The pressure is on
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Author: dpugh007
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Review: GreedFall – Spiders’ Best Game Is on the Cusp of RPG Greatness
Smooth sailing.
Spiders has been busy this generation. The French developer has released two role-playing titles up to this point: Bound by Flame in 2014, and The Technomancer in 2016. Both games had some cool ideas and a unique feel, but ultimately, they were let down by wonky gameplay mechanics and stunted storytelling. There’s a spark of something greater at the heart of Spiders’ output — but until now, it’s been smothered.
We say until now because GreedFall is without a doubt the studio’s best title to date. Third time lucky, the developer has finally bolted its passion for somewhat strange fantasy onto a rock solid gameplay foundation. GreedFall is bigger than its predecessors but also much more consistent in tone and structure — it could well be Spiders’ breakout release.
Read the full article on pushsquare.com
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Hands On: Ghost Recon: Breakpoint Is Grittier, Better, and Overwhelming
Who forgot to tell us this is Destiny?
If Ghost Recon: Wildlands was the starter, then its sequel feels like the dinners you’ve been eating for the past week rolled up into one gigantic main course. Seriously, Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is huge. We’ve poured a handful of hours into this past weekend’s beta and come away impressed thanks to what appears to be a much more fleshed out open world, customisation up the wazoo, and intricate gunplay. It has turned us initial non-believers into an interested party that’ll be there day one come the game’s launch on 4th October, although we can’t shake the feeling that what’s on offer might almost be a little too much.
After crash landing on the island of Auroa, what we assume is the game’s set of introductory missions paints the picture of a business empire gone wrong. Jon Bernthal and his army of Wolves are working together with Skel on undercover projects and doing their best to stop anyone from leaving the island. It’s all fairly standard for a military shooter from the outset – regroup with your squad, make contact with the locals, and start to forge out some ground to work with – but it’s the more we progressed that we started to realise that Breakpoint almost seems to be a completely different beast when compared to Ghost Recon: Wildlands.
Read the full article on pushsquare.com
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EA Launches Surprise Cloud Gaming Trial With Four Games
EA has announced its Cloud Gaming Technical Trial that will allow fans to test out EA’s cloud technology with such titles as FIFA 19, Titanfall 2, Need for Speed Rivals, and Unravel.
EA’s chief technology officer Ken Moss took to Medium to discuss EA’s biggest public-facing step towards a cloud-based future since its announcement of Project Atlas last year, and fans can sign up now for a chance to try it out for themselves.
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NBA 2K20 Review
On the court, NBA 2K20 is a dazzling experience that matches the energy and presentation of its real-life counterpart. Enhanced footwork, dribbling, and player spacing help improve an already sturdy foundation. However, outside of the surprisingly well-written story mode, NBA 2K20 loses its focus off of the court. NBA 2K20 excels at recreating the pro game, but opportunities to purchase microtransactions exist at nearly every corner, and complex modes like MyLeague are given far too little attention.
The first thing I noticed about NBA 2K20 is that everything feels more intuitive. The learning curve is still immense, but learning the basics is now a lot smoother than it used to be. A redesigned “2KU”, NBA 2K20’s optional tutorial mode, is particularly helpful and doesn’t require more than an hour to get through. Thoughtfully, an on-screen controller mimics the movement of the desired skill, making it plenty easy to imitate. Once I successfully learned a skill, like eurostepping toward the basket, I could move on at whatever pace I felt comfortable. This allowed for the remastering of skills I forgot about since last year, and trying out some moves I hadn’t been able to pull off previously at all.
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Top New Game Releases On Switch, PS4, Xbox One, And PC This Week — September 8-14, 2019
New Releases highlights some of the biggest games launching each week, but this bonus-length episode packs in a few extras. We’ve even got a dedicated sports section for eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 and NHL 20. This week is also home to AAA shooters like Gears 5 and Borderlands 3, plus some games you won’t wanna let fly under your radar like GreedFall and Daemon x Machina. The gothic indie adventure Blasphemous arrives this week too.
Gears 5 — September 10
Available on: Xbox One, PC
Gears 5 focuses on Kait Diaz, who will learn more about her own family’s history as she uncovers the Locust’s origins. Gears 5 offers the standard campaign and multiplayer options, but there are some big changes to other modes this time around. For one, Horde mode gives every character unique abilities and ultimate attacks–there’s even a pair of characters from Halo: Reach in the mix. Characters also get special perks in the new Escape mode, a three-player co-op experience where you have to destroy Locust hives.
More Coverage:
- Gears 5 Review In Progress – Mutating For The Better
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Gears 5 Having Rocky Launch But Dev Says Issues Are Being Worked On
Blasphemous — September 10
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch
Blasphemous is a combat-platformer set in the land of Cvstodia. You play as The Pertinent One, who wields a deadly blade known as the Mea Culpa. You can customize that blade with different adornments as you explore the world and take down massive bosses. Blasphemous developer The Game Kitchen promises “fast-paced, skilled combat [and] a deep and evocative narrative core.”
GreedFall — September 10
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
The world of GreedFall is under the shadow of a deadly plague, and your hero will journey to a mysterious island in hopes of finding a cure. GreedFall is an RPG, but there are no set classes. Instead, you can choose from tons of skills to customize your playstyle to your liking, from combat to stealth to diplomacy. Your choices can change the direction of the story too.
eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 — September 10
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Why the name change for PES 2020? This year’s football game focuses on online multiplayer, with pro tournaments and the PES League. There’s also a new mode called Matchday, where two pre-selected teams face off each day. You can log in and win the match for your team of choice–almost like a Splatoon 2 Splatfest, but with a real sport.
More Coverage:
NHL 20 — September 13
Available on: PS4, Xbox One
NHL 20 has its own range of new features too. First, Franchise Mode is mixing things up by letting you hire coaches, which come with new dialog and scouting options. Hockey Ultimate Team is back with new Squad Battles, which gives you a fresh lineup of opponents to take on each day.
More Coverage:
Borderlands 3 — September 13
Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC
There are new characters to check out in Borderlands 3 as well. Amara the Siren, Moze the Gunner, Zane the Operative, and FL4K the Beastmaster are your Vault Hunters for his adventure. You won’t just be seeking Vaults on Pandora, though; for the first time, you can travel to other planets aboard the Sanctuary III. As usual, expect to find a ridiculous amount of guns as you battle the evil Calypso Twins.
More Coverage:
Daemon x Machina — September 13
Available on: Switch
Nintendo Switch gets an exclusive this week thanks to Daemon x Machina, which is all about mech combat. You can customize your mech, known as an Arsenal, with different handheld and shoulder-mounted weapons–and you’ll need all the firepower you can get to save the world after the moon is destroyed. Daemon x Machina offers local and online multiplayer too.
More Coverage:
We’re only a few weeks into September, and there are plenty more games to come. Next week, New Releases will take a look at AAA releases like The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and anticipated indies like Untitled Goose Game.
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Final Fantasy 7’s Most Iconic Artwork Officially Remade
Square Enix is celebrating the 22nd anniversary of Final Fantasy VII‘s North American release by recreating one of the most iconic pieces of artwork for the game. The modern look is in line with the detailed visual style of the upcoming Final Fantasy VII Remake, and fans are sure to get a kick out of the treatment Square Enix has given the art.
Regardless of whether you’re a fan of the Final Fantasy franchise, Final Fantasy VII specifically, or RPGs as a genre, you’re probably familiar with the piece of art in question. It depicts the protagonist Cloud with his back to the viewer as he reaches for his sword. He stands facing the Shinra building, which can be seen towering above him in the distance. A cloud of thick black smog chokes the air above, while brilliant blue lights shoot out of the ground. All of this nicely captures the game’s story of a small group of eco-terrorists fighting against a megacorporation to try and save the world they live in.
On September 7, 1997, we released the original FINAL FANTASY VII in North America.
To celebrate the anniversary we’ve remade one of the most iconic pieces of artwork from the original game, and now there are just under 6 months until the launch of #FinalFantasy VII Remake! #FF7R pic.twitter.com/OLjw4g6kOQ
— FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE (@finalfantasyvii) September 7, 2019
The remade artwork comes just six months ahead of Final Fantasy 7 Remake March 3, 2020 release date. Square Enix previously revealed the game will span two Blu-ray discs when it launches on PS4, and there will be a $330 Final Fantasy 7 Remake collector’s edition available. At E3 2019, we got an extended gameplay and combat demonstration, and we recently got to more hands-on time with it too. You can see what we thought in the video above.
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An Open Letter About the Harmfulness of Embargoes at Film Festivals
After being threatened by the Venice Film Festival to have my press badge removed because I refused to follow the nonsensical embargo rules, I decided to publish this letter. When you experience injustice, when you experience oppression in the world, you must speak up. And I am doing so by writing this. I expect many of my colleagues and other critics will disagree with me and refute my claims, which is of course their right. But throughout the 13+ years I have been running this website, I have often seen jealousy and fear manifest itself as control and dominance and this is another example. I was told that others “complained” about my tweets, and so I was forced to fall in line and do what they demanded. I resist. I refuse. It is time to change this rule at festivals. Once a film screens, we should be free to talk about it. My full letter below. ›››
Continue Reading An Open Letter About the Harmfulness of Embargoes at Film Festivals
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First Trailer for Short Film ‘A Million Eyes’ About a Young Photographer
“Do you know what photography means?” “When you break it down, it really means drawing with light.” An official trailer has debuted for a short film called A Million Eyes, the latest made by British filmmaker Richard Raymond (Desert Dancer). This first premiered at the HollyShorts Film Festival and is stopping by the Raindance Film Festival in the UK next this month. The short is about a gifted young photographer, grappling with his mother’s alcoholism, who sets out to capture something he loves. This stars Elijah M. Cooper as Leroy, with Joe Morton and Katie Lowes. As a photographer myself, I adore this trailer and the way it speaks so lovingly about photographer and the power it has to capture “something you love”. Hopefully this short will end up online soon, as I’d love for everyone to take just a moment and watch this. ›››
Continue Reading First Trailer for Short Film ‘A Million Eyes’ About a Young Photographer
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Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker’ Wins Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Film Festival
Send in the clowns. The 76th Venice Film Festival wrapped up this weekend on the Lido, and the awards were handed out. The top prize at Venice is a Golden Lion (in honor of the iconic lion that is the symbol of the city) and it’s one of the greatest achievements in cinema, along with the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. This year’s big winner is Joker, the dark, gnarly, unlike-anything-before-it audacious comic book movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as the green-haired Gotham City villain. Other winners include an Italian actor named Luca Marinelli, who stars in the title role of Martin Eden, a major film which many critics loved here. And the young actor from the Australian film Babyteeth, named Toby Wallace, even though his co-star Eliza Scanlen didn’t win (though she deserved to share this with him). All the winners are amusing and it makes me laugh because they’re bold choices. The full list of Venezia 76 winners can be found below. ›››
Continue Reading Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker’ Wins Golden Lion at the 2019 Venice Film Festival
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