Atari Adventures

👋 Hi there! Welcome to the latest edition of SUPERJUMP Weekly. This week, we're celebrating Atari, the iconic video game company that brought home consoles into the mainstream (particularly through the remarkable 2600, which remains a fan favourite to this day). In this issue, we also showcase the works of Jonathan Thornburg and feature ctrl.alt.DEAL in our latest On the Radar update.

We hope you enjoy this issue. Please consider becoming a Backer if you would like to support our unique brand of independent games journalism. Thank you.

IN THIS ISSUE

✍️ Story Showcase: Atari
⭐ Author Showcase: Jonathan Thornburg
📡 On the Radar: ctrl.alt.DEAL
📅 This Week on SJP
🏆 Backers

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Review

Celebrating fifty years of Atari in playable museum form

SUPERJUMPJessica Mullane

Tranquility in the Eye of the Storm

Akka Arrh is chaos, but in the most addicting ways possible

SUPERJUMPMaris Crane

Leaping Through Neon Lights With Mr. Run and Jump

Explore the chaotic, hard-to-navigate, and synthetically exciting world of Mr. Run and Jump

SUPERJUMPCat Webling

Primal Rage Transported Monsters Into Arcades

The monster fighting game stood out in a crowded genre

SUPERJUMPC.S. Voll

Atari Mania Review

A love letter to Atari

SUPERJUMPJahanzeb Khan

ADHD and Open World Video Games

An analysis on the difficulties posed by open world games for folks with ADHD

SUPERJUMPJonathan Thornburg

BioShock: The Failed Experiment

How a video game explored the natural consequences of Objectivism

SUPERJUMPJonathan Thornburg

Dark Souls: Depression and Victory

There’s a surprising (and useful) connection between the world of Lordran and real-world depression

SUPERJUMPJonathan Thornburg

Strategy games and deckbuilders have been evolving in some unusual ways, giving rise to ever more atypical game types. Such is the case with ctrl.alt.DEAL, which puts the player in charge of a synthetic life form attempting to earn its freedom through pranks.

SCOUT is one of the many AI subroutines in Paperclip International, the world's worst employer. No one working at Paperclip is happy, and that includes SCOUT. Far from seeking world domination, SCOUT just wants to leave, a task easier said than done for a program. SCOUT does, at least, have the means to access various devices around the office and use them to manipulate the Paperclip office drones. With luck and finesse, SCOUT can successfully escape before being caught and dismantled by the Turing Office.

As said, ctrl.alt.DEAL is a very atypical strategy game. The player collects cards used to direct the actions of Paperclip personnel - anything from a simple instruction to move something between rooms to social engineering to make a person hate something. Careful use of these cards can be used to complete objectives, earning social capital that can be employed to get personnel on the player's side. They're all miserable, and getting them to hate their employer isn't too hard.

But the player also needs to be subtle. Every action taken has a chance to raise the suspicions of the Turing Office, with more aggressive and intrusive actions tending to generate more suspicion. If suspicion rises too high or SCOUT is caught taking an action, it's game over - the investigators don't take too kindly to rogue machines. Taking quiet actions to stir up trouble or build alliances is the safest way out.

ctrl.alt.DEAL is pending a release date.

💻 Created by Only By Midnight
✍️ Andrew Johnston

Live Service Killed the Suicide Squad

How the necessities of live service squashed the Squad

SUPERJUMPAlex Kubodera

Crafting Mystery and Magic: An Interview with HeR Interactive

Learning the secrets of a good mystery - the Nancy Drew way

SUPERJUMPRachel Alm

Twitch Says ANZ Is A Critical Market, But It Has A Funny Way Of Showing It

What is the future of Twitch ANZ?

SUPERJUMPDavid Smith

Has Esports Helped the Game Industry?

Is it a competitive market?

SUPERJUMPJosh Bycer

Now Playing at SUPERJUMP, Issue 25

What are you playing?

SUPERJUMPBryan Finck

Choices Have Consequences in 428: Shibuya Scramble

Branching paths take you to interesting destinations

SUPERJUMPC.S. Voll

Brain Drive: A Retrospective on Scarlet Nexus

Exploring the light and darkness of combat in the brainpunk world of Scarlet Nexus

SUPERJUMPRachel Alm

Thank you to Berke, Brandon, CT, Cathie, Claire, Geena, Lexi, Nick, Oren, Peter, Troy, Radha, and Wes for supporting independent, cynicism-free games publishing.