There is nothing quite like a good RPG. The open world, expansive quest lines and in-depth levels of customization and choice are each endearing to the genre. That being said, there is a problem within the RPG world that is not being addressed. Well, now it is time to take a gander at that bloated elephant trouncing around the room. RPG games are about as poorly balanced as it gets. RPG is a pretty expansive genre. Everything from Assassin’s Creed to Tomb Raider could fit under the modern definition, making the term nearly meaningless. It has become more of a marketing term to excite casual fans into a frenzy. Simply placing the term “RPG” on a game box seemingly adds the belief that the game will now offer a deeper and more expansive experience. With that in mind, it’s somewhat understandable that marketers want to see it on every game…
Pokemon is a series that is loyal to its traditions, perhaps like no other — if you get a mainline Pokemon game, you know exactly what you’re getting. In a world where a franchise might take a sudden, confusing shift into a direction that you don’t gel with, staying true to the formula can be seen as trustworthy and a good thing. On the opposite end, it’s also possible for a franchise to play it too safe and things could start to get stale. While Pokemon is definitely still enjoyable, it’s a peculiar series of games in that it’s kept up with the times in some ways, but in others is very archaic and has hardly progressed. I get it: why mess with the formula of one of your biggest cash cows? But in 2019, much of its features feel like anachronisms from the past and are outdated. In some…
Bethesda has been getting a bad wrap lately. And, it’s not just because of Fallout 76. A bevy of lawsuits, middling fan reception to their latest two releases and a seemingly big push towards mobile all have hardcore Bethesda fans scared. That being said, artistically, the company is doing just fine. Seriously, there’s no need to worry. Before we get into the nitty gritty details of what’s going on with Bethesda right now and the seemingly chaotic turmoil their PR is dealing with, let’s slow it down. Let’s break down what got Bethesda on most gamers’ radars. Bethesda Game Studios earned their place as the proverbial top dogs of RPG games back in the early 2000s. With the release of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, later followed by the more commercially successful title Oblivion, Bethesda claimed their spot among the great developers for wide eyed, RPG playing video game fans around…
Cyberpunk 2077 is perhaps the top game on many RPG players’ lists right now. That being said, it would appear that the game’s development will simply have to do without the title’s lead writer. Cyberpunk 2077 is the next big title in development from CD Projekt Red, the RPG masterminds behind the Witcher series. While the game is still in development, a recent report is now claiming that Sebastian Stepien (lead writer for Cyberpunk 2077) has left CD Projekt Red. As reported by IGN, Stepien has left CD Projekt Red in order to join Blizzard as a creative director. Stepien was previously one of three creative directors on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Stepien leaving the team behind Cyberpunk 2077 may mean that his role as lead writer has already been completed. Grant it, the game has yet to receive a release date or even a release window. Consequently, it…
Ubisoft’s Far Cry series has experienced a great resurgence since the release of the highly praised Far Cry 3. Well, it would appear that the next title in the series may offer a few new takes on the now well versed franchise. Far Cry New Dawn is set to take place 17 years after the events of Far Cry 4, offering a somewhat post-apocalyptic take on the series. Speaking in a recent promotional tweet, creative director Jean-Sebastien Decant has now revealed that Far Cry New Dawn will feature some RPG elements. “We pushed what we call the light RPG approach in the game to create more depth, so you’ll be able to craft guns that have ranks, and these ranks they will be useful to fight against enemies that also have ranks.” Decant said. “We have what we call the escalation system for the outposts,” Decant later continued, noting changes…
Yes. You’re done reading the article now. You’re free to go. Oh wait, you want to know why I’m saying yes? Well, it’s common sense. No one is going to play Fallout 76 now by having to pay for it beforehand. All the negative press of it being a failure has saturated the web-o-sphere with strong anti-Fallout 76 commentary. So the only hail mary left is free to play. It’s inevitable. It’s going to happen. If it doesn’t the only way forward is for them to shut the game down. The reason being is that players who have bought will play, but will get disgusted by any kind of micro-transaction purchases thrown at them as they had purchased the game. Myself, for instance, spent $59.99 because it looked like so much fun (and it was for the few weeks I played). If I was still playing and they said well,…
Activision Blizzard is just outright being weird. It started many years ago when Activision bought Blizzard. At that point everyone declared Blizzard dead and that profits will rule the kingdom. That wasn’t… true you could say? Blizzard, under Mike Morhaime one of the co-founders of Blizzard, continued to prosper and be the one game launcher (Blizzard App, previously Battle.net) that no one complained about, Then 2018 hit and like many things, Activision Blizzard got weird. Mike Morhaime left the company, the CFO was poached twice and they basically began mothballing their very popular game Heroes of the Storm. All the while they spent most of the year being besieged by positive press about their profits. Then, there was BlizzCon where they announced the Diablo: Immortal game to basically people pausing and going what. Why did this happen? There is a lot to it, with many moving parts. If I had…
The Trapped Mind Project: Emerilla Book 1 explores a world in which MMORPGs and reality mix in a spectacular journey of Dave, a half-dwarf and the virtual reality game Emerilla. It all starts with Austin Zane, an billionaire who made his fortune by running RB Corp, a space mining company that provides metals to earth. Responsibility overtook his free time and left him with no personal life. His private life was non-existent because of who he was and everyone wanting just a bit more of him for their own personal games. Hearing of a new virtual reality immersive simulator called Emerilla offering an escape from the woes of his life, he leaves the company and his life for a virtual escape. That’s when the story takes a dive in the reverse, when he begins questioning what is real and what isn’t as the lines between which world is a simulation…