There was no shortage of amazing games this year, with many offering hundreds of hours worth of content to dive into. But as it goes with all large-scale, mechanically complex adventures, there's often a learning curve you need to get adjusted to. You need only look at games, like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Divinity: Original Sin II, and Destiny 2, which are all games that offer a multitude systems and mechanics that you might not get all at once. With so many of this year's biggest games being so involved, we've gathered all of our beginner's guides below for your reference.
This year was a fantastic year in gaming. If you want to see our choices for the best games this year, check out our Game of the Year 2017 Top 10 List. And for more on our picks of the best games of the year across various categories, as well as features focusing on the year's performance for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Switch, check out our Best of 2017 hub.
Assassin's Creed Origins is an immense game packed with an abundance of quests to complete and new systems to experiment with. From the get-go, the game quickly pushes you forward, lightly familiarizing you with its mechanics and expansive skill trees, while putting you on a path towards the numerous regions of its vast world. With so much to do all at once, you're likely to get overwhelmed--or even worse--you're likely to neglect essential information that could be of great help to you. That's why we've put together a beginner's guide focused on helping you through the game's early hours. Put these handy tips into practice and you'll be a master Assassin in no time.
This year's Call of Duty multiplayer mode beckons. Trading in its sci-fi path to return to its roots, Call of Duty: WWII's multiplayer mode brings several new things to the table. Abilities and loadouts are now fully customizable and there's a brand-new mode called war mode. Whether you're a recruit or a veteran, that plight might seem a little overwhelming, and we've got just the guide to make jumping in a breeze.
Destiny 2 is one of those sequels that's easy to get into without having played the first entry. But for a game that can be described as Halo with an RPG-style progression and loot system, it can feel like a foreign experience even for shooter veterans. If this is your first time playing, here's what you should know to make the most of the first five or so hours in Destiny 2.
Whether you're a seasoned Guardian or a newcomer joining the good fight against the Red Legion, Destiny 2 presents a few challenges early on that you'll need to overcome before you head out in the galaxy to rebuild your power and influence. There have been many changes to the core mechanics and systems of Destiny that will feel a bit strange to returning players, and not all of it is explained in depth for newcomers. To help you out, here are some essential Destiny 2 tips to get you fighting fit.
Original Sin II is a difficult game that eagerly punishes your mistakes in combat or even when talking to NPCs. With so many factors to consider as you explore, it can be tough to survive. To help newcomers to the series, we've gathered nine tips to know before you set off to Fort Joy and into the world of Rivellon.
It's dangerous to go alone in the world of Breath of the Wild; the unwary can perish in a matter of seconds. That's why we've compiled beginner's tips to help you become a veteran survivalist of Hyrule. For a condensed take on what you need to know, watch the video above. Otherwise, check out our comprehensive guide for the full details.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds can be an intense multiplayer experience, but the only way to really learn how to play it is to actually jump in. The battle royale-style game pits up to 100 players against each other, with the single goal of being the last player standing. Now that it's on Xbox One in addition to PC, it's a good time to jump in and try to get the coveted chicken dinner.
With no tutorial, single-player mode, or other traditional ways to pick up how the game works, most players just have to spend lots of time getting killed in PUBG in order to learn the ropes. But with a little information about the essentials, you can cut the learning curve significantly. Here are 12 essential tips to get you started in PUBG that'll help you hit the ground running.
Unlike the last few Mario games, Odyssey fits into the same gameplay mold as Super Mario 64 and Sunshine. It presents large, open areas and lets players hop, skip, jump, and buttstomp their way around in search of collectibles. Nintendo has put in subtle gameplay mechanisms that can help you on your quest to get Power Moons--both obvious and hidden. Some of these systems are explained in-game but may be easy to miss, while others are left a bit vague. We've put together a collection of tips that'll give you a little leg-up, and get you skipping on your way to rescuing Peach. You can also check out the condensed video version of the guide above.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus does a great job of explaining its game mechanics thanks to a simple tutorial system. While these introductions explain basics like movement, stealth, and combat, there are still some things that would be good to know when starting a new game. What difficulty should you choose? Is it worth searching every inch of every level to find all of the game's collectables? And how does that early story choice affect your game going forward? The answers to these questions and more can all be found in this list of 10 things we wish we knew before starting Wolfenstein II.
Never Stop Sneakin' isn't a game that's shy about showing its influences. If anything, it wants you to know right from the title screen--with a fully voiced, self-referential theme song blaring in the background--that you're in for a parody of Hideo Kojima's absurdly over-the-top, yet narratively earnest Metal Gear Solid. Out now on the Nintendo Switch, Humble Hearts' Never Stop Sneakin' (the same team behind Dust: An Elysian Tail) goes a lot further than you'd expect with its bizarre but loving sendup to Konami's already strange stealth-action series.
The original Metal Gear Solid is one of my favorite games, but even I can admit that it's starting to look its age as it approaches its 20th anniversary. Never Stop Sneakin' seems to agree, and goes all in when parodying the game and the era it came from. As a throwback to games from the era of the original Playstation--complete with a low-res aesthetic and focus on elaborate if somewhat jarring story beats--Never Stop Sneakin' sticks pretty close to the source material that it's lampooning, but goes a bit further with its own story. When former Vice President Amadeus Guildenstern builds a time-machine to kidnap all of history's presidents--vowing to become the president for all of eternity--it's up to the best Sneakin' agents to invade his island headquarters, amass resources, and create a counter-time machine to stop the evil madman's plans before it can be set into motion.
As your agent comes to blows with Guidenstern's army, they'll encounter the villain's evil cabinet--which includes Vice President Helicopter (a sentient helicopter holding a political position), and the vampiric health secretary, Dr. Acula. While it may seem like low-hanging fruit to poke fun at MGS, Never Stop Sneakin' does it in a way that tells its own story effectively, while still coming off as endearing and tongue-in-cheek. It pokes fun at the inherent ridiculousness of Kojima's homage to western action-films, such as scenes with characters making elaborate and absurd introductions, and poking fun at over-long cutscenes. But above all, it celebrates--in its own weird way--what makes Metal Gear so beloved.
When you're not waxing poetic with your handler--you'll head out into the field to raid Guildenstern's island bases for supplies and POWs to flesh out your operation. As the title suggests, Never Stop Sneakin' is a stealth-action game, where movement and timing are key. While you'll dash through each floor of the base and get the drop on your enemies in the broad sense, this game simplifies many of the more nuanced mechanics found in traditional stealth-action games. Using only the control stick or touch screen, you'll move your agent to evade enemy vision and sneak up behind them for an attack--triggered automatically when in close proximity. Despite the number of things to keep track of, such as enemy cones of vision, security camera and turret blind spots, and procuring keycards to open locked rooms, Never Stop Sneakin' keeps things pretty simple. Each level is done at a brisk pace, only lasting a few minutes each, with your performance graded right after.
It can be very satisfying to clear several straight missions without failure, where pulling off chain kills and amassing an arsenal of randomized perks--which offer buffs to hacking, stealth, and gaining bonus points--can make you feel all kinds of skillful in your mission. Unfortunately, the core gameplay can oftentimes come off as a bit one-note. To put it plainly, the game you play during the first hour is the same game you'll play after the many more hours it takes to beat the main story. Moverover, Never Stop Sneakin' isn't that difficult. Along with AI that doesn't really react much to your behavior--sticking to its patrol routes even when nearby guards are sacked-- there are a number of support items like smoke grenades and your pistol that will instantly get you out trouble when you're discovered.
The lack of scaling difficulty can make the longer stretches of the game, where you'll have to clear 12 consecutive floors without failure, feel like a chore. It can be fun battling Vice President Helicopter and the rest of the cabinet early on, but encountering the same bosses numerous times thereafter can turn them into tedious, routine affairs--which misses a strong part of the series it's trying to parody.
The core gameplay of sneaking and looting enemy bases struggles to have the same lasting charm as its story, which remains one of the high points. The story remains a fun and amusing sendup throughout--which made me want to continue playing, just to see what sort of dumb plan the main villain has up his sleeve. It's just a bit disappointing how the core gameplay peaks early, and that the game doesn't show any growth beyond character and weapon skins, and additional perks found after story missions.
Never Stop Sneakin' feels like it overstays its welcome at times--but as a whole, it manages to evoke a strong sense of nostalgia for one of the PS1's most iconic games. Despite how much ground Never Stop Sneakin' retreads, I still found myself enjoying parts of its replication of a bygone era where games were just starting to tell grander and more elaborate stories with growing tech to back it up. While this parody may be best experienced in small doses, it still has its heart in the right place, and knows exactly how to make fun of the series it has tremendous respect for.
"Warlocks weaponize the mysteries of the universe to sustain themselves and devastate their foes." While this caption of Destiny 2's mage isn't incorrect, it's not especially helpful as the only descriptor for the Warlock when deciding your class.
Now that the game is finally out on PC, we've fleshed out the strengths and benefits of each Guardian, so you know what you're getting into, whether that's playing within your stylistic comfort zone or experimenting with an unfamiliar role. Included in this primer are descriptions of the first subclasses you get with each class, which you automatically obtain shortly after the prologue.
The Titan is the go-to if you want to feel like a space marine, a powerhouse that can turn the tide of battle on its sheer strength. In skilled hands, it can stand its ground in a firefight, partly due to its two class ability barriers. Its vertical ability, Lift, modifies mobility with increased height, control, and your initial momentum burst. They're versatile tanks and unlocking multiple subclasses will allow you to further emphasize offense or defense.
You start off with the defense-centric Sentinel, the new Void element Titan subclass that replaces the previous game's Defender. Its passive abilities reward melee actions with defensive benefits, shields and health restoration to be exact. If you're having that Captain America itch, one of the Code of the Aggressor passive abilities grants you a extra shield throw, complementing the Sentinel Shield super. Its melee prowess makes it primed and ready for the frontline, supported by its various barriers. If you feel your fireteam lacks defensive support to balance out its offense, this subclass is for you.
Hunter
If you're used to playing the rogue, try your hand at the Hunter, the Guardian known for its agility, craftiness, and stealth. All classes feature some form of mobility, but the Hunters take it up a notch using exclusive dodge skills, with bonuses in weapon reloading or melee energy. It also upgrades its double jump with a triple jump, high jump, and strafe jump. If you like feeding off your situational awareness in large spaces, the Hunter's prowess in ranged combat and talents in getting out of dicey situations will suit your needs.
If you like complementing this nimble class with the melee expertise of a samurai, you'll be pleased with the Hunter Arcstrider subclass to start, which replaces the Bladedancer from the first game. Its super, the Arc Staff is an energy staff you wield acrobatically against your foes. The two passive ability paths capitalizes on the fleet-footedness of this subclass. Following the Way of the Wind offers benefits in increased sprinting, shortened dodge cooldowns, and reduced damage with using the Arc Staff. Way of the Warrior is suited for the more assertive type, granting dodge recharges and attack damage boosts as you amass kills.
Warlock
Warlocks are Destiny 2's space mages. Compared to the other classes, the Warlock's mobility leans toward horizontal movement, making it tough to target. Its team-healing benefits are only overshadowed by its potent attack spells. As the support class of Destiny 2, this Guardian is best in the hands of those are actively aware of where your fireteam is at all times. This is to take advantage of the Warlock's main class abilities: Healing Rift, which is a close proximity healer, and Empowering Rift, which increases attack.
The Warlock Dawnblade replaces the previous game's Sunsinger and this starting subclass is best suited for those who look to take full advantage of the Warlock's mobility. It's super, Daybreak, strikes from the sky, turning Solar Light into lethal blades. The Dawnblade's wings aren't just for show. By choosing the Attunement of the Sky passive abilities, you can recharge energy with airborne kills. Winged Sun and Icarus Dash lets you attack and dodge midair, while Swift Strike are flaming melee attacks briefly boosting your movement and reload speed. If you want to get the most out of Daybreak, choose Attunement of the Flame. It has a set of passives that enhances the super especially if you're the bloodthirsty type.
Each class in Destiny 2 sports an array of different abilities and subclasses. Whether you're a Titan, a Warlock, or a Hunter, it can be difficult to understand how to properly utilize what your class has to offer, especially if you're a newcomer to the Destiny series. To help you become the best you can be, we've created in-depth guides detailing how to best play each class in the game.
Have you taken on the pride and responsibilities of being the strongest, most selfless class in Destiny 2? Good. With the Titan focusing on defense and heavy strikes, there is a plethora of ways to maximize your damage output to better assist the fireteam and keep all eyes on you. However, doing so takes a bit of finesse and a refined discipline. [How To Be The Best Titan]
How To Be The Best Hunter
You've decided to save the solar system with the staff-wielding talents of the Hunter class. Not only did you pick a well-rounded savior skilled in gunplay and melee combat, you're also going to look awesome when you rack up those kill counts. The base abilities and the power of your Super can take you far, but we have tips on how to make the most of this crafty and agile class. [How To Be The Best Hunter]
How To Be The Best Warlock
The Warlock class has refined its spectral, elemental powers to offer much more to the fireteam's chemistry. With the Titan focusing on defense and heavy strikes, and the Hunter utilizing fast and hard hitting moves with finesse, the Warlock has upped their Space Wizard game to offer more support to their allies in the heat of battle--all the while getting in a some serious damage when it counts. If you want to have the power of the Warlock at your fingertips, there's a few things to consider while trying to be an efficient Space Wizard, and how to properly use those skills with other Guardians without missing a beat. [How To Be The Best Warlock]
Whether you're a seasoned Guardian or a newcomer joining the good fight against the Red Legion, Destiny 2 presents a few challenges early on that you'll need to overcome before you head out in the galaxy to rebuild your power and influence.
There have been many changes to the core mechanics and systems of Destiny that will feel a bit strange to returning players, and not all of it is explained in depth for newcomers. To help you out, here are some essential Destiny 2 tips to get you fighting fit.
From the opening hour, players are stripped of their powers and have to relearn what it means to be a Guardian of the Light. Although you start off with the familiar Striker, Voidwalker, and Gunslinger subclasses, you're quickly introduced to the new subclasses of Destiny 2: the Warlock's Dawnguard, the Hunter's Arc Strider, and the Titan's Sentinel. Thankfully, these are easy to pick up, complementing the other subclasses quite well, while bringing in new character abilities and skills that make for interesting changes to combat and exploration. However, the core systems of classes have changed up a bit from the last game, so choosing your skills and abilities is more important than ever.
In Destiny, each subclass gave you a set of perks and skills to choose from, focusing on recharge rates for certain skills, buffs for main attributes, and bonus traits for the class. The subclasses of Destiny 2 now take advantage of unique ability trees that alter your character and fit a certain playstyle in battle. In addition to selecting grenade types and jump techniques, four sets of unique perks are divided into two distinct trees. These change up the type of role your subclass takes on. For instance, the Sentinel's Code of the Protector class tree allows Titans to take on a number of defensive abilities, including the return of the Ward of Dawn skill from Destiny--as opposed to the Code of the Aggressor class tree focusing on offensive abilities. If you're going into a certain class that resonates with you, it's worth thinking about what you'll role have in a fireteam, and how you can work alongside others.
The Economics Of The New Golden Age
With the destruction of the Tower, the in-game economy has gone through many changes. Various forms of currency and components from the original Destiny have been phased out, ultimately making for a more streamlined and focused system in the sequel. Strange Coins, Motes of Light, Armor Materials, and Exotic Shards are no longer in play, making Glimmer, Silver (microtransaction currency), Gunsmith Materials, and Legendary Shards among the most important items to have in your inventory. There's much less busywork in handling materials, which many returning players will find appealing considering the amount of items that were introduced over the years.
Legendary Shards are now some of the most valuable resources you'll have in Destiny 2. With the returning infusion feature--allowing you to sacrifice weapons to make others stronger--you can make use of these shards to boost weapons, while also activating unique weapon and armor mods. Moreover, the enigmatic and elusive merchant Xur will make a return, now accepting Legendary Shards instead of Strange Coins as his currency of choice. Xur now travels beyond the safety of the social spaces, so you'll be able to find him hiding out in the open areas of the various planets.
Activities In The Open World
Destiny 2 features much larger worlds to explore, and the game takes advantage of the space to give the Guardians more options when looking to improve their gear and inventory. To go along with these new areas, new activities such as Adventure missions have been introduced. These take players on small story quests where they interact with the various NPCs of the area.The Lost Sectors, meanwhile, are a series of dungeons scattered around the different zones, and each one contains both powerful enemies and valuable loot.
In addition to the new locations, the tried-and-true Patrol and Public Events have also seens some changes. One major change happening with Public Quests are new heroic modifiers. By performing a specific action during a public event, such as destroying Glimmer extraction machines or disabling enemy vehicles, you'll trigger a modified instance within the Public Event--spawning stronger enemies and delivering greater rewards. To make this easier to embark on compared to the last game, Public Events and other activities are now shown on the map (along with event timers), so finding these events will involve much less hassle.
Leave The Gun, Take The Materials
With the improved loot and engram system, gear in Destiny 2 flows freely and is more readily available. You'll constantly be finding new gear and equipment during the first half of the game, making equipment swaps and loadout changes a regular thing. With this in mind, it's important to save your Glimmer and other resources when starting out in new areas of the game. As new story quests, adventure missions, and faction rewards are constantly popping up, you'll seldom find yourself in spots where you have to spend cash and resources to get over a leveling hump.
Of course, when you're finding all this improved gear, you'll amass an inventory of weapons and armor that is of no use to you. When this happens, don't be afraid to dismantle your old gear for Glimmer and Weapon Parts, as this can be turned into the Gunsmith at the social space in exchange for new rewards. This loop will help you stay ahead of the game and keep you in the action.
With Destiny 2 now out for players worldwide, there's still much to uncover in the new worlds you'll explore in your pursuit for more power and better gear. Check back with us at GameSpot for more tips on leveling up fast, finding the Lost Sectors, and figuring out which class is right for you.
Destiny 2 is one of those sequels that's easy to get into without having played the first entry Destiny. But for a game that can be described as Halo with an RPG-styled progression and loot system, it can feel like a foreign experience even for shooter veterans.
If this is your first time playing, here's what you should know to make the most of the early first five or so hours in Destiny 2, after you pick your class, of course. After you've played through the prologue, be sure to check out our collection of guides for all your Destiny 2 questions.
Whether you're spending time in The Farm base or taking down war beasts in the field, you'll almost always see other players. Forming a Fireteam is one of the most popular ways to play Destiny 2, but that doesn't mean you should rush to buddy-up. The story missions--which are what you should focus on first--are well-suited for solo play. It's also best to get used to the unique mechanics and game flow before joining friends, especially if they're more experienced. By playing solo during the initial hours, you're able to quickly decide and try out the various mission types Destiny 2 quickly introduces.
Mix Up Questing
Beyond the missions that advance the story, Destiny 2 is heaped with activities that can make you appropriately leveled and well-equipped for many campaign challenges. While exploring a planet, there are public events that introduce you to one form of Destiny 2's cooperative multiplayer, Crucible PvP matches, and opportunities to take down high-value targets solo. Whatever you're in the mood for, you're rewarded with experience and loot drops. You should also keep an eye on Milestones, that can keep you on top of what you need to do next, and later introduce rewarding challenges that refresh weekly.
Watch Your Cooldowns
No matter your class, you'll quickly earn a lot of abilities including the utterly magical power of creating grenades. Whenever your super ability is recharged, you'll get a clear, unmissable on-screen notification. This doesn't happen with your other powers that are subjected to a cooldown, like your equipped grenade, class ability, and charged melee attack. These abilities are immensely useful in the field and activating one when you need it the most can be very gratifying. Conversely, attempting to use an ability before it's fully charged can throw you off, so keep an eye on those three squares on the lower left corner of your screen.
Power Number Isn't Everything
There's a reason why the Power Number is the largest font size out of all the on-screen text in the character menu. It's a status symbol that represents an average of the power of your equipped gear. It's also a reliable grade that determines whether you're qualified to take on a given mission. Always having your highest-rated gear can make you well-rounded but that doesn't necessarily mean you're playing to your strengths. Depending on your play style, a weapon with a lower power number might be more useful to you because it has, say, better stability or impact. Same goes for a weapon's perks, everything from increased handling to faster reload when the magazine is empty. When you are ready to leave a piece of gear behind, you can sell weapons by dismantling them.
Be Situationally Aware
The majority of Destiny 2's battlegrounds are open areas where enemies are almost as mobile as you. Jumping into the fray for close quarters melee can lead to a ton of kills, but an aggressive scrum can overwhelm you quickly, which can be frustrating in restricted areas where resurrection is not available. Along with watching your cooldowns, you should also check your radar frequently to get a general idea of your targets. And knowing when to make a brief retreat to heal is as important as knowing where to retreat. So it also helps to be aware of good cover spots you might've passed before your current firefight.
When it comes to video games portraying the atmosphere and tone of its film influences, Alien: Isolation is in a class of its own. Translating the Alien film series into a unique horror game focused on persistent terror as opposed to fleeting cheap thrills, this survival horror experience channels a sense of dread and slow-burn tension that forces players to respect the very thing that stalks them. Though its reception at launch was met with some polarizing responses--including from GameSpot's former reviews editor Kevin VanOrd--and along with modest sales, this comparatively unorthodox take on the Alien franchise became a favorite in the years since its release--even prompting fans to make an unofficial VR mod to amp up the scares.
On the third anniversary of its release and in time for Halloween, GameSpot is taking a look back at Creative Assembly's uncompromising horror game, and how it made players to learn to fear the Xenomorph once again.
Right from outset, Alien: Isolation sets the tone for what players can expect. Its eerie 1977-era 20th Century Fox fanfare opening is a throwback to the beginnings of the Alien franchise. Creative Assembly wears its reverence for the source material on its sleeves, reveling in the iconic 70s retro-futurism that defined the movies. In the game, the nostalgia of it is alluring, but Isolation does more than pay its source material lip-service, it builds on and presents a story of its own that both fits into and enhances the movies.
Ridley Scott's 1979 film is still regarded as one of the most influential and powerful horror films ever. Channeling elements of slasher films and science fiction, the crew of the Nostromo stumble upon a strange alien life-form of Lovecraftian cosmic horror, quickly spiraling out into a fight for survival. Despite their reliance on futuristic, yet run-down technology capable of interstellar space travel, the film was very much a humbling experience for its characters. For survival horror, this feeling of vulnerability and perilousness is an especially vital pillar of the genre--which Alien: Isolation ratchets up considerably throughout.
Initially developed as a third-person stealth action game with an in-depth cover system, the developers at Creative Assembly soon shifted to first-person to have a more intimate feel. Along with this, it introduced design tenets from the immersive-sim sub-genre--a la Dishonored and BioShock--and leaned on the tension and gameplay of classic survival horror games. Set 15 years after the Nostromo's destruction, Alien: Isolation brings Ellen Ripley's daughter Amanda to the Space Station Sevastopol to uncover clues behind her mother's disappearance. But of course, an alien organism is already onboard, unleashing a seemingly unstoppable creature focused entirely on picking off members of the space station one by one.
Unlike the bombast of movie's sequels, the game stays true to the first movie's subdued, disquieting feel. Aside from the flamethrower, firearms are the least useful of tools at the player's disposal, as the Alien is invulnerable to bullets, and is always lurking in the vents and tunnels of the station. Alien: Isolation is a re-examination of what horror and the fragility of character is in gaming, hammering the notion that you're trapped, and with no way out.
Video games as a medium have quite a history of boiling complex, highly-intelligent apex predators into a moving target for players to unload bullets into. This is especially true for how the Alien series has evolved in the gaming medium, with most of these games revolving around shooting swarms of Xenomorphs with smart-guns, pulse-rifles--and even with the Predator making an appearance. Because of this, the Alien creature became the quintessential video game cannon-fodder. However, Isolation was cold and cruel in showing players how futile this approach was, instead forcing players to relearn their relationship to the Xenomorph and, ultimately, respect it. While your goals and destination are mostly one-note, Isolation allows players to come up with their own solutions, either from sacrificing resources to craft new items, or by making a bold move to take advantage of nearby enemies as a distraction to make a quick getaway.
With a focus on staying on top of your resources, avoiding enemy encounters when possible, and a static save system that makes simply recording your progress a risk in itself--the main hook of Isolation's design is making players constantly aware of how vulnerable they are. Coming a year after the lackluster and uninspired action-horror game Aliens: Colonial Marines, the developers at Creative Assembly distinguished their Alien game with authenticity. Alien: Isolation, in many ways, relishes in subverting expectations; whether that's making players the prey instead of the predator, or giving players conditioned to expect a shooter something entirely different.
Though Isolation's lead character comes from one of the sequel's deleted scenes, Isolation benefits from extrapolating out what made the original movie memorable. In addition to Amanda, however, are an assortment of side-characters that can be played as in the Survival mode, offering their side of the story on the Sevastopol. As a ramshackle space station falling apart, populated with knock-off Working Joes androids that couldn't be sold off due to how creepy and off-putting they look, the setting feels like a haunted house floating in the cold depths of space. And to make matters worse--there's a high-intelligent, merciless killer lurking about.
Alien: Isolation saw its release in a particularly interesting year for horror gaming. The genre had gone through a rather surprising upswing with notable releases from independent developers like Five Nights at Freddy's, to some more larger scale releases like the enigmatic P.T--the teaser for the now dead Silent Hills. What these games have in common with Alien: Isolation was that they forced players into a position of disempowerment, either keeping them in a specific location, or tasking them with making to it one location from another, while avoiding the gaze of the antagonist.
With the survival horror genre, much of the experience is about humbling the player and getting them to feel the sense of uncertainty that looms throughout their trek. Alien: Isolation isn't about the big victories of taking down bosses over the course of several hours, but rather the smaller victories scattered throughout; slinking back into the shadows as the Xenomorph enters the room, narrowly avoiding certain death, or managing to grab an item of a desk in the same room as a Working Joe. Broadly speaking, Alien: Isolation spends 12-15 hours ratcheting up the tension when needed, and then gradually loosening it up. But in the midst of it all, the ever-present threat of the Xenomorph feels like the touch of fingertips on your neck, threatening to choke the life out of you at a moment's notice. Its delicate cycling of tension feels more like a constant chokehold.
While Creative Assembly and Sega may never make a game like Isolation again, it will be remembered for its bold, brave inventive realisation of the Alien franchise's potential. It understood what the property was capable of beyond the shooting galleries and recycling of cheesy one-liners. Alien: Isolation stands as a remarkable achievement for its re-examination and re-invigoration of the horror experience in gaming, and is likely one of the best things to happen to the Alien franchise in a long time.
Looking for a way to ring in the new year that involves little more than your couch and a TV? Luckily for you, the start of a new month means new movies and TV shows added to several streaming services--including Hulu.
In terms of movies, there are a number of standout titles being added to the streamer, but none quite as excellent as both films in the Bill & Ted series. Both Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey arrive on January 1, along with movies like Zodiac, xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Karate Kid 1-4, and Grizzly Man.
For TV, new seasons of Fear the Walking Dead, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Homeland all arrive. January will also see the addition of many cooking shows, with new episodes of Cutthroat Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay, Cupcake Wars, and Great Food Truck Race among the titles arriving.
Following its recent sales, Valve has launched the next big seasonal promotion on Steam. Hundreds of PC games are now discounted through early January, offering an opportunity to expand your backlog and ensure you can fill every moment of free time you have coming up. Coinciding with this, the Steam Awards are officially live, letting you cast your votes on your favorite games.
That's just a small sampling of what's on sale right now; you can see everything that's discounted here. Even if you're not interested in spending any money, there's still a reason to check out Steam, as you can now vote for the Steam Awards. These were nominated during a previous sale and are generally in unconventional categories, such as Mom's Spaghetti and Defies Description. A different category will be up for voting each day, and you'll receive a Steam Awards trading card each time you cast a vote. Winners will be announced on January 3.
As expected after services like the PlayStation Store and Steam launched their respective holiday sales, Microsoft has followed suit. The Countdown to 2018 sale is now live on the Xbox Store, discounting hundreds of games for Xbox One and Xbox 360. All of these are available now, but there will also be a new daily deal rotated in every day to keep players checking in frequently.
Many older titles are on sale as well, including Forza Horizon 3 for $25 and its expansion pass (consisting of the Blizzard Mountain and Hot Wheels DLC packs, which are both great) for $10.49. There's also a pricing quirk that returns from the Black Friday sale; The Witcher 3 sells for $20 (or $24 without Gold), but the Complete Edition--which includes its solid DLC expansions--sells for the same price for Gold members (or $25 without Gold). Other deals of note include:
More than 650 deals in all are available across the two platforms, according to Microsoft. And, as noted above, you'll also find a daily deal; the first of these is Halo Wars 2 for $16 (or $20 without Gold). You can see all the deals for yourself here; the sale runs from now through December 31.
Just in case the big PSN holiday sale going on didn't offer enough ways to blow your money, Sony has launched another promotion on top of it. A limited-time flash sale is now live on the PlayStation Store, discounting a number of PlayStation games just before Christmas. However, unlike most flash sales on PSN, this one will last a big longer than usual.
Vita owners are completely out of luck with this flash sale, and there's very little in the way of PS3 discounts. PS3 owners can, however, pick up Persona 5 for $33. The two older platforms do have more games on sale as part of the existing holiday sale.
Rather than being a weekend-only event, this flash sale runs for a few extra days, ending on December 27 at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET. A day earlier, on December 26, we may see another set of deals added to the holiday sale, as we did this past week. That promotion offers additional discounts in many cases for PS Plus subscribers, but the flash sale offers the same pricing to all PSN members. You can see everything in the flash sale here.
Developer Polyphony Digital is rolling out the first big update for Gran Turismo Sport. Patch 1.10 arrives today, December 22, and introduces a load of additional content to PS4 racing sim, including a new mode and a dozen new cars.
Headlining the update is GT League, a new single-player game mode that features several different series of races to challenge. These include races that have appeared in previous Gran Turismo titles, such as Sunday Cup, Clubman Cub, and FF Challenge. Polyphony says you'll "be able to tune and race a wide variety of cars" in the new mode.
In addition to GT League, patch 1.10 introduces a total of 12 new cars to Gran Turismo Sport, including new additions to the Lamborghini and Ferrari lines. You can find the full list, as well as screenshots of some of the new cars, below:
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible (C3)
Chris Holstrom Concepts 1967 Chevy Nova
Ferrari Enzo Ferrari
Ferrari F40
Ford F-150 SVT Raptor
KTM X-BOW R
Lamborghini Countach LP400
Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A (FD)
Nissan Skyline GT-R V Spec II (R32)
Nissan Skyline GT-R V Spec II Nür (R34)
Suzuki Swift Sport
Volkswagen Samba Bus Type 2 (T1)
You can read more about patch 1.10 on the PlayStation Blog. Gran Turismo Sport was released exclusively for PS4 back in October. GameSpot awarded it an 8 out of 10 in our Gran Turismo Sport review. Critic James Swinbanks said the game "offers a wonderfully detailed and responsive driving experience along with arguably the cleanest and most competitive online racing on a console to date."
Loot boxes have arguably been the biggest controversy in gaming this year, especially with regards to the boxes in Star Wars: Battlefront II. It seems that Apple has taken note of the backlash, as it's implemented more stringent regulations on loot box systems.
Apple updated its App Store requirements recently, adding a clause that forces developers to disclose loot box odds. Now, games with random rewards available for purchase must tell players the chances of getting each type of item in a loot box.
This is notable because the United States currently does not federally require disclosure of odds, although several countries in Asia do require it. Up until now, unless developers voluntarily gave the information, players have had no idea how likely they are to receive especially rare items in any one loot box.
Although this obviously doesn't regulate console games like Destiny 2 and Battlefront II, there are still several big-name mobile titles that will presumably fall under the requirement. Hearthstone, for example, may now have to show its card pack odds for Western audiences, something Blizzard already did for Chinese audiences earlier this year.
Loot boxes are almost certainly here to stay, but greater transparency is good, as it gives players a better idea of what they're spending money on. Hopefully this trend will continue and eventually apply to console games, as well.
Destiny 2's Curse of Osiris expansion launched a couple weeks ago, and players have already delved deep into it and uncovered a lot of cool Easter eggs and mysteries. One of those mysteries involved the Lost Prophecy quests, and now we know what happens when you complete all of them: you get a sweet Exotic Ghost shell.
Once you complete all of Curse of Osiris's campaign missions, all of Mercury's normal Adventures, and one Heroic Adventure on Mercury, Brother Vance will give you a Lost Prophecy: Verse 1 item. Collecting enough items (for Verse 1, that's a Concentrated Radiolarian Culture, composed of ten Radiolarian Cultures) allows you to complete the quest, get a Tablet, and redeem that Tablet for a Legendary weapon from the Forge. You can get more info on how to unlock the Forge here, and you can see all the weapons in the gallery below (ordered by Verse number).
There are 10 different numbered Verses to complete, although you can't finish them all at once. Vance only offers three per week, with the selection changing on the weekly reset. There's also an additional eleventh Verse, which awards a powerful shotgun upon completion. It's unclear how exactly you get this quest, but it appears that you must complete Verse 10 at the very least. Vance does not give out Verse quests in order, and from our experience, it is not necessary to complete all ten before getting the shotgun quest. Some players suggest that you have to finish half of the Verses, including Verse 10, to get the quest.
Finally, when all is said and done and when you complete all eleven Verses, a special emblem and really cool Exotic Ghost shell will drop. The shell has a nice selection of Mercury-focused perks, as well. Check it out:
Bandai Namco has released another new character trailer for Dragon Ball FighterZ. The latest video focuses on Super Saiyan Blue Goku, the Saiyan's most powerful form and one of the characters you'll unlock early by pre-ordering Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Like previous character trailers, the new video is fairly brief, but it provides our closest look at Super Saiyan Blue Goku yet. The powered-up Saiyan's moveset consists of many of the same abilities as his base form's, such as his signature Kamehameha, which can be fired upward or downward diagonally. However, Super Saiyan Blue Goku also has a few of his own unique tricks, primarily the ability to amplify his power even further with the Kaio-ken technique. You can take a look at Super Saiyan Blue Goku in action above.
Ahead of the game's release, Bandai Namco is holding an open beta for Dragon Ball FighterZ next month. The publisher hasn't revealed which characters and gameplay modes will be featured in the beta, but it will run from January 14-16. Those who pre-order the Dragon Ball FighterZ Collector's Edition or digitally from the PlayStation or Xbox Stores will get access to the beta one day early, on January 13.
Dragon Ball FighterZ releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on January 26. In addition to Super Saiyan Blue Goku, everyone who pre-orders the title will unlock Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta early. Bandai Namco is also offering a Dragon Ball FighterZ season pass, which will add six additional fighters to the game post-launch.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is now officially out on PC, and after a few issues that caused servers to crash, the game is playable again. The game launched overnight, after many hours of server maintenance that took the game offline. Fortunately, there's a free reward waiting for players when they log in.
For the next few weeks, players will receive a free in-game Winner Winner Chicken Dinner t-shirt, which will be dropped into your inventory after logging in. The 1.0 release comes with a few improvements to the game's stability and balance, as well. Developer Bluehole said previous adjustments had reduced stability issues, but it is expecting "progressive improvements" that should make the game more reliable in the near future.
Bluehole also said it's further strengthening cheat prevention measures in the game, after it already introduced improvements that saw a 66 percent drop in the number of players using cheats.
PUBG's 1.0 release brings many new game mechanics to the main game, including climbing and vaulting, which the game's creator says "will change the game severely." The new release also marks the debut of the new desert map called Miramar, which was recently available to try on PUBG's test servers. Players will find new types of obstacles, weapons, and vehicles in Miramar that will affect how you approach the game.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds first hit Early Access nine months ago, and has become a major success since then. The game launched on Xbox One earlier this month, available for $30 via the Xbox Game Preview program, and attracted more than 1 million players in its first 48 hours on the console. That version received its first patch earlier this week, which made "first pass" improvements to its visuals and performance and squashed a number of bugs. For details on everything new and improved in PUBG's 1.0 PC launch, you can read the full patch notes.
Star Trek: Bridge Crew gives you a cool way of experiencing the Star Trek universe: hop into a virtual ship with several friends, each of whom takes on a different role, and confront challenges and obstacles together. Up until now it required either a Vive, Rift, or PlayStation VR headset to play. But this week, Ubisoft updated the game so that you can play it even if you don't own a VR headset.
Now, anyone who owns the game on PS4 or PC can check it out with just a controller or mouse and keyboard. In addition, players with VR headsets can join games with non-VR players. This will certainly make it a lot easier to fill out your crew, now that the barrier to entry is much lower. You can check out Ubisoft's developer commentary on the patch in the video above.
In addition to removing the VR requirement, this update also adds "enhanced Windows Mixed Reality support." Although it's unclear how the game will work on Mixed Reality headsets, Ubisoft promises that it will add "more options for players to explore uncharted space."
If you're interested in learning more about the game, check out our 6/10 review of the VR version of Star Trek: Bridge Crew. GameSpot critic Justin Clark wrote, "When the game is at its best, the spirit of cooperation between various asymmetrical elements is encouraging--even special. In every other regard, however, Bridge Crew is forgettable the second you pull out of VR."
Disclosure: GameSpot's parent company, CBS, owns the rights to Star Trek.
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