Find me someone who has never been bullied — either in their childhood or later — and you probably found yourself a bully. The lasting impact of bullies on impressionable youth and the resulting emotional and sometimes physical scars, underlie the narrative of Gylt. Tequila Works’ action puzzle game appeared as a Stadia exclusive. It has recently been ported to PC and consoles by Parallel Circles.

Off the Beaten Path

Gylt is about a young girl named Sally, whose cousin Emily has gone missing. As she goes about papering her town with missing child posters, she’s run off the road by bullies. She finds herself sneaking through ditches and tunnels before hopping a cable car back home. Upon reaching her town, relief turns to dismay. Her quaint little town is now a nightmare mirror version, filled with monsters. Trapped somewhere in the alternate reality town, Emily must be rescued before the pair can escape.

The bullies leave graffiti and notes everywhere, painful reminders of Emily’s harassment. There are a lot of questions to be answered. What happened to the town, and where did the monsters come from? Was Sally herself one of Emily’s tormentors — hence the game’s title? Not every question is answered.

Gylt’s narrative premise suggests a lot of psychological depth, the way some of Stephen King’s meatier fantasy does. Unfortunately, it too often skates on the emotional surface and doesn’t quite go far enough with its characters and their motivations. That said, the subject matter easily generates the flow of gameplay.

Lurking in the Shadows

Gylt is an action/puzzle/survival game. This translates to stealth and sneaking through the world and some simple combat with limited weapons. Essentially, Sally has a flashlight and later, a fire extinguisher. She uses both of these (and a few later ones) as weapons and to solve some simple environmental puzzles. There are health pickups in the form of asthma inhalers, soda cans to throw as distractions and a few other items like keys to collect. On the other hand, the large number of collectible story items really add context and emotional weight, and really help shape the tone. Although Gylt deals with subject matter that many kids can relate to, it’s definitely not a game for children.

While stealth and avoiding monsters is a viable strategy, combat becomes equally possible once Sally has her weapons. As action puzzle games go, Gylt is pretty derivative and doesn’t break any new ground. As Sally moves through the girls’ school and other environments, she can stealth through the shadows and avoid the monsters, or face them head-on. The monster design is often interesting, unsettling, or bizarre, but not really scary. There are a few pretty effective jump scares, however. Overall the game’s combat and bosses aren’t terribly challenging but they’re consistent with Gylt’s overall modest scale.

Grim, Dark Tale

There are at least two aspects of Gylt that are unassailably successful: its art and sound design. Like the best animated fairy tales, Gylt is a combination of appealingly rendered, stylized characters and ominous yet familiar environments, mixed with a darker visual subtext in the margins. The game’s writing, dialogue, and voice acting are all very good. They’re supported by detailed environmental sounds and perfectly effective music by veteran composer Cris Velasco. Velasco’s score ranges from intimate orchestral textures to suspenseful atonal cues. While I didn’t play the game on Stadia, the port to PC and consoles means that framerate drops or other hiccups are largely absent. Everything was smooth and sharp. Gylt is not an especially system-taxing game.

While it looks like a modern storybook tale, Gylt deals with some pretty intense subject matter that many can relate to. It would be easy to complain that Gylt doesn’t go deep enough in any direction or layer enough complexity on its basic systems. That would be true if the game was longer than its five-hour running time. Its mechanics might not be remarkable, but Gylt’s themes are impactful and its presentation is memorable and engaging.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***

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Google Stadia sits on its deathbed. In late September 2022, Google announced that Stadia would be shutting down on January 18th. Though it wasn’t enough to keep the service running, there were gamers who bought games on it. Thankfully, publishers worked to transfer their Stadia users onto other platforms. But what becomes of the Stadia controller?

Instead of letting it become a paperweight or video game prop in a movie, there will still be a use for it. Google has announced that they will activate Bluetooth support for the Stadia controller.

This is really an announcement of an announcement. There isn’t really any specific information, but we know that Google intends for the Stadia controller to still function without the service. More details will be announced next week, likely on or after the day of shutdown.

We’ve also got Bluetooth news: next week we’ll be releasing a self-serve tool to enable Bluetooth connections on your Stadia Controller.

We’ll share details here on release. pic.twitter.com/6vYomngfmA

— Stadia (@GoogleStadia) January 13, 2023

Since the controller does not currently support Bluetooth, users will likely have to plug it into their PC for an update. They say they will be “releasing a self-serve tool to enable Bluetooth connections on your Stadia Controller.”

If you want to use a controller on PC or play on any other consoles, you probably have a controller you like to use already. However, options are always nice.

Google Stadia will be permanently shutting down next week on January 18th.

Will you continue to use your Stadia controller? Let us know in the comments below.

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Earlier this year, Google announced that its video game platform, Google Stadia, will shut down on January 18th, 2023. The platform started off with a lot of hype but quickly died down for various reasons. Ahead of the impending closure of the platform, Ubisoft has announced its plans for owners of games on the platform, including transfers to PC and more.

Via its release, the company stated, “Ubisoft is giving you the PC versions of Ubisoft games you owned on Stadia at no extra cost, and these games will automatically be added to your library via Ubisoft Connect.” Furthermore, players are encouraged to spend any virtual currency they own in the games prior to January 18th, as the items will appear on games that feature cross-progression.

Additionally, all Ubisoft customers on Stadia will be rewarded with a free month of GEForce Now Monthly Membership, which will allow streaming games across a wide variety of devices. Moreover, players will be given the opportunity to sign up for one of the company’s various subscription services, with a lot of benefits.

Google Stadia is a cloud gaming service developed by mega corporation Google and it publicly launched in 2019. Players were able to enjoy their favorite titles at any time through a cloud based system, however the company announced its closure as the vision never got off the ground.

What are your thoughts on Ubisoft? Are you a fan of the company and their games? What do you think about Stadia? Did you ever use it? What were your thoughts on playing games on the platform? Where do you think it went wrong? What do you think about Ubisoft’s plans to assist its players? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook.

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Baldur’s Gate 3 is finally getting a release date announcement in December. The game first became available in early access in 2020. Since then, its following has been wondering when the title would fully launch to the gaming public. Thankfully, devs have decided to be generous with more information regarding its 2023 launch next month.

Patch 9 of Baldur’s Gate 3 is going to bring in new features before this year ends. Next month, devs will reportedly “go into detail about some of the most discussed topics in the community.” Clearly, this will include the game’s official release date. With that said, fans are hopeful that they can finally get a better idea on specifically when they can complete their adventure through the Forgotten Realms.

According to devs, Acts 2 and 3 are both being “actively play tested” at the moment. Plus, it would seem that devs are not close to finishing with their work on Act 1. Players who had already completed the first act ages ago can still re-embark on their journey. With new things that will be available at launch, it will reportedly not feel like a repeat.

“Our goal is for even the players who have repeated Act 1 over and over again for hundreds of hours to feel like there is a whole new experience in store for them at launch,” confirmed Panel From Hell Larian.

Considering that fans will have to wait until next month for more information regarding Baldur’s Gate 3, speculations will continue until the next patch. They are well aware that there are still classes and races that are waiting in the wings. With that said, the game’s following has questions about what changes the game will have once it becomes available to the waiting public. 

Are you a fan of the game? Let us know in the comments below.

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Last week’s Google Stadia shutdown announcement is both a surprise and not at all a surprise. Given that it had virtually no exclusive games, it was kind of doomed. It seems that developers looking to release their games on the platform were not warned or consulted in anyway. Several came out to say so.

On the bright side, not ALL of your games will be lost forever. There are a few developers that are sending proverbial life preservers to Stadia owners. IO Interactive, Bungie, and Ubisoft have each announced plans to bail out those who have purchased games on the platform.

While Bungie and IO Interactive have said that they are working on some options, they do no have a detailed plan to share. Fortunately, Ubisoft already has their games on a hub in Ubisoft Connect. According to their announcement, this is how they plan to migrate customer purchases from Stadia to PC.

While Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, we’re happy to share that we’re working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect. We’ll have more to share regarding specific details as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers at a later date.

— Ubisoft Support (@UbisoftSupport) September 30, 2022

Bungie and IO Interactive do have their own accounts that players can sign up for. Similar to Ubisoft Connect, this could be the way they migrate their games to PC or other platforms. Hopefully, other developers are able to take action like these and save their players from oblivion.

Google Stadia will be active until January 18th. After that, the platform will be a paperweight.

Did you ever use Google’s cloud gaming platform? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE, SOURCE, SOURCE

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If you have Marvel’s Avengers and like the MCU movies, now is a good time to boot up the game. For a limited time, you will be gifted three free costumes inspired by the Marvel movies. There will be no message notifying you, but all you have to do is load up your game to receive them.

The free skins are for Thor, Captain America, and Iron Man. Their costumes are from the movies Thor, The Avengers, and Iron Man 2, respectively. I hope you like how the boys look in those movies, but if not, at least they’re free.

All the MCU outfits and a select few iconic looks from the comic books are Exotic-rarity. Normally, players must purchase them with Marvel’s Avengers’ premium currency, Credits. Each Exotic skin costs 1,400 Credits at normal price. Sometimes, there are discounts on skins, and if you’re REALLY lucky, your favorite outfit will be available for free.

“Drop your socks and grab your crocs!”

From now until 10/1, logging into Marvel’s Avengers grants you a free bundle of MCU-inspired Outfits, including this one from Marvel Studios’ ‘Iron Man 2.’ pic.twitter.com/JSlVA3CNPq

— Marvel’s Avengers (@PlayAvengers) September 26, 2022

Reminder: there is a time limit on this giveaway. Be sure to log in to Marvel’s Avengers before October 1st. If you do, those Exotic skins are yours. Marvel’s Avengers is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia.

Which MCU skin in the game is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below.

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From Space has been delayed until early November. Developer Triangle Studios confirmed that they decided to push its release further back to ensure that they “have the best launch possible.”

“To be clear, production-wise we are in a great place,” devs announced last week. “This date change is to bette position ourselves for a strong release.”

From Space is a solo and co-op sci-fi action shooter for that teams of up to four players. “Take on the challenge of liberating the Earth from an alien infestation with your friends using over-the-top weaponry in a post apocalyptic world,” its product description read. It is a game for the entire family. It offers its players “an accessible and playful co-op experience perfect or players of all ages to get involved with a great refined art style and high replay value.”

The major draw for the game is clearly its co-op feature. Due to its family-friendly aesthetic, it is a perfect choice of game for a family gathering. Fans believe that From Space will play amazingly on the Steam Deck. That is, if the family was able to get their hands on a unit.

Players will have an assortment of character abilities to choose from. With that said, synergizing with the rest of the team is very important. Plus, its previous trailer already showed its revive mechanic that co-op players certainly love. They can also increase the level of their characters as they push through the game and gain new perks that will help them in their alien hunting spree.

From Space’s original launch date was September 29th. Now, the game is hitting Steam, Google Stadia, and Nintendo Switch on November 3rd. 

Are you a fan of the game? Let us know in the comments below.

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage is reportedly going to be the title of the next installment in the series. According to the leak, the game is due for release between April and June 2023.

Considering that it is a leak, fans may want to take the reports with a grain of salt. However, an insider has corroborated the leaker’s claims. “Some aspects of the new leak are true,” the insider said. 

Further details from the leak suggest that the game is going back to the franchise’s “basics.” This suggests that the game will not feature a leveling system like in the newer games. It has come to light that Assassin’s Creed Mirage will take inspiration from the older intstallments in the series.

According to the leak’s information, the game is set in Baghdad, Iraq during years 870 and 860. This was during the time of anarchy in Samarra.

One part that seems to be false is the claim that “multiple cities” are going to be explorable for Assassin’s Creed Mirage players. The insider insists that these reports are not correct. The leak also mentioned that Ubisoft is “secretly preparing a remake of Assassin’s Creed 1” based on the assets that devs created for Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Unfortunately, the insider’s report does not clarify if it is accurate or not.

Since the leak, fans of the franchise are now expecting the next game’s title to be Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Apparently, devs previously called the project Assassin’s Creed Rift. Fans understood that it was going to be a much smaller, stealth-focused entry that stars Basim.

The gaming community will most likely find out more about Assassin’s Creed Mirage in the upcoming Ubisoft Forward event. The Assassin’s Creed-focused showcase is set to take place next month.

Are you a fan of the franchise? Let us know in the comments below.

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You don’t have to be an action game devotee to have heard of the Saints Row franchise. In terms of popularity, the games aren’t all that many rungs below GTA. In terms of notoriety and all-out, envelope-pushing, nose-thumbing raunchiness, Saints Row Saints Rowhas always edged out Rockstar’s series. But the times, they are a-changin’. Brandishing oversized sex toys as weapons and using crude as a starting point doesn’t cut it anymore. So, in the spirit of these more enlightened times, Volition has rebooted Saints Row. How does this new version of the Saints hold up against its hilarious but sometimes embarrassing predecessors?

The short answer: pretty damn good. The long answer, well, that’s a little more nuanced and populated by qualifiers.

Keepin’ It Real

Volition has stated that this reboot of the Saints is “more grounded in reality.” Instead of body-snatching aliens and presidents in clown makeup, your squad is a nerdy MBA named Eli; a shirtless brawler DJ named Kevin; Neenah, a LatinX wrencher and ace driver and you, the Boss, a one-time paramilitary soldier and weapons expert. Their backstories and problems are more down-to-earth and relatable, like paying off student debt or trying to make a success out of a new startup company. That venture is The Saints, your newly formed gang. The Saints are part social media brand, part real estate tycoons, and still largely an ambitious, criminal enterprise.

Saints Row’s newly-minted, realistic approach to characters and narrative doesn’t always do a great job of avoiding cliche or trying too hard to mirror the Me-Too, social media savvy, irony-fueled culture of its Gen Z protagonists. That realism can also feel like a mismatch with the game’s still-ridiculous action. Sure, Eli listens to motivational tapes and tracks the Saints’ corporate progress on a whiteboard. But bullet-sponge enemies still take repeated headshots to bring them down, your character glides around Santo Ileso in a wingsuit and drops grenades down the trousers of foes. Do the characters feel like real people in the real world? Nah, they feel like video game constructs, but they’re mostly likeable enough.

Makin’ It in the City

Forget Stilwater and Steelport from earlier Saints Row games. For the reboot, the Saints have moved house to a massive new city called Santo Ileso. It’s a cross between Las Vegas, Albuquerque, and a handful of other southwest landmarks. While it does have an upscale financial hub with towering skyscrapers, the nine districts of Santo Ileso make use of the wide open spaces of the western landscape. It might not boast the largest downtown of any open-world game, but overall, the map is immense and nearly always interesting to explore. Like the characters, Santo Ileso is a patchwork of reality and ideas copped from other games. Still, the open world of Saints Row is probably its standout feature.

Except in small doses, Santo Ileso is too big to navigate on foot, so as you complete main and side missions, you’ll have access to a huge variety of cars, boats, bikes, trucks, tanks, hovercraft, jet skis, helicopters, your wingsuit, and whatever you can steal. They all control pretty well, and the game does a good job of pointing you to the mission objectives. You don’t need to waste time hunting down the next stop along the mission’s route, and getting there is half the fun. The game rewards you for the most reckless driving imaginable. Cars restore themselves in your garage no matter how beat down they get.

Your crib can become a hoarder’s dream, and vehicles can be infinitely customized. Actually, the appearance of just about everything, from guns and rides to your character, can be changed up as new skins and options are unlocked. Saints Row has always had a pretty robust character creator, and this new one is definitely the most detailed. Unlike some games — are you listening, Cyberpunk 2077? — Saints Row blurs out the naughty bits, but aside from that, anything goes. It’s obsessively fun to keep swapping looks and voices, though of course the rest of the characters never acknowledge even your most outlandish appearance. Santo Ileso has tons of shops selling specialty clothes and weapons. There’s even a street stall selling Volition-branded merch.

Mission Creep

Three factions control Santo Ileso. There’s a military-style security force called Marshall Defense Industries, the car-culture and fitness-obsessed Los Panteros, and the Idols, a raver, anarchist faction trying to “stick it to the Man” while co-opting social media and as many high-tech toys as possible. The Saints’ connections to, and conflicts with, all the factions as they rise to power form the heart of the campaign. As the Boss, you and your fellow Saints’ goal is to take over Santo Ileso. You play one faction against another, but mostly, you wage war against them all.

Broad strokes, most of the campaign’s multi-part missions end with protracted firefights. They often include a driving sequence with some smaller battles along the way. You’ll fight a lot of the same enemies types from each faction, but at least the different gangs have unique approaches and weapons. Either the Saints have poor conflict resolution skills or the developers lack imagination, because the main missions get pretty repetitive.

In part, this comes from the scripted, puzzle-like nature of the shootouts. Aside from weapon selection, there are few ways to be creative. You just shoot until everyone is dead, playing by whatever rules the mission is built on. Having more freedom to approach each firefight the way you see fit would definitely reduce the fatigue factor. It would also help if your fellow faction members actually contributed. Most of the time, they don’t do much.

A Game for the Easily Distracted

Unlike some open-world games, Saints Row’s main campaign isn’t really optional, at least for several hours in. The campaign opens up the world, adds useful apps to your phone, and lays the foundation for exploring Santo Ileso. Aside from the campaign, Saints Row is absolutely committed to making sure you’re never without something to do. There are dozens of hours of bite-sized content aimed at short attention spans. You can do quick challenges for cash, XP and gear. You can hunt for wanted criminals in various districts. The meatiest side missions involve clearing out enemy gangs and establishing legit-looking fronts for criminal enterprises. Do enough of these and you claim new districts for the Saints. If nothing else, you can ride around Santo Ileso looking for treasure and trouble. In terms of its open-world design, Saints Row feels pretty old school. The map is dense with icons.

Unfortunately, sometimes that trouble can come in the form of serious technical issues. All open worlds have jank, and the Saints Row franchise is legendary for it. There’s the usual stuff like weird visual anomalies, clipping and cameras that get in the way. More problematic are bugs like mission checkpoints that don’t reload but instead crash the game. Or characters that get stuck in an animation that stalls a mission, and requires a restart. There were three or four story missions I had to replay multiple times due to bugs and crashes. There were also some significant framerate slowdowns in multi-vehicle sequences.

One of the Districts is Uncanny Valley

Graphics aren’t everything. It’s a good thing, too, because Saints Row is all over the map. Santo Ileso looks great, with an effective day/night cycle and impressive lighting effects.  Character models look pretty far behind the curve, sometimes shockingly so for a triple-A game in 2022. I got tired of seeing my character’s beard float a couple of inches away from his face, so I switched it to a more manageable soul patch. Sure, he looked kind of like an insufferable hipster, but at least it connected to his chin. That said, the PC version has an admirable number of graphics, sound, control and accessibility options to play with. My personal suggestion: turn enemy damage way down. Even in the middle range, they’re annoying bullet sponges that take way too long to kill.

Voice acting is well done, with an amazing number of choices and scripted lines. The writing itself is pretty low-key, especially compared to previous games. As always, Saints Row is full of pointed commentary on current culture. This time, the target for a lot of satire is social media.

The various radio stations have a good variety of licensed tracks in a range of genres, which can be turned off for streamers and YouTubers. Overall, the sound design is detailed and effective.

Ride with the Saints or Stay Home?

Saints Row is an ambitious reboot of a popular franchise. Its open world is expansive and entertaining to explore. There is always something to keep you occupied, most of it served up in bite-sized missions that are fun to check off. The game rewards you for almost everything, so your time is never wasted. Unfortunately, the main campaign is a little less successful, often falling back on repetitive action, gunplay and set pieces that go on too long. Despite some tech issues and inconsistent mission design, this kinder, gentler incarnation of Saints Row is probably a step in the right direction.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***

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It seemed like such a long time between the release of Black Panther and The Mighty Thor. Today marks one year since Black Panther was released, but Crystal Dynamics also announced a new character coming to Marvel’s Avengers. Bucky Barnes AKA The Winter Soldier will be the next playable hero.

After The Mighty Thor was released, Marvel’s Avengers lead designer said that the next hero would be brand new, not a copy of another hero. The Mighty Thor’s moves were mostly lifted from Thor Odinson’s moveset, so a fresher hero would be in order.

For the uninitiated, The Winter Soldier is Captain America’s former sidekick from WWII. After being thought dead, he reappeared in the present day as a brainwashed assassin with a sweet metal arm. When his memoires and freewill are restored, he becomes more of a hero seeking redemption.

Crystal Dynamics describes Bucky as “a hybrid brawler and marksman Hero”. It is likely that The Winter Soldier will play like a mix between Captain America and Black Widow. He has the strength of Steve Rogers and the spy training of Natasha Romanov, but hopefully it will feel fresh to play as The Winter Soldier.

This announcement came as part of a Marvel’s Avengers development update. In the next update, there will be a new Warzone mission that brings MODOK back as a boss. It is unclear how much farther ahead The Winter Soldier content is planned. Hopefully, there will be new missions and a story that goes along with him, unlike The Mighty Thor.

Marvel’s Avengers is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia.

Were you hoping for a different character for Marvel’s Avengers? Let us know in the comments below.

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PUBG is getting a new map with Update 18.2. It will bring Deston which will be available as a Feature Map and playable in both FPP and TPP. It is worth noting, however, that its available modes may vary per region. Still, Solo, Duos, and Squads are going to be accessible for most.

PUBG’s upcoming update is arriving on PC versions on July 12th. Console versions are getting it between July 20th and July 21st. The new map’s areas are going to be the Arena, Swamp, Hydroelectric Dam, Concert, Assembly, and Ripton. Plus, some of the areas in the map will only be accessible to Drones.

Ripton will feature a sparkling city that is submerged in water. This is the area where PUBG players get to see Deston’s tallest towers. Moreover, the new map is also going to have two new Map Utility Items, namely the Utility Parachute and the Ascender Attachment.

These special items will trigger in-game interactions that will allow PUBG players to travel through the map. They can find these items in their inventory after entering the Deston map. Unfortunately, they can neither swap nor drop these items from their stash. They do not affect inventory weight at all. They will also have their own slot. Plus, players can use them for as many times as they would like.

With the arrival of Deston, PUBG players will get access to Security Keys and Fuel Pumps. They can use these features for unlocking security doors. Unlike the abovementioned items, Security Keys are single-use items that are stacked in the inventory. 

Fuel Pumps, on the other hand, can be found all throughout the map. They are used for refueling vehicles. The good news is that there is no limit to the number of times players can use them. However, only the driver of the vehicle can interact with them.\

Are you playing the game? Let us know in the comments below.

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Humanity was finally on the right track. The supplies from the Flores were coming down and civilization once again had a chance. But Enoch isn’t that forgiving. Outriders first paid DLC, Outriders: Worldslayer picks up immediately after the events of the base game. The Outrider and their team have a chance at salvaging much-needed resources to survive. However, the Anomaly is growing stronger and more erratic. Despite humanity’s best efforts, it seems Enoch is doomed. With one final mission to try and save what is left, Outriders: Worldslayer ramps up for an intense narrative of desperate heroism.

At its core, Outriders tells a story of survival. It shows the player the twisted paths humanity has travelled down in an attempt to survive, and it does so with a balanced and well-paced story. Outriders: Worldslayer, unfortunately, feels disjointed in its campaign. On one hand, it hits each major story beat of the Outrider’s journey. It carries the blueprints of a phenomenal tale that continues the form and strength of the original game. In between those beats, however, isn’t much. Players will move from point to point to hit home the big parts of the story, but the downtime in between is confusingly short.

Light On Narrative, Big On Chaos

The story is one of desperation, that time is running out. In that vein, it makes sense to have a crisp, short tale. The biggest draw for Outriders: Worldslayer is of course the end game content, so letting players get to it quicker is a smart choice. At the same time, there is just enough extra narrative content to the campaign. It’s underutilized and makes it clunky.

Almost An Epic Tale

If the goal was to make a faster story and deliver that sense of urgency, there are story beats that could have been removed entirely to make a more streamlined experience. If, however, the idea was to build on the lore of Enoch and tell another epic tale, well, the building blocks are there but they weren’t quite stacked. Ereshkigal herself – Outriders: Worldslayers new big bad in all the marketing – is criminally underused and her motivations fall flat. Despite having the most unique Altered abilities in the series and a great bio in the lore, she doesn’t stand out as she could have.

The real meat of the Outriders: Worldslayer DLC comes from the new end-game content, and this is where it absolutely excels. There is a ton of new weapons and armor pieces to collect, but perhaps the biggest improvement is Apocalypse gear. Weapons and armor can now drop as Apocalypse gear which includes a third mod slot. While it may not sound like much, it’s quite a big deal. Mods provide wildly powerful enhancements to your loadout, and introducing a third slot makes for even more unbelievable god-tier combos. I myself have an LMG that causes a small explosion from successful hits every 1.5 seconds, a significantly larger AoE which triggers on four enemies simultaneously for a ton of damage every 2 seconds, as well as the ability to make critical hits cause a targets’ bones to detonate into shrapnel, dealing Bleed damage to nearby enemies every 3 seconds.

Mods for Miles

That is just one example, and Outriders: Worldslayer offers over 400 mods. The new mod slot gives players a god-level power fantasy but you never feel invincible or without a challenge; you always have to be on your toes. Apocalypse gear brings with it Apocalypse Tiers. This is a new difficulty system that replaces Challenge Tiers from the base game. There are 40 levels of Apocalypse Tier as opposed to 15 Challenge Tiers. This new system – while it may sound daunting – is significantly more balanced in difficulty progression. Going into the next tier doesn’t leave you feeling underpowered before getting better loot. The incremental changes between Apocalypse Tiers are a steady, accessible progression. It doesn’t feel like it’s throwing an insurmountable challenge at you which is great for new players.

Creating The Ultimate Unstoppable Outrider

Another welcome addition in Outriders: Worldslayer is the Pax and Ascension points. Outriders offers three skill trees per class to enhance their characters. Worldslayer’s Pax tree is a smaller, secondary skill tree with two new branches. Players will only unlock five points to put in this tree (with free respec) but the skills on offer here are significantly more potent. Having access to two skill trees adds substantially more customization and build diversity as players can narrow in on exactly how they want their Outrider to feel.

Ascension points, on the other hand, are a fantastic means of maintaining a sense of progression without relying on Apocalypse Tiers or loot drops. After level 30, players earn XP to unlock Ascension points as if they leveling up. There are 200 points to unlock spread across 20 categories. These offer further ways to enhance your character. Unlike typical level progression in Outriders, dying in combat will not reduce your XP bar, so players are always growing. Putting one or two points in a category can create a drastic gameplay improvement, like reducing damage from Elite enemies or increasing the number of bullets in your magazine. It isn’t a groundbreaking system. But it’s very much a welcome one that encourages players to keep pushing forward through the end game.

The Trials Of Tarya Gratar Are Brimming With Potential

Of course, the biggest addition to the game is The Trials of Tarya Gratar. This is a high-level, intense end-game mode designed for squads of three players to run. Expeditions scale in difficulty depending on how many players are present, but Tarya Gratar is always prepped for a full squad. This is a massive, sprawling, ancient city of the Pax where players will find the very best loot. Optional rooms allow Outriders to go after targeted loot, with certain rooms offering specific gear as their reward.

Tarya Gratar takes at least an hour to complete making it a great place to test your skills and your build. I died horribly on my first run in the city, but I grinded a few Expeditions, improved my build, and managed to solo the trial for some seriously amazing loot. It was easily one of the most satisfying end-game experiences I’ve had.

A Great, Gorgeous World

The area itself isn’t random and remains a single structure. However, the weather patterns and type of enemies players encounter will be random each time they enter. The level design is absolutely gorgeous, and Tarya Gratar features a few new enemies not seen anywhere else in the game. A few boss battles are truly unique and fresh (I particularly enjoy battling Okriel, the Traitor) but as it remains in its current state, I can understand players growing stale on it over time. Tarya Gratar is a very, very big place. There is room to add on and enhance the experience with new rooms, bosses, enemies, etc. One secret area has already been discovered within its walls, so maybe there are more.

Outriders: Worldslayer packs a lot of new content into the game. A new campaign, new enemies, difficulty mode, Apocalypse gear, Pax and Ascension points, and of course Tarya Gratar itself. The amount of content here is far more than an update, and the improvements to the game have seemingly revitalized the Outriders community to what it could have been at launch.

The campaign for Worldslayer feels uncomfortably chaotic. It has the story beats of a great tale but doesn’t fully tell the story. If it was meant to deliver a sense of urgency there are aspects that could have been cut. I and many others who played see so much potential for it to have rivalled the narrative of the main game and it’s unfortunate that it is so short. Despite its shortcomings, all of the other new content and enhancements easily make up for it. This is Outriders the way it was meant to be. This is the power fantasy we want to feel in gaming.

**PS5 code provided by the publisher**

The post Outriders: Worldslayer Review – Ultimate Power Fantasy appeared first on COGconnected.

Some big news is coming to the farm. A whole new brand of machinery is on its way to make your farming life easier. Today developer GIANTS Software announced a partnership today with Volvo Construction Equipment. The partnership will be implementing Volvo CE machinery into GIANTS Software’s simulation game, Farming Simulator 22. Of course a press release goes into more details about the partnership and the equipment making an appearance. Additionally a short new video announcement gives players a live action glimpse of the machines at work. 

“Volvo CE joining the Farming Simulator universe means a unique and yielding partnership, offering a lot of opportunities.”  Says Thomas Frey, Creative Director and Partner Manager at GIANTS Software. “While we align for an exciting project, players can look forward to the Volvo CE-powered reinforcement of gameplay aspects in Farming Simulator 22 in the near future.”

More information about the partnership is coming soon. For now players can look forward to using machinery like the new Volvo L200H High Lift wheel loader. Machines like the L200H will feature amongst Volvo trucks and more. All guaranteed to boost the productivity of your farm and make a great addition to your collection of equipment. Additionally, players can look forward to the partnership being in game in the near future. 

Farming Simulator 22 is currently available on PC, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation®4, Xbox One, and Stadia. Of course, players can continue to look forward to more free content updates. Are you excited about this partnership? 

SOURCE

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Whatever your opinion or measure of success for Marvel’s Avengers, there is still a dedicated player base. However, that player base needs more than they have been getting. Most of the characters added to the game post-launch have been copies or echoes of other characters. Brian Waggoner, Design Lead for the game says that “Next hero is new”.

You can argue that every new character is new, but what does it really mean? Waggoner was asked about War Machine and given context of the two Thors and two Hawkeyes. If he means what fans hope he means, then the next character will have a completely different skillset and design, like Black Panther or Spider-Man.

The most recent character in Marvel’s Avengers, The Mighty Thor is a fairly topical character, since she will be appearing in Thor: Love and Thunder. Rumors from before The Mighty Thor suggested that She-Hulk would be making her debut in the game, to coincide with her MCU show. However, She-Hulk is a little too close to the Hulk to be the “new” kind of character Waggoner might be suggesting.

Other fans are looking to Captain Marvel. Though Ms. Marvel is her namesake, she does have the unique skillset that fans are looking for. We also know that Carol Danvers is already present in the world of Marvel’s Avengers. Kamala is also dying to meet her, so let’s give her what she wants.

As for other possibilities, easter eggs have shown that Scarlet Witch, Doctor Strange, and Loki are hanging around somewhere. The Marvel universe is vast, so choices are almost endless.

Marvel’s Avengers is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia.

What character are you hoping for next? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE

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For a lot of people, gaming is not just a hobby. It is a form of escapism. Take some time out of your day to get away from your job, school, the outside world, all your responsibilities. If you game to get away from the Earth’s existential crisis, too bad. Riders Republic is not going to let you escape climate change.

At some point over the next year or so, players logging in to Riders Republic will be faced with an in-game crisis. Without any warning, the game will one day have an orange sky and trees set ablaze. Your character will be wearing a gas mask and major sections of the map will be closed off due to the dangers of wildfires.

Players will be able to reduce the spread of the wildfires through a “short and intense live event”. The idea is to highlight the consequences of climate change without placing blame and pointing fingers.

We will not know until it happens, but we have to wonder if any in-game messaging about climate change will spark any grassroots activism within the gaming community. Ubisoft, EA, and Activision have begun regularly reporting their emissions. They also have spoken out against climate change as a threat to their businesses.

When Skull and Bones comes out, the game will have a similar in-game event focused on the consequences of over-fishing. Riders Republic is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia.

Do you think this is a neat idea for Riders Republic? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE, SOURCE

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Just in time for Thor: Love and Thunder’s theatrical release, Marvel’s Avengers has released their own version of Jane Foster as Thor. The Mighty Thor is Jane Foster from a different timeline than the one in the game. In her reality, Thor Odinson gave up the mantle after A-Day and never came back. This created a branch reality where Mjolnir called to Jane.

The Mighty Thor joins the Avengers we know after being transported to this reality, allowing there to be two Thors and two hammers. If you are expecting the two characters to be different, you might be disappointed. While there are some noticeable differences, the characters are just barely different.

Previous expansion characters, like Hawkeye, Kate Bishop, and Black Panther all had their own mini-campaigns, The Mighty Thor does not. Similar to Spider-Man’s arrival on PlayStation, this character does not have a story of their own for players to complete. She is kind of just dropped into the game without any new content outside of the character herself. Instead, there are audio and text logs to collect.

Worthy?

When Kate Bishop and Hawkeye were released back-to-back, there was some fatigue of having two Hawkeyes. However, even those characters play differently enough to justify having them both on a strike team. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Thor-prime and The Mighty Thor. Almost all of Jane’s moves are lifted directly from the base game’s Thor.

Jane’s Support Heroic and Assault Heroic are the same as Thor’s. They do not function any differently or offer different effects. The same can be said for a lot of the standard moves, such as power or signature attacks.

Some of the differences lay in Jane’s hammer finesse. For instance, her ranged attacks can be chained together for faster strikes. Her light attacks throw Mjolnir a short distance for a second hit. The biggest difference is her Ultimate Heroic, the All-Weapon. Instead of summoning the Bifrost, The Mighty Thor hurls Mjolnir to seek out enemies independently. During this time, she calls upon the All-Weapon to use at close range with a damage boost. Alternatively, Mjolnir can revolve around Jane, striking any enemies that get too close.

Unfortunately, that is as different as the two Thors get. A lot of the Mighty Thor’s emotes and takedowns are also reused. This does not bode well for future characters joining Marvel’s Avengers, especially since the next rumored hero is She-Hulk, another hero based on an existing character.

For die hard fans of Marvel’s Avengers, a new character is always welcome, even if it is almost a carbon copy of a previous one. However, if you are hoping that The Mighty Thor will be fresh enough to breathe new life into the game, this goddess will forsake you.

The post Marvel’s Avengers – The Mighty Thor Is Mighty Stale appeared first on COGconnected.

Prepare to enter a magical world of heroes, legends, and cards. Today Abrakam Entertainment is happy to announce that their deckbuilding adventure, Roguebook, is coming to Google Stadia on July 1st. A press release about the game provides more details as well how the game will be available for Stadia. 

Roguebook is a deckbuilding adventure game from the mind of Richard Garfield, the creator of Magic: The Gathering. The game features elements of adventure, deckbuilding, and of course, roguelikes. Each run, players will select two heroes to make combination decks and acquire skills. As you adventure through the mystical realm of Faeria, you will collect new cards, upgrade your existing deck, and unlock new permanent skills and effects. Of course, as a roguelike each run will be different. You will face different threats from the Roguebook, and have different cards each run. However, each run also provides players with a chance to become stronger. 

Unlike most deckbuilding games, where a sleek deck is best, Roguebook players will benefit from a large deck. Collect as many cards as you can, build a large variety of cards, increase your odds of success. Additionally, as you progress, you will unlock new areas of the map to explore using the ink system. Each run, another goal can be to explore as much of the map as possible to uncover further treasures. 

The game is coming to Google Stadia and the Stadia Store on July 1st, 2022. Currently the game is already available on PC via Steam and consoles. So are you ready to undertake an adventure on Stadia? 

SOURCE

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Tomorrow, Marvel’s Avengers is bringing out a new character for the first time in almost a year (to platforms beyond PlayStation). Since the beginning of 2022, Crystal Dynamics has adopted the strategy of holding off their reveals until the content is nearly finished. In the last few weeks, we have seen quite a bit of The Mighty Thor. Today, we finally see her in action.

The development team put together a War Table presentation showing off The Mighty Thor. Obviously, the character is based on in comic books from 2014, when a cancer-stricken Jane Foster hears the call of Mjolnir, transforming her into Thor. After a bit of a recap of the character’s history, we get a look at how she will preform in the gameplay.

From the combat we have seen, veteran players of Marvel’s Avengers will recognize a lot of Jane’s moves are lifted directly from Thor. However, there are nuanced differences that make her pretty interesting. For one, she seems more agile and faster. Her ranged attacks can be chained together into a combo. Her supercharged Intrinsic power also provides concussive blasts as opposed to Thor’s lightning chains.

Her Ultimate Heroic attack is also very different from Thor’s The Bifrost special is a one-shot attack, but Jane’s All-Weapon puts more of a twist on how she plays. She throws Mjolnir into the air, where it takes on a will of its own and attacks enemies passively. To replace it, Jane summons the All-Weapon Undrjarn. This gives her a damage boost while she uses it.

Marvel’s Avengers is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia. The Mighty Thor is available on June 28th.

Will you be playing as this new character? Let us know in the comments below.

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Fifty years is a long time. When a huge part of gaming’s history successfully celebrates fifty years it’s a big deal. Today Atari, one of gaming’s most iconic brands, is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. Founded on July 27th, 1972, Atari has been a historically significant company in the sphere of gaming for a long time now. So, today they are celebrating with an exclusive interview, from IGN, with Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell and CEO Wade Rosen. In the video interview, available on Atari’s website, the two discuss the company’s legacy within the gaming world, as well as, its role as a forefather of game development. 

Of course the five-minute interview offers a great deal of insight. Bushnell and Rosen discuss the legacy and past of Atari. However, they also discuss the future of the company as well. Specifically, the interview discusses Atari’s return to its roots as a game developer and publisher. For instance, Rosen discusses today’s announcement of Atari games coming to Google Stadia. Atari has announced five games coming to Stadia that will be a part of the Atari Recharged series. 

Additionally, on top of the interview, Atari is also celebrating their fiftieth anniversary with the fans through a sale. The Golden Anniversary sale to be exact. Of course this sale includes many limited time deals. However, the sale also features exclusive 50th Anniversary t-shirts. 

“I’m excited to share this very special conversation with founder Nolan Bushnell as we celebrate the tremendous impact of Atari on popular culture and the video game industry over the past fifty years.” Says Wade Rosen, Atari CEO in the interview. 

The interview is available on Atari’s website, YouTube, and IGN. 

SOURCE

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If MMORPGs are an endless time-sink for players, they must be an equally bottomless pit for developers. Long time players need new content, and new players need enticement. There has to be a feeling of evolution, but not so much as to alienate the faithful. Does the Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle expansion find the balance between rewarding the base and welcoming the novice? It absolutely does.

Back Room Politics

The luxury of setting a game in a fantasy world is that, if you can figure out a way to shoehorn it into the lore, you can add areas and landmasses that never appeared on the map of Tamriel. High Isle introduces us to a brand new zone. The Systres archipelago includes two islands. The High Isle is a vacation resort for the wealthy. In contrast, Amenos is a prison island full of criminals, misfits and political dissidents.

Against this backdrop, High Isle’s tale of political intrigue unfolds. After peace talks fail to end the Three Banners War, the feudal Britons are enmeshed in political machinations and a conflict with anarchists the Ascendant Order. This generates a main narrative of a dozen or so hours, and introduces the players to a host of well-realized NPCs, including Lady Arabelle, Lord Bacaro, the Ascendant Magus — the game’s antagonist — and Ascendant Lord. There’s a bit of mystery and intrigue around many of these characters and their relationships and identities.

Generally, although the game has its share of monstrous enemies this time around, High Isle’s story is more grounded in reality and ideological conflict. Without being heavy-handed, High Isle at least hints at political parallels to the modern world. It might not be the series’ most melodramatic chapter, but it’s still engaging. As in previous ESO chapters, the new zones are home to dozens of side quests and hundreds of hours of content outside the main story. The Elder Scrolls Online continues to add memorable content to a consistently good game.

Companionable

The Blackwoods expansion for ESO introduced the mechanic of NPC companions. For those antisocial players who prefer to solo their MMOs, this was an excellent addition. Generally competent in battle — though not available in PvP encounters — the companions in Blackwoods were personable and made this loner happy.

For High Isle, players have two new companions to accompany them on the adventure. Ember is a Khajit magic-user, and Isobel Valois, a Briton knight. Once more, these companions are more than competent allies in combat, and have interesting personalities and backstories. It’s consistently fun to get to know them, and thanks to the game’s loyalty system, your actions impact your relationship. Provided you already own the Blackwoods chapter, all four companions are accessible.

It’s In the Cards

Like the chapters before it, High Isle is filled with main narrative and side quests, dungeons, caves, camps and lots of world encounters to experience. There are new Public Dungeons, fun whether solo or in a group. Dreadsail Reef is a 12-person trial that pits players against human and monster enemies and includes a lot of environmental puzzle solving. There is also a world event called Volcanic Vents, creating great spots for grinding for better gear. Players with a love for PvP won’t find much of new interest in this expansion.

What the Elder Scrolls Online has always done well is be welcoming to new players. Every new chapter is both a self-contained story and a gateway to Tamriel in all its expansive glory. While High Isle isn’t the flashiest expansion, it’s still a perfect entry point.

I mention this because it’s likely that High Isle’s new game-within-a-game may pull some new players into the MMO. Tales of Tribute combines a deck-building game with more traditional card games. Accessing it comes at the end of a quest line, and it’s deep and engaging enough to easily become the sole reason to dive into ESO. Tales of Tribute expands out with related quests, a ranking system and even special gear that can only be obtained by playing it. Tales of Tribute might not be a game-changer, but it’s absolutely a game enhancer.

Expand Your Horizons

While High Isle doesn’t ditch the graphics engine that’s been powering the game for years, great art direction goes a long way here. As always, the environments are filled with detail and carefully imagined lore. Animations and faces keep getting better with every chapter. It’s no surprise that the music by Brad Derrick continues to be fantastic. The voice acting is very good as well, and the writing mostly avoids being too exposition-heavy. It’s a challenge because players totally new to Elder Scrolls Online have a lot of lore to get caught up on.

MMORPGs continue to come and go, but only a handful remain really vital and appealing to a broad range of new and faithful players. While not every expansion of Elder Scrolls Online has been equally amazing, each one has deepened and broadened the core experience. With High Isle, ZeniMax and Bethesda tone down the melodrama. In its place are political upheavals, scheming anarchists and an addictive new card game. The Elder Scrolls Online continues to be a dream MMO for both solo players and groups.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***

The post The Elder Scrolls Online: High Isle Review – Set Sail for Intrigue appeared first on COGconnected.

By the end of this month, gamers who are still playing Marvel’s Avengers will have access to The Mighty Thor. This character is Jane Foster, who is worthy of lifting Mjolnir and wielding the legendary hammer in battle. In preparation for this character’s release, Crystal Dynamics is giving us a brief look at this version of the character.

We have asked before how there can be two Thors wielding two Mjolnirs at once. The answer given in Marvel’s Avengers is that The Mighty Thor is from a parallel universe. It may be a pretty standard answer for comic books, but it works.

In a short animation, Jane tells us of where she comes from. In her universe, Thor Odinson goes to Earth, but does not return to Asgard. To take his place, Mjolnir choses Jane Foster to take up the mantle. Meanwhile, Odin goes mad and imprisons Freya in Asgard. Unable to beat him on her own, Jane goes to Loki for help. Together they kill Odin, but Jane is transported to the universe we know in Marvel’s Avengers. It will be interesting to see exactly why this happens, but that’s the low down.

Yesterday, we also got a look at some of the different outfits that The Mighty Thor can don. Aside from her Iconic outfit made especially for the game, there are the Mighty, Valkyrie, and Thordis outfits. The Mighty outfit is based on her look from the 2014 comic run. The Valkyrie outfit is based on her costume when she takes up the Valkyrie mantle. Her Thordis outfit is from a What If…? comic from 1977, which resembles Thor’s classic outfit.

This weekend, the development team will be doing a Wartable stream going into all the details of The Mighty Thor. Marvel’s Avengers is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia.

Will you be playing as The Mighty Thor? Let us know in the comments below.

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Outriders, unfortunately, did not stick with the gaming community after launch. In fact, plenty of players seem to fell away with it. Its Steam numbers fell off from a peak concurrent player count of over 125,000 in April 2021. Over the past month, it came to only a little shy of 2,600. Apparently, multiple players felt like it paled in comparison to the other games from People Can Fly, such as Bulletstorm and Painkiller.

Still, despite the decline, Outriders is still out there and continues to grow. Its Worldslayer DLC, which is due for release on June 30th, is bringing new gear, weapons, locations, and endgame content. Fans believe that this is Square Enix’s effort at making the game worthwhile for new players to give a shot. Plus, they also want lapsed players to come back to the game.

As part of this effort, devs decided to make the game fully free to play on Steam for the next three days. Any progress that Outriders players make will carry over even after the free play period is finished. Moreover, fans who may have made headway with the game’s demo version can continue from wherever they left off during the freebie.

If this free half-week convinces players to make the jump, they can purchase the game for $22 on Steam until June 23rd. This is actually the lowest it has ever been. Existing players can pre-purchase the Worldslayer upgrade now. Plus, all pre-orders are also getting Early Access from June 28th.

Outriders: Worldslayer expansion is coming to PC players via the Epic Games Store, Steam, and the Windows Store. Fortunately for console users, it is also coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia, PS4, and PS5 starting June 30th.

Are you waiting for the expansion? Let us know in the comments below.

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The Assassin’s Creed Celebration Livestream is happening today. Fans of the franchise believe that today does not really coincide with any remarkable milestone for the series. However, its timeliness with not-E3 has fueled speculations that it is more than just a random celebration.

Assassin’s Creed is one of the most beloved franchises in the gaming market today. With that said, Ubisoft does not really need a specific reason to arbitrarily decide to celebrate its existence. However, fans are well aware that there are some related projects in the offing that still need to have an official announcement.

Fans are hoping that Assassin’s Creed devs may finally announce the small scale spinoff that stars Valhalla character Basim Ibn Isha. The project leaked to the gaming public earlier this year. According to previous reports, this particular game still has no official name and is due for launch either later this year or early in 2023.

Despite their high hopes, fans do not think that Ubisoft is going to give any solid information about Assassin’s Creed Infinity during the stream. The live service take on the series still does not have a firm release window as of yet.

Assassin’s Creed devs did not take part in this year’s not-E3 event. However, they did promise the community that they have something in store for “later this year.” With that said, it seems to be a pretty quiet year for Ubisoft—at least when it comes to big blockbuster games. After all, there seems to be now Far Cry or Assassin’s Creed titles due for the usual late year game release rush.

The livestream will begin at 9am PST today. Fans can head to Ubisoft’s Twitch and YouTube channels to be part of the event.

Are you watching the event? Let us know in the comments below.

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When the campaign for Outriders came to an end, there was hope on the horizon for the survival of humanity. A chance for people to change their fate against the anomaly storm and move forward towards a new life, to begin a new age of prosperity. Outriders: Worldslayer picks up where the base game ends, but Enoch has never been one for happy endings. 

Worldslayer is set to change Outriders in new and intense ways, with a host of horrifying and deadly adversaries, new gear,  mods, and much more. We’ve already covered some of this content in a previous article, talking about the Apocalypse tier, Apocalypse gear with a brand new third mod slot, and the Ascension points that allow players to continually improve their character’s stats beyond level 30. Lucy Hale of Square Enix took the stage at Summer Game Fest alongside Sven to showcase some of the brilliant features in Outriders: Worldslayer’s new upcoming end-game mode, The Trials of Tarya Gratar.

Tarya Gratar is an enormous, ancient temple on Enoch, filled with incredible new enemies and challenges to overcome. This new mode functions much like a classic raid experience and is designed to push teams to their limits. The temple is comprised of a network of rooms that each pose their own challenges for players to overcome. Crossroads, Troves, and Boss Arenas make up the temple, which is broken into segments.

Crossroads are your opportunity to explore the branching paths of Tarya Gratar. They are intersections and key locations for navigating the temple, leading you towards Troves and Boss Arenas. In Outriders: Worldslayer, Troves are large areas that pose unique challenges and varied enemies. Clearing a Trove allows players to choose the type of loot reward that will drop. This is an optional room to complete, but it means players can narrow the focus of their loot grind. This makes pursuing that one elusive piece you need to finish a set easier. 

All-New Epic Boss Battles Keep Players on Their Toes

Boss Arenas are exactly what you would expect: incredible boss fights against brand new enemies with abilities never seen before. You cannot progress through to the next stage of the Trial of Tarya Gratar without first defeating its boss, and the deeper you delve, the more powerful the enemies become.

The team at People Can Fly estimates that even a short, casual run within the trials will take roughly two hours. Tarya Gratar has been built with replayability in mind, and the challenge it provides looks mighty. Watching Sven decimate the hordes of Enoch was awe-inspiring, but everyone in attendance could tell just how much of a threat these new denizens can be. The Shadowbeast – a new addition to the bestiary of Outriders: Worldslayer – can lock out your skills, attacking in packs while invisible. The Wraith is a floating, spectral casting creature that seemed to cause devastating freeze attacks. Finally, the Beast Lord not only has incredibly potent ranged attacks butalso controls Shadowbeasts, transforming into a swarm of bats to teleport around the battlefield and keep out of range.

End-Game Builds are Limitless, and They Need to be for What’s Coming

We only got to see a few of the new mods on offer with the Worldslayer content, but some of them give players the chance to access the abilities from other classes, such as casting the Volcanic Eruption ability of the Pyromancer when shooting enemies. What other skills will appear is, as of yet, unknown, but the possibilities are fascinating to consider and open up even more options for unpredictable builds. 

Outriders: Worldslayer will be available June 30th on PC, Stadia, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S with full crossplay across all platforms. For more information, check out the game’s official website, and for more spectacular content from Summer Game Fest be sure to keep it locked on COGconnected.

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When Marvel’s Avengers was first revealed, Crystal Dynamics wanted fans to know that the game would stand apart from the MCU. However, the game’s success just didn’t live up to the expectations of gamers and the continued success of the MCU could not be ignored.

To that end, a lot of the focus on cosmetics has been to emulated fans’ favorite outfits from the MCU. It also seems that the game’s roster is also starting to piggyback off of the movies. The next character confirmed to join Marvel’s Avengers is The Mighty Thor AKA Jane Foster. The development team has just announced that she will be playable at the end of the month.

A few details are shared, such as some of The Mighty Thor’s abilities. Contrasted to Thor’s Intrinsic ability, Odinforce, Jane’s Intrinsic ability will be called All-Mother’s Blessing. No word on exactly what that does though. Her Ultimate Heroic will be called All-Weapon, which sound badass, but still, we don’t know what that does.

Previous post-launch heroes, like Black Panther, Hawkeye, and Kate Bishop, would have already been showcased this close to their release. It seems that the development team is tighten the promotion and launch windows together.

The Mighty Thor will be launching with Marvel’s Avengers’ 2.5 update. Crystal Dynamics is also describing what will be coming up beyond 2.5. There will be a new Omega-Level Threat mission which explores the fate of MODOK following the events of the base game. It appears that players will be able to team up to take on a new and improved MODOK in the near future.

Marvel’s Avengers is available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and Stadia.

Are you looking forward to playing as The Mighty Thor? Let us know in the comments below.

SOURCE

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