Devolver Digital's 2017 "press conference" was a thing of genius. A savage send-up of the entire E3 hype-fest, and a brutal critique of the worst of the videogame industry's anti-consumer practices, it also managed to announce a couple of the company's games along the way, and had me literally laughing out loud for most of its run time. As I sat down to watch their 2018 "presser," I wondered how they could possibly top that.
How else? They made a sequel. Literally.
Upping the ante on everything, including the profanity and gore, Devolver continued their savage satire of the entire E3 experience, with "Nina Struthers" returning to show all the world just how soul-less and mercenary the videogame industry could be.
You want Loot boxes? You want crypto currency? Well, they've got both, in the form of Lootbox Coins that you can actually buy with real money. None of that blockchain mining shit, here; just give them your cash, in exchange for digital tokens which mean nothing, and are worth less.
Seriously, it's all here. The token onstage "gamer" who's pretending to play games "live on stage" during their totally pre-scripted, pre-recorded event. The lab-coat-wearing "techie" who's also a secretly brutal authoritarian, beating the "gamer" for daring to question the hype. Do you want cynical appeals to nostalgia, or visible contempt for market analysts, gaming journalists, gaming executives, and even for the oblivious gamers who see all of this mercenary bullshit and then buy the games anyway? All here.
Oh, and Robocop. That's right, Devolver Digital also worked an homage to the original Robocop into the proceedings. Somehow.
Before being turned into a literally heartless marketing cyborg, Nina Struthers managed to announce a few actual games. Metal Wolf Chaos XD, My Friend Pedro, and SCUM might sound a little like jokes, but they're not -- they're real games, and Devolver Digital is really publishing them. My Friend Pedro, in particular, actually looks pretty good.
Like any good 2nd installment, Devolver Digital's "presser" ends on a cliff-hanger, exhorting the audience to come back next year to find out what happens next. I will, too; Devolver Digital's satirical send-ups of E3 are quickly becoming one of the hype-fests most reliable high-lights.
Final Grade: A+
Pure genius. If you haven't already, then you should watch the whole motherf*cking thing immediately. If you missed their 2017 press conference, then you should watch that, too. (Or first. Maybe watch it first.)