Author: Trafficblast

Pokemon Go players have a handful Legendaries to add to their collections right now, but another one will soon be available in the game. Developer Niantic announced that it will roll out a new batch of research quests next week, which can lead to an encounter with the Legendary Ice-type Articuno.

Beginning June 1 at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET, players will be able to find a new assortment of Field Research tasks when visiting Pokestops. Niantic hasn’t detailed what these quests will entail, only that they’ll revolve around Water-type Pokemon. By completing the quests and earning enough Stamps, players will achieve a Research Breakthrough, with the reward being another chance to capture Articuno, one of the first Legendaries to appear in the game.

Since they were implemented in Pokemon Go earlier this year, Field Research quests have provided players another avenue for capturing certain Legendary Pokemon outside of Raid Battles. The first set of Field Research quests focused on Fire-types and led to an encounter with Moltres, while the most recent batch revolved around Electric- and Flying-type Pokemon, with Zapdos waiting for those who were able to complete enough of them.

Before Articuno returns, players can still capture the Eon Pokemon, Latios and Latias. The two recently began appearing in new regions and are scheduled to leave the game on June 5. The Legendary bird Ho-Oh also recently returned to Raid Battles and will be available until June 7.

On top of all the aforementioned Legendaries, Alolan forms are set to arrive in Pokemon Go soon. Additionally, Niantic is kicking off a new in-game Adventure Week event, which runs until June 5 and makes Rock-type Pokemon easier to find. The next Community Day will follow shortly after on June 16 and also features a Rock-type, Larvitar.

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Battlefield 1943 is the latest to be added to Xbox One’s backward compatibility list. The 2009 game was a value release that was only distributed digitally, but it picked up a strong following thanks to delivering lots of the Battlefield experience in a smaller package.

Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) announced the addition via Twitter. As always, if you already own 1943 on your current Xbox Live account, it will be populated into your collection automatically. Meanwhile if you don’t already own it, it’s available for $10 / £10 / AU$15 on the Xbox Store. It’s also now available in the EA Access Vault.

The game enjoyed high critical marks upon release, earning an average 83 on GameSpot sister site Metacritic. Our Battlefield 1943 review praised that its “balanced classes, diverse vehicles, and dynamic maps provide the kind of variety and replayability that is the hallmark of the most engaging online shooters.” Microsoft is making more games backwards compatible on Xbox One at a fairly regular pace, and the list is getting rather lengthy.

This week EA and DICE debuted Battlefield 5, with a close marketing relationship with Microsoft. It’s going back to World War 2, and it seems EA has taken some lessons regarding microtransactions from its experience with Star Wars Battlefront 2. Check out our wrap-up of everything we know about Battlefield 5 for more details you may have missed.

Tom Clancy’s The Division came out in 2016 and it seemed like an ideal cross between shooter and MMORPG. The game immediately set itself apart with its contemporary setting, a realistic depiction of a snow-covered New York City enveloped in a pandemic crisis. Two years later, Ubisoft has announced that a sequel is in the works and that it’s set to appear at E3 2018. To prepare you for what’s ahead, here’s what we know about Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, as well as what we’re hoping to see from it at this year’s E3.

What We Know So Far

The Division 2 was first revealed when news of the game leaked through stock website 4-Traders in March 2018. While seemingly dubious on its own, an image showing The Division 2’s logo was soon discovered on Ubisoft’s own website. Ubisoft eventually got in front of the speculation not long after and confirmed the game’s existence in a livestream.

The original developer, Massive Entertainment, is working on the upcoming sequel in collaboration with Red Storm Entertainment and a number of Ubisoft studios (including Reflections, Anney, Shanghai, Bucharest). The game will run on an updated version of the Snowdrop engine, which was used to make the first game.

In a blog post, Massive Entertainment expressed its desire to build off the lessons learned working on the original, and has proved its attitude to keep improving by continually updating the first game. This is evident in The Division’s 1.8 update that added global events, Dark Zone changes, and tons of new gear.

Massive has remained vague about the setting of the next game saying, “we’ve always envisioned the story in the game we launched in 2016 as the beginning chapter in a larger saga.” It seems this statement implies the possibility of branching out of New York City to paint that bigger picture Massive envisions..

Currently, The Division 2 doesn’t have a firm release date. According to an Ubisoft earnings report, the game is expected to release by the end of the 2019 fiscal year, which ends before April 2019. While no platforms have been confirmed, it’s likely The Division 2 will release on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

What’s Confirmed For E3?

The Division 2 is scheduled to appear at E3 2018–likely at Ubisoft’s press conference on June 11. Ubisoft says a “full reveal” is planned; though, what exactly that entails hasn’t been discussed.

What We Hope To See At E3

Since its initial announcement, we’ve heard next to nothing about The Division 2. We’d love to hear more about what the game is adding to the experience that isn’t in the original. Some of the major features on our wishlist are ones that were revealed in early trailers for The Division 1, like destructible environments, a larger map, a more personal story, as well as a companion app that lets you drop bombs on your friends game when you’re not playing.

In addition, we’re hoping to see tough choices incorporated into your character’s journey, potentially involving a faction system that gets away from the shoot-all-comers approach of the first game, so as to better complement its global public events. Based on Massive Entertainment’s approach to The Division 1, they’re likely to focus on expanded endgame content this time around, which they previously identified as an area of growth. The original’s Underground DLC introduced randomly generated levels and could prove a very creative foundation for improving on Incursions and Legendary missions in the sequel. We’re also hoping the developer focuses in on better loot and places to find it.

Tom Clancy’s The Division (2016)

Ideally, we’d like to see a more cohesive vision for co-op and PvP areas. The first game was an odd mix of wandering an empty world, instanced Safe Houses full of other players, and the very unbalanced PvP Dark Zone. Although it’s tough to have it both ways, we’d love to see Massive Entertainment find clever ways to make both approaches work seamlessly with The Division 2.

A post-pandemic world, New York City in winter was fantastic in The Division 1, especially in the Survival DLC. However, we never got to know the survivors or see them begin to rebuild their lives outside of one personal base. For the game’s sequel, it would be great have a new environment to explore and an extensive cast of meaningful NPC characters to meet.

Further Reading

Death Stranding is one of the most exciting upcoming games appearing at E3 2018. The next project from famed developer Hideo Kojima has had us intrigued ever since its provocative E3 2016 reveal trailer. With the game confirmed as one of the four major games Sony intends to primarily focus on during its press conference, our hype and anticipation only continues to build. To prepare you for what’s ahead, here’s what we know about Death Stranding, as well as what we’re hoping to see from it at this year’s E3.

What We Know So Far

After a long-standing corporate conflict, Kojima parted ways from publisher Konami in July 2015 and reformed his longtime studio Kojima Productions as an independent developer. During the same month, Kojima announced he was collaborating with Sony to create a new PlayStation game. This ultimately turned out to be Death Stranding, which was first shown at Sony’s E3 2016 press conference. Two subsequent teasers were shown at The Game Awards 2016 and 2017.

There aren’t many concrete details about Death Stranding’s narrative aside from the provocative imagery of its trailers and Kojima’s musings on Twitter. It stars actor Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead, The Boondock Saints) as protagonist Sam, and Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale, Hannibal) as a bizarre unnamed antagonist. Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro will contribute his likeness to another unnamed character. In addition, voice actors Troy Baker and Emily O’Brien are confirmed to appear.

Death Stranding is being made with the DECIMA engine, the same game engine used to make Horizon Zero Dawn. Kojima has stated that it will be an action game set in an open world with multiplayer functionality. According to Kojima, the game aims to eschew some of gaming’s most time-honored traditions–in this case the mechanics that dictate life and death. When Sam dies, you’re sent to an upside-down world submerged in water that you can explore in first-person. But once you return to the world of the living, anything you’ve done or any damage you’ve caused in the world persists.

Another major mechanic in Death Stranding involves a type of rain known as “Timefall.” This substance has the ability to age or deteriorate whatever it hits. It’s likely the reason why the characters in the third teaser trailer are wearing hoods, and why the one who isn’t ages rapidly–and quite painfully–in a matter of seconds.

Of course, the most bizarre aspect of every Death Stranding trailer is the baby that Sam and others can be seen holding. Kojima has confirmed that this mysterious infant is more than just a plot device, and that it actually relates to the game’s narrative and gameplay mechanics.

What’s Confirmed For E3?

Sony has confirmed that it’ll discuss Death Stranding in detail at its E3 2018 press conference. It’s one of the four games the company had stated it’ll be showcasing in-depth at this year’s show. According to a recent post on Kojima’s Twitter account, it also appears that he’s creating another big trailer for the game. In addition, he shared an cryptic image of the game–likely a shot from the trailer.

What We Hope To See At E3

Three trailers in and we’re pretty desperate to hear more about what Death Stranding is actually about. So far we’ve only gotten vague details about the story and how it’ll play. While the surreal imagery from the previous footage has piqued our curiosity, we can’t imagine that another teaser like that will do Death Stranding any favors–lest it wants to turn out like No Man’s Sky, in the sense that intrigue can only take a game so far; we want something more substantial.

We’re hoping that Kojima will take to the stage at this year’s Sony press conference to go into explicit detail about what you’ll be doing in Death Stranding, as well as show off actual gameplay footage. We’d love to see an in-depth demonstration of the life and death mechanic that Kojima discussed late-last year. At the very least, we want to get a sense of how it’ll feel to play the game, as well as what its combat and UI looks like.

Aside from gameplay, it would be great to see more story and characters. It’s doubtful that Death Stranding’s star-studded cast stops at Reedus and Mikkelsen. We’d love to see the presence of other high-profile actors. Rumors and theories have circulated suggesting that Emma Stone, Diane Kruger, Kevin Durand, and even Idris Elba could potentially join the cast. However, none of this has been confirmed and is mostly based on hearsay. Regardless, the possibility of more big-name actors and actresses potentially being in Death Stranding has us excited.

Death Stranding has garnered massive interest due to the sense of mystery that veils its story and gameplay. We’re hoping that Kojima and Sony will at least provide some answers to the questions its initial trailers gave us.

Further Reading

Niantic has announced a new event for Pokemon Go. For a limited time, the developer will be hosting Adventure Week, an in-game event that features a variety of bonuses, including extra XP, Candy, and increased Pokemon spawns.

Adventure Week kicks off today, May 24, at 1 PM PT / 4 PM ET. Among other things, Niantic says the event will feature “unique” Field Research quests to take on, which will offer “exciting rewards.” The developer didn’t specify what these rewards will be, but it did mention a possible Raid Battle encounter with Aerodactyl.

Additionally, players will have a much easier time finding Rock-type Pokemon during Adventure Week. Monsters such as Geodude, Lileep, Nosepass, Omanyte, and Kabuto will appear more frequently for the duration of the event. Your Buddy Pokemon will also earn Candy four times faster, while spinning Photo Discs at Gyms and Pokestops during Adventure Week will net you extra XP.

Adventure Week runs until June 5, which is the same day the Legendary Eon Pokemon, Latios and Latias, are scheduled to leave Pokemon Go. The pair swapped regions earlier this month, with Latios now appearing across Europe and Asia, while Latias can be found in North America, South America, and Africa. The Legendary bird Ho-Oh also recently returned to Raid Battles and can be fought until June 7.

Shortly after Adventure Week ends, Niantic will host the next Pokemon Go Community Day event. That takes place on Saturday, June 16, and features the rare Rock-type Pokemon Larvitar. Players will also be able to earn triple the normal amount of XP for capturing Pokemon during Community Day. A series of other real-world events will also be held throughout the summer.

Beyond the upcoming events, Pokemon Go players have some new Pokemon to look forward to. Niantic recently announced that Alolan forms will be debuting in the game soon. The developer didn’t specify when the Pokemon will begin appearing, but players will have a chance to capture tropical variants of Exeggutor, Raichu, Marowak, and other Gen 1 Pokemon.

There’s a lot of excitement around Anthem leading into E3 2018 since it’s BioWare’s next big project and new IP. Expectations are high given this is a franchise debut from the same studio that brought us a slew of iconic RPGs: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Baldur’s Gate to name a few. To prepare you for what’s ahead, here’s what we know about Anthem, as well as what we’re hoping to see from it at this year’s E3.

What We Know So Far

Currently, we know that Anthem isn’t going to be structured like the developer’s previous story-based RPGs and instead will take on qualities of loot-based online shooters, like Destiny and The Division. However, BioWare boss Casey Hudson said the game “will feel very distinctly BioWare” and is more accurately described as “science-fantasy.” While the initial reveal at E3 2017 kicked off with a few minutes of narrative and world-building, it quickly delved into a two-player co-operative PvE gameplay sequence where you fight robotic enemies and wildlife both big and small. Towards the end of the reveal trailer, a shaper storm (where weather turned hostile) formed and two additional players jumped in making a party of four. It has also been confirmed that the game will still be playable on your own.

When it comes to the world of Anthem, we understand that players belong to a faction of operatives known as freelancers who don mechanized suits called javelins–think the Fallout power armor, but much more flexible and with jetpacks. The first descent into a lush, tropical environment showed off the versatility of movement with the player weaving through the terrain. In combat, we saw the javelin suit capable of a lock-on rocket barrage–one of the abilities on cooldown at the bottom of the HUD. And we witnessed a co-op partner execute a sort of ground pound ability for area-of-effect damage.

Given the style Anthem is going for, loot will be the centerpiece for equipment, which we had a glimpse of in last year’s reveal; a level 35 legendary volt rifle called Jarra’s Wrath was a reward at the end of big firefight. Based on information shown on-screen during the reveal, weapons will have specific statistics like range, damage, accuracy, rate of fire, and ammo count.

BioWare stated that it’s solely focused on development for Anthem after making it clear that Mass Effect: Andromeda will not have new content or story-based DLC. Despite the all-hands-on-deck approach, Anthem was delayed from its initial Fall 2018 release window to sometime in Early 2019. As with many EA-published games, there will be a period in which subscribers to EA/Origin Access can play the game ahead of its full launch date. EA CEO Andrew Wilson also stated, “Anthem is a fundamentally social experience, and we will open new ways for fans to join the community and play early, enabling us to shape and refine the game with their input and feedback.” This could imply a beta period, which is common for multiplayer-centric games. If anything, EA is anticipating continually tweaking the game with post-release updates and content.

Even though it was specifically showcased during Microsoft’s E3 press conference last year, Anthem will release for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Oh yeah, and there was a sweet trailer where game director Jon Warner takes us to a corn maze.

What’s Confirmed For E3?

Anthem will be heavily featured at EA Play, which is EA’s own off-site E3 event that runs from June 9 to June 11. Alongside the upcoming Battlefield V, Anthem is one of the focal points according to publisher. It hasn’t been confirmed if the game will be playable to those who attend, but EA said it’ll offer a closer look at the game. And even though Anthem was revealed during Microsoft’s stage show in 2017, it’s unclear if it’ll be part of the Xbox showcase again this year.

What We Hope To See At E3

With this being a new BioWare IP, we hope to see how the developer’s knack for storytelling is woven into a multiplayer experience. This could come in many forms; perhaps some backstory to accompany playable sections or a more in-depth showcase of the world that the freelancers inhabit. What exactly is it they’re fighting for? What is the prevailing force behind its hostile world? BioWare isn’t a stranger to this given its work on the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, but it’s a whole other challenge when building a franchise from scratch.

Another important aspect we hope to be addressed is the depth and breadth of content that makes up Anthem. That’s to say, we hope the game is taking note of where Destiny 2 falls short. It’s fair to say that many players are concerned about having meaningful goals to work towards. Almost anyone going into E3 with Anthem excitement wants to know about quest structure, mission types, how progression works, and how it can be more than just compilation of combat sequences. It’d also be nice to know about the loot system and what types of weapons or javelin modifications we can mess with. It appears that javelin suits come with their own set of powers and could be a factor in making combat more complex. The teaser trailer focused a great deal on these suits, which has us thinking that Anthem’s progression system is centered around building these suits and customizing their capabilities. We’d love for BioWare to unpack what javelin suits can do seeing as their abilities affect both combat and traversal.

We had a taste of Anthem’s world in E3 2017, and its scale, verticality, and varied terrain certainly caught our eye. The ability to fly through the sky and take huge leaps across the environment has piqued our interest, but we want BioWare to tell us more about what there is to see on the other end.

Further Reading