At ease, soldier

In the modern triple-A space, it seems publishers are more worried about making money than creating fun entertainment. While a few games have shown that "live-service" strategies can produce a quality experience, these titles often end up releasing in incomplete states that take months – if not years – o?f patching and updating to get anywhere close to their pot?ential.

That description fits Ubisoft's output to a tee. The company has certainly created some good games this generation (most notably last year's Assassin's Creed Odyssey), but the majority of its titles are the same basic mold transplanted to a different setting. Far Cry, Watch Dogs, Ghost Recon: all of these series play practical?ly the same and feature basically identical objectives with slightly different characters.

Even that basic template couldn't have prepared me for how awful Ghost Recon Breakpoint turned out. Despite having a predecessor it could build off of, Ubisoft has somehow mashed every negative aspect of modern, microtransaction-heavy titles into one disgusting whole of a tim??e-wasting, repetitious open-world shooter. A few steps are taken forward, but that's after a leap off of a cliff.

To put it bluntly, Ghost Recon Breakpoint i??s likely the most disappointing release of 2019.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint (PC, PS4 [reviewed on PS4 Pro], Xbox One)
Developer: Ubisoft Paris
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: September 30, 2019 (Gold/Ultimate Edition), October 4, 2019 (Standard Edition)
MSRP: $59.99 (Standard), $99.99 (Gold), $119.99 (Ultimate)

The plot of Breakpoint sees Team Ghost taking on LTC. Cole Walker on the fictional island of Auroa. A former Ghost operative himself, Walker has turned on his brothers in arms to mechanize a drone army against the island nation for some reason. His motivations are never made clear and his presence is barely felt in the roughly 20-hour campaign, which makes getting from plot point to plot po?int feel like an exercise in frustration.

The brief introductory mission is the only time Breakpoint comes close to capitalizing on its potential. As an open-world game allows, you're able to tackle this mission in whichever manner you see fit. Since Ghost Recon used to be a stealth series, you're able to sneak around and completely avoid combat, or snipe people from afar or just get straight up in their business. ??You can walk around and do objectives out of order, which lends some player agency in the moment. After one cutscene, you can even kill Walker and end the game in 10 minutes, which is a neat touch.

If you happen to play cautiously and not go for the glory kill, you'll rendezvous at the camp of Erewhon and meet up with a bunch of other Ghost soldiers that have been stranded on Auroa. Right from the outset, this interesting setup gets ruined to accommodate cooperative play and a completely out-of-place live-service setting. Seemingly taking inspiration from The Division (the sequel to which has become Ubisoft's most successful game of 2019), Breakpoint is a looter-sho?oter, shared-hub, ?RPG-styled game that makes no sense within its own universe.

What I mean is, past titles have put an emphasis on realism. Utilizing the Tom Clancy branding, Ghost Recon has always strived to not only give players options in tackling situations but demand they play like the military operatives they inhabit. Instead of sticking to that realism, Breakpoint ??has decided to inject a?? whole loot system with a gear score and various drops to keep you looking for better equipment.

Not only that, but the game attempts to double down on the survival aspects of its premise and brings systems like healing wounds, drinking canteens to top off stamina, and even crafting for second??ary weapons and rations. It's a bunch of useless fluff that ultimately can be ignored since the penalties for not engaging with t??hem are slim. As you run too much, your stamina meter will deplete a little, but various skills can be unlocked that increase the duration and regeneration speeds of said meter. It's not very well thought out.

Also not well thought out is the campsite system. Around the world, you'll find various bivouacs that you can fast-travel to. Allowing you to cut down time spent getting across this comically large map, you can also buff your character, call in vehicles, buy things from the shop, and change your character class while visiting them. The vehicle thing is key because this is the only way you're able to call in a vehicle to traverse Auroa – apart from grabbing them in the world. This runs counter to Ghost Recon Wildlands, this game's immediate predecessor. In that game, you were able to call on the rebel forces in Bolivia to deliver a vehicle from anywhere on the map. With Team Ghost not losing the technology it had with them, this extra barrier to playability is just the tip of how obstructive Breakpoint is with letting the player actually?? navigate its environment.

A lot of this could be forgiven if you're okay with open-world titles. While the missions are boring beyond reason and the story goes nowhere, it's not like the design choices cripple Breakpoint. What does is all of the technical glitches and bugs that have shipped with the game. Many players are reporting various crashes, but I happened to get lucky in that regard. What I faced were objectives automatically failing, my character spawning underneath the world, vehicles exploding for no reason, my guns failing to shoot bullets, characters not spawning in to finish objectives, and my co-op partner consistently glitching under obstacles and halting him from progressing. It's absolutely appalling how many technical problems Breakpoint currently suffers from.

These issues drag out what is already a ridiculously drawn-out experi??ence. It doesn't help that the design of Auroa feels so non-descript. A snowy area is the only reprieve from the otherwise brown and green jungles you'll be trekking through. I’m failing to even remember anything outstanding on the map because it all just looks and feels the same. After 20 hours, it simply blurs together.

Shifting gears to the positives, I do happen to like the "Pin" system that Breakpoint uses for its map. Since the island of Auroa is massive with ?plenty of missions to undertake, Ubisoft has created a pin system ??that allows you to select up to three waypoints at a time. With a quick press of down on the d-pad, you're able to get a short description of each mission and see where you need to go on your mini-map. It's very helpful in keeping you on the right track.

I'm also partial to the skin override system. While this is a solution to a problem Breakpoint creates, at least you're able to customize the look of your soldier to your exact specifications. Constantly shifting gear in other looter shooters sees your character looking like an idiot, but you won't need to worry about that in Breakpoint.

Finally, I can see the idea Ubisoft was going for with the campaign. As I mentioned, you can kill Walker in the very first mission, but if you happen to delay that, you're able to tackle him at any point during the campaign. Working similarly to Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Breakpoint is mainly ??a series of?? missions that slowly improve you until you're comfortable with taking out the final boss.

It's just that when actually tackling Walker, the game boils down to an RPG. Every other boss and enemy will have barely noticeable effects from increased gear scores (mitigated further by going for headshots), but Walker suddenly turns into a Metal Gear Solid opponent and requires you to take out drones before y?ou can even damage him. It's absolutely stupid that I'm able to unload multiple rockets to the man's face in a Tom Clancy title, but it's especially insulting that increasing your gear level magically makes the boss easier. Going in at 60, for instance, will see your health bar melt in seconds. Go in at 120, though, and you'll be able to play the fight like normal.

There's a glimmer of hope in Breakpoint, but the current release of the game is a travesty. I didn't like the design of Ghost Recon Wildlands all that much, but Ubisoft seemed to have hit upon a formula fans were happy with. Instead of simply improving that, the company has tried to change Ghost Recon to fit the live-service mold and has ended up with this amalgamation of the worst tropes of modern game design. That ther?e is some potential in here makes the whole endeavor feel worse.

I'd be remiss to leave out discussion of the microtransactions available because they are egregious. Breakpoint allows players to buy literally everything in the game with actual ca??sh. If you want a particular gun or vehicle and don't have the in-game currency on hand, you can plunk down some dollars and get that thing without waiting. A few cosmetic items are only available this way, whi??ch is obviously meant as a form of psychological manipulation to get people opening their wallets.

For the most part, though, it's hard to find the microtransactions. Not once during a playthrough does the game even bring u??p it has them and the menu system is so byzantine and cumbersome to navigate that you're unlikely to even notice there is a store tab. I'm actually quite shocked at how laggy and unresponsive the menu is. It seems to have been built w?ith PC players in mind and then dumped on consoles with little care.

The only real saving grace for Breakpoint is that the "Ghost War" PvP mode is average. It tries to mix standard team deathmatch with battle royale trappings and creates an experience that is at least somewhat playable. There's less glitches, no pay?-to-win nonsense, and a decent selection of maps. It sucks that no ot?her modes are on offer, but a roadmap of content is promising extra additions to the mode in the future.

Still, I can't recommend you wait for this game to eventually become good. That’s not how gaming should work. Even after patches and updates, I can only ever see Breakpoint becoming an average game instead of one worth investing time into. When its predecessor is better and there are a ton of free options to get a battle royale fix going, what purpose does Breakpoint serve?

Is it to see the conclusion to some epic story? Well, I have no idea what happened in the game and the ending was anticlimactic, so that's a no. Is it to get your friends together and chill out a bit? That could have been a yes, but there are a ton of technical barriers that make progressing in its story actively difficult to accomplish. I'm really struggling to figure out what reason there would be to even give Breakpoint a second thought.

As a longtime fan of the series and as someone that honestly tried to give this a shot, I'm sorry to say that Breakpoint is a failure. I suppose the game can only get better from here, but it is not currently in a shape to even be consi??dered finished.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publ??isher.]}

The post Review: Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint appeared first on Destructoid.

Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat

Licensed tie-in games used to be a dime a dozen before the age of mobile gaming. It seemed like every time a gigantic blockbuster film was coming out, there was a publisher releasing a hastily thrown together title to coincide with the film's release. While there were certainly exceptions that showed excellence (The Chronicles of Riddick comes to mind), most people aren't lamenting the lack of movie games in the modern gaming l??andscape.

You can still find these games on the mobile market, but ??the ones that do make the jump to consoles and PC tend to be of a much higher quality than before. Either made with respect to the source material or by a group of developers passionat?e over the project, officially licensed and backed movie games are uniformly in a better place than they've ever been.

John Wick Hex understands that, too. Instead of quickly throwing the now-iconic character into some hodgepodge sh??ooter, developer Mike Bithell had a real understanding of what made Keanu Reeves' role so interesting. He's taken those elements and created a tactical strategy game that many wouldn't have even considered.

While not perf??ect, the end result is one of the best movie tie-in games I've played in quite some time??.

John Wick Hex (PC)
Developer: Bithell Games
Publisher: Good Shepard Entertainment
Released: October 8, 2019
MSRP: $19.99

The plot in John Wick Hex acts as a prequel to the entire ser??ies. Sometime before John met his wife Helen, he was one of the m??ost prominent assassins for the High Table. Always killing his targets and rarely taking scratches, the man is practically a legend among the underground assassin community. A villain, known as Hex, has grown jealous of the man and seems to blame him for his father being banished from the High Table.

Looking to seek vengeance on John, Hex has captured Winston and Charon and is holding them hostage in his club.? Since they have some time to kill before the Baba Yaga arrives, Hex recounts the stories he's been getting from his men about the rampage John is waging to save his friends from Hex's grip. It's not the deepest of plots and doesn't shine too much on John's per??sonality (or anyone, for that matter), but it's an absolutely perfect set up to create action sequences similar to those seen in the films.

Setup it does, too. Starting off with John skulking around back alleys, the game slowly works in its different mechanics in simple arenas before handing over the reins to the player. You'll learn how the HUD works, what actions John has available to him, how to control your character, and what Hex is all about before you're up ag?ainst the first boss. It can be a little intimidating, but any information the player needs is laid out clearly before them. Once it clicks, you stop focusing so much on how detailed it is and you start thinking like an assassin.

John Wick Hex plays similarly to something like X-COM and Superhot. You're moving in an almost turn-based fashion, but the entire world moves when you do. The reason for this is to give players the opportunity to assess the situation at their own pace, making decisions that John does in a split-?second. When you click on a foe, a series of options will drop down with a short description and a percentage of effectiveness next to them. This lets you weigh the choices before you instead ?of blindly clicking shoot and missing, which could result in your untimely death.

Since time is frozen while deciding, various meters at the top of the screen show you how long you and your opponents' options will take to complete. T??his is done to help you fu??rther weigh the odds of making a particular choice. While crouching and rolling away may shield you from further damage, it may take too long to avoid the immediate threat, for instance.

The HUD explains this beautifully. At the bottom of the screen are meters for your health, your gun's?? current amount count, and a meter called "Focus." Focus allows you to perform flashy actions, such as rolling for d??oing takedowns. John will need to shake himself off a bit to restore this meter, which requires time. Bandaging yourself after taking damage will also require time, which is shown in seconds at the top.

For weapons, you'll start with a custom pistol that has an extra clip, but you'll need to eventually replace with a gun from your foes. This leads to different fire??arm types, all with unique properties to them. It mirrors how John performs in the films, which further immerses you into the mindset of a killer. Like I said, it can be a little intimidating at the very start.

It would be a problem if John Wick Hex was shoddily built, but that's not the case at all. Despite the middle portion of the game feeling a little similar in theme, each arena provides a brand new experience for players to dig into. It reminds me of the pacing Capcom did with Resident Evil 4, throwing the same enemies in different combinations and level designs to constantly test the player's knowledge of the mechanics. John Wick Hex exploits its various systems to the fullest e??xtent, nev??er feeling stale or boring as you progress onward to each boss encounter.

The bosses stumble a bit in execution. The very first one is quite the challenge, forcing players?? to constantly be moving and dealing with secondary threats while the boss runs around. After that, they can all pretty much be exploited by? walking up, parrying their attacks, doing a takedown, and then shooting them. The final boss, in particular, is an absolute joke and one that I took down in less than a minute. The AI seems to be unable to deal with John being straight in their face.

There are a few other instances during the main campaign where the regular AI does this, as well. John Wick Hex has a fog of war effect over the battlefield, so you and your enemies won't be able to spot each other when the screen is greyed out. While this is meant to push you forward and into unseen dangers, you can also have John duck behind cover when an enemy is gearing to shoot him and have him pop up imm??ediately after. It forces the AI to move a bit and then allows you the chance to shoot at them without fear.

Small little quirks like that don't ruin what is a thrilling game, though. The plot may not be deep, but it's executed in the same style that director Chad Stahelski uses in the films. The main cutscenes play out with static frames like a comic panel, but some levels h??ave Winston and Hex monologuing while the player is taking out thugs with John. Thumping music punctuates action beats and gets you into the rhythm of tackling foes like a master assassin. I swear that Lionsgate could adapt this into a prequel and it wouldn't feel out of place with the current trilogy.

What really cements this title's greatness is its length. Just when I felt like the story was reaching its apex, I was told there was one final area to work through before getting to the final boss. It's amazing how perfect the length is, clocking in at just under five hours. You get a sense that Mike Bithell knew precisely when Hex had a?ccomplished its task, which makes starting up a second time on the harder difficulty very enticing.

There are some other extraneous details I'm leaving out (a staging area map allows you to place items at certain checkpoints to help yourself), but John Wick Hex really is something you need to experience yourself to understand. It doesn't really invent a genre of gaming, but it works unlike anything else I've ever played. There are parallels to other titles, for sure, but Hex is incredibly unique.

It's also a fascinating way to adapt an action-heavy property. Most people would have been content with a third-person shooter, but Mike Bithell had an understanding of how that wouldn't do John Wick justice. Since players can bumble around like idiots, making a shooter would allow for situations where John isn't in control, which is completely counter to his character. With the way Hex plays out, he's always calm and collected.? You may get him killed, but at least he looks graceful do?ing it.

I could almost make an analogy between John Wick Hex and its titular character. As we see in the films, John isn't completely impervious to damage. He sometimes gets shot or stabbed, becoming more bloodied as the film moves on. He always comes out in the end, his mission completed and the next chapter looming in the distance. Hex is sort of like that. It executes its task with ruthless efficiency while f??altering a little in some areas.

It's not a perfect game, but John Wick Hex still lives up to its premise and creates a ?new blueprint for how to adapt a film property. Hopefully, it does well enough for a sequel because I'm dying to step bac?k into the shoes of John Wick.

_{[This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Works similar to Parsec

Valve is set to add a useful n?ew feature to Steam. Called "Remote Play Together," this functionality will give online support to local-only multiplayer games via a system similar to Parsec (a kind of VPN service). ??The news came from the Steamworks website, which showed an imagine explaining most of the details for how this feature will operate.

While this may not have extensive reach for most people, it does ensure that a lot of games will now be playable with friends far away. While I'll always prefer local multiplayer for its lack of latency, sometimes life prevents you from meeting with your friends direc?tly. Instead of shunning the outside world, now you can connect with your buddies on titles that don't even directly support online play. That's pretty wild.

The feature is said to be rolling out on October 21 in Steam's next ??b??eta update. I know quite a few beat-em-ups I'd like to try out with it.

Steam's 'Remote Play Together' will introduce online sup??port for all local m??ultiplayer games [PC Gamer]

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Get over here

Mortal Kombat 11 is super popular, but there's bound to be people out there that haven't tried it. If you own a PS4 or Xbox One and are looking to get into NetherRealm's super gory latest entry, be sure to check out the free trial being hosted this weekend. Running from October 11 to 14, players will be able to download a trial version of MK11 that incl?udes a pretty decent portion of the content on offer.

You'll have access to the first two chapters of the game's campaign mode, the ent??ire base roster of characters and all of their variations, and a preview of Kombat Pack characters Nightwolf, Shang Tsung, and The Terminator in the "Towers of Time" mode. All progress made in the trial will carry over to the full version whenever you choose to buy it. The game will also be 40% off on both platforms as the trial is running.

While PlayStation Plus/Xbox Live Gold will be required for online play, you won't need either ser??vice to sample the trial. That??'s a pretty decent incentive, especially if you just want to get some friends over for a gory weekend of fisticuffs.

Mortal Kombat 11 – Free Weekend Trailer | Oct. 11-14 [Mortal Kombat via YouTube] 

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Shoot everyone!

Just last week, Skybound Entertainment and Skydance Interactive announced a brand new VR shooter based on the popular Walking Dead series. Called Saints & Sinners, the studios were looking to leverage the visceral intensity of VR to create the most realistic and plausible Walking Dead ga??me yet. It certainly had a bit of ?promise, what with VR titles typically taking the form of tech demos.

At NYCC this past weekend, I got a chance to test it out and I walked away fairly impressed. While obvious technical glitches were present from the build's demo status, the execution of the core concept was surprisingly intuitive. Better still, the game had quite a bit in common with The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. This is like classic Bethesda before the studio became all worried about rushing out titles with?? tons of DLC in tow.

Starting out, the demo began with a tutorial on how all of its mechanics and controls work. Considering most people aren't intimately familiar with VR, it was necessary before jumping into the main game. While no platforms have been announced, I played Saints & Sinners on the Oculus Rift with the Oculus Touch controllers. This scheme was adapted to give better finger control? for players, which becomes crucial as you move out into the game world.

There are a l??ot of intricacies like attaching weapons to each shoulder and hip, but my clumsiness mostly came from never using these controllers before. As is to be expected with VR, a lot of the motions mimic things that we do in our everyday lives. It's incredibly intuitive, making sense after you’ve experienced it once. The enemy-free practice area was perfect for acclimating myself to this because the game can get intense when zombies swarm you.

Guns work precisely as you'd think. You'll need to eject?? clips manually, insert new ones, and even cock back the barrel before you can fire again. On the assault rifle, I even needed to pull back the operating rod to load bullets into the chamber. It's kind of scary how realistic this is, but it does mean you have to think before you shoot.

Or you can be a total idiot like I was and shoot everything. This is where I bring up the comparison to Morrowind because no one is safe in Saints & Sinners. Taking a form similar to old-school RPGs, you can actually kill quest giver??s and a??ny NPC in the game. You'll obviously be a bit lost and need to rely on discovering clues left behind, but it's a real thrill to become some homicidal maniac and blast everything in sight. That last sentence has likely put me on an FBI watch list.

As I gleaned from the trailer, melee weapons actually do require a bit of force. When I asked the developers about this, they said it was all in service of grounding people into this world. You wouldn't casually swing a knife around and expect to cut someone, so Saints & Sinners requires you to make larger movements with some force behind them. I figured this would lead to situa??tions where my real arm is moving beyond the game's simulated a?rm, but the exaggerated movements somehow make sense when you perform them.

There's a lot of sick shit you can do, as well. If a zombie is alone, you can grab its head, knock it to its knees, and behead the thing. You can lob off specific limbs if you want to buy time. You can even slice off legs and watch as the creatures stumble to the ground. The first-person viewpoint makes everything so personal that I could see a lot of people being turned off by the violence on display. It's not Mortal Kombat leve??ls of insanity, but it's so much more intimate than other shooters that it becomes kind of scary.

I think what helped me enjoy this so much was that the control scheme didn't feel needlessly complicated. You don't need to make that much in the way of body movement, apart from attacking. With the Oculus Touch controllers, the joysticks on each one are utilized just like every other s??hooter on the market. The left stick moves you while the right stick turns you. You'll need to move your head to look up and down, but that's a completely natural extension to this control scheme.

There's a backpack system that reminds me of Zombi U, which you just grab from you??r shoulder and cycle through with simple clicks. The game doesn't try to go too realistic with having you pick specific items from the bag, instead laying them out on a grid system that sorts them easily. Even ammo, of which you need to throw into its own box, has a simple icon that you can drag and drop into. It's wel?l-thought-out and starts to become second nature within minutes.

That's good, too, because I was told Saints & Sinners would not be skimping on content. The main story is supposedly around 15 hours long, though it would obviously become longer if you engaged in side quests or went on a murderous detour. If the controls were some tremendous barrier to making progress (or were just plain too involved and tired you out), most p??eople wouldn't even bother after hearing that.

The only issue I have to mention is that the hand tracking can sometimes lose itself. You can shoot guns with one hand or with both, but I had a tough time getting my other hand to attach to t?he specific point the game wanted. Even swinging a few melee weapons incurred this issue. I know this is a demo, but it's the only point of contention I have in what is otherwise a very promising title.

I don't think Saints & Sinners is going to be a revolution in first-person VR titles. Capcom set the benchmark pretty damn high with Resident Evil 7's implementation of the technology. Sniper Elite VR's E3 demo even impressed me a bit more. What I took away from my time with the demo is that Skydance knows precisely how to work around the current limitations of VR and is trying its damnedest to create an experience Walking Dead fans will enjoy. That it ??happens to be a solid game is just a bonus.

Currently, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners is set for a January 23, 2020 release date. ??Oculus Rift will likely be the main platform, though Skydance told me it is trying to get the game on as many platforms as possible. For those curious, it will be l?aunching on Steam when it does release.

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PlayStation Underground takes me back

The upcoming MediEvil remake got a limited time demo a few weeks back that was based off of the original PS1 demo. Released on the PlayStation Underground demo disc (that takes me back), it was the first taste anyone got of Sir Daniel Fortesque's adventure from beyond the grave. It's also super nostalg??ic for a select group of people, myself included. To celebrate the remake, Sony recreated the demo as the new demo.

If you happened to forget what the original looked like, Sony has released a 33-minute featurette comparing the PS4 version against its PS1 inspiration. It certainly looks better, that's for sure. I guess 20+ years?? of technological improvements will do that for any game.

What impressed me most in the demo is that MediEvil's performance was ironed out from previous trailers. The demo wasn't perfect, mind you, but it ran consistently enough and rarely had slowdown. The camera controls were even more refined than the original, which led to better playability. I don't think MediEvil will be reconsidered as an all-time classic, but this remake is certainly living? up to the original's legacy.

MediEvil – 1998 vs. 201??9 Gameplay Comparison | Play?Station Underground [PlayStation via YouTube]

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*Does Kirby dance*

For the past few years, Nintendo has opened a Kirby themed restaurant in Japan as a pop-up store. Opening for a short while and bringing joy to everyone, there was always a tinge of sadness when the loca??tion closed. People seemed to love it and I was super jealous that I'd never have a chance to go there, even if it was simply a novelty cafe. My lucky day has come, though, because?? the Kirby Cafe is now becoming a permanent fixture in Japan.

As Siliconera reports, the Tokyo Skytree version of the Kirby Cafe is getting a fixed location in the near future??????????????????????????. While it will likely no??t be in the exact same location, fans won't need to plan an unexpected trip to the land of the rising sun just to get some Kirby grub.

No official open date has been announced for the shop, but we can rest assured that it is coming. The restaurant is set to open at the Tokyo Skytree Town Solamachi in the Su?mida District of Tokyo sometime in th?e future.

Kirby Caf&??eacute; In Japan To Get Permane??nt Store Location Sometime [Siliconera]

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Tons of Great Jagras have been slain

We already know that Monster Hunter: World is massively popular, but it seems the momentum hasn't stopped just yet. Capcom recently announced that the game has managed to ship 14 million units between retail and digital sales, likely helped a little by the recent release of Iceborne. It looks like everyone has been bitten by the Monster Hunter bug.

While I'm still waiting for the expansion (damn you, PC version!), I'm happy to see a game made with clear passion and care become so popular. After playing the travesty that is Ghost Recon Breakpoint, I just want to return to Monster Hunter: World and experienc??e a game with an actually rewarding gameplay loop. I can only hope other developers and publishers see the success Capcom is having here and decide to return to the old way of making titles.

MH_official_JP [Twitter]

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Rock me, Amadeus

Once upon a time, the Trine series was heralded as some of the most visually impressive indie games around. Developer Frozenbyte had released the game in 2009 to rave reviews and fan reception in an era when downloadable games were just starting to take form. Th??is was a fully realized 2D platformer in? the vein of something Nintendo would make. It may have been a little rough around the edges, but it incorporated ragdoll physics into its puzzle designs in a manner that was truly engaging.

While Trine's first sequel improved on everything that made the original good, Trine 3 is where things went south. Either because of a lack of experience or a slim budget, the final release of Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power ended up being a dud. It seems the ambitions its developer had were too vast for what it could afford, leading to a game many people weren't happy with. It also nearly ba?nkrupted the company.

It's really a sad story and something you'd never wish to see happen to a talented company. Thankfully, Frozenbyte didn't throw in the towel. After regaining confidence with some smaller-scale releases, the team is returning to the series that made it a household name. Yes, Trine is back with Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince and this game is anything but a nightmare.

Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince (PS4 [Reviewed on PS4 Pro], PC, Xbox One, Switch)
Developer: Frozenbyte
Publisher: Modus Games
Released: October 8, 2019
MSRP: $29.99

As the title would imply, Trine 4's story centers on the titular nightmare prince. A boy by the name of Selius runs away from the wizarding academy and is starting to inadvertently cause trouble throughout the land. He lacks control of the magic within him and his nightmares are starting to run amok for everyone. Not wishing to stand by as he dest?roys everything, the academy summons Amadeus the Wizard, Pontius the Knight, and Zoya the Thief to retrieve Selius and return him to the academy. After many years apart, the trio reunites after some short tutorials to set off on another adventure.

Despite having not played the previous games in the series, I was actually quite taken aback by how nostalgic Trine 4 feels. From the way the characters talk to how each environment is rendered, this r??eally does feel like one of those "the gang's back together" films. Everyone reminiscences about the past a little, jo?kes around with each other, and comments on how mysterious and lively their new surroundings are. It's pretty touching, even without prior knowledge of these heroes.

From there, I can only assume that series veterans will be right at home. Trine 4 does not break the mold of what I've seen and heard from the past. This is very much a puzzle-platformer on a 2D plane that utilizes a robust physics engine. Time has only improved technology, and Trine 4 manages to find new ways to make block-pushing puzzles feel f??resh. It's not revolutionary, mind you, but it's very competent and rewarding.

The specific new things to Trine 4 are some of the abilities characters have. Amadeus, for instance, can conjure different objects and stack them to reach new heights. He can also materialize a bouncy ball that serves almost no purpose. Pontius can conjure a reflective shield that floats ??in mid-air, allowing him to redirect ligh?t and water for puzzle purposes. Zoya gets a magical tether that allows her to float objects attached to it. These techniques are thrown in as you progress, leading to a real sense of development as you complete levels.

A light RPG system lets you put experience towards specific skills, but it's ultimately blocked off by story progress. You can't get Zoya’s doub??le ropes, for instance, until you're roughly 60% done with the game. This hap?pens for each character with certain skills locked until the game properly introduces them. It's fine, but it makes the whole experience collecting a little redundant. It's especially true since combat awards you XP, but combat isn't avoidable.

This is the biggest stumbling point in Trine 4. While Frozenbyte claims the combat has been improved from past titles, it's mostly a button-mashing affair. When playing solo, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't just switch to Pontius and spam attack. You may die from time to time, but spamming his sword and stomp attacks will see you get through every single combat encounter with basic enemies. It's only in the boss fights where yo??u'll have to utilize more creative thinking.

To cap off a few levels, Selius will conjure each of the heroes' deepest fears, which manifests in a boss fight. It's a very creative approach to exploring the background of the main protagonists, but the fights are a little ??drawn out. Amadeus, in particular, gets a boss battle that is entirely a puzzle and it's very finicky in its execution. You have to move mirrors and levitate portals to cast light and boil a pot, but it just takes so long that it b??reaks the pacing of the game completely.

Pontius and Zoya fare better, but their fights boil down to very light puzzle solving, then mashing attack. I like them from a thematic stance more than a gameplay one, but these bits are really the only problems I had with Trine 4. Everything else in the game is a breezy jaunt that elicits a lot of j??oy from its presentation.

Not rewriting the book on how to make a Trine game, 4 at least has wonderful visuals and an absolutely stellar soundtrack. The levels flow together nicely, the story is straightforward, and you aren't interrupted with obtuse roadblocks. You may get stuck on a few puzzles, but the open-ended nature of Trine 4's structure lets ??you improvise solutions if you can't discover Frozenbyte's intended path. Sometimes this leads to Zoya being the dominant character (her freeze arrow can cheese out most puzzles with ??pressure blocks/platforms), but that's mainly when playing solo.

Jump into cooperative play, and Trine 4 utilizes a dynamic system that calibrates puzzles to the playable characters selected. Since you can't freely swap between the trio in any multiplayer configuration (of which the game allows for four players), you'll have to really utilize each of their abilities to the fullest. It also means not bringing along Amadeus ??will remove all puzzles that require conjured items, or leaving Zoya behind will get rid of rope puzzles. It's interesting, even if a bit underutilized at times. It at least improves the combat a little as you'll now need to discover ways to keep each other alive instead of spamming attacks.

I wasn't able to test the new four-player option, but it likely makes the game a total cakewalk. Since there isn't some unlockable character with different properties, one player has to double up as someone from the cast and I'd imagine two Pontius' running around would trivialize the combat even further. That isn't the point of the mode, though. This is meant as a way to get more people playing together, something that the Trine series has always emphasized.

I also just need to mention the excellent map screen. Utilizing a stylized look, I was gen??uinely pleased with how helpful the game is in letting to gather missed collectibles. Each level has a series of checkpoints you can start from with the game telling you exactly how many orbs you've missed. Since these orbs give you XP and hide away some of the more difficult puzz??les, it's very helpful in letting you collect everything to 100% the game. It doesn't unlock anything special, but an easy platinum trophy makes for some great incentive to seek out these challenges.

Really, that's how I could sum up Trine 4. It's an easy recommendation for platform fans, but it's also just a plain fun time. It's not revolutionary or trailblazing, but it does what it needs to prove that Frozenbyte hasn't lost its touch. I wouldn't necessarily expect a Trine 5 or anyt??hing,?? but clearly, this series has some life left in it.

_{[This review is based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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I think I've reached my Breakpoint

After making our way to a checkpoint and completing a mission objective, my co-op partner and I map out an escape route from the enemy base. We see a helicopter and gauge the distance, wondering if we'll both be able to make it in time. As we split up to divert the enemy's attention, I get downed while he jumps in the chopper. Not able to land and get me, I respawn to join him for the next phase of the mission. As soon as Ghost Recon Breakpoint finishes it??s 30-second loading screen, I'm put underneath the world and killed immediately. This isn't a one-off occurrence.

During another mission, we're tasked with evacuating an injured scientist. After gunning down some thugs and acquiring a getaway vehicle, my partner lands next to me so I can stow the scientist away. For unknown reasons, she dies in my arms and we fail the mission. After a restart, we're put back quite a distance and need to drive to the checkpoint. ?We accidentally crash our car into a ravine and I jump out. My partner is stuck unde?r the water and can't exit, the game seemingly deciding his time in this world is over.

Instances like this happen in almost every mission we attempt. It's a struggle to properly convey how bad Ghost Recon Breakpoint really is. Even after 10 hours of?? gameplay, I'm still at a loss for words at the issues and problems that keep cropping up.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Breakpoint (PC, PS4 [reviewed on PS4 Pro], Xbox One]
Developer: Ubisoft Paris
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: September 30, 2019 [Gold/Ultimate Edition], October 4, 2019 [Standard Edition]
MSRP: $59.99 [Standard], $99.99 [Gold], $119.99 [Ultimate]

The extent of my knowledge of the plot in Ghost Recon Breakpoint comes from all of the pre-release promotional material I've followed. The actual intro cutscene for the game explains next to nothing about what is going on. In a mock commercial for the Skell Corporation (which is likely taking inspiration from Metal Gear Solid 4's mock commercials), you're treated to an advertisement for "World 2.0." Not really stating what that is, it seems the fi??ctional setting of Auroa is a testing gro??unds for what Skell hopes to achieve in the world.

Shortly after, the game begins in ?medias res with Team Ghost flying to the island in? various choppers. Pulling out all of the stops, it looks like a massive squad is coming to stop LTC. Cole D. Walker – played by Jon Bernthal – from exacting revenge with his drone army. About a minute or so into some briefing, your chopper is shot down and you're stranded on the island alone. You'll proceed to do a single, prolonged stealth mission with no assistance before you make it to the camp of Erewhon, a remote haven based in a mountain of the South Region of Auroa.

While not a bad premise for a game, this early mission is the only moment where any of the potential for the open-world setting is realized. It's a bit too easy as you're able to walk 200 meters away from enemies, thus negating their presence, but at least you're given options in approaching objectives and need to play in a cautious manner. Once you get to the camp (which functions similarly to the shared hub in Destiny or The Division), t?he game turns into a boring, grindy, drawn-out affair.

Endless tutorials explain pointless facets of the menu system. There's weapon customization, charact?er customization, gear ?levels, skill points, different perks, classes, loadouts, etc, etc. It goes on and on and never amounts to much of anything.

What I mean is, once you're actually playing the game, all of the extraneous new features in Breakpoint take a backseat to playing missions exactly as you would in Ghost Recon Wildlands??, this game's immediate predecessor. As the intro mission details, you'll occasionally become wounded after sustaining too much damage and need to bandage yourself. The tutorials make it seem like you need to be crafting syringes constantly (oh yeah, there's a crafting system!), but you can use the infinite supply of medkits you have to heal those wounds.

Your stamina meter for sprinting and climbing will also decrease over time if you don't drink from your canteen. I say decrease, but the penalty for ignoring canteens is that you lose about 10% of your stamina, which can be boosted through an unlockable skill and even given faster rege?neration. I completely ignored all of that and haven't run into a single instance where it would matter.

It doesn't help that navigating Breakpoint's menu is sluggish. The cursor moves at a snail's pace and certain menu screens will occupy more than your full? screen. In the equipment loadout, for instance, you can move the cursor freely from top to bottom and select a different tab. On the map, the cursor now controls scrolling, s?o you'll have to either zoom out all the way or scroll completely to the top of the map before you can change a menu option. Pressing R2 or L2 will let you change tabs, but if the tab you want is three over from your current one, you have to wait for the next page to fully load before you can swap again.

Inconsistencies like? this even continue on to the in-game HUD. While a very welcomed "Pin" system lets you keep track of multiple objectives at a time, things like your health meter and?? mini-map will frequently disappear for no apparent reason. There are options to hide the HUD and even change the frequency of its presence but set to "Always," I've found my mini-map vanishing for one reason or another.

This isn't even getting into an explanation of the actual gameplay, which plays almost exactly like Wildlands, just? with slower movement and a bigger map. The missions are all the same?? nonsense and see you traveling upwards of 15 km from checkpoint to checkpoint and killing people. You can stealth in, but the AI is so confoundingly stupid that the best option is just to shoot everyone. Even on "Extreme" difficulty, tactics don't matter. You'll die, sure, but the checkpoints are super generous and all this emphasis put on Gear Score and leveling up amounts to a bunch of baloney. You can headshot everyone regardless of your gun's damage output or the enemy's so-called level.

Breakpoint is like a bunch of half-formed ideas thrown into a blender and then poured out on? the table. Whatever chunks Ubisoft found floating in the mes??s, it cobbled them together to create the whole of this game.

Many times during my playthrough, I found myself wondering, "What would Tom Clancy think of this?" While not a perfect author, the man strived to imbue his novels with a sense of realism. Grabbing a Tom Clancy book meant you could expect a certain degree of believability in the plot and setting. The man even famously told the director of the Sum of All Fears adaptation that scenes in the film were bullshit, accepting no?thing less than strict ded?ication to the facts.

I have to imagine the man would be devastated at Breakpoint. This game couldn't be farther from the branding that Clancy built if Ubisoft tried. It really does feel like the studio no longer has any idea of what to do with Ghost Recon and is now attaching it to its F-tier titles to make a quick buck. There is no excuse for how buggy, broken, and utterly bland Breakpoint is.

While I'll reserve final judgment for when I get around to the Ghost War PvP mode, anyone thinking about grabbing this for a single-player or co-op run should look elsewhere. This is not worth your time, money, or effort to see through. Even Wildlands, as much as I disliked it, is a better purchase.

_{[Thi?s Review-in-Progress is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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You're in for a frosty of trouble

I guess Wendy's couldn't let KFC get the upper hand in the gaming world. After we were graced with the magnificent presence of I Love You, Colonel Sanders! A Finger-Lickin' Good Dating Simulator, Wendy's has now released a tabletop RPG where players will take on the forces of McDonald's (known here as the "Unite?d Clown Nation"). The future of corporate branding trying to take on life has officially begun.

Called Feast of Legends, a free PDF rulebook is available on the Wendy's website that will teach you how to play the game. There's nothing you need to buy or any special physical edition, but this is more a throwback to old-school Dungeons & Dragons where you imagination saw you battling monsters and leveling up. It's a p?retty bold move in 2019, e??specially since a lot of people are likely to write this off as a gigantic advertisement.

I'm not sure I'd ever play t?his, but I can appreciate Wendy's poking fun at itself and its competition. I do wonder if a digital game version will ever be made available, though.

Feast of Legends: A Tabletop RPG presented by Wendy's [Wendy's via YouTube]

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X gon give food to ya!

Capcom is continuing its trend of crazy crossovers in Monster Hunter games. Coming next month, Leon and Claire from Resident Evil will have armor sets available in Monster Hunter World: Iceborne. Not content to just include the duo, it looks like a special mission with zombies will task players with fighting for survival amidst the ??wilds of Hoarfrost. You can? also become a zombie, which is pretty awesome.

What I like, though, is the tease at the end. Whether unlockable or as cosmetic DLC, it seems a Mr. X skin for the Handler will be available. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. The Handler i??s such a pain in the ass, but changing her to Mr. X would be incredible. I'd certainly be willing to tole??rate his crap, at least.

We'll have more info as we get closer to the event, but November is looking to be a wild one for Monster Hunter World fans.

Monster Hunter [Twitter]

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In your face zombies

Skybound Entertainment and Skydance Interactive have announced that The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners will be r??eleasing on January 23, 2020. A new VR shooter for unspecified platforms, the game was given its first cinematic trailer today that shows next to no gameplay. The title will take place in New Orleans and task players with making "gut-wrenching choices" and discovering who they really are among the chaos.

The press release describes Saints & Sinners has allowing "freedom of choice" and having "visceral combat." This is said to be a survival horror game with strong ties to the VR platform. Players will be up close and personal with the walkers and will need to really get physical to perform various actions (such as climbing or knifing a zombie). Choices are also being touted as central to the experience, with different? outcomes likely based on? who you save.

If you happen to be attending New York Comic-Con this wee??kend, the game will be present at Skydance's booth. We'll likely learn more about platforms and any potential DLC as we get closer to release.

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Company closes its doors after 19 years

Mario & Luigi developer AlphaDream has filed for bankruptcy. The news broke yesterday from a Japanese financial report on Yahoo News. It seems the mounting debt the stu?dio had was too much and has forced the developer to close. As of March 2018, the company had amassed around $4.3 million in debt, which is what contributed to the recent filing.

Founded in 2000, the company is closing its doors after 19 years in the industry. While the company did produce a few games before the Mario & Luigi series (some licensed games and Japan only releases), its turn with Nintendo is what put the company on the map. I remember how much of a surprise Superstar Saga was in 2003 for me. I had definitely enjoyed Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, but I didn't expec?t a GB?A RPG to be so in-depth and funny.

It's a sad day for ?fans, but hopefully, the devs will g?o on to something better.

AlphaDream, developers of the Mario & Luigi series, file for bankruptcy [GoNintendo]

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Set it and forget it

Earlier this morning, Game Informer revealed its November cover game would be Pokemon Sword and Shield. Along with cool new screenshots, we've also be given a ton of information regarding changes to Nintendo's crazy popular monster-catching franchise. One of the biggest additions coming to the formula is an autosave function, making traveling the Galar region and n??abbing critters more co??nvenient on the go.

Speaking to Shigeru Ohmori, GI was told, "Traditionally in Pokémon games, it's an important thing to write your report to record your save, and t?hat's always been a staple, like, 'Remember to s?ave your game!' We do have an autosave feature this time, where you can just adventure and it'll constantly save the game." This will be coming to both the main campaign and the "Wild Area" free-roaming section.

If you happen to want a more traditional experience, autosaves can be turned off at the user's discretion. This does not follow through to HMs, however. Much like Sun and Moon, HMs are gone in Sword and Shield. Kazumasa Iwao, the game's planning director, explained, "We didn't have them [HMs] in Sun and Moon, and this time around, we didn't feel it really matched the concept, especially with the Wild Area and wanting to have this higher degree of freedom." That might be a bummer for series veterans, but I've always wished the progression locking HM moves would take a hike. I like being able to explore? at my leisure.

Another convenient feature will be an automatic exp. share function. In past games, Pokemon not used in battle would not receive XP to level up. There were certain items you could equip in later entries to passively give them XP from battles, but Sword and Shield will be including it from the get-go. As long as your monsters are in your party, they will receive equal XP from each fight. That certainl??y is a nice additio??n.

You can read more about the game over on Game Informer's website, which includes talk of how cut Pokemon from the Galar region will return in future games. It seems like Game Freak is really trying to nail the trans?ition to the Switch before anything, which I can appreciate.

Pokémon Sword and Shield Exclusive Coverage [Game Informer]

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$60 for a year

Sony has announced that it will be lowering the price on PlayStation Now, it's subscription-based streaming service for playing Sony titles across different platforms. Previously going for $100 a year, the service can now be had for $59.99 in a simila??r fashion to PlayStation Plus. The other two tiers (monthly and quarterly) have also seen a reduction to $9.99 and $24.99 respectively.

In addition to the new, lower price, Now subscribers will have access to a slew of new titles. God of War, Grand Theft Auto V, inFamous Second Son, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End will be available from today until January 2, 2020. Since those are all PS4 games, users will be able to download the games ?directly to their console to play while having?? an active subscription.

Jim Ryan, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said in a press release, "Following PlayStation Now's expansion earlier this year, we have coverage for more than 70 percent of our global PS4 user base, making it the ideal time ?to revamp the service with a more compelling price and stronger content offering. We have accumulated a wealth of knowledge in cloud gaming since PlayStation Now's launch in 2014. That, coupled with our 25-year legacy in the games business and strong partnerships we've forged with publishers, positions us to continue leading and innovating in this field as the gaming industry evolves."

While I don't necessarily have an interest in signing up for Now, I can't deny that $60 a year is a really soli??d deal. We still don't know exactly what backward compatibility the PS5 will offer, but if Now can continue to improve, then I might be able to excuse the lack of native PS3 support.

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Console wars live on

PUBG Corporation has just unleashed the version 4.3 update for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on consoles and it includes a much-requested feature: crossplay. Finally, Xbox One and PS4 players can duke it out against each other from the comfort of their own console?. It doesn't seem like cross-console parties are in, but players will be able to jump into the same matchmaking pool to battle opponents on each ec??osystem.

Update 4.3 also introduces the new "Survival Mastery" progression system to t?he game. Survival Mastery? adds the PUBG ID system, new nameplates and emblems, and character poses alongside a series of challenges that will reward players for meeting specific criteria in a match. A few new weapons have made their way to the console ports, as well, including the DBS shotgun.

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Claims re-release used his work without permission

Acclaimed game composer Bobby Prince (known for his work on Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Duke Nukem 3D) has filed a lawsuit against Gearbox Software, Valve, and Randy Pitchford for unlawful usage of his work in Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour. As the sui??t states, the composer wasn't paid for his work in the 2016 re-release, which is in breach of the contra??ct he had signed with Apogee Software in 2010.

"Apogee had a limited right to use Mr. Prince's music in Duke Nukem 3D in exchange for a royalty equal to $1 per unit sold," says Prince's attorneys in documents submitted to the U.S. District Court of Eastern Tennessee. While Gearbox Software had purchased distribution rights for Duke Nukem in 2010 from Apogee, apparently that didn't contain the use of Prince's wor??k.

As the court document reads, "The electronic files for the music within Duke Nukem 3D World Tour include text specifically stating that Mr. Prince owns the copyright to the music and has reserved all rights to the music's use. Yet Gearbox incorporated the music into the game without ever contacting Mr. Prince and without clearing th??e rights expressly mentioned in the electronic files."

Prince states he has contacted Pitchford to request royalties and was told he would be "taken care of," but has still not received any profit from the re-release. According to Prince's attorneys, Pitchford has also "refused to remove the music from the game" af?ter numerous requests.

Valve, on the other hand, is being sued for its refusal to remove Duke Nukem 3D 20th Anniversary World Tour from sale. As the document notes, "Valve ignored a takedown noti??ce, thus waiving any immunity under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and continued distributing infringing copies of the music despite knowing that Mr. Prince owned the copyrights in the music."

You can read more about the suit over on the Bloomberg Law website. Being a multi-part document, it contains various summons and detailed descriptions of what, exactly, is being infringed upon. As noted in the documents, Gearbox Softwar??e, Gearbox Publishing, Valve, and Randy Pitchford have been given 21 days to respond to the summons.

Duke Nukem 3D composer sues Randy Pitchford, Gearbox and Valve [PC Gamer]

Prince v. Gearbox Software, L.L.C., Gearbox Publishing??, L.L.C., Randy Pitchford, and Valve Corport??ation [Bloomberg Law]

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WAH!!!!

Death Stranding is keeping the weirdness going by using one of the PS4's lesser utilized features. As director Hideo Kojima has revealed, players will be able to hear BB through the Dualshock 4's built-in speaker. Does anyone even realize the Dualshock 4 has a speaker on it? I think I've used it in all of one game on the PS4 (Transistor), but I typically have the thing muted.

What you'll hear is anyone's guess (likely weird warbled cries), but I suppose this is kind of neat. When utilized correctly (like in No More Heroes on Wii), speakers on the controller can add a cool layer of immersion to the game. When done incorrectly (like basically everything else on Wii), it's really just distracting. I have a feeling that Death Stranding is probably not goi??ng to utilize this in that ??interesting of a manner.

Hideo Kojima [Twitter]

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No single-player DLC in the pipeline

While Red Dead Online may not be as popular or fleshed out as Grand Theft Auto Online, it seems Rockstar isn't giving up on it. Despite fans clamoring for more single-player DLC, the company is currently "100% focused" on expanding and updating the online component to its blockbuster Western action game.

A recent interview with website VG 24/7 saw Rockstar confirming as much. Lead online production associate Katie Pica told the website, "We're 100% focused on online?? right now, because like I said, there's jus??t so much to do, and we're just hoping to bring everything that a player can love about single-player into the online world, and fleshed out." While this doesn't completely rule out the notion of a single-player add-on, it's certainly not going to happen anytime soon.

Online producer Tarek Hamad backed up that claim, stating, "We've said it before, but we all love single-player games, and Red Dead Redemption 2's absolutely massive story and equally massive epilogue are hopefully evidence of that. The team's ambitions for Red Dead Redemption 2 were sky high in every way, and when we are building worlds of that scale, the single-player experience almost always leads the way. Our ambitions for our online games are just as high, and with Red Dead Online we are continuing to build and expand to match the world we created for Red Dead Redemption 2's story."

I'm sure this will sting for some of you (especially with those rumors of a remade Red Dead Redemption in 2's engine making the waves), but I can certainly understand it. With the story for 2 being around 60 hours long, I don't really know what else could be covered by an expansion. Instead of dragging out an already completed st??????????????????????????ory, it makes se??nse to put attention into the online component and make it as epic as it can be.

"We're 100% focused on Online right now" – Rockstar isn't working on single-player DLC for Red Dead Redemption 2 [VG 24/7]

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Long time no see, Mr. Freeman

For some odd reason, Valve issued an update for Half-Life 2, Episode One, and Episode Two yesterday. Fixing really minor bugs (apparently, the NPCs would sometimes not blink), I'm more just shocked that Half-Life 2 even needed an update. The game is almost two decades old: you'd think all of its bugs wo??uld be sq??uashed by now.

I wouldn't read too much into this news, though. While I don't doubt Valve is kicking around prototypes for some continuation in the Half-Life universe, this update is hardly an indication that we're going to be seeing the long-awaited Half-Life 3 anytime soon. This really is just some minor update for problems that probably started occurring due to hardware upgrades. It's nice to hope, th??ough.

Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, and Half-Life: Source Updates Released [Steam Community]

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Ultimate Doom Eternal

Remember the Doom Slayers Club? It's a loyalty program Bethesda launched earlier this year to reward fans of Doom with free goodies. It seems signing up for the club is finally paying off, as Bethesda has announced that Doom Eternal will be getting classic skins for members of the program. All you'll need to do is link your Slayers Club account to the recent re-releases of Ultimate Doom, Doom II, and Doom 3 on PS4, Xbox One, or Switch.

As for the skins...I don't quite get it. That is definitely the classic Marine from the original id Software titles, but what are those colors? The Doom guy always wore green. Also, he had completely different armor in Doom 3. This honestly makes me think more of Quake III Arena, where the Doom guy had an alternate color scheme called "Phobos." The blue one kind of looks like "Crash," come to think of it.

Well, I guess this is something neat for anyone registered in the Slayers Club. Since I play on PC, I guess I'll just have to miss out on these skins. It'd sure be nice to get them, though, especially since I own Doom about ten times over.

Bethesda Announces Classic DOOM Eternal Skins; Patches Released for DOOM & DOOM II on Switch/PS4/Xbox [WCCFTech]

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Dad of War now $20

Sony has just announced that seven new games will be joining its "PlayStation Hits" lineup. A collection of various popular and best-selling titles, PlayStation Hits lets late adopters get some great titles on the cheap. I know I've certainly used it in the past since I'm a cheap bastard. I also missed God of War last year, but I can't refuse it for $20.

I wouldn't say everything below is worth playing, but you can't really go wrong with these prices. You're bound to find something worth enjoying in each title, even if God of War is the clear standout. Each new game ?will be available for $19.99 (ph??ysically and digitally) starting on October 4, 2019.

• Far Cry 4
• God of War
• Gran Turismo Sport
• Rayman Legends
• The Crew
• Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
• Watch Dogs

God of War, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Gran Turismo Sport, and more,  av??ailable ??at a great new price starting October 4 [PlayStation Blog]

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And a one, and a two...

Earlier this month, Nintendo announced Ring Fit Adventure to somewhat tepid response. Coming from seemingly nowhere, the game looked to replicate the exact formula of mini-game compilations that made up the overwhelming majority of the Wii's library. Was another iteration of Wii Fit r??eally necessary in 2019? Despite a somewhat silly trailer, I?? remained hopeful that newer technology could lend itself to a better game.

With this latest overview trailer, I'm more convinced we're there. Despite the gimmicky premise, Ring Fit Adventure actually looks pretty neat. The main problem with Wii Fit was that the Wii Balance Board wasn't really needed for more than half of the exercises. With Ring Fit, the ring is incorporated into every aspect of the game. You're performing exercises that have less of a chance of injuring you and that?? work around the spe?cifics of the device you're playing on. That's a much better implementation than before.

Now, I won't sit here and tell you that Ring Fit Adventure is going to be a must-buy experience. If you're already engaging with an exercise routine, this game looks pretty redundant. I actually do most of the exercises seen in the overview trailer every week. If you're not physically active, though, Ring Fit could potentially be a great way to get you ??moving. It helps that there's a proper game?? based around the peripheral instead of just random exercises and a faceless trainer.

Ring Fit Adventure Overview Trailer [Nintendo via YouTube]

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Guan Yu rides into battle

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV's latest trailer finally gives up a glimpse of what the game looks like in action. After Koei Tecmo's announcement and TGS trailer, I was beginning to wonder when we'd actually get a look at the game in motion. We still don't have a particularly lengthy trailer t?o gawk at, but at least it's something.

In a rough translation of the text (provided by Siliconera), we learn that XIV will see greater individuality among the generals you can select. Liu Bei and Guan Yu, in particular, are mentioned to assert themselves during certain situations in a manner similar to their novel counterparts. Different rulers will also bring unique ideals to their kingdoms, allowing for different experiences for each p??laythrough. The map will also be using ?a more streamlined color scheme to better indicate which areas you own and which areas need political attention.

All in all, it looks to be shaping up as quite the return. XIII's release three years back has left a void in Koei Tecmo's strategy output, so it'll be? nice to finally return to a more tactical style of battle.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV Triumphs With A New Trailer [Siliconera]

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Show me your moves

During yesterday's Kombat Kast Livestream, NetherRealm Studios announced that Mortal Kombat 11's upcoming patch will include a third-ranked variation for every fighter in the game. For those unaware, playing ranked matches online locks players to two pre-made character variations. This was do??ne to ensure balance but had the effect of limiting the available playstyles. That's all about to change.

One of the examples given in the Livestream is how Shang Tsung will be altered. In his current ranked variations, all of Tsung's awesome ninj?a moves are not available. His third variation will include all of them, allowing players to do the cool combos seen in his reveal video. As well as that, a new mode called "Team Raids" will be added to the living towers. This will see a group of player??s tackling a boss fight simultaneously for a shot at special rewards.

These changes and additions will be landing alongside the release of The Terminator DLC character on October 8, 2019. It should help ensure that MK11's online m?ode remains lively for quite some time.

The Mortal Kombat 11 meta will soon get a significant shakeup [Eurogamer]

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Bhaal is angry

Developer Beamdog has delayed the release for the console ports of Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition, Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition, Planescape: Torment, and Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition. Originally meant to hit digital and?? retail shops yesterday, the games will now be coming to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch on October 15. Neverwinter Nights, on the other hand, is still on ?track for its December r?elease.

The news actually broke roughly two weeks back but was overlooked by many. The developer made the announcement via Twitter and it seems to have gotten lost in the shu?ffle. I normally wouldn't reiterate weeks old news, but I feel it's important to let potential buyers know. The classic RPGs are still heading to consoles, just at a lat??er than expected date.

Slight delay in console release of Baldur's Gate pack, Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale [Eurogamer]

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So clearly not the full anime

The latest issue of Dengeki PlayStation magazine has been released and it contains a small info dump on Koei Tecmo's upcoming Fairy Tail RPG. One of the questions, when the title was announced, was what arcs it would be covering. While that still hasn't been directly answered, the game is reportedly around 30 ?hours long if you tackle just the mai??n story. That's barely a dent in the anime's 328 episodes.

Some other expected bits are that there will be side quests that extend the lengt??h of the game. Characters will be given specific episodes and will have unlockable costumes for completion. There will be a few game-specific stories, as well, so the title won't be comprised entirely of? manga/anime material. More than 10 characters are being teased as playable, though which ones we still don't know.

For gameplay specifics, the battle system will be command-based. Since your characters all belong to a magic guild, you'll be able to level up your guild rank and learn new magic links to use in combat. Side quests will also tie back into this system, letti??ng you fulfill requests to upgrade your guild's buildings. Your party members will even have a bond system that deepens as you use them or put them to work at your facilities.

Finally, DLC is being considered for the game. I doubt we'll see huge expansions that end up retelling the entirety of Fairy Tail's plot, but there is always the chance that we'll get new story content in the future. This seems like standard stuff for an RPG on modern hardware, b??ut it will likely mean more to fans of the s?eries.

Fairy Tail game is about 30 hours lon??g, has legend-class magic [Gematsu]

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'There are decisions above all of our pay grades'

During yesterday's State of Play stream, it was revealed that the PS4 version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare would have a year-long exclusivity deal on "Spec Ops: Survival." A horde-like mode that lets players face off against waves of enemies, its return from Modern Warfare 3 had fans excited before the rug was pulled out un?der them. Now anyone not on Sony's platform will have to wait what is effectively the game's popular lifespan before trying it out.

Infinity Ward knew this was going to happen, as well. Mere hours after the trailer released, Modern Warfare narrative director Taylor Kurosaki took to Twitter to try and calm fans and clear? the air about the decision. "We do our best every day to give our players the best experience possible," Kurosaki said. "There are decisions that are above all of our pay grades that have to be considered."

Going further, Kurosaki noted that Survival makes up about "1% of the game." His hope is that fans will understand that Sony grabbing exclusivity of it doesn't ruin the experience for other players. "I'd rather have everyone playing 99% of the content at the same time than 100% of the content some time later," he said. That said, there is nothing else in Modern Warfare that will be exclusive to any platform.

While I'm not surprised at Sony's grab for content here, I'm mainly shocked that Infinity Ward is being so open about the decision. It's always been rumored that these exclusivity deals are mandated by publishers, but I never thought I'd see the developer outright saying it. Tha??t may not be enough to quell some fans, but business is business after all. If you really can't get behind this, at least know it wasn't Infinity Ward's choice.

Survival is "a sliver of Spec Ops", says Call of Duty: Modern Warfare dev, "there are decisions above all o??f our pay grades" [VG 24/7]

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HOMERUN

Sony took the chance to reveal next month's PlayStation Plus lineup during today's State of Play stream. With the imminent release of The Last of Us Part II, Sony will be handing out the original game's PS4 remaster. I guess since you can kill people with baseball bats in it, the second game will be MLB The Show 19. Thematic ties, I suppose.

This promotion makes a lot of sense. The Last of Us is one of Sony's most critically acclaimed titles and hype for the sequel is at an all-time high. There are also weirdos like me that have somehow not?? played the original, so I'm definitely going to benefit from this freebie. It's a win-win for everyone.

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