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(05/02/17 9:08pm)
by Emily Reuben
Disclaimer: This playthrough was performed on an Intel i7-6700 with a GTX 1080 graphics card. This review is based on the PC version of the game. This copy of the game was provided by the developer for review purposes.
With Season 3 of the animated comedy having shaken up the internet and a few McDonalds higher-ups, fans of the show who own Virtual Reality sets got excited for the new installment in the series. Will it make players shout “Wubba lubba dub dub!” or “I am in great pain; please help me!”? Wait.
A story even Jerry could write
The player inhabits the floating head and hands of a Morty clone that Rick creates to do his bidding while he and the real Morty go off on their wacky adventures. As such, the majority of gameplay takes place in the Smith family’s garage, doubling as Rick’s workshop where he keeps all of his inventions. The player is tasked with completing several mundane tasks in very not mundane ways. The player does laundry, charges batteries, buys things off the internet, fights off the intergalactic government, saves the world from a giant alien menace, and fixes a computer. Clone Morty receives his instructions from Rick relayed from a watch that displays a hologram of Rick’s head as he demeaningly doles out instructions. The player interacts with everything in a manner that is practically identical to developer Owlchemy Lab’s most recent success, Job Simulator: picking things up, throwing things, and making a mess in the process.
Most fans of Rick and Morty come for the cheeky dark humor and stay for the absurdist and existential philosophy. Unfortunately, Virtual Rick-ality does not go out of its way to do anything new or creative. Almost every part of the game is a reference to a past episode, with very little being done to innovate. Rick’s garage is littered with recognizable mementos from past adventures, but there is precious little new material that is made of this virtual reality. This may be a good thing for most fans of the series; having what could essentially be called an hour-long Rick and Morty episode only available for those able to spend the $600+ on a VR headset and motion controllers could seem a bit unfair. However, to those who made that investment, the game’s writing is disappointing. To augment the feeling that Virtual Rick-ality is not on par with the show in a narrative sense, Rick and Morty make fun of the fact that they are in a game at one point saying, “This is canon. Cannon shit is happening in this VR game. Cannon shit.”
Performances straight out of a Zigerion simulation
The voice acting here is just as stiff and emotionless as the animations.
VR games generally are not designed to be photo-realistic, and Virtual Rick-ality is no exception. The game’s models all look nearly identical to their two-dimensional counterparts in the television show. The problem isn’t with the character design but with the stilted movement and dead facial expressions. In addition, the lip syncing is nowhere near believable when Rick and Morty are talking, making the game unironically feel like watching a bad dub.
Many licensed games related to film and television franchises do not have the luxury of having the original voice actors represent their characters in the games, and lacking the original voice actors can greatly decrease the quality of a game. Luckily, Virtual Rick-ality has Justin Roiland voicing Rick and Morty. However, the voice acting here is just as stiff and emotionless as the animations. At least you can’t fault Owlchemy Labs for their consistency. The quality of the voice acting is on par with the sketch bits from the episodes “Rixty Minutes” and “Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate”, keeping all the ad hoc sound with virtually none of the creative energy that garnered almost universal praise.
Maybe in another dimension…
The concept of this game may be its weakest attribute. With two seasons of innovative ideas and loads of over the top scenarios, it seems like a more creative premise would have worked better for this game. While rummaging around in Rick’s workshop is fun for a while, the confined nature of the game starts to take hold after about 20 minutes. In terms of Rick and Morty, there does not seem to be a story that needs telling in the VR format. There are plenty of ideas floating around in the ether about cool Rick and Morty games. Since this is the second official Rick and Morty game released, it feels like there was a lot more exciting ground to cover that instead took a backseat to playing around in an extremely limited play space. Had this come out in a market that had already seen a major Rick and Morty game that built on the series’ story, I doubt this game would be as disappointing.
All in all, Virtual Rick-ality feels less like a new Rick and Morty adventure and more like a VR tie-in that takes advantage of the show’s well-deserved popularity. While it succeeds in reminding players about the best moments from the show, it does nothing to make its own great moments. None of the elements rise to the heights seen in the television show. The game’s originality doesn’t come close to the Adult Swim series, or the show’s mobile game, Pocket Mortys.
To see Byte’s review of Rick and Morty Season 3, Episode 1 click here.
All Images From: Steam
(04/21/17 4:18pm)
From the studio that developed the Kirby games, Smash Bros, as well as Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Snap comes the new free to play game Team Kirby Clash Deluxe. This surprise title was announced the day it was launched directly after the 12 April, 2017 Nintendo Direct. Team Kirby Clash Deluxe features teams of four Kirbies fighting together to take down a large assortment of bosses. There are four different combat roles to chose from: Sword Hero, Hammer Lord, Beam Mage, and Doctor Healmore.
(04/21/17 2:00pm)
by Emily Reuben
From the studio that developed the Kirby games, Smash Bros, as well as Pokemon Stadium and Pokemon Snap comes the new free to play game Team Kirby Clash Deluxe. This surprise title was announced the day it was launched directly after the 12 April, 2017 Nintendo Direct. Team Kirby Clash Deluxe features teams of four Kirbies fighting together to take down a large assortment of bosses. There are four different combat roles to chose from: Sword Hero, Hammer Lord, Beam Mage, and Doctor Healmore.
An interesting role-out
Each role has a different use in combat with Hammer Lords being the primary damage dealers, getting up close and personal with the enemies. Sword Heroes split time between being a faster yet slightly less effective melee attacker and protecting their teammates with their Hero’s Shield. The Beam Mage is a ranged attacker who can charge their beam attack to slow the enemy down, opening them up for more attacks and making them easier to dodge. Doctor Healmore can attack from a range or can charge their attack to throw down a healing ward onto the ground, allowing anyone who walks through the ward to regain some health. None of the roles feel like they are superior to any others, and having a mixture always makes for a well-balanced team. However, mixing up the roles involved in each fight can yield surprisingly fun and chaotic results.
Mechanically sound
The mechanics all feel tight, making sure that the fighters never feel out of control. Though the fighting controls could be a bit deeper, there is still enough versatility afforded each role so fights won’t devolve into rote button mashing. Once the enemy has been pummeled enough, they will drop Power Tablets. Once each fighter has a Power Tablet in their possession, the action stops momentarily as all the Kirbies attack together after a quick minigame to dole out massive damage. The game can be played either alone with up to three CPU allies or online with nearby devices. This feature makes the game come alive, because there is some great potential here when it comes to strategizing with friends about how to bring a particularly tenacious enemy to their knees.
As more bosses are defeated, the player will level up, permanently increasing their stats. They will also receive components that can be used to buy better equipment for themselves and their CPU allies. The game has a Vigor system to limit how many bouts the player can engage in per day. Every 12 hours, the player can open the game to receive 5 gem apples, a part of the game’s currency. Other ways to receive gem apples are to buy them with real world money or to complete quests. These quests act like traditional achievements, signifying that the player has achieved something noteworthy, and the game provides many quests to fulfill, so there is very little need to buy gem apples if the player can be patient.
Beggars can’t be choosers?
Though the game is free, that still does not absolve it of any faults. For all of the fun to be had, a bit more variance in the gameplay would have been welcome. With each fight taking place on the same flat, two-dimensional plane, some of the fighting can become repetitive after a while. Also, instead of keeping the roster of enemies stocked full of interesting foes, later fights in the game will feature the same monster with higher damage output and more health. The last problem is one of difficulty: no one will mistake Team Kirby Clash Deluxe for a Dark Souls spin off. While there is some strategy involved, many fights can be won by memorizing the attack patterns of each boss.
Though many fans are waiting with baited breath for the newly announced Kirby game coming Holiday 2017, Team Kirby Clash Deluxe will scratch that Kirby itch for a good while to come. The game is not long, but taking the time to collect all the equipment and to clear every quest should give gamers something fun and engaging to occupy their time with. This would have been a great value if it had cost $10 or $15, so the free to play model makes this game even better.
All images from Nintendo
(04/20/17 10:30pm)
Esports has had a hard time gaining traction on the sports scene, particularly here in the United States. ESPN’s showing of a DOTA 2 tournament was met with significant backlash back in 2015. This may be set to change however, as the Olympic Council of Asia has decided to introduce esports as a “demonstration sport” next year, and a medaled event in their 2022 Asian Games.
(04/20/17 9:45am)
by Lucas Miller
This review is based on the Playstation 4 version of Persona 5.
Persona 5 finally brings the dungeon crawler/social simulation franchise to the latest generation of consoles after a long absence, with the previous mainline entry originally debuting on the Playstation 2. After a number of delays (the game was originally supposed to come out in winter of 2014) Persona 5 is finally here. Was it worth the wait? Yes. Yes, it was. Persona 5 offers an expansive and enthralling JRPG experience that is hard to put down.
Visuals
One of Persona 5’s greatest strengths is in its visual presentation. The game is filled with a number of small visual flourishes that liven up the gameplay experience. Silhouettes of the game’s protagonist adorn the game’s menus, and they animate as you navigate through them. Skipping a cutscene literally crumples up the picture and throws it away. Little touches like these, combined with the game’s detailed, anime-inspired visuals and gorgeous animated cinematics, create a striking visual style that continues to impress even after 90 hours.
Story
The narrative of Persona 5 starts players off in the thick of things, having them navigate through a casino in a daring heist that eventually goes awry. This bombastic introduction, while entertaining, is a bit misleading, as the story jumps back in time and the frenetic pace of the prologue gives way to a much slower burn. Players take on the role of a (mostly) silent protagonist, a typical Japanese high schooler who, shortly after being put on probation and moving to Tokyo, learns about a mysterious alternate dimension called the Metaverse, where the twisted desires of certain corrupt individuals manifest as treasures in grandiose Palaces. After awakening to powers that allow him to enact change within this alternate world, he and others like him come together to form a group called the Phantom Thieves, vigilantes who steal the treasures in these Palaces in order to make these individuals confess their crimes and halt their despicable actions. Though it deals with a supernatural premise, Persona 5 is not afraid to confront mature topics such as suicide, sexual assault, and more, and it does so in a surprisingly nuanced way. The game takes time to explore its twisted villains, be it an abusive teacher or an artist who profits off his pupils’ work. There’s also an interesting moral question at the core of the narrative. The question of whether the Phantom Thieves’ particular brand of vigilante justice is truly just or not is a question that the game explores throughout the story. The narrative is consistently engaging, though the finale feels a bit bloated as the game’s plot enters its final act.
Gameplay
Persona 5 may a story-driven game first and foremost, but thankfully the gameplay doesn’t take a backseat to the narrative. It features a deep turn-based combat system with plenty of elements to juggle. Navigating through a Palace is a pretty straightforward affair. Players fight enemies, solve puzzles, and eventually make their way to a boss, which usually has an interesting gimmick to overcome in order to secure victory. After the Palace is cleared, it disappears, and the search begins for the Phantom Thieves’ next target. Combat itself is a speedy, slick affair, with each action being mapped to a specific button on the controller. Battles in Persona 5 revolve around exploiting enemy weaknesses in order to knock them down and put them in a vulnerable state. This is done via elemental attacks, and the game features a host of different elements, such as fire, ice, electricity, bless, curse attacks, and more. Once all enemies are knocked down, players brandish guns in order to hold up the enemies. From there, players have a few different options on how the rest of the fight proceeds. They can choose to extort items and money from the enemy, or unleash a devastatingly powerful (and flashy) All Out Attack. Another option is negotiating with the enemy for a chance to unlock a new Persona. These creatures determine what skills the players are able to use, and there are over a hundred to collect within the game. While other part members are able to use one Persona, the protagonist is able to switch between a number of them on the fly in order to adapt to enemies’ strengths and weaknesses. Players can even fuse together multiple Personas to create even more powerful ones, leading to a wealth of strategic decisions.
The dungeon gameplay is only half of the game, though. The other half of the game is a surprisingly deep and rewarding social simulator. Players don’t just have to worry about overcoming the dangers of the Palaces. They also have to maintain their social and school lives, as well. Persona 5, at its heart, is about managing one’s time wisely. The game is broken up into in-game days, which are split up into different sections. Players must first attend school, where most of the story content unfolds, and occasionally answer a quiz question or take exams. After school, players are free to spend their time however they want. They can either go into the current Palace, explore the extensive, procedurally-generated dungeon of Mementos, or engage in a number of activities around Tokyo. The wealth of options for how to spend your time in Persona 5 is staggering. You can work a part-time job in order to get extra money to outfit your party, spend time with friends and party members to gain a host of useful abilities in the game’s many dungeons, or participate in activities that will increase one of your social stats, allowing you to unlock even more options within the game. Everything players do grants some sort of tangible benefit, leading to an engaging feedback loop that constantly rewards you. However, with the limited amount of time in a given day, plus the limited amount of days at their disposal, players have to prioritize what actions they want to take; it’s impossible to do everything, so players must spend their time wisely.
Conclusion
Persona 5 is one of the most unique games I’ve ever played. The social simulation and dungeon crawling elements complement each other perfectly, with neither aspect overpowering the other. Somehow, everything just works, creating a refreshing and interesting take on the classic JRPG formula. Persona 5 brings together an engaging, mature story with a fun and satisfying gameplay loop in order to create one of the best JRPGs I’ve ever played. An overlong final act and the annoying overuse of certain lines of dialogue during battles are slight blemishes on an otherwise masterful game, but this is one experience that fans of turn-based RPGs shouldn’t miss.
Images from Dual Shockers, Megami Tensei Wiki, Segment Next, Kotaku
(03/29/17 3:00pm)
Orisa is the newest hero in Overwatch and the first in the game’s diverse cast to represent the African continent. Orisa was created by a young genius Efi Oladele after an attack by Doomfist at the Numbani airport destroyed the city’s new line of defense robots called OR15s. Orisa is based on these models, which can still be seen smashed into the Numbani map.
(03/24/17 7:39pm)
https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/the-gaming-maw-s3e8-switching-it-up
On this episode of The Gaming Maw, we talk all things Nintendo Switch. Listen to our crazy tales of getting our hands on Nintendo's newest console. What do we think of Breath of the Wild? Do we prefer docking the Switch or using it on the go? What other games are we looking forward to most? All this and more on this week's Gaming Maw.
Hosts: Daley Wilhelm, Zach Sexton, Nolan Leahy, Emily Reuben
Music: Jack McGinnis
Logo: Savannah Smith
Edited by: Sarah James
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(03/11/17 3:58am)
This review is based on the Nintendo Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
(03/10/17 12:00pm)
by Emily Reuben
This review is based on the Nintendo Switch version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild seems to have abandoned the classic Zelda game structure. The newest entry in the venerable franchise has adopted major elements from open-world games. How does it reconcile the classic style with the modern elements while managing to stand out from similar entries in the genre?
Simple story lets gameplay shine
Breath of the Wild begins with Link awakening after a hundred year slumber in the Shrine of Resurrection. Shortly after, an old man guides Link through the initial area of the game, slowly revealing events of the past.
Essentially, a hundred years prior to Link’s awakening, an evil force known as Calamity Ganon had attacked the familiar kingdom of Hyrule. In an attempt to defeat Calamity Ganon, Princess Zelda deployed a cast of heroes to face Ganon, but fell one by one. Knowing Link was imperative to Ganon’s defeat, she saved the then fatally wounded Link and had him preserved in the Shrine of Resurrection while she faced Ganon alone. Now trapped as Ganon’s prisoner, Princess Zelda's only hope is Link who must rescue Hyrule from Ganon’s evil grasp.
As the game progresses, more elements of the story unlock to reveal a deeper narrative. There are smaller, other aspects of the story that gradually reveal more of past events, allowing for a few interesting plot developments. These plot developments aren’t exactly groundbreaking or innovative, however there is enough substance to warrant genuine interest. This narrative is similar to tons of other RPGs. This is not necessarily a negative aspect of Breath of the Wild; the focus of the game lies more in the gameplay than in the story. Overall, the simplicity allows for an easy to follow story that remains from growing contrived while still providing a satisfying narrative.
Survival, exploration and imminent death
The amount of possibilities related to survival and strategic planning make Breath of the Wild a unique experience even for those who have played other open world games.
Instead of focusing on story, Breath of the Wild places most of its attention on gameplay, featuring vastly different mechanics than past Zelda titles. Breath of the Wild places a heavy emphasis on survival; thus elements of the wild play a much larger role in the game than in past titles in the franchise as well as other modern open world games. Weather can impair Link’s progression by lowering his body temperature which eventually results in death, making slopes difficult to climb due to rain, or spawning deadly lightning strikes. With this in mind, players must take various aspects of the environment into account in order to survive. While this is an immersive aspect of the game, it can become quite grating when virtually anything can kill you. Simply walking around in the rain can cause uncertainty when the threat of electrocution looms overhead. These environmental threats could result in multiple resets and slowed progression, but ultimately the survival aspect of Breath of the Wild is a refreshing, unique addition and adds a layer of difficulty that is welcome in the franchise.
Link’s physical limits also pose a challenge while braving the wilderness. At the beginning of the game, Link has three hearts and a small amount of stamina to venture the world. Stamina is a major concern as it is used when swimming, climbing, running, and paragliding. With the exception of running, when Link’s stamina empties while performing an activity, he will either drown or likely fall to his death. Because of this, stamina must be carefully managed. This mechanic serves as a great balance to keep the game from being too easy; everything can be explored, but exploring everything isn’t necessarily a walk in the park.
Traveling from one area to the next will constitute most of the journey. Viewing the beautiful scenery is nice for awhile, but there are a few methods that can make the journey faster. To navigate Hyrule in one of the game’s most efficient ways, players will want to discover the various towers spread around the land. Doing so will unlock a an overview of the region on the map and allow players to fast travel to the newly discovered tower. The towers are an excellent way to easily jump between different areas of the map without making the game too easy. While towers are fairly easy to find, scaling them can pose a challenge due to the various enemies that can be placed around the tower. Despite the potential danger, the reward of being able to fast travel to various areas of the map and avoid constant running is absolutely worth it.
The selection of weapons is fairly similar to past titles (bows, shooting arrows, and swords, for example). From the beginning of the game, various weapons can be found relatively quickly. While initially making use of low-leveled weapons like sticks and rusty swords, higher powered options become commonplace as Link fends off stronger enemies and explores Hyrule. While weapons appear often, they break after a few uses. Unlike past entries, Link must constantly acquire new weapons as older ones break. This newly added mechanic demands that players are flexible in their weapon consumption and utilize the surrounding environment. Not enough arrows? Look around to see if rocks can be pushed onto the enemy. Maybe a torch can be lit to cause extra damage. There are multiple options to combat, keeping battles from becoming too tedious or repetitive.
While weapons and shields offer Link some protection, players are still likely to die repeatedly, especially at the beginning of the journey. With poor armor and limited weapon choice, Link is vulnerable to enemy attacks. While the constant deaths quickly become annoying, the option to leave an area and return later with enhanced armor and weapons is always open. There is no real level progression; some areas simply contain higher leveled enemies than others. With this in mind, it is up to the player to determine what order to accomplish tasks in and which areas to initially avoid. For example, after leaving the starting area of the game, players can take on Calamity Ganon immediately if desired. Death is almost certain, but the option exists. The game does not limit the player to a linear style of gameplay; multiple options are possible and even encouraged.
The most notable addition to Link's arsenal is the Sheikah Slate which allows Link to harness various powers such as summoning bombs, magnetizing items, forming ice pillars on water, or freezing items in place. This device is mostly utilized in Shrines which feature puzzles of varying difficulty. The varied abilities of the Sheikah Slate are often the solution to a difficult problem, or even allow for a few shortcuts if the player is clever enough. The Sheikah Slate is also useful outside of Shrines to solve small puzzles throughout Hyrule and maneuvering difficult to reach areas.
Shrines scattered throughout the world offer a change of pace from combat and questing. Inside these shrines are puzzles that can either be solved in a matter of minutes or take an hour to figure out depending on the cleverness of the player. As mentioned previously, there are usually multiple ways to figure out the solution to these puzzles, which allows for a more personalized gameplay experience. The reward for solving these puzzles, Shrine Orbs, are imperative to enhancing Link’s abilities. This entices players to further explore and discover shrines to further develop Link’s abilities to survive the wild.
Breath of the Wild supplies nearly limitless options for various styles of gameplay. Taming horses, lighting fires, and paragliding are also welcome additions to the game. There is honestly so much new content to enjoy, and players are likely to become engrossed in all the potential activities Breath of the Wild has to offer. The amount of possibilities related to survival and strategic planning make Breath of the Wild a unique experience even for those who have played other open world games. With so much to do, Breath of the Wild will be sure to keep players attention for hours upon hours of gameplay.
Ain’t no mountain high enough
Nintendo promised an expansive, open world would be the focus of Breath of the Wild, and they surpassed expectations. Breath of the Wild is absolutely gorgeous to look at and traverse through. The expansive world is filled with bright colors, varied environments, and living creatures to compliment the sprawling landscapes. Exploring these enticing environments is one of the most exciting prospects of the game as there is always something new to uncover. Unlike most open world games, everything around the player is eligible for exploration. Breath of the Wild encourages players to climb every mountain, follow every river, cross each meadow, and paraglide through the skies. Players are often rewarded for seeking out new areas with items or shrines, making exploration not only enjoyable but necessary to fully experience all Hyrule has to offer.
While the open world is a welcome addition to the Zelda series, there does seem to be an emptiness within the seemingly lively realm. Though wild animals and NPCs inhabit the world, more often than not there are huge stretches of fields or mountains with no interactions enemies, shrines, or notable items. The scenery is nice to look at, but trekking from one tower to the next can become a chore when there is little to nothing to offer a distraction from walking or riding a horse. This isn’t to say that the game is devoid of life, but spacing out enemy camps, towns, outposts, and travelers would help to make Hyrule feel more alive. The idea of an untamed wilderness is certainly appealing for exploration but grows tiring when looking for a side quest, fulfilling the main quest, or seeking character interactions to break the tedium of traveling.
Nearly perfect performance
...performance issues are far more noticeable when the Switch is docked rather than when it is being played as a handheld.
Being the first in the Zelda series to feature a completely open world, the game is surprisingly lacks significant graphical flaws. Similar series such as Elder Scrolls or The Witcher often feature prominent gameplay or graphical errors, especially after initially releasing, but Breath of the Wild seems to have avoided many of these flaws.
Performance issues are far more noticeable when the Switch is docked rather than when it is being played as a handheld and while a bit distracting, does not detract much from the experience. While the lack of initial errors is impressive, Breath of the Wild does possess some minor annoyances such as shaky character animations during cutscenes. Cutscenes aren’t necessarily rare, but most time is spent running from one destination to another or fiddling around in the wild rather than watching cutscenes. Furthermore, this issue mostly applies to characters when they are closer to the screen, lessening the scope of the problem.
Another notable flaw is the drop in frame rate especially in the beginning area of the game. Upon initially starting the game, this drop was fairly frequent. While this beginning area is not unplayable by any means, the sudden fall in quality is a disappointment considering that Breath of the Wild is meant to exemplify the graphical innovations and capabilities of the Nintendo Switch. Luckily, as the game progressed, the amount of frame rate drops gradually died down. After leaving the starting area of the game, the issue became non-existent, except when the Switch was docked. Despite these minor gripes, Breath of the Wild runs extremely well and shouldn’t cause many problems for players in terms of performance.
All Images From: Nintendo, Kotaku, Polygon and IGN
(03/04/17 12:53am)
[embed]https://youtu.be/7DTV8-xNwHM[/embed]
by Michael Robb
This review is based on the Xbox One version of the game.
After eight long years of eager anticipation, the real time strategy game Halo Wars 2 has finally been released for the Xbox One and, for the first time since Combat Evolved released in 2001, a Halo game is available on the PC as well. Like its predecessor, Halo Wars 2 delivers fluid, easy to master controls and explosive, large scale battles.
The opening scenes inHalo Wars 2 do a tremendous job of setting up the story and getting the player invested in the characters. Captain Cutter and Spartan Red Team take on a much more prominent role than they did in the first game, and a new Brute character, Atriox, is shaping up to be one of the greatest villains the franchise has had in a long time. Additionally, the cinematics are extremely well done and blur the line between live-action and CGI.
Despite a stellar introduction, the narrative for Halo Wars 2 suffers in the long run. The events that transpire in the game don’t move the story forward in any kind of meaningful way, and the ending is abrupt and offers little in the way of resolution.
In spite of several story pitfalls, Halo Wars 2 delivers in the area that matters most: fun, responsive, and easy to pick up gameplay. The intuitive console controls from the original game return in the sequel, and the graphics receive a major overhaul that make every explosion pop. A large variety of units allow players to formulate a broad number of unique strategies, and with seven selectable leaders, each with their own unique abilities and traits, you can be sure that no two matches will be exactly same.
In addition to the classic Deathmatch and Domination game modes present in the first game, Halo Wars 2 includes a brand new multiplayer mode: Blitz. Rather than build up bases and train units on the ground, Blitz introduces a card based system for spawning units. While the game mode is fun at first, the lack of multiple maps and card variety lead to a very predictable and repetitive experience when compared to the base game.
Video Credits:
Producers: Michael Robb, Emily Reuben
Post Production: Michael Robb
Graphics: Daley Wilhelm, Sarah James
Music: Jack McGinnis
All Images From: gametyrant
(03/02/17 9:02pm)
Xbox has announced via press release a new subscription service: Xbox Game Pass. “Xbox Game Pass gives you unlimited access to over 100 Xbox One and backward compatible Xbox 360 games – all for $9.99 per month, backward,” said Phil Spencer, head of Xbox. This new service spans both Xbox One and Windows 10 games (backward compatible titles) and features developers such as 2K, Deep Silver, and SEGA. While the Xbox One and backward-compatible games will be available at launch, PC gamers will have to wait a bit for Windows 10 services.
(03/02/17 8:56pm)
Target leaked the sequel to the 2014 game Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor via their website today. As of now the listing was removed from the website.
(03/02/17 8:49pm)
Last week, BioWare released the first part of its gameplay video series for Mass Effect: Andromeda. That video covered the game’s weapons and abilities. The second video in the series has now been released, this time featuring an in-depth look at the game’s character profile system, favorites menu, and squad combat. You can watch the video below:
(02/24/17 10:00am)
by Emily Reuben
Disclaimer: This playthrough was performed on an Intel i7-6700 with a GTX 1080 graphics card. This review is based on alpha build 1.2 of Decksplash.
From the folks who brought the world the physics-based fun of Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread comes Bossa Studio’s newest foray into the gaming market: Decksplash. The concept lies somewhere between Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater’s Graffiti mode and Splatoon. Teams of three funky, riderless skateboards are matched together online to see who can cover the most ground in their team’s paint. The bigger the combo, the more area is covered once the skateboard lands. Careful not to let that combo go on too long though, because every player has a strategic combo breaker that radiates out from the player’s board, and if an opponent is caught in the blast mid-combo, the whole combo gets restarted.
Alpha build 1.2 featured one small map of a skate park with various rails and ledges to grind, some quarter pipes, and even a few gaps to clear. After selecting “play online match”, the player’s lobby has free roam of the skate park, allowing players to familiarize themselves with the precise details of the competitive arena. While matchmaking took much longer than it should have, it was apparent it was because there were too few people playing at once and not the result of server issues or laggy connections.
The physics of the game is definitely arcade, something to expect from Bossa Studios’ previous work. However, the physics don’t always feel natural. Jumping provides a lot of vertical lift, but traversing a halfpipe is nearly impossible. Luckily, the combos are based around grinds and flips, which can be linked quite expertly after a bit of practice. Landing was always difficult to get right, but never felt unfair.
All in all, Decksplash looks like it will be a good game. If the full game plays like this alpha, with exciting matches that come down to the wire and even more amusing designs, this could fill a niche similar to Rocket League.
More information on updates, future alpha builds, betas, and more can be found at https://www.decksplashgame.com/, on Twitter (@DecksplashGame), or on Facebook.
All Images From: VentureBeat and Destructoid
(02/22/17 1:39am)
Bioware released a new gameplay trailer for the latest game in the Mass Effect franchise, Mass Effect Andromeda. The trailer, which can be seen below, dives deep into the multitude of weapons and powers players will be able to wield in the new game.
(02/22/17 3:00pm)
In an earlier report, published on Friday, it was reported that a few customers had received their Nintendo Switch consoles early. The NeoGAF user known as hiphoptherobot was one such customer who showed the operating system, claiming that it was luck that got him his pre-ordered Nintendo Switch weeks in advance. Well, according to Nintendo, that was not the case.
(02/21/17 7:20pm)
https://soundcloud.com/user-519363288/the-gaming-maw-s3e7-is-for-honor-for-you
The Gaming Maw gang returns all new and fresh from battle. We've been playing the For Honor open beta and have some thoughts on medieval warfare, vikings, and samurai.
We take a look at historical context, play styles, marketing campaigns, and how hard-won victories seem to be in Ubisoft's newest IP.
Does For Honor have longevity in competitive gaming? Is For Honor too hard for casual players?
Choose your faction and give this episode of The Gaming Maw a listen!
Hosts: Adam Sellers, Daley Wilhelm, Tyler Wheatley, Nolan Leahy
Logo by: Savannah Smith
Music by: Jack McGinnis
Edited by: Daley Wilhelm
Be sure to check us out on iTunes!
(02/20/17 9:45pm)
Producers:Michael Robb, Wesley Womble
(02/20/17 9:29pm)
Niantic announced a new update this week that will add 80 new Pokémon from the second generation of games for players to collect and battle. The update will offer cheaper storage expansion for the next two weeks.
(02/20/17 9:21pm)
Disney and YouTube are distancing themselves from YouTube star Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, after a string of anti-Semitic videos.