Final Fantasy

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!

Terry Crews Simulator Launches

ISSUE 11 — 17 February 2019

by Shahan Ahmed and Dale Hurst

Top Story — TERRY CREWS SIMULATOR IS HERE!

Crackdown 3 launched a couple of days ago. I’m sure you couldn’t miss the advertising campaign for the game, featuring Terry Crews in his sci-fi armour being his usual amped up self. Now you can finally BE him as his character, Commander Jaxon, in the futuristic city of New Providence with its holograms and Hot Wheels-looking space cars. You can also play as one of his agents… but that would be silly.

After all the hype and build-up, was it worth the five-year wait? Well, so far it has received a mixed reception. Many feel that the graphics and gameplay are very outdated. The multiplayer, ‘Wrecking Zone’, is said to be simple with no progression system but future updates will be coming so the potential is there. Whatever the case if you enjoyed the first Crackdown, this is more of the same and is considered to be the sequel that fans deserved more so than Crackdown 2.

Shahan’s Opinion: It may not be the prettiest looking game but it looks like simple, mindless fun! I’ve not played the previous two but it reminds me a little of Saints Row. I’d prefer to play this on console rather than PC. Which is unfortunate as it’s a Microsoft exclusive, their console being the one I don’t have.

LINK’S (RE-)AWAKENING

Nintendo Direct this week showed off plenty of exciting news of upcoming games and updates. It included Deltarune, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Final Fantasy and much more (sorry; still no Animal Crossing).

The news broadcast ended with an amazing reveal. Link’s Awakening, a beloved Game Boy classic from 1993, is being reimagined and brought to the Nintendo Switch this year. It boasts a new art style that is still incredibly faithful to the original. If you want to see how the new graphics compare to the old, GameXplain have recreated the trailer in the original Game Boy game.

On a side note, Super Mario Maker 2 was also revealed at the Nintendo Direct. To be released in June, it will allow a New Super Mario Bros. U art style for your levels. Luigi and Toadette wearing Cat Suits have also been seen. Hopefully more information won’t be too far away…

Shahan’s Opinion: I absolutely love the old 2D Zelda games, especially the Oracle ones. I’m liking the new style. Hearing Marin hum the Ballad of the Wind Fish at the end of that trailer. Oh. Lord. Can’t wait to relive this game and be crushed by its sadness again. It’s kinda like re-watching the intro to Pixar’s Up on YouTube. Am I right? No? It’s just me? Okay.

HOLLOW KNIGHT: SILKSONG REVEALED

Team Cherry, the small indie dev from Australia, are making a sequel to their acclaimed and beloved game Hollow Knight. What started out as DLC, Hollow Knight: Silksong has you playing as Hornet. She made an appearance in the first game as a recurring boss and one of the protagonist’s siblings presumably. Hornet is very acrobatic and wields a needle and thread.

If you’re unfamiliar with Hollow Knight, here’s a quick look at what it’s about. It is set in an ancient kingdom in an underground world. The inhabitants are insect-like beings who used to worship The Radiance, until the arrival of The Pale King, who was reborn from a dying wyrm. The Radiance brought unity but she made the bugs a hive mind without thought. The Pale King expanded their minds under his influence. He made a plan to supplant The Radiance using the Void, a substance from The Abyss that The Radiance considers her ancient enemy. The plan goes awry and an infection spreads across the populace. They lose their expanded minds and turn to husks. The Knight set out to seal The Radiance once and for all.

Shahan’s Opinion: What a mesmerising world Team Cherry have created. The characters make me think of No-Face from Spirited Away and the Kodamas in Princess Mononoke.

THE LATEST BATTLE ROYALE…: TETRIS!?!

Forget Apex Legends. Forget Fortnite. The latest Battle Royale is here only on Nintendo Switch and it’s… Tetris 99! Yup, that’s right.

You face off against 98 other players at the same time, clearing rows and sending ‘garbage’ to other players in a race to be the last one standing. While you play, you can see the boards of all other players. You can choose specific players to target or let the computer choose for you. Knocking players out with garbage earns you badges. More badges means you can send more garbage at a time. There is a sense of progression in the game as you can level up from the experience you earn from matches. Tetris 99 also promises to have special events.

Shahan’s Opinion: This is undoubtedly a great way to test how you fare with your Tetris peers.

UPDATE: MCN SITUATIONS

A couple of weeks back, we informed you on two situations occurring with two different multi-channel networks; Machinima and DEFY Media. Here’s an update on both.

Rooster Teeth, the company behind animated series such as Red vs. Blue and RWBY as well as YouTube channels such as Achievement Hunter and Funhaus, worked hard to save all of the lost gaming video content and series that were lost when Machinima shut down. Some of the more popular videos were done by a group called Inside Gaming. The original crew of Adam Kovic, Bruce Greene, James Willems and friends left Machinima years ago after witnessing signs of its downfall first-hand. They went on to create Funhaus with the help of and being under the umbrella of Rooster Teeth. Now everything has come full circle and they have Inside Gaming back in their hands. Machinima’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts are converting to Inside Gaming. On YouTube itself, what used to be Rooster Teeth’s channel ‘The Know’ is now Inside Gaming’s official YouTube channel. All of their old videos are available on the Rooster Teeth website under ‘Classic Inside Gaming’.

Moving on to the situation involving DEFY Media’s shutdown and content creators such as Game Theory and SMOSH. Ally Bank, the current holders of the $1.7 million, made a tweet saying they also lose out in this situation and a professional has been hired by Defy’s board of directors to liquidate the company. Matpat goes on to explain that Ally Bank is using false equivalence to show itself as victims just as much as the content creators who might as well be considered small-time business owners. Check out his video for a full and well-spoken explanation.

Shahan’s Opinion: It’s great news to be able to watch the old Inside Gaming content. I highly recommend their Drunk Mario Kart video.

GLOSSING OVER…

Massive Layoffs at Activision-Blizzard

This should have been a much bigger section in this issue, but once you trawl through all the corporate jargon, you don’t come out with much useful information. In short, nearly 10,000 employees at Activision-Blizzard are being laid off as of last Tuesday’s report. Apparently, the staffing cuts are not affecting game development departments.

Darksiders III Breaks Even

Following on from us covering the game’s launch, we’d like to bring some good news for the Darksiders series’ potential future. The game has recouped the money spent on development and marketing. Surely we’ll get to play as Strife, the final Horseman, in his own game.

Apex Legends Tops on Twitch

It was a great first week for Apex Legends on Twitch, as it beat out Fortnite on viewership figures. The only question is now… will the success continue or will it be short-lived?