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Frost Giant Studios Stormgate Gets Brand New Trailer


Posted on December 7, 2023 by Rae Michelle Richards

Imagine for a moment – Hordes of burning infernal demon-like creatures surround armoured marines and walking mechanized tank as they fight the nigh endless number of enemy forces that look like they’ve come straight from the depths of hell.

What I’m describing isn’t the latest science fiction blockbuster or a classic 80s action movie like Aliens – but a situation you might just encounter in Frost Giant Game’s upcoming Real Time Strategy title, Stormgate. It might seem like the RTS genre has been on life support for the last decade or so but 2024 just might be the year that changes.

Created by former members of the development teams behind Warcraft 3, Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne and StarCraft 2 – Collectively some of Stormgate’s development team have helped craft longstanding titles that helped define the genre. Chris Metzen, the high profile game designer known for his work on DIablo, the Warcraft Franchise, lead designer of the original Starcraft consulted with Frost Giant Games during the early conceptual phases of development.

The leader of the Infernal Host faction is revealed towards the end of The Game Awards trailer so make sure to look out for that. Played by actor Simu Liu (2023’s Barbie, 2021’s Shang-Chi: Legend of the Seven Rings), the character – who is named Warz and will be a playable hero during the event of Stormgate’s campaign mode.

It’s not just a pedigree for developing genre defining titles that makes Stormgate so interesting but also the engine technology that Frost Giant Games have developed. Based upon Unreal Engine Technology, the Snowplay Engine supports impressive features like a max player count of 32 people, the ability for mass spectating, the inclusion of rollback netcode and so much more. It is quite clear from the technical overview in their 10 minutes Kickstarter video that Snowplay might just be what defines the capabilities expected from future RTS engines.

If you want to join the Human Vanguard or Infernal Host in 1 Vs. 1 online battles or help test out the really hype looking 3 vs. 1 co-op mode – the online multiplayer beta started on December 5th and access can be secured by backing their Kickstarter. Frost Giant Studios set a goal of $135,519 CDN dollars and right now their fund-raising effort is sitting at mind boggling 1.5 MILLION CDN as of press time. Frost Giant have managed to raise over 10x their original goal in only a couple of days.

Pledges start at $1 CDN but if you want access to the game (and who wouldn’t if you’ve read this far?) – the Founder’s Pack (priced at $25 USD) includes access to the game during a preview week expected to launch next summer, a hero unit for the vanguard faction, Army cosmetics and a Founder discord role. Those looking for immediate access to the game will have to shell out a bit more for the Deluxe Founder’s Pack (priced at $40 USD) which includes everything already mentioned plus a hero unit for the Infernal Host, a Chicken Pet and access to the first wave of Stormgate’s Beta.

Entry into the closed beta isn’t the only way to get a sneak peak at Stromgate before it enters Early Access next year. The high profile annual gaming tournament Dreamhack Atlanta will be hosting the first ever show matches with the under development RTS. The developers have also let some higher profile RTS content creators stream gameplay of the closed beta on both Youtube and Twitch.

We will have more coverage of Stormgate as development continues ahead of the 2024 launch into Early Access.


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Hands-On Preview: The Elder Scrolls Online – Summerset Isles Expansion


Posted on May 23, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

The total playable area of Tamriel grows larger with the early access release of the Summer Set Isle expansion for The Elder Scrolls Online. Bethesda provided me with a closed beta code which allowed me to venture onto the once closed island belonging to the High Elves. Join me for tales of adventuring and exploration through my first couple hours within this seemingly tranquil island paradise.

As my adventures in Summerset were taking place on a closed testing server I wasn’t able to bring my existing level 45 Nightblade over from the North American region. No access to all of my gold? I can’t use my awesome wolf mount? – these are the thoughts that raced through my mind when presented with the character creation screen but there was an unintended upside to all of this – it allowed me to see how the new player experience differs on the Summerset Isles when compared to the base game or the Morrowind Chapters. 

I quickly drew up a Templar Breton named Melissa Winterhold (haha yeah, I know – I’m REAAAL inventive taking a last name from a settlement in Skyrim. It’s not cannon but *shrug*) and I was on my way to the brand new tutorial area – trapped inside the mind of a horrifying creature! I found myself quickly and organically going from one key gameplay mechanic tutorial to the next. This hazy purple dreamscape does provide waypoint markers for new players but for the most part they are unnecessary. During the tutorial ESO guides you throw using basic spells (if you know any – or abilities in their place) and picking up several pieces of gear before slaying a couple of rooms of ethereal magic spiders. All of this culminates in a final showdown with a larger spider which acts as a sort of medium difficulty single add to test new players against. As I hear a distance voice calling out for me the screen fades to white. One strong criticism I have of the new player experience found in Summerset Isles isn’t found within its writing, mechanics or presentation but the choice of enemy. For someone with arachnophobia this tutorial would be completely unplayable and terrifying – they really could have chosen a better selection of enemies than a large number of arachnids. 

 

Once back in the ‘real world’ Oriandra from the Psijic Order (Summerset Isles brand new class) explained that she was already in the neighbourhood (relatively speaking) and once she felt a dark / powerful presence she had to investigate. Members of the Psijic order once served the rulers of Tamriel’s larger provinces before splitting off some time ago. It is also revealed that the order is several centuries – so old that they consider the well-established Mages Guild to be nothing short of a nascent upstart in comparison.  My interaction with Oriandra did not make Melissa a member of their order but it did leave one lasting impression – the Psijic Order deal in very powerful Magick and even they are not strong enough to deal with the dark power of this expansion’s big bad, K’Tora. 

Now that Melissa had most of her starting gear, a few skill points spent on both an offensive spell, a slow spell and a self heal it was time to embark on my first story quest in Summer Set – The Queens Decree. Queen Ayrenn, who some players might remember from her quest chain in Auridon, has decreed that the island of Summerset is now open to the public. It’s not just sell swords, adventurers and thrill seekers who can come partake in the majesty of the isle but also commoners like the many farmers, blacksmiths and others who populate the world of Tamriel. (Side Note: a lot of ‘high fantasy’ uses the trope of regents or nobles as an authority figure that task players with quests. In my opinion, it’s played out and tiresome. Seriously do the people of Tamriel really need to elevate royalty? There’s more commoners than royals #CommunistRevolutionInTamrielNow… seriously). Anyways, there’s a whole host of monstrous beasts that roam the isles and it’s not such a safe place. 

Next up on my quest… to heh, continue the Queen’s Decree quest was a quick meeting with Razum-Dar who some veteran players may remember from the Auridon Quest Chain among others. As an agent of the Queen’s intelligence service Raz always seems to find himself in the thick of things despite his assertions that he is a “simple Khajiit”. Raz informs me that he has seen a pearl that was able to call out to the monstrous wildlife and that rumors about its existence have made their way up the kingdom’s chain of command. Tasking me with gauging the mood of the nearby settlement of Shimmerene, Raz bids me farewell and goes about his other business. 

Ignoring the pleas of the rather determined cat, I decided to put my quest on hold and travel down the eastern shore of Summerset for the next hour or so. I wanted to get a feel for what new ravenous wildlife Zennimax Online had cooked up for players with this expansion. To my surprise and delight, it’s not more spiders or simple re-colors of existing mobs either. Scaled deer like mammals called Indrik’s charge head first into Melissa’s shield. Large crocodile-like reptiles called Welwua swim freely throughout the many eastern lakes and rivers of Summerset. Lastly the fire-breathing Salamanders with their glowing black and yellow bodies stood out to me because of the sheer challenge that they posed. Get two of them together and you’ve got yourself a barbecue… of pain. 

There is so much content to be found within The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset Isles that I couldn’t possibly convey in a single post. Expansions often bring injections of new content, refreshes of older content and a brand new storyline and from what I’ve played so far Summerset Isles ticks off all of these boxes with ease.

Now that Early Access has begun on the retail servers there are so many things to explore – Joining the Psijic Order and completing that quest-line, explore the 7 public Delves, trying to find all of the Abyssal Geysers (which replace the previous Dolmans in this expansion) and of course – learning the new crafting style. 

With so much to do, expect further blog-style diary entries in the near future. 

Bethesda Public Relations provided a preview / review copy of The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset Isles for editorial purposes. It is valued at $39.99 USD. 


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Warhammer: Vermintide 2 Closed Beta “A Huge Success” Says Developer


Posted on February 27, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

This weekend’s  closed beta for Warhammer: Vermintide 2 was a “huge success” according to a press release issued by developer Fatshark. In addition to the news of the beta test’s success they also announced that 10,000 more closed beta keys will be available on the game’s website. Open Beta servers will operate until 9 am PST on the 28th so make sure to get your freebie Vermintide 2 gameplay in!

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 is the sequel to the 2016 release Warhammer: End Times Vermintide. Like its predecessor the sequel sees the 5 heroes from the original game return to take on the combined forces of the Skaven army across a number of waves on 13 brand new maps. Players will be offered 15 different career paths each with their own talent trees and customizable weapons. Some heroes excel at melee weapons crossbows while others use melee weapons like dual swords or large flaming staffs.

According to Fatshark CEO Martin Wahlund players killed millions of NPC enemies.

“It’s been an amazing weekend, with millions and millions of Chaos and Skaven enemies eliminated.”

Warhammer: Vermintide 2 will see a retail release next week on March 8th on Windows PC. A vague “2018” date has been given for the PS4 / Xbox One console port.


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No Date For NA Arena of Valor Switch Beta Test, Transfer of Mobile Progress Possible


Posted on January 18, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Popular mobile Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Arena of Valor was originally set to make its debut on the Nintendo Switch in North America last month, needless to say the scheduled beta Christmas time beta test never materialized.  Outlet Comicbook.com got a chance to sit down wth reps from publisher TenCent and get an update on the upcoming Switch port, plans for North American beta testing and obviously quite a few questions about the licensed D.C Comics heroes.

It seems like TenCent will roll the beta version of Arena of Valor in European territories first with North America to follow sometime after. Just as the mobile version on iOS and Android was launched in European territories first, TenCent will start taking applications for Switch Beta testers very soon – with a later, unspecified date, in mind for North America.

“The Nintendo version of Arena of Valor is being handled by a different team at the moment. We’re supporting the Nintendo version with beta testing, branding, and everything company-side. We have the closed beta testing coming up for Europe, and after we have the results from that beta testing, we’ll have a more clear timetable for launches in different regions.”

Comicbook.com also asked a question that I hadn’t considered – would it be possible for mobile players of Arena of Valor to transfer their gold, talent shards and unlocked heroes to the Nintendo Switch version? TenCent says that this is certainly technically feasible but they do have to consider the imbalance that this would create for new players who are just starting out on Switch.  From the sound of things there’s still some deliberation going on about the possibility of porting over account progress from one platform to another.

“We had that discussion earlier, internally. The answer is that the decision is still being made. It is technically possible, but having people on the mobile version and Switch version competing with each other may compromise the arena as a “fair” arena, if you see what I mean. Because they’re using different devices, when they compete with each other we feel it could generate complaints of unfair competition, so we’re still balancing it.”

Lastly, the topic of Monetization has of course came up. Naturally with many calling last year – “the year of the loot box” – it is understandable that potential players might be a little skeptical of a free to play title on Nintendo’s latest platform. From my own personal experience, Arena of Valor is filled with blind boxes (loot boxes)  – both in the “free” daily variety and those paid for with real currency.

“We haven’t made a decision about that. Monetization has never been the “start.” It’s not the major concern early on, for any version of the game. We will have more information after the beta test in EU.”

Arena of Valor will launch sometime in 2018 in both North America and Europe. The free to play mobile version is currently available in most countries on both Google Android and Apple’s iOS platforms. I’ve played a couple hours here and there on my phone and found it to be a competent M.O.B.A experience, even if I don’t really recognize or resonate with many of the heroes on offer.

[Source]


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DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy NT Open Beta Buster Swords On To PSN Today


Posted on January 12, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Warm up your PlayStation hard drives and your prep your reflexes because upcoming fighting title DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy NT has an open beta taking place across the next week. Featuring characters, stages, summons and costumes from the mainline Final Fantasy titles, the latest DISSIDIA title offers players both online and offline challenges, even in the open beta. 

There are three broad windows over the next seven days where PlayStation 4 owners can try out DISSIDIA Final Fantasy: 

  • From Friday, January 12 @ 6:00 AM PST to Monday, January 15 @ 1:00 PM PST 
  • From Monday, January 15 @ 2:00 PM PST to Thursday, January 18 @ 1:00 PM PST 
  • From Thursday, January 18 @ 2:00 PM PST to Sunday, January 21 @ 1:00 PM PST 

Characters will be rotated in and out throughout the three test periods, so if you don’t find a character that you are particuarly fond of (or in my case probably good with >___>), there’s always a chance your favorite FF heroine or hero will show up during the next window.  

Personally I am hoping to try out both Lightening and Y’Shtola – FFXIV being one of the games I’ve played habitually since 2014. I’ll also try my hand at Pretty Boy Combat ™ if Noctis, Cloud or Sephiroth are playable during any of the Open Beta windows. 

Oh and as a final note, the download size of the DISSIDIA: Final Fantasy NT Open Beta is quite large – clocking in at just over 25GB. 


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Partial Player Data Reset As Massive Quake Champions Beta Patch Drops


Posted on August 3, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

The first patch for Quake Champions in nearly a month has finally arrived and with it comes a partial data reset for existing players. Beta testers should be familiar with the practice by now but since this is an open beta sometimes players are caught off guard by data resets and progression loss. Developers do this for a number of reasons: testing new systems, getting feedback on progression changes or deeply rooted system or data changes that necessitate players be taken back to square one.

As for what was reset: any challenge progression for challenges left incomplete and the overall statistics data for players accounts have been wiped. Unlocks like shaders/skins from Loot Boxes and purchasable vanity items have all been reset as well. Individual nicknames and skill ratings remain intact alongside unlocked champions.

Here is a segment from the recent patch notes:

Player content that will be reset include:

  • User States (Armors, Weapons, Attachments, Shaders, Currency)
  • Challenges

Content that will NOT be reset includes:

  • Champions
  • Friends
  • Skill Rating
  • Nicknames

Currently, the Quake Champions community is in the midst of a $1,00,000 world tournament on the road to this month’s Quake Con. Id Software and Sabre Interactive have said that they don’t want to shake up the game’s meta too muuch while the tournament is ongoing but there have been a number of game breaking bugs including rockets that do 0 DMG and stuttering lag that hamper the online experience. With that being said this patch is more of a collection of long requested fixes and tech tweaks – you’ll see very little Champion balancing happening during the Regionals.

Previously Quake Champions only had a very basic friends list with CBT 13 a whole number of social options including spectating friends, ignoring players and a reporting system to root out abusive players.

New Social Screen

  • Player can observe all current in-match players and blocked players
  • Player can now blacklist players, which blocks invites from unwanted users
  • Player can now ignore user invites
  • Player can now report users

On the tech side of things id & co have fixed several issues with system auto detect, implemented a new “play now” screen and introduced some fixes for the ever present memory leaks which have plagued the game since the first Closed Beta but this issue has been steadily improving with each major patch.

Tech

  • Fixed an issue that could occur when the game would not revert to the player’s native resolution when changing to Borderless mode with a lower aspect ratio.
  • Fixed a localization text issue
  • Updated the list of supported video cards for a correct auto-detect
  • Fixed an issue where killed players could become stuck in place and invincible
  • Fixed an issue where local configurations would not be saved properly when including Cyrillic letters
  • Fixed an issue where Champions were not synchronized with moving objects

Performance

  • Optimized various memory leaks

New Play Now Screen

  • New screen layout integrated
  • Player can choose multiple game modes in quick match and match-make between them randomly
  • Tutorial videos available from Play Now screen

Clutch has seen the most adjustment of any Champion in the game. Originally positioned as a Tank class hero with a strong barrier shield, Clutch was later on adjusted to include the ability to float through the air while deploying its shield. This was later patched out and now Clutch is the focus of the majority of the Champion adjustments – with a new acceleration icon and several small statistics changes.

Perhaps the one bug fix everyone in the Quake community has been finally implemented: Rocket Launchers finally work again! No more Nyx players taking three rockets to the face without taking a single point of damage. Rockets also no longer penetrate Clutch’s shield.

Balance

  • Clutch’s “Advanced Shielding” passive has been removed
  • Clutch’s Active Ability cool-down has now been set to 40 seconds
  • Clutch’s Health and Armor stats revised: Health from 150/150 to 100/100; Armor from 50/100 to 100/150
  • Slash’s Starting Armor increased +25 ap
  • Profile Progression: XP requirements tweaked
  • Random Drop: Rebalance of drop rates in Backpacks Crates and Reliquaries
  • Crafting: Item prices in shards and dismantle values changed

Champions

  • New effect for Ranger’s Dire Orb
  • Fixed a light effect issue affecting Anarki’s Banner vanity item
  • Fixed an issue affecting audio during Anarki’s hover board movement
  • Fixed issue that could occur with BJ Blazkowicz’s shooting animation while dual-wielding
  • Fixed a twitching animation issue with BJ Blazkowicz after being shot while idle
  • Enemies within 120u of the player are outlined
  • New Clutch acceleration icon added
  • Fixed an issue where rock and drill medals pop without hitting the 1000 damage requirements
  • Fixed an issue when RL damage through Clutch’s shield

[Source]


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Quake Champions Will Be Live On Steam ‘Soon’


Posted on July 26, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Sabre Interactive and id Software’s reimagining of the Quake franchise, Quake Champions will be pushed to Steam ‘soon’ according to a community post made by Community Manager Iker_A. Quake Champions has been in an all but in name only Open Beta since the announcement of beta keys on the games’ official website during E3.

In a thread titled “ The thing that will kill this game” Iker_A gives the community an update on why matchmaking wait times are so long – low server populations. In addition, it has been revealed that major patches are coming down the pike and that a second advertisement blitz should accompany Quake Champions’ emergence onto Steam.

“Hello,

One of the main reasons of matchmaking problems now is the limited player base. The game is in Beta and the devs are making progress to improve the game as much as possible before going really big, that’s one of the main reasons of this testing period. The game will be pushed to Steam soon and we have big plans to promote it, so this issue will be improved drastically in the future. Thanks for your patience!”

It has been a while since I wrote about Quake Champions – for a rundown on the basics of the game make sure to check out my preview from this past April during the Closed Beta. Sadly since Champions became publically available a number of issues have persisted with the game including upload times being tied to frame rate, persistent lag and the god-like ability for any player to take rockets to the face like a champ; because rockets currently do zero damage.

Here’s hoping things can be cleaned up before thousands of people descend upon Bethesda’s servers due to the soon to come Steam release.


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Lawbreakers Open Beta Available Until July 5th


Posted on June 30, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nexxon and Boss Key Games announced that the open beta for their upcoming first person shooter, Lawbreakers, is now available on Steam for everyone to try out.

Unlike other team-based FPS games, Lawbreakers doesn’t give its heroes a personality so to speak. Instead each of the team’s members are broken down into unique roles – the chain gun wielding Vanguard, the all-around assault class the Enforcer, the vertically mobile assassin class among others. Unique to Lawbreakers is also a low gravity mechanic where portions of the map are entrapped within a bubble that allows players to jump higher but with a lower fall rate.

In a press-release announcing the availability of the Open Beta until July 5th, Nexxon provided a brief rundown of new features available in the Open Beta:

  • New Map: Vertigo – located in a remote location in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Vertigo is a high-altitude reconnaissance outpost with near suborbital elevation;
  • New ModeUplink – capture the uplink in the centre of the map and deliver to your team base, continuing to protect it until points are earned;
  • Weapon Stickers – players can test a new customisation feature and earn a special Beta participant Weapon Sticker by completing five matches during the event. This reward transfers to the full release of the game at launch.

Lawbreakers will be releasing on both PlayStation 4, PS4 Pro and Windows PC with the base game priced at $39.99 CDN.


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Starpoint Gemini Warlords Enters Beta on Steam Early Access


Posted on April 18, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Take to the stars with the ability to command your own personal Starship in Starpoint Gimini Warlords which entered beta on Steam Early access recently. In this brand new entry in the Starpoint series has been in development by Little Green Men Games on Early Access for just over a year now, and with a number of enhancements coming with the recently released beta the game is shaping up to be a space commander’s dream.

Starpoint Gemini Warlords allows players to take command of either a single ship or eventually an entire fleet all at once.  The game provides commanders a number of different options to live out their lives among the stars, below is just a small taste of what its sandbox-like world has to offer:

Fight!Players take direct control of their ship and are able to manually aim and fire their weapons. Commanders can also assign their weapons to NPC crew members while they focus on the execution of unique skills.

Upgrade!  – Player begin their career in space in a small vessel but can eventually train their way up to a carrier class ship complete with its own fighter wings.

Form Up! –  Once you’ve worked your way up the ship chain you can form fleets of ships complete with NPC wingmen.

Here are just a couple of the community requested enhancements that have made their way into the recently released Starpoint Gemini Warlords beta:

  • If players have the reputation with factions they can now engage in some side quests for rare loot.
  • As per the community’s request the target lock system has been redesigned, with visual feedback appearing on the player’s HUD to reflect the status of the current target.
  • Exploration has been enhanced to provide players with a more goal orientated approach, which they should find more rewarding.
  • Skills have been overhauled to allow players to view all 12 currently implemented skills, but they may only chose 4 active at a time. These can be reassigned with a stats re-roll.
  • Completely new soundtrack.

Starpoint Gemini Warlords is now in Beta and will be released on May 23rd. At that time the price of the game will increase to $34.99 USD from the current price of $29.99 USD.


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Lawbreakers Closed Beta Coming Next Weekend


Posted on March 6, 2017 by Rae Michelle Richards

Lawbreakers, the brand new first person shooter from Cliff Bleszinski – the mind behind Gears of War – will have its first closed beta from March 16th thru the 19th.  Alongside the announcement of the closed beta and confirmation that Lawbreakers will be playable once again at PAX East.

If you are in Boston this coming weekend for PAX East Lawbreakers will be playable on the Expo floor thanks to the efforts of publisher Nexon at booth #13055.

In the latest Lawbreakers developer update – which you can view below – both CliffyB and Rohan Revas give viewers a tease about what is coming with the closed beta. They are very clear that this is not the same game that we enjoyed during the closed alpha last summer. In the many months since that time the developers have added new maps, new modes and possibly a new support class.

A new logo and tagline for Lawbreakers has also been released. Nexon is now using the tagline “Gravity – Defying – Combat” to promote the title.


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3 Reasons Why Everyone Should Try TitanFall 2’s Multiplayer Stress Test


Posted on August 17, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

TitanFall 2 will be deploying in a limited fashion this weekend with the recently announced PSN exclusive Stress Test. After playing two rounds of the shooter at EA Play this past June I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that there is a lot to be excited for in this long awaited sequel.

Here are just a few of improvements that you should be looking forward too:

  • Enhanced Abilities– The first game really only had cloaking & enhanced movements as its most noticeable enhancements that pilots had at their exposure. While burn cards provided players with ‘amped up’ versions of existing weapons, the sequel’s inclusion of a grappling hook makes the series’ verticality even more important. Not only can you run along wall and use a double jump but at the press of a button your pilot can swing onto roof-tops and ledges, making it even harder for opponents to spot you.
  • Executions Add To The Immersion – Standing behind someone and pressing a button to execute a melee kill, it might as well be an action game cliché at this point but for some reason I found that it enriched the Titanfall 2 experience. Perhaps it is Respawn Entertainment’s Call of Duty roots but having an option that shifts the perspective away from first person, even for a few seconds, helps TitanFall 2 set itself apart from its contemporaries.
  • No Bull%$% DLC Policy – If you’re worried that TitanFall 2’s on-disc / day one multiplayer offerings will soon become splintered due to expensive add-ons, fear not. At E3 Respawn affirmed that ALL DLC for TitanFall 2 will be provided to users free of charge. There will be no splitting of the community due to multiple map packs or $20 add-on packs after launch. Maps & Modes will be provided to all players for free, what hasn’t been mentioned is whether not Titanfall 2 will include optional cosmetics.

TitanFall2_2

Just a small taste of TitanFall 2 will be on offer during the first weekend of the technical test. Here is how the PlayStation Blog described the content that we will get to enjoy this weekend:

Modes

Bounty Hunt (5v5): A brand new mode in Titanfall 2 that pits you and your teammates against an opposing team of Pilots as well as the Remnant Fleet. Earn bonuses by killing grunts and enemies, but make sure to deposit all your points at the bank between waves without getting killed! Once a bounty Titan shows up you’ll want to focus all fire and take it down as a team for a massive payout!

Pilots vs. Pilots (8v8): Think you have what it takes to be the best Pilot on the Frontier? Put your combat and mobility skills to the ultimate test in this classic eight-on-eight Pilots-only mode.

TitanFall2_1

Maps

Boomtown: A secret underground IMC facility where the latest in R&D is put to the test. In this facility Pilots can use the many peaked roofs as cover against combatants below, as well as numerous interiors to maneuver through for a variety of firing positions without being spotted. With tight lanes through the middle, Titans can easily be ambushed unless they head off the main pathways and into the surrounding fields.

Homestead: The IMC have claimed Imminent Domain on a small commune’s plot of land when valuable natural resources are found. A series of raised, rocky plateaus with a river running down the middle, Pilots are mostly safe from Titans among the rocks and trees but they also can duck into the caves and buildings when needed. Titans control the large rolling fields, so be extra cautious when traveling between the plateaus.”

A second technical test with an additional map “Base Kodai” and an additional mode “Amped Hardpoint (6 Vs 6) will be included during the August 26th through 28th test. If you jump into a mech this weekend on PSN or Xbox Live please tell me if I nailed some of the more exciting features of TitanFall 2 in the comments section!


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Demon Hunters—Going Back to the Future


Posted on August 16, 2016 by Kaylan Heineman

Alright, before we get to my analysis let me make something super clear—I went into playing the new World of Warcraft Hero class, the Demon Hunter, with the expectations and excitement of a girl who grew up playing the game since Vanilla (The years of the game between its debut in 2004 to the advent of its first expansion, The Burning Crusade, for those not necessarily super WoW-savvy) and its prior games, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos/Frozen Throne, rendering me something of a Lore Queen, if you will.

In simpler terms, I had VERY high expectations from Blizzard Entertainment’s development team to treat the perspective and lore of the Illidari, Illidan Stormrage’s clan of Demon Hunters who have harnessed the fel energies of the Twisting Nether with delicate, respectful care. These are heroes who sacrificed everything they hold dear to harness the power of the Fallen Titan Sargeras’ army – the Burning Legion – with the express intent to destroy their forces. As such, Demon Hunters deserve to be treated with the grace, fire, determination, and noble sense of sacrifice for the greater good that they have demonstrated countless times.WoWScrnShot_081616_012247

 

Exposition aside, I have decided to outline the tone I got from WoW’s upcoming expansion, Legion, seen from the eyes (well, not really—look up Demon Hunters. You’ll see what I mean) with the noble attempt of preventing as many spoilers as conceivably possible. That said, I am going to put a mild spoiler warning for this article. If you want to preserve the many surprises and shocks this content contains, thank you for your time, but this article is not for you.

For those of you big on the nitty gritty of its functionality, you are in for a treat. The Demon Hunter is a fantastic class—it is a robust tank/melee-DPS hybrid class with oodles of health but a fast-paced, frenetic style of gameplay. It is very much a class that demands quick reaction and prioritization skills as the rotation itself can be demanding and with little “wiggle room”.

Those of you used to playing Rogues and Warriors will feel right at home with the Demon Hunter with the up-front-and-personal style of attacks and some devastating AoE damage as the grand finale.  The class is a surprisingly good introduction to melee DPS and tanking, for those of us who prefer the “squishier” classes, namely the spellcasters who are often referred to as “glass cannons” that require a more composed, distant strategy of combat.  Personally, I have always played a Warlock as my main, so it was definitely a culture shock, so to speak. At first, I felt it was fresh and new but it seemed eerily familiar. After a little raid into my memory banks, if you would pardon the awful in-joke, I realized that the Demon Hunter, with a few tweaks, is just like the Fury spec Warrior from times long past with a certain Rogue-ish flair that leads to a relentless kind of agility (fitting as it is the DH’s primary stat) which will bring a smile to the faces of gamers who want a more League of Legends-styled pace in their rotation.

WoWScrnShot_081616_011202

Perhaps the hallmark of the Demon Hunter is the mobility—the DH is officially THE most mobile class in the game, outstripping the vaunted Warriors by a fair margin on all fronts. It introduces an age-old game mechanic those of us raised in the 90’s fondly remember: the double jump. Because of the demon wings, this class is able to make an easily-controlled second jump and even glide without any external assistance for quite some time. This alone fundamentally alters how you play a character in World of Warcraft; where you once had to frustratedly attack your space bar to inch your way up Azeroth’s many slopes, you are now easily able to scale virtually any surface. It felt to me much like the first time using a flying mount during The Burning Crusade in that the world truly opens up. Side-note—take care where you decide to glide, lest you float lazily and inexorably toward a World Boss or an instant-kill off the map. Many embarrassing treks to my corpse came from comprehensively exploring the new mobility.WoWScrnShot_081616_010355

Furthermore, part of your rotation involves rushing in and dashing away in a hit-and-run style, never sticking to one enemy for very long. This makes Demon Hunters invaluable to add-heavy situations within the dungeons and raids for crowd-control and damage mitigation to the tank and the casters. I often referred to Demon Hunters as the guardian angels of the squishy classes because of the wealth of interrupts and counters you wield and the ability to save them at the last second. Many healers have praised me quite vocally for saving their hides with a quick intervention. Veterans, take note—The Shrine of the Fallen Warrior is now easy as pie to get to should you wish to make a pilgrimage to this hidden gem in the Barrens.

Owing to my limited experience with melee DPS classes, I had a tiny learning curve which was soon resolved by the excellent pacing of the starter zone; a miserable, shattered world called Mardum, which holds a certain artifact essential to Illidan’s greater plans. You are one of his most trusted lieutenants charged with the recovery of this artifact while Illidan himself dealt with the “pests” storming his stronghold, the Black Temple. Without revealing too much, you will rethink the noble stand against Illidan heroes made back in 2007 and question its repercussions. The mood alone of the area is bleak, desperate and full of adrenaline, mixed with slack-jawed wonder at the gorgeous vistas of this broken world. Once again, it is definitely a throwback to The Burning Crusade in giving players expansive, alien worlds to just observe and get lost in. With the exception of the first hour of breaking in the character, there will be very few unnecessary trips to the Spirit Healer as the difficulty scaling is spot-on in the entire starting zone. You will feel pulled along with the plot and will feel like you just blinked and you were already thrust into the Broken Isles while simultaneously feeling confident in your abilities for the more difficult content ahead. Bravo, Blizzard—you finally made a “just right” intro zone for a class and race.

Screenshot by Tamsin Skye Heineman on Legion Beta Server 1

Screenshot by Tamsin Skye Heineman on Legion Beta Server 1

In this vein, I feel that the Demon Hunter is a symbol for the overall theme of the expansion—relentlessness in the face of an infinite enemy and impossible odds—with an additional, far subtler message to its legion (pardon the pun) of roughly 11 million subscribers worldwide. That message is this—Blizzard has heard the cries from its veteran, hardcore players for a return to the more complex, nuanced gameplay that had a much stiffer difficulty curve. At the same time, however, they also acknowledge the many newcomers to the world of Azeroth in the wake of Lionsgate Entertainment’s feature film, Warcraft, based on the events of the First War in Azeroth’s past (telling the events of Blizzard’s first installment, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans).

They heavily streamlined the once-clunky and cluttered interface and simplified the skills, talents, and general gameplay to improve its accessibility. Hardcore players seeking a challenge, fret not. In the vein of the classic board game, Stratego, it is easy to learn, but difficult to master. You will find surprisingly nuanced rotations and stat work that will keep you experimenting to maximize your effectiveness against Azeroth’s many challenging enemies. In that same topic, the many dungeons and raids in this expansion WILL test your mettle. Veterans will find the return of crowd control, interrupts, area denial, and many more classic elements that we all missed a welcome addition. Newcomers, worry not—it is a very accessible, easy to pick up the game now. You will be sucked in and challenged at every turn, but believe me, you’ll be too busy having a blast to care.WoWScrnShot_081616_011348

Returning to the Demon Hunters, you will find many nods to the rich history in game and out of the gold standard for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs or MMO’s for short) rewarding and a distinct sense of nostalgia and they will still be surprised at the many twists that will revisit some old assumptions that may not necessarily be all correct. The Demon Hunters, much like the previous Hero Class, the Death Knight, are treated at arm’s length at first, but their perspective and skills quickly prove the Illidari’s worth in surplus as hidden threats are revealed and dealt with. Looking to the past for lessons becomes the Illidari’s first mission as they seek to gain the good will of the rest of Azeroth during the Burning Legion’s massive assault on the Broken Isles. From there, unlike with the Death Knights, these fel-infused warriors are granted a surprisingly warm reception by the general Azerothian populace. This means fewer nasty stares and emotes over the course of the expansion and an altogether better integration into the overarching plot. This was something that was only made just right in the last patch of Wrath of the Lich King as far as making the DK’s key players in the plot.

Keeping with the continued theme of revisiting the past to secure the future, the entire path of the core plots (Yes, multiple major plots go down simultaneously in this expansion.) is a constant revisit to areas of the past with keys to saving Azeroth. The Broken Isles—the last remnants of the vast Highborne civilization after the Sundering, which broke Azeroth from a Pangaea-like continent named Kalimdor into the familiar continents of today—offer keys to the true destruction of the infinite Legion and a lasting security of the peoples of Azeroth. As a Demon Hunter, you become intimately immersed in the rich lore of the starkly different regions of the Isles and serve as the lynchpin and the silent protectors of the other forces seeking Azeroth’s deliverance. While helping all the different people suffering under the thumb of the Legion, your true aim never wavers—the destruction of the Legion and the rescue of the Illidari’s leader and namesake, Illidan Stormrage. I will not spoil any of the details but I will leave it at this: the Illidari’s quest against the Legion will expand your view of Blizzard’s Warcraft universe beyond anything you imagined.WoWScrnShot_081616_005859

Many of the characters long left behind will get new life (and death) as they return with their unique talents and experiences. Iconic characters such as Thrall, Malfurion Stormrage, the Demigod Cenarius, and indeed the remnants of the legendary Highborne will demonstrate just how insidious their enemy is and how their experience is our only real hope.  As they clung to life after the Sundering, the Highborne now serve the Legion under the new name the Nightborne. Whether or not their service to the Legion is authentic or not remains to be seen, but their society bears the last of the mysterious Titan artifacts the Shards of Creation which we are told bear the key to victory against the Legion. We will delve into the bloody history of Azeroth and face the lessons learned as we stand valiantly before an unending, sickly green inferno.

Perhaps my single favorite part of my investigation into the beta of Legion is the music. For the longest time, players have agreed that the gold standard for the expansion score has been its most successful expansion, The Wrath of the Lich King, for its soulful, dark, emotional score that near-perfectly captured the diverse continent of Northrend. That said, Lich King just got outdone—Legion has far and away the best soundtrack Blizzard Entertainment has EVER made. Better than Starcraft and Diablo and virtually all of the prior scores. I will admit, tears flowed at some of the pieces (in particular “Anduin” part 1 and 2) and I could not find a piece I didn’t adore and put on replay at least a few times. Back in Lich King, I would often fly up to the top of a peak in Dragonblight and sit there listening to the score because I loved it so much and the same thing has happened in several of the areas, particularly Suramar (once again, resisting the temptation to spoil things) and it reinforces the overall theme of the expansion. Going back to my original argument, it recycles some general themes from the previous several expansions (not to mention a healthy dose of Vanilla) and makes them brand new and engaging. To paraphrase one Jeff Lebowski, it ties the whole expansion together.

Legion is demonstrating just how rich, diverse and organic the lore of the Warcraft universe really is and telling the 11-million strong citizens of Azeroth that only by going back to the future can we secure a future for our world and indeed many more. My final judgment on the expansion from my experiences in the beta? Whether you are a newcomer or a hardcore veteran, you NEED to buy Legion and immediately roll a Demon Hunter. Trust me, you won’t regret it for a moment.


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Doom open beta to kick off this weekend


Posted on April 12, 2016 by Fionna Schweit

Doom’s closed beta was just a couple of weeks ago, but already developer Bethesda are opening up their new game to the masses. An open beta will begin later this week (April 15th) and its going to last two days. Fragging will be plentiful as all players will be welcomed in, with nothing but an age gate to prevent you from seeing the new masterpiece from the creators of Skyrim.

We even have a new trailer just for the open beta, and watching it should give you some idea of what you can expect in the gameplay. Basically a lot of blood death, and healthy pick ups, oh and a few demons and some chain saws.

Perhaps disappointing to those in the closed beta, this new open beta will not feature any new content but will feature all of the same contnet. Here is what we know so far:

Maps: Heatwave and Infernal
Game Modes: 6v6 Team Deathmatch and Warpath
Demon: Revenant
Weapons: Rocket Launcher, Plasma Rifle, Super Shotgun, Vortex Rifle, Static Rifle, Heavy Assault Rifle, and Lightning Gun
Power Weapons: Gauss Cannon
Equipment: Frag Grenade, Personal Teleporter, Siphon Grenade

Our own Rae Michelle got herself in to the closed beta and not too kind words to say about it  calling it “hellishly bad” and “at odds with itself” in her review of its beta content. Hopefully another weekend with it will give her a better feeling for what is to come. Untill then make sure to keep your chainsaws running and your rocket launchers loaded! See you in Hell.


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Paragon Early Access Founders Pass & Beta Weekends Detailed


Posted on March 3, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Epic Games sent out an email blast to everyone who has signed up for the Paragon open beta this afternoon informing them that an early access Founders Pack is now available. If you don’t want to put down the $19.99 USD for the early access pass Epic will also be holding free beta weekends before the open beta’s launch.

In part here is what the email read:

As someone who has signed up for the beta, even if you don’t want to buy a Founder’s Pack, you will be invited to free Beta Weekends during the Early Access Season.

You can also choose to buy a Founder’s Pack starting on March 14, and begin playing March 18. We’ll have more details on Founder’s Packs and Beta Weekends soon. If you’d rather wait, the game will be in free Open Beta in the summer of 2016.

Steve Superville from Epic Games also took to Reddit this morning to further explain the announcement. All heroes and cards in the game can be earned for free only by playing the game and Epic will monetize the game by selling skins, emotes and other non-gameplay changing add-ons in addition to providing paid early access.

There are two other packs available if you want to put down a little bit more cash – the Challenger Pack and Master Pack which Steve described like this:

Founder’s Packs will cost $19.99, and include access to the game, skins, boosts, and other cosmetic items you can unlock by playing. Challenger Packs ($59.99) and Master Packs ($99.99) will include a huge number of skins, unlockable items, boosts, a unique skin, and a Founder’s Pack to give to a friend. We’ll be sharing complete details soon.

What do you think about the monetization and paid founder’s access to Paragon? The open beta will begin sometime later this summer and the founder’s pack will be available on March 14th. We’ll bring you our hands-on impressions once we get access to the game.


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‘Twas the Night Before Overwatch


Posted on February 8, 2016 by Renee Gittins

overwatch

‘Twas the night before Overwatch, when all ‘cross the globe,
Every gamer was waiting, donned in their soft robes,
Their headphones were hung by their PCs with care,
In hopes that Overwatch soon would be there.

The gamers were nestled all snug in each chair,
While visions of Tracer blinked ’round without care.
The beta was returning, just ‘few hours away
To bring joy and fast battles back to their day.

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