Author: Trevor Cripe

News writer for Nitchigamer. Die hard fan of Seattle sports (bring back our Sonics!) Currently playing Splatoon 2.
Paladins: Battlegrounds

Paladins: Battlegrounds is the first hero shooter battle royale

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Posts

Paladins: Champions of the Realm launched in September of 2016 to a large amount of controversy in regards to copying Overwatch’s formula and characters. With many gamers seemingly out for blood for the Hi Rez-Studio’s game, surprisingly, Paladins has actually been very successful so far.

In the past 30 days, Paladins has an average player count of 20,000+ on steam, plus the thousands of players that play on PS4 and Xbox One. Hi-Rez seems to have developed a nice sized community for their aforementioned “Overwatch clone.” And, I think its safe to assume that the player counts are only going to rise after the newly announced game mode. Let’s get you guys caught up:

  • Earlier this month Hi-Rez Studios announced that Paladins will be receiving a brand new game mode called “Paladins: Battlegrounds.”
  • This new game mode is being deemed as the first ever hero shooter Battle Royale.
  • Paladins: Battlegrounds will differ from competitors in many different ways.
  • First off, the new game mode is designed around 2-4 person team play, there will be no solo mode at launch.
  • Players will be able to choose from 8 different champions that will be consistently rotated in and out of the game mode.
  • Also, loot works very differently in this game compared to other Battle Royale games. Instead of looking for weapons and armour, you look for character buffs and perks. Each buff and perk has its own rarity to determine the value of said item.
  • All players can summon their mounts at any time to manoeuvre the large map, and find loot within the maps 50+ towns and villages.
  • Speaking of the game map, in the Paladins: Battlegrounds game mode the map is 350 times larger than your typical Paladins map.
  • In Paladins: Battlegrounds, there will be a total of 100 players in a single game, with a constantly shrinking zone pushing each other together to determine the winner. This zone is called the “Death Fog.”
  • Just like the rest of the game, the Paladins: Battlegrounds game mode will be free to play. You can try it out to your liking when it launches later on this year.

So, what do you guys think? Is a hero shooter Battle Royale going to play out well? Let me know in the comments below…

Fortnite: Battle Royale

A large, new update has been announced for Fortnite: Battle Royale

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Posts

One of the biggest games of last year in Fortnite: Battle Royale is picking up the New Year how it ended the last one: with a big new update. It enlists quite a few changes to the game’s map as we know it. Let’s get you guys caught up:

Fortnite: Battle Royale New Update

  • The new patch was announced on the 12th during a developer update. (You can see the video for the dev update down below.)
  • The patch adds “new points of interests” to the west side of the game map.
  • Additionally, the update not only adds new spots to the game map but also updates some of the pre-existing areas of the map. “The swamps feel swampier, and the mountains feel more mountainey.” Good.
  • Lastly, the patch will be ending the Christmas-themed event that was ongoing for the holiday season, as well as changing the loot distribution system.  Epic games seem to want loot to be “distributed evenly so that there isn’t too much additional rare loot in a match.”
  • The new update is expected to launch later on this week.

So, does this excite you guys? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments below.

Impressions of PUBG on Xbox One

Impressions of PUBG on Xbox One and X

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Features

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, if you haven’t heard of it yet, you’ve must of been living under a rock for all of 2017. This battle royale/light military sim game, seemingly came out of nowhere to sell over 15 million copies on PC. Additionally, it keeps breaking Steam records for the most players on at one time, along with consistently being in the top 5 most streamed games on Twitch and Mixer. If you still have no idea what I’m talking about,  I will give you a brief rundown of what the game is all about.

You and 99 other players are loaded into a plane, and are forced to jump off onto a large map, with the sole objective of being the last person standing. Once you finish your initial plunge onto land, the game immediately becomes a looting frenzy. You run in and out of many different buildings and landmarks looking for any gear, armor, weapons, frying pans, energy drinks etc.  You have to gear up if you’re going to survive, and if you’re lucky enough, you might just stumble upon an M4A1 or a Kar98k.

When the initial looting frenzy ends, that’s where the real fun begins. A blue radiation zone starts to shrink the map size, which slowly pushes all the players together. This leads to some of the most intense firefights I’ve ever had in my gaming career. PUBG will honestly make you shake and sweat from intensity, make you jump when you unexpectedly get shot at, and make you holler out a victorious roar when you finally see the screen say “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.” Yeah…

Impressions of PUBG on Xbox One

Now that you know a general outline on what PUBG is about, let’s move on to the very controversial and newly released Xbox One version. Flashback to E3 2017, Microsoft shocked everyone with the announcement that PUBG is going to be a timed console exclusive on Xbox One, and it will be releasing at the end of 2017. A bold move for sure, and a move that a lot of people didn’t see coming, because at that time PUBG was still an early access title on Steam.

Then came even better news that, developer Bluehole, will have a completely separate team only working on the Xbox version. With that, came hope that us Xbox users were going to get a acceptable product when PUBG finally launched. Well… we were fools for thinking that. Last month’s launch for PUBG on the Xbox One was an absolute disaster. With Xbox 360 looking graphics, a frame rate that can drop to 10fps, textures that take forever to load, and crashes every other match.

Even though PUBG is technically listed as a “Game Preview,” (which is Microsoft’s version of Steam’s “Early Access”) this was still an unacceptable result from a game and a studio Microsoft invested so much in. If you want to see how bad it really was at launch, here is an analysis video for you from DigitalFoundry.

With all the controversy and just the embarrassing state the game was in, Microsoft and Bluehole kicked it into high gear. Since launch, Bluehole has released 5 patches in a little over a month. A pretty impressive feat to do in the console market, because every patch has to go through a certification process to make sure the patch won’t brick the console. Additionally, the game has improved in every single patch in a pretty dramatic manner. With the most recent patch that was released just this past Monday, making a dramatic improvement to the game’s overall user experience. This new patch smoothed out the frame rate, reduced crashing and added the “First-Person Perspective” to every game mode.

But, even with all these patches the game still has many problems. One of the main problems being how much better that game is on the Xbox One X when compared to the standard Xbox One. On the X, you’re not only getting a steady frame rate at 30fps for most of the time, but you are also receiving the extra quirks of 4K resolution, better draw distances, faster loading textures, HDR, and way less crashes overall. Playing on the X is honestly such an advantage to playing on the standard Xbox One right now, that I honestly think X players and standard Xbox One players shouldn’t be able to play against each other.

In conclusion, there is an outstanding game here behind all of the technical issues, even with all the issues mentioned above. I’ve played over 80 enjoyable hours of PUBG since the launch last month. This is because you can’t find this tactical and adrenaline pumping gameplay experience anywhere else, the game really is that fun. And, with Microsoft and Bluehole seemingly supporting it fantastically so far, I can honestly see PUBG on Xbox One becoming a fantastic game down the line. But, until then I would suggest holding off on your purchase until the game is in a more playable state, especially if you’re still using a standard Xbox One.

So, have you guys been enjoying PUBG on the Xbox One? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments down below!

Xbox One X Worth it?

Is The Xbox One X Worth It For The Average Consumer?

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Viewpoints

From the days of the original Xbox, I have always been an early adopter of Microsoft’s gaming consoles. I was even lucky enough to get an Xbox 360 at launch because my parents waited in line with me on release day. I’ve gone through the fat original Xbox controllers, got the red ring of death on multiple 360s, and have dealt with the VCR sized design of the Xbox One. I guess you could argue I’m an Xbox fanboy (if you have too much time on your hands). But, with the Xbox One X release, Microsoft has entered new waters in the home console market, with a mid-cycle upgrade for their current console generation. The real question regarding this new era of the home console market: is the Xbox One X a worthy enough upgrade to justify its princely $500 price tag?

A couple of weeks ago I decided to take the plunge on the Xbox One X and a new 4K HDR TV. It wasn’t cheap, but I’m the type of guy who likes to be up to date with new tech. It’s an expensive habit to have… With that being said, after fiddling with my TV settings, I found an image that suited my needs. Now, it was time to try out some games.

Xbox One X Enhanced Games

The games I currently own that are “Xbox One X Enhanced” are FIFA 18, Skyrim, Gears of War 4, and Fortnite. I’ll just come out and say it, some of these titles enhancements are pretty minor, and don’t add much to the overall experience. For example, Skyrim gets a resolution boost to an adaptive 4K resolution. But, with it being a 10-year-old game, the difference between the standard Xbox One version and the Xbox One X version isn’t that eye-catching. The same can be said with FIFA 18, in fact, the X version is no different than the PS4 Pro version. They both support a 4K resolution boost with HDR, but FIFA has never been that amazing looking of a game to begin with. These enhancements only slightly boost the overall look from the standard version.

However, with all that being said, for every game with mediocre enhancements, there are also games with amazing enhancements. Gears of War 4 and Fortnite are the only games I’ve played on the console that I would say are a night and day difference from their standard versions. Gears of War features updates across the board with resolution, upgraded textures, HDR, and new ways to play like a 60fps mode for the campaign. When I hopped on Gears and loaded up the campaign to start my Insane difficulty run, I was instantly blown away by how much better the game looked. It honestly felt like a fresh experience, even though I’ve already played the campaign upon its initial release.

What About Fortnite?

For Fortnite, the enhancements are a nice touch, with a near 4K resolution and upgraded textures, but the real benefit comes with how much better the game actually runs comparing it to the standard Xbox One version. Before I upgraded to the X, I was still using my “Day One Edition” Xbox One and she was a trooper. She had a faulty disk drive, and a Kinect that would never want to listen to me. But, throughout all my hours gaming, few games I played ran as poorly as Fortnite did. With textures not loading properly to not loading at all, to the game running at a pretty much always sub 30fps (especially in the pre-game lobby,) Fortnite was not a fun experience on my original Xbox One (I hear PUBG runs even worse). Well, I’m happy to report that since playing on the X, Fortnite has been my most played game since – it looks great and runs dramatically better.

So, with all this in mind, should the average consumer run out and buy an Xbox One X? I’m going to say no. My reasoning behind this is that I find the X to be a niche product. I say this because you can still play everything you can play on an X with an original Xbox One. Additionally, there are still more unenhanced titles than enhanced titles, with some of the enhanced titles not really making a huge difference from the standard version of the game.

Final Thoughts

If you want the best Xbox experience possible, then yes, you should run out and purchase an Xbox One X. But, if 4K graphics along with some other visual quirks don’t entice you, then no. I would not recommend you upgrade your current Xbox console. It’s not for everyone then, but if you’re an Xbox fan, then it’s worth the deep dive because you’re getting the best Xbox experience you possibly can.

PUBG’s Xbox One version will launch on December 12th

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Posts

With the Xbox One release of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds rapidly approaching, news is finally starting to come out regarding the console port.

Let’s get you guys caught up with all the details:

  • The Xbox One version of one the most popular PC games around in PUBG will launch on December 12th.
  • PUBG will be the first physical release for Xbox’s game preview program. It can be seen here.
  • Additionally, PUBG will be an Xbox One X enhanced title. With seemingly the only enhancement at launch being HDR. A 4K texture and resolution update will be coming at a later date.
  • On the PC you have the option of playing in third-person or first-person servers. Well, the Xbox One version will launch with only third-person servers. With first-person servers coming in an update down the line.
  • Despite the reports of the game running at 60fps on the Xbox One X, Brandan Greene (who is the creator of PUBG) clarified that PUBG will run at 30 fps on all Xbox One Consoles. “While I previously stated PUBG would run at higher FPS at launch on 12/12, I want to clarify that PUBG will run at 30 FPS across all Xbox One devices,” Greene later said. “We’re constantly refining the game & exploring options to increase FPS, but this early in development, we’re unable to confirm more.”
  • Lastly, with the release right around the corner, there has been a surprisingly lacking amount of Xbox One gameplay for PUBG. In fact, you can only find a couple gameplay videos on YouTube.

So, will you guys be picking up PUBG for the Xbox One or will you sit it out? Let us know in the comments below!

Destiny 2 is finally getting an Xbox One X update

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Posts

After little to no news about the status of Destiny 2 for the new Microsoft console, Bungie has finally released a statement about an incoming patch that addresses this issue. Let’s get you guys caught up:

  • In the weekly update for 11/09, Bungie detailed the incoming enhancements for not only the Xbox One X, but for the PS4 Pro as well.
  • “We’ll be deploying an update to Destiny 2 that will deliver stunning gameplay with high dynamic range (HDR) lighting to these new consoles. You’ll also see adaptive 4K resolution on the PlayStation 4 Pro and 4K on the Xbox One X.”
  • From this quote, it looks like the Xbox One X will be the best console experience for Destiny 2. It looks to have a native 4K resolution with HDR on the Xbox One X, while the PS4 Pro will be getting an adaptive 4K resolution (also known as checkerboarding) with HDR.
  • Basically, if you’re looking for the best possible picture quality on a console for Destiny 2, you should play on the Xbox One X.
  • This update will launch alongside the new DLC called “Curse of Osiris” on December 5th.
  • If you don’t want to wait until December 5th and have a nice PC, you can already play Destiny 2 in glorious 4K resolution with HDR, plus the extra perk of playing at 60+ frames per second.

So, does this update excite you guys? Let me know in the comments below!

Zelda 2DS bundle announced, plus new edition of Breath of the Wild

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Nintendo, Posts

Nintendo is looking to take charge of holiday publicity by announcing their exclusive Black Friday items before, seemingly, any other company. Let’s get you guys caught up:

  • First off, one of the soon to be GOTY candidates in “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” is getting a new edition, called “Explorers Edition”.
  • This new edition will include the base game for the Nintendo Switch, along with a 100-page game guide, and a large two-sided map of the game world.
  • This edition of the game does not include any new game content, and it DOES NOT include the $20 season pass.
  • The Explorers Edition for BOTW will launch on Black Friday at a price point of $59.99.
  • Additionally on Black Friday Nintendo will be releasing, in limited qualities, a special edition The Legend of Zelda-themed 2DS bundle.
  • This limited edition bundle is called the “The Link Edition.” The 2DS included has a green and yellow paint job resembling Link’s iconic outfit.
  • “The Link Edition” bundle includes the 2DS console and the 3DS remake of “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” – pre-installed. This limited edition bundle will launch on Black Friday for $79.99.

Zelda ds

So, what do you guys think?

343i is finally fixing Halo: The Master Chief Collection

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Posts

Yes, you read that title card right! Almost three long years after its broken release, which included glitches, horrible matchmaking issues and numerous crashes, 343i is finally going to fix Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Let’s get you guys caught up!

  • In a post on Halo Waypoint, franchise development director Frank O’Connor updated the community in regards to the MCC.
  • In this post, Frank states that the changes to the Xbox Architecture and back-end networking improvements were the catalysts for fixing the MCC.
  • He stated multiple reasons for MCC not working: “It may sound simplistic, but MCC was essentially six pretty different game engines strapped together and interlinked with highly complex and highly delicate new systems.” Additionally, Frank states that “we were testing it in an environment that we had set up incorrectly and with some (as we discovered later) faulty assumptions.”
  • Lastly, Frank let us know that this fix will apply to the standard Xbox One version and the recently announced Xbox One X updated version coming in 2018.

So, will you guys give The Master Chief Collection a try once it’s updated? Or is it too little too late?

Dragon Ball FighterZ release date announced

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Posts

Bandai Namco has announced the release date, DLC plans, and open beta news for the upcoming fighter from developer Arc System Works “Dragon Ball FighterZ.” Let’s get you guys caught up!

  • Dragon Ball FighterZ will be released early next year on January 26th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
  • If you pre-order the digital version, you’ll get access to the Open Beta. Which will start in early January.
  • No mention if pre-ordering a physical version will also get you open beta access.
  • Additionally, Bandai announced a season pass, which includes eight new fighters.
  • Lastly, Bandai released the box art for the upcoming fighter, which can be seen below.

boxartSo, are you guys excited for Dragonball FighterZ? Will you be pre-ordering it? Why or why not?

FIFA 18: World Cup Edition, How The USMNT Failing To Qualify Will Affect The Upcoming Game

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Viewpoints

If you pay attention to the sporting world, you probably noticed the shocking news that the USMNT (United States Men’s National Team) has FAILED to qualify for the world cup for the first time since 1986. As a hardcore follower of the sport living in the United States (yes, believe it or not, we exist) this was absolutely heartbreaking. But, we aren’t here to discuss that, we are here to discuss how this event will affect the series of FIFA: World Cup video games that are released every four years.

Facts are facts, the United States is the third biggest country in the world (population), and the average person has more than enough money to purchase a single video game. And living in America, I almost never hear anyone talk about soccer (Football UK readers!) unless it’s time for the World Cup. This is a time where the country becomes united and watches a sport that they usually couldn’t care less about.  With this summer sensation of soccer, FIFA releases a World Cup spin-off game along with each event. EA does this to try to capitalize on the worldwide interest in the sport, in order to gain some extra revenue, of course.

Well, with the US not qualifying for the upcoming World Cup, it would not surprise me to see the sales of FIFA: World Cup edition drop off in the US pretty substantially. Like I said above, when the World Cup comes around and the US is playing, almost everyone in the country is paying attention. This upcoming World Cup will be much different, honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if the 2018 World Cup isn’t covered nearly as much as the 2014 World Cup in the US. Less publicity is never a good thing and with a spin-off title, you only have a tight window of time to make your money.

I know this is all conjecture but what do you guys think? Will the sales of this upcoming FIFA: World Cup edition drop off? Or am I overestimating the effect of the USMNT failing to qualify will have on the game? Let me know in the comments below!

Destiny 2 hotfix released for PS4 crashing issues

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Posts

Playing Destiny 2 on a PS4 or a PS4 Pro since launch? Experienced more than a few crashes when loading up the tower? Well fear not PlayStation guardians, Bungie has supposedly taken care of the problem. Let’s get you guys caught up!

Takeaways:

  • Since the launch of Destiny 2, PS4 players (especially PS4 Pro users) have been experiencing crashes when flying to the tower.
  • Last month Bungie acknowledged the crashing issues for PlayStation users.
  • This issue ONLY affects PlayStation users, there have been no reported crashing issues on Xbox so far.
  • Today, Bungie released Hotfix 1.0.3.2, this update will supposedly resolve the tower loading issues. You can see the official patch notes right here.

So, fellow guardians, has this patch solved your crashing issues?  Let us know in the comments below!

Fortnite: Battle Royale

Fortnite: Battle Royale has officially launched!

by Trevor Cripe, posted in Posts

After the massive launch on PC of Player Unknown Battlegrounds (also known as PUBG) earlier this year, it was only a matter of time until a competitor came out of the woodwork to try to take some of the battle royale market-share. Well, that game has officially arrived in Fortnite: Battle Royale. Let’s get you guys caught up!

Fortnite: Battle Royale – Takeaways:

  • Fortnite: Battle Royale has officially launched on PC, Xbox One and PS4.
  • It beat the juggernaut of the genre known as PUBG to consoles by a couple of months.
  • PUBG is rumoured to launch sometime in December exclusively for Xbox One.
  • It’s a spin-off mode of the Minecraft-like game simply called Fortnite.
  • Earlier this week the creators of PUBG in Bluehole came out and ridiculed Fortnite: Battle Royale for “replicating the experience for which PUBG is known.” In other words: Bluehole is calling the game a blatant copy.

So, what do you guys think? Do you guys think Fortnite is a blatant rip-off of PUBG? Let us know in the comments below!