Borderlands

BAFTA Games Awards 2019 Special

ISSUE 17 — 7 April 2019

by Shahan Ahmed and Dale Hurst

Special Feature: BAFTA GAMES AWARDS 2019

The 15th British Academy Games Awards was held this week at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The event was hosted by comedian Dara Ó Briain. This year, a new category was introduced: the EE Mobile Game of the Year award. It may be similar to the Mobile Game award, but unlike it and the other categories, this one is voted for by the public instead of the BAFTA committee and the trophy is a solid yellow rather than the standard golden mask.

God of War took home the most awards (with a total of five) including the coveted Best Game award. The list below shows the winner of each category. Check this page for all of the nominees that came close to winning an award.

Award

Winner
Artistic Achievement Return of the Obra Dinn
Audio Achievement God of War
Best Game God of War
British Game Forza Horizon 4
Debut Game Yoku’s Island Express
Evolving Game Fortnite
Family Nintendo Labo
Game Beyond Entertainment My Child Lebensborn
Game Design Return of the Obra Dinn
Game Innovation Nintendo Labo
Mobile Game  Florence
Multiplayer A Way Out
Music God of War
Narrative God of War
Original Property Into the Breach
Performer Jeremy Davis
EE Mobile Game of the Year (voted for by the public) Old School Runescape

Shahan’s Opinion: It has reminded me to try and get around to certain games (God of War and A Way Out) as well as putting some on my radar (Return of the Obra Dinn and Florence).

Dale’s Opinion: Working for or at least being involved with BAFTA is something of a dream job for me so it has been good to look at the Games section of their awards. I’ll be keeping a close eye in future…

New Character Spotlight: KOLLECTOR (Mortal Kombat 11)

The newest fighter to join the day one roster of Mortal Kombat 11 has been shown. Kollector will make his debut in MK11, which releases on the 23rd of this month. He is said to value his own wealth and status.

Kollector works for Shao Kahn and collects tributes for him like a form of tax. Similar to Goro and Kintaro, he has four arms. Two are out in front while the other two are in his backpack ready to bring out what he has collected to fight his opponent with. Not afraid to get close while also having ranged attacks plus the ability to teleport? Kollector will no doubt be a strong fighter to contend with.

Right before Kollector, another character was shown this week. Namely, Cetrion – an Elder Goddess with control over the elements. Her power to use ice, fire and earth comes from her bond to the Earth. Check her out on this GameInformer video.

Shahan’s Opinion: Kollector is one of the more unique characters in the MK11’s roster and Cetrion’s fatality is out of this world!

Dale’s Opinion: He is definitely a character I can see me playing a lot. That is, if I get the game when it comes out…

BORDERLANDS 3 IS AN EPIC STORE EXCLUSIVE

After the positive reactions to Borderlands 3’s unveiling, some bad news has arisen. Epic Games continues to upset PC gamers as they acquire exclusivity rights to Borderlands 3’s launch. Steam users will still be able to obtain the game, but they’ll have to wait six months after BL3’s release date of 19th September 2019. To be clear, console gamers are unaffected.

Shortly the review bombing was underway on Borderlands 2’s Steam page. However, for the first time, Valve is now actually taking action against it. They have introduced a system to mark ‘off-topic review activity’ that excludes reviews that are deemed to be review bombs. Users are able to disable this feature in their settings. Valve has promised to manually check detected review bombs for any reviews that shouldn’t be hidden.

Going back to some good news for Borderlands. After the trailer for Borderlands 3 dropped, the player count on all Borderlands games on Steam increased by over quadruple. Also BL3’s box art and its different editions have been revealed and ready for pre-orders.

Shahan’s Opinion: Even though I’ll be getting this on console for the split-screen co-op, the Epic Store exclusivity is a bummer. This is likely going to be a continuing trend for PC releases in the near-future. Will Valve do anything to entice publishers and developers and prevent delayed releases to Steam…? Time will tell.

BIOWARE’S ISSUES WITH ANTHEM AND THE PRESS

Kotaku has done an impressive article covering Bioware’s woes regarding Anthem. Stemming from the project initially being named Beyond; a name with meaning that was relevant to the premise. Changing it to Anthem caused confusion amongst those who worked on the game. The article goes on to discuss more last-minute changes like this, as well as the game’s being panned by fans and critics alike, plus many more issues. From understaffed departments to tension between two studio locations, difficulties with EA’s Frostbite engine and much more. Staff went on stress leave and some never came back; they were termed as ‘stress casualties’. It was also quoted that:

“Depression and anxiety are an epidemic within Bioware…”

Read the story for more — it’s a long but fascinating read.

In response to the article, the studio’s management did not discuss the topic with members of staff. Rather, the company sent out emails saying, “Don’t talk to the press.” Following this revelation, Bioware’s Casey Hudson sent out an email to all in the studio that an all-hands meeting will take place discussing all of the raised issues.

Bioware has written a response to the article that you can read here. But it has been speculated that the time they had posted their response means that they must not have read the lengthy piece. Polygon have also weighed in on the issue.

Shahan’s Opinion: Revealing such damaging work environments is important otherwise nothing will be done for the well-being of those who work in the gaming industry.

ENTER THE GUNGEON: A FAREWELL TO ARMS LAUNCHES

Dodge Roll’s bullet hell dungeon crawler got its final update: Enter the Gungeon: A Farewell to Arms. The update is free and available on all platforms you can play the game on (PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One). New features include:

  • Two new characters: The Paradox and The Gunslinger.
  • New guns, items and synergies.
  • Rainbow Mode – community inspired mode where each floor offers a rainbow chest but only one gun/item can be picked.
  • New secret floor w/ unique enemies and boss.
  • Starting weapons have new alternate art to unlock.
  • New Beholster shrine.
  • Pet the dog!

Various changes and improvements have been made to the gameplay as well.

Shahan’s Opinion: I don’t have the precision or reflexes for bullet hell games like Enter the Gungeon. Nevertheless, it is awesome to see games getting additional content without the devs charging for every new character or weapon. Excited to see what their next project will be.

GLOSSING OVER…

Netflix Announces “Playing Hard”

A documentary will be released on Netflix later this year entitled Playing Hard. It will be an in-depth look into the four-year production process of the game For Honor.

Yet Another UK Game Setting

Not only will the setting for the upcoming Pokémon games be loosely based on the UK; Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs 3 has also been announced to be set in London.

Microsoft to Investigate Historic Sexual Harassment Claims

A recent employee uproar and human resources nightmare has gone on at Microsoft recently. Relating to historic and otherwise-overlooked sexual harassment complaints. In response, Microsoft has begun investigations into these claims.

PLAYING THIS WEEK…

Dale has been playing…

PIKMIN (2001) (GAMECUBE)

On a real GameCube nostalgia trip these days. When I found and played ZooCube a couple of weeks ago, I also found the disc for Pikmin in there, which to my amazement worked just fine. It had been aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaages since I played it last so it was virtually all new to me again. And then I remembered it is so addictive, so fun and so infuriating all at the same time.

Announcing… Borderlands 3!

ISSUE 16 — 31 March 2019

by Shahan Ahmed and Dale Hurst

Top Story: BORDERLANDS 3 REVEALED!

After nearly seven years of waiting since Borderlands 2 (let’s put aside The Pre-Sequel), Gearbox Software have officially unveiled Borderlands 3! CEO Randy Pitchford was on the stage at PAX East 2019 to present the game to fans. However, it had a troubled, laggy reveal, possibly due to technical issues on the provided equipment. The trailer packed the usual Borderlands charm and humour. It provides a glimpse at the new characters, such as the new Siren. She is likely to be the mêlée-based character as she boasts plenty of muscle and can summon six arms made of pure energy. Plenty of old, familiar faces also showed up. Lilith, Marcus, Maya, Tiny Tina (who’s not so tiny anymore) and Mad Moxxi appear, as well as Brick conducting a sax solo. Characters from Telltale’s Tales from the Borderlands also make an appearance. The game will have over a billion guns, which is actually not surprising knowing how the series procedurally generates its guns and their properties. But what is surprising and hilarious is Gearbox showing off a gun with legs! No one asked for this, but the mad men did it anyway. Borderlands 3 has yet to be given a release date, but the not-so-subtle Pitchford may be implying it’s not far off.

Gearbox also announced at their PAX East panel a Game of the Year Edition for the first Borderlands on PS4, Xbox One and PC. For PC gamers who already have the game on Steam, you can upgrade to the GotY Edition for free! It boasts improved visuals (4K and HDR, improved lighting, textures and character models), a Borderlands 2-like minimap, new inventory system and auto-pickup, 6 new Legendary weapons and 5 new character head options. It’ll be available in a matter of days; specifically 3rd April!  If you’re interested in other games that showed up at PAX East this year, check this out.

Shahan’s Opinion: This series is one of the best for some couch co-op fun. The Sirens are always my go-to characters when available. Burning everything as a Firefly-build Lilith was glorious. Maya looks great with her updated look too. Super excited to try out the new, buff Siren.

APPLE ARCADE ANNOUNCED

After Google revealed their gaming-related plans with the Stadia (see last week’s issue), Apple are following suit. Not doing exactly the same thing, mind you. Apple Arcade is not a streaming service. It is a premium, monthly subscription service in which all games will have no ads or in-app purchases and can be played offline on an Apple device. The initial line-up for the service will have games by Sega, Konami, Mistwalker (Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi’s new company), Annapurna Interactive and other developers. Apple says that more than 100 exclusive games will be available as part of the service. Apple Arcade is coming autumn this year.

Shahan’s Opinion: I’d rather pay as few subscription services as I can. Regarding Apple phones in general, I’ve gone back and forth from theirs and Android phones. Ultimately, iOS is too restrictive for me. Apple phones look nice and premium but now even the hardware has a down side after they implemented that screen notch. Picked up a Google Pixel and never looked back.

STREETS OF RAGE 4 GAMEPLAY

During the summer of 2018, beat ‘em up fans rejoiced as a ‘90s gem from Sega’s glory days made a return. Streets of Rage 4 was revealed featuring a fully-bearded Axel Stone and a never-aging Blaze Fielding. It was announced by DotEmu and Lizardcube (publisher and developer of Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap) in partnership with Sega. Guard Crush Games (developer of Streets of Fury) will also be involved.

The new gameplay reveal this week gave a familiar feel, as if the developers are honouring the series’ past. The fighting is reminiscent of its predecessors, fly kicks and all. Throw your enemies and pick up weapons from the ground like before. But let’s move on to what’s new! Journalists who have had a hands-on experience with an early build of the game last year have said special moves take away health (like in SoR2) but regular attacks will restore that lost health. The new hand-drawn art style is a departure from the pixels of yore and look incredible. The devs have said SoR4 will have its own unique score and effects to help make it stand out from the original game. Does this mean the original composer Yuzo Koshiro won’t be making a return? They’ve been quiet on this matter…

Streets of Rage follows a group of young ex-cops who fight their way through a crime-ridden city to get to Mr. X in an attempt to stamp out the corruption once and for all. If you want to know more about the series including the multiple other cancelled attempts at a Streets of Rage 4, check out this video.

Shahan’s Opinion: I adore the original on the Sega Mega Drive so much. The characters. (Blaze! First video game crush.) The levels. (Freight elevator!) THE MUSIC. (YUZO KOSHIRO!) I NEED A RELEASE DATE. (And bring back Adam!)

SEGA MEGA DRIVE / GENESIS MINI

If all that Streets of Rage talk has got you feeling nostalgic, well we’re not letting up! Sega are joining Nintendo and Sony in creating their own mini console. On 19th September 2019, the Sega Mega Drive Mini (or Sega Genesis Mini for the US) will release. It comes with 40 titles ready to plug-in and play. Ten of the games have been announced. They are:

–          Ecco the Dolphin –          Toejam & Earl
–          Castlevania: Bloodlines –          Comix Zone
–          Space Harrier II –          Sonic The Hedgehog
–          Shining Force –          Altered Beast
–          Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine –          Gunstar Heroes

Shahan’s Opinion: I’ve not really been tempted by all of the Mini consoles when there are other, cheaper methods to play old games. But this one I’ll admit, I am sorely tempted. There’s always been Sega Classics Collections to play their gems on many platforms. But if this does well, could Sega be tempted to make another console? A Dreamcast 2!?! Sigh… Just a pipe dream maybe…

CD PROJEKT RED ON E3 2019

A conference was held by CD Projekt Group for their financial results for 2018. It covers not only their games but also their digital distribution platform GOG.com that even though it’s great, it only made $7.8K net profit in 2018. On the bright side, the Polish company has informed the conference they have obtained a new office building in Warsaw in close proximity to their current offices. This will enable them to expand and hire another 250-300 developers.

Let’s move on to their games. Gwent, the card game born from the Witcher series, will finally be heading for mobile phones. It will launch on Apple’s App Store this autumn, and a later date for Android phones. The Witcher 3 continues to make strong sales. Alongside Thronebreaker, it has made over $28.6M net profit in 2018. They’ve also acknowledged their talks with Andrzej Sapkowski who wanted more money from the developer as creator of the Witcher books. Negotiations are ongoing with the author, but they are unable to comment further.

Now let’s talk about Cyberpunk 2077 and E3 2019. After its initial showing at last year’s E3, Cyberpunk’s marketing has reached over 250 million people! Via their own channels and invited influencers who have tried a demo of the game behind closed doors. CDPR were asked if E3 is the best place to announce release dates of games. They agreed it is. They’ve gone on to say their E3 presence this year will have a surprise, but no pop artist will show up! It will be the most important E3 in CD Projekt’s history, according to CEO Adam Kiciński.

Shahan’s Opinion: E3 is going to be good this year! What surprise do you think they have in store for us? A trailer for a secret project they’ve been working on? Or maybe Cyberpunk 2077 goes gold? I can’t wait.

Dale’s Opinion: So, no Lady Gaga surprise appearance? That’s a shame – was wondering what she’d come dressed as…

GLOSSING OVER…

Shantae 5 Announced

A brand new adventure in the Shantae series is confirmed for later this year. Shantae 5 will be available on all major home consoles, and also the newly-announced Apple Arcade.

Layoffs at EA

350 employees in the marketing and publishing departments (among others) of EA have been let go this week. Also, EA Russia and EA Japan have both closed down.

Anthem Woes Continue

Looting issues with Anthem have been described by fans to be a regression from what they were before with the recent update. No masterwork weapons for you this update, freelancers!

PLAYING THIS WEEK…

Shahan has been playing…

Overwatch

I’ve hopped back on to Overwatch to check out the most recent character to be introduced to the roster.

Baptiste went live last week. He’s a combat medic with a difficult past. One of 30 million orphans from the Omnic War. He did what he could to survive and ended up as a Talon agent. After realising he has a choice and making a living wasn’t good enough, he chooses to fight for a better world and leaves Talon.

For the brief period that I’ve played him, it’s clear you’d need to spend some time to get to grips with this healer. He’s definitely one of the more complex heroes in his class. For example, it’ll take some time getting used to the healing grenade’s projectile and landing it on your allies. But hey, Baptiste’s DBZ scouter is looking super cool though!