PCGamesN Saturday, July 13, 2024 12:49 PM  From Overwatch and Team Fortress 2 to Apex Legends and Counter-Strike 2, there are plenty of great, free multiplayer games on Steam to choose from. One that's quietly stood the test of time, racking up a 'very positive' 85% rating on the Valve platform with more than 344,000 reviews since it launched in 2016, is Paladins. Now, the hero shooter from developer Evil Mojo and publisher Hi-Rez Studios is launching an all-new PvE horde mode, created as a passion project, as part of its latest free update. Continue reading Free multiplayer game Paladins launches a new PvE horde mode MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Play Paladins Free, Paladins guide, Best Paladins champions |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Saturday, July 13, 2024 6:22 PM  There are a lot of video game awards and most of them are simply popularity contests, and therefore also stinky borefests. The one that isn't, in my eyes, is the yearly Independent Games Festival awards - the IGFs. The IGF Celebration Days Steam sale provides plenty of examples as to why, with discounts from now until July 20th on winners and finalists from throughout the IGF awards' history. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Saturday, July 13, 2024 5:17 PM  The Concord beta is now underway for folks who pre-ordered Sony's upcoming hero shooter or who are subscribed to PlayStation Plus. If that's you, you should be able to grab the PC version from Steam and play from now until July 14th. |
Rock Paper Shotgun Latest Articles Feed Saturday, July 13, 2024 4:45 PM  The Driver TV series you forgot was happening isn't happening. Announced back in 2021 and initially due to arrive alongside a gamer-focused streaming service called Binge in 2022, the live action series has been scrapped along with the production company behind it. Perhaps of greater significance is that the Driver series itself might not be dead, as a Ubisoft spokesperson said that they are "actively working on other exciting projects related to the franchise". |
Siliconera Saturday, July 13, 2024 6:00 PM
During Anime Expo 2024, I had the chance to attend the Oshi no Ko Season 2 premiere and check out the first two episodes of it. Since the first season is up there with one of my favorite shows of all time, I certainly was looking forward to this new story arc. Unfortunately, it disappointed due to its awkward pacing, even though the animation was flashy.
Oshi no Ko Season 2 picks up after the end of the first season. Aqua Hoshino is looking to join a theatre troupe to find out more about Ai. The first episode starts off strong, showing off a glimpse of the stage play the troupe is putting on. The gorgeous introductions to each of the characters in the production really impressed me, thanks to the excellent animation and effects.
This beautiful introduction feels as if you are actually watching the real stage play in action. The whole sequence works so well because of that. But the strong start eventually makes way for a step back in time to examine Aqua, Akane, and the other stars in the lead-up to the big day. This transition felt like it worked, and I enjoyed meeting all of the new characters in the troupe.
As you might expect, there is plenty of drama between the leads, the director, and even the writers. The mix of drama and brilliant voice acting from the Japanese cast kept me engaged throughout the entire first episode. While this story arc certainly feels like a slight diversion from the core plot of the riveting series, it starts out as an entertaining one nonetheless.
Overall, I would say I enjoyed the first episode, even though it lacked the shock value and star power of the original Season 1 feature-length premiere. The real problem I have with Oshi no Ko Season 2 wasn't present at this point. The issues I had popped up when the second episode began at the event. Instead of continuing on from the light twist at the end of the first episode, episode two went unnecessarily further back in time.
The second episode spends way too much time focusing on Aqua and the others first joining the theatre troupe. Considering I already saw them rehearsing and spending time together in the first episode, this felt somewhat unnecessary. In fact, I would argue it almost feels like the second episode should've been the first one because of this timeline shift.
Watching these two episodes back-to-back completely killed the goodwill the first episode of this stage play arc introduced. I had no interest in going back in time and seeing the mostly unnecessary exposition leading up to the production. The only slight saving grace of the second episode comes from the focus on the lead writer of the stage play. His moments were surprisingly emotional and evoked some sympathy.
However, I didn't need an entire flashback episode to provide those scenes. They could certainly work without going back in time. Overall, I feel like the first and second episodes would better swapped. Perhaps if you don't binge these episodes it will be a bit better to watch. For now, though, I look forward to the third episode and, hopefully, better pacing that sticks to moving the story forward rather than backward.
Oshi no Ko Season 2 is streaming right now via HIDIVE. Yen Press handles the manga outside of Japan.
The post Oshi no Ko Season 2 Starts Out Flashy and Awkward appeared first on Siliconera. |
Siliconera Saturday, July 13, 2024 3:00 PM
Sword Art Online video games are pretty hit-or-miss. You have the not-so-bad ones like Alicization Lycoris and then surprisingly good ones like Fatal Bullet. Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream doesn't appear to be the greatest game in the series so far but it does offer the most variety out of any game yet from my recent preview at Anime Expo 2024.
I had a short 10-minute preview of the upcoming game where I was able to explore a vast desert region and complete a mission. Right off the bat, Fractured Daydream makes it clear how vast the roster of characters is. I started out as Llenn, the star of Gun Gale Online. But then I soon gained access to three other characters, including Kirito.
These characters don't normally interact with each other across their respective series. As such, this game feels like a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate-style collection with everyone being here. Perhaps the most fascinating part is how each character feels wildly different from one another.
Llenn plays like a light version of the gameplay from Fatal Bullet, where the player fires away with their guns from afar. The targeting system is messier than the previous shooter-style game in the series, which was annoying, but it got the job done. Then there is Kirito who plays much faster than Llenn with his impressive and powerful sword skills.
The unique gameplay styles didn't stop there, either, as Leafa was also part of our squad. She played much more like her floaty and flight-based Alfheim Online variant. All three of them felt like they came from different games. This variety does mean some characters will probably be more valuable than others in combat, but I still appreciate the diversity.
Everyone has their basic attacks, plus a ton of skills to use. Some of these might involve dashing forward to attack foes or leaping into the air for a jump attack. Each one is quite flashy and fun to pull off. The main problem I had with the combat in this Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream preview was targeting.
There is a lock-on feature but it doesn't work too well, especially with lots of enemies onscreen. I felt like the camera didn't quite keep up with my character. I would be trying to launch a skill on the enemy I'm locked onto and the character would miss completely. This happened even when I started out the skill right in front of the enemy.
The preview culminated in a massive boss fight. It felt pretty easy in terms of difficulty, as I just mashed away with Kirito's dual swords. Some characters, oddly enough, fared better than others. The scorpion boss resisted Llenn's gun attacks, for instance. As such, I had to switch to others like Leafa, who had its weakness. While the fight itself was easy, again, the biggest challenge came from the awkward camera and targeting controls.
For the most part, this Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream preview focused on singleplayer. That said, the main purpose of this game is to bring together 21 playable characters for online multiplayer. Up to 20 players will be able to take on actual MMO-like raid battles for the first time.
Unfortunately, this preview didn't offer any glimpse of that. Considering how singleplayer-focused this demo section was, I'm curious to see if there is a dedicated story mode for solo players. For now, though, we will have to wait and see. While I'm not sold on this being the best SAO video game yet, I at least appreciate its diversity in its roster and gameplay.
Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream will release for Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on October 4, 2024.
The post Preview: Sword Art Online Fractured Daydream Brings Everyone Together appeared first on Siliconera. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, July 13, 2024 6:13 PM A trailer was also released. The post Planet Coaster 2 Announced For PC and Consoles appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, July 13, 2024 5:18 PM Terraria first launched on May 16, 2011 The post Terraria Has Sold Over 58 Million Units Worldwide appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |
Gaming Instincts – Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism Saturday, July 13, 2024 4:50 PM Will be held from July 23 The post Tekken 8 Photo Mode and Photo Competition Announced appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism. |