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What’s Coming: Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Official Teaser Trailer by DC on YouTube

This week I’m going to take a look at the upcoming Suicide Squad game developed by Rocksteady, who’s best known for their Batman: Arkham series of games. This title is looking to be a multiplayer, third person beat em up game inspired by the popular comic book series by the same name. It has a planned release of sometime in 2022 and with the developer of the critically acclaimed Batman games, it’s already shaping up to be an excellent game.  Batman Arkham Asylum: Still GREAT In 2021 (Review) by MasterAssassin on YouTube

The original Batman Arkham games came out in 2009 and was met to critical acclaim. It was given awards around the board, from best writing to best game of the year from different sources. The beat em up stealth game helped redefine what a super hero video game can be in the modern era, and using the gritty style of current day Batman during the era of the Dark Knight series definitely helped its reception to the general public. Their last game was a VR port of one of their Batman games in 2015, so it would seem that the developer is putting in a lot of time to make this title stand out. 

Marvel's Avengers - Before You Buy by gameranx on Youtube

On the other end of the super hero video game spectrum, the Avengers game came out relatively recently to some extremely mediocre reviews. It was panned for being a boring repetitive slog that became stale after only a few hours of play. This could be indicative of the new Suicide Squad game, which is following the same template of a 4 person beat em up co-op game. Of course, that doesn’t mean this formula is doomed from the start. From the trailers we’ve been seeing, it would look like Rocksteady is aiming to put a sense of variety and style on their version of the gameplay. But it’s still something of note, in my opinion. 

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Official Story Trailer – “Ticking” by DC on YouTube

For me, one of the stand out things I noticed about the game is its focus on the characters in Suicide Squad. The darker side of the DC universe has always been greatly entertaining, and the last Suicide Squad movie was actually greatly enjoyable. They’re bringing the big personalities back to these characters, which seems like it will be much more entertaining than the usual, stoic super hero characters you usually play in these types of games. Not only that, but the story is focused on killing the members of the Justice League, Superman, the Flash, Wonder Woman which sounds like a unique, exciting gameplay premise. That sort of premise is a breath of fresh air in my opinion. 

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Official Gameplay Trailer - “Flash and Burn” | DC by DC on YouTube

Last is the gameplay, which also looks incredibly fun and stylistic. All the characters seem like they’re going to play differently, adding a ton of variety and replay-ability to the game. You can choose to grapple around as Harley Quinn, fly through the sky as DeadEye or zoom around with Captain Boomerang. Not to mention the focus on co-op, having all this fast paced action with three other friends sounds fun as hell. I’m extremely excited to see how this game pans out, and I’ll definitely have my eye on it until it comes out in 2022. 

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What’s Coming: Breath of the Wild 2

Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - First Look Trailer - Nintendo E3 2019 by Nintendo on YouTube

For this week, we’re going to be looking at one of my personal most anticipated games of all time; Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. Back in 2019, a sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was announced to be coming out in the near(ish) future, looking as if it was building upon the new building blocks that the Nintendo Switch title laid down for the nearly 30 year old series. 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review by IGN on YouTube.

The previous title really set a precedence for open world games. It’s the highest scoring Nintendo Switch game on Metacritic right now, and it’s rightfully deserved. For years before, internet essayists were complaining about how stale The Legend of Zelda’s gameplay had gotten, each title being cookie cutter, mostly linear games that didn’t capture the sense of wonder and exploration of the first NES title brought. Breath of the Wild did exactly that, bringing the series back to its roots, placing the player in a huge open world and tasking them to explore it in their own unique way (with some missions to point them in the right direction).

Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - E3 2021 Teaser - Nintendo Direct by Nintendo on YouTube

Unlike a lot of Zelda titles, this one is aiming to be a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, the graphics, visual style, and gameplay mechanics remaining the same from the previous title. Although, in this short gameplay trailer we’re able to see that there will be more variety in the world, and a stronger focus on vertical traversal. With the previous title’s introduction of the paragliding system, which allowed for easier vertical and horizontal traversal, using this system for new scenarios seems to be a focus of the new game. 

Breath of the Wild 2 Is in Development Because the Zelda Team Had 'Too Many Ideas' for DLC by Jordan Sirani on IGN

Clearly, the people working on this game are passionate. The previous title had a nice amount of DLC that added a lot to the game, and by the looks of it, the new sequel was spawned out of the want to create more content for BotW. The freedom and amount of unique situations you can get into using the game’s mechanics seems endless, in fact, there are still videos popping up every day of cool new things you can do in the game that are still being discovered. This passion the developers have for the title is an amazing sign too, as opposed to the yearly release of the latest first person shooter, Nintendo is opting to take their time, utilize new ideas and directions, and putting in the effort needed to recapture what made Breath of the Wild and Zelda as a series as popular as it is today. 

Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s co-developer is continuing to expand by Andy Robinson on VGC.

One of the more interesting aspects of the game is the development situation. Unlike most Legend of Zelda games, this one isn’t being made in-house at Nintendo. It’s mostly being developed by another younger gaming company, that were given the tools they used for Breath of the Wild one to create a new offshoot of the title. I think this can lead to a brand new, fresh take on the still fresh title. It reminds me of Majora’s Mask, another sequel in the LoZ series that came after Ocarina of Time. It was a darker take on the series, and by far one of the most interesting titles in the lineup of games. If the new sequel can capture this new mood, then I’m sure it’ll be just as good, if not surpass the previous title. 

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What’s Coming: Rainbow 6 Extraction

Rainbow Six Extraction: Cinematic Reveal Trailer by Ubisoft on YouTube

This week I’m going to look at an interesting spin off of a popular skill based shooter that’s projected to come out in 2022, Rainbow 6 – Extraction, based on the Ubisoft game Rainbow 6: Siege. R6 Siege gained massive popularity when it came out in 2015 and is still running strong today. In fact, it’s one of the few online multiplayer shooters that I still frequent with a few pals of mine today. The original game focuses on tactical gameplay and a 5 vs. 5 player count gamemode, but this new release seems to be shaking up the formula quite a bit from the original game.

Rainbow 6 Siege Zombies Gameplay - Let's Play Rainbow Six Siege Outbreak by outsidexbox on YouTube 

From the looks of it, this game is based heavily off a limited time Halloween gamemode that was featured for a few years called Outbreak. It was one of my favorite modes to play back in the day and I’m really excited to see what Ubisoft will do with a full standalone game based off this popular mode. It was extremely reminiscent to Call of Duty: Zombies where a team of 4 players go up against a horde of zombies, though in Rainbow 6’s version there’s a clear objective and end point to each gameplay session. It combines the hectic gameplay of dozens of zombie like creatures rushing you at once with the tactical gameplay of the original game, and it was an amazing experimental twist to the usually slow paced gameplay.

Rainbow Six Extraction: Extended Gameplay Deep Dive by Ubisoft on Youtube

Unlike the competitive nature of Siege, this game has a major focus on teamwork with the other two players in the game. It’s all about gathering intel with the operator’s unique abilities and making strategic plans to make sure each mission is successful. Instead of running in guns blazing, the game guides you to infiltrate each mission slowly. This time around, it seems like there’s a ton more content and interesting encounters as opposed to the previous Halloween special gamemode, which will make playing this new entry in the Rainbow 6 Franchise a refreshing return to the game.

Rainbow Six Extraction will offer "deep gameplay systems, operator progression, and more" by Vikki Blake on GamesRadar

Its also looking like there will be more opportunities to progress your different operator and their abilities, which is a change from the original that had operators remain the same no matter how much XP you might get. It looks like there will be a lot more gameplay changes as you progress through the game, allowing you to encounter new scenarios, see new enemies, and utilize new equipment and weapons. For a co-op or single player game, I think this is a great add.

Rainbow 6: Extraction Twitter Overall, I’m really excited for the game. Another great sign is that the development conditions seem to be good, as there has been no talk of delays, the content they’ve shown has been impressive, and there’s been no whistleblowers to talk about a troubled development. I have a feeling that this is because the game is based off of the same DNA and utilizes the same engine as Rainbow 6 Siege, so they had a great framework to work from. I’ll definitely be picking up this game, and I can’t wait to see what sort of unique spin they can make from the nearly 7 year old game.

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What’s Coming: Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Pokemon Legends: Arceus - Official Trailer 2 by IGN on YouTube

For this week, I’m going to be taking look at a big shot franchise that’s looking to experiment with its classic formula, that being Pokemon with its upcoming Legends: Arceus. This game seems to be aiming more toward a mature audience and focuses on open world gameplay and exploration. Personally, I’m extremely excited to see what sort of unique ideas the more exploratory gameplay can provide to the Pokemon franchise, but some people aren’t so keen on what’s been seen so far. 

10 Minute Gameplay | Pokémon Legends Arceus | All Gameplay Leaks + Fights by Slyru on YouTube

The gameplay is going to be focusing on the usual ‘Catch them All’ formula that the franchise is known for, but it would seem that the game is taking cues from the recent Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that Nintendo released in late 2017. The vast open world exploration and the freedom to do whatever you’d like seems like it’d work well in this new Pokemon game, especially with it taking place in the distance past where the game’s continent hasn’t been fully explored yet. 

Pokemon Legends Arceus fans still aren’t convinced by its “ugly” graphics by Brent Koepp on Dexerto

Even with all this new promised innovation, fans aren’t too keen on the game’s visual style. The environment looks barren and lifeless when compared to Breath of the Wind, another Nintendo Switch game that awed audiences with its simple yet effective cell shaded graphics. And that came out four years ago, so fans are expecting to see that sort of style realized in this new Pokemon game and more. Of course, we’ve only seen footage from early stages of the game, but so far the visual style isn’t appealing to audiences. 

Pokémon Legends: Arceus Is Clearly Not Going To Be Open-World by Mike Fahey on Kotaku

Another issue fans are bringing up is how the gameplay loop is actually going to work. Some are expecting a Breath of the Wild type game that allows for vast, open ended exploration with very little strings attached. But some are expecting a more linear gameplay style that takes place in the huge open world. Until we have more footage, we can’t really say which route it will take for sure, but whatever is decided is sure to split fan reception in a big way. 

Pokemon fans worried Pokemon Legends: Arceus is “rushed” after shock release date reveal by Brent Koepp on Dexerto

The last issue some have brought up is how quick the development time is for a game of this scale. If the open world promise is really met, then it might be a bit too quick for a project of this scale to come out only a year after it was announced. Of course, the game was in development for a good while before it was revealed, and the gameplay engine seems like it will be borrowing from Breath of the Wild’s, but the issue of crunch time for developers and not enough time and effort being put in can have some real negative effects on its reception when it comes out late January of this year. 

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What’s Coming: Battlefield 2042

Battlefield 2042 - Official Battlefield Portal Gameplay Trailer

This week I’m taking a look at Battlefield 2042, the newest entry in the Battlefield line of games. This title is switching from the world war focus of the previous couple of titles and going back to a pseudo-modern future take on warfare. Utilizing equipment, guns and technologies that seem extremely similar to gadgets we would see used today. But Battlefield has always decided to go above and beyond when it comes to large scale battles with huge set pieces, and this title seems to be ramping that up even harder.

Battlefield 2042 Gameplay (4K Ultra Graphics ) by jackfrags on YouTube. In all honesty, the gameplay loop and core features of the game seem to be similar to the previous entries. But this time, the battlefield has been increased to a large 64 vs 64 battle that take place within an even larger map, with some splinter game modes that will decrease the map size, change the objective, or require vehicle warfare. But those sorts of gameplay experiences aren’t what the players are coming for. They’re coming for the large-scale battles with absurd gameplay experiences that can only come from a multiplayer game of this size, not to mention the added natural disasters and environment events that turn the absurdity up. Along with the larger player size, there was an introduction to operators, allowing for new cool gadgets like grappling hooks and sentry turrets.

Battlefield 2042 Beta – The Good, The Bad, And The Meh by LevelCapGaming on YouTube. Much like Halo from last week, Battlefield 2042 has also had a beta that allowed players to get their hands on the game. The reactions have been mixed however. One of the aspects that players have hailed is the huge sense of scale that the game has with it’s doubled player count, making the players feel like they’re in the middle of a real warzone. Its also been stated that the gunplay is more solid than ever, and the large player size increased the frequency of vehicle gameplay. But with all that, there’s been some things players are concerned about. The Bugs and performance issues.

Battlefield 2042 Beta is live: Here are all known issues & current status by Anurag Chawake on PiunikaWeb. With every beta, there are bound to be issues. But in this case, it seems like having a massive glitch during the game is standard. There have been numerous reddit posts compiling glitches encountered in the beta, in fact, it’s become a running gag that EA games will always ship with major issues. It seems like the developers are working to fix some of these issues, but with the sheer amount of them it’s looking impossible to take care of them all before the release date.

Leaker Claims Battlefield 2042 Development is in Trouble by Sidharta Rasidi on The Nerd Stash. Speaking of release date, it seems like the developers have been working to the bone to get the game out in a much more polished sate than the game was in. Some leakers had claimed that the upper management didn’t seem to really care about the game, only really trying to create a game that will compete with the other big FPS’s of the day. Not to mention, given the bugs seen in the beta build, the alleged crunch time that the developers are under can really create a stressful environment, which has been proven to negatively effect a game.

In conclusion, this next Battlefield entry doesn’t seem like it’s looking to stray too far from the norm, only increase the scale in a way that only Battlefield can. But with this, they’ve ended up creating problems for themselves, and could end up releasing a game that is riddled with bugs and issues.

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What’s Coming: Halo Infinite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iUeDo5p5Pw&ab_channel=IGN Halo Infinite Multiplayer – Official Cinematic Trailer | gamescom 2021 by IGN on YouTube. This week we’ll be looking into a game franchise that I’ve put countless hours into. This is Halo, made by Microsoft Studios, a game franchise that defined a generation of first-person shooters. I can’t tell you how many hours I put into Halo Reach as a kid, not to mention when it was rereleased on PC not too long ago. But now Halo is trying to make it’s jump into the newest generation of consoles, but has had a few hiccups on the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZtc5-syeAk&ab_channel=HALO Halo Infinite | Campaign Gameplay Premiere  – 8 Minute Demo by HALO on YoutTube First off let’s take a look at the infamous gameplay trailer that set off quite a lot of red flags to some gamers. The game seems to have shifted its campaign into the standard open world setting while retaining the alien shooting gameplay mechanics that it’s known for. I know quite a few people aren’t the biggest fan of this particular shift, but I think that experimenting with this style can be a refreshing shift from the linear campaigns that the franchise always stuck to. Where the big issues seem to lie is in the unpolished graphics. It just doesn’t seem like the shift to the new powerful console hardware that people were expecting.

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2020-halo-infinite-gameplay-demo-analysis 2020 Halo Infinite Gameplay Demo Analysis by Alex Battagila on EUROGAMER The graphics in that initial gameplay trailer leaves a lot to be desired. The textures look washed out and straight out of the last generation of console games. Microsoft Studios were put on blast for this first campaign gameplay trailer, and I think it was a bit justified. For how big of a game this is, the visual look leaves much to be desired when compared to some of the standards that has been set by new generation games like Rachet and Clank and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. But, it seems like Microsoft took those concerns quite seriously and have taken their time to improve the graphics.

https://www.windowscentral.com/halo-infinite-graphics-comparison-2020-vs-2021 Halo Infinite Graphics Comparison 2020 vs 2021 by Brendan Lowry on Windows Central. From this article, we can already see some massive improvements in how the game looks. The lighting seems to have been stepped up a notch and the model are more detailed and fleshed out. This proves to be a great sign for things to come when the game releases, as its clear that the work is being put in to make this an incredibly polished game. Seeing that the people in charge are listening to their audience and actively improving there game is something that doesn’t happen too much in the game industry these days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEaa62uBGa0&t=476s&ab_channel=SkillUp Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is very, very good (Impressions) by Skill Up on YouTube. Luckily, there has already been an Open Beta for people to try out the multiplayer aspect. And it already seems like it’ll be another fantastic multiplayer shooter experience right off the bat. This open beta has been praised for how satisfying and fun the gameplay is, showing how much polish they put on the classic Halo Multiplayer gameplay. I think this bodes incredibly well for the future of the game, showing how much the developers care about delivering a fantastic first-person shooter experience.

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What’s Coming: Call of Duty - Vanguard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ1CwPhE8KQ&ab_channel=CallofDuty Reveal Trailer | Call of Duty: Vanguard by Call of Duty on YouTube. For this week, we’re gonna talk about a game that I have a bit of a personal stake in. I previously worked doing QA for Activision, both on Black Ops: Cold War, Modern Warfare, and Warzone. While I enjoyed my time there for the most part, I know that there has been strife in the workforce responsible for these games the last year, including the sexual harassment lawsuits and the outcry for better worker conditions. But they’re releasing their new title in the annual Call of Duty Franchise, and I wanted to take a look at the game along with the working conditions for the developers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEAhQVtjABo&ab_channel=UnitedG Probably the BEST Call of Duty Vanguard gameplay you've ever seen! By UnitedG on YouTube Moving on to the game, this title will be utilizing the same engine that emerged from the 2019 Modern Warfare title and will be taking the series back to its roots (again) with a World War 2 setting. This time, however, the story will depict the battle on multiple fronts of the war, not just focusing on certain areas that experienced warfare. Other than that, the game will stay true to the gameplay groundwork set by the previous two Call of Duty titles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqvCBJSedVE&ab_channel=jackfrags Call of Duty Vanguard Reveal Event in Warzone! By jackfrags on YouTube. As of now, Activision’s cash cow has been its Warzone Battle Royal game mode, where most professional players and streamers have been putting in most of their time. To announce the new trailer for the game, there was a special timed event for Warzone that had players working together to take down a train that ran amok in the Verdansk map, ending in a massive bombing that led into the trailer for the upcoming title. I actually found this announcement method to be incredibly unique, and actually being one of the few players to participate in this event was incredibly rewarding.

https://www.pcgamer.com/activision-blizzards-attempt-to-halt-lawsuit-rejected/ Activision Blizzard Attempt to Halt Lawsuit Rejected by Mollie Taylor on PC Gamer. But with all that, I need to talk about the elephant in the room. The recent bad press that was levied at Activision, and what that means for the game. One of the major things was the lawsuits that were aimed toward the company due to some higher ups grossly abusing their power to party and harass their female, minority, and LGBT staff members. This definitely had an impact on the development not only for the Call of Duty Franchise, but also for any other game that falls under the Activision/Blizzard namesake. I’m sure this bad press will also have negative effect on sales numbers for the new releases.

https://kotaku.com/workers-accuse-activision-blizzard-of-union-busting-1847675870 Workers Accuse Activision Blizzard of Union Busting by Ethan Gach on Kotaku. The last thing I want to hit on is Activision and the recent call for unionization. When I was there, the call for unionization was loud and mostly went unheard by higher ups at the company. Many people were doing their best to organize walkouts that were quickly shot down by anyone in power who happened to catch wind of it. I remember a few of my coworkers who were especially vocal being let go or moved around. And this call for better working conditions is well warranted, from the 50 hour work weeks being the norm and the last minute call for people to be told they’d be working a 70 hours that week just a day before the week starts, there needs to be reform in this gaming juggernaut.

In conclusion, I’m sure the game will come out as any other Call of Duty title, no more and no less. People will buy it, and it’ll appeal to its core audience. But with all the hardships the workers have been facing, the release of the game will be bitter sweet for most working on it, considering that most of their cries for reform haven’t been heard by the company.

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What’s Coming: Star Citizen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swBCCvbRTL4&ab_channel=Rzf Star Citizen Trailer (2021) by Rzf on YouTube The post this week is going to be a little different this time around. Instead of looking at something that’s ‘already come out,’ we’ll be looking at a game that has been in development limbo for over a decade now. This game is Star Citizen, development on it started in 2010 and originally had a 2015 release windows that it’s missed by 6 years now. I find this game to be an excellent example of a development company focusing on the wrong development methods and creating a project that is constantly under development due to its astronomical scope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIKetPJsTfs&ab_channel=Subpixel The Promise and Problem of Star Citizen by Subpixel on YouTube The promised game is no doubt ambitious. Focusing on space fairing gameplay, space trucking, bounty hunting, and any space traveling troupe you can think of in a massive open world space with planets you can explore, and space station littered around the world. I was actually extremely interested in this game for a good while and what it promised, but so far there hasn’t been any solid, stable release to be played by the general masses.

https://www.ccn.com/300-million-star-citizens-development-hell-must-be-stopped/ $300 Million Star Citizen’s Development Hell Must be Stopped by William Worrall on CCN Now, this game can actually be played right now. You’re able to purchase in game space ships that can cost up to thousands of dollars, fly around with them, interact with other players, and engage in missions. But it still feels incredibly empty. One of the main reasons for this is the extremely poor optimization of the game, unless you have a top of the line gaming PC that will cost thousands of dollars, you won’t be able to fly your thousand dollar ship without massive hitching and performance issues. And there hasn’t been many successful attempts on part of the development team to fix this huge issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDp4Y19aWhI SQUADRON 42 Trailer | Star Citizen from Gamespilot on YouTube There was even a promised campaign featuring some Hollywood big shots like Mark Hamill and Gary Oldman all captured with full motion and face capture. It was announced in 2014 and later announced to have a beta coming out during the end of 2020 that never came to fruition. Again, this is an example on how Robert Space Industries seems to be misallocating their development instead of focusing on different aspects of the game and making sure those are all in order. The scope of the game keeps increasing, without increasing the work output in the slightest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IcPsIwC-pU&ab_channel=FredrikKnudsen Star Citizen – Down the Rabbit Hole from Fredrik Knudsen on YouTube One of the best pieces of media I’ve seen on this whole fiasco is from a video series called down the Rabbit Hole, which captures an informational look at different topics from internet personalities to the first chess computer to beat a Grand Master. I’d definitely recommend giving his videos a look if you ever have the time. But he perfectly summarizes the development hell and issues that this game went through better than I could in just a few short pieces of content.  

In conclusion, I can’t even definitively say if this game has already come out, hasn’t come out yet, or will ever really come out. It’s one of the most baffling instances of development hell I’ve seen in gaming. Yet, from what was promised nearly a decade ago, I’m still keeping my eye on it to see if it’ll go against the odds and finally become a groundbreaking game, or if it’ll continue being a fascinating case study on over ambitious development.  

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What’s Coming: Elden Ring

whttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHoDGkpktPE&ab_channel=IGN

The Reveal Trailer for Elden Ring by FromSoftware, from IGN on Youtube.

For this week, we’re going to be looking at one of my favorite game companies of my young adulthood, FromSoftware. They’re best known for their critically acclaimed Dark Souls series, which is universally hailed as one of the best game series of all time. Its dark dingy style mixed with its brutally hard but satisfying gameplay have captured the hearts of some of the most hardcore gamers of this generation, and its new game Elden Ring is set to surpass what has come before it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV3Np98b1TY&ab_channel=whycreate

George RRR Martin’s role in Elden Ring from whycreate on Youtube.

One of the major draws to this entry is the partnership with George R.R. Martin, who will be providing the story and lore to the game. In previous game entries, the story took a backseat to its gameplay and only players who pay attention to the details will fully grasp the scope of the stories that are presented within them. In fact, most players will go through FromSoftware’s games without knowing a single thing about why they’re doing what they’re doing, or the world that surrounds them. But with this powerhouse writer at the helm, I have a feeling most won’t be able to avoid looking into the lore that will be presented.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHzJG1hHTdU&ab_channel=AegonTargaryen

George R.R. Martin on Elden Ring from wttwchicago, posted by Aegon Targaryen on Youtube.

This interview about the game with writer George R.R. Martin can’t help but make me excited for the game. Listening to him talk about working with Miyazaki, the man behind the game, and how he crafted an intricate game world already proves that the story will be more massive than any game that came before it. Seeing him get giddy about looking at the first pieces of gameplay and the finished product is contagious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3Huy2cdih0&ab_channel=BANDAINAMCOEntertainmentEurope

ELDEN RING - Official Gameplay Reveal from Bandi Namco Entertainment Europe on Youtube.

When looking at the gameplay, it looks like it will most closely resemble the Dark Souls franchise whose game released most recently in 2016 with Dark Souls III. Providing the player with a vast array of combat choices from magic to using the biggest sword you’re ever seen. That was one of the main draws of the franchise, the use of variety in the gameplay that will provide a player with a strong sense of replay ability. And it looks like as opposed to the mostly linear gameplay of the previous games, Elden Ring will be focusing on open world gameplay and horseback gameplay that can add a whole other layer of complexity to the game.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Eldenring/comments/hf3ht6/elden_rings_development_cycle_should_be_as_long/

Elden Ring's development cycle should be as long as possible by u/JP_Eggy on Reddit

As far as the development on the game goes, I think that this is a very good example of how to provide updates and handle development within a large game company. There was never really a release date planned until much later in development, much after the game was shown off, which doesn’t bind the employees at the company into a strict timeframe that will push workers into the dreaded crunch time. I also believe the lack of PR referring to the release is a good idea too, people already know the game is coming out and backing the developers into a corner with promised features and release windows is usually never a good idea. They’ve only released what they have done, showing rather than telling. Of course, since there’s not much information on the actual development conditions, we don’t know if the work environment is without fault, but from the surface level FromSoftware seems to have a great handle on it.

This game is one of my personal most anticipated games ever. After finishing most of the other Dark Souls games, I’m itching to see what they’re cooking up for this massive title. And from the people behind the helm to the professionally done public presence, I have full faith that this game will meet my expectations and more.

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What’s Coming: Dying Light 2

What better to start off the Halloween month than taking a look at the upcoming zombie-slaying game, Dying Light 2?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imsueKX0Vlk&ab_channel=DyingLight

Annonced in 2016 Dying Light 2: Stay Human is being developed by TechLand, and has an expected release date of February 2022. Dying Light is an open world zombie game that’s focused on a vast vertical environment, an intricate parkour system, and hordes of intimidating zombies. Though humans are no respite for the player either. The world is harsh and unforgiving. As a sequel to the critically acclaimed Dying Light, it aims to improve its core gameplay mechanics and introduce a larger, darker world for the player to explore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsZ6dB4oSjw&ab_channel=IGN

In my opinion, the original Dying Light was an extremely underrated game, even with its 8.5 and 9s across the board. Of course, it had its major flaws including its combat, gunplay and story, but never before have I seen a game utilize a parkour system so seamlessly while also balancing its zombie killing gameplay. It feels fantastic to jump across roofs and climb up intimidating buildings and slaughter hordes of the undead. While the core story is cliché and admittedly boring, the side quests are extremely entertaining and provide fun reason for the player to run around slaying zombies with some quality, and sometimes darkly hilarious rewards. Not only that but being able to play co-op with your friends while playing also adds an extra layered of shared fun to the experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO1poNTauo8&ab_channel=TheGameverse

As stated before, the game seeks to improve every piece of groundwork that the previous game set. The bar is pretty high for me, but from the gameplay trailers and demos that have come out so far, I’m already hooked. It seems like the parkour system has been upgraded and tweaked to provide for freedom. The combat system also seems to completely focus on the melee weapon play that was also the bread and butter of the original series. Another huge upgrade is the branching story lines and the ability for player choice to majorly effect the story, and even the world you’ll be spending most of your time in. Not only all of that, but the setting of this new installment is brimming with a somber personality, the post-apocalyptic setting with the towering skyscrapers practically begging to be climbed an explored.

https://screenrant.com/dying-light-2-ambitious-sequel-plans-open-world/

As promising as the game seems, it’s important to look at its development history, and with that comes a lot of delays and overambition. Originally announced in 2016, the game has been in development now for 5 years. Don’t get me wrong, a game of this caliber needs time and space to fully come into itself even with its large staff. In fact, its stated that the world with be four times bigger than its previous entry, so the development time is warranted. Where I believe the issues lie is the executive board pushing to get the game out sooner than it’s ready. It was originally planned to come out in spring of 2020, but due to the pandemic or development delays it was pushed to December of this year. And only last month, the game was pushed to February of 2022. This is almost never a good sign.

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-development-of-dying-light-2-has-been-total-chaos-according-to-report/

The reason I say it’s not a good sign is mostly attributed toward articles such as this one, where those working on the game report that the development has been difficult in one way or another. As stated from this developer, it’s the higher ups at the company not having a good grasp on what really goes into making a video game. They’re more concerned about the bottom line and getting their product out as soon as they can as opposed to letting a dedicated team work on the game until it’s finished. Of course, in a capitalistic world, there needs to be a profit made at some point and it’s the job of executives to make that happen. But, providing hard deadlines that lead to seventy hour weeks and an overworked staff will never provide the quality product the consumers are expecting.

All in all, this is a title I’ve been looking forward to for years and I have very high hopes for it. Considering the previous entry, I’m sure it’ll be worth playing at the very least.