July 2020 - Page 2 of 5 - Samantha Lienhard

Not-E3 2020 Part 13: Xbox Games Showcase

Video games 8 Responses » Tagged with: e3

Jul 232020

Indie Live Expo 2020
The Escapist Indie Showcase
PlayStation 5 Showcase
Guerrilla Collective
PC Gaming
Future Games Show
EA
New Game+ Expo
MonsterVine Hot Games Summer Showcase
Nacon Connect
Limited Run Games
Devolver Direct
Ubisoft
Nintendo
Microsoft

Xbox Games Showcase

Today was the Xbox Games Showcase, starting off with a pre-show that included a few new announcements, such as Dragon Quest XI S (the upgraded Switch version) now being brought to the Xbox One, as well as PS4 and PC.

The pre-show also included the announcement of a turn-based RPG called Echo Generation for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, Hello Neighbor 2 for Xbox Series X and PC, and the most exciting pre-show announcement for me, a 3D platformer from Square Enix for all major platforms called Balan Wonderworld.

Then it was time for the main show itself.

It kicked off with Halo Infinite, showing both a new trailer and an 8-minute gameplay demo. I’ve been pretty interested in seeing the new Halo, but one thing that has me uncertain now is that it looks like it might be open world. Open world Halo doesn’t sound fun to me. I’d take large areas or a hub like in ODST, but not a full open world.

They showed State of Decay 3 next, and then a new Forza Motorsport game, neither of which I’m interested in.

Then they showed a new trailer for Rare’s game Everwild, which certainly looks pretty even if I don’t know what it’s about.

Dontnod’s upcoming game Tell Me Why was up next, with its first chapter set for August 27. I’m curious about it, but not really sold just yet.

Ori and the Will of the Wisps is coming to Xbox Series X, and there are two story expansions planned for The Outer Worlds. Today’s trailer was for the first one, Peril on Gorgon, which will be out on September 9. I enjoyed The Outer Worlds, so I’ll probably play its expansions.

Obsidian also showed a trailer for a survival game called Grounded, which doesn’t look like my sort of thing, but the trailer was entertaining enough.

Then they revealed a new first-person RPG called Avowed, set in the same universe as Pillars of Eternity. It looks like it could be pretty cool, so I’ll be keeping my eye on that one for sure.

Next was an “interactive drama” called As Dusk Falls, a few details about Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and then finally one I was really waiting to see more from… Psychonauts 2!

The trailer shows another level from the game, and it looks great… but unfortunately, it’s been delayed to 2021. Looks like it’ll join Tales of Arise as one of my most-anticipated games of the year that are now games for next year.

Anyway, Destiny 2 is coming to Xbox Series X and Game Pass, and they showed a new trailer for its next expansion, Beyond Light. They showed the first trailer for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and then announced a new Warhammer 40,000 game, Darktide.

After the announcement of Tetris Effect: Connected, the next new game revealed was one called The Gunk, which looks much more fun than that title would suggest.

The Medium was next, and you know I’m interested in seeing more from that. The focus in the new trailer was on the “dual-reality” that will allow you to explore the real world and spirit world simultaneously and solve puzzles that make use of both. I’m not entirely sure how that will work, but it sounds like a cool idea.

I was excited to see the next game, which turned out to be Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis… and I assumed that was a new expansion when I saw it, but now it sounds more like they’re completely overhauling the game into this new version. I haven’t gotten into any MMORPGs aside from Final Fantasy XIV, but it does look cool.

Remedy is working on a game called CrossfireX that looks much less interesting to me than other Remedy games, and then after a brief discussion about how many Xbox One games will get free upgrades to Xbox Seris X versions, it was time for one last trailer for a new game… Fable.

Yes, just Fable. Not Fable IV, so I’m not sure if this means it’s a remake or a reboot or if that’s just the working title. In any case, I need to try Fable sometime.

Overall, it was a pretty good show with some exciting games. I’m disappointed that we still haven’t seen more from Tales of Arise, but I saw several games today that interest me.

And that was the final “E3” showcase, bringing our unusual Not-E3 coverage for 2020 to an end at last! What did you think of Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase?

Deadly Premonition Origins: A Bizarre Blend of Silent Hill and Shenmue

Reviews, Video games 2 Responses »

Jul 222020

I’ve been curious about Deadly Premonition for quite a while, and when it came to the Switch under the title Deadly Premonition Origins in preparation for its sequel, players said that was one of the best versions available.

So I picked up Deadly Premonition Origins, and last night I finally completed my playthrough.

Going into it, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’d seen some parts of the beginning, and I knew it had sort of a “so bad it’s good” reputation online.

It ended up being so much better than I expected.

“So bad it’s good” is not a fair description of Deadly Premonition, because it isn’t a bad game at all. Sure it crashed a handful of times and had a few glitches, but it’s actually a really good game… and a weird one.

Because you have to know what you’re getting, and Deadly Premonition isn’t quite like anything else.

You play as Francis York Morgan, an FBI agent sent to the small town of Greenvale to investigate a recent murder. The best way I’ve found to describe it is “Silent Hill meets Shenmue.”

On one hand, you’re investigating a twisted murder mystery with hints of the supernatural and an “Otherworld” you’re swept into – a dark, alternate version of the world filled with disturbing monsters you have to fight and an implacable foe who pursues you.

On the other hand, you spend the rest of your time (which actually ends up being the larger portion of gameplay if you take your time and do a lot of side content) investigating around town in fairly relaxed, laid-back sections, where all the NPCs have their own schedules they follow and different areas are open depending on the time of day.

Add in a good dose of wacky humor, and you’ve got Deadly Premonition.

If I were judging it as a survival horror game, I’d be harsher toward it (and maybe that’s where some of its reputation as “bad” comes from), because the horror segments are fairly linear and mainly focused on shooting enemies, with an occasional QTE chase scene. But that’s not the game it’s trying to be.

I enjoyed those sections and the ominous, creepy vibe of the murder case itself, but I also really loved the parts in town. At first, I was worried, because it gives you a window of time to complete your next plot objective in. But that’s not a deadline. Deadly Premonition doesn’t have deadlines. Certain areas are only open for specific hours, so it’s your window of time for that day. If you miss it, you can just do it the next day… and some of the funniest scenes in the game are found by taking your time.

Click for Deadly Premonition spoilers

This also feeds into the impact of the story itself. After spending tons of in-game days eating lunch with Emily, Thomas, and George every day, I really felt their absence later on. I wouldn’t have been nearly as affected by the fates of those three if I hadn’t felt like we’d become friends through all those lunch scenes.

I spent a lot of in-game days just traveling around, doing side quests and talking to people, and even watching them go to different places as part of their daily routine.

(I loved checking the Community Center on the map during the chapter when York is going to address all the townspeople there. Some characters arrived a couple hours early, while others didn’t show up until the last minute. Watching the NPCs actually go there instead of just having them all appear for the plot event itself was cool.)

Meanwhile, I found the story to be really interesting and I loved the cast of characters. Those two details combined meant some story beats hit pretty hard. Near the end, the story got wildly weird, but… I loved it. It was my sort of thing.

When I finished the game, I didn’t want to leave. I completed every last side quest and went around town to say goodbye to everyone, and even though I had a few lingering questions about the story, it left me feeling really satisfied overall.

So if you like murder mysteries and think a game where horror combat sections are interspersed among Shenmue-like investigations sounds like an interesting idea, you really should give Deadly Premonition a try. It’s not “so bad it’s good,” it’s just… good.

Not-E3 2020 Part 12: Nintendo Direct Mini

Video games 11 Responses »

Jul 202020

Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase

I debated about whether or not I should count today’s Nintendo Direct Mini among the E3 replacements, since it’s a “partner showcase” rather than a regular Direct and the first in a series, but since we’ve counted similar things and I referenced it last time, I decided to include it.

The Nintendo Direct Mini began with the announcement of DLC for Cadence of Hyrule, the Legend of Zelda/Crypt of the Necrodancer crossover collaboration.

Then they showed a game called Rogue Company and WWE 2K Battlegrounds, neither of which interests me.

Hearing the next announcement would be the last in the Nintendo Direct Mini was a little disheartening (although since the presentation wasn’t live, I knew it was almost over), but it turned out to be a remaster of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne!

A new trailer for Shin Megami Tensei V followed (with a simultaneous release in 2021), to truly close out the Direct. It’s been quite a while since SMT V was first announced, and all it had at the time was a quick teaser trailer, so I know fans are relieved to finally get some news about it.

I’ve never played a Shin Megami Tensei game, but both of those trailers were pretty interesting. I’ll need to consider giving the series a try.

But wait, we’re not actually done yet!

That was it for the Nintendo Direct Mini, but the Japanese Nintendo Direct Mini actually showed a few more games… two of which are coming out in English, so I’m not sure why they were excluded from ours.

The first was a new trailer and release date for Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. It’ll be out in November.

After that came the official trailer for a game that would have been a surprise if the name hadn’t leaked last week, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends and the Secret Fairy. It’s due out this winter worldwide.

The Japanese Direct had a few other games that I’m not sure what are, but those are the major ones.

So while it wasn’t the most exciting Nintendo Direct Mini we’ve seen, it ended with a bang and the addition of Sakuna and Ryza make it even better. What interest me the most is that more of these Partner Showcases are planned for this year, so here’s hoping we’ll see some exciting news from them!

(Although by then, Not-E3 will be over.)

What did you think of today’s Nintendo Direct Mini?

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