Four-Player Splitscreen, Cross-Play, And Next-Gen Support Announced For Borderlands 3

On Sunday September 13, Gearbox Software’s Borderlands 3 will turn a full year old. And while 365 days might not actually be a lot, the project has morphed into so much more since the initial launch of the game. Recently, Borderlands 3 just shipped its fourth story expansion ‘Psycho Krieh and the Fantastic Fustercluck’ shipped this week offering even more content to its dedicated playerbase that have returned for more mayhem. But one thing that can in favor of the game’s release last year was how malleable to project can be when so close to the next console generation. In that, Gearbox Software has announced that Borderlands 3 will be shipping to the coming line of Xboxs and PlayStations in the coming future. Even more, the firm tells that cross-platform play will officially be supported when this new version drops between all platforms – new and old. Prior to its release last September, Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford disclosed that that cross-play will not be ready at launch for the game. Granted, cross-play support is already supported for Borderlands 3: that being between the Steam and Epic Games Store versions of the game. But now, this is a completely different magnitude for a playable ecosystem for fans of Borderlands 3. In the revealing blog post, Gearbox Software also told that users can upgrade to the aforementioned next-generation version for free as long as it’s part of the same console family. Adding on, the new update shipping out in the near future is also said to offer more variables to fans of local play. It is gathered that vertical splitscreen for two-player co-op will be offered to all platforms when the client arrives. On newer hardware, three-player and four-player local play will be making their debut for Borderlands 3. Upon all the major platforms alongside the coming systems arriving this holiday, the only platform missing out is Nintendo Switch. And despite fans on the platform who would welcome the idea of a port, it was suggested by Randy Pitchford prior to Borderland 3’s announcement that it isn’t likely to become a reality. You can read the full report by heading here. What platform do you plan to revisit Borderlands 3 on for the next-generation? Borderlands 3 is out now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Stadia; listed for Xbox Series X/Series S and PlayStation 5. Source: Gearbox Software

Xbox Series S Confirmed To Withhold 4K Enhancements For Backwards Compatible Titles

Microsoft after a brief campaign of leaks this week owned up to the discussion and officially revealed then-codenamed Project Lockhart, Xbox Series S. The console, as you can suspect from its stature, is a cost-efficient SKU that opens a broader entry point for interested consumers looking to dabble in the Xbox platform. And while the hardware is presented smaller than its towering sibling, it does push more than you would first presume. Part of its public reveal, Microsoft shared that the new system is comprised of similar technological components you would find in the Xbox Series X already. But given that the unit does lack in scale to the Xbox Series X GPU, the console can still offer 1440p with 60 frames per second. Even going as far to potentially meet 120 frames per second, there is more under the hood to offer. Howbeit, that looks to slim down when it comes to backwards compatibility. In that, features that you would find on Xbox One X and the more intuitive Xbox Series X will not be provided on the Xbox Series S. The discovery comes from Gamespew where Microsoft offered a statement on its performance for prior generation titles. Xbox Series S was designed to be the most affordable next generation console and play next generation games at 1440P at 60fps. To deliver the highest quality backwards compatible experience consistent with the developer’s original intent, the Xbox Series S runs the Xbox One S version of backward compatible games while applying improved texture filtering, higher and more consistent frame rates, faster load times and Auto HDR. Even though the newer yet smaller console still outperforms its predecessors, the features for 4K support through backwards compatible emulation is cut. But despite the setback, Microsoft does confirm that better load times, increased framerates, and upscaled resolution is still found on Xbox Series S. That including the HDR support for older entries that Microsoft amplified earlier this year. On the discussion of HDR for the coming Xbox family, Dolby announced that its in-house 3D graphical enhancing initiative Dolby Vision will be shipping to the new console sometime in 2021. The firm also shared that Dolby Atmos, its 3D audio project, is also arriving to the coming systems at launch in November. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you bothered that Xbox Series S won’t offer 4K support for backwards compatible properties? Xbox Series S is scheduled to release on November 10, 2020. Source: Gamespew

Report: Nintendo To Further Production On Nintendo Switch For Coming Holiday, Urges Studios To Prepare Game For 4K Support

Dating back to spring of this year, Nintendo was faced with a growth spurt in sales for its current hybrid handheld console, Nintendo Switch. While millions of people around the globe were affected by the still undergoing novel coronavirus, many were urged to stay at home and practice social distancing until the pandemic begins to clear up. During that, Animal Crossing: New Horizons arrived opening opportunity for many people to join in on the fun from home. And with the game breaking records of preceding entries alongside general milestones for Nintendo Switch at the time, the long-term of Nintendo Switch was truly illustrated later on. By the end of this holiday season in late January, the product stood at 52 million units sold ahead of its three-year anniversary. But pushing through the start of the pandemic, the unit grew nearly 10 million in sales as it now ticks well over 60 million in August. But to suffice the demand for more Switches, which Nintendo faced a drought in when halting production, the firm said to be ramped up by 10 percent in April. Howbeit, the firm is planning to further manufacturing more hardware in anticipation for the approaching holiday season where the Nintendo Switch is expected to face high demand for seasonal shoppers globally. In a new report from Bloomberg, the publication tells that individuals involved within Nintendo’s approach for the upcoming holiday will further push production to meet 30 million units by the end of 2020. Already pushing its factories to operate at 120% as told by sources, this exceeds the initial 25 million systems reported from August. But what is more interesting is the message Nintendo is relaying to developers. While manufacturing for the base Nintendo Switch is continuing to increase for the latter segment of 2020, Nintendo is asking teams to ready approaching projects for 4K support. “Several outside game developers, speaking anonymously as the issue is private, said that Nintendo has asked them to make their games 4K-ready, suggesting a resolution upgrade is on its way,” Bloomberg relays. Gathered that the current model does not support the resolution count you find on competing hardware, this does look to be a premature call for the rumored model from Nintendo. Last month, it was said that is working to bring a new SKU in 2021 which will meet the standards of current generational hardware. You can read the full report by heading here. Are you planning on picking up a Nintendo Switch later this holiday? Source: Bloomberg

Rock of Ages 3: Make & Break Review

Developer – Ace Team Publisher – Modus Games Platforms – Windows 10 PC, Xbox, PS4, Switch When I first saw Rock of Ages 3 by Modus Games, I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into. I have heard of the series, but it never caught my attention enough to give it a try. However, after the first cutscene, I knew I was going to enjoy this experience even if just for the animations alone. The game consists of two sections, MAKE and BREAK. In BREAK, the game is simple in premise, you take control of a rock, speed through a track of obstacles, crush the gate of the opposing team’s castle and flatten the enemy. You select a character to represent your empire from a list of leaders and memes, everything from Julius Caesar to the badly painted Jesus restoration painting (Ecce Mono) that was the source of viral news back in 2013. You can also unlock new rocks to use, such as a stone fist, the Earth, and a cluster of cows each with their own stats such as speed and destructive power. Finally, you can customize your empire’s banner with colors and patterns to give it the final touch. In the story mode you start out in 840 B.C. escaping the cyclops Polyphmus and carve a destructive path to 1910. Squaring off against dragons and Gods with pit-stops along the way to fight the Mongols, Romans, and other historical empires. The story reminds me of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure but more destructive! The story is full of funny vignettes that are in an art style that represents the age, complete with a slapstick comedy approach. While these are short, they made me laugh quite a bit. Your encounter with Polyphmus serves as a tutorial to introduce you to a few modes of the game. As the story progresses, you fight different historical figures like Napoleon, Caesar, and Genghis Khan. Each age has a variety of modes to play and you collect stars as a reward for your performance. The stars unlock new ages and different types of offensive and defensive structures. The different stages have a mix of modes such as tower defense, time trials, ball races, and other types of obstacles courses. In the tower defense game mode, both teams start out building structures on the track in order to defend against the other team’s rock. You can build explosive barrels, walls, cows, humans, tigers on a balloon, and many more. These structures can either damage the player’s rock or slow it down. The first few levels are okay in difficulty, but by the 4th age my structures barely made a dent in the enemy rock. The AI would also have fully realized tracks while I was just placing a few walls and other structures. I ended up having to focus on the other modes to unlock new structures to progress through the story, which gave the game a nice balance of difficulty and progression. The time trials are where you try to get your rock to the finish line as fast as possible. This mode seemed linear, but after my first run I saw that the goal times were substantially lower than mine. On my second run, I noticed that by using momentum and perfectly timing jumps I could access alternate paths in the track to shave precious seconds off my time. I spent a lot of time trying to perfect my times because this mode was so challenging and fun. The skee ball mode is very simple, and the AI might be a little broken here as well. Your goal is to make your way down the track crushing targets. The targets provide points that you multiply by directing your rock into specific holes on the skee board at the end of the track. I noticed the AI did not go for the targets, so the score it obtained was low. I focused on hitting as many targets as I could and even if I did not win the race, I was still able to win overall because my score was higher. Every so often, there are also special “boss fights” where you square off against a creature or God to break targets and win races in order to unlock customization options for your rock. The second main section of the game is MAKE. This is where you can build a track for others to play. You can modify the land and design of the track to make some interesting obstacles to get through. I could see myself putting tons of time into playing this mode however, the controls are a bit tough to get use to. It is hard to move the land mass exactly as I want it to move and it seems a bit more complicated than it needs to be. After you finish your level you can post it and go back to the BREAK mode to play other community levels that have been created. Currently, there are quite a few different maps, but I am not sure how long that will last as its entirely based on the game’s community to continue creating new experiences. For the asking price of $29.99, you get a decent amount of content. Single player and multiplayer modes and a quirky story mode that, if you want to collect everything, will last you a decent amount of time to get through. The base game is there, all the parts are functioning and function mostly well. I did run into a few bugs involving music cutting out, rocks not wanting to respawn, and being able to completely go through some environmental pieces. The story, while funny, maybe equates to about 20 minutes of cutscenes. The second half of the game is based on the community and their willingness to provide more content to the game. This may already be problematic to the longevity of the game because the multiplayer’s players base

Review: Wasteland 3 (Xbox One X)

Developer: inXile Entertainment Publisher: Deep Silver Release Date: Aug. 28th, 2020 Platforms: Xbox One; Playstation 4; PC In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, choices are key.  And any good RPG will give you plenty of choices.  What sets apart an RPG is how the choices you make reflect the environment around you.  Or affects your interactions with people that could alter future events.  Wasteland 3 effectively does all of these things, but perfectionists beware.  You can’t make everyone happy in post-apocalyptic Colorado. Wasteland 3 puts you in the shoes of America’s favorite Ranger corp.  Leaving the desert setting of Arizona, you and your team set out to Colorado, a frozen tundra that offers some hope.  The Patriarch has reached out for help with solving a family squabble.  If you succeed, it could mean valuable resources for your family in Arizona.  But of course, this is Wasteland, so nothing goes as planned. Your team essentially wipes, leaving only two Rangers to continue their trek to the Patriarch.  Within seconds of booting up the game, you can choose preset characters to use or make your own.  For the sake of time, I chose the preset team of a melee fighter and sniper.  Within minutes, I noticed I made a huge mistake. Don’t get me wrong, I was able to make significant progress with these characters.  You will eventually set up a base of operations where you can add more people to your team and make a more rounded squad of six.  Yet every choice I made felt wrong.  I would frequently notice options that were not available because my first aid wasn’t high enough.  Or I don’t have anyone that has bartering skills.  It’s a true RPG where your skills will mean the difference between life and death. And of course, not everything is what it seems in Colorado.  The Patriarch is not a fun dude and he will grow fond of you only if you provide a “SIR YES SIR” after every instruction.  And he doesn’t necessarily provide a beautiful way of living.  He may blame problems on outside family factors, but his way of presiding is not utopian to say the least. So choices become a huge part of your success and failure in Wasteland 3.  Did you pick the correct team?  Did you give them the best attributes and skills?  Did you save the correct citizen?  Or did you fail someone that could have helped you in a future situation?  Wasteland 3 does a remarkable job connecting events and choices.  They do such a good job that I did the only thing a perfectionist could do – restart the game on multiple occasions. Restarting the game was not based on poor development or anything like that.  But rather, the writing and characterization is so good that I cared a little too much about every choice that I made.  In my restarts, I would try other characters (mostly handmade ones so I could pick the right skills).  I would try to make different choices, or similar ones from the past but with characters that had different attributes.   And the best part of all?  I didn’t mind going back and trying again!  The game is that dense with content, creativity, and fun that it was a joy replaying areas or loading up an old save and picking a different team.  Or I would reload to try a side mission again to see what changes occur.  The way the quests branch out and connect down the road is quite amazing.  Kudos to InXile for providing hours upon hours of great content.  And for a guy like me that doesn’t often play RPGs like this, they won me over as a fan. Let me take a moment to discuss how the game plays on the Xbox.  Typically, a dense RPG like Wasteland 3 benefits from a mouse and keyboard.  But how does it work on a Xbox One X with a controller?  In short, it works pretty well! Wasteland’s action is turn-based, meaning you will take turns with your movements, attacks, and defense.  Each character (depending on skills and level) will have the chance to move or attack in a specific number of moves.  With the controller, you can highlight enemies to attack and movement points fairly easily.  Combat works smoothly and the buttons are easy to master.   I will say the menus are a little hard to navigate with a controller.  Especially in situations where you have a full squad that needs updated armor, inventory organization, and skill upgrades.  The bumpers are used to switch team members and the triggers are used to navigate the menu options.  It wasn’t too tedious, but not as effective as a mouse and keyboard.  Besides the controller scheme, the game looks and runs really well on the Xbox One X.  The graphics are smooth and load times are not too long, which honestly surprised me.  The camera angles can get a little wonky if you are near a large environmental structure, but again, it’s not too terrible where it takes you out of your zone. As a side note, my review is solely based on single-player gameplay.  Wasteland 3 offers co-op gameplay, which our friend Namtox wrote so eloquently about.  I would say this – it would most likely benefit you if you play with someone you know or someone you can party up with and verbally strategize.  In a game where the smallest choices can affect outcomes, you may not want a random player making choices that you don’t agree with.   In a world where choices affect so many outcomes, Wasteland 3 emphasizes the phrase “choose wisely.”  Your outcomes will greatly differ depending on how you complete main and side missions, as well as how you use the many skills and attributes to fill out your ultimate Ranger squad.  Wasteland 3 is a remarkable game that gives you tons of meaty content that you can spend hours and hours with.  I can only hope that InXile

Sony Announces PlayStation 5 Showcase For September 16

With Microsoft revealing the prices for both Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, it’s time for Sony to show the world what we can expect for the PlayStation 5. Today, Sony has announced another PlayStation 5 showcase to give us one more look at some of the games that will be coming to the console at launch and the future. This digital showcase will take place Wednesday, September 16, 2020 and will be around 40 minutes long. This event is to feature updates on the latest titles from Worldwide Studios and development partners. The PlayStation 5 Showcase will start a 1 PM PDT / 4 PM ET and you can tune in here. It’s safe to say that we will learn the official pricing for both the physical and digital edition for PlayStation 5 as well as the release date. Do you think they can top off the price of the Xbox Series S and will the PlayStation 5 physical edition be $499 as well? Source