Cruise and McQuarrie complete another successful mission with Fallout.
Mission: Impossible – Fallout continues two years after the capture of Solomon Lane with the ‘Syndicate’ now known as the ‘Apostles’, their plan is to obtain three plutonium cores to create nuclear weapons and use them in an attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem and Mecca, Saudi Arabia, all with the help of the anonymous John Lark. It is up to Ethan and his team to find the weapons and stop the attack with the CIA monitoring their every move.
The mission impossible franchise has always been one with mind-blowing action sequences, fights and stunts; the first film will forever remain iconic with a more espionage story and genre to it, as the films went on they always kept their ‘spy’ roots, but the action always increased. The previous two films took action to the next level, took stunts to new heights and stretched Cruise to impossible feats, but Fallout outdoes them all.
Fallout has multiple set pieces that keep you on edge, the brutal fight in the gentlemen’s room, the breathtaking skydive scene and the convoy chase specifically are superbly done; the fighting is vicious and tough and edited so that we are aware of what is happening unlike many action films nowadays. The film is paced well, none of the slower scenes bore you, and the fast-paced action scenes are long enough that you don’t get weary of them. The story picks up well from previous films, it is exciting and brings the characters to new depths and continuing their development. Each actor looks comfortable in their role and brings a now known team to life every time they are on screen with undoubted chemistry.
Fallout is a spectacular blockbuster that deserves a viewing in the cinema; it deserves to a viewing on a big screen with clear sound (as all films should really). It is thrilling, remarkable and electrifying; it outdoes all previous Mission Impossible films and could be regarded as one of the best action films ever produced… until the next one.
Well known technology executive and angel investor Elad Gil has worked with high growth tech companies like Airbnb, Twitter, Google, Instacart, Coinbase, Stripe, and Square as they’ve grown from small companies into global brands. Across all of these break-out companies, a set of common patterns has evolved into a repeatable playbook that Gil has codified in High Growth Handbook.
This is a book about the simple pleasure of pebble spotting. Clarence Ellis is a charming, knowledgeable and witty guide to everything you didn’t know there was to know about pebbles. He ruminates on what a pebble actually is, before showing us how they are formed, advising on the best pebble-spotting grounds in the UK, helping to identify individual stones, and giving tips on the necessary kit. You’ll know your chert from your schist, your onyx from your agate, and will be on your guard for artificial intruders before you know it. Understanding the humble pebble makes a trip to the beach, lake-side or river bank simply that little bit more fascinating.
Luke and Ryan Hart, the two surviving sons, open up about their experiences growing up and the circumstances surrounding the murders. They hope to highlight the patterns of behaviour in coercive control and its deadly consequences, improving public awareness and leading to informed discussion on domestic abuse.
When the body of a woman is discovered on a Cambridge common, DCI Barrett and DI Palmer are called in to investigate. But the motive behind the crime isn’t clear… And it all leads back to a book club.
Nancy Byrne might be the head of the notorious Byrne crime family, but she’s determined to give her little daughter, Scarlett, the best start possible.
After the death of her beloved father, the notorious gangster Jimmy Byrne, nothing’s stopping Nancy from making money on her own terms – even if she has to combine motherhood with providing for her entire family. But with enemies at their door, she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her loved ones.
But then comes the day when Scarlett goes missing, snatched by a stranger during a trip to the local park, and Nancy’s world is torn apart. Amidst the terror of losing her precious daughter, Nancy is sure of only two things. Someone has taken her daughter … and when she finds them, there’s going to be hell to pay.
Moments before she dies, Nicola’s grandmother Betty whispers to her that there are babies at the bottom of the garden. Nicola’s mother claims she was talking nonsense. However, when Nicola’s daughter finds a bone while playing in Betty’s garden, it’s clear that something sinister has taken place.
But will unearthing painful family secrets end up tearing Nicola’s family apart?
Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough; Mark a handsome investment banker with a bright future. They seem to have it all, until Mark loses his job and cracks start to appear in their perfect life.
But they’re determined to make it work. They book their dream honeymoon and trust that things will work out – after all, they have each other.
On the tropical island of Bora Bora Mark takes Erin scuba diving. Mark is with her – she knows he’ll keep her safe. Everything will be fine. Until they find something in the water.
Erin and Mark decide to keep their discovery a secret — after all, if no one else knows, who would be hurt? Their decision will trigger a devastating chain of events… which will endanger everything they hold dear.
As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchell’s Inn, they’re all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance.
Usually we can avoid the people who make us nervous, make us afraid.
With a violent storm raging, the group finds itself completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody can get in – or out. And then the first body is found . . . and the horrifying truth comes to light. There’s a killer among them – and nowhere to run.
Until we find ourselves in a situation we can’t escape. Trapped.
Drawing on interviews with key architects of the culture, as well as his own extensive experience as a sports psychologist working with leading sports and business institutions, Damian Hughes provides unique insights into the crucial issues confronting the modern corporate environment, and shows how the lessons learnt at FC Barcelona can also be applied to develop your own winning culture.
When Myriam, a brilliant lawyer, decides to return to work, she and her husband look for a nanny for their two young children. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite and devoted woman who sings to their children, cleans the family’s chic Paris apartment, stays late without complaint and hosts enviable birthday parties. But as the couple and their nanny become more and more dependent on each other, jealousy, resentment and suspicions increase, until Myriam and Paul’s idyllic domesticity is shattered . . .
So QuakeCon 2018 has come and gone, and with it we have a heap of information and gameplay footage for the follow-up to the amazing Doom 2016, Doom Eternal. As enormous fans of the entire Doom series, this was something which had us up to hype levels which we would usually never recommend when it comes to gaming expectations but damn, damn does this look good.
Don’t believe us? Take a look for yourself?
So, what has changed, what additions do we see to the Doom 2016 formula, and what call-backs have we seen to the original games in the series? As your unofficial Doom Guy, I’ll do my best to point out everything I picked up.
Setting
Doom 2016 took place within the Mars UAC installation and Hell itself, with our Doomguy being the only living flesh creature to pass between the two worlds. After a long and brutal effort to close the hell portals and destroy Argent (hell) Energy production, we ended with the enigmatic Samuel Hayden stealing the equally mysterious Crucible sword from Doomguy, teleporting him away, and ostensibly continuing his research into the use of Hell energy.
Based on what we have seen, this did not go well.
The team at ID have made it a priority to increase the variety of locations in Eternal, with the Martian moon of Phobos appearing as a playable location in one video, and an apparently Hell-invaded Earth being the setting for another. While chances are these will not be the only explorable locations, the idea of being on a demon infested earth is one reiterated from Doom II, albeit with an ever-so-slightly increased emphasis on fidelity. 25 years of technological advancement will do that.
In terms of the story, we know that the UAC seems to both know of Doomguy, and be sufficiently terrified of him.
Gameplay
One of the first changes noted by ID over the previous Doom game is an increased shift towards single player content. Doom 2016’s launch was a bit off in this regard, with a great deal of marketing attention being towards a competitive multiplayer component that very few wanted, or were excited for. Also noted in a post QuakeCon interview was how the designers wished they had focussed more on single player DLC over multi for the reboot, which they claim has been their new direction going into Doom Eternal. This also means that Snapmap is not looking likely, though on our end we can’t really say we’ll miss it.
The better news? ID has stated that proper modding is something which they aiming for somewhere down the line. While this is not an easy task given the megatexture technology of the recent ID Tech game engines, the fact that they are willing to finally make this step is a huge boon to long-time fans, with the original Doon standing as one of the most moddable and actively modded games to this day.
In terms of multiplayer, it would not surprise us to see similar deathmatch and other gametypes from the previous games included, just in a lesser capacity. What has us more excited is a Dark Soulseque way of invading other players games as demons, should they have the option enabled. Not only does it seem like a lot of fun in terms of messing with people, it shows that the team has managed to get multiplayer working in the base game, meaning true story based cooperative play might appear somewhere down the line.
Weapons and Gear
So far the weapons we have seen share a lot in common with those of the last game, in a similar fashion to what we saw with the original Doom and Doom 2. While some guns appear to be replaced entirely with similarly acting alternatives, there are others which retain the same name, while changing their alternative fires.
The Siege Cannon from 2016 appears to be replaced by the Ballista, a weapon which operates in much the same way while relying on what appears to be Hell Energy, as is also the case with the Rocket Launcher. The single shotgun, on the other hand, has seen its grenade secondary replaced with a delayed sticky bomb, and its triple shot secondary replaced by a much more terrifying automatic fire mode. While these are great, our favourite so far has to be the super-shotgun, which has seen a grappling hook added as a secondary. While this cannot be used on the environment, it can be used to quickly pull Doomguy closer to the enemy, up into the sky, or across gaps, giving not only a great way to get all up in their business, but also in opening up opportunities for dodging and traversal.
Further aiding in movement is the new dash system, which appears to be linked to the double jump mechanic. In the videos we saw, Doomguy had access to two recharging boosts available both on the ground and in the air, giving even greater ease in workplace mobility, and bringing the game even closer to the insane speed of the originals.
What used to be the grenades has now been replaced by a shoulder mounted launcher, operating in much the same way. Rather than having to stop and throw, Doomguy can now pop a grenade out without the use of his hand, and this can also be swapped out for a flamethrower, with additional fire modes being probable.
Of course, the chainsaw reappears, remaining as a great tool for both instantly despatching an enemy and refilling your ammunition. In fact, the shoulder mounted flamethrower appears to act in a similar fashion, as shooting burning enemies seemed to guarantee armour drops, though time will tell if this is correct.
We know runes will return, with the powered up punch rune we have seen so far being found, rather than earned through a Rune Trial as in the previous game. We also know that Glory Kills are as important and satisfying as ever. These are further aided by the addition of the knife to Doomguy’s suit, and though many were wondering if this might signify a completely different form of Glory Kills, we would bet on it being utilised more as a way to extend the variety of possibilities, rather than a completely separate mode.
Also nice are the little health blue health containers found on the map, which is a fun little callback to the +1 health potions of the original Dooms.
Enemies
Again harkening back to the improvement of Doom II over the original Doom, Doom eternal looks to double the number of enemies, and open up the behaviours and appearances of those we’ve already seen. Imps look closer to their original counterparts, with boney protrusions invoking their classic expression, while the Cacodemons now bleed their original blue.
Gargoyles now patrol the unfriendly skies, supported in the air by classic enemies like the Pain Elemental, while Doom II style Mancubi and new Arachnotrons shoot from the ground. Aiding in this are new forms of older enemies, such as the newer blade-wielding Barron of Hell. Even better, enemies take visible damage from the punishment Doomguy dishes out, with the Baron’s being especially impressive as each shot tears away their flesh, revealing innards tied together with the energy of hell itself.
With a release date slated for December 28, 2018, it won’t be too long until we get our hands on this Doom Eternal. Oh, and hey, remember these guys?
The first song to enter this edition of Sound Selection is by E Dot named ‘That’s It.’ In this summery plus soulful instrumental, the upcoming E Dot showcases to us a wave of dynamic samples and an inclusive ambiance that will keep you hooked for a fortnight to come. This one is for the playlists.
Alexander Vincent ‘I Won’t’ (Acoustic)
Furthermore, Alexander Vincent, who is a Toronto grown music producer, delivers us an acoustic version of his ear-pleasing song ‘I Won’t’. In this rendition of ‘I Won’t,’ Vincent brings out a delicately brushed vocal with a vividly rich backing that is given by a flurry of live instruments.
SG Lewis x Clairo ‘Better’
Clairo, a terrific internet sensation who became known for the song ‘Pretty Girl’, has joined hands with the exciting SG Lewis to make a true weekend hit ‘Better.’ In this magnificent song, Clairo delivers a smooth and simply enjoyable vocal that goes perfectly with the well-produced instrumental of SG Lewis.
Joseph Angel ‘Shame’
In this slowly melancholic rising like a phoenix song ‘Shame’, Joseph Angel delivers a raw-driven performance that speaks to you from the get-go with true passion. Angel, who is a New Orleans born artist, has given a clear indication that he looks to keep rising in the ranks of the music world and we are sure with the talent that Angel possesses he will keep doing just that.
Anna Rune ‘Emaille’
Our last song of this Sound Selection is by the wonderful Anna Rune who presents us with a dynamic song ‘Emaille.’ Rune, who is who is a Belgian singer-songwriter, presents a wave of lilting vocals that resemble that of Alina Orlova. Hence, it is without a doubt that Rune possesses a gift of a voice and when utilised like it is in ‘Emaille’ we are sure Rune can do wonders in the world of music.
Released on the 24th of August 1997, Goldeneye 007 was a true rarity among console games and is far from what we might consider a traditional game for a Nintendo platform. Released as a first-person shooter from the most family-friendly console developer, Goldeneye came with some of the most advanced shooting and response mechanics we had seen yet. While the game itself could never reach Doom regarding opening the entire genre up to the world, there were many innovations and additions which helped popularise Goldeneye as one of the best Nintendo 64 games, and as one of the most influential games of all time.
Missions, Objectives, and Necessity
Goldeneye existed back in a time where a traditional level-based structure was standard. Released over a year before the success of Half-Life would shift the focus of single-player campaigns to the more connected and naturally flowing form of levels and level progression, Goldeneye gave its players a level-select screen.
While a couple of these would share the same maps the rest were completely unique, with each managing to pull off a remarkably distinct feel given the hilariously outdated limitations of the N64 and its cartridge-based format. Seriously, for our younger readers out there, your phone is at minimum ten-times as powerful as the Nintendo 64, and that’s if you’re using an incredibly outdated model.
This focus on single and separate levels not only allowed for the crafting of isolated maps, it also played a key part in how the difficulty system would come to affect the gameplay. Goldeneye came with four different levels of difficulty, Agent, Secret Agent, 00 Agent, and 007, from easiest to hardest. Each step up in difficulty increased the damage taken by the player as well as the enemy accuracy, reaction speeds and, in many cases, the quantity in which they appeared. Countered by a decrease in ammo pickups from killed enemies and a lower quantity of body armour, and you have a system which is similar to the more advanced difficulties settings of today. What really set these difficulties apart, and gave this game so much replayability, were the objectives.
As the difficulty level increased the more objectives would be added to each level, completely changing how each level would be approached. Combine this with the different tactics required to manage the increased threat, and you had a system which, even today, few games manage to match.
For an example let’s take a look at Dam, the much-loved first level. On the Agent difficulty, the player needed only guide Bond to bungee jumping off of the dam, nice and simple. Secret Agent difficulty and above added the requirement to destroy every alarm, as you would expect the murder of many guards by a secret agent to trigger something of an aggressive response. On the highest of the difficulties, players would also be required to install a convert modem to aid in data theft, as well as intercept a data backup to send back to MI:6. This variety proved a huge sticking point and is a means of changing the challenge which we really wish had stuck around, rather than today’s more common approach of simply decreasing damage done, and increase damage taken.
Stop Screen-Looking
Not content to just offer one of the best single-player campaigns in gaming history, Goldeneye went a step further in creating arguably the most famous console-based multiplayer shooter experience of all time, maybe just behind Halo. Up to four players could fight simultaneously on the eleven different levels, each choosing from dozens of unlockable characters. Combine this with a highly varied and customizable weapon set and you had a widely varied deathmatch game where each player or group of friends had their own favourite setup.
Aztec, proximity bombs and pistols only. Stop glitching the bombs invisible, that’s not fair.
What is especially impressive here is that the multiplayer in Goldeneye was only added within the final weeks of production, with the idea being written off by some of the higher-ups as unwanted or unnecessary.
Such an experience on a single screen was a revelation, with nothing on PC or other consoles coming close to the fun which this opened up to the world. For many, it also happened to mark the first time they saw somebody physically attack another person over a video game.
Strafe-Running Into History
Aiding the variety of both the single and multiplayer Goldeneye experience was the addition of various cheats. These were unlocked by beating specific levels on specific difficulties, within a certain time. While not the first instance of unlockables based on completion time, this would prove itself as one of the first introductions which countless players would see into something new – the concept of speedrunning.
Funnily enough, it’s not easy to find high-def images of Goldeneye
Almost twenty years since its release and Goldeneye still maintains one of the most active and diverse speedrunning communities in the world, with work from community figureheads like RWhiteGoose helping raise the level of professionalism of the sport, while maintaining the humour which can notoriously suffer in the age of mainstream speedrunning.
Like Fine Milk
Pick up and play Super Mario or Doom today and be amazed at how perfectly they hold up. Goldeneye, however, was not quite so lucky. Most of this comes down to a framerate which topped out at 30 at the best of times, and could easily drop to the low teens in the more resource intensive of levels.
Because of this, it can be incredibly difficult to get back into the game or jump into it all for new players. This slowdown is much worse in the multiplayer as well, with the FPS dropping to single-digits in the worst case scenarios. While there was a direct remaster planned for the Xbox 360, which would have seen a perfect locked 60FPS experience, this release never saw the light of day, leaving our choices unfortunately limited.
As it stands today, the only real way to play Goldeneye with decent performance is to emulate it with a very helpful program developed by Joel Middendorf called 1964. While you should at least have a legal copy of the game on hand to make this ethically sound, it does allow old fans to jump back into an experience which holds up incredibly well. It says a lot that a simple performance boost is all this game needs to still hold its own today, even translating extremely well to a mouse-and-keyboard WASD setup.
Bonding Time
The legend of Goldeneye is one permanently marked into the history of gaming. Acting not only as one of the most progressive entries into gaming at the time, but as a game with one of the most enduring legacies, Goldeneye will forever be remembered as a cornerstone of the art. While much of the team who created the game would go on to create the amazing Perfect Dark, and then almost perfect Time Splitters series, it is Goldeneye which remains their greatest legacy.
Most people love Sound Selection; others cannot live without it. Sound Selection is back.
Peter Kuli & Still Haze ‘Potion’
The first song to enter this edition of Sound Selection is a collaboration between Peter Kuli and Still Haze named ‘Potion.’ In this deep-driven melancholic song, the duo present a collaboration that is ear-pleasing for anyone that enjoys Soul mixed with Electronica. The duo might not be making waves yet; however, they have arisen some ripples around them.
H Kenneth ‘Now & Then’
Bringing us into Indie-Pop, we have H Kenneth with ‘Now & Then.’ In this song, the standout vocals bring this song alive and fashion a lively atmosphere that remains throughout the duration of the song. This song doesn’t just get us excited; but also eager to follow H Kenneth for more dazzling music.
Max Frost ‘Eleven Days’
Beautiful would be one way to describe this song. Frost, who is an American solo act, brings us a warm, heartfelt and more so broken-hearted song that elevates with splendidly written lyrics, smooth vocals and an overall production that makes ‘Eleven Days’ a possible chart hit. With thousands of plays already accumulated on his Spotify, we cannot wait to see how far ‘Eleven Days’ goes.
Kat Cunning ‘Stay On The Line’
Another terrific song to enter our Sound Selection is by Kat Cunning, who takes us on a journey with her silvery and pleasant vocals that makes this song a winner from the get-go. With this song released, we are sure to hear more of Cunning’s terrific songwriting in the months to come.
fuzzy luv ‘sneak’
The final song to enter our Sound Selection is by fuzzy luv who gives us ‘sneak.’ In this splendid instrumental, fuzzy luv delivers a wave of wonderful dynamics by springing a range of tremendous samples and incorporating them throughout a thought-out structure.
Culture is key for us; we find culture everywhere, we create culture. Florian Wupperfeld, who is the co-founder of Leading Culture Destination Awards, joined us to talk about culture and the awards.
Hi, how are you?
Shooting stars never stop even when they reach the top.
What makes a cultural place so important and connecting to the traveller?
4 out of 5 visitors to London say that arts and culture heritage is the reason for their visit. Since the Guggenheim opened in Bilbao, the city has transformed itself with a huge increase in visitors; from 200,000 to 5 million annually. I don’t consider myself a number cruncher, I’m more of a social seismographer, and when I speak to my friends and colleagues in the travel and hospitality industry, it’s often culture that drives them to visit places.
Do you have a favourite place to go to?
I have many favourite places, all offering wonderful cultural experiences from having lunch at the Monsieur Bleu at Palais de Tokyo, visiting Paris’ museums, to shopping for gifts at the Indiana Museum shop in Copenhagen. Where else could you go for a sleepover, but the Rubin Museum, or wander around London’s Southbank Centre before a concert. Most recently I’ve really loved going to the Lafayette Galleries, the department store, for an exhibition, and of course, what an incredible experience of going for a swim at the art foundation, Casa Wabi, in Mexico.
David Stobbe / Stobbephoto.ca
So, how did the awards come about and what is the mission?
Leading culture destinations celebrate the best established and emerging culture destinations worldwide. Each year the LCD Awards shine a light on the most impactful cultural activations from those institutions and organisations shaping tomorrow’s world. The press has coined the event, which is partnered with the New York Times, as the ‘Oscars for Museums’.
How do you rank and choose the best destinations?
Our shortlist is drawn up from the nominations of our cultural ambassadors, our own exhaustive research, and the recommendations of the world’s leading cultural planning consultancy. Once the shortlist is refined to three institutions per category, the jury casts its final vote to declare the winner in each category.
Forwarding ten years ahead, where do you see the awards going?
In terms of developing the awards, we would like to work with individual cities to co-host the awards to showcase their cultural assets and reach out to the next generation of cultural travellers worldwide.
If you could recommend one cultural destination for a new traveller, which one would you recommend?
For an exceptional experience, I would say, fly to Montana, and if you are able to, horse-ride to Tippet Rise, an unusual and breath-taking sculpture park, the most beautiful site of Montana’s countryside.
The final question we ask everyone, what is your definition of culture?
Culture is the artistic thread which holds all aspects of our society together, reflecting their desires, admirations or fears in various categories and art forms. For me, we always link culture back to destinations, whether they are related to art, fashion, music, food. Real culture has to do with authenticity of a place and its people.
Thank you for joining us Florian, we hope the awards go well!
On average, in the summer months, 74 dogs are abandoned every day.
To tackle this key issue, RSPCA and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment joined forces to recreate a scene from Wes Anderson’s dog-loving film ‘Isle of Dogs.’ The photoshoot will attempt to encourage animal lovers to rehome dogs and additionally will also be used to mark the release of the film on Blu-Ray and DVD, which will be out on the 6th of August.
RSPCA: 74 dogs abandoned every day in summer months
Photographer Linda Blacker shaped the photoshoot with celebrity dogs Marcel le Corgi, Cockapoo Marley, Doug the Therapy Pug and Steven the Frenchy to support Staffordshire Bull Terrier rescue dog, Emily (Pictured above), which will help raise awareness for the thousands of dogs that are abandoned every year.
Dermot Murphy, who heads the RSPCA inspectorate team, said: “Summer is the busiest time of year for RSPCA inspectors, especially dealing with dogs which have been abandoned because their owners have gone on holiday or they’ve decided they don’t want the responsibility of a pet anymore.”
To find out more about how you can rehome a dog just like Emily, click here.
Video games of today are an evolving medium, and this applied to singular games, not just the industry as a whole. What was at first a form of entertainment locked in post-release has now become one full of update patches, overhauls, back steps and exploratory lunges. What we want to look at here today are the games which managed to redeem their original shortcomings through eventual changing of the base formula, bringing themselves from a target of derision into something which is not only accepted but loved. No, EA, Battlefront II will not be on this list.
Final Fantasy 14/ A Realm Reborn
Final Fantasy 11 wasn’t exactly what many long-time fans of the series were expecting. Sure, it made sense for one of the many Final Fantasy worlds to open itself up to the MMO experience, but a mainline entry? Despite the reservations, 11 was not only one of the most successful games in the series, it ended up becoming one of the most well-received and popular MMORPGs of all time. The game has been played and enjoyed by millions of people, and still enjoys acclaim with dedicated fans today.
With this entry having already tested the waters and laid out a potential framework which another Final Fantasy game could follow, expectations were high for Final Fantasy 14. Not only did this game look great, the proven track record had many fans opening their wallets as soon as the opportunity presented itself. There is a reason why so many video game critics and pundits don’t recommend anything like preorder culture, and this game was it.
Created by conflicting personalities within Square-Enix, the original version of FF14 was doomed from the get-go. Chief among these problems was a lack of server stability (who could have seen that coming?), lack of content, awful maps, and a user interface seemingly informed by the Dark Lord of Inefficient Design. Also hilarious was the inclusion of a rather overdesigned flower pot, which as users would learn was an enormous reason why city centers tended to drag computers to their knees.
From the GDC Presentation
Earning a Metacritic average of 48, Square decided to do the unthinkable for a major AAA release – they shut the game down and took it back to the drawing board. After collectively getting their ‘minds’ together, SE released the much improved FF14: A Realm Reborn in 2013, three years after the initial release of the initial version. The result was an enormous improvement over the original game, leading to a Metacritic score of 83, and a player base still increasing to this very day. While the game still suffers from issues, with player housing being especially hilariously reflective of real life free-market economics, the almost complete turn around has been an enormous aid to SE, showing that they can listen and improve, should there be no legitimate alternative, at least.
Diablo III
One of the most anticipated sequels to one of the most-loved PC series of all time. Blizzard had a lot to measure up to with Diablo III, and many longtime fans of the series were getting nervous. At the time when the game came out, most of the key designers who had made the original two games great had moved on to other development studios, leaving those who picked up the pieces to bring their own vision to life. Unfortunately, as it so often does within the AAA gaming industry, Blizzard had their eyes on the prize, rather than the quality. At launch, the game was inaccessible to many, with the enormous number of players from one of the most anticipated games of all time apparently beyond Blizzard’s level of foresight.
GDC laying out the memes
Aside from this was the obviously monetarily driven idea of the real-money auction house, a development which significantly undermined a huge portion of the game, a much-simplified gear system, and enemy behavior which betrayed a frankly bizarre level of incompetence. Playing as a melee character? I hope you enjoy chasing each ranged enemy for upwards of 20 seconds before you can catch and kill them!
Blizzard expected a backlash, as any game developer does these days with any release, regardless of quantity, but they didn’t expect to be taken to task for one of the biggest gaming let-downs ever. Not one to sit on their reeking laurels, Blizzard set out to slowly patch the game, improving it over a few years into what could really be called a worthy successor. This meant removing the real-money auction house, which they had previously defended, massive overhauls to the gear system, and a million other little changes and tweaks to fix the million little annoyances and poor design decisions.
Once the expansion came out the game was regarded by many as finally fulfilling its potential, where it’s now regarded by many as the best in the series. Just don’t tell that to any die-hard Diablo 2 enthusiasts.
No Man’s Sky
This one was a bit of a doozy. No Man’s Sky was, in some ways, a victim of hype culture and the unsure way in which major gaming development operates, but that in no way excuses the outright lies told right up until release. Finally, a game which would let players explore a full galaxy, full of procedurally generated flora, fauna, geography, and atmospheric conditions! Okay, great.
But what of the features claimed by Hello Games which never saw the release date, including but not limited to:
While some of these can be easily understood from the nature of game development, that development is not done until you are done and the final feature inclusion isn’t decided until the game is out, there are many claims made by Hello Games frontman Sean Murray which would never realistically been able to meet release. Fans logged in on the first day expecting the cliché of a ‘living, breathing galaxy’. Instead, what they got was a creature dragging itself out of the water to make its first few steps on dry land.
The backlash was, of course, significant, Sean Murray went into hiding (we don’t blame him, along the many legitimate complaints were the standard internet fare of threats and other unacceptable behavior), and Hello Games took a significant hit in the eyes of the public.
Since then, approaching two years after the original launch, No Man’s Sky is still receiving significant free updates, not only improving the game but bringing it continuously closer to what was originally envisioned. From incredibly negative reviews of the original version to a current Steam review rating of Very Postive, this is one of the best redemption stories in gaming and one which we expect great things from in the future.
Fortnite
You might not believe it, but the original version of Fortnite was actually remarkably poorly received among the gaming community. While I personally looked forward to the original Save the World gametype, as it interests me far more than the battle royale genre, many players complained that it was not only glitchy, but uninspired and boring. Suffering from delays, the common sentiment of the time was that this would be a game confined to the history books, another attempt gone sour that everyone might think of every few years.
As it turns out, Fortnite went into early access at the same time when PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds had become a worldwide smash, and the Fortnite developers at Epic saw this trend as one worth chasing. Rushing out the original version of their battle royale mode in only a few months, Epic abandoned chasing the Save the World portion of the game as the primary development target and went full-force into promoting the now free-to-play Fortnite Battle Royale.
From near failure into what is most likely the biggest game in the world right now, even surpassing the original PU:BG inspiration in terms of visibility and fan favor, Fortnite stands as the crowning king of redemption gaming. Unfortunately, this has informed the direction of other AAA gaming publishers and developers, with studios like Activision abandoning the traditional story mode in their upcoming Black Ops 4 in order to chase battle royale dollars. Then, trend-chasing over integrity has always been an enormous component of gaming, so we shouldn’t be surprised.What comes next, Crash Bandicoot Royale? Come to think of it, a royale style racing game might be something we could really get on board with. What do you guys think?
Quickly rising artist, Gina Brooklyn, is becoming the name to follow in the world of music.
Gina Brooklyn, who is a young teenage sensation, joined us for an interview to talk about her latest song ‘Warning’ and her love for music.
Hi Gina, how are you?
Hi! I’m fantastic! How are you?
I am great. So, how did you get into music?
I got into music because I was raised in a musical family- my dad was a bass player, and my mom was a singer. They were both in a rock band together when I was very young, and I always asked to listen to their CD because I absolutely loved it! I think because my mom was a singer, and since she was my hero when I was young (she still is, love you momma!), I wanted to be just like her and become a singer. I guess that’s how I got into music! When I was five and told my mom, I wanted to be a singer; she told me I was terrible and completely tone deaf. It makes me laugh now thinking about it, for one reason being that it was completely true, and the other being I worked so hard to prove her wrong. Here we are now, and she’s my biggest supporter!
How did your song ‘Warning’ come about?
My song ‘Warning’ was written two years ago actually, not created about me but from the perspective of someone else I knew. The funny thing is is that I’ve been in a situation that the song describes, so I kind of take it from the situation I was in rather than the perspective it was written in. It all worked out perfectly!
What were the challenges of making ‘Warning’?
There was so much planning and creating with this song, more-so than any of my other ones, just because we all really believed in it and wanted to make it just right.
What is your songwriting process?
My songwriting process kind of depends on how I’m feeling, but normally I’ll start out by just playing around with chords on whatever instrument I feel like playing, then writing the lyrics along to playing around with chords.
“We all really believed in it and wanted to make it just right.”
Describe your music style in three words.
I’d have to say raw, real, and unique.
Describe yourself in three words.
Oooh, this is hard- probably passionate, genuine, and creative.
What is your mission?
My mission is to inspire others to follow their dreams, to give others hope, and to spread as much love as possible! The world needs it more than ever at this time.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
It would be a dream come true if I could collaborate with John Mayer- his guitar skills and songwriting skills are absolutely incredible!
The last question we ask everyone, what is your definition of culture?
I really like this definition of culture: “The way of life for an entire society.”
Erin is a documentary filmmaker on the brink of a professional breakthrough; Mark a handsome investment banker with a bright future. They seem to have it all, until Mark loses his job and cracks start to appear in their perfect life.
What comes next, Crash Bandicoot Royale? Come to think of it, a royale style racing game might be something we could really get on board with. What do you guys think?
