Category Archives: Video Game News

Xbox One Gets an E3 Week Price Drop

Posted on by Kaleho

Microsoft’s Xbox One S console is getting a $50 price cut — for the week of E3, at least. The discount is set to remain in effect from June 11 through June 17, according to gaming website IGN.

 

With the price drop, several models of the Xbox One S are selling as low as $249.99, all including a pack-in game. This differs quite substantially from the Xbox One’s original retail price. The console launched in November 2013 at the price of $499.99, and included an accessory that Microsoft has since unbundled — the Kinect camera.

 

At the time of writing, retailer Best Buy currently lists two discounted Xbox One S models: one that bundles popular title Minecraft, and another with first person shooter Battlefield 1. Each bundle also includes a controller.

 

The discount comes ahead of Microsoft’s E3 press conference, which takes place on Sunday, June 11, 2017 at 3PM eastern. In that conference, Microsoft is expected to unveil the next iteration of the Xbox One, currently code-named Project Scorpio, as well as release details on the system’s pricing. Xbox head Phil Spencer has said in the past that the console would launch at a “premium” price, though now that Microsoft has dropped the price of the original Xbox One several times, it’s unclear what exactly premium could mean when compared to the lower-priced option.

 

One thing is for certain; by dropping the Xbox One S model by $50 for the week, Microsoft has set off a firestorm of speculation on social news websites like Reddit, where Xbox One owners are reading into the lowered Xbox One S price as a sign of what Project Scorpio might cost.

 

“Big red flag that Scorpio will come in at $399,” said Reddit user Indiscretion, commenting on a story about the Xbox One S discount.

 

“If I was a betting man, my money would be on $499,” added user LaboratoryManiac.

 

Both will likely know the price of Project Scorpio very soon.

 

First Ad For “Call of Duty: World War 2” Focuses On Multiplayer Mode

Posted on by Kaleho

Sony just released the first official ad for the latest Call of Duty game at the E3 2017 Convention. This game, entitled Call of Duty: World War 2, will focus on the European theatre between 1944 and 1945.

 

A few of the famous battle areas gamers can expect to play in include Normandy, the Ardennes Forest, Crimea, Aachen, and even on the English Channel. The ad shows intense battlefield and aerial combat.

 

The main storyline of this game will follow an American rookie soldier named Ronald “Red” Daniels. Daniels serves is the United States Army, 1st infantry Division, which is still an active military division.

 

Gamers will get to experience a few other perspectives in this highly anticipated game. A few of the secondary characters in this Call of Duty title include an African-American soldier, female resistance fighters, a British officer, and a child.

 

The trailer didn’t show much of the first person narrative in Call of Duty: World War 2. Instead, developers decided to highlight the game’s popular multiplayer mode.

 

Call of Duty: World War 2 will be the second title in the franchise’s history that focuses exclusively on the Second World War. The first major title focusing on World War 2 was Call of Duty: World at War in 2009.

 

Video gamers seem most impressed by Call of Duty: World War 2’s new multiplayer features. For example, players will have to choose between five different divisions in the game’s new Divisions multiplayer feature. Each division has certain strengths and weaknesses, which makes it extremely important to choose the right division for different circumstances.

 

People who pre-order this game will get a private beta version of Call of Duty: World War 2. Sony didn’t say exactly when this beta version will be released, but promised to have it finished before 2018.

 

Unfortunately, Sony executives didn’t say much more about this game in their conference. Sony does expect to release Call of Duty: World War 2 on November 3rd for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC. Sledgehammer Games is developing this title.

 

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 Gameplay Released

Posted on by Kaleho

At the recent E3 2017 video gaming convention in Los Angeles, game-play simulators were set up to demonstrate the soon to be released Star Wars game, Battlefront 2. They also released samples of the video online, which have been astounding gamers. The video looks extremely sleek and realistic, and the style of play appears to have addressed some of the concerns that stemmed from the release of the first Battlefront.

 

In this game, possibly more so than even the first, you get to play through some of the pivotal battles of the entire Star Wars universe. It now includes some action from the most recent sequel in the saga, “The Force Awakens”. You will fly some of the most epic ships, like the Millenium Falcon and an X-wing. There will also be hero versus hero mode, which allows you to pit different characters from the saga against one another, like Rey, Han Solo, and Darth Maul.

 

The improvements appear to come in how they have designed the class system for characters, each with individual and specific abilities and weapons. Blaster slingers, like Solo, have an array of weapons to choose from. Jedi, like Rey, or Sith, like Maul, have multiple lightsabers.

 

This requires more of a team element within the game, where you have to match the skills of the squad mates more than was required within the original. This gives more direction and realism to the battle sequences, rather than more of a random approach.

 

The ground vehicle and space ship control seem improved as well. They are more like a real part of the game rather than just a tagged in afterthought. There are also still plenty of single-player battles to try.

 

Check out this video of the clone trooper game play, complete with the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” voice actor for the clone army troopers, as well as the ever-annoying battle droids. Have fun blowing them up, especially once you get one of the AT-RT walkers.

 

New Star Wars Game Is Set To Calm Frustrated Fans

Posted on by Kaleho

There were more than a few frustrated fans when the first Star Wars Battlefront game was released. The game was designed to be a multi-player game but that hype did not work out so well. The fact was that while the game was multi-player, the design of the weapons and indeed the landscape of the levels in the games themselves were too simplistic according to the Verge.

 

What Electronic Arts is trying to do with the second version of this great game series is to try to please those who were so upset. Those who have gotten the opportunity to beta test the game have said that they appear to be on the right track. How this game will actually be able to calm the nerves of those who were upset is still yet to be seen.

 

The first thing that the game has done right is that it has a single player mode. That was something that was entirely missing from the first game. The way that the multi-player mode is set up is better than what was available in the first version of the game. It does seem that the company paid more attention to the graphics and other matters in the game to make sure that people are not upset by the things that they were bothered about in the past.

 

There is a whole storyline that one can play in single player mode. It is designed to be challenging but not impossible to beat. That is good because a lot of times there are just not friends available to play the game with you even if that is what you would prefer to do. If you can get enjoyment out of a game by just playing it by yourself, then you are already in pretty good shape. That is what this game has done its best to work on.

 

Considering all of this, the Star Wars Battlefront 2 game is something to behold.

 

A Few Reasons Video Games Should Not Be Ignored

Posted on by Kaleho

Video games play a critical role in the development of the brain and in a variety of other important areas of human development. It is very easy to dismiss them as a childish thing and a waste of time, but more and more research continues to show that in fact these games do have merit.

 

The Huffington Post compiled a list of reasons why video games are a great idea for anyone to play, at least from time to time. It all starts with the cognitive development that they bring about in the brain.

 

The modern video game is designed to help the player both have a fun time and think through some critical problems. You have to use your brain pretty heavily to be able to overcome some of the challenges that the game throws at you. Given this, you have to be ready to adapt and your brain must always be on red alert to solve a new problem. That constant usage of your brain power in the games means that it is getting a workout even if it may not seem so to some people.

 

Anxiety can be managed to some extent with certain types of video games as well. This is because some games are very easy to win and therefore help to boast self-esteem and ease anxiety. It is something that actually works for real people. That is a benefit that is often not discussed but is very real nonetheless.

 

Some think that video games are isolating, but that is not true with modern games. The games that people play now often involve a social element that those who do not play games simply do not see. The social element comes in the form of players competing with others all around the planet. This is why some use video games as a means of social interaction, and there is nothing wrong with that. As long as they are gaining something from the game, it is certainly well worth playing.

 

A First Look at the Egypt-Inspired Assassin’s Creed Origins

Posted on by Kaleho

While the “Assassin’s Creed” series of stealth action games has been around for a decade, “Assassin’s Creed Origins” is the nineteenth game in the franchise but only the tenth installment of the main series. Where the first game’s premise involved the exploration of the main character’s ancestral memory and has the player navigating various locations during the Third Crusade of the 1100s; this newest installment uses the memory diving technology within the game’s universe to explore Ptolemaic Egypt in order to tell the origin story of the game’s central conflict: that of the authoritarian “Templars” and the libertine “Assassins.”

 

The “ancestral hero” for this particular outing is Bayek, a “Medjay.” While the term Medjay can refer to a Nubian individual hailing from northern Sudan, it also refers to individuals who served the Pharaoh as advance scouts or military. Players send Bayek on a variety of missions, usually with allowance for multiple valid solutions due to the open-world nature of its gameplay. Bayek can call upon Senu, his pet falcon, to run aerial reconnaissance on mission areas; rush down enemies on horseback; snipe at foes with arrows fired from his compound bow or just slice up foes with a khopesh. The game will include combat engagements on horseback, upon the waters north of Egypt and within the unforgiving desert wastelands of the Sahara. One distinction Assassin’s Creed Origins has over its predecessors, likely as a nod to the earlier state of civilization within the world, is the relatively rare presence of tall buildings that the series has developed a reputation for taking huge leaps of faith from.

 

Assassin’s Creed Origins will launch in late October for the PC, the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. Once the console hits the market in early November, Assassin’s Creed Origins will also be released for Microsoft’s new “Xbox One X” console, which bolsters a consistent frame rate of 60 frames per second and graphical fidelity that reaches 4K resolution.

 

Learning English in the NALCS

Posted on by Kaleho

In the competitive scene of League of Legends, there are more foreign imports in North America than ever. Many of them come from South Korea and need to learn English in order to communicate with teammates. Sophie Ahn is an English tutor who helps them learn the language. She is contracted by nearly all ten professional teams, and throughout the week, she goes to team houses for English lessons. Teams with two or more imports often conduct lessons in group that allow for conversation between players. Ahn says that players have different degrees of proficiency and willingness to learn. Some players such as P1 Arrow are eager to speak in English with teammates, coaches, and the media. On the other hand, players such as C9 Ray tend to hesitate with speaking freely. Nevertheless, Ahn has been thoroughly impressed by the level of dedication overall. Because communication in game is so crucial for success, the players are willing to invest long hours into the language.

 

It can sometimes be difficult to work with so many teams. Many of them are playing each other in the upcoming week, so there are mixed feelings about helping the enemy out. Ahn does her best to respect the wishes of each team and to avoid playing favorites. As one of the only tutors in the professional scene, she has enormous responsibilities and a large salary as well. She also works with Riot Games as an interpreter for major tournaments and events. In comparison to previous interpreters, her translations have been called accurate, reliable, and fast. Ahn is an important figure in the Esports industry that allows teams to strengthen their communication. Once she learned the common phrases and terminology, her ability to help players has skyrocketed through the roof.

 

What’s New at E3 and Twitch

Posted on by Kaleho

It’s that time of year for E3, the most important gaming convention in circulation today. Sony has began selling gold Playstation 4 consoles — no, not real gold, silly — for only $249 at E3. This models are identical to existing ones and are only available at E3.

 

Bethesda Softworks recently made public that Skyrim will soon be available on the Nintendo Switch. Bethesda also stated that Fallout 4 and DOOM will be available on existing consoles in virtual reality form. Dishonored will also be getting new downloadable content, recently announced on Monday, June 12, at E3.

 

Fortunately for Xbox fans, Microsoft has announced as of June 11 that their new Xbox One X will have backwards compatibility all the way back to original Xbox games. Backwards compatibility is the ability to play games on current, advanced consoles that were designed for previous, outdated consoles.

 

Ubisoft made it known that they will soon release several games, including The Crew 2, Assissin’s Creed Origins, and Skull and Bones. The Crew 2 includes fast-paced Formula 1 racing, speed boats, and other fast, thrilling vehicles. Assassin’s Creed Origins is the newest installment in the Assassins Creed series, with roots reaching back to Assassin’s Brotherhood: Age of Ancient Egypt. Skull and Bones is a pirate ship battle simulation game that allows up to five players on each side. Maps will be totally explorable and have customizable ships.

 

Twitch has made it possible for their partners to sell games directly to consumers. Only large-scale, official partners with thousands of viewers are able to distribute their games directly. Streamers will be able to showcase their upcoming games directly to gamers, then sell games on conveniently on their respective sites. Twitch affiliates are also authorized to now advertise games sold by Partners, in which they keep a 5 percent commission.

 

The Most Important Video Game Show Is E3

Posted on by Kaleho

The video game industry continues to get bigger with each passing year. Literally billions of dollars are spent by people around the world every year on the latest games and consoles. The game companies also invest huge amounts of money in developing games that will attract the attention of people and get them interested in buying them. There are a wide variety of video game shows and conventions that are held for the purpose of giving video game companies a chance to show their latest products. The largest of these shows is called E3. It is held in Los Angeles every year. There will be a big change to E3 in 2017. It will be open to the public for the first time ever. Needless to say, gamers are very excited about the chance to play some of the most anticipated games months before they are able for the public to buy.

 

E3 has only been open to people in video game industry until this year. The people who organize E3 thought that including the public this year would be a good idea. The gamers who show up would be able to promote the games they play on social media. Therefore, they would be acting as a free promotional tool for the game makers. It remains to be seen which companies will have booths set up and which games will be available to be played. Some of the companies are being very secretive because they do not want details of their games being released before the show. The organizers have not said if the public will be allowed to attend E3 in future years.

 

Some of the video game companies will have contests at E3 which will give fans the chance to win some of their games. It remains to be seen what the contests will involve. There is certainly much more excitement around the E3 show than there has been in a long time.

Far Cry 5 Has A Provocative New Trailer

Posted on by Kaleho

The new trailer for Far Cry 5 is now astonishing and amazing video game fans worldwide. This new entry in the beloved video game series is definitely going to make waves. While previous entries in this series tended to feature exotic or tropical locales, Far Cry 5 is set in North America. In fact, this video game is set in rural Montana, a place fraught with myth and history. According to earlier reports, this game features a hero who squares off against a fanatical religious group that is engaged in nefarious activities. The plot details of this game have some interesting political dimensions. You see, the sinister cult featured in Far Cry 5 bears some resemblances to certain real fundamentalist, anti-government groups within the United States.

 

I am curious to see how the gaming public will respond to the innovations and provocations that Far Cry 5 may present. Of course, we won’t know how the public’s response will take shape until after the game is released on February 27, 2018. Whether or not this game precipitates great controversy, it will likely affect the world of video gaming in a significant way. After all, the Far Cry series has already become a cultural touchstone for millions of gamers. With its emphasis on deep, immersive storytelling, the Far Cry series has taken the first-person shooter (FPS) genre to new heights of sophistication.

 

Hopefully, the managers of the Far Cry series have learned valuable lessons from the relative failure of Far Cry Primal. Although that prehistoric-themed game had its supporters, many felt that the game’s lack of weapons and features produced a fairly monotonous gaming experience. This is a common pitfall for open-world games. Game designers must work mightily in order to produce an open-world experience that doesn’t feel aimless or meandering. I have confidence that Far Cry 5 will meet the expectations of gamers in most ways. Even if it doesn’t ultimately live up to the promise of the first two Far Cry games, there is every indication that Far Cry 5 will make a worthy addition to the series. Journalists have covered the newly released game trailer with palpable excitement. If Far Cry 5 lives up to its dynamic trailer, this might turn into one of the best games of 2018.