Monthly Archives: June 2018
Opinion: Gears 5 Has the Potential to Be Xbox’s God of War
This year's Xbox E3 conference unveiled a trio of new games for the Gears of War franchise, but the spotlight very clearly belonged to Gears 5. Though it’s easy to write off the game as yet another entry in the franchise, it looks as though the series will be using this as an opportunity to give the Xbox One a God of War 2018 of its own. Note: spoilers for Gears 4 ahead.
Gears of War as a franchise has always been the Xbox exclusive equivalent to Sony’s God of War, in that it’s also a game that garnered a reputation for being cartoonishly macho from head to toe. Even with Gears 4 telling a more emotional story, those macho undertones have been baked into the series’ DNA, and the emotion is always juxtaposed with the chainsaw mutilations and blood-soaked executions that dominate the campaign and multiplayer.
Wonder Woman 1984: How Can Steve Trevor Still Be Alive?
Update: The first trailer for Wonder Woman 1984 has arrived.
Ever since Wonder Woman 1984 entered production, fans have been speculating about the plot of this sequel. That's because director Patty Jenkins tweeted a set photo showing Chris Pine's Steve Trevor alive and well in 1984, despite the fact that he sacrificed his life during World War I.
How can Steve be alive? We're not sure, but we have some theories. Read on to see some possible solutions and find out how other versions of the Wonder Woman mythos have handled the Steve Trevor issue.
Chris Pine returns as Steve Trevor in Wonder Woman 1984.
Telltale Is Working on Stranger Things Game With Netflix
It appears Netflix is partnering with Telltale Games for an interactive game based off of Stranger Things.
Though TechRadar initially indicated that the potential Stranger Things game would be coming to the streaming service, Netflix issued a response declaring that it would be a more traditional Telltale series on standard gaming platforms.
But that's not the only thing coming as part of the collaboration. Netflix will indeed offer Telltale's Minecraft: Story Mode on the streaming service.
Netflix has dabbled in interactive experiences before, including Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale and Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile, which were both choose-your-own-adventure stories for younger viewers. However, Minecraft: Story Mode will mark its first Telltale venture as well as its first interactive game rather than an interactive TV show or movie.
Dumbo Trailer Breakdown
The first trailer for Disney's live-action remake of Dumbo is here so let's breakdown who's who in the teaser and all the homages to the beloved 1941 animated classic we could catch in it.
Dumbo is directed by Tim Burton, who previously adapted another animated Disney classic, Alice in Wonderland, for the screen. This new movie reunites Burton with his Batman Returns co-stars Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito as well as his Dark Shadows and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children actress Eva Green.
Check out everything we caught in the Dumbo teaser trailer by scrolling through the slideshow below:
Grim Fandango Remastered, Broken Age Coming to Switch
Double Fine is bringing Grim Fandango Remastered and Broken Age to Nintendo Switch.
Tim Schafer, the founder of Double Fine and director of both adventure games, unveiled the Switch ports at E3 Coliseum last night. This year is the 20th anniversary for Grim Fandango, with Grim Fandango Remastered originally unveiled at E3 2014.
Broken Age was released across two acts in 2014 and 2015. It was also one of the first huge Kickstarter-backed games, with funding topping $3 million.
Pokemon Let’s Go Is the Marriage of Pokemon Go and Core Games I Hoped For
It’s hard to compare core Pokemon games with Pokemon Go. After years of random encounters in tall grass, strategically fighting Pokemon to leave a sliver of health for easier catching, and carefully balancing the levels of a full party, it feels foreign for hardcore players to spend time with a Pokemon game that features none of those things.
But Pokemon Go does add a few new features that have always been missing from the main series. Actually aiming and throwing a ball to catch a Pokemon is something I would have killed for as a kid, and seeing a Pokemon on the overworld eliminates the guesswork when you’re looking to catch something specific.
In Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee, those features are introduced to the main series, and while we haven’t gotten to see much of Kanto yet, a demo at E3 did let us wander around part of a route early in the game to try out catching Pokemon and battling against trainers.
Nintendo on Importance of Cross-Platform Play
Among the many announcements in Nintendo's E3 2018 Direct, Nintendo and Epic Games announced the launch of Fortnite on Nintendo Switch with cross-play that very day.
The Swtich version offers cross-platform play and cross-platform progression with Xbox One, PC, Mac, and mobile devices. However, as players soon learned, Epic Games accounts linked to Fortnite on PS4 cannot carry over to the Switch version of Epic's popular battle royale title.
Fortnite on Switch Has Been Downloaded 2 Million Times
Though some leaks indicated it would be coming to the platform, Fortnite surprisingly launched for the Nintendo Switch immediately following Nintendo's E3 2018 Direct. And in less than a day, a huge number of players have already downloaded the popular battle royale game.
Speaking to IGN at E3 2018, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed to IGN that, in its first day of availability, Fortnite has been downloaded on Switch more than two million times.
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age is an Absolute Delight
My brief time with Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age was a delight, an airy romp through a vibrant fantasy world crowded with colorful monsters. I led my party on horseback through steep canyons lined with spiraling caches of minerals and littered with towering ruins. Dragon Quest continues to be a friendly RPG series. When I encountered hostile anthropomorphic cacti, they danced and smiled at me even as they tried to poke me to death. Even the most fearsome enemies have a delightfully adorable quality about them, and there’s a sense of whimsy and playfulness that inhabits the design.
The Dragon Quest franchise permeates Japanese popular culture. Its creator Yuji Horii is a national celebrity. The vibrant Dragon Quest monster designs by the legendary Akira Toriyama are universally-recognized icons in Japanese stores and television. Its 30 year old theme music can be heard practically everywhere.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 DLC and New Mode Revealed
Update: Two new playable Blades are coming to Xenoblade Chronicles 2's Challenge Battle Mode.
According to Nintendo's announcement at E3 during Treehouse Live, both Shulk and Fiora will be playable Blades in the aforementioned mode. In Challenge Battle Mode, players will complete various challenges and get new items and treasures as a reward.
Shulk in Xenoblade Chronicles 2, via Nintendo on Twitter