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Find out what’s dropping into the Apex armory in Season 2, straight from Principal Weapons Designer Sean Slayback.
Join the AHQ Discussion on the Season 2 Weapons Update HERE.
Hey everyone! I'm Sean Slayback, the principal weapons designer on Apex Legends at Respawn. The weapons team and I are excited to share some info about weapons in Season 2, so let's get into it!
New Weapon: The L-STAR Arrives
This season we're introducing the L-STAR, a rare and powerful LMG. This weapon fires large, high-damage plasma projectiles at a fast cyclic rate. The L-STAR is joining the Mastiff and Kraber in airdrop packages, and quite frankly, it's a beast.
The L-STAR's unique projectiles are much larger than those fired by other weapons in Apex. Players need to lead targets more at range to compensate for the L-STAR's slower projectiles, but on the flip side, they don't have to aim quite as precisely to get good effect on target.
All this plasma-fueled power comes at a price: the L-STAR will overheat if players hold the trigger down too long. When the L-STAR overheats, its lens breaks and needs to be replaced, which takes some time. Expert players learn to feather the trigger with short/medium bursts, taking short breaks to let the weapon cool down.
The L-STAR only spawns in airdrops (like the Mastiff and the Kraber), and comes with a limited ammo supply that can't be refilled.
Get out there, hunt some airdrops, and let us know what you think of our newest high-tech addition to the Armory.
New Hop-Ups!
This season, we wanted to bring up the low end of the power curve a little, increase situational viability for lesser-used weapons, and create more interplay between weapons. So, we created a couple of new hop-ups:
Disruptor Rounds
- Increased shielded damage.
- compatibility: Alternator, RE-45
Hammerpoint Rounds
- Increased unshielded damage.
- compatibility: P2020, Mozambique
Ideally players will consider one of these hopped-up small arms for weapon-swap tactics, and sometimes carry them unironically into endgame situations.
New Attachments: Energy Mags
Energy Mag attachments have been added for the Havoc, Devotion, and Triple Take, adding more loot gameplay and power curve depth. Like the other magazine attachments, Energy Mags increase ammo capacity (at all levels) and reduce reload time (at level 2 and above).
Power Up
We buffed some less-popular weapons to make them more powerful within their designed roles. Look out for buffs to the Flatline, P2020, Alternator, and Triple Take, with specific details outlined in our S2 patch notes.
Arc Star: Spikes & Sticks
Since launch, the Arc Star has seemed "spikey" to us. (To us, this means that the gameplay and personality are good, but it can sometimes feel unfair to use or fight against.) We did a few targeted tweaks:
- Increased ignition delay from 2.5 to 2.8
- Sticking a full health player will now down them
- Players at the edge of the explosion no longer get their shields completely shredded
Gold Weapons
Players can look forward to finding a totally new set of gold weapons in Kings Canyon for the start of season 2. Look out for the final list in the Season 2 patch notes.
Ammo Stack Sizes
Apex players need to strike a fine balance between loading their backpacks with ammo, and holding other items for emergency or utility purposes. In a couple cases, we felt the stack sizes weren't well-balanced, so we tweaked:
- Shotgun max stack reduced from 64 to 16. Players now need multiple stacks of ammo to run a shotty.
- Energy max stack increased from 60 to 80 - now matches Light/ Heavy ammo.
Airdrop Weapons
Airdrop packages now use different loot tables for different phases of the game (early/ mid/ late). For example, players will find more Krabers in early and mid-game airdrops, while endgame airdrops should spawn more Mastiffs.
And, of course, these loot tables now include the L-STAR plasma LMG!
Season 2 Starts July 2!
Beyond the changes mentioned here, the weapon team still has a few tweaks up our sleeves for Season 2, so look out for our patch notes when the season starts on July 2!
And as always, from the entire Apex Legends team, thanks for playing.
Play Apex Legends for free* now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Origin for PC.
Follow Apex Legends on Twitter and Instagram, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out our forums.
Sign up for our newsletter today to receive the latest Apex Legends news, updates, behind-the-scenes content, exclusive offers, and more (including other EA news, products, events, and promotions) by email.
(Source) Join the AHQ Discussion on the Season 2 Weapons Update HERE.
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Hello lefterisl,
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.
lefterisl joined on the 06/27/2019.
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Publisher: The Pokemon CompanyDeveloper: DeNARelease: 2019Platform: iOS, Android
During a Pokémon-themed stream last May, The Pokémon Company revealed Game Freak and Dena were joining forces to create a mobile Pokémon title about fighting classic gym leaders and trainers from the series, called Pokémon Masters. Since the reveal, there's been little news about the title. That changed this morning with an eight-minute trailer dedicated to breaking down what you'll actually be doing in the game.
After a lengthy animated sequence featuring fan-favorite trainers like Brock, the trailer broke down the premise. Masters takes place on an artificial tropical island called Paiso, where trainers are competing in a tournament. In Masters, trainers only have one Pokémon with them as opposed to a whole cache. The battle-focused game will have the player teaming up with other trainers, all classic characters from the anime and games, to pursue badges and enter the tournament.
You can watch the whole trailer right here:
Click here to watch embedded mediaFor more on Pokémon, read our impressions of this year's Pokémon Go Fest.
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Hello devastator,
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.
devastator joined on the 06/27/2019.
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Publisher: NintendoDeveloper: Platinum GamesRelease: August 30, 2019Platform: Switch
Astral Chain impressed us when it was shown at E3, but unfortunately wasn't playable outside of Nintendo's own Treehouse Live videos. The new game from Nier: Automata's gameplay director, however, definitely looks fast and frantic, which is trademark design for PlatinumGames. During their E3 press conference, Nintendo chose to showcase a bit of the story, which looks like it might last quite a bit longer than just one game.
In an interview with IGN Beneluxe, director Takahisa Taura was asked about whether he is planning any post-launch DLC for the game which releases in a few months. Taura says it would be unnecessary, seeing as he has been planning Astral Chain as a trilogy, but that's never a guaranteed proposition. The first game would have to sell well for future installments to come to fruition.
This doesn't necessarily mean that the story will be incomplete in the first game, but don't be surprised if there's a cliffhanger at the end of it all. I'm already suspecting there will be a last minute betrayal or a new villain showing up after the credits.
Astral Chain releases on August 30 for Nintendo Switch.
[Source: IGN]
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Publisher: SEGADeveloper: SEGARelease: June 21, 2019Reviewed on: PlayStation 4
Kamurocho is no stranger to violence, but a recent series of murders is unsettling even for the crime-riddled Tokyo neighborhood. In a particularly gruesome calling card, the killer gouges out the eyes of his victims. Thankfully, Takayuki Yagami is on the case. An attorney-turned-detective, he has the credentials and tenacity to bring justice where it’s needed – no matter how far the investigation may take him. His methods might get results, but they’re ultimately overshadowed by the strong story and engaging world-building.
Developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is known for its Yakuza series, and Judgment is effectively a new Yakuza game in all but name. It takes place in the same place Kazuma Kiryu and company have called home for more than a decade, but the similarities don’t end there. Animations, side activities, and other elements have been directly transferred over to this new title. The Yakuza franchise is great, but trying to keep track of its characters and plot (which span seven massive games) is a like trying to sip from a fire hose. Judgment is a completely fresh narrative start that doesn’t require – or even reward – previous Yakuza experience. All you need to really need to know is that gangsters run this town, and the officials may be even bigger crooks.
Click here to watch embedded mediaJudgment’s big bullet-point addition is how it leans into the detective fantasy. Yagami’s agency is small, so he takes on a variety of mundane cases (such as tracking down missing items or an underpants-stealing creep) in addition to the larger, overarching murder investigation. That element is split into several main components, and some are stronger than others. The worst are the tailing missions, where you follow people without letting their suspicion meters fill. They’re tedious and overlong, and they’re also an unfortunately common part of investigations. Conceptually, I liked the parts where you examine crime scenes for hidden details, which you use to put together a hypothesis on what happened. The actual stakes are disappointingly low, however; you’re free to blunder your way through the dialogue options with no penalties, aside from some embarrassed text responses a slight ding to your experience bonus. The real consequences happen in battle, oddly enough.
Yagami might not be a member of a crime family, but that doesn’t mean he’s safe as a civilian. Even before getting involved in the deeper mystery, he’s constantly getting hassled and attacked. Thankfully, he’s a solid brawler, and beating down thugs is dependably fun. He has a couple of fighting styles at his disposal, so you can take out crowds with swooping crane attacks or lash out at individual opponents with his tiger form. Judgment adds a wrinkle to the familiar framework with the introduction of mortal wounds. Tougher enemies can wreak additional havoc on the player by targeting Yagami’s lifebar. If these attacks are successful, your maximum health is sapped until you see a doctor or use a rare item. Both are expensive solutions, and it’s quite possible to have neither one available during the frequent (and lengthy) set-piece encounters. It’s an oddly punitive touch for a game that’s so generous to players otherwise.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
Kamurocho has plenty to offer when you’re not busy tracking down criminals. The biggest side activity is drone racing, which gives Yagami something else to do with his toy beyond spying on people. I went all-in on the mode, completing optional missions to get the best possible parts, though you don’t have to engage with racing if it’s not your thing. I wasn’t as excited about a lame virtual virtual-reality minigame, where you roll dice to maneuver on a weird life-sized playfield and get items for cash. That’s in addition to the array of casino games, arcade games, and other diversions at your fingertips when you’re ready to take a break.
Even though I wasn’t in love with all of Yagami’s investigatory tools, I had a great time seeing the Yakuza formula from a fresh perspective. Judgment tells a sprawling, action-packed story that veers dangerously close to melodrama without falling apart. It has some genuinely shocking moments, and proves that you don’t need Kiryu or Majima as tour guides to have a great time in Kamurocho.
Score: 8
Summary: This Yakuza spinoff proves that you don’t need Kiryu or Majima as tour guides to have a great time in Kamurocho.
Concept: Use your detective skills to stop a serial murderer in a new game from the studio behind the Yakuza series
Graphics: Kamurocho’s familiar streets look as good as ever, and they’re packed with detail
Sound: You can listen to the story in either English or Japanese, with full dubs in both languages. Either way, the performances are solid
Playability: Combat is engaging and responsive, but some of the detective-oriented tasks are clunky
Entertainment: Judgment is a Yakuza game in all but name, offering the same dizzying array of action, side content, and a lengthy (and convoluted) story
Replay: Moderately high
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Hello djfern2501,
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.
djfern2501 joined on the 06/26/2019.
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Publisher: SEGADeveloper: Ace TeamRelease: July 10, 2019Rating: EveryonePlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
In 1990, an SNES game called ActRaiser ambitiously paired 2D side-scrolling platforming with city-building simulation for the Super Nintendo. That classic was published by Enix, but now, Sega and developer Ace Team are trying to pair these genres once again in the newly announced title SolSeraph. You can check out the blending of styles in the announcement trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaTaking the form of Helios, the Knight of Dawn, players wage war against evil in a 2D platforming environment. Traveling throughout the world's five regions, Helios encounters five tribes who need help in dealing with the encroaching monsters. To assist the tribes build their villages and armies, players assume the form of a bird to create new facilities and expand the population. The more ground you take in 2D mode, the fewer attacks your tribes have to endure in strategy mode. In turn, the more you expand your territory, the more monster dens are be uncovered. The two genres work in tandem to create what looks to be a true spiritual successor to ActRaiser.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
SolSeraph is set to launch for digital download on Playstation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on July 10th. The price is set at $14.99.
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HBO's Game of Thrones may have come to an end last month, but the diehard fan base remains hungry for new ways to spend time in Westeros. Developer Behaviour Interactive, whose past work includes Dead by Daylight and Fallout Shelter, is working with HBO and GAEA to give players a new mobile title called Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall.
Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall allows players assume control of their own castle of the Night's Watch to defend Westeros. To do so, they must collect characters from the series and play through various modes using turn-based strategic combat. The game begins a few decades before the TV show, following the disappearance of Bloodraven, Lord Commander Brynden Rivers.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
Using the Weirwood Trees, players move through history, visiting key moments in the Game of Thrones timeline. Using this power, players can collect different costumed versions of iconic characters like Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Jaime Lannister, Melisandre, Tormund Giantsbane, and more through in-game events. Once these characters are collected, they can be used across several different game modes.
The game features an original narrative that enables players to delve deeper into the Game of Thrones world. Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall is set to come to iOS and Android sometime this year. If you'd like to get in on the action as soon as possible, you can pre-register on the official website. Those who pre-register will receive bonus characters and items when they start the game.
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Publisher: NintendoDeveloper: NintendoRelease: June 28, 2019Reviewed on: Switch
Before Super Mario Maker’s release on Wii U in 2015, making Mario levels was a privilege that belonged exclusively to Nintendo designers. Today, perhaps the initial charm of placing your own question mark blocks has worn away, but Super Mario Maker 2 does plenty to expand and improve the experience.
Super Mario Maker 2 looks, plays, and functions similar to its predecessor, which is still one of the most fun creation games ever released. Complicated elements like enemy A.I. and setting start and end points for levels are all taken care of for you, which frees you up to focus on the fun part: laying out the building blocks of the level. The menus are generally the same as the first game, and the core building blocks return. The tools, like seeing Mario’s trail in create mode to identify proper jump distances, are all back, which is a great. The big updates for the sequel are mostly additions as opposed to sweeping changes.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe 3D World template is the only new visual style at your disposal, and it doesn’t mesh seamlessly with the other templates (Super Mario Bros., 3, World, and NSMBU). You can swap between the old templates in a snap without changing the design of your levels, but changing to or from 3D World resets everything. Not being able to swap templates as easily is disappointing, but the new tools exclusive to 3D World are worth the technical limitation. The Koopa Troopa Car is entirely new to Mario in general, and locks the player into a very fast auto-run. It is used to create high-speed (and incredibly entertaining) platforming challenges.
Other big additions include the long-requested ability to incorporate slopes, which are a lot of fun. You also have tools to create more vertical levels and unique clear conditions, which leads to some of my favorite levels. This means you can craft and play scenarios where players can’t touch the ground, or they must collect 100 coins, adding a fun layer of challenge and puzzle-solving I enjoyed.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
The process of making levels feels familiar, and while I do miss the Wii U’s stylus, both the touchscreen in handheld mode and using the on-screen cursor in docked mode work well. You are unfortunately forced to use the touchscreen when playing handheld mode, which is a confusing and annoying limitation. Radial menus have been integrated for selecting the various tools, and it makes the process move a little faster, which I appreciate. Creating in co-op is a little unwieldy and has its own learning curve for figuring out which player can do what, but working locally with a friend to make levels together is great.
Finding levels to play from other creators is easy, and seeing the Mii of the creator and the clothing they’ve decided to wear adds a lot of personality. You can also use stamps, write, and draw reviews for others’ levels with commenting tools originally seen in the Miiverse. As a fan of the Miiverse who was sad to see it go, I am happy to see it living on in Super Mario Maker 2.
Playing local co-op requires you download the level, which is a bothersome but admittedly small hurdle, and I ran into the same issues as your typical co-op Mario game. Sometimes having others around is a hindrance, but the chaos can also be part of the fun. I ran into lots of levels that weren’t designed with co-op in mind, making them awkward to play, but I like having the option even if it isn’t ideal. Only being able to play online with random players at launch is a bummer, but I had so much fun on my own and with the rest of the game that the limited co-op options didn’t hinder my overall experience.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
The Nintendo-created levels, found in the story mode, are much more substantial this time around. Unlocking new clothes for your Mii and seeing Peach’s castle grow as you complete levels is a nice incentive, and the levels are all fun. The creation tools, like Undodog, are also integrated into the story in goofy ways. The more than 100 levels function as solid Mario levels, good examples of how to use the new tools, and occasionally let you play with mechanics that have never been used in Mario games before, which was a fun surprise.
Super Mario Maker 2 is not a radical reinvention of the original Mario Maker, but it earns the “2” in its title with a story mode full of great Mario levels, worthwhile additions to the creation toolset, and new options for playing and creating cooperatively. The future is bright for Super Mario Maker 2, and I can’t wait to see what the community makes with it. But even at this starting line, I had plenty of Mario to play and enjoy.
Score: 8.75
Summary: Mario Maker 2 is not a radical reinvention of the original, but it earns the “2” in its title with a great story mode, worthwhile additions to the creation toolset, and co-op.
Concept: Make more Mario with expanded tools and templates, and play more Mario with lots of Nintendo-created levels in a full story mode
Graphics: Mario looks great in all his renditions, and the user interface (an important element for games in the creation genre) is clean and easy to read
Sound: The Mario themes from various eras of the plumber’s career all sound great. The sound effects related to building levels are particularly charming
Playability: Mario’s platforming is identical to how it feels in his normal adventures, which is superb. I missed the Wii U’s stylus for creation, but both the touchscreen and cursor-based controls feel smooth
Entertainment: Building your own Mario levels isn’t as exciting as it was in 2015 on Wii U, but the story mode is a lot of fun and the new tools lead to some novel experiences
Replay: High
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Hello ondicol,
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.
ondicol joined on the 06/26/2019.
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Publisher: Square EnixDeveloper: Crystal Dynamics, Eidos MontrealRelease: May 15, 2020Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
When Avengers debuted at Square Enix's E3 conference earlier this month, a lot of people were left scratching their heads. While clearly there was a lot of money behind the title, we got a better sense of how the voice actors feel about their characters than about the structure of the game. Today, Marvel released a new interview with Crystal Dynamics head Scot Amos, which lets slip a few more details about the game.
Considering it is a Marvel interview, it is obviously very edited and prepared, but for people still confused about how the game actually works, Amos is pretty open about it. There is a single-player campaign that eventually and inevitably feeds into the online multiplayer as you make progress.
"Yes, the entire campaign, the core campaign is actually designed to give everybody a chance to get with these heroes. As you unlock these heroes and go through the core campaign, you'll actually experience every one of them." Amos says, explaining the delineation between single- and multiplayer. "And as you unlock them, they become available to use online. You can also just go straight online after you play that first mission, and play with your friends and start unlocking other heroes. It's imperative to us that people actually have a chance to get to know these characters, get to play with our unique take on them, but then also have this expansive world that can be played single player.
"If you want to play by yourself, we let you do that," Amos clarifies. "But there's also content that, when you get together with your friends, you can assemble online. There's things that you get to do that you wouldn’t have been able to do without your friends. I think there’s a beautiful blend. We'll have this world that expands with more and more missions, more and more regions to explore, and new Super Heroes. And the majority of that can be played solo, but there are also things that will scratch that multi-player itch."
The idea, Amos says, is to let players play the game for as long as they want, even if it's forever. At their press conference, Square Enix suggested they would be adding heroes post-launch, which would fit with this games as a service model Amos seems to be implying here.
How do you feel about what Square Enix has shown for the Avengers? Are you excited for it? Let us know below in the comments. Marvel's Avengers releases on May 15 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia, and PC.
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Publisher: SNKDeveloper: SNKRelease: June 27, 2019Reviewed on: PlayStation 4Also on: Xbox One, Switch, PC
Samurai Shodown showcases the highs and lows of the fighting genre as a whole. At its best, it’s a powerful lesson in learning and reacting to another player, as victory doesn’t require you to learn jargon or memorize long combos. But it flounders without that other human player, hindered by a scant single-player offering and a decent-but-basic approach to online play.
Fights in Samurai Shodown are deliberate, relying on a combination of careful offense, intricate defense, and risky gambles. Most attacks don’t flow into each other, and what combos exist are only two or three moves long. Because of this, matches become tense staredowns punctuated by single blows that sink into your opponent with a satisfying display of blood.
On the flip side, damage and risk in Samurai Shodown strike a dynamic balance. Light attacks can get you out of a bad situation, but only tickle your opponent’s health bar. Heavy attacks and certain special moves leave you wide open if you bungle them. Learning defense is incredibly valuable, as a well-guarded player can block, dodge, or deflect attacks from overeager attackers. You can also roll out of the way of knockdowns, which helps reset the situation after someone lands an attack. In fact, it’s often best to wait for your opponent to commit to an unsafe bet and punish them rather than start on offense yourself. But you eventually have to take risks to win, which is where things get interesting.
Click here to watch embedded mediaYou also have access to a rage meter and a handful of super moves, all of which double down on the risk-reward aspect in flashy ways. Your rage meter fills as you take damage, making your attacks stronger and allowing you to pull off powerful weapon-flipping techniques. However, if you need to turn a match around, sacrificing the meter for the rest of the bout sends you into a rage explosion, which lets you pull off an incredibly fast, devastating lightning-blade attack. These moves offer newer players a flashy way to turn the tide, but veterans can just as easily counter them, or use them to seal the deal.
While the fighting itself has lots of offer, the infrastructure surrounding doesn’t always help combat stand out. The online works well for the most part, but has a few weak spots. Casual matches are limited to 10-player lobbies, and you can’t invite a friend into a lobby you’ve joined. However, ranked play lets you rematch multiple times, which is great when you just want to keep butting heads with a specific player. My connections online were decent overall, but unreliable; plenty of matches were perfectly fine, but a few were practically unplayable.
A new Dojo mode records players’ actions and turns them into a “ghost” copy of yourself for others to fight online, but this system doesn’t really work. You can play against the ghosts of random or high-level players, but I was able to plow through all the ghosts I encountered without breaking a sweat. That’s not bragging; the ghosts don’t seem to accurately replicate any kind of fighting style. They just stand in a corner, spam moves repeatedly, jump forward at random, and don’t block much.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
Samurai Shodown’s other single-player offerings are serviceable, but uninspired. Along with Dojo mode you have the standard arcade, survival, and time trial modes. Plus, a gauntlet mode lets you fight all 13 characters in a row. These may get new players to learn the basics, but they feel dated compared to just about every other fighting game series’ attempt to keep lone players invested.
If you’re not keen on learning by jumping into the fray and taking your lumps, Samurai Shodown likely won’t do much for you. But when there’s another player facing you down, Samurai Shodown’s bouts are a fantastic mix of fighting disciplines. It’s accessible, nuanced, and flashy, and the ways it asks you to bet big to win make matches as exciting as they are tense.
Score: 7.75
Summary: Samurai Shodown's one-on-one fights shine in dyanmic ways, but you'll need a friend to make the most out of it.
Concept: Bring back the classic sword-fighting series with a new look, characters, and gameplay changes
Graphics: The painterly art style looks great. Character animations are outlandish but fluid, and plenty of attacks have colorful flair
Sound: The classic Japanese instrumentation gives stages a nice historical backdrop, though more modern twists touch up a few tracks
Playability: Once you get the hang of a few special maneuvers and the slow movement speed, the simple, powerful exchanges give every move a strong impact
Entertainment: Samurai Shodown’s varied attacks and techniques have plenty of depth for those who dive into multiplayer, though the modes and options are lacking
Replay: High
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Publisher: CD Projekt RedDeveloper: CD Projekt RedRelease: April 16, 2020Rating: Rating PendingPlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
While we have known since last year's Cyberpunk 2077 demo that the game will have romance options, which isn't especially shocking coming from the developers of The Witcher games and their paramour protagonist Geralt, but CD Projekt Red has not gone into much detail about it. Considering you can create a character and are playing a more personal role, were there going to be more options? It seems like that is indeed the case.
On the Cyberpunk subreddit, user magired1234 shared direct messages with CDPR designer Pawel Sasko specifically about the romantic entanglements in the game.
"So in terms of romances," Sasko wrote, "you can think that it's going to be similar to how Witcher 3 was – there were whole plotlines regarding character and if that NPCs were treated well and interested in Geralt, something was happening."
"And of course players will have way more options then [sic] only heterosexual, as it was in the Witcher 3 (as Geralt was a defined character that was only interested in females)," Sasko continued. "Here you can define what type of interactions your character prefers and have a relationship with that NPC/NPCs."
CDPR confirmed these statements to PC Gamer, saying "Romancing is something heavily present in Cyberpunk, and players will be able to form meaningful connections with other characters as well as go for one night stands."
As Cyberpunk lets you define your character based on your choices, it seems like that will extend into your romantic entanglements, if you choose to have any at all. You can look forward to it Cyberpunk 2077 releasing on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on April 16.
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Publisher: FoxNext GamesDeveloper: FoxNext Games Los AngelesRelease: March 28, 2018Rating: 12+Platform: iOS, Android
FoxNext is adding several members of Spider-Man's adversary group, the Sinister Six, to Marvel Strike Force as a part of a large update. While Green Goblin was added to the roster several months ago, he's getting some friends in the form of Rhino, Shocker, and Vulture. In addition the developer is adding Mysterio, who appears in the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home.
You can see an image gallery of the new additions below.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
The new Sinister Six team is built to counter city-based teams like Defenders and already-existing Spider-Verse squads. This is evident through the characters' abilities, which often receive added benefits when facing off against City Heroes. However, the Sinister Six won't likely fare well against Brotherhood of Mutants, X-Men, or Tech groups.
You can see a Sinister Six team consisting of Rhino, Shocker, Vulture, Green Goblin, and Venom face off against a Defenders team below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaShocker's basic attack, Concussion Bolt, strikes a single target for piercing damage. If the target dodges the attempt, Shocker applies Assist Now to a random Sinister Six teammate. His special, Sonic Dissonance, generates an ability energy for himself while buffing Sinister Six members and boosting his own speed bar. Shocker's ultimate ability, Subsonic Blast, repeats an area-of-effect attack for up to three times. His passive grants armor to Sinister Six allies, while Shocker gets more powerful with each City Hero on the other team.
The hulking Rhino delivers heavy damage with his basic attack, Pummel, while his special, Furious Charge, applies Taunt to himself, clears negative effects from himself and his allies, and charges through a primary target and all nearby enemies for a high-damage attack. His ultimate, Stampede, does massive damage to a primary and adjacent targets, and is boosted for each City Hero on the enemy team. Rhino also gains huge health boosts when teamed up with Sinister Six characters, and gains Counter upon spawn. If he's blinded, his speed bar charges and he clears effects from allies.
Vulture's basic attack, Liftoff, gains power when he has negative effects applied to him, while his special, Fight and Flight, applies slow to enemies and nerfs City Heroes' offense. His ultimate, Super Sonic, does heavy damage to all enemies and knocks down their speed bars. Vulture also gains speed for each City Hero enemy, as well as an added chance to block attacks. His passive ability also applies Deflect when an ally dies, and he gains a speed-bar boost when an enemy dies.
While we don't yet know what Mysterio's kit will look like, FoxNext shared some footage of him in action alongside Nick Fury and Spider-Man. With him potentially working with those two characters in the soon-to-be-released Spider-Man: Far From Home, could it be that he has synergies with those characters? We won't know for sure until FoxNext confirms, but you can see the aforementioned video below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaRhino will be the first of the new Sinister Six characters to become available in game. Players can earn him through an event campaign titled, "Sinister S.T.R.I.K.E." In the story of the limited-time campaign, players control Green Goblin, Rhino, and other members of the Sinister Six on a mission to save a corrupted Kingpin who is wreaking havoc on Manhattan.
In addition to these characters, Marvel's rollout of the X-Men continues, as the Legendary event where players can work toward recruiting Phoenix begins this week, and FoxNext has confirmed that Cyclops is also on the way following the introduction of Psylocke and Colossus earlier this month.
For more on Marvel Strike Force, check out a list of every character in the ever-growing roster, and read our interview with FoxNext's VP and GM about the first year of the game and the roadmap ahead.
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Publisher: Bandai NamcoDeveloper: Spike ChunsoftRelease: 2019Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
One Punch Man is a popular license, but no one has ever seemed to crack the code on making a good video game for it, so nothing has been released. It's sort of hard to design a game around a character whose entire definition is that he ends fights quickly and is nigh-invulnerable otherwise. However, it looks like Spike Chunsoft and Bandai Namco are looking to buck that trend with the first console OPM game.
You can check out the trailer for One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaIt does seem like Saitama just no-sells everything in the game, but I have to assume he can lose, otherwise it would not be a very fun fighting game. Otherwise, it looks like a 3V3 fighter featuring characters from the series. The official PR mentions that there won't be an English dub for the title, much like last year's My Hero Academia fighter, likely to minimize overall costs in publishing it.
One Punch Man is an interesting license, because it was originally created by an amateur manga creator who went by the moniker One as a superhero parody. Yusuke Murata, the artist behind series like Eyeshield 21, took an interest in the series and begged One to let him recreate it with his art and One's writing. It started out as an exclusive to Shonen Jump's online magazine, which allowed Murata to do really interesting and experimental work with it, and then eventually became a popular anime, though the less we talk about season 2 the better. Murata, as a fun piece of trivia, is also famous for having won two Mega Man "design a robot master" contests as a child, designing Mega Man 4's Dust Man and Mega Man 5's Crystal Man.
A date was not given for the game beyond "Coming Soon," but it is coming out for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
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Click here to watch embedded media
Publisher: Double Fine ProductionsDeveloper: Double Fine ProductionsRelease: 2020Rating: Rating PendingPlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Psychonauts 2 takes place right after the VR game Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, but Double Fine's Tim Schafer says you don't have to play it to understand what's going on in the sequel (perhaps that's for the best). Judging from what we see in today's NGT, it's pretty clear what's going on. Dr. Loboto, Raz, teeth, figments – you know, Psychonauts stuff.
Leo and I are joined by Elise and Kyle, as we watch through some footage Double Fine provided of a recent demo. There's a fair bit of exposition at the start, but don't worry. There IS gameplay here, or else we'd be lying to you! And we'd never do that!
For more on Psychonauts 2, check out Imran's recent preview. Elise also talked to Schafer at E3 and learned what Microsoft's recent acquisition of the company holds for his studio's future. You can read that here.
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Hello nonbicep,
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.
nonbicep joined on the 06/25/2019.
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Publisher: Square EnixDeveloper: Square EnixRelease: March 3, 2020Platform: PlayStation 4
We found out during E3 just how different Final Fantasy VII Remake's battle system will be from the original game. We also found out that Materia, the magical gems that can be slotted into equipment to let characters cast spells, still plays a big role in the game's battle system and it's even visible within the character's weapons. It turns out that, while Materia will still be in the game, not every single piece will make it, and some new Materia will be introduced.
The news comes from Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, which printed an interview with director Tetsuya Nomura last week, but put up an expanded version online yesterday. In the interview, Nomura said that Materia works just like it did in the original, which presumably he is talking about the ability to equip it into weapons. He did also admit, however, that some Materia doesn't make sense for the new battle system, and some new Materia makes a lot of sense for the new battle system.
It does, of course, stand to reason that Materia like Enemy Away or Sneak Attack don't have much of a point in a game without random battles. While Nomura didn't detail which ones he was thinking of, it will be interesting to see what additions are made for the more active battle system. While summons have been confirmed for the game, it hasn't been made clear how exactly, as the pre-order listings for the games show different summons as DLC for different paid tiers. These summons might be available in the final game or not, but so far there hasn't been mention of any other Materia as DLC.
Final Fantasy VII Remake, or at least the Midgar portion of it, will release on PlayStation 4 on March 3.
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Hello CwomandeerKween,
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.
CwomandeerKween joined on the 06/24/2019.
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Publisher: 2K GamesDeveloper: Gearbox SoftwareRelease: September 13, 2019Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Video game length can be a touchy subject for people. Some people can't stand games that are too short, while others don't want to play anything too long. Those spending full price on a new game want it to last a decent bit of time, however, and it sounds like Borderlands 3 is probably going to deliver.
In an interview with GamesBeat, creative director Paul Sage commented on the game's ambition by mentioning that the game will last you a while just to do the main campaign.
"There’s so much to the game," Sage told the outlet. "We go to these different worlds. The length of the game being 35 hours, if you just go through the main story — that’s not including doing too many side missions. I think there was a lot of ambition right at the beginning."
Usually when developers give hour counts for their games, you want to subtract a bit, but 35 hours does sound like it would be in line with Borderlands 2, if not a bit over. So you can expect to spend a lot of quality time with your friends, especially with the new level scaling feature, on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on September 13.
[Source: GamesBeat]
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Publisher: 505 GamesDeveloper: ArtPlayRelease: June 18, 2019Rating: Rating PendingReviewed on: PlayStation 4Also on: Xbox One, Switch, PC
At first, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night feels a bit staid. Though the series is new, it sees longtime Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi returning to the formula he helped define over the years with titles like Symphony of the Night. Because Bloodstained overtly draws from that tradition, the opening hours reproduce many moments fans of 2D Castlevania titles have seen before. However, this spiritual successor slowly and surely earns its keep among greats by cleverly mixing familiar elements of the genre.
The sprawling map is the cornerstone of the experience; the giant castle you explore belongs to a demented “shardbinder” named Gebel (not Dracula), and it’s enormous, winding, and a joy to uncover. As Miriam, a fellow shardbinder who can absorb the power of monsters she slays, your path can occasionally be circuitous; I often had to hoof it from a save room to a teleport room to my base of operations to stock up on supplies, then back to a save room before taking on a boss. But slowly filling out the map is a satisfying slow burn. Most areas stick to the castle’s gothic themes, but later locales introduce some fun surprises that kept me eager to see where I’d head next.
Click here to watch embedded mediaYou acquire new traversal abilities as you go, though this progression starts off a little slow. The double-jump won’t resolve as many loose ends on the map as you think it might, and sometimes your next destination is too vague. However, you eventually get fantastic abilities that are fun to wield and open the way forward, like a reflector beam you can use to sneak through tight spaces, or the ability to run at ridiculous speeds. By the time you’ve been through most of the map, you feel like you have total mastery of your surroundings, though later areas still provide interesting challenges.
Combat also takes a little while to come into its own. The main hook is that Miriam can equip shards that give her the powers of the monsters she kills. These initially manifest as additional attacks that cost mana or passive bonuses, but quickly offer up a number of different ways to approach combat. Do you tackle a tough area or boss by slowly healing yourself over time, or double-down on damage by creating a copy of yourself?
If you’re familiar with 2D Castlevania games, the tricks you’ve memorized (such as attacking right before you land to get an extra-fast second attack in) still work, and the familiar muscle-memory is a nice touch. But until the additional layers unravel, Bloodstained’s opening sections feel unremarkable, because encounters involve little more than ducking and weaving out of monsters’ attacks to deliver your own. Only when you start amassing interesting shards can you start exploring your options.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
A healthy dose of RPG mechanics keeps combat exciting and give you another reason to scour every inch of the castle. As you defeat explore and level up, you find weapons with different ranges and elemental properties, as well as other equipment and items. As these different options compound on each other, I swapped between multiple shard and gear loadouts, since some weapons and skills work better against certain enemies. And while some bosses simply let you wail on them until they’re dead, others require you to learn their movements or try different builds to survive, which means being flexible and experimental with your skills.
The best equipment is locked behind extensive crafting or side-questing. This aspect can be convoluted and prone to grinding; later quests and recipes require you to farm monsters that have a low chance of dropping a particular component, and I wound up with too much stuff that didn’t seem crucial. However, once I found recipes for the most powerful weapons, I held off on finishing the game to go seek out their ingredients and craft them. The power boost you get from these items is worth the time spent acquiring them.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s journey is familiar, but the way it iterates and builds on that familiarity help distinguish it from its lineage. Its combat, RPG elements, and enticing exploration intertwine seamlessly, and had me obsessively scouring every nook and cranny of a gigantic map for hours, even after I’d defeated the last boss. I enjoyed finally returning to this haunted castle, even if it belongs to a new master.
Score: 8.5
Summary: Koji Igarashi's return to the Castlevania formula slowly but surely earns its place in a crowded genre.
Concept: Create a new franchise that melds the action, exploration, and RPG elements that made Castlevania: Symphony of the Night successful
Graphics: Characters, monsters, and environments are colorful and distinct, though animations look stiff and clunky up close
Sound: The voice acting can be a bit stilted at times, but the music is appropriately gothic, with the occasional guitar thrown in
Playability: The accessible hack-and-slash repertoire is complemented by a flexible array of magic attacks, and Castlevania fans will find familiar tricks and maneuvers
Entertainment: Ritual of the Night starts off a little too familiar, but quickly ramps up into an impressive exemplar of the genre it’s retreading
Replay: Moderate
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Publisher: Phobia Game StudioDeveloper: Phobia Game StudioRelease: 2020Rating: Rating PendingPlatform: PC
Alongside the torrent of blockbuster games that occupy the open sprawl of E3's show floor, there is also a wave of smaller-budget, independent titles. This year the one that caught our attention (even winning our Best Indie award) the most is Carrion, a "reverse horror" game being developed by Phobia Game Studios and published by champion of small and weird games, Devolver Digital. We went hands-on with Carrion, where you play some kind of monster or science experiment gone wrong, trying to escape from a facility filled with scientists and soldiers.
Here's why we came away impressed with this horrific outing and why you should keep your eye on it as it slithers toward its 2020 release.
You Get To Eat People
As the mysterious creature, you have a number of powers that we'll get into soon. To recharge those powers, you need to constantly mitigate your size. To add mass to your form, you're gonna need to munch down on hapless fools who come your way.
Devouring foes in Carrion is a fittingly gory slapstick affair, with limbs being flung around in every direction to the sounds of munching and squelching. It's as frantic and goofy as it is hilarious and never got old during the hour that I played the game.
Your Powers Are Diabolical
Those aforementioned powers that you need to turn humans into snacks make your creature go from being a hulking monster of death to something even more dangerous. During the demo, we saw two powers on display: a webshot and invisibility. While invisibility is pretty upfront, letting you slither past security cameras and armored foes, it's still useful and nifty, making you feel like The Predator. Webshot blasts foes into walls and leaves them hanging, still kicking, for you to munch on later. It's a smart way to remove one foe from the equation when you step into a room filled with multiple enemies.
Phobia also said a power is in the works that lets you take on the form of certain humans to blend in with them but we didn't get to see that in action.
Carrion Is Actually Challenging
You might think the fact that you're a big roving monstrosity of death might make the game easy. That's not the case at all. Beyond having to navigate the Metroid-like structure of Carrion's facility, the enemies who roam it are often encased in armor and wield assault rifles and flamethrowers. They are, in other words, uneatable. However, that doesn't mean that killing them isn't fun.
You'll have to use your nasty beast's writhing tentacles to pick these fellows up and slam them against walls and ledges until the bodies inside said armor are fleshy, red mush. However, with multiple foes, you'll often have to strategize. This can mean grabbing one guy, pulling him into a vent, and smashing him around before going after the other one. Sometimes it's best to avoid fights all together since you can't eat these enemies for health.
It's Shaping Up To Be The Game John Carpenter's The Thing Fans Have Always Wanted
Yes, John Carpenter's The Thing has already had a solid video game adaptation (you can watch us play it right here). However, Carrion's (unofficial) take on that movie's concept, of a big nasty monster assimilating, destroying, and doing everything it can to escape mankind's grasp, is infinitely more interesting to me since it puts you in the role of the monster itself.
I had a blast tearing through the facility and the scientists that inhabit it. So far Carrion is good gory fun, and I look forward to untangling the mystery of who this creature is and whether or not the people I'm turning into chow deserve it.
For more on our favorite games from E3, check out our awards for this year's show.
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Publisher: The Arcade CrewDeveloper: JoyMasherRelease: July 11, 2019Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Contra fans have a lot to celebrate recently. After the series was assumed long-dead, despite a vague teaser during Konami's E3 2012 presser, but has recently gotten a collection, a new game announcement, and soon a spiritual sequel in the form of Blazing Chrome. Now we finally have a release date for Blazing Chrome, a very Contra: Hard Corps-inspired 2D run-and-gun action game. You'll be fighting off a new alien menace on July 11.
The news comes as a result of a new, and presumably final, trailer drop for the game that shows off the hidden characters. One of those hidden characters is a ninja and that looks to pretty significantly change up the gameplay from the shooty characters. Check out the trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaBlazing Chrome is developed by Brazilian studio JoyMasher and is part of The Arcade Crew, an initiative by studio DotEmu to channel old arcade-style classic games with new games in the modern era. Looking at footage and having played this game before at events, I feel like they're definitely nailing it.
You can pick up Blazing Chrome on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC in just a few weeks on July 11.
Fantasy Strike Launches On PS4 And Switch, Leaves Steam Early Access Next Month
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Fantasy Strike, a fighting game that takes a simplified approach to inputs and meters, will release on July 25.
The game has been on Steam's early access program for some time now, but will have its full release on PC, Mac, and Linux on that date. It's also launching on PS4 and Switch on that date.
Fantasy Strike's road to release has been somewhat long. For a breakdown of what to expect from it, you can read our preview of it based on an early version of it from way back in 2016. For a more recent look, you can check out a new gameplay trailer below.
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