21 Savage joins Modern Warfare II and Warzone on August 30

Activision and Sledgehammer Games have finally revealed when 21 Savage will join Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare II Season 05 Reloaded. The popular Hip-Hop and Rap artist will join Call of Duty on August 30 as the Tracer Pack: 21 Savage Bundle. Here is what the Tracer Pack: 21 Savage Bundle includes: Two Weapon Blueprints: Savage Mode – Assault Rifle and Red Opps – SMG Skrrt Skrrt UTV Vehicle Skin, a Charm, Sticker, and a Mr. Right Now Loading Screen Slaughter King Melee tool The 21 Savage Operator Bundle will most likely cost 2,400 COD points just like the Nicki Minaj bundle. Along with the 21 Savage news, Activision shared more information about the Lara Croft Operator Bundle that drops on September 9. Source: Call of Duty

Lara Croft drops into Warzone and Modern Warfare II on September 9

When the first details of Season 5 of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Warzone were revealed and at the time Activision shared that Lara Croft would join the game during this season. Today, it was announced that Lara Croft is joining Call of Duty on September 9 as a Store Bundle Operator.  The Tracer Pack: Tomb Raider Bundle includes three Weapon Blueprints including a version of the new melee weapon in the Ice Axe, the Mythic Defender SMG, and her signature Mach-5 dual pistols based on the new sidearm coming with the Season 5 Reloaded update. The iconic dual pistols will be used in her finishing move as well.  Along with the Weapon Blueprints, the bundle comes with a Loading Screen, a Sticker, an Emblem, and the Tomb Buggy Vehicle Skin for the Chop Top. Just like Nicki Minaj, the Lara Croft skin should cost 2,400 COD points if you wish to purchase the Operator Bundle.  When Modern Warfare III releases on November 10, you’ll be able to transfer this bundle to the game thanks to the new Carry Forward feature coming soon.  Source: Call of Duty  

Review: Sea of Stars

Developer – Sabotage Studio Publisher – Sabotage Studio Platforms – PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (reviewed) Review copy given by publisher Indie developer Sabotage Studio is no stranger to the retro-inspired indie game scene, as their first project The Messenger served as a nostalgic nod back to the Ninja Gaiden series. But perhaps you first heard of this small team of developers from their upcoming title Sea of Stars, a turn-based role-playing game that draws heavy inspiration from classic JRPGs such as Chrono Trigger. Sea of Stars has garnered fanfare since its announcement, and for justifiable reasons too, thanks to its grand musical score from legendary Yasunori Mitsuda and its stunning visual presentation. If you haven’t played the free demo that has been out for almost half a year now (go play it!), or just haven’t been in the loop about the game, here’s a brief recap. Development of the project took roughly 5 years, with the initial pitch starting back in 2018. The game was supposed to be released last year back in the holiday season of 2022 but has been delayed by nearly a year and pushed back to August 2023. Finally releasing and seamlessly blending nostalgia with innovation, this indie gem takes players on an interstellar journey that is as captivating as it is pixel-perfect. Sea of Stars follows the journey of 2 young heroes, Valere and Zale, known as Children of the Solstice, who are destined to save the world from an ancient cosmic evil known as The Fleshmancer. Joined by their loyal and best friend Garl, the team sets off on a perilous journey to fulfill their destiny. The narrative wastes almost no time setting the context and immediately hooks you in with well-crafted characters and a story filled with twists and turns. Every main and side character carries a certain amount of emotional depth that you instantly connect and empathize with. Gameplay boils down to what you might expect in a traditional turn-based role playing game, but Sea of Stars does add a bit of its own flair to mix things up. First off, exploration is elevated from your typical flat 2D up and down, left and right movements because this game features a degree of 3D-ness in its environments. You can climb up and down walls, jump in and out of rivers, and shimmy across ledges. These refreshing traversal options allow the developers to play around more with the level design and hide even more secrets behind hidden areas. That being said, sometimes it is hard to tell the 3D effects apart from the flat ones given the game is still rendered on a 2D plane, as I had some trouble recognizing that something was supposed to be a platform when I thought it was just a wall. For the most part, the dungeon and level design is impressive, and the game effortlessly blends puzzles within environments. As you progress further into the story, you gain almost Metroidvania-like tools that allow you to access previously unreachable areas, such as a grappling hook! The puzzles sprinkled throughout were never too difficult but also not flat-out easy. The developers expertly employ clever color based combinations or block pushing mechanics to provide riddles that often reward you handsomely with gear. Combat is also a bit more than your classic turn-based affair. Sea of Stars utilizes time-based button presses to either dish out extra hits or take reduced damage from enemy hits. There are no difficulty levels but the game does offer excellent accessibility options known as relics, which provide certain advantages during combat. These include visual cues that signify if you timed an attack correctly or not and the option to heal back to 100% after every combat encounter, which significantly reduces the difficulty of the game, but also renders food items useless. Certain party member’s skills also have unique interactive elements, such as Valere’s boomerang attack which has you precisely timing button presses every time her attack bounces back to her. As you perform normal attacks or block enemy attacks, you charge up a combo meter that then can be used for special multi-character skills. Regular attacks expel magical energy orbs on the ground that can then be absorbed by subsequent characters to enhance their next move. This all might seem a bit overwhelming at first, but the game does a great job at pacing you into it, and there’s even a helpful “How to Play” section that reminds you of things you may have forgotten. Perhaps the most important thing to learn is the game’s signature Lock system, which forces you to be more strategic about which moves to use and which enemies to attack in order to succeed. All enemies can dish out what can be considered their ultimate move from time to time, as signaled by a number and a bunch of symbols. Clear out all the symbols with the correct attack type and you will completely negate that particular enemy’s special move. This is especially pivotal when facing ants. Yes, you heard that right, ants. The ant’s special move is to summon 2 more ants, so if you don’t want to face an infinite army of ants, then I advise you to break their locks immediately! At the end of the day, the combat system isn’t the most groundbreaking, but the meshing together of several different elements provides an engaging experience. Combat encounters are mostly required, for better or worse, unless you find a way to outrun an enemy on the field. If an enemy spots you, it will either attack you with a ranged move or come sprinting at you. The biggest complaint I have about the fighting is the lack of an escape or retreat option. A lot of the time I don’t want to fight another 2 ants and 1 bandit, but the game forces me to as it’s extremely difficult to avoid combat, and impossible to leave it once

Gamescom Opening Night Live Faces New Heights In Viewership This Year

This year, Gamescom made a large impact on the video game industry. Whilst digital shows have been the norm since 2020, entertaining, exhibiting, and announcing has continued through global hardships. But 2023 is different with the official show floor in Cologne, Germany opening back up alongside Gamescom Opening Night Live doing the same then too. During the introductory showcase this month, we’ve picked up on major reveals then. This includes the shadowdrop for Age of Empires 4 for Xbox, the release date for Persona 3 Reload being revealed, the announcement for Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster, the first glimpse at Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, and the unveiling of Little Nightmares III – all at the one show. Now with Gamescom 2023 officially behind us, it is revealed that the Gamescom Opening Night Live show met even better response with a 60+ percent YoY increase in viewership; counting 20 million viewers tuning into the showcase. With past Geoff Keighley-hosted shows, this is an ongoing trend either it be Gamescom Opening Night Live, Summer Game Fest, or The Game Awards. Previously, we saw record viewership at last year’s Summer Game Fest which went on to warrant a live presentation – a first for the event. Elsewhere, The Game Awards this past December also introduced a new milestone – the longest acceptance speech from God of War voice actor Christopher Judge counting over eight minutes. Looking ahead, it is now ticking down to the holiday with 2023 on the latter end of the clock for this year. Already, Geoff Keighley confirmed that The Game Awards is already slated to take place on December 7th. You can read the full report by heading here. Were you among the live viewers for Gamescom Opening Night Live?

2D Party Platformer, King of the Hat is now available for consoles

Indie studio, Hat Games announced that King of the Hat is now available for Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series XlS, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and PlayStation 4. The game was originally released on PC via Steam in October 2022. King of the Hat is a 2-4 player 2D party platformer where players engage in battles using hats as weapons. The goal is to attack, defend, and outmaneuver opponents by throwing and utilizing hats, each of which represents a player’s soul. King of the Hat Features: A multiplayer game. A 2D party platformer with hat-based battles. Hats are used for attacking, defending, and baiting enemies. Danger of elimination if opponents jump on your hat. Hat symbolizes your soul, necessitating crushing opponent’s hats to establish dominance. Ignited hats become indestructible for strategic gameplay. Deep competitive experience for two players with easy mechanics. Customizable rules, power-ups, and level hazards for varied gameplay. You can purchase King of the Hat for $19.99 USD.

Rumor: Gears of War 6 is far along in development and could be open world

The Coalition has been quiet since their release of Gears of War 5 in 2019 and many are wondering what they’re working on. A couple of years ago it seemed like they were working on a new IP thanks to a LinkedIn post. However, the recent Microsoft layoffs that impacted The Coalition this year seemed to have canceled two internal projects to focus on the next Gears of War title. According to Nick Baker of the Xbox Era Podcast, the development for Gears of War 6 is further along in development than most might think and it could be a fully open-world game. “It is a little bit further along than some might think, and there is a strong possibility that it may be a full open-world game,” Nick said on the podcast. This isn’t the first time Nick has spread a rumor about Xbox. He recently claimed that Persona 6 will be released on Xbox Day One and that Microsoft is planning a digital-only Xbox Series X. It’s possible that Gears 6 will be an open-world game, building on the large levels and exploration added in Gears 5. As always, it’s important to take rumors with a grain of salt. Currently, neither The Coalition nor Microsoft has made any official statements regarding upcoming Gears of War games. We likely won’t hear anything until an announcement is made. Source: XboxEra via Tech4Gamers