#HELP WANTED 2 dlc might be announced during it too

[chloesimaginationthings]

WAIT I THINK I JUST SAW YOUR NAME IN DAWKOS STREAM??? DID YOU DONATE?

YES I DID!! I suggest everyone else should or support the stream if you can!! ^^

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[oodlyenough]

life is strange true colours review

the non spoilery part: i LOVED this game, my personal fave game this year and the first franchise entry since the original that has really resonated with or moved me.

it's a life is strange game through and through, so if you don't like slice of life episodes or bonding with NPCs, it's not gonna be for you. but if you like the franchise, or even if you liked the first game but haven't been interested in/liked the other two instalments, i recommend giving this one a chance. i think it got closer to figuring out the formula while still doing something new and interesting.

more detailed spoilers and opinions:

alex

holy shit i love alex? bisexual chad... my darling... i'm gonna be real, a lot of the trailers and promo for this game made me worried she'd be kind of a dull wallflower Soft Girl character, but she's not! she's so funny, and even parts of her characterization i initially thought were maybe a bit of a stretch ended up making sense as i learned more about her. she stole the show. i straight up forgot how much loving the protag helps enjoyment of these kinds of games lmao ... finally a reason to click on everything in the room: to hear what alex will say about it.

i thought her backstory exploration in ep 5 especially was wonderful and emotive and great. broke my heart and explained so much about her :( baby girl

plot/choices

i loved the mystery. i don't think it was quite as Mysterious as the mystery in lis1, but that was okay, i was still invested in solving it. i also got invested enough in the NPCs around the town to make all the exploration bits really fun. i loved eavesdropping on the sagas of the random NPCs like bald man and ice cream couple... just fun little touches and narratives to follow that i enjoyed.

i really appreciated this script not being afraid to shy away from some messier emotions, even if in some cases i wish we spent more time on them. for example: alex feeling a bit jealous of the other people in town that got to know gabe better than her/spend more time with him than she did. or charlotte hating ethan!!! my jaw dropped, i thought that was so good, what a messy but realistic response.

I'm not entirely sure what all the ramifications of different choices are at this point, fresh off my first play. i ended up getting only part of the council to stand with me (eleanor & duckie) while losing pike and charlotte.

i do wish we saw a bit more fallout or exploration of what taking away emotion DOES. i took charlotte's anger, and obviously it meant she didn't stand up for me in the council meeting, but where does she go from there? does she like... ever return to feeling emotions lmao... I also think we probably should've had the opportunity to do that another time, instead of just 2 isolated events -- I think Diane would've been a good candidate.

the romance

i romanced steph, ofc, but i was surprised during the game how drawn i was to ryan too -- i really liked that Drama of him being the one who cut Gabe free, as well as later the drama of him being Jed's son. UNTIL HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME... that made me mad lmfao, i have to learn what to do to make him believe me before i play a Ryan route bc i'll kill him lmfao.

the steph/alex romance was sweet... it didn't really, like, Consume Me as a ship, but by the end of the game I was still "aww"ing at their moments in the flashforward. steph was more rounded and flawed than i thought she might be, which i really appreciated! i was worried they'd just make her perfect idealized gf, but she has a bit of a temper and is kind of tempestuous and stuff... liked it. loved her standing up for alex so fiercely and immediately at the council meeting <3 and my main reservation about her in ep 4 was that i wanted alex to stay in haven, so when she offered to stay i was thrilled LOL

one semi-complaint i had was that something i loved so much about lis1 was how max and chloe's relationship was central to the entire game and story, it wasn't some extra thing on the side, it WAS the game... whereas here, the romance routes, especially steph's, felt like sidequests. I wish they'd found a way to incorporate those relationships a bit more into the main goings-on. I also wanted to spend more time with either romance option to feel like I knew them better -- splitting the time between Steph and Ryan means that I came away feeling like I didn't get quite as much of either of them as I would've liked, vs spending almost the entire game with Chloe lol.

however, this ended up not really bothering me too much because I DID really like the core mystery and themes, the exploration of grief and Emotion, etc.

other characters

considering everyone knew going into the game that gabe was going to die, i was impressed with how they did it, and how they managed to get me attached to gabe in a mere single episode. it's a tall order to introduce a character designed to die, who your audience KNOWS is going to die, and still make them work.

i thought this supporting cast was ... maybe the strongest in the franchise? or at least, they created scenarios where i felt invested in multiple people in the town, and was genuinely trying to build decent relationships with most of them. duckie cracked me tf up, i liked eleanor and riley, even diane and jeb were good for their roles. (fuck pike. i signed ur stupid thing and left your emotions alone and you still won't do shit? ACAB!!!) the choice to stay in haven or leave was a little harder than i expected honestly, considering how quickly i let arcadia bay burn to the ground lmfao.

gameplay/etc

also i know the whole internet has been dunking on "empathy" as a super power since the game was announced, and i get that it sounds corny and looks corny in the trailers, but i thought how they did it was really cool. i wish they'd branded it "Mindreading" more than empathy tbh because a lot of the cooler elements of it are more along those lines... using her power to manipulate people, potentially taking people's emotions away and what that does to them... very interesting imo!

i really liked the memory feature!!! cool way to give us character exposition and inform the story while encouraging exploration. finally a collectible that like, expands the story, instead of chloe drawing butts on the wall and sean taking 10 years to draw something.

it's definitely the most evolved-feeling LIS game, which it should be, given it's the newest. graphics looked really nice, loved getting to see the characters actually emote, even if there are still some scenes that were a lil comically blank-faced -- usually NPCs. i actually noticed this with Jed the most, which in retrospect maybe was somewhat intentional?

i had a number of visual glitches, nothing major but a little silly, like T-posing Alex, npcs t-posing in the windows, etc. i'm sure they'll get patched out soon.

anyway... i rly liked this game, i'm excited for the steph dlc and finally feel like i have reason to be optimistic about future LIS instalments. hooray!

[fizztapp]

My final Smash Pass DLC predictions are Bandana Dee and Dixie Kong (with a vague prediction of a Mario Character if Dee doesn't make it) and if you would allow me to be insane for a second I will explain to you why

Before we start there is a rumor that would be relevant to some of these points. The rumor is that Steve was supposed to be the final fighter of pass 1 but got shuffled to pass 2 because he needed more time in the oven. If that's true, then when compared to pass 1, pass 2 has been very dialed back so far. Being solely Nintendo IPs, & Sephiroth who's a 3rd party w/ a series in smash already. 

/

/

Here we go!

____________________

1: It is Our Turn

Waddle Dee and Dixie would be as disappointing of an announcement to JRPG fans as Byleth and Pyra were to mascot platformer fans. A bit arbitrary but it lines up! For some reason this point is what really opened my mind to the possibility that these two have a chance LOL.

____________________

2: Advertisement 

It's reasonable to assume we will get a new mainline Kirby game in the next year or so (maybe even at this E3) due to Star Allies being 3 years old at this point. And we know for certain a new DK game is coming, likely to show up at this E3 or in a later direct down the line (it mostly depends on if they want to make BOTW 2 their main showcase/holiday release or not).

Even if these two aren't at E3, they would still be filling the same "advertisement character" role that people accused Min Min/Byleth/Pyra to be.

____________________

3: Anniversary

Nintendo never cares much about anniversaries when it comes to stuff like this, BUT... Imagine we get a Mario character, as a delayed-due-to-covid Mario 35th slot. And THEN Dixie as the Donkey Kong 40th celebration. I know people wince at the thought of another Mario character as DLC, but you know how Nintendo is. Telling Sakurai to add one last Mario character during the year where they promoted/celebrated the hell out of Mario would track.

IF THAT WAS THE CASE THOUGH, I imagine they would have shuffled characters around to at least let this new Mario character take Pyra/Mythra’s spot, so it would still be released during the “Mario 35th” time period. 

(also Bandana Dee wouldn’t get added in this scenario)

____________________

4: Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Epiphany

Nintendo has been going crazy about Donkey Kong and have a LOT planned for the series coming up, as K. Rool winning the ballot really opened up their eyes to how much fans love the DKC RARE games. So while I don't think we NEED Dixie (We already got K. Rool and Banjo, which is insane), I could see Nintendo, or even Miyamoto, giving Sakurai a lil nudge. (Also Miyamoto’s favorite Kong is Cranky... so maybe we’ll get a Cranky drop tomorrow? LOL)

____________________

5: Japan Loves Waddle Dee

Waddle Dee is HUGELY popular in Japan. Hal markets Waddle dee almost as much as Kirby!! And people love it!!! and I get it!!!! I don’t think westerners realize this.

____________________

6: Smash Ballot

Dee and Dixie are both characters which we can assume did well in the character ballot, & are two big Nintendo characters that really feel missing from the roster.

In a big character poll that people always reference to, all of the top 10 characters have gotten in besides THE TWO KIRBY CHARACTERS: Bandana Dee & Magolor. Which I feel indicates that Nintendo would look at Kirby when thinking about new Nintendo characters to add to a 2nd Pass. Again, NO OTHER SERIES had 2 characters in the top 10 besides Kirby. 

Hell, the only other series that have multiple characters on this chart are DONKEY KONG and arguably Mario. And while I mention Dixie, I will point out that out that if we exclude all of the old smash characters from the poll, Dixie is 11th most wanted. Still pretty popular! Nothing to sneeze at (is that the saying?).

____________________

7: Final Characters

Smash character announcements always end on a whimper rather than a roar, and while Dixie/Waddle Dee would be a roar for me personally, I'm aware that people want to see big 3rd parties like Crash and Doom, not Nintendo side characters.

Like I said, it would be another Byleth or Inciniroar to cap off the reveals.

BUT, if the rumor stated at the top of this post is true, and Steve was the final character of Pass 1, that would have been a HUGE final character. But in the end, Nintendo and Smash still have a history of putting underwhelming reveals near the end.

____________________

9: GIRL

Dixie being a girl character might give her a better chance. This is a more speculative point (well, all of these are speculative LOL), but this pass has been giving us more girls to help even the roster more, so who knows! They might be looking for girls since the base roster and the first pass are largely male dominated. 

Min Min, Alex, Pyra/Myth. Girl Byleth if you count Byleth in pass 2.

Also this gives Toad/Captain Toad a foothold too? Toadette alt!

/

/

____________________

In conclusion they are funny and I like them

[legendarymasterwolf]

E3 2019: My Thoughts on What We Saw

Alright, E3 is over this year, which means it's time to go over what we saw and my thoughts on it.

This is late, so some stuff here will be out already.

I'll be going by publisher alphabetically, so first up, we have...

Borderlands 3

I'm so freaking hyped to get lost in this hilarious world again. I've played Mordecai in Borderlands 1, Zero in 2, and Claptrap in Presequel. Still trying to decide who to play as in 3, but right now, it's looking like I'll pick FL4K, since he specializes in long range and has a few cute beasties by his side. Also, we're getting not one, but THREE action skills with each character. Not only that, but you can sacrifice your grenade skill for two equipped skills.

The Children of the Vault look like some worthy successors to Handsome Jack for title of "Best Borderlands Villains", though we'll see how they pan out on release date.

The gameplay that we saw of Moze looks smooth. Heck, everything about this game looks sleek and refined without doing away with the art style. Also, guns with legs.

Anyway, we not only got the gameplay reveal, but also Commander Lilith and the Fight for Sanctuary, a new DLC for Borderlands 2 that sets up 3, so I'm scrambling to finish the Handsome Collection on my PS4, which just got a lot more difficult now that I've bought RDR2 finally, along with several other games.

Control

I loved Alan Wake, and this is from the same people, so I’m hyped. The game looks great, has a suspenseful atmosphere, and it seems to play well. I’m looking forward to release date.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Reboot

I haven't bought a COD game since "Black Ops 2", though I have played the newer ones with a friend of mine. It looks good visually from the reveal trailer I saw, I'll say that much. No gameplay yet, but I know it'll be gritty, focusing on some of the more shocking moments of the original trilogy, like "No Russian" from MW2 or the nuclear explosion from MW1, so it seems we're bringing in more edge to the series. Still, I'm glad the campaign is back, and I'm interested to see how it will look.

12 Minutes

A twelve minute time loop where you're forced to relive the death of your wife and the only way to break it is to find out why she was killed? Sign me up.

Code Vein

I remember this one from last E3. Still the same opinion, too. Anime style souls game that I might buy for the story, which looks interesting.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

So this looks REALLY good. It's like a deep RPG, deeper than Xenoverse was, with mechanics besides fighting like fishing, and as for the fights themselves, they seem to be more strategical than before, with a healthy dose of classic DBZ fisticuffs in there for good measure.

Elden Ring

A Souls game written by George RR Martin? Don't know too much about it besides that, but it looks cool based on the trailer.

The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan

Basically, another Until Dawn, but on the open sea during a storm. And I'm totally okay with that.

Deathloop

Another game from Arkane? The guys who made Dishonored? I'll take it. Besides, another time loop premise sounds interesting.

Doom: Eternal

If Fallout 76 was any indication, Bethesda desperately needs a win now to restore faith in their studio. Besides a few of the other games announced at E3 2019 that could do so, there was one that stood out in particular: Doom Eternal. I’ve already played all the Wolfenstein games, with the exception of one upcoming entry on this list, and based on what I’ve seen of Eternal, I’m going to like it due to the similarity in gameplay.

GhostWire: Tokyo

The presentation on the new game from the makers of Evil Within, another series to try now that I have a PS4, was memorable for a few reasons. First off, Ikumi Nakamura, the game’s creative director, was the main presenter and she was adorable. Seriously, it’s probably one of the best E3 presentations I’ve seen this year. I can’t remember the last time I saw one so genuine like hers, plus it helps that the Internet has fallen in love. As for the game itself, it looks great, with people disappearing in Tokyo and it being up to some guy with a bow and supernatural powers to find out why. The reveal trailer was all we got, but still, I can’t wait to play it.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood

The first game I’ve ever preordered, and this comes from a guy who never preorders on principle. It’s a Wolfenstein spinoff with BJ’s twin daughters, so yeah, I’ll buy it. Plus, it’s co-op, so I’m playing this with my best friend. Still trying to decide which twin to play, though. Probably Jessie, since my friend is gonna want to play Soph.

Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory

Looks interesting, plus the gameplay reminds me of Shadowrun Returns.

The Sinking City

This one’s already out, but it looks good. Hopefully, it’ll be received better than Call of Cthulu before it. Plus, I’m all for a game where the protagonist is losing his mind, like Dead Space.

Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood

Set in the World of Darkness universe, like Bloodlines, except you're a werewolf instead of a vampire and it's from a different studio. Gameplay was revealed behind closed doors, but it looks good from what I've heard. We don't have too many werewolf games around.

Cyberpunk 2077

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY ALREADY!

Yeah, this might be the first game I preorder for myself, since now we finally have a release date: April 16th, 2020. The new trailer we got gave us a glimpse of a default male V as well as what may be Jackie’s death (please don’t kill off Jackie, CD Project RED, I like him too much already). After V’s employer tries to double cross him, V tries to kick ass with his twin arm blades, which look really unique, before said employer shoots him in the head. The trailer ended with a major surprise: as V comes to in a junkyard, a figure in jeans, a tank-top, and a silver left arm approaches, and kneels to reveal a face and voice that sounds suspiciously like Keanu Reeves.

Yes, that’s right, for those who haven’t heard by the time this is posted, Keanu Reeves is in Cyberpunk 2077 and he’s playing Johnny Silverhand, a legendary rocker in the world of 2077 who may not be what he seems.

After the trailer premiered onstage, Reeves came out onstage to promote the game. He could barely get through the start of his speech, people were that excited to see him in the flesh. There was even a great moment where he described the game as “breathtaking”, to which a fan shouted out, “You’re breathtaking!”, to which Keanu responded in kind. We don’t deserve this man.

Anyway, at the end of his speech, Reeves gave a new look at gameplay as well as the game’s release date. The glimpse was only about 20 seconds long, but still, the new look at the combat, hacking, and what is presumably a digital afterlife or something like that was enough to get me even more hyped for this game.

Seriously, I couldn’t be more hyped. This game is gonna be massive and I just might preorder it.

My Friend Pedro

Switch game, but still looks cool. It’s already out now.

Sea of Solitude

I need to play more games that make me feel like this. The art style looks gorgeous and the theme is depression, so yeah, I may buy this one if I like what I’m hearing.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Honestly, EA's part of the the expo was kind of depressing, especially when it got to Anthem. However, we did get more of Jedi: Fallen Order, and for that, I'm grateful, because this game looks great. Both the combat and lightsaber look slick as does the gameplay in general, and the voice acting is on point, from Cameron Monaghan to Forest Whitaker. We need a good Star Wars game for current gen consoles, and while The Old Republic is still my favorite, that's for PC. Also, while it has been announced that there are no microtransactions in the game, I'm sure EA will find some way to screw it up, but for now, it looks awesome.

Greedfall

I’m interested. Story and premise have me, a mix of 17th century colonialism with horror and the supernatural. Gameplay looks like my kind of jam, and we may be getting romance options too, based on some trailer observations.

John Wick Hex

Gameplay seems unique, plus it’s John Wick. I will always take more of Keanu Reeves.

Grandia HD Collection

I like JRPGs like this one, though it’s for Switch, so I can’t play it.

Way to the Woods

Looks like a cute adventure puzzle game. I might get it for PC.

Wasteland 3

This series looks like tactical Fallout, so yeah, I’m likely to give this one a shot since it looks good.

Blair Witch

A Blair Witch video game? That’s psychological horror?! With an adorable dog companion named Bullet?!?! Yes, please.

We didn’t get much besides a trailer and some gameplay, but I’m eager to see more.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Sequel

Ugh, why is it that last year I was complaining about not having a PS4, now this year I’m complaining about not having a Switch?!

Anyway, this looks great and I want to see more. Especially since I’ve heard it’s going to be scarier than Majora’s Mask.

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening

Looks good on the graphics front, plus the gameplay additions looks promising.

And once again, I can’t play it.

Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order

Out of all the games on this list, this is the one I want to play most that I can’t play because, you guessed it, I don’t have a Switch.

I loved the original Ultimate Alliance games, so I’m sure the new one is gonna be a hit, what with the new combos, character designs, and references to the MCU, plus it’ll tie us over until Marvel’s Avengers.

Pokemon Sword and Shield

The Pokemon look cute, it is set in the world’s version of the UK, gameplay looks improved, and once again, I can’t play it.

Empire of Sin

It looks cool, plus I need more Mob style games to play. It’s also made by the people who are responsible for the next game on this list...

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2

It’s only in pre-alpha, but still, this one looks good. The original is on the Steam store, and there are fan made patches that improved upon what was originally a disaster. The sequel looks like a smoother version of its predecessor, with a few new abilities and mechanics put in. Again, it's in pre-alpha, so the final product will look much cleaner, but for now, I'm excited for its release date.

Shenmue III

First off, I’m royally pissed that Epic stole this one. That being said, the game looks great and I’m looking forward to continuing Ryo’s story on PS4. The gameplay looks great, the atmosphere is enthralling, and the English dub sounds good this time around. Still pissed about Epic, but at least I can play it on PS4.

The Outer Worlds

This still looks great. Since Fallout 76 took a nosedive and kept on going, we need a game like this to get that bitter taste out of our mouths. This still looks like a cross between Fallout and Borderlands, the true New Vegas spiritual successor that we need right now. The companions actually look helpful, have personalities of their own, and the Flaws System sounds really interesting, giving your hero a perk in enchange for a debuff for the whole game. Also the humor is great, too.

Marvel’s Avengers

Yes, the character designs don’t look so hot. However, those can be changed on the road to launch. That aside, I liked what I saw. The gameplay looks great, the voice cast has some top tier talent for the industry, and the promise of more heroes to be added after launch without the attached microtransactions has my attention.

Dying Light 2

I only played the demo for the first one, a game I still need to play, but I liked it enough to want a sequel. The usual free running mechanics look smooth, plus the addition of player choice shakes up the game, making your playthrough unique, so yeah, more of the good old stuff with a few new things sprinkled in.

Final Fantasy VII Remake and Remasters

The remake of FF7 looks AMAZING. The hybrid combat system looks like a dream, plus the character designs look top notch. In addition, the voice cast sounds on point for their respective characters. The hype around this thing was evident from the incessant cheering, we want it that much. We even have a release date: March 3rd, 2020. It’s been a long time coming, but it seems the wait to experience this classic for the second time on a different system will have finally been worth it.

Also, there was content announced for FF14 as well as two remasters: Crystal Chronicles and FF8.

Bet your ass I’m buying the remaster for FF8.

Biomutant

This has been described as Fluffy Devil May Cry. It’s accurate. I didn’t know you’d be able to customize your character, to! Combat looks fun, and it appears there is humor present if the narrator is anything to go by, so I’m interested.

Destroy All Humans! Remake

I never played the original, but I did read about it and hear about it from a friend. From what I’ve seen, the remake looks fun! Good parody of the 1950s and the updated graphics look great. Plus, Krypto seems like a fun, grumpy protagonist.

Gods and Monsters

This looks like a cross between Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Legend of Zelda. Considering it’s being made by the same creators of the former, I can’t wait to see more of this in the future.

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint

I’ll be honest, I still haven’t played any Ghost Recon games, so maybe here would be a good place to start. Gotta say, I like the way Jon Bernthal presented. He just seemed at ease onstage. Plus, Bernthal’s dog looks adorable. Bam Bam is the real hero of the Ubisoft press conference.

Anyway, it seems Bernthal is playing Cole D. Walker, one of the antagonists of the game. Didn’t see any gameplay, but still, the game looks good. I need to play more tactical shooters in general.

Watch Dogs: Legion

I played the first Watch Dogs game. Thought it was cool, but overall it was a bit disappointing. I still need to play the second one, but I heard it was a major improvement, even if it wasn’t a financial hit. Still, this one put a smile on my face. The ability to recruit and play as anyone? A sarcastic AI as your companion? A grandma assassin? I will take all of it, thank you.

Also, grandma assassin.

Did I mention there was a grandma assassin?

Can’t wait for March 6th.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

The LEGO Star Wars games were some of the first games I ever owned back when I played on the PS2, so I’m hyped for a collection of all 9 films in one game. We don’t know much beyond the announcement trailer, but hey, I’ll gladly take this one when it comes out next year.

Baldur’s Gate III

A video game that plays like a DND game? I can’t wait. Haven’t played the other games, but I’m sure I’ll be fine once I play that tabletop prequel they mentioned.

Battletoads

It’s an Xbox and PC exclusive, but still, glad this is getting a remake.

Bleeding Edge

This looks like an Overwatch reskin. The combat itself looks unique, though, so we’ll see how it goes.

Gears 5

We got a little more on Gears 5 this time around. We’ve got a look at Kait and how the Locust influence is threatening to tear her apart (that’s what I’m assuming, I’ve never played the Gears games). We also got a new mode, Escape. I might get it, since it’ll be available for PC.

Halo Infinite

If this is what Xbox Scarlett looks like, then Sony might have actual competition for once. This is the best the Halo series has looked in years, and considering how let down some felt after Halo 5, it’s about time. We’re getting the same badass Master Chief back, this time with no AI companion, as Cortana has suffered corruption due to being around for longer than normal and has gone psycho as a result. Regardless, the graphics look amazing and I can’t wait to see how it looks when it releases Holiday 2020.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

I never played the original, but I might have to now, because this looks cute. The art style looks great and I’ll always be interested in games where you fight things ten times your own size. Plus, it seems to run smooth, and just by the sound of the story, it already has my heart.

Psychonauts 2

To cap things off, let’s end with a game I’ve been excited for since I finished the original months ago. The game seems to be coming along great, if the first level is anything to go by. Returning voice cast, new enemies and powers, new environments to explore, Jack Black voicing a Brain in a Jar, need I say more?

Also, this game looks to explore the water curse put on Rasputin’s family, so it will be a more personal and chilling story as well.

________________

So, there you have it. That’s my thoughts on E3 2019, half a month late.

What are you guys excited for? Leave a comment letting me know, especially if there was something I left out!

Until then!

[noythe]

Of Oracles and Kings

After surely enough hours of thinking I finally managed to write down, what I am thinking of the Prologue of Episode Ardyn. Everything I gathered since the release of Final Fantasy XV will be used in this post, probably not pleasing every single individual - but this is my opinion alone.

All the facts I am going to list are part of the Game, may it be from several translation sources - as far as the german was closer to the original japanese, I considered a few things from there, too.

Remember, this is a post made by someone who hated Ardyn on an early stage, but fell in love with the chancellor after enough time, fancfiction - replays and so on. But I will edit this whenever I find something new that is a reliable source.

Now is your last time to turn back, if you are an Ardyn hater or want to spill more fire into it.. Last chance to scroll past this. Thanks.

And by all means. Whatever I have written down there - this does not justify what he had done in the game.

1: Izunia

Ardyn Lucis Caelum. The name we all got to know during the stage of the game, as Noctis goes into the chrystal. The tale of the accursed. I guess I do not have to repeat this. We all know it very well. But the first name we stumble over by this handsome traveller with that voice like silk -> Izunia.

So, in the Dossier by german translation it was stated, that the Name of Ardyn was Izunia.. Before they became Lucis Caelum. Considering the Anime now - I have two theories.

They messed up the translation. Again.

Which is hopefully more like to be happening: Before the Plague went down and everything went to hell, everyone might have been normal. Same for Somnus and Ardyn. Only as the world needed it, they were gifted by the Astrals to stop this. Rising over the human limits with their abilities they were given the Name of Lucis Caelum. For whatever reason. I hope this will get finally solved and covered in the DLC.

2: Fleuret/Oracle

We have Aera. A woman that is betrothed to Ardyn and sneaking out to see him. Called the Oracle .Didyou guys ever reconsider that an Oracle was not always meant to heal the people? If we can take the information of the Prologue for granted, Aera was talking to the Astrals/Godsl and spreading their word and plans among the people. Perhaps because she could understand the godlike gibberish. She was no healer. It was Ardyn on his own. They looked up to her and took her word for granted.

So after he was no longer able to heal, I guess the Astrals or Bahamut decided that they needed a new source of Light in this darkness. Because the Plague was not gone after Ardyn was killed/imprisoned/abandoned. But it couldn’t be her. It couldn’t be Aera. Even if she looks a lot like Lunafreya and shares her last name as far as I know - she died to protect the man she loved. Besides the shared looks are quite intersting.. Remember the time Ardyn was killing Lunafreya and his entire look softened for a mere second? Perhaps he saw her again.  

So, we see another woman next to Aera - perhaps Gentiana as she was a Messenger of the Gods as well and some Artworks show a dark haired woman that wields the Trident.  It is not confirmed yet, but I guess that she might have assisted Somnus indeed. Just not like the very first Oracle did. 

3: Scourge

While both brothers have their way of dealing with it, I have to say I like Somnus even less than before. Not that he just burned the people alive - he made it worse without noticing, calling his brother a traitor for doing his best to stop the plague from spreading. So in fact, Ardyn cleaned the mess up - his younger asshole brother created. Also - people say that the Memory might a fake. I can nearly assure you it is not. During the early scenes you see Somnus gathering the Victims of the plague. It is night. Do you guys remember what happened in the game during night and with Demons around? Right. The Area got misty/foggy and some particles were flying around. So. GUESS WHAT. There are DOZENS of people. It’s just what happens with all the scourge piled up. As Aera dies Ardyn can’t hold back the darkness he had gathered over an undefined amount of time. Maybe it had been years. So what Somnus had faced with Gil in the beginning.. Was probably NOTHING compared to the darkness Ardyn had been holding back, Same for the moment Ardyn gets stabbed by his brother in the tower/Temple/whatever.As the entire Scourge that was gathered in his body is released, it’s all dark. This is one of the effects of the scourge. Don’t play it down. So killing someone with the scourge is not an option, as we saw it only spreads ( Reference: The ‘Death’ of Ardyn during the ending) Unlike the method Ardyn used -> Taking it in and keeping it contained. That gives me to think..Did Lunafreya heal it the same way like Ardyn did? Was she getting that weak because of it and the Covenants? 

There probably was a way to clear it. Perhaps a special rite whatever. But that was never mentioned. Maybe Ardyn was just send to sacrifice himself with all the Scourge, only given this task. One live in exchange of countless. But we know how this played out.

4: Kings

I noticed some people claiming that Ardyn was in the end selfish as he announced himself King. He didn’t. He never really did. First of all he was traveling alone and in secret, admired by the people he helped with a real solution. They despised Somnus for what he did - and I can’t blame them. If someone would burn my entire family just for the sake of ‘preventing’ things, I would be pissed too. 

Ardyn was loved by the people. They asked him to be king. They had chosen him. And he knew what kind of burden that would be, but for the sake of them - he would have been their king.  We see Aera talking to the Chrsystal - performing some kind of ceremony to listen and spread their word. It was Somnus who asked. But the ones seeing the scene don’t know what was told. Only Aera and Somnus know - at least that was what I thought. But recalling Episode Ignis helps here. The Chrystal itself tells us there, that Ardyn was indeed chosen.

They call out Ardyn and he ends up in the same room - Somnus seems to snap, revealing his master plan to get Ardyn to them because they had lost him before and says that he is the chosen one. Somnus lied. Otherwise Aera wouldn’t be so surprised. He didn’t even wait for HER to announce it. Aera the Oracle - the messenger of the god, the voice the people would listen to.

So I assume that Somnus is indeed the jealous King Ardyn told us about.

That he was in the end rejected by Chrystal was not his fault. Ardyn hadn’t done anything wrong in this case. He had tried to fulfill his calling - knowing what would happen. Sadly we have no real information about this but I really guess that Ardyn was talking the truth. He was erased from history. And we know that Somnus felt guilty. 

5: Curse and Blessing

We know that Ardyn is immortal. Unless Noctis shows up and fulfills his calling and cleans up the mess Somnus and Bahamut had created.

We also know that the Oracle promised Ardyn to remember him always - even if no one else would. Foreshadowing? Perhaps. Perhaps she had seen the future like Ignis did during his Episode. Words she used during the gameplay trailer reveal, that she wanted Ardyn to live ( I guess she meant him. And I guess the scene was a dream that haunts him during the 2000 years or after his freedom.)

Maybe she had used these words before, trying to encourage him. Perhaps she had known about the state he was in. Maybe she knew he had a calling to follow. This is just a theory of mine and I can’t say for sure how this will play out. But I hope SE will play it smoothly, otherwise I will be mad af. But he calls it himself Both during the train-scene. My thougts on that. The Blessing part might be indeed from Aera.. While the curse keep him chained to this world and far from the woman he had loved.

6: Lies

There is no good or evil, only thinking makes it so.

If it would be a twisted memory, I assume we would know. Ardyn had suffered a lot. He had seen people die he cared for. He had lived, loved and in the end found peace. People say that this insight into the Episode might be twisted because it is Ardyn’s story we’re talking about. Think about it again. Aera is telling us the story and we have enough proof that he is talking the truth. As it is even said by the developers that the Anime will show the side of Ardyn we didn’t know so far. It is confirmed.

(And if someone screams. BUT THE PLACES ARE DIFFERENT - Watch the prologue again, or at all.... Watch it for real. And notice the details, temple area, open at the sides, different time. It is as confirmed as I can say now. If SE tricked us.. Well. I just can work with what I have. There is no mistake in the Animation or such. Watch it 200 times if you have to. I can point it out by seconds, but I am too lazy for that.)

To erase every single trace of Ardyn in history, Somnus had to work cleanly. I have to say, Somnus did good by that. Either because he burned everyone alive who knew or made sure the day was never mentioned like it happened.

But why isn’t  Aera mentioned? Somnus erased Ardyn from history. Guess you wouldn’t want anyone to know that you actually killed his fiancé, because you’re a mad,stupid idiot she knew the truth that he didn’t. Sad death. I hope they’re happy in the Afterlife. They deserve it.

 A lot has been lost. No one had known. No one. And to be fair, a common  quote I stumbled across lately a lot: History is written by winners.

He calls himself noble, thinking that his actions are the right ones. Maybe that’s why he burned the people alive. But burning innocent people is not noble. There is nothing noble about killing the fiancé of your brother and calling her a foolish woman. There is nothing noble of tricking your brother and cursing him, giving him no choice but to mourn for the love he had. Good job Somnus. It took your nearly 2000 years to realize and ask your friendly younger version to give Ardyn peace, huh. A little bit late, asshole. No, I don’t forgive you.!

To finish this for now, I have to say: Ardyn deserved better. Same for Aera. It is a tragedy. 

Not you, Somnus, I hope I can smash you in an epic-long-ass-bossfight during the DLC: Otherwise my comrades-Character will wipe the Lucian floor with your remaining body parts. I hope we get more answers during the DLC and can’t wait to finally play it.

[askagamedev]

Lightning Mailbag: Bag of Tricks

More questions with short answers!

Has someone ever tried to pitch their game idea to you during an interview, being more focused on their idea than working with a new team?

Please do not do this. You won’t get past the initial phone screen if you try, and you wouldn’t be pitching the project to the right people anyway. If I’m interviewing you, I’ve already got a project I’m working on that needs people to help complete it. I’m not the person who green lights projects.

So people are mad EA canned its open world Star Wars game. My question is not about cancellation, but why people are treating it like a terrible Omen? Isn't Star Wars games getting cancelled a common thing among its publishers and developers? 

Yeah, it happens pretty frequently. I know of at least two other Star Wars projects that were killed at various stages of early development that nobody outside of the publisher really heard about. I actually wrote two twitter threads about this - one about [how important scheduling is] and another about [what games early in development even look like]. It’s also important to note that this game was never actually announced and neither was its cancellation - EA responded to reports, not the other way around. To EA’s credit, there were zero layoffs involved with this cancellation. The higher ups just moved people around to where they were more needed. 

The important takeaway is that games aren’t typically cancelled because the publishers hate fun and players. Games are typically cancelled because they aren’t workable within the given set of circumstances - scheduling, budget, personnel requirements, licensing, etc. 

You recently answered a question on day one patches in second print runs and said it's unlikely because you'd have to pay for certification again. So what would be the likeliest scenario for a "version of the game with ALL pertinent data on one disk"- one of those "GOTY/All DLC included re-releases", or a port to another platform? Just in terms of which version is gonna have to be re-certified anyway, so they might as well include EVERYTHING from the start?

Depends. If we wanted to save money, the GOTY edition could just be the original disc (which was already certified on that platform) and several packed-in DLC codes. Porting to a new platform means we’ll have to go through certification for that platform, but there’s no reason we’d want to go through the old platform certification too. Why pay for three full certifications when you can get away with paying for one?

I didn't quite understand your exposition of the Activision/Bungie situation. Bungie owns the IP and can make any game that they want in the Destiny universe, but not the publishing rights for Destiny 1 and 2.... what would prevent them from just parting way with Activision (possibly with some severance for breaking the 10-year contract) and then just release Destiny 3 on their own?

They want to keep working on and running the existing Destiny games and not build an entirely new one. Building a new one would take at least two years. They don’t have other games generating revenue to fund Destiny 3′s development for those two years, so they need to keep players playing and paying now.

The FANTa Project is currently on hiatus while I am crunching at work too busy.

[What is the FANTa project?] [Git the FANTa Project]

Got a burning question you want answered?

Short questions: Ask a Game Dev on Twitter

Long questions: Ask a Game Dev on Tumblr

Frequent Questions: The FAQ

[ghostwise]

Dragon Age Questions

@dirthara-mama tagged me for this! Thank you!! <3 I’ll tag @mabarihounds @antivan-surana and @vlwv 

01) Favourite game of the series?

Origins! It’s the first one I played, and each time I pick it up I find something entirely new in the experience. The characters feel like old friends, and the dialogue is really charming. It also has a ridiculous high-fantasy vibe that I love, which seems to be lacking in later games. I know it’s silly, I know it’s absurd and dated... but you just can’t beat that possessed rhyming oak tree npc…

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

When Inquisition was announced, I started seeing a lot of it on my dash, so a friend and I started playing the series! I was hooked pretty much right away.

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

I’ve finished Origins three times, DA2 twice, and I’m currently playing Inquisition for the first time!!  Exciting!

I also have a handful of unfinished playthroughs on Origins, which were attempts to create new Warden characters, but none of them got past the first quest. I just love my Mahariel too much… 

04) Favourite race to play as?

Elves! I love the worldbuilding behind them, the city elves, the Dalish, and the ancient elves. I hate pretty much everything about how these issues are handled in game, though.

05) Favourite class?

Mage!

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

Pretty much. I have tried to play as different characters so as to explore different outcomes and decisions, but again… I love my OCs too damn much.

07) Go-to adventuring group?

Origins: Hamal, Zevran, Morrigan, Sten. DA2: Renata, Varric, Anders, Isabela. Inquisition: Neluayo, Varric, Blackwall, Sera—so far!

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

Listen, I love creating OCs and putting ridiculous amounts of thought into them. It went from being a coping mechanism as a newly immigrated depressed and anxious child, to something I still love as an adult. I have a hard time picking one OC I put the most thought into…

But because I’ve played Origins the most, and played it first, Hamal has a lot more content in his tag than my other Dragon Age OCs. He’s my baby and I adore him.

09) Favourite romance?

Zevran’s, no question. I think he may be one of my favorite characters in the series, romance or no! I love his background and his personality and his character arc. My boy...

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?

Nope!

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

Didn’t read any of them but I do own World of Thedas v1 and v2, and it seems each time I open it I find something new and surprising about the world. I love it!

12) Favourite DLCs?

I really enjoyed Return to Ostagar for Origins, and Legacy for Dragon Age 2. I know Inquisition has some amazing DLC content so I’m looking forward to that!

13) Things that annoy you.

The constant retconning, and rewriting of issues to suit a certain agenda in game. Especially regarding treatment of the mages or the elves. Like, I know this is a fictional narrative, okay? But it’s annoying to watch the story go from ‘Templars are unequivocally abusing their power and oppressing this group of people’ to ‘well they have good reason for it, sometimes you have to massacre an entire population because of one incident, it’s Gray Morality™ sweetie!’

Nah, it’s just bad writing! And it’s okay to admit that lol

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

I have no strong feelings on the matter. Would love to hear more about Antiva or Seheron!

15) Templars or mages?

Mages!

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

Same universe. I don’t have an interest in having multiple Wardens or Hawkes tbh, I... I get too attached lol

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

Hamal calls his mabari D’alen. He is the most spoiled mabari in all of Thedas, typically guarding the camp, never fighting or being placed in danger. Renata calls her mabari Nicolo, and she loves putting warpaint on him. The dog accompanied Carver at Ostagar and takes care of the family over their years in Kirkwall. I still need to name Neluayo’s hart!

18) Have you installed any mods?

A few for Origins (different robes for Morrigan and the realistic appearance mods for companions), and several for DA2 (dialogue tweaks and new hair/appearance options). But Inquisition seems kinda complicated to mod, and I don’t want to break the game hhhh

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

No, he wanted to find Tamlen and go back to his clan. He actually did take off after Ostagar, driven by anger and fear and homesickness. Alistair was devastated. Morrigan had to go and fetch him, convincing him to return.

20) Hawke’s personality?

A good mix of purple and blue, but let’s be real, Renata is pink. Whimsy, whimsy, whimsy.

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

I haven’t played around with armor creation yet… sounds fun though!

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Hamal would have gone after Tamlen. It’s his greatest regret. Even before encountering him as a ghoul, Hamal was never able to shake the feeling that Tamlen had survived. But Duncan shot down every hope, and there was so much going on after Ostagar… there came a point where Hamal accepted that Tamlen was gone. 

When he shows up again, too far beyond any help but a blade between his ribs? It’s not something he ever gets over.

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

Oh I love breaking canon.

Hamal never becomes Warden Commander. His political influence by the time of the Landsmeet is as perilous as you might expect of an angry and traumatized Dalish elf whose interest was more on surviving and defeating the Blight, than, say, being on any noble’s good side. The only reason he isn’t immediately executed is because he and his allies called in many favors and made many concessions. One being that he would leave the Wardens and not remain politically involved. Frankly, the crown and nobility hoped he would perish against the Archdemon. But here we are! 

Alistair becomes Warden Commander instead. Receiving the boon comes with challenges of its own. The Dalish receive all the land that was most tainted by the Blight. Reconstruction takes years and is still an issue during Inquisition era.

To that end, the political influence of the Dalish during Inquisition leads to a lot of changes for Neluayo’s canon too. Because the elves have a hold over much of the south, the Inquisition needs to ally with them to even gain access to those regions. Neluayo being Dalish herself smooths things over some, but she is really in a complex position, with the Dalish, with the Chantry, with the monarchy… being stationed in the Free Marches, Clan Lavellan is one of the clans that has yet to join the southern Dalish. It’s a huge stressor for her.

As for Hawke, I keep both her siblings alive. Renata needs her little sister ;; <3 They do all go their separate ways after events in Kirkwall though. Orsino is also alive. Varric was clearly covering for him!

And I know Hawke already has a VA buuuut I headcanon Renata’s voice to sound more like Brittany Howard’s! Because it’s adorable.

24) Are any of your character(s) based on someone?

Not really. I never create them with any one source of inspiration or influence in mind.

25) Who did you leave in the Fade?

I’m gonna leave Stroud in the Fade! Makes my life a lot easier lol

26) Favourite mount?

I’ll agree that the harts are amazing! And they’re just so TALL. Love those majestic Thedosian megafauna. The bog unicorns are cute too, they’ve grown on me, surprisingly. Ha!

[leftwriteb]

E3 2018 Predictions: EA & Ubisoft

While the winter and fall might give gamers a sweet array of games to dig into, summer brings us to the week of craziness that is E3. With publishers and console power houses hosting events to showcase their biggest and best games on the way, we break down what we’d imagine we will see from this years event, this time from EA and Ubisoft. Here’s what to expect as well as what we hope to see.

-ELECTRONIC ARTS-

Electronic Arts has found themselves in a precarious situation the past few years, having fallen from grace and instead being seen by many as the boogeyman of publishing studios. With the entire landscape of the industry having shifted following the launch of Star Wars Battlefront II, both in regard to industry practice and the patience of gamers, EA needs to exercise some restraint and earn back the trust of many. The focus for them this year will likely be quality over quantity.

Battlefield V

One thing we know we will see more of is this years rendition of Battlefield. As mentioned already, with EA and Dice having received huge backlash from their efforts to uphold micro transactions in Star Wars Battlefront II last year, they have to approach this game with caution and show that they've learned from their mistakes.

With Call of Duty having already returned to the frontlines of WWII, the reveal that Battlefield V is doing the same means EA will also have to do what it can to show what BFV has to offer over it’s longterm rival. What’s more, the focus for EA here will likely be on multiplayer, instead showcasing an array of maps, modes and content to keep people interested. While they may show a little of the campaign, EA will want to focus on showing they can earn your trust back in multiplayer games and will instead be showcasing what's new for the series.

Given the uproar Dice and EA have faced previously, and with the continued ridiculous outcry about representation and historical accuracy that we’ve discussed further on here, a particular focus will be on the customisation and levelling systems within the game and how much variety there is for players. Microtransactions will undoubtedly return but EA will tread carefully and stress they’re only cosmetic and can be earned through regular gameplay anyway. What we will see from Battlefield V will be familiar but with as much positive spin as they can muster.

STAR WARS FROM RESPAWN ENTERTAINMENT?

That isn't the only big IP we might see this year, with the next game from Respawn Entertainment potentially showing up too, the project announced way back on Star Wars Day 2016. Not much has been revealed about the project so far, so it's about time we get a few details. Following the heartbreaking news that Star Wars: 1313 was cancelled, and that Visceral Games closure meant their mid-development Star Wars game was being refocused under other studios, news from Respawn is a nice counterwieght.

As mentioned already, caution will be key as any Star Wars game coming from EA will likely be under incredible scrutiny. Coming from the same team that brought us the great but underappreciated Titanfall series, the game is supposedly a 3rd person action game. Either way, with the trepidation it could face, we will likely only get a small tease for the game, at best a trailer. What's more important though is that they'll be more focused on providing small but tantilising details for the game, helping to set it up for a more positive response when it does surface properly

NEW Dead Space?

With Respawn offering us a more light-hearted space adventure, it could well be time for something at the other end of the spectrum with perhaps a new Dead Space game and I think this year we may see this once glorious sci-if horror return. EA has shown, albeit with Mass Effect Andromeda, that they’re willing to push strong series in new (but maybe questionable) directions and may well do the same with Dead Space.

As mentioned above, EA caught further flak for the closure of the series original developers Visceral Games - so we know that team won't be working on a Dead Space game. But could we see them revive the series and put it in the hands of a new studio? This could be a chance for them to offer something a little different from their focus on multiplayer games and equally offer something that stands out amongst the jam-packed slate of games coming over the next 18 months.

It's been a long time since the release of Dead Space 3 back in February 2013, so now seems like a good time to bring the series back, especially given the rise of horror games in recent years. With the genre for the most part being pushed by smaller developers, a larger "AAA" title like Dead Space 4 would provide something meatier and show that EA hasn't given up entirely on singleplayer games.

ANTHEM

That's not all we can expect from sci-fi games though, with huge excitement tailing Anthem, the next game from BioWare. With the game being created by a majority of the team behind the original Mass Effect trilogy, there's lofty expectations from the game, especially after the extended look at gameplay we've seen that promises huge potential and scale.

With the game due to be with us by March 2019, the release is fast approaching so EA will be focusing heavily on the title in order to peak interest as much as possible. Extended gameplay will be on show and, just as with Battlefield V, the key will be showing players that Anthem will have everything players want without repeating the mistakes of the past that have shaken and soured EA so much.

With a huge fanbase having been built around Mass Effect, EA will be hoping for a similar effect for Anthem; with the game offering what could be insanely fun multiplayer, we might well get some fun but awfully scripted co-op voice chat in the demo, but customisation and variety will be front and centre. This section will likely end with a story focused trailer, reaffirming that BioWare can and will deliver a great sci-fi story next March.

PLANTS VS ZOMBIES 3?

Of course, EA has a far reaching grasp and will want to offer something for slightly different audiences. One established IP they can rely on is that of Plants VS Zombies, with a new game in the series not out of the question. The previous two games received a surprisingly sizeable following after the series moved to consoles and became more of a wave-defence game.

It's not likely that we'll see anything surprising from the game, with the core mechanics and gameplay likely receiving little more than some fine tuning and expansion to offer something familiar but new. Plants VS Zombies will be where EA can offer splitscreen multiplayer in an age where online seems to be the focus, and further still can offer something for the younger gamers too.

SPORTS, SPORTS, SPORTS - AND MAYBE SKATE 4?

Naturally though, EA showcases wouldn't be complete without their fair share of sports, sports and more sports. While we could cover this, it's an element that's easily predictable and something we don't massively care for... but there is one sort-of-sport game that we could see from EA this year that might turn some heads: what if Skate 4 is revealed?

Skate was a series that saw some incredible traction in the past but that has now been absent, along with skateboarding games as a whole, for some time. With the Tony Hawk's games having fallen to the wayside and with Skate 3 seeing a small but considerable resurgence after its inclusion in Xbox backwards compatibility, now seems like a great time to reveal a new game in the series and fill that deck-shaped gap in the market.

-UBISOFT-

Ubisoft are often seen as creatures of habit, usually announcing sequels or DLC plans for existing game and series. The key for Ubisoft is to show some restraint and double-down on their strengths. While a host of new announcements is good, Ubisoft need to show that they're investing sufficient time into their projects to ensure they're worth investment from players on day one. They've shown with games like The Division, Rainbow Six: Siege and For Honor that they're willing to put in the effort to reshape and improve games long after their release, but increasingly solid foundations is what they need to get right.

ASSASSINS CREED: ODYSSEY

One game we know will surface during the Ubisoft presentation is Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, something that was announced recently as we reported here. In years past, Ubisoft spaced out the releases of the games to give it a little breathing room and to improve the quality following the disastrous launch of Assassin's Creed: Unity. With the new game looking like a follow-up to last years Origins, and with the game likely releasing so soon, Ubisoft has to be cautious.

They will want to take their time with this new title and show that, despite the shortened development time, it will be well worth players time. With Origins having introduced stronger RPG mechanics to the series, Odyssey is likely to strengthen and expand on these mechanics and introduce even more, with rumours circulating that dialogue options will be added too.

Ubisoft will try to show a little of everything for Odyssey and reaffirm that the series is back and better than ever, the coverage ending with release date. When this will be is hard to say given how busy the next months will be for releases, but it likely wont be too far away.

BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL 2

What's going to be more tricky for Ubisoft than keeping Creed in good stead is to meet the expectations of fans for Beyond Good & Evil 2, the title having been shown only a little since the reveal at E3 last year. With the introduction of "The Space Monkey Program" for the game, a system that offers select fans the chance to play it early and offer feedback, it's clear the title is a long time from release but given the sizeable following, it's a game that will be drip-fed to fans to keep them interested.

We probably won't see an awful lot from the game this year either, with even the platforms for release having not been confirmed. That said, a slightly closer look at the gameplay will probably given while stressing that development is still going strong. If we are lucky we may get a tentative year of release, though if we do I'd expect that to be subject to change.

THE DIVISION 2

Of course, there's another series that will surface during Ubisoft's show: The Division 2.  Officially announced back in March, the original game saw success both critically and commercially and is one of the big titles that saw extensive support and reworking after launch. With the game having proven its longevity, a new entry in the series has a great foundation to build on.

Unlike the original, the timeframe between reveal and release will be considerably less. What's more, with some criticism being given due to the difference between the original Divisions gameplay presentation and the final product, the gameplay we will undoubtedly see will be far more representative of the final game. An emphasis on enhanced gameplay and customisation will be made, showing how the game has grown over time and how existing mechanics will be expanded and improved.

That said, thanks to the previous work of EA, a point will be made of how lootboxes will likely only be cosmetic (though this was a policy that was applied to the original until that  changed later in its life cycle), as well as how there will be a greater wealth of content in the game at launch that the predecessor.

NEW SPLINTER CELL TITLE?

The Divison won't be the only Tom Clancy property to surface at E3 though, with all signs pointing to a new Splinter Cell game potentially being in the works. Interest in the idea peaked back in April when a new mission was added to Ghost Recon: Wildlands that saw a surprise visit from none other than Sam Fisher himself, voiced once again by veteran voice actor Michael Ironside.

It's been a long time since Fisher has graced our screens, with Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist having now released back in 2013. While the small amount of evidence above seems circumstantial, the likelihood that Ubisoft would have included the crossover just for fun is unlikely, especially when you consider they went out their way to get Ironside back. With the series having been abscent for some time and with other stealth games having adopted open-world mechanics that push stealth slightly aside, a game that truly focuses on stealth once again is perhaps what players need and the return of Same Fisher may be what fulfils that.

NEW TRIALS TITLE?

But offering something a little more tempered and casual is the potential return of the Trials series, the last main series game, Trials Fusion, having released back in 2014. While Trials of the Blood Dragon, a Far Cry 3 spin-off based spin-off (of all things) released in 2016, it's been considerable time since a full game itself has released.

Ubisoft needs to supply a little balance in their titles in order to pull in sales from all corners of the gaming glob and a new Trials games could do just that. With a new game able to release during potentially dry spells in their release slate, and with appeal to gamers of all ages, it's the perfect complimentary title to their more time-consuming and action-packed games.

INDIE SUPPORT

That said, Ubisoft can further offer variety with continued support of smaller indie titles as it has done in the past with games like Valiant Hearts, Grow Home and Child of Light. It provides Ubisoft a chance to invest in promising but smaller titles; small risk but potentially great reward.

As mentioned before, this also means that Ubisoft can release a number of smaller titles between their larger IP's and could mean we see a number of great new titles surface. What's more, a lot of these titles will probably show up across multiple platforms, particularly the Switch now that Ubisoft have strengthened their relationship with Nintendo particularly in the last few years. Whether the smaller titles show up here or elsewhere first though is hard to say.

So, that's what we might well see from EA and Ubisoft this year at E3. There's only a few days to go until the event begins so time will tell what's shown but, as always, it'll be an amazing time to be a gamer. So, let us know what you're hoping for, or what you think of our predictions, in the comments below and enjoy this years show!

 [EA's showcase will begin on Saturday 9th of June, 7pm UK time. Ubisoft's showcase will begin on Monday 11th of June, 9pm UK time.]

[destiny-smasher]

E3 2017 predictions/hopes

Feeling more exhausted than usual around this time of year, but...here’s some of my thoughts going into E3.

Microsoft:

Microsoft is the one I’m least invested in, and they have the most room to take people by surprise and prove themselves. I don’t follow XBox news close enough to really have any good predictions. For the sake of competition, though, I certainly hope they bring something good to the table. Seems like all of their big efforts the past couple years have sorta flopped when contrasted by Sony’s work.

I anticipate Microsoft will try to shove some kind of tech in there no one’s really interested in -- maybe VR or stuff like that Minecraft thing from...last year? I don’t even remember. They’re in a tricky spot where they’re doing well enough because they can spread sales from PC, but, like...what can they do to really draw people in from the Sony vortex? At the very least, they can make their fans feel like their loyalty is being rewarded.

Sony:

Sony’s been kind of rocking the console game, seeming to get more momentum with each passing year since the PS4 released. They’ve revealed a lot of big hitting games over the past year, and I was honestly surprised with the God of War reveal being such an extended gameplay demo.

This year, I expect they’ll take some time to highlight some more refreshing indies, like usual, probably remind us of what’s coming up on the summer horizon. Usually we get one or two brand new indies in there, but they rarely ever focus long enough on any to really let them shine -- they expect you to follow up on your own time with those.

We’ve barely seen Detroit: Become Human, but if it’s going well, now’s kind of the time to really blow the lid off. Show us what will differentiate it from its spiritual predecessors. Give us a release date.

Death Stranding? I certainly hope it’s gonna be there. We haven’t seen any gameplay yet. Get on those shit. We know it’s gonna be trippy as balls, but what will it PLAY LIKE, or are all you big boys just strutting your stuff so hard you hope that’ll carry it?

God of War is sure to show up again, too, though I’m not sure in what capacity. Maybe a more cinematic trailer revealing more of the story? Maybe gameplay that is totally different in someway from last year’s demo? Maybe something that more directly shows the tie between the older games and this one? Hard to say what they could show that would really impress, though slapping us with a 2017 release date would certainly be pleasant. Kratos was such a boring character past GoW1.

It was very nice to see his character so different last year in the reveal, but what direction is it going in? Are we gonna control the kid after Kratos dies, or something? And if so, how would that maintain that without it feeling like something that’s been done before?

Last of Us Part 2 will probably be the show-stealer if it has a meaty gameplay demo, unless there’s just some bonkers high-profile secret reveal. It would really knock it out of the park if we got a gameplay demo and then a brief cinematic trailer to really hype it up, but they might not be quite that far into dev yet. I expect Naughty Dog will also give us one more trailer for the Lost Legacy to remind us how it’s coming out soon. There is a chance, though, that LoU2 isn’t far enough along for a big reveal, but if that’s the case, I wonder why they revealed it the way they did when they did.

I can’t help but figure Sony will have some kind of cool demo-drop next week. Maybe Death Stranding? Gotta love those E3 demo stealth drops. Probably some bigger thirdy part exclusivity thing, whether it’s DLC for a big game or some kind of timed-exclusive release.

Part of me thinks Sony might go a little lax this year with how good they’ve got it, but if they’re smart, they’ll keep that pressure up, even if it means teasing and announcing things a bit too early. E3 is the place to do that, if only to make yourself look good.

When I try to think of what big reveal Sony could pull that would make sense, I...can’t really think of one.

They’ll probably try to shill more VR stuff, maybe during the indie sequence? VR is cool but it’s just too expensive an investment for the average consumer at this point. Maybe they’ll announce a PS4 Pro w/VR bundle for the holiday to try and help remedy that.

Nintendo:

Nintendo is always in quite an unfair position when it comes to these things, as more than any other company, they’re expected to deliver on rumors that are often made up just because they...make sense. Nintendo has too many franchises to juggle, which they haven’t been doing a great job with lately, which sets up those unrealistic hype trains to get derailed. Just this week, everyone’s expectations of Sun/Moon on Switch were callously dashed, despite what a seemingly obvious decision it seemed like. Before that, the Smash Bros. on Switch fake leak once again felt like “Oh, duh, this makes so much sense and would be such a smart decision” -- only to be fake.

Add on top of this Nintendo’s mum on Virtual Console, voice chat, online services, and all of these 3DS announcements, and a lot of folks are frustrated and bummed over them not delivering on things they’ve never promised. And do I need to remind about the supply issues with NES Classic and Switch? It’s all a bad spot to be in that makes them look weirdly stingy.

The “Rabbids x Mario” game leak probably hasn’t helped things, because it’s such a “WTF why?” that if there’s no follow-through that shows they’re listening to their hardcore fans, it’ll come across as a bizarre business decision (when really, I bet it’s more Ubisoft wanting to cash in on their relationship with Nintendo).

The Switch has some great momentum, but symptoms of Nintendo’s recurring tone-deaf choices linger. They have a lot of room to build on the momentum for the Switch, and I think they really should lower focus on 3DS -- they need to keep that ship sailing, of course -- and double-down on Switch announcements. It feels like we already know basically what to expect of them for the rest of the year, and I really hope that’s not the case. They’ve got a lot of great first party stuff for a launch year, but where’s the DLC games, the indies, Virtual Console, online functionalities? There’s gotta be some surprises in there despite the leaks, I just wonder if they will resonate with that core gamer base the Switch has quickly found.

What is Retro Studios working on? Where is Metroid? Are we finally going to get a new entry in some of the neglected series everyone keeps harping on? Or is it just more Mario, Zelda, Pokemon, and Kirby for the next year? Where the fuck is Virtual Console?

I’m sure we’ll get a more detailed look at the first batch of Breath of the Wild DLC for the summer, but this would be a great place to drop a trailer for the new story content coming in the winter.

Personal hopes are for something authentically Metroid as well as a SSB4 DX for Switch reveal. Combine the modes and stages of the Wii U and 3DS versions, throw in a couple new characters/stages -- or even just announce more is coming as DLC after launch -- and I think that alone would hype a lot of people, myself included, especially if it’s coming sooner rather than later. I predict we’ll get more Wii U “deluxe” ports to Switch. A lot of great games on Wii U missed an audience due to the platform itself. Would be easy money and simultaneously please people to have some of those great games on the go.

Reggie teased earlier this spring that hardcore fans would be pleased by what they had cooking, and E3 is THE place to show that stuff off.

As usual, I also expect Treehouse Live to be surprisingly good, with its own genuine news dropped and even some games announced outside of the “spotlight.” The fact that Nintendo is calling it a “spotlight” and not a “presentation” like usual kind of worries me that it might not have many “megatons” but I sure as hell hope that Rabbids thing was not THE surprise they were banking on.

Last year, it felt like Nintendo had nothing to show besides Breath of the Wild. They saved tjhat stuff for January. That ended up working out well because LoZ actually lived up to the hype. But with a new piece of hardware just on the scene, after the failure that was the Wii U and the 3DS showing its age, now is not the time be stingy with announcements.

Of particular note, Nintendo could make a big splash now that they have relatively powerful hardware -- powerful enough to run a LOT of what is on the other platforms. Question is whether or not they are courting those third parties.

I’ve argued in the past how third party support for Nintendo is often irrelevant, but Switch is different -- having fully portable access to a lot of popular third party games, like the Souls series, would in and of itself be an easy and smart play in so many cases.

Either way, like every other year, Nintendo always has the greatest potential to win folks’ hearts and excitement over. Last year was a letdown in general terms, though Zelda was of course fantastic, but I hope they’ve really stock-piled some good content this year. Mario will probably take the spotlight, and I’m excited to see its new features, but I really hope they can surprise us -- not just with a literal shock, but by formally confirming things that just make sense.

DontNod:

I feel obligated to make special note of these guys given my investment in the Life is Strange fandom. I’m honestly very lukewarm on Vampyr, but maybe they can finally turn me around on it.

While DontNod said Life is Strange 2 is in dev but won’t be at E3, some NEWS on it of some sort would be nice, but I suspect they want to wait until they can show rather than tell.

While not being made by DontNod, if the LiS prequel is real, I am very curious as to how we’ll see it. Maybe at Sony’s conference? I have no idea. Doubt it’s the sort of thing they’ll just “drop” onto the net. I’ve already expressed dozens of times how troubling the idea of a prequel is and many of the ways it could easily go wrong, but I would love to be proven incorrect and fall in love with the same characters all over again under a different studio. I just can’t shake the sensations of “Fanservice money-milking” from the concept, which doesn’t settle well with me for such a personal story-focused game.

I think that either way, this is the time to clarify what is going on with the series. Are we getting TWO new games, or not? When is Vampyr coming, and what has been done to help prevent it from finding the same fate that Remember Me did?

Everyone else:

What is Bethesda up to? Fallout 4 didn’t seem to take off like they wanted.

What about BioWare? DA:I did well, but Mass Effect seems to have flopped. They’ve got to already be too invested in ME:A to give up on it, so what’s the play? Keep cooking on a sequel, wait until next year? Drop DLC in the meantime and hope it somehow adds a draw? Maybe tease the next Dragon Age?

Will we get a new TellTale reveal? They just finished TWDs3 and just started Guardians of the Galaxy. But they’ve already teased Batman s2 and Game of Thrones s2. Will we get our first look at either of these? Or maybe something else entirely?

And what the hell is Capcom up to? I’m sure we’ll see more MvC4, which would be good. Will we get weird new Mega Man shit crammed down our throats that misses the point of what people want from new Mega Man? Will we get some new Resident Evil thing? Will they reveal some new entry into something else?

EA and Ubisoft tend to have conferences without much for the hardcore gamer, but they do occasionally pull a crazy surprise out of left field this time of year (Ubisoft in particular with their indie stuff).

It’s almost E3 time!

[mazarinrouge]

The Worst Ruler: Crusader Kings 2 AAR Part 1, The Final Part

So, I thought I’d make an AAR and post it here. Please note: I’m awful at this game. I don’t intend for this to go on too long because of that. I might die in this part. Not sure. I like my AARs to be comedic, so I thought this one would be where I try to survive with a ruler with ALL of the worst traits. Probably in some remote location, but...we will see... (by the way, I’m playing with a lot of dlc: SoA, RoI, Reaper’s due, Republic, LoR, SoI, Old Gods, WoL, and of course the Ruler Designer)

My kingdom is located far off to the east in India. But it’s the west of India. Just the east side of map. I rule my self-titeld Cool Kingdom in Solanki. Right on the weird looking banana part of India. My flag is plain red. It represents the color red. Look out, Solanki, here comes Usleso of the Cool Kingdom. Turns out, I have so many awful traits, I can raise my intrigue to 500 with no aging setback.

I have a wife, and I am hoping very much for a rightful heir to my throne. However, that is incredibly hard when my Marshal is so stunningly masculine. And when I’m celibate. No matter, through some way of a miracle, I shall definitely produce an heir. Perhaps we could have a reverse harem where multiple husbands knock up my wife....is that heresy?

Very well, then! If I’m not allowed to be the master seducer I was destined to be, I will point my eyes elsewhere. There is a lot to be done in the land of West India. I will convert every valley the eye can see to my faith. No realm will be left unscathed by my mark. I will become Usleso the Great of the Cool Kingdom. People will name their children after me for many generations to come. So what if my vassals don’t like me now. All honorable prophets are misinterpreted, but over time they triumph. I am to be one of these prophets. Such a fate for me is inevitable. I am the only one on this land worthy of such legend. I AM THE SUPREME---

Oh. It appears I have died of stress, depression, wounds (some from maiming), incapability, alcoholism, infirmity, scarring, illness, Great Pox, pneumonia, leprosy, and the measles. Oops.

Onto the next one.

My name is Serene Doge Ausonio of Pisa of the Guidi dynasty. I wish for my island to prosper. Everything will be in balance once I am the ruler, nothing will ever go wrong. I have no wife and no kids, but perhaps political power can change that. I am not chaste because that is silly.

Upon entering the ruling position of my land, everyone in my court promptly left me. Well, except for my Steward and Spymaster, but who needs them anyway? All one needs for a good dynasty is a tax collector and a marshal. Of my options for people to place in my court, only one likes me considerably. I have gifted him ~30 gold and promptly made him the Court Chaplain.

Now is the time in a man’s life when he must decide between two lovely women. Two very fine Italian women. I am glad the only possible wives in my court are of my ethnicity. All the other women took into consideration my euro-centrism. I am flattered. Hmm. Such a difficult choice. Ermingard or Ingaldrada? The fate of my empire could lie in the wombs of these women. I must act wisely.

Oh.

Well, that’s ok. This time we may as well try without all of the traits that affect health. This is harder to do because you can’t really get a lot of good traits or else you’ll be around 180 years old. I tried.

I am Emir Fath of the Amirid Emirate. You may not have heard of it before. It’s a small link of islands off the bottom coast of Castille. I have no illnesses, thankfully. I am not chaste, though I have no wife--wives. Hopefully, if I have around five I can produce an heir. I am a master seducer, after all.

I have arranged a marriage between me and the Princess of Africa. She is about six years old. We are currently betrothed to one another, and I have formed an alliance with her father. I am proud to have married myself into such royalty. I am under the belief she may be able to produce my heirs in about two years. I have no other courtiers. That is fine. I can deal with neighboring countries looking down on me for only a while. Soon, many women will come flocking to me.

One night, I am walking through my stables to check on the horses. I don’t have anyone to do this for me. They left when I announced myself ruler, probably. But what is this?

A manly centaur eyes me through the stables, I cannot resist. His pecs are way too good. After this, I attempted to have something of note happen in my province. I borrowed 300 from the Jews, I know, but it was worth it. After amassing enough religious recognition from my people, I raised the taxes to the highest they could be. Not that I plan to pay anyone back in full. All the borrowed money went to our annual Ramadan feast and festival.

During the festival, I am tragically seduced by several fair women despite my homosexualit--I mean. Ahem. Perhaps these women are just men in disguise. That is the only way I can accept these heathens from being so raunchy in my presence. Throughout the festival, a man refuses to join our feast. I plan to assassinate him later. And I cannot stop myself from eating excess food secretly in the night. There were not a lot of leftovers for the official feast the next morning. Our taxes are raised promptly after this feast.

My first wife is now seven years old and still somehow not fertile! I have found several more courtiers and arranged to have three more wives. They are all very beautiful, although one of them does not favor me. She has been avoiding me for the past few weeks. I never see her in my bedchamber anymore. She is probably a traitor my island Kingdom. Some of our servants have whispered that she has syphilis. I may be a stuttering hunchback but on the name of Allah I do NOT have syphilis! She was sleeping with another man. I have imprisoned her.

Someone has asked me to join a murder plot on one of the men in my court. An inner battle between my servants can be no good. I argee to murder this other man, because he doesn’t like me as much as the guy who wants to kill him. Since I am the supreme law of the land, I imprison him and have him executed. Alack! There is a rebel uprising. I decide not to act. Later that night, however, I was poisoned. My dying words....”I will love you forever, stunning and masculine centaur.”

Someone help me I am very bad at this game.

[thomasroach]

Top RPG News Of The Week: E3 2019 (Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, The Outer Worlds and More!)

The post Top RPG News Of The Week: E3 2019 (Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, The Outer Worlds and More!) appeared first on Fextralife.

Happy weekend from Fextralife! If you’ve been too busy to keep up on the latest in the games we cover or are looking for a refresher we’ve got your back. Let’s take a look at the comings and goings across the Fextralife Wiki Network. Check out the video above and read on for the text!

E3 2019

This week was E3 2019 which brought a fresh batch of RPG news, from leak confirmations to brand new gameplay footage. We’ve rounded up some of the major RPG announcements which has gotten us excited for not only this year but 2020 as well!

Darksiders Genesis

A new cinematic trailer was revealed at E3, announcing the addition of a spin-off title to main Darksiders series. Darksiders Genesis will be coming in the form of a top-down action-RPG much like Diablo. It will pit players against enemies in a dungeon-crawler, you’ll kill monsters and gain loot.

As you hack’n’slash your way through, you’ll be playing as a new Horseman of the Apocalypse called Strife. According to THQ Nordic he has been called “upon to save humankind from certain destruction at the hands of Lucifer“.

There will be plenty of intense combat, places to explore, puzzles to solve and epic bosses to battle.

Darksiders Genesis will be launching on Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC and Stadia releasing this year 2019.

To find out more about this news find it here in Darksiders Genesis Top-Down Action-RPG Announced At E3.

The Outer Worlds

Kicking off the Microsoft press conference The Outer Worlds gets a release date! The Outer Worlds is an upcoming story-driven RPG by the studio behind the original Fallout: Obsidian Entertainment. Given the recent downturn of the Fallout series, this new IP is seen for many fans as a worthy spiritual successor for their hype, and with good reason!

Finally revealing The Outer Worlds release date, Obsidian shares the launch date for October 25th 2019. The latest trailer shows off Halyon, a world taken over by corporations and depicts the role of the board who provides “security in a senseless and chaotic world”.

It also looks like players will be able to choose the narrative they wish to play, whether making friends with strangers or go completely “psychotic” on them. The trailer also shows more of the environments and some run ‘n’ gun action.

The Outer Worlds will be launching on the Epic Games Store as well as the Windows Store for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. We got to play some of The Outer Worlds at E3 this year, if you know what we thought be sure to check out our The Outer Worlds Gameplay Impressions E3 video on our channel.

To find out more about this news find it here in The Outer Worlds Release Date Announced.

Elden Ring

On the Microsoft stage Elden Ring gets a trailer featuring storyline, confirming the previous leak of a collaboration between Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin. Elden Ring is described as a dark fantasy action-RPG.

While the cinematic trailer doesn’t giveaway much is does talk about the  dark age after the magical Elden Ring was broken and shows off some of the mythical characters. This reveal wasn’t exactly a surprise to most following the leaks over the weekend ahead of E3, but the trailer was worth the wait as this looks like an epic collaboration.

An interview was shared on Xbox Wire that mentions that this title will indeed be their “biggest title yet in terms of sheer volume” according to Hidetaka Miyazaki, and he confirms that it’s a third person action-RPG.

No release date has been announced but pre-orders are now available on selected retail websites which now offer the standard edition for $59.99.

If you want to know what we thought of this reveal, be sure to check out our Elden Ring First Impression video on our channel.

To find out more about this news find it here in Elden Ring Confirmed At E3 With Trailer and Elden Ring Sets To Be FromSoftware’s Biggest Title Yet.

Cyberpunk 2077

Sharing more storyline and gameplay, Cyberpunk 2077 gets featured during the Microsoft press conference but not without a few surprises. Announcing the launch date in style, including a surprise visit from Keanu Reeves.

Not only showing some new weapons such as wrist blades in gory action but also introducing a new character played by Keanu Reeves. The character that Reeves will be playing is Mr Fusion,

They also shared the release date which is April 16th 2020, meaning we’ll have to wait until next year for Cyberpunk 2077, well they did tell us “it’s still coming, when it’s ready”.

Pre-orders are now available including the collector’s edition which comes with a statue of V, hardcover artbook, map of the Night City, metal pin set, and more for $249.99, while the standard pre-order is available for $59.99. You can order from Gamestop, Best Buy and Amazon in the US.

To find out more about this news find it here in Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Date Announced And Pre-Orders.

Tales of Arise

It looks like another Bandai Namco leak was true as Tales of Arise gets confirmed at E3 2019 with a trailer.

Following the Bandai Namco leak of Elden Ring, another leak was confirmed as being true which was Tales of Arise.

The trailer features some scenic shots as well as some Tales action. Tales of Arise uses an action-RPG battle system which follows the series.

The title will focus on two character that from two different worlds, both looking to change their fate and create their own destiny. It will bring a new cast of characters, updated combat and Tales gameplay mechanics.

Tales of Arise will release sometime during 2020 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

To find out more about this news find it here in Tales Of Arise Confirmed At E3 2019.

Elder Scrolls Online DLCs

Continuing the theme of The Season of the Dragon, during the Bethesda press conference, Zenimax announces two DLCs called Scalebreaker and Dragonhold for Elder Scrolls Online.

It was earlier this year when the developer announced it would be releasing content that all relates to the dragons of Elsweyr. Their roadmap included four instalments starting with the Wrathstone DLC, Elsweyr Chapter which have already been released and two further DLCs set to launch Q3 and Q4.

The first of the DLCs Scalebreaker will arrive in Q3, bringing two further dungeons called Moongrave Fane and Lair of Maarselok.

The second DLC coming toward the end of 2019 will be Dragonhold. This will invite adventurers to a whole new zone in the Southern region of Elsweyr called Pellitine. This vast wasteland was taken over by a deadly plague a couple of decades ago. Here you must team up with allies which includes the return of Sai Sahan, to help reform the ancient Dragonguard order.

These new zones will include new quests, Delves, World Bosses and more Dragon Hunt events.

Both DLCs Scalebreaker and Dragonhold will arrive during the second half 2019, the exact release dates are yet to be announced.

To find out more about this news find it here in Elder Scrolls Online Scalebreaker And Dragonhold DLCs Announced.

Fallout 76

Bethesda made a couple of update announcements for Fallout 76, first acknowledging the rough start that the game had, but appears they have listened to the community when it comes to features. Announcing two updates Wastelanders and Nuclear Winter which will bring a host of new content.

The first free update announced comes in the form of the Wastelanders, which will include human NPCs, a new main quest, more choice/consequences, new weapons and gear. Bethesda explained at the press conference that this will add full dialog trees, making the storyline more complete.

This also means you need to decide who’s side you’re taking, whether to join factions of the Raiders or the Settlers.

Bethesda boldly states that “Wastelanders will fundamentally change the way you experience Fallout 76, and it’s set to arrive in fall of 2019”.

Setting to amp up the competitive nature of the game more, even after adding Survival mode which offered a more PvP centered gameplay, a new battle royale mode will be coming with the Nuclear Winter update. Adding a 52 player last-one standing, with an encroaching ring of fire as motivation to keep moving. The mode will still allow Perk Cards and nukes as you battle is out to become the Overseer of Vault 51. Bethesda describes it as: “Think of Nuclear Winter as the entire Fallout 76 experience, tightly condensed into about 20 minutes.”

You can try out Nuclear Winter during June 10th to June 17th, meaning everyone can play Fallout 76 for free on all platforms during the free trial.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Bethesda Announce Fallout 76 Free Updates And Free Trial.

Final Fantasy 7

While you might thinking that Microsoft have stolen the E3 spotlight with a slew of announcements, but even without Sony attending this year, they still have a big announcement regarding the Final Fantasy VII remake.

A new trailer has been shared on the official Playstation Youtube channel that not only shows more gameplay but announces the release date for the highly anticipate Final Fantasy VII remake.

A short trailer was released at the Fantasy VII concert in Los Angeles that revealed the release date which is March 3rd 2020 and confirms this is a Playstation 4 exclusive.

While we may have expected that the announcement would be made during Square Enix’s press conference on June 10th, it looks like the launch date couldn’t wait.

But Square Enix didn’t come empty handed to E3, they shared a longer trailer featuring new scenes and gameplay footage which showed Tifa in action.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Final Fantasy VII Remake Release Date Announced With New Trailer.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

The sequel Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was announced at the last GDC, an action-RPG set in city of Seattle. At E3 during the PC Gaming Show, a new trailer was unveiled now sharing some pre-alpha gameplay.

Taking a closer look at the Seattle locations, melee combat, guns, more of the vampire abilities including levitation and even summoning bats.  The trailer also shares what its like to be a newborn vampire in city with warring political factions, as well as some of the narrative choices players can expect. It also showed off some abilities which includes leaping far distances as well as what appears to be detecting victims to feed off to help “feed your power”.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is set to release on PC via Paradox Store, Steam, GOG, Epic as well as Playstation 4 and Xbox One sometime next year in 2020.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Gameplay Trailer Revealed.

Code Vein

During an episode of Inside Xbox, Microsoft and Bandai Namco announced the launch date of Code Vein.

The action-RPG souls-like Code Vein will be launching on September 27th 2019. The title previously was set to release in September 2018, but later got an announcement in July that it would be delayed until this year it was announced that they wished to “produce better quality in order to deliver to customers” according to the press release that was issued.

Bandai Namco recently held their Code Vein network test at the end of May, where players could try out the title experiencing select quests, face enemies and test out a few abilities. It also showed the wide customisation choices, which includes choosing a variation of Gifts.

The new trailer showcases some of the story of Code Vein which takes place in world where Revenants now exist, inflicted with their thirst for blood, they are also granted powerful abilities. The trailer also shows some of the bosses that players will battle.

Code Vein will release on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC on September 27th 2019.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Code Vein Release Date Announced At E3 2019.

Final Fantasy 8 Remastered

While Nintendo has already brought a number of Final Fantasy titles to new platforms this year one particular title was missed out and this looks like this could be the reason.

Final Fantasy 8 Remastered was announced at the Square Enix press conference to be coming to the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC later this year.

An announcement trailer showed off Squall and his squad in a remastered version, bringing the classic JRPG turn-based system to modern platforms. So far they haven’t released details in terms the updated graphics it will receive, the original was release back in 1999 for the Playstation.

The Final Fantasy 8 Remastered will be coming later this year 2019.

Persona 5: The Royal

While we knew that Persona 5: The Royal would be releasing next year in Japan, at E3 we get a confirmation that it will be coming to the West in 2020.

An English trailer was released during E3, showing the same footage that was revealed in the Japanese trailer earlier this year.

The trailer is pretty much the same but has the English voice acting instead.

Persona 5: The Royal is an expanded edition of the original title, featuring new areas to explore in Tokyo, new characters, reworked dungeon designs with new foes to face, graphical and UI improvements.

There will also be new music to enjoy and a new third semester at Shujin Academy.

Persona 5: The Royal will be launching in West in 2020.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

A brand new trailer for Nintendo’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses was revealed, showing off the tactical RPG. There was also a livestream demonstration on the Nintendo Treehouse showing more of the gameplay.

This title lets players choose to teach one of the three houses at the Academy, which has many formidable students. Taking up the role of professor you must shape the student’s academic lives between taking on turn-based battles, full of strategy and twists to overcome.

There is quite a large central hub, and plenty to do as teacher which includes interacting with students and using the new calendar system. You can even interact with students from the other houses and have the opportunity to recruit them.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses launches on the Nintendo Switch on July 26th 2019.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

Ending the Nintendo press conference with a bang, Nintendo announced a sequel to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild was in the works. A short teaser trailer for the next instalment was shown while not giving away too much, it confirmed that another game was underway.

The teaser was followed by a short statement that explained “The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now in development.” So far no game title or release date has been announced. The trailer shows Link traveling with Zelda on horseback, then something happens to Hyrule Castle in the distance. The trailer shows an unknown magic perceived to be resurrecting a skeletal figure, with some speculating that this could be the return of Ganon.

While the trailer shows the same art style, cel shading that was used in the first Breath of the Wild, the theme of this trailer is definitely a lot darker than the first title. Whether its the eerie music or the necromantic nature of the visuals playing, things seem to get a little more creepy.

So far no release date has been reveal, neither the official name for the sequel.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Sequel To The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Announced At E3.

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The post Top RPG News Of The Week: E3 2019 (Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, The Outer Worlds and More!) appeared first on Fextralife.

Top RPG News Of The Week: E3 2019 (Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, The Outer Worlds and More!) published first on https://juanaframi.tumblr.com/

[virtualhavenmag-blog]

Visual Novels can Succeed on Nintendo Switch

Surpassing the Wii U’s lifetime sales in ten months is a testament to the Nintendo Switch’s diverse library of quality games. However, the hybrid console has yet to see many visual novels released outside of Japan. The Switch’s portability, Doki Doki Literature Club’s positive reception, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s strong emphasis on eastern culture suggest visual novels can be successful in the west.

Visual novels are like long interactive books. Most of the gameplay consists of reading or listening to dialogue while looking at still images, typically in an anime art style. Some visual novels have unique gameplay elements that break up text sections and even impact the story. For example, Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors forces players to solve puzzles to progress, while Steins;Gate lets players send text messages to alter the plot.

The Switch’s pick-up-and-play mentality is a perfect match for the text-heavy nature of visual novels. The ability to enjoy short play sessions on the bus, train, or before bed makes the genre easier to dive into—similar to enjoying books in small segments. A more apt gaming comparison is to the PlayStation Vita. However, a PlayStation TV is required to play Vita games on the Television. The Switch’s versatility bridges different styles of gaming on the go and at home in ways the Vita failed to achieve.

Vita’s library features a trove of visual novels, but 2018 marks the first time notable series in the genre will be released on a Nintendo home console. In an interview on November 2017 with Japanese publication Jiji, Haruhiro Tsujimoto, COO of Capcom, said the company plans to release an Ace Attorney game in 2018. Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino similarly told Eurogamer that he loves the Switch and wants to bring the next Professor Layton game to it. 

Visual novels with greater Japanese influence, or what many gamers unaccustomed to Japanese culture might find strange in terms of story and characters, are also coming stateside. Last week, The Men of Yoshiwara: Kikuya, advertised as a popular romance game for women, came to the Nintendo eShop. In addition, the dark rhythm-action battle romance Song of Memories was confirmed for a western release and Nekopara, a million copy seller on Steam filled with cat-girls, has a good chance of coming west after it is ported to the Switch in Japan later this year.

An updated version of the time traveling thriller Steins;Gate called Steins;Gate Elite is planned for a March release in Japan. A western release seems likely given the high praise for previous entries and the anime’s popularity overseas, especially since Steins;Gate 0’s anime adaptation airs in April. A new release in the series could drive more interest in the anime, and the anime could conversely drive more interest in the game.

Danganronpa, a game where students with special talents are forced to secretly murder each other, is another popular visual novel series with an anime adaptation. Regardless of the truth behind rumors of a Danganronpa V3 Killing Harmony Switch port announcement at NIS America’s upcoming press event, Atlus’ recent open survey includes the Switch as an option for the unannounced Persona 6. Danganronpa and mainline Persona games have never been released on Nintendo hardware.

The Switch’s success, coupled with Japan’s massive mobile market, is compelling Japanese developers to not only bring their games to the console, but to release their games outside of Japan. Visual novels like Danganronpa would sell well overseas on Switch if the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Doki Doki Literature Club is any indication.

Doki Doki Literature Club was an unexpected hit in 2017. The seemingly innocent story about finding romance in a literature club plays with player expectation and twists the genre in ways that landed the visual novel a spot on many game of the year lists. Its cult following and engaging narrative likely made gamers more willing to give future visual novels a shot. 

Slower openings are common in the genre, taking a few hours to really hook players. Doki Doki Literature Club is no different and lets gamers know that visual novels might start slow before picking up the pace and delving into deeper, more complex stories. Many visual novels have distinct “points of no return.” Once gamers reach these points, they’re too invested to stop and feel compelled to press on toward completion. Strong narratives drive discussion about different endings, spur conversation about player reactions, and make for great marketing via word-of-mouth and online communities.

Nintendo was heavily criticized during the Wii U’s lifespan for terrible marketing which made their massive support for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 all the more surprising. Monolith Soft is first party, but Nintendo highlighted Xenoblade in multiple Nintendo Directs, Nintendo TreeHouse Live, and even released a music video to promote the game. The original Xenoblade Chronicles didn’t come stateside until a massive fan campaign called Operation Rainfall pushed for localization. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 sold over one million copies in one month. As a result, Nintendo might be more willing to bring Japanese style games and content west. 

From more distinct anime style personalities to maids and a hot springs scene, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 does not shy away from embracing Japanese culture. A large number of gamers subsequently played through these sections Nintendo promoted with minor censorship. Censored religious references and a number of dialogue differences aside, the Japanese tropes and allusions are still prevalent throughout the adventure, such as character designs. Despite greater censorship over Xenoblade Chronicles X’s female outfits, Pyra in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 wears a very revealing outfit. The developers didn’t seem to mind, as the game occasionally focuses on her body using different camera angles.

These prominent Japanese characterizations and tropes are common in visual novels. More gamers will become acquainted with this Japanese style as the number of people playing Xenoblade Chronicles 2 increases with the release of more content via DLC. Sales may also increase if Rex is announced as a playable character in the inevitable Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch. Nevertheless, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 helped set the foundation narratively and artistically for gamers to dive into visual novels on the Switch.

The Switch’s hybrid nature, Doki Doki Literature Club’s cult following, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s deep roots in Japanese culture provide a promising future for visual novels. Throw in great sales for a first year console, and the Switch is positioned to become the new home for niche eastern titles in the west.

[levelupgames]

The best upcoming games of 2017

Get on the Nintendo Switch band wagon!

Here are the best games set to come out in 2017 and beyond for PS4, Xbox One, PC, 3DS, and Nintendo Switch.

We've already seen some of the best game releases ever in 2017, including Horizon Zero Dawn and Zelda for the all-new Nintendo Switch. But there's still plenty to come in 2017 and we can't wait.

Lots of great-looking PS4 and Xbox One games are coming, as well as some PC and Nintendo gems. In order of release date, these are the games we're most excited about for 2017 and beyond.

We're set to find out loads more about the games mentioned in this article and new, so far unannounced games at E3 2017 in June.

ARMS

Release date: 16 June 2017 Available to pre-order now from: Amazon Platforms: Switch

Nintendo's latest franchise hopes to do for the fighting game what Splatoon did for the shooter: drench it in primary colors, throw in some loopy characters, and fundamentally shift the mechanics.

Arms is an over-the-shoulder arena boxing game with a major difference: your arms are extendable, and come complete with novelty boxing glove variants, like the 'Slapamander' (built for, well, slapping), or the Guardian (a shield with a kick).

You can play with the surprisingly effective motion controls or just use physical buttons, and there's both local and online multiplayer, 10 characters (with more to come as free DLC), and a host of great minigames, including the best basketball game we've ever played.

Crash Bandicoot: N.Sane Trilogy

Release date: 30 June 2017 Available to pre-order now from: Amazon Platforms: PS4

Yes, you read that correctly. Crash Bandicoot is getting a remaster and we cannot wait. Announced at E3 2016 during Sony's press conference, Activision is re-launching Crash Bandicoot, Crash 2 and Warped in HD for PS4 as the N.Sane Trilogy and we now know its release date closer than expected.

The development team are branding this a 'remaster plus' because of how substantially they've had to revamp the code for PS4.

Keep up to date with Crash Bandicoot's development in our rumor round-up here.

Splatoon 2

Release date: 21 July 2017 Available to pre-order now from: Amazon Platforms: Switch

The original Splatoon was a brilliant game, hamstrung only by appearing on the Wii U, and thus limited to a pretty small player base. Splatoon 2 should offer more of the same, with a few welcome extras, and hopefully draw more attention by appearing on the Switch.

As before, Splatoon 2 is a multiplayer arena shooter where your weapon is paint, which you use both to hurt your opponents and coat the arena in your team's color, which both lets you move around more quickly and contributes to your score.

There are loads of weapons and unlockable outfits, a brilliant soundtrack, a singleplayer campaign, and a new co-op multiplayer mode, which is the biggest addition from the original.

Read more in our Splatoon 2 news round-up.

Agents of Mayhem

Release date: 15 August 2017 Available to pre-order now from Amazon. Platforms: Xbox One, PS4 and PC

Saints Row developer Violition Studios has announced that it is working on a new game called Agents of Mayhem. The game's three 'heroes' use their unique skills to take on the bad guys in an open-world landscape filled with plenty of action.

Find out more about Agents of Mayhem and watch the trailer by clicking here.

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy

Release date: 23 August 2017 Pre-order from: Amazon Platforms: PS4

This is a bit of a funny one, because we're not entirely sure if it should count as a full game. Still, Uncharted 4 was one of the best titles out in 2016, and the idea of more from the same world is enough to get us excited no matter what. Lost Legacy leaves Nathan Drake behind to follow Chloe instead, in a stand-alone game (you won't need Uncharted 4 to play it) that's somewhere between DLC and a full title.

Find out more in our Uncharted: The Lost Legacy news and rumors round-up.

Destiny 2

Release date: 8 September 2017 Available to pre-order from Amazon. Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Bungie officially announced the sequel to its hit MMOFPS Destiny in March 2017. The game will have a “great cast of memorable, relatable characters” as well as a “cinematic storyline,” and is set to be more accessible for players who want a "more casual first-person experience.”

The original Destiny has improved dramatically with expansions after a rocky start, so hopefully developer Bungie can build on that to produce a truly great sequel.

Find out about the latest Destiny 2 news.

Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite

Release date: 19 September 2017 Available to pre=order from Amazon. Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

It's been five years since they last clashed, but Marvel and Capcom's finest are at it again in Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite. The 2v2 fighter pits superheroes up against video game legends, and will see them join forces in a new cinematic Story Mode.

This game has also thrown Marvel's Infinity Stones into the mix as a new power-up mechanic to help encourage comebacks and more tactical play.

Watch the game's trailers and find out more here.

Project Cars 2

Release date: 22 September 2017 Available to pre-order from: Amazon Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

The follow-up to 2015's surprise racing game hit, Project Cars 2 promised much of the same, except bigger, faster, and shinier. The announcement promised 170+ cars and 60+ tracks, including some newly scanned from real-world courses.

Other new features include dynamic weather and online competitive leagues, but the real draw is the new support of both VR and 12K output - though good luck building a PC beefy enough to output 4K to three monitors at once.

Find out more about the game in our Project Cars 2 news round-up.

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

Release date: 10 October 2017 Available to pre-order now from: Amazon Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

The 2014 hit Shadow of Mordor is getting a sequel later this year that promises to be bigger, better, and broodier. Like the first game, it's set in between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will see you tasked with sneaking around Sauron's armies picking fights and spreading dissent, with the ultimate goal of turning his own forces against him.

Expect a big expansion to the first game's Nemesis system, with the new Followers and Nemesis Fortresses to make every play through even more personalized than before.

Keep up to date with Shadow of War in our rumor round-up here.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole

Release date: 17 October 2017 Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, PC Pre-order from: Amazon

The multi-part follow up to 2014's South Park: The Stick of Truth turns away from the fantasy theme and has the kids playing superheroes. It's set to arrive some time Ubisoft's 2018 fiscal year, which runs from April 2017 to March 2018, after several delays.

You'll play as 'The New Kid,' who is trying to become part of the kids' superhero gang.

Call of Duty: WWII

Release date: 3 November 2017 Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One Pre-order from: Amazon

One of the biggest games of the year will without-doubt be Call of Duty WW2, which looks set to take the series back to its roots with gritty, intense gunplay and a completely rethought multiplayer experience.

Find out more about Call of Duty WW2 here.

Battlefront 2

Release date: 17 November 2017 Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC Pre-order from: Amazon

Battlefront is back and bigger than ever, for the first time including settings and characters from all three of the Star Wars movie eras, including the upcoming Episode VIII.

There'll also be a new single-player campaign, which will see players step into the shoes of an Imperial agent reeling from the destruction of the Death Star and death of the Emperor, meaning you might actually be one of the baddies.

Find out everything we know so far in our Battlefront 2 news round-up.

Vampyr

Release date: November 2017 Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC Pre-order from: Amazon

How do you follow up a thoughtful teen drama like Life Is Strange? If you're developers Dontnod, with a moody gothic vampire RPG. Makes sense.

Vampyr is set in London during the 1918 flu epidemic, and the action RPG sees you play as a doctor recently turned into a vampire, caught between the conflicting desires to both save and take lives.

As you work through the game you'll have to feed on people to survive, and will have to decide for yourself who your prey will be. Will you limit yourself to only villainous sorts, or will desperation drive you to target the innocent too?

Find out more in our Vampyr news round-up.

Gwent

Release date: Autumn 2017 Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC. Pre-Order on: Amazon

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's surprisingly deep tactical card game, Gwent, was so well received that it is now coming out as a standalone game later this year. It's set to be free-to-play, and the public beta is available as of 24 May.

Find out more about Gwent here.

Super Mario Odyssey

Release date: Christmas 2017 Available to pre-order from: Amazon Platforms: Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has announced that it is bringing a new Super Mario game to its new Switch console later this year. It's set to be a massive 3D platformer in the vein of Super Mario 64 and ventures into new territory for Mario games: a realistic(ish) take on New York City.

You can find out more in our Super Mario Odyssey release date, price & features article.

The Crew 2

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4 Pre-order on: Amazon

Ubisoft teased that driving game The Crew's sequel, The Crew 2 is in the works during its annual earnings call earlier this year. We expect to hear loads more about it during Ubisoft's E3 press conference on 12 June, so be sure to tune in to Tech Advisor for the latest news.

You can find out more about The Crew 2 here.

Sonic Forces

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4, PC

Formerly known as Project Sonic, Sonic Forces is a brand new Sonic the Hedgehog game being developed by Sonic Team for release later this year. Available across a range of platforms, the game is set to be fast-paced and fun.

Find out more about Sonic Forces here.

Total War: Warhammer 2

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: PC

Total War: Warhammer 2 was announced in March, and will be set in the original Warhammer fantasy setting, unlike Dawn of War 3 which was set in the sci-fi world of Warhammer 40,000.

It's a turn-based overworld strategy game with giant battles, and a campaign building towards total world domination.

Find out more about Total War: Warhammer 2 here.

Star Citizen

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: PC

Star Citizen managed to raise almost $100m from Kickstarter and through other crowdfunding means, which just goes to show how highly anticipated it is. It brings together solo, cooperative, FPS, third-person, open-world gameplay, space exploration and hand-to-hand combat into one shiny package that we can't wait to open.

The release date is questionable - we were told 2016 but that clearly didn't happen, and with no solid release date yet revealed it could well mean we've still got a while to wait.

Find out more about the game and its release date rumors in our Star Citizen rumor round-up.

Crackdown 3

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: Xbox One Pre-order on: Amazon

Unveiled at Gamescom 2015, Crackdown 3 is set to be one of the most exciting games on the horizon, showcasing some truly amazing technical advancements that make it stand out from the crowd. Intrigued? You should be.

Unfortunately, E3 2016 revealed that Crackdown 3 has been delayed until 2017, so we'll have to wait a while longer before we can play it for ourselves.

Find out more in our Crackdown 3 round-up here.

Detroit: Become Human

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: PS4 Pre-order on: Amazon

Announced during Sony's Paris Games Week in October, Detroit: Become Human is an exciting upcoming sci-fi game created by Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls developer Quantic Dream.

We love the announcement trailer for this one, which you can watch here.

Days Gone

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: PS4 Pre-Order on: Amazon

Days Gone is one of the brand-new titles announced by Sony during E3 2016. The open-world survival adventure game looks utterly terrifying, with zombie-like creatures out to eat your brains. Worse yet, they're speedy and there are thousands of them.

We don't know quite when Days Gone is coming out yet, but presumably it'll be some time in 2017.

Find out more: Days Gone release date rumours & gameplay features

Death Stranding

Release date: TBC 2017

You might notice something familiar about the star of this new game from Hideo Kojima. That's right, The Walking Dead's own Norman Reedus has been recreated in digital form for Death Stranding, which so far has left us scratching our heads.

It was announced with a cryptic trailer that really doesn't tell us much, but the creators have said that it will be an action game "if you really want to put a genre on it."

Find out more in our round-up of all the Death Stranding rumours.

Love this list? You might also like our round-up of the most anticipated VR games.

God of War

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: PS4

God of War kicked off Sony's E3 2016 conference in June, which is a sure sign that this is going to be a highly-anticipated new game. It's set to bring completely reimagined gameplay mechanics for fans of the series, with a fresh perspective.

You can watch the trailer to see for yourself how things are changing in our God of War round-up.

Quake Champions

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: PC

Quake, for many, is one of the most iconic games of the 90s, which meant the announcement of a revival at E3 2016 was welcomed by many. Quake Champions is set to launch over 20 years after the first Quake game hit the market back in 1996, and will offer impressive gameplay if nothing else.

There's lots more information and a trailer in our Quake Champions round-up.

Tacoma

Release date: TBC 2017 Platforms: Xbox One, PC, Mac, Linux

The next game from Fullbright, developers of Gone Home (one of the smartest indie titles of the last few years) looks to expand on the 'walking simulator' format in a rich sci-fi setting.

We tried out a demo of the game, which saw us explore space station corridors in zero-gravity while replaying holographic recordings of past events. You can pause, rewind, and fast-forward the recordings, moving among them to explore from different angles and hunt down clues to help you progress.

If it's anything like Gone Home, expect Tacoma to be thoughtful, intelligent, and emotionally impactful. We can't wait.

Read more in our Tacoma news round-up.

Metal Gear Survive

Release date: TBC 2017 Available to pre-order from: Amazon, Game, ShopTo Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

There was a lot of concern from fans when Konami announced Metal Gear Survive, the first Metal Gear game since creator Hideo Kojima left the company to make Death Stranding.

To be fair, Survive looks like a major departure for the franchise, as a co-op action survival game, and it's understandable that fans are concerned.

On the other hand, it also looks like it could be a lot of fun, and early hands-on reports have been very positive. We're staying optimistic about this one.

Sea of Thieves

Release date: TBC 2017 Available to pre-order now from: Amazon, Game Platforms: Xbox One, PC

First announced at E3 2016, Sea of Thieves is an open-world pirate adventure game that's sure to shiver your timbers and all sorts of other piratical things.

It offers large-scale online co-op, so you'll be able to join up with other players to control a single ship together, will all sorts of missions, customisation, and all-round pillaging. Hopefully this will be a return to form for acclaimed developer Rare.

Find out the latest in our round-up.

State of Decay 2

Release date: TBC 2017 Available to pre-order now from: Amazon Platforms: Xbox One, PC

This sequel to the 2013 zombie survival game is coming to Xbox One and PC through the Xbox Play Anywhere system, and is basically the closest you'll be able to get to a massive, open-world, co-op The Walking Dead game anytime soon.

Find out more and watch the game's trailer.

Far Cry 5

Release date: 27 February 2018 Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Far Cry 5 sees a big shift to the long-running franchise, for the first time taking it away from exotic locales and towards somewhere more familiar (at least in the West): rural Montana.

The bad guys this time are a right-wing Christian nationalist cult, which has already ruffled plenty of feathers in the US, but otherwise expect more of the usual Far Cry running, gunning, and exploring.

As soon as we know more, we'll add it to our news round-up.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Release date: Spring 2018 Available to pre-order now from: Game Platforms: PS4, Xbox One

Arguably the most exciting gaming news to come out of 2016 is the announcement that Red Dead Redemption 2 is official and will be arriving on consoles early in 2018.

There's very little information to share about Red Dead 2 so far, but everything we do know can be found in our Red Dead Redemption 2 rumour round-up.

Kingdom Hearts 3

Release date: TBC Platforms: PS4

It's been more than 11 years since Kingdom Hearts II arrived on PS2 in 2005. Since then, fans have been eagerly awaiting the next installment, and there was a time when we were unsure whether there would be one at all.

The good news is, there definitely is going to be a Kingdom Hearts 3. The bad news is we still don't know when it's coming out.

We do, however, know that Tangled and Big Hero 6 characters will star in Kingdom Hearts 3, and we can't wait. Find out more in our Kingdom Hearts 3 rumour round-up.

Assassin's Creed: Origins

Release date: TBC Platforms: TBC

We don't know much for sure about the next Assassin's Creed (even its title is just a rumour), but we do know there's one on the way, and we're still expecting it to arrive some time in 2017 - even if Ubisoft has warned it might slip to 2018.

It looks likely to be set in ancient Egypt, and should be enhancing the series' open world and procedural elements even more than ever before, which sounds pretty good to us.

Find out more in our round-up of rumours about the game.

The Last of Us Part II

Release date: TBC Platforms: PS4

This one's a bit of a fudge, because right now we have no idea if The Last of Us Part II will be coming out in 2017 at all, and it could well not arrive until 2018.

But we're so excited about the prospect of revisiting Joel and Ellie that the game is making it onto this list regardless. The first game was big-budget gaming at its absolute best, pairing tense horror and action with believable, sincere character drama.

Check out the first trailer for The Last of Us 2 right here.

Spider-Man PS4

Release date: TBC Available to pre-order now from: Amazon Platforms: PS4

The next Spider-Man game won't be tied directly to Marvel's new Spider-Man: Homecoming film, but it looks pretty great regardless. Or at least the cinematic trailer did, because that's all we've seen of it so far.

Still, the PS4 exclusive is being made by Insomniac Games, the creators of Ratchet & Clank and the Resistance games, so there's good reason to be optimistic.

Watch the Spider-Man PS4 trailer for yourself.

Darksiders 3

Release date: 2018 Available to pre-order now from: Steam Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

The game's publisher went bankrupt, and its developer shut down, but you just can't keep Darksiders 3 down. After THQ Nordic picked up the rights, it recruited a few of the original devs (now re-formed as Gunfire Games) to make the threequel.

This time around you're Fury, working through a ruined Earth to kill the Seven Deadly Sins. It's all as over the top as you'd expect from Darksiders, and promises to be plenty of fun.

Find out more in our Darksiders 3 news round-up.

The Avengers Project

Release date: TBC Platforms: TBC

[thomasroach]

Top RPG News Of The Week: E3 2019 (Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, The Outer Worlds and More!)

The post Top RPG News Of The Week: E3 2019 (Elden Ring, Cyberpunk 2077, The Outer Worlds and More!) appeared first on Fextralife.

Happy weekend from Fextralife! If you’ve been too busy to keep up on the latest in the games we cover or are looking for a refresher we’ve got your back. Let’s take a look at the comings and goings across the Fextralife Wiki Network. Check out the video above and read on for the text!

E3 2019

This week was E3 2019 which brought a fresh batch of RPG news, from leak confirmations to brand new gameplay footage. We’ve rounded up some of the major RPG announcements which has gotten us excited for not only this year but 2020 as well!

Darksiders Genesis

A new cinematic trailer was revealed at E3, announcing the addition of a spin-off title to main Darksiders series. Darksiders Genesis will be coming in the form of a top-down action-RPG much like Diablo. It will pit players against enemies in a dungeon-crawler, you’ll kill monsters and gain loot.

As you hack’n’slash your way through, you’ll be playing as a new Horseman of the Apocalypse called Strife. According to THQ Nordic he has been called “upon to save humankind from certain destruction at the hands of Lucifer“.

There will be plenty of intense combat, places to explore, puzzles to solve and epic bosses to battle.

Darksiders Genesis will be launching on Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC and Stadia releasing this year 2019.

To find out more about this news find it here in Darksiders Genesis Top-Down Action-RPG Announced At E3.

The Outer Worlds

Kicking off the Microsoft press conference The Outer Worlds gets a release date! The Outer Worlds is an upcoming story-driven RPG by the studio behind the original Fallout: Obsidian Entertainment. Given the recent downturn of the Fallout series, this new IP is seen for many fans as a worthy spiritual successor for their hype, and with good reason!

Finally revealing The Outer Worlds release date, Obsidian shares the launch date for October 25th 2019. The latest trailer shows off Halyon, a world taken over by corporations and depicts the role of the board who provides “security in a senseless and chaotic world”.

It also looks like players will be able to choose the narrative they wish to play, whether making friends with strangers or go completely “psychotic” on them. The trailer also shows more of the environments and some run ‘n’ gun action.

The Outer Worlds will be launching on the Epic Games Store as well as the Windows Store for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. We got to play some of The Outer Worlds at E3 this year, if you know what we thought be sure to check out our The Outer Worlds Gameplay Impressions E3 video on our channel.

To find out more about this news find it here in The Outer Worlds Release Date Announced.

Elden Ring

On the Microsoft stage Elden Ring gets a trailer featuring storyline, confirming the previous leak of a collaboration between Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin. Elden Ring is described as a dark fantasy action-RPG.

While the cinematic trailer doesn’t giveaway much is does talk about the  dark age after the magical Elden Ring was broken and shows off some of the mythical characters. This reveal wasn’t exactly a surprise to most following the leaks over the weekend ahead of E3, but the trailer was worth the wait as this looks like an epic collaboration.

An interview was shared on Xbox Wire that mentions that this title will indeed be their “biggest title yet in terms of sheer volume” according to Hidetaka Miyazaki, and he confirms that it’s a third person action-RPG.

No release date has been announced but pre-orders are now available on selected retail websites which now offer the standard edition for $59.99.

If you want to know what we thought of this reveal, be sure to check out our Elden Ring First Impression video on our channel.

To find out more about this news find it here in Elden Ring Confirmed At E3 With Trailer and Elden Ring Sets To Be FromSoftware’s Biggest Title Yet.

Cyberpunk 2077

Sharing more storyline and gameplay, Cyberpunk 2077 gets featured during the Microsoft press conference but not without a few surprises. Announcing the launch date in style, including a surprise visit from Keanu Reeves.

Not only showing some new weapons such as wrist blades in gory action but also introducing a new character played by Keanu Reeves. The character that Reeves will be playing is Mr Fusion,

They also shared the release date which is April 16th 2020, meaning we’ll have to wait until next year for Cyberpunk 2077, well they did tell us “it’s still coming, when it’s ready”.

Pre-orders are now available including the collector’s edition which comes with a statue of V, hardcover artbook, map of the Night City, metal pin set, and more for $249.99, while the standard pre-order is available for $59.99. You can order from Gamestop, Best Buy and Amazon in the US.

To find out more about this news find it here in Cyberpunk 2077 Launch Date Announced And Pre-Orders.

Tales of Arise

It looks like another Bandai Namco leak was true as Tales of Arise gets confirmed at E3 2019 with a trailer.

Following the Bandai Namco leak of Elden Ring, another leak was confirmed as being true which was Tales of Arise.

The trailer features some scenic shots as well as some Tales action. Tales of Arise uses an action-RPG battle system which follows the series.

The title will focus on two character that from two different worlds, both looking to change their fate and create their own destiny. It will bring a new cast of characters, updated combat and Tales gameplay mechanics.

Tales of Arise will release sometime during 2020 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

To find out more about this news find it here in Tales Of Arise Confirmed At E3 2019.

Elder Scrolls Online DLCs

Continuing the theme of The Season of the Dragon, during the Bethesda press conference, Zenimax announces two DLCs called Scalebreaker and Dragonhold for Elder Scrolls Online.

It was earlier this year when the developer announced it would be releasing content that all relates to the dragons of Elsweyr. Their roadmap included four instalments starting with the Wrathstone DLC, Elsweyr Chapter which have already been released and two further DLCs set to launch Q3 and Q4.

The first of the DLCs Scalebreaker will arrive in Q3, bringing two further dungeons called Moongrave Fane and Lair of Maarselok.

The second DLC coming toward the end of 2019 will be Dragonhold. This will invite adventurers to a whole new zone in the Southern region of Elsweyr called Pellitine. This vast wasteland was taken over by a deadly plague a couple of decades ago. Here you must team up with allies which includes the return of Sai Sahan, to help reform the ancient Dragonguard order.

These new zones will include new quests, Delves, World Bosses and more Dragon Hunt events.

Both DLCs Scalebreaker and Dragonhold will arrive during the second half 2019, the exact release dates are yet to be announced.

To find out more about this news find it here in Elder Scrolls Online Scalebreaker And Dragonhold DLCs Announced.

Fallout 76

Bethesda made a couple of update announcements for Fallout 76, first acknowledging the rough start that the game had, but appears they have listened to the community when it comes to features. Announcing two updates Wastelanders and Nuclear Winter which will bring a host of new content.

The first free update announced comes in the form of the Wastelanders, which will include human NPCs, a new main quest, more choice/consequences, new weapons and gear. Bethesda explained at the press conference that this will add full dialog trees, making the storyline more complete.

This also means you need to decide who’s side you’re taking, whether to join factions of the Raiders or the Settlers.

Bethesda boldly states that “Wastelanders will fundamentally change the way you experience Fallout 76, and it’s set to arrive in fall of 2019”.

Setting to amp up the competitive nature of the game more, even after adding Survival mode which offered a more PvP centered gameplay, a new battle royale mode will be coming with the Nuclear Winter update. Adding a 52 player last-one standing, with an encroaching ring of fire as motivation to keep moving. The mode will still allow Perk Cards and nukes as you battle is out to become the Overseer of Vault 51. Bethesda describes it as: “Think of Nuclear Winter as the entire Fallout 76 experience, tightly condensed into about 20 minutes.”

You can try out Nuclear Winter during June 10th to June 17th, meaning everyone can play Fallout 76 for free on all platforms during the free trial.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Bethesda Announce Fallout 76 Free Updates And Free Trial.

Final Fantasy 7

While you might thinking that Microsoft have stolen the E3 spotlight with a slew of announcements, but even without Sony attending this year, they still have a big announcement regarding the Final Fantasy VII remake.

A new trailer has been shared on the official Playstation Youtube channel that not only shows more gameplay but announces the release date for the highly anticipate Final Fantasy VII remake.

A short trailer was released at the Fantasy VII concert in Los Angeles that revealed the release date which is March 3rd 2020 and confirms this is a Playstation 4 exclusive.

While we may have expected that the announcement would be made during Square Enix’s press conference on June 10th, it looks like the launch date couldn’t wait.

But Square Enix didn’t come empty handed to E3, they shared a longer trailer featuring new scenes and gameplay footage which showed Tifa in action.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Final Fantasy VII Remake Release Date Announced With New Trailer.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2

The sequel Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 was announced at the last GDC, an action-RPG set in city of Seattle. At E3 during the PC Gaming Show, a new trailer was unveiled now sharing some pre-alpha gameplay.

Taking a closer look at the Seattle locations, melee combat, guns, more of the vampire abilities including levitation and even summoning bats.  The trailer also shares what its like to be a newborn vampire in city with warring political factions, as well as some of the narrative choices players can expect. It also showed off some abilities which includes leaping far distances as well as what appears to be detecting victims to feed off to help “feed your power”.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 is set to release on PC via Paradox Store, Steam, GOG, Epic as well as Playstation 4 and Xbox One sometime next year in 2020.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 Gameplay Trailer Revealed.

Code Vein

During an episode of Inside Xbox, Microsoft and Bandai Namco announced the launch date of Code Vein.

The action-RPG souls-like Code Vein will be launching on September 27th 2019. The title previously was set to release in September 2018, but later got an announcement in July that it would be delayed until this year it was announced that they wished to “produce better quality in order to deliver to customers” according to the press release that was issued.

Bandai Namco recently held their Code Vein network test at the end of May, where players could try out the title experiencing select quests, face enemies and test out a few abilities. It also showed the wide customisation choices, which includes choosing a variation of Gifts.

The new trailer showcases some of the story of Code Vein which takes place in world where Revenants now exist, inflicted with their thirst for blood, they are also granted powerful abilities. The trailer also shows some of the bosses that players will battle.

Code Vein will release on Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC on September 27th 2019.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Code Vein Release Date Announced At E3 2019.

Final Fantasy 8 Remastered

While Nintendo has already brought a number of Final Fantasy titles to new platforms this year one particular title was missed out and this looks like this could be the reason.

Final Fantasy 8 Remastered was announced at the Square Enix press conference to be coming to the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC later this year.

An announcement trailer showed off Squall and his squad in a remastered version, bringing the classic JRPG turn-based system to modern platforms. So far they haven’t released details in terms the updated graphics it will receive, the original was release back in 1999 for the Playstation.

The Final Fantasy 8 Remastered will be coming later this year 2019.

Persona 5: The Royal

While we knew that Persona 5: The Royal would be releasing next year in Japan, at E3 we get a confirmation that it will be coming to the West in 2020.

An English trailer was released during E3, showing the same footage that was revealed in the Japanese trailer earlier this year.

The trailer is pretty much the same but has the English voice acting instead.

Persona 5: The Royal is an expanded edition of the original title, featuring new areas to explore in Tokyo, new characters, reworked dungeon designs with new foes to face, graphical and UI improvements.

There will also be new music to enjoy and a new third semester at Shujin Academy.

Persona 5: The Royal will be launching in West in 2020.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

A brand new trailer for Nintendo’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses was revealed, showing off the tactical RPG. There was also a livestream demonstration on the Nintendo Treehouse showing more of the gameplay.

This title lets players choose to teach one of the three houses at the Academy, which has many formidable students. Taking up the role of professor you must shape the student’s academic lives between taking on turn-based battles, full of strategy and twists to overcome.

There is quite a large central hub, and plenty to do as teacher which includes interacting with students and using the new calendar system. You can even interact with students from the other houses and have the opportunity to recruit them.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses launches on the Nintendo Switch on July 26th 2019.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2

Ending the Nintendo press conference with a bang, Nintendo announced a sequel to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild was in the works. A short teaser trailer for the next instalment was shown while not giving away too much, it confirmed that another game was underway.

The teaser was followed by a short statement that explained “The sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is now in development.” So far no game title or release date has been announced. The trailer shows Link traveling with Zelda on horseback, then something happens to Hyrule Castle in the distance. The trailer shows an unknown magic perceived to be resurrecting a skeletal figure, with some speculating that this could be the return of Ganon.

While the trailer shows the same art style, cel shading that was used in the first Breath of the Wild, the theme of this trailer is definitely a lot darker than the first title. Whether its the eerie music or the necromantic nature of the visuals playing, things seem to get a little more creepy.

So far no release date has been reveal, neither the official name for the sequel.

To find out more about this news find it here in: Sequel To The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild Announced At E3.

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