Monthly Archives: June 2015
Tales from the Borderlands: Episode Three — Catch a Ride Review
Tales from the Borderlands' third episode, Catch a Ride, is its best yet. Its cold open--a frantic action sequence that kicks off seconds after the previous episode's ending--sets the bar for drama high and never falls from it during its two-hour run.
The best thing about Episode Three is that it is essentially two vastly different games. The final choice you made in Episode Two, Atlas Mugged, has a profound effect on what happens throughout the entirety of Episode Three. Your narrative path is determined by a decision made in desperation as all enemies closed in on Fiona and Rhys in Atlas Mugged's last minute, and that choice will set you on a path that follows either Fiona or Rhys more closely. Other characters caught in the crossfire will undergo significantly different changes as well--it's hard to discuss this without spoilers, so pardon the vague terms--which in turn also affect just how screwed you are as you go about your mission.
After making your last decision in Episode Two, you can play through the entirety of Episode Three without seeing half of what the episode has to offer. So if you want to see both narrative paths and experience every possible outcome, you'll have to play the episode twice following two distinctly different decisions. It's a little confusing, and a lot of time to invest, but it's time well spent; Catch a Ride's two versions offer their own memorable moments and bits of hilarity, so it's worth the second playthrough.
Catch a Ride calls back to previous episodes in meaningful ways, deepening the story and giving players headspace for some serious theory crafting. Remember Felix, Fiona and Sasha's wheeling and dealing adopted father? His story comes into play in a big way in Episode Three, turning everything the two girls thought they knew upside down and making their trials in Vault hunting more emotional than physical. As the sisters struggle to come to terms with this new information and babysit the boys (because let's be honest, they are in charge here), Rhys is grappling with his own ever-growing problem--the literal voice is his head.
Again, depending on your choices, the ghost of Handsome Jack is either chomping at the bit for more control of Rhys' body or has completely convinced the guy to trust his guidance. Both of these tracks present some incredibly tense scenes between the two, and the growing idea of Jack's ghost as a legit threat adds more anxiety to an already thrilling narrative.
This isn't the first time Telltale's versatility in presenting varied narrative options has really shone through in Tales from the Borderlands, but it is perhaps the ultimate example of what they can do. Tales' branching story fully handed you the reigns for Episode One, and the challenge back then was maintaining that surrender to players for four more episodes. Episode Three is a strong example of how much control you actually have on this story, which is a lot; it's surprising and delightful to navigate certain social situations and be reminded that this is, at the end of the day, your story. Fiona and Rhys may misremember or exaggerate what happened, but it's you who gets to decide what is truth. And when the credits roll, going back to try the episode again with different choices results is such a different entertaining experience, it's hard not to want things both ways.
Narrative variety aside, notable elements of Episode Three include the addition of new characters and expanding roles of existing ones. Vault Hunter Athena steps into a much larger role, and her presence feels completely natural among Telltale's new heroes. My favorite moment in the episode is a conversation between her and Fiona about what it means to be a Vault Hunter, with Fiona doubting her own abilities and Athena insisting it's not about power--it's about being able to think on your feet. This brief moment of real talk is a humanizing moment for Athena and a wake-up call for Fiona. It's the sweetest moment in the series so far, and one that reaches out to not just Fiona, but you as the player and consumer of the Borderlands universe.
Ashley Johnson's character also makes her debut in Catch a Ride as what is perhaps the world's cutest robot. Her performance is astounding, adding another layer to the headache Rhys and Fiona are dealing with and another mouth to spout hilarious dialogue. Johnson's character has the best one-liners of the episode, and I definitely snort-laughed a few times during her scenes.
Tales of the Borderlands shines in the little things, its moment-to-moment drama and humor consistently on point. Every exploration sequence is populated with curiosities to examine and conversations that shape the world in big ways. Action sequences move quickly and keep your heart pounding; like in the original Borderlands games, you need to catch up and run with the big boys or die gruesomely. Each second spent in its world teaches you something about the characters you're shepherding and the Borderlands universe at large. Episode Three is definitely the best we've seen of this series so far.
Here’s Your New Spider-Man
Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios have announced that Tom Holland has been cast as the new Peter Parker/Spider-Man. He will play the webslinger in the next Sony Spider-Man film and is also expected to appear in Captain America: Civil War for Marvel. Additionally, the studios have revealed that the Spider-Man film will be directed by Jon Watts, director of Cop Car, a thriller that debuted earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
Tom Holland
Bungie Teases ‘Something Better’ for Destiny Vets
In response to the controversy surrounding the exclusive perks included in Destiny's Collector's Edition of The Taken King, Bungie has confirmed that longtime players have "something better" coming.
"Year One players won't get the same perks as people who buy a collector's edition," David "Deej" Dague told Forbes (via Eurogamer). "They'll get something better. Tune into the Weekly Update for more."
Meet the XCOM 2 Advent Soldiers
On alien-occupied Earth, the setting of Firaxis Games’ XCOM 2, it’s not all fire and brimstone. Though humanity was quickly crushed, and helplessly buckled under the weight of the invasion, the ensuing 20 years of life on our planet have seen more integration than oppressive subjugation.
People flock to the shining white mega-cities built across the earth by our alien benefactors with the promise of an easier life free of disease. And to manage those populations, the aliens have conscripted the Advent - the ostensibly human arm of the occupation force.
Though Firaxis is keeping details on the Advent’s origins quiet for now (other than to say they’re not directly connected to the Exalt forces from XCOM: Enemy Within), its soldiers act as a sort of military police for the aliens proper.
Spider-Gwen Gets a New Series and Joins Marvel Contest of Champions
Get excited, web-heads: we’ve got two announcements for Marvel Comics’ Spider-Gwen.
First, as hinted by a recent teaser image, she will be getting a series relaunch with a brand new Spider-Gwen #1 by the same creative team, writer Jason Latour and artist Robbi Rodriguez. Her comic will be one of ~60 new Marvel comics released as part of a line-wide relaunch after Secret Wars. While Secret Wars and Spider-Verse will be acknowledged in the relaunched comic, the series will largely pick back up where it left off, exploring the alternate universe of Earth-65 where Peter Parker died and Gwen Stacy became Spider-Woman.
Nintendo Well Aware of the Demand for a Proper Metroid
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime says the house of Mario is well aware of the desire amongst the community to see a proper new installment in the Metroid franchise.
“Look, we know that the fans want a straight Samus Aran game," Fils-Aime told Kotaku. "We also know that the best way to launch a game like that is to surprise and delight them, to give them a launch date, in an environment like this let them play it vs. what other companies do which is to announce a project that you may not see for five, six years.
"It’s just not the way we do things," he added. "We know the community wants to see a straight-up Metroid game. We know it."
Pixel Art World Record Broken in Minecraft
Streamer Thorlar has created what he believes to be the biggest pixel art image ever made in Minecraft.
At the end of a 23-week-long process, he put the finishing touches to the image in a video he uploaded to YouTube.
1,128,960 blocks were used to create the image of Kerrigan, Deathwing, and Diablo, and when you zoom out and look at the picture as a whole, it's remarkably detailed.
Xbox One Backwards Compatibility Supports Xbox 360 DLC
Xbox One's upcoming backward compatibility will also extend to Xbox 360 DLC according to a support account.
Xbox Support has tweeted out that the console will indeed be able to support such a possibility but, as is the case with the games themselves, individual publishers will need to give permission first.
It's also been confirmed by Eurogamer that cloud saves and Achievements will carry over, and 360 multiplayer will work as long as the servers are still running.
The Fate of Bruce Wayne Revealed in September
DC has released their full lineup of solicitations for September 2015. Unlike in past years, September won't see DC take a break from their usual books for a month-long event. Instead, look for the various new "DC You" titles to continue (many with new guest artists), as the Batman books explore the the true fate of Bruce Wayne, the "Truth" storyline wraps up in the various Superman books and "The Darkseid War" reaches a climactic point in Justice League #44.
Ending Series:
- Arrow: Season 2.5 #12
- FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #24
- The Flash: Season Zero #12
- The Sandman: Overture #6
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Won’t Add New Characters
Final Fantasy director Tetsuya Nomura has shared a few new details on the recently announced Final Fantasy VII Remake, confirming that while the studio isn't adding any new characters, the visual style will be more realistic.
"There won’t be new characters," he told Famitsu (via Gematsu). "As for the visual taste, we’re doing them to match today’s visuals and appear closer to reality."
As far as gameplay is concerned, Nomura said the remake will feature "a more realistic system."
Interestingly enough, Nomura plans to include parts of the teaser trailer, which made its debut during Sony's E3 media briefing, within the game itself. "We’re using part of that video in the game," he said. "We’re going to raise the quality even more."