It won’t be long now till Nintendo Switch and Steam players will be able to step into the penny dreadful world of Alders Blood, knives out and guns a blazing’. This victorian-western horror drops gamers in the thick of a heated battle between exiled hunters and monsters lead by “god,” a creature that looks like it stepped straight out of a Lovecraft novella. Horror isn’t horror without a pinch of cosmic these days. Whose complaining though, honestly?
Much like what Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro had to offer gamers, Alders Blood isn’t stubborn about brute force and button mashing. Strategy is a must as you traverse the dark farms and forests of the world. Outwitting opponents and making use of team effort will help players progress more smoothly rather than taking the game head-on. Gamers will need to keep track of their energy as the characters will start to fatigue if overworked and keep their distance from monsters until a plan of attack is properly thought out. Managing items, tools, and weapons are skills players will need to master as the harsh world of Alders Blood doesn’t allow much room for second chances and opportunities for success are often limited to brains over bronze.
Even if tactical, turn-based games aren’t your thing, Alders Blood is worth checking out simply for the art style. The rouge hunters have a gothic flair to their western attire and attitude and with a demon god leering over the world, dark vibes are sure to put gamers on edge.
Alders Blood is available for pre-order on the Nintendo Switch for $14.99/£13.49. This is 25% cheaper than what will end up being the normal price so if this is something you even remotely think you will want to play it’s worth the pre-order. The game is set to release on March 13 for the Switch and April 10th on Steam.
And, if you’re hungry to see what the full game will have to offer, check out the prologue, a free demo that can be downloaded on the Nintendo e-shop, available now.
Ubisoft really wants you to play The Division 2. In addition to a hefty discount that saw the game go under $5 USD on every platform, it only gets cheaper with a free weekend inbound for those that are still on the fence.
The Division 2 is completely free from right now until March 2nd and if you choose to buy the game at the discounted price, all of your progress carries over. The entire game is available to players on PC, PS4, and Xbox; Playstation Plus is not required for PS4, but Xbox Live Gold is required for Xbox players.
The free trial weekend comes to an end just a day before the anticipated Warlords of New York expansion goes live. This expansion adds in an entirely new area, new skills, missions, gear, an increased level cap, and a wide variety of reworks and restructuring of the game. Warlords of New York is The Division 2’s biggest addition to the MMO to date.
The lengths Ubisoft is going to increase the player base of The Division 2 is truly commendable. It’s never been easier to get into the game and get started, then the heavy discount to the game creates a low barrier of entry. They’ve done everything short of going completely free to play to drum up excitement for this upcoming expansion that is seemingly going to restructure the game in a major way. It’s a great way of giving people a taste of the game before a major expansion, which in turn boosts sales of that pack. It’s been used in a few other MMOs as well such as Elder Scrolls Online before the launch of the Morrowind expansion, which gave the game almost double the number of active players. It will be interesting to see the sales and player numbers that are released when the expansion goes live.
I’m the proud poppa of two amazing baby girls. Raising daughters is many things; fun, rewarding, satisfying, but notice how I didn’t say relaxing? And that would be just one perk to playing a daughter raising simulator compared to the real thing. My daughter wants jeans that are way too expensive? I probably just need to earn some extra cash from a couple fetch quests. Oh, she wants a sweet sixteen party? Hey, I can just start a new save. Annoying high school boyfriend? I can shoot him! This actually sounds extremely promising. Let’s see if Ciel Fledge can check all the boxes and inspire my wife and I to go for baby girl number three!
Ciel Fledge takes place in the distant future. Humankind has survived an apocalyptic event in which a creature known as “the Gigant” has destroyed much of the world. Most survivors live on “Arks,” or floating aircraft carriers (Avengers fans, think Nick Fury’s Helicarrier). The alien threat of the Gigant still looms, but pales in comparison to dealing with an irate daughter for whom you purchased the “wrong” shoes. It is in this environment that the player adopts a roughly 8-9 year-old daughter that he or she will “bring up” in this uncertain world. Though not offering much more than that in terms of story at the outset, there was certainly enough mystery to spark intrigue and curiosity.
The game is dead-on accurate in terms of the modern day compulsion to over-schedule your kid. Scheduling your daughter drives the game loop. Rosie Rae (my in-game daughter) could participate in school, gymnastics, play dates, meditation and a variety of other activities. But be careful. Fail to schedule enough rest and your daughter may catch the sniffles, prompting the Ark equivalent of DYFS to show up and threaten to take away your child!
For fans of the life-simulator genre, the gameplay loop will do enough to keep you engaged. Schedule your kid correctly and win some simple turn-based encounters and watch the pretty green numbers increase. Early on, the benefits of stat increases are not clear however. It does feel logical though that increasing your daughter’s intelligence, etc, is probably a good thing. Between scheduled events, cutscenes introduce new characters and flesh-out relationships. As the game progresses, the story meshes a bit more and relationships develop. I felt a bit let down in that I found the dialogue to feel flat and mostly boring. Typically, dialogue scenes overstay their welcome and are mostly devoid of humor.
While the game plays out in weekly chunks, the parent is working; earning an income that is spent automatically on living expenses and voluntarily on shopping. Shopping is a true standout feature for this title. There is a huge assortment of clothing and accessories to choose from to outfit your daughter throughout the course of the game. Rosie Rae’s wardrobe is far more glamorous than either of my actual daughter’s will ever be.
A basic parenting mechanic exists throughout the game. Attend to your daughter and their affection toward you will increase. However, sometimes it is necessary to spend a little more time at work to earn some extra cash at the expense of some affection points. Such is life: a balancing act.
I did feel that an opportunity was missed by adopting your daughter as an older child rather than as a baby or smaller child. In real life, bonding occurs when it’s 4 AM and your daughter insists on building a fort rather than going back to sleep. Ciel Fledge just never really nails true parent-child interactions in any meaningful way. The player is typically observing scenes between your daughter and other characters, rather than with the parent. And, especially when she is young, Ciel is fairly devoid of emotion. She feels more like an adopted robot daughter that slowly becomes more human. Everyone knows that your daughter does not turn into a robot until she discovers Instagram as a teenager.
Unfortunately, Ciel Fledge does not do much to welcome new players, especially those unfamiliar with the genre. When the game opens, the player must immediately make decisions that will offer advantages and stat boosts. However, at this point, I had absolutely no idea what the boosts meant. This trend continued over the first several hours, as my daughter was constantly gaining attributes and her relationships with friends were gaining points and leveling up as well, yet it was still unclear what any of it meant. During this same time, I was bombarded with tutorials about gameplay mechanics that I found to be far more complicated than necessary.
The game is cute and charming in terms of its visuals. Characters are drawn more detailed during cutscenes and the anime-inspired models are simple, yet fit the feel of the game well. The color palette and general bubbly aesthetic are delightful to look at. Dialogue boxes and schedules are large and easy to read.
The music is a catchy blend of upbeat pop and funk. In this genre, similar situations are encountered frequently, meaning the same melodies will be heard repeatedly. Not dissimilar to real life, as I have listened to the “Sing” soundtrack while cooking breakfast with my daughter for the past 6 months. It is therefore extremely important that the score is of a certain quality as for the player to not become bored or annoyed. Luckily, the developers have achieved that here. Songs change for each situation type that your daughter encounters, varying things enough. I thoroughly enjoyed the soundtrack and thought each song fit the situation well.
For fans of the genre and games like Princess Maker, Ciel Fledge is an easier title to recommend. Those who know what to expect will feel a bit more at home. However, Ciel Fledge does little to welcome newcomers to the genre. There are simply an over abundance of tutorials that over-explain certain aspects of gameplay while totally neglecting other elements. And I do think an opportunity was missed in that there were not many realistic-feeling parenting decisions or interactions. Still, the scheduling and progression loops drive the desire to play “just one more week,” especially when exploring all of the wonderful wardrobe options. And the title is certainly charming and easy on the eyes and ears. Ciel Fledge is not for everyone, but it serves its audience well. However, I will be hiding this one from my own daughters to avoid questioning about why my video game daughter has far more clothes and jewelry than they do.
This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
After years of toiling through development hell, Jim Henson’s passion project, The Dark Crystal, finally returned to screens. The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance is a 10 episode Netflix series that takes a look into the fictional world of Thra before the events of the film. The series launched to critical praise and accolades which eventually spun out to its very own tie-in video game, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics.
The plot of the first season of the Netflix show is basically retold in Tactics, with a few new minor details added in for the game. The bulk of the story is told through dialogue boxes while on the overhead map or in the grid based levels. Tactics also uses a few comic book style cinematics to convey the more complex story elements, but these are pretty sparse throughout the game. While this is serviceable to get the gist of Netflix series so far, it is an absolute disservice to the grand sense of scale and stunning visual sequences the show offers.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics should absolutely not be played until after watching the series, but therein lies an inherent problem. As I said earlier, the story of Tactics begins and ends in the same places as the show and the new details added are very inconsequential and feel like they only serve to pad the length of the game. So if you come to this game to get more out of the world of Thra you will be sorely disappointed, as all that is up to offer is the same plot that’s been stripped of all of its star studded voice acting and award winning cinematography.
This is about as cinematic as it gets in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics
While it tells the same story as the show, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics is so far the only way this world has been playable. The game is broken up into a variety of levels that are accessed by a map representing Thra. Each level is a relatively small grid based map with different elevations, with some having various stage hazards such as poison or rising tides. Although the maps are small, the movement on these maps is fairly limited with a character only able to move a few squares per turn. The turns are decided by a stat each character has called recovery, so a lumbering tank build will take their turn way after everyone else and sometimes characters will get multiple turns before them.
Most of these levels you will be tasked with simply eliminating the enemy. These usually come in the form of giant spiders, the little Podlings, Gelfling that haven’t joined the resistance, and boss enemies in the form of the vulture like Skeksis. The levels ultimately become very repetitive, despite their attempts to vary the gameplay with different goals such as reach an exit or free captives. When those different objectives pop up it would be who of you to adjust your loadout accordingly.
Rian is the main character, but more join in as the story progresses
The issue with making those adjustments is that you won’t know the goal of the level until you start it. This becomes an issue because there is no quick restart for the levels, meaning you have to back out to the map and then go back in to the level. The load times for these switches are noticeably long and become a burden.
You can customize your team, which usually consists of 3-5 members out of a pool of 14 possible teammates. These characters can have 5 different abilities selected based on the jobs they are assigned. The job system works in tiers, for example a tier 1 at level 10 can rank up to a tier 2 job, once 2 different tier 2 jobs are at least level 5 you can rank up to a tier 3 job. The jobs can be mixed and matched with primary and secondary, so for example a warrior build could also have healing spells. You can swap out the characters primary job at any time in the overworld map menu so experimentation is easy and encouraged.
The in-game chart of how all of the jobs are linked
However the upgrade trees are fairly shallow. Each job has roughly 10 abilities which can then be slightly strengthened with further leveling. The abilities granted are fairly basic and what you would expect; healing spells, stat buffs/debuffs, stronger attacks, movement skills. A lot of abilities are also completely reliant on other abilities to be on the team as well, so while experimentation is encouraged it can be hard to switch things around once you’ve finally found the loadout that really clicks. In the later stages of the game I had my proven team that got me through levels with ease and it was difficult to use anyone else at that point.
Presentation is a significant weak point in The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance Tactics. The movement and animations of the characters are stiff and robotic, much more so than their puppet contemporaries from the tv show. The pool of animations is really shallow and repeats often, for example if a spider enemy ties you to your spot with a web attack the animation shows your character rooted to the ground with vines as if attacked by a different spell.
The UI in this game is also just as noticeably clunky. Selecting to move your character and attack, for example, is done by clicking on the character, selecting move from the action wheel, selecting the square to move to, selecting the character again, then selecting attack which is right next to the undo movement option which you will accidentally select multiple times throughout the game and have to restart the process. This may be a small gripe, but when you do this process over and over again throughout 70+ levels it becomes more and more noticeable how it’s not as streamlined as other tactics games. Every level feels like it takes much longer than it needs to be because of this.
Earlier I mentioned that the star studded voice cast was noticeably absent, but the sound design in this game is lacking a lot more than just that. In general it feels very minimalistic in a negative way. Levels feel quiet and dull with no noticeable background music, no voices, and the same handful of sound effects that trigger with the limited animations. All of the enemies have the same voices, all of the gelfling make the same noise when damaged, all of the background music feels like the same boring dulcet tones.
The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance Tactics is a throwback to an earlier time when movies and TV shows regularly pieced together barebones tie-in games. There was a real opportunity for this game to delve further into the gigantic and mystical world that the show did such a great job of fleshing out, but it just doesn’t. The game rips the same exact story as the show, rips the bare minimum mechanics of tactics games, and presents it in a drastically minimalistic way that is the antithesis of the show. Do yourself a favor, get your hands on a Netflix account and watch the TV show with a controller in your hands. It’ll be a much more enjoyable experience.
This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
The quick-witted, demon-hunting mercenary Dante has made his way to the Nintendo Switch. Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition is now available for download on the Nintendo Switch and there is more to do than just what the original game had to offer.
It’s been fifteen years since Devil May Cry 3 came out and it was a huge hit. The origin story of Dante and his rivalry with Vergil went down as one of the best Devil May Cry games and has remained a classic to this day. Now, Nintendo Switch owners get a second chance to go through the story with some additional content to keep things fresh and interesting.
Unleashing some of the most outrageous combos in this hack ‘n slash game has always been a good time for players. The special edition offers a new Freestyle Mode. This allows players to freely switch between weapons and combat styles to amp up the combo frenzy. Because who doesn’t want more combo madness?
Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition also allows players the option of stepping into Vergil’s shoes and see the world from his bitter point of view as well as playing through the 9,999 “Bloody Palace” survival mode. Not to mention, this is the Nintendo Switch so epic devil slaying isn’t limited to the gaming room. The Switch’s handheld mode gives players the freedom to take Dante and his missions anywhere they want.
It’s always nice to get the old classics back even if some aren’t lucky enough to get a full remake. Having the chance to replay the epic origin story of Dante, his shop, and meeting Lady for the first time is a real treat for fans.
Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition can be purchased for download for $19.99. Check out more information here.
Darksiders fans may be looking for a new delve into their favorite franchise. If this is the case I have some pretty awesome news for you. If you haven’t heard already Darksiders Genesis is now available for your favorite console. There are two things that make this title particularly cool. The first of these is a graphical break from the norm that I’ll come to in a minute. The other one is that we finally get to meet the fourth horseman, Strife. This gunslinger has been getting cameos in the previous games but that’s about it. It’s about time we met him in the flesh. Oh … and it’s a prequel so there’s that too.
Darksiders Genesis is globally available for your Nintendo Switch, PS4 or Xbox One at the rather reasonable price of £39.99. PC fans need not feel left out either as you can grab Darksiders Genesis for your computer or Google Stadia.
This addition to the ongoing story takes us back before the whole hell on earth thing and the imprisonment of War. In Darksiders Genesis, we’ll be returning to the start and exploring the origins of the mysterious Seven Seals. You can follow this story solo or for the first time ever in two-player co-op mode. In single play, you’ll alternate between the sword-swinging War and bullet blasting Strife as you battle angels, demons and everything in-between. You’ll also be able to travel atop your infamous horses, Rampage and Mayhem.
What makes this game really interesting is that it’s moving away from the open-world RPG format that we all know so well. Darksiders Genesis will be a top-down action-adventure. This brings something fresh to a tried and tested theme and that can only be classed as a good thing.
Another tasty new addition to the mechanics of this title is the introduction of creature cores. This new combat system allows you to customize your own upgrade system from the monsters that you kill. These games are always chock full for awesome loot so you’ll definitely have plenty to go at.
Darksiders fans should be well up for a new addition to one of their favorite IPs. This is also really good news for those of you that haven’t played the other games and want to follow the plot from the very beginning. Having played the other three games I can assure you that RPG fans will (and do) love them. The change in aesthetic in Darksiders Genesis just adds a bit more room for those action-adventure addicts amongst you looking for something a wee bit more frantic to play with. All in all, very cool indeed.
I don’t even know how to start this review. It’s a motocross racing game, so you probably already know whether you like it. And I don’t even know if I can really say this game is good or bad; I played it on the Switch and went in with no prior experience in the series. But I also believe any racing or sports game should be accessible to anyone, and so I see nothing wrong with reviewingMonster Energy Supercross 3from that perspective.
Before we go any further, I should note that I’m using an abbreviated version of the title. The official website calls itMonster Energy Supercross – The Official Game 3. Meanwhile, if you read the logo on the game’s cover art, it’s calledMonster Energy AMA Supercross FIM World Championship 3: The Official Video Game. And I’m sure all of that makes sense to some, but it isn’t exactly beginner-friendly. And yes, as you may have gathered, that is a good metaphor for the rest of the game. It starts with the tutorial, which explains how to use the clutch to prepare at the start of the race, and then…nothing else. That’s pretty much the only instruction you get. The rest of the “tutorial” is just a race with the controls shown on screen. Most of these are either the same as every other racing game, or something specific to motocross that’s never explained.
Even with the basic controls being familiar, though, don’t expect the racing to be satisfying. If you don’t stay on track for the entire time, there’s going to be a lot of starting and stopping. Riding off of the track starts a five second timer before your rider is teleported back to where they’re supposed to be. But the timer seems to mostly be for show, as I keep finding my progress stopped short of the full five seconds. Crashing will also stop you in your tracks, and it’s very easy to do; just touching the blocks that form the track is likely to wreck you. On the easiest difficulty level, with all of the assists on to make it less realistically difficult, I still can’t finish a race outside of last place. That’s no exaggeration.
Here’s the thing: I don’t like this game much. But is it a bad game? That’s harder to say. It isn’t accessible by any definition. It’s also not a particularly good port; it’s pretty clear that the devs didn’t really do anything to make up for the Switch’s lack of analog triggers. The HD rumble isn’t used particularly well either; the vibration is slightly out of sync. But the game looks great, and the controls are very responsive (maybe even too much so). I think that with a lot of practice, I could probably get intoMonster Supercross 3.
With a real tutorial and more forgiving options for mechanics, I think there could be something here. But in its current state,Monster Energy AMA Supercross FIM World Championship 3: The Official Video Gamejust doesn’t quite work. Those who have played earlier games in the series will probably get more out of it, but if you’re a more casual fan, the parts that are fun just aren’t worth the amount of practice it would take to actually succeed. Granted, you can progress through the career mode even if you lose, but it isn’t exactly a rewarding experience. I wish there was more to like here, but if you’re a casual fan of motocross, at least this version of the game isn’t worth your money.
Street Fighter V: Champion Edition is now available for download and purchase. With it, players have the opportunity to play as the previous antagonist of Street Fighter IV, Seth. Get ready to either be impressed or indifferent as Seth steps into the ring with a new default body featuring curvy hips and a busty bust.
Previously, Street Fighter V players could download the Champion Edition on top of owning the original Street Fighter V or Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. Now, anyone can jump on the Street Fighter train with the updated Champion Edition, which includes all previous stages and characters as well as the updated content. On top of everything that was included in the previous releases, Champion Edition now has 40 characters, 34 stages and (try to suppress that excitement), 200 costumes. Its like dress up but for bada–es!
Seth is an interesting addition, especially with the physical change that has been implemented. Now paired with a new doll called Unit Zero, Seth continues his shameless escapade to seek and steal new moves from the plethora of fierce fighters stalking the streets.
Step back into Street Fighter V as the newest add-on finally gives players a sense of completion. For only a few dollars more than the original titles, players can experience captivating story modes, arcade mode, team battles, ranked and casual matches as well as new characters such as Seth. Champion Edition has a lot to offer, and fans will want to delve into the newest addition to get all the latest content available. In-game challenges allow players to get the DLC characters free of charge; however, if impatient players can’t wait, these characters can be purchased with real money–don’t try to pull a fast one with Monopoly cash. Other content can exclusively be purchased with Fight Money in-game.
More information on Street Fighter V: Champion Edition can be found here.
“When I discovered YouTube, I didn’t work for 5 days.” I can relate to the sentiments of the immortal Michael Scott, as I could have said the same thing regarding my discovering of Stardew Valley. And now, Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, has confirmed that he is working on two new games.
Barone tweeted earlier this week, “Yes, I’m actually working on a couple of new projects. One takes place in the world of Stardew Valley but is not a farming game. The other, I’m not 100% sure about the world yet, but it will tie into Stardew Valley in some way.”
Barone had previously shared a single image of one of the projects, which appeared to have a Harry Potter vibe while holding true to the Stardew Valley art style.
Here’s hoping for the future existence of a “time-turner” trinket from Potter lore, making it possible to reclaim some of the hours I will inevitably sink into these games.
SEGA’s storied steampunk-inspired JRPG series is coming to the West when Sakura Wars arrives on Playstation 4 on April 28th, 2020, following its Japanese release in December 2019. The original Sakura Wars game released on the SEGA Saturn all the way back in 1996 and the series has gone to include a number of sequels as well as anime, manga and even stage shows in its native Japan. So it’s safe to say the series has a significant following in Japan and SEGA is hoping the latest entry can help to garner a similar following in the West.
Sakura Wars is a soft-reboot of sorts for the series and should serve as a perfect entry point for newcomers, of which there are likely to be many. Players take control of Seijuro Kamiyama, the newly appointed captain of the Imperial Combat Revue’s Flower Division, a group of trained soldiers-come-theatre performers that have fallen upon hard times. Seijuro must return the Flower Division to its former glory by competing in the Combat Revue World Games, whilst also working to repel an imminent demon invasion that poses a threat to Tokyo. The player must help Seijuro and his team of rookies to rebuild their reputation and repel the demonic threat in an adventure that takes place in a fictionalized steampunk-inspired 1940s Tokyo.
The game is a part-JRPG, part-visual novel that features a colorful cast of characters that can be interacted with using series’ trademark LIPS system, where both what you say and how you say it can have a significant impact your relationships with your team and their effectiveness in battle. The game also features a new fast-paced real-time battle system where players take control of the giant steam-powered mechs, called ‘spiricle armor’, that have become synonymous with the series.
The game’s design leans heavily on its origins and involves a storied group of voice actors and character designers, including Tite Kubo, the famed creator of popular manga series Bleach. The game remains true to its roots by using Japanese voice acting with English subtitles, which will appeal to fans of the series, as well as JRPG purists alike.
More information can be found on Sakura Wars and its western release here.
Nothing like a good kingdom sim, right? Wait. You don’t want Build Stuff for the rest of your existence 10? No? Oddly no, I don’t either. I’m getting really sick of building games getting reskinned and called management sims. “Kingdom management,” “Space management,” “Build something to help you find your pants in the morning management.” It’s all exactly the same idea with a different name. Thankfully Yes, Your Grace is not a resource gathering time and money sink. It actually sees your looking after a kingdom and it looks like quite a lot of fun.
Inspired by Slavic folklore, Yes, Your Grace tells the tale of a medieval kingdom and the royal family who live there. As the King, you will be tasked with talking your subjects through their differing problems. These protests can range from something as small as them not having enough places to relax and have fun to rather more pressing issues such as monsters attacking the kingdom.
This is a game of choice. You have to remember that you won’t be able to help everybody all of the time. Each turn you will need to decide which of a group of petitioners needs your support the most. Aside from this, you’ll have to look after your own family and any issues they may have thus influencing their personal fates.
That’s the counseling stuff sorted but there’s more to being King than having a good ear. In Yes, Your Grace You’ll need to hire generals, witches, and hunters to aid your efforts and protect your kingdom. You won’t be an island after all. There are other lands around yours and you’ll need your diplomacy skills in dealing with the demands of foreign lords and kings and making alliances with other nations; all the while following the stories of the quirky characters that enter your halls.
Yes, Your Grace is available on Steam at £15.49, ($19.99 for you folk over the pond,) from March 6th. If you want the chance to test your decision-making skills and give your brain a bit of exercise without waiting for six years for a building to finish in the process this might just be the title for you.
The lead up to the next generation of Pokemon last year was wrapped in mystery and each morsel released by Nintendo was a treasure. As the release date for Pokemon Sword/Shield inched closer it became more and more clear that what Nintendo had allowed us to see was only scratching the surface. That is until around November, about 2 weeks before the official launch, leaks started spreading like wildfire in screenshots released completely against Nintendo and the Pokemon Company’s will.
Since then, Nintendo has been on a proverbial manhunt to track down the leaker and dole out justice. Today, in a joint statement by Nintendo and the Pokemon Company, it seems they have caught the one responsible. An unnamed member of the games media representing the Portuguese website FNintendo has been identified as the leaker in question.
Per Nintendo’s official statement, “These Pokemon were leaked by a reviewer…who had received an early copy of the game for review purposes. Both he and FNintendo failed to handle confidential material, resulting in a clear breach of the confidentiality agreement”.
Uploading the numerous confidential screenshots of the unreleased game to the website before the date on the signed agreement has officially doomed their nearly 11-year-old partnership with the game company. Even though FNintendo has since parted ways with the writer in question, the repercussions of those actions will continue to haunt the website.
How a website based solely around the Nintendo brand can continue while being blacklisted by Nintendo themselves will continue to run is beyond me. It serves as a reminder to all of us here in games media how seriously these nondisclosure agreements should be taken. It is always a thrilling prospect to be the first to break the story, but the contracts are put in place for good reason. A breach of that trust can not just spoil your own career, but the livelihoods of those working with you.
I’ve spent a long time looking for a good baseball game for the Vive. Unfortunately, this one probably isn’t it. However, my flailing attempts to hit a virtual ball are pretty funny to watch, and that’s what the newest episode of the ViveStream is all about. You can check it out below:
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire – Ultimate Edition for PlayStation 4 is the all-encompassing package of the base Deadfire game, three expansions, and numerous updates released for the PC since 2018. That’s a whole lot of content! I had nothing but love for the PC version and that love was rekindled on the PS4. But did this version love me back?
We loved Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire for the PC. This review covers enough to let you know what to expect but focuses more on the port (or presentation) of this game from PC to the PS4.
For those of you who may not have dabbled in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, this epic RPG follows you, the Watcher of Caed Nua, and a ragtag party of adventurers as you pursue Eothas, the God of Rebirth, who is storming around the islands known as the Deadfire Archipelago as a giant stone statue. Your character is indeed the main character of Deadfire‘s predecessor, Pillars of Eternity, and that statue is the very same one that was buried below your castle. The reawakened Eothas lays waste to your castle and its inhabitants, sending you to your death and rebirth, but only after a conference meeting with the god Berath, who decides that Eothas is a threat to all and that your new job as a living being is to stop it.
You’ll have the opportunity to decide your character’s history if you didn’t play Pillars of Eternity in order to shape your identity in this sequel. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to import anything from the first game, so those who have played it will be left to fill out what decisions they made for their Watcher. Since this is a direct sequel, Obsidian attempts to fill you in on all the happenings from the first game within the opening cinematics. There are also helpful tooltips that you can inspect if you are unsure of some of the lore elements or locations that are discussed in the story.
As I said in my review for PC, the character creation is much improved since Pillars 1. Not only are the models much better looking, but classes offer more customization, making more different builds possible from Pillars 1. This goes for your party members, too. You’ll encounter some familiar faces during your adventure, but also run into some new and interesting characters to join your ranks as crewmembers or party members on your ship, the Defiant.
Sailing around the Deadfire Archipelago is a prominent feature of this game. I loved this mechanic over the slow crawl of the map in Pillars 1. This also opens up the opportunity (or annoyance) of ship combat that plays like a text adventure. The options you choose can lead to a direct assault by boarding an enemy ship or allow you to fire canons and attack from a distance. The weapons and equipment of the Defiant are upgrade-able, as is the option to buy a new ship that offers better stats for sailing around the seas.
The Deadfire story is an engrossing tale and the supporting cast that help you along the way are expertly written and voice-acted. Side quests and tasks feel meaningful and will steal your attention from the main storyline, for good (gaining valuable XP) and bad (this game is already super long!). The soundtrack is on par with the exotic locations peppered around the Deadfire Archipelago, not to mention the beautifully crafted landscapes that you get to explore. While I don’t plan on spending as many hours in this version as I did on PC, I thoroughly appreciate the meticulous world-building that Obsidian does and what they offer for different play through styles.
One new update that I didn’t try on PC is the turn-based combat mode, which was absolutely my cup of tea. Don’t worry, there is still the original mode of real-time combat with pausing if that is your preferred choice. While this new mode isn’t on the same level of turn-based combat like Divinity: Original Sin 2, I enjoyed the tactical elements and felt more invested in my party members and their abilities. However, this mode drags fights out for a much longer time than real-time, making this option an additional time investment in a game that is already long. Consider this a fair warning!
Deadfire‘s PS4 translation of the UI and complicated menus from the PC version is much smoother than the clunkiness the Pillars of Eternity Complete Edition that I played on Switch. While this might be a bit of an apples to oranges situation, my guess is that a second go around with the game and its engine helped the developers out quite a bit. This system isn’t perfect and you’ll likely start clicking through the wrong things en route to where you wanted to get into in the menus, but you’ll get there nonetheless.
While I’ve described lots of great aspects, there are some issues. Apart from the game’s length (which may detract some), load times take much too long. Loading in and out of a small home or a shop took up to a minute and a half in some cases. I’m not running this on a PS4 Pro, so I can’t speak to any additional optimization that system might offer over the standard PS4, but someone with limited time playing a game of this type can find themselves staring at a loading screen more times than they would like. With regards to menus and inventory, there were odd issues with items popping in and out when you opened a chest or looted an enemy. I hope the team can improve upon optimizing these load times and bugs with patches/updates, along with the various other technical issues, because this game is too good to get bogged down by idle time spent.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire– Ultimate Edition is a fine RPG addition to anyone’s PS4 library. Apart from the technical issues, this game is a must play if you are a fan of older CRPGs like Baldur’s Gate or those who just enjoy a solid RPG experience. I could easily see myself sinking another 50+ hours into this game. But if you are short on time or don’t have the patience, you might want to pass this up.
This review was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher. Pillars of Eternity – Ultimate Edition is also available for Xbox One.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, my fondest memory of a Star Wars game was replaying the Battle of Hoth in Shadows of the Empire. And sure, I took immense pleasure in force-pushing battle droids into walls in Lego Star Wars. But how long has it been since Star Wars fans received a game that was truly special? Thankfully, developer Respawn has delivered a classic in Star Wars: Jedi fallen Order. This is the narrative and gameplay experience that fans have been clamoring for. It is also a worthy entry into the Star Wars canon. Don’t believe me? “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”
Young Padawan Cal Kestis has survived Order 66; an imperial edict to hunt down and kill all Jedi. Cal attempts to lay low by taking a mundane 9-5 job, until he has no choice but to use his powers to save a co-worker from an accident. Though his supervisors are likely thrilled that Cal helped them avoid a messy workman’s comp case, the Empire is less than pleased to learn of a surviving Jedi. The young Padawan fleas, and so his journey begins.
In true Star Wars fashion, Cal soon joins a ragtag group of heroes aboard their vessel, the Mantis. The cast includes Cere, a former Jedi, Greez, the ship’s captain, and BD-1, a lovable little droid. BD is Cal’s closest companion and shines as the breakout star. The droid’s puppy-like enthusiasm adds the perfect amount of charm and lightheartedness to an otherwise dark tale. Cere needs Cal’s help to acquire a list of the galaxy’s force-sensitive children in an effort to hide them from the Empire. A sense of dread is ever present as red lightsaber-wielding baddies, AKA Inquisitors, stalk our heroes and seek the list for the dark side.
In many ways, Jedi Fallen Order is a celebration of the most fun and satisfying gaming elements from the last decade. The Darksouls style combat clearly wears its heart on its sleeve, while climbing walls and exploring tombs is reminiscent of Uncharted and recent Tomb Raider games. Returning to a previously inaccessible area and progressing with a new ability feels fantastic here. This hook is, of course, famously inspired by Metroid, Castlevania, and, well, 80% of games that hit the Nintendo Eshop.
Personally, I have never played a “Souls” game, mainly because my wife would become upset with me if I rage-threw another controller into the wall. But I am now intrigued after having such a blast with the combat in Jedi Fallen Order. Less intimidating than “Souls” games, players can choose their difficulty level whenever they like (though not naming easy mode “all too easy” was a missed opportunity.) Success in battle involves precision dodges, blocks and parries with force abilities mixed in. Which strategy is best to defeat that giant ugly ogre? That is something that the player will have to figure out through educated guesses, trial and error. There is time for contemplation while frequently staring at a respawn screen.
Early on, combat requires careful and conservative choices. Running away and allowing the force meter to build will often seem like a fantastic idea. But as Cal learns new force abilities and lightsaber skills, combat really opens up and becomes immensely satisfying. Countering an attack at exactly the right moment creates the perfect feeling of empowerment. And experimentation is constantly rewarded when combining force abilities with lightsaber skills. A big, stupid grin could be found on my face every single time I force-pulled a stormtrooper into my impaling lightsaber.
The “metroidvania” style of exploration is, mostly, just as rewarding as the combat. As previously mentioned, Cal is under powered at the onset with a modest amount of health, lightsaber skills and force abilities. Cal visits, and revisits, a handful of planets in order to earn upgrades and progress the story. I felt genuine excitement when realizing that a cool new ability would unlock a previously blocked area. Hopping between planets fits this mechanic perfectly. Speaking of planets, they are a fun mix of new and familiar, though I do wish there was at least one planet from the original trilogy. Lack of fast travel does hurt the game at times. A long backtrack to a remote location can feel like a slog, especially with a less than helpful map. I threw my hands up and used a Wiki more than once. Fortunately, the vast majority of exploration is as joyous as it is rewarding.
“I have a bad feeling about this” was my prevailing thought when staring down icy slopes. Traversal is sometimes frustrating and other times quite fun. Sliding can be particularly hard to control and I died, like, a bunch of times. But when a sequence of sliding, swinging and wall-running is perfectly executed, it actually does feel great. The cosmetic collectibles are fine. I enjoyed the colorful ponchos, lightsaber tweaks and skins for BD-1 and the Mantis. Were they ever worth an arduous backtrack? Typically no. But it’s nice that they exist for completionists.
The darker tone of Jedi Fallen Order is brought to life through excellent sound and cutscenes. Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab capture the essence of the story with an outstanding score. Cameron Monaghan turns in a commendable performance as Cal and Debra Wilson delivers a strong performance as Cere. I especially appreciated the attention to detail in the audio design. Lightsabers and blasters sound as if pulled directly from Return of the Jedi. As for the cutscenes, they are straight eye candy and particularly memorable when bookending boss encounters. Lightsaber duels feel truly epic thanks to how well the audio and visual elements coalesce at big moments.
Are there bugs? Sure, there are bugs. “A great many” of them. Bugs that are as giant as the spiders on Kashyyyk (yes I know that spiders are not bugs). For starters, gameplay visuals just do not look as crisp, graphically, as some of the game’s contemporaries. For example, Titanfall 2, released by the same developer and publisher (EA), is a far prettier game despite being released years earlier. During gameplay, aliasing and jagged edges are common in general. And sometimes, all of the characters in a scene arrive right on time, while certain textures arrive late to the party. And the player will certainly experience some framerate drops. Loading times can be long and inconsistent as well, particularly following death. Luckily, Respawn has addressed the major bugs, including hard crashes and stormtroopers becoming stuck in walls, through patches. The remaining bugs are numerous, but do not interrupt gameplay and ultimately do not take away from the enjoyment of the game whatsoever. I never died because of a quick framerate drop and a cutscene was never ruined for me due to a late texture pop-in.
For me, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order was the best game of 2019 and my favorite Star Wars title of all time. The technical issues are easily overlooked when considering how much fun there is to be had. From combat to exploration, there are a variety of different elements to absolutely fall in love with. The powerful story resonated with me in a way that was similar to Rogue One, which is perhaps the highest praise I can offer. Jedi Fallen Order is easy to recommend for any action-adventure fan and a must play for Star Wars die-hards. The odds that I would miss out on the inevitable sequel are approximately 3,720 to 1.
We are living in a time now where the notion of an all powerful AI is a very real possibility. This is a potentially scary proposition right? Well take a dystopian world in which you’re a clone and said computer is your boss and erm … god actually, and you have the world of Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory. Is being a clone in world controlled by a large box of bolts fun? Well we’ll just have to find out.
In Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory you will be taking the roll of a troubleshooter. This is a somewhat technical term for “walking punchbag that will do as it’s told or die.” “Friend” computer will send you and your team to solve various problems about Alpha Complex. These start out with simply looking after a scrub-bot with a fear complex and get more dangerous as you proceed. There is a very strong theme running through this game. All of the, “problems” the computer finds are lethal. You’re a clone so getting killed gives you a do-over but it’s not a very pleasant experience. Of course not doing as your told is a very good way of getting yourself killed faster by the computer. It’s like playing through one giant catch 22.
You have to be very careful what you’re doing in Paranoia. Having been spat out of the cloning vat you’re assigned a red jump suit. The color you wear attests to your clearance level within Alpha Complex. This level isn’t just corresponding to what you are and aren’t allowed to know or the level of missions you’re going to be trusted with. If you do so much as walk in the wrong place you’re violating the rules and that isn’t good for your treason level, (I’ll come to this in a moment.) The rooms and corridors of the complex are broken into colored zones. As a red you can walk in the red zones, orange jump suits are cleared for red and orange and so on. You’ll need to be mindful not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Nothing unsettling about that giant glowing eye right? Right.
I’ve just mentioned your treason level. This pertains to how much of a threat the computer deems you. You start out at 0% which is classed by friend computer as “questionable.” There isn’t any trust here, just levels of how untrustworthy you are. Should you’re level hit 100% you’ll be given about two minutes to go an voluntarily terminate yourself, after that every guard in the place will come and do the terminating for you. There are a lot of things that will raise your level, from minor infractions such as walking on the wrong bit of floor to making any of a bunch of really bad choices in the game and getting caught.
Each clone is given six chances at life. Put into game terms this means that you get six chances at completing the entire game. You can buy more but this is costly and not very legal. A new clone is a new person. You’ll have to go back to character creation and pick your stats all over again. The only thing that will be remembered is where you are in the game. You are also given a mutation. This can be anything from telekinesis to the ability to create shields with your mind. Just don’t come out with six toes unless you want to be going for scrap.
That little box is your stash. Use it wisely.
Each mission you’re sent on is two-fold. You have to go and sort out whatever mess the computer wants you to fix but not before a trip to R&D. Think of James Bond being sent off to see Q. The difference here is that all the weapons haven’t been tested and the gadgets are just as likely to kill Bond as they are to help him. Being a guinea pig is mandatory so you’ll find yourself doing something for the mad-scientists in that division every time. Upset them, you upset the computer … are we seeing a theme here?
When you complete a mission you have to appear before friend computer with your team for a debriefing. This a case of you reporting your findings and the computer deciding whether you have done a decent enough job to warrant continued breathing. If the almighty AI deems you have and none of your team rat you out for doing anything shady you might just get out alive. If of course computer isn’t happy with you … well … just keep it happy.
Hacking isn’t entirely or at all legal but it can be very useful in a pinch.
Your team in Paranoia have their own positions within your little squad. Some are happiness officers, (not being happy is dangerous,) others are technicians, still others are loyalty officers and so on. Depending on who you have will depend on some of the choices you’ll be able to make.
Your team members have the ability to think and their actions seem to be based on a roll of the dice. As an example you start with an engineer in your squad and as part of your first mission you have to hack a door. She’s clear to do this but you aren’t. On account of this you’re given the dilemna of whether to trust her. If you hack the door, (which you have to,) she might rat you out to the computer on de-brief. On my first run through the game she kept her mouth shut. On my second time round I wasn’t so lucky. The fact that your own team could potentially be against you is lovely little touch.
The feeling of being controlled extends to your inventory system. You have a secret stash in which you can hid things that you pick up on missions and you’ll have to be canny about how you use this. Your gear is given to you at the start of a mission and taken away at the end. You can’t give clones guns after all, they might use them. This applies to anything else you find. Anything you want to keep will need to be stashed. This isn’t a very big box though, so you’ll need to use the space wisely.
Coming down to my view on the game, Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory is not a title for people who don’t like to do a lot of reading. There’s a hell of a lot of dialogue in this game and none of it is spoken. This isn’t an issue for me personally. Everything was so well written and funny that I loved reading every bit of it. If you’re someone that just wants to get into the action and get as much of it as possible this is going to drive you up the wall. It’s a case of each to there own but it’s definitely something worth noting.
Gameplay-wise, if I’m looking for a comparison, the Dungeons and Dragons games would be a good one. Think about the mechanics of Baldor’s Gate and you’ll have a fair idea what’s going on here, live pause and all. Something I’m less of a fan of is the way you control individual characters. You have to remember to hit their portraits to get them to do anything. This seems like a no-brainer but it’s easy to forget that you can’t just click on a character model to interact with them.
In a firefight it’s easy to forget most of your gear and skills because everything is automatic. You’re concentrating on not getting killed. The live pause function helps this but things like abilities, grenades and weapons feel a bit more like arbitrary filler because you don’t take enough time to think. This is a shame but not enough of an issue to ruin the game.
All in all this ia a brilliant little RPG. It’s well written, funny and has a tried and tested idea. Paranoia came out when I was about 5 so this isn’t a new game rather something very well loved from the past. (I’m 38 by the way, work it out yourselves.) There is a feeling of nostalgia both from this point of view but also from the mechanics. The sound is fitting and aside from a few minor gripes it all plays very well. If you’re looking for a new world to delve into you probably couldn’t go far wrong with this one.
This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.
