LOVE THIS ISSUE? THE NEXT ONE WILL BE READY FOR YOU ON 5 APRIL
N+ [1] is a favourite of mine for two reasons:
first, it kicked off the movement of independent
development into the console space six months
before Braid and Castle Crashers. It blazed a trail
for all of us. The second is that it was the most
distilled, clean, crisp platforming experience I
had ever played. I don’t really need to explain
it but Halo: Combat Evolved [2] is going to be
on everyone’s list, forever, and it deserves it. It
was the game that reminded me the most of my
joyous, challenging and rewarding experiences
with GoldenEye 007, which is perhaps the highest
praise I can give an FPS. The shield/health design
was a game-changer, literally. I didn’t realise how
much of a masterpiece Fez [3] was/is until years
later. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it at the time,
but upon reflection there was just so much in Fez
that felt like magic. I wish I could go back in time
and play it again fresh. Street Fighter IV [4]: as a
huge SFIII fan I was pretty sure it was the most fun I
was ever going to have with a Street Fighter game.
But my nostalgic feelings for that game aside,
SFIV ended up exceeding all my expectations and
captured my fighting game soul. Learning to focus
cancel was tough but unbelievably rewarding, and
hitting one-frame links online felt impossible... until
you pulled it off. This game had that special sauce
that only the best fighting games have. It’s 2019,
we can objectively say that Spelunky [5] is the
best. We’ve confirmed it many times over.Nathan Vella
Co-founder and
president of
Capybara Games
Nathan started
as a lead artist at
Capybara before
working his way up
to president. The
studio began making
mobile games during
2003 and ventured
into console
development during
the Xbox 360’s life.
Capybara’s most
recent game is
the long-awaited
roguelike Below.[2][3][4][5]114 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE
OXM OUT
the disc slot
They make the games we love, but what do they play
for fun? We ask developers to pick their faves from
Xbox history. This month: Nathan Vella
[1]