Collapsed was just released for Playstation on March 13th, 2021. It was released for Nintendo Switch on August 27th, 2020 and it first came to PC on August 1st, 2019. Collapsed is a roguelike platformer where you can play as one of four Hunters and fight against hostile alien invaders. The game is the only major project from the indie developer Glaive Games. It was published by OverGamez, a Russian indie games producer. The gaming community appears to be split on their opinion of this game. While the game has received praise for the online co-op and the large skill tree, its also been criticized for its poor story-telling and repetitive gameplay. But there are definitely some features that might appeal to many gamers.
Most of Collapsed’s levels are filled with tons of alien enemies.
4 Hunters
In Collapsed, our Solar System has been invaded by a massive force of varied aliens. The invaders intend to enslave all sentient life in the galaxy and it’s up to the player to repel the invasion. The rest of the story is told through messages that you can find throughout the procedurally generated levels. All four of the playable Hunters have their own set of abilities, skills, and weapons. As you play through the game, inevitably dying on your first couple of playthroughs, you’ll move through the game’s large skill tree and unlock new ways to strengthen your hunters. You can also craft over 100 different items to help you through your run. There are 9 uniquely styled locations in the game and the procedural generation will make it so that every playthrough is different. There are over 60 enemy types and 15 challenging bosses to battle at the end of a level.
Thanks the huge skill tree, the player can really choose how they want to develop their play style.
Blast from the Past
Collapsed art-style is incredibly reminiscent to the flash games that were popular on the internet in the 2000’s. The way that the assets move and are drawn brings back plenty of memories from that time period. Whether you like this or not is a matter of personal preference. Ultimately, Collapsed is a roguelike game with potential. The online co-op is a neat feature that’s fairly uncommon among most notable roguelike games. However, priced at $14.99, there are plenty of other excellent roguelike games that Collapsed is directly competing with. If you’re a fan of roguelikes, you might really enjoy Collapsed. But is it as good as Binding of Isaac or Enter the Gungeon? Now, that’s a tall order.
Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) was originally released on November 17th, 2017 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. It’s the sequel to the initial reboot of the Star Wars Battlefront series from 2015. Developed by DICE and published by EA, Star Wars Battlefront II has had one of the most dynamic and controversial lifetimes in video game history. Battlefront II (2017) took many of the features from Battlefront (2015) and expanded on how much farther the game could go. Deeply criticized for a variety of reasons at its launch, it’s received numerous free updates over the years that have kept many people playing to this day. The game has also just gained a fresh new wave of players since its addition to the lineup of games on EA Play. Regardless of how it was received by consumers at launch, it’s clearly generated a great deal of interest among shooter fans and Star Wars fans alike. So what went right and what went wrong with Star Wars BattleFront II?
Battlefront II lets you play as some of the minor characters from the newest movies, even Captain Phasma.
13 Years to Build On
To appropriately judge Battlefront II (2017), let’s look at what came before it. The first Star Wars Battlefront game came out in 2004 for PC, PS2, and Xbox. It was developed by Pandemic Studios and published by LucasArts. It’s a Star Wars FPS game where you play as a common soldier in the Star Wars universe thrust into a team-battle. There are multiple classes, factions, and maps to choose from. Star Wars fans will love to play on their favorite planet with their favorite army. Shooter fans will love choosing their favorite play-styles and weapons, then jumping right into non-stop action. But the 2005 version of Battlefront II pushed the game to the next level. One of the reasons for the high level of discontent among fans at the 2017 release may have to do with the high bar set by the original Battlefront II.
The original Battlefront II lets you fly your own ship into an enemy flagship and blow up the critical systems from the inside.
An Ever-Expanding Galaxy
Incredibly, even the original Battlefront II still has a player base to this day. How can this be? What made the original Battlefront II shine? It starts with how much content the developers made available to the player. The original Battlefront II added a story mode where you could play as a clone/storm trooper that follows the events of the movies. Starting at the battle of Geonosis, you’ll eventually fight on the Death Star and deeper into the original trilogy. The original sequel also added various other game modes that added endless replayability to the game. The game featured space battles with numerous flyable ships. The game had hunts that pitted aliens versus the traditional armies. It added hero battles where iconic characters joined the fight. It even had a galactic conquest mode where all of the game’s planets were shown on a large map and you had to systematically conquer the galaxy, one battle at a time. The original Battlefront II was loaded with content that showed how much the developers cared about improving the game through its latest release. What about Battlefront II (2017)?
I can’t imagine being forced to spend dozens of hours grinding in the original games just so I could unlock my favorite characters one by one.
The Dark Side
Let’s start with the problems because that’s how the game’s lifecycle started. Hands down, Battlefront II’s progression system upon release was the most egregious sin committed by EA. This was among the most predatory tactics ever attempted to try to extract additional money from players who already payed full price for a game. Upon release, Battlefront II featured a progression system that required the player to use an in-game currency to unlock characters and purchase loot boxes. Opening the loot boxes had the potential to unlock new abilities for units or new cosmetics. What was so egregious about this? There was the moral argument that several national governments made across the globe, claiming this game was introducing gambling to children. But beyond that, the prices for every loot box and unlock were completely out of this world. To cherry pick, Darth Vader is arguably the flagship character in Star Wars. He’s the villain in the original trilogy who comes back to save the day and he’s the hero-turned-villain in the prequels. It took roughly 40-80 hours of dedicated playtime in multiplayer to unlock him! Or, you know, you could just buy the excruciatingly overpriced in-game currency and skip that. This presents the true tragedy of Battlefront II’s release. The game intentionally locked off so much of its content in the hopes that certain players would spend high amounts of money to buy them. Meanwhile, normal players would have to grind for countless hours to unlock anything. It wasn’t just the progression system that disappointed players about the game either. Battlefront II generated plenty of excitement because it would feature a story mode that was almost always marketed as an opportunity to play as a mysterious and elite storm trooper unit clad in black. However, it’s only about three or four missions in that you change sides and end up as rebel with your mask off for the rest of the story. Much like the multiplayer’s progression system, the singleplayer story mode wasn’t accurately portrayed before launch.
Excited to travel through the galaxy as an elite stromtrooper in the story mode? Think again.
The Light Side
So what did EA do right? At the very least, they saw that consumers were extremely displeased with the state of the game at launch. Battlefront II has had numerous sizable updates, which have seriously changed the way that the game is played. Loot boxes were fixed and the cost to unlock certain characters has been decreased by as much as 75%. As the Star Wars universe has expanded and evolved over the years, the game has added several new characters, weapons, and cosmetics. No one ever complains about free content updates. It’s undeniable that the game is better today than it was at release. While it mostly received reviews around 6/10 by most games journalists, it now receives very positive reviews from recent players. Beyond all the changes that have been made to the game over the years, it wasn’t all bad at launch either. The graphics are fantastic and if you’ve ever wanted to play a Star Wars shooter that looks great, you can’t find a game better than this. Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) stands along Fallen Order as one of the most visually appealing Star Wars games. Gunplay is smooth and there are plenty of vehicles, weapons, maps, and characters for you to enjoy.
Free content updates have added loads of content, injecting new life into the game.
Conclusion
While EA definitely didn’t hit the nail on the head with Battlefront II, they did produce a game that can stand out on its own. There’s a good reason that so many people are still playing. It’s very fun to play with your friends and engross yourself in the world of Star Wars. It’s still worth playing. Combat is well-done and there are many different ways to have fun. But despite the fact that loot boxes have been fixed, the progression system will never truly be fixed for me. I would have much preferred a leveling system that would award you with specific unlockable content based on time played or successful gameplay. Even with all the flair of EA’s remake, I still prefer the original Battlefront II from 2005. For me, the memorable story, the superior space battles, and the unique galactic conquest mode keep the original Battllefront II at the top spot of the Battlefront series. The internet also has plenty of mods that you can use to add to the classic experience. Should a Battlefront III ever be released, I sincerely hope that they blend some of the great qualities from the original games into the next game in the series. Each game is available on various marketplaces and I encourage you to give them a try if you’re a fan of Star Wars and shooters.
Battlefront II lets you play as characters from every era of Star Wars. Every movie from the 70’s up to the newest have been represented in the game.
Gravity Heroes was just released on Steam on February 19th, 2021. It will also be available for Playstation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch in the near future. Gravity Heroes is a 2D platform-based shooter where players get to choose between 4 different characters. You can play solo or with up to 3 friends. The game features a story mode and a survival mode. Gravity Heroes is published by PQube Limited, the United Kingdom-based company behind numerous titles that have turned heads in the past few years.
You can play as one of four distinct characters in Gravity Heroes.
Four Choices
The game takes place in the midst of a war between humans and the robotic-beings known as synthetics. The Gravity Heroes are a special task force that must fight back against the robotic menace. The player can choose between four different characters to control. The four Gravity Heroes are Abel, Magnus, Nala, and El Tostador. Abel is a jokester and technological know-it-all. Magnus is an old veteran that still has scars from his battles against the synthetics. Nala’s unequaled passion for understanding the truth behind this war make her a major danger to whoever stands in her way. El Tostador isn’t even human, he’s actually a synthetic with plenty of spirit and heart. Gravity Heroes wants the player to care about where the story is going in the campaign and they clearly use its characters to help connect the player to the story.
Changing gravity’s direction can be crucial to getting through a combat situation.
Flip the Gravity
Entering the ever-growing library of 2D platform-based shooters on Steam, Gravity Heroes had to differentiate itself somehow to stand out. The game does this by utilizing the “Gravity Shifter”. The player can change gravity’s direction and totally alter the course of combat. Pairing that feature with the game’s unique weapons and powerups can lead to a truly unique experience for the player. Gravity Heroes is priced at $9.99, but it’s 10% off on Steam until February 26th. Steam also offers a Free Demo, so you can give the game a try before you buy. If you want to give a brand new 2D platform-based shooter a try with your friends or even solo, consider looking into Gravity Heroes.
Astrokicker was released as an Early Access game on Steam on January 29th. It was developed by the small and relatively new indie studio Quadrivo Software, LLC. Founded in 2019, this is their first game on Steam. But their founder, Lee Lorenz, has almost four decades of experience in software development. Having sold his first game in 1983, he’s a fan of the classics. Astrokicker pays homage to classic shootemup games while also adding a few twists to the game. It tells its entire story without any cutscenes, allowing the player to experience it entirely through gameplay instead.
Astrokicker will take you back to the old days.
It’s Astrockickin Time
As soon as you start playing Astrokicker, you’ll start to feel the nostalgia of games from years past. Everything from the visuals to the gameplay will remind you of games from decades ago. At its core, Astrokicker is an arcade space shooter with 100 levels, numerous powerups, and over 25 variants of enemy fighters. But even deeper than that, it’s a fresh take on the experience that gamers were given when they played a classic space shooter. The game features both a modern and a retro mode. The modern mode lets you fly in any direction and has more advanced graphics. Ships are rendered in 3D, the user interface is more detailed, and there are 100 unique parallax scrolling backgrounds. The retro mode gives the game a much older feel. Ships are limited to 8 directions and the graphics will reflect the older look that the mode is going for.
There’s plenty of unique gameplay to experience through the game’s 100 levels.
Astrokicker is expected to be in Early Access for another 2 to 3 months. While the game is already fully playable, Quadrivo wants to listen to community feedback and optimize every user’s experience within the game. Improvements might be made to the music and sound effects. There might also be a new boss fight added before the final release. That being said, there’s already a full game on display. At only $10, it’s an inexpensive option for any gamer. But make sure that you have a controller if you intend to pick this game up. Keyboard and mouse gameplay isn’t currently supported.
EVERSPACE 2 was released in Early-Access on January 18th for PC on GOG and Steam. Like so many of Steam’s recently added Early-Access games, there are huge plans for the game’s future. The German development team ROCKFISH Games wants EVERSPACE 2 to become the gold standard for space shooter games. It combines elements from many different genres, culminating in an experience that sets it apart from any other game. It also represents a great shift from the original EVERSPACE. While the developers are taking full advantage of the same community-based method to refine the game, they’re moving in a different direction with gameplay. They want to take the world of EVERSPACE from a linear roguelike space shooter to an epic open-world space looter shooter.
EVERSPACE 2’s story will take you to very unique locations.
Ever Ambitious
There’s already plenty of content available to the player. There are an estimated 12+ hours of content in the story campaign with full English voice acting. With at least 25 hours of gameplay in total, there are already a great deal of special mechanics that will keep a player interested in exploring the star systems. The game is filled with extensive combat and interesting places to explore. Plus, there are tons of puzzles, crafting, trading, customization options, and characters. There are also alien species, hidden treasures, outlaw gangs, and many other mysteries to uncover through the main missions and side missions. But, there are still plenty of features left to be fleshed out or added.
EVERSPACE 2 features various unique ship classes and there are plans to add plenty of customization options in the future.
A Vast Future
ROCKFISH plans to keep EVERSPACE 2 in Early Access for the next 12 to 18 months. There are a multitude of content additions that they plan to release through quarterly updates. There are going to be a plethora of new locations, enemies, missions, challenges, characters, customization options, items, resources, and more. While the game’s graphics already look excellent, several quality of life improvements can also be expected. Expected improvements can include bug fixes, new language support, ac and Linux support, and new difficulties. EVERSPACE 2 has big plans, so check back in on it from time to time over the next year or so.
Sniper Elite 4, developed by Rebellion, is scheduled to be released for the Nintendo Switch on November 17th. The game takes place in World War 2 Italy, where you’ll be tasked with killing hundreds of Nazis and blowing up countless trucks and tanks. Playing as Karl Fairburne, you’ll use every weapon at your disposal to take down the enemy and help turn the tide of the war.
Combat
Every level is packed with weapons to defeat your enemies. Beyond the various sniper rifles, you can also use pistols, SMGs, mines, grenades, rocket launchers, and your own fists to take down enemies. Like its predecessors, Sniper Elite 4 features the unique “X-Ray kill cam” ability. When you hit a target with a sniper rifle, the camera will move with the bullet in slow motion and show the internal damage that the bullet does to the body of who gets shot. These cinematic moments help the game feel unique.
Environment
Sniper Elite 4 takes you across very different parts of Italy. Sometimes you’ll be in a warm forest or you’ll be on a snow-capped mountain. You’ll find yourself in small villages, in large cities, and in massive Nazi bases. Each level is fleshed out and unique so you’ll be excited to see what the next level will have to offer. The DLC even has a level where you actually hunt Adolf Hitler. Sniper Elite continues to provide a fun experience for gomers who are looking for a shooter that keeps you engaged and excited to see the next level.
Destiny 2 for 12 – what? Twelve Dollars! – Where? Stand by for THAT News!
ALSO – FYI – Destiny 2’s latest Downloadable Content, Warmind, Has a Release Date Set For May 8th! That is This coming Tuesday, as of this Post!
Full Details and More HERE!
The Call Of Duty franchise is getting a lot of attention so far this year. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the 2010 release, appears to be getting a remaster. See this article from CharlieIntel. Several sources are saying this, but this has yet to be confirmed by Activision. I will refrain from too much speculation other than to say, bring it on!
BLACK OPS 4
In what looks to be a game-changing experience, Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4 launches worldwide on Friday, 12th October for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Tune in Thursday, 17th May, when publisher Activision, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, and award-winning developer Treyarch, host the community reveal to a worldwide audience. Places to check: www.callofduty.com , www.youtube.com/callofduty and follow @Treyarch and @CallofDuty on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.
I am hearing that Black Ops 4 will not include a single player campaign mode. There could be any number of reasons for this. Making sense is the speculation surrounding the remaster of Modern Warfare 2 being Single player only. You would get one game for Single Player, another for the Multiplayer experience. Black Ops 4 may get a mode involving Zombies, but that is not the same as a single player mode. On a digression, I personally do not understand the fascination with zombies in video games. But anyway..
In case you missed it Bluehole, Inc has announced The Formation of PUBG Corp. for Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – Bluehole, Inc., on September 29, 2017, announced a change to its organizational structure with the formation of PUBG Corp. This is a subsidiary focused entirely on the development and global business opportunities for PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG).
“Given PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS global success, we want to ensure that we have the operational efficiency that is required to support the game globally,” said Chang Han Kim, CEO, PUBG Corp. He also said, “This new structure allows us to be nimble as we look towards the expansion of strategic business opportunities that include the game’s potential in the esports sector and the growth of PUBG as a true global IP franchise.”
Also, PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS has sold more than thirteen million copies. The Game has surpassed the all-time record for the most concurrent users (CCUs) on Steam with over 1.5 million active players in the game at a given time.
The Game drops players on a realistic 8 x 8 km island, showcasing Unreal Engine 4’s visual capabilities. Starting with nothing, gamers fight to locate weapons, as well as vehicles, also supplies as they strive for lone survivor status.
Furthermore, This Game is available on Steam Early Access, also launching exclusively on Xbox One. It is part of the Xbox Game Preview program in late 2017.
To learn more about this addictive game, visit www.playbattlegrounds.com. Please ‘Like’ it on Facebook. Please follow its development on Twitter @PUBATTLEGROUNDS for all the latest updates and news from the team.
As a Result, This is not Just a Game. This is Battle Royale.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – Stealth ModePlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – Chris Jones GamingPlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – Chris Jones Gaming
