One of the most anticipated PC games this year will be able to be played on the Steam platform from day one, Microsoft has confirmed.
The Microsoft Flight Simulator will be exclusive to the PC platform before it gets a port for the Xbox Series X. Given this, it should be available in as many different stores as possible, which they are also aware of in Xbox Game Studios. Therefore, it was announced today that in addition to the version for the Microsoft Store, the game will also be available on Steam. And from the first day of release - 18. 8.
The game will be available for purchase on Steam in three different editions, and the prices have not been listed yet - we can only hope that there will be no more on Steam than on the MS Store. There will be no demo versions, but if you haven’t subscribed to the Xbox Game Pass so far, you can get it on your PC for a dollar a month and thus access the entire game for a month.
There is no mention of cross-play gaming anywhere in the official announcement, but that is somehow taken for granted at the moment because all Microsoft games have this benefit.
We are familiar with a new playful character in the Valorant shooter, with a full demonstration of skills. Her name is Killjoy and she loves robots in her spare time.
Riot Games has not yet officially revealed the new agent / playable character in the Valorant shooter, but almost all the necessary information about him is already available. By some awkward case, a video leaking that demonstrates Killjoy and his specific skills were leaked.
We don’t know yet what Killjoy looks like, but we do know that he will use some significantly different attacks and tricks than the rest of the current lineup of agents. Killjoy’s first standard skill is called Alarmbot and launches a killer robot that tracks nearby opponents, and when in contact with them explodes and temporarily leaves opponents doubly vulnerable to all other damage. Another skill is throwing static cannons with a 180-degree angle of view. The third skill is Nanoswarm, a grenade that does not explode after being thrown but can be manually activated at any time.
Killjoy’s ultimate attack is Lockdown, and if timed well, he can capture all enemies caught in range for a total of 8 seconds. The lockdown is initiated using a device that Killjoy throws to the ground, meaning enemies can destroy it to undo its action.
As of today, the Skater XL skateboarding game is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch platforms, and the latest trailer for it has been launched.
When The Elder Scrolls: Blades’ next update hits, it’ll introduce an MMO staple to the game. That’s right, repeatable quests are on their way. These quests — known as Event Quests — are a bit different from your standard grind repeatable found in other MMOs, partially in that each of them can only be completed up to five times. And, as a player attempts the same quest again and again, the quest becomes more difficult.
The Event Quests will be found in the Events tab of the Quests menu, provided the player has reached level 10. They rotate and will require different load-outs to complete. Completing the Event Quests will not only earn players gold and gems, but also a new item — Sigils. These can only be used in the Sigil Shop where players will be able to obtain new items and gear — including new Arcane weapons, armour, and jewellery.
The update will also include fixes and other improvements. Although, the devs have yet to specify what any of these will be.
The well-received Desperados 3 received a free extension with four additional mission-specific plots.
In addition to the rather long main story, the recently launched Desperados 3 also has an additional mode of optional challenges in which the various desires of the mysterious baron are addressed. In one of these, you have to indirectly solve one chicken and that tells you enough about the fact that these are missions that are not present in the campaign itself.
As of this week, the game has four additional missions of this type, and all game owners get them for free via a new update. The first mission is called the Vanishing Act and asks the player to rescue the lying trader from the city. The untitled Voodoo mission takes us to a wedding in which black magic is involved. Public Transportation is a mission in which two corpses need to be placed on a train without the enemies noticing. Finally, Bird Hunting is a sniper mission with Doc McCoy.
In addition to additional content, the latest update also brings a few useful things, such as Borderless Window mode and support for Tobii Eye Tracking.
Several reputable gaming media, including GameSpot, Game Informer and Destructoid, were allowed to try Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, and as a result of their preview test, we got a new look at the gameplay itself. Specifically, two levels were shown (Snow Way Out and Dino Dash), and we saw Dr Neo Cortex looks in action. Everything looks just as much fun as the original trilogy, which is why we’re further looking forward to the release of this realization soon.
The magical game Everwild has been shown again at the Microsoft presentation for Xbox, and it is not even in the phase of having gameplay mechanics outlined.
One of the future exclusives of the Xbox Series X platform was announced last year under the direction of creator Sea of Thieves. Everwild is a game of exploring the magical world about which we know practically nothing, and after yesterday’s review of the same game, we know even less than that.
In the new trailer, we see a group of characters (players) caring for magical animals, but it is not entirely clear whether this is the basic mechanics of the game. There’s a reason for that, and that’s that Rare studio hasn’t even finalized all the gameplay concepts for Everwild yet. As they say, they are still playing with gameplay ideas, sticking to the desire to offer a polygon where players will co-create their stories.
Of course, some gameplay foundations for this game certainly already exist, but it's a bit strange that Microsoft is showing it for the second time, and the developer himself does not yet have a clear vision of how this game will be played. It just shows how much the Xbox team desperately wants to prove that they have valuable exclusives, all and that they are very far from a playable state.
The recent Ubisoft Forward event was quite short, with a focus on just a few Ubisoft upcoming titles, so at the same time, we learned nothing new about games like, say, Beyond Good and Evil 2, Rainbow Six Quarantine or Gods & Monsters. Therefore, at the very end of the event, we found out that it was basically just the first in a series and that we will see the new Ubisoft Forward soon. Thanks to the latest information, we now know when.
Namely, confirmation came from the ranks of this French publisher that the new Ubisoft Forward will be held during September, but the exact date has not been revealed. It has not been revealed what we should see during this digital event, but we can already assume that, in addition to the Far Cry 6 gameplay premiere, we will see the above titles, but also some surprises. New Prince of Persia or Splinter Cell? We still hope ...
The Psyonix studio game will become free to play after five years and will no longer be available to new players on Valve’s platform.
Great things happen in the Rocket League. The favorite video game in which we try to score a goal with cars not only becomes free to play but will also be removed from Steam. The new destination for all new Rocket League players on PC will be the Epic Games Store. Fortunately, all those who already have a Rocket League on Steam will be able to play it there still. But there will be no free versions on Steam.
“The Rocket League will debut on the Epic Games Store when it becomes free to play. The upcoming version will be the same as those on other platforms and will offer the possibility of crossplay with all platforms on which the Rocket League is located "- said in a statement from the studio Psyonix.
Another significant thing that comes with the transition of the game to the Epic Games Store will be that the Rocket League will have a cross-platform progression. This means that the progress achieved in the game will be shared on all platforms in the future, ie. that you will be able to switch from the console to the PC and continue where you left off, or vice versa.
Anyone who purchases the game before its free version, and plays it between July 21 and the release of the free-to-play model, will be able to keep it and receive regular updates. The game will be removed from Steam, so future players will no longer be able to get it there. Veterans of this title, before the game switches to the free-to-play version, will receive Legacy status as a reward. This will allow them several rewards within the game, including all the DLCs that came out before the free version arrived.
The exact date when the Rocket League will switch to the free-to-play model has not yet been determined.
Development studio Insomniac Games has confirmed that the spin-off game in the world of Spider-Man on the PS5 console will be able to run in two modes.
Recently, there has been a debate about how games on the PlayStation 5 console will not run at 60 fps. More specifically, an argument has emerged that developers will choose a leap in graphics quality rather than better performance, and more advanced hardware is not always able to chew both. However, the situation will continue as on the PS4 Pro console where individual games will have two or more play modes.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales will have an optional "Performance mode" in which the game will be played in 4K resolution and 60 frames per second. Other modes have not yet been discovered, but it is to be expected that the standard model will have a performance of 30 fps with slightly more advanced and detailed graphics.
Given that SM: Miles Morales runs on the same launcher as the original 2018 Spider-Man, I sincerely hope that means that game will also get free update for the PS5 with the same performance mode. But we will have to wait a little longer to confirm that.
In early 2021, The Art of Mass Effect Trilogy: Expanded Edition will be launched. He may follow the remaster of the Mass Effect trilogy.
An entry for the book The Art of Mass Effect Trilogy: Expanded Edition has recently appeared on Amazon and other online stores. Judging by the official description, it is an expanded edition of the existing book with illustrations, sketches, and other materials from the first three games of the Mass Effect series.
It is not unusual for the 2012 book to get a new edition, but it will likely follow the potential remaster of the Mass Effect trilogy. It has been rumored for a long time that Electronic Arts plans to launch this remaster collection in 2021 and considering that the mentioned book is planned for February 23, 2021, it is probably not a mere coincidence.
The expanded edition of the book will include new material from all DLC episodes for existing games. It is also to be expected that all existing DLCs will be included in the remaster collection if any. Of course, these are all speculations, for now, that should not be taken as confirmation. If confirmed, it will probably be kept for November 7, when the so-called N7 day is celebrated.
Today is the third anniversary of the official launch of
Albion Online and developer Sandbox Interactive is celebrating. Between now and
July 24, players will automatically earn a 24% extra Fame for all activities via
the Mists of Albion buff. Players will also have a chance to revisit the
Defenders of the Past dungeon from Albion’s beta period. The dungeon will look
the same as it did in beta, but the shrines, loot, and rewards have all been
updated. It will also reward those who complete it with a Red Anniversary
Banner.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a full celebration without
decorations, fireworks, and gifts. All of these are available in-game. Finally,
the dev team is hosting a “Strike a Pose” contest on the game’s forums. Details
on how to participate, as well as information on the rest of the anniversary
activities, are available on the Albion Online site.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time will only be available on two platforms upon release, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be later ports.
The upcoming Crash Bandicoot 4 will be played on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles from October 2, and the game will be supported on new consoles that will follow until the end of 2020. Unlike the N.Sane Trilogy, the game is not planned for now PC and Nintendo Switch.
However, at the request of PCGamesN, the publishing house Activision said that they are considering additional platforms for Crash Bandicoot 4, but some future date. The N.Sane Trilogy came to the PC a year after its first appearance on the PlayStation 4, and the same was true for the Spyro: Reignited Trilogy. Admittedly, last year’s Crash Team Racing has yet to get its PC version, despite some indications that it might be real.
The so-called FMV thriller Gamer Girl was officially announced this week and has received so many negative reactions that there will probably be nothing from the game.
Strange things have been happening in the video game industry lately. Recently, we had a case of a game that came out in the final version and returned to the beta phase. Now we have a game that was announced, so the announcement was withdrawn as if it never existed.
Namely, the day before yesterday, a trailer for the game Gamer Girl appeared on the Internet. It is one of those FMV adventures, that is, an interactive film with real, acted shots. The genre belongs to the thriller, and the story goes like this:
Streamer Abicake99 returns to streaming after the mysterious disappearance of her friend, and the player takes on the role of the moderator of her stream. The moderator has the task of defending her from trolls, working on increasing the number of her subscribers, etc. But between the lines, it is necessary to spot an anonymous predator that perched on Abicake99.
A somewhat intriguing premise, but the way it was presented didn’t sit well with just about everyone. Some on Twitter called the game a mockery of streamers and insensitivity to the consequences of toxic behavior on the internet. Publisher Wales Interactive said the game was made precisely to highlight the problem of harassment of streamers. But, no matter how "empowering" this story was in its initial idea, part of the audience was bothered by the fact that this topic is made into a product for entertainment.
The official announcement of the game has therefore been withdrawn - no more blog posts, and the trailer has been withdrawn from most channels, including the official PlayStation channel. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. The original announcement mentioned that it would come out in the ninth month, but plans around that may now change.
The No Man’s Skyspace adventure in the latest update called Desolation allows players to explore seemingly abandoned ships in space.
But Man’s Sky expands its possibilities year after year and becomes one content game. This year the mechs became part of the gameplay and before them the living ships. With update 2.6, we get the opportunity to explore the interiors of other spaceships. These interiors are procedurally generated, contain opportunities to gather resources, but also certain dangers.
Namely, new types of alien opponents will be able to meet on some ships. The whole atmosphere of dark and abandoned ships wandering by unknown creatures pulls towards horror, but don’t expect No Man’s Sky to deliberately scare you. Each ship will have its own unique story, and in discovering the same players will be able to embark on improved shooting skirmishes.
An extension called Desolation is available on all platforms and free for all game owners.
Although Ghost of Tsushima is not the best-rated game in the West, it seems that Japanese reviewers adore it.
Ghost of Tsushima can be called a success with an average score of 84 on Metacritic and 85 on OpenCritic. But an interesting story is how some reviewers of the game resented the “Hollywood” portrayal of Japanese culture, given that the game about the samurai of ancient Japan was done by a studio from the USA. Interesting because the objection to this supposedly Americanized vision of Japan comes from the West, while the Japanese themselves are thrilled with the game.
This is proved by the review of the esteemed Japanese magazine Famitsu, which has existed for 34 years. Namely, Famitsu gave Sony's game the maximum rating - 40/40, which does not happen often with Famitsu. Previously to GoT, Famitsu gave a perfect rating in the last 22 years for 26 games, of which it is especially important to point out that Ghost of Tsushima is only the third game developed in the West to which Famitsu has given this honor. Previously, they gave the maximum rating only for TES V: Skyrim and Grand Theft Auto V.
Not only Famitsu had praise for the game. Other Japanese portals/publications have also praised the game, including Dengeki Online, IGN Japan, Engadget Japan, and Akiba Souken. Some consensus of all their reviews is that Sucker Punch Productions did not Americanize the samurai, that they showed incredible respect for the historical period and Japanese culture.
On this day, seventeen years ago, the Star Wars franchise got the RPG game that fans have been waiting for for years.
Star Wars games until this century mostly belonged to the genres of shooters and action games. But exactly 17 years ago, the creators of the Baldur’s Gate series seized a unique opportunity and delivered us a Star Wars game of the RPG genre. Full name Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, this title took us long before the action of the films themselves - almost four thousand years before the creation of the Galactic Empire.
Interestingly, BioWare came up with the idea by refusing to work on a game that would follow Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Working at KOTOR allowed them more creative freedom, and they took advantage of that in the best possible way. To this day, KOTOR remains the first choice when it comes to the RPG genre in the world of Star Wars.
It is an interesting fact that KOTOR was never available on the then most popular console, the PlayStation 2. Instead, it came out first on the Xbox and then on the PC. Subsequently, in 2013, it received a mobile edition for iOS and in 2014 for Android. The game received a sequel to The Sith Lords in 2004, directed by another team, and since 2011 its legacy bears the MMO title Star Wars: The Old Republic.
It is an interesting fact that KOTOR was never available on the then most popular console, PlayStation 2.
More recently, the original KOTOR can be played on the Xbox One console for which the game is also graphically embellished with the help of emulation charms. It is also mentioned that KOTOR could be a template for a new trilogy of films in the Star Wars franchise.
Ubisoft's battle royale game was in closed testing for a while, but as of today, it is available to all players who have profiles on Uplay.
Hyper Scape is a Ubisoft Montreal game by which a French studio enters the battle royale genre. The game with a science fiction theme will be free of charge, it will have the option of playing solo and in a three-member team, and it will be played first-person. During tonight's Ubisoft Forward program, the open beta of the mentioned title was announced on the PC platform.
All players who have profiles on Uplay will be able to play the latest video game from today, in which the most important thing is to get a live head out of the city of Neo-Arcadia among a hundred players. It's free to download and you can play it right away.
Hyper Scape will have a battle pass in open beta, as announced from Ubisoft. It will currently only be available on computers and will be available on consoles throughout the year. When coming out on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, crossplay options with PC gamers will be enabled.
You already know that Ubisoft is leaking in all directions, so we found out ahead of time when their new games from the Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed series are coming out.
Do you know that game "Fly, fly"? Well, for the needs of the French company Ubisoft, that game was renamed "Girls, girls". Virtually everything that was supposed to be shown and announced on tonight’s Ubisoft Forward show managed to hit the internet ahead of time. It’s hard to keep it all a secret, but sometimes banal omissions just happen. For example, today the official Italian AC page on Instagram announced that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is coming out on November 17th, so the sooner the better they deleted that post.
A full trailer for Far Cry 6 was also leaked, which Ubisoft quickly removed, but it can still be viewed somewhere. There is no gameplay, but the release date appears at the end of the video - February 18, 2021. The game is planned for PC (Uplay and EGS), PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X, and XBO.
Note that these dates have not yet been officially confirmed, although they are most likely true. Confirmation is expected tonight as part of the Ubisoft Forward show from 9 pm, during which Ubisoft will show new materials from its upcoming games: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Watch Dogs Legion, Far Cry 6 and Hyper Scape.
Ubisoft, however, failed to preserve the secrecy of the new Far Cry game, as it was only three days before the Ubisoft Forward event leaked in all directions. This time, the main leaker is not the Microsoft Store, but the Hong Kong PlayStation Store, where Far Cry 6 appeared today.
First of all, the rumors about Giancarlo Esposito as the main villain of the game proved to be true. Namely, Mr. Esposito will find himself in the role of Anton Castillo, the dictator of the fictional tropical land of Yara stuck in time. Due to the bloody ambition to return the old glory to his country at any cost, Anton rules Yara together with his son Diego, but his tyranny will start a new great civil war, in the middle of which we will find ourselves in the role of local Dani Rojas, the main protagonist. by a resistance movement to wage a guerrilla war against Anton's troops.
The previously mentioned tropical setting has been confirmed, so in addition to the urban locations of the capital Yare Esperanza, dense tropical jungles and beautiful beaches await us, much more beautiful than those from the legendary "troika". Some gameplay mechanics, which we have seen in the last two games, are also returning, primarily the recruitment of comrades-in-arms and mercenaries, who will fight the tyrannical regime together with you.
Far Cry 6 is on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and PC arrives as early as February 18th. It will be a Smart Delivery title, which means you’ll get the next-gen console version completely free, provided you buy the one for current consoles beforehand. We'll find out more about the game on Sunday during Ubisoft Forward - provided, of course, that the trailer and something else doesn't leak earlier.
Riot Games will release its first set of “Ultra Edition” weapon skins for Valorant tomorrow, and they look plenty cool. The Elderflame weapon skins transform your assault rifle, an automatic pistol, sniper rifle, and knife into miniature dragons, with full animations when they’re in your hand and — for the sniper rifle, at least — dramatic effects when they score a kill. The four weapons are flashy additions to the game, which, unlike many of its competitors, rely more on tight gunplay and strategy than visual effects to draw people in.
All that flash comes at a price, though: 2475 VP apiece. The closest you can get to that is $19.99 for 2050 VP, so each weapon sells for approximately $24. Or, as Valorant Revenue Lead Joe Lee pointed out on Twitter, you can get a bundle of all four for 9900 VP, and an 11000 VP bundle goes for $99.99. It’s unclear as to whether the weapons can be purchased individually or must be part of the bundle; we’ll know more when the set launches tomorrow.
If you think that seems like a lot of money for a weapon skin (or skins), I won’t blame you. Some portions of the Valorant community seem to agree. However, many other games — including several that aren’t free-to-play — have microtransactions that run in the $20-$25 range (like this and this), so the Elderflame skins aren’t that out of line. And as I reasoned a couple of years ago, prices like these are the result of not having to go to loot boxes for a random chance at the weapon skin you want — and a lot of junk you probably don’t.
It’s time for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Trove players to get ready to head underground. The Delves update has finally arrived on both systems, offering players the chance to explore the darkest depths of the Trove world — alone or as a group. Consisting of three unique modes, available in public or private, Delves can be explored by a single individual or as many as eight players in a group.
As mentioned in a previous post, challenge rewards previously earned by players completing the Shadow Tower can now be obtained via Delves. Also, a new tier of gear has been added — Crystal 4. The update also reworks some of the game’s classes, particularly Tomb Raiser which has been overhauled.
In the ninth month, the adventure of Kratos and his son will be retold in the form of a picture book called God of War: B is for Boy.
God of War has useful things to teach players, but those who are a little older because the game is suitable for adult audiences. For the younger ones to understand the story, Insight Editions, in collaboration with the game's creators, has prepared an official picture book called God of War: B is For Boy.
The picture book reliably recounts the events of the game, focusing on the relationship between father and son through their facial expressions and body language. Here and there some things could be interpreted as violent, but nothing more than the violence as propagated in Tom & Jerry cartoons, for example.
The picture book will go on sale on September 1 this year and will cost $ 17.
In the third Shadow Warrior, the legendary Lo Wang will catch a dragon in neo-feudal Japan, exclusively on the PC platform.
We knew he was coming and here he is finally - Shadow Warrior 3 has been announced. Fallen shogun Lo Wang and his assistant Orochi Zilla are returning on an incredible mission to capture an ancient dragon that has escaped from its eternal prison. The gameplay in the trio is described as a "symphony of death" and is still based on a combination of katana and firearms, running along walls and dismembering demonic forces from Japanese folklore.
Developer Flying Wild Hog, responsible for the previous two games, is working on the game, and it was announced exclusively for the PC platform, and the planned release is in 2021. We got a trailer in which we can see what the game looks like, but for the specific gameplay, we will still have to wait until July 11, when the game will be shown at 9 pm as part of the Devolver Digital conference.
The characters in the remake of the original Mafia will sound different - because the roles of the old characters have been given to completely new actors.
Mafia: Definitive Edition will not only deliver a new outfit to the cult game but will change or expand a lot of things in it. This includes the presentation of the characters themselves, primarily the protagonist Tommy Angel. Namely, it has been confirmed that the cast in the remake will be completely new, and it was built around actor Andrew Bongiorno, who will replace Michael Sorvin in the role of the main character.
The reason why the actors changed is that the creators of the Definitive Edition could not use the old materials, and although they initially considered the idea of hiring an old cast, they concluded that too much time had passed since the original game. The voices of the actors have changed and it would no longer be convincing. Sorvino is 42 years old and could probably easily reprise the role of Tommy Angel, but it was concluded that the chemistry among the actors would be better if this is the first encounter with the Mafia series for all the actors.
That is, the story holds for the English localization of the play - in the case of the Czech localization, the main character will again be played by actor Marek Vasut, and several other actors will reprise roles from the first play.
Another reason for this change is that for Mafia: Definitive Edition, it’s not just actors who would lend their voice to the characters in the game (as was once required for the original Mafia). Instead, we are also looking for actors who can act out certain emotions through facial expressions, because today's technology is still able to show more than was possible twenty years ago.
Tomorrow is America’s birthday, so it only makes sense that Captain America might show up in Fortnite. Based on the video it seems he’s arriving via the Bifrost. The First Avenger is now available in the game’s shop — or, rather his outfit and two items are.
Right now, all players can pick up Cap’s Outfit along with his Proto-Adamantium Pickaxe (Cap’s Shield) and Back Bling. There’s also the Grand Salute Emote, which involves a lot of fireworks. You can see the emote in action on the Fortnite site.
Ubisoft has started the reveal for Hyper Scape, a free-to-play sci-fi shooter set in a futuristic virtual city called Neo Arcadia, with select streamers showing off the game right now in advance of the “official” reveal. I’ve been watching Sacriel get my first impressions, and here’s what I’ve learned after checking out a few matches, with a little additional information gleaned from the official reveal.
At its core, the game is a battle royale you can play solo or in a three-player squad, akin to Apex Legends – or maybe that’s just the mode I’ve been watching, called Crown Rush. It takes place in a virtual-reality city, where you have to find weapons and abilities and fight to become the last team standing or claim and hold the Crown for 45 seconds after the map has shrunk down to a single sector.
None of that sounds too original, but Hyper Scape looks to have a few new twists to the battle royale formula. Since the game isn’t set in the “real” world, some abilities, known as “hacks,” are fittingly over-the-top and fantastical. They include:
Wall: Lets you create a very large, opaque wall that can only be busted through with melee attacks.
Slam: Jets you very high in the air – above multi-story buildings – and then back down to the ground with extreme velocity.
Ball: Turns you into a ball that you can then bounce off other players.
Armor: Makes you invulnerable for a few seconds.
As well as Invisibility and Healing abilities that do about what you’d expect. You can equip two abilities at the same time. Weapons include the usual mix of pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and so on. Both abilities and weapons level up if you grab multiple copies of them.
When you die, you become a ghostly “echo” that can still move around the map and grant intel to allies. (Of course, there’s a ping system.) If you get to the location where another player died, your ally can come there and rez you.
As for the “Twitch integration” that Ubisoft was promoting, it comes in the form of voting during the match that lets viewers determine special events during the match. It requires a Twitch plug-in to be equipped by the streamer, and if nobody has one, an event is chosen randomly.
Finally, let’s talk about the presentation of the game, which is superb. The graphics and sound are AAA-quality, and there are a few nifty effects that enhance the experience and make you feel like you’re really in a virtual city. When you swap weapons, your current one disappears and the new one “forms” out of polygons and appears in your hand. Additionally, a closed-off sector doesn’t sport the ubiquitous “green fog” of other battle royales but instead gets a polygon-laden texture to make it appear like the program you’re a part of is bugging out. By not relying on a “ring” to close in around players, the playable map can be less symmetrical, as well.
All in all, I’ve got a positive first impression of Hyper Scape, though I’ll freely admit that I probably won’t be very good at it. It’s very fast-moving, and the wide range of abilities makes for fast-paced and frenzied battles. It’s eminently watchable, and the Twitch integration should only help it become a fave on that platform.
For now, you can get into the game by viewing streams that are playing the game and linking your Twitch account to Ubisoft. As was the case with Riot and Valorant, this is more about marketing than it is about testing – expect to see “Hyper Scape drew millions of Twitch viewers!” headlines in a week or two – but it’s the only way to try it for now. Previous reports had the game’s full launch coming July 12, so you might only need to wait just a little while to get into it for real.
It’s that time again. The Magic: Legends dev team is back with another behind-the-scenes look at another one of the game’s environments. This time, we get a peek at Tazeen, the jungle continent found in the plane of Zendikar.
The post explains how the developers needed to make their zone design work with the set camera angle of the game, requiring them to use lower areas to convey the denseness of the jungle. Since players will not be able to look up in Magic: Legends, the developers needed to find a way to make players feel like they were in a massive dungeon with tall trees covering them in a canopy obstructing the sunlight. To do this, they used a combination of lighting tricks and placing thin items that give the illusion of height.
The post also explains how they created vistas using silhouettes and fog and how they chose to light the jungles. If the screenshots are anything to go by, the devs have been rather successful in creating an interesting jungle environment filled with ruins, impressive views, and more. As always, this is another one of those dev posts that will be of great interest to anyone fascinated with game design and you’ll want to read it in full on the game’s site.
The Elder Scrolls Online, which recently celebrated the
launch of its Greymoor DLC – the largest expansion yet in Zenimax’s Dark Heart
of Skyrim expansion – is officially coming to Stadia later this month. The
port, which has reportedly been in development for some time, is due to launch
on the 16th of June. With the release date nearing, Zenimax and Bethesda are
reassuring fans that playing ESO on Stadia will be a smooth experience.
Elder Scrolls Online’s Stadia Port Launches This Month
“We’ve been working on this for a while,” says Eric Buhlman,
the project manager tasked with bringing Elder Scrolls Online to Stadia; “From
the dev perspective, there are some challenges there. One of the benefits we
had was that we were working on the integration alongside Google building out
pieces of the platform. So that have us a unique opportunity to solve some of
those challenges together.”
When The Elder Scrolls Online launches on Stadia in just
under two weeks’ time, the game will be available to play for anybody with a
Stadia subscription. This version of the game will also include the Morrowind
expansion for free. However, all other expansions will remain paid DLC, as they
are on other platforms. One of the game’s biggest draws is likely to be the
fact that it supports cross-progression. As such, existing ESO players will be
able to transfer their data with ease to and from Stadia and their usual
platform of choice. This transferal includes all account details and owned
expansions, of course.
According to Buhlman, the performance of ESO on Stadia is
“roughly” similar to its performance on console. However, the shift to Stadia
does mean that the MMORPG will be available on certain devices for the first
time, including mobile. “The first time I saw it on a phone was a really cool
experience,” says Buhlman; “The UI scales really well right out of the box.
It’s hard to imagine until you see it. It’s smooth. It’s working.”
We still have a little while, but Bless Unleashed is on its way to PC. Round8 Studio and Neowiz announced the upcoming release in a press release earlier today, stating we can expect it to launch in early 2021. Before that, there will be the obligatory beta test period beginning sometime this fall. Exact dates haven’t been provided.
Also not included in the press release is information on exactly how much of the game will make it to PC at launch. So, for now, there’s no telling whether PC content will release alongside Xbox One content or if the Xbox One version will roll out ahead of PC. The most recent Xbox One update, Saurin Deception, released earlier this week, so it seems likely PC players can expect at least that much. Of course, those wanting to keep track of the upcoming launch can keep an eye on the Bless Unleashed PC site.
Star Trek Online‘s 20th Season update — House Divided — is here, and as promised Cryptic Studios is giving a lot of love to the Klingons. This update is the beginning of the “Year of Klingon” and picks up where the Age of Discovery storyline left off, following the machinations of J’ula and her allies in the year 2411.
Of course, fans will recognize some of the voices that appear in this expansion as those of favorite actors from one (or several) of the Star Trek TV series. J.G. Hertzler is returning to his role as Martok, and another favorite — Robert O’Reilly, the voice of Gowron in Next Generation and Deep Space 9 — will make his first appearance in the game as the voice Gowron’s ancestor Aakar.
As a special treat, Cryptic offered us the opportunity to (virtually) sit down with Mr. O’Reilly and talk with him about taking over the role of Aakar in STO as well as the Star Trek universe in general. We’ll be posting that as a separate piece tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that.
Just as Cryptic promised back in May, the Year of Klingon and its related updates will do more than just add content. It also updates the in-game Klingon experience. Players will find the tutorial has been given a visual workup, including new cutscenes and voice-overs. Several of the Klingon characters, including J’Mpok, Adet’pa, Kagran, and Worf, have had their models updated as well.
And yes, there is new content to explore — such as a new TFO, new Patrols, and two new episodes. More information on all of this is available on the STO site.
