Though the third season of Westworld is still a long time out, HBO and VR developer Survios have something to help ease that long gap before the next major arc begins. Revealed at Gamescom 2019, Westworld Awakenings is a new VR experience set within the world of HBO series. Focusing on an original story that occurs parallel with some of the significant events from Seasons 1 and 2, offers some subtle clues about the history of Delos and the fates of some characters from the TV series. Before the reveal, we had some hands-on time with the game running on the HTC Vive and spoke with some developers about how they went about adapting Westworld for VR.

Westworld Awakenings takes place during the events of Season 2, following the violent clash between hosts and the members of Delos. You take control of Kate Weston, a Host–biomechanical android and NPC in Westworld–who’s the central character of a storyline involving a grizzly murder in an isolated farmhouse. Initially, you’ll explore the seemingly abandoned home, picking up clues and learning more of what happened in the house. Eventually, the layers of Kate’s reality are peeled back, revealing the real purpose of her existence.

What’s interesting about a Westworld game is that the TV series already has some basis within the formula of a videogame. Set in the titular theme park, it often casts light on the creative process and struggles of trying to keep things interesting for visitors. Many elements of the show also focus a lot on quest-design and player agency, common design concepts in videogames. Speaking with Survios developer and Westworld Awakenings project lead Daniel Zeligman, he talked about their collaboration HBO and how they fleshed out the ideas from the show for the game.

“Tackling an IP like this that is so character and narrative-focused was very challenging,” he said. “There was a lot of iteration across the board. Many of the discussions with HBO and my team were about to figure out what type of game this is, and what it’s like to be in Westworld. This was not only from a mechanical level but also from a narrative level. Westworld is always about asking questions about identity and agency–particularly the idea of an internal presence and also philosophical concepts as well. Then we introduced more of the videogame design as well, in how we bring everything together for the game. It was a marriage of both worlds.”

What I found interesting about Awakenings is that it has more in common with adventure games like Gone Home, while also showing some sides of horror from Amnesia. Instead of focusing on the gunfights and carnage that you’d often see in Westworld, the game leans more on the drama and thriller elements of the series. With VR, this can present some moments that felt very unnerving, tasking you to explore areas that put me on edge. Kate will eventually find herself within the halls of the Delos laboratory, immediately following the Host uprising. With the help of a guide, a former Delos scientist who designed the Hosts and Kate’s storyline, Kate will be able to use Delos devices to reprogram other Hosts and manipulate other aspects of the environment. Not only will this assist with solving puzzles, but it will also help her avoid the roaming slasher Host from her storyline who’s gone rogue.

Set for release on August 20 for HTC Vive and Oculus, Westworld Awakening could be an interesting dive for diehard fans of the series. While Westworld often has a reputation for being a bit challenging to dive into, Awakenings’ opening does well to ease players into the story, which will undoubtedly get more subversive as it progresses. According to the developers, Awakenings will have plenty of easter-eggs and mentions for fans to focus on. Given that season 3 is set for sometime in 2020, this VR trip into an unseen side of Delos could be a fun trip to tide fans over. It may even offer some clues into what to expect from season 3.

For more on Westworld Awakenings and all other games at Gamescom 2019, including Death Stranding and Gears 5, be sure to check back with GameSpot for updates as they come in.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-westworld-game-awakenings-takes-some-cues-from/1100-6469205/

With Gamescom 2019 underway, Google come with guns blazing during its Stadia Connect presentation. A new DOOM Eternal trailer was revealed during the livestream and hell has never look more inviting.

Over on Twitter, Doom tweeted out a video showing the Doom Hunter, one of the game’s newer enemies. The Doom Hunters are sentry-looking, centaur-like creations solely intent on the destruction of the slayer. They’re huge, towering machines with a kind of chainsaw for an arm and homing missiles for added aggression.

Doom Eternal launches on November 22 for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. No definitive release date was provided for Google Stadia, but the recent trailer confirms Doom Eternal is “coming soon.”

Pre-orders for Doom Eternal are available now. We’ve compiled a handy guide to make the purchase decision a little easier, but there are three editions up for pre-order: the Standard ($60 USD), Deluxe ($90 USD), and Collector’s ($200 USD). Pre-ordering any version of Doom Eternal nets you the Rip and Tear Pack, which includes the Doot Revenant Skin, the Throwback Shotgun Weapon Skin, and a Bonus Campaign Master Level.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/google-unveils-new-doom-eternal-trailer-during-sta/1100-6469214/

During the Six Major Raleigh Invitational for Rainbow Six Siege, Ubisoft revealed gameplay footage for the game’s upcoming new Ember Rise Operators–Amaru and Goyo. Both Operators previously leaked, as has almost become customary for Siege at this point, but Ubisoft’s announcement has revealed a few more details that weren’t previously known.

Amaru is an Attack Operator armed with a grappling hook that allows her to quickly breach through windows that can’t be easily reached by others or ascend up through ceiling panels that are impossible to climb to by any other Operator. Her hook only has four uses and there’s a cooldown timer after she fires it out, so it’s best used for recon or flanking Defenders, not escaping from ambushes.

Goyo is a Defend Operator who can place a single portable shield that’s been booby-trapped with a Volcan charge. Any Attacker that tries to vault over the shield will be engulfed in flames and take heavy damage. Defenders can also shoot the canister on the back of the shield to ignite an area and deter Attackers trying to flank from that position.

What Do These Two Mean For Siege?

A whole lot actually. A whole lot. Both Amaru and Goyo acknowledge parts of Siege that have long been ignored or left unchecked. We’ll obviously need to get our hands on the new Operators and see how the playerbase use their gadgets, but both are likely going to force the creation of new strategies–especially Amaru.

Defenders have never had a good reason to reinforce floor panels before as attacks would typically only come from doors, walls, or the ceiling. Ash or Hibana could destroy floor panels from below with their gadgets, Breaching Rounds and X-KAIROS respectively, and any Attacker could use a well-placed shotgun blast or grenade to do it. However, every previous Attacker then had to wait for a Defender to wander over to the hole that had been created or lob up grenades and hope one of Jäger’s Active Defense Systems weren’t nearby. Amaru’s ability to now ascend through those panels adds a threat that’s possibly significant enough to change how Defenders have to think. At the very least, sacrificing a reinforcement barrier to close up a floor panel means one less barrier to shore up a wall or the ceiling. Defenders are going to have to learn how to be creative doing everything that they’ve had to do before but with fewer resources.

Which isn’t to say that Defenders are being left out in the cold, as Goyo’s gadget looks to be one of the deadliest traps Siege has ever included. For too long, Attackers would just rush Defenders’ deployable shields or smash them out of the way. Frost eventually changed that, though patches have made her less effective in dealing with this threat. However, similar to Frost’s Welcome Mat, Goyo’s Volcan is probably going to make Attackers pause before they just vault over a deployable shield–especially since Goyo’s gadget is deadly enough to take out multiple targets, not just one. Smashing or shooting Goyo’s gadget doesn’t get rid of the obstacle either; it just activates the Volcan’s flames early and creates a choke point that the Attackers then have to deal with. Since the flames spread out in all directions as well, Goyo’s trap can be used offensively against Attackers too–a type of gadget that Defenders definitely need more of. At the very least, Goyo is going to help Defenders gain control of a round by forcing an enemy team to slow down and not rush.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/new-rainbow-six-siege-operators-amaru-and-goyo-rev/1100-6469155/