What’s the best PVE game? | Team Talk1/10/2023 With the PTC favourite Sea of Thieves getting a new PVE-only mode – Safer Seas – we’ve been thinking about our favourite PVE experiences of all time and the multiplayer titles that could be improved with such a feature. It might be competitive or cooperative, but any game where you’re playing with others and there’s some enemy AI involved is fair game. What would you choose? Apex Legends | Liam Andrews I enjoyed Apex Legends when it first came out, even managing a victory in which my team of randoms carried me to the win. But I didn’t stick with it and with five years of new features and a probably well-established community of players who know the game a lot better than I do, I’m afraid to jump back in. Which is a shame, because I like the setting and characters, and Respawn knows how to make a shooter that looks and plays great (Titanfall 2). A PvE mode would be the perfect way to be reintroduced to the game, a place where I could familiarise myself with years of new content and characters without the stress of worrying about real (and much better) players blasting me away. Apex Legends has had a PvE mode in the past, but it was a limited time event and I missed out on it. I would like to see a permanent PvE playlist added, even if it was just a simple wave defence mode where a team tries to defend a stronghold against enemy AI. There’s rumours Apex Legends could be getting a single player campaign spin-off, and while I’d be interested in such a product, I’d still like to see a PvE mode to scratch that multiplayer itch. Left 4 Dead 2 | James Parry I think Left 4 Dead 2 was the first game I played where I thought of the AI in the game as a character. Since it was a while ago, let’s recap - Left 4 Dead is a zombie survival series from Valve, built on the engine that powered the gold-standard classic that is Half-Life 2.
For the second game especially, the game had an element which reacted to the player. If you were doing well then the AI would generate different barriers in the level to make it more difficult. If you stay still for too long, you’d find a horde of zombies would spawn to punish you. This variability made every playthrough of the game’s (originally) four campaigns more varied, unexpected and exciting. On top of that, the scavenge multiplayer game mode remains one of the most fun cooperative multiplayer experiences of all time, constantly replayable and fun, and the gameplay still holds up today. The variety of the enemy behaviour in the game also raised the bar. The special infected, now a trope shared by pretty much all zombie survival games, jump, explode and attack in unique and interesting ways – building on the blueprint set out by the first game. The development team found new types to introduce, which slot into the roster so effortlessly. An also-ran which shouldn’t be overlooked here is the original Halo, which had the earliest example I can remember of enemy AI avoiding grenades, something which to this day makes some of those encounters foundational experiences in gaming. The final one to mention is Titanfall 2, where there are AI grunts milling around, filling up the world, just to make your battles feel more epic. With PC smash hit Baldur’s Gate 3 set for a PS5 release in the next few days, and Xbox Series X|S not far behind, we’re feeling like a bit of role-playing, losing ourselves in far-flung fantasy lands and bumping into outlandish characters. Enter our favourite ever RPGs, which span the edges to deliver some of the most diverse gaming experiences ever imagined. And, best of all, you’re always at the heart of the action. If you had to choose an RPG to fight for, what would it be? Let us know in our Discord.
Dragon Age: Inquisition | James Parry While Mass Effect trilogy takes the top spot amongst my favourite games of all time, there’s always something a bit special about the more fantasy setting of the Dragon Age series when it comes to a pure RPG experience. The classes might be archetypes, but they are far from worn out, and the flexibility of the game shows off some impressive opportunities for customisation, depending on what takes your fancy. Just like in its sci-fi cousin’s universe, it’s the characters which grab you and pull you into the immersion. The inclusion of Dragon Age II’s champion Hawke (spoilers for an almost 10-year-old game) in a minor role was a great touch, but there’s a huge amount of joy in getting to know characters old and new here, and even taking control of them in combat for that extra chance to experiment. The beauty of the combat system as a whole is that you could play it however you wanted. As a straight action romp, diving into the fray with some handy quick buttons or spells and abilities, or, alternatively, dig into the detail and play almost turn by turn using a series of well thought-out options to micromanage you and your entire team to maximise damage and effectiveness. Better still, the turn after one of the early acts of the game upends the table and puts you in a totally new status quo, ready to build up your strength and build your world as you see fit. Move over Skyrim, BioWare is still here, jostling with you for the high fantasy crown – let’s hope Dragon Age: Dreadwolf does eventually come out and we actually get to play it… Kingdom Come Deliverance | Liam Andrews The thing I enjoy most about Kingdom Come Deliverance is that you play as a regular person, Henry, rather than some super soldier or famous hero. Henry’s relatively low standing in medieval Bohemia is reflected in KCD’s gameplay and missions.
While you do end up working for/with the land’s nobility, you spend most of the time carrying out lesser tasks or doing smaller missions for them rather than making the big decisions. It’s quite a nice break from the high pressure, all-or-nothing stakes found in other RPGs. For example, towards the end of the campaign, while higher ranked characters planned a siege, I spent the days leading up to the battle gathering herbs and brewing potions to ensure the garrison fought hangover free. Did it really help the siege? Who’s to say, but it was a nice stress-free mission. I also enjoy KCD’s big battles, particularly when you’ve got friendly NPCs fighting with you, as it’s easy to bash distracted enemies over the head while they’re busy fighting your mates, or fire arrows at them from behind the cover of your allies. It’s not exactly heroic stuff, but your vulnerability/rubbishness at fighting (particularly in the early game) is in keeping with your character’s average status, and part of the game’s appeal. The We Were Here series is back with more co-op puzzling for players to sink their teeth into. Join us as we take a look at the fourth and latest entry, We Were Here Forever. Tell me about the puzzles. For the most part, we found the puzzles to be fairly engaging. Being separated often means one player has access to information that can help the other, such as a book that contains the correct combination to a vault at the other player’s location, and there is certainly enjoyment to be had beating them this way, via a combination of teamwork and brain power. However, there were times where puzzles felt a little lopsided, with one player having more to do than the other on occasion. Others featured unique symbols that had to be described to the other player, which wasn’t always as straightforward as it sounds given the vague nature of their shapes. Would you recommend it?
If you’re a fan of the series then yes, certainly, although newcomers who have little or no investment in the story shouldn’t be put off as you’ll at least be getting the most premium entry in the series; WWHF is a more visually polished game than its predecessor, with lots of detail in the chunky stylized visuals, decent animations, and well-crafted atmospheric environments. If you’re into puzzle games, especially co-operative ones with friends (online only, mind), then for the low entry cost it’s probably worth a shot. Autumn! What a wonderful time of year. The leaves are turning a lovely reddish gold, the nights are drawing in, and Call of Duty is once again dominating the gaming landscape. Join us as we team up with the gravelly voiced crew of Ghost, Soap and Price for an action packed adventure in Modern Warfare 2. Sounds good, but what about the multiplayer? The main attraction for a lot of CoD fans, MW2’s multiplayer does not disappoint, building upon the excellent foundations laid by the 2019 MW reboot. Weapons are even more customisable, with tons of attachments and upgrades to unlock, while new game modes have also been introduced to compliment the always enjoyable likes of TDM, Domination and Hardpoint. What sort of new game modes? Prisoner Rescue sees teams protecting or capturing a set of prisoners, with roles reversed at the end of each round. Players only have one life but can be revived by teammates if they’re quick. Elsewhere, Invasion mode plays out like a giant version of Titanfall's Attrition, with teams racking up points by killing enemy players or AI. Ground War itself isn’t new, but it’s been refined to the point where it can be considered a decent rival to Battlefield’s iconic Conquest mode. So, would you recommend it?
Absolutely. Modern Warfare 2 is a substantial offering, with plenty of PvP and PvE multiplayer modes and an enjoyable, visually impressive campaign that introduces some fresh ideas to the series. Expect the game to have quite a bit longevity as well, with a reported two-year’s worth of post-launch content and updates coming its way as opposed to the regular one-year cycle. This week saw PlayStation unveil it's long-awaited response to Game Pass, in the form of new tiers to PS Plus, which brings in the current PS Now service. In a nutshell, there are now three tiers – Essential, Extra and Premium. The first is just what we have now, even without a price rise. Extra includes a downloadable back catalogue of up to 400 PS4 and PS5 games. Premium, as you'd expect, takes it a step further, adding another 340 games through streaming, mostly from PS3, but also including some from original PlayStation, PS2 and PSP. We've got a few thoughts on the service, but what do you think? Let us know in the comments. Chris At first glance, it seems Game Pass offers more bang for your buck, with all of Microsoft's first-party titles being made available to subscribers on day one, but with over 700 games in the PlayStation Plus catalogue right from the off (at least with the highest tier) it's still a very attractive prospect. Of course, not all of those games will appeal to everyone but since the comparisons to Microsoft's service are unavoidable, it's worth mentioning that Game Pass has its fair share of filler titles too and was far less expansive in its infancy. I suspect Sony's decision not to include those first-party games will draw the ire of many, though it's understandable from a business perspective. Whilst Xbox boasts a lot of multiplayer titles (such as the likes of Gears 5, Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5), PlayStation tends to focus on the single-player epics. This means Microsoft can pull in more money as time goes on, whether it's via battle passes, multiplayer expansions or even loot boxes, whereas Sony don't have that constant trickle of funding. It's probably safe to assume that newer games will eventually release on PlayStation Plus, so those who are patient can wait a little while longer without having to fork out extra. Given the choice between PS Plus and Game Pass, Xbox may just have the edge but I don't think we can take anything away from PlayStation. Liam I was walking down the street with a friend the other day when someone passed me carrying a PS5. I was so flabbergasted to see one in the wild that I genuinely did a double take and interrupted the conversation to point it out. As you might have guessed, I’ve still yet to acquire a PlayStation 5, but I do plan on getting one eventually. When I do, I think I will sign up for the middle of the new PS Plus tiers. This one seems to be targeted towards players like me, who have missed out on some of the platform’s biggest exclusives over the last couple of generations. There doesn’t seem to be much info about specific titles just yet, but I think it’s safe to assume PS4 exclusives such as Spider-Man and Horizon Zero Dawn will be included, which is great for me as I’ve yet to play them. Although I could probably find reasonably priced physical copies these days, £10.99 a month doesn’t seem too steep for access to a digital library of classics. However, the Premium package, at £13.49 a month, would be harder to justify, given that it doesn’t include day-one exclusive releases. But depending on the quality of the PS2 titles (one of my favourite generations), I could still be tempted. What do you think of the new-look PS Plus? Let us know.
With spring just around the corner, it's the time of year for beginning new things, which got us thinking back to where gaming started for us. (Plus, in James' case, the recently revealed Sonic 2 film poster brought his experience flooding back). There we were, bright eyed and bushy tailed, blinking as we stepped into the light of what this hobby could be. So we thought we'd share our stories of what was the catalyst for this grandiose moment with you all. What about you? What was that game that made you think "yes, this is something I could see myself doing a bit"?
Grand Theft Auto III | Chris Though GTA III released in 2001 (and I already considered myself a gamer at this point) it was a title which changed the gaming landscape for good. Loading up for the first time left me in awe, it was a visual treat like no other. The massive (by early 2000's standards) 3D open world felt vibrant and alive in a way that no game had previously managed. Even the smaller touches, like the satirical talk radio, add to the feeling that this world existed before I came along and will still exist when I'm gone. The best had been bettered, there's a new yardstick and nothing will be the same again. GTA III not only reinvigorated my love of gaming but it was a taste of what was to come. I had been made aware of what could now be achieved and the possibilities seemed endless. It wasn't just the aesthetics; the variety of missions, the scope of the narrative and the gameplay itself were new to me, despite the many years of gaming I had clocked up. Since then, the series has continued to grow and evolve but the biggest step was the almighty leap from 2D to 3D. GTA V deserves the (almost universally) perfect review scores, and I still jump into the online mode from time to time, yet it lacks that same feeling of wonder I got from discovering something special for the first time. Super Mario World | Liam Like Chris, there’s multiple points in my gaming career that could be considered pivotal moments. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare got me into online multiplayer and into HD gaming in general (I’d been playing a Wii until that point). Perfect Dark was probably the first time I’d really got into a game’s story, setting and characters, while Ocarina of Time properly felt like a big adventure. But I’m going to go with the earliest game I remember being into, which is Super Mario World. This game had already been out for several years before I got to play it sometime in the mid-90s but was an ever present in my household thereafter. This was the first time a game had looked and felt like a premium product. It was like playing a living cartoon, with bright, bold visuals and a catchy, iconic soundtrack. I personally never got much further than the second island, but I remember a real sense of awe whenever one of my older brothers reached a new and previously unseen level. I’m sure games would have continued to interest me had I not played Super Mario World, but it probably marked the point where I realised they fascinated me. What title got you into gaming?
PlayStation surprised us with a new State of Play this week, with a “special focus” on games coming from Japanese publishers. There were a flurry of new announcements and updates in the show’s 20-minute runtime. Square Enix in particular showed off lots of games, giving Japanese gaming fans plenty to chew on. We’ve put our heads together to pick out our favourites. What was your highlight from the show? Returnal Ascension and Forspoken | James With a Japanese focus, it wasn’t a surprise to see Square Enix crop up at this show, but the sheer number of titles the publisher is working on is impressive, even outside its usual wheelhouse. Since I picked Forspoken as my most anticipated game this year, I was excited for an update, and we were treated to a short trailer, interestingly with “some camera angles adjusted for trailer use” – a disclaimer I haven’t noticed before. It certainly shows off some more of the scale you’d expect from the Final Fantasy XV developer, and while it wasn’t a gameplay trailer, the traversal animations and magic effects are still looking very cool. A few other things looked worthy of an interested eyebrow raise, such as the intrigue of zombie-game-with-dinosaurs-instead-of-zombies Exoprimal, but largely the genres touched on aren’t necessarily my bag. To my surprise though, the most exciting bit of news was actually an update to an existing release - Returnal. When Returnal first debuted it grabbed my attention immediately, but with its high difficulty I’ve been too timid to jump into the haunting sci-fi adventure. The State of Play brought news of co-op being added with the Ascension update, which could bring in me and others who’ve been wanting to try it out. What was your State of Play highlight?
While it isn’t a significant anniversary year, it’s hard to deny Pokémon is on a hot streak at the moment. From the hype surrounding new MOBA-style release Pokémon Unite last year and the continued reinvigoration of Pokémon Go with lots of regular updates, there’s been plenty to draw in all sorts of new players. On top of that, we’ve seen an excellent remake in Pokémon Shining Pearl and Brilliant Diamond, and a fresh take on the formula altogether with Pokémon Legends Arceus. So what more could Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have in store for us? The most recent Pokémon Presents presentation highlighted plenty of nuggets of newness bound for these games, and even new ones to look forward to. Once you’ve munched on the Rare Candy that is our highlights from the show, leave us your own in the comments.
Alola there! Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s starters and world | James Although the live-action reveal was a fun change of pace, it’s a little disappointing to step back to a more traditional Pokémon game format for Scarlet and Violet after the freedom of Arceus, the thought of having a few brand new pocket monsters to journey with is exciting. A crop of brand new starters sees a new cat-inspired ‘mon, a duck wearing a hat as well as a tiny crocodile (or Spragitato, Quaxly and Fuecoco as the game refers to them), and they all look interesting. Giving tiny croc Fuecoco a fire type could lead to some interesting signature moves and who doesn’t find cats adorable? The starters’ names and the aesthetic of the as-yet unnamed new region give a strong vibe of Spain. In particular, in one of the town’s you notice a tall building – marked with signature pokéball, naturally – which is reminiscent of Barcelona’s famous cathedral Sagrada Familia. A different region is always interesting to explore, particularly one as colourful as this, and from the gameplay we’ve seen it looks as though the Wild Area introduced in Sword and Shield, or possibly the entire map outside cities, will show pokémon in the overworld. Hopefully we’ll see Gamefeak continue to push the quality of life elements improved in the last few games, so that it feels like a significant step forward from the last traditional, non-remake release. The internet may have fallen for Fuecoco but we all know Spragitato is really the best of the three. Arceus trainer battle update | Liam The highlight for me was the Pokémon Legends Arceus update announcement, mostly because it has motivated me to get back into the game. After a few days of catching ‘mon every evening, my time in Hisui has dropped off over the past week but having seen what’s coming I’m ready to give it another go. I’m mostly interested in the new Training Grounds battles that are being added, as trainer battles are something I’ve missed so far in Arceus. There’s been a few, and perhaps there’ll be more to come in the content I’ve yet to unlock, but so far the game feels like it’s lacking in traditional encounters so hopefully this update, which includes matches tailored to your chosen Pokémon, will scratch that itch. Elsewhere, the show motivated me to try some of the other spin-off Pokémon games that are knocking around. I’ve previously dismissed most of them outright, but some of the titles, especially Pokémon Unite, look worth a try. The real highlight, however, was probably the animatronic Pikachu lurking in the background behind The Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara like some sort of shadowy shareholder. Perhaps sentient Pokémon toys are the one’s really in charge? It would explain why there’s been so many games coming out lately. Great balls of electricity! What was your Pokémon Presents highlight?
I'm rather disappointed in myself for picking Overwatch 2 as my most anticipated game of the year because it is, in my not-so-humble opinion, more of a full-price DLC. The new maps, modes and heroes will be playable across both titles, with all of your unlocked customisation options carrying over into the "sequel" should you choose to upgrade.
Overwatch 2 promises to keep things fresh by allowing players to modify their abilities, maybe trading a little bit of burst damage for more consistent DPS, or vice versa. The mission variety is what will make or break it for me. I'm hoping for both short and long missions, some adding to the overall narrative and others just there for intense, horde-like, firefights. When it comes to PvP, there are significant changes being made. Overwatch will shake things up by transitioning from 6v6 battles to 5v5, with teams losing one of their tanks. This would make some of the "off tanks" a terrible choice in the current live game but, with a host of reworks in the pipeline, and not just for the tank class, I'm hopeful that players won't feel pressured to choose a barrier tank. In fact, tanks may not be tanks at all; Blizzard have expressed a desire to switch the name of the class to brawler. Still, it's hard to see the benefit of forgoing a reliable Reinhardt in favour of a dive-bombing D.Va. Heroes are already getting slight tweaks and reworks (though, like most multiplayer games, this has been a constant ongoing process throughout Overwatch's life), suggesting that the developers are going to drip feed changes until the sequel's release. I've read and heard nary a thing about the Overwatch Workshop, a tool for knocking together custom game modes. It's already being used in creative ways and could add endless longevity if it's expanded to allow for the easy creation of new missions, not unlike the track editor in the Trials series. It's not very intuitive, nor expansive, but imagination can push technology beyond its limits.
As Liam mentioned, Microsoft's recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard means that we can expect Overwatch 2 to be playable via Game Pass from day one. This not only saves money, but also saves me from having to persuade/bully my other half into purchasing the sequel. Playing with friends and loved ones is always more fun and I find that those closest to me are less likely to bitch and moan when I spend a little too long trying to sink a basket in the spawn room. We've got some thoughts on Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Extraction, the latest title from Ubisoft Montreal, in our review series Taken For A Quickie. And what do you have to do? Not entirely dissimilar from the dark zone in Tom Clancy's The Division 2, you're dispatched either alone or in groups of three to clear the alien infection in various ways. It might be taking out enemies, or triggering some charges, or stopping seismic activity. If one of the team goes down and is absorbed by the infection they are MIA, and have to be retrieved in a future round, and in the meantime you lose access to that character. Does going into a heavily dangerous area like that alone sound like a sensible idea? No, not particularly, and in fact – other than the tutorial mission – generally we found the solo missions particularly lethal, since there are some objectives which require you to do multiple actions simultaneously, or in different places in quick succession. A string of bad luck can quickly leave you with multiple operators injured or MIA. How interesting are these operators then? Anyone we know? Actually yes, since the game has DNA, all the way down to its engine, shared with Siege, the likes of Sledge, Doc and up to 16 others are all here to choose from. Unfortunately, some of Team Rainbow's powers are a little less useful in this context. Sledge for example, still has his trusty hammer to smash through a wall or two, but because the element of surprise is so much more crucial here, being swing happy could cost you the objective. Other elements like barricading walls and doorways also make an appearance, but the game doesn't seem to know what to do with them, since there seems to be relatively little cause to defend in the same way as you would in Siege against gun-wielding human opposition. Not a huge recommendation then?
The concept is certainly interesting, and there's been a fair amount of effort put into the staging of the missions, with full cutscenes and characters debating the approach the team should take, but these moments are few and far between, and aren't enough to sustain a cohesive narrative. A team of only three leaves you quickly short-handed too, with some objectives having three parts in themselves, without enemies to worry about, and a quick bout of poison gas is enough to quickly take a teammate down to critical health. There's little chance to revive or save allies either, meaning leaving without a full team is fairly common. At least the titular extraction areas are in each of the three sub-zones per level, so you can bail out with only a third of the stage completed if you need to. Does it at least feel as good as Siege to play? Everything behaves in the same way as Siege, and you can steadily unlock new tech items and guns to play with, but really this experience might have gone down better as an add-on to that game rather than trying to be a game in its own right. If you're a serious fan, and particularly if you've got a good team at your side, then it's worth a try – especially if you have Game Pass – but we wouldn't recommend going in alone. |
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