Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Gaming

  • Pitching a ‘God of War’ Series

    Pitching a ‘God of War’ Series

    Long ago, in 2005 A.C., Santa Monica Studios unveiled a story that marked the video game industry forever with their game, God of War. It was the story of Kratos, a Spartan General with a thirst for war and a champion to the Gods. As the years went by, the game developed into one of the most critically acclaimed video-game franchises of all time. Multiple games from the story have gone on to win Game of the Year, and the original God of War game has even been named one of the best PlayStation 2 games of all time. So, with Sony recently announcing that they will be developing seven TV Shows and three films based on their library of games, I’m here to pitch God of War as one of the seven series that is currently in development.

     

    Why a series instead of a film?

     

    One of the biggest challenges when adapting a story is the limited runtime of cinema. It tends to put a heavy constraint on the story that the film tries to tell. God of War would need to branch out beyond these restrictions. An example of an adaptation that did really with this format is Netflix’s The Witcher. I like the idea of a series is that you can play around more with the storytelling meta. For the series, I would love to create a sort of modern retelling of old Greek myths. Greek myths are told in verse, with muses serving as narrators (such as Disney’s Hercules for example). A great narrator for this series would be the original one from the games, the titan Gaia. I’ll be splitting up the story into three distinct seasons to follow the classic three-act structure.

     

    Season 1: The Rise

     

    The first season will focus on the games God of War: Ascension, Chains of Olympus, and the original God of War game. The season starts with the telling of a terrible prophecy. The Father of the Gods, Zeus, learns that he will die at the hands of one of his sons, the marked warrior. We begin the series with the abduction of Kratos’ brother Deimos, and his growth into the famed Spartan Captain. We will see Kratos pledge his allegiance to the God of War, Ares, in exchange for the power to slay his enemies. As Ares’ servant, he went on to conquer anything in his sight. That was until Ares tricked him into killing his own wife and daughter. The ashes of his wife and daughter form a white layer above his skin, marking him with his failure.

    Kratos vows to exact revenge against Ares and pledges allegiance to the Gods of Olympus. During his quest to have his sins forgiven and erased from his mind, he carries out multiple tasks and killing various mythological Greek creatures in the name of Mount Olympus, eventually enacting his revenge on Ares and killing him by using the power within the Pandora’s Box. In the end, even after killing Ares, the memories of killing his wife and child will continue to haunt him for all eternity. Seeing no other alternative, Kratos attempts to end his life, but the Goddess Athena has other plans and grants him a chair as one of the Gods of Olympus, as the brand new God of War.

     

    Season 2: The Betrayal

     

    The second season is based on the God of War: Ghost of Sparta storyline and leads into God of War II. For the first half of Season 2, we’ll focus on Ghost of Sparta, where Kratos finds out that his mother is alive and held prisoner in Atlantis’ Temple of Poseidon. There he uncovers that his brother Deimos is alive and trapped in the Realm of the Dead. Tragically, his mother transforms into an evil creature, which forces him to kill her. Kratos makes his way to free Deimos from his prison. He accomplishes his task, but bad blood between them leads to Deimos attempting to kill his younger brother. Suddenly, Thanatos takes him away and plunges him off the highest cliff in the realm. Kratos manages to save his brother, and they both reconcile to take on the God of Death. They are victorious, but Deimos dies in battle. This final death is the moment when Kratos swears his vengeance upon Olympus. 

    Kratos aids his Spartan army in their conquest of Greece. This act leads the Goddess Athena to plead to Kratos not to go through with this plan, as it will anger the Greek deities. In his rage, Kratos refuses to listen to reason, and he heads to the city of Rhodes. His attack is interrupted by Zeus, who finally makes his debut to confront the Spartan God. He strips Kratos of his powers and kills him using the famed Blade of Olympus, sending him to the underworld once more. Suddenly, our narrator Gaia feels that she cannot allow Kratos’s story to end here and aids him in his quest to defeat Zeus. Gaia revives Kratos and leads him to the Island of Creation, where he must find the Sisters of Fate and travel back in time to stop Zeus before he dies.

    Using the Thread of Fate, he accomplishes his task and claims the Blade of Olympus, but before he can deliver the final blow, Athena casts herself between the two and sacrifices her life. When Kratos asks why she did this, she says she did it to prevent the cycle of fathers killing their sons, revealing that Kratos is indeed the son of Zeus. Wounded, Zeus retreats to Mount Olympus to rally the other gods in an attempt to stop Kratos once and for all. Meanwhile, he once again uses the Thread of Fate to bring the Titans to the present timeline. The season ends the same way God of War II ended. Kratos leads the Titan Army up Mount Olympus to face the gods of Olympus.

     

    Final Season: The War

     

    The final season is essentially ripped straight from God of War III. This season will have the most effects work in it. It kicks off right where the last one ended. Kratos is scaling Mount Olympus to face off against the Gods alongside his army of Titans. During this season, we’ll see Kratos’ pent up rage and anger finally take hold, as he kills the Gods one by one. He’s aided by the Ghost of Athena, who sends him on a quest to find and put out the Flame of Olympus, which is powered by Pandora, whose box he used to kill Ares in the first season. Along the way, he makes his wrath felt across Olympus by killing anyone who stands in his way, both Gods and Titans alike. Kratos’s murderous rampage let him take on Poseidon, Hades, Helios, Perseus, Hercules, Hermes, Cronos, Hephaestus, Hera, and Gaia, who all fall before Kratos finally manages to take on Zeus. Blinded by his rage, he does not realize what plagues he unleashed upon Greece. Kratos finally reaches the Flame of Olympus, and Pandora sacrifices herself to quench the Flame. Then, the final battle begins as father and son take each other on for the fate of the world.

    Kratos manages to win the battle, but Greece is left in ruin by his actions. Upon seeing the end of the world, Kratos has his final encounter with the Ghost of Athena. She asks Kratos to hand her over the power he used to kill Zeus, a weapon that she put in Pandora’s Box along with the Flame of Olympus. Kratos, however, tells her that the box was empty. She realizes that when he opened Pandora’s Box in the first season, he unknowingly released an evil. It infected all the Gods of Olympus. This is why Zeus and the rest of the Gods were out to kill Kratos in the first place. The power he had taken was Hope. She begs him to return the power, so she can rebuild everything. Since Kratos no longer trusts any of the Gods, he stabs himself with the Blade of Olympus, releasing it into the world. Instead of returning it to Athena, he gives it to the rest of the world. The Goddess takes the Blade of Olympus and leaves Kratos to die. Yet, after the credits, his body has strangely vanished, opening up to exploring more stories in the future.

     

    Source: IGN

  • How Yozora May Have Been Set-Up Since 2005’s ‘Kingdom Hearts 2’

    How Yozora May Have Been Set-Up Since 2005’s ‘Kingdom Hearts 2’

    I am an avid fan of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. At first, the base concept sold me, as I could never imagine how Final Fantasy would mesh with Disney. The first time I ever saw the game was on a demo disk that came with Final Fantasy X. I’ve fallen in love with the bizarre concepts introduced with each new entry ever since. The latest entry, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory added a musical spin-off that, in classic Tetsuya Nomura-style, is canon to the ever-growing story of the franchise. What started with a young kid named Sora trying to save his friends from ever-lurking darkness has turned into quite the convoluted chaos. We git introduced to beings known as Nobodys, who are the bodies whose hearts turned into Heartless. Our Keyblade-wielding heroes can jump into dreams, back through time, and who knows what else nowadays. Yet, the latest revelation has given me a feeling that this may have been set-up in 2005.

     

    Keep in mind, if you haven’t played Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory yet, you will get spoiled for the major revelation in that game. Only continue at your own risk.

    The ending of Melody of Memory gave us an essential bit of information on what happened to Sora after he vanished. He now exists in a world beyond the light, darkness, and everything in-between. At first, they describe it as a fictional world known only as Unreality, or Quadratum. The name is Latin for Square, which connects to the new character revealed in Kingdom Hearts 3 Re:Mind named Yozora. His name translates to Night Sky in Japanese, which is the same in Latin for Noctis, who was originally the protagonist of Nomura‘s Final Fantasy Versus XIII. We briefly visit this location in the secret boss against Yozora, which looks like a replication of real-life Shibuya. We get introduced to it in the base game for the third entry, as Yozora was a video game character for our heroes. It fits with the fictional world description. It is a world beyond that of light, darkness, and everything in-between. In a way, it is fiction, as it never existed. There was a location we visited a long-time ago that actually might be connected to it.

     

     

    Now, playing around with that thought, I came to realize we visited a location that technically did not exist. It became the home base for the first incarnation of Organization XIII but was never really fleshed out. It only held the name The World that Never Was, where one could find the Dark City. We never really get a backstory on why this place was the hiding spot for the Nobodys in Kingdom Hearts 2, but it made for a memorable trip. I think many still remember Memory’s Skyscraper, where Sora and Roxas had their final confrontation in that game. It probably was chosen by Xemnas, who was the Nobody of our main protagonist, Xehanort. Going into detail on that character’s history will take quite a lot of time. The reason I bring this up connects to the post-credit sequence of Melody of Memory. Keyblade Master Yen Sid pointed out that the ancient masters could travel between realities, which means that Xehanort was aware Quadrantum existed.

    So, how does it all connect? I believe that The World That Never Was is a remnant pulled from Unreality through the Realm of Darkness. That caused it to turn into the Dark City. A newer character known only as Master of Masters, or MOM, shaped the moon above Quadrantum in a post-credit sequence, which fans know means he is after the True Kingdom Hearts. He may have passed on this knowledge to Xehanort at one point in history, as we briefly see them interact as master and student. This connection would also explain the mystery surrounding the Organization XIII member Luxord. So far, he is the one character who is still shrouded in mystery. Well, that was until the good ending from the Yozora fight. Robin Atkin Downes, who voices Luxord, reappears when Yozora awakes from his battle with Sora in Quadrantum. As such, we can only assume he may have been brought with the city when it turned into The World That Never Was. It’s just a theory, but if it turns out to be correct, I might repeat Luxord’s words from Re:Mind:

    Impressive, is it not?

  • Official ‘Uncharted’ Pictures Teases Tom Holland’s Globe-Trotting Adventure

    Official ‘Uncharted’ Pictures Teases Tom Holland’s Globe-Trotting Adventure

    2021 will be quite a busy film year. We will be seeing a wide variety of new films getting released alongside 2020 productions that were delayed due to the pandemic. Among them, there is the first cinematic adaptation of the popular Uncharted franchise. The film centers on a young Nathan Drake, who is just finding his footing as the adventurer we all come to love in the games. Ruben Fleischer, who recently directed Zombieland: Double Tap and Venom, will tackle the project alongside Tom Holland as Drake and Mark Wahlberg‘s Victor Sullivan. We are still anxiously awaiting what the future may bring, as it aims to premiere in July. We might still have to wait for a bit for the first trailer, but that didn’t stop the official Twitter account to tease what we can expect from the film:

    It certainly looks like they aren’t losing focus on the globe-trotting adventure that makes the franchise so iconic. Our first official look at Holland‘s Drake seemed to combine elements of his clothing from across the games, so it was uncertain if they are adopting a specific story from the games, or creating their own. When the original voice actor for Drake, Nolan North, shared a picture from his set visit, he teased a few interesting artifacts. It seems like the story was going to explore the history surrounding Fernão de Magalhães, or also known as Ferdinand Magellan. During his heyday, he led a Spanish expedition through the West instead of the East, only to die in battle once he reached the Philippines.

    The objects being teased seem to fit that storyline. The map doesn’t include Australia but does include the Philippines. Most of their adventures surround a McGuffin, which means that the golden cross will act as a gateway to uncovering the pieces that will help them on their journey. Also, that statue in the third picture may actually be based on Magellan, or at least a captain of his expedition. The series has also dabbled with supernatural elements, so anything is possible with the direction of the film. It is great to get a tease and hopefully, we will see a trailer in the next few months to build up to its July release.

    Source: Twitter

     

  • What I Loved in 2020

    What I Loved in 2020

    2020 has been quite the year, and that may be an understatement. Still, even throughout the pandemic and other crazy happenings, life goes on. I think many of us have uncovered a wide selection of media to keep us going. As such, I thought with the year ending, let’s take a look back at some positive things that helped me get through the year. As such, here are four stories that stuck with me even until the year came to an end and helped me not lose my sanity. Keep in mind that not everything on the list will be from 2020. I had to catch up on some things throughout the year. So, being stuck at home did have its advantages. So, without further ado, here are the things I loved about 2020.

     

    Love after World Domination

     

    Have you ever wondered about what would happen if Rita Repulsa was a high school student and fell in love with one of the Power Rangers? Well, you are in luck, as author Noda Hiroshi and artist Wakamatsu Takahiro have created just that story. The manga Love after World Domination (恋は世界征服のあとで) got released in 2019, but I didn’t find it until April. It focuses on the group Gerato 5, who are trying to keep world peace alive while fighting the evil society only known as Gecko. One of their leaders, Magahara Desumi, ends up falling in love with the Gelato Red Ranger, Aikawa Fudou. As they are from two sides of the conflict, they use their various clashes to sneak away on small dates. The monthly series parodies Super Sentai, which is the basis for the Western Power Rangers while giving a lighthearted romantic comedy. It humanizes the villains in a way that makes them just as endearing as the members of Gelato 5. Just like us in 2020, we are all just trying to keep everything together as best as possible while facing incredible odds.

     

    The Queen’s Gambit

     

    I think pretty much everyone has been praising this series, but I just had to throw in my two cents as well. Netflix is a fascinating streaming service. As the most dominant streaming service, they do not have to rely on pre-existing intellectual properties like HBO Max or Disney+. Yet, they somehow are obsessed with purchasing the rights to well-known properties, even though they have some truly stand-out original series. Among them is this year’s sleeper hit The Queen’s Gambit. Scott Frank and Allan Scott introduce us to chess prodigy Beth Harmon, who is played by Anya Taylor-Joy. After the tragic loss of her mother, she uncovers her talent with the board game. The story is based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis, which I confess I have never read but certainly will do now. What makes this series stand out is Taylor-Joy‘s performance combined with the slow breakdown of a prodigy. She faces her inner demons, addiction, and what it means to be the best. The mini-series teaches us a lesson I believe we all needed to hear in such a year. Sometimes we lose ourselves in those that seem to be perfect in the eye of the public but may not realize how much pressure lies on their shoulders.

     

    Final Fantasy VII Remake

     

    In my opinion, Final Fantasy VII Remake is the best 2020 release. I do confess I have a strange history with the Final Fantasy franchise. I did not grow up with the original version of VII. Actually, my first Final Fantasy game was the ninth entry that I played at a friend’s place. It wasn’t until the tenth that I played through an entire game. I got hooked ever since. My introduction to Cloud and Sephiroth was actually through Kingdom Hearts, which sparked my interest in these characters. So, I went into the game already knowing the story without ever playing the original. We knew that the remake would have a stronger emphasis on the Midgar arc, which was the intro to the original game. I loved the idea as it allows them to flesh out the city and its inhabitants before it opens up to the rest of the world. Luckily, the game did exactly that and even went a few steps further. The retooled combat system was a refreshing combination of classic RPG turn-based combat and action. The performances for these incarnations of the characters were some of the best in the industry. It certainly made me anxious for what the future may hold and helped me through the beginning of the first lockdown. I could get lost in the city of Midgar and forget I was stuck at home for who knows how long.

     

    Soul

     

    Now, to cap off the year, let’s talk about the most recent release. Charles already prepared a great review of the film, but after just watching it, I just had to talk about it too. Pixar’s latest film, Soul, is a beautifully done story about purpose. It focuses on a music teacher Joe, who prematurely dies just as he believes he has found his dream to play in a jazz band. His journey into the afterlife leads him to meet 22, who gets dragged into a wacky adventure about finding the spark that inspires your life. It tackles the many questions of our existence in a light-hearted but relevant manner. It doesn’t shy away from making its audience question what was their spark. We felt sympathy with Joe, as many of us lost our path far away from the passion that once drove us. Many moments in this film hit me personally. As someone struggling to find a way into a creative industry, you never realize you lose sight of everything around you. You become so obsessed with the end goal that you forgot the experiences along the way. If you ever needed a film that makes you feel that 2021 is a new beginning, this is the film for you.

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Journal: Kate Bishop Is A Long-Awaited Spark

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Journal: Kate Bishop Is A Long-Awaited Spark

    It has been a rather long wait until we got our first official DLC addition to Marvel’s Avengers. The game’s launch has been rough but going by what many current releases are facing. It seems to have become a general issue, especially with big AAA IPs. Still, after around three months, we finally got our first brand new character and story mission in the form of Kate Bishop a.k.a. the second-generation Hawkeye. Now, I spent some time trying to get a feeling for the character, what future DLCs will offer, and the hints left for what we can expect from 2021. So, without further ado, let’s discuss the first DLC mission Taking AIM.

    Brand New Kit

    Let’s start with the main focus of this DLC, our first new playable hero. I think many were surprised that the game would focus on two archers early on, especially Kate, who might not be as well-known as Clint. She hasn’t been a prominent member of the Avengers on the silver-screen but will make her debut in the upcoming Disney+ Hawkeye show. Yet, her addition makes sense from a story and gameplay perspective. Before we jump into her story, let’s talk about the kit she offers to players. What makes Kate unique from the other six playable characters? Well, Kate’s base set already stands out thanks to her Quantum-based abilities.

     

     

    She stole some technology from AIM and can warp around the map. It is a fun addition that also gives her a visual distinction. Yes, she is primarily a bow-user, but that is not all. If you want to establish a build around close-quarter, you can focus on her sword. Her melee weapon already makes her stand-out, as she is much faster than most others, especially combined with her ability to warp. Her heroic ability also lends itself to either make her a powerhouse to take down larger groups of enemies or allow you to support your friends in combat.
    Luckily, to make use of her kit within a short amount of time, you can level up quickly. So, you won’t have to spend hours grinding her to make use of her various abilities. By the end of her operation, you probably will have her at around Level 30. That way, you won’t wait too long before you are shooting out mighty bomb arrows. So, you’ll have enough chances to try out the various tools in her kit to experiment to uncover which playstyle fits you best. For now, it is a bit difficult to say how unique Clint will be to justify their back-to-back inclusion.

     

    A Sizeable Beginning

    The selling point of the DLC is the story that continues where Reassemble left off. We start the tale with our heroes following a lead on Monica Rapuccini’s new project. They run into Kate, who reveals her former mentor has been kidnapped by AIM. So, she joins the Avengers to save him. They realize that the Tachyon Rifts, which have been showing up periodically, were caused by Monica’s meddling with time. Telling you anymore would spoil most of the story, but the set-up for Clint’s upcoming Future Imperfect storyline is an intriguing one.

     

     

    In total, the new operation took me around four hours to complete, which is a sizeable chunk of content if you consider it is also for free. Plus, Crystal Dynamics has teased that it will be just an introduction to what we can expect from the game’s future additions, so that has me stoked. There is, however, one issue I do have with the DLC. It mainly focuses on the single-player content but doesn’t add much to the endgame and multiplayer options. So, it doesn’t offer much for people to return outside of leveling up Kate and maxing her character card.

    Plus, the missions are only available in her operation, which feels like an odd choice, as the new environments are great but only really showcased in the story missions. CD has pointed out that the multiplayer portion will arrive at a later date. The Kate Bishop DLC is a great addition that lays the groundwork for the game’s future. They have teased that they will add MP content in-between DLC content drops, which could balance out this issue, but the direction teased is exciting. After a prologue introducing these characters, it finally feels like Crystal Dynamics can let loose with how much they dive into the Marvel Universe.

  • ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Reports 13M+ Sales Even With Refunds

    ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Reports 13M+ Sales Even With Refunds

    It has been quite a turbulent ride for Cyberpunk 2077. Just recently, we took a closer look at the drama surrounding the game’s release. The game was continuously delayed, faced a very buggy launch and even with phenomenal pre-order numbers had to start a refund campaign. Still, many wondered how exactly this could affect their sales numbers, especially with investors even threatening to sue them. So, CD Project Red revealed their latest sales figures to highlight

    According to their latest press release, the game has sold over 13 million copies. These sales numbers cover all platforms and also factor in refunds. The statement also seems to highlight that this being made public is primary to support investment-related decisions. So, this might be CDPR taking action to ensure their investors that even with the bad press, their game has still been selling amazingly.

    Those sales numbers are, of course, fantastic. Any game developer would be happy to boast those numbers. They have shown a strong digital sales funnel, which is a major advantage for CDPR to ensure a bigger cut. Right now, the sales are phenomenal but they could see a quick slowdown with many still waiting to check out the game until most of the bugs have been fixed.

    So, if they are able to fix it with the upcoming major patches that are planned, there is a good chance they can see another boost, especially as many are still waiting for the next-gen upgrade for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The only question is, how much has their reputation been hit by these events and news coverage. For now, only time will tell but the game’s foundation will still be a draw for many to return.

    Source: CD Project Red

  • Taking a Closer Look at the ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Controversy

    Taking a Closer Look at the ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Controversy

    Cyberpunk 2077 was considered one of the most anticipated games of the decade. It even won the Gamescom 2020 RPG of the Year, Best of Gamescom, Best PC, and Best PlayStation Game Award long-before it even hit store shelves. Everything seemed to be going CD Project Red’s way as they started to prepare for the game’s imminent release. Now, just a little over a week later, the company may be facing legal action. It seems that a Warsaw-based lawyer and investor in the company, Mikolaj Orzechowski, has started exploring options to sue the gaming studio for misrepresentation to secure funds. New York-based Wolf Haldenstein Adler Freeman & Herz LLP also intends to take legal action to represent shareholders. With everything going on so far, it might be a good idea to take a closer look at what has happened with one of the most anticipated games of the year.

    When Cyberpunk 2077 launched, it got rave reviews with a Metacritic average of 87 on PC. Yet, the reviews started to reveal some strange pre-requirements for the review’s release. Tom Marks states in his review for IGN that they weren’t allowed to use their footage, and were only provided with the PC version to review. So, shortly before release, there was a notable absence of the console version.

     

     

    There was also quite a bit of controversy surrounding some of the few negative reviews. Most notably surrounding one major problem the game had in its approach. Game Informer shared a piece regarding the game that highlights how it includes epileptic triggers. This issue started to make the rounds, as there were no disclaimers included. Once the review embargo lifted, there were many findings of the game’s standing. Various PC bugs were starting to pop up, such as floating assets, UI issues, and many more. What pushed it even further was the issues surrounding last-gen games, which couldn’t hold a candle with the PC version. When IGN released their updated review for consoles, it got downgraded to a 4/10.

    There is a general trend with recent releases facing multiple bugs and issues, but all this didn’t stop CD Project Red to have a successful launch from a financial standpoint. They took to Twitter to announce they had 8 million pre-orders with 59% on PC alone. These were massive numbers for the company and quite a success. Yet, as the issues started to pile on, they released a statement a few days later highlighting that they would offer refunds to players facing these issues. Sony even stated to lower their usually strict refund policy to allow players to get a full refund. Not just that, they even pulled the game from the PlayStation Store while Microsoft added a warning into their store. In a web call with investors, Board meetings with CDPR did not help matters, as VP of Business Development Michal Nowakowski stated regarding how the game passed Sony and Microsoft’s certification process:

    In terms of the certification process and the third parties – this is definitely on our side. I can only assume that they trusted that we’re going to fix things upon release, and that obviously did not come together exactly as we had planned.

    Bloomberg also shared an article highlighting internal issues, as the development team dropped blunt questions in an internal call. They discussed unrealistic deadlines, the immense requirement of overtime building up to its release. It got delayed three times that led to an additional necessity for crunch. Some reports even stating the development team went through all year. It even got delayed after the game had “gone gold” in October, which means that the game’s final code was up for certification. As such, the team had to work more overtime. The issue was that the company claimed it was against these business practices and offered humane working conditions.

     

     

    How does this all lead to investors seeking legal action? Well, the consequences of these controversies have led to its stock plunging by a third. Their reputation has been strongly affected and led to the company’s founders and investors to lose around $1 billion in stock. It’s future development also heavily depending on how they manage to fix the bugs. It may pushback the planned release of a multiplayer component. As such, the initial plans for 2021 are vital to avoid further plunges in their stock. For now, these lawsuits seem to be just considerations without actually being brought to court. So, only time will tell if actual consequences follow but this seems like a current reaction towards recent investor calls and statements.

    There still does not seem to be an end in sight for now, as a recent save corruption bug was uncovered. Still, the bones are there for a great experience and game, especially with the beautifully futuristic world that was built. CD Project Red has highlighted they will be releasing major updates in January and February to address as many issues as possible. These patches will especially try to fix the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of the game. Hopefully, these can address the major aspects so players on the console can share the experience that PC players are having. If you have been facing issues so far, they have uploaded the Hotfix 1.05 on all platforms, so you can check out what has been fixed here:

    Source: Game Medium, The Hollywood Reporter, The New York Times via PC Gamer and EuroGamer, Metacritic (PC), YouTube (IGN), Inverse, Happy Gamer, Twitter (IGN), Twitter (Pre-Orders), Twitter (Sales Split), Twitter (Refund), The Verge, EuroGamer, Gaming Bible, Bloomberg, Polygon

  • Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Teases New Endgame Content for New Years

    Latest ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Dev Stream Teases New Endgame Content for New Years

    To end out the year, Marvel’s Avengers‘ developers Crystal Dynamics held one last stream. We got one last time to chat with some from the team behind the game and get a little insight into what is happening. Even while they had to fight some technical difficulties, it was a fun time to hear Phil and Andy talk about what brought them into the industry. Of course, that wasn’t all, as they also teased a few bugs they are currently working on and one major reveal.

    • The Module reduction was a bug and not a nerf. CD confirmed they are working on it.
    • They are working on the Iconic Ms. Marvel skin. The Xbox Black Widow pre-order skin bug will be in the next patch.
    • Nvidia has new drivers to optimize the game’s performance.

    We did get one major reveal. CD revealed that we can expect something for the New Years’. It wasn’t just a reference regarding confirmed DLC characters, but overall new story content, new villains, and adaptations to the endgame to add variety. So, it’ll be interesting to see how they will kickstart the new year. There was also a mention of an Omega-Level Threat being released before the Cloning Labs.

     

     

    Of course, they couldn’t go into detail, but it is great to hear that they are looking into expanding the game beyond the confirmed character DLCs. I am glad they are putting some more focus on the endgame content, as that is currently the area the game can grow the most. I am looking forward to where the game goes from here. Kate Bishop was a fantastic addition, and she was just the beginning.

    Source: Twitch

  • ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Leak Confirms MODOK’s Return

    ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Leak Confirms MODOK’s Return

    Crystal Dynamics teased an update that will be made available as they continue working on the AIM Cloning Labs. We first heard about during last Friday’s dev stream on Twitch. Sadly, as per usual, they were very coy on what exactly it could end up being. Luckily, it seems data miner @mmmmmmmiller has once again found a way to access the system and share a rather interesting audio file. It confirms that something that got teased a while back might be finally nearing its release. The file includes a brand new voice over by Hank Pym, who seems rather frustrated on the appearance of a brand new clone, who might be familiar to those that finished the Reassemble storyline.

    The battle against MODOK was probably one of the best aspects of the story. It gave us our first real tease of multi-layered boss battles. Crystal Dynamics did confirm they are working to bring back the boss fight in a future update and going by the audio, we will be facing his clone. The cloning concept allows the developers to reintroduce their main villains as often as they want without worrying them even appearing multiple times. That is even the whole point of the Cloning Labs. At the end of the main campaign, we did see him fall out of the Kree Sentry, which did hint at him returning in the future.

    He may have a role in a future storyline while the clone keeps us busy playing with our friends. I wonder if his mission is part of the upcoming Hawkeye DLC, or we could see a bigger launch of the missing multiplayer missions in January. We have been waiting for the Cloning Labs since the launch. So we are getting quite antsy about its release. Right now, the game needs more multiplayer content to keep people returning.

    Source: Twitter, Vocaroo

  • Hawkeye Could be ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Tracer

    Hawkeye Could be ‘Marvel’s Avengers’ Tracer

    Ever get that feeling of déjà-vu? Well, some have that fear with Marvel’s Avengers’ current DLC plans. There have been many reveals to their decision to kick-off their long-term DLC plans with two archers back-to-back. There was the question of how they would make them unique enough to distinguish their playstyles. Well, our first deep dive on Kate Bishop revealed she has a unique ability based on Quantum technology she stole from AIM. It added a great flair and visual design to make her stand-out, but it did open one question, will they do something similar to Hawkeye?

     

    If you haven’t finished Marvel’s Avengers Taking AIM storyline and want to remain spoiler-free, only continue at your own risk.

     

    Hawkeye is pretty much the original archer, so there is no necessity to add any unique abilities. Yet, the Taking AIM storyline ends on a note that may set-up a potential for Clint Barton to stand-out. His return to the game’s main timeline came at a cost, as he suddenly started to distort. We see him shifting what may be between different times after visiting the future, which will be the focus for his DLC. You can even still find him in his bed trying to recover, as we all wait for the DLC to release in early 2021. Until then, we can only speculate which effect the Time Gate has on the ex-Avenger.

    There is a chance that Clint might suffer through the effects of his time on the other side of the Time Gate. To save his life, Tony and Bruce might try to develop a way to contain the Tachyon energy that is most likely causing his distortion. It may not just act as a cure, but he might also use it to his advantage. Clint can harness the Tachyon energy to alter time in small doses, such as returning to an earlier point in time similar to Overwatch‘s Tracer. 

     

     

    It would offer a unique approach to Clint’s repertoire, as Kate is more focused on getting around fast with her Quantum-based abilities. So, to make her former mentor stand out, he is more focused on laying down traps and keeping his distance. The rewind is the perfect opportunity to set an explosive before bowing out and raining down arrows to ensure it takes everyone out. He could even have a unique arrow, which can stop an enemy from being able to move. They get trapped at that moment in time so a group can stack damage before they are unfrozen and receive it all at once. It would be quite a helpful ability when facing challenging bosses, especially Future Imperfect‘s Maestro.

    The ability could support a unique build, and it would make sense from a story perspective. The Avengers also have scientist Lyle Getz, who can unwillingly help them develop the technology to harness Tachyon energy. What also supports this theory is that Hawkeye’s iconic darker shade of purple seems to be a similar color to that is used with Tachyon Rifts. It may just be a coincidence, but it is an interesting visual parallel. In a way, Clint is such an established character that he does not necessarily require an energy-based ability of any kind, but the set-up seems too perfect to add that little something special to make him stand-out from his protégé.