Google Stadia Reviews Roundup

Google Stadia is almost here, marking a new entry in the gaming market from one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Google has taken a non-traditional approach with Stadia, rejecting powerful hardware in favor of what it poses as a revolutionary approach: streaming a live video feed of your game session as you play it on powerful remote servers.

The idea does sound futuristic, and indeed Google pitched the tech with sky-high ideas of what could eventually be accomplished by leveraging cloud technology into video games. Most of those features aren’t available at launch, though, so the service is fairly bare-bones. Critics have begun chiming in with their own impressions, largely finding the concept more promising than the current execution.

“During roughly a week of tests, Stadia exhibited a lot of small pain points,” Peter Brown wrote in GameSpot’s review-in-progress. “I expected to not to have to sneer at sub-optimal latency, video compression artifacts, or wrestle with finicky software. Regrettably, I bumped into all of these issues on multiple occasions. I can play games for long periods of time under generally acceptable conditions, but it’s all too easy to focus on the little annoyances that make Stadia feel like a less-than alternative to traditional console or PC gaming.”

To get a view from around the industry, we’ve compiled several reviews below. For now, Google is sending out Founder’s Editions to those who pre-ordered early, and you can still order a Premiere Edition. The full service is said to be launching more widely in 2020.

GameSpot

“So far, Google’s tech has impressed me to the point where I would comfortably play most in a browser tab or on a phone without batting an eye, but then I consider that I will have to buy the vast majority of games, and I’m left in awe of the value Microsoft and Sony are offering, even if their overall services lack Stadia’s flexibility. For the moment, cloud gaming still feels like a decent alternative to the real thing, and I don’t think I’m ready to dedicate a full-price game purchase to a secondary platform.” – Peter Brown [Full Review]

CNET

“Until Google finds a way to loop in YouTube and develop truly unique competitive large-scale games, Stadia isn’t worth your time yet. Yes, the future is possibly wild, and you can see hints of the streaming-only cloud-based playground Stadia wants to become. But we’ll see what it shapes into over the next handful of months and check back in.” – Scott Stein [Full Review]

Engadget

“Game streaming is finally viable, and Stadia is leading the charge — but with this launch, it’s turning out to be more of a stroll. Hey, at least we’re getting there.” – Jessica Conditt [Full Review]

Forbes

“I may have been a Stadia skeptic going into this test run, but I was willing to give it a chance. But this has been a catastrophe from start to finish during my testing phase, and the problem is that even if it did work flawlessly, which it absolutely doesn’t, the entire model seemed doomed from the start. This is an enormous miss from Google, and I am really wondering what the fallout is going to be from this ill-conceived early launch.” – Paul Tassi [Full Review]

Polygon

“Right now we just need a cloud-streaming service that works, and works well. I’m less concerned with the promises of the future than I am the realistic potential of tomorrow.” – Chris Plante [Full Review]

The Verge

“There’s no reason anyone should buy into Stadia right now. Google has made sure of that, partly by underdelivering at launch and partly with a pricing scheme that sees you paying three times (for hardware, for the service, for games) just to be an early adopter.” – Sean Hollister [Full Review]

VentureBeat

“Meanwhile, Google is right that casual players don’t want to spend $300-to-$500 on consoles. But they also don’t want to spend $60 on software. Sure, they might buy Red Dead or FIFA. But that audience is used to getting games for free on mobile devices. So Google Stadia might work, but it doesn’t actually matter.” – Jeff Grubb [Full Review]

Washington Post

“Stadia is absolutely paving a new sort of information highway for gaming. My advice today is to stay in your current lane until they finish that work.” – Gene Park [Full Review]

Wired

“If you’re on the fence about investing $129 in an unproven service, you’re not alone. The Premiere Edition is basically for true believers who don’t mind dropping serious money on what amounts to a pay-to-play beta test. When February rolls around and those free trials are offered, you should give it a shot. You might be surprised.” – Jess Gray [Full Review]

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/google-stadia-reviews-roundup/1100-6471544/

Half-Life: Alyx Officially Announced, Reveal Coming This Week

Half-Life: Alyx, a new VR game in the Half-Life series, has officially been announced. The new title is described in a tweet as Valve’s “flagship” VR title, and will be unveiled on Thursday November 20 at 10am Pacific Time. This has been rumored for some time now, and it appears those rumors are true. Thankfully, we won’t have to wait long to find out more.

It’s been over twelve years since the last Half-Life title, Half-Life 2 Episode 2, which ended on a cliffhanger. We know that a third episode (or possibly Half-Life 3) was in development, but with the series long dormant and Valve seemingly having moved on, it was unclear whether we would ever see Half-Life again. It’s possible that Half-Life: Alyx will be exclusive to the Valve Index VR headset, but we won’t know for sure until Valve shows their new game off on November 20.

Half-Life 2, the last full release in the series, received a 9.2/10 in our review (it came out in 2004, long ago enough that GameSpot had not yet abandoned decimal places.) It’s often regarded as one of the best games of all time.

Developing…

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/half-life-alyx-officially-announced-reveal-coming-/1100-6471545/

Former Mass Effect, Sleeping Dogs, And Bethesda Devs Form New Studio

After leaving BioWare in 2017, former Mass Effect senior gameplay designer Manveer Heir said he wasn’t getting out of game design entirely, but that he wanted to focus on new types of stories–ones that focused on diverse voices. Earlier this month, with a Medium blog post, Heir revealed what he has been working on: an indie studio called Brass Lion Entertainment. The team’s first project is Corner Wolves, a narrative-focused game set in 1990s Harlem. In an interview with Game Informer, Heir spoke on further details about the game.

“We definitely want to get that authenticity,” Heir told Game Informer. “It allows us to write a lot of different characters from lots of different backgrounds so we can have lots of different lenses on the same problem, to let the player kind of choose what angle they like to approach things from or what their thought processes on how to solve these issues [are].”

In Corner Wolves, you play as Jacinte, an Afro-Latina woman who works in her father’s bodega–only to arrive at the store one day to find him murdered. She decides to find out who his murderer is and discover the motives behind his death. Jacinte is intelligent, so you can talk your way out of most of the problems you’ll encounter in-game, but she can brawl in melee-based combat if needed. However, because of her race and economic status, you will have to learn how to handle certain people and how to adjust your vocabulary when encountering others.

“What I think you do is create the systems in a way that supports your thesis, that supports the themes and motifs of the game, of the story,” Heir said. “And then you make sure that it is embedded in all the different systems of the game. If you think how racism works in the real world, it’s embedded in all of our real systems. It’s embedded in the school system already. It’s embedded in the policing already. It’s embedded in job applications already.”

“I think that higher-level point of view, and that control [players] don’t have–I think that’s what I want people to experience,” he continued. “You don’t always get to be the hero in our world because literally the rest of the world doesn’t let you.”

Brass Lion was co-founded between Heir, former Sleeping Dogs project manager Bryna Dabby Smith, and former Bethesda environmental artist Rashad Redic. Whereas Smith is primarily handling the business side of things, Redic is building Corner Wolves’ in-game world–one that will feature an anime-inspired look. DJ and Jay-Z producer Just Blaze has signed a contract with Brass Lion to help design Corner Wolves’ musical tone and “Rise of the Black Panther” writer Evan Narcisse is penning the game’s story.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/former-mass-effect-sleeping-dogs-and-bethesda-devs/1100-6471541/

Pokemon Sword & Shield: Which Pokemon Evolve Using Which Stones?

Pokemon Sword and Shield are out now on Nintendo Switch. The Gen 8 games feature a variety of new and returning Pokemon, and just as before, many of them can only evolve by using certain elemental stones. On top of the traditional Water, Fire, and Leaf Stones, Game Freak has introduced a number of new evolutionary stones to the series over the years, such as the Dawn Stone and Dusk Stone. If you’re not sure which monsters evolve using these items, we’ve outlined all the evolutionary stones in Sword and Shield and the Pokemon that require them below.

Which Pokemon Evolve With Which Stones?

Evolutionary StonePokemon
Water StoneLombre -> Ludicolo, Shellder -> Cloyster, Eevee -> Vaporeon
Fire StoneVulpix -> Ninetales, Growlithe -> Arcanine, Eevee -> Flareon
Leaf StoneNuzleaf -> Shiftry, Gloom -> Vileplume, Eevee -> Leafeon
Thunder StonePikachu -> Raichu, Eevee -> Jolteon
Ice StoneEevee -> Glaceon, Galarian Darumaka -> Galarian Darmanitan
Moon StoneClefairy -> Clefable, Munna -> Musharna
Sun StoneGloom -> Bellossom, Cottonee -> Whimsicott, Helioptile -> Heliolisk
Dawn StoneSnorunt (female) -> Froslass, Kirlia (male) -> Gallade
Dusk StoneLampent -> Chandelure, Doublade -> Aegislash
Shiny StoneMinccino -> Cinccino, Roselia -> Roserade, Togetic -> Togekiss

Where To Find Evolutionary Stones

There are a couple of reliable ways to find evolutionary stones in Sword and Shield. Each day, you can find different stones behind the boulders in the Lake of Outrage, so it’s a good idea to return to the area often to pick them up. You can also give 500 Watts–a new type of currency in Sword and Shield–to the Digging Duo near the Pokemon Nursery in Bridge Field to have them excavate items. The items they can dig up typically include evolutionary stones, so you’ll want to collect as many Watts as you can and visit the duo often to stock up.

There are a lot of other features to dig into in Pokemon Sword and Shield. If you’re just getting started on your Pokemon journey, check out our other Sword and Shield guides below for more helpful tips. For our full thoughts on the new Pokemon games, be sure to read our Pokemon Sword and Shield review.

Pokemon Sword & Shield Guides

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-sword-and-shield-which-pokemon-evolve-usin/1100-6471535/

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order Patch Coming Soon To PC, PS4, And Xbox One

Developer Respawn Entertainment’s newly-released third-person action-adventure game, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, will receive a patch that will address texture pop-in, stuttering performance, and more.

On Jedi Fallen Order’s official subreddit, a Star Wars community manager confirmed that the update is currently in the process of rolling out on PC, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One to follow sometime this week. Full patch notes aren’t available just yet, but the patch is said to take aim at the following areas:

  • Fixed a texture flickering issue that would display on the screen while driving the AT-AT on Kashyyyk
  • Fixed an issue where the input from the arrow keys would sometimes fail to respond within menus.
  • Fixed an issue where Dynamic resolution settings would not save properly.
  • Fixed an issue where the game could become slow and loading times longer than expected.

Many users in the subreddit report a bevy of performance issues that impact gameplay, such as frames dropping consistently and texture pop-in causing the game to slow down. Publisher Electronic Arts and Respawn have not publicly commented on Jedi Fallen Order’s performance issues, and it’s unclear whether these fixes will be addressed in this week’s PS4/XB1 patch.

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order released on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game has garnered a fairly positive reception since its November 15 launch, with our own reviewer Phil Hornshaw saying, “Fallen Order represents one of the most compelling game additions to the Star Wars franchise in years.” If you need more time to explore the game’s multiple planets and paths, Respawn has you covered with a sick note from Cal Kestis’ droid sidekick, BD-1.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/star-wars-jedi-fallen-order-patch-coming-soon-to-p/1100-6471538/

Before Playing Stadia, Google Has Some Suggestions

Google Stadia officially launches tomorrow–at least for the people who were the quickest to order–and in preparation for the big day the company has outlined some tips to get the most out of your Stadia experience. Some of the tips distributed to pre-purchasers through email are good common tech-savvy sense, while others may be a bit harder to swallow.

The most difficult suggestion is the final one: “For the best performance, don’t stream movies or music to other devices in other parts of the house while playing games on Stadia. It can slow things down.” Naturally, that’s more of a suggestion than a requirement, but telling your family or roommates to stop binging Netflix for a couple hours so you can play Stadia is probably going to be a tough sell.

Other tips include how to make sure the included Google Chromecast works ideally. Google recommends connecting it with an Ethernet cable, or failing that, at least setting them up in the same room, at least one foot apart. It also suggests using a 5Ghz network on your wifi router, if you have that option. Plus, make sure to set up the Stadia controller, Chromecast Ultra, and any other devices you want to use (like your laptop or phone) on the same network.

Google recommends making sure your TV is set to Game Mode and Ultra High Definition (UHD) if available. And download the Google Home App on your mobile device, since it will be required to set up your Chromecast.

Google’s Tips For The Best Stadia Experience

  • Don’t stream movies or music while playing Stadia
  • Connect your Google Chromecast to an Ethernet cable, or,
  • If using a wifi router, set it up in the same room as your Chromecast
  • Use the 5Ghz setting on your wifi router
  • Set up Stadia controller, Chromecast Ultra, and any other devices on the saame network
  • Set your TV to Game Mode and Ultra High Definition (UHD) mode
  • Download the Google Home App on your mobile device for setup

Google Stadia is launching with a bigger launch library than previously announced, but it’s missing some key features that are supposed to help set the platform apart.

“So far, Google’s tech has impressed me to the point where I would comfortably play most in a browser tab or on a phone without batting an eye, but then I consider that I will have to buy the vast majority of games, and I’m left in awe of the value Microsoft and Sony are offering, even if their overall services lack Stadia’s flexibility,” Peter Brown wrote in GameSpot’s review-in-progress. “For the moment, cloud gaming still feels like a decent alternative to the real thing, and I don’t think I’m ready to dedicate a full-price game purchase to a secondary platform.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/before-playing-stadia-google-has-some-suggestions/1100-6471536/

Bizarre Pokemon Sword & Shield/Roku Issue Has Been Fixed

A strange interference bug that caused “a limited number of Roku devices” to crash and enter a boot loop has been fixed. Stranger still, the bug was caused by Game Freak’s newest Nintendo Switch exclusive, Pokemon Sword & Shield.

Apparently, Pokemon Sword & Shield and Roku devices share the exact same network. Because both listen to the port 26037, and Pokemon Sword & Shield constantly searches for nearby consoles and players, some have theorized that this is where the problems occurred. Roku can’t update the other hardware on the same network while the Switch looks around for challengers, whether the console is in the same room as the Roku device or not.

Roku has rolled out a firmware update for its devices that should address this bizarre issue. You can check for the update by going into Settings > System > Software Update. The company also shared detailed instructions if you’re currently stuck in a boot loop. Roku suggests powering off or putting your Switch in airplane mode before turning your Roku device on, at which point you can install the update.

Pokemon Sword and Shield launched on November 15 for Nintendo Switch. Both titles have received relatively high marks, with our own review giving them a collective 9/10.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bizarre-pokemon-sword-and-shieldroku-issue-has-bee/1100-6471534/

Animal Crossing Pocket Camp Getting Paid Membership Tier

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is preparing to turn two years old, and in lieu of presents you can just send them more money. A notification in the Pocket Camp app reveals that starting on Thursday, November 21, you can join a paid subscription called the Pocket Camp Club.

The announcement explains that two memberships will be available. One allows you to assign a villager as a camp caretaker to help manage your camp. The other will grant you fortune cookies and allow you to store items in warehouses. The announcement didn’t detail how much each membership will cost, or if they can be combined at a discount. More details are said to be coming on Wednesday, November 20.

This seems similar to the model found in Mario Kart Tour, which launched with an optional Gold Pass. That item entitles you to extra rewards when you reach reward tiers in the rotating events, as well as special gold badges to earn and display on your profile. It costs $5 per month.

The addition of a similar model in Animal Crossing suggests Nintendo may be pleased with how it has worked for Mario Kart, though it was one of the more divisive parts of the game. The company recently said it expects “remarkable results” for the Mario Kart, but didn’t give specific figures. It also promised that the online mode, which was missing at launch, will come in December in beta.

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/animal-crossing-pocket-camp-getting-paid-membershi/1100-6471532/

Pokemon Sword And Shield: How To Unlock Mew

Pokemon Sword and Shield have finally arrived on Nintendo Switch. This pair of games take players to Galar, a picturesque region that’s home to a wide variety of Pokemon to collect. While not every monster from the series is available in the titles, Sword and Shield feature a good mix of new Gen 8 Pokemon and old favorites, some of which can even take on new forms by Gigantamaxing.

In contrast to recent Pokemon games like Sun and Moon, there are only a couple of new Legendary Pokemon to catch in Sword and Shield, but it’s also possible to get your hands on an old Mythical Pokemon, Mew–if you have the right accessory, that is. If you want to add the adorable Mythical Pokemon to your collection, we’ve broken down how to unlock Mew in Pokemon Sword and Shield below.

How To Unlock Mew In Pokemon Sword & Shield

To unlock Mew, you’ll need to have the Poke Ball Plus, a Poke Ball-shaped controller that was first released alongside Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee last year. The Poke Ball Plus could either be purchased individually for $50 USD or bundled together with a copy of either Let’s Go game.

The accessory itself functions much like a Joy-Con and can be used to play the Let’s Go titles, but the real incentive to pick one up is that it comes with Mew as an exclusive bonus. If you have not already redeemed Mew in Let’s Go, you can connect the Poke Ball Plus to your copy of Sword or Shield and claim the Mythical Pokemon in those games instead.

To connect the Poke Ball Plus with Sword and Shield, go into the menu screen and select Mystery Gift. From there, select the option to connect to a Poke Ball Plus and you’ll be able to download Mew into your game. As previously mentioned, however, this will only work if you haven’t already claimed the Mythical Pokemon in a Let’s Go title; if you have, then you’ll either need to purchase another Poke Ball Plus or wait until the Pokemon Home service launches sometime next year to transfer it into Sword or Shield.

What Else Can The Poke Ball Plus Do In Sword & Shield?

While you can’t use the Poke Ball Plus as a controller to play Sword and Shield, you can send your Pokemon to the accessory and walk around with them, just as in Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee. To do so, first select Mystery Gift from the menu screen, then choose Take a Stroll with Poke Ball Plus. The Pokemon you take on a walk won’t receive any experience points, but it will come back with items such as Rare Candies, Poke Balls, and other items.

Pokemon Sword & Shield Guides

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-sword-and-shield-how-to-unlock-mew/1100-6471527/

Nintendo Switch Lite Gets Official Flipcover That Makes It More DS-Like

Nintendo made some smart improvements to the Switch design with the release of the Switch Lite, but making it handheld-only may accent some of the lingering differences between it and its predecessors. If you want your Switch to be more like a DS system, Nintendo has just the accessory.

An official Switch Lite Flip Cover and Screen Protector is available to purchase online starting December 8, and in stores in 2020. It will cost $40. The item gives your Switch Lite a fold-over cover from the DS and 3DS families of systems, albeit with little nubbins for the analog sticks. It isn’t quite the same as having a handheld with a dedicated clamshell design with two screens, but it’s a nice elegant-looking way to keep your system covered and protected.

That’s if you’re all-in on the Switch as a handheld system, though, as the Switch Lite removes the docking functionality. The GameSpot Switch Lite review found that it’s an attractive little system, but thought that its missing features highlighted how well the original model balanced these different functions.

“If anything, I hope the Switch Lite is an indication of where Nintendo might go with its theoretical upgraded Switch model in the future,” Peter Brown wrote. “I don’t remember the last time I detached my Joy-Cons, and I constantly gripe over the fake d-pad whenever I have to use it. And after playing with the Switch Lite for an extended period of time, I now look at my standard Switch as being more fragile than ever. The Switch Lite has almost everything I’m looking for in a Switch–I just wished it lived up to its name.”

from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-switch-lite-gets-official-flipcover-that-/1100-6471530/