Yes, everyone, this may come as a shock to you all, but there actually are other football franchises out there besides Madden.
I know, Madden hasn’t had a real competitor since the 2K series was still making football games (the last one released all the way back in 2008.)
Axis Football 18
Well, while Madden has been dominating the market, a new indie studio “Axis Games” have been quietly developing their own football title in “Axis Football” since 2015.
It looks like we are getting another one this year in Axis Football 18. Let’s get you guys caught up:
Axis Football 18 was officially announced through popular sports gaming YouTube personality Ryan Moody.
This announcement came with the surprising news that for the first time ever, Axis Football will be releasing on Xbox One and PS4 alongside the usual PC version.
Axis Games have been hyping up this year’s version. They’re stating that there will be massive strides in player movement and animations. Also, there has been an emphasis on making improvements in ‘Franchise’ mode, and the amount of playbooks you can choose from.
Additionally, Axis Games is known for listening to community feedback. They consistently update the game and the community on what will be implemented. They post all of these updates and announcements through their YouTube channel and official website.
Axis Football 18 will launch in the summer of this year. No price point has been announced yet, but the previous versions have retailed for $20.
So, what do you guys think of Axis Football 18? Are you guys planning on giving it a shot? Let me know in the comments below.
Just like any Nintendo Direct or ‘Nindie’ presentation, there was a lot of speculation from the gaming community on what would and wouldn’t be announced in the most recent Nindie showcase. The funny thing is that the game everyone had as a shoo-in to be announced at the showcase, was actually announced after it ended…
Hyper Light Drifter Switch
Yes, that’s right, Hyper Light Drifter is finally coming to the Switch. Let’s get you guys caught up:
Believe it or not, Hyper Light Drifter was originally supposed to come out for the Wii U. But, thanks to the technical limitations of that console, Hyper Light Drifter never saw the light of day.
The new “Export to Switch” option on Gamemaker Studio 2 (the software that developer Heart Machine used to make HLD) means that Switch owners will finally be able to play one of the most beloved indie titles.
Like I mentioned above, HLD actually wasn’t shown in the most recent Nindie Showcase. The reason for this exclusion is currently unknown, but if I was a betting man, I’d say Nintendo wanted to show off more unknown/obscure up and coming titles, and not have them be overshadowed by an indie juggernaut like HLD.
Shortly after the showcase, Nintendo actually posted a tweet confirming Hyper Light Drifter’s upcoming release.
Hyper Light Drifter will launch on the Switch eShop this summer. But, the real question is whether HLD will get a physical release for Switch. Just like some other indie titles have – Axiom Verge, Wonderboy and Darkest Dungeon.
So, will you guys be picking up Hyper Light Drifter on the Switch? Or are you going to hold out for a possible physical edition? Let me know in the comments below.
Ah Payday 2, you’re probably one of the most controversial games ever made. Not by the content of the game itself, but how developers Overkill have handled the production and post release of their most successful title to date.
Payday 2 On Switch
Where should I begin with the controversy surrounding this Payday? Let’s start from the beginning. Payday: The Heist is a cooperative FPS that is focused around doing robberies and large scale cons, it launched all the way back in 2011 for PC and PS3. This title was a surprisingly big success for Overkill Studios, by selling over 700,000 copies since launch. With this newfound success and large amount of cash, Overkill Studios took just under two years to make a sequel in Payday 2.
Overkill launched Payday 2 for almost all platforms in August of 2013 with some lofty ambitions. First off, Overkill stated they have plans to support Payday 2 for 4 years. This means consistent updates, enhancements, and DLC add-ons from 2013-2017. This is a promise that Overkill has actually gone through on, with support surprisingly being extended all the way into 2019.
Secondly, Overkill promised its fan base that there will be no form of microtransactions throughout the lifespan of Payday 2. Well… that lasted for about two years until Overkill went back on their promise to their community, and added microtransactions (called the Black Market) into their game. This caused fan outrage like the gaming world has only seen a few times. The community was not only upset that they were lied to, but the fact that the microtransactions that were added into the game were stat boosted weapons and gear. This means the more you spent on these microtransactions, you’d end up with a better overall character than a free player. This is a mechanic known in the gaming community as “Pay2Win.”
Payday 2 On Switch
With this outrage came all sort of bad press for Overkill, not only were they getting lambasted by the gaming media, but there was a gargantuan drop off in player counts for Payday 2. All of this controversy made Overkill remove all microtransactions all together from Payday, and start giving out free content in an attempt to win the community back. But, the dust was only settled for so long before the console community started to get fed up with Overkill themselves.
Shortly after the microtransaction controversy, came the console controversy. The Xbox One and PS4 players were abandoned by Overkill Studios for over 400 days. No updates, no new content for over a year. When these players were promised a game that would be supported for years to come. What made matters even worse, is when console players complained to the developers about the update issue, they were treated to a response of “go to other platforms and fucking play it there.” As you can probably understand, this caused even more outrage. This finally led Overkill to start taking care of the console versions of their game, in which they now update on a semi-regular basis.
Even with all of this background noise about the developer, I was optimistic for the newly released Nintendo Switch version of Payday 2. What excited me about Payday on the Switch is the fact that the Switch is starving for first-person shooters. With the only other big FPS title on the system being the excellent DOOM. So, I took a risk, and went out and purchased the Switch version of Payday 2 on launch day. To be honest with all of you, I regret it… for the most part. And truthfully, I don’t like to moan about things unless I think there’s a problem.
Payday 2 On Switch
Instead of getting an up-to-date port of Payday 2, Switch owners got a version of Payday that is behind in content compared to the PS4 and Xbox One versions. All in all, the Switch version of Payday 2 is almost a full year behind in content and updates compared to the PC version. Now, Overkill did say they will be patching the Switch version to get it lined up with the other console versions in terms of content. But, with their reputations with patches and updates for us console players, who knows if this patch is ever going to come out.
To make matters even worse, the Switch version itself suffers from loads of technical issues. With frame rates dropping to the low 20s whenever there are any form of alpha effects on screen (smoke, explosions etc.) Additional issues include not being able to connect with other players online, game crashes, heists not being able to progress past a certain point, and useless/unhelpful A.I. companions. But, the most glaring issue above all else for the Switch version, is the lack of voice chat.
Yes, you read that right, you cannot communicate with your online companions in the Switch version of Payday 2. This game is built on coordination and cooperation between you and your squad mates. Without being able to communicate with them, the higher tier heists become almost impossible to complete. And, yes the Nintendo Switch does have a companion voice chat phone app for this very feature. This makes the exclusion of this feature even more inexcusable. I personally don’t know how you can ship a cooperative title like this, without any form of communication for your community. So, good luck to any of my fellow Switch Payday players on beating any heist with a difficulty level of ‘Mayhem’ or above.
Even with all of Payday’s faults on the Nintendo Switch, I would be lying to you if I said I haven’t had any fun with it. The core gameplay of Payday is adrenaline-pumping, exciting and fresh. There are very few titles out there that focus plainly on executing heists. This is what makes Payday such an unique and appealing experience to so many people. There is nothing out there similar to it.
Payday 2 on Switch is generally fun to play, but I still cannot recommend you go out and purchase it (especially at the current $50 price tag.) There are still too many glaring issues, and the development team behind it dosen’t give me any confidence for long term support.
So, what do you guys think? Will Overkill Studios actually take care of their Switch port of Payday 2? Or will they just let it fade away over time? Let me know in the comments below!
It’s now official. You can pick up the game on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on June 14th – a Steam version is out a day earlier. That’s along with these exclusive Bombers:
Super Bomberman R New Bombers
ORIGINAL:
Last March Super Bomberman R launched alongside the Nintendo Switch as an exclusive for the new console.
At release, Bomberman suffered from average to bad review scores and performance issues that lasted well over a year. Fans of Bomberman were starting to lose faith in the title until Konami finally released a series of patches that stabilized the game.
Super Bomberman R – Xbox One and PS4
Now, with the Switch version running properly, it looks like Konami is planning on bringing Super Bomberman R to other consoles. Let’s get you guys caught up:
On March 9th a Korean game rating board put out a listing: they have officially rated a PS4 version of the game
Then just today, Super Bomberman R was posted as a new product listing on the Xbox game store
According to the Xbox game page, Bomberman will launch on June 11th for the price of $39.99
Additionally, Super Bomberman R has some new pre-order content that includes “Golden Vic Viper” and “8 shiny Bomberman brothers”
Along, with the new pre-order content, the PS4 and Xbox One version will be identical to the Nintendo Switch version. That’s including the new Grand Prix Mode that was added into the Switch version via an update
So, if you guys haven’t bought Super Bomberman R for the Switch yet, will you be buying it on the Xbox One or PS4 and sharing the love?
Battle Royale, the genre that is currently taking the gaming ‘world by storm’. With millions of gamers playing either PUBG, Fortnite or H1Z1 at any given time, the online gaming community hasn’t seen a craze like this since MOBAs first went mainstream with League of Legends and DOTA 2.
The Gaming Moment
Gaming seems to go through what I would call “moments,” every few years. An example of a moment would be when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released all the way back in 2007. This game was a sensation and took the gaming world by storm. And, from this sensational game came more rip-offs and copies than I can even begin to count. Every game had to be like Call of Duty in some way or form. Halo 4 added their form of killstreaks, Battlefield added its own form of create of class, Crysis 2 and 3 just took Call of Duty’s multiplayer and put a sci-fi spin on it.
Call of Duty or Crysis?
Another gaming “moment” would be a couple of years ago with the MOBA craze. And, just like with Call of Duty, everyone had to be League of Legends or DOTA 2. Shortly after League and DOTA took over a large portion of the gaming community, imitators like SMITE, Legends of the Storm, Paragon, Guardians of Middle Earth started showing up everywhere you looked. They were all trying to get in on the seemingly endless money pit of the MOBA genre.
Do you know what all of these imitators have in common? None of them ever replaced the respective games that they were trying so hard to mimic. League and DOTA are still some of the most played games in the world right now, Call of Duty is still the top selling game every single year. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and Brawlout didn’t overthrow Smash Bros. I could go on all day, but if you’re still reading this, then I assume you get my point.
Who thought a LOTR MOBA was a good idea?
The Battle Royale Trap
This brings us to the Battle Royale genre which is the “moment” of gaming right now. With the success of games like PUBG, Fortnite and H1Z1, there are rumours swirling of AAA games jumping on the Battle Royale bandwagon. Read Dead Redemption 2, the upcoming Battlefield and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 are all rumoured to have some form of a Battle Royale mode within their game. My question for you is: why?
These franchises are popular for a reason, they all have their own individual strengths. Red Dead has an engrossing open world, Battlefield has large-scale warfare and Call of Duty has tight addictive multiplayer. Why do you feel you need to change what isn’t broken?
So developers, just focus on improving what already makes your games great. Don’t try to make your game into something it wasn’t designed around. As I wrote about above, mimicking other games never seems to pan out well. Going this route with your game development seems to only do more damage to your final product than good.
Stop recycling content. If you decide to do something different with your game, make it new and unique. That’s what we like to see. All of the gaming “moments” I mentioned above were successful because they were a new and fresh idea that players hadn’t seen or experienced before… Just some food for thought.
So, readers what do you think? Do you think developers will ever stop mimicking each other? Or are developers going to continue this endless cycle of making the same games in different skins? Let me know in the comments below!
It’s time for every Switch owner to go grab a bowl of ramen because everybody’s favourite Ninja is finally coming to the new Nintendo console (we think). Let’s get you guys caught up:
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy
In the Summer of last year, Bandai Namco released Naruto Ultimate Storm Trilogy and Legacy for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. These titles are both collections of the highly popular fighting games based on the hugely popular anime Naruto.
The trilogy collects all 3 titles of the last gen Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm fighting games, while updating their graphics and including all of the DLC for each respective title. On the other hand, The Legacy edition contains everything listed above, plus the recently released Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 and all of its DLC.
Well, as of now it looks like only the trilogy will be released on the Nintendo Switch in Japan, with no word if the Legacy edition will be coming as well.
This news comes from an ad in the Japanese magazine Shonen Jump, which announces the upcoming release in Japan.
Although, this ad does not release any information about an upcoming release anywhere else other than Japan. The trilogy already has localized versions out there on other consoles. So, I personally think its just a matter of time until we see this title released on the Switch in the US and EU.
Does the prospect of the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Trilogy on Switch excite you? Or are you guys bummed that it’s not the Legacy edition? Let me know in the comments below!
All the way back in 2014 a Kickstarter campaign was announced for a new realistic fantasy role-playing game. This little Kickstarter would end up raising over 2 million USD and would help Kingdom Come: Deliverance eventually get published.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Nearly 4 years after the Kickstarter campaign, Kingdom Come: Deliverance finally launched earlier this month. It launched to positive reviews and fan feedback, but not everything is sunshine and rainbows for Warhorse Studios’ debut game.
On release day, Kingdom Come received a giant 22GB patch. This update didn’t fix all of the bugs within the game, but Warhorse Studios is promising that will be changing. Let’s get you guys caught up:
Although fans are generally positive about Kingdom Come, they do have two complaints. The overcomplicated lock picking and the saving system.
Fear not, lead developer Daniel Vavra announced he is aware of the complaints and Warhorse will be fixing these issues.
Additionally, this upcoming patch will fix many of the games’ ongoing issues like frame rate drops, broken quests and consistent character clipping.
Daniel Vavra also has this to say about the upcoming patch: “The next patch is coming soon and will fix a lot of quest bugs and other issues like frame drops. Expected release in approx 2 weeks.”
So, have you been playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance? If so, does this update excite you?
With the battle royale market only getting more and more popular with games like Fortnite and PUBG having millions of players, developers are understandably trying to hop in on this new and surging market.
Remember To Fear Thy Wolves
Not a month seems to go by before we seem to get another new battle royale game announced. With this new wave of games comes “Fear the Wolves” from the development team of the STALKER franchise. Let’s get you guys caught up:
Fear the Wolves will send 100 players into the radiation filled danger zone of Chernobyl. As always with these type of games, the Last man/squad standing wins.
Players will not only have to worry about other players roaming the battlefield but other dangers like radiation anomalies, mutated creatures, dynamically changing weather and hazardous off-limit zones.
Not only will there be a standard Battle Royale mode in Fear the Wolves, but there will also be a unique game mode that the developers Vostok Games promises will turn the battle royale genre on its head.
Fear the Wolves will launch on PC and consoles sometime this year, with PC receiving it first through Early Access.
So, do you guys think Fear the Wolves will be worth a look? Or do you think the Battle Royale genre is getting oversaturated? Let me know in the comments below!
The Super Smash Bros. inspired beat ’em up Brawlout launched late last year to lukewarm reviews and a large number of performance issues. Even with all of that holding Brawlout back, it’s still been a massive success for developer Angry Mob Games.
Brawlout Nintendo Switch News
Charting in with a dedicated player base of 80k in the first month of release, Angry Mob isn’t going to ride Brawlout into the sunset and abandon the community, they’re taking action to make Brawlout the best game they possibly can. Let’s get you guys caught up:
All the way back in mid-January, Angry Mob Games released patch notes for their newly released game.
This huge patch is supposed to fix a large number of issues within Brawlout. With the most notable fixes being character balancing, fixing the frame-strutting issues, along with the overall lagginess of the online play.
If you were waiting for this patch, I have some good news for you! Angry Mob Games announced the patch will be releasing today (February 7th) at 6 PM PST.
Additionally, with the patch news came the announcement that Brawlout will be getting a physical release in May of this year.
The CEO of Angry Mob Games, Bogdan Iliesiu, had this to say about the upcoming physical release:
“Brawlout had such an amazing reception on Nintendo Switch, with a dedicated community of over 80K players in its first month alone.
It’s impressive, and humbling, to see people throw themselves so wholeheartedly into Brawlout and we hope to cater to even more types of gamers with the physical release!”
So, will you guys be downloading the new patch for Brawlout? Or are you waiting for the physical release? Let me know in the comments below.
The shooter community had been crying out for an old school, take me back to the basics FPS for a while now. This desire eventually led to UK developers, Bulkhead Interactive, creating a Kickstarter for a skill-based, twitch shooter called Battalion 1944.
Battalion 1944 Early Access On Steam
The Kickstarter was hugely successful and has grossed over $400,000 so far. Now, almost two full years later, Battalion 1944 will finally be available to the public.
Let’s get you guys caught up:
Today (February 1st) Battalion 1944 has launched on Steam through the Early Access program
The standard Early Access version of Battalion will go for the modest price of $14.99
While the “First to Fight” edition (which includes the core game, 5 war chests, the original soundtrack and an exclusive trench gun skin) will go for $24.99
Additionally, if you buy Battalion on launch day, you get 10% of the retail price of whichever version you choose to purchase
Lastly, Bulkhead has released details of the first patch for Battalion 1944. It arrives on February 8th, with the highlight of the patch being ranked matchmaking
So, will you guys be picking up Battalion 1944 in Early Access? Or will you wait for the full release? Let me know in the comments down below!
The upcoming PvP horror game called Hunt: Showdown from Crytek studios is now playable… if you have a code that is. Let’s get you guys caught up:
Hunt: Showdown launched a Closed Alpha yesterday (30th) for Twitch streamers only.
Throughout the day the game was consistently in the top 5 most viewed games on Twitch.
Showdown has received universal praise from streamers from the first day of the Alpha. With popular Counter-Strike and PUBG streamer Shroud saying it “has huge potential.” Additionally, popular YouTuber JackFrags said that Showdown is “a winner.”
If you’re not a streamer than fret not. The Closed Alpha is now live for the public… if you have the code.
No code? No worry! You can sign up for the Closed Alpha by following this link.
If you’re curious about what Hunt: Showdown is all about, a trailer is down below for your viewing pleasure!
So, will you guys be trying out the Alpha for Hunt: Showdown?
After being known as “the bad baseball game” compared to MLB: The Show, the annual multi-platform game in R.B.I. Baseball is once again coming back for 2018. But, there are a few major changes for the budget baseball game this year.
These changes make you think that the developers are starting to take their game a bit more seriously. Let’s get you guys caught up:
R.B.I. Baseball 18 was announced this week, with Cleveland Indians star Francisco Lindor gracing the cover this year.
Quite a few new modes and features were announced along with the game’s initial announcement.
The first one being: R.B.I. Baseball 18 is receiving a newly revamped franchise mode. You can sign free agents and rookies, make trades, and hopefully take your team to the world series at some point in 10 full seasons.
At the end of the 10 seasons, you will receive a grade of your team’s overall performance. This little grading feature adds some replay value – by you wanting to chase down the best grade possible.
Secondly, the home run derby mode has finally been added to R.B.I. Baseball. This mode can be played with a friend, or you vs the CPU in a head-to-head on who can hit the most home runs. This mode will also include a leaderboard, so you can see how you stack up against the rest of the world.
Thirdly, loads of MLB Legends will be added into the game. These legends can be signed as free agents in franchise mode or used in your standard quick play modes. Some of the legends listed so far are Chipper Jones, Reggie Jackson and Nolan Ryan.
Lastly, R.B.I. Baseball 18 will have upgraded graphics for players and stadiums. Including updates to player likenesses, animations and redesigned player models.
For stadiums, there will be new lighting effects, enhanced textures, 3D crowds, and brand new dynamic camera angles that put you right into the action.
Although, with all these updates and improvements comes an increase in the game’s overall price. R.B.I. Baseball 18 will be jumping to $29.99 from the usual $19.99 price tag.
R.B.I. Baseball 18 launches this March for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices.
So, what do you guys think? Will R.B.I. Baseball finally come out of MLB: The Show’s shadow this year? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments below!
