Friday, 31 March 2017

Replay – Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Zelda II is considered the black sheep of the franchise, but looking back, it featured a lot of unique ideas and introduced some new concepts that would eventually become staples for the series. Join us as we look back at this somewhat maligned entry in The Legend of Zelda series.

Andrew Reiner, Kyle Hilliard, Suriel Vazquez, and Ben Reeves go on an adventure into the world of '80s fantasy. See how Zelda II fared in our official Ranking of Every Zelda game. Stick around for part two of Replay where we tackle another forgotten NES game that features gameplay you might find familiar.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

For more episodes of Replay, check out our Replay hub, or click on the banner below to watch episodes on YouTube.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/31/replay-zelda-ii-the-adventure-of-link.aspx

Weekend Warrior – April Foolin' Around

With April Fools right around the corner, the Game Informer staff is set for a fun weekend of Zelda, Mass Effect, sports, and...Quantum Break? Like most weekends, some of us are spending time digging into the latest and greatest, others are playing...Quantum Break. Whatever you happen to be doing with this fine Spring weekend, sound off in the comments below.

Ben Hanson (@yozetty) – This weekend I dream of beating Ganon…I don’t want to end my adventures in Zelda yet, but I need to focus more on Mass Effect Andromeda for our new Game Club. Have a good weekend!

Jordan Leendertsen (@Bad_Durandal) – This weekend I aim to finish the original Kingdom Hearts on PS4, a game I remember very fondly and haven't revisited since childhood. I'll also be working on finishing the fourth season of Wilfred on Netflix, probably working my way through more of Horizon or digging into Gravity Rush 2 or Dark Souls 3. Or I'll just bury myself in a Kingdom Hearts coma and continue playing through the PS4 collection. I also might just reinstall Destiny, who knows. The world is my oyster really. 

Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard) – I bought tickets to see The Boss Baby yesterday which will certainly be something. My daughter is very excited (for some reason), so that’s good. I also plan on cleaning the fish tank which will probably be equally entertaining. I am really making an effort to move on from Zelda, but it’s been hard. I am having withdrawals. I got about about six hours into Horizon Zero Dawn before starting Zelda and I really don’t want to restart, but I am struggling to find my footing. Plus, I miss being able to climb everything. I’m sure I will get back on track, soon.

Brian Shea (@BrianPShea) – I’m waist-deep in MLB The Show 17, but I’d also really like to try playing more Mass Effect Andromeda. I started Andromeda, and though Mass Effect is one of my favorite series of all time, the opening just didn’t grab me. I want to keep pushing through to see if I can get to that point.

Javy Gwaltney (@HurdyIV) – Hey gang, I’m going to be spending this weekend with too much coffee and too much spacefaring and romancing alien species. Also, probably going to be running around Hyrule as well and watching EVA.

Andrew Reiner (@Andrew_Reiner) – I hope to play Zelda as much as I can on Saturday. One of my good friends is hosting a WrestleMana/Chicago Cubs party on Sunday. That means we’ll have two television sets sitting next to each other – one showing the Cubs, the other wrestling. In other words, it should be a good weekend.

Zak Wojnar (@ZakWojnar) – I hate April Fool’s Day. I’m going to barricade myself in a room with a single entrance and play Quantum Break from sunup ‘til sundown. I finished Act 1 last week and I like it so far, but it has yet to hook me like Remedy’s earlier titles. Still, I’m a sucker for physics-based destruction, and every encounter has been a joy so far thanks to the sheer number of highly-breakable objects scattered throughout the environments. If I get some extra time, I want to play Alan Wake’s American Nightmare, which eluded me the first time around, but I can’t make any promises.

Manon Hume (@ManonHume) – My weekend is currently shrouded in mystery, even from myself. I may or may not be catching up with friends. I may or may not be going to a new yoga class. The only thing I do know is I will weather the April Fool’s storm with the help of my PS4.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/31/weekend-warrior-_2D00_-april-foolin-around.aspx

Reader Discussion – Should Game Endings Be Dependent On Difficulty?

Raised in the harsh landscape of Halo’s legendary mode as a child, I tend to default to the hardest difficulty setting a game offers regardless of the genre. Because of this, I had no idea that the Halo: Combat Evolved ending with the hilariously non-canonical hug between Johnson and an elite isn’t shown on any other difficulty level until I played the game on Heroic with my less ambitious friend years later.

Games with multiple endings are steadily growing to be more common. Nier: Automata has a huge number of outcomes, all of which are based on actions in the game rather than the difficulty setting. Meanwhile, titles like Max Payne 2 and Kingdom Hearts award certain endings based on which difficulty level players chose.

How do you feel about games that reserve special content for the hardest difficulties? Do any endings stand out to you as being dramatically different by difficulty level? And do you think it’s a fair reward after a challenging experience to get these endings, or does it exclude players who are unable to play or who are uninterested in harder settings? Let us know what you think in the comments below.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/31/reader-discussion-should-game-endings-be-dependent-on-difficulty.aspx

New Wipeout: Omega Collection Trailer Reveals Summer Release Date

The Wipeout series can trace its origins back to the original PlayStation; while entries in the series have appeared on PC, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64, it's commonly regarded as a Sony franchise. Every entry from 1999's Wipeout 3 onwards has been exclusive to Sony platforms.

Wipeout: Omega Collection, brings together three of the best games in the franchise and ports them to PlayStation 4. This remaster collects 2008's Wipeout HD, its 2009 expansion, HD Fury, and 2012's Wipeout 2048 and gives them a fresh coat of high-definition paint. The games target 60 FPS at full HD resolution on PlayStation 4, and 4K resolution on the PS4 Pro.

You can check out the trailer for the collection, which shows off the series' signature sense of blistering speed, wild power-ups, and crisp graphics below.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Wipeout: Omega Collection releases June 6 for PlayStation 4. For more on the racing remaster, check out the first trailer for the game, which was shown at PSX.

[Source: PlayStation Blog]

 

Our Take
Wipeout is one of the fastest racers on the market, right up there with F-Zero and Fast RMX. The only thing holding this HD re-release is the fact that split-screen multiplayer is limited to only two players. You can hop online with up to eight racers, but we were hoping to group up on the couch and race to the finish on a single screen. 



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://origin-www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/30/new-wipeout-omega-collection-trailer-reveals-summer-release-date.aspx

What Potential Changes To Internet Privacy Laws Could Mean For You

Amidst news of online multiplayer games getting overhauls, new maps, and retail posters, something happened that could end up affecting anyone who regularly browses the web between Overwatch or Destiny matches. The United States Senate voted in favor of a resolution that, if the House of Representatives also votes in favor of it, could change how accessible your browsing data is to Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and whether those companies would need your permission to sell sensitive information to advertisers.

What happened?

On March 23, 2017, the Senate voted 50-48 in favor of a resolution that would repeal a set of internet privacy rules that would have required ISPs like Comcast, Cox Communications, or CenturyLink to ask for users' consent before selling those users' browsing data to advertisers. The rules in question are not yet in place (they're scheduled to take effect on December 4, 2017), but the resolution would effectively kill internet privacy regulations before they've had a chance to take effect.

The vote has to do with some recent changes to what the internet is in the eyes of the American government. In Februrary of 2015, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reclassified ISPs as "common carriers," which means they traffic in utilities. This effectively put the internet in the same category as telephones, water, gas, and other necessary components for living in terms of how it's regulated. This allowed the FCC to enforce net neutrality laws, which force all ISPs to provide access to all kinds of content on the internet equally. (In the past, ISPs would slow down users' traffic when visiting certain websites or sharing files to discourage them from engaging in these acts.)

Classifying the internet as a utility also meant ISPs had to follow the privacy guidelines previously written for telephones (and which the FCC updated with language specific to the internet in October of last year). The resolution the Senate voted in favor of on Thursday would effectively roll back many of these changes, allowing ISPs to do whatever they want with their users' browsing data. The resolution is not yet in place, however; the House of Representatives should vote on the resolution next week. If they vote in favor of it, it will be sent to president Trump for approval.

How likely is it that this resolution becomes law?

The 50-48 vote in the Senate was mostly along party lines, with Republicans voting in favor and Democrats against. Republicans currently have a majority of the seats in the House of Representatives, making it likely the House will vote in favor of it. Trump appointed Ajit Pai, who has since come down hard against net neutrality laws, to lead the FCC, making it likely he will approve the bill should it reach his desk.

What does this mean for me?

Currently, ISPs can see what kinds of websites you visit (and, depending on the level of encryption of the website you visit, which pages you view on those websites). If you, say, like to browse Destiny fansites and subforums, they can use that to assume you're into Destiny. If they see you shopping for Xbox accessories, they can use that to assume you have (or will be getting) an Xbox. They can then use those two bits of info to surmise you play Destiny on the Xbox, or plan to soon.

ISPs can then sell that information to advertisers the same way Google and Facebook do. Those advertisers can then serve up targeted ads, which you may be more likely to click on if they're based on something you're interested in. Right now, they can sell that information without you having a say, but the privacy rules which go into place later this year and which the resolution plans to repeal would force those ISPs to explicitly ask your permission for the right to sell that data. If the resolution passes, ISPs will be able to sell that information without your knowledge for the foreseeable future.

What can I do about it?

If you disagree with the resolution, you can contact your local representatives to inform them you don't want them to vote for the resolution.

If the resolution does pass, there are ways you can browse the web more privately, but none of them are perfect. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) can hide your information from your ISPs, but the VPN companies will see that information instead, and most require fees. Using proxy browsers like Tor obscures your browsing data to ISPs, but require more know-how than most users may be comfortable with.

Most people browsing the internet, however, may end up not knowing anything happened in the first place, and will continue browsing the internet as they have before. However, for anyone who regularly uses the internet (as most people who play video games do), it will be important to know just how much of your browsing data and habits companies will have access to in the coming months and, possibly, years.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/25/what-potential-changes-to-internet-privacy-laws-could-mean-for-you.aspx

7 Great Horror Settings We'd Like To See More Often

Time and time again, horror games go back to the same haunted mansions and grotesque hospitals, delivering subtle variations on locations we’ve seen since we first started playing survival-horror games. Changing these settings would give developers more opportunities to inject new life into their games, change stale enemy design, and explore new modes of environmental storytelling. Here are seven underused video game horror settings that would help freshen things up a bit.

Cruise Ship
When I saw the cruise ship setting in the first Resident Evil Revelations, I was struck at how clever it was as an environment, and surprised that I hadn’t seen it before. It’s isolated, and I found it unsettling to traverse a desolate structure meant to be full of people. Unlike a simple cargo ship or boat setting, a cruise liner offers a wide variety of environments that could be altered to fit a variety of art styles.

The value of the setting is that the aesthetic fits multiple time periods or types of ships. In RE: Revelations, for example, the interiors are reminiscent of the ornate, antiquated designs of the original Spencer Mansion, an aesthetic that adds variety to the more industrial sections of the ship. However, in any other game, this art style could be altered to fit for Art Deco, cyberpunk, or even set in another time period.

In addition to crew quarters, cargo areas, and below-deck areas, creators could play with entertainment venues like indoor pools, and ballrooms. A cruise liner is basically a giant water hotel, which provides greater freedom than some of the other entries on this list. 

Daytime
Another setting I saw first in Resident Evil, horror games set in broad daylight are few and far between. The harsh sunlight added tension to the opening chapters of Resident Evil 5, which was arguably the scariest part of the game.

Sunlight can take away tension by allowing players to clearly see their environments. Some things are more terrifying when we can’t see them, and can be a disappointment when revealed. Unfortunately, a lot of modern horror designers subscribe to the notion that darkness itself is scary, and that darkness is absolutely necessary for an intense experience. 

Darkness becomes a cheat for adding tension, but tension can be achieved in a multitude of ways outside of casting players into darkness and throwing them a pathetically battery-draining flashlight. Balancing ammo management with high-risk enemies, such as in The Last of Us, or forcing players to stay on their toes when surrounded as seen in Resident Evil 5, are just some of the many ways daylight has been used effectively, and we really ought to see it more often.

New Time Periods
It’s hard to choose a single time period that should be better utilized when there are so many brimming with horror potential. Both psychological horror and more action-packed monster horror could benefit from time periods like the Stone Age, The Middle Ages, or the colonial U.S.

Horror games have played with different time periods before, as seen in Fatal Frame and Clive Barker’s Undying, but rarely do they make good use of these settings. Games do a phenomenal job with world-building and environmental storytelling, so we could have some truly awesome moments based solely on a game’s setting, but we don’t. 

Wielding a firearm in the 1700s for example would force players to take time and consider every shot before a long reload. Utilizing bows and arrows or melee weapons in the Stone Age would force players to get in close and be deliberate in their attacks. The right developer could work wonders on a setting out of time.

Zoo
The zoo setting offers a lot of thematic and environmental potential, but has rarely been used other than a few notable appearances in games like Manhunt and Resident Evil: Outbreak File #2.

The animals are an exciting element to play with at the zoo. Outbreak File #2 made good use of animals, offering zombified versions of elephants and lions, yet animals could also be retooled to fit into psychological horror like Silent Hill. We’d like to see developers create otherworldly monstrosities based on animals like penguins, tigers, bears, and more. Even sci-fi settings like Dead Space could work in the zoo setting, revolving around synthetic animals, or play with holograms in a future without some forms of wildlife.

Zoos provide other thematic elements that would allow developers to explore ideas about humanity and the nature of animal captivity. In the right hands, this could lead to some interesting narrative elements.  

Campsite
The campsite is a classic horror trope in cinema, but is an incredibly underutilized setting in video games. The most recent examples include the upcoming Friday the 13th game, and Until Dawn. However, campsites hold an incredible amount of potential, and should be getting a lot more love

We’d like to see developers go beyond the simple Camp Crystal Lake stereotype. As Until Dawn showed adding something as small as snow into the mix adds a lot to the atmosphere. Seeking refuge in the forest or cabins from stalking killers or marauding creatures would lend itself to some interesting gameplay options, especially in the current era of first person, jump scare-centric horror

I can practically see the successful Kickstarter for the ‘90s throwback horror game that takes advantage of this setting, most likely paying plenty of homage to The Evil Dead and Friday the 13th. Fixed camera angles and polygonal graphics included of course. 

Trailer Park
The trailer park is a setting filled with lots of potential for fun gameplay that could riff on established tropes of deep-fried horror in the vein of Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Resident Evil 7.

The environment itself offers the biggest appeal here, both through exploration and destruction. The setting would lend itself well to tense gameplay as players searched individual trailers for supplies while making sure they didn’t get cornered in a tight space. Developers would also have a lot of room for varied environmental storytelling, leaving players to interpret the stories behind previous inhabitants. Additionally, a more dilapidated, ramshackle take on the setting could offer some fun destruction, leaving players free to tear down trailers and alter their environments as seen in series like Dead Rising or Left 4 Dead.

Enemy designs also offer a lot of potential. In addition to providing new spins on established tropes, like a zombie trucker for instance, a setting as campy as a trailer park could really go crazy with enemy designs based on swamp monsters, alien invaders, or mutant abominations. I might have just had an idea for a videogame.

Office Building
Office Buildings have appeared in a few horror games, but given the versatility of the setting, it’s definitely one that we’d like to see more. It worked well for the creeping supernatural horror of F.E.A.R., and equally well from the psychological angle in Silent Hill 3. Still, there is still so much more to explore in a traditional office complex.

Narratively, offices are a swell setting for stopgaps, offering labyrinthine cubicles and narrow hallways that make it more interesting to navigate from one objective to the next. Alternating between open floor space and tight spaces, an office’s corridors offer a lot of potential for tense gameplay in series like Resident Evil or even in a more futuristic setting like Dead Space. We’ll probably still have office buildings in the future.

Trapping a group of coworkers inside a building and forcing them to work together against supernatural forces sounds like a great setup for a horror-focused narrative experience. Something similar to the recently released film The Belko Experiment could also be interesting, working as a brutal successor to games like Manhunt or Condemned: Criminal Origins.

Horror games are an ever-evolving genre, and we hope to see that evolution involve some of these settings. For a look at some changes in difficulty that can make games better, you can head right here. We also have a list of our most anticipated horror games coming in 2017, which you can get a look at here.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/25/7-great-horror-settings-wed-like-to-see-more-often.aspx

Justice League Film Trailer Reveals Heroes, Covers Faces

DC and Warner Bros.' attempts to create their own cinematic universe similar to Marvel's haven't quite landed as well as they would have liked, but you can't deny they make great trailers. The Batman vs. Superman trailer was pretty good. The Suicide Squad trailer was maybe the best part of the movie. The first official trailer for Justice League doesn't quite reach that high bar, but it does have some decent moments.

For one, we get to see Ben Affleck's Batman play a little more coy this time, dropping two (two!) jokes in the trailer below. We also get to see The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg, the latter of which has some retractable helmet action similar to a certain other machine-oriented hero from another cinematic universe.

(Please visit the site to view this media)



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/25/justice-league-film-trailer-reveals-heroes-covers-faces.aspx

Multiplayer Brawler Lethal League Coming To Xbox One, PS4

Lethal League is a fun, four-person brawler that's sort of like a hyper-stylized version of air hockey, except the target is your opponent instead of a goal (and let's face it, your opponent is the target when you're playing air hockey, too). It's gotten a lot of positive buzz on PC through Steam (where it released back in 2014), but later this year, console players will be able to see what that buzz is all about.

Lethal League will launch on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on May 10, featuring several stages, characters, and online multiplayer. You have really have to play Lethal League to understand why it's so fun, but if you want to do the next best thing, you can watch the latest trailer for the game below.

(Please visit the site to view this media)



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/25/multiplayer-brawler-lethal-league-coming-to-xbox-one-ps4.aspx

What to Watch This Weekend: The Halo World Championships, Hearthstone, And Street Fighter V

It's going to be a big weekend for Halo, but that doesn't mean people are getting out of the way. Several major events are going on this weekend, and as we venture further into the competitive season, splits and seasonal tournaments continue to give way to invitationals and major tournaments.

After a few tournaments to determine who would make it there, the Halo 5: Guardians World Championships are finally upon us. Watch as twelve teams compete for the game's biggest prize pool of the year: $1 Million. (Stream 1 / Stream 2 / Schedule)

The 2GGC tournament hosts a number of events centering around Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, including a team battle, round robin, and more. (Stream 1 / Stream 2Schedule)

If you're looking for a more classic Nintendo fighter, Full Bloom 3 will host a major Super Smash Bros. Melee (and For Wii U) tournament, featuring some of the game's most notable players. (Stream 1 / Stream 2 / Schedule)

The Eleauge Street Fighter V invitational pits 32 world-class Street Fighter players against each other for one of the biggest prize pools the game has ever seen: $250,000. The action begins Monday and will continue into late May. (Stream / Schedule)

There have been several ongoing Overwatch leagues in the past few weeks, and over the next few weeks, we'll see their finals come to bear. First up is the Carbon Entertainment Overwatch Series, the finals of which will pit the four remaining teams in a short single-elimination tournament. Will we see Orisa in action? We'll found out! (Stream / Schedule)

Rocket League's RLCS continues this week, so if you were looking for the return of high-level play for the car-soccer title, here's your chance. (Stream / Schedule)

The Hearthstone HCT Winter Championship pits 16 of the game's best players for one of the game's biggest prize pools of the year. The week-long tournament will conclude tomorrow. (Stream / Schedule)

Of course, the League of Legends Spring Splits are still going on for the next couple of weeks, so if you haven't been following, now's a good time to catch up! (Europe Stream / Europe Schedule / North America Stream / North America Schedule)

In other Split news, this is the final week of the Smite Spring Splits in a couple of regions, so make sure to catch the last weekend of action before the real fun starts at the Spring Masters tournament next month. (Stream / Schedule)

That's it for this weekend! Let us know if we missed any events you're interested in, or if there's a scene you'd like us to cover, in the comments below!



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/25/what-to-watch-this-weekend-the-halo-world-championships-hearthstone-and-street-fighter-v.aspx

Replay – The Power Rangers Spectacular

We're seeing a lot of headlines about Donald Trump and healthcare right now, but where is the love for the Power Rangers? Every headline should be about these colorful warriors. CNN's top story should read: A New Power Rangers Film is in Theaters and Critics Don't Hate It! Fox News' story of the day should be: The  Power Rangers Marathon on Twitch is Bringing In Thousands of Viewers...Thousands!!!"

Game Informer knows what's up. That's why this week's Replay is dedicated to the Rangers. We take a look back at the earliest games inspired by this beloved TV show, and call upon Game Informer squatter Javy Gwaltney for expert advice. Javy is a lifelong Power Rangers fan. He skipped kindergarten classes just so he could watch new episodes. Skipping classes explains a lot about him. You'll understand what we mean by that if you watch this episode! So do it!

As the Power Rangers always say "Cowabunga!" Enjoy the show, folks!

(Please visit the site to view this media)

For more episodes of Replay, check out our Replay hub, or click on the banner below to watch episodes on YouTube.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/24/replay-the-power-rangers-spectacular.aspx

Weekend Warrior – Pointless Reboot #32832: Go Go Power Rangers!

First, it was Transformers and GI Joe, then they massacred the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and now Hollywood has set their sights on the next kids' show in line, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Like all the rest of Tinseltown's big-budget reboots of dated-yet-beloved franchises, Power Rangers is sure to be little more than a cynical cash grab. Still, maybe there's a chance that the film might actually be Morphenomenal.

The GI crew will be busy doing their own things this weekend, mostly trying to wean off of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in an effort to give a chance to Mass Effect: Andromeda. What are you up to this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!

Manon Hume (@ManonHume) – I started rereading the Death Note manga the day before the Netflix trailer came out, so I’m excited to finish that this weekend. I also got sucked back into Sunless Sea by the iPad announcement this week, so between the two of those, I’m ready for a dark, chill weekend – just how I like it.

Dan Tack (@dantack) – Playerunknown's Battlegrounds - Jumping out of planes, picking that perfect sniper position in the pouring rain, dodging the red zones, and trying to be the last one standing.

Brian Shea (@BrianPShea) – This weekend, I’m playing Mass Effect: Andromeda, Overwatch, and enjoying the Water Festival event in Pokémon Go.

Ben Hanson (@yozetty) – This weekend I’m going to be playing a lot of Mass Effect: Andromeda for our new Game Club! Lord knows, I’d give an arm and a leg to be spending more time with Zelda instead, but you know… what are you going to do?

Kyle Hilliard (@KyleMHilliard) – I think I might, possibly, maybe, be almost ready to put down Zelda. I’ve put in about 125 hours and have about seven shrines to go before I have completed them all. I don’t have to do all the Koroks, I don’t need to photograph everything, but I do want to see every Shrine. After that, maybe Mass Effect? I’m leaning toward Nier: Automata. It’s going to be tough to move on from Zelda. I don’t know if you know this, but it is a very, very good game.

Zak Wojnar (@ZakWojnar) – Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to play much this weekend, but if I can, I will continue my Yakuza 0 journey. I have about 25 hours logged over the course of the past month-and-a-half, which is simply not enough, especially considering how much I am enjoying the adventures of Kiryu and Goro. But hey, these Game Informer and ScreenRant articles don't write themselves, know what I mean? It's not so bad, though; I've listened to London Calling and Music from Big Pink literally every day this week, and I don't see why that shouldn't continue through the weekend.

Jordan Leendertsen (@Bad_Durandal) – This weekend I’ll begrudgingly finish off Netflix’s Iron Fist. I’ll then probably top off that incredible experience by downing an Old Fashioned while screaming the lyrics to Skid Row’s “18 and Life”, as is tradition in my native land. I’m a few missions away from the end of GTA V, so I might top that off. I’m mostly afraid of what might happen to Michael, he and his wife are such a great couple. There’s also Horizon, which has giant robot dinosaurs. So I guess that’s cool. Even with all of these slick games to play, I know I’m just gonna end up playing more Overwatch, because Overwatch is an eternal pit from which there is no escape. Watch your back Orisa players; Pharah is comin’ for you.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/24/weekend-warrior-pointless-reboot-32832-go-go-power-rangers.aspx

Reader Discussion – Should Game Endings Be Dependent On Difficulty?

Raised in the harsh landscape of Halo’s legendary mode as a child, I tend to default to the hardest difficulty setting a game offers regardless of the genre. Because of this, I had no idea that the Halo: Combat Evolved ending with the hilariously non-canonical hug between Johnson and an elite isn’t shown on any other difficulty level until I played the game on Heroic with my less ambitious friend years later.

Games with multiple endings are steadily growing to be more common. Nier: Automata has a huge number of outcomes, all of which are based on actions in the game rather than the difficulty setting. Meanwhile, titles like Max Payne 2 and Kingdom Hearts award certain endings based on which difficulty level players chose.

How do you feel about games that reserve special content for the hardest difficulties? Do any endings stand out to you as being dramatically different by difficulty level? And do you think it’s a fair reward after a challenging experience to get these endings, or does it exclude players who are unable to play or who are uninterested in harder settings? Let us know what you think in the comments below.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/31/reader-discussion-should-game-endings-be-dependent-on-difficulty.aspx

Mario Sports Superstars Review – A Shallow Sampling

If you've followed Mario's career, you know he and his friends are multi-talented. Aside from their world-saving skills, Nintendo's cast of characters set aside time for friendly competition in things like life-size board games, go-karting, and sports. With Mario Sports Superstars, Nintendo lumps five activities together into one package. Unfortunately, while they are all fun to play, none of them offer depth or compelling reasons to continue playing after the whistle sounds.

The game bundles soccer, baseball, tennis, golf, and horse racing together. They all provide pick-up-and-play gameplay that makes them accessible to players of any skill level. I enjoyed how quickly I was able to jump into a game and play competently against the beginner-level A.I. opponents, even pulling off special shots in my first soccer match. However, the novelty wears off fast, as you can only play essentially the same match so many times before craving more.

Each sport features solid mechanics that makes competing initially exciting. Golf and soccer are great to jump into, but my favorite sports were tennis and baseball. Those two sports not only feature the soundest mechanics, but they easily lend themselves to arcade-style action. Sadly, even those sports end up being little more than diversions. After just a few matches, the addictive loop of improvement slows dramatically as your skills plateau.

With minimal stat-tracking, a lack of a progression system, and no long-term play options like seasons or tours, I don't feel compelled to return to any of the modes outside of the allure of the simplistic gameplay and working to find the best characters for my playstyle. Luckily, that aspect does add some interesting wrinkles into the mix.

When selecting your characters, you must take into account their individual attributes. A balanced character like Yoshi might be a good foundation for your team, but you probably want to include a power hitter like Donkey Kong in your batting order in baseball, or a speed-demon like Baby Luigi as a forward in soccer. For baseball and soccer, you fill in the rest of your team with generic characters including Toads, Shy Guys, or Magikoopas. I enjoyed being able to draft a baseball team full of characters, each with different strengths to craft the perfect lineup. I wish that the other sports supported a similar layer of strategy, but they don't.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Horse racing stands out as the oddball of the group. With double jumps, boost pads, and obstacle-laden courses, horse racing is by far the most arcade-focused of an already loose and casual collection. Despite its wacky approach and dissonance with the other sports, I was surprised by how much I like horse racing thanks to its fast-paced loop of avoiding trees and hedges while collecting stars and carrots for energy. There is even an offshoot Stable mode where you can bond with your horse. I wasn't particularly drawn to Stable, but between caring for your horse, customizing it, and searching for items on walks, it's strange that this sub-mode of horse racing has more layers to it than any one sport included in Mario Sports Superstars.

You can play each of the five sports in exhibition or tournament. Exhibition allows you to customize your experience by tweaking some of the rules to your liking for one-off matches, while tournament lines you up against three consecutive opponents in a bracket-style tournament with standardized rules. You can also take the competition online, which works well if you can find players - splitting the player-base between five modes with custom search parameters seems to have hindered the pool of competitors in matchmaking.

As you play though the different modes in Mario Sports Superstars, you earn coins, which are used to purchase packs of cards. These cards unlock hidden characters and courses, but they mostly serve to fill out your fairly inconsequential collection.

Also hidden beneath the menus is a Breakout-clone that uses Amiibo cards called Road to Superstar. In this mode, you lay out up to three paddles spawned from Amiibo cards - regular Amiibos do not work - that return balls to destroy bricks and take out enemies. The mode is surprisingly challenging, but if you've played the classic Breakout game, it's nothing new.

Mario Sports Superstars delivers five fun, surface-level sports experiences in one package. Individually, these sports would be unable to stand on their own. However, as a compilation, the variety helps compensate for the lack of depth. Still, the more I played, the more this package felt like a collection of minigames than a value-packed compilation.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/games/mario_sports_superstars/b/3ds/archive/2017/03/31/mario-sports-superstars-game-informer-review.aspx

R.B.I. Baseball 17 Review – Not Even Worthy Of The Little Leagues

Chicago Cubs fans had to wait over 100 years for their loveable losers to win another World Series. I fear R.B.I. Baseball hopefuls will be waiting just as long for another respectable version of their game. Since the series’ revival in 2014, R.B.I. Baseball has struggled, and few attempts have been made to improve upon it.

The joke of “they just updated the rosters” is no joke in R.B.I. Baseball 17. While it was nice to see a roster update available already (released on March 31), little else is new outside of the menu graphics. In fact, it offers less content. The online multiplayer that debuted in last year’s game is nowhere to be found.

R.B.I. Baseball 17 delivers a degree of fun in the batting and pitching mechanics – which appear to be identical to last season’s game – but still struggles severely in handling the fundamentals of the sport. In one pitching instance, two runners on base held their ground on a routine fly ball to left field. That’s what they should have done. With one out in the inning, they decided to try to advance on a second pop fly hit to almost the same position in left. My fielder didn’t have to move to catch the ball. I then threw it to second for an easy double play. The A.I. malfunctioned in this instance.

I also witnessed a few A.I.-controlled players dive at balls a good six-feet away from them (see the video below). They didn’t field the balls, mind you, their bodies just collapsed comically to the ground. The game also has no interest in adhering to the laws of physics, as players who have their backs to a base can flick their wrist to send a ball sailing with pinpoint accuracy at over 90 miles-per-hour to record the out. These animations look terrible, and again, bring an unintentional element of comedy to the mix.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

The crowds are once again significantly smaller than the players on the field, making it look like the entire Smurf village decided to take in a game. Players are also reluctant to turn their bodies, and instead rotate their heads like demonic beings. It looks terrifying. Most of the animations are rough, and the lack of transitional animations makes it look like a glitchy mess with players automatically appearing in different stances or positions.

Don’t expect to find anything new in the game modes, either. Players can still play or simulate an entire season complete with stats tracking, but you can’t trade players. The only roster management is position and bench swaps. Should you complete a season and want to continue on for another year, you'll end up playing through the same schedule. The only other avenues of play are exhibition and post season (which auto-generates the teams you square off against).

R.B.I. Baseball 17 is the prime example of a series being milked to death. What started off as a great idea of bringing arcade baseball back into the limelight has turned into a bona fide disaster, the likes of which we rarely see. I feel sorry for anyone who picks up this game assuming it would be better (or even different) than last year’s installment.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/games/rbi_baseball_17/b/xboxone/archive/2017/03/31/not-even-worthy-of-the-little-leagues.aspx

Diablo III's 10th Season Live Tonight, Making Console Debut

Tonight, the tenth season of Diablo III kicks off, giving players an excuse to start a new character from scratch, take on some challenging new conquests, and acquire exclusive cosmetic loot in the process. It also marks a bit of a milestone for the game: It's the first time console players will be able to check out the seasonal content.

The new season is coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC tonight starting at 5 p.m. Pacific. Blizzard did a great job breaking down what's in store for season 10 here. If you're new to the seasonal concept, they've created this post with console players in mind.

If you haven't picked up the game in a while, tonight's a great time to get reacquainted with it. A lot has changed over the past few years, and you can see some of the most significant upgrades and tweaks in our feature.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/31/diablo-iii-39-s-10th-season-live-tonight-making-console-debut.aspx

Final Fantasy: Daddy Of Light A Real Thing, Coming To Netflix

In what might be Square Enix’s most unusual project title yet to cross to North America, Final Fantasy: Daddy of Light has been revealed as coming to Netflix stateside this fall. The show will air ahead of that in Japan, on MBS and TBS beginning April 20, and on Netflix Japan beginning April 20. 

The show’s story follows the true story (originally chronicled in a blog) about a father and son, and the ways in which their relationship deepens as they play Final Fantasy XIV. 

Perhaps the inexplicable choice of an English title for the project will make more sense once someone sees the series in full. 

Check out the trailer below. 

(Please visit the site to view this media)



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/31/final-fantasy-daddy-of-light-a-real-thing-coming-to-netflix.aspx

PlayStation Plus Vs. Xbox Games With Gold – Who Is Winning The Free Games War?

In 2010, Sony launched PlayStation Plus, a $49.99 per year ($59.99 as of September 2016) premium subscription service which offered a variety of complimentary games to users. The number of games initially varied from month to month, but, starting in July 2014, they streamlined the process so that six games a month (two each for PS4, PS3, and Vita) are on offer for subscribers. If users add the game to their library before it is taken down the next month, then they can play the game for as long as they remain Plus members, even if they quit the service and then return at a later date.

In 2013, Microsoft followed suit, adding complimentary games to Xbox Live Gold members; Xbox One games follow the PS Plus model, being unavailable to play if your subscription lapses, but Xbox 360 titles remain in users’ libraries in perpetuity; they’re yours to keep forever.

With that in mind, which service has enjoyed a better selection of titles: Games With Gold or PlayStation Plus? We went through the painstaking process of finding numbers, putting them in charts, and analyzing the results in an effort to answer that very question.

We looked at the data from the past two years, comparing Plus and Gold across various metrics, including a game’s age, Metacritic score, and platform exclusivity. In the interest of fairness, we only factored in PS3, PS4, 360, and Xbox One games. We chose not to analyze Vita games, as Microsoft has no equivalent handheld. However, if a game is cross-buy across Vita and one of Sony’s home consoles, then we included it in our analysis.

Game Quantity
In 2015 and 2016, PlayStation Plus Subscribers received 118 games across PS3 and PS4. During that same period, Microsoft delivered 93 Xbox titles to Xbox Live Gold members. For those keeping count, that’s 25 fewer games than on PlayStation. In terms of sheer quantity, Sony has Microsoft beat by a wide margin.

Game Quality
Over the two-year period, the average Metacritic score for PlayStation Plus offerings was 74.6. The highest-scoring title was Mass Effect 2 (94), followed closely by Journey (92) and Limbo (90). Some of the lowest-scoring titles included Datura (57) and Pumped BMX+ (56). The dubious recognition for the lowest-scoring PlayStation Plus title is a tie between Medal of Honor Warfighter and Table Top Racing, which both scored a mere 55 at the critical aggregate site.


Click For Full-Size

On the Microsoft side, the average Metacritic score was nearly identical, clocking in at 74.8. The highest scoring games were Gears of War 2 and BioShock Infinite, which both landed lofty 93s. Runner-ups included The Walking Dead Season 1 (92) Rayman Legends (91), and Gears of War 3 (91). Of course, Microsoft also offered a handful of stinkers. The lowest-rated title was Goat Simulator, which sits at paltry 53 on Metacritic, even lower than Medal of Honor. Other underwhelming titles include the co-op shooter Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel (54), Zheroes (57), and Tron Evolution (58).

Next: more comparisons between the free games of PlayStation Plus and Xbox Games With Gold.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/31/playstation-plus-vs-xbox-games-with-gold-who-is-winning-the-free-games-war.aspx

Hearthstone's Journey To Un'Goro Expansion Coming Next Week

Blizzard's latest expansion to card-collecting game Hearthstone now has an official release date. Coinciding with the Year of the Mammoth event, Journey to Un'Goro will be available starting on April 6.

Journey to Un'Goro introduces new monsters, mechanics, and card types to the free-to-play title. Adapting dinosaurs and deadly elementals are one major addition, as are quest cards, which grant players special bonuses if completed. 

Players can pre-purchase a bundle of 50 Journey to Un'Goro card packs before the expansion's release for $49.99. In the week leading up to the launch, players can also gain rewards for logging in each day up to April 5, one of which is an Un'Goro-themed Volcanosaur card. More information about the expansion can be found here.

Check out our previous coverage of Un'Goro's additions to the game, as well as the recent news of Blizzard retiring the Battle.net name.

[Source: Hearthstone blog]

 

Our Take
The quest card mechanic seems like it'll add an interesting strategic layer to competitive play. 



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/31/hearthstones-journey-to-ungoro-expansion-coming-next-week.aspx

Destiny 2 Confirmed For PC, Beta Coming This Summer, And More

Bungie released a lot of new Destiny 2 details today, including a full CG trailer, details about its beta, a confirmation that the series is finally coming to PC, and details about its assorted special editions.

The big news is that the game is finally coming to PC. How it will be available on PC is currently unconfirmed, but it's pretty safe to assume you will be able to buy it on a disc. Availability on Steam, or maybe even Battle.net (which is not outside of the realm of possibility considering Activision's partnership with Blizzard) is currently unknown.

The game will also have a beta, which Bungie CEO Pete Parsons says will be happening this Summer. It's currently unclear how to take part in the beta.

And finally, on its website, you can go ahead and purchase Destiny 2, which details all of its available editions, season pass options, and box art.

Here's what is included with the Collector's Edition which will be $249.99:

Destiny 2 Base Game
Destiny 2 Expansion Pass: Get access to both Expansion I and Expansion II, offering brand new story missions, cooperative activities, competitive multiplayer, and a wealth of new weapons, armor, and gear.
Destiny 2 – Frontier Bag
        Customizable bag that can be worn as a backpack or messenger bag
        15” Laptop/Tablet Sleeve with protective pocket slip
Frontier Kit, featuring:
        Solar panel USB charger with built-in light
        Paracord
        Solar blanket
Limited Edition SteelBook® Case
        Booklet with secrets into the Cabal Empire
        Cabal Schematic
        Collectible Postcard Images
        Cabal Military Pawns
Premium digital content:
        Legendary Sword
        Legendary Player Emote
        Cabal Empire Themed Emblem

Here's what's included with Limited Edition which will be $99.99:

Destiny 2 Base Game
Destiny 2 Expansion Pass: Get access to both Expansion I and Expansion II, offering brand new story missions, cooperative activities, competitive multiplayer, and a wealth of new weapons, armor, and gear.
Limited Edition SteelBook® Case
Cabal-themed Collector’s Box, containing:
        Booklet with secrets into the Cabal Empire
        Cabal Schematic
        Collectible Postcard Images
        Cabal Military Pawns
Premium digital content:
        Legendary Sword
        Legendary Player Emote
        Cabal Empire Themed Emblem

Here's what's included with the Digital Deluxe Edition which will also be $99.99:

Destiny 2 Base Game
Destiny 2 Expansion Pass: Get access to both Expansion I and Expansion II, offering brand new story missions, cooperative activities, competitive multiplayer, and a wealth of new weapons, armor, and gear.
Premium Digital Content:
        Legendary Sword
        Legendary Player Emote
        Cabal Empire Themed Emblem

And finally there is the plain old regular edition which will be the standard $59.99:

All we know about the season pass, or in this case, the Expansion Pass is the following text: "Get access to both Expansion I and Expansion II, offering brand new story missions, cooperative activities, competitive multiplayer, and a wealth of new weapons, armor, and gear."

Destiny 2 releases September 8 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/30/destiny-2-confirmed-for-pc-beta-coming-this-summer-and-more.aspx

Destiny 2's Reveal Trailer Is Online

As promised, Destiny 2's full reveal trailer is online. It shows what happened to your guns, teases story elements, and promises lots of loot. There's more to talk about, too, and we will have that ready in a follow-up post soon. For now though, here's the trailer. Destiny 2 releases September 8.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

For more on Destiny 2, head here for its teaser trailer and here for its logo reveal.

 

Our Take
Destiny never hooked me in, despite being a big Bungie and Halo fan. I'm eager to see if Destiny 2 will, though.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/30/destiny-2-39-s-reveal-trailer-is-online.aspx

Far Cry 3 Now Backward Compatible On Xbox One

When Far Cry 3 protagonist Jason Brody took off on a sky-diving trip with his friends, he had no idea the violent adventure that awaited him in the Rook Islands. Larry Hryb announced on Twitter today that players can now relive Jason's journey on Xbox One as Ubisoft Montreal's open world FPS comes to the console's backward compatibility list.

The game joins the growing collection of digital and disc-based Xbox 360 titles that can be played on Xbox One. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, a standalone expansion of the game, was also added to the list last year.

Check out Joe Juba's list of the top 10 Xbox 360 games to play on Xbox One through backward compatibility, as well as fellow recent addition Street Fighter IV.

[Source: Larry Hryb on Twitter]



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/30/psa-far-cry-3-now-backward-compatible-on-xbox-one.aspx

Starlord Prepares To Take On Thanos In The First Telltale Guardians Of The Galaxy Trailer

Telltale has released the first trailer for the first episode of its upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy game series.

The trailer gives you a chance to hear the game's voice cast, which is different from the film, and teases confrontations with Thanos. Groot also says his famous catchphrase, "Hello. I am a tree creature. I am very tall." The first episode, Tangled Up In Blue, will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, and Android on April 18.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

For more on Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy, head here.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/games/guardians_of_the_galaxy__tangled_up_in_blue/b/xboxone/archive/2017/03/30/starlord-prepares-to-take-on-thanos-in-the-first-telltale-guardians-of-the-galaxy-trailer.aspx

Blog Herding – The Best Blogs Of The Community (March 30, 2017)

Another week, another Blog Herding – and a good one, at that. So what are you waiting for? Get reading!

Community Blogs For March 23 – March 29:

Wolfenstein: What Would Have Really Happened If He Won?
StarterPack gives his take on alternate history – something I love about Wolfenstein games – and does his best to analyze what may have happened if Germany won World War II. It's an interesting read for alternate-history buffs.

100th Blog Post? Wanna Hear a Secret?
Haley Shipley loves The Legend of Zelda – to the point where she wrote an entire series of blogs on the women of the franchise. Well, now that she has reached 100 blogs in just over year, she's telling us a secret: a Zelda game is not her favorite game. I was a little shocked, but what she chose is super cool.

A Brief Exchange With David Baggett, Co-creator of Crash Bandicoot
Jonathan Harrison was able to ask one of the creators of Crash Bandicoot about early versions of the game. What we learn is a neat story about level design and securing demos against thieves. I've not read about this before, so I found it to be very fascinating.

Top 5 Forgotten Gems
Okay, so StarterPack's list is an...interesting one. But he backs up the choices with some sound reasoning. Just for fun, off the top of my head, here are five forgotten gems I think deserve more love: Robot Alchemical Drive, Shadow Hearts: Covenant, and... okay I would have to think on that more, but anyway, there are a lot of forgotten gems out there!

In Honor To Blog Herding
GerardoExber has been one of our most prolific bloggers since I've run Blog Herding. It is difficult to believe it has been so long. This is not only an ode to the feature, but to the writing process, and the community – those who make it what it is. I'm super happy that I am able to put the feature together each week and read what the community writes.

Community Reviews:

Review: Horizon Zero Dawn
Brendon Curzio is here to tell you what many people believe – that Horizon is a beautiful game that excels at pitting human versus machine. I only played about two hours of the game before Breath of the Wild hit, but even in that limited amount of  playtime, I knew this was a special game. Even if I dislike the heroine's name.

Writing Challenge:

For someone who has played soccer in both Japan and England, and worked on an island in Alaska, I actually don't travel all that much. I am traveling to another state this week, however, which prompted me to think of a new writing challenge: What games do you like to travel in? Fast-traveling is great, but I like to walk every inch of earth to my destination, taking in the sights. Or maybe you just like to hop on the fastest vehicle available and cruise to your next mission. Let me know how you like to travel in games, or even better, your best travel story!

I hope you enjoy the blogs! Please contact me via my Game Informer page or on Twitter at @LouisGarcia12 with any blog news or playdate suggestions.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/30/blog-herding-the-best-blogs-of-the-community-march-30-2017.aspx

Naughty Dog's Six Favorite Moments From Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

With the end of this month, we're wrapping up our wave of coverage to coincide with our cover story on Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. To close things out, we wanted to take a look back at 2016's Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. We spoke with Naughty Dog's president Evan Wells, Uncharted 4's creative director Neil Druckmann, writer Josh Scherr, lead artist Tate Mosesian, and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy's game director Kurt Margenau and creative director Shaun Escayg about their favorite moments from Nathan Drake's final adventure. 

Watch the video below to learn the stories behind Crash Bandicoot and the series' wildest setpiece. Also, just a heads up, the video contains FULL SPOILERS for Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

Click on the banner below to enter our hub of exclusive content that we'll be updating throughout the month.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/31/naughty-dogs-six-favorite-moments-from-uncharted-4-a-thiefs-end.aspx

Ms. Pac-Man Now Playable On Google Maps

April Fools Day has come a bit early for Google, who stayed true to their yearly tradition of playing with Google Maps this year by making classic arcade game Ms. Pac-Man playable inside the map service. Players can take control of Ms. Pac-Man and chase ghosts to their hearts' content through any locale on Google Maps. It's a fun little distraction that plays off of previous April Fools gimmicks, particularly the ability to play Pac-Man.

Pac-fans eager to get their fix can head over to Google Maps and start playing by clicking the small Pac-Man icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. 



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2017/03/31/ms.-pac-man-now-playable-on-google-maps.aspx

How Rain World Botches Extreme Difficulty

Even gamers looking for a challenge may want to look right past Rain World. Here's why.

From tough-as-nails indie platformers like Super Meat Boy and Spelunky to the punishing landscapes of Dark Souls, modern gamers are no stranger to brutally difficult adventures. Videocult's stylish new "survival platformer" is the latest game to amp up the challenge to extreme heights, but a few fatal missteps ruin the experience. Here are five ways Rain World crosses the line from difficult to frustrating.

Editor's note: While I played Rain World long enough to form a concrete opinion of the game, I didn't come even close to finishing it. As such, I'm not comfortable assigning an official review score. Instead, I'm offering the following criticisms to give any potentially interested players an idea of the challenges and flaws that lie ahead.

#1: The Controls Are Imprecise
Simply put, if a game is going to present players with viciously demanding gameplay, the controls must live up to those demands. Rain World drops players into a sprawling Metroid-style world that's filled with deadly traps and creatures, but your slugcat protagonist moves at a plodding pace, and the controls feel sticky and imprecise. I guess that makes sense for a slugcat, but it also makes overcoming Rain World's myriad challenges a pain, and will lead to countless unfair deaths.

For example, performing a long jump requires you to press down on the d-pad and hold in the jump button for a second. However, pressing down while too close to the edge of a platform will make you slide off of it instead. This problem is compounded by the fact that the long jump isn't particularly long, so you're naturally inclined to shimmy as close to the edge as possible. You can expect to fall off countless ledges while trying to guesstimate this distance, and miss countless other jumps because you were too conservative. You won't die from an errant fall (unless an enemy is lying in wait), but traversing a screen full of mazes to get back to a jumping point for the third time is still annoying.

Rain World's environments are filled with tunnels that transition you from one screen to the next, but there are also tons of dead-end holes that you will frequently plop into. Oftentimes these holes are right next to actual tunnels, and slugcat isn't great at differentiating which tunnel you're trying to enter. At best this is another pace-slowing annoyance, but if you're being chased by a deadly creature, the bungled controls often end in death.

Sometimes slugcat even manages to trip over its own long and awkward body – you'll inexplicably enter a tunnel backwards when maneuvering in close quarters, which makes you move at a slower pace than usual. Difficult games need dependable controls; Rain World's physics-powered animations may look good, but they don't feel good.

#2: Enemies Are Deadly, Unpredictable, And Spawn Randomly
It's not just that Rain World's enemies can and will one-hit kill you. It's not that their sim-based behavior is unpredictable, making it impossible to anticipate their patrol patterns or attacks. It's not even that the weapons at your disposal – mostly rocks and sticks you pick up in the environment – aren't enough to kill the predatory creatures. What really botches Rain World's difficulty is that these lethal enemies spawn randomly.

If you're playing Dark Souls and an enemy unexpectedly jumps out from behind a door and stabs you in the back, you're probably going to die. But the second time you go through that environment, you know he's lurking behind the door – and every time after that. In this way, Dark Souls allows you to learn the layout and dangers of your environment (as well as the moves and weaknesses of your foes), which instills a sense of steady progression even amidst hundreds of deaths.

There is no such predictability or dependability in Rain World. On one life, a screen of the environment may be completely devoid of life. On the next life, it may have three deadly lizards roaming around, blocking off the only passage forward. Foes frequently slither onto the screen via the same tunnels you use, with only a moment's notice. Your only real option is to circumvent them, and while this results in some tense cat-and-mouse moments, it also results in some hopeless situations where death is unavoidable, as well as boring moments where you're stuck hanging around waiting for a twitchy reptile to shamble out of the way.

#3: Progression Often Gives Way To Regression
All of the issues with the controls and enemies are exacerbated by Rain World's save system and progression mechanics. In order to save your progress, you need to find one of Rain World's save rooms and hibernate. In order to hibernate, however, you need to first eat four pieces of food, whether they are hard-to-reach berries, or small creatures like bats. Food can be difficult to come by; while some screens may reliably produce a berry or two, living prey – like Rain World's predators – are frustratingly inconsistent.  

Hibernating also increases your Karma rating by one point, and Karma is how areas in the world are gated. Here's the problem: When you die in Rain World, not only is all of your progress on the map erased back to your last save, you also lose a point of Karma.

This is where the Rain World experience really falls apart, and what led to my breaking point a handful of hours into the game. I had carefully creeped from one screen to the next, dying frequently and redoing areas until I found another all-too-rare save room (more on that later). I then managed to scrounge up enough food to hibernate a couple of times and unlock the next area. I traveled to the new area, and made it a few more screens before succumbing to the new traps and creatures of the unfamiliar surroundings. I then respawned at the save point back in the previous area. My most recent map progress was wiped out, and the gate to the new area was blocked once again. To get back, I first had to scrounge up four more meals, then go back to the save room and hibernate, then return back to the passage that unlocks the next area. However, I died in the jaws of a surprise sewer lizard during this process, which meant I had to do the entire scrounging/hibernating routine twice. When I finally made back to the new area, I forged a few screens further than the last time, before getting trapped in a tunnel by two enemies on either side of me, Pac-Man-style. I died, and all of my progress was wiped yet again. How do you make this entire sadistic process even worse? Keep reading...

#4: Save Rooms Are Few And Far Between
Not only are there way too few save rooms, there's no way to tell where they'll pop up in the labyrinthine sprawl of connected screens. This once again aggravates all of Rain World's other problems. The slow pace of your character, the spotty controls, the super-deadly enemies that spawn and behave randomly, the need to collect food before you can hibernate, and the need to hibernate in order to raise your Karma and unlock (or re-access) new areas – with so few progress-saving rooms available to you, exploring Rain World's eerie environments becomes a grueling and infuriating test of patience.

#5: The Game Explains Virtually Nothing
The first few screens you traverse lay out the basic mechanics of Rain World. After that, you're on your own. Normally I appreciate games that encourage me to discover things by myself, but with so many obstacles already hindering your progress, Rain World's obtuse mysteries are just frustrating. Exploring and experimenting aren't fun when a single errant move can kill you and wipe out 30 minutes of progress. What's this red feather for? Will it prevent that carnivorous plant from eating me? Do I have to carry it somewhere, forgoing a weapon in the process? If so, where am I taking it?

Frequently, the only way to learn something in Rain World is to die from it. That weird alien grass that you didn't even see? It will kill you. So will that large tentacle that's disguised as a regular climbing pole. So will the rain! But you avoid other objects at your own peril – that suspicious red plant may offer up a bountiful meal. Rain World wants you to explore and discover, but the stakes are always too high – even if you just stumbled out of a save room, death carries a hefty penalty.

 

I have no doubt that the defense of Rain World fans will be to "git gud," and that feeling confused and helpless is the point. After all, you're an innocent little slugcat who's lost in a cruel and dangerous world – it should be dangerous! Maybe that dynamic would work with better controls and a more sensible save system. As it stands, however, reaching a new area didn't fill me with a sense of achievement or satisfaction; I was still frustrated by my slow progress, and dejected by the knowledge that my next inevitable death would wipe it all away. As I said at the beginning, I didn’t play enough of Rain World to feel comfortable giving it a review score, but I am comfortable telling all but the most masochistic gamers to give it a hard pass.



from www.GameInformer.com - The Feed http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2017/03/31/how-rain-world-botches-extreme-difficulty.aspx