Day: 24 November 2017

Doom Review [Nintendo Switch] – An Imperfect, Visual Showpiece

by Casey Mcstefan, posted in Reviews

The simplest, and yet most fundamental question one can ask about Doom on the Nintendo Switch is this: is it a complete version of the 2016 title running on a portable console? So here you go: yes, principally, it is.

Doom On Switch – Hey Good Looking

While Doom on the Switch doesn’t look as good or indeed run as well as its console brothers – as would be expected looking at the size of the thing – there’s no doubt that seeing it run at all on the Switch’s screen is a bit of a technical marvel. This is a 30fps affair, down from the original 60fps, and with less visual flair and a missing SnapMap editor. But at the same time, it still happens to be a visual showpiece.

Through the very nature of being on a portable, Doom’s visual sacrifices aren’t as noticeable as you would first think. In fact, I found the extent of these compromises only truly apparent when docking the Switch. Admittedly, even then, it still looks good. Considering that many Switch users spend a lot of their time in handheld mode (myself included), it appears that the primary focus of Doom was making it run in portable mode to a respectable level – something the developers Panic Button achieved. Doom reaffirms what we’re all quickly learning then: the Switch may not be that powerful as a home console, but as a portable, it’s a beast.

Doom Nintendo Switch
Nothing can beat the double-barreled super shotgun.

Just One-More-Go

What you get in the overall package is the full, completely awesome Doom campaign with its memorable, and haunting, heavy metal soundtrack, the Arcade Mode that has you competing for top scores on these levels and the multiplayer experience. That’s quite a bit of content right there. I even found myself getting into the often overlooked and sometimes derided multiplayer. It’s an odd hybrid itself, yes, mixing custom loadouts with an old school arena shooter, but its satisfying one-more-go style progression system, along with its relative scarcity, works beautifully in short bursts on the portable.

With all that being said, Doom on Switch can occasionally come across as a bit rough around the edges. I’ve encountered a loud and intrusive audio bug across the main campaign a few times that doesn’t sound all that healthy – even startling me at one point with headphones in. This audio bug can then lower the overall sound levels requiring you to turn up the volume. The loading, at times, could be faster in certain segments of the game and I’ve experienced some minor slow down during particularly heated fights too. Hopefully the developer Panic Button can patch these issues up shortly.

That leaves the high price tag as the last barrier along with how important portability is for you. Although we know, (cough), the South African Nintendo eShop can help you out a little here. You didn’t hear it from us.

Call of Duty: WW2 datamined, weapon variants and supply drops revealed

by Casey Mcstefan, posted in Videos

Data miners have uncovered a few currently unreleased weapon variants and supply drops in Call of Duty: WWII.

Call of Duty: WW2 – Buying Power?

This coincides with the launch of COD Points, the in-game currency that can be purchased with real money and used to buy supply drops – which had a rough start at launch.

This leaves one to wonder if this will simply be a way to buy power instead of earning it by playing.

Capture
Datamined EXP boost

Eurogamer noticed that drops would contain EXP boost and this Reddit thread details other information from the mining. It should be mentioned that just because the information was mined, it doesn’t mean it will make it into the final cut of any patch.

In other related news, there’s a patch coming that will do the following:

  • Nerf the BAR
  • Reduce flinching
  • UI improvements
  • Connectivity optimisations
  • Other small bug fixes

A seasonal event, Winter Siege, will start December 8th and will last until January. Ranked Play will start on consoles December 1st. It was not announced when this will come to PC, however.

Belgian and Hawaiian politicians investigate loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront 2

by Sanjiv Sookoo, posted in Nintendo, Videos

The controversy surrounding loot boxes in Star Wars Battlefront 2 has continued as Belgian and Hawaiian politicians have begun to investigate its similarity to gambling and whether it should be considered as such.

Last week, the Belgian Gambling Commission began to investigate loot boxes and whether they constitute gambling, which would greatly affect the industry as gambling requires a person to be over the age of eighteen to indulge. In their decision, the Belgian Gambling Commission have found that Battlefront’s loot boxes are to be looked upon as gambling and would like them to be banned.

This could spark a massive change to gaming worldwide if other countries decide to use Belgian’s decision as a legal precedent. Belgian Minister of Justice Koen Geens states that:

“Mixing gambling and gaming, especially at a young age, is dangerous for the mental health of the child.”

He would also like the European Union to achieve a total ban on loot boxes.

Similarly, Hawaiian legislators have indicated a desire to investigate loot boxes and have them banned. Hawaiian legislators Chris Lee and Sean Quinlan believe that loot boxes are predatory in nature and can negatively affect children who are unaware that the process is essentially gambling. They also spoke on the fact that loot boxes are rampant in mobile games, but the focus has now shifted to preying on gamers of AAA games.

In the latest news, the Entertainment Software Association have deemed that loot boxes are not gambling as some are free, some are paid and not all affect player progression. They say it should not be banned, and gamers should make the final decision.

The loot box controversy is one of the hottest topics in gaming now – there’s no escaping it.

Many gamers have boycotted Star Wars Battlefront 2 on the grounds of its oppressive progression and loot box system, but many find that there is a middle ground, in that loot boxes may exist if they are merely cosmetic.

In dealing with legislative bans, gamers remain hopeful that this system’s predatory nature is quelled, at least to an extent, as the consumers would most certainly benefit from it. More as it happens.