I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the biggest God of War fan. That’s not to say I dislike the franchise or think it’s bad because it’s pretty clear that the games are well made and are incredibly popular. I’ve played most of the games, though I was initially interested more by the promise of Ancient Greek mythology than the action and violence. Over time, however, I was drawn in by Kratos’ story of revenge.
After the ending of God of War 3, I figured that was the end for Kratos. I mean, where else could they realistically take this angry, vengeful character after he essentially wiped out all of Greek mythology?
So when Sony showed off this latest installment a few years ago at E3, I was shocked. The game presented itself in a much more slower and less in your face way. A now older and grizzled Kratos, who is still clearly the brooding man we all remember, is now a father to a young boy. Weirder yet, Kratos has a magic axe and is living somewhere in Scandinavia fighting creatures straight out of Norse mythology. I had to know how this all happened.
So did this new direction ultimately work? I have some thoughts…
Welcome to a brand new edition of the Video Round Up, the place to be if you’re looking for all the best trailers and gameplay videos from the past seven days. So settle in, sit back, and relax. Here’s a few things you can expect to see below the jump.
If you’re looking for big names, it doesn’t get much bigger than Battlefield. This week, DICE finally revealed the first trailer for Battlefield V, showing a hyper-kinetic, crazy action, CG meets actual gameplay style trailer. While it’s flash and cool, the thing that bums me out is that it doesn’t do a good job conveying all of the smart changes being implemented into the game this time around.
Overwatch kicked off its latest seasonal event this week, bringing back the Anniversary event. What’s cool this time around is that Blizzard is making every single seasonal event item available, so if you missed any cosmetic item from any past event, you now have another chance to unlock it. Speaking of seasonal content, players will also be able to play through past season events, as a new one rotates in every day.
I’ve also got new videos for Detroit: Become Human, Fortnite, Dark Souls Remastered,and so much more after the break!
The full list of videos awaits you after the jump…
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a rivalry renewed. One week after Activision and Treyarch revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, EA and DICE showed off the future of the Battlefield franchise. With both games now launching basically one week apart from each other in October, the stakes have never been higher for either franchise.
While Battlefield V was the subject of plenty of rumors and speculation leading up to its reveal yesterday, we now know that DICE is returning to the horrors of World War II. The decision makes sense when you remember that the popular Battlefield 1942 launched a decade ago.
In case you missed the insane action, here’s the debut trailer:
We’re eight months into Destiny 2 at this point and the highly popular shooter remains a fairly divisive game in the community. Since launch, Bungie has been working to essentially turn the ship around and slowly but surely, it seems to be getting there.
Warmind is the latest expansion to arrive for the shooter, and with it comes expectations that have grown and grown, whether fair or not. So how does the experience hold up? Is this the content which saves the game?
Settle in, sit back, and relax because the Video Round Up is here once more! Serving up a helping heaping of new gameplay videos and trailers, it’s the perfect way to spend your Sunday. Here’s a small taste of what’s waiting for you below the break.
Love it or hate it, Call of Duty is officially back. Black Ops 4 is this year’s entry and it’s bringing with it all sorts of content from the expected fast-paced multiplayer and co-op zombies, to some currently trending topics like Battle Royale. I’ll apologize now if you’re not a Call of Duty fan because I have quite a bit of video content for Black Ops 4 this week.
Of course, that’s not the only game I have for you this week! SoulCalibur VI is basically giving us a new character reveal each week and this week is no exception. It’s clear that Bandai Namco is going back to basics with this latest entry and the character reveal for this week should make longtime fans pretty happy.
I’ve also got new videos for Detroit: Become Human, Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch,and so much more after the break!
The full list of videos awaits you after the jump…
When I think back on Rage, the thing that sticks out most to me is how visually stunning the game looked for its time. Developer id Software clearly got everything it could out of its engine, especially when you consider this game originally launched in the Xbox 360/PS3 generation of consoles, seven years ago. I can even remember sitting in on a Rage panel at PAX East 2011 and being in awe of how good the skybox looked.
Unfortunately, that was really the highlight because as we now know, most everything else about the game fell short. While gunplay felt really good, everything else about the experience couldn’t hold up from the weak story, a wasteland that seemed to be too open and devoid of things to do, and a final boss/ending that was borderline insulting. I believe that part of the problem was how overhyped the game had become prior to release, no doubt increasing expectations beyond reasonable levels.
So when Bethesda confirmed Rage 2 is real and on the way, I was a little surprised. I certainly think the franchise has a ton of untapped potential, but what really perked my ears up was the fact that Bethesda brought in Avalanche Studios to work on the game. You know, these are the talented folks behind the excellent Mad Max and Just Cause franchises.
Now, before I go on, let me just say that we can all agree that id really redeemed themselves with DOOM, an unbelievably great and modern entry in the long-running franchise. Man, they really knocked that game out of the park and put that old franchise right back on the map. SO no disrespect to those folks, they certainly can still make games with the best of them.
While id remains tied in some capacity to Rage 2, what has me most excited is seeing what Avalanche can now bring to the Rage 2 party. They’ve already proven themselves in the post-apocalyptic wasteland genre just recently with Mad Max, so Rage 2 feels like a natural extension for them. Already, I can see a big difference between this game and its predecessor. Have a look:
Already, the game is visually interesting as it not only has the expected brown wasteland look, but it also throws a few other locales at you like the badlands, forests, and swamps. They’re also throwing some additional colors in there not only with the painted style of the wasteland gangs, but colored smoke and the carnival of carnage style place as well.
As you can see, this one has plenty of potential. Being able to combine the first-person shooter mechanics that id Software clearly has nailed down, with a lot of the great open-world elements that Avalanche has displayed in their previous games (remember those wasteland storms from Mad Max?), Rage 2 has a very strong foundation to rest on.
Without a specific release window or launch date, there’s still plenty of time to form an opinion on Rage 2. I hope that this won’t be another over-hyped situation and that the story can match the gameplay this time around.
There’s still a long road ahead, but this seems to be a potentially exciting first step.
I have a work trip coming up in the next few months and with a Nintendo Switch on hand, I’m excited to finally get to experience part of what makes the console so interesting: it’s portability. I’ve started to think about some of the things I’ll need and, naturally, I’ll likely pick up a few games to help pass the time on the flight. Ideally, some of those are likely to be smaller indie games like Super Meat Boy.
Obviously, that’s a game that’s been out for quite a while, ported to nearly every platform there is, so most people are well aware of how difficult it can be. I’d argue fair but difficult. Remembering that fact triggered another thought in my head, one that I’ve been thinking about over and over, especially in this modern society.
So I want to know: When deciding whether or not to buy a game, how important is finishing a game compared to just having fun?
Are you still willing to shell out full price on a game, even knowing that you’ll likely never see the end credits? Is it more about the journey than end destination?
It fully pains me to admit this but as a fully functioning adult, I just don’t have as much time as I used to. This certainly trickles down into my free time as I’m just not able to sit and play things for as long as I’d sometimes like. Not to mention that there are just so many things vying for our attention these days. Video games alone are competing by offering limited time events, ritualist activities such as daily challenges, and so many other things.
Super Meat Boy certainly doesn’t fit that description. Instead of offering rewards for simply showing it, it demands skill, typically gained from spending more and more time with a game. I’ve played it before so I certainly know what I’m getting into, but if I’m being honest, it’s very likely that I wouldn’t reach the end credits. Maybe I’m shortchanging myself, or counting chickens before they hatch, but having limited time and knowing the difficulty curve, it’s unlikely that I reach the end.
Is that something I’m okay with? Certainly, the lower price helps, but the whole fun versus completion is the question I continue to debate with myself. On one hand, there’s plenty of enjoyment to be had even if I don’t reach the end but then again, aren’t games made to be beaten?
I’m curious to hear what you think of this topic, dear reader, so let me know in the comments below.
