BlizzCon 2017 kicks off on November 3, and as in past years, this year’s show is going to bring some announcements about Blizzard games. Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said during an Activision Blizzard earnings call that BlizzCon 2017 will bring „a number of different announcements.“
His comments came in response to an analyst who asked Morhaime to give a tease for what to expect from the show. Morhaime would not budge, saying people will have to tune in to the show to find out the latest news.
The big news might come during the BlizzCon 2017 opening ceremony, which is slated for 11 AM PT on November 3. More news could land later during the show’s various panels about Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and other Blizzard games.
BlizzCon 2017 runs November 3-4 at the Anaheim Convention Center. The show is completely sold out, but you can pick up the BlizzCon Virtual Ticket ($40) to watch every panel at the show, along with the Muse concert on Saturday night.
GameSpot is attending BlizzCon and we’ll report back with all the big news as it’s announced. What are you hoping to see from the show? Let us know in the comments below!
Destiny 2’s first Raid has been live on consoles for some time, and it’s finally out on PC. Titled Leviathan, this debut Raid for Destiny 2 is comprised of puzzles, challenging encounters, and boss fights. Navigating it all without any assistance can be seriously difficult, so we’ve rounded up tips and a walkthrough for the entire Raid, as well as details on how to access it. Take note that each weekly reset shuffles the order of three major encounters in the Raid, so the exact order in which you encounter the Royal Pools, Pleasure Gardens, and Gauntlet will vary from week to week..
In order to access the Raid, simply select the Leviathan icon in the top right corner of the Director, which you can see in the image below. You’ll also want to initiate a questline called On the Comms, which is unlocked at random after time killing Cabal. Once you complete its major steps, you unlock a new step called Destroyer of Worlds that requires you to complete the Leviathan Raid. Doing so will net you a sweet prize after completing the Raid (and free up a slot in your inventory that the quest occupies).
Major Raid Prerequisites
Aside from completing the On the Comms questline, make sure your Power Level is at least 270 before taking on the Leviathan Raid. Going in with anything lower is manageable, but be aware that entering the Raid with a lower Power Level could make you a detriment to your Fireteam. It’s also recommended to enter the Raid with a full fireteam of six players.
Suggested Gear
There’s a wide variety of gear that will work, but one weapon you’ll want to consider is the Exotic scout rifle Skyburner’s Oath. It fires solar slugs that do extra damage to Cabal and penetrates Phalanx shields. This is a handy weapon to use that’ll assist your efforts to take down the loads of Cabal you’ll encounter in the Leviathan Raid. Other weapons of note include Merciless (a fusion rifle that can be fired rapidly), a rocket launcher that drops cluster bombs (such as Curtain Call or Cup-Bearer), and Coldheart (the pre-order bonus trace rifle, which is useful for the final boss fight).
Leviathan Raid Guide
Part 1: Embankment
After starting the Raid, proceed forward until you’ll encounter enemies. These foes won’t harm you unless you shoot them. Avoid attacking them, run past, and proceed up the slope and through the door.
Part 2: Leviathan Castellum (Part 1)
Upon reaching the Castellum, you’ll begin a trial that has you claiming and defending three Standards. To accomplish this, your group should separate into two teams: one to defend the a central point where the Standard are to be taken, and another to retrieve them from their respective bearers. Keep in mind that if the Cabal Legionaries manage to get too close to the central point, the Standards you’ve retrieved can be taken.
Once all three Standards have been returned, a door will open up the path ahead where you’ll find the first of the Leviathan Raid loot chests, containing a Powerful Legendary engram, the Calus‘ Selected shader, and Emperor Calus Tokens. Remember that, as noted above, the order of the ensuing encounter varies from week to week–you’ll either head to the Royal Pools, Pleasure Gardens, or Gauntlet next.
Part 3: Royal Pools
Here, you’ll encounter four pressure plates, with a fifth located at the center. Each of these plates has an orb on it that imbues you with a limited-time buff that protects you from environmental damage (which you suffer while standing in the water in this area). Make sure you and your teammates activate this buff before starting the trial, as standing in the water in this area without it will quickly drain your health. Once you’re ready, have four of your teammates each stand on a different pressure plate.
The premise of the trial is as follows: four people must maintain position on their respective pressure plates to slowly raise a weight up a chain. But as you’d expect, powerful enemies spawn, making the process significantly more difficult. As the assault wages on, make sure you and your teammates keep re-activating the buff. You’ll essentially have two groups of three players for each side; one player will grab the buff and take up a teammate’s position on a plate; that player then gets the buff and rotates into the other player’s position, and so on.
Once the chains in all four areas are sufficiently raised, you’ll hear a musical cue, at which point everyone must immediately move into the middle (where the buff is located). Five players should focus on destroying the hanging lanterns in this area while one takes out any nearby enemies. Your buff will run out at some point, at which time you should leave the water to avoid dying. A Psion enemy will spawn here eventually and must be killed with a melee attack (and there may also be one you have to shoot). At this point, return to your plates and repeat the entire process. Once all the lanterns are destroyed, the trial will end and a loot chest will spawn containing an Emperor Calus Token and potentially some gear drops.
Part 4: Leviathan Castellum (Part 2)
The next section has you once again defending and retrieving three Standards. However, this time around the central point you must defend has switched places with one of the points in the surrounding area. Regardless, utilize the same two-team strategy to complete the trial. Also take note of special Psion enemies called Councillors who must be killed with a melee attack; you’ll want to take them out quickly, as they will buff enemy units. After you’ve succeeded, a loot chest will spawn containing glimmer.
Part 5: Pleasure Gardens
First, eliminate the enemies you see before heading towards the massive golden statue. Have two of your teammates pick up the crystal orbs and charge them at the light scattered around the area. An opening should appear beneath the statue; remaining members should then grab the pollen inside. The members up top must then guide pollen holders to special flowers scattered around the area. You have a limited time to get the pollen holders to a flower before a Warhound’s Psionic Howl resets your progress. Regardless, once pollen holders reach a flower, those up top must fire their orbs at the flower to imbue their teammates with a strength buff. Do this two to three times to build up enough power.
Once powered up, the pollen holders should then attack the Warhounds. But if a Warhound sees your teammates, they have one minute to damage them and retreat to the safe room below the golden statue. Rinse and repeat this process until the Warhounds are dead. Keep in mind that you only have four chances to defeat all six Warhounds, as the safe room will lock up after the third attempt. You’ll then get a key, and a loot chest will appear on top of the safe room containing random loot and an Emperor Calus Token.
Part 6: Leviathan Castellum (Part 3)
Once again the same principle applies here. Simply utilize the same two-team strategy to obtain the Standards and complete the trial. Again, keep an eye out for Councillors, who are taken out with a melee attack. A loot chest will spawn containing more glimmer.
Part 7: The Gauntlet
To start the trial, jump onto the round platforms to summon enemies. Steadily kill them to fill up the meter under each pillar in the room. Two orbs will eventually spawn; have two of your teammates pick them up. This transports them into tunnels in the surrounding area.
Those in the tunnel need to run through gates with rows of circles on them. Energy barriers close off these uniquely designed gates, so tunnel runners need to quickly call out which gate’s row of circles has a red one. Teammates outside then have a limited time to simultaneously shoot at the rows of glowing triangles on the corresponding gate that doesn’t contain a red circle. Successfully doing this will open up the gate, clearing the path for the tunnel runners. The two tunnel runners converge and throw their orbs into an energy fountain.
Once you have completed this three games, your entire team goes to the middle and grabs an orb; everyone then runs through the tunnels, with players alternating who goes through the openings with charges in them. Three players have to successfully make it through and slam their orbs into the energy fountain, bringing the trial to an end.
Part 8: Emperor Calus
After clearing the third Castellum challenge, you’ll be led to Emperor Calus’s throne room. To initiate the battle, shoot the cup from his hand, and he’ll start spawning enemies into the room for you to fight. Eventually, Calus will teleport everyone; three players will go to a purple dimension to do battle with a giant projection of his head, while the other three will be send back to defend themselves in the throne room. Four Psions then spawn in the throne room, each with a symbol floating above them–make sure your teammates don’t kill them.
Those transported inside the purple dimension will each notice a different symbol on the Calus projection’s forehead. Each player needs to shout out the symbol they see to their teammates in the throne room. The players back in the real world must then kill the Psion aligned with the symbol that wasn’t called out. This lowers the barrier surrounding the Calus projection’s head.
After several rounds of doing the call-outs, the Calus projection will then begin to spew skull projectiles. While people inside kill them–and you’ll want to kill a lot, as they provide a buff that increases damage against Calus–those on the outside have to stagger Calus, who is channeling an attack. The players inside will also have to shoot three Psions that appear and kill two projections, all while avoiding holes or being popped up by ramps that appear. Once the shield under Calus’s name is removed, three orbs will appear and the players in the purple dimension can return.
At this point, everyone needs to figure out assignments for stepping on pressure plates, which you’ll use one at a time. Once everyone is on, deal as much damage to Calus as possible. Eventually, he raises his arm and you’ll want to leave the plate and move on to the next one (later, he’ll aim a weapon rather than raise his arm). Continue this process, moving from one plate to the next. After he’s taken enough damage, he’ll change forms and gain a spot on his chest that you can hit for criticals. Once his health hits zero, Calus has one final phase where you have to continue dealing damage. Remove his shield, and you’ll finally slay Calus.
As a prequel story, Life Is Strange: Before the Storm is surprisingly relaxed about filling in gaps of time. Instead, it focuses on the ways one small decision can set off a devastating ripple effect. Even something seemingly benign, like Rachel Amber bringing Chloe along to play hooky, kickstarts the chain of events we know inevitably shatters lives and families. And within the first few scenes of Episode 2, Chloe finds herself without a school or a home to varying degrees depending on your decisions.
Episode 1 took away Chloe’s emotional support only to replace it with Rachel, a shaky companion if there ever was one. Chloe doesn’t really have a whole lot else, and Rachel seems to be the only dependable person she can look to–despite her emotional unavailability. We see the beginnings of what Chloe will become as a direct result of her relationship with her, and even at the episode’s most joyous and cathartic–and there’s a lot more of those moments in Episode 2 than one might expect given the series‘ history–there’s still something about Rachel that screams danger.
Overall, however, there’s less of Episode 1’s teenage angst and more of Chloe’s gradual slide into the Arcadia Bay’s dark side. This comes courtesy of Frank, a shady drug dealer who gives Chloe a chance to work off her weed debt by snatching a wad of cash from Blackwell’s resident jock, Drew. It seems mildly contrived and unlikely that Chloe would be able to slip back on campus so easily after the game makes such a big deal out of her being tossed out. Regardless, Chloe’s walk on the shady side provides a rather harsh chance for you to define her as a person, particularly since all of her choices lead to some ugly results–at the expense of a character who, as we find out, deserves it the least.
Chloe’s time seeing Rachel perform in The Tempest provides a nice contrast to the darkness. It’s not only a chance to screw over one of Life Is Strange’s more despicable characters, but a performance and an aftermath that comprise two of the sweetest moments the series has ever put forth. It’s that sweetness that carries you to the climax, a long overdue confrontation with Rachel’s deeply conservative parents, and a twist that only time will prove to be a stroke of genius or a soap opera element that Life Is Strange has deftly avoided since its inception.
Despite, or possibly because of, all the plot crammed into such a small space of time, it’s probably the least ambitious episode of either this series or the original. The Talkback system from Episode 1 is used sparingly here, and depending on how you want to direct certain choices, it’s possible to go the entire second half of the episode without needing to use it. The puzzle elements only apply to Chloe sneaking her way into Blackwell, and none of the scenarios really require more than basic common sense to figure out. One of them can even resolve itself, since Chloe texts someone for help after you’ve failed it enough.
Hell Is Empty is probably the most blatantly episodic entry between Life Is Strange and Before The Storm, showcasing comparatively few moments outside the opening scenes where the choices seem life-changing or urgent. Yet Deck Nine has effectively made a story with a predictable conclusion feel engaging, and even hopeful against all odds. Right now, it feels like a blessing that they’ve let Chloe and Rachel Amber have their simple moment in time; right now, nothing can go wrong, the world is full of possibilities. The storm can wait.
You can play as Superman in a bunch of games. But despite the lack of a DC Comics license, or a set of red and blue tights, Megaton Rainfall offers one of the most engaging Superman experiences to date. The exhilaration of flight, the feeling of power, and, perhaps most importantly, the sense of personal responsibility for the planet, has never been captured quite like this before.
Megaton Rainfall is at its core an arcade-style shooter, but its priorities are far different than your average button-mashing, auto-scrolling game. You play as a superpowered being called the Offspring, brought to life by a mysterious cube for the sole purpose of stopping an alien invasion from destroying Earth. You start in space, and when the cube gives you control, you’re given a marker, showing where the aliens will make landfall. They may set their sights on only one city, but if they see they’re no match for you, they tend to flee halfway across the country to find a new target. Every mission involves shooting off to another city, waiting for the extraterrestrial threat, busting up their weapons of mass destruction, and taking the harvested energy back to the cube, who’ll convert it into new cosmic powers.
Megaton Rainfall looks rough around the edges, but where it lacks in eye candy, it makes up for in sheer scale. Earth is represented through a wide range of environments and bodies of water separating the aliens‘ primary targets. Despite underwhelming textures, moving to and fro can feel like you’re flying around the world, especially in VR, where the sheer sense of speed becomes a delirious distraction.
What makes every encounter truly thrilling is the game’s unique life bar. It isn’t measuring your own vitality, but instead the health of the city you’re protecting. Every loss of life and bit of damage results in a storm of rubble and shrapnel, accompanied by the harrowing screams of the populace. Alien crafts can cause extreme damage, but so can you if one of your attacks misses its mark and hits a crowded street or city hall instead. One of the more tense elements later in the game comes when a particular alien craft starts dropping little green nuclear bombs that need to be tossed into the ocean or flown into the upper atmosphere, lest they detonate within a city. You never forget for a second just how many people stand to lose their lives if you fail, and the feeling of relief when you succeed, is an experience even some of the best superhero games haven’t quite been able to deliver.
As you can guess, you can’t just fly around tossing energy blasts and heat rays willy-nilly. Each of the enemy spacecraft have their own glaring weaknesses to exploit, but getting into just the right position to toss energy or fire a heat ray is a careful process, one the game isn’t always quite precise enough to handle. Some enemies move with fairly predictable patterns, but some have a habit of moving with such unpredictable behavior that hitting them without using one of your limited special powers is more a matter of luck than skill. Combine that with the fact that flight is sometimes a bit too responsive, making it easy to overshoot your target. More frantic fights can also get extraordinarily dizzying, a problem that’s exacerbated when playing in VR. There’s a rather impressive amount of options to tweak the VR experience, but even with most of the safety features turned on, hectic stages still feel disorienting. A lock-on function would’ve made all the difference in the world here.
Your arsenal is also mildly underpowered for much of what you’ll be facing. The primary weapon is an energy blast that does decent damage but is also slow moving. The other powers you earn over the course of the game–the ability to stop time, a focused heat ray, telekinesis, a super dash, and the ability to drill underground–all have their uses, but cooldown times for each one often run longer than it takes for you to get into another situation that needs it. None of the challenges are impossible, but all of them require just a bit more work than they logically should.
Still, when Megaton Rainfall succeeds, even the relative problems fade into the background. Watching aliens crumble into a million pieces, stare in horror as a city gets eclipsed in a nuclear blast, watching a mothership collapse under fire, drilling into the Earth to stop a bomb from going off–all of these are the stuff of childhood dreams. To play Megaton Rainfall is to inhabit a flying superhero like nothing else in VR.
Developer WayForward has channeled its knack for crafting eye-catching retro games to make The Mummy Demastered, a licensed game based on the recent (and disappointing) Tom Cruise movie. It’s an unusual fit, but don’t let that dissuade you. Unlike most games based on movies, The Mummy almost completely abandons its source material to try something different, and mostly succeeds.
The Mummy is, at heart, a mixture of Ghosts n‘ Goblins and Metroid. It looks and plays as if it would be perfectly at home on the Super Nintendo, and everything about it will feel instantly familiar to anyone who’s played their fair share of 16-bit side-scrolling action games. There’s one giant map where new sections are opened by either finding new abilities and items or defeating bosses. Monsters immediately respawn as soon as you enter a new room or area and secret treasures encourage exploration.
Supply boxes are scattered throughout the world containing everything from an assortment of new weapons to health upgrades. Weapons include machine guns, a flame thrower, shotgun, rocket launcher, and more, including several types of grenades, ranging from standard explosive to fiery napalm. The Mummy also features destructible statues containing secret scrolls to grant you extra speed, higher jumps, and other necessary skills to reach new areas. It’s a tried-and-true method of progression that keeps you searching every passage, and there’s enough variety in the locations and room designs to keep the familiar gameplay from feeling stale.
The most notable aspect–for better or worse–is the way The Mummy treats death, which takes inspiration from WayForward’s DS action game, Aliens: Infestation. When you die in The Mummy, your character turns into a zombie and you take control of a new agent. In order to retrieve all the goodies you’ve collected, you have to successfully kill the ghost of your former self. This is a great idea that fits in at first but becomes incredibly tedious during tough boss battles. Since you respawn in a save room prior to a boss battle, dying leads to an annoying series of events requiring you to kill the last agent, then go and kill a bunch of lesser monsters to regain health, before trying again to take down the boss. There’s no option to simply revert to your last save file.
It’s also a very tough game in general, ghost agents notwithstanding. Enemies constantly come at you from multiple angles, there are environmental hazards like toxic waste, and difficult bosses relentlessly test your shooting and dodging skills. All of these moments feel great in action, but the limited eight-way directional aiming is an occasional annoyance. Since you frequently have to shoot things at angles above and below you, the lack of finesse here requires constant position adjustments. It would have helped the combat flow to take advantage of modern analog controls and allow for a full range of motion when aiming.
Quibbles aside, The Mummy delivers a creative and action-packed adventure. Full of running, jumping, and gunning through tombs, forests, sewers, subway tunnels, and beyond, the game brims with challenging old-school charm. It’s sure to bring back a flood of nostalgia, while still managing to be a solid game on its own. Still, a few more modern touches to make it slightly more playable wouldn’t have hurt. As it is though, this is a fun and tough monster-filled trek that surpasses the license it’s attached to.
Pokemon The Movie: I Choose You! won’t just be making a theatrical appearance in the US. Three weeks after its weekend event in theaters, the film will air on Disney XD after the premiere of two new Pokemon Sun and Moon anime episodes.
This new film is a retelling of Ash and Pikachu’s fateful meeting and their journey to find Ho-oh. The movie movie is being released to celebrate 20 years of Ash’s adventures.
Despite widespread love for the series, this new take on Ash’s origin story has already been met with controversy. Ash’s pals Brock and Misty were replaced by two new characters, Verity and Sorrel. But that doesn’t mean Brock and Misty are gone for good. The Sun and Moon episodes airing before the movie feature the pair for a special two episode arc.
Pokemon The Movie: I Choose You! will air in theaters next weekend; you can find more information about a showing near you here. The Disney XD premiere will begin at 9 AM EDT with the two anime episodes, and the film will air after at 10 AM EDT on November 25.
In March last year, Microsoft made the announcement that it was closing long-running British studio Lionhead, which made the Fable and Black & White franchises, among others. The closure of the studio also meant that the Xbox One and PC game Fable Legends was being canceled. A digital card game called Fable Fortune was released, though this game was released by an outside studio (with support from Microsoft, which owns the Fable rights). But will there ever be another mainline Fable game? That remains to be seen, but if Microsoft were to bring it back, that would please Xbox boss Shannon Loftis, who heads up Xbox’s first-party publishing team.
She told GameSpot this week as part of her PAX Aus travels that Microsoft loves Fable as a franchise. One of the main reasons why Loftis moved to England years ago was to help lead the production of Fable II.
Fable Legends
„Fable is very near and dear to my heart,“ Loftis said. „Actually one of the primary reasons [I moved to England] was to work with the team on Fable II. Fable Fortune is now out, the card game. We love the IP. I can’t talk right now about whether we’re doing anything with it or not, but if I ever get the chance to go back to Albion … „
Loftis‘ role as GM of Xbox Publishing for first-party games means she would be a key player in bringing back the Fable franchise. Though as of yet, we don’t know if there have been any pitches internally at Microsoft to do so. She told GameSpot that her team receives between 350 and 400 pitches for games every year. Given the name and prominence of Fable as a franchise, we would be surprised if it never came back. But for now, it sounds like Microsoft is taking a similar to approach to how EA is handling Mass Effect, in that it is giving the franchise time to rest before potentially bringing it back.
Fable Legends had big ambitions. Microsoft envisioned the free-to-play cooperative game living for as many as 10 years, with Microsoft releasing updates constantly to keep players engaged. You would have played as a hero or villain, and the game was not in its earliest stages, as Microsoft was testing it in the wild. But it was not to be.
World of Tanks continues to be one of the biggest games on the planet in terms of players. According to Wargaming’s latest count, the game had 130 million players on PC alone. Given the immense success of the game over the past seven years, you might have expected Wargaming to make a sequel. That hasn’t happened, and it sounds like it’s not going to.
Speaking today at PAX Aus on the GameSpot Theatre stage, Wargaming regional publishing director Alex de Giorgio was asked directly if World of Tanks 2 was in the cards. „World of Tanks 2? No,“ de Giorgio said.
He added that Wargaming sees World of Tanks as a games-as-a-service title, one that the studio continually updates and expands upon. That being the case, there won’t be a sequel coming out anytime soon, if it ever happens at all.
„It’s this constant evolution; that’s been the hallmark of the game,“ de Giorgio explained, adding that a sequel to World of Tanks „doesn’t really make sense to us.“
The games-as-a-service model is an approach that that many developers use. Continuing to support a title gives players a reason to stay in the game and spend money. For a game like World of Tanks, which is free-to-play, in-game microtransactions are critical. Some developers argue that the free-to-play is democratic and good for games it forces developers to create compelling content. If they don’t, people might walk away.
Earlier this week it was reported that DC’s Shazam hits theaters in April 2019. It has now been revealed that the upcoming superhero movie will star Zachary Levi.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Levi will take on the lead role in Shazam, which is expected to start production early next year. Levi is no stranger to the genre–he is already part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having played Fandral in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, which hits theaters next week. Levi is also known for NBC’s spy comedy Chuck, the animated hit Tangled, and the recent TV drama Alias Grace.
Shazam will be directed by David F. Sandberg, who previously helmed the horror hits Annabelle: Creation and Light’s Out. Sandberg confirmed the film’s April 2019 release on Reddit. DC announced an April 5, 2019 release for the movie back in 2014; however, this date no longer appears on the studio’s official slate.
Dwayne „The Rock“ Johnson was previously announced in the role of Shazam’s nemesis Black Adam and is set to appear in a spinoff movie focusing on that character. However, it has now been confirmed that he will not feature in the Shazam movie.
Shazam first appeared in 1939, when he was known by the name Captain Marvel. The character was bought by DC in 1971, when he was renamed, due to Marvel’s ownership of the name Captain Marvel. A live action Shazam TV show was broadcast in the mid-70s, while an animated show followed in 1981.
The next DC movie to hit theaters will be Justice League, which releases next month. The film is on course for a huge first weekend at the box office, with early tracking predicting a $110-$120 million opening. In addition, the studio’sAquaman has now completed production. That movie stars Jason Momoa and Amber Heard and is released in December next year.
Sony is apparently going to announce seven games next week. The company said in a blog post today that its briefing at Paris Games Week on Monday, October 30, will include „seven all-new game announcements.“ This covers both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR games. These announcements will start coming in during Sony’s pre-show event, kicking off at 8 AM PT on October 30.
Then at 9 AM PT, when the show begins in earnest, Sony will „give you an exclusive new look at the next wave of huge PlayStation titles.“ And after the event ends, Sony’s post-show stream will „dive deeper“ into the reveals. So this is all to say: Monday sounds like it is going to be a BUSY day.
Sony’s Paris Games Week briefing will be streamed live basically everywhere, and we’ll have a page on GameSpot where you can tune in. We’ll of course also have a full breakdown of all the big reveals.
What are you hoping to see during Sony’s Paris Games Week briefing? Let us know in the comments below! And this may not be the end of Sony’s reveals this year, as PlayStation Experience is coming in December.
Stranger Things 2 has finally arrived and it’s time to celebrate. How do you properly mark such an occasion, though? A new collection of Funko Pop figures based on the series, of course. The toy company has released images from their third wave of vinyl figures from the Netflix series.
The new figures are all pulled directly from Season 2 of Stranger Things, embracing the Halloween spirit of the new episodes. The collection features Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Will (Noah Schnapp) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) in their Ghostbusters costumes from the new season, complete with proton packs, bags of candy, and a ghost trap for Dustin. Joining them is a new version of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), with an updated look.
Will’s mom Joyce (Winona Ryder) and new kid in school Max (Sadie Sink), a character introduced in Stranger Things 2, round out the new wave. As with many Funko collections, there’s also a rarity included with these new figures. An alternate version of Max, complete with the Michael Myers costume she wears trick-or-treating in the new season, are available exclusively at Hot Topic.
The new wave of Stranger Things Funko Pop figures are out now. Their arrival comes on the heels of several exciting Pop announcements, including new figures from the James Bond franchise, WWE, and DuckTales, just to name a few.
For more Stranger Things coverage, check out GameSpot’s hub for the streaming series, where you can find episode reviews, videos, theories, and more. Stranger Things 2 is available on Netflix now.
The written works of Stephen King have been adapted numerous times, including movies, television series, and mini-series. With The Dark Tower, It, and Gerald’s Game all being released this year, we’re taking a look at all of the films based on the author’s works and ranking them according to their score on IMDb. Mini-series and television series will not be included nor are sequels that don’t have stories based on King’s work–sorry, Children of the Corn franchise. Believe it or not, there are more than 40 films, so click to the right to get started with number 49.
If you want to skip ahead to the top 10, click here.
[UPDATE] The full Clueless Gamer segment is now available; check it out below.
The original story is below.
Conan O’Brien’s „Clueless Gamer“ segment–where the late night host plays video games he knows nothing about–began as a joke, but now it’s a really big deal. The latest episode will be for Assassin’s Creed: Origins, and now you can watch a sneak peek. Published to the Team Coco YouTube channel, the video sees the TV host and comedian playing Origins alongside NFL QB Aaron Rodgers, whose season with the Green Bay Packers unfortunately may be over due to his broken collarbone.
Rodgers‘ injury required surgery that put 13 screws into his collarbone. You guessed it, that’s where O’Brien started with his jokes. The rest of the segment shows O’Brien hunting down hippos and riding a chariot through the city. He experiences a technical issue at one point that causes his horse to tweak out pretty significantly. In our Assassin’s Creed Origins review, we noted that Origins–like the previous Assassin’s Creed games–suffers from widespread technical issues.
The full video should be online later this week. We’ll circle back and post it here when it’s out. It’s not the first Clueless Gamer segment to feature a big-name NFL player, as O’Brien has in the past shot videos with people like Tom Brady, Marshawn Lynch, and Rob Gronkowski.
This video is actually making news in the football media world, as it was the first time that Rodgers revealed the extent of his surgery and how many screws he needed. He told ESPN that he might have been exaggerating. Or not. „It’s TV. Sometimes you exaggerate. And then sometimes, you tell the truth,“ he said.
GameSpot’s Assassin’s Creed Origins review scored the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC game a 7/10. „While Assassin’s Creed Origins reaches great heights in this new setting, it routinely runs into issues that bog down the overall experience,“ reviewer Alessandro Fillari said. „Technical issues make for an inconsistent experience and its new gameplay pillars wobble under the weight of its systems. But despite this, the world of Origins remains fresh and exciting to explore, which is a testament to the remarkable setting and compelling story. Assassin’s Creed has undergone many changes in its long and storied history, and Origins feels like the first step in the start of a new journey. It has its fair share of problems, but the vision for its future is one worth pursuing.“
Like that ex-partner that you know isn’t good for you, but you meet up with again because maybe … just maybe … this time it could be different–Xur is back. This week Destiny 2’s shadiest businessman is hanging out on Io, close to the Warmind Vault JS-2.
Again, this is one of the few locations Xur routinely pops up in, so you’ll no doubt remember how to get there. But if you’re struggling you can watch the video above, in which we’ll show you exactly how to navigate Io, slip past its enemies, and reach Xur unharmed. You can take a look at what he’s got to offer below.
D.A.R.C.I (Sniper Rifle): 29 Legendary Shards
Knuclehead Radar (Hunter Class Helmet): 23 Legendary Shards
Actium War Rig (Titan Class Chest): 23 Legendary Shards
Eye of Another World (Warlock Class Helmet): 23 Legendary Shards
During a TwitchCon panel Bungie outlined how Destiny 2’s seasons will work and offered a peek at some of the new gear rewards on the way to the game. The list of upcoming highlights included „new systems and rewards to give our most engaged players additional, optional pursuits“ and „better rewards and replay value for strikes, adventures, and Lost Sectors,“ among other things. You can check out the full list of Destiny 2’s planned endgame changes here.
Although Destiny 2 has been available on Xbox One and PS4 for a while now, this is the first week that Destiny 2 players on PC will also be able to join in on the fun. We’ve spent some time with the new version and discussed how Destiny 2 PC affects the game’s longevity.
We also cranked Destiny 2 PC’s graphical options up to max and turned off the HUD. You can see how the game looks–and it is worth seeing–here.
Above all else, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus takes a very hard stance on the righteousness of killing Nazis. It never falters, not once asking whether violent resistance is the wrong way to fight back against oppression–and the game is stronger for it. The series‘ tongue-in-cheek attitude provides a respite from both the horrors of the Reich and the frustration of throwing yourself against its all-powerful war machine. And despite some heavy-handed moments that feel like missteps in its message, satisfying Nazi-killing action bolsters its completely bonkers storyline in a way that only Wolfenstein can achieve.
The New Colossus picks up right after the events of The New Order, and unsurprisingly, our hero Blazkowicz is in bad shape. Following the explosion during the fight with Deathshead, BJ’s insides are falling out, and the crew of the Kreisau Circle does their best to put him back together again. General Engel tracks them down five months later, and as her troops storm the resistance’s stolen U-boat (the Evas Hammer and your base of operations), Blazkowicz wakes up to shoot more Nazis.
This first mission sets the tone for the rest of The New Colossus. Bound to a wheelchair, his organs failing, Blazkowicz feels oddly vulnerable. You shoot with one hand and slowly wheel yourself through the Evas Hammer’s corridors with the other. The odds seem impossible. But overcoming them is gratifying in a way that simply killing all the Nazis can’t match. Even after the Da’at Yichud armor from The New Order gives Blazkowicz his mobility back, his labored breathing reveals a man who is running out of fuel–and time.
On top of that, the game is just generally difficult. You’ll probably die often. Defeating a giant fire-breathing robot dog doesn’t seem feasible at first, but it is with the right combination of weapons, strafing, taking cover, and scrounging for health and ammo while on the run. Part of that struggle is finding a combat style that works for you and sticking with it, whether it’s a guns-blazing or more tactical approach. Some particularly punishing fights or an disadvantageous autosave can be frustrating, but most levels end just before that frustration can turn to anger.
Most missions are broken up into rooms with one or two commanders who are capable of calling for reinforcements. You can choose to just shoot your way through waves of enemies, or you can try to take out the commanders quietly before addressing the rest of the room. Things escalate quickly when heavy enemies show up, since it’s difficult to take them out quietly. Enemy variety and multiple paths through any given area mean you’ll be rewarded with a thrilling fight regardless of how you decide to tackle it.
You’ll also be rewarded with more power. Successfully executing a certain number of stealth takedowns, for example, unlocks a perk that increases your movement speed while crouched. And using upgrade parts you can occasionally find lying around to, say, put a silencer on your pistol will further improve your stealth ability. But you’re afforded the flexibility to decide mid-mission that stealth is not going to work and change tactics. As a result, every encounter is incredibly tense, since you never know when you’re going to need to take it slow or book it to safety as bullets fly by.
The far-future technology of the Nazi regime is both exhilarating to partake in and a grotesque display of their ruthless subjugation of all corners of the world. High-powered laser weapons are exciting to use, but the armored machine-men who drop them are a reminder of human experimentation during and after the war. Anything is possible in Wolfenstein, and that’s a direct result of immense human suffering.
Most environments in The New Colossus showcase the brutal, industrial truth of the Reich, like the twisted remains of a post-nuke New York City. But there are also appearances to be kept up, and the Roswell level in particular provides the rest of the picture. You arrive in Roswell during a parade, and the sunny, idyllic streets are peppered with Nazi officers and Klansmen in their full regalia. Well-dressed citizens speak in German as they celebrate–or pretend to celebrate–the Nazi takeover, propaganda books and posters in view. It’s unnerving and threatening to see the way the occupied, but not destroyed, cities operate under Nazi rule, as well as to see and overhear people willfully ignoring the atrocities around them.
Aside from being a much-needed break from fighting, the story cutscenes are beautifully directed and take advantage of the game’s fantastic cast of characters. The Roswell parade section, for example, ends with an Inglorious Basterds-esque interaction with a commandant that is at once funny and upsetting, a careful balance that The New Colossus strikes throughout. Some gameplay-to-cutscene-to-gameplay transitions are a little jarring, but it’s easy to get swept back up in the combat or the story right away.
The story cutscenes are beautifully directed and take advantage of the game’s fantastic cast of characters.
Proper cutscenes as well as idle chitchat on the Evas Hammer reveal intimate details about even minor characters. Each person on the U-boat has their own story of oppression and marginalization, from the Black Panthers to General Engel’s anti-Nazi daughter, Sigrun. But they’re also just people; some are depressed, some are angry, some are horny, and nearly all of them will have their own conversations on the U-boat that you can listen in on whenever you want. You can watch as everyone shuns Sigrun at lunch (perhaps rightfully so) and listen as New York resistance fighters discuss the nuclear tragedy. Even when the story goes completely off the rails–in an absolutely jaw-dropping way–there’s still room to explore their individual dynamics. It’s a small thing, but it keeps you invested in the crew and their cause.
There are times when The New Colossus overreaches for poignancy, and as a result it states its themes too overtly instead of letting them stand alone. Shows of American patriotism, like a particular monologue about liberty and freedom, feel misguided after flashbacks that show the rampant racism in the America of BJ’s childhood. The idea that America had problems before the Nazis showed up is there, and it’s powerful, but it’s obscured by seemingly conflicting ideas.
And while arguments over the purpose of the war and inspirational speeches about fighting against impossible odds show the breadth and depth of the resistance movement, for the most part these are things you can discern just from playing normally. Of course you should keep fighting against the Nazis, even when it seems pointless; after all, overcoming their unstoppable might mission after mission is satisfying enough on its own to keep you going.
The New Colossus never lets you forget who and why you’re fighting. Nazi brutality is on full display, from the blown-out, irradiated remains of Manhattan to each of the resistance members, who all carry mental scars if not physical ones. You’re never given a chance between cutscenes, missions, and even downtime on the U-boat to lose sight of the Reich’s cruelty. Wolfenstein’s tense gameplay elevates this further by giving you the power to truly resist–and come out of each battle ready for another fight.
BioWare today shared some new details about the next Mass Effect novel. As previously announced, it’s called Mass Effect: Annihilation, and it „chronicles the journey of the Keelah Si’yah as it carries 20,000 drell, elcor, batarian, and quarian colonists to Andromeda.“ The status of the Keelah Si’yah is an important matter in Andromeda; it did not leave at the same time as the other arks, which explains the absence of the species aboard.
The description of the book continues, „A pathogen is discovered aboard the ark after many drell are found dead in their cryo pods. As the pathogen jumps species, the ship’s systems begin to fail, making it clear this is no accident.“
Annihilation is the first Mass Effect book to be written by Catherynne M. Valente, whose previous work includes The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and The Orphan’s Tales series. Annihilation was previously scheduled to launch this summer and was to be followed by a third book, Mass Effect: Initiation. It’s now instead slated for release in the US, UK, and Canada on June 26, 2018 (August 28, 2018 in Australia).
Those in the market for a new GPU for their PC will have a new Pascal option to choose from in just a week. Nvidia has confirmed the release date for the GTX 1070 Ti, which is due out on November 2.
The 1070 Ti is positioned between two of Nvidia’s existing high-end video cards, the GTX 1070 and 1080. It features 2,432 cores and 8 GB of video memory running at 8 Gbps (meaning its total bandwidth is 256 GB per second). Nvidia claims it doubles the performance of the GTX 970 and is well-suited to overclocking. The company provides some relative performance comparisons on its website, but those don’t provide a ton of detail.
Pre-orders are now open for the 1070 Ti, which will retail for $450 in the US. Numerous manufacturers will offer Ti-based cards, including Asus, EVGA, Gigabyte, MSI, and PNY. As with previous cards, Nvidia is offering its own Founder’s Edition through its online store. There’s a limit of two per customer, and if you’re crazy enough to pick up a pair, you can also grab an SLI bridge from there for $40.
You’ll collect a whole load of gold coins in Super Mario Odyssey, and although the game uses these instead of lives when you die, they’re primarily used to purchase goodies at stores. Spread out throughout Mario Odyssey’s many worlds are shops where you can buy top-ups for hearts, Power Moons, and–most importantly–costumes!
The various outfits available for Mario range from cosplay-style cowboy, diver, or racer outfits, to some nostalgic classic costumes that will make fans of Mario and Nintendo jump for joy. We’ve put together a nice little fashion parade of all the costumes we’ve found so far, so take a look at the video above to see everything you can dress everyone’s favourite little plumber in. Certain Amiibo figures unlock Mario Odyssey costumes, but you’ll still be able to get your hands on everything in-game without scanning any.
Of course, those that want to see all Mario Odyssey’s costumes themselves should think twice about watching, as it’s spoilerrifc. You can also check out Super Mario Odyssey review, and for even more Super Mario Odyssey related content, take a look at the list below.
Super Mario Odyssey displays a clear understanding of what makes Mario tick, and is neck and neck for top billing among its esteemed predecessors. It surprises you with not just inventive mechanics, of which there are many, but with expertly tuned level design and moments of charismatic wit. It is comfortable in absurdity and wields this attitude to cut through the limitations of its otherwise straightforward structure and keep you smiling all along the way.
Above all else, Odyssey is refined. It generously doles out new worlds to explore, effortlessly cycling from one charming enemy and unique gameplay idea to the next. Its collection of open-world Kingdoms is varied and broad, and sometimes clearly inspired by Super Mario 64. Though it isn’t necessarily a groundbreaking game like its ancestor, which redefined expectations for 3D games at large, Odyssey outpaces it at every turn. Its environments are bigger and some of the most interesting ever seen in a Mario game–just wait until you lay eyes on Bowser’s elaborate fortress. All the extra space is invaluable, as the dense layouts of challenges and rewards justifies every building and landmass you encounter.
Your mission to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser–which actually takes a surprising turn for a change–is ultimately the hunt for Power Moons. These are Odyssey’s version of the series‘ star collectables, which are rewarded for feats big and small alike. Acquiring a moon can call upon your platforming skills, but it can also entail quirky activities like answering trivia questions from a charmingly simple-minded Sphinx, or exploring your surroundings for buried treasure with a doting pup (who will also play fetch if you know the trick). From boss battles to tossing your hat onto a peculiar piece of architecture, you can readily stumble into new moons–even 40 hours in–so long as you make sure to constantly shift your perspective on the world and engage with new possibilities as they come into view.
You’re guided through all of this by Cappy, Mario’s new sidekick: a living hat that can possess the minds of other creatures and put you in the driver’s seat. Cappy is content resting atop Mario’s head, but when you spot another character without a hat, friend or foe, you can simply throw him on their head to take over their body and put their unique skills to use. The selection of 52 capturable…things…spans the likes of lowly Goomba grunts and flying Bullet Bills to unexpected hits like a Christmas tree or a giant slab of neon meat. Shout out to the Easter Island-inspired statues that wear pink shades to reveal hidden platforms.
The opportunities introduced by possessing others isn’t just an easy source of laughs, but also works hand in hand with Odyssey’s ever-present challenges. Highlights include a caterpillar’s ability to stretch around bends like an accordion and the stout Pokio bird’s beak, which can be stuck into walls and used to fling you to hard-to-reach places. There’s usually always something in sight that you can possess and some way to exploit its traits. There are also plenty of exceptional set-piece possessions to look forward to, like a T-Rex or the tank you control in New Donk City. These emphasize just how impressive Cappy’s ability is in the context of a Mario game, and how Odyssey doesn’t want you to just work for your moons, but enjoy the process from the get-go.
The opportunities introduced by possessing others isn’t just an easy source of laughs, but also works hand in hand with Odyssey’s ever-present challenges.
Cappy’s usefulness extends beyond his mind-control capability: he can be thrown like a boomerang to retrieve coins or used as a trampoline to extend the range of your jumps. Some of his abilities can be triggered via motion controls or button presses, but the few that require you to flick your controller one way or the other are unwieldy when playing specifically in handheld mode. It’s a blemish, albeit a small one, as no critical objectives require complex manipulation of Cappy’s trajectory.
It’s also possible for a second player to join in and control Cappy as a full-fledged independent character capable of collecting coins, defeating small enemies, and remotely possessing targets while Mario does his thing. Given that two players have to share a single camera, this isn’t necessarily a great way to overcome difficult objectives, but it can be a great source of amusement.
By and large Cappy’s tricks are easy to use yet difficult to master in conjunction with Mario’s various flips, bounds, and hops. When used in harmony, Mario’s innate athleticism and Cappy’s support allow for intricate and efficient traversal. Combined with the game’s typically unusual tasks, and all the capturable enemies and objects, Odyssey very quickly becomes a game that’s easy to admire.
One of the most interesting facets of Odyssey is its seamless incorporation of 8-bit Super Mario Bros. gameplay. And because these sections are 2D, it stands to reason–in a game filled with loopy logic–that these occur on the surface of locations like lake bottoms and on the side of skyscrapers. Despite the stark difference in presentation, retro challenges fit smartly not only into the spaces you’re exploring, but within the general flow of gameplay. It’s also the basis for one of the game’s most elaborate and heartwarming scenes, especially if you’re a fan of Mario.
Once you’ve „finished“ the main quest–recovering about 20% of the game’s 800-plus moons–the push towards new outfits is a bonus given the amount of undiscovered opportunities that await.
Though you no longer wear different outfits to change Mario’s behavior (unless you count bodies you possess as outfits), you can dress up for fun by mixing and matching a large selection of hats and suits from Mario’s past. You can find costumes inspired by games like Mario Paint, NES Open Tournament Golf, and Yoshi’s Cookie. There are also an array of real-world styles like a bomber jacket and scuba gear, again, just for the fun of seeing Mario cosplay. There are only a handful of chances to use a costume to your advantage, usually to gain access to a locked room for an easy moon grab, but that doesn’t diminish their valuable contribution to keeping the long-haul feeling fresh, if only in superficial terms.
Each Kingdom offers access to two stores where you can pick up new threads. One takes special coins found in limited supply in each kingdom (another deviously hidden collectable to seek out) and another that takes generic coins found throughout the game. The general store unlocks costumes for purchase based on the number of moons you’ve collected, though many of them can also be unlocked immediately if you possess the right Amiibo. Once you’ve „finished“ the main quest–recovering about 20% of the game’s 800-plus moons–the push towards new outfits is a bonus given the amount of undiscovered opportunities that await, but one that can keep you steeped in powerful nostalgia.
As the end-game sets lofty moon-collection goals, it’s interesting to see the general store begin to sell unlimited amounts of moons at 100 coins a pop–at least buying moons doesn’t remove them from the world, leaving every challenge intact. This can help expedite the process of collecting hundreds of new moons, or to get that one or two more you need to unlock a new costume, but relying upon it isn’t efficient or recommended. At best, it’s helpful in a pinch, but it also runs the risk of undermining Odyssey’s top-class level design. It’s ultimately difficult to grow bored in the first place, however, as a significant number of new moons and hidden levels open up in each kingdom after the credits roll, ensuring that you aren’t staring at the same old locations with the same old set of eyes.
Once you reach Odyssey’s more significant moon demands, you’re rewarded with access to small but meaningful new areas that pack some of the biggest challenges in the game. In short bursts, Odyssey can be challenging throughout, but it’s generally forgiving in all cases. In the final stages, you are up against gauntlets that demand consistent precision; die, and you go back to the beginning. Though these chapters aren’t as significant as the rest of the game, it’s a welcome way to cap off Mario’s quest–though there’s a fair chance you still have hundreds moons left to find elsewhere.
Odyssey is sustained beyond its major milestones not only through colorful worlds and hidden challenges, but through the sheer joy of controlling Mario, who’s never felt more responsive or dynamic in action. Even with everything new that’s been introduced, Nintendo’s forward-thinking platformer retains the series‘ classic handcrafted appeal, which is even more impressive when you realize how densely packed each kingdom is. Mario’s latest outing is big, bold, and bursting with new ideas, and like Breath of the Wild, is another instance of Nintendo going above and beyond to redefine our expectations. It’s a shining example of refined creativity, and another crown jewel for Switch that is without equal.
When you need to see the bigger picture, sometimes it’s best to return to your roots. Assassin’s Creed Origins takes this thinking to heart and steps into the seamless and dynamic open world of ancient Egypt. Although this move shows glimmers of a brighter future for the series, it also becomes clear that its core gameplay and presentation have some difficulties keeping up with the newfound pace and scale.
Blurring the lines between prequel and sequel, Assassin’s Creed Origins takes us back to the beginning of the Assassin Brotherhood, while also laying the groundwork for a new present-day storyline. Set during the time of the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Egypt, you take on the role of Bayek, a Medjay ranger who embarks on a quest for revenge against a mysterious order that pre-dates the Templars. Crossing paths with historical figures such as Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, Bayek travels through the dense and varied lands of Northern Africa. He’ll sneak, loot, and stab key figures in the social and political worlds of Egypt, leading to several unforeseen consequences for the future of the Kingdom, right up to present day events.
While references to significant characters and events from other games are present, they take a backseat to the parallel narratives of Origins, particularly to that of Bayek and his companions as they lay the foundations of their creed in Egypt. Bayek himself is a major influence in the world, thoughtful of others and his surroundings. Despite facing tragedy, he isn’t shy about breaking the tension with a joke or sharing a tender moment with loved ones. While he’s steadfast in his resolve to take revenge against those who wronged him, he’s always willing to help those in need.
Origins makes good on the potential of its setting, showing off a clash of ideologies and cultures during Ptolemaic Egypt, and giving it life in a number of surprising ways. In its 30 hour main story, you’ll travel across Egypt and meet different allies and enemies with their own agendas. While some locations share a few too many similarities in style and general landscape–and others are frustratingly sparse with content and activity–Egypt overall is vibrant and lush, giving a strong sense of life within it.
From the flocks of birds that rise in unison while running through marshlands, to the crocodiles that pluck sailors off their boats as they float across rivers–Assassin’s Creed Origins displays vivid details of a world in action, and houses several unique AI systems that play off each other. In one instance, you could find yourself raiding a camp, and which suddenly come under attack by groups of angry hippos from the nearby lake. Egypt is impressively dense in the more populated cities and towns, convincingly realized through a clear attention to detail, and is one of the series‘ finest achievements.
Playing through Bayek’s journey is surprisingly educational, making each event and landmark–even the gladiator arenas and chariot race tracks–an opportunity to learn more about the setting and period. From general chatter of crowds in Alexandria, to the various notes and logs found from points of interests and bandit camps, you’ll come to learn quite a lot about the past ages of Egypt, what led to the „present“ state of its Ptolemaic rule, and the cause of the social strife throughout. Showing instances of culture clash between Greco-Roman and Egyptian influences, the core narrative and side-stories are engaging and feel meaningful, tackling issues of racism, colonialism, and the systemic misogyny of the times.
This is especially relevant to Bayek, who is himself an outsider in many of the locations he travels to, and as a result witnesses some of the abuse firsthand. Origins deftly handles its overall tone despite this by balancing moments of heartbreak and earnestness–such as quests dealing with greedy landowners poisoning lower-class citizens–with moments of levity, like when Bayek helps out local children in cities by performing parkour tricks.
Unfortunately, several technical hiccups and bugs crop up–which disrupt the flow of the experience. During our playthrough of the Xbox One X and PS4 versions, instances of texture pop-in, noticeable framerate dips during cutscenes and gameplay, and odd graphical issues while exploring and interacting with other characters detracted from impactful moments and events. These issues unfortunately persist throughout, slightly dragging down the otherwise incredible setting.
Moving steadily away from the somewhat identical formula of past Assassin’s Creed games–where you gradually move out to different hub areas and tackle largely isolated missions–Origins gives you a greater level of freedom and agency in a more seamless world, where you can take part in activities at your leisure. With each region possessing several points of interest, veering off the path to find sights unseen can yield valuable loot, history about the world, and other secrets that tie into something greater.
When on his downtime, the Medjay ranger can take part in arena combat and chariot races to win gold and other prizes.
Alongside introducing a new open setting, Origins overhauls one of the series‘ other major gameplay pillars: combat. Trading steel with enemies now feels more active and involved thanks to its dynamic strikes and real-time blocking and parrying. While certain traces of the series‘ group-oriented action remain, combat focuses more on smaller skirmishes where you pick your moments and strike at the right time. Moreover, ranged combat has also been improved, adding greater maneuverability and accuracy, including a useful slow-mo aim while leaping through the air. Though this new approach to combat initially feels like an improvement all around–making battles more engaging and involved–some of these changes give rise to problems that can make them a drag.
While combat is solid when fighting a limited number of foes, things quickly turn south when more enemies are added into the mix, as the mechanics are designed for more intimate engagements. This becomes especially problematic with a lock-on camera that follows the action far too closely, turning battles that could be tactical and fierce into disorienting and clumsy encounters. In some cases, it felt better fighting without lock-on enabled to better keep track of what’s going on.
This clumsiness is even present in the stealth system, which is more awkward than in past games. Somehow, slower and deliberate movement can feel unreliable due to controls that are less accurate and unresponsive. In some instances while sneaking and climbing, Bayek can hitch onto ledges and other objects when he gets close enough, frequently resulting in accidental exposure to enemies. Sneaking is undermined by these inconsistencies, whether it comes from enemies seeing through objects, or instances where AI partners routinely walk into danger. Stealth is often more of a hassle than it’s worth, making it one of Origins‘ weakest aspects.
Assassin’s Creed Origins attempts to blend the established stealth-action elements with the mechanics of an action-RPG, but these two halves don’t always coalesce. By including stat-building and a loot grind, it creates needless level-gating for areas of the map. This results in time spent grinding to acquire vital skills and resources–and in the broader sense can feel like artificial padding. This, in turn, conflicts with the fantasy of being a skillful assassin who uses his resources and wits to maneuver through enemy hideouts. It can be quite jarring spending the time sneaking up to elite enemies, and then finding out your hidden blade won’t work for an assassination due to it being underpowered.
While Assassin’s Creed Origins reaches great heights in this new setting, it routinely runs into issues that bog down the overall experience. Technical issues make for an inconsistent experience and its new gameplay pillars wobble under the weight of its systems. But despite this, the world of Origins remains fresh and exciting to explore, which is a testament to the remarkable setting and compelling story. Assassin’s Creed has undergone many changes in its long and storied history, and Origins feels like the first step in the start of a new journey. It has its fair share of problems, but the vision for its future is one worth pursuing.
Microsoft’s Kinect sensor, which sold millions across its Xbox 360 and Xbox One iterations but was often criticized, is officially dead. Ahead of its next earnings report later this week, the company has revealed that it has put an end to manufacturing of the device, meaning those still sitting on store shelves will be the last ones available for purchase.
The news was shared by Kinect creator Alex Kipman and Xbox Devices Marketing GM Matthew Lapsen in an interview with Fast Company. Support for the device will continue, so there’s no need–at least in the short term–to worry if you’re someone who still enjoys playing the odd game that uses it or pausing Netflix with a voice command.
This comes as little surprise. Originally launched partway through the Xbox 360’s life cycle, Kinect sold millions and opened the platform to new types of games, like Dance Central. Microsoft then decided to make it a mandatory part of the Xbox One package, driving up the price of the system at launch to $500. It would later be made optional, allowing Microsoft to bring the price down and attempt to appeal to those with no interest in voice controls or motion sensors, though seemingly too late for the system to catch up to Sony’s competing PS4 in terms of sales.
If it had not already been clear, the future of Kinect came into focus when Microsoft released the Xbox One S, the first new iteration of Xbox One. The system revision lacked the necessary port for Kinect, necessitating the use of an adapter for those who still had one laying around. Similarly, the upcoming Xbox One X lacks an integrated Kinect port.
Kinect’s non-gaming applications have proven to arguably be more useful, even providing medical uses. And while the device itself may now effectively be dead, the technology behind it will live on, as aspects of it are used to power Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality device.
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