News Round-Up, January 19 - 25 -- OMG, TITANFALL

Written By: Tyler Selig

Every Saturday I will be doing a News Round-Up, where I talk about some of the game related news that made the rounds over the past week. Though I link to every article and I make comments about everything, some of it is tongue-in-cheek and I'm not entirely serious, but maybe just a little serious. They also won't be a comprehensive list of news, just some of the more memorable stuff to me, or just the stuff I either have an opinion on, care about or can make fun of.

These will probably end up being more gif/image heavy than any other article I write because the only way for a person to accurately express their emotions is through gifs.

Booth Babes Are Useless
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/test-finds-booth-babes-ineffective/1100-6417222/

In a shocking turn of events this week, there was an article about booth babes that said perhaps, just perhaps, sex doesn't sell like the industry wants you to believe. It also questions the morality of having scantily clad women helping sell your products to begin with. I for one am deeply offended and I will not stand for this:

Maybe now my blog will get a reader.

 And neither will this guy:

A world where babes aren't included in everything just isn't okay.

 
TITANFALL!!    

Titanfall, the incredible looking new competitive shooter from some of the developers of Call of Duty, is in alpha and some glorious people uploaded footage that they weren't supposed to. No it wasn't me. But I will spread it. Keep in mind that by the time I post this -- I add to this article every day that news hits that I want to include -- the footage may be taken down.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x19x97d_titanfall-direct-feed-alpha-gameplay-video_videogames?start=3

Gosh.

I have a few things to say about this:

• It looks like Titanfall really is going to be a Call of Duty killer like one of the people said. It actually won't because Call of Duty can't even be killed by Dark Souls, but I appreciate the thought.
• They are much better at this game then I will ever be.
• I'm not a fan of how light Call of Duty feels but it makes sense in Titanfall, since you jump and double-jump around, climb into Titans and eject from said Titans. With that said, part of me wishes the health was more like Halo, where you could take a few shots. Oh well.
• PUT THIS GAME RIGHT IN MY BUTT (did I say that in a blog?)

So I was sitting here all hyped for Titanfall and then I was reminded of who was publishing it.

Eater of Worlds.

Well I look forward to playing it a year after it's released. Titanfall -- Game of 2015!


Microsoft Just Wants You To Like It
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-paying-youtubers-for-positive-xbox-one-coverage/1100-6417235/

In news that isn't really shocking at all, Microsoft apparently paid consumers to upload videos that promoted their product. I don't really have anything to say about this because you, the Internet, will take from this what you will. All I will say is XB1M13.


OG Nintendo Has No Plans For Mario On Smartphones And Isn't Going Away From Making Consoles
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/01/20/nintendo-has-no-plans-for-mario-on-smartphones

 There are very few things that are worthy of me breaking out a Training Day gif, but this is one of them because quite frankly I'm tired of the talk about Nintendo needing to leave the hardware biz or release games for phones.  Listen, the Wii U is under performing and it's clear that Nintendo has to do something but the Wii U is original and unlike the other systems. In fact, that's the story of Nintendo... come out, do something cool, and a lot of the time watch as your competitors take your ideas and admittedly sometimes make them better. Nintendo is innovation within console gaming in a lot of ways.

EA Also Caught With Their Hands in Their Pants

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/01/21/ea-also-reportedly-paying-youtube-channels-for-coverage

So not only did Microsoft get called out for paying for positive coverage of their systems, but EA felt like they didn't have enough bad publicity so they jumped onto that ship too. I almost feel bad for EA at this point, with how much myself and others have shit all over them, it feels like we're bullying them but you know what?

Listen, whether you believe this is normal partnership business or it's some bullsheeeet isn't important... what's important is that we can laugh at both Microsoft and EA in one week. There must be a god somewhere.


PS4 Apparently Has Problems With Corrupting Save Files
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/01/21/ps4-error-corrupting-save-files

An error has appeared to some unlucky PS4 owners where their save files get corrupted and in some cases they're unable to open apps, but in that article there is also a proposed solution by Sony. One thing is for sure... this is awful news because I hate it when my non-existent save files for my non-existent games get corrupted.

Candy Crush Saga Developer Doesn't Want You To Use The Word Saga
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/01/22/candy-crush-saga-dev-king-trademarks-the-word-candy

There was a perfect example of Corporate pettiness this week, and it came from King, developers of the Facebook disaster game Candy Crush. They recently went after Stoic Studios for their usage of the word "saga" in The Banner Saga. They stated that "saga" has played an important part in their brand, and I agree because a stupid little Facebook game is definitely more deserving of the Old Nordic word than the game that's about Vikings.

Killzone: Shadow Fall To Add Clans -- Great, I Still Don't Have Friends
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/01/22/killzone-shadow-fall-expansion-dlc-and-clans-coming-soon

It was announced before that we're getting DLC, but Guerrilla Games announced that now we are going to have clans. I already made the "no friends" joke up above in the headline so, like, guys, I got nothin'. Hope you're all happy.

YOU READY TO KILL GIANT ANTS? BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT I WAS BORN FOR!
http://www.destructoid.com/earth-defense-force-2025-lands-february-18-269328.phtml

I thought that a release date for the US was announced before but maybe I just knew it was coming in February. Regardless, this article on Destructoid says that there is also a bunch of DLC coming as well. Earth Defense Force in less than a month, with more missions to completely slaughter giant ants, spiders and robots?

Okay EA, I'm Getting A Little Tired Of Mentioning You
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ea-nintendo-is-not-dead-to-us/1100-6417302/

Here's some positive news, sort-of, coming out of the EA camp. A while back an employee said the Wii U was crap, and now EA is saying that Nintendo is not dead to them. They proved this by having absolutely no Wii U games in development. Thanks guys, not that it'd matter anyway because they won't work. Sorry I'm milking this joke.


Kingdom Come: Deliverance Reaches Kickstarter Goal
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/01/24/kingdom-come-deliverance-hits-kickstarter-goal

At first I thought the game looked solid, and some may not like this but I thought it looked like a less-magical Skyrim. That's not really a criticism even though I've famously -- meaning to the three people that talk to me on a regular basis -- stated that the love is there for Elder Scrolls, but not the over-the-top fandom that it receives from other people.

So as I watched the trailer on that link above, I was excited but then things like LARGE SCALE BATTLES, CASTLE SIEGES, AUTHENTIC INNOVATIVE FIRST-PERSON COMBAT, MILLIONS OF MEDIEVAL WHORES TO LAY WASTE TO (oh wait this isn't HBO) started bludgeoning me in the face and I went like this:

Kingdom Come isn't expected until 2016, mind you, so brb, getting in my time machine.


MORE TITANFALL!!!
http://ca.ign.com/articles/2014/01/24/titanfall-no-microtransactions-season-pass-unconfirmed

It was also revealed this week that not only is Titanfall looking legitimately awesome, but there are no microtransactions which means I'm still going to suck but I won't be paying to... still suck.


That appears to be it for this week. So until next time, go talk about the Wii U and how it's failing because that's what everybody else is doing anyway.

Humans Are Weak, Pathetic Creatures - The Banner Saga Part 1 Review

Written By: Tyler Selig

That's what the lineup of girls wanting me is like. Or something. Yeah.

Rating: 8/10

Verdict: The Banner Saga looks beautiful – with a visual style that not only rivals other games but the finest animated movies – and sounds wonderful, with a memorable plot that you genuinely manipulate, but while the combat is decent, it doesn’t reach the heights of genre heavyweights.

                As soon as you turn on the game, you get a taste of what it does best. Even on the main menu you can see that this Viking themed tactical RPG --where you control a caravan and lead your small army around a bleak world trying to save it —is beautiful and ambitious. I’m talking ambitious by any standard, whether it’s AAA or indie, because in a lot of ways The Banner Saga is special.

                It starts with the visuals, like I said above. They are so good in this game that you could easily mistake it for some of the finest Disney movies, or the artwork of Don Bluth – both of which are influences that the developers have acknowledged as far as I know. It’s because of these visuals that the world comes to life, whether it’s the wonderfully drawn characters or the world in the distance, it’s just a joy to watch. With that said, it’s a bit of a shame that most of the story plays out with still shots rather than fully animated sequences. It’s a small issue – not really even a problem -- that exists, but it’s forgivable because it’s a small team that is trying to do a big thing. It’s amazing that the year has just begun and we already have a nomination for best visuals of the year for the next Gamecepticon Awards.

                Austin Wintory returns to breathe life into a game with its music, and even though for the most part the music is more subtle, it is not less powerful. It creeps in when it has to, and lends a real sense of atmosphere to this Nordic world. It goes from slow and pretty, to crushing and triumphant, but it never loses the vibe of the universe that Stoic has created. You may not notice it as much as some soundtracks, but it’s there, and it’s digging a hole into your heart. I think at this point gamers should officially announce that Wintory is a national treasure.

                The Banner Saga is trying to be a Viking epic, and it already gets the sights and sounds right. But what really makes something epic? I, like many others, cringe at using the word because it’s so overused… but The Banner Saga actually is epic, in its most purest form. It takes it back to the real origins of the word, and gives us a tale that is large in scale, with a fairly large cast of characters.

                Let’s put this into perspective: you literally lead a small army across plains, through forests and up mountains, while sleeping in tents and whatever towns you find, all while fighting off bandits and an enemy known as the Dredge. This is epic personified, people, and the story is a large reason why it deserves to be labeled as a true epic.

                Your choices actually matter, and that’s the biggest selling point for a lot of people. Sometimes games try this, and even though they give you the illusion of choice, your choices ultimately funnel into one or two main story pools. Obviously The Banner Saga wants to get you to a destination, and I’ll never know the true extent of freedom that you have unless I play through again, but in my experience the choices I made impacted the events, whether it was instantly or later down the road.

                I was thrilled when a choice I made had consequences later on in the story. I sat there thinking, “Oh yeah, I remember doing that!” When my game crashed near the end, right after an important moment, I actually picked a different course of action and it definitely changed how everything unfolded. It is because of this genuine sense of self-worth that the game implants into you that the story is memorable and even at times emotional. I’m not going to sit here and say it made me cry or belongs in the all-time greats, but it’s pretty damn good and above a lot of games, and the seeds that you plant with your reactions to the varied situations are a large reason for that.

                The game isn’t perfectly though. Final Fantasy Tactics was cited as an influence, but Tactics was so good it’s hard to live up to that. In a bunch of ways, The Banner Saga does, but the combat leaves a little to be desired. It’s not bad, but it lacks innovation and ends up being extremely repetitive. There isn't a lot of variety in the enemies so you fight a lot of battles where the opposing team are similar to battles before. The idea to have an armor and strength bar is an important one, and having the opportunity to do more damage by clicking on a star when attacking lends to the tactical nature, but it feels like the combat was more of an afterthought than a top priority. It just lacks the depth of the giants of the genre, and again, while it is fun enough, it wasn’t anything that I’d come back to. In fact, it was a bit of a distraction from the real reason I continued playing, and even though there are larger scale battles where you can use your troops, it just doesn’t go far enough. Again, it’s a small team, but it is what it is.

Yeah, by killing things.

                Actually watching the caravan may be a problem for some, and indeed, this game is all about the caravan. You see, in between battle you watch your army walk either left or right, as you search for the next town or your destination. It’s really not that thrilling, but the game does a good job of keeping you involved by popping up with decisions quite frequently. I have to reiterate that I don’t actually find this bothersome, but there are people that will.

                One thing that does bother me, and this could be personal preference, is that the currency (Renown) is overused. Basically what I mean is that in order to promote (level up) your characters, you use renown. When you want to buy supplies, you use renown. The game is pretty unforgiving in a lot of ways, and I get that they wanted to add a degree of severity to making choices, but I don’t like that they share a currency. To me it feels like it doesn’t really let you experience the game like it should. I know that I suck at it, but I didn’t buy an item from a merchant, and at one point I started using my Renown almost entirely on supplies. This meant no levelling up, no buying items to equip, just supplies. I am aware that part of it is my problem, and due to some of the choices I made it made it more difficult, but I stand by the notion that this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

                I’ve seen complaints that the ending was, well, shitty, but I thought it was sad and a fitting way to end this episode, and I do look forward to the next part because The Banner Saga really could be a saga worthy of praise when all is said and done.