Leave the grind and start the brawl. Hyper Universe deftly combines action-packed combat and team-based strategic gameplay. With an outrageous cast of characters assembled from every corner of the galaxy, prepare for a gaming experience that’s out of this world!
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 01-20-2018, 08:25 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
Overwatch League™ Welcomes New Partner Toyota
As North American Launch Partner for the Overwatch League, the automaker looks forward to collaborating on behind-the-scenes content for league fans
IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Following a thrilling opening week for the Overwatch League that drew more than 10 million viewers worldwide, a major new brand-marketing partner has signed on to support the league during its inaugural season: multinational automotive manufacturer Toyota.
Toyota will be a North American Launch Partner for the Overwatch League, and is looking forward to future collaborations around bringing behind-the-scenes content to fans. The automaker plans to have additional broadcast integrations, as well as a vehicle presence at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles.
“Toyota is excited to be a launch partner of the Overwatch League,” said Steven Curtis, vice president, media & engagement marketing for Toyota Motor North America. “We love the passion of esports fans, and the goal of our partnership is to help take the Overwatch League and the fan experience to the next level.”
“We’re thrilled to welcome Toyota to the Overwatch League,” said Pete Vlastelica, president and CEO of Blizzard Entertainment’s MLG division. “When we were building the league, our desire was to create a premium experience for players and fans, and partners like Toyota are helping us do just that.”
The Overwatch League is further supported by sponsors HP® and Intel®, with players competing on cutting-edge gaming hardware including HP’s OMEN gaming PCs, powered by the latest Intel® Core™ i7 processors.
About the Overwatch League™
The Overwatch League™ is the first major global professional esports league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq: ATVI), whose iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and push the boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years. The latest addition to Blizzard’s stable of twenty-one #1 games,[1] Overwatch was built from the ground up for online competition, with memorable characters and fast-paced action designed for the most engaging gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 33 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 46,000 people (more than 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold almost 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016—and about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.
[1] Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the sponsorship arrangements for Overwatch esports, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 01-20-2018, 08:25 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
This Week At Bungie – 01/18/2018
This week at Bungie, the factions have returned.
There has been a lot of feedback on some of the changes made to Faction Rallies in Season 2. I’d like to take a moment to list some of the larger topics. There is an ongoing process at Bungie to assess how we want to change Destiny 2 in the weeks to come, and your voice is a crucial part of it.
There was an issue in the previous Faction Rallies where players were earning hundreds of Faction Tokens per hour without firing a single shot. In the recent December 12 update, Faction Token rewards were added to an existing system that was locking players out from Lost Sector Rewards. We have heard player feedback that this solution was too disruptive. We’re looking at a change that won’t make players feel forced to run to and from a single chest for hours while also not placing a hard stop on enjoying Lost Sectors. We want to ensure that every time you open a chest there is loot inside. We’ll share more details on this before the next Faction Rallies.
The other question that players immediately asked when decrypting their Faction Engrams was: “Where are the new Season 2 weapons?” It was not made clear beforehand that the new Season 2 weapons would be added throughout the events of the Season rather than all at once in the beginning. This was on us. No excuses. You can read the full details with how the weapons will be rolled out here. We will be remedying this lapse in communication next week with details on what you should expect when the next Iron Banner rolls out in Season 2.
Faction Rallies closes out next week. Whichever faction you deem most worthy will be selling their weapon in the Tower as the first offering of Season 2.
Evolving
A lot of the feedback we have been receiving is centered on weapons and abilities. The feel of Destiny 2 and what makes a Guardian a Guardian. We’re taking the feedback to heart and Sandbox Design LeadJosh Hamrick has some thoughts of what the Sandbox team has planned.
Josh Hamrick: Hi everybody! Sandbox here…
We just wanted to drop in for a moment to verify that we’re already hard at work and making progress on various improvements Christopher Barrett outlined last week.
Additionally, I wanted to give you all better insight as to how the next several months are shaping up.
As with any plans, the first items on the list are the clearest and well defined. For most of these, we are already hard at work and making good progress on them. The Exotic pass is moving forward nicely with Jon Weisnewski at the helm. The team has also been talking about things we want to see in the next balance pass, coming to you in Season 3, for the last several weeks. Also, Grant MacKay has put together a really exciting plan for Mods 2.0 that will open their requirements up significantly allowing them to be more potent in ways that you’ll end up feeling directly in your ability uptime and therefore total power output. The rest of the crew you ask? Oh, they’re just hard at work on super exciting new content to put smiles on all your faces before the year is out… And that’s just the beginning.
Items further down the list need more planning or more time to actually implement… Most need both. On top of that, some need groundwork that we will be laying with earlier changes. In all these cases though, the team is already discussing and planning for them in one way or another. As usual, we are excited to work on building something that you’ll love and that feels great to play… Because Sandbox loves you.
2018 is shaping up to be a huge year for all of us and there is plenty of Sandbox improvements and changes coming your way. As we move closer to realizing all of the new efforts being made, we’ll continue to show up here to share many more details about how it’s all shaping up and how it will all work. We expect you to keep showing up and sharing your feedback and passion for the game.
Talk to you again soon,
– Hamrick
Showing Support
Destiny Player Support is your one-stop shop for all things support. They have important info on resolving errors and upcoming bug fixes.
This is their report.
Error code: Beaver
An issue occurred on Wednesday, January 17, causing some players to encounter BEAVER error codes when attempting to play Destiny 2 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
While this issue was quickly resolved, players were required to fully log out of Destiny 2 in order to circumvent the error impacting their ability to connect. If you are continuing to receive BEAVER error codes, please fully close the Destiny 2 game application.
If you continue to receive BEAVER errors, please post a report to the #Help forum.
Ikora Waypoint
Since the release of Curse of Osiris, we have been tracking an issue where players receive an errant waypoint over Ikora. A solution to the issue is currently being tested, and on track for the January 30 Update.
Until the issue is fully resolved, completing Meditations or Milestones to earn Vanguard Research tokens can temporarily remove the waypoint from Ikora.
Red Carpet
The show must go on. We are still receiving a steady stream of new community-created videos on the Creations page each week. We are featuring 2 more for you this week as MOTW winners. Their creators will all be taking home the special MOTW Emblem exclusive to previous winners. If you want your chance at it, submit your own video to the Creations page.
Movie of the Week: It has Begun!
[embedded content]
Honorable Mention: ATLAS
[embedded content]
Last week, we gave you some of our plans for the future. We are currently working hard on implementing those in-game. We will keep you informed on our progress. We understand you are more interested in updates than promises of updates.
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition is a brand-new disc that includes all base content from the original Street Fighter V release, Arcade Mode and a code for Character Pass 1 and 2 content, which includes 12 playable characters and 12 premium costumes.
* ARCADE MODE
Choose from six different paths themed after classic Street Fighter games.
* GALLERY
Unlock hundreds of illustrations as you play through Arcade Mode.
* TEAM BATTLE
Assemble local teams, set your own rules and see who comes out on top.
* EXTRA BATTLE
Complete online challenges to earn Fight Money, EXP, unique costumes and more.
* NEW V-TRIGGERS
Each character will have two V-Triggers, adding more depth to the combat system.
* NEW VISUALS
The UI is redesigned with new color schemes and exciting pre-and-post fight effects.
InnerSpace is an exploration flying game set in the Inverse, a world of inside-out planets with no horizons. Soar through ancient skies and abandoned oceans to discover the lost history of this fading realm, where gods still wander. Your greatest journey is within.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 01-18-2018, 06:21 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
How collaboration brought Horizon Zero Dawn’s writing to life
“There are just some moments in the game where the animators were able to have her face, like the emotion on her face, the emotion on some of the characters, be realized in a way that find to be—I was really stunned.”
– Narrative director John Gonzalez tells Noclip how animators used micro-expressions to enhance both the narrative and the game.
Noclip has shared an extended cut of one interview from its earlier Horizon Zero Dawn documentary to shed some additional light on some of the challenges faced when writing for a massive, open-world game.
The interview in question features Guerrilla Games’ narrative director John Gonzalez and touches both on his past work with Fallout: New Vegas and, more recently, Horizon Zero Dawn.
The interview itself features some quality insight from Gonzalez on the often complicated process of creating narratives for open-world games and offers a peek at some of the interesting solutions Guerrilla Games came up with when doing so.
For example, Gonzalez says that he had fought for the game’s main character Aloy to find her ‘Focus’ as an adult rather than stumble across the augmented reality device as a child. While that may have worked from a narrative standpoint, Gonzalez says the idea got a significant level of complaints from other developers who were unhappy that a major mechanic would be locked behind hours of play.
“There was a lot of pushback from design, saying ‘look, that’s basically saying that you want to not have our user interface until like hour three or something like that, are you insane?’ And I really resisted it,” recalls Gonzales. “It’s just one of these examples of how wrong I can be and, really, the importance of collaboration across the disciplines.”
“They really pushed really hard to say like ‘this needs to be something she’s getting at the beginning of the game,” he says. “It was just the right choice.”
As an added bonus, Gonzalez says that decision to have Aloy stumble across the device as a child allowed an opportunity to show her early emotional response to one of the ancient recordings unlocked by the Focus, in a way meeting the team’s goal of weaving Aloy’s own story with the story of the long gone ‘modern’ world.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Open Beta Coming January 14 to Xbox One
Hello again, fellow FighterZ!
We hope you’ve been keeping your fighting skills sharp because on January 26 they will be put to the test when Dragon Ball FighterZ is unleashed on Xbox One. Before the release of the game, we’ll bring you an Open Beta to hone those Kamehamehas and Destructo-Discs.
Here are the details of the Dragon Ball FighterZ Open Beta:
11 Characters: SS Goku, SS Vegeta, Gohan (Adult), Frieza, Cell, Kid Buu, Krilin, Picolo, Nappa, Android 18, and Beerus
2 dramatic scenes that can occur before or after fights between Goku and Frieza under certain circumstances
Oh, you want some more info on Dragon Ball FighterZ? Let’s talk about some of the different modes available in the full game:
Arcade Mode
Fight waves upon waves of enemy teams to get the highest rank. You can ascend three different courses: the Snake Way, the Extreme Gravity Spaceship, and the Hyperbolic Time Chamber course. Each course will feature battles with a wide variety of enemy teams. Your route in each course is determined by your score in the previous battle. If your score is high enough, you can advance one rank above your previous one. Otherwise, you’ll continue a route of the same or lower rank. Your score after clearing the last stage determines your rank. If it’s your highest yet, it will be recorded as your best score. Once you’ve completed a course, you’ll gain access to hard mode.
Story Mode
In story mode, you’ll be traversing three original story arcs. As you progress, you’ll learn the basics of combat and help your characters get stronger, so this is the perfect place to begin your journey. During your travels, you’ll encounter old friends and deadly new foes. Encountering a boss will advance the storyline and rescuing an ally will grant you new playable characters. You can also increase your Link Level with your allies. The higher the Link Level, the stronger your allies become. When it reaches a certain point, you’ll see special Link Event cutscenes, so keep fighting on! Some characters will have unique dialog if they’re fighting alongside specific teammates. Try to group as many different characters together as possible for different conversations among your squad. You can leave and come back to the story mode whenever you like.
That’s all the info we have for now. We hope you’re ready to experience the next level of fighting games in Dragon Ball FighterZ on Xbox One January 26!
Review: Azkend 2: The World Beneath (Switch eShop)
It might be becoming increasingly difficult to choose between the slew of board-based, connection-style puzzles titles on Switch, as their simple mechanics combined with lower price points make them a good option for casual players. Whether spinning in 360-degrees or siding from left to right, the continuous flow of colours and shapes are as popular now as they are similar. Developer 10tons continues its prolific run of games in this template with its third ‘match 3’ game in as many months, Azkend 2: The World Beneath.
Azkend 2 tells the story of sea faring adventurer Jules, who gets caught up in a maelstrom and becomes stranded in a mysterious new land. Told through chapters of journal entries chronicling her journey, your job is to escape one perilous location after the next with the aid of various objects and equipment found along the way. From here, the familiar ‘match 3’ gameplay kicks in, and you’ll connect hexagonal tiles with symbols ranging from pearls and starfish to dinosaur skulls and tortoise shells in order to build combos and complete the 60 stages of the main adventure. Although the main objective throughout is to turn over all the panels on the game board (more than once in some instances), there are a number of different twists thrown in to keep you on your toes.
On occasion, you will have to break ice or stop bugs that climb in real time from making their way to the top of the board by turning over panels next to them, or lining up hammer symbols to inflict damage. Some level sections are cordoned off by padlocks, which have to be dealt with first. Later, you’ll have to extinguish a fire that rises and surrounds a precious map before you can move on. There are many tiles with individual properties, such as the compass, which can be used to link tiles on either side of it.
There is a real sense of organic progression to the levels, as the location and different symbols you eliminate have a direct result on the board you are trying to beat, not to mention a sense of urgency that’s more interesting than a plain time limit or reaching a certain score to progress. Once these goals have been met, it’s then a case of getting an item or piece of equipment to the bottom of the screen. Typically, there are three or four pieces of an object to collect before it’s time to move on to the next chapter.
Interspersed with the puzzle boards are single screen levels that require you to search the scenery through a telescope by touching the screen (or moving the cursor) and finding a small specific area. Find them all, and you will be rewarded with either a destructive ‘active’ power up or a ‘passive’ ability, such as slowing down time. It’s worth testing them all out to see which suit a specific stage, so that your load out is more efficient. This becomes more and more useful as the later levels and a difficult medal challenge mode require more customisation and strategy.
It’s a nice touch that the items collected throughout the campaign are suitably themed and integrated into the story, collecting fragments of various exploratory paraphernalia in addition to utilising other weapons such as activating Tesla coils to generate electricity or lighting dynamite to, well, do what dynamite does best. The animation is smooth, the various effects and environments are impressive and there’s a good sense of cohesion to the games overall presentation, and the various attempts at mixing up the formula would have not been as successful if it weren’t for its rich aesthetic outside of the puzzles. The slightly animated illustrated backdrops are both varied and detailed, alongside the decent voice work and predictably grand soundtrack from composer Jonathan Geer.
If Azkend 2 has a weakness, it’s the control scheme. While using the touchscreen is ample and by far the optimal way to play, it’s much less ideal is moving the curser around with the analog stick. When things even remotely heat up, it’s just not accurate or fast enough that you feel fully in control. All in all though, it mostly controls like any other genre title does albeit a tad finicky, and unless you play exclusively in docked mode, you won’t have any huge issues the majority of the time.
Conclusion
Azkend 2: The World Beneath does everything it can to spice up the ‘match 3’ puzzle genre, boasting a narrative thread, power ups to collect and different objectives at every turn. As derivative and repetitive as the core gameplay is, it does a decent job of maintaining your engagement and does reward your efforts. Overall, it should be commended for its sprawling take on a tried and tested genre. The variety of dynamic scenarios that genuinely affect the gameplay and an overarching story with varied exotic locations make it stand out from its competition. If you’re looking for a ‘match 3’ with more variety, challenge and narrative meat to chew on, this is a good place to drop anchor.
Random: GoldenEye 007 Mockumentary Aims To Be The Spinal Tap Of Video Games
An indie British film company is aiming to create the video game equivalent of Spinal Tap with Going For Golden Eye, which is described as “a love letter to the heyday of the N64 and the rivalries of couch multiplayer”.
Created by Woodhouse Pictures, the film focuses on the fictional GoldenEye 007 World Championships and follows a bunch of “deluded, cringe-inducing elite GoldenEye players who wonder why the world no longer cares about their beloved game”.
Going for Golden Eye is being released this year on Blu-Ray, DVD and video on demand by Wild Eye Releasing.
Immerse yourself in a dark whimsical tale that will confront you with your childhood fears! Help Six escape The Maw – a vast, mysterious vessel inhabited by corrupted souls looking for their next meal. As you progress on your journey, explore the most disturbing dollhouse offering a prison to escape from and a playground full of secrets to discover. Reconnect with your inner child to unleash your imagination and find the way out!
