#Darth Microtransaction

[belghast]

Ancestor League Staying Power

Ancestor League Staying Power - This morning I talk about the staying power this Path of Exile league seems to have and the influx of Diablo IV players.

Hey Folks! This morning I was struggling to find something to write about and I thought I would Trials of the Ancestors league has been going for me so far. We are now forty-six days into the league, and it shows no real signs of slowing down. Generally speaking after the first month there is a massive drop off in players, and based on Steam Charts we’ve maintained at least 40k players for the…

[randgugotur-6]

My Name Is Darth Microtransaction - Raid: Shadow Legends

[slyandthefamilybook]

man 2000a era Star Wars gaming was craaaaazy. My 3 favorite Star Wars games are from then and I still play them to this day (Battlefront II, Empire at War, and Knights of the Old Republic I & II). The newer ones are fun for a while but they just don't have the same staying power

[screechthemighty]

Honestly, with the discussion I’ve seen around the pricing for this new event, all I can think of is

ThE iNtEnT iS tO pRoViDe ThE pLaYeRs WiTh A sEnSe Of AcCoMpLiShMeNt

[babineni]

☕️ + kotor remake!

Aaaah Anon sorry, I didn't get notified and I didn't check my inbox until now haha whoops 😬

But anyway:

I kinda have mixed feelings on it, bc on the one hand, the OG kotor was a good game but it was far from flawless - and not just in the sense that it didn't age well: some companions were really underwritten, Malak was a pretty corny antagonist, the romances were pretty yikes let's face it, the light side/dark side system didn't make a whole lot of sense at times, Taris is way too goddamn long, you don't actually get to learn a whole lot about Darth Revan until kotor 2, The Actual Gameplay™ etc etc. The remake has the opportunity to fix those flaws which has me hopeful about it.

On the other hand, it will be a game released as part of the Disney's Star Wars™ brand and uhhh... yeah that has me worried. Bc first of all, the lore will need an update to keep in line with the current canon e.g. Malachor V is still around in Rebels which, I know, is mostly an issue for kotor 2 but if they do intend to remake that too they'll have to start tackling that now thanks a lot Filoni. And second of all I'm worried they might design the game with the main goal to follow current mainstream "RPG" trends like making it open world (seriously I already waste half my life away on Taris do you think I also want to be able to get lost there) or making Revan a voiced protagonist (which I know is a hot take but let's face it, comparatively speaking voiced protags always come with less control over shaping their personality which in kotor's case would mean that the new and improved version of a story about agency and shaping your identity would grant you less agency and ability to shape your identity lmao). And third of all, I'm worried they'll just make the whole game with squeezing as much extra money as possible through dlcs and microtransactions as a priority.

Soooo yeah, like I said, mixed feelings there

[clement1668]

Social Gaming

What is Social Gaming?

In online contexts, immersive games are regarded as a new concept and no unique significance has been recognized by anybody. However most sources agreed to use those general features to characterize social play.

Multiplayer is the first feature in multiplayer games. For eg, some group games are played at the same time by a few players, and these players can participate together.

Media networks are the second feature. Social games rely on the structure of social interaction. Online games will go home" on existing social networks, helping players to improve their social links.

Sight and engagement is the last feature of a group game. Participation, actions and achievements of other players in a group game will be communicated to individual players. There will also be relations between each player (Spotless 2019).

How Social Games are making changes to the world? 

Over the years, the organization has made many misconceptions and misconceptions. For eg, the newspapers blame social games for violence (Anderton, K 2018). Internet games did well for the entire planet, too. For eg, WeTopia encourages players to play for a good cause. In 2012, the game executed several positive actions, including 1000,000 children's school days in Haiti and 45,000 children's meals in Las Vegas.

In addition, Joy Kingdom was successfully launched in October 2012 by offering five hundred thousand pet food bowls for cats and dogs worldwide (Swallow 2013).

Are Gaming Communities becoming more toxic?

Sexism can be reinforced in many video games, and the study indicates that many stereotypes are being presented to women. For example women are also under-represented in video games. They are described as sexy, sexual, and insubstantial beings. According to Dietz (1998), by displaying clothing or nearly nude women, they were viewed as sex objects. The computer study of 47 randomly picked games contained low-cut wear and cleavage (Beasley and Collins Standley, 2002; Miller and Summers, 2007; Downs and Smith, 2010).

Is it just Game or Monetization?

With the increasing popularity of internet broadcasting, it is being turned to downloadable content that can deliver new expansions or update content at a fixed price. New monetization strategies are being created as the presence of online gamers increases. Few games offer monthly subscriptions to be played on servers. Both of them are considered purchase microtransactions for access to premium content (Cobb 2017).

An example of this is a video game by Reddit Player, Electronic Arts Star Wars Battlefront II. It was said that he had to pay $80 to access Darth Vader and EA said that it was meant only to give players a sense of success by accessing several heroes (Intelligent Economist 2019).

Drawbacks and Disadvantages of Social Game

The playback of video games. Excessive video games can contribute to behavior and behavioral change, says the World Health Organization (WHO). The reason for this is that children or adults who spend too long playing video may be obsessed with their video games and losing interest in socializing with others. Another drawback is the lack of academic achievement of the individual's other hobbies. This is because a person can be obsessed with playing the whole day, and because of the reliance of gaming, can't do other things like research and sport. The third drawback to the video game is lethargic, because the player has so much time to worry about his meal and sleep. The fourth drawback is a reduction in vision and insomnia.

The fact that the eye lenses spend so much time in front of the screen weakens, as the eyes focus on the surrounding objects during the day, stopping them from staring at remote objects in a manner that retains the strength of the eye lens, and can make sleeping in the U.S. more difficult overnight due to the susceptibility of the screen to radiation (Gill 2017).

In my view, computer games are not good or poor. I grew up in the world of consoles such as Nintendo Gameboy, Sony's PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable from my own perspective. When I was younger, I used to be an addict until, eventually, I stopped playing video games until I learned that video games were OK for as long as you could balance your life. Video games have created me more and made me think creatively, because I love them, because of various scenarios. The Grand Theft Truck, the Midnight Club and Need For Speed are my favorites. I have to confess that these games sometimes drive me a bit crazy about driving my car. Furthermore, I always tell myself that I have to continue to distinguish reality from fantasy, because car accidents can lead to serious lives.

References

Gill, M 2017, ‘Deadly disadvantages of video games recognized by WHO’, QRIYO, 29 December, viewed 14 November 2020 <https://www.qriyo.com/blog/deadliest-disadvantages-of-video-games-who/>

‘Social gaming- A usability perspective’ 2019, Spotless, viewed 14 November 2020, <https://www.spotless.co.uk/insights/social-gaming-usability/>.

Swallow, E 2013, ‘How social games are changing the world’, Forbes, viewed 14 November 2020, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericaswallow/2013/03/23/social-games/#24c294a2377e>.

Cobb, C 2017, ‘Video game monetization strategies’, Medium, viewed 14 November 2020, https://medium.com/@chris_cobb/video-game-monetization-strategies-715d78e80fa0>.

Dietz, TL 1998, ‘A examination of violence and gender role portrayals in video games: Implications for gender socialization and aggressive behaviour’, Sex Roles, vol. 38, no. 516, pp. 425-426.

‘Economics of microtransactions in video games’ 2019, Intelligent Economics, viewed 14 November 2020, <https://www.intelligenteconomist.com/economics-of-microtransactions/>.

Beasley, B & Standley, TC 2009, ‘Shirt vs. Skins: Clothing as an indicator of gender stereotyping in video games’, Mass Communication and Society, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 279-293.

Anderton, K 2018, ‘The impact of gaming: A benefit to society (Infographic)’, Forbes, viewed 14 November 2020, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinanderton/2018/06/25/the-impact-of-gaming-a-benefit-to-society-infographic/#66c2d412269d>.

[ylberm2]

Star Wars Battlefront II: A New Hope. A Gamers Review.

The Star Wars Battlefront franchise established its name in the early 2000s when the games were released for the Xbox and PlayStation 2. What a time to be alive that was. The prequels were in full swing, The Clone Wars were just getting started on Cartoon Network and Star Wars was at the peak of its popularity with the Millennial generation. So, when we heard the news of Star Wars Battlefront being reborn and heading for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, naturally we were all excited. But once we popped the disk into the consoles, we were left wondering “Is this the same franchise that provided us with countless hours of fun so long ago?”. Star Wars Battlefront was a disaster. It almost ruined the franchise and left a lot of gamers sour.

Star Wars Battlefront I was incomplete when it was released. There was no story/campaign mode for single player gamers. The multiplayer mode was at the very least bland, with minimal characters and game modes. The game also only featured characters and maps based off the original trilogy, which alienated fans of the prequels and sequels (yes, there are fans of those eras). EA was flat out lazy. When you pair this with EA’s reputation of under producing games to then later force players to spend more money on numerous DLC packs (downloadable content), fans lost trust in the franchise. This is evident in many of EA sports franchises such as Madden NFL, Battlefield, and most notably The Sims franchise. Although many games are using microtransactions to make more money, many of the most popular games that offer a variety of game packs are free these days, most notably Fortnite and Call of Duty: Warzone. EA still charges $19.99 for the Star Wars Battlefront II game. Alessandro Fillari for Gamespot also mentions this in their review,

“Battlefront II plants itself in the same territory as free-to-play games, with much of its content and characters tucked away behind progression walls and randomized loot crates. This is an especially disappointing reality for a full-priced release.” Alessandro Fillari, Gamespot.com.

Although we agree here, I personally think his score of 6/10 overall is a bit harsh for the game.

This takes us to Star Wars Battlefront II. When I heard that there was a sequel coming out, I already had doubt in the second installment before it had even been released. I was wondering how is EA going to mess this one up? From my personal gaming experience, I believe Star Wars Battlefront II is a major improvement to its predecessor, but many previously devoted fans chose not to purchase the second game after the disappointment and disaster around the first installment.

CAMPAIGN MODE

Being provided with a campaign mode at all has been a huge improvement from the first installment, but let’s take a closer look at it. The Campaign mode on Star Wars Battlefront II is actually pretty good. It changes up the pace of the story by switching between third person shooting missions, where you navigate the map and take on the empire head-to-head with various weapons, to straight out dog fights in space. Flying Tie fighters and X-wing aircrafts in space is a nice touch to keep you on your toes while keeping the game fresh, because how many more first or third person shooter games do we really need?

In the story mode you play as Iden Versio, who starts as a high-ranking commander for the Galactic Empire. Since the story takes place right after the events of episode six, Return of the Jedi, the empire falls after the death of Darth Sidious and has left the empire desperate and looking to take the galaxy down with it. Iden Versio sees the error in the empire’s ways and pretty soon into the story she defects to the rebel alliance. This story setup allows players the opportunity to get to play both sides of the war, which I’m sure will be appreciated by some fans. One of my personal gripes is that the story mode itself is more on the short side.

Campaign mode score: 7.5/10

SINGLE PLAYER MODE

Single player mode is pretty standard. It consists of three modes. Battle Scenarios is a mode where you can customize games to play against the AI. You can also customize all the rules and choose which side you would like to play as. In arcade mode you can complete certain missions and objectives with special characters from both the light and dark side. There is also a pretty standard practice/tutorial mode. These are great additions to the game but can get stale and repetitive rather quickly.

Single player mode score: 6.6/10

MULTIPLAYER MODE

This is the games bread a butter. Multiplayer is vastly improved from the last installment. EA has listened to the fanbase and has diversified the game by adding the characters and maps from both the prequel and sequels to the game. One of the biggest flaws of Battlefront I was the lack of iconic characters such as Kylo Ren or Yoda being playable in the game. Battlefront II fixes that with modes like Supremacy, which is a capture the flag type game mode, that allows you to pick era of the franchise you would like to play in.  Another online game mode is “Heroes and Villains”. If you ever wondered how Obi-Wan Kenobi vs Kylo Ren would turn out, or what Luke Skywalker vs Darth Maul would look like? Then this is the game mode for you. You can battle with Star Wars most popular and iconic characters using lightsabers, blasters, as well as use the force to fight your way to victory in a 4v4 battle royale.

David Jagneux describes this in his review for IGN, “What’s great about Battlefront 2 is that it lets you play with all of its toys, no questions asked. Every character class and playable hero is available from the start, and the tedious unlocking grind from launch has been completely removed. Luke, Vader, Boba Fett, Rey – you name them, they’re all here.” David Jagneux, IGN.com. David gave the game a solid score of 8.8/10.

Multiplayer mode score: 10/10

This brings me to the conclusion. Star Wars Battlefront II is a very good game, and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a great multiplayer game with a few single player modes to throw into the mix. When compared to the first Battlefront to come to the new generation of consoles it is a massive upgrade. I am usually hard on EA as I am not a fan of many of their games, but I have to admit that they have done great job capturing the essence of the original Star Wars Battlefront games for Xbox and PlayStation 2, which is something that many companies have had a hard time doing as of late, even with superior gaming consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series One being released. You have to give props where they are due. Star Wars Battlefront II has my full recommendation and stamp of approval, it’s a fun game whether you are a huge Star Wars fan or are just looking for a diverse online/offline adventure.

Final Score: 8/10 with a great multiplayer mode!

[goliathbetagamer-blog]

Star Wars Battlefront II Review

Almost since the beginning, Star Wars has been a story of redemption from darkness. So, in an ironic sort of way, Battlefront 2 is a better Star Wars game because of its initial fall to the dark side and subsequent journey back to the light. After over two years of updates and changes, EA and DICE have redeemed this gorgeous shooter and turned it into one of the best multiplayer adaptations of the Star Wars universe to date.

Taking in all Battlefront 2 now has to offer at once is honestly a bit overwhelming. Setting aside the overly safe, short, and disappointing single-player story, there’s a wealth of wave-based co-operative maps and a litany of online competitive multiplayer modes. Most of them play wonderfully and they all ooze that classic Star Wars look and feel on an unrivaled scale. Whether you’re fighting on the ground with a blaster in your hands, cutting down troops with a lightsaber, or dogfighting in space, Battlefront 2 is an immensely entertaining ride through a galaxy far, far away.

Crucially, DICE absolutely nailed the basics. Take the mechanics of firing a blaster: It feels just a bit chunky, as it should, with that signature sound bursting with each shot. And even though every weapon shoots similar-looking bolts, they all feel extremely distinct out of the box and can be customized further.

Crucially, DICE absolutely nailed the basics

For ground troops, the four main classes are Assault, Heavy, Officer, and Specialist. They feel about as distinct as any other classes in a multiplayer shooter, although none of them have a dedicated secondary gun to swap too. Since there are no ammo counts, just cool downs, it changes the dynamic a bit and definitely feels unique.

I gravitated towards the Heavy troopers because of their powerful LMG-style weapon, mobile shield, grenade, and a special that let me shoot continuously like a minigun without overheating. It’s excellent for suppressing fire, especially if you’re on the defending end of the final phase in Capital Supremacy and need to keep the enemy back at all costs. In between the main classes and the big hero units are specialty units like Arc Troopers that get electric mines and dual pistols, or rolling Droidekas with heavy armor and deployable shield domes. Coordinating attacks between the practicality of the standard troops and flashiness of heroes is a lot fun and makes Battlefront 2 feel special.

Microtransaction Reaction

Shortly before Battlefront 2 officially launched in 2017 it was filled with egregious microtransactions that were not only greedy, but disruptive to the game as a whole. If you didn’t want to grind for hours to unlock playable heroes then you had to pay actual money. Star Card upgrades were locked behind similar time-sinks and pay walls that made multiplayer feel like more of a chore than a game. Thankfully, EA listened to feedback and removed those just ahead of launch, but the grindy progression remained. Fast forward a couple of years, though, and, all of that’s now been removed as well.

Today, the only things you can buy are cosmetics like new outfits and emotes, so there’s no hint of pay-to-win in play. Star Cards are completely gone, leveling is now based on linear XP gains, and all heroes are open from the beginning.

Alternatively, you can earn these cosmetics through loot boxes you can’t pay for. It’s a good, fair system, and thankfully entirely separate from progression – that makes these boxes exciting to open because the cosmetics don’t come at the cost of character upgrades and unlocks. Or, if you buy or upgrade to the Celebration Edition of Battlefront 2, every paid cosmetic, emote, and victory pose is unlocked from the very beginning.

What’s great about Battlefront 2 is that it lets you play with all of its toys, no questions asked. Every character class and playable hero is available from the start, and the tedious unlocking grind from launch has been completely removed. Luke, Vader, Boba Fett, Rey – you name them, they’re all here.

As you level up you unlock new ability cards with passive upgrades such as increased health regeneration speed or a bigger grenade blast radius. They’re designed as ways to refine your playstyle, rather than make you dramatically stronger, and it’s a fulfilling system that rewards sticking with a class without forcing you to.

You’ll spend most of your time as Battlefront’s basic soldier classes, but as you play you earn in-match points that you can eventually spend to spawn as a hero. That can seriously turn the tide. These iconic characters are absolute killing machines, and when you clash with another hero it’s extremely memorable. The list has been growing since launch and now includes everybody from Obi-Wan and his Force push to lesser favorites like General Grievous, including his ridiculous saber windmill attack. Pitting original trilogy Darth Vader against the prequel trilogy Anakin Skywalker hero is far more entertaining than it should be.

These fights can be truly the stuff of Star Wars “What If?” fan-fiction, brought to life on screen

These fights can be truly the stuff of Star Wars “What If?” fan-fiction, brought to life on screen. During a Heroes v Villains match – a team deathmatch mode where everybody plays as a hero the entire time – I was playing as Boba Fett on the rainy planet Kamino and ran into an enemy player controlling Obi-Wan. It quickly felt like a reenactment of the Jedi Knight’s fight against Jango Fett in Episode II.

In this version, Obi-Wan leapt through the air while I shot at him with my blasters, then he Force-pushed me and knocked me down before charging in for the kill with his lightsaber. Then, in a dramatic twist, none other than Darth Vader himself jumped in at the last second and Force-choked him before he could strike. My teammate then lifted Obi-Wan into the air for me to finish him off. It was a fantastic and memorable moment.

It doesn’t feel like an exaggeration to say that, in terms of scope and breadth, EA and DICE have released just as much new, free content for the multiplayer side of Battlefront 2 as it already had at launch. They’ve dished out new maps like Felucia and Geonosis, exciting new game modes, a litany of heroes and villains, new ships for aerial combat, and dozens of cosmetic skins.

Battlefront 2’s maps now feel like a Greatest Hits selection of the entire Star Wars galaxy, pulling from all three movie trilogies plus one-offs and the cartoons. The dense greenery of Felucia is a great contrast to the brown wastelands of Geonosis, and fighting across the Cloud City in Bespin is a blast.

Naboo’s capital city, Theed, is one of my favorites, since it’s an outdoor urban setting, unlike most of the other battles, and is full of buildings that make it a great stage in the larger 40-player game modes. Every mode has an extreme level of map variety, and that makes it easy to fall into that “just one more game” mentality because you’ll see something new every time for a long while.

Every Planet and Location in Star Wars Battlefront 2's Multiplayer

The catch is that finding a match is hit or miss depending on the game mode and time of day. It’s not very difficult to queue up for the main modes like Capital Supremacy and Galactic Assault, especially on PS4. But smaller modes, like Hero Showdown and Hero Starfighters, can take a few minutes of waiting before you can enjoy them, which is a shame. They’re not the main attraction by any means but I’ve had some good fun with them.

In Hero Showdown, two teams of two heroes each face off without respawns for multiple rounds. It’s a bit like Gun Fight in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, but instead of guns and knives it’s blasters and lightsabers.

Similarly, Hero Starfighters pits two teams of four hero ships against each other, but this time dying brings you back as a standard starfighter until one team has lost all their hero ships.

Letting you immediately take control of these recognizable characters is awesome, putting a fun spin on the standard modes, but they don’t seem to command the same amount of popularity. Having so many different modes to choose from seems to have split the player base thinly across the best ones.

Developer: DICE (Digital Illusions CE)

Publisher: lectronic Arts

Release Date: November 17, 2017

Platforms: Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4

- Joystick Buff 🕹️🧡

[sageofstars]

ALL PLAYERS GET A FREE LEGENDARY! 1.13.5 NEW INFO! | Raid: Shadow Legends

https://coanj.org/all-players-get-a-free-legendary-1-13-5-new-info-raid-shadow-legends/

[design-march]

ALL PLAYERS GET A FREE LEGENDARY! 1.13.5 NEW INFO! | Raid: Shadow Legends

https://coanj.org/all-players-get-a-free-legendary-1-13-5-new-info-raid-shadow-legends/

[historic-nerd]

Fanboy moment # 2 : Star wars episode IX "The Rise Of Skywalker " Title reveal and Teaser , Disney+ release date and first look at "The Mandolorian", "The Clone Wars" season 6 trailer , trailer and details for "Jedi: Fallen Order" , and "Knights of the Old Republic " confirmed!

(I do not own these pictures they belong to: disney and company)

Hello my fellow jedi and sith how are all of you this week! I hope in good spirits cause we just got a ton of of star wars news that include the brand new poster and reveal trailer of star wars episode IX "The Rise of Skywalker" along with seeing old and new places and faces , lando , Leia (RIP princess) , and our new heroes are back and will it seems face an old enemy....EMPEROR PALPATINE! Yes you read that right the infamous Darth sidious is back it seems in some way or form ! We also got a look at the new star wars game from EA (hopefully this can redeem them for star wars fans ) " Jedi: Fallen Order " where you play as a jedi who survived order 66 , now has to survive in the newly formed galactic empire. It will be single player and get this NO MICROTRANSACTIONS! I know hard to believe for an EA game . But I really hope this game is good ! We also got a look at the 6th season of "The clone wars" it seems to focus more on Ahsoka tano after she left the jedi order at the end of season 5 and captain rex and his journey to what brings him to where we find him in rebels, we also get more Darth maul it seems and perhaps the beginnings of crimson dawn and the fight for Mandolore that ahsoka described in rebels season 2. So I'm excited for that and earlier yesterday we got confirmation from Kathleen Kennedy herself that we are getting the Knights of the Old Republic in some shape or form. We can only hope we can see either the tales of the jedi arc or perhaps the sith war of exar qun and ulic quell droma . Personally I'm hoping to see Darth revan or Zayne Carrick on either big or little screen.

What do you guys ans gals want from these movies and shows ? What do you think of EA's new game and how it will pan out ? What would you like to see in the Knights of the old republic show/movie ? Answer through a reblog or ask ! My inbox is always open and I'm willing to talk to anyone! Well thanks for reading this fanboy moment more to come in the future! Remember the force is with you always !

[pukicho]

Lol EA now has the most downvoted comment on Reddit. They were trying to justify why it cost $80 to unlock Darth Vader in their new battlefront game; trying to justify the insane amount of microtransactions in the game.

[leftwriteb]

Why a “5-7 Hour” Star Wars Battlefront II Campaign is Impressive, Most Impressive

Speaking to Press Start recently, Motive Studio’s producer David Robillard was asked about the single player campaign that we can finally get our hands on upon the launch of Star Wars Battlefront II’s release this November. When asked about what to expect of the campaign length, Robillard said  “…we thought that around 5-7, maybe 8 hours is probably a good amount of time…we wanted to stay very driven towards the Star Wars fantasy that the players are going to experience and not have it be drawn out.”

This news has been met with mixed reception amongst fans, some claiming that this could be a generous estimate of its length, or that it is simply too short for the campaign experience they wanted. On the other hand, some are happy that they have a more story focused experience to dive in to. No matter your opinion, it can be argued that this news is good news either way.

Now, this comes after a somewhat busy week for EA’s marketing team, Battlefront II having been in the spotlight more than usual these past few weeks. With the games Beta launching earlier this month, feedback following its conclusion was just as much of a mixed bag as many players noted how the games upgrade system and its intrinsic link to micro-transactions would likely lead to unfair gameplay advantages. Some well placed shots were fired at EA due their significant inclusion of the increasingly controversial micro-transaction loot box economies. The latter have become a particular sticking point with consumers, their inclusion in games like Middle Earth: Shadow of War sparking particular outrage.

Following criticism on the initial implementation of these systems in the Beta, EA responded and backtracked rather promptly, attempting to dampen the flames that were coming for them, saying “Rest assured, we’re continuing to listen to you coming out of Beta”. It would certainly seem that EA are doing what they can to listen to fans, the focus seeming to be on quality over quantity. Sadly, the idea of quantity isn’t something to be seen when it comes to solely singleplayer Star Wars games. With the promising Star Wars: 1313 being cancelled and with EA citing “fundamental shifts in the marketplace” as the reason for Visceral Games project being shut down, it could perhaps be said that the Battlefront II campaign was our only hope when it comes to a finely crafted and engrossing Star Wars videogame experience. So is a 5-7 hour story enough? 

Well, until we see Respawn Entertainment’s Star Wars game surface, we don’t really have a choice.Thankfully, Battlefront II’s tale will focus on that of Inferno Squad and their story which will span across multiple eras within the Star Wars universe. Iden Versio and her covert operations team will witness the destruction of the Death Star II, the demise of the Emperor and the transformation of the defeated Empire as it rises from the ashes to become the First Order. With this period being largely unexplored in Star Wars canon, fans are eager to finally see this unexplored part of the galaxy.

With Disney being very protective of their properties, it’s apparent that EA have a lot of responsibility to keep the Star Wars franchise in gamers good books. With the main gripe of the last installment being its lack of content, EA and Dice have made sure to include more of what makes Star Wars great including weapons, vehicles, locations and the superb sound design the franchise is known for. With one of the more vocal critics of the first game being John Boyega himself, aka Finn of the upcoming The Last Jedi, his appearance in the “This is Star Wars Battlefront 2″ video below shows a new level of confidence going forward, something that seems to be equally present in the fans after the promise of free content updates for the game and the decision to remove any kind of season pass.

As seen in the trailers super exciting graphs, we are going to be treated to a plethora of Star Wars goodies upon Battlefront II′s release. With appearances from the Emperor, Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren, to the use of thermal detonators and TIE Fighters, Motive’s campaign will feature not just an exciting story but all the toys you could hope for in a more narrative Star Wars gameplay experience. It’s been a good number of years since console players have had the chance to experience a new Star Wars story from the comforts of their couch but it looks like the wait is finally over.

Ir’s clear that EA’s focus will be on the multiplayer aspect of the game, with the continuous content updates and lootbox treadmill working in tandem to keep players coming back and to keep the cash coming, respectively, long after the games launch, some may consider the singleplayer campaign to be an afterthought but it’s much more than that; Inferno Squad and their adventures are a proving ground.

Only time will tell, but if Battlefront II’s campaign is received well and manages to deliver in both story and gameplay, there’s no doubt it will pave the way for the rise of more singleplayer focused games for the Star Wars franchise in the future. Let’s hope it brings those experiences back, and in greater numbers.

[cursednemesisprime]

Thing

@cansnake tagged me in this

Favourite game(s) from the last 5 years?

Lets see here, um.... Closest to that would be minecraft

Most nostalgic game(s)?

Halo 2 and morrowind, along with the first two main kingdom hearts games

Played the first 2 in summer 2013 on the day our sisters graduated kingdom hearts was the rest of my middle school days. (Odd time to play og Xbox and ps2 games but eh)

Game(s) that deserves a sequel?

Hmm, the KOTOR games. Great story and interesting gameplay. (Plus I love EU star wars)

Oh. And castle crashers. Really fun side scrolling beat em up.

Favorite game series?

Oof. Probably a tie between halo and KOTOR. (Throw kingdom hearts in there too why not)

Favorite genre(s)?

Sci-fi fps, rpg, side scrollers, and platformers, fighting games.

Least favorite genre(s)?

Probably sports and phone games

(Y'know. The ones riddled with microtransactions and shady practices)

Favorite song(s) from a game?

I like first movement of the odyssey from halo 2, lower norfair from metroid, the entire castlevania soundtrack (gee who saw that coming) and the minecraft osts

Favorite character from a game?

Uhhh, either the Elite shipmaster Rtas 'vaduum from halo 2, dark samus, or link.

Favorite ship(s) from a game?

The Ebon Hawke or a covenant dreadnought. (You never said what kind of ship)

Favorite voice actor from a game?

Either Keith david or Steve Downes.

(The arbiter and master chief respectively)

Favourite cutscene?

The scene in halo 2 where cheif gives the covenant back thier bomb.

Favorite boss(es)?

Chernabog from.kingdom hearts one, the prophet of regret from halo 2 (for the shee lulz of punching an old alien pope dude in a hoverchair repeatedly)

First console?

The Nintendo Wii.

Current console(s)

Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox one, wii, wii u, playstation 2, playststion 3, and a 3ds

Console(s) you want?

A switch for smash ultimate anda ps5 for gundam games

Place(s) from a game that you'd like to visit?

I'd love to visit hyrule from zelda or isle delphino from mario sunshine

Place from a game that you'd like to live in?

Probably somewhere in the sinnoh region from pokemon.

Ridiculous crossovet that would never happen but would be super fun?

Master chief meets Conker

Book that would make a good game?

Imma be real with you chief. I dont read for fun anymore.

Show/movie that would make a good game?

Pacific rim? Evangelion? ( I know it has games but they can do better)

Game(s) you want to play?

The 3d mario games, super metroid, and the gundam vs series.

Have you gotten 100% completion in a game?

No.

Have you cried over a game?

No, but kotor 2 got me pretty close ngl

What power-up ability would you want in real life?

Console commands

Name your top ten difderent female characters from fandoms, and then tag ten different people.

Okay, uh

1. Mina ashido (my hero academia)

2. Samus Aran (metroid)

3. Crowley Hamon (mobile suit gundam)

4. Marceline (adventure time)

5. Corrin (fire emblem)

6. Slipstream (transformers)

7. Medusa (kid icarus)

8. Kreia/Darth traya (star wars)

9. Pandora (saint seiya)

10. Cortana (pre halo 5)

I only have 5 followers so I'll only tag @normalisjustapokemontype

[clickholeofficial]

Responding To Controversy: EA Has Announced That ‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ Will Now Allow You To Unlock Legs For Your Character Without Paying Extra

Electronic Arts came under heavy fire this week from fans upset about planned microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront II. Thousands of people flooded social media to criticize how hard it was to unlock in-game content without spending real-world money, and it looks like the video game publisher has taken the criticism to heart. Today EA switched gears and announced that all characters will be immediately available without legs, and that you’ll eventually be able to unlock their legs for free.

This is great news for gamers who want to eventually walk or run in Star Wars Battlefront II without spending more than the initial $60 price tag.

“We’ve heard your concerns about in-game purchases, and we’ve listened,” EA said in a lengthy apology posted to Twitter. “All characters will now be playable from the start of the game without their legs, so you can crawl right into action as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and a whole host of iconic Star Wars characters. When you’re using your arms to painstakingly inch across the icy surface of Hoth or slither around inside the Death Star, you’ll feel like you’re actually living a legless existence inside of the thrilling Star Wars universe we all know and love. Legs can be obtained through the normal course of gameplay without any additional payments. Not having legs will motivate players to work toward getting legs, providing a fun and engaging challenge as you battle your way across the galaxy.”

Read more

[mtxzone-blog]

Hall of Shame: Star Wars Battlefront II

A while back, we ran a twitter poll asking what kinds of stuff people were interested in seeing on this blog. By a wide margin, the winner was a mysterious, unexplained option labeled “MTX Hall of Shame...” So I suppose we should explain what exactly that is.

The Hall of Shame is an idea we’ve had for a while, about focusing in on a single game and examining its deeds, misdeeds, and relevance to the broader landscape of video game monetization in a bit more detail than we give games on the main site. And what better way to start us off than the most memorable example in recent memory of a publisher getting caught with their hands well and truly in the cookie jar?

STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II

...or just “BF2″ for short. For a brief overview, here’s BF2’s page on the main site: "Star Wars Battlefront II: A powerful reminder that there is such a thing as Too Much”

Boy, Electronic Arts really messed up on this one, didn’t they? Having released Star Wars Battlefront (no, not that one) in 2015 and discovered that a multiplayer-only game that costs $110 if you want all the maps and game modes was maybe not the way to go, they looked around at the rest of the industry and decided to do what everyone else was doing: put gambling mechanics in the game to nickle-and-dime the player over the course of the game’s lifespan, rather than just demand all the money up-front. It had worked out alright when they did it in Battlefield 4, right? And that game even had paid map packs on top of the loot boxes - why should this be any different?

The answer to that question, it turns out, is many-faceted. The hubbub about BF2 didn’t really start to boil until its closed beta, early in October 2017. At that point in time, press and consumer attitudes towards the concept of loot boxes in major western video games were not exactly positive—Destiny 2 had just released, and was getting considerable heat for taking cosmetic items that used to be permanent unlocks in the first Destiny, and turning them into single-use consumables which could, of course, be acquired randomly through paid loot boxes. Meanwhile, concurrent to the BF2 beta, a number of things were happening:

Other developers were scoring easy PR victories by loudly announcing that their games would not have loot boxes in them.

The ESRB (an organization whose biggest goal is to keep lawmakers from interfering with game industry profits) declared that loot boxes were “not gambling”, which I suppose is a smart thing to say if you’re currently making a lot of money off of them.

The government of the United Kingdom was asked (and responded to) questions about loot boxes and their status as gambling

So when BF2′s beta launched with randomized loot boxes (which were going to be available for money once the full game released) containing literal, objectively more-powerful-than-default gameplay advantages, it was not a good scene. The backlash was immediate: articles were popping up all over with headlines like “Let’s not mince words; Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot boxes are pay-to-win“ and “How loot boxes are turning full-priced PC games into pay-to-win games of chance“.

EA quickly responded to the criticism, but in their response they very much missed the forest for the trees (or maybe they were just too stubborn to see reason and put their tail between their legs). They announced that the most powerful tier of upgrades would be removed from the loot box system, which didn’t really address the heart of the problem at all. And so, the criticism kept coming, famously culminating in the most downvoted Reddit comment of all time when an EA employee tried to defend the absurd amount of hours it took to unlock Darth Vader as a playable character without having to spend extra money. In another example of “too little too late,” another press release went out, stating that the costs of unlocking the game’s “Hero” characters were being slashed by 75%. Eventually, the day before the game’s official launch, news broke that EA was “temporarily” turning off the ability to purchase “Crystals,” the premium currency which is used to buy loot boxes.

By this point, the game had EA in over its head. Mainstream non-gaming news outlets were reporting on BF2, like Business Insider and Fortune. A legislator from the U.S. state of Hawai’i spoke about wanting to legislate loot boxes in video games, specifically calling out BF2 as a “Star Wars-themed online casino”. And so, finally, EA waved the white flag and gave up.

Near the tail end of November 2017, Blake Jorgensen (Chief Financial Officer for EA) said that cosmetic microtransactions weren’t in the cards for BF2, because they didn’t want to “violate Star Wars canon,” and “you probably don’t want Darth Vader in pink.” As should be obvious to basically anyone, Blake Jorgensen was talking right out of his ass, coming up with any excuse he could for why loot boxes (which are much more profitable than direct microtransactions) would be preferable to something a bit less exploitative. After all, the previous Battlefront game had cosmetic microtransactions, and they didn’t lead to any complaints about canon as far as we’re aware.

Another good indicator that Blake Jorgensen is full of crap is that, when the premium currency “Crystals” was re-instated, the only things you could spend them on were cosmetic microtransactions.

Also, we want Darth Vader in pink.

Pictured: The man of our dreams

Wrapping up now

The role of Star Wars Battlefront II in the wider western video games market was mainly to demonstate what happens when you move too far, too fast. BF2′s systems, at their core, weren’t that unique or even that uniquely horrible—it was a question of turning the numbers up too far (“40 hours to unlock Darth Vader”), and doing it in a game with much too high a profile (“the new Star Wars game coming out around the same time as the new Star Wars movie” - people really like Star Wars, don’tcha know).

The video games industry, as far as major western publishers are concerned, has been heading this way for a long time, and they’ve used a slow boil to get here. In 2006, Bethesda were the subject of unceasing scorn for charging $2.50 for Horse Armor. In 2017, the only reason there was any major backlash for BF2 was that its one-armed bandits were planned to disgorge gameplay boosts instead of dance emotes and new colors for your light saber.

In some way, BF2 can be seen as a good thing; it certainly poisoned the well for loot boxes in a big way. Forza Motorsport 7, which sells loot boxes for the in-game currency “Credits”, never got around to setting up a real-money dollars-to-Credits shop. Middle-Earth: Shadow of War recently got a new round of PR when its developers announced they would be removing the game’s premium currency (and the loot boxes that currency could buy), and rebalancing the game to account for the fact that its primary function is no longer to frustrate you into paying for digital orcs. And of course, the government of Belgium (no doubt spurred into action by all the attention BF2 managed to attract) recently announced, at the end of April 2018, that it considers the loot box mechanics in three major games (Overwatch, FIFA 18, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) to be illegal gambling. That probably wouldn’t have happened if EA hadn’t gotten greedy and pushed as hard as they did.

In conclusion, there are two important lessons to be learned here:

Nerds really like Star Wars

Where’s our pink Darth Vader. Where is he. WHERE

(If you have any feedback about this article, positive or negative, please do not hesitate to hit us up on Discord, or send an email to contact [at] microtransaction [.] zone - even just “I enjoyed this and would like to read more stuff like it in the future” or “This was a waste of my time, how dare you” would be very welcome)