#fps: first person shooter (2023)

[n64retro]

Perfect Dark Rare Nintendo 64 2000

[3liza]

it stinks

[ryanmoody]

Video Games of 2023:

A record of games I have beaten in 2023. Game number 4:

Dusk (Switch - 2021)

[historicity-was-already-taken]

Very cool study titled "Recommendations for Gaming and Play in Holocaust Memory and Education" just dropped on my linkedin feed, via study contributor Dr. Christine Beresniova.

Its opening paragraphs read:

Digital games are becoming increasingly significant within Holocaust memory and education as professional memory institutions continue to explore the affordances of integrating digital technologies. The so-called Holocaust gaming taboo which has burdened both the mainstream gaming industry and small indie studios seems to show signs of lifting. Scholars have pointed out that major FPS (first-person shooter) franchises such as Wolfenstein and Call of Duty have only teetered on representation of this past, often taking liberty with Nazi themes while placing the Holocaust within the margins or completely eliding the persecution of European Jewry altogether. At the other end of the spectrum, game designers working with small budget proposals had been “promptly pressured to abandon the project” due to the backlash in public discourse, often prompted by professional Holocaust organisations denouncing the very premise of Holocaust games. However, the rising prominence of indie studios such as Paintbucket Games responsible for the historical resistance sim Through the Darkest of Times (2020), as well as the recent Forced Abroad (2022) and The Darkest Files (forthcoming), and Prague-based studio Charles Games who have produced Attentat 1942 (2017); Liberation Svoboda 1945 (2021) and Train to Sachsenhausen (2022) mark the significant shift underway. Indeed, professional Holocaust memory institutions such as the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial and the Arolsen Archives are working in collaboration with game designers and developers to produce digital games on the subject. Furthermore, one designer, who faced public backlash for a game project designed as early as 2013, has since released The Light in the Darkness (Voices of the Forgotten, 2023) and is responsible for creating the first Holocaust Museum in Fortnite (Epic Games, 2023). This would not be the first Holocaust museum in a gaming environment, however. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum launched ‘Witnessing History: Kristallnacht, the 1938 Pogroms’ in Second Life (c. 2008). The proliferation of interest in the medium’s potential to offer new modes for engaging with the past raises critical questions regarding opportunities for digital Holocaust memory practice, while also bringing into sharp focus issues regarding player/user experience, contextualisation, accessibility, funding and digital obsolescence. This report serves as an important first step in this work.

You may read the full report here. I'll be reading it later today or tomorrow. Very excited engage with this new(ish) terrain of Holocaust memory construction!

[wjbs-aus]

Examples of some games that use each style are below for anyone who is curious (most of them are first-person shooters, and all but one of them are combat-focused).

"NES-style but with larger sprites that aren't tile-based" - Literally any modern game that's trying to look like something on the NES

"Quake-inspired low-poly 3D but with interpolated skeletal animation" - DUSK, ULTRAKILL

"Prerendered sprites but with normal and specular mapping so they look 3D" - Brigador, Nightmare Reaper, Amid Evil (only on the weapons)

"Mid-poly 3D with low-res textures" - System Shock (2023), Turbo Overkill

"Mid-to-high-poly 3D with a low-res pixel-filter slapped on top" - The Magic Circle (only on a few areas and NPCs), Saints Row IV (during one specific mission fairly late into the game, and maybe a few other places)

"'2.5D' (3D levels, 2D characters) with HD sprites." - Fallen Aces

"Something else" - Fashion Police Squad (has the look and stuff, but the cultural references, non-gameplay images, and squash-and-stretch animation style all look a bit too modern), Prodeus (literally everything except for the levels themselves is represented with high-res prerendered graphics, though I think there's also a toggle to turn on models for everything instead?)

Cruelty Squad (simultaneous gore, eyestrain, sensory-overload and epilepsy warnings for not just the game but also screenshots and trailers, like seriously it's so bad that the Steam page has a warning at the beginning of the "About This Game" section)

Also, for two games that pull off their respective "retro" visual styles in really authentic-feeling ways, check out HROT (inspired by Chasm: The Rift and Quake, and feels like a real – if extremely strange – FPS from that era) and Zortch (which looks and feels like a weird N64 FPS from the late '90s, but came out almost exactly a year ago at time of writing).

[albumwalloffame]

Album Cover Wall of Infamy 2023 - Day 11

...Because I'm Young Arrogant and Hate Everything You Stand For - Machine Girl

Ow my eyes...

In the category of "album covers with just too much crap on them", this is probably on the... lesser side. Like I can at least tell what is on the cover, but holy crud this looks like the worst First Person Shooter to play, worse than Daikatana.

This looks like what you would get if a bullet hell game was mixed with an FPS, and it is so... much. I'll take Postal 2 over this.

[fridge-reviews]

System Shock Remake

Developer: Nightdive Studios Publisher: Prime Matter Rrp: £34.99 (Gog.com, Humble, Steam and Epic) Released: 30th May 2023 Available on: Gog.com, Humble, Steam and Epic Played Using: Mouse and Keyboard Approximate game length: 20 hours

Before I start this review I have to mention that I backed this game on Kickstarter.

Way back in December of 2015 I reviewed System Shock 2. I've always felt wrong about reviewing that game and not the original but each time I tried to play it or the enhanced edition I found myself just too put off by the 'clunkyness' of the game. So I'm very pleased that this remake was made as it solves many of the issues I had with the original release. Of course, I understand that while this remake has been pretty faithful to the original the developers have made a few changes so its not 100% faithful.

The game is set on the Citadel Space Station in the year 2072. You play as 'The Hacker' (yes, that is the only name given) who awakes on the space station. The onboard AI, Shodan, has taken over and has been either eliminating or 'modifying' the residents of the space station. When you start a new game you get to individually select the difficulty of the combat, cyberspace, puzzles and missions. Once the difficulty is set you won't be able to change it.

As you can see from the screenshots this game is a First Person Shooter, however unlike most FPS's this game has an inventory system that works like the attache case in the Resident Evil games. Everything you carry takes up space within your inventory meaning that you'll be playing inventory Tetris quite often.

Throughout the game are items that are junk (you'll know which items are junk as it'll have the word 'junk' in brackets next to the items name). These junk items can be 'vaporised' into scrap within your inventory taking up much less space and can be used to claim credits at recycling points. This system is where some of the clunkyness I mentioned before comes in. When you pick up junk items they take up a space (or several) within your inventory and you have to vaporise each type of junk individually by right clicking on it and selecting the vaporise option. As I'm sure you can imagine this can mean you spend much longer in the inventory when you could be wandering the ship. Oh, and the game doesn't pause when you're in the inventory so its not a good idea to do this unless you're sure you're safe. I should mention that vaporising system is totally optional, but the credits are very useful as they are used to purchase items from vending machines such as ammo, single use enhancements, health kits and even weapon modifications.

There are no objective markers to be found nor even a quest log. This is both a strength and a failing as it doesn't clutter up the map or your HUD with markers or handhold you through the various missions. But it can mean that you may spend a lot of time trekking back and forth trying to work out what you're next objective is since there is nothing to directly tell you. However, if you find yourself in that position I recommend checking the map for any places that remain unexplored and going through the various audio logs and emails you collect as those can contain important clues.

Occasionally you'll have to enter cyberspace which plays similarly to an old game called Descent. In this mode you essentially control like a free floating camera and can roll like an aircraft.

I loved playing System Shock 2 so it's been really nice to go back and play this version of the original predecessor. As I mentioned before, I have attempted to play the original or enhanced editions and just found it far too clunky to be enjoyable. This game mostly avoids that but newcomers may still feel a certain level of... age, especially when compared to more modern fare. I would ask that anyone who decides to give this game a go keep in mind that this is a remake of a game that predates and is a major influence upon many of the games that it shares a genre with (immersive sim) such as Prey, Bioshock and even Dishonored plus many more games that have taken inspiration from it and its sequel.

While I really like the games art style I will admit the rather 'busy' nature of it can make it easy for a player to miss a button or lever they need to interact with in order to progress. A feature I quite like is the shader that Nightdive have implemented to the graphics which gives all the textures a somewhat pixelated look, I know that some people aren't a fan of the effect but I think it really suits the over aesthetic of the game. It's also wonderful that the original voice actress of Shodan was able to retain her role, I was a little worried that they might try to recast which would be like recasting GlaDos.

On the whole I'm pleased with this game and I'm very glad I backed it. I just hope that System Shock 3 is able to have a similar impact when that finally appears (though I have some doubts as the licence has gone from Otherside Entertainment to Tencent).

If this appeals to you perhaps try;

Prey System Shock 2 Bioshock

----

If you’d like to support me I have a Ko-fi, the reviews will continue to be posted donation or not.

[brutalgamer]

Trailer: It's puppets gone wild in My Friendly Neighborhood, out now on PC

A family-friendly first-person shooter? Yep, that’s more or less the idea behind the felt-blasting FPS My Friendly Neighborhood. It’s out now.

[sequentialplanet]

Deck-Building FPS Friends vs Friends Launches May 30 on PC

Brainwash Gang, in partnership with Raw Fury, has announced that the multiplayer game Friends vs Friends will be available on Steam starting May 30, 2023. The deck-building and first-person shooter game will be available on consoles later this year. In Friends vs Friends, players choose their preferred character and build a deck of weapons and abilities. Players will then compete in multiplayer…

[linuxgamenews]

Cyber Combat fast paced shooter aims at Linux

Cyber Combat FPS shooter game to hit the Linux powered Steam Deck along with Windows PC. Which is the result of the ongoing work from developer Ofir Agami. Coming to Steam this summer. Indie solo developer Ofir Agami announces Cyber Combat, a new movement oriented first person shooter. Featuring a distinct Tron-style visual look for the world. The game also draws inspiration from other shooters in the genre. Such as Doom and Ghostrunner, as well as real life sports for both the movement and combat mechanics. The game will be coming to Steam in Summer 2023. It also looks like we will have some kind of Linux and/or Steam Deck support.

I can't promise anything yet, but Steam Deck and Linux will almost certainly be supported.

You can see the developer comment on Steam. Although not !00% just yet, it looks like we will have some kind of support for the game. Cyber Combat is an extremely fast paced shooter game. One that also that excels at breaking ankles. Which includes a grappling hook as part of your gear. Hop, skip and jump your way through each level. All while you turn your opponents into a red mist with your tools of their destruction.

Cyber Combat - Announcement Trailer

Inspired by other fast paced shooters such as Doom, Ghostrunner, and Ultrakill. Even real life sports such as football. While you take advantage of your surroundings and terrain as you dodge and weave through Cyber Combat. Working your way through a barrage of bullets and enemy fire. While dishing out pain of your own. Use the grappling hook and momentum as your ally to fly around the arena. Riddle each enemy with more holes than a sponge. Use dashing and wall-running to traverse the world. Create opportunities for you to flank your enemies.

Features:

Combat at breakneck speeds. Take advantage of dashing, wall running, momentum, and your grappling hook. Due to get around the arena for both survival as well as destroying your enemies

Cause chaos by pushing enemies against each other in Cyber Combat! Inspired by real-life sports, you can push spherical enemies around with shotgun shots. Colliding with other enemies will hurt or kill them. While causing physics-based chain reactions. Along with enough skill, you can rein chaos in to be your ally!

Style and gory kills. Pump rounds into your enemies at close range with your shotgun. Or perhaps turn them into scrap with your rocket launcher

An explosive arsenal to choose from. Choose your method of delivering pain via weapons that all feature a primary and alt fire. Allowing you to obliterate your opposition with weapons that feel powerful on every trigger pull

A gorgeous Tron-inspired world. Explore a beautifully crafted world that draws inspiration from many sci-fi and futuristic themes. Such as the movie Tron and games such as Ghostrunner

An incredible soundtrack. Enjoy listening to a fast paced, high tempo original soundtrack that perfectly fits into the world of Cyber Combat with it’s futuristic sounds

Cyber Combat FPS shooter game is coming to Linux and/or Steam Deck along with Windows PC. Due to release in summer 2023. So be sure to Wishlist the game on Steam.

[briankezer]

An Overview of Popular Video Game Genres

More than 212 million Americans, or roughly two-thirds of the population, regularly play video games, according to a 2023 report from the Entertainment Software Association. The 2023 Essential Facts About the US Video Game Industry report also found that 96 percent of the population has a positive view of games and gaming. As an industry, video games generate more than $100 billion in annual revenue and provide jobs to over 350,000 Americans. The diversity of games available to consumers is a key reason why gaming is popular among such a large section of the public. There are scores of unique genres for gamers to choose from.

Fighting games, or fighters, represent a classic game genre. Mortal Kombat, one of the most successful and influential video games of all time, falls under the fighter genre. The game’s violence sparked outrage among certain groups, resulting in a massive overhaul of how games are rated and sold to minors. Released in 1992, the game sold more than 3 million copies in just three weeks of release. Like Mortal Kombat, fighter games typically consist of two characters facing one another in a two-dimensional arena. Players enter various button combinations on the controller to execute different attacks, attempting to defeat their opponent before time runs out. Fighting games are comparable to side-scrolling brawlers and beat ‘em up games.

Farming games occupy the opposite end of the spectrum compared to fighters. These slow-paced, peaceful games simply involve managing crops and animals. Several of the most popular farming games, such as Stardew Valley and the Harvest Moon series, feature elements of romance and simulation role-playing games. In addition to managing a farm, players can interact with their employees and town members, sometimes going on sidequests or dealing with special events. Other farming games, such as Farming Simulator 22, present a more realistic simulation of the agriculture industry. There are many types of simulation games, from the best-selling Sims series to various flight simulators.

Individuals interested in farming games may enjoy another low-pressure genre, puzzle games. Like most genres, countless subgenres comprise the puzzle game category. Tetris is arguably the quintessential puzzle game, requiring players to quickly pair shapes of different sizes, colors, and dimensions. Tetris is often cited as the best-selling video game ever made, with over 520 million copies sold, according to The Tetris Company. On the other hand, action-adventure platform video games like It Takes Two and The Legend of Zelda present players with an array of puzzles to solve as they advance through levels.

For a more uptempo gaming experience, players should try shooter games. Many of the most popular games are shooters, especially first-person shooters (FPS). Shooters may take a grounded approach to gameplay, either with comprehensive tactical gameplay or by setting the game during a historical conflict. Other shooters are much more stylized and feature elements of science fiction and fantasy.

In addition, open world games break the conventions of many previously established genres, namely the concept of players progressing from one small level to another. Instead, players can explore massive game worlds that may feature little to no obstructions in the way of seeing the whole map. The Grand Theft Auto series consists mostly of open world titles, including Grand Theft Auto 5, the most profitable video game ever made. Red Dead Redemption 2, another open world game from Rockstar Entertainment, sold over 6 million copies in two days, en route to over 64 million copies.

These are only a few of the popular game genres to explore. Sports fans can choose from countless sports games. Other categories are named after specific games that inspired the genre, such as souls-like, rogue-like, and metroidvanias.

[maximuswolf]

Drake & J. Cole - First Person Shooter [FPS] [2023]

Drake & J. Cole - First Person Shooter [FPS] [2023] https://youtu.be/Xty2gi5cMa8 Submitted August 26, 2024 at 02:22PM by ZettabyteEra https://ift.tt/MAl58D9 via /r/Music

[govindhtech]

Adventures Of Misty Skye with NVIDIA DLSS 3 & NVIDIA Reflex

The Adventures of Misty Skye Skye: Misty Isle Debuts June 19th DLSS 3, DLAA, Reflex

Immerse yourself in a hyper-realistic Viking survival game on Skye. Skye: The Misty Isle by Aurora Game Studios follows Einar as he braves the elements and fights dangerous predators to discover the land’s fate and his arrival.

Start your life-changing adventure and join Odin’s famous champions. Skye invites you to become the Viking warrior you were meant to be! Before sailing, sharpen your axe. On June 19, GeForce RTX gamers can enable DLSS 3 to boost frame rates by 2.4X in Skye: The Misty Isle’s Early Access.

Reflex, DLSS 3 Still Wakes The Deep & Skye: The Misty Isle This Week at Pax Dei Each week, new games with NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and advanced ray-traced effects are produced or announced, giving GeForce RTX players the best PC experience. More than 500 games and applications use RTX technology. After a week of DLSS announcements and launches, they have more news this week.

Pax Dei debuts today with DLSS 3 and Reflex, Still Wakes supports DLSS 3. Today, the Deep launches DLSS 3 and Reflex. WITH DLSS 3, Reflex, and ray tracing, THE FINALS Season 3 is out now, while Skye: The Misty Isle opens tomorrow.

Pax Dei, DLSS 3 & Reflex, Now Available Steam Early Access offers social sandbox MMO Pax Dei. Players are invited to help Mainframe Industries and New Tales create a real, breathing virtual world they may enjoy for years to come.

Visit a world of myths, ghosts, and unchallenged magic. Set your own difficulties. Experience the land, build your home, forge your reputation, and tell your experiences with thousands of other players.

Pax Dei release date In actuality, Pax Dei’s full release date is still unknown. As of right now, it’s under Early Access, which indicates that it’s still in development but playable.

Pax Dei was just released, with an Early Access release date of June 18, 2024.

NVIDIA DLSS 3 and NVIDIA Reflex are supported from day one in Pax Dei, giving GeForce RTX gamers the finest experience from the start. DLSS Super Resolution Boosts Frame Rates for All GeForce RTX Users, while DLSS Frame Generation Improves 40 Series Performance.90% of GeForce gamers have enabled NVIDIA Reflex, which has reduced system latency in over 100 games since September 2020.

In 2023, Reflex’s system latency-reducing technology let GeForce gamers play over 10 billion hours of their preferred games faster. 9 top 10 competitive shooters and critically acclaimed co-op and single-player titles support Reflex. In 4K, DLSS 3 triples GeForce RTX 40 Series desktop graphics card frame rates. GeForce RTX 4070 and faster cards can run Pax Dei above 70 fps.

The fastest cards can play at 145 fps Many GeForce RTX 40 Series gamers can play at above 100 fps at 2560×1440 and 2.3X average performance multiplier: A 2.2X average performance gain lets every GeForce RTX 40 Series GPU top 80 fps at 1920×1080, and several exceed 120. GeForce RTX 4090, the fastest consumer graphics card, scores 230 fps.

DLSS 3, DLAA, and Reflex Launch Today in Still Wakes The Deep The Chinese Room, known for Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, and Dear Esther, returns to first-person narrative horror in Still Wakes The Deep, published by Secret Mode.

In 1975, off Scotland’s coast, an offshore oil rig worker fights for survival in a ferocious storm, dangerous surroundings, and the dark, frigid North Sea. Communication is cut off. No escapes. One must face the unknowable terror aboard.

Still Wakes The Deep launches later today with day-one support for DLSS 3, DLAA, and Reflex, offering GeForce RTX gamers the best experience battling for their life in this heavily anticipated game.

Season 5 of Deep Rock Galactic is now available, featuring DLSS 3 rock and stone! One of Steam’s most popular co-op games, Deep Rock Galactic, has an Overwhelmingly Positive 97% rating average from over 230,000 user reviews! Ghost Ship Games and Coffee Stain Publishing released Drilling Deeper Season 5 recently, which DLSS 3 can accelerate.

Take on a new Deep Scan assignment, survive the Core Stone season event, fight new foes with new weapon Overclocks, and test your mining skills on Hazard 5+.Deep Rock Galactic finally supports DLSS 3 Frame Generation, allowing GeForce RTX 40 Series users to speed up frame rates in frantic, hard missions with dozens of on-screen bugs.

Season 3 of THE FINALS adds DLSS 3, Reflex, and Ray Tracing Embark Studios’ free-to-play shooter THE FINALS depicts a destroyed universe, making each match unique. Team members compete in virtual tournaments for the title. Season 3 of THE FINALS includes Terminal Attack 5v5 and World Tour Cash Out modes. Kyoto 1568 is a new arena in the map rotation, and the 3 player classes can acquire 5 meta-changing items.

THE FINALS stands out with explosive surroundings and a wide range of weapons to battle tough foes. Lighting must react realistically to light occlusion and disoccuption as structures and walls collapse. For this, NVIDIA RTXGI calculates and updates light and shadow in real time on all platforms.

The GeForce RTX GPU in your PC or laptop allows RTXGI to use hardware-accelerated ray tracing to create more realistic global illumination effects. If activated, light will realistically bounce around, respond to damage, and interact with volumetric fog and smoke. Light and shadow will improve.

NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation and DLSS 2 Super Resolution can keep frame rates high in this fast-paced shooter.

All GeForce gamers with GPUs from the GTX 900 Series can enable NVIDIA Reflex to reduce system latency by up to 57% in THE FINALS. DLSS 3 more than doubles performance.

Many more games will get DLSS integrations. Visit here to see the entire list of over 500 RTX-enhanced games and applications and check back for updates on the future DLSS and RTX games.

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[vegetablegardens454]

Kompas138: A Comprehensive Overview of Indonesia's Premier Online Casino Platform

Online gaming has evolved from a niche pastime to a global phenomenon, influencing entertainment, social interactions, and even the economy. With advancements in technology, the gaming industry has witnessed tremendous growth, creating diverse and immersive experiences for players worldwide. This article explores the evolution, current landscape, and the multifaceted impact of online gaming. kompas138

The Evolution of Online Gaming

The roots of online gaming trace back to the early 1970s with simplistic text-based games like "MUD" (Multi-User Dungeon), which allowed players to interact in a virtual world using basic text commands. As technology progressed, so did the complexity and reach of online games. The 1990s marked a significant turning point with the advent of the internet, enabling games like "Ultima Online" and "EverQuest" to introduce massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). These games allowed thousands of players to coexist in persistent virtual worlds, engaging in cooperative and competitive activities.

The 2000s saw the rise of broadband internet, which further expanded the possibilities for online gaming. Games like "World of Warcraft" set new standards for MMORPGs, boasting millions of active subscribers and fostering vibrant online communities. Concurrently, the advent of consoles like Xbox Live and PlayStation Network brought online gaming to the living room, broadening its appeal.

The Current Landscape

Today, online gaming is a diverse ecosystem encompassing various genres and platforms. From competitive eSports to casual mobile games, the industry caters to a wide range of preferences. Key genres include:

MMORPGs: Games like "Final Fantasy XIV" and "The Elder Scrolls Online" continue the legacy of expansive virtual worlds.

Battle Royale: Titles like "Fortnite" and "PUBG" have popularized this genre, where players compete to be the last person standing.

MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena): "League of Legends" and "Dota 2" dominate this competitive scene, requiring strategic team-based play.

FPS (First-Person Shooter): Games like "Call of Duty" and "Overwatch" offer fast-paced action and are staples in the eSports community.

Casual and Mobile Games: "Candy Crush Saga" and "Among Us" appeal to a broad audience with their accessibility and simple mechanics.

The Impact of Online Gaming

Social Interaction and Community Building: Online gaming has become a significant social platform, connecting people across the globe. Gamers form friendships, join guilds, and participate in collaborative missions, fostering a sense of community. For many, these virtual interactions are as meaningful as those in the real world.

Economic Contributions: The online gaming industry is a substantial economic driver. In 2023, the global gaming market was valued at over $200 billion. This includes revenue from game sales, in-game purchases, subscriptions, and advertising. Additionally, the rise of eSports has created professional opportunities for gamers, streamers, and content creators, contributing to a new digital economy.

Technological Advancements: Online gaming has been a catalyst for technological innovation. The demand for immersive experiences has driven advancements in graphics, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality. Moreover, cloud gaming services like Google Stadia and NVIDIA GeForce Now aim to revolutionize the industry by making high-quality gaming accessible on any device.

Educational and Therapeutic Benefits: Online games are increasingly being recognized for their educational potential. Games like "Minecraft" are used in classrooms to teach subjects ranging from mathematics to history. Furthermore, gaming can have therapeutic benefits, helping individuals with conditions such as anxiety and depression by providing a form of escapism and stress relief.

Challenges and Concerns: Despite its many benefits, online gaming also presents challenges. Issues such as addiction, cyberbullying, and the impact of violent content are ongoing concerns. Moreover, the industry's reliance on microtransactions and loot boxes has sparked debates about consumer protection and gambling. kompas138

Conclusion

The evolution of online gaming is a testament to the relentless innovation within the tech and entertainment sectors. As it continues to grow, the impact of online gaming on society, culture, and the economy will only become more profound. While challenges remain, the potential for positive outcomes—ranging from enhanced social connections to technological advancements—makes the future of online gaming an exciting prospect.

[jcmarchi]

PlayStation Reveals First Look At Concord's 5v5 FPS Gameplay, Out This August On PS5 And PC

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/playstation-reveals-first-look-at-concords-5v5-fps-gameplay-out-this-august-on-ps5-and-pc/

PlayStation Reveals First Look At Concord's 5v5 FPS Gameplay, Out This August On PS5 And PC

PlayStation has formally revealed Concord, the first game from Firewalk Studios, which it acquired in 2023, and it brings a healthy (and comedic dose) of sci-fi to the console’s 2024 lineup. Concord is both the start of a new sci-fi IP for PlayStation and a five-versus-five-player multiplayer shooter coming to PlayStation 5 and PC this year. 

Before showcasing some third-person shooter gameplay, a vignette setting up the game’s world and tone played, and it’s here we get a look at its Guardians of the Galaxy-esque action. We see several characters who appear to make up the rag-tag group of heroes we’ll be controlling, each with seemingly unique abilities, attempting to capture a special device from someone attempting to escape a rundown locale called Crater City. 

Check it out for yourself in the Concord cinematic reveal below: 

[embedded content]

After this vignette, PlayStation showcased our first look at Concord’s gameplay. We get a look at Vale, a sniper, Lennox, a cowboy-esque revolver shooter, Haymar, who uses a magical bow and arrow, Star Child, a brutish shotgun user, and 1-Off, a support character who appears to use support-type elemental moves. The gameplay looks reminiscent of Destiny 2’s PvP modes, although brighter in color and more fantastical in visual design. 

Check out the Concord gameplay reveal for yourself below:

[embedded content]

After the gameplay, some of the Firewalk developers spoke about what players can expect, including deployable gear that can exist throughout a full game (across multiple rounds) and asymmetrical match-ups between players. While the gameplay only showcased five characters, a quick look at the game’s roster revealed several more. 

Firewalk says every week when you log on to Concord, you’ll be treated to a short cutscene vignette teaching you more about the characters. 

Firewalk and PlayStation will hold a beta on PS5 and PC this July before the game’s simultaneous launch on those platforms on August 23, 2024. 

What did you think of this Concord reveal? Let us know in the comments below! 

[nitrosodiumfmp]

A closer look at past projects

I've already reminisced and compared my past projects at length, but I'll do it again to make things clearer.

toxic waters longplay rs (youtube.com)

Toxic Waters was my first project, and a resounding success. I think I mentioned this before, but Toxic Waters is one of my oldest ideas for a game. It was originally created as an adventure game made in PowerPoint (yes, I can make games in PowerPoint) in September 2019. From there, it expanded into plans for a 3D game, along with a more typical sidescroller version called Toxic Waters Lite in mid-2022, also in PowerPoint. My vision for the game continued to grow throughout 2023, and I thought it would be the perfect game to do in college. You'll see in a lot of my old blog posts, Toxic Waters is called "TWL", or Toxic Waters Lite, but I thought that because it was the first actual Toxic Waters game, the "Lite" didn't make much sense. It was a platformer with physics puzzle elements and patrolling enemies, though I had planned for much more. Metroidvania-esque levels that can be travelled between, multiple enemy types lifted from previous versions of the game idea, combat with a variety of weapons, and a shop system where you could buy more health and ammo. There was going to be checkpoints, readables in the environment, changing water levels and way more interactivity. But obviously it was an unbelievable feature creep, so I cut it down to just four levels with no combat and more rudimentary puzzle mechanics. I learned a good lesson with that project - don't be infected by feature creep.

Overdeath """Gameplay""" (youtube.com)

Overdeath/Sparkler came next as my FPS project. I'll call it Overdeath, but throughout development it was being created both as a fast-paced shooter (Overdeath) and a mascot horror game with an emphasis on sound propagation (Sparkler). I had some levels made for Sparkler, but halfway through I finally made the change to Overdeath. I was prototyping before I even knew what game I was gonna make! Combine that with poor time allocation, even more feature creep, and the fact that we didn't learn AI until the 11th hour meant that the "final" version of Overdeath was slapped together at the very last second, a frosty canyon filled with kind-of-braindead enemies that you can easily disintegrate with your weapons. It did play, and I did pass, but it was missing so much that's core to an interactive experience. After Overdeath, which felt like a very personal failure as it was an idea I was quite excited about, I created the "lasagna philosophy" which I quoted a lot throughout the third project. When making a game, start with the most basic elements, and work your way up. It was something I had inadvertently used in the final hours of Toxic Waters, reusing the core assets I already had made in interesting ways in the last two levels, such as stacking two elevators on top of each other to create a sort of sliding door, or having a Drain push a barrel along as a final setpiece.

Sweat Pursuit Unreal Edition: Coronary Aftermath: Vengeance Of The Fatman (youtube.com)

Next up came another one with multiple names. Equus Librum, Savanna Rumble, Oubliette, Temple, and finally Sweat Pursuit. This was another one where the first week was fraught with deliberation; I had originally planned to do the arcade project as a semi-infinite resource collection game, but I was then told it wouldn't be arcadey enough, so I set about recreating one of my old Scratch games, a silly infinite runner called Sweat Pursuit. As much as I did enjoy the third project, it felt less creative. Because Sweat Pursuit required building from the ground up (it wasn't like Overdeath or Toxic Waters where Unreal had a template I could use) most of my time was spent coding. A lot of time I felt very stressed, getting hung up on tiny but important facets of the code that just wouldn't work no matter what I did. In the end, however, I did have a finished game, possibly the most functional and polished of my ideas so far. But I didn't enjoy the gaminess of it, in the sense that all my time was programming. It wasn't like my other projects where some time would be spent designing levels, or coming up with concept art, or I'd be making massive blog posts about my ideas outside of college. The fact that it all had to be mechanically sound left little time for much else in the project - I did research, of course, but it didn't feel as interesting.

My idea for this project was, at a very primordial level, to make a level that can be explored. I wanted to create an immersive walking simulator, which was a basic idea upon which other mechanics could be easily tacked on. I know that Doubt and deliberation in the early days of a project can damage things later on, so my considerations of other ideas this time around has been more because we have to come up with three ideas, and this allows me to explore the other ones without dropping the original. I think we start coding after half term (next week) so this is about the time I have to pick a game idea. Looking at everything, I think this is another case of my first instinct being the best, and Sinister City being the way to go.

After some revisions, however, it doesn't take place in a city anymore. Maybe a better name would be Sinister Workshop.