Monthly Archives: May 2020

Rainbow Six Siege Review (2020) – Smooth Operator

In Rainbow Six Siege, small tactical choices always lead to big consequences. Every round is a new lesson in what you could have done better, with your mistakes acting as a stern teacher. Taking these lessons to heart and adjusting your team's strategy accordingly keeps each match feeling fresh and exciting, and a drip-feed of new operators, loadouts, and abilities constantly introduces new considerations. The thrill of seeing your plan succeed--whether that's a collection of traps that stops the enemy in their tracks, a well-placed breaching hole that sets the stage for an ambush, or two operators' abilities working together to pull the rug out from the opposing team--is what makes Siege not only a compelling shooter but one of the best examples of teamwork, tactics, and crack shooting out there.

Despite its evolution over the past four years, Rainbow Six Siege has always been a battle between attackers and defenders over a single objective. There are five operators per team, each with their own special gadgets that can be used to slow the attackers' assault or poke holes in the defenders' fortifications. Every round, attackers need to move in on a specific objective; depending on the mode, they'll need to sneak in and extract a hostage, create a pathway to secure a specific room, or strategize carefully to defuse a bomb. Bomb is the quintessential Siege mode, as it makes every operator feel viable and balanced. Pushing the objective, finding an opening to plant the defuser, and then protecting said defuser gives the attacking side a steep, rewarding climb to victory, and it's the defenders' job to knock them down and keep them from reaching that summit.

Playing video games with friends is usually more fun than playing alone, and the benefits of communicating and working together make Siege a more enjoyable experience when playing with people you know. Thankfully, solo-queuing isn't an entirely lost cause, as it's not uncommon to find like-minded players interested in coordinating as a team, but you will inevitably come across players more interested in taking the objective on their own. Siege incentivizes teamwork, and when a group of players executes a coordinated assault on the garage in House or top floor of Kanal, it results in some of the most exciting moments you can experience in a team-based first-person shooter.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Rainbow Six Siege Review (2020) – Smooth Operator

In Rainbow Six Siege, small tactical choices always lead to big consequences. Every round is a new lesson in what you could have done better, with your mistakes acting as a stern teacher. Taking these lessons to heart and adjusting your team's strategy accordingly keeps each match feeling fresh and exciting, and a drip-feed of new operators, loadouts, and abilities constantly introduces new considerations. The thrill of seeing your plan succeed--whether that's a collection of traps that stops the enemy in their tracks, a well-placed breaching hole that sets the stage for an ambush, or two operators' abilities working together to pull the rug out from the opposing team--is what makes Siege not only a compelling shooter but one of the best examples of teamwork, tactics, and crack shooting out there.

Despite its evolution over the past four years, Rainbow Six Siege has always been a battle between attackers and defenders over a single objective. There are five operators per team, each with their own special gadgets that can be used to slow the attackers' assault or poke holes in the defenders' fortifications. Every round, attackers need to move in on a specific objective; depending on the mode, they'll need to sneak in and extract a hostage, create a pathway to secure a specific room, or strategize carefully to defuse a bomb. Bomb is the quintessential Siege mode, as it makes every operator feel viable and balanced. Pushing the objective, finding an opening to plant the defuser, and then protecting said defuser gives the attacking side a steep, rewarding climb to victory, and it's the defenders' job to knock them down and keep them from reaching that summit.

Playing video games with friends is usually more fun than playing alone, and the benefits of communicating and working together make Siege a more enjoyable experience when playing with people you know. Thankfully, solo-queuing isn't an entirely lost cause, as it's not uncommon to find like-minded players interested in coordinating as a team, but you will inevitably come across players more interested in taking the objective on their own. Siege incentivizes teamwork, and when a group of players executes a coordinated assault on the garage in House or top floor of Kanal, it results in some of the most exciting moments you can experience in a team-based first-person shooter.

Continue Reading at GameSpot

Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series Coming to PSVR This Summer

Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series is coming to PSVR this summer as one complete package. Previously exclusive to Oculus devices like the Quest and Rift, Vader Immortal is a VR series set in the Star Wars galaxy that sees you descend into Darth Vader's fortress with the "key to the galaxy's salvation...or destruction." Announced as part of May the 4th celebrations, the PlayStation Blog post detailing this announcement says the game is coming this Summer, but an exact date was not revealed. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=vader-immortal-a-star-wars-vr-series-episode-iii-images&captions=true"] "Today, I'm excited to let you know that Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series is coming to PlayStation VR later this summer, and the series will be available as a complete series: all three episodes and Lightsaber Dojos will be available for purchase together, for the first time," ILMxLAB Executive Creative Producer Mark Miller said. Miller said ILMxLAB, the developer behind this game, began talking about creating a canonical VR series that focused on Darth Vader back in 2016. He said they knew VR was the answer as they wanted this project to be highly immersive. ILMxLAB worked with Ninja Theory to nail down the feeling of using a lightsaber to "the point where you really felt like you were parrying a blow, slicing through metal, or blocking blaster fire." The first episode of Vader Immortal was released for Oculus Rift and Quest in May of 2019. The second episode came out a few months later in September and the series wrapped with the third and final episode on November 21, 2019. Each episode had to be purchased individually so this PSVR version of the game marks the first time all episodes can be purchased as one complete package. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/04/12/vader-immortal-a-star-wars-vr-series-episode-i-official-trailer"] ILM is the development team behind The VOID Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire VR experience that can be found in places like Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida, or in other VOID storefronts. In those experiences, you actually walk around a building with a VR headset on to experience their Star Wars story. Vader Immortal was the first time an ILM Star Wars VR story could be experienced from home. The PSVR version of this game does not yet have a price but each episode of the series on Oculus devices came with a $9.99 price tag. We thought the first episode was good, giving Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Story Episode 1 a 7.5 out of 10. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes.

New LEGO Star Wars: Skywalker Saga Art Revealed

WB Games has remained relatively quiet about its upcoming, all-encompassing LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga since E3 2019. But, thankfully, a new piece of art teases the battles and characters we'll experience in the upcoming game. To celebrate the Star Wars-y date of May the 4th, WB Games has released new key art for The Skywalker Saga. It incorporates all three trilogies, major characters from each era, and a tease of the action to come. Check it out below.   Screen Shot 2020-05-03 at 9.25.28 PM LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga Key Art Banner The art includes some notable figures — Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, R2-D2, and C-3PO from a prequel-era battle, Leia and Han Solo battling AT-AT's and Stormtroopers on Hoth from the original trilogy, and Rey, Kylo Ren, and BB-8 from the sequel trilogy, with Chewbacca, sporting his medal, alongside them. Looming large over them is Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, while notable vehicles and locations, like the Death Star, are also showcased. While we're still waiting for a release date for The Skywalker Saga, we learned quite a bit about it at E3 2019 when we previewed the upcoming LEGO Star Wars. Rather than a compilation of past LEGO Star Wars games, The Skywalker Saga is offering a new adventure encompassing all nine Skywalker saga films, with five missions for each movie. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/12/everything-we-learned-about-lego-star-wars-the-skywalker-saga"] Featuring interplanetary travel, wide, open worlds to explore, and over 200 characters from across the Star Wars saga, the new entry will also be offering a new take on the series' combat, a host of sidequests, and more. For more on the upcoming LEGO game, be sure to read our preview of how LEGO games seem to be growing up with the Skywalker Saga, and find out how you can get The Mandalorian's Razor Crest ship in LEGO Star Wars.

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New LEGO Star Wars: Skywalker Saga Art Revealed

WB Games has remained relatively quiet about its upcoming, all-encompassing LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga since E3 2019. But, thankfully, a new piece of art teases the battles and characters we'll experience in the upcoming game. To celebrate the Star Wars-y date of May the 4th, WB Games has released new key art for The Skywalker Saga. It incorporates all three trilogies, major characters from each era, and a tease of the action to come. Check it out below.   Screen Shot 2020-05-03 at 9.25.28 PM LEGO Star Wars The Skywalker Saga Key Art Banner The art includes some notable figures — Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, R2-D2, and C-3PO from a prequel-era battle, Leia and Han Solo battling AT-AT's and Stormtroopers on Hoth from the original trilogy, and Rey, Kylo Ren, and BB-8 from the sequel trilogy, with Chewbacca, sporting his medal, alongside them. Looming large over them is Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, while notable vehicles and locations, like the Death Star, are also showcased. While we're still waiting for a release date for The Skywalker Saga, we learned quite a bit about it at E3 2019 when we previewed the upcoming LEGO Star Wars. Rather than a compilation of past LEGO Star Wars games, The Skywalker Saga is offering a new adventure encompassing all nine Skywalker saga films, with five missions for each movie. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/06/12/everything-we-learned-about-lego-star-wars-the-skywalker-saga"] Featuring interplanetary travel, wide, open worlds to explore, and over 200 characters from across the Star Wars saga, the new entry will also be offering a new take on the series' combat, a host of sidequests, and more. For more on the upcoming LEGO game, be sure to read our preview of how LEGO games seem to be growing up with the Skywalker Saga, and find out how you can get The Mandalorian's Razor Crest ship in LEGO Star Wars.

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Lord of the Rings: Gollum – First Screenshots Emerge

The first screenshots of Lord of the Rings: Gollum - the upcoming stealth adventure game from Daedelic - have emerged. Scheduled for release on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC in 2021, we were told that this Gollum wouldn't be based on Peter Jackson's imagining of the character. However, the screenshots, which have popped up on Gamestar, show that he doesn't look that different after all: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lord-of-the-rings-gollum-11-screenshots&captions=true"] There's a slightly more cartoony quality to the screens than we've seen from Monolith's Middle-earth games in recent years. Most of the screenshots show the darker region of Mordor, but there's a glimpse of lush New Zealand green in there too (albeit with some giant spiders lurking at the back of the frame). As for the game itself, we see what looks like the stealth-action game we were promised, as well as what seems to be adventure game-style decision making based around Gollum's dual personality. This game is based entirely on the Tolkien books rather than the movies. It's not the only adaptation in the works, with Amazon's prequel TV series on the way for at least two seasons. Make sure to watch the Inside Xbox livestream on May 7 for a look at even more upcoming next-gen games. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Lord of the Rings: Gollum – First Screenshots Emerge

The first screenshots of Lord of the Rings: Gollum - the upcoming stealth adventure game from Daedelic - have emerged. Scheduled for release on PS5, Xbox Series X and PC in 2021, we were told that this Gollum wouldn't be based on Peter Jackson's imagining of the character. However, the screenshots, which have popped up on Gamestar, show that he doesn't look that different after all: [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=lord-of-the-rings-gollum-11-screenshots&captions=true"] There's a slightly more cartoony quality to the screens than we've seen from Monolith's Middle-earth games in recent years. Most of the screenshots show the darker region of Mordor, but there's a glimpse of lush New Zealand green in there too (albeit with some giant spiders lurking at the back of the frame). As for the game itself, we see what looks like the stealth-action game we were promised, as well as what seems to be adventure game-style decision making based around Gollum's dual personality. This game is based entirely on the Tolkien books rather than the movies. It's not the only adaptation in the works, with Amazon's prequel TV series on the way for at least two seasons. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter.

Sony’s VR Team Is Researching a New Valve Index-Style Controller

Sony has published a new research paper discussing the development of a new controller that detects individual finger movements. A video uploaded alongside it demonstrates it being used with a VR headset, suggesting that Sony is working on new Valve Index-like controllers for potential PSVR2 hardware. Sony VR controllerThe paper, written by Sony Interactive Entertainment’s R&D engineers Kazuyuki Arimatsu and Hideki Mori, deals with the evolution of machine learning techniques in regards to hand pose estimation. Essentially, it discusses how machine learning in combination with a proximity sensor-equipped controller can estimate the position of fingers and then replicate that within a virtual environment. This follows on from a patent published earlier this year showing a controller equipped with finger-sensing technology. The video demonstrates the controllers - which here look very much like prototypes, or at least non-consumer devices - and the virtual representation of hands when different movements are made. The controller’s proximity sensors are able to detect when each finger is touching or lifted away from the device, and software is able to fill in the blanks and animate gestures, allowing for motions such as rotating your thumb. No external cameras are used to observe the user’s hands, which is a solution used by Oculus for the Quest headset's controller-free interface. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/23/the-10-best-psvr-games"] The paper does not specifically mention PS5 or PSVR2, and Sony has made no suggestion that the PS5 will launch with a new VR headset. However, this research into machine learning and new controllers suggests that Sony is looking into advancing its VR technology. Perhaps this will evolve into PSVR2, but it seems sensible to not expect anything soon. For VR you can play right now, check out the best PlayStation VR games, including gems like Superhot VR. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Matt Purslow is IGN's UK News and Entertainment Writer. You can follow him on Twitter