Starfield Needs to Shine!
Starfield Needs to Shine!
E124: Several new details about Starfield have surfaced.
Good morning gamers! This generation of gaming has been tough for Xbox when it comes to creating a pipeline of exclusive games. They’ve definitely had some hits in Hi-fi Rush, Forza Horizon 5 and Pentiment, but they’ve also been dinged for their disappointing Redfall and Halo Infinite releases. Now, all eyes are on Starfield starting with this summer's Xbox Games Showcase.
Last week, new Starfield information surfaced via the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s official rating summary (it’s been given an “M for Mature” rating, by the way). Here’s what we learned,
Starfield is an open-world role-playing game in which players assume the role of a miner tasked with finding Artifacts across the galaxy.
From first-/third-person perspectives, players interact with various characters, complete quests, and search for supplies while battling enemies (e.g., humans, robots, alien creatures).
Players use futuristic guns, lasers, axes, and explosives to kill enemies.
Combat is fast-paced, with frequent gunfire, cries of pain, and explosions.
Attacks on some enemies can result in blood-splatter effects; several environments depict blood stains on the ground around corpses.
The game contains some suggestive material in the dialogue, and after sharing a bed with characters (e.g., “Life is a sexually transmitted disease that's a hundred percent fatal”; “I'm all for getting a little wild, but next time let's try it without the jetpacks”; “Talk about seeing stars, whew… that was amazing.”).
A fictional drug (Aurora) is prominent in the game, with a section involving players' characters working in an illicit drug lab; players can also obtain Aurora by stealing or buying it from vendors (consuming Aurora results in a distortion effect on the screen).
The words “f**k” and “bullsh*t” appear in the game.
PlayStation is Cooking
Last week, multiple studios and games associated with PlayStation made headlines for all the right, and wrong reasons.
Guerrilla Games continued to celebrate their 20th anniversary by reflecting on their history and discussing their franchises and growth. Guerrilla says that the Horizon franchise has surpassed more than 32.7 million units sold worldwide. They also confirmed Aloy’s adventure will continue and she will be going to a new location.
Insomniac Games narrative director Jon Paquette discussed Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 on a Twitch livestream. Paquette said the studio is working extremely hard to make sure this is “the best game we've ever made and we can't wait to share it with y'all”.
Bloodborne is getting a remake or remaster according to David Jaffe, the creator of God of War and Twisted Metal. Jaffe said he was informed by a source close to him that is in the know. In September 2022, it was reported that a Bloodborne remake was not in the works because the original code is a mess.
Final Strike Games has reportedly canceled an unannounced sci-fi shooter that has been in development for 3 years. The game was reportedly 2 years away from release for PS5 and PC. The company recently reduced their headcount by 40%.
Deviation Games is a PlayStation backed studio that is working on an original IP set to be published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Unfortunately, the studio had to layoff as many as 90 employees. In 2021, Deviation said they were “over 100 strong” after signing a deal with Sony.
Esports Corner
🥇Congratulations to all of the winners from DreamHack Japan 2023.
Counter-Strike teams participating in the BLAST.tv Paris Major 2023 have made a gentleman's agreement to omit using agent player skins due to their ongoing in-game problems. The agent skins have been around since 2019 but suffer from issues where some skins have smaller hitboxes than others, and some camouflage extremely well with map environments.
Dota’s biggest esports event of the year, The International 12, is finally returning to Seattle, USA in October. The event will take place at the Climate Pledge Arena, with the group stage & playoffs kicking off on October 14, followed by the finals scheduled October 27-29. The prize pool allocation has not yet been announced, but is expected to exceed last year's $18m. Team Liquid is the only team to qualify for the big event so far.
The Apex Legends Global Series is making a return to London for the Split 2 Playoffs in July. 40 teams from around the world will have to make their way through a group stage and a bracket stage before being one of the 20 teams qualified for the finals and a shot at the $1m grand prize. Additionally, for the first-time ever, all games will be played on the main stage in front of a live crowd.
Gaming Roundup
Sperasoft Studio is reportedly developing a new unannounced AAA third-person action RPG in Unreal Engine 5. The studio co-developed Fallout 76.
Nintendo Switch is reportedly getting a predecessor that is “progressing well”. The new hardware’s launch isn’t planned to take place before Spring 2024.
Mortal Kombat 1 will be a series reboot reportedly releasing in September 2023. The game will be revealed in the next couple of weeks.
Grand Theft Auto VI is reportedly entering a new development phase according to new job listings for a voiceover director and a scan capture specialist.
Arkane Studios is working on a new AAA project according to a new job listing. The studio recently released Redfall, which was poorly received by fans.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be released later this year. The game will have multiplayer, outbreak 2.0, single player, Warzone and zombies.
The Last of Us Season 2 is on pause due to the ongoing writers strike. Filming can potentially begin in Vancouver in early 2024.
Game Review - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
There was a lot of hype surrounding The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom prior to its release, and that made us a little skeptical. However, to say this game exceeded our expectations is an understatement. It is a Game of the Year candidate in every way.
First off, we strongly suggest you go back and play The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild before taking on this new adventure as it will allow you to have a better experience. Nintendo took everything from their previous game and expanded upon it.
The music and atmosphere of the game, combined with the huge new map, allows you to lose yourself for hours. It’s not just a nice visual experience, this game is a work of art. It keeps you intrigued with a mystery around every corner, while still remaining challenging enough to keep veteran gamers hooked.
The game did have some frame rate issues that we’d like to call out, mainly due to the Nintendo Switch being an underpowered console. However, the issue didn’t stop us from giving The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom a score of A+.
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