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Publisher: Warner Bros. InteractiveDeveloper: IO InteractiveRelease: November 13, 2018Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Agent 47's latest assignment in Hitman 2 takes him to New York as part of the game's expansion pass, which is available for free for pass owners and those who've purchased the first expansion pack (it's not available for individual purchase).
The NY sandbox map features The Bank (Golden Handshake) campaign mission, contracts mode for the mission, Master Progression, items that can be carried over to other parts of the game, and more.
Maybe you haven't been paying attention to the game since it came out, but in this recent article about games that have improved over time, Javy argues that Hitman 2 is a title that keeps getting better.
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Hello ILoveNolf,
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Hello cateismygirl,
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Hello CorporateDale,
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Hello Nena123,
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Publisher: Electronic ArtsDeveloper: Respawn EntertainmentRelease: November 15, 2019Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
During our trip to Respawn for our Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order cover story we spent a lot of time with the developers talking about the process of designing and creating a new canonical Star Wars video game, played with the lightsaber combat extensively, and watched a handful of hands-off demos through various levels. We also talked about the story, but that was the element the game’s director, Stig Asmussen, was the most hesitant to offer extensive details about. His reticence is understandable as it is the element that hides the most surprises and is the most prone to spoilers. We got some spoiler-free details out of Asmussen and the team though, and we shared many of them in our cover story (which you can read in full here), but we wanted to take this opportunity to share everything we know so far.
Before diving into what we learned at the studio, Lucasfilm made a small, easy-to-miss announcement during E3 that sheds at least a little bit of light on the setup for Fallen Order’s story. Early in the game, Fallen Order’s protagonist, Cal Kestis, meets a Jedi named Cere Junda. Much like Cal, Cere survived Order 66 and the two work together to try and revitalize the Jedi Order during the course of the game. A five-issue comic book prequel series, coming in September, will look at Cere’s past. Through this announcement we learn her master is a Jedi named Eno Cordova and the two travel to the remote planet Ontotho to “oversee the excavation of a mysterious temple.” Cere and Eno are both entirely new characters and the planet they travel to, Ontotho, also appears to be new. We know that at least part of the game will “explore the mysteries of a long-extinct civilization in hopes of rebuilding the Jedi Order,” according to the game’s official website. Is the mysterious temple on Ontotho part of that long-extinct civilization? While at the studio we asked Asmussen if he could reveal anything about the “long-extinct civilization” and all he said was “not today” with a laugh.
You can read a broader rundown of the game's narrative in the cover story, but here are the big beats with additional quotes from Asmussen. It’s well known that Fallen Order takes place after Revenge of the Sith and before A New Hope. That was one of the few details revealed alongside the game’s name at E3 2018, but Asmussen gave us a hint at about how long it takes place after the third prequel film. “It’s years,” he says, which gives you a little insight into how old Cal is and how old he was when everything happened, but it’s still vague. “You can kind of piece it together. When he was a padawan, he was an adolescent. Clearly he doesn’t look like that in the character art, but his age doesn’t really matter to us, to the point where we see [his age] in the databank, it’s just going to have a question mark. We just wanted to make sure we had a young protagonist in the game.”
We asked Asmussen what level of Jedi Cal is, and he said, “He’s a padawan.” He’s done some official Jedi work, but he’s not a knight, that we know for sure. “Before Order 66, he was seeing what was going on in the galaxy. He probably took part in a couple of missions, but it’s not like they were sending him out like Anakin or anything like that,” Asmussen adds.
Cal survived Order 66 and went into hiding on the planet Bracca where he keeps his abilities secret while working for a ship dismantling guild. “He’s working on the ship-breaking yard, and he’s kind of weary. They’re tearing down these old Republic vessels, which is symbolic to the Fallen Order,” Asmussen says. “He’s just trying to lay low.” Something causes him to use his powers publicly, and it’s safe to assume it is to help his co-worker and presumed Abednedo friend, Prauf, that we saw in the game’s story trailer announcement. Respawn was hesitant to fully confirm that, but Asmussen said, regarding when Cal will be thrust into the adventure, "It's very early. It’s kind of the call to action. We have a level at the beginning of the game where we kind of set up his reality and then we turn normal upside down. His life becomes chaotic within a matter of minutes. He comes in contact with [Cere] shortly after."
We don’t know exactly when or how Cere will discover Cal. “She pieces together information… I don’t want to give away exactly how she does it, but she pieces together how to find this individual. It’s not something I want to talk about,” Asmussen says. Once the Empire knows about Cal, the Second Sister is sent after him. The Second Sister is an Inquisitor, which is a group the Emperor established to track down and kill the remaining Jedi. Another of the Emperor's hunters is Darth Vader. We saw no hints or teases of an Emperor or Vader cameo during our time at the studio, but we know he's out there in the galaxy hunting, and wouldn't be surprised if he showed up. We asked for more on the Second Sister, but Asmussen cryptically said, “I think it’s best not to talk about her.”
Asmussen was also reluctant to offer up more details on the state of the Empire during the point where Fallen Order takes place, but mostly because those broader details of the Star Wars timeline, which are covered outside of the game in other media like TV, comics, and novels, are for Lucasfilm to decide on and extrapolate. “I think would be better for Lucasfilm to speak to that, but in our game, the galaxy is looking for strong leadership after years of war. They are looking for someone who is going to control things,” Asmussen says, “It’s not to the point where the population thinks the Emperor is bad.”
Cal reluctantly joins with Cere’s cause in an effort to stay safe, which is how he becomes part of the crew of The Stinger Mantis under its captain, Greez Dritus. We don’t know why Greez is helping Cere and Cal (or maybe they’re helping him), but we know in terms of what kind of character he is, Asmussen sites John C. Reilly and Mr. Furley from Three’s Company as his major inspiration.
From left to right: Cal Kestis, Greez Dritus, Saw Gerrera, and Cere Junda
The gameplay demo shown during E3 saw Cal exploring Kashyyyk and revealed Saw Gerrera is in the game, but while at the studio we got to see the few minutes of gameplay leading up to where that demo started. We got to see Cal and Saw’s first meeting and Cal revealed he came to the planet explicitly to find Wookiee chieftain, Tarfful. It seems like he came to Kashyyyk just to talk to Tarfful, but got caught up in the resistance efforts when he met Saw, which is why he gets put on the path to free him. Saw asked Cal what he wanted with Tarfful and Cal responded, curtly, “Jedi business.” To which Saw replied, “The Jedi are dead,” and Cere retorted, “Not all of them.” You can see clips, though brief, of this meeting in Fallen Order’s E3 2019 trailer. The other interesting tidbit from their meeting was when Saw looked at Cal’s lightsaber he asked, “Did you get that off a corpse?” “My master gave it to me,” Cal said. And that’s about where the E3 gameplay demo picks up.
The game’s narrative represents one of the biggest question marks we have for Fallen Order at this point. We enjoyed our time with the combat and were impressed by the exploration and Metroid inspirations of the level design. The story is something we won’t be able to get a clear picture of until we’ve played the final game, unfortunately, but given the details we know so far, and Asmussen’s history with the God of War series, we’re optimistic and eager to find out where it goes in November.
For a whole lot more on Fallen Order, you can read the full cover story here, and click the banner below for all of our features covering the game throughout the month.
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Publisher: 2K GamesDeveloper: Gearbox SoftwareRelease: June 9, 2019Rating: MatureReviewed on: Xbox OneAlso on: PlayStation 4, PC
Despite having remasters, spin-offs, and even a pre-sequel to sate their appetite, Borderlands fans have been ravenous for the next mainline entry in Gearbox’s open-world looter-shooter series. Just a few months before Borderlands 3’s release, Gearbox has served up a surprising hors d’oeuvre. Commander Lilith & The Fight for Sanctuary is a new Borderlands 2 expansion that drops players back onto the deadly planet of Pandora, priming them for the adventure to come. While the new DLC faithfully builds on the Borderlands 2 experience, some aspects of the series have aged better than others.
Commander Lilith takes place directly after the events of Borderlands 2, and chronicles the titular siren’s attempt to defend Sanctuary from Colonel Hector, a new villain hell-bent on transforming Pandora’s dusty landscape with a deadly toxin. Like any good leader, Lilith delegates most of the heavy lifting to you and your vault-hunting friends, who must fight plant-infected mutations of familiar enemies and explore a few new areas of the planet. Numerous other returning characters pop up for fun cameos (including a few faces from Tales of the Borderlands), rounding out cutscenes and dispensing quests. Commander Lilith mirrors the length of Borderlands 2’s previous DLC expansions, offering a couple hours’ worth of content for the main questline, and a few more hours of side content. A new level cap, raid, “Effervescent” tier of procedurally generated loot, and a few replayable boss fights offer additional thrills for longtime grinders.
Having not played Borderlands 2 since it first released on Xbox 360, getting back into the swing of things wasn’t easy. Commander Lilith allows players to create a level 30 character and jump straight to the new adventure, but you have to relearn the various systems, acquire better loot, and puzzle together a decent skill-tree build on your own. Even with the upgraded visuals provided by the Handsome Jack Collection, I was struck by how simple and mechanical the world feels. The manic combat has also lost a bit of its punch over the years, overshadowed by smoother, flashier, and more ability-driven shooters.
Commander Lilith’s mission design feels particularly dated, with most of your objectives boiling down to banal fetch quests – get 10 of these, kill 10 of those, etc. The goofy dialogue from fan-favorite characters helps blunt some of the repetition, but it can’t hide how much time you spend running back and forth through the same areas to advance missions. Managing inventory space, sifting through piles of worthless white and green guns, and the sluggish pace of opening and looting containers also hamstring the entertainment. After acquiring some overpowered legendaries and readjusting to the pace of Borderlands’ addictive gameplay loop, I remembered why I fell in love with the series, but some of the passion is gone.
Some of Borderlands’ humor also feels tired seven years on, from the endless bedonk and bro jokes, to the “midget” enemy subclass, whose high-pitched squeals induce more winces than laughter. The series’ crass humor has always been hilarious to some and intolerable to others, and the new DLC is no different; Handsome Jack’s returning “Butt Stallion” is the perfect litmus test for finding out where you land on the spectrum. While I experienced more involuntary eyerolls than I was expecting, I did enjoy catching up with some of the classic characters like Lilith and Brick.
Click here to watch embedded mediaCommander Lilith is another solid DLC arc that fits right at home with the previous Borderlands 2 expansions, and it’s a great way to prepare yourself for the sequel. As someone for whom Borderlands’ formula has already worn a little thin, however, Commander Lilith left me yearning to see what improvements Borderlands 3 may bring to the table, even as I enjoyed the moment-to-moment action.
Score: 7.5
Summary: Commander Lilith faithfully recreates and adds to the Borderlands 2 experience, for better and worse.
Concept: Offer players a decent-sized DLC adventure to get reacquainted with Borderlands’ systems and characters ahead of the sequel
Graphics: Even with upgraded visuals, the environments still feel mostly empty, and texture pop-in remains a problem
Sound: The guns, explosions, and voice performances deliver exactly what series fans expect
Playability: If you’re still playing Borderlands 2, Commander Lilith offers a seamless transition. Those jumping back in just for the new DLC can expect a hefty readjustment period
Entertainment: Some of Borderlands 2’s gameplay and humor feels understandably dated, but the core loop remains satisfying
Replay: Moderate
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Publisher: Xbox Games StudioRelease: 2020Rating: Rating PendingPlatform: Xbox One, PC
Microsoft Flight Simulator was among one of the more unexpected announcements to appear on Microsoft's E3 2019 press conference stage. The series went mostly dormant after the release of Microsoft Flight Simulator X in 2006, but it is making a return soon.
The Microsoft Flight Simulator Team recently made a post online thanking fans for being excited for the series' return, and also answered a few questions about the game. The game is, expectedly coming to PC, but is also being "optimized for multiplatform support (e.g. Xbox)." The game is also confirmed to be supporting third-party content development and community content creation. And finally, the team says it is committed to making sure the game can be played by anyone, regardless of abilities writing, "no pilot should be left behind."
For more on the new Microsoft Flight Simulator, head here.
[Source: fsi.microsoftstudios.com]
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Publisher: Arc System WorksDeveloper: A+ GamesRelease: July 26, 2019Platform: PlayStation 4, Switch, PC
Kill la Kill – IF is only about a month away, but we're still only seeing some of its fighters for the first time.
You can check out footage of Ira Gamagoori wearing his Shackle Regalia below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaAnd you can also see footage of Uzu Sanageyama wearing his Blade Regalia.
Click here to watch embedded mediaKill la Kill – IF is brawler based on the anime of the same name and it represents the first original story content for the Kill la Kill since the anime concluded. The game is coming to PlayStatiom, Switch, and PC on July 26.
For more on Kill la Kill – IF, head here.
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Publisher: ActivisionDeveloper: BeenoxRelease: June 21, 2019Rating: Rating PendingReviewed on: PlayStation 4Also on: Xbox One, Switch
As we wait to see if Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon will return in new games, Activision remains focused on their past. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is another successful remaster that melds the classic gameplay from Naughty Dog’s original 1999 release with the latest in modern visuals. The racing excitement hasn’t lost any of its luster over the years, and the added detail applied to the characters, tracks, and their surrounding environments makes this nostalgic trip feel new again.
To be clear, this is not a collection of Crash’s kart-racing trilogy (Crash Team Racing, Crash Nitro Kart, and Crash Tag Team Racing). Instead, developer Beenox does something different; you can play CTR in its classic form, or experience a “nitro-fueled” version which features characters from Nitro Kart along with a new upgrade system allowing the karts to be customized with decals and more. The changes, which also allow the player to switch characters at any time, may not sound like much, but go a long way in making it feel like a more rewarding experience. After each race concludes, you earn new customization items and currency that can be used to purchase new characters, karts, and more. Yes, most of the characters from Nitro Kart are fairly lame, but I got into the kart customization, which includes wheel-less hover ship options.
The Adventure Mode races are as wickedly difficult as they were back in the day, both in terms of pushing the player to race without error, and the A.I. opponents being incredibly aggressive. If you want to coast through the game, you can select the easy difficulty setting prior to entering the campaign (it can’t be changed once it starts), but I recommend getting knocked around on the medium setting – it delivers a high level of intensity, and shows why this game was adored back in the day. Most races are nail-biters.
Crash Team Racing follows the kart racing formula most of us are familiar with to a T. This means you powerslide around corners and hit item blocks that arm you with weapons to use against your opponents, hopefully knocking them out of position for a narrow victory on the final lap. Both of these elements are implemented admirably (especially in how the items you get are based on your positioning), but the one area where the game stands on its own is through how boosting is handled. If you truly get in a groove, you can boost almost all of the way around the track.
Click here to watch embedded mediaIn addition to track-mounted green arrows that reward you with an automatic jolt of speed, the player can obtain a turbo boost by gaining altitude by hitting ramps and performing a jump maneuver at the right time on specific parts of tracks. The best way to rocket ahead of opponents, however, is to boost while powersliding. This action is a harrowing rhythmic minigame, in which you perform timed button presses as a meter fills. You can obtain three consecutive boosts in one slide, which gives you a huge advantage. I can’t stress just how much fun this turbo system is. When you get good at it, you use it everywhere, even on straightaways. However, there’s a real danger of overdoing the boosting and smashing into walls, which makes for a great risk/reward mechanic.
The aggressive A.I. is also keen on boosting, so you have to master it to just hold your own against these opponents on the tracks, which are excellently designed. The tracks are short, yet filled with harrowing sections and unique elements that make each one feel somewhat distinct. You even find some tracks designed for the one-on-one boss battles – another fun challenge that changes up the flow of gameplay.
If you take a detour out of the campaign (which takes just a few hours to complete), the Local Arcade mode almost contains another full game’s worth of content. Beenox added 13 of Nitro Kart’s tracks, which can be accessed for single race, battle, time trial, and other enjoyable challenges. No content from Crash Tag Team Racing is in the retail release, but will be added free of charge at a later date through post-launch downloadable content. Most of this content can be played via four-player splitscreen. A more streamlined selection of racing options is also available for online play. It’s nice having all of this content on the side, but, well, it’s on the side and doesn’t exactly pull you in, unless you intend to compete against friends.
Crash Team Racing is every bit as good now as it was back in the day. Naughty Dog created something special with the boosting system, and I urge everyone who enjoys arcade racers of this variety to give it a shot. Beenox’s enhancements only make it better.
Score: 8
Summary: This old racer can still rip across the track and is well worth a look.
Concept: A remaster of Naughty Dog’s 1999 kart racer that has been upgraded with modern visuals, online play, and a wealth of customization options
Graphics: The detail in the backgrounds and new colors that emerge from the characters and tracks almost make it look like a different game. It looks great now
Sound: Music and effects are just as goofy and playful as back in the day
Playability: The boosting system is still a lot of fun, and the excellent track designs put it to good use. Fun weapons give players an arsenal of offensive and defensive tools
Entertainment: Beenox did a great job preserving the original content, and found avenues to add to it in meaningful ways
Replay: Moderately High
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Publisher: NintendoDeveloper: Platinum GamesRelease: August 30, 2019Platform: Switch
Astral Chain made a big splash at E3 2019 and it seems like Nintendo is eager to keep up that momentum with their PlatinumGames-made action game. While we only got out first real look at the title at E3's Treehouse Live segment, but a new video gives us a better look at how the game is going to look and play, albeit with some degree of Japanese language explanation.
You can watch this new showcase video below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaWhile watching the video, you can get a sense for a lot of the PlatinumGames DNA in the title. While there's obviously quite a bit of Nier: Automata's influence in there, considering Takahisa Taura directs both games, but also a feeling of mechanics and style from games like Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, as well. The capture and link systems are also expounded upon and they look fun to use.
Astral Chain launches on Nintendo Switch on August 30. We spoke with Takahisa Taura last year, before Astral Chain was announced, about Nier Automata and his design philosophy on action games.
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Hello snarlock,
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.
snarlock joined on the 06/20/2019.
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Hello Avalon89,
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.
Avalon89 joined on the 06/20/2019.
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Click here to watch embedded media
Publisher: SEGADeveloper: Creative AssemblyRelease: May 23, 2019Rating: TeenPlatform: PC
The Total War series may be predominately about tactics, but sometimes you need that visceral feel that only holding the severed head of your enemy can bring. Total War: Three Kingdoms' upcoming DLC – Reign of Blood – is out next Thursday (June 27) and features beheadings, gory effects and more to satiate your bloodlust.
The DLC ($2.99) adds brutal animations and kill moves to the game's Campaign and Battle modes (via the advanced graphics setting) as well as severed limbs and charred bodies.
For more on Total War: Three Kingdoms, check out Dan's review of the base game.
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Click here to watch embedded media
Publisher: NIS AmericaDeveloper: GranzellaRelease: Early 2020Rating: Rating PendingPlatform: PlayStation VR, PlayStation 4, Switch, PC
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories came out in Japan in last year, and now it's making its way stateside in early 2020 courtesy of publisher NIS America. The title's first trailer has just been released, showing off some dire circumstances requiring true heroism.
Players will survive, escape, and help others after an earthquake and the resulting chaos (including aftershocks) devastates the city. The title reportedly features extensive player-customization options for the series, as well as dozens of characters.
The game also includes PSVR support via a separate mode.
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories is coming to the PS4, Switch, and PC.
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Publisher: Electronic ArtsDeveloper: Jo-Mei GamesRelease: July 5, 2019Rating: TeenPlatform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
For much of its existence, Electronic Arts hasn't been a publisher known for artsy games. Instead, the name has been synonymous with successful Triple A blockbusters such as FIFA and Battlefield. In 2016, with the inception of its EA Originals label that revolves entirely around bringing on hidden gem games like Fe, this has begun to change.
One of the newer titles to join the EA Originals roster is Sea of Solitude, a game about a young girl named Kay who has turned into a monster. She traverses a half submerged city by boat, faces her demons, and attempts to discover why she herself has turned into a beast.
Sea of Solitude was inspired from real-life events, particularly battles creative director Cornelia Geppert has faced. The concept is born out of the grief and turmoil she faced through relationships, mental health, and feeling unfulfilled at her job.
Geppert explained to me that her company, Jo-Mei Games, was exclusively creating free-to-play games for years because it was necessary to stay afloat. Particularly in Germany, which is where the Jo-Mei studio is located, the market is filled with free-to-play developers. "I felt so unhappy with it after a while because I wanted always to produce art and meaningful games," says Geppert. "And it wasn't possible."
That is, until the team came up with a more artistic concept and took a risk with Sea of Solitude. After being snatched up by Electronic Arts, it became all the more viable to make the game Geppert always dreamed of making.
"The main theme of the game is loneliness, like when humans get too lonely they turn into monsters," Geppert says. "So I wanted to show different types of loneliness and how people cope with it, but also how friends and family see those who struggle."
Sea of Solitude is about Kay's personal journey and coming to terms with who she is. In the demo I saw at E3, there were behemoth-sized threats like a giant crow flying above and a fish-like monster swimming beneath the depths of the water. However, you won't ever be directly fighting these enemies, but instead trying to find your way past them, searching the environment, or solving puzzles to "overcome" them.
"Everything the monsters say are little hints, little pieces of the puzzle," Geppert says. "So if you listen closely you get ideas, like 'Oh, what could this monster mean? How are they connected to Kay?'"
During the brief hands-on time I had, I explored a school that was overrun with monsters. These foes looked a lot like Kay; black silhouettes with glowing red eyes and vaguely resembling children. At one point, they block my way so I can't escape a room. To get past them, I trick them into chasing me in a circle and then run past them to the exit.
Geppert tells me weather plays a big part in the gameplay, particularly in how it affects safety and peril. It can be an indication while you play about what's to come and how to prepare for what's next.
"Each weather type has a different mechanic or a different level of danger," Geppert says. "Sunny weather, for example, is a secure zone, but with rain you find danger."
Sea of Solitude is gorgeous with its diverse color palette, appearing as bright and vivid in the daylight and with more muted colors during storms or rainfall. I enjoyed what I saw of it, and I'm hopeful it could be impactful for those with mental health struggles of their own, or at least increase empathy on some level for others. According to Geppert, every single line of dialogue and every moment has been crafted with those themes in mind.
"I love telling stories and having metaphors and symbolism so everything, every single beat has meaning," Geppert says. "A player who simply wants to enjoy this fantasy setting can do so. But if you want to know the deeper story, then you have to listen to all the little details to really get it all."
Sea of Solitude releases for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on July 5.
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Publisher: Niantic LabsDeveloper: Niantic Inc.Release: June 21, 2019Platform: iOS, Android
A few months ago, we got our first look at Harry Potter: Wizards Unite while at the offices of Niantic, the developers behind games like Ingress and Pokémon Go. While it was fun and interesting to take the game through so extremely preliminary and somewhat scripted paces around the developer's offices, it was not exactly a true hands-on experience with a game designed to let you truly wander and explore. Warner Bros. Interactive invited me to come try the game out in a real world setting, Universal Studios Hollywood, just a few days ahead of its launch and I have a more complete idea of what the game looks like in practice.
With the caveat that this game is technically pre-release, I got hands on with what appeared to be the final build of the game and should be the same thing releasing on June 21. Shortly after downloading the game, I was asked to login with Facebook or Google accounts and was treated to a load that Pokémon Go fans will likely be familiar with at this point. That's not the only time Pokémon Go players will be struck by similarities, as the map eventually loads up and shows the area around you.
Click here to watch embedded mediaWizards Unite puts the player at the center of a muggle world overcome by magic to rescue, capture, and register anomalies called foundables around the world. As such, each wizard gets their own profile with a selfie attached and Snapchat-style filters with wizard items overlayed on top of that. I named my Wizard "FromTheMoon" and did a few tutorials before venturing into the park.
The simplest way to describe Wizards Unite is Pokémon Go but with layers of complexity on top. On the surface, the two games are near-identical: you can tap an item on the map, engage in a minigame, and then add it to a database. If you want to, it seems like you can keep engaging with the game on that level, but there are also some differentiators to add more. You can pick food from what is essentially a roulette wheel, create potions, visit various buildings and inns as more than just a quick spin by, fight battles, and go on multiplayer raids with skills obtained from skill trees.
Much of that is unchanged from our previous preview, where we established the mechanics of the game, but this event did let us get hands on with the monetization and timer mechanics of the game. In theory, it works similarly again to Pokémon Go in that you are expending a resource to do the instanced battles and can buy more if you want to buy more. In Pokémon Go, it's buying pokéballs. In Wizards Unite, you expend "spell energy" for use in tracing along magic sigils to cast the various Harry Potter spells you know and love. You run out of spell energy fast. I ran out of spell energy during a preview event designed to let me play the game after about ten battles.
Once you're out, like pokéballs, you have to spend some coin to get back into it. You should theoretically have coins banked ready to spend to just quickly get back in or just collect some on the map, but you can also just buy some. It's all very familiar, except for the speed at which you lose magic energy. Considering that it is skill-based to some extent, as your ability to accurately trace a disappearing sigil can determine how often you will have to repeat the action, and thus expend more magic, it feels like you are being pushed toward spending coins more often.
I also noticed that, unlike Pokémon Go, Wizards Unite is less of a one-handed game. To trace accurately, you are going to need to palm the phone in one hand and draw the sigil with the other. This is not better or worse than Pokémon Go, but it is something worth noting when you start playing it.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite releases on June 21 for iOS and Android.
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Hello beanman,
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.
beanman joined on the 06/20/2019.
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Hello Gcho2000,
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.
Gcho2000 joined on the 06/19/2019.
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Publisher: EA SportsDeveloper: EA VancouverRelease: September 13, 2019Rating: Everyone 10+Platform: PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Sports games have the unenviable task of shoehorning a wealth of changes into an eight-month development cycle in the hopes of satisfying the legions of everyday players, the lapsed community haters who jumped off board in disgust over the years, and newcomers who haven’t been along for the ride to this point. For the past several years, NHL has played catch-up under the ire of its impassioned community, which felt betrayed by the sloppy conversion to current-gen consoles and lack of meaningful changes. NHL 19 was the first year in the generation that felt like a meaningful step forward, introducing a much more dynamic skating system, revamping the largely neglected franchise mode, and revamping its multiplayer with a new player upgrade system and some unconventional modes that celebrate the culture of hockey beyond the NHL rink. Sure, we still have plenty of lackluster features and gameplay shortcomings to complain about, but the progress was encouraging. NHL 20 hopes to continue that forward trajectory with several big changes that enhance the gameplay, presentation, and popular game modes.
In a behind-closed-doors meeting at E3, we sat down with the EA Vancouver team to discuss their aspirations for NHL 20. We covered a lot of ground, so brace yourself for a long read. Here are the biggest changes the team is making for the next hockey season.
Contextual Shot Animations Unleash The Snipers
Outside of adding a few new trick shots, EA hasn’t done much to revolutionize shooting in the NHL franchise over the past several years. This neglected area of gameplay gets a fresh twig in NHL 20 with a renewed investment in adding more contextual shots from all over the ice.
We’ve all had that awkward moment where we think we’re perfectly positioned for a one-timer across the crease, only to see the player warp into an jarring shooting animation. Or have you ever frustratingly taken a forehand shot when it would be more natural to shoot with a backhand? These problems arose because EA didn’t have the appropriate animation coverage for every direction a pass could come from. To fix this, the new system looks at several different contexts such as your distance to the net, whether you are standing or moving, how much time you have to get off a shot, whether you are receiving a pass or already in possession before it assigns the shot animation.
“We've looked at dozens of these contexts and added literally hundreds of new animations that we did in our motion-capture studio, so you’re going to see a wide variety of shots,” says creative director William Ho.
During our hands-on time, this was the most immediately notable change. Shots taken by snipers had more snapping power, and the players reacted in a variety of new ways to get shots off. Sometimes they drop to their knee to get off a one-timer. Other times they adjust to get a soft redirect shot off when the puck is too close to their body to get their full power behind it.
“You're not going to see awkward shovel shots from 40 feet out, you're not going to see massive wheelhouse one-timers on short passes from three feet out,” Ho says. “You're going to see the type of shot coverage and the shot selection that our game has now to make all the shots look better and feel better.”
The hope is this eliminates the warping or bad shot selection altogether. Ho also says the changes give you a greater variety of backhand attempts. You need more leverage and power to pull off lunging backhands the further you are away from the net, whereas up close you just need the room to get the wrist movement necessary to raise the roof for a top-shelf snipe.
Signature Shots For NHL Superstars
We’ve complained for years that the NHL series doesn’t do enough to differentiate their star players from the common third-liners. This applied to the ratings gap, lack of player likenesses, and even their animations. NHL 20 takes a small step in the right direction with the introduction of signature shots for a group of select NHL superstars.
Not every NHL player has a recognizable shot you could pick out of a lineup, but for those that do, expect to see some of these recognizable shots: P.K Subban’s booming slapshot, Alexander Ovechkin’s one-timer from the top of the left faceoff circle, NHL 20 cover athlete Auston Matthews’ half-drag release, Patrik Laine’s pinpoint shot, and Steven Stamkos’ sizzler.
In all, EA plans to have 10 to 15 signature shots in the game when the game launches and hopes to add more moving forward.
Click here to watch embedded mediaGoalies Get Some Love
Like in real life, the goaltenders are a constant target for criticism and derision in the NHL games. The most vexing problems netminders have faced in recent years include letting low-percentage wafflers in from the half-wall and not being able to locate trickling pucks underneath them. EA has a few tricks up its sleeves to turn these sieves into steady shot savers.
NHL 20 introduces 400 new save animations for goalies to cover a wider range of shots. New glove saves should cut down on the number of soft shots and passes that slip past the netminders, and to prevent those cheap rebounds and secondary chances from ending up in the back of the net, EA introduces chest covers and more deliberate freezes.
Ho says goalies are also better at identifying secondary threats. If a shot is coming in from one side and another forward is moving into position for a rebound, the goalie will take note of the second attacker and deliberately redirect the puck into a corner and out of danger using their stick or blocker, where the defender has a better chance of gaining possession.
But what about all those annoying own goals A.I. defenders so frequently put in the back of the net? Ho says that while EA didn’t overhaul the defensive player A.I., the changes to the puck pickup system combined with the more aware goaltenders should cut down on these problems.
Puck Pickups Get Another Pass
Year in and year out, players curse the frustrating puck pickup logic in the NHL games. Some years it’s the lack of awareness that the puck is at a player’s feet. Other years they just don’t seem to reach out for a biscuit in their stick radius. Though the EA Vancouver team has made some tweaks to improve it over the years, it still has work to do.
NHL 20 tries to improve the situation leaning on the RPM technology EA used to rebuild the skating in NHL 19. The new InMotion tech takes the RPM skating system from last year and adds more contextual body animations for passing, shooting, and picking up the puck without having to break your stride or revert to a glide to perform these actions.
“In NHL 19 skaters had to stop skating and enter a glide before executing moves like passing, puck pick-ups, and one-timers,” says producer Sean Ramjagsingh “This slowed down the overall play and allows defenders to catch up. In NHL 20, RPM tech is used to blend precise upper body moves with explosive lower-body skating resulting in playmaking and executing at full speed just like NHL superstars.”
We’ve only played a few games of NHL 20, so it’s too early to comment on whether or not this change fixes the pickup problem, but the preservation of speed when receiving the puck was noticeable in certain circumstances. Players charged into headman passes without losing momentum similar to wingers catching up to through balls in FIFA. If this change carries through, we may see a lot more breakaway opportunities when players get a leg on defenders coming through the neutral zone.
New Team Celebrations
Team celebrations became the rage last year with the Carolina Hurricanes’ Storm Surge post-game antics, which most people enjoyed despite Don Cherry calling them a “bunch of jerks” for having a good time. EA follows suit by adding a handful of team celebrations to NHL 20. Carolina will use them if you’re playing in Play Now or franchise mode, but your EASHL club can also unlock and activate them.
New Faces In The Broadcasting Booth
As much as we love the legendary commentary team of Doc Emrick and Eddie Olzyck in real life, the duo never found their stride in the EA Sports games. The commentary was often stilted and lacked contextual awareness. EA heard the fan frustration, so it completely rebuilt its broadcasting package for NHL 20.
“One problem we had before working with Doc and Eddie was that we had to fly to Chicago, and we'd maybe get about 30 hours of recording to try to update thousands of lines of commentary,” Ho says. ”We're taking a page out of the Madden book and NBA book where they have gone with crews that are actually local.”
The new duo is local Vancouver radio personality James Cybulski as the play-by-play guy and color commentator Ray Ferraro, who moves from the Pierre McGuire role between the benches into the booth. The new team comes into the EA Vancouver office a couple of times a week, which allows them to develop a rapport, hear their commentary in the game, and constantly revise it. EA also plans to have them in during the season to add more contextual commentary on NHL and EASHL trends.
The presentation revamp doesn’t stop with new commentators. EA also completely redesigned the broadcast packaging, ditching the NBC license altogether in favor of a new approach.
“We found it's very limiting when we have to be authentic to a third-party like NBC,” Ho says. “So we've developed our own broadcast package where we have a lot more creative latitude. We're able to speak to new audiences and tailor this presentation to this new generation of YouTubers, streamers, and influencers who want something that is punchier, something that really speaks to their audiences.”Terms like “YouTuber, streamer, and influencers” may elicit eye rolls over trend-chasing, but the new approach is not without merit. The score clock moves from the top left corner of the screen to the bottom like an ESPN ticker, freeing up more of your screen to keep your eye on the action. The dynamic scoreboard uses motion graphics to catch your eye when a penalty is called or a powerplay is counting down, and EA is also using it to update box score information.
EA also recorded new goal presentation packages. These huge, full-color takeovers use your team colors and feature a player headshot. The game currently doesn’t support headshots for created players or draft-generated rookies, but Ho says the system will accommodate this in the future.
EA also looked at highlight packages like Overwatch's “Play of the Game” for inspiration with its broadcast package. At the end of every period and game, the summary celebrates one player’s accomplishments with a highlight reel and a graphic calling out their gamertag. In HUT, this will also show which card you used to score that goal or make that game-changing play.
Guest Commentators Also Make Appearances
James Cybulski and Ray Ferraro aren’t the only commentators in NHL 20. Taking a page out of the NBA 2K playbook, some games will feature guest commentators to weigh in on the action. The infographic EA showed us included portraits of hockey personalities like Don Cherry and Wayne Gretzky as well as celebrities like Chance the Rapper and Drake.
More World Of Chel Customization
Though most of us were sick of being inundated with goalie equipment we never planned to use, overall we liked the player customization items you could earn via hockey bags when leveling up your created player. EA knows this approach resonated, which is why it’s adding 1,100 new customization items to the World of Chel this year. The changes include two new categories – baseball caps and face masks. No, we’re not talking Halloween masks, but the kind of face masks you see people wear at snow parks and ski resorts. EA says there are licensed and original designs for both.
To keep players coming back for more, NHL 20 also introduces Chel Challenges. These 15 objectives refresh every week and bestow a variety of rewards. Should you complete all 15 over the course of the week, you can earn a rare vanity item.
HUT Gets Squad Battles
The popular FIFA Ultimate Team mode Squad Battles is coming to NHL this year. Here, you can pit your squad against a weekly featured team designed by influencers, celebrities, or professional athletes. One example we saw was a team created by Los Angeles Kings fan/legendary rapper Snoop Dogg. Some of the players on those rosters may be new faces, as EA added several new legendary NHL players.
New Legendary Card Animations
Way too many people watch streamers open pack after pack of Ultimate Team cards filled with hard-to-get NHL superstars, presumably just so they can feel worse about themselves when they pull a pack with fourth-liners and junior players. To make the act of drawing a legendary card feel that much more exciting (and perhaps compel you to spend more of your hard-earned cash on this game of chance), this year EA redesigned the pack opening to make it more of a spectacle. If you have a legendary card in your pack, before it’s revealed the presentation starts listing stats like how many goals they’ve scored or NHL award trophies they’ve won, so you have a chance to guess which stud is going to take a spot on your top line.
Four New Outdoor Venues
Outdoor rinks introduced in World of Chel last year were a hit with players. For NHL 20, EA expands the lineup with four new ones. The first is called The Farm, which could be inspired by anywhere in the Midwest (when you see it take note of the old washing machine dinged up by practice pucks). The second new rink, dubbed The Park, is an urban location inspired by Vancouver’s Trout Lake Rink. The Canal is a riff on the world’s largest skating rink in Ottawa, and The Peak is set on a mountaintop glacier. All of these rinks are available for play in Ones, Threes, and EASHL pickup games.
The Coaching Carousel Comes To NHL
NHL general managers have legendarily itchy trigger fingers when it comes to canning coaches. Hell, after a slow start this year the Blues fired Mike Yeo and went on to win the Stanley Cup, so who can argue with the results? This dynamic comes to franchise mode for the first time with the introduction of coach carousels. As a GM, you control the fate of eight different coaches in your organization – four in the NHL and four in the AHL. Sadly, none of them are licensed, so don’t expect to see red-faced Bruce Boudreau screaming at players or the Q Stache patrolling the Panthers bench. Instead, EA created 300 different fictitious coaches, all with unique attributes, specialties, and schemes. The coaches affect the morale and performance of your players, and you can have conversations with them over the course of the season to promise or deny them that coveted upgrade they seek for the roster. Like with the scouting system last year (which returns), former players can transition into coaching over time.
A New Line Chemistry System
After years of experimenting with line chemistry in the early aughts, a while back EA pulled the feature altogether. This year it returns with the inclusion of coaches. In NHL 20, every line is rated on how well it fits your coach’s scheme. Have too many poor fits? Perhaps it’s time to exercise that trigger finger and fire the coach rather than make a flurry of trades.
NHL 20 Finally Adds A Trade Finder!
If you do decide to trade some players with low chemistry, you’ve got an exciting new tool in NHL 20 that we’ve been requesting for years. Taking another page out of NBA 2K (do you sense the trend here? It’s a good one), NHL 20 features a trade finder. Instead of fighting repeatedly with finicky general managers, now you can put players on the trade block and immediately see a selection of counterproposals. You can accept, decline, or modify these trades right from the menu, which should help lower the friction to midseason roster improvement.
Ones Gets Couch Play
Last year NHL 19 missed the biggest no-brainer of all – letting us play the Ones mode with our friends offline. Thankfully, NHL 20 makes this course correction, and you can finally set up a local session to see who has the best skills. Unlike the other World of Chel modes, you don’t use your own created characters in Ones Now, which is a bit of a bummer. Instead, you choose from a roster of 16 NHL stars and a few NHL mascots. EA tracks stats over the lifetime of the mode as well as for individual sessions, so you can break down who reigns supreme.
Battle Royale Comes To NHL – Kind Of
EASHL is still one of the most popular modes in NHL, but EA discovered a lot of these club players also spent significant time in both Ones and Threes last year. After all, these are the perfect modes for killing time when you’re waiting for the rest of your roster to appear online.
This year, EA doubles down on these modes by taking inspiration from the most popular games on the planet right now for a new spin-off called Eliminator. This pseudo battle royale mode can be played in either Ones or Threes. Solo players can log on to compete in Ones matches at the same time as 81 other players. The first player to win four matches is crowned champion. Each time you are eliminated, you can drop right back into another match in the first of four rinks.
What’s Not In NHL 20?
During our conversation with EA, we learned that a few changes we hoped to see in NHL 20 won’t be in this year's game. Those pining for a practice mode in EASHL will have to wait at least another year, maybe more. EA is aware of the awful online toxicity that pervades the EASHL, but hasn't built the reporting tools necessary to help the community fight against it just yet. The team isn’t making any structural changes to player ratings this year and didn’t work on any major overhauls for teammate A.I. or the strategy system. The game should have a few more player likenesses, including a few refreshes for star players, but they weren’t able to address the shortcomings there in any major way. Last but not least, we noticed some gameplay systems that operate largely the same, such as faceoffs and board play. The team is still working on fine-tuning the checking, particularly balancing what should happen when a puck carrier gets pushed from behind. Stay tuned for a lot more info about NHL 20 in the coming weeks. We'll have a much deeper dive on the franchise mode changes soon.
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. -
Hello Upinthe,
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.
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Publisher: NintendoDeveloper: Brace Yourself GamesRelease: June 13, 2019Rating: Rating PendingReviewed on: Switch
As you might guess from its name, Cadence of Hyrule – Crypt of the Necrodancer Featuring the Legend of Zelda is a strange mix. It takes elements from the Zelda series (most notably its revered suite of music) and combines them with the dungeon-crawling roguelike action of Crypt of the Necrodancer. The two series don’t always mesh harmoniously, but as a whole, they get along well enough to make for a gratifying musical adventure.
Cadence of Hyrule is ostensibly a Zelda game, but the twists from Necrodancer put it squarely in spinoff territory. The most drastic change is the need to move along a grid to the rhythm of remixes from the Zelda series; failing to do so prevents you from moving for a beat, leaving you vulnerable. It also has more combat encounters than your average Zelda game, leaning into Necrodancer’s dungeon-crawling ethos.
Combat is fairly simple. It takes time to internalize the variety of enemy patterns and how different weapon types work best against armored or ranged opponents, but once you have the hang of it, hearing your attacks line up with the beat of the music as you mow down enemies is a fun little thrill. You can also play as Link, Zelda, and Cadence (the heroine of Crypt of the Necrodancer), and each of these characters have different abilities that give combat a little more nuance.
The rhythm-based gameplay puts a heavy emphasis on the music itself, and the new renditions of Zelda songs are a highlight. Each area features two remixes – one for combat encounters, and one for when all the enemies are gone (plus a short 8-bit loop when you pause). Most of these songs are great on their own, but the way the music swaps between tracks (especially in dungeons and boss fights) makes exploring and taking on dungeons the best way to experience the music.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe other major twist Cadence of Hyrule introduces is the addition of roguelike elements, but mixing them with the Zelda formula doesn’t always work smoothly. Your adventure will likely start out littered with deaths; a couple of hits from enemies is all it takes to kill you – which empties out all of your rupees, keys, and consumable items. This can feel punishing early on as you’re learning the mechanics and how to move along with the rhythm.
The scales eventually tip too far the other way as you build up more hearts, weapons, and items. After a few hours, I was brute-forcing most encounters without paying much attention to enemy patterns, since the odds were so heavily in my favor. Some temporary power-ups, like glass flails and iron boots, lose their appeal as you become a killing machine. Other items, like shovels, become a nuisance to re-acquire after they break. This uneven difficulty curve leads to only a short window in which combat is truly satisfying.
Dungeons aren’t centered on using a particular item or trick, and have no real puzzle-solving. Instead, you work your way through a couple of tougher-than-normal enemy encounters until you find the boss key. Bosses introduce some interesting twists to combat, but the uneven progression hampers these as well, and I didn’t have much issue plowing right through them. Considering dungeons and bosses are often the centerpiece of many Zelda games, that’s disappointing.
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Still, the Zelda-fueled side of progression, like finding heart pieces, new tools to play around with (like the Deku Leaf and Power Glove), and getting permanent weapon upgrades is enticing. I scoured the map for every collectible, even after I was breezing through the encounters. The randomized nature of each run means some items aren’t put to great use while others (like the hover boots) trivialize certain puzzles, but I like how most of the major rewards require some critical thinking to nab.
The mashup of rhythm and adventure works in Cadence of Hyrule, even if not all of the elements from Zelda and Necrodancer intermingle well. The spirit of the Zelda series, including its wonderful sense of exploration, iconic music, and fun combat are alive and well here, enhanced by a killer set of songs that both celebrate and elevate one of gaming’s most enduring soundtracks.
Score: 7.75
Summary: Cadence of Hyrule is a great ode to the Legend of Zelda and its soundtrack, even as some roguelike elements weigh it down.
Concept: Combine Crypt of the Necrodancer’s rhythm/action formula with The Legend of Zelda’s exploration, progression, and dungeons
Graphics: With new takes on Link and Zelda and updated renditions of places like Gerudo Valley and Death Mountain, the pixelated graphics look great
Sound: The multiple remixes of Zelda classics like “The Lost Woods” and “Bolero of Fire” are great, and so are the ways they’re interwoven well into gameplay
Playability: Timing your movements takes some getting used to, but the simple combat keeps you focused on maintaining your rhythm
Entertainment: Cadence of Hyrule is a great ode to the Legend of Zelda and its soundtrack, even as some roguelike elements weigh it down
Replay: Moderate
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Hello syphonblue,
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Publisher: Niantic LabsDeveloper: Niantic Inc.Release: June 21, 2019Platform: iOS, Android
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the latest game from Niantic Labs, is coming to mobile devices this Friday. As it did before with Pokémon Go, Niantic's AR game puts a layer of gameplay over real-world locations – only this time, it's all about magic instead of pocket-sized monsters.
IP aside, another key difference between Wizards Unite and its Pokémon predecessor is its inclusion of a narrative. We don't know how deep it runs at this point, but it appears to be more involved than engaging in the treadmill of catching them all.
You'll be able to download Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on iOS and Android devices in North America starting June 21. For more info on the game, take a look at Imran's hands-on preview.
From left to right: Cal Kestis, Greez Dritus, Saw Gerrera, and Cere Junda
RWBY Gets A Mobile Puzzle Game
in Game Previews
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Rooster Teeth's animated show, RWBY, has been slowly inching its way into video games as of recent. Not only did the characters find themselves in Arc System Works' BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle, but there's also been Steam and phone games for the series already. Now, Crunchyroll Games and Rooster Teeth are teaming up for yet another RWBY games for mobile devices.
Called RWBY: Crystal Quest, the newest game is a match-three puzzler that involves matching gems. Players choose from their favorite RWBY characters, in the RWBY Chibi spinoff style, and battle against other characters from the series. You do this, of course, through dropping gems and matching three of them in a row similar to something like Panel de Pon.
Characters thus far include expected mainstays like Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang, as you would think from a series titled RWBY.
Crunchyroll Games is scheduled to launch RWBY: Crystal Quest this summer with pre-registration available on the website.
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