How important is a first impression? In the case of a video game, a poor one can push you into the arms of another. That doesn't mean that the new game isn't good, or even amazing--but you've now turned away from that game, or postponed your time with it. Perhaps you will return, and perhaps you won't; that initial glimpse stays with you and colors your perception.
Class-based, massive online shooter PlanetSide 2 on the PlayStation 4 doesn't make a great first impression, whether you are new to the game, or have transitioned from the
As with most video game wars, your success is never assured, and with loss comes frustration: the frustration of being gunned down by an infiltrator equipped with a bolt-action rifle as you sprint from one doorway to another, the frustration of shooting a teammate as he crosses your path just as you begin firing at the enemy, the frustration of hearing the voiceover explain for the umpteenth time that you shouldn't shoot friendlies. (Thanks, repetitive narrator-man.) Death is rarely an annoyance in and of itself, however. Even if you frequently fall, engagements are too big for you to feel as if you have singlehandedly let down your teammates. If you only rack up a few kill assists in between spawns, there's still a sense of accomplishment. When there's madness in all directions, who can say whether the bullets you landed didn't divert the winds of conflict?
Not every moment you spend in PlanetSide 2 is in the midst of a massive firefight, however. There are uneventful stretches in which you and your squad capture facilities with little resistance, or amble ahead in tanks for many minutes on end, wishing there was something to shoot. Back at your faction's primary base, you might spend some time deciding how to spend the certification points you've earned during your hours and days of battle. This is your primary currency, and as is the case with so many free-to-play games, this currency accumulates slowly after the initial hours. When you feel vulnerable even when surrounded by the stolid armor of a lightning tank, it's only logical that you'd want to reinforce it. And when certs are slow to come, spending real-world money is a temptation.
When in doubt, head towards the sound of gunfire.
I wouldn't call PlanetSide 2 "pay to win;" Too little rests on your individual performance for that moniker to be an apt one. Yet there are some conveniences that are difficult to resist, such as the ability to bypass login queues when you purchase a membership (that is, a paid subscription, which is $14.99 if you pay on a monthly basis). Given that queues are still frequent on some servers, that cost ends up feeling more like blackmail for an experience that should be a base-level expectation (playing as soon as you log in) rather than a premium perk.
Like so many big games with dozens of complex moving parts, your enjoyment of PlanetSide 2 on the PlayStation 4 rests on how forgiving you are of technical hiccups you would properly expect to be vanquished. As you play, the questions mount. "Why did that tank vanish into thin air after I fired my homing missile, and why did my missile then shoot into the sky?" "Why did my vehicle just sink through the geometry and explode?" "Does the view distance need to be this bad, even on a snowy continent?" You may never find answers--but you will temporarily forget you ever asked the questions when you and a squad of jump-pack-equipped light infantry swarm an enemy base, forcing the opposition onto the exterior platform where a friendly aircraft pilot guns them down with a laser cannon. At these moments, the troubles fade away, leaving only the frights and delights of planetary war.
The . The Collector's Edition will likely be officially announced today during the Zombies mode reveal at San Diego Comic-Con. Keep an eye on GameSpot for more news about Black Ops III as it becomes available.
Ubisoft on Thursday reported earnings for the quarter ended June 30, announcing that, among other things,, and Watch Dogs, all of which enjoyed "sustained demand."
Another positive for Ubisoft in the quarter was digital revenue, which totaled €54.1 million and made up a healthy 56 percent of all sales, compared to 23.2 percent during the same quarter last year.
Ubisoft will hold an earnings call to discuss these results and answer analyst questions later today. Check back for more news as it's announced.
, but noted there was a lot of discussion internally about this decision.
PlayStation Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida added that Sony wondered if it would be "risky" to launch such a major project with a female protagonist. Its developer, however, was able to show people would respond well to the game's central protagonist, as well as the open-world RPG, and the set up of machine versus primitive weapons,
Streaming services like PlayStation Now could be a big boon for publishers, helping them accumulate extra revenue from back catalog games long after release. That's according to Sony's Jack Buser, who told .
After years of development, the Warcraft movie from Godzilla studio Legendary Pictures and Blizzard Entertainment is nearly finished, director Duncan Jones said at Comic-Con. He revealed the details in a new interview, in which he also said he and Blizzard have ideas to expand the one film into a trilogy.
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We're expecting to learn more about the Warcraft movie this week at Comic-Con. Legendary Pictures has a panel scheduled for this Saturday, July 11, where we may finally see the first trailer for the Warcraft movie.
Harassment and verbal abuse sometimes occur in competitive online games. As a result, developers often try to monitor their games to reduce instances of harassment, to varying levels of success. Riot Games, developer of
The Tribunal also allowed Riot to develop the ability to swiftly respond to reports from players about verbal abuse in a match. It can differentiate between sarcasm and malice, as well as respond to passive-aggressive comments. Consequences are tailored to the individual situations Some actions necessitate penalties, and others only trigger incentives to act better. The reporting is done by other players, giving them a voice in the proceedings.
As a result, instances of harassment have plummeted. As Lin explained, "Incidences of homophobia, sexism and racism in League of Legends have fallen to a combined 2 percent of all games. Verbal abuse has dropped by more than 40 percent, and 91.6 percent of negative players change their act and never commit another offense after just one reported penalty."
This is great news for competitive games, which have often struggled with vitriolic online interactions. Hopefully the lessons learned by Riot's efforts can be applied to other titles in the future.
Heroes Reborn, the upcoming continuation of NBC's superhero drama series, has spawned tie-in video games for mobile devices and consoles.
Heroes Reborn: Gemini is a first-person action adventure game for
Both games are being developed by Phosphor Games, a Chicago-based studio that has previously worked on tie-in games for Man of Steel and World War Z.
The studio also developed WWE Immortals, as well as original titles Horn and The Dark Meadow.
A trailer for both games is expected to be shown on July 12 at NBC’s Heroes panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
Heroes Reborn picks up where the 2006 series left off and will "reconnect with the basic elements of the show's first season," which shot to popularity by depicting normal people awakening inner superpowers.
The show's story begins shortly after a terrorist attack in Texas, which the government is blaming on super-humans. As a result of this, powered people have been exiled and forced to live in hiding. The show focuses on a number of characters as they try to uncover the truth of the attack, or seek revenge for lost loved ones.
Heroes Reborn is scheduled to begin airing on September 24, with returning cast members such as Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura) and Jack Coleman (Noah Bennet) starring.
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Watch this video to see the Raid on Apex 7 Warzone Map from Halo 5: Guardians created using Mega Bloks and interactive LED lights.
