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Boss Key Studio Announces New Battle Royal Game

Boss Key, the studio behind failed tournament shooter Lawbreakers, has announced a brand new free-to-play Battle Royale game. The new game is titled "Radical Heights" and will launch on Steam via Early Access tomorrow.

Radical Heights is being branded as "x-treme early access", which seemingly means players will have a great influence on the development of the game. This influence is already being seen, as fan feedback has already prompted the developer to remove a bonus granted to players that purchase the Founder's Edition of the game. The bonus would've granted founders an extra 10% to all earned cash, which can be used to purchase weapons early on in a round. This caused fans to accuse the game of being pay to win, and pushed Boss Key to replace the bonus with additional gems, which are simply used for cosmetic items.

The announcement comes days after Boss Key announced that it would be shelving its last game, Lawbreakers, which failed to attract a player base due to games like Overwatch crowding the market. Why Boss Key feels that the Battle Royale genre is less crowded is a bit of a mystery, especially as Fortnite gains the potential to become the largest game of all time. With any luck, Radical Heights will be able to carve out its own niche in the genre, but going toe-to-toe with the goliaths that are PUBG and Fortnite seems incredibly unlikely. 

Radical Heights is free-to-play, so we'll be sure to check it out before we draw any conclusions. Until then, keep checking in with Mesquel for more updates.

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Renowned Scientist, Steven Hawking, Passes Away

The world's most renowned scientist, Steven Hawking, has passed away at age 76. Hawking was most famous for his contributions to both Cosmology and Physics.

“We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years,” Hawking's children said in a statement.

Hawking was diagnosed with ALS in 1963. His most famous work, A Brief History of Time, released in 1988 and helped turn him into a household name.

While the details around his death remain unclear, we are incredibly saddened by this loss. hawking made amazing contributions to the scientific community and will be remembered dearly.

This story is still developing and will be updated as details emerge.

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New Hearthstone Expansion Announced

Blizzard has announced the next major Hearthstone expansion. The Expansion, titled The Witchwood, will add more than 130 new cards to the game. New traits will also be added to cards such as Worgen, which will make the cards Attack and Health switch every round that the card is in your hand. You can view the full announcement below.

This is the first expansion in The Year of the Raven, which is this year's release cycle for the card game. Blizzard didn't go so far as to announce a release date for the expansion, but you should start catching glimpses of the cards on March 26 via major sites and web personalities. The expansion is expected to drop sometime in Aprill, but for now, that's all rumor and speculation.

I'm not a massive Hearthstone player but these trailers always get me hyped. Blizzard and the Hearthstone team are excellent at the execution of major expansions and I have a feeling this will be no different. We'll have more information on the expansion as it develops, so keep checking out mesquel.com

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Hello, World!

Cameron Corliss is the founder of Mesquel. He spends all of his time reading, talking about, or playing Video Games. He also enjoys Netflix and a good slice of 1980's New York Style TMNT pizza. You can follow him on Twitter @camiscorliss

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You Can Get Amnesia For Free On Steam

Listen to Them Squeal

PC gaming platform, Steam, currently has Amnesia: The Dark Descent listed for free. The bundle contains both Amnesia and Amnesia: A Machine For Pigs. How long the game will be listed for free is currently unknown as the store page only specifies a "limited time".

Amnesia is one of the most critically hailed PC horror games of all time. The base game currently sits at an impressive 85 on aggregate site Metacritic, with A Machine For Pigs earning a less-impressive 72. It also helped give rise to popular internet personalities such as PewDiePie and Markiplier during the early years of the YouTube gaming scene.

Whether this game interests you or not, it's nice to see popular titles such as these be given out for free. While they may not be the most recent titles, it gives gamers that may have otherwise missed them a chance to check them out. It also helps developers cultivate more of a fan base for future releases.

Will you be picking up Amnesia while its free? Let us know @Mesquelgames on Twitter.

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Cameron Corliss is the founder of Mesquel. He spends all of his time reading, talking about, or playing Video Games. He also enjoys Netflix and a good slice of 1980's New York Style TMNT pizza. You can follow him on Twitter @camiscorliss

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Mesquel Episode 2 Is Here!

Arcade Episode 2: Brother/Sister

On This Episode of Arcade, we talk about E3, Trump, and an all-new Overwatch Hero.

From Around The Web...

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Mesquel Episode 2 Is Here!

Arcade Episode 2: Brother/Sister

On This Episode of Arcade, we talk about E3, Trump, and an all-new Overwatch Hero.

From Around The Web...

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March PS Plus Games Announced, Changes Coming To Service

The list of free PlayStation Plus games for March 2018 has finally been announced, and it's probably the best in the history of the service.

PlayStation Plus Subscribers on PS4 can pick up Bloodborne and Ratchet and Clank right now at no cost. Meanwhile, PS3 owners will be able to pick up Mighty No. 9 and Legend of Kay while Vita owners get Claire: Extended Cut as well as Bombing Busters. 

Bloodborne is one of the most critically-acclaimed games on the PlayStation 4 and currently sits at a 92% on Metacritic. Bloodborne is one of the more recent entries into the Souls series of games. It made waves when it originally launched back in 2015 for its atmospheric design and incredible world. Ratchet and Clank is another superb title. It's a remaster of the classic PlayStation 2 era game that helped popularize 3D platformers. Both games are absolute must-plays for any fan of PlaySation.

All good things must come to an end, though. Sony announced that they will discontinue the free games lineup for the PlayStation 3 and Vita in March 2019. This means that gamers still on those platforms will no longer be able to download free titles.

A year in advance does feel just a tad bit early to make this announcement, but at least Sony is giving fans fair warning. After all, the PlayStation 4 has now been out for nearly a half-decade. A announcement like this was bound to come eventually.

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Cameron Corliss is the founder of Mesquel. He spends all of his time reading, talking about, or playing Video Games. He also enjoys Netflix and a good slice of 1980's New York Style TMNT pizza. You can follow him on Twitter @camiscorliss

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Sega Accidentally Released Yakuza 6 For Free

A Bargain You Just Can't Beat

Sega released Yakuza 6 at a fairly steep discount today, as players in North America were able to enjoy the entire game for the low low price of free by downloading the game's demo.

Sega released the demo yesterday only to realize the mistake several hours later. What exactly caused only the North American version to be affected remains unclear. Sega pulled the demo from the PlayStation store and issued the following apology via Twitter:

While most demos feature a small chunk of the game for download, Yakuza 6's demo installed all 30gb of the games files so that users could immediately play the entire game should they decide to purchase it. Demo discs of the past would sometimes allow players to crack their way into the full game. Most infamously, a demo of Crash Bash found on Spyro: Year of The Dragon discs allowed players to play a beta version of the entire game. It is odd that Sega is still having this issue in 2018, but here's hoping they get the demo back up and running soon.

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Cameron Corliss is the founder of Mesquel. He spends all of his time reading, talking about, or playing Video Games. He also enjoys Netflix and a good slice of 1980's New York Style TMNT pizza. You can follow him on Twitter @camiscorliss

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The Arcade Scene Has Changed

Insert 2 Coins to Continue

The mass die-off of Arcades in the late 90's and early 2000's was no small thing. It signified the end of an era, one where it was more practical to own a home console than it was to plunk quarters into a machine. While it may be healthier and more cost effective to avoid smoke-filled rooms that basically exist to promote children draining their parent's pockets, it was sad to see such an important piece of gaming history lose a life. In traditional gaming fashion, however, arcades have respawned. All across America arcades are making a comeback, though, they may be unrecognizable to many long-time gamers. I visited one of these arcades and was equally surprised, delighted, and ashamed of what I saw there.

The most immediate change was a complete lack of quarters. The arcade I visited replaced that idea with a cheap plastic card you swipe at each machine. You loaded on as much money as you wanted with either cash or a credit card and the atm-style machine applied an equivalent amount of points to the card account. Every cabinet was around 12 points to play, with others being more or less expensive. 10 dollars netted you 100 points on the card, so every swipe was pretty spendy. There's very little doubt in my mind that the point system is to hide how much you're spending which is a tad bit malicious. I definitely miss the quarter system, but the idea of the cards is certainly nifty.

Of course, the arcade is hardly about how you pay. There was a better selection of games than I was expecting which was surprising because I was expecting quite a few. The majority of cabinets were mobile game ports, which was odd at first but ultimately makes sense. Mobile games are made to be addictive, and I definitely caught myself swiping my card to try and beat my previous high scores. Doodle Jump, Angry Birds, and a modified Flappy Bird port were some of the main headliners, amongst others. They blend well into the scene. You have a limited number of lives and you need to score as many points as possible with them. 

There were also updated versions of the classics in the form of new iterations of Galaga, Pac Man, and Space Invaders. They were actually pretty fun, even if their existence is sacrilege. Pac Man was pretty much just Pac Man, except you only had one life and the AI for the ghosts was a lot more intelligent than 80's version. Galaga was also pretty much just Galaga with modern graphics and a steeper difficulty curve. I didn't spend that much time with it, but I can't say that it was bad. Space Invaders was the one that really changed. It wasn't just an innocent little arcade cabinet anymore, oh no. What I played was a large vertical screen with two seats and two IR guns. You use the guns to blast down Alien ships as they descend toward you, as Alien ships shall want to do. They pick up much faster than the version from the 80's and was a bit of an eye-sore. These new versions aren't as great as their predecessors but it's at least nice seeing beloved franchises updated for a new generation of gamers.

The most surprising machines were the massive, well known, simulation machines that featured popular IP. These were things like Mario Kart, Star Wars, and Luigi's Mansion. There was also one called typhoon that was basically just a three-dollar headache. It rattles you around for three minutes in a chair while it shows a few different scenes of things exploding. The game ends with a "You Win!" screen, despite the fact that you never actually do anything. Star Wars: Battle Pods is the really cool one. You sit in a giant enclosed box with a massive screen in the front. You pick between a bunch of iconic scenes from the movies, like the Death Star run. The game is hard as hell, and I don't think I even managed to place in the top 600 in any of my plays, but I would gladly play again. I have a sneaking suspicion that these are going to be the arcade machines of the future, so I'd get used to them now if you're opposed to the idea of giant, bad ass, machines.

The coolest thing was seeing that the true classics were still around, even if it was in a small way. The arcade had one machine that housed upwards of 80 classic arcade games on it. It didn't really do a great job of telling you how the controls translated for each game, so starting out was pretty frustrating. The line up of games was top-notch, everything from Joust to Dragon's Lair made an appearance. It was such a great machine that I tried to buy one online for my home office but wasn't able to find an actual way to buy it.

All in all, it was a pretty great trip to the arcade. There are some bastardized versions of things that I used to love but if that's what it takes to ensure the survival of gaming history, then I'm for it. It's easily the most expensive way to play games but that's the way the arcade scene has always been costly. If you have the ability, you should check out the arcade nearest to you. You may be surprised by the experiences that you find.

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Cameron Corliss is the founder of Mesquel. He spends all of his time reading, talking about, or playing Video Games. He also enjoys Netflix and a good slice of 1980's New York Style TMNT pizza. You can follow him on Twitter @camiscorliss

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Check Out Episode 1 Of Mesquel Arcade!

Episode 1: Lazy Eye

Episode One of the Mesquel Arcade Podcast. Join us as we talk NPD, Kingdom Come Deliverance, Black Panther, and a potential loot box ban.

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Burnout Paradise is Being Remastered

A Smashing Reveal

A remastered version of Burnout Paradise will be making its way to current-gen consoles in mid-March this year. The game will make its way to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 16th, or March 9th for EA Access subscribers, a little over a decade since the game originally launched. A PC  version is planned to launch exclusively through Origin in the near future.

Burnout Paradise Remastered will be fully playable in 1080p on the PS4 and Xbox One with the option for 4K 60FPS on both the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro. Burnout Paradise Remastered will also feature all previously released downloadable content on the disk.

Burnout Paradise originally launched on January 22, 2008 to massive critical success, and currently sits at an 88 on Metacritic. It certainly would've been nice to see a version for the Switch, but here's hoping we get one in the future.

For more on Burnout Paradise Remastered, check out our Twitter @mesquelgames.

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Shadow Of The Colossus Video Review

Our review of Shadow Of The Colossus is here! We're by no means professional video editors, but we appreciate any feedback you give us!

Cameron Corliss is the founder of Mesquel. He spends his time gaming and hiking. You can follow him on Twitter @camiscorliss

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MoviePass Review

MoviePass is a new service coming from Netflix Co-founder Mitch Lowe. For just 10 bucks a month you can see a movie every day, with a few restrictions. 3D and Imax Movies are barred, and you can't use the pass to purchase presale tickets. We've been using Movie Pass ever since it dropped from the original $50 price tag, and so far we've been pretty pleased.

The system works surprisingly well. As soon as you're within range of a theatre, you load up the app and check into whichever movie you want to see. The entire process takes about 4 taps and the possibility of an awkward interaction if the card gets declined. This only happened to me once or twice in areas that I didn't have stellar cell service. Luckily, MoviePass is willing to issue you a refund should you get stuck footing the bill for a movie.

The real beauty of MoviePass is how it pushes you to see movies you otherwise may have skipped. While you may not particularly enjoy them, it at least opens you up to new ideas. For me, this was the divisive film Mother. While I fell in the camp of "did not like", I at least got to be a part of the conversation.

MoviePass lives and dies by what's showing in theatres. The Pass is stellar during months where a ton of interesting films are released but steadily loses value in slow months where nothing particularly interesting hits the market. If you ever feel that you aren't squeezing enough value out of the card you can always cancel and reactivate it later to get maximum value from the service.

MoviePass' customer service is the only real place that the company struggles. I messaged the service multiple times but was never able to get a response, which can be beyond frustrating. I'm willing to give them a bit of a break because of the influx of customers they've had ever since their price drop, but at this point, they should have enough staff to deal with this explosion of users.

BOTTOM LINE:

MoviePass is an excellent service. If you see more than one movie a month and are willing to put aside some frustrations with their customer service, then you should absolutely consider signing up. We'll have to wait and see how long the company lasts with what seems to be a highly unsustainable business model, but for now, enjoy it while it lasts.

Cameron Corliss is the founder of Mesquel. He enjoys video games, movies, and a nice waffle. You can follow him on Twitter @camiscorliss

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Red Dead Redemption 2 Delayed, Given New Release Date

Rockstar has finally given us a date for their upcoming sequel to Red Dead Redemption. Gamers will be able to embark on their Journey in the Wild Wild West on October 26, 2018, which is quite a bit later than the original launch window of sometime this spring. Rockstar released a brief statement via their blog:

We are excited to announce that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released on October 26th 2018. We apologize to everyone disappointed by this delay. While we had hoped to have the game out sooner, we require a little extra time for polish.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is not only one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, but of the entire console generation as well. Players will be able to enjoy a completely open world, western setting. We can't wait to be a desperado in the desert, but it seems we'll have to wait just a bit longer. Here's hoping the extra polish time makes the game a 10.

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God Of War Gets New Trailer, Release Date

It's official, God Of War will be gracing our PlayStations on April 20, 2018. The announcement came this morning in an official PlayStation Blog post, along with a new trailer and information about the various collector's editions of the game.

The trailer shows off various aspects of the story as well as Kratos' relationship with his son. It also gives us a few more peaks at the combat the franchise is known for. Throughout the trailer, Kratos is trying to hide his "true nature" from his child and those around them, though it doesn't seem to be going very well.

The post also detailed the pre-order bonuses gamers can expect from various retailers. Preordering from anywhere will net yet you three additional legendary shield skins, while EB Games and Gamestop customers will also gain the Luck of Ages item, which gives you in-game stat bonuses. The collector's editions are your run of the mill fanfare, but the 9" PVC statue found in the larger game editions does look really cool.

This release date means that God Of War will be going up against Nintendo's recently announced Labo project. While the two appeal to very different markets, it'll be interesting to see if they have any effect on each other from a sales perspective.

Are you excited to hack and slash your way through God Of War? Let us know on Twitter @mesquelgames.

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ESO And The Power of The Update

The Games, They Are a Changing

You may or may not be familiar with just how awful The Elder Scrolls Online was when it originally launched. What could have been a magical entry into the franchise instead suffered a fate worse than simply being terrible: mediocrity. It was a bug ridden mess. The progression sucked and it was impossible to play with friends in other factions. The latter would've been excusable for lore reasons, had the game not created inconsistencies with history found throughout other games in the franchise. However, Zenimax has been steadily pushing out updates since the game launched. Some updates did more than others, but overall the studio has turned ESO into a fine game.

Sure it isn't perfect, the prevalence and cost of items in the crown store are a bit overbearing and combat still feels like you're smacking air. But Zenimax has finally given fans what they've wanted all along. They made Skyrim Online. A recent update did away with both level and faction restrictions, meaning that anyone can play with anyone. This has enabled the entire player base to come together, which has in turn reduced queue times and created a more open community. This also enables veteran players to show new players the ropes, which as an inexperienced player I've enjoyed immensely.

If you haven't checked the game out in a while, it may be worth doing so. There'll be some pressure to subscribe to ESO Plus, but I managed to ignore that with relative ease. You can normally find the base game on sale for around $20, which will be packed with enough content to keep you entertained for quite some time, even if you intend to play as a singleplayer experience. Hopefully, more games will look to ESO as an example of how to handle post-launch content based on fan feedback. It won't resolve everything, but you may be able to resurrect a game that otherwise would have fluttered and died.

Cameron Corliss spends his days gaming and hiking with the occasional round of competitive duck rolling smattered in.

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Check Out The Nintendo Direct Mini! (1-11-18)

Nintendo Fans rejoice, as Nintendo dropped a brand new Direct Mini early this morning. The 13 minute long video came packed with all new announcements for the Switch and 3DS, with our favorite being a surprise at the end. You can check out the full Direct here:

Personally, we're blown away. The bulk of the announcements are ports and remasters but I'll be damned if they aren't ports and remasters we're excited about. This is great news for anyone that loves Nintendo but didn't own a Wii U, which is most people. Seeing games like Dark Souls being remastered on the Switch also proves that Nintendo is listening to fan feedback and attempting to make Switch a platform with more mature options.

Did you like the Direct Mini? Holler @ us on Twitter, @MesquelGames.