We Want More News !!

Another week and more gaming news to go over. This one’s going to be light because I turned 20 today !!! But I still wanted to post. We’re gonna keep going strong this year !! Welcome to another week with 36th Gen !!

This Weeks News Coverage

Xbox Dev Direct Was a Hit (I Guess)

The Xbox Developer Direct took place Wednesday afternoon and was very well received by the public. The praises were sung about the layout of the show and the amount of information that was shared with each of them respectively. They even had a kind of significant surprise that I’ll discuss thoroughly throughout this post. To be completely transparent I give the show a 6/10 in terms of what was shown but a 9/10 in terms of the entirety of the show, layout, and the potential for this format to become a staple for them to keep us up to date on the future roadmap of gaming. Honestly, I’m not too excited for Forza Motorsport because I’m just not the biggest fan of racing games but It looks graphically amazing. Also, I’m not particularly looking forward to Minecraft Legends although I think it will exceed my expectations. I’m not opposed to at least giving it a try. This year I do want to take a legitimate dive into Elder Scrolls games because I was never really into them as much as I was into the Fallout games so the continued support for ESO was kind of cool to see. Redfall looks like a gamble every time I see it. When it was announced I was all for it but as more is shown, it starts to look bland and kind of copy and paste. Comparatively speaking, I think it will be good in the genre it’s going for. Arkane’s take on Far Cry is what was said and I don’t know how to feel about that. I think I just expect every marketed game that comes from the Microsoft umbrella to be the console-moving IP. Redfall won’t be that of course but I still want it to be a defining factor in the Xbox-exclusive library. Now it’s time for the star of the Developer Direct…… Hi-Fi Rush. Hi-Fi Rush was an absolute surprise from Tango Gameworks and a welcomed one at that. It was a shadow drop (which I’ll get into later) and that’s very refreshing during this new era where games are announced or leaked and then we don’t see them for 2 years. I enjoyed the part of this game that I played and so did a majority of the people who also played. Good combat, a colorful setting, a charming main character, and good pacing are a few strengths this assassin of a release has. Right now Hi-Fi Rush is sitting at a 9.3 on Metacritic and I don’t see that changing any time soon. – XmanFiles

I Was Wrong About 343 But I Wish I Wasnt

This is just a follow-up to the last post.

 Last week I said 343 was demoted to a support studio. This was debunked when 343 released a statement saying they’re working on Infinite as well as future Halo experiences. The community responded with understandable disdain (not necessarily right or wrong) because this is the third game they’ve developed in the franchise and its campaign was mid and the multiplayer has been unattended until somewhat recently. I still want to see another dev take a crack at a Halo game but more than that I just want there to be a resurgence. – XmanFiles

Guerilla’s Favorite Child

Guerilla appears to be going all in on Horizon. They’re enlisting the help of a second studio to co-develop the franchise. This can only mean that there are large plans in the future for the series with multiple entries planned, as well as a rumored online multiplayer similar to Monster Hunter and its gameplay mechanics. While I am a fan of the Horizon franchise, I am a greater fan of another franchise. It rhymes with Bill zone… I’ll let you figure that one out. Congratulations to Guerilla on expanding the franchise and the future of the series! Herman Hulst, when do you think we’re going to get back to that game that rhymes with Bill zone? Give me a call, please! – JusBernard

Is It Even Real ???

Last year we got a fantastic trailer detailing gameplay and environments for a much-anticipated game called Crimson Desert. In the trailer, the game appears to be very far along and development and looked like it could be released in the next 6 months based on how complete the animations and graphic fidelity appeared to be. However, we’ve not heard a peep about this game since that trailer. No developer interviews. No update articles. No new teaser videos. As this game has been on hiatus, I am firmly expecting to hear an update around E3. The trailer we received last year posted intense boss battles, questing that sends you to the far reaches of the map, and an engaging storyline with multiple characters to become acquainted with. I am anxiously waiting to hear the latest on this game, it’s development, and most importantly a release date. Release date. I’d be satisfied with a release window even if they’re not giving a specific date. Can’t wait to get my hands on this game! – JusBernard

Personal Game Talk

1 Stood And The Other… Wobbled ???

Last week I did a little part rating both Deadspace and Forspoken and I’m happy to see I wasn’t too far off. Deadpace is getting 8s, 9s, and 10s while Forspoken is getting 7s, 6s, and everything below. Deadspace is from one of the best eras of gaming and giving it a facelift with a few new things secured it a great review and certain commercial success. I can’t wait to play this game. Forspoken needs something. I don’t know what but it needs something. I was watching it closely because I wanted it to be good. It looked fun. But it also looked bland and corny. I haven’t played it and I don’t think I’ll pick it up until it’s like $15-$20. – XmanFiles

Games That Lurk In The Shadows

Hi-Fi Rush is the star this week honestly. I am enjoying this game, it’s so fluid and flashy and the combat is fun when you add in the timing of the music with movements. All that aside it made me start to think about the way it was shadow dropped and how refreshing that was in today’s industry. Would more games benefit from being released like this? Of course, I don’t want this for the larger AAA games like Final Fantasy 16 or Starfield but something like the Final Fantasy pixel Remaster Collection or the Tales of Symphonia remaster would be amazing as a shadow drop. – XmanFiles

An Honest Gotham Knights Review

Well, I’ve been playing Gotham Knights for a couple of months now and it is just as I suspected. The reviews are wrong! I can say firsthand that Gotham Knights will be revered the same way that Arkham Origins was years later. This is really baffling and mind-boggling!  Knee-jerk reception and negatively critical reviews are confounding! This makes me think that we need to challenge shallow reviewers that rush to beat the game and send out a video or written review just before or soon after release. We’ve seen this happen with games such as Days Gone, where people play the game, but are unable to appreciate it because they don’t finish it or are rushing through to completion without fully appreciating all of the hard and painstaking work that went into creating the game. I saw a video just before the launch of Gotham Knights making a mockery of complaints that the game ran at 4K 30 FPS. The major point of this video was that Red Dead 2 ran at the same resolution and frames per second and didn’t get a fraction of the hate and disgustingly negative reviews that Gotham Knights did! Please don’t get me wrong, the game has some bugs, head-scratching design choices, and things that I just simply wish they did differently in the game. Particle effects and lighting are top-notch. The game is graphically beautiful and easy on the eyes. Character design is magnificent and the number of suit variations ensures that characters can look similar but not identical. Traversal and movement mechanics are solid although I did find myself being frustrated at times when characters refuse to grapple, scale, or bound over obstacles. There were sitting instances when you would come to a complete stop in front of an obstacle when you simply were trying to navigate around it. While the city is not the most detailed open-world Batman game I’ve experienced, It is well put together. You honestly feel like you’re in Gotham. Concerning gameplay mechanics, there is a main quest line with multiple enemies from Batman’s rogues gallery. In addition to the main line story, there is the general patrolling of the city that happens nightly. Both intertwine as handling the patrolling allows you to level up your character and gain insights as you question criminals which informs you as to aspects of the main line stories. I haven’t beaten the game and it’s not because I haven’t had time. The patrolling and combat are so addictive. I could do it over and over again. Four characters to choose from gives you loads of replayability in addition to the varied patrolling scenarios in which you are tasked with dispatching enemies. I bought this game on day one and have not been disappointed yet. You can find Gotham Knights heavily discounted now and I strongly recommend picking it up to play. You will not be disappointed if you are in any way shape form or fashion a fan of the Bat Family. Happy criminal hunting! – JusBernard

Quick Pick-Ups

Wanted to drop a segment here called quick pick up. Quick pickups will be games that are smaller in stature but still fun and engaging to play in your spare time. Breach and Clear Deadline is a top-down isometric 4-man squad shooter. You control a single player and AI controls the remaining three. You can switch between characters on the fly and each soldier’s skills and capabilities provide a diverse and varied warfighting experience. I’ve been playing this game for about 3 weeks and it’s a great game to play just before bed. You can complete a few missions and put the game down and return and pick up right where you left off the next day. The premise is that there is a biological menace creating zombies of civilians. Your squad is tasked with going in to find out what’s happened. Not only are you fighting zombies, but the local militia has banded together during this calamity. I was surprised by the deep customization the game provided. Weapons can be upgraded, and parts can be obtained in the field and added to weapons on your workbench. Your squad can be given different skill sets and capabilities. There’s even a satisfactory appearance customization that allows you to give your soldier his own look. I strongly recommend picking this up and giving it a try. Imagine Ghost Recon much smaller level! – JusBernard

Thanks For Reading This Weeks Post !!! Same Time And Place Next Week !!!

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @XMANFI1ES AND INSTAGRAM @36THGEN