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Publisher: NintendoDeveloper: Team NinjaRelease: July 19, 2019Rating: TeenPlatform: Switch
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order, Nintendo's try at this whole "Marvel games" thing is hours away at this point, but there's still some questions left to be answered. At E3 this year, Nintendo confirmed that the game would be getting an expansion featuring characters from the X-Men and other series, but didn't detail which. At the Marvel Games panel at San Diego Comic-Con, we finally got information about the first wave, as well as some upcoming characters that aren't part of the paid expansion pass.
To begin with, everyone's favorite trickster god Loki will be available on day one. On August 30, the team will be joined by Cyclops and Colossus from the X-Men as free DLC, available for anyone and everyone.
As mentioned before, there are three character packs in the expansion pass. While X-Men is one, it won't be the first one, and they're holding who is in that pack close to their chest. Another is Fantastic Four and it's probably not exceptionally hard to guess which characters are in that one. Marvel Knights, the third pack, includes Punisher, Blade, Moon Knight, and Morbius with an exceptionally deep-V t-shirt.
Marvel Ultimate 3 releases on Nintendo Switch on July 19.
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Since launching in February, battle royale Apex Legends has suffered its share of cheaters. Some are even making good money developing cheats for players to use. The game’s developers recently detailed some of the steps it’s taking to squash cheating, including a new system that will match known cheaters into the same…
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Publisher: thatgamecompanyDeveloper: thatgamecompanyRelease: July 18, 2019Rating: 12+Reviewed on: iOS
Sky: Children of the Light is a deeper experience, both figuratively and literally, than it first appears to be. Sky directly echoes many of the beats and gameplay moments that defined Journey, thatgamecompany’s last major release. But where Journey flirted with social elements, Sky is a full-on love affair with cooperative multiplayer. Early hours suggest a contemplative and accessible trip through an ethereal land of whirling clouds and distant horizons. While Sky can undoubtedly offer a thoughtful solo adventure akin to the studio’s previous work, it’s through engagement with friends and strangers that it becomes far more involved. Shaped by both mechanics and storytelling, it becomes a game about sacrifice, sharing, and the nature of altruism.
As one of the titular children of light, you are born into a world of interconnected realms linked beneath the same starry sky, and you must find ancestral spirits in order to return them to their rightful place in the constellations. By skipping across meadows, sliding down dunes, and soaring through open skies, you complete your task by bringing light to darkened places, kindling braziers and ancient bell towers with the touch of your candle. Gameplay is freeform and uncomplicated, and puzzles are often as simple as connecting the dots from one point to another. Lost spirits/stars are frequently hidden, so keen observation is required. Your life, light, and flight power are all encompassed in one shared statistic known as winged light, and it grows stronger as you find more of the lost. The sense of progression is satisfying, but the need to divert and collect new wing segments sometimes distracts from the natural flow of play.
Each of seven different realms offers a distinct visual and gameplay experience. The pastoral Daylight Prairie, with its inviting green fields and cumulus clouds, gives way to the rain-soaked Hidden Forest, which steals your light if you don’t find cover. Moving between the shifting landscapes is satisfying and well-paced; the music and environments together paint a potent mental and emotional scene. The most impressive magic on each stage is how much is hidden away, waiting to be discovered on subsequent playthroughs; greater flight power and the presence of friends opens up entirely new areas to ascend through and explore, lending a satisfying sense of mastery.
Whether you invite friends or meet up with strangers, Sky is a social game fueled by positive interactions. Dozens of emotive expressions unlock as you meet new NPC spirits, but the most popular within the burgeoning community are ones like “hug” or “high five.” Players are encouraged to share light and hearts to new friends, boosting their progress to new cosmetics. Musical instruments and sheet music can be acquired, to pause from the action and play together. Up to eight players can hold hands and leap into the sky together, guided by a single leader to discover new destinations – an ideal way to share the game with a child or less-experienced player. Some non-critical-path doorways and tasks in the world require multiple players to unlock, encouraging shared exploration. I really enjoy playing with friends, and I’ve had some magical moments meeting strangers in the wild and working to solve a problem. I only wish the direct invite functionality was a bit more straightforward instead of a strange QR code system.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThatgamecompany makes a valiant attempt to wrangle the touch screen into a usable twin-stick setup for 3D navigation in air and on ground, but it's only successful for simple tasks. More precise movement, platforming, and flight challenges don’t fare as well; I often struggled against the controls, or fell off a narrow ledge when I thought I was standing still. This interface is by no means a dealbreaker, but it can lead to moments of frustration in an otherwise idyllic game.
As free-to-play games go, Sky is far less predatory or immersion-breaking than many competitors on iOS, but it still has an in-game store that can speed your acquisition of new items. Amassing that same currency in-game can be slow, but faster if you choose to share light with friends, and they with you. Sky is built as a living game, and the hauntingly beautiful conclusion leads naturally into endless potential replays. If that replay is appealing, the developer has seasonal content planned, with new spirits to find and items to earn, which will also come at an additional price.
Sky expands on the successful gameplay ideas of the developer’s previous games, but with a greater sense of progression, replayability, and a far more involved social component. Conceptually, this new project is a deeply felt meditation on empathy and the connections between people, couched in the same unpretentious and thoughtful presentation we’ve come to expect from the studio. Sky is a refreshingly moving and robust game on the iOS platform, and one best shared with others – especially folks who might not normally pick up a video game.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
Score: 8.5
Summary: The new game from the makers of Journey is a thoughtful contemplation on positive interactions with friends, strangers, and the wider world.
Concept: Fly through the clouds of a gorgeous world while making friends to soar by your side in this follow-up to Journey
Graphics: Swirling clouds, distant light beams, and the ruins of a lost civilization are all depicted in a soft and inviting art style, but occasional hitching on some supported devices can break the illusion
Sound: A stellar score ebbs and flows with the beats of onscreen events, while ambient sound effects add a naturalistic and meditative vibe
Playability: Challenges in touch-screen control mar an otherwise accessible experience that features a smooth curve of new ideas and difficulty
Entertainment: thatgamecompany’s eye for aesthetic beauty and meaning-laden interactions are made richer through social engagement and sharing with friends
Replay: High
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Publisher: EA SportsDeveloper: EA CanadaRelease: September 27, 2019Rating: Rating PendingPlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
FIFA 20's new showcase feature is its small-side Volta mode, but developer EA Vancouver assures fans that it is also working on gameplay aspects for the latest installment of the series. Today's new trailer showcases some of what we can expect on this front.
While none of the features in the trailer above are new in the sense that they've never been included in some form or another in previous iterations, if done right these gameplay aspects of FIFA 20 could improve the experience from last year.
For example, A.I. defending in online games was seen as too strong in some situations last year, so improving the defensive A.I. in general for this year could fix that problem. Similarly, updated ball physics could positively impact everything from a player's first touch to shot outcomes.
FIFA 20 comes out on September 24 for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.
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Publisher: The Pokemon CompanyDeveloper: DeNARelease: 2019Platform: iOS, Android
Another day, another look at the upcoming mobile title Pokémon Masters. Developer DeNa has released a brief trailer showing off how the co-op function in the game works, letting you and two other buddies fight foes.
You can watch the whole thing below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaFor more on Pokémon Masters, head here.
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Publisher: Perfect WorldDeveloper: Gunfire GamesRelease: August 20, 2019Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
The world ended in the 1960s. This can be a hard truth to accept, but that is the way things are in Remnant: From the Ashes. An evil race of tree creatures called the Root wiped out all civilization as we know it, leaving only small groups of survivors behind. A harsh and unforgiving series of worlds awaits the stranger who tries to right these wrongs and find the source of the apocalypse. Them and two of their friends, at least. I recently got some hands-on time with Remnant, both its single-player and its cooperative multiplayer. Here are some of the major takeaways from that experience.
Crafting A Unique Experience For Every Player
Remnant: From the Ashes aims to make water-cooler conversations fun again. During our curated single-player experience, we were given a look at the kind of unique encounters awaiting each individual player. There are four worlds available for players to travel to, each with a handful of overworlds and their own bosses. However, each player’s world is procedurally generated for them when they start the game, crafting each world individually for that person. The exploration, item placements, and enemies will differ across every copy of the game.
Remnant allows up to two other players to drop in (or out) of your instance of the world at any time, should you choose to fight alongside friends (or random people online). The loot is different across each player’s world, so you may want to drop into a friend’s game to grab loot from the area they are currently exploring since it will be different from yours. Gunfire Games co-founder and design director John Pearl calls this “chaperone random generation,” as the environments and general sense of direction remain the same, but the layout, drops, and enemies will be unique to each game.
Dungeons exist as different sub-areas throughout each of the main worlds. In our walkthrough, we saw a dungeon lead both to a vendor who provides new items, and a more typical dungeon in which you explore, fight through waves of enemies, and conclude the area with a mini-boss fight.
The vendor we came across happened to be wearing a mask that was clearly Root in origin. He was speaking in a matter unbefitting of sane people, stammering about a tree speaking as a voice in his head. At this point, Pearl described how this interaction could play out in several ways. For example, it is possible for you to have killed the tree that is speaking to him before entering the dungeon, causing him to be much calmer and more personable; you can also kill the tree after talking to him, which surprises him and calms him down; or you could attack him and take the mask from him. There is also a chance the tree could just not spawn in your randomly generated world, and he could just be a regular vendor from the outset. “A lot of the time it’s like, ‘Did you see that big creature that came in and destroyed that building?’ and ‘Yeah, I saw that too,’ but what if you were comparing totally different experiences?” Pearl says. “We wanted to make something that’s fun to play in single-player, fun to play in co-op, but fun to play multiple times.”
A Bevy Of Bosses
There are two boss types throughout the game, and we fought both. The more common kind are the minibosses; these bosses are found at the end of dungeons throughout the overworlds and are tougher versions of other enemies found in the game. These bosses often throw weaker enemies at you as well as have unique traits to add new elements to the fight. For example, we fought a miniboss called Onslaught with a “vicious” trait, which meant it was harder to stagger. These bosses usually drop a weapon modification or similar resource, used to craft new weapons or add special abilities to each gun.
The other kind of boss is a world boss, which are the major fights throughout the game. There are two in each world, one for each overworld, and they each have a unique design and arena for your shooting pleasure. Upon defeat, the world boss will drop a valuable resource, something the player can use to build a new weapon back at base. However, these drops are where these bosses bring something new to the table; there are two possible endings to these fights, as each one has a hidden objective that will net the player a different resource. Sure, you can blast through the boss the normal way (like we did), or you could find a different way to end the conflict and come out with a rare resource. One boss we fought can be found and talked to before the fight, leading to the fight being skipped entirely and granting the player an item without the hassle of a huge encounter.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
Familiar Gameplay Elements With Fewer Swords
Our playthrough began at a familiar point to fans of the Dark Souls franchise. While Remnant isn’t “the Dark Souls of third-person shooters,” because of its difficulty, it does have plenty of Souls-y elements to it. We began at a checkpoint, a crystal at which we sat to refill our ammo, healing items, and health. These crystals function similarly to the bonfires of the Souls games, as both serve as posts to save and replenish and reset the enemies of the area.
A main mechanic of Remnant’s combat is the dodge roll, a maneuver that functions based on how much stamina you have left. While you aren’t getting up close and personal with every enemy since the primary weapons in Remnant are guns over swords, the dodge roll is useful when it comes to finding balance in the enemy waves, and it contains precious invincibility frames. Often a few heavy enemies carrying guns will be paired with an onslaught of weaker, melee-based enemies that force you to move instead of simply standing and shooting. Healing also functions similarly to Estus Flasks, as using the primary healing item slows you down and runs you through a set animation before you can return to combat. This and the dodge roll are similar to the combat present in Dark Souls, but are primarily meant to build upon the adaptability the game is centered around.
In terms of building your character from the ground up, there are no classes. You choose from a handful of presets to set the starting line for your character, but each character can be molded to fit your individual playstyle. You are not locked into a particular style of play from the beginning. In our demo, I play as a “scrapper.” He is built for close quarters, equipped with extra armor, a shotgun, and a big hammer. However, with more time I could upgrade the character to focus more on mid-range combat by changing my stats and using new weapons. Your characters are upgraded through a trait system; points can be gained from completing quests, found in the environment, or from general combat. Traits improve various stats and abilities, but are used mainly to upgrade stamina and health, allowing for a preset character to be altered to fit the player’s needs.
Other smaller elements are reminiscent of the Souls series, but Remnant is not a Souls rip-off. The random generation, scarcity of ammunition, gunplay, and three-player co-op are enough to set Remnant apart from other games in the Souls format.
The World Of Remnant Is The World Of Chronos
The worlds of Remnant are wonderfully detailed and lush. The infection the Root has spread is causing overgrowth across Earth’s cities, and the color and detail is impressive. However, one of the most intriguing facts about the world of Remnant is that it shares its world with Chronos, Gunfire’s 2016 Oculus Rift launch title. Chronos follows a hero sent to cure the world of its infection, which ultimately set the stage for the impending doom of the 1960s and the growth of the Root. The dilapidated skyscrapers, ‘60s aesthetic, and military facilities are the same, but in Remnant, the world has begun to come back to life. Guns are introduced alongside new NPCs and quests, and the world opens for exploration in a way that wasn’t possible in Chronos.
Pearl doesn’t describe Remnant as a sequel to Chronos; more a successor. “We just loved the world so much that we created in Chronos, we thought it could be fun to revisit that and see how the rest of the world lives.” The player character hails from the same tribe as the main character in Chronos, sent to find the source of the Root after the events of the previous game. While the VR gameplay of Chronos is centered around slow-paced melee combat, the wanderer of Remnant quickly realizes that running through this world with nothing but a sword is a bad plan.
A few enemies from Chronos are also included in Remnant's ensemble, as the evil is the same. However, Remnant travels to new worlds, each with its own enemy variety, hierarchy, and weaknesses. The world and story of Remnant will be familiar to fans of Chronos, but there is a lot of new content present throughout Remnant for those returning players. Long story short, Chronos is not required reading before starting Remnant, but we liked Chronos when we got our hands on it, so you might want to give it a try.
You won’t have to keep your eye on Remnant: From the Ashes for long. Remnant releases from PC, Xbox One, and PS4 on August 20, but is available four days in advance for those who pre-order.
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Publisher: UbisoftDeveloper: Ubisoft ParisRelease: March 17, 2017Rating: MaturePlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
While Ubisoft has already announced the newest Ghost Recon game scheduled to come out later this year, they're still not done adding new things for 2017's Wildlands. Well, now they're done, as this is final update, but it's still surprisingly close to the next game to get an entire new mode for the game. Ubisoft is still poking and prodding the successful Ghost Recon title, though, this time with a new mode called Mercenaries.
You can check out the trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe new mode is kind of pseudo-battle royale mode limited to eight players. All the players spawn and are tasked with gathering equipment, finding an extraction point, and eventually extracting themselves, all the while fighting against other players and enemies.
Players who complete at least one match get a "Lone Wolf" costume, which is part of the ongoing few months of challenges leading up to the release of Breakpoint. These challenges will eventually unlock things in the new game using your Ubisoft account if you plan to just leap from one game to the next, all the way up to September 27.
The Mercenaries mode, which I feel like is a pointed reference to an oft-ignored other Tom Clancy game from Ubisoft, releases tomorrow. Ghost Recon Breakpoint releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on October 4.
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Publisher: Bandai NamcoDeveloper: CyberConnect2Release: 2020Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
We got hands-on with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot at E3 earlier this year and generally seemed into the idea, but the minute-to-minute gameplay could get a little repetitive as you're bopping along as Dragon Ball protagonist Goku through his various adventures. Some different characters might logically be the key to changing that up a little bit, however.
According to Japanese manga magazine V-Jump, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will feature some other playable characters than just Goku. Players will be able to get their hands on the Namekian Piccolo, Goku's son Gohan, and Goku's eternal rival Vegeta. Krillin, Tienshinan, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha will all be support characters, which means they'll fight alongside Goku as party members, but they won't be playable.
In addition, there will be an original story that focuses on Gohan's training with Piccolo during the year leading up to the Saiyans' attack on Earth will be fleshed out within the game. I wonder if we'll also get a story covering when Vegeta went Super Saiyan, then?
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is scheduled to release in 2020 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
[Source: V-Jump via Gematsu]
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Publisher: Xbox Game StudiosDeveloper: The CoalitionRelease: September 10, 2019Rating: MaturePlatform: Xbox One, PC
Gears 5 recently unveiled its online multiplayer suite, which includes esports-based mode Escalation, King of the Hill, Team Deathmatch, and the rest of the mainstay modes. The new addition Gears 5 brings to the series, however, is Arcade. The mode, which combines the pre-existing Gears of War multiplayer mechanics with conventions from the popular hero-shooter genre, is meant to appeal to players of all skill levels.
In a new video developer The Coalition has shared with us, you can get a rundown of what the new mode is all about. While you can still read all about the mode and my experience with it through our extensive online preview, this tells you the quick hits of what you need to know in video form. You can see the rundown of the mode in the header of this article.
Gears 5 is set to hit Xbox One and PC on September 10. For more, be sure to check out our massive online preview of the game's competitive multiplayer, as well as our preview of the all-new co-op PvE Escape mode.
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Hello leves123,
Welcome to UnityHQ Nolfseries Community. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
leves123 joined on the 07/17/2019.
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Hello sunhoisa,
Welcome to UnityHQ Nolfseries Community. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
sunhoisa joined on the 07/17/2019.
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Release: 2019Platform: Switch
Get ready to make your October a little more spooky. Today Nintendo revealed that Luigi's Mansion 3 will be hitting Switch on October 31.
Luigi's Mansion 3's release date buffs out a year packed with Switch exclusives including Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and The Legend Of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
To see Luigi's Mansion 3 in action and get our impressions of what we played at E3 head here.
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Publisher: THQ NordicDeveloper: Gunfire GamesRelease: November 27, 2018Rating: Rating PendingPlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
If you're a fan of Darksiders as a series, you may remember getting access to the Abyssal Armor for both War and Death in their respective Darksiders games. For the two previous horsemen, the armor set was the strongest in the game, and was meant for a reward for dedicated players. Oddly, it was missing from Darksiders III despite series tradition, though that has been rectified for owners of the latest DLC.
The Keepers of the Void DLC, which released today, has Fury exploring a repository of items kept by Darksiders' Vulgrim. You can check out the trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe Abyssal armor, as mentioned, can also be found within the DLC. It's a little curious that an item that was just in the previous two games is locked behind DLC in this one, but maybe Fury just has to work harder for it. This DLC add-on seems more gameplay-focused than story-oriented, so keep that in mind as you go in.
Darksiders III is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
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Publisher: UbisoftDeveloper: Ubisoft QuebecRelease: October 5, 2018Rating: Rating PendingPlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
A while back, Ubisoft detailed their plan for Assassin's Creed Odyssey's expansion plans in the form of various story arcs and missions. The idea was that the game would get more longevity out of making different arcs rather than one large story expansion, and has had varying degrees of success with it. That all comes to an end today with the final episode of Fate of Atlantis arc, which itself is the last planned and announced expansion for Assassin's Creed Odyssey.
You can check the trailer for the DLC out below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaUbisoft has confirmed there won't be a new Assassin's Creed game in 2019, which means that work is already probably going on for an Assassin's Creed in 2020 or the year after. In that sense, it makes sense that the DLC episodes are ending now as production hypothetically ramps up on something else in the near future.
For now, though, you can engage with the final bit of DLC for the game now. Assassin's Creed Odyssey is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
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Publisher: Blizzard EntertainmentDeveloper: Blizzard EntertainmentRelease: May 24, 2016Rating: TeenPlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Blizzard has once again brought back their yearly summer games event for Overwatch, which focuses on both beach time and fun and Lucioball in different measures. This year tends to focus a bit more on the sports side of things, but there's some Torbjorn swimsuit action for everyone in there, too.
Check out the trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThere will also be exclusive sprays, icons, and skins tied to the weekly events. During certain timeframes, you have to accomplish certain achievements, like say winning nine games between July 16 and July 22 to win an American flag Reaper skin. You can take a look at the events and all the costumes on the event page here.
Overwatch's Summer Games 2019 will run from today, July 16, through August 5 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Don't get left out in the cold and miss the skin you had your eyes on.
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Publisher: Bethesda SoftworksDeveloper: Avalanche StudiosRelease: May 14, 2019Rating: MaturePlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Whatever else you may say about Rage 2, being able to take a shotgun into the desert and make short work of hordes of enemies is a pretty fun endeavor. But when you beat the game, there's not a whole lot else to do, and those shotgun fantasies fall by the wayside. Not so, with a new update that adds things like Ironman Mode, Ultra-Nightmare Difficulty, and New Game Plus mode.
The news comes from the Bethesda Rage 2 account, which also lists off a few quality of life updates, but is otherwise somewhat scant on details.
Update 2 is coming July 25 with 3 new ways to play: New Game +, Ironman Mode, and Ultra-Nightmare difficulty.
— RAGE 2 (@rage) July 16, 2019
Plus fixes and quality of life improvements, such as an added flashlight, skippable Ark tutorials, and more!
pic.twitter.com/xQsAOFCb1FThe July 25 update dovetails nicely with the still-undated Rage 2 DLC, titled Rise of the Ghosts, which should come later this year. You can read our review of Rage 2 right here and read Javy Gwaltney's opinion about Rage 2 being at its best when it channels contemporary Bethesda title Dishonored.
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Client patch starting to roll out all platforms this morning and you'll need to download and update your client. Below are the issues addressed:
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Fixed issue where Lifeline’s D.O.C.'s Shock Finisher preview video not playing when viewed from the menu.
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Fixed issue with text overflow on the stats page.
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Fixed some cases of crashes related to game logic, client, and script errors.
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Fixed cases of players being set in non-optimal data centers.
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Season 1 stats have been temporarily removed as we work on some issues with it.
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Fixed bug where players would unlock the level 94 Battle Pass reward before they should [Octane’s loading screen].
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Fixed exploit where the HAVOC could fire full auto without charging up.
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Fixed some cases of the Care Package clipping through map geometry.
You can check out some of the other issues we’re working on in our dev tracker.
(Source)
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Publisher: EA SportsDeveloper: EA VancouverRelease: September 13, 2019Rating: Everyone 10+Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Last month we broke down all the new gameplay features coming to NHL 20, including signature shots for superstars, contextual shot animations, and reworked goalie animations/puck pickups. Today EA Sports dropped a trailer showcasing how these innovations differ from last year's game.
Click here to watch embedded mediaAs you can see in the trailer, upon first impression these changes seem to be positive steps forward for the gameplay. But as with every entry, we'll have to get more time on the sticks before we know for sure they fix the problems a lot of players had with dangles, snipes, and saves. We'll have a lot more info to share on the game in the coming weeks.
NHL 20 comes to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One this September. The Play First trial for EA Access members begins September 5. Those who pre-order the Deluxe or Ultimate editions can jump on the ice September 10, and the worldwide launch happens on September 13.
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Click here to watch embedded mediaPublisher: 2K GamesDeveloper: Gearbox SoftwareRelease: September 13, 2019Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
A few days ago, Gearbox and 2K started teasing a "Celebration of Togetherness" event today. While a lot of people assumed this meant an announcement of crossplay, it is not exactly that. In fact, the Celebration of Togetherness isn't an announcement at all. It's a new trailer from Gearbox set to the 1967 song Happy Together by the Turtles.
The CG trailer emphasizes the new vault hunters, as well as cooperating together among them. While it's not the crossplay announcement people expected, that doesn't mean crossplay is off the table. According to Gearbox head Randy Pitchford, they're looking to get it established after launch.
Some folks may be speculating that this thing tomorrow may be about cross play. Tomorrow’s thing is awesome, but *not* about cross-play. But, Good News: We are committed to supporting cross-play for Borderlands 3 with our partners as soon as practicable after launch. #talklater https://t.co/XtUzrBpySP
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) July 15, 2019Borderlands 3 releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC on September 13.
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Click here to watch embedded media
Publisher: KonamiDeveloper: KonamiRelease: September 10, 2019Rating: EveryonePlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
EA Sports has a long history of signing exclusivity deals for its sports franchises. The publisher infamously signed an exclusive agreement with the NFL, killing the upstart NFL 2K franchise and securing the professional football domain for Madden. EA's FIFA series has also operated with the same edict, signing exclusive deals to prevent La Liga, Bundesliga, Premier League, and most recently the Champions League from officially appearing in the rival PES soccer game. Now, Konami has signed a big exclusive of its own.
Today the Japanese publisher revealed an exclusive agreement to be the exclusive video game partner to Juventus FC, the storied Italian club with 35 Serie A titles, two Champions League titles, and a Netflix show to its name. The club joins Barcelona FC, Bayern Munchen, and Manchester United as clubs with official license deals with PES. The length of the deal is unknown.
FIFA 20 won't have the Juventus shield and kit in the game, but EA still has the license for all of its players, who will appear across all the game modes. Juventus will be replaced in Serie A by the fictitious Piedmonte Calcio side.
[Source: Konami]
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Publisher: Xbox Game StudiosDeveloper: The CoalitionRelease: September 10, 2019Rating: MaturePlatform: Xbox One, PC
Ever since its introduction in 2006, the Gears of War franchise has emphasized an in-your-face attitude few other competitive shooters carry with them. Whether you're popping heads with a sniper rifle or literally chainsawing your opponent in half, Gears of War's competitive multiplayer suite has always catered towards the more aggressive playstyles. Because of this, the online versus modes have sometimes been unwelcoming to newcomers. Developer The Coalition wants to change that, but at the same time double down on its hardcore community. I traveled to Atlanta, home of Gears 5's esports partner, ELeague, to get first hands-on with Gears 5's competitive multiplayer suite and talk to the team about how they're walking the tightrope of appealing to both sides of the spectrum.
A Welcoming Invitation To Test The Waters
Encouraging newcomers to jump into the fiery gauntlet of competitive multiplayer can be tough for an established series like Gears of War. However, through the introduction of a new "hero shooter lite" mode, as multiplayer design director Ryan Cleven calls it, The Coalition is giving players a breezy and approachable mode that relies on strategy and ingenuity nearly as much as it does skill. In the spirit of attracting a more casual audience, The Coalition has coined this mode "Arcade."
"We wanted to make sure it was a mode that was familiar to people who had played Gears before, but also opened up a whole new style of play that wasn't just shotgun gameplay," Cleven says. "We wanted something that had a bunch of different playstyles where people could find one that worked for them, and they could recognize which character has what guns and they learn these things. Arcade really is something you could jump in and have a whole variety of experiences, not just get shotgunned in the face like Gears is known for. With Arcade, it really opens it up to a lot of different types of combat, and it's a little bit more lighthearted than the regular Gears of War."
While the loadouts are definitely important to how the match plays out, I noticed the biggest swings occurring when players effectively used their upgrade purchases. In one instance, I was stranded behind enemy lines with three opponents quickly closing in on me. I took shelter behind one of the series' trademark waist-high walls, but they were onto me, and it was only a matter of time before they closed the gap and blew my head off. I equipped my Gnasher shotgun, hoping to just take one of them with me, but I noticed I had a pile of skulls to use, so I quickly pressed the Y button to show the upgrade menu, then with a single press of the d-pad, I acquire and equip a powerful RL-4 Salvo rocket launcher. Without warning, I emerge from cover with the hulking launcher and blow all three enemies to bits. Moments like that, where the very complexion of a situation can be altered with the unique systems, are what make Arcade mode feel distinct and special.
Arcade isn't the only way Gears 5 attempts to make competitive multiplayer a more welcoming place for players. Gears 5 utilizes both a new ranking system, as well as new matchmaking A.I. that learns how to put players together in real time based on ping time, skill, and wait times. This means players will be matched based on which other players are the best fit in that very moment.
"We're going to have better matches for everybody all the way through this," Cleven says. "We'll be able to put people of really similar skill levels together really quickly around the same data centers, and they'll have better matches than they've ever had before. That means they're always going to find an experience that's enjoyable but still challenging. Through that skill system, as they get better, it's going to create matches that are appropriate to where they are now. Then, whenever they jump to a new game mode, it's going to relearn how they play, then craft matches based on how they're performing in that mode as opposed to just a global system."
Fixing The Lancer
In Gears of War 4, shotgunners often ruled the battlefield. With powerful weapons like the Gnasher rewarding skillful and speedy play, weapons like the Lancer were often left in a supporting role. The Coalition wanted to change that, so it fundamentally altered its gunplay for rifles. Inspired by games like Counter-Strike, The Coalition rebuilt its recoil system to rely more on skill to be effective.
Past games featured what design director of multiplayer Ryan Cleven describes as a "bloom-style bullet pattern," where rapidly firing your rifle simply makes it less accurate as the spread increases. With Gears 5, the franchise debuts a new fixed-recoil pattern for each rifle. Instead of simply becoming less accurate as you fire round after round, your rifle now lifts in a standard pattern, allowing for skilled players to predict how a rapidly fired rifle will behave and compensate for it.
"We wanted to bring a higher skill level to the rifle game to complement the really high-skill shotgun game we've got," Cleven says. "Now, the rifle is really a precision weapon with a high skill gap that players can use."
Escalating Stakes
Explicitly attempting to court a more casual fan base may seem like it will inevitably alienate the most hardcore players, but The Coalition has even more in store for its most skilled competitors. Starting with big changes to its esports-focused Escalation mode, which was introduced in Gears of War 4, and extending to sweeping meta changes that make the Lancer and other rifles more viable, skill-based options in battle, the competitive suite looks to cater to the series' die-hard audience like never before.
The core of Escalation remains largely intact: Two teams of five duke it out for control of three areas on a map over the course of several rounds with standardized loadouts. Now, instead of only the losing team placing the same powerful weapon for the two teams at the end of the round, both teams get to pick a weapon to spawn on the map in the next round. In addition, teams have upgrade trees, which allow for more powerful weapons to appear from round to round.
"This really lets teams express their own strategies instead of the more limited approach we had with [the first version of] Escalation," Cleven says. "With this enriched meta of being able to place the weapons you want, upgrading your own loadout weapons, and being able to deny the other team weapons, it really allows for a much more expressive meta."
In the first iteration of Escalation, players would respawn after death based on a timer. Each round, that timer would increase. However, in Gears 5, that system is turned upside down. Instead of automatically respawning, players are given a limited number of respawns to use during the entire match. That means if a round is close and you die, you can choose to consume one of your respawns to return to action and hopefully secure the round for your team. However, if it's a blowout one way or the other, you can preserve your respawns and either rest on your team's laurels or live to fight another day depending on the situation.
"We wanted lives to matter," Cleven says. "Every life the player is putting on the field, they get to choose if they want to respawn, so they better make it count. It's about momentum; at the beginning you have five respawns, and if you lose them, you can lose momentum, and the other team's going to know it and they're going to force you to play out your lives in ways you don't want to so you'll ultimately end up empty on the field."
As I play through Gears 5's upgraded Escalation mode, it's clear that communication and coordination is critical to success. Playing alongside top-level Gears of War players, I hear constant chatter about which hill to contest and which to concede. It's obvious that with this level of coordination and how fast-paced it is, it's a mode best enjoyed with a team you're familiar and comfortable with.
According to Cleven, Escalation isn't built for players to jump right into, but rather a potential final destination for Gears 5 versus players. "If you imagine a ladder or a pyramid, [Escalation] definitely is the top end for skill in the game," Cleven says. "Going from [tutorial mode] Boot Camp into Arcade, where you can jump in and jump out, learn all the weapons, you can go into our core modes, which are our more classic modes. There you'll see all the deeper, regular mechanic skills that you'll need for Escalation. Then, after you've been playing for a while, you've met some people online or you've brought some friends along, you've started to put together a smaller group of people that you play with regularly, you move into Escalation, and that's where you really demonstrate your mastery of Gears of War. We don't see it as, 'Hey, you're going to jump right into Escalation.' What we want to do is take you on a journey from never having seen Gears of War before, expose you to the basics, build your skillset up, and allow you to express that in Escalation."
Injecting Esports
Gears 5 was created with a heavy emphasis on esports. This past weekend, the game had its first esports event in collaboration with Eleague. For Gears 5 esports, the developer is adding a pro league and an amateur league, and even adding regions and a new format. In addition, Gears 5 is partnering with PGL, the event organizer behind the Dota 2 International tournament, to deliver high-quality live events.
"We started esports at Gears of War through community-driven efforts, and then we moved it into starting to do actual pro circuits," Rose Gunson, creative manager of Gears Esports at The Coalition says. "Now we're growing into this phase where we're getting to the point that you can see that it's taking off and we're starting to be known as a top-tier esport. That's where we want to take it, because we believe Gears of War is more interesting and entertaining to watch than so many other games out there."
It remains to be seen if Gears 5 can truly become a top-tier esport. However, through the various changes being brought to Escalation, the series' esports-centric mode, plus its various gunplay alterations and the partnerships the team is forging with top-tier esports organizations, it has a solid foundation for the team to build on going forward.
Multiplayer design director Ryan Cleven thinks The Coalition has taken an approach that could help accomplish this objective. "We see [Escalation] as the demonstration that our studio can not only evolve Gears of War, but actively contribute to the design of esports games on the broader landscape," he says. "We hope that we put forward ideas that will be referenced by people that make other games, and that fans of other franchises will say, 'Hey, Gears of War is doing this really interesting thing with esports.' That's something that, through the journey The Coalition has taken with Gears of War, was not present when we got it. When we started with Gears 4 in the beginning, there was no real esports core to that game, and through Gears 4 and the learnings we've had there, and the augmentation we've done with Gears 5, it's really been a giant leap for esports inside the Gears community."
ELeague's stage in Turner Studios, which played host to the premiere Gears 5 esports event this past weekend in Atlanta
Gears of War matches play out in gruesome, bombastic manner, with competitors blowing each other's heads off or beating them mercilessly as they lay defenseless on the ground. This kind of gameplay style draws larger-than-life personalities, and trash talk to match.
I see this over-the-top trash talk on display as I watch some top-level community members and former pros scrimmage ahead of the Gears 5 Esports debut in Turner Studios' ELeague stage in Atlanta, Ga. Even in a no-stakes match, players are screaming across the room at each other, and yelling in jubilation or misery with every kill. "You can watch the passion, the trash talk, the in-your-face, visceral, emotional experience that you would want to see in a physical sport, but at the same time you're watching a game. That's Gears of War Esports," Gunson says.
Such behavior can be attractive to hardcore players and even viewers, but it could simultaneously work against the newcomers The Coalition hopes to attract through modes like Arcade. Skill gap is but one hurdle for fostering a welcome environment for these new players, and if a new player sees this level of trash talk on the game's biggest stages, it could turn them off from trying the game, thinking that if they hop into a lobby, they'll encounter similar behavior from its everyday players. Regardless of that potential drawback, Gunson is correct; watching the over-the-top reactions from the esports players is entertaining purely from a viewership perspective, and even if you tune that out, high-level Gears 5 play is a speedy, stirring sight to behold.
Keeping It Together
While Arcade and Escalation were the emphasis on my hands-on time with Gears 5's multiplayer, I also had the chance to play a bit of a Gears mainstay: King of the Hill. While this isn't an all-new mode like Arcade, nor does it feature the game-changing alterations of Escalation, the multiple matches I played reminded me just how much fun the pre-existing multiplayer modes already are. In addition to Arcade, Escalation, and King of the Hill, players can also look forward to other modes like Arms Race, Dodgeball, Execution, Guardian, Team Deathmatch, and Warzone.
To top it all off, The Coalition has changed its approach to post-release content. Gears of War 4 gave every map to players for matchmaking, but if they wanted to have it for private matches on dedicated servers, they needed to purchase it. Gears 5 does away with even that requirement, giving every player the entire collection of maps, whether in matchmaking or on private servers, for free.
"That was one of the most successful things we did in Gears of War 4: making sure everyone had all of the maps for matchmaking," Cleven says. "That's a really healthy thing for keeping the community together. Even in Gears 4, we knew that splintering people to who have which DLC just isn't healthy for an online game. We think that's definitely something that we've seen in community sentiment as well as the data we've seen with the game."
Gears 5's map builder
Additionally, the way players earn content is split into three separate categories. The Tour of Duty is a category of free items that are exclusively earnable through completing specific objectives in-game. Supply is another category of free items that are doled out on the basis of time played in Gears 5; while the milestones aren't finalized, players can expect to receive a single piece of customization for every hour or so of time spent playing. The final category, the Store, uses a purchasable, premium currency called iron. This paid content category consists of cosmetic customization content. Content in each category is exclusive, meaning you can't spend money to earn items in Tour of Duty, just as you can't earn items in the Store through in-game objectives.
However, multiplayer hero characters introduced after launch will eschew that notion, meaning they can be either earned or purchased. The reasoning for this is because a new character goes beyond cosmetic elements to deliver gameplay across various competitive and cooperative modes; unlocking or buying a hero character adds them and their new class to Escape, Horde, and Arcade. This process allows players who want to earn the character without spending money the ability to do so through gameplay, but also lets those who may not have the time to go through the requirements to just spend the money to add that character to their roster do so.
Cosmetic Superiority
Gears 5 plans on delivering a substantial amount of content both at launch and for a long time after. While multiplayer maps are given to all players for free, cosmetic content can either be earned through in-game objectives or time spent playing, or purchased in the store. Here is the kind of cosmetic content players can expect to see in Gears 5.
- Weapon Skins - Change the look of your weapon
- Character Skins - Change the look of your character
- Mark Icons - A custom symbol that appears to your team over the head of an enemy you spot and call out
- Executions - Combine weapon-specific executions with other weapons. Ever wonder what the Dropshot execution looks like when done with a Lancer?
- Bloodsprays - From smiley faces to sayings, these sprays appear on the ground to tell everyone that you executed an enemy in that spot
- Expressions - Emotes you can apply to a character so they do an animation and voice line. Some are animation only, some are voice only
"We've gone through the entire RNG pack-based ecosystem inside of Gears 4 into this direct purchase, no lootbox-for-purchase monetization style in Gears 5," Cleven says. "We think that's much closer to what the community is looking for. We think we're actually ahead of the industry there in terms of letting go of some of the things people don't like and really giving people the experience they're looking for."
With such a large collection of competitive modes, some of which feature big changes, it's easy to forget Gears 5 also features the other two pillars the franchise has featured since 2008's Gears of War 2: campaign and Horde. In addition, the team introduced a fourth tentpole mode at E3 2019 in the new PvE Escape mode, as well as new map-building and sharing tools. The map builder will launch with support for Escape, but the team wants to expand it to competitive and Horde soon after launch. Cleven says the team would love to see what kinds of Horde and versus maps the community can come up with.
Gears 5's Escape mode
"We want to learn from the community and how they want the map builder to grow," Cleven says. "You'll always have to use tiles like Escape's map builder, but we can imagine experiences that we as designers that make Gears of War would never think of because of the giant amount of creativity that exists within the community. We want to harness that, so we definitely want to bring map builder to all the multiplayer modes as soon as we can."
Gears 5 represents the largest and most diverse collection of modes in the history of the franchise, something Cleven says was only accomplished through strong teamwork. "Gears 5 is the largest Gears of War to date; it's the largest campaign ever made, the largest PvE ever made, the largest versus ever made," he says. "The team at The Coalition is an extremely talented but focused team that believes in this game. They're extremely passionate about bringing their mark, a high degree of quality, and a legacy that Gears fans will recognize. There is no magic bullet; it's trusting the people around you. [Studio head Rod Fergusson] has this saying he repeats every time we start a new project: 'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.' That's something we really believe in at the studio. We believe in trusting each other so we can get efficiency out of that."
We don't have to wait long to see how The Coalition fares with its ambitious endeavors, as Gears 5 launches on Xbox One and PC September 10.
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Publisher: BonusXPDeveloper: BonusXPRelease: July 4, 2019Rating: TeenReviewed on: SwitchAlso on: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Stranger Things is a well-executed throwback to classic ‘80s nostalgia that follows a group of kids in a small town as they solve world-threatening mysteries and try to grow up at the same time. A 16-bit callback video game is well-suited to tap that same viewership vein. The aesthetic makes the game feel like it should have been released for the Super Nintendo, but the simple action gameplay holds it back from being a worthwhile companion to one of Netflix’s biggest hits.
In Stranger Things 3: The Game (which is confusingly the second Stranger Things game), you control the main cast from an isometric perspective to explore the town of Hawkins, Indiana, and beat up monsters and bad guys as you play through the events of the third season. The story beats are identical to those of the show, but the dialogue is truncated. Playing an adaptation like this is nostalgic in its own right, as direct video game adaptations of popular media are rare these days. I enjoyed that element, but it does nothing to expand the lore, dig deeper into the characters, or show interesting beats happening outside of the main story.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe main missions are hampered by their need to hew close to the source material. They’re all fetch quests, or arbitrary moments where the characters proclaim it’s time to talk to Steve at Scoops Ahoy, or agree they should all meet at Mike’s basement. I felt I was moving around in a circle as I traveled point to point with simple puzzles and enemies serving as hurdles. A handful of sidequests exist, but they tasked me with doing boring things like killing rats in a basement, delivering pizza, or finding hidden gnomes and the payoffs were disappointing.
You play as two characters at all times, swapping between them whenever you want. You unlock additional characters every few missions, and each of the 12 has different abilities. Mike and Hopper are up-close brawlers, for example, while Will is a ranged fighter and Max’s special ability drops healing items. I enjoyed trying different combinations, but also appreciated that you can use whoever you want at any time, even if it doesn’t fit with the story. That freedom extends up to the end boss, when I was forced to use a pair of characters I had learned early weren’t for me.
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Despite having different strategic options available with various characters, the moment-to-moment combat is bland. Depending on your attack range, you just press the attack button a bunch and then move to the next enemy. When lots of enemies are on-screen you use your special ability, but that’s about it. I didn’t find blocking useful until the end boss, when it was forced upon me as a necessary mechanic. The geometry of the levels often made it harder to attack enemies than it should have been. I would get stuck on corners or they would be out of reach when they didn’t appear to be.
The upgrade system disappoints, only giving you five upgrade slots shared among the 12 characters. I switched characters often, so I didn’t like equipping upgrades that benefited single characters. I ended up using the ones that granted universal bonuses, like extra health or extra walking speed, which were consequently the most boring ones. You craft the various upgrades by finding items in the environment or buying them from shops and vending machines, but I always seemed to be short on items and money, despite destroying every breakable item in every location.
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No online multiplayer options are available, but local co-op exists. Playing with a friend is functional, but it splits the screen as opposed to letting both players control their character on a single screen. The scrunched screen makes it more chaotic, but having the option to play with a friend is always welcome, even if caveats exist.
As someone who enjoys Stranger Things, walking around a pixelated version of Hawkins’ familiar locations with characters from the show is enjoyable. Outside of the sightseeing, however, the game does little else to garner excitement. The combat doesn’t ask much of the player and the mission structure underwhelms. If you want to experience the events of Stranger Things’ third season, you’re better off sticking to the source material.
Score: 6
Summary: The combat doesn’t ask much of the player and the mission structure underwhelms. If you want to experience the events of Stranger Things’ third season, you’re better off sticking to the source material.
Concept: Take the plot and characters of the third season of Stranger Things and adapt it into a pixelated, old-school action game
Graphics: The pixel art characters and environments recall the 16-bit era in a fun way, but each character only has a few animations
Sound: Much like the show, the synthwave soundtrack sets the mood well, but the number of tracks is disappointingly small
Playability: The characters move slow (even with upgrades), combat is too simple to be interesting, and lining up attacks can sometimes be needlessly difficult
Entertainment: The video game adaptation of the popular show emulates the '80s aesthetic well, but the action is boring and the missions rarely push you to do more than move from point A to point B
Replay: Low
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Publisher: Electronic ArtsDeveloper: EA TiburonRelease: August 2, 2019Rating: Rating PendingPlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
It's the NFL off-season, so what better way to get excited for the season than speculation and conjecture on how our favorite players are going to perform in Madden 20 (out for PS4, Xbox One and PC on August 2nd). The complete player ratings for the game are out now, including the four elite players of the rarified 99 Club – Aaron Donald, Deandre Hopkins, Khalil Mack, and Bobby Wagner.
The game's official site has a handy menu you can filter to see players on each team and by position. Right now it reflects the players at launch, but this will be updated as the season progresses. Needless to say, not everyone agrees with what they are rated.
Your favorite @NFL players talk Madden Ratings
— Madden NFL 20 (@EAMaddenNFL) July 15, 2019
Click to see all of the #Madden20 Player Ratings: https://t.co/MpUmRKdxUK pic.twitter.com/A8YkGHcnOKMadden fans and NFL players alike always have something to say about the game's ratings, but this reveal is also notable within the context that Madden 20 is stretching player ratings. EA Tiburon says the goal is to not only differentiate the league's stars, but also provide a wider spread of "starter-quality" players and a larger drop-off between starters and backups.
Do you agree that Aaron Rodgers isn't a top-5 QB? A.J. Green is currently outside the WR top 10, but will he rise after returning from last year's injury? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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Hey all, we wanted to check in with some updates:
DEV TRACKER
The dev tracker was updated this week to include new issues reported that we’re tracking. Reminder that this tracker does not account for all the things currently being worked on and meant to provide visibility into some of the larger issues that we’re aware of and investigating or fixing.
We are currently working on the next client patch that is planned to go live next week. We’ll update then with status and patch notes.
Check out the dev tracker here.
CODE: LEAF/NET
First some context as to what these errors mean:
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code:leaf - the server never answered us when we asked it if we could connect
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code:net - we were on a server and it disappeared on us and stopped answering
Back at launch we had a few different things that would display an overly generic timeout error, and the problem was that it could mean 4 different things (only one of which was a true timeout). So we added 4 different error strings and put random words in each one so that we could differentiate them both at the customer support level and also on our error tracking backends.
In our 1.2 patch, users started getting this more often. The consistent report is that it happens after an extended time on the Kings Canyon load screen just after a match starts.
The vast majority of players reporting the error are getting code:leaf. This means the backend created a match, our servers successfully talked to one another, we sent users there, and the player never got an answer from that new server.
We then gathered enough data to prove that servers don't think clients are timing out, but clients think servers are timing out. That was a strange finding. We also verified that we aren’t launching matches that are partially full - so code:leaf seems to hit every single player on that match server, not just some players.
So we’ve been investigating a lot of situations that could be causing this and working our way through theories to see what it could be and steadily eliminating possibilities. In addition to the work ongoing on our end, we’ve also been working with Multiplay and data teams to gather more telemetry.
We’ll keep you all updated on progress as we continue to work on this.
CHEATING
We know reports of cheaters, especially in Ranked, have been a hot topic so this week we also wanted to provide a little visibility into some of the work that’s been going on behind the scenes to combat cheating:
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Using machine learning to create behavior models that detect and auto ban cheaters.
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Requiring TFA in certain regions on high risk accounts.
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Improving detection that identifies and bans new spam accounts before they are used.
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Ongoing work to adapt to new cheats.
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Matchmaking that matches detected cheaters and spammers together.
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Investigating how people party up for matches. Even if you are not specifically using a cheat, partying up with cheaters is still cheating.
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Increasing resources whether that be people or tech.
As we’ve said before, the war against cheaters will be ongoing and remains a high priority for us. There will always be work to do, improvements to make, and new things to adapt to. We’d like to thank the players that have been getting involved with helping us squash cheaters over the last week whether it be submitting reports or assisting with the vetting process for suspicious behavior.
If you encounter a cheater you can report them here. If you can please try to capture video proof as well.
Understand that we are not going to discuss the details of a specific ban with players on any public forums. If you feel that you have been wrongly banned you can appeal it here.
ESPN EXP EVENT
Yesterday streamers, athletes, and celebs competed in a fun live event to raise money for The V Foundation. The players put on a great show and if you didn’t get a chance to watch the livestream last night you can check out the VOD here.
TWITCH PRIME LOOT
Starting today you can grab the next skin in the roster by linking your Twitch Prime account here. This time it’s Bangalore rocking the Dino Dynamo rare skin. And don’t forget to grab Wattson L-Star skins as well if you haven’t yet.
Claim the skins here. https://twitch.amazon.com/prime/loot/apexlegends/?ref_=SM_OM_APEX2_2019_CRWN
PATCH NEXT WEEK
We are currently working to release a client patch next week and will discuss the details of the fixes coming with it in the patch notes then.
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ELeague's stage in Turner Studios, which played host to the premiere Gears 5 esports event this past weekend in Atlanta
Gears 5's map builder
Gears 5's Escape mode
Dr. Mario World Review – A Spoonful Of Sugar
in Game Reviews
Posted
Tetris gets the most love of all the Game Boy puzzle games, but when Dr. Mario released on Nintendo’s portable system in 1990, it chewed through its fair share of batteries. Nintendo has revisited its virus-crushing puzzle game several times over the years, but now that the series has migrated to mobile devices, Nintendo has flipped the concept on its head. Now pills slowly float toward the top of the screen, but this is only the first of many new features that make Dr. Mario World one of the most notable entries in the series.
Like previous incarnations of Dr. Mario, you eliminate all viruses on a board by matching them to rows of multi-colored pills. In World, you get to choose how many pills to toss out and when, and you can hold onto pills after you’ve thrown them to prevent them from moving. I appreciated this new slower pace, which allows plenty of time to plan an attack. At the same time, Dr. Mario World still offers frantic moments; after making a match, you can move any free-floating pill pieces and use them to make new matches, and the resulting scrambles are exhilarating as you work fast to make the most out of your limited stock.
Click here to watch embedded mediaDr. Mario World currently contains five worlds and more than 200 total levels, and I was pleasantly surprised at how the action evolves. In some stages, viruses are frozen in ice and require a couple of hits before they disappear, while other viruses are locked in cages and can’t be destroyed until you break the lock on another area of the screen. A few stages even shift your focus away from the viruses and ask you to smash blocks to find hidden coins. As Nintendo mixes and matches all these elements, Dr. Mario World begins to feel less like a puzzle game and more like a strategy game, but that isn’t a bad thing. I loved calculating which viruses or objects I needed to attack first and then setting up combos as I crossed my fingers and waited with baited breath for the right colored pill to come my way.
While Dr. Mario remains the title character, he’s now joined by a bigger cast of doctors and assistants. Every doctor has their own unique abilities. For example, Dr. Mario can eradicate the lowest row of viruses on the board, while Dr. Toad eliminates both virus and pills at 10 random locations. Assistants provide smaller buffs, such as boosting your score or giving you a small percentage chance of eliminating a few viruses at the start of a stage. You can bring one doctor and two assistants into any stage; their abilities are incredibly useful, and making good use of them means the difference between victory and defeat.
Unfortunately, like a real infection, some of the additions to this mobile version aren’t welcome. Dr. Mario World is a free-to-play game, which means the monetization is baked into the gameplay. Hearts are a currency you must spend to play a level. If you beat the level, you get that heart back. Otherwise, they replenish at the rate of one every 30 minutes. If you’re playing well, you can continue without consequence. But if you get hung up on a level or have a string of bad plays, you are forced to stop and wait for your hearts to refresh. Of course, you are encouraged to refill those hearts by spending real money on gems, which earn you more hearts. They can also be used to give you more time or pills on harder levels, or redeemed for new doctors and assistants. I’m disappointed that even Dr. Mario isn’t hearty enough to stave off this kind of microtransaction infection, but I only ran out of hearts a handful of times, and I never felt like the pay mechanics were too aggressive.
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Even if you do run out of hearts, you can always play in Versus mode and pit your virus-crunching skills against other players online. This mode features all the same color matching mechanics from single player, but as you match viruses you have the opportunity to attack your opponent by throwing viruses onto their screen. This mode is a nice diversion, and I was happy to be able to play the game when I’d run out of hearts, but I spent most of my time in the single-players worlds.
Despite the monetization method, Dr. Mario World is a fun puzzle game, and the World moniker signifies that this is more than just another Dr. Mario remix. This is the most dramatic reinvention of Dr. Mario since the series’ inception, and I often had trouble putting my phone down before the battery ran dry. Nintendo plans to update this game with new levels down the road, so this is one flu season I look forward to revisiting.
Score: 8.75
Summary: sdfa
Concept: Reimagine Mario’s pill-focused puzzler by turning it on its head and adding a host of creative new mechanics
Graphics: The art is cutesy and simple, but it gets the job done
Sound: Most of the music is catchy, but the new stuff is nowhere near as memorable as the classics Fever and Chill, which have been remixed here
Playability: Dr. Mario has always been simple to pick up and play, but this mobile incarnation makes it even easier to drag pills around the screen with only a finger
Entertainment: Dr. Mario World’s new mechanics add a lot of strategic elements to the classic formula, but the series remains as engaging as ever
Replay: High
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