Syndicated
Gaming News
Borderlands 3 Studio Head, Steam Respond To Review Bombing
The reveal of Borderlands 3 didn’t go without its share of controversy. As part of the announcement, developer Gearbox and publisher 2K revealed that it would be exclusive to the Epic Games Store until April 2020. This led to a backlash in the form of review bombing older Borderlands games on Steam. Now Gearbox head Randy Pitchford has stepped in to let offenders know they may actually be making things worse for themselves.
“Ironically, that this misuse is possible and that Steam has no interest in correcting this misuse makes me kind of happy about 2K’s decision and makes me want to reconsider Gearbox Publishing’s current posture on the platform,” he said on Twitter.
The threat may have gotten Steam’s attention, as the platform is discounting reviews, for the first time ever, on Borderlands 2. Steam implemented a recently added tool that flags “Off-Topic Review Activity” within a certain date range. The reviews are still present in the system, but aren’t included in the aggregate user score. They’re also accompanied by a note warning readers that the user review section includes “an abnormal set of reviews that we believe are largely unrelated to the likelihood that you would enjoy the product.”
The same policy has since gone into effect for the original Borderlands and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Each of them had undergone heavy review bombing–intentionally leaving low review scores to disrupt an aggregate user score–with many of the comments referencing the Epic exclusivity for the upcoming sequel. Steam’s response has shown that it is able to take action in these cases, but Epic is still making inroads with its digital storefront so we likely haven’t heard the last of these controversies.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/borderlands-3-studio-head-steam-respond-to-review-/1100-6466094/
Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night Isn’t Castlevania, But It’s Close
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has spent quite a while in development. The Kickstarter concluded nearly four years ago, and several platform changes later it’s finally slated for release this summer. So the demo at PAX East was almost certainly the game in a near-finalized state, and—for the most part—it was promising as a Castlevania homage.
Though the game has always been pitched as a modernized Symphony of the Night rendered in 3D, this session was the first time I’d grappled with the implications that such a change would have on gameplay. Bloodstained manages to render the physicality and weight of the classics it’s inspired by with remarkable accuracy. For better and worse, the demo included a creature flying in a wave-like pattern through a platforming area just like the series’ infamous Medusa Head enemies, and colliding with them even had the same knockback effect. It was a singularly frustrating and yet familiar moment.
The rendering manifested in the environment itself, as I climbed a large rounded tower. While it may have been technically possible to pull this off with traditional 2D art, it wouldn’t have been as convincing. The 3D gave it a sense of space and depth, so that weaving in-between the inside and outside of the massive tower seemed believable.
At the same time, I missed the pixel-precise definition of sprites, especially in the boss fight against a dual-headed dragon. Its attacks hit fast and hard, and it was sometimes difficult to tell just how close was too close. This was less an issue with smaller enemies, so it wasn’t universal, but as a longtime Castlevania fan I found the adjustment to be slightly jarring.
On the whole, though, the classic sensation of quick, piston-tight platforming and combat has made the transition. It’s difficult for a retro revival, much less one rendered in an entirely new way, to capture the essence of what made the originals stand out. Miriam’s variety of weapons feel alternately light and swift or heavy and thumping. The level design pitched a good balance of graceful platforming, tough combat, and occasionally a blend of both.
The Kickstarter boom of the mid-2010s led to a lot of retro revivals. By taking longer to release than many of its contemporaries, Bloodstained is launching into an environment that has had some fizzles and failures to recapture the magic with a new franchise. But perhaps because it took that extra time, this one feels a little more complete than many of the others. If it maintains the demo’s level of quality throughout, it could be something special.
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bloodstained-ritual-of-the-night-isnt-castlevania-/1100-6466068/
BAFTA Game Awards Dominated By God Of War; Here Are All The Winners
The British Academy Game Awards is one of the most prestigious awards ceremonies in the games industry, and the 2019 event brought a number of wins for Sony’s PS4 exclusive God of War. The epic game was up for 10 awards and won four of them, including Best Game.
God of War also won the awards for Audio Achievement, Music, and Narrative. Other big winners at this year’s event were Return of the Obra Dinn–which won the Artistic Achievement and Game Design categories–and Nintendo Labo, which swept up the Game Innovation and Family awards.
Surprisingly, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Celeste–which were each nominated for six and five awards, respectively–didn’t win a single category between them. The full list of winners is filled with some outstanding games, however, and you can see that list below with the winners highlighted in bold.
The BAFTA Game awards are voted on by members of the British Academy. Only one category, Mobile Game of the Year, is decided by the public, and that went to Old School Runescape.
BAFTA Game Awards Nominations 2019
Artistic Achievement
- Detroit: Become Human
- Gris
- God of War
- Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Audio Achievement
- Battlefield V
- Detroit: Become Human
- God of War
- Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Tetris Effect
Best Game
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
- Celeste
- God of War
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Return of the Obra Dinn
British Game
- 11-11: Memories Retold
- Forza Horizon 4
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- The Room: Old Sins
- Overcooked 2
- Two Point Hospital
Debut Game
- Beat Saber
- Cultist Simulator
- Donut County
- Florence
- Gris
- Yoku’s Island Express
Evolving Game
- Destiny 2
- Elite Dangerous
- Fortnite
- Overwatch
- Sea of Thieves
- Rainbow Six Siege
Family
- Lego The Incredibles
- Nintendo Labo
- Overcooked 2
- Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu / Eevee
- Super Mario Party
- Yoku’s Island Express
Game Beyond Entertainment
- 11: Memories Retold
- Celeste
- Florence
- Life is Strange 2
- My Child Lebensborn
- Nintendo Labo
Game Design
- Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
- Celeste
- God of War
- Into the Breach
- Minit
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Game Innovation
- Astro Bot: Rescue Mission
- Celeste
- Cultist Simulator
- Moss
- Nintendo Labo
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Mobile Game
- Alto’s Odyssey
- Brawl Stars
- Donut County
- Florence
- Reigns: Game of Thrones
- The Room: Old Sins
Multiplayer
- A Way Out
- Battlefield V
- Overcooked 2
- Sea of Thieves
- Super Mario Party
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Music
- Celeste
- Far Cry 5
- Florence
- God of War
- Gris
- Tetris Effect
Narrative
- Florence
- Frostpunk
- God of War
- Spider-Man
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Return of the Obra Dinn
Original Property
- Dead Cells
- Florence
- Into the Breach
- Moss
- Return of the Obra Dinn
- Subnautica
Performer
- Christopher Judge as Kratos in God of War
- Danielle Bisutti as Freya in God of War
- Jeremy Davies as The Stranger in God of War
- Melissanthi Mahut as Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan in Read Dead Redemption 2
- Sunny Suljic as Atreus in God of War
Mobile Game Of The Year (Public Award)
- Brawl Stars
- Clash Royale
- Fortnite
- Old School Runescape
- Pokemon Go
- Roblox
from GameSpot – Game News https://www.gamespot.com/articles/bafta-game-awards-dominated-by-god-of-war-here-are/1100-6466093/
