Mordhau is a medieval multiplayer fighter named after a German sword technique from the Renaissance era in which knights hold their weapons by the blade and try to bash their opponents heads in using the pommel. Like its namesake, Mordhau is slow, awkward, and bloody, but for some reason, I want to keep playing.
Google employees will hold a sit-in tomorrow at 11am to protest what they call a "culture of retaliation." The group Google Walkout For Real Change announced the event on Twitter, saying they've encountered everything from being told to take sick lea...
More than a year ago, we were told Niantic, Inc. was working on an Ingress: The Animation streaming series. Today, the anime show, a sci-fi adventure thriller, is available on Netflix, and you can watch the trailer below.Etrian Odyssey fans might want to keep their eyes and wallets open come the end of May, as publisher Atlus has revealed a special soundtrack release that will be made available in Japan, containing a selection of music from the RPG's storied history.
The collection is comprised of two discs, one which is dedicated to the soundtrack of the most recent release, Etrian Odyssey Nexus, while the second disc is a selection of memorable tunes from the franchise's previous entries - composed by that long-time maestro of video game music Yuzo Koshiro.
The Etrian Odyssey Nexus Original Soundtrack set is expected to launch in Japan on May 29 on Amazon and other Japanese and import retailers. It is priced at ¥3,200 - or around $30.
Etrian Odyssey Nexus is available now on Nintendo 3DS.
Fans have been using the Borderlands 3 ECHOcast Twitch extension to take their first look at the playable Vault Dwellers in Borderlands 3. We had already gotten a sneak peak at what the Siren Amara is capable of, but now it’s time to look at the skills Zane, the “Operative.”
These are currently the only two characters whose skill trees are available, but it does give us our first taste of what to expect when Borderlands 3 comes out later in the year. Each character will have three different skill trees focusing on a different aspect of combat. However, as this is form an early version of Borderlands 3, things could still change between now and its September 2019 release date.
Take a look at Zane’s skill tree here:
Skill tree:
Augments
Skill Tree
The post Here Are the Zane Skill Trees in Borderlands 3 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Earlier this month, we reported that a new Princess Leia appearance was on its way to Star Wars Battlefront 2. The unlock requirements for the new, yet old, look have been revealed in a community transmission from Electronic Arts. Players looking to unlock the new “Princess of Alderaan” appearance will need to work as a community to earn it.
The Star Wars Battlefront 2 community will need to capture a total of four million command posts within the game’s Capital Supremacy mode in order to unlock Leia’s newest in-game appearance. Electronic Arts has revealed that even if you’ve already captured a command post, further captured command posts will still count towards the total goal of four million.
The new Leia appearance is arriving just in time to coincide with the fourth of May, otherwise known as Star Wars Day, and the event will last from May 1, 2019 until May 6, 2019. More specifically, the event will start “from the stroke of midnight in Sweden on the 1st and lasting until 11:59 PM CET on the 6th.”
EA_Charlemagne, Community Manager at Electronic Arts, stated that it would only be fair to give the community more than one day to earn the prize. I would have to agree with that statement, especially since it is Leia’s iconic appearance from Star Wars: A New Hope! Whether it was the addition of Anakin Skywalker, the new game mode Capital Supremacy, a new map for that game mode along with a massive patch that fixed many of the game’s bugs and issues, Star Wars Battlefront 2 has had plenty of content for players to look forward to lately. It would appear that this trend is not stopping any time soon.
Are you excited to see that Princess Leia’s iconic appearance is finally making its way into the game? Will you be participating in the May fourth event for Star Wars Battlefront 2? Let us know in the comments below!
[Source: Electronic Arts]
The post Here’s How to Unlock Princess Leia’s New Look in Star Wars Battlefront 2 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
The production company from President and Mrs. Obama, Higher Ground, has unveiled its first lineup of Netflix shows roughly a year after forging a deal with the streaming giant. The initial seven-show catalog will take "several years" to arrive, but...
Where do you go when you want to escape surveillance? When you want to stop feeling like you might be being listened to by microphones, or watched through surveillance cameras, or tracked by invisible tech gremlins burrowed within devices. Certainly...
Facebook has revealed a bunch of upcoming updates for its Portal devices. It's adding multiplayer augmented reality games and Instant Games this summer. You can play the likes of Words with Friends, Battleship and Yahtzee on the smart display. New AR...As we approach the May 1, 2019 gameplay reveal of Borderlands 3, new information is coming out about some of the new Vault Hunters you can play as. Thanks to the new Borderlands 3 ECHOcast Twitch extension, fans were able to get a look at the skill tree for two of the new characters, Zane and Amara. Coincidentally (or not), these are the two characters that will be the focus of tomorrow’s reveal event.
The hard-hitting Siren has access to a number of supernatural abilities to take advantage of. From phase shifting to buffing abilities, Amara definitely looks to have plenty of tricks up her sleeve.
Now, Amara’s skill tree is still being parsed through, so more abilities should be uncovered soon. However, as Borderlands 3 is still months out from release, there’s a chance that these skill trees could be tweaked. But as of right now, take a look at the first section of Amara’s skill tree:
We should discover more of Amara’s abilities soon, as the reveal event nears and as fans continue to dig. However, even with this tease, Amara certainly looks like an exciting character to play as.
Borderlands 3 will release on September 13, 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
[Source: PCGamesN]
The post The Skill Trees in Borderlands 3 Have Already Begun to Leak appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
The dawn of cheap VR is not upon us just yet, but the "next generation" of VR is about to begin.
Valve has just announced the Index, which will be available for pre-order tomorrow for a July ship date. Just how much will that pre-order go for? Well, $1000 for the headset, controllers, and two base stations (tracking): and again, you still need a semi-power PC to make use of it. Breaking it down further the headset and controller pair are $750, the headset alone is $500, the remotes are $280 out of bundle, and each base station will run you $150. Start saving now.
I led with the price because VR is still very much a hard sell. If you haven't tried any of the new tech yet you will probably remain unconvinced. But for VR enthusiasts, Valve is really trying to push the limits of the tech. The controllers are a massive upgrade compared to the previous HTC Vive standard that Valve was pushing, and are more inline with the fantastic Oculus Touch remotes.
They're designed with nuanced tracking for finger positioning, leading to all sorts of crazy "knuckle" control and velocity magic, where games can track motion. Individual finger tracking is a base feature: it sounds silly, but it's huge when you can move your fingers in certain motions to shoot a Spider-Man web or sling spells after memorizing finger combinations. If you've ever played a game with this much control (like Superhot VR) you'll know the feeling. These remotes feel like a game-changer in that microcosm of your living room far more than the fourth plus iterations of the DualShock and Xbox remotes.
The headset is one of the most advanced ever built, with dual 1440x1600 LCDs and 120Hz (with the ability for 144Hz overclocked). Not only does that translate into next-gen VR visuals, but it also removes the "screen door effect" that often breaks immersion. Enhanced backed-in audio and comfort are also a focus with new knobs, and less physical contact to allow for longer sessions. There's also an expansion slot in the front for USB 3 support.
Similarly, the base stations (now dubbed 2.0) are enhanced, allowing for more coverage and a "400% larger play space." Valve says that the base stations sweep "100 times a second" to keep tracking precise with support for up to four base stations for huge areas (good luck finding real estate that allows for that).
So yeah, that's a lot! The bottom line: the modern VR market started in earnest in 2016, and is about to hit a new generation. The more powerful Index will ship in July alongside of the Oculus Rift S this year, with Oculus also makes a play for folks who don't like the tethered VR experience with the Oculus Quest.
Whether you're a casual observer who's held off or big-time VR fan, it's an exciting year with lots of competition.
Valve Index [Steam]
There are a lot of reasons to own a Raspberry Pi, but anecdotally, I think somewhere north of 90% of people buy them to build retro game consoles. But no matter how you like to tinker, today’s your lucky day.
I think I’m bad at role-playing games. I’m far too impatient, too lusty, too easily distracted. I usually leave a trail of dead party members behind me because I keep missing those five-second side-conversations earlier in the game that somehow butterfly-effect themselves into someone dying.
This video contains repeated uses of the Amazon Echo trigger word “Alexa”. To prevent your Echo from responding, watch with headphones.
At the F8 conference today, Facebook announced it's working on more tools to stop and prevent bullying. The changes will include things like nudges -- if you make an aggressive comment, Instagram will warn you to tone it down a bit. The platform will...The dichotomy between sales and critical reception of BioWare’s Anthem is intriguing, as the game sold quite well during the month of its release. But that doesn’t necessarily translate to positive reviews or a large player-base that will stick around, as intended. That’s why it’s wild that Anthem’s Twitch viewership fell to 52 earlier today, per PCGamesN. In fact, as that article was being written, Richard Scott-Jones noted that it fell to as low as 34 viewers.
However, since then, viewership has increased to over 180, at least as of 12:50 pm CT on April 30, 2019. Still, the fact that it dropped that low is substantial. Ever since Anthem‘s launch, the general reception has been mediocre at best, with signs pointing to a troubled development and a slew of issues.
We reported on this, per an article from Kotaku, in which several Anthem developers told stories of mismanagement, crunch, and general unhealthy practices during its development. A month after launch, the game’s general manager vowed to make Anthem better, and we even got a clear roadmap that detailed the plans to come.
However, due to the rough state of the game, BioWare and EA have decided to delay many planned features from the roadmap, including leaderboards, guilds, Cataclysm, Freeplay events, and more. Because of this, it makes sense that players have dropped off. If a recent survey about the game has any significance, players aren’t satisfied.
We’re hoping BioWare and EA can turn things around, but there are probably many players who feel burned and may not return, even if many improvements are implemented. As the game continues to evolve, it will likely get better, but it could be too late. Surely, EA and BioWare don’t have much of a choice but to keep supporting Anthem—even if some of them wish they could completely wash their hands of it and move on.
[Source: PCGamesN]
The post Anthem Twitch Stats Show That Viewership Has Plummeted Below 50 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Kadokawa Games and PQubeGames have just released the announcement trailer for Root Letter: Last Answer. With this trailer comes the official confirmation that the game will see a release in the US. Previously, it was only confirmed for Japan.
In Root Letter: Last Answer, you are tasked with solving a murder after the disappearance of your pen pal Aya Fumino, which has been left unsolved for 15 years. After discovering a letter which was addressed to the protagonist, yet never sent, you set out to get to the bottom of what happened to her. You must track down the victim’s old friends, who are now adults, question them to see what information you can gather about your friends’ disappearance, and attempt to figure out just what happened in order to bring closure to the entire situation.
In Root Letter: Last Answer, players can switch between two different graphics settings. You can choose to use the original anime art style, or you can go with the game’s live action mode, which will convert all of the characters you talk to in-game to actual actors.
The game is set in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture in Japan, and you must traverse Aya’s hometown in search of clues. The game contains multiple endings, which will vary depending on which choices you make throughout the story. Root Letter: Last Answer also features new scenarios which take place after the original game’s endings, so be sure to interrogate each person carefully.
Check out the announcement trailer!
For those who are unfamiliar with Root Letter in general, it was originally released by Kadokawa Games back on June 16, 2016 for the PlayStation 4, and PS Vita in Japan. It also later came to other countries. For Last Answer, Kadokawa Games has updated the original game, and added some new features (like the live action mode).
Will you be picking up a copy of Root Letter: Last Answer? Let us know in the comments below!
[Source: Twitter]
The post Expect a 2019 Delivery for Root Letter: Last Answer appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
There were rumors that Facebook was going to make its messaging products interoperable, but now it appears they're about to be a reality. At F8, Messenger's head of consumer product Asha Sharma said that in the future, users will soon be able to send...Pop culture company Mondo has revealed a premium 1/6 scale figurine of Kratos, the stern protagonist of Sony's adventure franchise God of War. The figure is crafted by artists from multiple studios and comes with a selection of accessories for all your monster dismemberment needs.
Standing around 13 inches tall and featuring PVC, ABS and fabric components, Kratos has over 25 parts of articulation and comes with an interchangeable head, allowing for stoic or rage-filled moods. In terms of weaponry, Kratos can be equipped with his Leviathan Axe, hand knife, shield, or his trusty Blades of Chaos. Side accessories include a sheath, a satchel, ash pouch, a selection of alternate hands, oh, and Mimir's severed head. Everything you need for an exciting adventure with Boy.
The Mondo Exclusive Edition (which includes and extra Axe and Blades in their Valkyrie forms) is now available to pre-order over at their official website. Kratos will set you back $235 USD (not including shipping or any relative customs charges) and is expected to ship in March 2020. Payment plans are also available to help buyers spread the cost.
God of War Kratos Deluxe Figure Mondo Exclusive [Official]
"Slappers only, facility, heads-up 1v1, let's go," was the ultimate GoldenEye 007/64 challenge in 1997.
My "slappers" was always "proximity mines only," but you get the idea. GoldenEye was an institution for a lot of people back in the '90s, and years before Halo, helped usher in the idea of FPS games on consoles. It was also almost on-rails, which would have resulted in a completely different cultural impact.
As GoldenEye developer David Doak reminds us, GoldenEye 007 was originally conceived as an on-rails shooter as a loving homage to the Virtua Cop series. This information was uncovered back in 2012 during a GoldenEye postmortem at GDC by Martin Hollis, but that revelation always immediately scoots to the back of my mind.
As Doak recalls this week, that early demo footage that's been cycling back around was how the game was originally programmed: "player movement was automatic and followed a scripted spline path. The original design was that the game would be more like Virtua Cop / Time Crisis."
By way of a Twitter conversation Doak manages to dig deeper after a fan shows him very early 1995 SpaceWorld footage, explaining, "I think that this Archives footage predates the Silo. I wasn't involved at this stage but it looks like the camera path might even just be someone (Martin Hollis?) manually 'flying' the camera."
A lot of GoldenEye's developers have moved on to other studios or out of the industry entirely, but every few years or so someone will reminisce and we'll get a little more insight into our past. I for one enjoy these small little light bulbs that pop up every so often in the room of this iconic game.
David Doak [Twitter]
Following last month’s tease, today Valve officially announced the Valve Index, a “high-fidelity” virtual reality headset with impressive specs, cool new controllers and a $1,000 price tag.
Facebook's Portal video chat devices are about to become much easier to find, not to mention more useful. The company has announced that it will make both Portal and Portal+ available outside of the US this fall, starting with Canada and following w...It’s been nearly six years since the release of Grand Theft Auto V, so it seems right that we’re now starting to get rumors and leaks pertaining to Grand Theft Auto 6. Considering how successful GTA V is, there is no question that a sequel is in development. There was speculation that GTA 6 might take place across the entire United States or that it would possibly return to familiar territory. Well, a recent leak could point to the latter.
Before getting into the leak, it’s important to note that it has not been confirmed. Take it with a grain of salt.
Last week, a post made on Pastebin alleged that GTA 6 will “feature multiple big cities which players can travel across.” If you look, the user is listed as Anonymous, but the post on Dexerto states that the account is “not necessarily so reliable.” However, the post on Pastebin continued:
In the title which will make you a kind of a drug lord. You will start as a small time guy in Liberty city doing odd chores and small time thefts and eventually work your way to Vice city where you will join a famous gang. You will be tasked to look after business in liberty city until you are brought back to Vice City and soon become the drug lord.
It certainly *sounds* like a Grand Theft Auto game, that’s for sure. But that doesn’t really mean much, since it hasn’t been confirmed by Rockstar. According to the Pastebin post, GTA 6 “cant come for PS4 because of memory restrictions,” which sounds about right, seeing as how Rockstar likes to outdo themselves with each entry. The leak states that developer Rockstar has an idea about when they want to release the game, but that corporate are analyzing the sales of next generation hardware. Finally, there are “big plans” for the online component of GTA 6, with the goal of including major content like new towns.
While some of this information seems to add up, we should probably not take it as fact just yet, as interesting as it may be.
[Source: Pastebin via Dexerto]
The post Alleged Grand Theft Auto 6 Leak Says We’ll Return to Liberty City and Vice City appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
If you suddenly find yourself in need of extra controllers for your Super Smash Bros. parties (like I do, every other Saturday), PowerA’s Gamecube-style wireless controller is down to $40 on Amazon right now, an all-time low. It’s laid out exactly like the controller of yore and feels like a nice jolt of nostalgia,…
Valve fans rejoice! The company today unveiled its Index VR kit, which consists of a $500 headset, $279 controllers and $149 base station. You can get the entire kit for $1,000 or the headset and controllers for $749, or buy everything individually i...
Facebook will soon let Marketplace sellers ship items anywhere in the continental US, while you'll be able to pay for purchases directly through the platform. As such, sellers who are happy to ship their goods will be able to cater to customers on th...
With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram sees a major opportunity to disrupt online shopping. And, over the past year or so, the company has been working hard to make shopping a cornerstone feature of its app. Just last month, it started a...
If the Oculus Go was an appetizer for truly wireless VR, which is entirely self-contained and doesn't rely on a PC, the Quest is closer to a main course. It's not as immersive as desktop virtual reality, but it's currently the easiest way to show...
As rumored, Instagram is indeed getting ready to roll out a test that hides "Like" counts from people looking at your pictures and videos. The company made the announcement at Facebook's F8 developers conference, where it revealed that it will start...
If you've ever wanted to let Facebook know who your romantic crush is -- and no, "poking" doesn't count -- soon you'll have the chance to do just that. Today, at its F8 2019 developers conference, the company announced Secret Crush, a new feature tha...
Facebook is introducing a feature called "Meet New Friends" at F8 2019, its annual developers conference, as part of a major redesign to its mobile app. The company says that Meet New Friends is designed to help users start friendships with others fr...
It's going to be much easier to raise money on Instagram for your favorite nonprofits starting today -- if you're in the US, that is. The Facebook-owned platform has introduced a Donation sticker for Stories, and it even directly links to nonprofit g...
After months upon months of waiting, Oculus is finally ready to deliver its next generation of VR headsets. Both the stand-alone Oculus Quest and PC-dependent Oculus Rift S will be available to buy on May 21st in 22 countries, with pre-orders starti...
Ubisoft’s love for microtransactions and map defogging missions may be tiresome, but the company’s propensity to support its games for a long time continues to impress. The mega-publisher just announced that Ghost Recon Wildlands, fresh off two years of post-release content additions (and two years of season passes,…
Japanese publisher Kadokawa has announced that the stars of FromSoftware's tough-as-nails adventure title Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are set to appear in an upcoming manga adaptation, which will release in Japan at the end of next month.
Sekiro Gaiden: Shinazu Hanbei (or Sekiro Side-Story: Hanbei the Undying) will be a prequel tale from artist Shin Yamamoto, previously responsible for the Monster Hunter manga Senkou no Karidou. Details are vague as to Hanbei the Undying's narrative, though it appears to feature an encounter between Hanbei and the Sword Saint, Isshin Ashina. FromSoft will be on-hand to supervise the manga's realisation.
Joyfully, willfully, and with patriotic anger I sally forth to get my bucket head rattled in the hot new getting-medieval battle royale shriekathon Mordhau, live on our Twitch channel. I’m going to be too busy fearing cold death to utter my most energetic battle cries, so I’m going to need you to amplify my spirit in…
Facebook Messenger has undergone a lot of changes in the past few months. With Messenger 4, for example, it did away with clutter by going from nine tabs to four, and simplified the interface so it was easier to send a photo and start a video call. I...Despite being promised before launch, Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid launched without a dedicated story mode. However, the crossover fighting game is still getting a story mode. In fact, it will be getting one quite soon, as a free update will be launching on April 30, 2019 introducing the long-awaited campaign. In addition, the update also introduces a round of new fighters to play as.
Check out a teaser for the story mode right here:
Though the details of the story is still a mystery, it does have the potential to get longtime Power Rangers fans on-board. It’s written by Kyle Higgins, best known for his work on the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers comic series. The story will be heavily inspired by Higgins’ “Shattered Grid” storyline from the comics, which centers around Lord Drakkon (an alternate version of Tommy Oliver who goes rogue). The story will span all different generations of Power Rangers and will even include characters who aren’t currently playable in the game.
While Higgins’ inclusion is exciting enough, the story also features many actors from the series reprising their roles from the series. Expect to hear familiar voices like Jason David Frank and Austin St. John while you fight this cross-dimensional threat.
A trio of new fighters will also be entering the ring as part of this update. The first new fighter is Cenozoic Blue Ranger from the 2017 Power Rangers film. There’s also Udonna, the ranger’s mentor from Power Rangers: Mystic Force. Finally, there’s Dragon Armor Trini, who is also from the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers comic. These characters are not part of the season pass, and are available for all players.
While Battle for the Grid has generally been criticized for a lack of content, it seems like a game is continually growing. If nWay keeps supporting it like this, we could see it eventually fill the void that other Power Rangers games have yet to fill.
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is available now for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
The post Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid Finally Has Its Story Mode appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
CES was just the start for Dell's Latitude business laptops. In January, we were surprised by the Latitude 7400 2-in-1, an enterprise-focused convertible that actually managed to look pretty slick. Now, Dell is rounding out the line with more stylish...
Mozilla's Firefox Reality browser has been available through a number of platform-specific VR portals, but it'll soon be available in a relatively neutral form. The developer has revealed that it's working with Valve to bring Firefox Reality to Steam...
The Sonic The Hedgehog movie is a blight upon this weary earth.
Game of Thrones’ Battle of Winterfell was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. My body is still shaking—if you touched my arm, you could feel it in my nerves. You can’t point to one character whose story defined “The Long Night,” or led to the Night King’s fate. That’s because there are three.
Discounted Sonos One speakers, Insomnia Coffee, and a sale on graduation party supplies lead off Tuesday’s best deals.
You probably haven't heard of Snack World yet unless you follow the Japanese game industry closely, but given how hard Level-5 pushes their wares, you will, if it comes west. All signs point to it being a go, but it still hasn't happened since its initial release on 3DS in 2017. What changed this week? An international ratings listing, of course!
Rated by way of the Australian Classification Board, this is the first evidence of a westward Snack World localization. So what the hell is this series anyway? Well basically, like all modern things Level-5, it was created as a cross-media project that involves myriad arms: manga, TV, toys, and games. The gist is that Snack World, itself a highly anachronistic universe (for comedic effect), deals with a series of adventures from the perspective of a hero and his Dragon Quest-esque crew of misfits.
It's really cute and everything I've seen so far gives off major Adventure Time vibes. I've been waiting years to give it a shot, so hopefully this rating pans out.
Snack World [Australian Classification via Gematsu]
The development and early access release of Media Molecule’s Dreams has been quite fascinating. You can tell the project turned into something much more ambitious than was initially planned, leading to its long development time. Now that it’s out in early access, players are making some impressive stuff. One user created the entire opening of Marvel’s Spider-Man using Dreams’ creation tools. But the impressive creations don’t just stop there. If you’re a fan of Dreams, you’ll be happy to know that Media Molecule is planning to update it in May, although no official release date has been locked in.
During an interview with Game Informer, the development studio discussed the things it would like to include in May’s patch, including the following:
- More tutorial and templates
- New assets for creators to use
- Raising the level cap past 100
- Various Dreamiverse social abilities, like blocking other users.
As complicated as the game can be, it could definitely benefit from more tutorials, so seeing that on the patch list is a welcome inclusion. It will be interesting to see how Dreams evolves over time. This particular update, while not too substantial, at least gives us a taste of what to expect for future patches, as well.
In a separate story from Game Informer, Media Molecule also discussed the various types of controls that could be implemented into the game. One criticism has been the usage of motion controls, which the developers are actively working on a solution for. The motion controls in-game work fine, but it would be nice to just be able to use the Dualshock 4, or even mouse and keyboard as the article suggests.
A Media Molecule senior designer, Jon Beech, had this to say about the game’s controls:
For us accessibility is really important and that includes accessibility for people who have difficulty using motion controls, so things like mouse and keyboard help with that. So yeah, anything can happen in regards to [accessibility]. For us it’s just a matter of prioritizing motion-free control that uses the PS4 and then later down the road we can look into possible mouse and keyboard support.
Dreams is out in early access now. We’ll keep you posted on when May’s update rolls around.
[Source: Game Informer]
The post Media Molecule Plans to Update Dreams in May appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
Fallout 76’s world is lonely. Despite being a multiplayer game, it hosts just a couple dozen people around a sprawling map in any session you play. Other Fallout games might have a lot of computer-controlled civilians to chat with. Not this one. All of the non-player characters died long ago, or mutated beyond…
Today’s selection of articles from Kotaku’s reader-run community: Yoshi’s Crafted World Is Not Too Easy, It’s Fun For Everyone • Captain Marvel Was A Good Movie. It Should’ve Been A Great One • TAY Retro: Atari 2600 - “Peter Billingsley” Cosmic Ark [TV Commercial, NA]
2K Games and Gearbox Software are partnering up with Twitch to bring people an official Borderlands 3 Twitch extension. The service will bring an unprecedented way to connect with Borderlands 3 livestreamers. However, it will also give players the chance to earn exclusive in-game loot, even before the game releases! The service goes live on May 1, 2019, the same day as the Borderland 3 gameplay reveal.
Known as the “Borderlands 3 ECHOcast Extension,” it will allow players to interact with various Borderlands 3 streamers by allowing them to get a firsthand look at how they’re playing. They can see the streamers’ backpacks, loadouts, and even skill trees. It’ll offer a brand-new way for fans to experience Borderlands 3, as it allows them to play just like their favorite streamers do.
There are more ways to connect with fellow Borderlands 3 players, however. Special loot chests can be found in-game, and these chests can trigger special events, known as “Rare Chest Events,” when opened by a streamer. While the items they’d get their hands on could be anything, one player will get the chance to receive one of the items in the chest. They’ll get the item by receiving an exclusive SHiFT code. While the item will be identical to that found within the chest, it will be scaled to the player’s current in-game level. By tuning in to Borderlands 3 gameplay streams, players can already begin to create their arsenal, well ahead of its launch in September.
Following years of speculation and rumors, Borderlands 3 was finally revealed earlier in the year. While it features many of the familiar elements that Borderlands fans can recognize, it also introduces some new mechanics. Among them are the changes to co-op, a Borderlands staple. It evens out the distribution of loot between players, though players can also revert to the original style of loot distribution. It also replaces the slag element with a new type of radioactive energy, though we don’t know quite yet how it operates in-game.
Borderlands 3 will release on September 19, 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
[Source: Gert Lush Gaming]
The post Earn Loot in Borderlands 3 Before It Releases With an All New Twitch Extension appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
The kart racing genre of games is one that is sorely underappreciated. For these games, the market isn’t necessarily flooded with them, and there a few mainstay staples that come up time and again in conversation. In fact, for the last long while, Nintendo has dominated the conversation on kart racers with Mario Kart. There have been a few attempts here and there to enter the space, including the moderately successful ModNation Racers, but nothing really stuck as much as those iconic mascot-based kart racing games of old. When Sega decided to pull the car cover off of Sonic, the goal wasn’t to make a game that would simply compete in that space. Instead, Sumo Digital sought to redefine the kart racing genre as we know it through deep and intuitive team-based gameplay.
The name Team Sonic Racing is no mere suggestion. It’s a definition that is baked into the game at its core. This isn’t your standard kart racing gaming with teams layered over the top of it. The teams aren’t some silly gimmick. Team synergy is essential to victory, and playing into the deep team mechanics makes everything about Team Sonic Racing simply more fun and more rewarding.
Before I talk more about the team mechanics, however, I have to address the blue hedgehog in the room. Sonic has a storied history of providing both amazing and timeless games as well as being a part of some very forgettable duds. It’d be all too easy to think that slapping Sonic and friends into a bunch of cars is a great way to send the character out to pasture. But there’s precedent. Crash Bandicoot. Jak and Daxter. Even Sonic himself has already graced us with a kart racing presence. Crash Team Racing, Jak X Combat Racing, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed set the bar high for putting gaming icons into vehicles and sending them off to the races.
Fortunately, Team Sonic Racing is faithful to the IP, pulling the best parts of Sonic together for this experience. The levels feel authentic to Sonic, complete with music that has some really interesting and catch takes on recognizable tunes. The characters are all Sonic classics. And the banter between them is as equally cheesy as it captures that Sonic experience perfectly. There’s even a loose story mode in the single-player campaign for the game (which still implements those team mechanics I’ll talk about shortly) that should delight Sonic fans, but can very easily be skipped if you couldn’t care less.
The 15 characters span five teams of three characters each, with each team having a Speed, Technique, and Power character. Keep in mind that your team isn’t limited by class or even the preset thematic teams in the game. While Team Sonic may consist of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, you could feasibly have a team of Sonic and Shadow (both Speed characters) along with Eggman. You could even have three Sonics if you wanted (or 12 Sonics in an entire race). While there’s definitely some benefit to coordinating team composition, there’s nothing wrong with breaking the rules and playing how you want to play.
Each character also has slightly different stats, along with customizable cars that can change up their numbers too, at least in a small way. Sonic and Shadow, while both Speed characters, do have some differences in areas like acceleration and defense. Speed characters primarily focus on acceleration and top speed. Technique type characters are a bit slower, but they have the ability to drive over any surface without losing speed, so if you’re the type to take those corners too sharp, you might want to look into a technique character. Power characters are the slowest of the bunch, but they have a high defense and can barrel through obstacles without slowing down.
When I first sat down with my two teammates, a competitive spirit took over and we were determined to win. As we created our team composition, we initially left the Power characters out of it. “Too slow,” we thought, and apparently so did everyone else. Very few other people chose any of the power characters, most opting either for all-out speed, or the safety of a technique character. On playing a few stages, this felt like the right choice. There didn’t seem to be many obvious opportunities where a Power character could succeed via a shortcut that other players couldn’t get through. With the clear speed difference, this entire class just felt lacking. But that was when we were thinking about it from an individual racer standpoint. We have to remember, Team Sonic Racing is a team based game with mechanics that really play differently from other kart racers.
There are a few core pieces at play. First is the golden trail left behind by the player on the team that is in the lead. While following this trail, a boost meter will build charges, and ducking out of the trail gives a huge burst of speed. Using this mechanic alone efficiently, a team of three can consistently slingshot and play off of each other, keeping a quick pace to stay ahead of the pack. The other teams have these same tools to use though, so watch out!
The next thing is the ability to pass items back and forth. Leading the pack and you pick up a rocket or other item you can really use? A quick tap of circle offers it up to the other members of your team, where it is re-rolled as a new item for them. Also drafting by a player who is slowed will give them a big burst of speed, so you can help your teammates get back in the race after spinouts and other disasters on the track.
Performing any team-based actions will fill up a meter just below your car which activates an ultimate and invincible speed boost. Knocking into rival players extends the time of the boost, and triggering it all at once as a team will also provide that benefit. Using this can be a game changer, completely upsetting the predicted outcome of any race. But it’s not enough just to come in first. The team mechanics are all about helping each other reach the finish line, and those that lean into them will prosper. It’s far better to place in 3rd, 5th, and 6th than to come in 1st while your teammates are trailing in last place. Even if you won, your team didn’t.
What’s great about Team Sonic Racing is that the team mechanics make sure that no match ever feels decided early on. There’s a lot of action happening in the middle of the pack and constant overtakes. The team mechanics are intuitive enough that you can perform them without ever muttering a word to your team, but complex enough that coherent teams will benefit from strong strategy and communication. Back to that seemingly pointless Power class? My team discovered a use for them. Using the golden trail, they can slingshot and stay relatively close with the pack. With a high defense, they can also take a brunt of the attacks from other players. The Technique and Speed types then play off of one another, slingshotting forward. There’s quite a bit of synergy that happens.
That’s not to say that a two Technique/one Speed team is bad. Or that you can’t dominate with a three Speed team. But there’s a definite benefit to taking along the class that doesn’t seem like it would be the smart choice. Courses can also determine class selection depending on the challenges you’ll be facing, and again, customizing the cars can alter very slight little stat nuances that can change how a character feels in a big way.
When we figured all of this out, everything just clicked for my team. That’s not to say that racing was easy. We still had mistakes, including an early lead in the Grand Prix finals that was thwarted by our Technique character guiding me (a Speed character) through some mud/sand that slowed my down enough to fall back two positions right at the finish line. We still scored high though, and our comeback of a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place win ensured that our team took home the trophies. Our win didn’t feel like a fluke. It felt like we had connected with the mechanics of the game and each other in a way that made our win possible. After some early losses that actually eliminated us from the Grand Prix after some of the first matches, it was nice to get the opportunity for a comeback in the finals to prove ourselves.
And it didn’t much matter which of us grabbed those top positions. We had all contributed, so our win felt fully deserved. There was never any real sense of “I came in first” or “you fell back to sixth.” In the end it was about seeing the overall team rankings as we each contributed our part to that win. Our first place player even apologized for not picking a better path for the rest of us to bring it home in top positions during our first Finals race. Engaging with the team aspects of Team Sonic Racing keeps things interesting, and most of all it opens up the game to those who aren’t normally “first place podium finish” type of racers. Being able to contribute and win as a team feels really good no matter what position you fall back to.
With Team Sonic Racing, Sumo Digital went above and beyond in staying true to the Sonic IP, but also rebuilding the engine of the kart racing genre. While there might be another mascot kart racing game headed our way in a couple of months, Team Sonic Racing doesn’t even feel like it’s racing on the same track. The team-centered mechanics completely overhaul what I thought I knew about kart racers and how I play them. Perhaps most importantly, it puts a whole new lease on interest in the game. Along with the classic kart racing ideas of mastering tracks, items, and drifts, the team mechanics provide a whole new gameplay wrinkle that can turn any race on its head—or as I found out, can be the assured key to your victory.
Coming away from playing Team Sonic Racing as a champion of the Grand Prix finals wasn’t about the sense of racing well and achieving first place. It was about the camaraderie, communication, and synergy that my team felt as we fell in step with each of Team Sonic Racing’s team mechanics, finding ways to best utilize them to improve our situation. Before we knew it, we were standing on the podium, trophies in hand. There was no hogging the limelight. None of us could have done it without the other two. Even though we eventually had to shut the consoles off and walk away, our team bond far outlasted the end of that event. Team Sonic Racing does something special, and I think that everyone will be pleasantly surprised at how different it makes a familiar gaming staple feel.
Team Sonic Racing preview held at an event by Sega. Travel and accommodations were provided by Sega.
The post Team Sonic Racing Redefines Kart Racers – Hands-on Preview (and a Victory Lap) appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.
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