GWENT launches on Android! Download now on Google Play!
CD PROJEKT RED, creators of The
Witcher series of games, announce the Android release of GWENT: The Witcher
Card Game. Players can download the game for free right now from the Google
Play Store.
The Android version of GWENT brings the complete GWENT experience to an even wider range of mobile devices. Players can download the game and start building their Witcher-world army right away, challenging other Android players — as well as those on iOS and PC thanks to built-in crossplay. For players who already have a GOG.COM account associated with GWENT, all progress and purchases will cross over to the Android version so you can pick up exactly where you left off elsewhere!
GWENT on Android is compatible with devices running Android version 7.0 or later, with at least 1.5 GB of RAM on board. Whether a device meets the game’s compatibility requirements can be checked by visiting GWENT’s product page on Google Play.
To celebrate the release, players who log in to the Android version of GWENT before March 31st, 12:00 noon CEST, will receive a free Ultimate Premium Keg. Any player who pre-registered for the Android version will also receive the Imperial Golem avatar immediately upon login. In addition, there will also be extra daily rewards available for all versions of GWENT throughout launch week.
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is available for free on Android, iOS and PC. For more information on GWENT, including gameplay features, please visit www.playgwent.com.
About GWENT: The Witcher Card Game
In GWENT: The Witcher Card Game, gamers clash with their friends in fast-paced duels that combine bluffing, on-the-fly decision making and careful deck construction. The game is played over a best-of-three series of rounds, as players unleash their hand by slinging spells and diverse units with special abilities, and use clever tricks to deceive their opponents.
About GWENT: The Witcher Card Game
In GWENT: The Witcher Card Game,
gamers clash with their friends in fast-paced duels that combine bluffing,
on-the-fly decision making and careful deck construction. The game is played
over a best-of-three series of rounds, as players unleash their hand by
slinging spells and diverse units with special abilities, and use clever tricks
to deceive their opponents.
About CD PROJEKT RED
CD PROJEKT RED is a game development
studio founded in 2002. It develops and publishes video games for personal
computers and video game consoles. The studio’s flagship titles include The
Witcher series of games, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales, GWENT: The Witcher
Card Game and the upcoming futuristic AAA role-playing game — Cyberpunk 2077.
Together with GOG.COM, a game store offering hand-picked titles for PC and Mac,
CD PROJEKT RED is part of the CD PROJEKT Capital Group. CD PROJEKT S.A. is
listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (ISIN: PLOPTTC00011).
It’s been a good launch for DOOM Eternal, that’s no secret. The game is breaking sale records on top of being the best selling game on Steam for its release week, surpassing 100,000 concurrent players on the platform. It also brought some new stuff to the table such as bigger maps, new weapons, gadgets, and gameplay additions. I’d say it’s even more fun than its predecessor and way more challenging. So with all that said, here are some tips on how to stay alive gathered from my 25 hours of playtime in DOOM Eternal.
#1 Rip, scorch and cut to victory
DOOM Eternal features plenty of open areas with dozens of various demons charging at you (which makes it a fair fight) and in all that frenzy it easy to get disoriented, take too many hits and die. If you’re not paying attention and focus on one enemy at a time, lack of ammo might be a serious problem. As well as health and armor. Key to avoiding this is combining glory kills for health, flame belch for armor shards (that demons drop upon kill) and chainsawing them gets you plenty of ammo. Usage of chainsaw is way more lenient this time, it recharges itself pretty fast and sometimes it’s your only way to get precious ammo.
#2 Punch walls, get free stuff
This time, there’s even more emphasis on chasing collectibles. Especially when half of those collectibles are Sentinel crystals (upgrades for health, ammo, and armor), weapon points, weapon mods, mastery tokens, and praetor suit upgrades. If you get stuck on a difficult section, it’s not a bad idea to replay some of the previous levels for some of those upgrades. I recommend you to get some map perks for the praetor suit as soon as possible so you can see if there are any collectibles on the map nearby.
#3 Be always on the move
Seriously, they can’t hit what they can’t see. With some low-level demon exceptions, almost every baddie has an attack th\at can get you from afar. Be it some fiery balls or rockets, one thing is for sure: you can’t hide (but you can run). Most of the open areas will have a monkey bar or two strategically placed so you can swing away before more demons surround you. Also, use dash ability as much as possible and blue portals so you can zip from one end of the map to another. If they are stationary and attack you from one spot, nobody says you have to do the same.
#4 Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade
I cannot emphasize this enough. Some weapons are a godsend when upgraded to the max. The best example of this would be the super shotgun. Once you spend all the weapon points on it and do the final challenge, the ultimate perk enables you to force enemies to drop armor shards whenever you hook onto them. This has been a lifesaver to me more than once and it’s a great thing to exploit when my flame belch is recharging. After all, who can say no to free armor shards?
#5 Be a good housekeeper
Pretty early in the game, you get access to the Fortress of Doom. It’s your main hub for selecting levels, replaying old ones but there’s more to discover if you decide to snoop around. You’ll find plenty of locked doors asking to spend sentinel batteries on them. Using two will unlock one door and you will be rewarded with either Doom Slayer skins (not so useful) and praetor suit points (way more useful). You can easily keep track of all the other cosmetic collectibles such as music albums and toys while they decorate the walls of your fortress the more you find them.
And lastly, there is also a handy training area in the basement of the fortress where you can get better at ripping demons apart. That place really has everything!
For those of you that followed the ever-evolving story of Warframe, you know by now that some new things are around the corner. Scary, Lovecraftian things. Sentients are the Warframe equivalent of Borg from Star Trek and after much teasing and drumming up hype, they have finally invaded the Origin System.
In the newest update that just hit PC, we gain access to the Scarlet Spear Flotilla Relay, our home base for fending off the invasion. The Scarlet Spear Flotilla will inform you of incoming Murex Waves, massive vessels harboring Sentient forces readying their next strike. Rendezvous with other Tenno and form Squads to embark on one of two connected Missions to fend them off: Ground Assault or Murex Raid.
Ground Assault
On the ground, your mission is to seize the Kill Code from Sentient Condrix and transmit it to your allies above. You’ll need to use an Operation Link Beacon — or OpLink Beacon — to connect to Squads in real-time. Fend off Sentients from harming the Beacon while it analyzes the Condrix for the Code you need.
Murex Raid
In the Railjack, your objective will be to infiltrate the Sentient Murex, gain control of its Transmission Array and broadcast the Kill Code shared by the team on the ground. This will hopefully cut off the Murex from the rest of the Sentient Armada deeper in the Veil and delay further destruction. Expect heavy resistance in both Missions. Boarding parties will deploy Anu Mantalysts and Anu Interference Drones to disrupt your Railjack Systems and put a halt to the resistance.
Sounds a bit complicated but what is our task here? Well, to link forces with other Tenno, we need to obtain and equip an OpLink Beacon by tracking down Little Duck in the Scarlet Spear Flotilla to begin. Also, to participate in this operation, you need to be at least Master Rank 3.
And with all that said, now we get to the juiciest bits. Rewards! For successfully fending off the Sentients, you can get access to a brand new weapon and arcanes. And last but not the least, this update brings us a deluxe skin for Nova called Nova Atomica, some dojo decorations and a brand new Shawzin.
Operation Scarlet Spear is a limited time event so make sure to hop in the game and defend the Origin System.
Taking a highly popular anime and manga franchise and creating a video game for it has become a tried and true method for many game developers but for many of these series, there is already an extreme amount of content to work with so generally sequels end up being a bit sporadic in nature and feature various upgrades to gameplay and other elements. Well when it comes to the incredibly popular My Hero Academia that extra content isn’t available to the point that the games are bumping up with the current anime arc which is only a few arcs behind the source material. So with Byking and Bandai Namco rushing into a second entry, is My Hero One’s Justice 2 worth it for fans?
Story
Now it is worth noting that My Hero One’s Justice 2 immediately assumes that players are well versed with the series and does almost nothing to actually describe the setting or even the events that take place prior to the start of the game. This means newcomers will be left a bit cold, but the setting takes place in a world where nearly everyone has begun developing “Quirks” that are simply another word for superpowers. To help bring some order to these super powered individuals, a hero system was developed with these heroes taking down everything from average criminals to those who use their Quirks for villainy. The story follows Izuku Midoriya, better known as “Deku,” who attends U.A. High School with the hopes of becoming the best Pro Hero around all while taking advantage of the”One For All” Quirk gifted to him from the former number one hero, All Might.
Now that that is out of the way for potential newcomers, My Hero One’s Justice 2 picks up immediately after the events of the previous game and advances the story all the way through Class 1-A and others taking part in their Provisional Hero exams and working with other professional heroes and even going all the way through to the end of the battle against Overhaul and his fellow Yakuza members in an attempt to rescue a young girl. Once again the campaign tells the storyline using mostly standard stills taken from the anime season and presented in a comic format with Japanese voicework from the original voice actors for each character.
The story, as a whole, also remains told in a fairly unsatisfying manner that sees not only some of the more exciting setpieces take a hit but even a few of the more impactful fights lose some of their punch. There are some new bits written in here and there to provide players with some extra fights, as well as a “Villains” side to the story that can be unlocked, but this story campaign will remain unsatisfying for fans of the franchise and newcomers will want to look to any other source to enjoy it to the fullest. It is worth noting that some unique character interactions do happen outside of the campaign though these are kept to a bare minimum with characters only exchanging an extra line or two of dialogue with their foe after a battle in arcade mode.
Gameplay
In many ways My Hero One’s Justice 2 plays very similar to the first entry in the series as the game remains a 3D arena brawler that sees players taking control of one fighter with two sidekicks that can be called in to provide back-up attacks, stuns, or new in the sequel perform one of their Plus Ultra attacks, this does mean however that the floaty feeling of fights, imprecise movements, and awful camera angles remain problems in the sequel. Players still have easy access to auto-combos that can string together fairly well with super attacks that vary from character to character and usually make use of that fighter’s Quirk being easy to toss out on a whim. There are a few more refinements this time however as players now have access to a dodge and have to worry about a blocking gauge that allows for a guard to be broken even without the use of an unblockable strike.
This leads to some very fast levels of play as fighters can zip around the arena and even climb the walls at times but in interesting fashion, the best way to play sometimes is defensively. With every character having such easy access to moves and the Plus Ultra gauge filling throughout the fight, allowing players to use even stronger finishing moves that vary depending on the level of the gauge, attempting to bait your opponent into making a mistake and then punishing them for it with either an armored lock-on attack or string of combos is very satisfying.
Perhaps the biggest improvement made to My Hero One’s Justice 2 over the original is the fact that it sees the character roster explode to nearly double what it originally was. This sees the addition of characters that are both new to the story arcs featured in the campaign, such as Overhaul and Mirio, to older characters such as Ashido Mina who were left out of the original release. Many of these characters have been given abilities and fighting styles that best match their Quirks, especially true in the case of Nighteye who can change up how a fight plays out with his assists in a fairly unique manner, but it is worth noting that the actual character balance here is incredibly low so players should be ready for some fighters to be simply far stronger than others.
Alongside the story mode and standard versus modes My Hero One’s Justice 2 also includes a few extra modes to help kill some time and these include the aforementioned arcade mode that allow players to take a team into battle and fight against unknown opponents in a string of battles as well as a Mission mode. The mission mode is a survival style gameplay mode as it pits players against a string of battles that have some unique qualifiers to them but with their health carrying over between battles, the survival mode doesn’t really hold together well, especially with the surprising lack of variety in missions despite the large roster.
The online component of My Hero One’s Justice 2 remains fairly standard as players have the option of playing in either ranked or casual fights against others online though the connections of these opponents can be spotty at best. Even when playing against fighters with what appeared to be a perfect connecting the fight would occasionally stutter a bit which is rather unfortunate.
Visuals & Audio
Once again it is clear that the developers for My Hero One’s Justice 2 have paid close attention to the details of the original material as the characters are all nicely replicated from their anime appearances with their special moves and flashy actions really allowing even simple fights to appear as flashy stylish affairs. Customization also returns but once again features some barebones lack of options and recolors of the same object over and over again.
Oddly, despite the company’s willingness to provide an English dub for the recent One Punch Man game Bandai Namco has once again chosen to provide only the original Japanese voice track for My Hero One’s Justice 2 accompanied by English subtitles. This wouldn’t be too much of a problem as all of the original voice actors return to reprise their roles here except for the shockingly large amount of unsubtitled dialogue left in the game with all menu dialogue, character introductions, voice clips in battle, and even winning remarks are left unsubtitled. The soundtrack once again features fairly generic background music that doesn’t really stand out in any unique way.
Overall
There is a saying that you shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken but when there isn’t much polish on the original product, some extra effort would be appreciated. My Hero One’s Justice 2 adds some minor improvements to combat and expands the roster to a great degree but carries with it all of the same problems found in the first release in the series. With minimal story additions and presentation, longtime fans will appreciate having some stylish looking fights with their favorite heroes and villains but prepare to find a mostly unchanged style of gameplay as what was found in the prior release in the series.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
TOM CLANCY’S
GHOST RECON® BREAKPOINT EPISODE 2 AVAILABLE NOW, BRINGS BIGGEST
UPDATE TO THE GAME SO FAR
Play Ghost Recon
Breakpoint for Free From March 26 to 29
Sydney, Australia — March 24, 2020 — Today, Ubisoft announced that Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon® Breakpoint’s Episode 2 is now available. The Start of Episode 2 coincides with the release of the Title Update 2.0, including the new Ghost Experience and several other major additions. The update will be available on the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, UPLAY+, Ubisoft’s subscription service* and Stadia, the new generation gaming platform from Google.
Title
Update 2.0 is the biggest update for Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint yet.
It will include:
A new
story Adventure tied to Episode 2 including
eight narrative missions where players will team up with Sam Fisher, the renowned character from Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell®.
Together, they uncover a plot to develop mind-controlled military drones,
and they will have to stop its development on Auroa. The Adventure will
introduce new stealth-focused gameplay elements and feature cinematics
with the voice of Michael Ironside. The full Adventure will be available
to all Year One Pass owners or as a standalone purchase. All players will
have access to the first mission and its 2 rewards for free, and will be
able to join co-op parties with friends owning the Adventure. In all, ten
new exclusive Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell-themed mission rewards will be
available for players to earn, provided they own the Year One Pass or
Adventure from mission 2 onwards.
Two new classes available in both PvE and
PvP modes, with a one-week exclusivity for Year
One pass owners, starting today.
The
Echelon class.. It focuses on stealth,
allowing players to move silently to eliminate enemies quietly. The
Echelon Class’s special ability, Sonar Vision, helps players detect
enemies through walls and disturb drones.
The
Engineer class. It lets players deal more
damage to drones and be more effective with grenade launchers and its
special ability, the Defense Drone, will attack nearby enemies, while its
class tool, the Supply Drone, provides allies with an extra magazine of
buffed ammo.
PVP
updates, including 4 new maps and a map voting option.
Title Update 2.0 also features a host of community-requested
features, including camera placement, BASE jumping, weapon/gear sorting
options, vehicles, respawn system improvements, gunsmith updates and more. All
details can be found here: https://www.ghostrecon.com/PatchNotes2_0_0
Additionally, new players will be able to experience all the new
content brought by the TU 2.0 update on the Xbox One family of
devices including the Xbox One X and Windows PC, and PlayStation®4
computer entertainment system during the Free Weekend
from March 26 until March 29.
Tom
Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint will continue to receive regular updates in the
coming months. To stay up to date with all updates please
visit ghost-recon.ubisoft.com.
For the latest news
about other Ubisoft games, please visit news.ubisoft.com.
About Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon
Breakpoint
Developed
by Ubisoft Paris**, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint is a military
shooter putting players in the boots of the Ghosts, an elite US Special
Operations unit. Set in a diverse and hostile open world, Tom Clancy’s Ghost
Recon Breakpoint offers an entirely new adventure playable solo or in up to
four-player co-op, as well as PvP at launch.
About
Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a leading creator,
publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and services, with a
rich portfolio of world-renowned brands, including Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry,
For Honor, Just Dance, Watch Dogs, Tom Clancy’s video game series including
Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six and The Division. The teams throughout Ubisoft’s
worldwide network of studios and business offices are committed to delivering
original and memorable gaming experiences across all popular platforms,
including consoles, mobile phones, tablets and PCs. For the 2018–19 fiscal
year, Ubisoft generated net bookings of €2,029 million. To learn more, please
visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.
Zen Studios will launch their strategy RPG Dread Nautical on PlayStation 4, Switch, Xbox One, and Windows via the Epic Games Store on April 29, 2020. No word on how long the PC version will remain an Epic Games Store exclusive. Previously only available on Apple Arcade, the game combines rogue-like elements with isometric turn based RPG gameplay.
Players will take on the role of one of four survivors on the cruise ship Hope. The ship is under attack by supernatural beings looking to chow down on the passenger and crew. Players will need to make their way through the 20 decks of the ship to escape their vacation from hell. There are 11 survivors that can be recruited along the way, but they will not come along easily. Players will need to rely on their social wits to convince them to band together as a group.
STRAP IN
FOR MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS. MAXIBOOST ON, COMING TO PLAYSTATION 4
ON JULY 30th
Closed Beta
Test for This Ultimate Gundam Clash to be Hosted in April
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. announced today that MOBILE
SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS. MAXIBOOST ON will be launching in the Americas
on July 30, 2020 on the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system. The 2-on-2
EXTREME VS mecha combat game was originally released exclusively for
Japanese arcades and will now head to living rooms in the west.
In anticipation of the upcoming launch, a Closed Beta Test will be
hosted for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS. MAXIBOOST ON from April
25–27 on PlayStation 4. Registration for MOBILE SUIT is open now
through April 10 and can be found at the following link: https://www.bandainamcoent.com/landing/msge-vs-mbon-closed-network-test.
Participants who are selected to participate will be notified on April 17, and
a pre-download period will be open April 17–25.
Set in the globally iconic GUNDAM universe, MOBILE
SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS. MAXIBOOST ON enables players to take 2-on-2 PVP
combat to the next level with Mobile Suits spanning the entire breadth of the
franchise’s history. MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME VS. MAXIBOOST ON features
185 playable units from 36 different GUNDAM iterations, each with unique
abilities designed to match any fan’s personal playstyle. Players can choose
between three different EX Burst Systems—Fighting Burst, Extend Burst, and
Shooting Burst—to coordinate with allies and lay waste to all that stand (or
fly) in their way.
In addition, fans who purchase MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM EXTREME
VS. MAXIBOOST ON early will receive a bonus playable mobile suit, the
fierce Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex.
DELVE INTO
THE LORE OF SWORD ART ONLINE ALICIZATION LYCORIS IN A BRAND NEW STORY
TRAILER
The newest SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris trailer
showcases the story behind SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris’s
original character Medina along with some of the new characters and enemies.
Renly, Sheyta, and Sortiliena from the SWORD ART ONLINE Alicizationanime
are all new playable characters that can be recruited into player parties,
while Hersyrian is a brand-new original character!The trailer
also features Black Knight, Kayode, and Mysterious Giant, who are new enemies
that are ready to challenge our heroes! SWORD ART ONLINE
Alicization Lycoris will allow characters to master the eight different
Sacred Arts – Heat, Ice, Wind, Water, Crystal, Steel, Light, and Darkness –
just like in the light novel and the anime. In addition, players can also build
bonds with their favorite SWORD ART ONLINE characters and date them
in-game!
SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris is also
now available for pre-order on Xbox One and STEAM! The Standard Edition
pre-order includes the base game and four Design Contest costumes, and the
Deluxe Edition pre-order includes the base game and four Design Contest
costumes, plus the Premium Pass, Premium Pass Bonus Costume, and 200 SAO Coins!
The four Design Contest Costumes will be also available for purchase for both
the Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and STEAM
from May 22, 2020 to June 22, 2020.
Lastly, SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris will
introduce new ways to enjoy the game with free updates, SAO coins, and the CUBE
system! Free updates for SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris will
include events such as Monthly Raids and Daily Quests! By completing Daily
Quests, players can earn tickets to exchange for CUBEs. CUBEs enable players to
randomly win in-game costumes, accessories, weapon skins, and more! If players
log on daily and complete each daily quest, they can obtain all the items from
the CUBEs and deck out their characters. SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization
Lycoris also supports an in-game currency also known as SAO coins,
which users can purchase to trade for individual items from the CUBE, enabling
players to get their favorite items easily.
SWORD ART ONLINE Alicization Lycoris is slated
to launch in the Americas on May 22, 2020 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and
PCs via STEAM.
The long-awaited showdown with Aaron Keener is finally upon The Division in the first expansion for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. Warlords of New Yorktakes players back to the Big Apple where the situation on the ground has changed significantly over the spring and summer. Paul Rhodes and Roy Benitez have split with Faye Lau and the Division. Rogue agents have risen in the ranks and now lead the reformed Cleaners and Rikers faction. The new expansion introduces the New York City map, a ten-level bump to the level cap, new equipment, a completely refreshed itemization system, and a transition to a season-based content system.
Story
The Division 2: Warlords of New York’s plot is a bit
of a disappointment. The build up to the inevitable showdown with Aaron Keener
has been a long time coming but the conclusion falls flat. At this point, it
feels like the writers are trying anything to keep the twists coming without
any concern if it makes much sense. It isn’t entirely clear if the story is
going down the path of a guilty pleasure or a train wreck, but it seems to be heading
down the latter.
Gameplay
Warlords of New York coincides with the
implementation of a slew of quality of life changes and a major overhaul of the
loot system for all Division 2 players as part of Title Update 8. A lot
of the changes were direly requested by players for months now. The biggest
change without a doubt is the Gear 2.0 system. The stats and talents have been
completely overhauled, simplifying the talents and improving the recalibration
system. The changes make talents feel like they have more impact as flat stat
buff talents have been merged into the item’s base stats. The recalibration
system singlehandedly addresses the bank clutter problem with one swift strike
as players no longer have to horde hundreds of items across several bank alts
to keep rare talents and max attribute rolls. Players now extract those into
their library and can apply them to as many items as they wish.
The quality of life changes are fantastic overall. Most are smaller
fixes that address minor issues that have nagged the game from the start, like
the inability quick travel to missions invaded by the Black Tusk. Other are a
little more noticeable, like removing the intel cost for bounties and increasing
the rate specialization points are awarded. The changes make the gameplay
smoother and less of a hassle for the most part.
Warlords of New York introduces a new campaign, a revamped
end game, and the season-based content system. The campaign itself is similar to
the base game. It is a string of missions, with the longer ones being dungeons
that can be replayed in full and smaller ones being revisited as possible bounty
locations at a later time. The big difference is the more open-ended nature of
the campaign as players are able to choose what order they wish to pursue Keener’s
four lieutenants. The New York map is smaller than DC, but the mission design requires
players to do a lot more exploring outdoors.
The revamped end game is where players will spend the bulk
of their time. Progression has been lengthened with the SHD Watch that allows
players to permanently increase their stats every time they level. This is a
good replacement for the field proficiency caches that became useless after players
completed their builds. The world difficulty can be increased like missions, which
brings much needed challenge to the open world gameplay. More importantly, five
modifiers have been added to the game. When enabled, these hobble the player in
specific ways like removing their armour regeneration out of combat. In
exchange, players get a sizable XP boost to their mission bonuses. These two
changes go a long way in giving players some end game option outside of participating
in raids.
Skill builds have always struggled in end game. Although Ubisoft
Massive have made attempts to rebalance the issue, the Dark Hours raid proved the
hardcore endgame was still tuned for weapon DPS builds. Part of the problem has
been addressed with the major revamp to the skill system. The buffs and
balances take a big bite out of untalented healing skills while significantly rewarding
players who spend points into skill attributes. While this is a good step, the
other half is creating content that requires a skill build or two in a team comp.
Right now, a healer in the group is needed for end game content, especially as
the difficult levels rise. The second half of the problem is how content is designed.
The missions tend to be light on mechanics, which allow a certain degree of
build agnosticism. The design of the next raids will be the big test for Ubisoft
Massive’s implementation of the skill system. Unfortunately, Massive never
released the promised second raid before Warlords of New York, and it
was not included as part of the expansion.
Ever since Fortnite popularized the sea son-based
strategy for monetizing games as a service, publishers and developers have been
throwing their titles on the bandwagon. The Division 2 is the next title
to get the treatment. No matter your opinion on season pass, almost everyone
will agree it is better than the absolutely atrocious cosmetic events that ran for
two to three weeks. The worst iteration of the event required players to grind
levels in hopes of being lucky enough to be gifted a randomly awarded event
chest for cosmetic items, with the final outfit being handed out for those
willing to grind out the entire event. While things improved to a certain
degree when chests were handed out every three levels, the event lengths seemed
to shorten in comparison. The season pass system feels better balanced. Though
the levels are more extensive, the 12-week limit feels more reasonable than the
last couple of apparel events, and I found Ubisoft Massive’s estimation of 30
to 60 minutes per season pass level was correct.
Personally, I am not a huge fan of the Dark Zone. The
concept works well, and I can see how many players enjoy it. I wander in there
on occasion as it is still the best source of high-quality gear in a short
period of time if players are willing to risk PVP. The Dark Zone changes are
trying to drive players further towards PVP. Dark Zone currency and experience
is now tuned as a PVP reward. PVE focused players are still given a hand as
players can now see the rolls on their item so they can decide if its worth
risking an extraction. The design is more like the original Division. At
the end of the day, the changes will hopefully continue the trend of focusing
the DZ experience as a PVP area versus one or two teams of min/maxed rogues curb
stomping an entire map of PVE players trying to grind out gear quickly for their
raid builds.
Visuals
Warlords of New York has brought back four major
neighbourhoods in New York City. Those of us who are only familiar with the
city in pop culture will recognize some major landmarks, while other parts of
the city will look a lot like DC. Compared to The Division 1, spring and
the hurricane that supposedly happened earlier in the summer has changed the
environment significantly. The Cleaners and the Rikers have also been given a
makeover to mark the passage of time and the change in season. The entire look
of the game has an eerie familiar yet not feeling that suits it well.
Audio
The audio experience has not changed significantly since the
base game’s release. The sound effects and soundtrack are still an enjoyable
listen. The voice acting is still solid, with the return of many familiar voices
from the first game.
Overall
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2: Warlords of New York and Title Update 8 is a step in the right direction for The Division 2. It addresses a lot of the long-standing complaints to the game and adds a decent amount of much needed content for players to enjoy. While the new changes help breathe some life to the end game, it’s a shame that the long delayed second raid was not included in the expansion. As with the base game and the first Division, only time will tell how well the end game ages, but it’s a good start at least.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Five ‘Supernatural’
Stars Including Sheppard, Swallow, Connell Highlight First ‘Wizard World
Virtual Experiences’ Online Conference March 31
Roché,
Omundson Also Participating in FREE Live Video Q&A; Fans Can Purchase Live
Video Chats, Recorded Videos, Signed Photos From Each Star During Inaugural
Event, Accessible Via Dedicated Website, Social Platforms For Fans Across The
Globe
LOS ANGELES, March 20, 2020 – Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (OTCB:WIZDD) announces that “Wizard World Virtual Experiences” makes a “Supernatural” debut on Tuesday, March 31, when five stars of the long-running CW series take part in an interactive afternoon which includes a FREE live moderated video Q&A, plus one-on-one video chats, recorded videos and autographs. Mark Sheppard (“Crowley”), Emily Swallow (“Amara”), Ruth Connell (“Rowena”), Sebastian Roché (“Balthazar”) and Timothy Omundson (“Cain”) will attend via video beginning at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT, accessible to virtual attendees on their computer and mobile devices via http://wizd.me/virtual. As part of the event, fans across the globe can:
· Submit questions via chat during the free 30-minute panel featuring all five standouts (open to everyone, no entry fee to watch or submit) · Participate in a personal, exclusive one-minute live video chat with each celebrity (paid) · Purchase a recorded video from any of the five, specifying the message if desired · Purchase an autograph either on an 8”x10” photo or custom exclusive 11”x17” lithograph designed specifically for this event (if purchasing a live video chat, the item can be signed during the session)
Pricing begins at $40 for the individual chat, video and autographs, and vary by celebrity, available on the Website.
Additional Virtual Experience dates and celebrity groups will be announced as they are formed.
About Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZDD) Wizard Entertainment, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com) produces comic, gaming and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop culture: movies, television, gaming, live entertainment, tech, comics, sci-fi, graphic novels, toys, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming and entertainment takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Additional initiatives may include an augmented touring schedule of Wizard World shows, fixed-site installations, curated e-commerce, and the production and distribution of content both in the U.S. and internationally. Fans can interact with Wizard Entertainment at www.wizardworld.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.
The 2020 Wizard World convention schedule is available at: http://www.wizardworld.com/comiccon.
