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    Pokémon Cut From Sword And Shield's National Pokédex Will Return In The Future

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    Pokémon Sword and Shield

    Publisher: The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
    Developer: Game Freak
    Release: November 15, 2019
    Platform: Switch

    Fans are eagerly anticipating Pokémon Sword and Shield, but some of the biggest news coming out of summer was regarding what won't be in the first mainline Pokémon console RPGs. During E3, producer Junichi Masuda explained that not every Pokémon will make the leap into Sword and Shield. This news left many fans disappointed, so I caught up with Masuda during our trip for this month's cover story to dive deeper into the reasoning for the cuts.

    According to Masuda, the sheer number of Pokémon the series had accumulated over the last two-plus decades got to the point of being unwieldy. "Up until now, we’ve been proud we’ve been able to include so many Pokémon in the games, but as a result of that, there’s actually been quite a few features or gameplay ideas that we’ve had to abandon in the past," he says. "Going forward, thinking about the future of Pokémon, we want to prioritize all those new gameplay ideas, new ways to enjoy the game, and want to challenge ourselves at Game Freak to create new ways to enjoy the game. That’s really what drove the decision for this new direction."

    Pokémon Sword and Shield

    The decision was the result of collaborative talks between Game Freak, The Pokémon Company, and Nintendo. "We have a lot of awesome new challenges that we haven’t even revealed in Sword and Shield," Masuda says. "We want to continue to come up with these new features, so we figured this was the best path forward for the franchise"

    Things are a bit complicated when diving into how the team decided which Pokémon wouldn't carry over into the Galar region. "A wide variety of discussions happened; it’s not just one kind of criteria for deciding which Pokémon are going to appear in the games, but a lot of different reasons, a lot of different directions, a lot of debate over which ones would be the best in the game," Masuda says. "I think one example of that is figuring out the Pokémon that would make sense for the setting of the game the most; these Pokémon look like they could live in the Galar region. We really spent a lot of effort deciding which would best fit the setting of the adventure and the features that we wanted to implement. I think players will be satisfied. There’s quite a few Pokémon that you’ll encounter in the Galar region Pokédex, so I think players will have fun seeing all the Pokémon."

    Pokémon Sword and Shield

    When I ask for specifics about the Pokémon that didn't make the cut for Sword and Shield – including names and total number of creatures – Masuda did not elaborate. However, he was much more explicit when I asked if cut Pokémon will return in future games. "Definitely," he says. "You can look forward to seeing Pokémon that don’t appear in these games appearing in different regions in future games. I think Pokémon Home, for a lot of players, will serve as a launching pad to gather them all there and then embark on future adventures."

    Pokémon Home has been announced, but details to this point are scarce. Masuda intends on keeping it that way for a bit longer, but he did offer a bit more insight into the upcoming app. "We’re really designing it as the place for all of your Pokémon together, so it’s really important for the future of the franchise, and it’ll be more than even Pokémon Bank as a place to gather all your Pokémon together in one spot."

    We'll have to see which Pokémon we encounter in the Galar region when Pokémon Sword and Shield launch November 15.

    For more on Pokémon Sword and Shield, head to our hub by clicking the banner below.

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    Pokémon Sword And Shield Introduce Autosave To The Series

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    Pokémon Sword and Shield

    Publisher: The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
    Developer: Game Freak
    Release: November 15, 2019
    Platform: Switch

    During our trip to Game Freak's Tokyo headquarters for this month's cover story, we learned all kinds of behind-the-scenes information about Pokémon Sword and Shield. While talking with the developers about the new features coming to Sword and Shield, director Shigeru Ohmori mentioned autosave occurring in the Wild Area.

    Normally after you perform a trade, you'd need to stop and save, but instead, Game Freak figured out a way to incorporate seamless saves into the Wild Area. "When you connect with them to actually trade or do some kind of interaction, it then seamlessly switches to a synchronous connection," Ohmori says. "It’s also saving in the background, which is something we previously didn’t do, so there’s quite a bit going on in there that is represented in the Wild Area."

    At the mention of "saving in the background," I asked Ohmori if that happens throughout the rest of the game, or if that's restricted to the Wild Area. "It’s a new feature we’re implementing: full autosave functionality," he says. "Traditionally in Pokémon games, it’s an important thing to write your report to record your save, and that’s always been a staple, like, "Remember to save your game!" We do have an autosave feature this time, where you can just adventure and it’ll constantly save the game."

    Pokémon Sword and Shield

    For those who don't want Pokémon Sword and Shield to autosave, fear not: You can turn the feature off and stick with the traditional save method where you pause the action and manually save. I imagine that will come in handy for encounters with difficult-to-catch Legendary Pokémon. However, Ohmori says that process might also feel a bit different on Switch.

    "I think the Nintendo Switch, compared to previous consoles, it’s actually a bit harder to restart your game," he says. "Like, on the NES, you’d have a dedicated button to reset the whole thing, but with the Switch, it’s a little bit more complicated of a process."

    For more on Pokémon Sword and Shield, head to our hub by clicking the banner below.

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    Sword And Shield's Max Raid Battles Could Be Among Pokémon's Most Challenging Encounters

    in Game Previews

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    Pokémon Sword and Shield

    Publisher: The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
    Developer: Game Freak
    Release: November 15, 2019
    Platform: Switch

    Pokémon Sword and Shield are introducing myriad new mechanics to the series. One of the biggest new additions is the ability for Pokémon to grow to massive proportions. While this is most prominently on display in battles through the Dynamax and Gigantamax mechanics, players can also challenge powerful giant Pokémon in cooperative Max Raid Battles. We spoke with the developers to learn more about these encounters.

    Initially, the Max Raid Battles were called something more generic like "cooperative battles," but following Pokémon Go's implementation of co-op raids, the word was entered into the vocabularies of Pokémon fans across the globe. "The initial concept of having cooperative battles against a Pokémon – the raid idea – came before raids were even implemented in Pokémon Go, but we saw Pokémon Go implement this raid feature and how popular it was for people to get together in the same space and enjoy these cooperative experiences," director Shigeru Ohmori says. "I think there was some influence like how in Pokémon Go, you don’t need to be a hardcore battler to enjoy the raid battles. It’s really easy to invite a friend. We wanted to have that element in Sword and Shield’s raid encounters as well."

    Pokémon Sword and Shield

    While Ohmori likes the idea of not having to be a hardcore battler to enjoy these raid encounters, planning director Kazumasa Iwao cautions that you shouldn't expect to walk right in and take down the highest-ranked beasts. "I think some of them are going to be pretty difficult," Iwao says. "I think it’s going to have a kind of difficulty we haven’t seen in a lot of main series Pokémon games up until now, but there is a wide spread of difficulties even in the Max Raid Battles."

    Much like the raids in Pokémon Go, Max Raid Battles are represented by a ranking system. In Sword and Shield, they're ranked by stars; the more stars a Max Raid Battle has, the more difficult it is. "It starts out a little easier, then you can choose the difficulty based on how powerful your Pokémon are," Iwao says. "Even for me, a seasoned Pokémon player, even if I go with one of the five-star Max Raid Battles, I can definitely run into situations where I’m not able to win."

    We'll learn just how difficult these raid encounters can be when Pokémon Sword and Shield launches on Switch November 15.

    For more on the upcoming Switch RPGs, head to our hub by clicking the banner below.

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    Terminator T-800 Joins The Fight In Mortal Kombat 11

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    Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
    Developer: NetherRealm Studios
    Release: April 23, 2019
    Rating: Mature
    Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC

    Warner Interactive and NetherRealm Studios have officially revealed what we've all known for a while now: The Terminator is coming to Mortal Kombat 11. More specifically, it's the T-800 model, as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.  

    The reveal was accompanied by a gameplay trailer, which highlights a nice slice of his moveset. He's able to blast enemies with his shotgun (complete with the fancy reload animation from Terminator 2), headbutt them with his metal noggin, and basically rule the arena like the unstoppable killing machine that he is. There are some other great moments in the clip, like showing off what happens when he gets hit with fire (thanks a lot, Scorpion!) and his fatality. 

    The T-800 is hitting Mortal Kombat 11 on October 15, or October 8 if you have the Kombat Pack. Those are the same days owners of the pass will be able to get the Harley Quinn-inspired skin for Cassie Cage, as well as Kano's "Cash Machine Kano" skin and Johnny Cage's "Red Carpet Johnny Cage." Sonya Blade is getting a "Cyborg Hunter" skin, too, which sounds like a nice pairing for the T-800.

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    The Surge 2 Review – A Satisfying Slice Of Action

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    Posted

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    Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
    Developer: Deck13 Interactive
    Release: September 24, 2019
    Rating: Mature
    Reviewed on: PlayStation 4
    Also on: Xbox One, PC

    In the opening moments of The Surge 2, my character looks like a walking junkyard. He had ridged red armor on his left arm, a bulky yellow metal casing on his right, grey leg braces, and a jumble of circuitry on his chest. His weapon of choice is a spinning sawblade that looks like it should be used for construction work. Flash forward dozens of hours, and my character stands tall like an angelic being outfitted in unified white armor, a gold halo on his back, and a staff that sizzles with magical power. This strange rags-to-riches journey is just one reason why The Surge 2 is notably better than its predecessor. Developer Deck13 Interactive sticks to its guns on what The Surge is, yet improves upon the predecessor’s systems and flow to create a thrilling pursuit of power backed by excellent combat encounters.

    Much like Resident Evil’s Umbrella Corporation, the through line between Surge installments is CREO Industries, a tech conglomerate that may not have the best intentions with its breakthroughs. CREO’s latest blunder leads to a plane crash that you just happen to be on. You awaken months later in Jericho City, a once-thriving metropolis overrun by a CREO-produced nanite plague. Jericho is now at war – monsters roam the streets, and citizens fight to protect what is theirs. This narrative hook has more flesh on the bone than the original entry’s, which primarily explored the innards of CREO’s facilities. Jericho is a city filled with people to talk to, and far more interesting areas to explore than new sectors of a facility. The dialogue made me cringe at times, and some of the side missions are a bit strange (like planting flowers for a robot), but the overall vibe established in Jericho is engaging, which enhances exploration.

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    Taking inspiration from the Dark Souls series, The Surge 2 is a difficult game – but it isn’t just enemies that you have to worry about. Figuring out where to go is part of the challenge, and the cluttered environments don’t make it easy. My progress frequently came to a screeching halt because I didn’t know where to go next. Getting stuck is frustrating, but it also comes with benefits; being forced to explore every darkened corner and questionable pit meant I was grinding through enemies to earn currency I could use to enhance my gear and level up my character. Deck13 also rewards thorough exploration with meaningful shortcuts that extend from the safe zones. Clearing out a zone completely can create four or five shortcuts leading to different sectors and directly to bosses.

    Any foe can give you a run for your money if you aren’t careful, but The Surge 2’s combat offers a deep well of strategies that should give you the upper hand. You can even change from a heavy weapon such as a hammer to something agile like Wolverine-like claws with just a press of the button, giving you the option to essentially change classes on the fly. Evasive maneuvers are handled well, and enemies are fairly easy to read, although their lunge attacks are a little to magnetic and can make odd turns to hit you. Some foes can also power up with a rage ability, and others carry shields that require different strategies. In addition to switching weapons on the fly, you can also create several loadouts with specific foes or regions in mind.

    Click here to watch embedded media

    The Surge 2 introduces a powerful (but difficult to master) directional parry that stagger almost every foe if you can time it right. I relied more on my drone to knock adversaries off balance, but it the parry is a nice defensive technique to try to use when you have your back against the wall.

    Most of the enemies (of which there is a nice variety) are outfitted in different gear, and if you like what you see, you can target the limb holding the desired item and lop it off as the final strike (a returning feature from the original). You send heads, arms, legs, and torsos flying in almost every battle, making The Surge 2 extremely violent in an oddly strategic way. Given just how tight the combat mechanics are and how aggressive the A.I. is, getting a new piece of gear always feels good, as does reaching a safe zone to bank your scrap. You also earn dozens of invaluable implants that can enhance your base skills and give you small advantages, such as having more healing options.

    Deck13 included a number of new weapon and armor types, all of which can be upgraded extensively, again putting heavy weight on the act of grinding, which is a bit excessive, but thankfully it ends up being fun. If you like the idea of cobbling together armor sets earned by felling difficult foes, give The Surge 2 a try. You may get a bit lost in the world at times, but every encounter is fun and well thought out. The bosses in particular are nicely designed, exotic in look, and push you to play with brutal precision.

    surge2.jpg

    Score: 8.5

    Summary: Deck13 Interactive's sequel showcases notable improvements and plenty of limb chopping.

    Concept: A direct sequel that turns limb-chopping into an art within a sprawling (and confusing) world

    Graphics: Environmental architecture is more varied than the first game, taking players into the wilderness, sewers, and into run-down city streets. Enemy designs are easy to read, giving you a good idea of which limbs hold the most valuable loot

    Sound: All about the clanking of steel and grinding of gears. Combat is rightfully loud

    Playability: Battle mechanics are fluid and filled with strategies, even allowing players to switch weapons on the fly or call upon a drone to attack a distant target

    Entertainment: The Surge 2 is challenging, but finds ways to continually reward the player, whether it’s a new piece of armor, weapon, or a life-saving shortcut

    Replay: Moderately High

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    New Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Trailer Ignites

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    Publisher: Electronic Arts
    Developer: Respawn Entertainment
    Release: November 15, 2019
    Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC

    Electronic Arts and developer Respawn Entertainment have released a new trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in conjunction with other announcements for the Triple Force Friday merchandise blitz on October 4 (Fallen Order itself hits stores on November 15 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One).

    The trailer shows Cal's companions, Jedi Knight Cere Jundo, pilot Greez Dritus, and droid BD-1, as he searches for something "precious to the Empire" and encounters Inquisitor the Second Sister as Cal and Cere try to resurrect the Jedi Order in the wake of Order 66.

    The footage also appears to show worlds other than Kashyyyk, including Cal's battles with some very large and angry indigenous beings.

    For more on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, be sure to read our full cover story and check out supplemental stories by visiting the cover story hub by clicking on the banner below.

    Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Exclusive Coverage Hub

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    The Four Biggest Takeaways From Playing Last Of Us Part II

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    Posted

    tloupii_demo_screen_03.jpg

    Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
    Developer: Naughty Dog
    Release: February 21, 2020
    Rating: Rating Pending
    Platform: PlayStation 4

    Naughty Dog says that The Last of Us Part II is its biggest and most ambitious title to date. Recently, we got a small (two hour) taste of this ambitious project, but we walked away incredibly satisfied. It almost goes without saying that The Last of Us fans should be excited for the game’s launch on February 21, but here are four other big takeaways from our time with the game.

    Prepare to feel rage

    The original Last of Us explored a child/parent relationship between Joel and Ellie. Naughty Dog says that if the first game was about exploring that kind of love, then the sequel explores a completely different kind of emotion: rage.

    Ellie grew up in a broken world – a planet where a fungal outbreak transformed most of humanity into zombie-like monsters. However, by the end of the first game, Ellie reaches a safe haven where it seems that she might have the chance to build a new life and experience some of the joys that many of us take for granted. As Part II opens, Ellie lives inside a relatively safe community of people and she even has the chance to explore a romantic relationship with another young girl named Dina.

    However, at some point in the game, Ellie faces a tragedy that completely changes her outlook. Naughty Dog remains tight-lipped about the nature of this tragedy, but the event sets Ellie off on a quest for revenge. In The Last of Us Part II, we’ll get to see how Ellie behaves after she’s had the safety of a “normal” life ripped from her – we’ll get to see the lengths with which Ellie will go to punish those who have hurt her. You can see the pain etched into the lines in Ellie’s face every time she sneaks up behind an enemy and slides her knife into their throat. The Last of Us Part II isn’t a game for the squeamish.

    Movement is key to survival

    Like the first The Last of Us, Naughty Dog’s action feels grounded and brutal. Enemies coordinate their attacks and even call to each other by name. Ellie’s luck can quickly run out of she is surrounded and outnumbered. One of the best strategies remains to stay hidden for as long as possible and pick off your foes one-by-one. Fortunately, environments are large enough that I found it easy to run and find a hiding spot to catch my breath. Still, enemies won’t forget that they saw you and are constantly on your heels, which adds a lot of tension to the action. I felt like I was constantly on the move – taking a few sections to loot a room or craft an item before I had to hide again from a roaming patrol.

    Unlike Joel, Ellie now has a jump button, so she can scamper and climb all over the environment. Climbing over things is sometimes a great way to avoid your captures, but it can also make you easier to spot. I found that it was often better to go low. Ellie can both crouch or go prone. Laying down in tall grass makes Ellie harder to spot, but as enemies get closer they will be more likely to see you. In The Last of Us Part II, you’re never completely hidden or safe.

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    New enemies help heat up the action

    The Last of Us Part II’s enemies are smarter than ever. Not only will human foes coordinate their attacks, they have a few new tools to use while hunting you. One of those tools is actually man’s best friend. Humans now employ hunting dogs, and they will use them to sniff you out. Using Ellie’s hunter’s vision, you can see your own scent trail and watch these animals slowly follow that trail to your current position. Dogs are a challenge to stealth kill because they can sense you coming, so you need to take them down from a distance with a bow and arrow or some other silent weapon. Unfortunately, you will feel like a monster every time you kill a dog. At one point, a sniped a dog’s master, and the pup started to whine and paw at his master’s feet. I didn’t have the heart to kill the dog, which may have been a mistake, because the animal eventually caught my scent and hounded me until its teeth were in my throat.

    Another new enemy is a version of infected called the Shambler. These lumbering brutes aren’t too fast, but they are tanks who can’t be stealth killed and will force you to burn through a lot of ammo. At one point, I smashed the glass of a vending machine to get at the goodies inside and I inadvertently alerted a Shambler who was next door. The beast charged into my room and startled me. I tried hacking at the monster with a hatchet, but the creature released a toxic plume of gas that sent Ellie coughing her way to an early grave. Shamblers are dangerous creatures, and you should feel no shame in avoiding a fight with these horror shows.  

    Crafting is still king

    Crafting was an important element of the first game, and it remains a huge focus in the sequel. As you explore these dilapidated cities, you can scavenge old homes and commercial districts for ingredients to make new weapons and other supplies. As in the first game, the same ingredients can be used to make a health pack or a molotov cocktail, forcing players to make a strategic choice: do you heal up or give yourself another offensive tool to help clear out the next room? This strategic pattern is repeated multiple times in the crafting menu for The Last of Us Part II. You won’t always be able to make everything you want, but you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make something good.

    One of the new gadgets I crafted is a trap bomb that can be strategically placed throughout the environment and triggers automatically like a landmine. I used these bombs occasionally to cover my tracks and they became a handy early warning system, alerting me whenever I was being followed.

    Some crafting items will be locked behind the upgrade menu. As with the first game, Ellie finds pills throughout the environment, which she can use to upgrade her skills. I used some pills to allow Ellie to crawl faster and gain a larger boost from health packs, but you probably won’t find enough pills to upgrade Ellie completely. In fact, at one point, I found a hunting magazine that unlocked an entirely new upgrade branch filled with things like reduced weapon sway and faster movement speed while aiming. So, it’s possible that some players won’t even unlock or discover certain upgrades during their playthrough.

    For more about The Last of Us Part II, be sure to watch the most recent trailer or catch up on the first game by reading our review.

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    Code Vein Review - A Simulacrum Lacking Soul

    in Game Reviews

    Posted

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    Publisher: Bandai Namco
    Developer: Bandai Namco
    Release: September 27, 2019
    Rating: Rating Pending
    Reviewed on: PlayStation 4
    Also on: Xbox One, PC

    Code Vein is trying to be anime Dark Souls, and there’s no way around it. This title attempts to pull every possible mechanic and feature from From Software’s heralded series, then add a bit of its own flair. Developers taking inspiration from other games is common, but Code Vein shamelessly goes all-in; several levels and a boss fight will be immediately and eerily familiar to Souls fans. The end result feels rough around the edges. Combat lacks weight, fights are forgettable, and byzantine stages desperately try (and fail) to capture the things that make Souls-like games interesting.

    Click here to watch embedded media

    Everything in Code Vein feels like an off-brand knockoff. Combat, which is one of the foundational components of this genre, is lifeless; attacking enemies feels as if you’re beating on a rudderless chunk of meat with a blunt object. Bosses and stages don’t have flavor, impact, or style. The occasional framerate drops do nothing to help, and further drag down the core experience. These major issues put a limit on how much anyone – even Souls-like veterans – can enjoy Code Vein. But surrounding these critical failings are some interesting ideas that keep the experience from becoming a total loss.

    As a blood-starved revenant, your journey begins in a fallen world where these vampiric entities must feed to survive. Revenants are trapped in a closed off-prison shard where humans – and their blood – are rare prizes. The story begins as indecipherable, off-putting gibberish, though essential information is revealed as you dig deeper via the acquisition of blood codes. These serve to both convey information as you dive into a character’s memories in cool segments and give you new abilities and archetypes to play with from a functional standpoint. 

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    The blood code system allows you to keep your level and simply swap to another core class, like a mage or an assassin, at any time. Since it also takes care of the necessary stat allocations, it’s a great tool for trying out new strategies to get past areas or bosses. You can even take skills from one class and place them on another with ease, letting you create your own customized build. Experimenting is fun and quite expansive as you get farther in the game, with lots of choices to mix and match. 

    The biggest move away from the Souls-like template is the fact that you can always have a companion by your side. Your collection of A.I. companion choices expands as you progress, and you can pick sidekicks that fit whatever your playstyle calls for, whether it’s some potent ranged damage or a brutal melee assailant. These characters do real damage to bosses and can even bring you back from the brink of death, and you can rely on them to provide valuable assistance. Your friends are still fairly fragile, and bosses will punish and kill them if you try to rely on them too much, but they’re an incredible boon and fun to work back and forth with during intense fights. You can also build up relationships with your companions at your continually developing home base to unlock powerful items, adding an additional engaging wrinkle to your friendships.

    Code Vein has some cool things to enjoy along the way and some nice ideas that shake up the core formula, but they are all incidental details. The heart of Code Vein remains overburdened by stale scenery, boring bosses, and tiresome trudging, and all of that is beyond what some nice touches can redeem.
     

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    Score: 6.5

    Summary: Code Vein has some cool quirks to explore, but lacks any of the magic that inspired it.

    Concept: Discover your mysterious past while attempting to salvage a devastated world

    Graphics: Flashy style accents characters and moves, but many environments and bosses are bland

    Sound: The soundtrack pumps up the action, but tunes are limited and overused

    Playability: Familiarity with Souls-like games helps, but new players can ease themselves in with a leveling system that supports customization without consequence

    Entertainment: You can have some fun with the stylish anime accoutrements, but Code Vein leans far too heavily on its inspirations and fails to capture any of the associated magic

    Replay: Moderate

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