Monthly Archives: June 2018
How Batman’s ‘Batpoint’ Story Highlights the Tragedy of Booster Gold
Booster Gold has finally found a spotlight in the Rebirth era, care of the most recent arc of Batman, but so far, his long-awaited return has been anything but celebratory. The once famously funny Booster's reappearance has been down right dark.
Warning: beware spoilers for Batman #45 through #48!
The recent three-part story arc "The Gift" (Batman #45 through #48) had Booster attempting to alter the current timeline as a "wedding present" for Bruce Wayne: a life in which his parents were never killed to prove the "value" of the pain that sparked his crusade as the Dark Knight. If that sounds like a terrible idea, that's because it was. (Editor’s Note: Remember Flashpoint? Booster sure didn’t.) In doing so, Booster effectively created a splintered timeline fans have dubbed the "Batpoint" in which all of Gotham became a nightmarish hellscape without Bruce as Batman.
11 Days of Unmissable Deals on PlayStation Products at GAME
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Live Now, Days of Play at GAME
Today is the first day of highly anticipated Days of Play at GAME, which means you can enjoy 11 days of unbeatable discounts on a range of popular Sony PS4 consoles, accessories, games, VR sets, PS Plus subscriptions and much more. See my hand-picked deals below or head straight to GAME for all their deals. Read terms and conditions here.
The 10 Best Tech Gift Ideas for Father’s Day
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Father's Day in the UK falls on the 17th of June this year. If you're struggling to think of what to get him, don't panic - I've rounded up 10 Tech gift ideas that are sure to please, some with Father's Day discounts to be taken advantage of.
How Rocket League Helped Me Through One of the Hardest Times of My Life
Losing someone close to you can knock you down with devastating effect. It can feel like everything’s crumbling beneath your feet, as you struggle to deal with the knowledge that your last interactions with them were ultimately final.
I went through this experience in a turbulent October and November of 2017 after a close friend passed without warning. Soon after this two pets of mine from home also passed away. It was a one-two punch that sent me reeling, and left me in what was one of the worst emotional ruts of my life.
During this time my room felt more like a prison than anything else. From the outside, it was a quiet, peaceful little area filled with bits and bobs that could keep almost anyone occupied and content. For me, it was my chamber — my area for thought and reflection, and my incubator for thinking about all the opportunities of bonding that’d be missed following my mate’s passing.
Big E3 Leaks Ahead of Nintendo Direct, Fortnite for Switch, Paladins Announced & more! – NVC Ep. 411
Weeelcooome to episode 410 of our weekly Nintendo show and podcast, Nintendo Voice Chat. This week, the NVC crew discusses all the big E3 leaks ahead of the big show, the recent Paladins announcement for Switch, a new game from the Director of Mother 3, the possibility of Gamecube controllers making a comeback, Mario Tennis Aces Tournament demo impressions, and much more!
As always, you can watch NVC here on IGN and on our YouTube channel (subscribe and hit that bell! It gives fairies wings!) or listen to it on your commute in audio format. If you enjoy the show, share it with other Nintendo fans, leave us a comment, and give us a thumbs up or leave us a review! If you prefer audio over video, please subscribe to NVC on iTunes or your podcast service of choice. You can also download and listen to the latest episode of NVC Right Here.
Just Cause 4 Leaked on Steam
Just Cause 4 has seemingly leaked on Steam.
A promo/preorder ad for what looks to be the as-of-yet unannounced fourth entry in the franchise is currently up on Steam.
Just Cause 4 ad on Steam.
Clicking for details doesn't work or reveal any additional information about the game. Instead, you just get redirected to the front page of the Steam store, so there's currently not much to go on.
Last month Just Cause 4 was listed online by Walmart, alongside several other unannounced games like Gears of War 5 and a new Splinter Cell.
E3 2018’s Biggest Rumors and Speculation
E3 2018 is just around the corner, which means that E3 2018 rumors, leaks, and speculation have arrived in full force. Like any pre-E3, the road here has been filled with a lot of brief, official announcements of games like Fallout 76, The Division 2, and Super Smash Bros. for Switch that will be shown in more detail at E3.
But there have also been a whole lot of unofficial leaks and rumors. Some of these have since been confirmed (see Rage 2, Hitman 2, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey). Here are some of the rumors floating around that haven’t been confirmed, alongside speculation of the likelihood that we’ll see them come to fruition at E3 2018. And after you're done, check out our full list of every game confirmed for E3 2018.
West Of Loathing Review: The Wild Bunch
West of Loathing is not as simple as its art style might lead you to believe. Its black and white color palette, stick-figure characters, and crude hand-drawn art might appear to be devoid of personality. But in practice, its visual simplicity acts as a malleable canvas for its imagination to run away with reckless abandon. West of Loathing is an involved Western adventure game/RPG hybrid that embraces absolute absurdity with mechanical flexibility and comedic personality, making role-playing in its monochromatic old West thoroughly entertaining.
The backbone of the game is its jokes and ingrained humor. Every little thing in West of Loathing serves as either a punchline or the lead-up to one. It exists in the writing naturally--the main narrative involves a bizarre cataclysmic event involving demon cows and rodeo clowns. The flavor text is filled with irony and wordplay, and conversations with characters play out like short sketches. The sheer amount of jokes draws you into Loathing's crudely drawn and ludicrous world, but what's more impressive is that they rarely fall flat, and if they do, there's often another to draw your attention away immediately.
But West of Loathing's consistent sense of humor runs deeper, woven throughout your interactions and the game's menus and UI. Attempting to search spittoons for items will engage you in long lectures from the narrator as they attempt to stop you from doing so by describing, in great detail, how disgusting what you're trying to stick your hand into is. Choosing to playfully boast that "Sneaky" is your middle name will discreetly change your middle name on your character screen to just that. Searching a shelf and finding a book entitled "The Art of Silly Walking" will unlock a new character perk, which adds a new toggle in the game's system menu to visibly change the way your character moves in-game to everything from cartwheels to swimming. These are just a few very early examples of the game's sense of humor, but West of Loathing's commitment and follow-through on its jokes will surprise and delight you throughout its entire duration.
You begin the game by selecting from one of three different classes--farcical takes on familiar RPG character tropes. The Cow Puncher is a warrior-style class, the Bean Slinger uses legumes as a source of magic, and the Snake Oiler is the rogue equivalent. But although each class comes with their own set of unique skills, and a convenient option for auto-leveling will build out a nicely rounded character for you of that archetype, West of Loathing also allows you the flexibility of manually assigning experience points to build whatever kind of character you want. That means there's nothing stopping you from having a physically adept Bean Slinger who can also pick locks, or a Cow Puncher with a high moxie stat and the cunning required to outfox his opponents.
West of Loathing's combat consists of a simple turn-based system situated on a 3x6 grid. There are some small nuances to consider regarding positioning and using cover when facing opponents with ranged attacks, and a number of consumable items can be used in battle to cause various effects. But aside from the novelty of seeing the amusing enemy and ability designs in battle, combat is a straightforward affair.
What's more interesting about West of Loathing's mechanics is that it is as much of an adventure game as it is an RPG, and one of the by-products of this is that there are multiple solutions to any given problem--and there is nearly always a completely viable alternative to engaging in battle. Having the right item in your inventory (some of which have multiple uses both in and out of combat), enough points in a particular statistic, or certain abilities unlocked means that you can complete quests or resolve random encounters without violence and still get enough experience points to spend on character progression. If you don't have the goods to pass these skill checks when you first encounter an obstacle, West of Loathing allows you to come back later with the right stuff if you so desire; it doesn't force you into any combat situations without warning, and it's a very welcome, player-friendly decision.
There are a few minor issues--inventory management on Switch becomes cumbersome as you collect an increasing amount of things, fights with a lot of enemies can obscure some pertinent information, and the stakes sometimes feel a little too low to be completely motivating. But West of Loathing's focus on maintaining a flexible, open-ended nature and lighthearted, humorous feel keeps you engaged in what feels like an imaginative pen-and-paper Dungeons and Dragons campaign, led by a game master whose only goal is to make sure you're laughing and having a fun time. West of Loathing's visuals are monochromatic, but there's enjoyable comedy painted between every line, a pitch-perfect Spaghetti Western soundtrack, and a full spectrum of role-playing possibilities to choose from that make it a consistently enjoyable madcap cowboy jaunt.
Tarantino Casts Al Pacino in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Al Pacino has reportedly joined Quentin Tarantino's upcoming film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Variety reports Pacino will portray the agent for Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Rick Dalton, a former star of a western TV series. This will be Pacino's first collaboration with Tarantino.
Al Pacino in Manglehorn.
Hitman 2 Sniper Assassin is Deep, Fun, and Full of Potential
Planning, precision, and creativity are the hallmarks of a good assassin. The Hitman franchise is built on this foundation, allowing players to execute targets with deadly flair. One of the most satisfying ways to put down a foe is with a well-placed bullet from a lofty perch.
Enter Sniper Assassin, a new mode that is available for those who pre-ordered the recently announced Hitman 2. Players are given a sniper rifle and are perched atop a cliffside overlooking a large mansion. Your mission is to eliminate three targets along with all their bodyguards within 15 minutes. This is easier said than done, as the mansion is flooded with guests who are attending a wedding. It’s a classic Hitman setting, offering patient players a ton of opportunities to sculpt the perfect kill.