#i miss having a full lobby of pc players that can all just decide to goof off & talk for half the match…

[wickedghxst]

crossplay is cool & all but it has really demolished social interaction in video games…

[sleepymarmot]

MEA liveblog #7

Spoilers!

Multiplayer

This interface is a mess. I move my mouse onto "exit lobby" and it turns into "kick player". Buttons just jump around and transform all the time.

And the APEX mission shit needs to be fixed. When you select a mission to play, don't direct me to lobbies who play the same enemy/map/difficulty but not as the mission! Join lobby, see "custom", exit lobby, select "custom game", re-select mission, join, end up in the same lobby, rinse, repeat...

At least I can end up second when I join on wave 5 as a human vanguard lol

F Human Vanguard card!

Tempest

Non-custom weapons of different rank shouldn't exist as separate items in the inventory! Unlocking a higher rank should upgrade the old item like in ME3! This stupid inventory system exists solely because of crafting! If you need inventory limits so much, let them apply only to the crafted items! I've already complained about rewards being lost with no warning if the inventory is full and it's still bullshit! 

I crafted the N7 chestpiece! 25% shield on kill (of course), 5% damage resistance, 2% shield restoration, 2% health&shield regen speed, 2% max shield. I called it "N7 Slayer X". And turns out, it was dad's armor...

Oh right, it needs a new color scheme!

Havarl

I like this ex-STG, he's talking properly.

I don't like the sound effect from Annihilation -- it's like water in my ears!

Hey Peebs, how do you immediately know where the next piece is as soon as we pick the current one?

Kadara

Here's the bar fight. Animation is not bad but has no energy.

Told the asari dancer that I'm done here and she needs to talk to the dude herself, but the quest still sends me back to him -_-

Tempest

So, Kesh was adopted?

Okay, Kalinda is 100% Marjolaine. Peebee's personal storyline is even more copy-pasted from Leliana than Drack's is copypasted from Wrex.

Aya

So many sidequests again!

The Moshae's words about the definition of victory! That's the smartest thing I've heard in this game in hours.

It's really weird to hear her talk so sweetly to me... When we first met she didn’t seem to like me.

When Vetra said people were staring at her, I couldn't resist suggesting they're just all in love...

I suggested taking people who sold their Aya slots onto the Nexus. That's not even charity -- the same ambassador gave me a task to convince angara to come there anyway! So this would kill two birds with one stone.

For the visitor who wanted contact with his family, I had to reload. The options didn't even seem too different... Got it right for the other two: gave an honest professional answer about health issues, and a confident casual answer about finding work.

Great, now I have to head back into the city to buy stuff... This is literally a fetch quest lol

Eos

Omg, the Architect is in orbit now!

The Roekaar fight in an old settlement was very chaotic and fun with Flamethrower/ED/Lance, though it'd probably be easier to just charge

Tempest

Aaaand Jaal gives me his loyalty mission. It's funny that I'm going to do my own love interest's mission last...

Jaal's LM

I continue to be unimpressed with the Roekaar being pure antagonists. :/

Didn't shoot the guy, told Jaal he was badass.

Why are loyalty missions so short?

BTW Ryder just looks wrong in N7 armor... She's not Shepard, that's not her allegiance or her story.

Tempest

Jaal, just as we're leaving Havarl you decided to invite me for a visit down there?

Turian ark

Avitus has very stylish armor

For fuck's sake, Bioware, why do you hate gay men so much?

I convinced Avitus to take the mantle. It was a very sentimental decision for Ryder -- because her situation is very similar. Her SAM and the connection he had with her father are unique, but she didn't think of that in that moment.

Nexus

"Better to find your wings as you fly" Easy for you to say, Sarissa, your predecessor wasn't a loved one

Tempest

I'd agree with Peebee about relationship and baggage, but of course I felt obligated to take the romantic option

(I don’t think there’s an option to agree with her, though, so it’s only for the best)

Voeld

Liam, Vetra, don't fight!

Whoops, sorry for leaving you to die in the purification field, Vetra

...I liked the old color scheme better. Green light looks more alien, but less pretty.

Nexus

Final memory -- here we go!

My theory was that the Archon was somehow Ellen, but that made so little sense I didn't even write it down :D This is simpler.

BTW there's finally Shepard's gender we had to select in the beginning -- in translated subtitles :D Didn't hear it even once in the audio -- could it be Bioware actually took their foreign audience into consideration? :O

Honestly, it's weird that the Reapers info is so secret... From the OT I got the impression that Shepard was yelling about it to everyone at every opportunity...

Fine, fine, you made me emotional with Liara's message.

Shit, I was expecting this decision...

I feel pretty sad now. That's all?

Peebee's LM

Oh, so that's why she lives in an escape pod :D I thought this was only a characterization thing, not a Chekhov's gun!

I said I wasn't mad, though I was a bit. But I mean Ryder *is* mad but also having the time of her life so...

Shit I just shot Kalinda instinctively lmao

Ok I replayed the entire sequence and Idk. This is really the hardest choice in the game...

I'm tempted to say "Yes, literally" :D

Since it's so hard to reaload, it's fair game to watch videos before deciding for myself. Okay, "Yes, literally" is way too harsh.

Alright, this Ryder is not going to make Peebee sad, but I've already planned a Renegade-ish playthrough with a Ryder who values knowledge over everything, so... :D

(Btw, I love that MEA's brand of a more ruthless protagonist is not "uncontrollable brute" but "intellectual snob". As tedious as this game is, I'm already super eager to play character who has those values & takes urgency of tasks seriously.)

This mission is enjoyable and the choice feels maybe the most meaningful... But it has all the classic Mass Effect problems. Kalinda sends a shitload of people to murder us, we murder them, but when she's helpless and we have a finger on the trigger all of that suddenly doesn't matter. Sidonis all over again. Sure, murdering people begging for help is bad in a lot of ways, but she did just try to kill us, a lot of times... Plus, why the fuck can't Ryder jump over and catch the Remnant thing?! That needed to be a second, Paragon interrupt after the Renegade "shoot her." And Ryder is a goddamn biotic, as is Peebee, as is Kalinda! Peebee, Pull is your first goddamn skill! It'd actually be completely plausible if the artifact had shields and/or armor and therefore immune to Pull or Singularity -- but not giving the characters even an idea to try is just stupid!

Tempest

Inviting Peebee to live with together made me revisit my room and inspired me to make some changes. You know what, I'm going to play music in my quarters and change into the short-sleeved pajamas. It's my own ship, why do I walk around it in street clothes? The jacket is stylish but too much to wear at home. I wish we had a "formal" outift for Nexus/Aya/other hubs in addition to the "casual" clothes we wear on the ship.

Shit I went to read someone's post about Peebee's LM and caught a spoilers about the romance post-LM

Addison is right, getting pregnant in that situation was irresponsible

Ah the continuity in this game. "Found more outposts"? I have every possible outpost and all planets at 100%!

"On hold: Place an outpost" bitch where

Voeld

What, there's still a cold hazard?! What was the point of the vault, then?!

Whoa, so the angara believe exaltation not just kills their people but destroys their immortal souls? Wow! That should have been said by a major character during the main story, not by an easily missed NPC!

Oh great, I died and the game refuses to load the last autosave

Dear game. Why did you create four autosaves for the same second. All glitched. Half hour of gameplay lost... God please let the last manual save work. I was sure I saved in between, but just now my PC decided that we still have daylight savings clock change when we do not, and the timestamps on all recent saves are messed up. This especially sucks because I'm trying to rush Peebee's romance because I don't know when the sex scene comes up but I want to make sure it's not when my mom is home while I play it on her PC lol

Tempest

Fuck, that was cute! And Peebee did tackle Ryder, as promised! :D I wonder what she says through Zap in the platonic version...

Addison please don't say the baby screams "like a banshee". I fucking jumped.

"Before you say anything: no PDAs" :D

Level 50! Time to craft myself a powerful new Dhan. I've been running with rank three all this time...

I love that whenever you ask about Kalinda and then return to the general dialogue tree you say "Let's talk about something else" and Peebee responds "YES. Please."

Voeld

Alright, so: the kett leaders are dissatisfied with the Archon because he hasn't reported to them recently, the communication with the kett homeworld(?) might be disrupted in general and the Scourge might be to blame.

Tempest

Damn, SAM has a pretty insightful speech about death! The only thing that can't be rationalized after experiencing it, which is why it fascinates. I actually haven't heard it explained this way before.

My movie night quest hasn't progressed since I brought Jaal his device...

Eos

Ryder watching and playing football with two giant guns floating near her hips... omg

Elaaden/Kadara

What? I'm completely confused by all these identical salarians.

I don't understand this choice. He promises to give us the intel if we let him go... what proof do we have besides his word? And how would arresting him stop us from getting intel from his computer etc?

Reloaded to see both options, chose to arrest him

Havarl

I'm not hugging Jaal's mother wtf

Ryder has surprisingly good facial animation when Jaal shows his mementos

In theory Ryder should like Jaal for being such a nerd but the only thing he makes me feel is mild irritation. His interest in "taking things apart" is an informed quality just like his supposed emotional openness. It's not reflected in his dialogue or storyline at all.

And now I'm finished with all quests in the ally category. I wanted to finish the game asap, but now that we know the patch is coming on Thursday, I'll wait for it.

Multiplayer

Extracted from Silver for the first time as Human Vanguard (level 8, rank IV)! It was against Remnant, so Observers and Destroyers were the only problem. Nullifiers are ridiculously easy for a melee character -- like Ravagers, but without acid.

Got Krogan Vanguard from a pack. Will I have to tolerate the Rage overlay?

The first game with Kroguard was going well, he's got a stong melee even though he's slow... and then wave 6/upload/Kett killed us all :(

Completely unrelated to anything, but I just realized that if you pick the romantic option in the escape pod with Peebee, they don't actually have sex. Call me stupid because that's what Peebee's initial condition is, but I thought Ryder's response changed her mind! When Ryder said "Let's not rush things" I interpreted and meant it in the emotional sense, as "It'd be dishonest to hide that I have a crush on you, but you don't owe me anything, and if you don't ready for a Serious Relationship and Grand Romance yet that's fine because I'm not either, so let's just hook up and leave reflection for later" -- which I thought was pretty sweet and interesting? Because this whole relationship to me was built on the fascinating contrast between Peebee's emotional reservations and casual/flirty attitude, and conversely, on Ryder very consciously respecting Peebee's emotional space. Maybe I just fundamentally don't understand sex and romance lmao. But if character A propositions character B, character B says they have feelings for character A, and the scene promptly fades to black, I assume they do the do because that's how these things are filmed? Only in comparison with the other option, which is actually pretty explicit, it became obvious to me that's not what the director meant. I'm pretty disappointed because I thought it was a good subversion of Jack's "either sex or romance" thing in ME2. And it messes with my headcanon/characterization... I guess I'll have to retcon it into one of the two options. I'll probably go with casual, not romantic in that case. But I just read that Peebee will tell you she's glad you said no, so... :/

Multiplayer

Failed a Silver APEX mission agains the Remnant as a human vanguard :(

Got an asari sentinel!

The patch is here, but I can't launch the game now :( This needs some work.

Ugh, I stop playing for two days and have no motivation to pick the game up again...

[asfeedin]

Call of Duty as a beginner

Stuck Inside With is a new series where, since we’re all stuck inside, we venture off the beaten path to explore other parts of the gaming world. This week we’re looking at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare through the eyes of a first-time player.

This assignment was supposed to be about how those of us here at ESPN Esports are trying out some new games during this time stuck inside. Some titles were tossed out there for me to try, but the truth of the matter is that pretty much every game released since I put down my GameBoy Advance in 2003 is new to me.

That said, in these strange times, I have recently found myself full-blown obsessed with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare — a love affair that dates all the way, way, way back to January 2020, when I attended the Call of Duty League’s Launch Weekend in Minneapolis. It was my first esports event since covering the industry became part of my job a few months prior, and I decided this was the game for me.

The following is an account about how I went from a complete newbie to ostensibly devoting my entire quarantined life to this game.

Waiting in the lobby

We all decide in our team Slack chat which teams we’ll be rooting for in this new CoD League, and given that I spent several formative months of my early 20s in England and am predisposed to liking teams with bird mascots (Orioles, Ravens, Hotspur), the natural fit for me was the London Royal Ravens. I decide to go all-in on a team I know nothing about.

I am someone who 1. Hates being bad at things, and 2. Prides herself on preparedness, so I research players and teams before my trip to Minneapolis. I read everything our reporters write about this game. I follow a bunch of Twitter accounts. I watch some YouTube clips.

I show up at The Armory not knowing what to expect. There’s a large turnout of fans. People have favorite players. People are already dressed in their favorite team’s merchandise. The matches start and I realize I did not do enough research after all.

The London Royal Ravens completed the first 3-0 sweep of the Call of Duty League season against the New York Subliners. Provided by Call of Duty League

I am about one hour in when I turn to our video producer and say, “I think I love esports.” I listen to him argue with our reporter about maps they like and don’t like (Note to self: Look up “Azhir Cave” later.) I try to look like I know what I’m doing. The Royal Ravens win their first match vs. the New York Subliners and I actually cheer out loud. (I told you I am a massive Royal Ravens fan.)

After 16 hours in a dark room listening to the sound of gunshots, I attend a news conference for the Dallas Empire. There is a lot of drama. I love it. I go back to my hotel room and read up on these guys’ backstories more.

The weekend wraps and I start to follow the drama on Twitter. There is so much smack talk in this league! I am obsessed with it. I fly to London to attend the Royal Ravens Home Series. I am enthralled all weekend. I buy merchandise(!) to show support for my beloved Ravens. I now have favorite players. I write a story about how the weekend was one of the wildest sporting events I’ve ever seen. I witness viral moments from the crowd. I realize I can, in fact, cover this professionally. What I can’t do yet is play it.

So I download the game to my PS4 as soon as I get home.

Where we dropping?

Definitely don’t ask me. I have no clue where we’re dropping. Turns out I’m absolute garbage at this game.

While the release of Warzone coincided real nicely with this period of social distancing for many of us, it was definitely not the method to figure out how to play this game. Sure, it doesn’t help that I break my finger on the first day of the stay-at-home order and will need to wear a splint on my left hand for four weeks, but I’m not sure I can really blame my injury for my inability to, say, run, shoot, slide, collect loot or generally fulfill the requirements to play this game.

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A typical game for me goes like this: I parachute into the lobby, I die instantly, I repeat until the game starts. The game starts, I die, I end up in the Gulag, I die again, I cross my fingers my squad members don’t waste their time reviving me; when they do, I die again. I can collect money only if it’s right in front of me and there are no opponents nearby. Rinse, repeat.

I discover that I quite like the Plunder mode of Warzone, which I play with my friend via speakerphone one night, when we drop to the prison and loot the entire side of the map without once encountering an opponent. We place in the top 10! I never even have to showcase that I can’t shoot. I feel a false sense of glory and think I might be getting the hang of this, so when I get requests from my friends and colleagues to play, I accept.

It is at this point that I discover the real importance of this game: communication.

So I buy a headset.

Competitive mode

I quickly realize how much I love playing with friends, especially when none of us can spend time together in person. I realize firsthand that gaming can really build a community. I look forward to getting a “CoD?” text. I laugh a lot.

Luckily, my squad from Team Esports humors me from the get-go (or some just don’t want to embarrass their boss) and I start figuring this thing out. Due to their extreme patience and my new ability to actually talk to them during gameplay, I learn how to maneuver and shoot, and eventually get some kills.

I humble myself when I attempt to drive an ATV, and the end result is one of them saying, “Can you just get out and let me drive?” I still can’t make it out of the Gulag. I plead with them not to revive me. They suggest I try Multiplayer, where I can respawn repeatedly and get more practice.

We start by filtering to just Team Deathmatches, and I get a sense for what this game is all about. I figure out that I need to seek cover more often. I listen for footsteps. I anticipate enemy movement. I rank up. People on my squad start screenshotting our leaderboards and posting them on Twitter (you know who you are). My gamer tag appears on Twitter with one kill listed next to it. I am someone who is so competitive it might kill me one day, so I won’t stand for this and vow to get better.

Keys to the game: Communication and memorizing the maps. Provided by Activision

We try out some new game modes. I realize I love Domination. There are enough of us playing one night to fill a full Search and Destroy team. I refuse to be the person who takes the bomb. It’s so much pressure! I get my first game with double-digit kills. I can tell I am not cut out for a 2v2 Gunfight, but find my ineptitude incredibly hilarious — a rare feat for someone with a tendency to quit things she isn’t good at. I start to learn the maps. I figure out how to play Hardpoint.

Now I’m down a Reddit and YouTube wormhole investigating how pros edit their loadouts and what perks I want for my weapons. I make people send me screenshots of their loadouts. (Did I mention I’m competitive?) I spend all of Double-XP Weekend leveling up my weapons and improving my rank. I buy a Royal Ravens uniform and skin for my guns.

At this point, the VALORANT beta release is upon us and I start stressing out about having to learn a new game.

So I switch to a PC.

Wait… Am I a gamer?

I slightly violate some social-distancing rules to go borrow a computer so I am able to partake in the VALORANT beta release. I recall that I have not touched a PC since 2007. Let me tell you, this whole W-A-D key thing is tough with a splint on your left hand. I try my best to not use that as an excuse.

I discover I’m not that bad at VALORANT. An actual esports expert writes in our team Slack chat that I have “legit sick aim,” a quote I cherish with my entire being; a quote that is now the title of my future memoir. I wonder if I’ll be better at CoD on a PC. I am like that meme of the guy walking with a woman (VALORANT) looking back at another woman (CoD) with desire.

Modern Warfare Season 3 releases and my rank drops back down to 56. I freak out. I miss Call of Duty. I get a call from a friend whose opening line is, “I looked up your KDA ratio and it’s not very good.” I pretend this doesn’t bother me. I devote the entire rest of my night to learning this game on a PC. (Did I mention I’m competitive?)

I get my first positive KDA! And then another! My friends are yelling in my ear with pride. Then I have a better game than one of them and he suddenly “doesn’t know how to take a screenshot” of our leaderboard. I realize I’m getting good at this, but I have no proof. I set a goal for at least one positive KDA per day.

I decide on my favorite maps (don’t slander Atlas Superstore in front of me, I don’t want to hear it). I develop extreme “takes” (I still hate Warzone). I start passing judgment in meetings (“Oh, you use a Riot Shield? That’s cute.”). I memorize maps and Hardpoints (I will correct you if you’re wrong about where in the rotation order the Blue Building is on Grazna Raid).

The Call of Duty League resumes play online. It feels good to watch the drama again. I spend the weekend watching it and texting with the squad about players’ stats. I realize how much this game has connected me to the outside world at a time when I really needed it. I wonder if quarantine has turned me into a gamer?

If nothing else, it’s made me realize I love Call of Duty and will keep playing it with my friends long after this pandemic ends and we’re no longer stuck inside.

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Tags: beginner, Call, Duty, esports

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[nazih-fares]

An already very popular game on PC and home consoles, Payday 2 came out in 2013 as a sequel to the awesome Payday: The Heist. Offering to be the bad guys for once, and strategically take part of robberies and heists as a team of 4, the game is one hell of a fun game for friends, and now that it’s out on Nintendo Switch, I got the chance to test this port. Is it worth it though? Maybe, if you can forgive one key issue with this edition.

Starbreeze Studios and Overkill Software’s game has since its original launch, gradually released additional content package on its other platforms, and most of these are in this Nintendo Switch version. I say most because it is missing some which is a shame considering the full price game, like just 50 heists in total in comparison to the 58 in other platforms, but at least the important DLCs are there plus some exclusive platform content (it includes content up until the Most Wanted update to be exact). While you’ll find the usual character customization packs like different heist mask, weapons and accessories, you still need to buy these digital items between robberies with your hard earned robbery cash which is one of its main lifespan advantages. The game is huge, and the missions are quite varied, especially since they are dynamic as the engine tosses random elements everytime so it plays out in different ways, which helps with replayability. That’s on top of the skill trees that are available to enhance each of the core robber’s capabilities, including the Nintendo Switch exclusive hacking-based criminal known as Joy. A new character in the franchise, she specialized in hacking and wears a digital LED mask – that reminds me of the game RUINER reviewed here on the site – which helps for those who like being stealthy, which was kind of lacking from the original roster’s characters.

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While Payday 2 was never praised by its graphical or technical engine, you’ll soon realize a big shock once you decide to play the game with the Nintendo Switch dock. The textures are definitely not the best, but it’s the aliasing that will hurt your eyes, even if it runs at 1080p. Playing it in handheld mode does see a drop to 720p, which in a way reduces the noticeable tears, and makes the whole experience closer to the PlayStation 4 version, though a bit darker in colors. In any case, the experience is a stable framerate of 30fps, which makes the experience a bit painful because of its dynamic camera, as it moves slightly when your character advances. But my biggest concern was its handling, and I highly recommend investing in or pulling out the Pro Controller to play the game properly.

If it is possible to play Payday 2 solo with an AI-powered team of annoyingly dumb robbers, the title is especially meant to be played in coop multiplayer whether it is online or locally. In the latter mode, players can each be on their machine connected together via ad hoc technology which helps a lot, but it is especially the online mode that is interesting known as CRIME.NET. A matchmaking system that is rather fast, you’ll be able to use the handheld touch screen to move on the interface and pick your settings, lobby, loadout, and start the heist with a random group of robbers. But it’s in the multiplayer mode that comes the disappointment as well.

It’s already a known fact that the Nintendo Switch has no internal VOIP or voice-chat system, except the company’s ridiculous attempt of solving this with a mobile device app which currently only support Splatoon 2. With Payday 2 being all about communication with your teammates, it is not practical at all to develop strategies and properly run missions. While I can’t blame Starbreeze Studios for this handicap in online communication, the developer did mention recently that they have are waiting on approval to be added to Nintendo’s VOIP app, but that’s not perfect either from my own experience. It’s still a notable key feature that is needed on the console, so do like most other Nintendo Switch players and use third party apps like Discord or Skype to communicate if you really need to. And this is the main flaw of Payday 2 Switch, because at the end of the day, you can easily forgive its outdated graphics and its gameplay or handling that is a bit finicky with the Joy-Con. Otherwise Overkill Software and Starbreeze Studios’ game is damn fun to play with friends and offers a huge amount of content to keep you robbing for a long while.

Payday 2 was reviewed using a Nintendo Switch digital download code of the game provided by Starbreeze Studios. The game is also available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation and PC in digital and retail releases. We don’t discuss review scores with publishers or developers prior to the review being published

Painfully hurt by the lack of voice-chat capability on the console, Payday 2 is nevertheless a decent port of the game on the Nintendo Switch, with close to complete amount of DLCs from previous platform, and one hell of a fun experience playing with friends locally. An already very popular game on PC and home consoles, Payday 2 came out in 2013 as a sequel to the awesome Payday: The Heist.