Game Previews

Hands-On Impressions: Tom Clancy’s The Division Beta – A Cold Dark World

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Tom Clancy’s The Division is possibly one of the most anticipated games of 2016. This was easily demonstrated by how quickly beta codes ran out during the betas duration. For those that got to experience Tom Clancy’s The Division, we were given an opportunity to take a glimpse at a game that was rather interesting and well crafted. Tom Clancy’s The Division Beta takes place shortly after a weaponized version of smallpox has managed to go pandemic and wipe out a giant sum of New York’s residents, but it had also managed to go worldwide and do the same amount of damages in confirmed locations such as London where their recovery attempt is under way from what we are able to assume.

For us? Efforts to restore New York have gone underway. The JTF as well as The Division and local rescue teams have begun helping those that need it. Doing so included building quarantine zones, setting up checkpoints, and even going as far as locking down zones such as the “Dark Zone” where only the best of the best or the worst of the worst even go to look due to contamination. This is where players got to spend a lot of their time in game if they weren’t already out and about doing alerts.

What the Game Has Stayed True to Since 2013

The Division has been a game we’ve all watched with wonderment over what it would become. Some of us probably assumed the development teams at Ubisoft Massive, Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Reflections, Ubisoft Annecy have been busy at work making. What we’ve seen of the game until now was a rather visceral future that could potentially happen if someone was crazy enough to weaponize a virus to this scale. The gameplay footages we’d seen were true tactical sessions where players would find themselves bouncing from cover to cover to find vantage points. With weapons being highly customizable we also knew this would be playing another large piece within the game’s world. What we didn’t know was just how in depth our character editing would go since the gameplay footage had never really shown this bit. In the sessions we’d seen from gaming events we also knew the game was going to be rather beautiful, something Ubisoft has become known for in the most recent future, and something they seem to be at peace doing. This is another portion of the game that has also managed to stay alive over the years as fans around the world sat on edge for the Beta itself.

So the question is what has changed if anything? To be honest? Nothing. Ubisoft’s teams have managed to keep exactly to what they said the game would be. A tactical game that would offer players a chance to team up to take on enemies on the streets and help the citizens of New York. Let alone would the game offer varying degrees of difficulty, it would also offer high amounts of customization so that players can utilize their characters to how they see fit. Something that was well done in the beta thanks to weapon tuning, weapon modifications, and even armor pieces. They also had mentioned that the games Dark Zone would be one of the most dangerous locations in the games as teams of four can work together to take over, or simply go rogue and take out other agents, and steal their loot. This also stayed rather true in the beta this weekend. They’ve carried through with their words quite closely, but the one thing that was a bit troublesome is that character customization (as seen in our video below with gameplay and commentary), is that it was limited to a randomizer not showing us the full depth of customization availability or even how it works. While this may be due to the game being in development at the moment, we know that crunch time is here, and the teams are hard at work giving the game a few finishing touches.

The Things We’ve Learned from the Beta – The Good

Like any beta, especially Destiny’s, we’ve been given a taste of what the game will be about. While the beta was a 24.8GB install, we know that much of that install was the release title, and much of that content was locked due to how the game was set up for this test. The good part of it was we got to finally see what Ubisoft has been showing off for the past several years, which was fine tuned to the extent of being immaculate. While a few flaws did stand in place, they were nothing that won’t be fixed within the final version, which is expected.

First of all weapon customization was a key factor within this beta. Being able to add scopes, grips, laser sights, larger magazines, all of it gave us the idea of what the final version would have in store. For my time in the beta? I spent a vast majority of it with an L86SW running around with a acog scope, a larger clip, and even a compensator to help my weapon stabilize a bit. This is much different from my choice of using a SCAR-L with a marksman scope, front grip, large magazine, and even a silencer to hide myself a bit better from enemy forces. Hell it even helped in the Dark Zone when going rogue with a group of friends. (The video below contains us going Rogue Agent as well as objective based gameplay where we decide to take out thugs around Manhattan)

Though weapon customization was a bit fascinating it was also interesting to see that Ubisoft paid a lot of attention to detail with the virus and contaminated zones. The game had zones that would warn players if their masks were not safe for that area by telling them if their contamination levels were safe or not. If not? It’s safe to assume that getting healed up at a decontamination zone or even using a anti-viral would be the safest bet. However we were unable to test this since there weren’t safety zones that the beta would require higher level breathing masks. We also got to take a glimpse at itemization, which includes gloves, knee pads, armoured vests, supplies such as water, food, snacks, grenades, and much more. Each of these all played their own pivotal role in how players would approach combat situations. If you had bottled water? Best time to drink it was before combat and using healing items as it made them much more effective. Want a tactical advantage against your enemies? Easy, throw out an incendiary grenade and force your enemies to abandon their cover and re-situate themselves.

While the beta offered plenty of NPC encounters, the beta had really given us a glimpse of what to expect from assisting the JTF, but an idea of what we can find in the Dark Zone whether it’s off NPCs or players or simply both. The approach to collecting Dark Zone items comes at a heavy cost for some players as rogue agents are always hiding in the shadows with a squad or simply with highly powerful weapons.

The Things We’ve Learned from the Beta – The Bad

Even though we knew the game was going to have a beta, the problem with the beta wasn’t that it wasn’t a solid tactical shooter or even squad shooter, it was the fact the beta came with a handful of weapons, a handful of JTF situational objectives, and even a small amount of story mission. This meant players got to do two missions. Report to their soon to be home base, save the doctor for the medical wing, and hunt down supplies in order to open up the recovery ward. Outside of that? The beta proved that the game has a lot that it can account for, but dared to show off more than just a sip of the kool aid.

But one thing did become apparent to this game. Anyone in the squad could mark map objectives, change mission objective locations they want to at anytime, and even run off and leave their friends behind in order to complete the missions. In the beta? This type deal actually caused me to have to redo the one side mission we got, which was to locate a missing woman, and bring her back alive if she is alive. I had to go back to part three out of four on this side mission and complete the last two steps in order to get the mission completion. Even then? It still felt odd that I was having to complete a portion of the mission we’d already completed even though I was two steps behind him.

The Things We’ve Learned from the Beta – The Ugly

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One of the weakest points of the game was the fact it feels like a slight graphical downgrade from the versions we’d seen at E3, Paris Game Show, and even Gamescom. The gameplay was gorgeous, don’t take it the wrong way, but it wasn’t as cinematic as the trailers or gameplay we’d seen before, which makes us wonder if what we saw before was a devkit running the game at settings consoles can’t handle. Or if we’re going to get another Watch_Dogs situation where the game was gorgeous, still is, but just not cinematically gorgeous. Then again this can all come tumbling down to cost, performance, and limitations based on what can be delivered at launch. If I had anything to say about this? Someone needs to get Kojima Studios on the phone and see how they can go about an engine like his own, but for now? The graphics will do. We just hope to see a bit more polish on them when the game launches since we only saw the beta, not a finished product.

The truth is? If one were to go into the Dark Zone, we’d expect to find looters, enemy factions such as the Riker’s or even The Cleaners. Truth is? It was rather empty unless players wandered around for a good ten or fifteen minutes assuming another squad didn’t wipe out the enemies, take the loot, and wander off. If you were wanting equipment? Best chance players had was getting lucky with drops or simply having a strong enough squad to wipe out enemy forces. Half the time? It meant all out war near extraction zones for equipment. During those moments? Players who wanted to crouch while sneaking to cover? Good luck doing so, this wasn’t happening so far in The Division, which is a feature odd not to have in a title like this one since we were able to sneak in titles such as Assassin’s Creed, Watch_Dogs, and even Rainbow Six. Hopefully this can somehow be added in at a later date.

If anyone is one to open up the minimap and listen to comms chatter or even just basic comms chatter? Many will become accustomed to hearing “He killed Alex!”, which is quite troublesome as it is a name we hear quite frequently throughout the time spent on the beta if players end up walking around the streets. Biggest issue with that? We don’t have a clue who “Alex” is and why we should care about him. All we know? He was killed. Don’t be like Alex until we figure out who Alex is.

Post Release DLC Plans – These Actually are Interesting

We already know Tom Clancy’s The Division is supposed to be a single entry game. Something that we’ve seen The Crew do when it released last year and managed to stay on track by adding expansions to itself. We’ve also seen this happen with Rainbow Six Siege as it is getting DLC over time and will allow for players to enjoy a single title with a rather hefty amount of future content. For Tom Clancy’s The Division owners? It’s suggested to spend a bit extra and just get the season pass. So let’s take a look at the post-launch plans.

“The free updates to be released for all players will add new game modes such as challenging group-oriented operations to test players’ abilities in co-op mode and win unique rewards.

The 3 paid expansions are included in the Season Pass and will be released over the course of the year. Each expansion builds on The Division, continuing your agent’s journey and progress with new content, gear and gameplay as you fight to take back New York:

  • Expansion I: Underground
    This first major expansion opens up a new area to players as they explore the uncharted underworld of New York City with up to 4 friends for intense co-op action
  • Expansion II: Survival
    In this expansion, players will have to survive as long as possible in a very hostile environment that will challenge even the most talented agents.
  • Expansion III: Last Stand
    Stay tuned for more information.

At launch, Season Pass owners will also unlock the exclusive Sawed-off Shotgun, a unique sidearm customized for short-range destruction. Season Pass owners also receive a set of exclusive outfits and weapon skins, as well as access to special monthly benefits including exclusive content drops and special events.”

While it seems that Ubisoft will support players who have the season pass and those that don’t rather fairly? It’ll be interesting to see just how many people pick up the season pass in order to get the unique items, unique events, and the bonuses as they are released throughout the games life-span.

Closing Thoughts

Even though I’ve found a few things to grunt about with Tom Clancy’s The Division, it’s hard to say that these things are something worth raising a racket over. I’m sure if Ubisoft was dealing with a roar of complaints? They would find themselves in a situation much like Destiny is in now where many players have already begun to abandon the game, much like I did back October. Let’s just hope that Ubisoft has taken notes on what to do and what not to do in the long run.

Tom Clancy’s The Division is set to release on March 8th, 2016 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One starting at 59.99 USD.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Hands-on-Impressions: Killing Floor 2 – Return of the Patriarch – The King has Returned

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

 

Pros:
+Significant performance improvements
+New boss the Patriarch has returned with new capabilities
+New Gunslinger class welcomes in classic dual wielding pistols
+New playable character Oisten Jagerhorn is a delightful personality
+New dual wielded pistols are a blast to use

Cons:
-None that we can note

 

As you’ve seen in past articles, Killing Floor 2 has quickly become one of David and I’s favourite games to date on PC. For us this game offers up a delightful experience in coop and it doesn’t end there. Thanks to our friends over at Tripwire’s PR team, we’ve been able to go hands on with this game over the Thanksgiving Weekend with its latest content patch preview.

In it we did take note to several things that were an overall improvement to the experience. The micro-transaction DLC has been implemented into the menu, for players who wanted an easier to see and navigate menu were also given that, but also they were given the ability to optimize settings for Nvidia FLEX, which allowed for a more beautiful and gory time than before.

With all these vast improvements we’ve taken note that Tripwire has finally began to also take on the crowd like my dad that prefers to use a controller versus a mouse, something I myself have began to appreciate. With those little things aside, we get to take a new look at the upcoming content, which was more delightful than we had ever imagined.

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“Return of the Patriarch” offers up several new things outside of technical things and appearance. First off we get to see two new maps such as Farmhouse and Black Forest, both of which are amazingly entertaining and creative. First off Farmhouse, which many will reflect upon a past Killing Floor map that introduced us to well, a boat house and a field full of zombies, this is much the same. This map does offer a diverse experience as players will take on the fight through a barn house, a cellar and even the farmhouse itself, which is two floors. Black Forest, however, is a step away from that as it is a rather large and forested area with a stream, cave, crashed experiment shuttle and well… Tons of Zeds who just want to maul you to death or cover you in hugs and kisses. That’s for you to decide, but I’ll go with the third option and go through them with dual wielded Desert Eagles as a Gunslinger. The Gunslinger offers a unique role to these maps and offers a wider variety from past classes. Something that is a very welcomed sight as we’ve spent quite a bit of time on this game in order to find each unique hidden token on the map. Plus, who doesn’t want to run around slinging guns like they were playing a western film? I know David and I did. It was spectacular needless to say.

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One of the most unique things about this update isn’t just the fact they have introduced the return of The Patriarch, but they have changed him in ways that make him more challenging than before. Let alone has his weakness point changed he can stealth, rush players and even lure them in for a devastating attack that can seemingly be prevented as long as players attempt to stay back far enough from his brutal attack that will send players flying into a tree, stream or off a cliff if they aren’t careful.

If you’re wanting to know a bit about Oisten don’t be afraid. This character is vibrant in the sense his mouth is like a sailors. He’s not scared to trash talk and he loves to watch Zeds fall before him. Who doesn’t though? His customizations are quite simple, overall Oisten looks like he could be Casey Jones’ long lost brother-from-another-mother that doesn’t wield a hockey stick or a goalie mask. Instead? He’s just a badass with a few guns, flame throwers or what have you based on your class of choice.

KF2_ReturnOfThePatriarchUpdate_006

Killing Floor 2 – PC (Previewed)
Developer: Tripwire Interactive
Publisher: Tripwire Interactive
Cost: 39.99
Release Date: Now Available via Early Access

While the Patriarch himself is quite challenging he adds in a new bit of situational awareness to the game compared to Hans Volter. Offering the challenge it does, Killing Floor 2 is a title that does not spare itself any shortage with this new content update as it seeks to bring the title closer to a full-fledged release title. While the game could use a few more maps, a few more bosses and even a few more guns, the game is very well fleshed out thanks to this upcoming update. We just hope to see more like it in the essence of challenge, improvements and overall content whether it’s free or paid DLC. This DLC is sure to bring players in for a lot more Zed killing and seems to almost give it a console feel thanks to the ease of movement with a controller.

Our preview is based upon the preview version that the publisher provided us with.  For information about our ethics policy please click here.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Hands-On Impressions – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – The Legacy Besieges Next Gen

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

b2c2d-rainbowsixsiege

 

Editor’s Note: Due to the limited content available on the Beta, we’ve been unable to experience all of the operatives that will be available in the final version of the title. While we would also like to have more pictures, we still have to get them uploaded through both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Thanks for reading and enjoy the article.

 

With Tom Clancy having passed away what seems just like yesterday, his legacy has continued to live on without him and the legacy seems to be going into the right direction. With his passing we’ve seen one of the most anticipated titles of 2015 coming soon and with it coming as soon as it is, I’ve spent plenty of time playing a game that carries on a franchise I’ve come to love over the last seventeen years. Originally released in August of 1998, Rainbow Six set up one of the most tactical games we’d ever get to play next to franchises such as Delta Force and SWAT. The difference between all these? Rainbow Six has come to be one of the most renowned and long lived franchises in the tactical FPS genre. However, many of you may know that Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege has seem some major changes over the last few years since it was originally announced as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Patriots, which would feature an ever changing campaign based upon player decisions as well as occurrences that would remain outside of player control or rather as The Doctor would say “fixed points in time”.

So what has remained since the conception of Rainbow Six Patriots to Siege? The multiplayer content, which will feature an always online portion of the game for competitive play. Much like the rather successful Ghost Recon Phantoms, Siege takes on a note that the online modes are where players will be constantly turning to. Unlike Phantoms, Rainbow Six Siege does not feature highly customizable characters, instead players will find themselves decking out operatives who have a special set of skills, specialized weapons and even specialized stats for each of them. Such as Mute who is an important operative to have on TDM – Bomb where players will eliminate each other while trying to seize an objective. This includes Mutes (defender only operative) ability to place jamming devices that disable enemy drones as well as technology so that they can’t use it against the defending team in the manner they choose. On the flipside we have Ash who is a force to be reckoned with thanks to her over-penetrating explosive round that goes through breachable walls only to detonate on the other side and causing havoc around any corner that enemies may be attempting to use to their advantage.

Thanks to these minor changes there are a few things that players will find new compared to past titles, which some of it’s good and some the bad, so let’s take a look at “The Good”, “The Bad”, and “The Ugly” to see what direction this game has taken as well as what could be changed back into it at a later date.

/-/ The Good /-/

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six has seen some major changes compared to its rather successful previous entries known as Rainbow Six Vegas and Rainbow Six Vegas 2. In the past titles we saw heavy amounts of customization as well as unlocks thanks to the ACE system we’d grown to love on those games. This included the ability to unlock varied types of protection via armor, various attachments to each gun. While this has returned in many forms, there is something quite enjoyable and fulfilling about this new system they’ve used in regards to upgrading operatives the way they have. With these unlocks players will be able to unlock operatives starting at 500 renown each per faction (so this seems to be based on each faction, but I have seen this reset from 1,000-1,500 back to 500 after a set time) only to go up to 1,000 renown after having unlocked a second character, which went from Ash to Thatcher. When going to the “Operatives” menu, players can click on their unlocked operatives in order to unlock attachments for their specified weapons, setting them up with unlocks that range between 150-600 renown only to adapt their guns to better stats based upon their play style. This includes reducing recoil, sound, hiding muzzle flash even to grips in order to help stability while firing or scopes to allow for more range as well as accuracy for players who prefer not to use iron sights.

These benefits don’t just work when standing still on a flat platform such as a floor, a ceiling or aiming down from destroyed layers to other players. With Rainbow Six titles we’ve seen subtle changes to reality such as bullet penetration, velocity and range, but now we get to see one of the changes we’d never seen before; locales that can be almost fully besieged. This big change is what has truly fulfilled the games name “Siege”. As players approach through the only competitive mode in the open-beta referred to as TDM – Bomb, teams select a starting locale for both Offense and Defense, this can range from places such as offices, basements or even base-level locations. So lets use the most commonly rotated map called “House”. In this map players can choose a Children’s Bedroom, Master Bedroom or the Garage where players will attempt to lock down these areas as “Defenders”. As “Defenders” there are several things that will play a very integral role into winning or losing such as setting up proper defenses I.E. barricading walls, windows, doorways and setting up improvised traps like C4, electrified walls (Requires Castle) and communication as the biggest part of defense. While players can hide against walls and fixtures that can’t be penetrated by breach charges or bullets, there are other things such as flash bangs, grenades and even C4 sticks that can bring havoc upon defenders that are ill prepared. Thanks to those pesky little drones this can be worse as they can find enemy defense locations if they spot it or even players if they are detected. Luckily these can be jammed by Mute, slowed by barbed wire floor traps or shot.

On the offensive side there are a few things to take note of that can disrupt your luck of winning. Enemy teams, as stated, can prevent your breaching via electrified walls, reinforced walls, windows, traps and even the unmentioned security cameras. All of these play a key role in both attacking and defending since both teams are after the same objective, taking the defense point and eliminating the enemy team at whatever cost possible. The difference here is that offensive players can actually leave the building that they are attempting to invade in order to complete their mission goal of breaching it via any means necessary, finding the enemy objective and stopping it however possible. Many of these points of insertion to the locale to be breached can be rapelled while players can detonate charges on Windows, Walls, and floors depending on the level they are on whether it’s an upstairs room, floor level room or basement entry point. The most important thing to take away from these insertion points if they are reinforced is that characters on the offensive such as Thermite can break through these walls in order to detonate the flooring for players to breach through reinforced walls if they are not electrified.

This biggest change is a huge game changer for those who are veterans of the series.

/-/ The Bad /-/

There’s always things that help improve a game and degrade a series from further progression. As many fans of Rainbow Six are familiar with Rainbow Six Vegas and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 brought in a mechanic that would soon become a phenomenon that many games would begin to adopt later in. One that we’ve become familiar with thanks to games such as Gears of War, Binary Domain and even future entries to games that have yet to release. While this system was not initially created by the minds at Red Storm Entertainment and Ubisoft, many can attribute it to tactical games such as Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell and even games such as Syphon Filter or even later titles such as Killswitch among many others that would heavily rely on stealth features. However, with this latest entry we see a removal of this system in exchange for things such as shield placements and tactical kits that would make up for the removal of this system. While this system could seem troublesome with the newer mechanics it is a system that would help during breach situations so that players don’t find themselves so heavily exposed against besieged rooms.

Another ugly part of this game is the removal of character customizations as well as custom kits to fit a player’s setup in the way they prefer such as appearance, gear, primary and even secondary weapons. While it would be hard to implement this feature it is one that is yearned for among the in-game chats that seems to echo out among die-hard fans of the franchise. While it’s one that has been seemingly pushed to the side and forgotten while many players have discussed the idea within game chats that this would be a subtle yet very welcomed implementation through later updates. What makes this even worse through earlier titles? While it is fun to earn renowned and have a lack of a campaign there seems to be no sign of future uses of a Titanfall-esque campaign narrative between matches to give players an idea of what, why, where, when and how they are being deployed on their current tasking at hand. While many of these things are miniscule to most players, it’s something that the game does direly need with talents such as Angela Bassett taking a role as the leader of Rainbow Six. Another issue is how easy renown is to unlock for players who spend a few hour with boosters on the game. While this is nice it will quickly cause the game to run its course and eventually become another game on the shelf in the very near future. While this seems plausible it may not be possible if the game hosts as tactical and enticing gameplay as it does now through the various other modes that will hit when it launches.

/-/ The Ugly /-/

When it comes to ugly there’s always some things that absolutely should not be included within the game and the lack of several features makes this truly problematic. If you play games such as Battlefield or other tactical games, you are used to being able to lean around corner in order to acquire a target. While one would assume this is easy to do in Rainbow Six Siege, it’s quite opposite and seems almost absent from the game that makes it seem almost like a distant cousin to the Rainbow Six series. While this may seem miniscule to problems such as the login delays, party disconnections and even server time-outs, the game presents itself as a troubled title to its initial launch. With having already experienced several server time-outs and even random app-locks, the game finds itself needing a few hotfixes before its launch. Most of these bugs? Seem only present within the Xbox One version in comparison to the PlayStation 4 version of the game. Does this mean that the PlayStation 4 version is flaw free? No, it doesn’t, quite the opposite really. While graphics between the two versions are one-in-the-same the game does see some minor graphical slow downs in regards to FPS during moments of explosions and high particle effects the PS4 version seems to hold steady during these occasions and not degrading any form of performance in that regard.

While I would like to say everything is perfect on the PlayStation 4 I would be lying to you in truth. The PlayStation 4 does carry its own flaws in regards to certain parts of performance with matchmaking. The biggest issue comes down to matchmaking in the networking area. This has to do with the servers being incapable of finding matches when in parties of 3-4. While this would seem to be a minor problem to most this problem does exist and can lead to matchmaking taking upwards to 10-20 minutes before finding a lobby or a partner to fill those open spots. If this problem exists during the game’s initial launch, fans will find themselves a bit disgruntled when it comes out next Tuesday.

/-/ Final Thoughts /-/

While it may be hard to dissect every possibly good, bad and even horrible situation with this beta, the current state of the title, it seems that Ubisoft has been hard at work trying to kink out every single little bug possible before the game’s launch. With many of the subtle changes that could be made to the game post-launch let’s just hope that the Xbox One’s performance issues seem resolved with a Day One Patch or a post-launch patch within the following days.

With the game launching on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on December 1st, 2015, stay tuned for our upcoming review on both the PS4 and Xbox One in the upcoming days.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Just Cause 3 Gets Final Dev Diary

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

jc3_gamescom_sc1

If you aren’t already familiar with Just Cause as a franchise, the developers behind Just Cause 3 have some big plans for their protagonist Rico as well as the fans who take the chance to play the latest entry.

In the final dev diary we get to learn more about the games engine as well as an inside look on how they went about making this title even bigger, better and more explosive than past entries. So take a look below and see it all unfold.

Just Cause 3 is set to launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Hands-On: Overwatch – Blizzard Sets their Troops on the Ground

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

Overwatch

The Overwatch beta has been out for a few weeks and I’ve been lucky enough to participate in the fun. Blizzard is planning their stress test this weekend, which will include another round of beta invites on Friday.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Overwatch is a multiplayer first-person shooter in development by Blizzard Entertainment. The game shares similarities with Team Fortress 2 but incorporates MOBA style cooldown abilities that can be skillfully executed.

Overwatch_Team_Artwork

Overwatch currently has two 6v6 objective based modes where teams either defend or attack. There are currently 21 unique heroes with varied abilities that fit into four role types; tank, support, defense and offense. The defense role currently has two smaller archetypes, sniper and builder.

Blizzard’s UI offers suggestions for a defense and an offense team but at this point in the beta many teams consist of what each individual wants to play. There is a built-in VOIP that isn’t often used strategically but seems well put together. There is also a text-based chat box. You can immediately tell when you are playing a match against a team communicating and working together, while your team consists of four or five of the same ‘offense’ hero.

Thankfully, if the game is a slaughter, it is quickly won or lost. More commonly, both teams have synergy and are working the objective. These matches are magical and are incredibly addicting.

There are certainly heroes who are too powerful and will most likely be tweaked but overall the game feels balanced. Some heroes are played more often than others but within a few rounds I’ve seen every hero played. I’ve rarely tried a hero and thought it felt weak or boring. I, infact, had the opposite reaction most of the time I learned the abilities of a hero (usually warranting expletives – in a good way).

At the end of the match, a player is acknowledged for “Play Of The Game” video recap. Four players are recognized for exceptional skill and you can view your personal scores. A scoreboard showing your team’s scores is not currently available and I’m unsure it will be in the final version.

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The maps are beautiful and colorful. They are thoughtfully put together, connected with the heroes’ stories and have an almost “Pixar” art style. The Hollywood map is part of Hollywood Boulevard and a film studio, containing a sci-fi film set with aliens, and an old western film set. Map Hanamura, located in a Japanese suburb and temple, is sprinkled with vibrant, falling cherry blossoms. Map Dorado is located in the Mexican city, Dorado, and is a night map, lit up by the warm glow of street lights.

The Overwatch team has made sure there is something interactive to do, while you wait for teams to build or matches to start. When teams are forming you are able to explore a map and exchange fire with the other team, in a deathmatch style mode. No scores are kept during this time and when the teams are full it will pull you out of the map into the character selection screen. This was surprisingly refreshing and allows you try out characters you haven’t played before.

Overwatch is great. It is fast-paced, fun and challenging. The only thing I am concerned about when it comes to the beta, is that it will end soon.

Overwatch is set to release in 2016 on PC, Xbox One and PS4. Find out more information at PlayOverwatch.com.

 

About the Writer:

annie_helseth_batgr

Annie is an avid gamer who takes her love for gaming to the written format with her thoughts, opinions, and discussions regarding games in their current state, but as well as the industry. With her insight to PC gaming, Annie is one step ahead of the team, and looks to keep it that way.

 

Hands-On Impression: Star Wars Battlefront – Battlefield in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

/ Dustin Murphy / 2 Comments

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In a galaxy, not so very far away, we’ve been sitting down on PC’s, PlayStation 4s, and Xbox Ones holding our controllers in our hands, and blasting each other across the battlefields of Hoth and Tatooine. On these planets we’ve discovered just how close to real that D.I.C.E. and EA have made this game. With sound effects blasting from T.V.s, headphones, and even surround sound systems in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 7.1, Star Wars Battlefront has finally landed a beta on all the mentioned platforms. We’ve taken to flying Tie Fighters, Tie/IN Interceptors, X-Wings, A-Wings, AT-ST’s, and even manning the guns to the gorgeously as well as terrifyingly large AT-AT. But much has and has not changed since the days of Battlefront 2 where fans were fighting of both droids, clone troopers, and even Jedi heroes.

What’s most iconic about this game isn’t the fact it’s a minor departure from a series we grew up to love, but rather the fact EA has decided to take what them and DICE have perfected with Battlefield and mold it into the Star Wars universe in order to give us one of the most graphically astounding games to date. I don’t say that with a grin on my face to upset the fanboys or to bring myself to the culling due to my stance on the game, but even with games such as Bloodborne, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes/TPP, and even Killing Floor 2 sitting around; I have to state openly that Battlefront is one of the best looking games I’ve honestly played to date even in its Beta test, which seems to be a stress test for the servers. In doing so they invited us to try out three modes such as Drop Zone where you will capture escape pods for your team by holding them for a set amount of time, Walker Assault, which many will feel is a perfect representation of Battlefield’s Rush mode, and last, but not least the games weakest mode (at least to me) Survival, which can be played with a group of friends or solo in order to hone in your skills.

Star Wars Battlefront – PlayStation 4 (Version Tested), Xbox One, and PC
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC
Publisher: EA
Developer: DICE
Release Date: November 17th, 2015

But why did we find Survival so weak when that is supposed to be one of the strong suits of the game? Well the truth is that it felt underwhelming and poorly executed. When being shot at by Storm Troopers who felt like they were straight out of the movies you’ll find yourself cringing just a bit. When playing with the enemy shooting blasters at your team that should be hitting and not? It was almost as if the game was purposely programmed to give that movie authenticity, which lead us to quickly departing from this horde-like mode, which is all about surviving for an allotted amount of waves until an AT-ST pops up and decides to blast away at everyone.

This lead us to switching over to the multiplayer where we were introduced to the game mode Drop Zone, which places us in an undisclosed location on Tatooine. While this mode may seem familiar to others the mode is very much an attack and defend mode where players will be fighting over Escape Pods and even power-ups that will allow them to make it a bit harder for the opposing team to slow them down. While this mode did prove a bit more challenging than I had hoped for it was equally enjoyable when played with friends.

When grouped with friends any of the modes tend to be fun, but as we all know, there are challenges that came come up at any time. Where the game seems to shine the brightest in both graphical prowess and even player stability is the games largest mode called Walker Assault. This mode can easily be referred to as Battlefronts version of “Rush” from DICE’s other franchise known as Battlefield. In the Walker Assault mode we were pitted in the battle for Hoth where the Rebel Alliance is attempting to fight back the Imperial march on their home base for hoth. Here we see the Rebel’s taking action against the might of the Imperial forces on both ground and even air assault. In much of my time with this mode I spent a fair amount of time testing out the games aerial combat, vehicular combat on ground, and as a foot soldier utilizing my blasters, grenades, jetpack, my personal shield perk, and even the turrets that were pre-placed on the map. The goal as a Rebel? Fight back Imperial soldiers while trying to capture two Communication Relays in order for your team to call in Y-Wings to bring down the shields protecting the AT-AT’s. While doing so the game mode isn’t just chaotic, it’s a warzone – quite literally a Star Wars battlefield where implosion grenades, ion grenades, turret fire, rockets, cannon fire, and the likes are always going off.

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During my time it wasn’t uncommon to be blasted by squads of Stormtroopers that were spawning on one another in order to keep their partner system available (this is very reminiscent to Battlefields spawning system with the Uplink devices that soldiers would place). After having spent my fair share of time being blown up, respawned, shot by snipers, and even doing my fair share of the same, it was time to take to vehicular combat. First up was my run with the X-Wing. Much like in the movies the Tie Fighter is an excellent airship at maneuverability, firepower, and even aerial support. Unlike past Battlefront titles I didn’t get to just run up to an available vehicle and grab it – I had to hunt it down. After spending a matter of seconds jet packing around the map I was able to find my power up lying beside a blown up X-Wing that was all, but destroyed. Hitting my L1+R1 together my character knelt down, called for X-Wing support, and I was on my way into the battlefield as a member of the Rebel Alliances “Crimson Squad”. As I adjusted to the controls they came rather easy to learn having spent a lot of time piloting planes in Battlefield 4. Much like any title I found my left thumbstick for rotation to rotate side to side, front and back for speeding up and speeding down, and the right thumbstick for pitch and yaw. My D-Pad buttons offered evasive maneuvers for when under enemy fire, which most of the time was used to break missile lock. L1 was to activate shields while R1 was to launch a torpedo. In the game I commonly found myself holding onto L2 in order to lock onto enemy aggressors in the air only to start shooting at them while pursuing them. Much like ground weapons, vehicle weapons of all sorts overheat and must cool down if they are constantly fired.

On both ends of the stick each vehicle felt unique from the evasive TIE Fighter, TIE Interceptor clear down to the Rebels A-Wing and the T-47 Snowspeeder/Airspeeder. The most interesting part of vehicles was not piloting them, but even combating against them as they proved both lethal and at times quite clumsy when taking fire from the ground. Though the primary thing to take away from the battlefield of Hoth? The graphical prowess as well as scope of audio is immersive. Thanks to the use of sound effects straight from the movies such as the mechanical clumsiness of the AT-ST’s, the breach alarms of the AT-AT, the whine of the TIE Fighters flying sounds to the sound of their cannons, the game is overall very unique to how true it has stayed to the Star Wars franchise. To be quite honest? It feels as if DICE has spent hours on end sitting at the Lucas Studios in order to make the game true to the franchise. The musical score itself is quite impressive as it quietly plays behind the scenes during combat scenarios while more prominent songs strike a chord when something large scale occurs. While this is something that will strike a bit of nostalgia for some, the game stays true to what Star Wars is known for such as design, realism, graphical prowess, and its story telling elements. Thanks to DICE this has been fully possible within Star Wars Battlefront with a Beta test that could quite easily be called a success after downloading an 8GB file (rounded up from 7.8GB or so). The truth? If this game follows through like the beta did? Star Wars Battlefront could easily set itself up for a game of the year.

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Though as much as I would love to continue with the stroking of egos there were some underlying issues that would make developers cringe. One of these is trouble with partying up with friends. While the use of what felt like an Origin launcher within the menu’s, I found it almost troublesome to group up with friends as the game constantly reported that I had no friends online on Saturday and Sunday night for PlayStation 4. To ensure it wasn’t just me? We took our PS4 to multiple locales (friends who allowed us to invade their internet) in order to test this. To be honest? It was the servers quite possibly, but regardless it had been admitted by EA and DICE that they were stress testing the servers, which quite easily could have cause this issue. Another is minor audio cut-in and outs when navigating menus between matches. This having occurred on both of the B.A.T.G.R. PS4’s using our 100+ MBPS downstream internet with a 15.8 MBPS upstream. Another underlying issue isn’t just these small flaws, but instead there were a few that had been noted on the P.C. side by B.A.T.G.R. writer Ms. Helseth who noted that people had already been cheating to the point that one player in a lobby she had attended sat at 256 kills with 8 Deaths. Something that pales my 78 kills and 32 deaths in comparison. While this is an issue it only brings the question to whether or not Battlefront on P.C. will have an anti-cheat system in place to keep such things from happening.

We can only wait and see when Battlefront launches on November 17th, 2015 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One for $59.99 USD. Recently new modes and a season pass have been announced.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

What Makes You S.P.E.C.I.A.L.? Today’s Lesson is About Endurance

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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You already know the hard workers over at Vault-Tec are always hard at work in order to prepare for the possibility of a nuclear disaster on the apocalyptic scale. In a seven part series, Vault-Tec has addressed the seven defining attributes that make you S.P.E.C.I.A.L.

Today? They are going to give you a lesson on Endurance in order to help you better understand just how useful resisting the harmful effects of radiation and other dangers within the entire wasteland. Stay tuned for the upcoming episode on Charisma!

Fallout 4 is set to release worldwide on November 10, 2015 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over onTwitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

First-Impressions: Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson – Where Spanking the Competition Shades of Red Starts

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

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Senran Kagura is one of those series that’s easy to write off as another fanservice title with little character or substance. But when Burst hit the eshop back in 2013, I found a charming, if not ludicrously perverse, brawler that I actually began to enjoy. Since then, I’ve played through the Vita sequel, Shinovi Versus, which really took the original game and improved upon it in every way (except for Bon Appétit. That game was nothing but fanservice. Glorious, glorious fanservice.). With Shinovi setting the bar higher, I was looking forward to trying out Deep Crimson for the 3DS and seeing what improvements a more experienced team could produce.

Before I go any further though, I’d like to let everyone who played Burst know that the frame rate issues from the first game are almost non-existent. Aside from a few instances that will be covered later in the review, the game runs at a steady clip even on original 3DS hardware. Deep Crimson starts during the final events of Burst, with the girls from Hanzo Academy storming Hebijo in order to prevent Dogen from summoning a Yoma. As I jumped into the tutorial stage, the first thing I noticed was the level design. Rather than keeping the camera fixed above the stage like other Beat- ’em-Up titles such as Double Dragon; Deep Crimson has opted for a hybrid of Burst and Shinovi, with levels falling into two types: Open Arenas and Corridor Runner. The camera is still fixed but the angle gives it more of a 2.5D game, and it can be slightly manipulated if you have a CPP or N3DS, but thankfully the control scheme works well enough that neither is required. Within each stage, you’ll run between sectioned off areas where you’ll need to defeat enemies to continue on to the boss.

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Like Burst and Shinovi, combat has the potential for real depth with impressive combos that can be pulled off with practice and timing as button mashing will only get you so far before bosses begin to roll your fighters. One of the interesting new mechanics introduced in Deep Crimson is the partner combat system, where you’ll have control over two fighters. By pressing the A button, your characters will switch places, giving you the ability to daisy chain several powerful attacks, leaving your enemies in a perpetually stunned state. When you add in stat boosting Shinobi Stones that enhance healing and damage dealing stats, the potential to abuse this new system becomes apparent. But between bouts of combat is what I think is the best part of the game, the writing.

To be clear, the story thus far hasn’t been anything spectacular, but it’s the character interactions that are the real jewel with plenty of hilarious, tongue-in-cheek moments. On more than one occasion, I found myself actually laughing at the dialog. Of note, the language is a tad more colorful than I remember from the previous entries. I never played the original Japanese version, so I couldn’t tell you if Mirai had a sailor’s mouth, but seeing her drop f-bombs does have a certain shock factor. Perhaps it is because this is a Nintendo system that I’m just not as accustomed to seeing salty language, but the cursing feels out of place. In many ways, I feel like I’m watching a fansub where the translator used curse words just for the sake of cursing.

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The further I get into this game, the more I begin to feel that there’s real potential in this series. Sure, the premise of Senran Kagura has always been sexy ninjas with destructible clothing, but with a third game finished and a fourth one due out for PSV/PS4 next year, the series has laid down its foundation and begun to fill in the lore necessary for future games to continue on with a cohesive storyline and universe. Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson is now available in stores and on the Nintendo eshop. Life and Hometown forever.

About the Writer:

Greg F. is an RPG enthusiast whom absolutely enjoys the niche titles that come across from the East. When it comes to beat-’em-up brawlers such as Senran Kagura, Greg knows the titles just about as good as anyone else, but his passion not-so-secretly sits with his love for retro games from the NES and Sega period. In his free time Greg contributes to B.A.T.G.R. with his knowledge of such feedback.

Preview: Killing Floor 2 Incinerate ‘n Detonate Update Part 2 – Firebug and More

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

KF2_IncinerateAndDetonate_Update5

Editor’s Note: This title is absolutely not meant for children and we highly recommend approaching this title with high discretion for minors.

So you’ve had your hands on the Incinerate ‘N Detonate update that came to Killing Floor 2 for a few days now I’m guessing. If not? Right now is the opportune time to get your hands on it since you can find the game for 19.99 USD (33% off the full price of the game) over on Steam. If you want to upgrade to the Deluxe Edition? Now is your best chance since it’s only 6.66 (see what happened there?), but now it’s time to discuss the newest class in Part 2; The Firebug. Thanks to the update you’ve also finally had a chance to see how the game balanced itself out by adding two classes that were desperately needed in the long run of things and now they’re finally here. So what exactly did they bring in with the Firebug? There’s no secret that we here at Blast Away the Game Review have spent quite a bit of time with the game via the press-preview and even the pre-launch preview for the Incinerate ‘N Detonate. To be honest? In the first part of our preview we got to take a look at the Demolition perk that left us jumping for joy at the sight of zed body parts flying around. Now? The Firebug class has honestly grown on me. Having decided to spend some of my down time on our family trip to Chicago, I decided to rip out the laptop, boot it up, and get down on some Zed killing with the Firebug, which lead me to finding out that flame based weapons are now my favorite ones out of them all.

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Much like the Demolition class, Firebug starts off with some insanely useful weapons such as Molotov cocktails, the caulk ‘n burn, and the 9mm pistol. To be honest? I’d have loved to have seen a flare gun as one of the starting weapons for the Firebug class since this one has grown on me, but imagining seeing a zed glowing red? Priceless. Much like before the class comes in offering several huge feats; increased fire damage, increased fire resistance, and more. To be blunt? This class offers a huge advantage in the long run against some of the enemies and even offers a consistency in damage potency thanks to its weapons such as the Microwave Gun, Dragon’s Breath Spas 12, and even my favorite – Flamethrower. Thanks to its direct intention on delivering massive amounts of damage over time and up front, the Firebug is a class that is worthwhile having around when large groups of zeds end up rushing around the corner. Thanks to diversity in weapons, it’s nice being able to see enemies burn to a crisp while your team finishes off the rest or even sends their own bullets through the masses in order to support your damage. Just like before with the Demolition class, the Firebug is about pure damage and sustained group dispatching, but what else lay around that corner for you to enjoy? Take a look at the full change-log found on the Tripwire Forums here. We hope to see you helping us save London soon.

< Part 1: Demolition Perk|Part 2: Firebug Perk and More >

Our preview is based upon the Early Access version that was given to us by the games publisher.  For information about our ethics policy please click here.

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.

Preview: Killing Floor 2 Incinerate ‘n Detonate Update Part 1 – Demolitionist

/ Dustin Murphy / Leave a comment

KF2_May_Manor_1

Editor’s Note: This title is absolutely not meant for children and we highly recommend approaching this title with high discretion for minors.

If you’re a fan of zombie games like myself and love to play co-op with as little story as possible? Killing Floor and Killing Floor 2 by Tripwire Interactive are the go-to games to have in your Steam library. Having been in Early Access for several months now, Killing Floor 2 has taken the co-op experience to a whole new level with its new blood generated engine, slow-mo moments, and even its realistic-ly unique weapon library it has. Thanks to the game being in an Early Beta stage we’ve gotten to see a few finetunes it has received, but we have also managed to get our hands on an early preview of the games upcoming Incinerate ‘n Detonate update, which takes the gore factor to a whole new level. Even with the base game being enjoyable as it is, there is something said about Killing Floor 2’s game that keeps it addicting, but eventually it grows dull, boring, and repetitive no matter who you play with. Luckily the developers have been listening to fan feedback in the forums and Steam’s community hub.

Welcome in the Demolitionist and Firebug perks. As someone who has been playing a lot of Killing Floor 2 on Windows 10 as of late, the game is fun, it is gory, and it has a unique spin to it. With both the Demolitionist and Firebug perks coming up, the update build that was made available let us quickly dispatch the Scrakes, Fleshpounds, and even that ugly big baddy Hans Volter. What makes this update so good? Let us take a look at what you can expect.

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Not a lot has changed when coming in with an update such as this one. Just as the name suggests of the update, the Demolitionist and the Firebug perks have made a return to the game. While the past few months have been difficult taking down the minor bosses like the Scrakes, Fleshpounds that will shred you apart when they get a chance. The downside? The only way I’ve only seen groups successfully take down Hans with the AA-12 shotgun and tons of them laying around, but the chances of survival for any group I’ve been with outside of this strategy has been slim. Okay, okay, okay – I admit that I have defeated Hans Volter before with only the Bullpup and the AK-47 so put the torches down already. Luckily this is where the patch makes a huge difference for the overall combat. The first perk I messed with? Made this easier and filled a huge gap in the team building mechanics this game has. This is where the Demolitionist and the Firebug perks played a huge role.

Entering the fray as the Demolitionist I got to see some very  needed changes, which include the starting weapons as well as the first set of weapons you can get at a low cost, so lets take a look at those before going much further. You’ll start out with a stick of dynamite, a utility knife, and the first starting weapon… the HX 25 grenade pistol, because who doesn’t want to blow shit up and feel like a badass? Want to blow enemies up like a -80 firework in a dog bowl full of water? Here’s your chance. The gun turns absolutely almost any enemy into bloody chunks that will go flying around in the air or simply just leave a splatter of blood and gore on the floor, ceiling, and even the walls. Much like any perk in the game, the Demolitionist can’t stand still. The perk will require you to move, be precise, and time your shots due to all the weapons requiring precise shots for the explosives to do their jobs. If that fails? Just shoot the damned floor and watch the body parts fly; it works and well. With the H2X I did find a small shortcoming to it, but if you are quick and can get out of the way, reload then shoot? You are good, but do note this class is not friendly for being surrounded till you get higher tier weapons such as the Grenade Launcher or at least a backup shotgun so you can dispatch a few enemies before being overwhelmed if you are playing solo.

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While the class has made a return it’s a welcoming sight thanks to the H2X, Grenade Launcher, and even dynamite sticks. If this is up your alley, this is one just for you, and we can’t wait to show you more regarding the Firebug class in our upcoming part 2 of the preview for the upcoming patch.

< Part 1: Demolition Perk|Part 2: Firebug Perk and More >

About the Writer:

dustin_batgr_prof

Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter, Google+, and or you can find him on PSN with RaivynLyken.