cool games thats for sure. Until then, stay safe and check in on your friends. If you have any remarks about this email (or just wanna chat about anything) you can send a message to Sam or Joes, or just give us a shout on Twitter or something. See ya <3