Naraka: Bladepoint is officially coming to consoles, and we have PS5 gameplay from the the melee-focused battle royale to show off.
With the game set to launch on PC on August 12, developer 24 Entertainment has confirmed that it is working on multiple console versions, which will be released “soon.” We still don’t have a more concrete release date, or a definitive list of which platforms will see the game.
We know for sure that PS5 will be on that list, however, and we got our first look at the game running on the new-gen machine, below:
Naraka: Bladepoint is a 60-player spin on the battle royale genre, which builds grappling hooks and a deep melee combat system into the mix. We called it “extremely promising”, and said that it feels “almost like a battle royale version of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” in our hands-on preview.
It’s proven very popular with early players, too – an April open beta hit over 120,000 concurrent players, and the in-depth character creator also led to some very entertaining results.
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Joe Skrebels is IGN’s Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].
Jupiter, the developer behind the Nintendo Switch puzzle series Picross S, has announced that its latest game Picross S: Genesis & Master System Editionwill launch to Switch via the Nintendo eShop on August 5.
Jupiter announced the release date for the new game (which will be named Picross S: Mega Drive & Mark III Edition in Europe) on its official website where it shared a few features of the new game. Picross S: Genesis & Master System Edition will feature various characters from 59 of Sega’s finest titles reimagined in Picross style.
Fans of the picture-based logic game will have access to 480 different puzzles spanning across four game modes upon release. 300 of those puzzles will be shared between Picross and Mega Picross, whilst an additional 150 puzzles have been added in Clip Picross and 30 puzzles for Color Picross. That’s a whole lot of Picross to kick back and relax to – or tear your hair out over depending on your outlook.
Across Picross S: Genesis & Master System Edition, players will find beloved characters from a selection of nostalgic classics including Puyo Puyo, Golden Axe, Space Harrier, Streets of Rage, Phantasy Star, and Sonic the Hedgehog as well as many more.
In addition, Jupiter has also confirmed that the game will feature its very own character editor. How exactly that will transpire in the game, however, we aren’t yet sure. Whilst Jupiter hasn’t elaborated on details surrounding the editor, it would certainly be very nifty to be able to create your own picross levels and share these amongst the community.
Picross S: Genesis & Master System Edition will be available for $9.99 / £8.99 / €9.99 / 1,000 yen / HK$79 respectively on the Nintendo eShop. If you’re currently playing Picross and are looking for some general strategies, why not check out our Picross Tips and Tricks wiki.
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Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends launched in May with a unique PvPvE model, but is now adding a more traditional PvE game mode for the first time. The new mode called “State Heist” sets teams of four players against a deadlier computer-controlled enemy than those they’ve faced before, with players encouraged to take a stealthy approach to this heist.
The new mode introduces new mechanics including limitations on respawning, with the emphasis on creating a game mode that rewards a cooperative and methodical approach. While the game’s regular mode sees two teams of four players facing off against each other, State Heist only requires one team of four to play.
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The new mode has launched with an in-game event that’ll award players with unique skins if they manage to complete a State Heist without dying. The Shadow Lords costumes will be unlocked for the character used to complete the challenge, with dedicated players able to unlock all the skins.
Hood: Outlaws & Legends has unfortunately seen a steep drop-off in player numbers since it launched in May, with Steam Charts showing an average concurrent player count of just 67 in the last 30 days. The developers are no doubt hoping the new game mode will bring more players to the game, along with the launch of Hood’s very first season Samhain, which is due out soon.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has announced that its 13th season is set to arrive on August 4 for PC, and August 12 for consoles. The new season includes updates for both the Taego and Sanhok maps, a new map rotation for matches, and a new ranked season.
The biggest upcoming update is for Taego, the 1980s South Korean map that was added in PUBG’s last big update. Taego launched with Comeback BR, an interesting second-chance system that seems inspired by Warzone’s Gulag. In the upcoming update, the map is getting another unique feature called the Secret Room, a randomly spawning area containing some of the best loot available in the game. To access the room, players will have to first find a key, however.
Sanhok is also getting an update, after receiving a full remaster just last year. The upcoming update will be pretty minor for Sanhok, adding some new geographical features to the Northwest Island that will provide cover for players on the shore.
A new ranked season is due to start on August 4 when the new update drops, with the season set to run for two months. The new map rotation for Season 13 includes Erangel, Miramar, Sanhok, Vikendi, and Karakin, with Paramo rotating out for the season.
You can check out the full patch notes for PUBG’s update 13.1 below:
TAEGO UPDATES
MULTI CARE PACKAGES
Increased the number of Care Packages
Standard Care Packages: One
Small Care Packages: 5 – 15
Multi-drop Care Package Contents
Ammo, healing items, throwables. Standard Care Package spawn items can also be found inside, with low probability.
SECRET ROOM
The Taego Secret Room can change the course of your match and help you win that chicken dinner. Top-tier gear, including items not found elsewhere on the Battlegrounds can be looted inside the secret room.
Hidden keys are scattered across Taego and can looted, then used to access the Taego Secret Room.
How to enter the Secret Room
After obtaining the key, you can open the secret room door and enter to loot items.
Available items
Self AED
Scopes
Low chance of Care Package items
Large number of healing items and throwables
EMERGENCY LANDING
The emergency landing plane moves faster than the standard starting plane, but the fall height varies greatly, resulting in a varied falling duration.
The farther you jump at the beginning of the flight, the farther you can travel. The later you jump off, the shorter you can travel, as the plane altitute decreases.
If you decide not to jump off the plane, you’ll take 50% damage at the end of its journey.
ITEM SPAWN CHANGES
Based on player feedback, we’re making the following Taego item spawn changes:
Spawn Rate Changes
Self AED: 37% increase
Stocks: 1% decrease
Stun Grenade: 14% decrease
Molotov Cocktail: 3% decrease
New Items Added
Emergency Pickup
C4
Spike Trap
SANHOK UPDATES
NORTHWEST ISLAND GEOGRAPHICAL IMPROVEMENTS
Added small cliffs and rocks to be used as cover on the south beach of the northwest island.
NORTHWEST ISLAND TEMPLE AT THE SUMMIT IMPROVEMENTS
Relocated the Temple.
Removed the buildings which did not have item spawns and replaced them with new buildings containing item spawns.
Removed cliffs and added cover.
Adjusted the angles of the rocks.
MATCHMAKING – MAP ROTATION
Paramo has been removed and Karakin has been added to Normal Matches
Maps available in Normal Matches:
Erangel
Miramar
Sanhok
Vikendi
Karakin
RANKED SEASON 13
HONOR BASED REWARDS
At the beginning of Season 13, all eligible players will be granted their Season 12 rewards, including nameplates/emblems available for the duration of the season.
Honor-based rewards from Season 12 will be removed from the inventory with the start of next season.
SEASON 12 RANKED MODE REWARDS
SEASON 12 EMBLEM & NAMEPLATES
Players who played at least 10 Ranked Matches will earn an emblem and nameplate matching their end-of-season rank.
Platinum Tier and above receive an Animated Ranked Emblem.
Master Tier will receive an Animated Nameplate.
Top 500 players are rewarded with a Unique Animated Emblem and Nameplate.
Honor-based emblems will now be shown on your PUBG ID and displayed to enemies when you successfully take them out. Emblems will also be visible in the Death Cam and to spectators.
SEASON 12 SKIN
Players Gold V and above will receive an exclusive Season 12 Ranked Parachute Skin.
UPCOMING RANKED SCHEDULES: SEASON 13
Season 12 Ranked Mode will end once servers go into maintenance on August 4th KST (PC) / August 12th KST (Console).
Season 13 Ranked Mode will begin when servers go live with the live server update next month.
CHANGES IN RANKED SEASON 13
Ranked Season 12
3,000 RP is the lower limit of demotion.
You can maintain Diamond Rank even if you don’t play Ranked for seven days or more.
Ranked Season 13
RP can now decay below 3,000.
100 RP will be detected per day for players Diamond tier or higher who do not play Ranked at least once a week.
100 RP deduction per day continues until the player plays a Ranked match. Decay also stops once RP drops below 3,000. This means the deduction stops when you reach Platinum I.
Diamond tier cannot be maintained by players who don’t participate in Ranked for 7 days or more in a row.
WEAPON BALANCE UPDATE
SRS
The ballistics of the following Sniper Rifles have been adjusted:
Kar98k(+Julie’s Kar98k)
Mosin-Nagant
M24
Increased muzzle velocity (+20-25m/s)
Slightly flatter bullet trajectory
Decreased drag
Increased damage coefficient at long range (0.9 → 0.95)
Some mechanics of the following Sniper Rifles have been adjusted:
Kar98k( +Julie’s Kar98k)
Mosin-Nagant
M24
Decreased bolt-action delay
Increased bolt-action speed
Faster transition to scoping after bolting.
Increased rate of fire
DMRS
The following balance changes have been applied to DMRs:
Increased bullet drop and reduced damage coefficient at long range for the Mini 14, QBU, SKS and SLR.
Decreased damage coefficient at long range for the Mk12.
ARS
QBZ
Increased damage (41 → 42)
Slightly reduced horizontal recoil
G36C
Slightly reduced horizontal recoil
LMGS
DP-28
Increased damage (51 → 52)
M249
Reduced horizontal recoil during extended sprays
SMGS
PP-19 Bizon
Increased damage (35 → 36)
WSUS UPDATES
NEW PROGRESSIVE WEAPON SKIN – BUZZKILL SLR
View upgrade features for each level of the Upgradable Weapon Skins, and upgrade them by consuming your materials.
Progressive Skin Rundown
Schematics and Polymer are required
Upgrading will unlock features with each level-up. More schematics and polymers are required to upgrade to the next level.
Buzzkill SLR progressive Skin level unlocks:
Lv.1: Basic Skin Cosmetic (Level 1 appearance)
Lv.2: 4 Muzzle & Stocks added
Lv.3: Uncommon Skin Cosmetic (Level 2 appearance)
Lv.4: Total Kills Battlestat
Lv.5: Inspect Weapon Animation
Lv.6: Killfeed Skin
Lv.7: Attachment Skin – 9 Scopes added
Lv.8: Rare Skin Cosmetic (Level 3 appearance)
Lv.9: Loot Crate Skin
Lv.10: Attachment Skin – 4 Magazines added
Upgrades cannot be reverted.
NEW CONTRABAND CRATE – BUZZKILL
G-Coin purchase options:
Open once: 200 G-Coin
Open ten times: 1,800 G-Coin
When unboxing, there is a chance of acquiring Weapon Skins and upgrade materials.
Upgradable Weapon Skins
Ordinary Weapon Skins: Special Grade or above (Special, Rare, Elite, Epic)
Schematics (Material Item)
Polymer (Material Item)
10 Contraband Coupons can be used to open a single crate. Multiple cases cannot be opened with coupons.
10 Scraps can be acquired from opening Contraband Crates using G-Coin. Scraps can be used to purchase items from the Scrap Shop.
NEW FEATURE: SPRAYS
Introducing the new Spray feature! You can spray on the ground, building walls during the match. Express your emotions through various sprays!
Sprays can be applied to most surfaces, excluding water, windows, vehicles, and players.
You can apply Sprays at close-range only and in most situations, including while moving or standing still.
Sprays cannot be used in the lobby.
Sprays can be equipped under Customize – Emotes & Sprays tab.
Each player can only have one spray displayed in the world at a time, with new sprays replacing previous ones.
UI/UX IMPROVEMENTS
MATCH RESULTS SCREEN IMPROVEMENT – IN-GAME
Introducing the new Winner Winner Chicken Dinner celebration to make those wins just that bit more special! Alongside this new end-of-match celebration, the results screen has also been improved.
The celebration begins for winners at match-end and can be canceled, with the match result screen displayed once the celebration is complete.
If your team wins but you have been killed during the match in Duos and Squads, you will be able to watch your teammates celebrate.
The celebration isn’t shown if players remain on the death screen, instead showing the match results immediately.
MATCH RESULTS PAGE IMPROVEMENT – LOBBY
Easily view solo or team match stats, including kills, assists and damage.
Supported in Normal and Ranked Matches.
Not supported in Custom, Arcade and Labs.
Ranked Match results page has been added.
KILL MESSAGE IMPROVEMENTS
Up to four actions can be displayed at a time, with different colors and effects to easily identify them.
DBNOs
Assists
Kills
Teamkills
Kills and Assist counts now have animated effects.
If multiple actions happen at once, up to four messages are displayed.
QOL IMPROVEMENT
QUICK MARKER
The Quick Marker distance has been increased, allowing the marker to be used in more situations.
Increased the distance from 300m to 1000m.
Now available in Solo Mode.
Vending Machine locations can be shared with your squad using Radio Messages.
WAYPOINT
Increased the number of maximum Waypoints from 4 to 6.
AUTO EQUIP ATTACHMENTS
Ensure either “Auto Equip Attachments with Interaction Key” or “Auto Equip Attachments from Inventory” options are enabled.
Acquired items must be an attachment which is compatible with an empty weapon attachment slot.
NOTIFICATIONS
Changed notification icon based on community feedback, to more easily identify each notification type.
STORE
Upon purchase, single purchase items are now marked as purchased and moved to the end of the store page.
Updated the message displayed with G-Coin purchases and removed the “Move” button.
Added quantity option to $99.99 G-Coin option (Maximum of five).
Spray items are available.
The “Emotes” tab name has changed to “Emotes & Sprays”.
PERFORMANCE
Improved backend prepass system logic to slightly improve performance.
REPLAY SYSTEM
The replay system has been updated. Replay files from previous updates are now unable to be used.
BUG FIXES
GAMEPLAY
Fixed an issue where specific flora could cause collision damage.
Fixed a flickering issue on the wooden windows of a particular Taego building.
Fixed an issue where the final Blue Zone wouldn’t function correctly in Custom Matches when setting the final Blue Zone location slider to 100%.
Fixed an issue where the MP5K reload animation was canceled when using a boost item.
Fixed some locations where items couldn’t be looted due to being obstructed by other objects.
Fixed a visual issue on Miramar where lines would appear on building walls when scoped.
UI
Fixed an issue where Steam and Discord Rich Presence wouldn’t display the correct status in Normal, Ranked, and Arcade Mode lobbies.
With many of its classic animated films already remade as live action, Disney is digging into its long list of beloved theme park attractions for its next batch of movies, and the Haunted Mansion is up next. Tiffany Haddish and Lakeith Stanfield are in talks to star in the film, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
If cast, Stanfield would play a widower who “once believed in the supernatural, but is now a rather lifeless tour guide in New Orleans’ French Quarter.” Haddish would play a psychic.
Haddish most recently appeared in Netflix’s Bad Trip along with Eric Andre, and is known for movies like Girls Trip and Like a Boss. Stanfield stars in FX’s Atlanta alongside Donald Glover, as well as Sorry to Bother You and Judas and the Black Messiah.
Justin Simien will direct Haunted Mansion for Disney, with a script from Katie Dippold. The movie is unrelated to the 2003 film starring Eddie Murphy, THR notes.
While Haunted Mansion isn’t set to start filming until this fall, Disney’s latest ride film, Jungle Cruise, hits theaters and Disney+ Premier Access this weekend. Ahead of the Jungle Cruise’s release, catch up on new changes to the ride itself, watch the latest trailers for the film, and read up on everything we know about it.
The first season of Stargirl hit the now-defunct DC Universe streaming service and surprised us with fun characters and a strong thread of family that went through both the heroes and villains’ storylines. For Stargirl Season 2, though, the show is delving into horror, creator and executive producer Geoff Johns said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.
“[Stargirl Season 2’s] first scene was purposely at the top and mysterious and both specific and vague at the same time because I wanted everyone to know there’s a tonal shift this season,” Johns said. “And so right away you get that tonal shift and it is scary and it is dark, but it was important to have that up front and then right away we go to like, summertime blues and the kids patrolling at night and there’s nothing going on … there’s a lot of humor and fun afterward. But it was important just to set the tone of the season right away, let you know that we’re going to get scary this season.
Johns compares one of Season 2’s villains, Eclipso, to horror icons like Pennywise or Freddy Krueger, calling him “more of a demonic force” than the much more human villains of Season 1, and points to movies like Lost Boys and Nightmare on Elm Street as inspirations for the season. Even though Stargirl and the other JSA members will feel Eclipso’s influence right from the beginning, though, Johns says we’ll have to wait to actually meet the character.
“As for Eclipso, when you’ll see him in the flesh, you’ll see him a little deeper into the season,” Johns said. “You will see Nick Tarabay in his horrifying makeup. We wanted to build to that moment so that when he finally does set foot in Blue Valley for real and you see him manifest, it felt deserved, it felt scary, and it felt like everything had changed. When people see that episode, hopefully, they’ll be both happy and scared when they watch it.”
While Stargirl began life on DC Universe and HBO Max, the show eventually aired on the CW, a network with many shows aimed at teenage and young adult viewers, and that’s allowing the show to tinker with the Arrowverse a little bit. John Wesley Shipp, who recurs on the CW’s Flash as Jay Garrick–the original Flash with the Mercury helmet–will guest star in episode 9 of Stargirl Season 2, a move which Johns said “opens up the door to opportunities for us to, eventually, interact with [Arrowverse] characters.”
It looks like Sonic the Hedgehog will be making his return to the Super Monkey Ball franchise in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania. In the latest trailer for the remaster, Sega reintroduced all of the characters in the game, showing off AiAi, GonGon, MeeMee, Baby, Doctor, and YanYan, along with a brief teaser for the iconic blue blur.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania is a remaster of Super Monkey Ball, Super Monkey Ball 2, and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe, so all of these characters returning isn’t new information. However, at the very end of the trailer, a gold ring is shown floating the way a banana normally would, and a ball with a blue blur inside flies across the screen.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania launches on October 5 for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC. The game will include over 300 stages as well as some fan-favorite mini-games.
For the Pokemon brand’s first foray into a new genre, Pokemon Unite gets a lot of things right. The game certainly feels like a MOBA a la League of Legends or Dota 2, just in a much easier to understand presentation for those who’ve never played one before. Matches are short, snappy affairs with plenty of action and strategy. Learning each of the five classes is fun and rewarding. Each skirmish within a match ups the ante, increasing tension and excitement until it boils over in the final stretch. It’s just a shame that the confusing in-game economy composed of multiple currencies and a loot box-style lottery system can sometimes get in the way of the game’s fun.
For those unaware, Pokemon Unite is a “multiplayer online battle arena game” or “MOBA.” Two teams of up to five players choose a Pokemon, then enter an arena where they defeat wild Pokemon in the environment to gather energy and experience. Experience levels up a Pokemon, increasing its stats and powering up its moves, while energy is used to score points and win the game. This is where Pokemon Unite separates itself from traditional MOBAs. Pokemon must take their stored energy to an opposing team’s goal and “dunk” it through the hoop to score points equal to how much energy the Pokemon held. The dunking sequence itself is wonderful, with the Pokemon slamming the energy down through the hoop with force and excitement that will put a smile on your face. Dunks aren’t the only scoring method though, as special wild Pokemon sometimes appear that give temporary buffs or extra points, but they are rare and sometimes one-time occurrences during a match. When time runs out–10 minutes in a standard match–whoever has the most points wins.
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This goal-scoring approach is different from established MOBA games–League of Legends, for example, requires that a team enter the enemy’s base and destroy the Nexus–but it’s a fantastic choice in action. Most of the wild Pokemon lining the arena aren’t difficult to defeat, so even novice players will be able to gather energy easily. Some goals can only have so many points scored on them before they break, meaning disabled goals force you to progress further into the opponent’s side of the arena to find a new one. It’s a fun spin on the core objective of a MOBA match, taking something like defeating towers in LoL in order to progress and making it unique. Also, since the goals don’t fight back like LoL towers do, new MOBA players won’t need to worry about extra threats when trying to score.
Pokemon Unite serves as a tremendous entry point into what may be a new genre for many players
Pokemon Unite does a great job of making each match feel exciting. As this is a team game, you’ll feel a quick bond with teammates who stick to their roles and support as needed, and you’ll feel embarrassed for the one player doing their own thing and getting crushed for it. Every mid-match skirmish where you and your teammates are meeting a group of opponents is tense and exciting, and emerging victorious is thrilling. That 10 minute timer feels like it breezes by due to how much fun each match can be.
The 20 Pokemon on the Pokemon Unite roster fall into one of five categories: Attacker, All-Rounder, Speedster, Defender, and Supporter. These categories describe how each one should be controlled, leaning into the genre’s strategic elements. Attackers are better suited for the frontlines, taking out enemies and scoring loads of points, while Defenders keep the team’s goals safe from attack, for example. It’s simple, it’s straightforward, and it’s exactly what a MOBA for genre newcomers should be. You’ll know exactly what style of match to play depending on the Pokemon you choose, which for a brand-new MOBA player is a huge comfort. That’s not to say things don’t change mid-match, but taking that uncertainty out of the character-select screen lowers the barrier of entry, which is better for everyone.
Team balance is a big factor in a MOBA player’s success, and the game does a good job of allowing players to balance their teams how they wish. Small hints on the character select screen will let the team know which roles are not yet filled, while chosen Pokemon are faded out to clearly show who’s still available. Experimentation is encouraged in Pokemon Unite matches, allowing you to tinker with team composition until finding what works for your group. This freedom makes the game even more fun, delivering a unique experience in every match.
Despite having different classes, all Pokemon are controlled with the same simple button scheme. As you gain experience, the Pokemon’s special attacks will power up, first changing to a new move and then adding an enhanced version. While that sounds like a lot, the game does a great job of making everything clear in real time. Pikachu, for example, starts with Thundershock as a special attack, but at a certain level it will change to either Electro Ball or Thunder with a single press of a button. You don’t have to sort through menus or take minutes to power up–one simple press and you have a new move. It’s yet another lowering of the entry barrier for new MOBA players, and it’s well appreciated.
That touches on the best part about Pokemon Unite; it serves as a tremendous entry point into what may be a new genre for many players. It’s easy to pick up and play, giving everyone a chance to learn what MOBAs are all about. That said, genre veterans may find the game a little too simplistic, lacking the deep gameplay and strategic elements of LoL or Dota 2. There are no minions running around to farm for experience, and every player must head into the wild area–or “jungle” in MOBA speak–in order to level up. Pokemon Unite feels more of a stepping stone to other MOBA games and not the other way around, meaning longtime MOBA fans might feel underwhelmed with what they find.
The speed of the matches coupled with the approachable mechanics makes grinding for higher levels easy without feeling repetitive. Grinding has its benefits, too, with Trainer Levels that give you access to new modes and rewards and an optional Battle Pass that gives even more reward drops. There are ways around grinding as well if you want to speed things up, but unfortunately that means you have to deal with microtransactions, the Achilles’ heel of Pokemon Unite. The game’s easy, streamlined processes in gameplay goes out the window when the game’s economy enters the discussion.
There are five different in-game currencies, four of which are earned by playing. Aeos Coins are the most prominent currency and are earned after every match (as well as given as rewards for daily events, Trainer Level up rewards, and more). Aeos Tickets purchase items and enhancers and are earned from events as well. There’s also Fashion and Holowear Tickets–used to obtain Trainer skins and Pokemon skins respectively–that only come from the loot box-esque random draw called the Energy Reward system. The lone premium currency are Aeos Gems, which are only available via real money and can be used to purchase some of the things the other free currencies can buy, like Unite Licenses to access playable Pokemon or boosts to Battle Points to gain levels faster.
Having five currencies is an unnecessarily confusing system. Granted, four of them are earned by playing the game, meaning that everything available can technically be earned by grinding out matches, but the rates at which some currencies are earned are unreasonably low. Take the Holowear Tickets for example, which are earned one of two ways: complete the 90-level Battle Pass and earn a Battle Pass Prize Box, or get a lucky break in the Energy Reward lottery system. A chance in the Energy Reward system is given every five matches, but even then the chance of pulling the Holowear Tickets is very low. Then again, should you be lucky enough to pull the Holowear Tickets, you’ll only get 10, and currently the cheapest Pokemon skin available via Holowear Tickets costs 18 tickets. The quickest way to increase your chances is to buy extra Energy Reward lottery chances in the Shops–and those are only available for premium Aeos Gems.
This paid currency would not be inherently bad if it were only used for cosmetic items such as those skins. As long as the game lets you earn the important things–Pokemon, battle items, etc.–by playing the game with no financial influence, the premium Aeos Gems would be a harmless addition to be ignored. Unfortunately, that’s simply not the case, as Gems can also be used to purchase Unite Licenses to unlock Pokemon and temporary boosts for Aeos Coins and Battle Pass Points, allowing you to more quickly unlock items that can be used in battle.
While buying a Unite License for a Pokemon just gives a player access to that Pokemon early–which isn’t a big deal outside of being able to use a Pokemon in battle sooner–it’s the items that are a key example of why this economy can feel unbalanced. In the Shops are two types of items: Held Items, which give your Pokemon permanent boosts in a match; and Battle Items, which are activated with a button press and give a quick temporary perk like healed damage or increased attack power. Pokemon can have up to three Held Items and one Battle Item assigned at a time. These items must be purchased in the stores before they can be equipped onto a Pokemon.
What’s not enjoyable is the game’s economy, a confusing mess of multiple currencies and systems
By pumping money into the game via the premium currency, either to boost Coin gain or using the Gems to purchase the items directly, a player can purchase and use these items faster than someone who’s not buying Gems. Items are also included in the Battle Pass, so buying Battle Pass Point boosts with real money will unlock those items faster as well. What’s more, these items can also be leveled up with Item Enhancers, yet another currency earned in-game that can be boosted with premium currency, increasing the disparity gap even further. All of this leads to a scenario where players who don’t want to spend money may find themselves itemless against a team of fully decked out opponents, putting the player that hasn’t purchased currency at an immediate disadvantage.
Don’t get me wrong: Pokemon Unite is an enjoyable game. The MOBA genre fits the Pokemon franchise very well, and as more Pokemon are introduced, the metagame will likely continue to evolve and may introduce more fun opportunities to strategize. Dropping into battle with new builds and trying new things is fun, as is taking a newly earned Pokemon into a battle and seeing what they can do. What’s not enjoyable is the game’s economy, a confusing mess of multiple currencies and systems designed to make paying for premium currency look like the easiest option to succeed. If microtransactions weren’t so incentivized we’d be looking at the next major Pokemon success story. Knowing that they are, however, player–and considering this is Pokemon, parent of player–beware.
During 343 Industries’ Halo Infinite tech preview livestream, the developer showed a snippet of gameplay running on the Xbox One. The gameplay shown was from a Slayer match, showing off the first-person shooter running on the last-generation hardware.
— Gaming Lab 🕹 (@GamingLabBR) July 28, 2021The gameplay takes place on Bazaar, one of the new multiplayer maps in Halo Infinite. The gameplay is running on the most recent build of Halo Infinite, which will be one used for the Tech Test this weekend.
The gameplay takes place on Bazaar, one of the new multiplayer maps in Halo Infinite. The gameplay is running on the most recent build of Halo Infinite, which will be one used for the tech test this weekend.
“Prior to this stream we were able to put together a little bit of gameplay capture and I’d like to give folks a glimpse at–this is gonna be a Halo Infinite multiplayer match, recorded I believe last week in the studio,” community director Brain Jarrard said. “Just to give people a sense of, this is the game of how it currently stands in this build, running on an Xbox One.”
“Right now we are getting a look at the Friend and Foe system that we’ve discussed in some of our blogs in the past,” Jarrard said. “This is moving away from forcing players into red and blue, allowing us to maintain that unique armor customization that has become a focal point for Halo Infinite.”
“I try and playtest on Xbox One as much as possible because it’s a really important thing for us to support and make sure it’s looking good,” live producer Sam Hanshaw said.
“It really is awesome that we are able to bring that audience forward with us. We know there are a large amount of Xbox One players out there, especially as frankly some people are still eager to acquire a new console,” Jarrad said.
Invites for this weekend’s technical preview have already been sent out, and the tech test will run from July 29 through August 1. The tech test will feature online multiplayer, as well as versions of the battle pass and cosmetic systems. It’s important to remember that this is a tech test and the versions of these systems in the test are not accurate representations of the final product, nor will any unlocks carry over.
343 Industries confirmed that Assassinations will not be in Halo Infinite at launch because of the inherent gameplay advantages it offers. 343 does say that the team is working on bringing Assassinations to Halo Infinite eventually in a way that makes sense for the sandbox.
During an hour-long Halo Infinite multiplayer preview ahead of this weekend’s test flight, senior mission designer Tom French was on hand to walk through some of Halo Infinite’s toolkit and confirmed that meleeing your opponent in the back won’t result in an assassination.
“[Assassinations] are not in for launch. We actually really love assassinations… but what happens at a lot of levels is people just turn them off because there’s a gameplay disadvantage to it.”
French says the team is taking “a step back” to figure out how assassinations will fit into Infinite’s gameplay loop. And that when they’re brought back they want assassinations to fit right into the sandbox in a way “that really just feels meaningful so that they’re always an accessible tool” but also a flourish moment.
343 says these are some of the considerations the team must make as it works to turn Halo Infinite’s multiplayer into a live service. Some elements must be iterated and will be introduced as the multiplayer grows and evolves.
343 confirmed that this weekend’s technical test is only one of several more to come, with future tests aiming to be much larger. So if you didn’t get in this weekend, you’ll still have opportunities to play before the proper launch.
IGN has a ton of videos and clips from today’s multiplayer preview so check them out on the site.
