The Year of the Remakes
Edition 37 - August 16th to August 22nd
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Call of Duty: Vanguard
Call of Duty: Vanguard is being developed by Sledgehammer Games and it will be released on November 5. The announcement took place via a Warzone in-game event on Thursday, where upon completion, the reveal trailer was played.
Warzone is getting a brand new map and a new anti-cheat system on PC. The map will offer players a new gameplay experience and a variety of different game modes. Players will continue to be able to use their guns from previous Call of Duty instalments.
Campaign will allow players to experience a unified World War II story through the eyes of 4 multinational heroes: Private Lucas Riggs, Sergeant Arthur Kingsley, Lieutenant Wade Jackson and Lieutenant Polina Petrova.
Multiplayer will feature 20 maps, the most maps ever available at the launch of a Call of Duty title. There will be 16 core multiplayers maps and 4 champion hill maps, which is a smaller Battle Royale type mode. The multiplayer will include diverse areas from WWII, new gunsmith systems and much more.
Zombies will remain a Treyarch Studios initiative in Vanguard. The mode will have a new chilling experience and a detailed preview will be provided closer to All Hallows Eve.
Open Beta will be available to those who pre-order any version of the game. The open beta will last at least 2 days and more information will be available at the worldwide Multiplayer reveal.
Pokémon - The Adventures Continue
Pokémon is one of Nintendo’s strongest IPs and arguably one of the most widely recognized franchises in the world. If you’re a Pokémon fan, last week’s Pokémon Presents livestream did an amazing job at highlighting everything to look forward to.
Pokémon UNITE will be making its mobile debut on September 22 and will come equipped with Nintendo Switch crossplay. Players can now pre-register on the iOS and Android app stores and those that do will receive special in-game bonuses. Mamoswine and Sylveon will also be making their UNITE debut in the near future.
Pokémon Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond featured a brand-new trailer which highlighted some of the remakes' incredible upgrades. The footage gave viewers a glimpse into the visually upgraded Sinnoh region, a peek at the enhanced battle system, additional information on the character customization features and a walkthrough of the new wild area.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus begins in the Hisui Region in a time where it was rare for people and Pokémon to live in harmony. This region will come to be known as the Sinnoh Region, and players must help complete the first-ever Pokédex. Additional details;
New Pokémon include Wyrdeer and Basculegion, new regional forms include Hisuian Braviary and Hisuian Growlithe and your first partner Pokémon are Rowlet, Cyndaquil or Oshawott.
Combat has a turn queue system with new “Strong” and “Agile” fighting styles. Use the environment to your advantage to help catch Pokémon.
Completing the Pokédex requires catching Pokémon and completing research tasks.
Basecamps serve as an outpost to heal your Pokémon throughout your adventures. Collecting resources will allow you to craft items like Poké Balls.
QuakeCon - Old is the New, New
25 Years of Quake is being celebrated with an enhanced version of iD Software’s 1996 game for consoles and PC. You can now play the original shooter with 4K resolution, the iconic soundtrack, a new expansion and other improvements. The remaster supports local and online multiplayer, and cross-play and will cost $10 on all platforms (free with Xbox Game Pass).
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Anniversary Edition will be available on November 11 for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4 and PC. The next generation update will be free for existing owners. It will include 500+ unique pieces of content from the creation club and new fishing mechanics. The anniversary celebration will also include a Skyrim concert.
Fallout 76 and Fallout Worlds will be coming in a major update on September 8. The update will allow players to create custom private worlds and play in public worlds with their own ruleset. There will also be several seasonal events such as Halloween and Christmas.
Deathloop unveiled a 25 minute in-depth look at a singleplayer mission and their multiplayer mode. The campaign will be played from the perspective of Colt Vahn who’s attempting to escape a time loop and Juliana Blake who is trying to stop him. The PvP multiplayer is not meant to be competitive but rather generate awesome stories.
DOOM Eternal is getting a new update where the game will be receiving Hoard Mode, an overhauled Battlemode and a new arena called Stronghold. Fans of the series can also look forward to new Master Levels, World Spear and Mars Core. There is no official release date for the 6.66 update yet.
Esports Corner
🥇Congratulations to the LA Gladiators on being the Overwatch League Countdown Cup Champions!
FIFA Esports - Historic Transfer
Hashtag United is at the cusp of making FIFA esports history by receiving a transfer fee for their star player Tom Leese. The Hashtag United pro is considered one today’s best professional FIFA players and he represented Watford in the 2020 ePremier League competitions. Nothing has been made official yet, but recent reports seem to suggest that the transfer fee is in the £100,000 range. EA’s FIFA games currently lead the way in the esports scene but they will face some added pressure from eFootball (formerly known as PES) and the upcoming ‘GOALS’ game being developed by SK Gaming co-founder Andreas Thorstensson.
The Mutineers Treading in NFT Waters
The 2021 Call of Duty League Championships have concluded and the Atlanta FaZe are crowned Black Ops Cold War World Champions. Leading into the championship weekend, Florida Mutineers’ parent company Misfit Gaming Group partnered with digital collectibles developer Fanplay to launch inaugural NFTs celebrating the team’s first ever playoff appearance. The “Mutineers C21 NFT Collection” included three distinct animated collectibles available for fans to purchase. The organization also committed to prioritizing fan access by offering limited numbers of each collectible for free before having them hit the open market.
The Kings of Valorant
Valorant is the new kid on the block when it comes to major esport competitions but that hasn’t stopped them from making a splash. Riot’s first-person hero shooter has barely been around for a year, but they’ve already launched the Valorant Champions Tour, announced a mobile version of the game, and held an in-person LAN event in Reykjavík, Iceland. Fast forward to today and Valorant has established itself as one of the leading global esports and features teams from the most influential gaming organizations. Despite the stiff competition, one team has risen above the rest and cemented themselves as the most dominant team in Valorant esports. Sentinels are the highest ranked team in the world, they dominate the North American region, and they quite literally cannot stop winning. Don’t believe me? Take a look,
Game Review - Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut
Ghost of Tsushima was nominated and received several awards in 2020 based on the game performance, art, gameplay and design. The Director’s Cut takes the game to the next level graphically on the PS5 alongside the release of the new co-op multiplayer legend mode. The load times have been improved, however the real draw here is the new Iki Island expansion, which will be a breath of fresh air for players who want to go through the main story of the campaign again. Without giving up too much, the expansion gives Jin’s story more background and it develops his personality. If you’re on the PS5, you should definitely try the game out. We give Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut a grade of A-.
Gaming Roundup
John Romero, an original DOOM creator, has revealed he’s making a Sigil sequel with DOOM 2. Romero has no official release date for Sigil 2 but it will feature a lot of new levels adding on to the 1994 version of the game.
Fortnite revealed a new Imposters game mode that looks like a copy of Among Us. Among Us Community Director Victoria Tran voiced her disappointment via twitter, also stating that the team would’ve loved to collaborate with Epic Games.
Splitgate has surpassed 10 million downloads since launching in July so the team at 1047 Games has decided to extend their Open Beta. A small update was released last week to add server capacity improvements, minor bug fixes and a ranked 2vs2 mode.
Halo Infinite will not launch with campaign co-op play or Forge. According to Joseph Staten, the creative head of Halo Infinite, the decision was made to ensure the best quality game at launch. Staten insists the modes will be released at some point soon.
Watch Dogs Legion will be getting an Assassin’s Creed crossover DLC next week. The trailer indicates that Darcy, a member of the Assassins Brotherhood will be a new playable character for Season Pass owners.
Destiny 2 will be having a showcase on August 24th to reveal the “Season of the Lost”. According to the Bungie website, the last seven years of Destiny has led us to this point and we will experience adventures unlike ever before.
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