Jonathan Deesing was in the studio today for our new segment Games and Gamer Gabbing. Here’s what we talked about today.
Upcoming games this/next month
No Man’s Sky (PS4 and PC) – August 23
This is a first-person shooter, survival game/indie title set in an expansive universe including 18 quintillion procedurally generated planets. The planets generate as you encounter them, but the algorithm they use ensures the same planet will appear in the same place for everyone. People can share locations of planets and star systems. 10% of planets will have unique flora and fauna, 10% of those will have intelligent life. Weather patterns, creatures you encounter, the sounds they make and even the colour of the plant life, everything is uniquely generated right in front of you, every time. No Man’s Sky doesn’t feature a story – at least, not in any traditional sense, although the universe will have an expansive lore. Like MMORPGs or a less rigid The Division/Destiny, you’ll forge your own tales out of which planets you visit, what creatures you encounter, how you go about acquiring crafting components and whatever else happens along the way.
Madden 17 (PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One) August 23
The newest installment in the franchise, nothing particularly exciting. We know a lot about the new Madden 17 features and upgrades from Madden 16, and last month we finally saw a lot of Madden 17 gameplay that highlights improved graphics, AI and upgraded presentation. Rob Gronkowski is on the Madden 17 cover, with a trademark Gronk-Spike after an EA selection that skipped the cover vote. One of the most exciting changes we’ve recently learned about is that EA promises better online gaming with fixes for lag and changes that will prevent a player from forcing other gamers to quit.
Madden NFL Mobile (iOS, Android) is scratching that itch for many and is free to play
World of Warcraft Legion (PC & Mac) – August 30
Legion is the sixth World of Warcraft expansion, revealed at gamescom 2015. It rolls out epic playable lore items players have known about for decades. World of Warcraft Legion has Demon Hunters as a new class, Broken Isles as a new continent, a new level cap, extra character slot, and much more.
Three games I’m playing right now
Overwatch (PC, PS4, Xbox One) – role-based first-person shooter
Multiplayer first-person shooter, it was released in May 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One & immediate became hugely popular. Overwatch puts players into two teams of six, with each player selecting one of several pre-defined hero characters with unique movement, attributes, and skills; these heroes are divided into four classes: Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support. Players on a team work together to secure and defend control points on a map and/or escort a payload across the map in a limited amount of time. Players gain cosmetic rewards that do not affect gameplay, such as character skins and victory poses, as they continue to play in matches. Games are fast, investment is low and it is very reminiscent of Team Fortress.
Rocket League (PC, PS4, Xbox One, Mac) – vehicular soccer game
Physics-based vehicular soccer video game developed and published by Psyonix, released for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 platforms in July 2015. Described as “soccer, but with rocket-powered cars”, Rocket League has up to eight players assigned to one of two teams, using rocket-engine equipped vehicles to push a ball into their opponent’s goal and score points over the course of a timed match. The game includes single-player and multiplayer modes which can be played both locally and online, including cross-platform play between the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows versions, as well as cross-play between Xbox One and Windows versions. Later updates for the game enabled the ability to modify core rules and adding new game modes, including ones based on ice hockey and basketball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPR34Mwzw1k
Pokemon Go (Android, iOS) – location-based augmented reality game featuring Pokemon
Free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile game developed by Niantic. It was released in July 2016 for iOS and Android devices. The game allows players to capture, battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, who appear on device screens as though in the real world. It makes use of GPS and the camera of compatible devices. The game is free-to-play, although it supports in-app purchases of additional gameplay items. An optional companion Bluetooth wearable device, the Pokémon Go Plus, is planned for future release and will alert users when Pokémon are nearby. As of July, there are approximately 21 million active users. After its release, Nintendo stock price soared as high as 50% last week. Yelp has a filter that lets you sort only locations with PokeStops.
