Super Mario Bros. 3 Mid-Boss Boom Boom Comes To Mario Tennis Aces
There aren't many enemies that can stand up to Mario's powerful stomp, but Boom Boom has always been pretty good about trying to do so. The officer in Bowser's army usually takes three hits in the head before he bites it, so maybe a nice relaxing game of tennis is exactly what he needs.
Slated to arrive in an update this week, Boom Boom is joining the game as a defensive character, which makes sense because he's nigh-invulnerable from the Y-axis...unless you have any sort of item, then he falls apart like a house of cards. But that doesn't appear to be the case here, as you can see from the trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe update containing Boom Boom also includes the Boo Hunt co-op challenge and new balance updates to the game to help keep the competition alive, which is important because competition is how you access the character early. If you participate in February's online tournament, Boom Boom unlocks early for you; if not, you get him on March 1 regardless.
Mario Tennis Aces is available now on Nintendo Switch.
Far Cry: New Dawn introduces two new villains to the Far Cry universe, Lou and Mickey, to terrorize the player and the survivors of Hope county. The twin sisters have traveled across the country pirating resources for their own use, chewing up self-sustaining communities and spitting them out before traveling on to the next one. In a new video released by Ubisoft, the actresses behind the roles explain what it was like to take Far Cry: New Dawn's villainous duo.
Click here to watch embedded mediaActresses Leslie Miller (Lou) and Cara Ricketts (Mickey) talk a bit about recording the dialogue for the game and getting lost in the psychopathic characters with a penchant for pink but a much stronger preference for red.
In addition, Greg Bryk resumes his role as Far Cry 5's Father, though this time he has the experience of 17 years of nuclear holocaust weighing on his mind. Bryk explains what it's like to play Far Cry 5's villain in New Dawn in an age where the character is no longer the big bad.
Far Cry: New Dawn releases on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on February 15.
Blizzard has just announced a new Assault map for Overwatch taking place in the city of love Paris, France. Though there's likely a lot less love and a lot more storming areas for objectives. That's still pretty Parisian, historically speaking.
Chance encounters lead to novel beginnings.
Get whisked away to Paris soon on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. pic.twitter.com/PGrVKw4JdH
The map is now live on the Playable Test Realm, so if you're a part of that, you can jump right in and check it out. For everyone who wants to wait for the full release, though, here's a quick look at what the new map looks like.
Blizzard emphasizes Paris' narrow streets and corridors in the new level, but also encourages players to check out Paris' most iconic sights and sounds within the Overwatch world. You can hit up the cabaret and see the talented Luna perform, stop at patisseries and check out the delicious goods, or even drop in at a fancy gala. Of course, you still have your objectives, so don't get too distracted.
The map will arrive on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
While it has been rumored through retail listings for a month or so, it seems like THQ Nordic is ready to announce that the HD remaster of the first Darksiders game is coming to Switch before too long. This version has previously been released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Wii U, but has not come to the Switch since its release in November 2016.
The announcement trailer was found by the Australian Nintendo website VOOKS, which picked the trailer off THQ Nordic's wesite , clearly announces the HD remaster for Nintendo Switch. While no official PR has been released, and thus no real details, it doesn't seem like the port is particularly far off. You can watch the accidentally uploaded trailer below.
Click here to watch embedded mediaFunnily enough, the trailer has been taken down and replaced it with this gif.
So @THQNordic deleted the Darksiders trailer and put up this GIF: https://t.co/v11C5oK4np 🤫 pic.twitter.com/Z6m3jhFPXD
— Daniel Vuckovic (@VOOK64) January 30, 2019The original Darksiders was released in 2010 and met with acclaim as a well-made take on the Legend of Zelda formula. The Warmastered Edition bumped up the texture resolution and, at least on PS4 and Xbox One, ran at 60 frames per second, though that's not guaranteed for the Switch version. We'll know for sure when THQ Nordic officially announces it and supplies details.
It seems likely that, if Warmastered (ugh) edition is coming, then Darksiders II: Deathinitive (ugh) Edition is also on the way.
[Source: VOOKS.net]
I received a couple of tweets asking if it was wise to jump into Kingdom Hearts III without having played any of the other games in the series. Game Informer's Kimberly Wallace did a nice job of outlining this scenario in her review:
"As much as I enjoyed the tale, newcomers (and even old fans who have just missed a few entries) will probably have a hard time following many portions. A memory archive in the menu provides short videos to get you up to speed or refresh your memory, but they're not comprehensive. As a result, this is not a good place to jump into the series..."
I can't place my finger on the why, but people who haven't paid attention to this series are suddenly intrigued by this one. I am one of these people to a degree. I enjoyed the first two entries but fell off of the train when the titles started sounding like algebra tests. I still have no idea what 358/2 means.
My six-year-old daughter and I love Disney, and I thought it might be fun to see what would happen if we jumped into Kingdom Hearts III. I watched a fun little video to regain an understanding of the series' basic setup, but my daughter has no clue what she's getting into. The results did not disappoint and are exactly what you would expect.
I recorded audio of our opening hour of play. Here's a rough transcript of what transpired...
Confusion Before the Game Begins
We didn't even make it into the game, and my daughter started asking tough questions about the characters who are featured on a piece of art. After commenting that Donald Duck looks like he just fell down a flight of stairs, my daughter spent a few seconds studying each of the non-Disney characters.
Daughter: "Why do all of the people with spiky hair look the same? Are they like My Little Pony characters that all look the same but have different hair colors?"
Me: "Uh... I have no idea what to tell you. Now that you mention it, the blonde kid in the middle and the other blonde kid on the bottom may be the same character. That's odd. I don't know. They all do look similar."
Daughter: "I wonder if they have cutie marks."
A Conversation With Hades
Needless to say, we were both confused by the opening moments of the game, which show two characters playing chess as other characters fly around and give us some form of a recap from what happened in their past. My daughter thankfully didn't ask me how the game of chess is played, but again commented that the two characters who were playing it looked the same. Confusion also came from figuring out what abilities and powers Sora would start the game with. She wanted to know why the "unicorn cat" in one of the pictures we had to interact with wasn't coming with us. I told her it was an image that represented the ability, but that didn't go over well. We eventually got to gameplay, and took turns on the sticks during the tutorial battles. We both enjoyed our time. She had no problem figuring out the basics of the hack-and-slash combat.
Our next stop was Olympus. It didn't take long for us to run into Hades.
Daughter: “Is he a bad guy?”
Me: “Yes. I think so.”
Daughter: “Why are they standing there? Stop him! Should they get him and put him in jail?”
Me: "He doesn't seem to be doing anything evil."
Hades does something evil immediately after I say this. Sora, Donald, and Goofy are sent flying into the distance by some creatures or a spell or something.
Daughter: “Why didn’t they stop him?”
Me: “I have no idea.”
Daughter: "I would have hit him with my key, Dad."
Click here to watch embedded mediaHercules' Confusing Rescue
One of Kingdom Hearts III's early action sequences seems incomplete. Sora, Goofy, and Donald are joined by Hercules in a rescue effort to save a little girl who is trapped on a cliff surrounded by fire. Time is of the essence in saving her. Thinking on his feet, Hercules asks the trio to climb onto the back of a statue that had fallen over. The statue just happens to be of Hercules. As odd as it is to see Hercules pick up a giant statue of himself, what happens next is largely left up to the viewer's imagination. It broke my daughter's mind.
Daughter: “What happened? Why did he throw that? What did that do? Why didn't they show what happened?”
Me: "I didn't press any buttons. They just didn't show us what happened. Weird."
Daughter: "Maybe the girl climbed on the statue. [she pauses in thought] Wait. Hercules threw them into the clouds?
Me: "I don't know what to tell you."
Logical Thinking
We approach a man who is in a room filled with heartless enemies.
Daughter: “What is that man doing?”
Me: “He’s covering his head because he’s scared of getting attacked.”
Daughter: “Wait. They aren’t attacking him. Can you do that?”
Me: “No. There’s no way to do that. I have to fight.”
Daughter: “Why? You won’t get hit.”
Me: “I just can’t.”
A Lesson In Game Inconsistencies
At one point in our gaming careers, we all ask ourselves why we can only interact with certain things but not others that are exactly the same. Sora running up a wall is that moment for my daughter.
Daughter: (yelling) “YOU CAN RUN UP WALLS?!”
Me: “Yep!”
Daughter: (Points at another wall) “Go up that one.”
Me: “I can’t. It isn’t flashing.”
Daughter: “Huh? What does that mean?”
Me: “I can only run up walls that are flashing.”
Daughter: “But they look the same.”
Me: “I know.”
Daughter: "Huh?"
Don't Hit Everything
I stumble upon a harp that I can smack with my keyblade to get supplies.
Daughter: “Daddy. Daddy. Daddy. That’s someone’s guitar. You are going to be in so much trouble.”
Me: “I won’t do that again. Promise.”
Daughter: "Better not."
Me: "But it did give us stuff."
Daughter: "Daddy, no."
Confusion Again
We come across a woman trapped on a column.
Daughter: “She’s in trouble. How did she get up there. Ladder?”
Me: “I don’t see one.”
Daughter: “Maybe she ran up it like you run up walls.”
Me: “I don’t think so.”
Daughter: "But the poles are flashing like the walls! She can run up them."
Me: "Nope. The flashing may look the same, but it means I can spin on them like this." [Sora spins around pole]
Daughter: “She probably farted hard and flew up there then.” [little chuckle]
Hercules The Wimp?
My daughter has a great understanding of combat now, and even knows how to use the spells to her advantage. She doesn't quite get how the abilities or gear work. I have to handle all of that. Our journey takes us into an interior area where Hercules is trying to lift a rock over his shoulders. He’s struggling.
Daughter: “He threw a statue that was like dozens of feet long. He can’t lift that rock now?”
Me: “The entire ceiling is falling. I think it’s more weight than the statue.”
Daughter: “He must be poisoned.”
After a few minutes the roof collapses. Sora, Donald, and Goofy escape, but it looks like Hercules is dead. He emerges a few seconds later. The trio yell “Hercules!” He flexes his muscles.
Daughter: “Is he showing us that they don’t work now?”
Me: “The opposite. He’s saying he’s strong.”
Daughter: “Huh?”
We Don't Learn From Our Mistakes
Another evil-looking character named Xigbar emerges from a portal.
Daughter: “Shoot fire at him! Don’t let him leave!”
Me: “I can’t.”
Daughter: “Ugh. Again?! He’s bad!”
Me: "Sorry, kiddo. Sora likes talking first."
Pirate Ships are Dumb
We finally get to the first boss, which is a giant heartless. My daughter hands me the controller.
Daughter: “He looks tough, Dad.”
Me: “I think we’ll be fine. I just learned how to summon a pirate ship.”
Daughter: “A what?”
I summon a ship that rocks back and forth slowly and shoots water for like 15 seconds. It doesn't look like it's doing much, but it is.
Daughter: (Dumbfounded look on her face) “That was really dumb. What? We don’t want that right, Dad?”
Me: “Actually, I think it’s super powerful, but I couldn’t tell what it was doing.”
Daughter: “We don’t want it, Dad. No more ships, okay?”
Me: “We’ll see.”
Conclusion
I had a blast playing the opening hour of Kingdom Hearts III with my daughter. The backstory that they introduce early on is confusing, but once we landed in Olympus, the narrative became more about what was happening in the moment and we didn't have much trouble following it. The question that remained: Did my daughter have fun?
Me: "What did you think of that game?"
Daughter: "It's really fun. I like that Disney princesses will be in it."
Me: "What score would you give it?"
Daughter: [She puts on her deep-thinker face] "Probably 100."
Me: "Is that as high as your scale goes?"
Daughter: "Yes."
Me: "So you think it's one of the best games you've ever played."
Daughter: [nods]
Me: "Did you think any of it was confusing?"
Daughter: "Yes."
Me: "How much of it didn't you understand?"
Daughter: "All of it."
Me: "Do you want to play it again?"
Daughter: "Tomorrow night!"
And with that she went upstairs to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. The next day would bring school and perhaps a return to Kingdom Hearts III, unless of course another game became the best thing ever to play with Dad.
There's probably no end to the number of relationships, friendships, and families that Overcooked has broken up, but that's also probably because there doesn't appear to be an end to actual Overcooked content. It seems every few months that Team 17 and Ghost Town Games have new levels to announce for the title and it seems that this time the theme is the Lunar New Year. Move over, Overwatch, there's other Over- prefix games in town doing Lunar New Year events.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe teaser really doesn't say much, but there's probably not a whole lot of details they can really add in here. There will be new Overcooked levels with a new theme and likely new dishes that will make you yell at people like you're Gordon Ramsey. That plus the fact that it's free is pretty much all you need to know.
Overcooked 2 is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC.
Media Molecule's Dreams has been in closed beta since mid-December, and we're already starting to see some really impressive work from players. In Dreams, players can both create their own games and play experiences made by others. In just over a month, there's been a plethora of player-made content ranging from game demos to experimental art design.
We've checked out the closed beta ourselves and found some pretty cool stuff. These include short interactive cinematic experiences, proof of concepts for larger games that creators say they'll finish when Dreams launches, and more. Some are buggy or janky, but that's to be expected as creators get their heads around Media Molecule's extensive but complicated tools.
This list contains original content rather than clones or remakes of games that already exist. If you want to see Dreams versions of Cuphead, Legend of Zelda, and more, check out our video where we explore them.
Here are the most impressive creations that we've found so far.
Prometheus
Creator: Rothniel
This first-person shooter takes place on a surreal landscape; maybe even on an entirely different planet. Large statue-like hands stick out of the ground, and zombie cyborgs chase you. Your only chance of survival is by shooting down these creepy foes or making a run for it.
Grape Escape
Creator: TheGleeMan
This is one of the weirder concepts I came across in Dreams, but also one of my favorites. You play as a bunch of grapes trying to get back home to their grape friends. I don't want to spoil how it ends, but it gets wilder the more you progress. You spend your time jumping atop oversized chairs, balconies, and cars.
Starry Night
Creator: TheOneironaut
This is more of an interactive art piece than a game, but that doesn't make it any less spectacular. You begin in a small bedroom by a window. On the window sill, you can drink some absinthe, which then blurs and distorts your vision. Outside the window, the sky begins to swirl and distant mountains shift in form until they look nearly identical to Van Gogh's Starry Night.
Time Corruption
Creator: SlurmMackenzie
With some impressive puzzle design and an interesting concept, Time Corruption is a stand-out game demo. The Tron-inspired, neon visuals create a striking aesthetic. You progress by jumping on various platforms and collecting glowing orbs. In this universe, time has been stopped "to prevent further damage." Once you find the time-control bracelet, you can control time by fast-forwarding or rewinding. Doing so moves platforms and obstacles out of your way, though you need a keen eye to get out of some tricky areas.
The Encounter
Creator: Bigsurf77
This short game demo is part of a larger game that the creators plan on launching once Dreams is out. You explore a space station from a first-person perspective, with guidance from a floating robot who helps you unlock doors and pushes buttons on different interfaces. You need to find your way home, but things go wrong in the process. With fantastic-looking hallways and a massive hangar, The Encounter is one of the most visually impressive games in Dreams.
Curiosity
Creator: X_DISARMED_PRO_X
This is another piece from Disarmed, who is one of the more talented and prolific Dreamers I've come across. In Curiosity, you play as a robot who journeys through a barren land. All you have to do is get to the destination waypoint, so gameplay is minimal, but it's another one of those Dreams creations that shows off some brilliant aesthetics.
Project Dead
Creator: Servilletor
More of a proof of concept than much else, Project Dead is a short cinematic where you walk down a hallway littered with dead bodies. With a massive gun at your disposal and a suggested history of carnage, it gives off some mega Doom vibes. I look forward to seeing what else its creator brings to Dreams.
Project Zero
Creators: X_DISARMED_PRO, Rothniel
This collaboration between two players, one of which is the creator of Prometheus, is a beautiful-looking FPS that shows off Dreams' potential for realism. The team only has a visual test that's viewable on Dreams called 'Metro - Realistic Visual Benchmark' that doesn't have any gameplay. Details are slim, but you can take a look at some stunning screenshots here from the developer.
Have you been playing the closed beta? Made any cool projects yourself, or come across some we didn't mention here? Let us know in the comments!
I liked Mark Of The Ninja a lot when it was originally released back in 2012. I didn’t finish it, mostly because I was starting grad school, but I loved its approach to marrying platforming to the flexible stealth systems. I’ve been revisiting the remastered version of the game on Switch to finish it up while traveling, and have been having just as much fun as I did back on the original release, if not more. I also know I’ll dive back in for a second playthrough, but this time I’ll attempt a non-lethal run where I don’t kill anyone (except two characters you have to kill for story purposes). That awareness has gotten me thinking about why some of my favorite games I’ve ever played are immersive sims that give you the ability to proceed through their campaigns by non-violent means.
I’m not a pacifist by nature when it comes to games. If you ask anyone in the Game Informer office who’s had the misfortune delight of playing multiplayer games with me, you’ll probably hear that I enjoy a good dollop of carnage. One time I coaxed fellow editor Kyle Hilliard into a car in Ghost Recon Wildlands and then blew him to smithereens for the heck of it. There was another time in Red Dead Online where I shot a box of dynamite that another colleague of mine was standing next to. I like violence and chaos in games. For me, nailing gory headshots in Resident Evil 2 is fantastic, as is dropping chandeliers on targets in Hitman. So what is it about pacifistic playthroughs in immersive sims that’s so appealing?
The appeal isn’t rooted in demonstrations upholding moral standards, but instead in understanding a game’s tools in a specialized way, to the point that you know how to create challenges for yourself by limiting said tools. Ultimately, I like to come away from games that emphasize player choice knowing that I’ve mastered those titles’ mechanics and systems. For immersive sims, that often means getting through the game without killing a soul.
Take Dishonored. It’s easy to complete that game as a whirlwind of murder and chaos, summoning plague rats to feast on foes or slowing down time to blast three enemies with your flintlock pistol before they react. However, Dishonored is at its best when it convinces you to create your own rules for your playthrough, to inhabit a particular mindset for your character and stick to it.
I love my nonlethal runs (yes, plural) through Dunwall because Dishonored's systems are enjoyable enough that making rules for myself (like not killing guards or being spotted by them) created exciting challenges to overcome. For example, knowing how to get past all of the guards in the level where you return to Dunwall tower is extremely difficult when you only allow yourself to use the game’s teleportation power, blink, to do so. These restrictions force you to learn the game by heart, knowing where foes will patrol, how long you have to react if they turn their head in your direction, and where the safest places to hide out are.
I still return to the original Dishonored quite frequently because it’s one of those games I’ve spent so long playing that the familiarity makes dreary Dunwall feel a bit like home. However, its systems are robust and lively enough that I create some new fantastic emergent story every time I play, like how I managed to infiltrate Lady Boyle’s estate in my last game by possessing a fish. Sure, tearing foes to bits with your ridiculous array of powers is fun, but it's nowhere near as entertaining to me as leaping from rooftop to rooftop and vanishing without a trace just before an enemy's eyes find you.
While Dishonored’s systematic flexibility still makes it the game I play the most non-lethally, I’ve started approaching other titles in a similar manner. Obviously, Hitman requires you to kill one or multiple targets to complete a mission. However, while I could stomach a couple of extra casualties in earlier entries like Blood Money and Silent Assassin to complete a mission, killing an unintended NPC in the last two games feels like a massive error (due in large part to how strongly they punish your performance rating). I always restart or reload an earlier save until I can pull off the contract like a true professional.
With Mark Of The Ninja, I’m currently slashing people from the shadows left and right, mostly because I’m still getting a good sense of what the gadgets can do. However, as bloody as this playthrough is, I'm still jotting down notes for tactics to use in the next run, like how combining smoke bombs and firecrackers in crowded rooms makes for a great distraction. I imagine Mark Of The Ninja is going to be hard as hell to pull off a pacifist playthrough given the savvy A.I. of the enemies, but I’m looking forward to my non-lethal run to test my understanding of the game and see if I can truly be the best ninja around.
What about you folks? Any games you love to do non-lethal runs with? Any games you hate to do 'em with? Sound off in the comments below!
Update: Microsoft has fixed the error, and it looks like everything is running normally.
Original Story: As of this afternoon, gamers turning on their Xbox Ones have reported (and we've experienced it ourselves) that the console won't let them sign in. Instead the console goes straight to a black screen.
Microsoft has acknowledged the problem, and at the time of this writing the company says it believes it has identified the issue.
In our experience with the problem and from anecdotal reports, users can get past the black screen (we pulled the power cord from ours and plugged it back in) but won't be able to sign in.
We'll update this story if we hear more from Microsoft.
We are aware of reports of Xbox One console startup, title update and sign-in errors. We will keep everyone informed once we have more information to share. Thank you all for your patience.
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) January 30, 2019Our teams have identified the cause for our earlier issues and are continuing to address these now. Thank you for your patience, we'll update again when we know of any other changes.
— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) January 30, 2019[Source: Microsoft]
During a massive cold front, the last thing you might want to think about is diving beneath an arctic surface, but Subnautica was never about making you comfortable. That feels like the thesis statement behind the newest Subnautica game, which puts you both above and below the ice.
Check out the first teaser trailer for Subnautica: Below Zero, which is out on Steam Early Access today.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThere's a host of new freakish creatures that will no doubt make your existence frightening, new arctic biomes, alien artifacts to investigate, and new mysteries to figure out.
The game launched on Early Access today as totally standalone content, essentially a sequel, which means you don't require Subnautica at all the play. That's good news if you grabbed the game last month on the Epic Games Store for free, since it in no way affects the Steam version of Below Zero.
You can read our review of Subnautica right here.
Apple officially acknowledged a bug in their iPhone Facetime feature the other day, confirming that callers could use Facetime to listen in on someone's phone while the call is ringing. The Cupertino tech company promised to send out an update soon to fix this security hole, but it turns out the flaw was found over ten days ago from a 14-year-old trying to play Fortnite with friends.
From a report by the Wall Street Journal, Grant Thompson was trying to play Fortnite with friends and conference them in using Facetime when he discovered the bug. Thompson told his mom and the two of them tried to contact Apple through multiple types of social media, email, and even faxing them. Apple denied the report of the bug without having a developer account, forcing the pair to take it to Apple's security team. Despite there being a "bug bounty" for finding and reporting security issues to the company, the roundabout way the Thompsons had to do it let Apple avoid paying out the bounty to them. Now that the story is public knowledge, it isn't known whether the company has paid young Grant Thompson for finding it.
There's no permanent fix for the Facetime security hole yet, so if you have any kind of iDevice with Facetime support, it's smart to just disable Facetime. There are even reports of people using the security hole to access the camera before someone responds to a Facetime call, so if you don't want that happening, just don't use the feature for now.
[Source: Wall Street Journal]
The common refrain for middling or non-committed Kingdom Hearts fans is that the series is confusing. The narrative has gotten too bloated and there are too many characters who aren’t familiar Disney or Final Fantasy characters who talk a lot about the darkness in their hearts with tears streaming from their eyes. And sometimes those characters are the same people, even though they look completely different.
This is all absolutely true, but if I am being honest with myself, I have been confused about what is happening in Kingdom Hearts since the opening tutorial of the original game. When Sora transitioned from pre-rendered cutscene and gently floated onto a gigantic stained-glass platform featuring Snow White and the seven dwarves, I knew I was in for something weird. Even exploring Sora’s tiny little island home felt strange and alien, and I remember marveling at how the end of Kingdom Hearts II threw all established laws of gravity out the window for a bizarre, but flashy finale.
Even when the Kingdom Hearts series only accounted for one game, I had trouble following it. The whole series plays like someone else’s fever dream, but since you yourself are not the dreamer, the logic never quite clicks into place. To Kingdom Hearts’ credit, I think this is the intention, to feel like you are in a dream, but it doesn’t make it any less confusing. It is a unique story, even if it is a poorly constructed one. There is nothing else like it, which counts for something in an era when so much entertainment is a series of tropes.
When it comes to Kingdom Hearts III, I am very confused about what is happening – but I don’t care. My eyes glaze over during the surprisingly long cutscenes that explain what is happening with Organization XIII. Anytime the guys with black hooded trench coats and giant zippers emerge from swirling black vortexes so Sora can shout their unfamiliar name at them, I instinctively check my phone. During one cutscene in which Mickey explained why Xehanort is multiple people of varying ages, I managed to pay a number of online bills I had been putting off.
The story moments I do follow are the self-contained ones that take place in the individual Disney (and now Pixar) levels. In most cases, Sora and pals are entering these areas as strangers unfamiliar with the worlds, which affords the story a moment to reset and start from zero. I particularly enjoyed Toy Story’s Toy Box world. These individual Disney/Pixar-centric short stories are saccharine and often cheesy, but they’re not confusing, and it’s fun to play through them.
The combat is also huge, fantastic, and flashy. I would go so far as to say it is probably my favorite combat of any action-RPG. It pushes you to use huge special attacks often and Sora’s animation is fluid and expressive in a way that makes every encounter, even the ones against piddling little groups of heartless, worth taking on. The combat is the best it has ever been in the series, and it is a highlight.
Ahead of Kingdom Hearts III’s release, I watched some catch-up videos, read some story summaries (like Kim's beginner guide to the series and intern Hunter's open plot threads piece), and replayed some of Kingdom Hearts II. Before starting a save file in III, I even watched all the Memory Archive videos, but it was about half-way through those that I realized I just don’t care. I enjoy the gameplay, world, level design, Disney references and Easter Eggs, and music enough that if that one facet of my Kingdom Hearts experience, understanding the larger story, is underdeveloped, then so be it. As I bounce around worlds, pay bills during cutscenes, and call in Disney attractions to absolutely destroy enemies and bosses, I am having a great time.
For our review of Kingdom Hearts III, which comes from our in-house series expert, Kimberly Wallace, head here.
The Division 2's private beta kicks off on February 7. Today Ubisoft outlined what exactly players will be experiencing when they walk into the decimated nation's capital for the first time.
The array of content is impressive. Players start off by establishing the base of operations, then venture into a couple of story missions, a handful of side activities, one dark zone to explore, plus the Skirmish 4v4 organized multiplayer mode.
While checking out these offerings, agents can unlock skills and rank up to level seven. Starting February 8, players can also check out some endgame content. Developer Massive is giving players control of a level 30 agent to check out an Invaded mission and test out one of the three specializations.
Click here to watch embedded mediaThe demo is available for anyone who pre-orders the beta at participating retailers for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or PC. You can also register for a chance to get into the private beta here. The times you can start downloading the demo and jump into action are outlined below.
The Division 2 releases on March 15 for all three aforementioned platforms. To learn more about the new dark zone and PvP, read our extensive preview or check out our interview with Red Storm creative director Terry Spier.
Sony has announced February's free games for PlayStation Plus members – one handles its violence stealthily, the other not so much: Hitman: The Complete First Season and For Honor.
These two games are available starting February 5 until March 5.
Meanwhile, PS3 and Vita owners get Divekick (PS3, cross-buy with Vita), Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3), Gunhouse (Vita, cross-buy with PS4), and Rogue Aces (Vita, cross-buy with PS4) until March 8. This batch of PS3 and Vita titles are the last ones for the platforms through PlayStation Plus.
Members can download all free titles to their collection during these times, and they remain in your library as long as you are a member of the service.
PlayStation Plus members are also getting a big bonus in early February: Sony is upping members' cloud storage from 10GB to 100GB.
Finally, members with PSVR can grab savings on select PSVR titles such as Borderlands 2 VR and Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Gold Edition until February 5.
[Source: Official PlayStation Blog]
Click here to watch embedded media In the arduous absence of Nintendo's long-forgotten strategy series Advance Wars, many developers have tried their hand at replicating its magic. Few have succeeded like Wargroove, which, as you'll read in our review, is a fantastic game that is both an ode to simple-yet-deep tactics games but also builds and iterates on them in surprising ways.
It also has several cool modes (and crossplay!), so Leo Vader and I sat down for a quick overview of everything the game has to offer, including the campaign, arcade, puzzle modes, and multiplayer modes. There's also a very in-depth creator tool, which lets you create entire campaigns from scratch, so I of course took it upon myself to one-up developer Chucklefish's campaign with one of my own. I think you'll find it up to scratch.
After her father is assassinated and her forces overwhelmed, times are dire for Mercia, a newly-minted queen who must prove she’s capable of leading an established empire to victory. Wargroove sits in a similar place, as it hopes to prove itself worthy of a mantle established by other greats in the turn-based tactics genre. Thankfully, it captures the appeal of its inspirations while also making some inspired decisions, making it much more than a retread of an established field.
Wargroove is firmly planted in the colorful and lighthearted turn-based warfare of tactics games like Advance Wars, but it’s all business when it comes to the fundamentals. The basic mechanics seem simple at first, as you slowly build an army of medieval infantry and creatures, claim the territory and gold necessary to finance it, then push into your opponent’s side of a grid-based map. Even so, Wargroove gives you plenty to learn. The campaign teaches you the ins and outs of warfare, then ramps up into a satisfying, well-paced experience. Tips are rolled out at a slow but steady clip, which is necessary for a game with plenty of details to obsess over.
Mercia’s quest is chock-full of misunderstandings that lead to full-scale conflicts with other nations, which conveniently provide opportunities to build armies and test your strategic prowess. Beating some of the later missions felt like a huge accomplishment, and I regularly kicked into “one more turn” mode as I tried to break a chokepoint with only a healer and a knight, or the risk an entire skirmish on slipping a key unit past the enemy’s pincer strike in an unprotected wagon.
Click here to watch embedded mediaSome of the later missions made me long for mid-mission checkpoints (especially when one dumb, accidental move cost me a match), but the limitations raise the stakes and make victory that much sweeter. The computer opponent also makes some dunderheaded moves on occasion, but it provides a good challenge for the most part, and the overwhelming odds most missions throw at you make up for the obvious mistakes.
The hierarchy of infantry, airborne units, and powerful seafaring creatures and vessels is varied but succinct, giving every unit a distinct purpose and counter on the battlefield. Blinded by fog? Recruit a few dogs and plant them on mountaintops to cut through it. Need to stop the lumbering golem wrecking your soldiers? Build a trebuchet, but remember that it can’t move and launch its payload on the same turn. Predicting what units your opponent might have up their sleeve turns every match into an engaging series of puzzles that collide with each other as you manage different fronts, and an at-a-glance breakdown of what every unit is strong and weak against helps push your strategy in the right direction.
Commanders are the strongest units under your control, but losing them in the field of battle means losing the match. They have access to powerful “groove” abilities, like being able to summon any unit right next to them. Some are stronger than others, but they all introduce just enough flash to make every fight interesting without feeling like a game-winning crutch.
One brilliant twist on the tactics formula Wargroove thrives on are its critical hits, which give every unit a way to deal extra damage under a set condition. Knights hit extra-hard if they charge a full six spaces before attacking, while golems power up at low health. I love the strategic layer added by maximizing my army’s effectiveness by tweaking the specific angles, distances, and order of my offense (as well as weather conditions), since it removes the onus to blindly throw a mass of units at a problem.
Click image thumbnails to view larger version
Another way Wargroove stands out is in how many outlets it gives you to test your mettle, each of them fun and catering to a different need. Along with a meaty campaign, you can jump into the speedier arcade mode, which has you pick a commander and pits you in a five-match gauntlet on random maps against the A.I.; I appreciate having a way to just sit down and play a couple of self-contained matches. If you want an even shorter burst of action, a number of clever puzzles task you with completing a set objective in a single turn.
Multiplayer lets you hop into a match with one to three others either locally or online, though I would have liked the option to fill in missing slots with computer opponents. The connections in the matches I played seemed to hold up, though the lobby system could use some tweaking when it comes to playing with friends. If the included maps aren’t enough you can make your own, with a fantastic degree of customization. You can even make your own campaigns, complete with cutscenes and overworld maps. I’m generally not the type to dive into creative suites, but I’m impressed with how thorough the editor is, and I’m curious to see what comes of it.
It might be easy to peg Wargroove as an imitator, but its genius is in details. With tons of modes and maps it doesn’t skimp on content, but the approachable-yet-nuanced tactics at its heart, as well as the way it deftly iterates on the genre, make it an outstanding title. It might be building on a strong foundation, but Wargroove earns its crown on its own merits.
Summary: Wargroove is a fantastic tactics game that builds and iterates on the genre in clever ways.
Concept: Command medieval armies of knights, harpies, and sea turtles across several modes, while building on the arcade strategy genre
Graphics: The pixelated graphics are a gleeful nod to strategy games of yore, though some of the text can be hard to read
Sound: Commanders have their own unique theme music, though the standard fantasy soundtrack can sometimes bleed together
Playability: Commanding units is straightforward and quick, despite some minor menu hang-ups. A zoomed-in view makes it easier to focus on the battle when undocked on Switch
Entertainment: Wargroove offers several ways to get your turn-based strategy fix, whether it’s playing through an hours-long campaign, creating your own scenarios, or playing online
Replay: High
Comments
Post a Comment