Kotaku Sunday, January 21, 2024 9:15 AM  Lots going on this week! The Xbox Developer Direct event on January 18 gave us a sneak peek at upcoming games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Obsidian's RPG Avowed. Ubisoft managed to put their foot in it by sharing an unpopular take on subscription services, and Hogwarts Legacy broke a longstanding… |
PCGamesN Sunday, January 21, 2024 11:43 AM  Baldur's Gate 3 is a game that puts a whole wealth of power in your hands, but some of its most tantalizing fruits are those that feel just a little bit forbidden. Making use of the various Baldur's Gate 3 Illithid powers can be a great way to enhance your capabilities, but oftentimes the temptation to wield them can feel a little insufficient to justify the costs of using them. Fortunately, a new BG3 mod is a great way to make the tradeoffs feel worth it - though do note that some Baldur's Gate 3 mechanical spoilers follow. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Baldur's Gate 3 builds, BG3 mods, Baldur's Gate 3 classes |
PCGamesN Sunday, January 21, 2024 11:16 AM  After reversing course and approving a fan-made Old School RuneScape HD mod for release, developer Jagex finally shows off its own OSRS HD Mode, which will include fully dynamic lighting, sunlight effects, fog, and a whole lot more. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MMORPGs on PC, Runescape system requirements, Old School RuneScape: Beginner's guide |
PCGamesN Sunday, January 21, 2024 10:48 AM  Lost Ark is preparing to celebrate the two-year anniversary of its global launch, yet while it's done a lot of work to catch up to the Korean version of the game, developers Amazon Games and Smilegate are unlikely to ever quite reach a point of parity. In the wake of its most recent balance update and ahead of the much-anticipated Thaemine legion raid, PCGamesN speaks with Lost Ark community lead Roxanne Sabo about its current and future plans. Continue reading Lost Ark updates will always be "a couple of months behind Korea" MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best MMORPG – top MMOs you should play, Lost Ark class tier list, All Lost Ark Mokoko Seeds locations |
PCGamesN Sunday, January 21, 2024 10:12 AM  The internet is wrangling with the fact that the next game from Palworld developer Pocketpair looks an awful lot like the 2017 indie mega-hit Hollow Knight. Called Never Grave, it's a Metroidvania roguelike with style and gameplay familiar to those of us waiting for Team Cherry's Hollow Knight Silksong. MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Palworld pals, Palworld review, Palworld system requirements |
PCGamesN Sunday, January 21, 2024 7:55 AM  Hades 2 is one of my most anticipated games right now, so seeing another game clearly inspired by its action roguelike mold is bound to spark my curiosity. Match that with an equipment system reminiscent of Dead Cells, another personal favorite of mine, and a gorgeous, inky artstyle, and Realm of Ink has already captured my attention. With a free Steam demo out now, I've already found myself hooked in by its combat, and I'm eager to see whether the full game can deliver. |
PCGamesN Sunday, January 21, 2024 7:53 AM  January 21, 2024 - Palworld has now overtaken Cyberpunk 2077's peak player count. Story continues below. Palworld is big right now. Very big. So big, in fact, that the survival crafting game packed with Pokémon style Pals has just crested an astonishing milestone on Steam that even the might of the all-conquering Elden Ring couldn't manage, and it might well be on its way to even greater heights. Despite being available through Microsoft's PC Game Pass, the multiplayer monster-collecting game is topping Valve's Steam charts left and right, and it's only early days. Continue reading Palworld beats Steam record Elden Ring couldn't manage at its peak MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Palworld pals, Palworld review, Palworld system requirements |
PCGamesN Sunday, January 21, 2024 6:59 AM  Palworld servers, both third-party and straight from Pocketpair, can't handle how over one million people are playing the survival crafting game at once. So if you've been struggling to get into co-op or a 32-player server, it's because everyone's trying to catch up with immense demand. Continue reading Here's why Palworld servers are struggling under all this pressure MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Palworld pals, Palworld review, Palworld system requirements |
PCGamesN Sunday, January 21, 2024 5:37 AM  Palworld is the biggest game on Steam, and likely in the world, right now. The crafting and survival game with Pokemon-like creatures is bigger than anyone could've imagined, which is why you'll want to be fully aware of a Palworld bug that's "impossible to recover" from at the moment. Continue reading Fatal Palworld bug is "impossible to recover" from right now MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Palworld pals, Palworld review, Palworld system requirements |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Sunday, January 21, 2024 6:00 AM  Sundays are for doing back mobility exercises because your body is crumbling. Let's stretch as we read the week's best writing about games and game-related things. |
Twinfinite Sunday, January 21, 2024 7:27 AM  |
Siliconera Sunday, January 21, 2024 12:00 PM
When Bulletstorm debuted in 2011, the explosive first-person shooter impressed players with its no-holds-barred action gameplay. The FPS was also a product of its time, as it was both unabashedly crass and bombastic. So when I first heard about Bulletstorm VR, I was excited to see how the game's over-the-top campaign would translate to virtual reality.
Upon diving into the game for the first time, Bullestorm VR gives players many customization options to shape their in-game experience. For instance, those worried about motion sickness can use the "snap" camera, which allows you to turn your vision in small increments. Though I personally preferred the "smooth" camera as it's, in my opinion, more immersive. It feels like you are really standing in the game's world.
One of the first things that really stood out to me in Bulletstorm VR was the controls. Instead of mapping everything to buttons, the game really goes out of its way to break apart every single action so that it becomes a physical experience. For example, when I wanted to use my gun, I had to reach down to the holster on my right hip and lift it up to use it. Similarly, when I needed to reload my weapon, I had to take my left Meta Quest 3 controller and reach down to my left hip to grab my ammo. And I literally mean grab it.
The game makes you squeeze your controller so you wrap your fingers around the ammo, and then you have to shove it into the bottom of your gun (which you hold with your right controller). If you let go of squeezing your controller, your character will actually drop your gun on the ground as well. So this is a very tactile experience, and the game goes a long way to make you constantly feel like you are physically present in the game.
Unfortunately, VR mapping hasn't advanced enough that it can easily track your legs fully, so Bulletstorm's infamous kicking mechanic is relegated to a button press instead. Similarly, the game's iconic sliding mechanic is also mapped to a button hold in the opposite direction of your kick. However, with everything you already have to juggle in VR physically, this was probably for the best. While the Meta Quest 3 is wireless, I can't imagine how hectic things would have gotten had I actually slid or crouched on the ground, not to mention the damage I would have done to my room!
One of the biggest things I struggled with in Bulletstorm VR is the game's combat. Specifically, how weightless guns feel in the game. This could just be my experience, but I felt that the game didn't have enough feedback or punch to the shooting. This results in gun battles feeling disconnected. The best way I can describe it is you are pointing a floating gun and then shooting in a general direction. But it never feels like you are hitting anything, as enemies don't react as expected. Or, to put it another way, I didn't know half the time if I was even hitting my enemies and only found out when they would fall over incapacitated.
Thankfully, combat expands in a massive way fairly early into the campaign when you unlock the Energy Leash mechanic. The weapon is set to your left hand, allowing you to send an electric whip. This is where the game really shines in VR. Although the game offers two modes, I suggest people try the motion controls instead of the aim setting. Within seconds, I was whipping my hand down in the air and slapping enemies across the map. What makes this really fun is that you snatch enemies out of the air and immediately bring them to you.
Anytime you use your leash on an enemy, they will freeze in the air in slow-motion for a few seconds, letting you use your gun in your right hand to load into them. The game's kicking mechanic also sends your foes flying in slow motion. So, if you time all this right, you can whip and kick enemies all over the level. It's a lot of fun when it all gels together. Although I will say I think combat will be a bit of a learning curve for some players. If you struggle to use both your left and right hand simultaneously, combat can take a bit to get used to, as you are responsible for physically combining every action. I can't tell you how often I would set up an epic combo by whipping an enemy into the air, only to fumble it when I struggled to grab the ammo clip off my left hip and shove it into my gun fast enough. But when combat works, it's a lot of chaotic fun.
The gameplay improves even further when you unlock the trickshot feature. In Bulletstorm VR, your moves and kills can earn you points based on how stylish your combo is. This is another feature that I think works really well in VR. For instance, it's incredibly satisfying to whip an enemy across the level and slam them into a cactus or fence. Sure, you could do that in the original game, but there is something much more satisfying here when you look at the enemy in the face as they are slammed into a gate a few feet away from you. I also think the immersive nature of VR allows you to use this feature more strategically as you get a better sense of the environment and where you can throw your foes.
While I appreciate all of the efforts that went into making combat a physical experience, I do think that, ultimately, it feels a little clunky. This could just be my own experience level in VR. Maybe a more veteran player who is better at juggling multiple tasks would pull it off a bit more with ease. But at least for me, combat always felt like a handful of moving parts that never would quite gel together smoothly. And in all fairness, the hectic nature of Bulletstorm's combat was always going to be tough to translate. After all, in the original game, you were sliding around the level at breakneck speed while quickly smashing one enemy before jumping to the next. I feel like that visceral speed and thrilling action is a little lost here as you are left juggling each action.
Another thing that stood out to me while starting up Bulletstorm VR is its graphics. This game is very much a faithful adaptation of the original game, so players shouldn't expect a massive overhaul for virtual reality. It literally feels like you are stepping into a 2011 game and being able to walk around in its engine. As someone who loves retro games, I actually found that charming. But if you expect more realism from your VR experiences, this might be a major sticking point for you. This really becomes noticeable as you progress through the campaign and are thrust into action-heavy levels. Muddy textures and blocky environments are pretty common here. But as I said above, this is a 2011 game, so as long as you walk into this expecting Bulletstorm, but in virtual reality, it might not bother you.
So the question I was left asking myself was, is the VR version a superior version of Bulletstorm? As of right now, I would say no. But if you are a fan of the original game, I do think this is a unique spin on a classic FPS that allows you to experience it in a completely new way. Although the graphics and core elements of the campaign are the same, the gameplay changes are a massive difference that moves the game into a more physical experience.
Bullestrom VR is now available on the Meta Quest and VR headsets via Steam.
The post Bulletstorm VR Is a Jarring Dive Into FPS Virtual Reality appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, January 21, 2024 11:30 AM
During the special program for Version 4.4 of Genshin Impact, HoYoVerse revealed an upcoming collaboration between it and Sushiro. This collaboration will only be in Japan.
The collaboration event will start from February 2024 and it features Gorou and Kokomi. There will be limited edition menu items that draw from the image of Genshin Impact characters. The stores will also feature decorations and sell merchandise based on the game. More information on the Genshin Impact Sushiro menu will appear later.
As for Kokomi and Gorou, they're wearing casual outfits so they look like two youths on their way to Sushiro rather than workers there. The outfits are red and white, which is likely a reference to Sushiro's logo. The Pizza Hut collaboration featuring Ningguang and Yelan took a similar stance when it came to their designs, whereas the KFC collaboration with Diluc and Noelle made them look like workers in the restaurants.
In Genshin Impact, Kokomi and Gorou are both part of the Watatsumi Army. Kokomi is the leader and Gorou is one of her generals. Kokomi's strong association with fish, such as in her design and in her Skill, might be a reason as to why she's one of the two stars in the Sushiro collaboration.
Genshin Impact is readily available on the PS4, PS5, Windows PC, and mobile devices. More details about the Genshin Impact collaboration with Sushiro will come out in the near future.
The post Genshin Impact Collaboration With Sushiro Features Kokomi, Gorou appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Sunday, January 21, 2024 9:00 AM
The Last of Us Part 2 has one of the best, though admittedly controversial, game storylines of all time, and there's one that hits incredibly hard. A moment between Ellie and Joel makes the whole game for me.
Editor's Note: There will be spoilers for The Last of Us Part 2 below.
The pivotal moment happens during the flashback during the final scene of The Last of Us Part 2. After coming home to the cleared out farmhouse, Ellie picks up her guitar. However, she finds she can no longer effectively play due to her missing fingers. A flashback of her last conversation with Joel begins, giving her a chance to relive the night prior to his death.
After his public embarrassment by a frustrated Ellie at the Jackson dance, Joel plays his guitar on his porch. Ellie approaches, and the two share some awkward small talk about coffee. Joel then moves the subject to Dina and the nature of Ellie's feelings for her.
Ellie then directly shifts the conversation to the thing they're dancing around, which they've likely been avoiding for months. "I was supposed to die in that hospital," she says in frustration. "My life would've fucking mattered. But you took that from me."
Joel considers this only briefly and tells Ellie, with no hesitation, that given the chance he would "do it all over again." Ellie sits with this for a moment, then tell Joel that she doesn't know if she can forgive him for it. Joel, silently, accepts this.
However, she adds one final glimmer of hope: "But I would like to try."
A visibly emotional Joel tells her he would like that. After this, the two part ways, unware that they would never speak again.
I think this scene is the heart of everything Ellie did in The Last of Us 2. While at first it seems like her quest was about revenge or "justice," that's only a surface level interpretation. To me, I think it's about this conversation. Of course she wanted revenge, but revenge isn't what drove her to the lengths she went to over the course of the story.
When Abby killed Joel, she didn't just take his life. She also took away Ellie's chance to forgive him. I think that place in her heart where all these unresolved feelings about Joel and his choice lived were now filled with this obsession over Abby's actions. Ellie associated Abby with these feelings and thought killing her would make it go away.
This is why I think she leaves Dina to go to Santa Barbara, despite her chance at living an ideal family life together. So much of Ellie is flooded with guilt. The survivor's guilt she always had, but also everything surrounding her relationship with Joel. At this point, I believe she still hadn't forgiven Joel, even after everything, and it's eating her up inside. When she finally finds Abby, it is Ellie who forces the final fight. She simply doesn't know what else to do, in her mind she has to kill Abby to make these feelings go away.
But, right before Ellie can kill her, she sees a flash of a moment in her mind. She sees that night on the porch with Joel. It's after this that she lets Abby leave with Lev. I think this moment, just before she crosses the final line, is when she forgives Joel.
Ellie now understands at that point during the scene that killing Abby isn't going to do anything for her. She finally understands it's her own turmoil she's been fighting against this whole time. Ellie didn't kill Joel, but she hurt him by distancing herself. I don't find her hesitance to forgive him unfounded, but she lived in that limbo for a very long time. Because of this, so did Joel. Her final words to him, those of hope for their future, was likely the happiest he had been in a very long time.
So she finally makes her peace with Joel, both with what he did and also that he's gone, all at once. She lets Abby go, in some ways also forgiving her, and breaking the cycle of revenge that spread death all over Seattle throughout the game. Ellie finally learned what Abby did after she killed Joel. Revenge doesn't make any of those things go away, you have to let them go on your own.
I interpret the ending, and Ellie leaving the guitar, as her finally letting things go and forgiving herself too. It is an oddly hopeful conclusion in some respects, especially given it is also how the scene with Joel and Ellie ends. Things aren't good, but maybe they're starting to get better.
The Last of Us II Remastered is available exclusively on the PS5.
The post 'But I would like to try:' Unpacking the Most Important The Last of Us Part 2 Scene appeared first on Siliconera. |
PC Invasion - FeedDDD Sunday, January 21, 2024 10:32 AM  If you're looking to get your hand on every Pal in Palwold, you should expect to have to cover some serious distance. There are hundreds of Pals that come out at all times of day. Orserk Paldeck number 106 is a particularly difficult Pal to find in Palworld due to its remote location. How to find Paldeck number 106 Orzerk in Palworld You can sometimes find Orserk 106 northeast of the Deep Sand Dunes travel point. This part of the map is at the furthest northeast point of the Map, so make sure you're wrapped up warm. It gets cold here, and you can expect to spot a lot of level 30+ monsters around. To get to the location of the Orserk 106 in Palworld, you will have to travel across the ocean to a Spikey Island known as the Reserve. Make sure you have a Pal with the stamina to make the crossing. You must also ensure you have the right clothing for frosty climates, as the nights get cold and the days aren't much better. The closest Fast Travel point... |
PC Invasion - FeedDDD Sunday, January 21, 2024 9:31 AM  Budding architects and designers are already flocking to Palworld to build their perfect kingdoms/prisons for their Pals. The builder leaves enough room to put together some serious designs, but it isn't the most intuitive. Here is how you can place stairs in buildings in Palworld. Construct indoor stairs in Palworld The first thing you're going to need to do is build a foundation big enough to house a set of stairs. Three by three is the smallest I would recommend for a building with stairs in Palworld. However, the bigger the better. Once you have your foundation placed, you can begin with the rest. Once you have built your floor, place your walls, this will give you some idea of where you want your stairs to sit in the building without getting in the way of anything. Once they are in place, head into your build menu and select the foundation tab. This tab is where you will find the stairs piece in Palworld. PC Invasion The stairs p... |
PC Invasion - FeedDDD Sunday, January 21, 2024 6:09 AM  In Palworld, you'll soon begin to wonder how you can sail across the ocean and the seas to reach far away lands. Early on in Palworld, Surfent will be the one to help you with this monumental task. You just have to catch one first. Surfent Habitats in Palworld Surfent doesn't exactly get around, and spawns in only a couple specific locations. The world is not teaming with these Pals, and they seem to prefer their specific habitats. So if you're after a Surfent, you'll have to travel for them. Screenshot: PC Invasion They are somewhat abundant in the habitats in which they spawn, although there won't be loads of them. So if you want to capture one, you'd better be careful not to actually kill any of them! You'll have a limited number of chances. Related: How to start a server and play co-op in Palworld How to catch Sufent in Palworld You'll want to be careful when trying to captur... |