They’re a common feature at most big gaming events: flashy, hype-building trailer reveals for games that are still years away from being released, most often featuring little to no actual gameplay. While these kinds of trailers often draw criticism from gamers for advertising a product that doesn’t exist, it turns out these reveals serve another purpose–as a recruitment tool to attract talented developers to the projects.
This titbit of industry information was tweeted by David Ellis, a developer on a game that faced this exact situation when it was announced three years ago–Halo Infinite. Rather than showing off actual gameplay, Halo Infinite was announced at E3 2018 with a video that Microsoft described as a “thrilling engine demo.”
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I wonder how many people realize early (often CG) game announcements are sometimes more about recruiting people to work on the game then promoting the game itself.
Last year we saw similar announcements for big Microsoft titles Fable 4 and the Perfect Dark reboot. As Microsoft’s gaming strategy increasingly pivots towards Xbox Game Pass over individual game sales, it’s unlikely that these early trailers are designed to push pre-sales, meaning it’s more likely to be part of a recruiting strategy.
Most recently, a new Wolverine game by Insomniac Games was announced with a tauntingly brief animated trailer, which was most likely the inspiration for Ellis’s enlightening tweet. A quote retweet from gaming PR specialist Jacqui Collins added that a CG trailer is a better announcement for a new game than having the details leaked through a recruiting push.
So next time you think a game is being announced way too early, remember that trailer may not actually be designed for you–but it’s done that way for a very good reason.
Nintendo Switch consoles have seen a price drop in the UK, and you can now secure a standard Nintendo Switch console for just £259.99 from Amazon. This comes a little under a month before the OLED Model launches on October 8, which will retail for £309.99 in the UK. If you’re not interested in the new OLED screen, but you still want to jump into the Switch ecosystem of games, this is a great deal.
Nintendo Switch OLED Model preorders are still in stock at Amazon. This is a fantastic opportunity to get hold of the console, especially since we believe it may get increasingly harder to get hold of one after release day. Our other favourite deal right now is definitely Audible, with the 3-months for 99p promotion, available until 10AM BST on September 15.
Audible: Get 3-Months for just 99p (Last Chance)
Nintendo Switch Now £259.99 at Amazon (was £299.99)
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Preorder The Lord of the Rings Illustrated Editions
Switch OLED Preorders Live at Amazon (Launching October 8th)
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Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Logitech is known to offer an assortment of well-designed gaming peripherals, with wireless keyboards, gamepads, and various headsets – like the Logitech G Pro X, which ended up on our Best Gaming Headset list – that are usually praised by players the world over.
That was the expectation when I got my hands on the wireless Logitech G435. This colorful headset seemed poised to be another solid pair of cans; a midrange device that, despite not having the most robust suite of features, was decent enough to warrant a strong recommendation. The Logitech G435 doesn’t quite hit that mark. But for the most part, it gets the job done.
Logitech G435 – Design and Features
The Logitech G435 sports a modest design. Modeled like the company’s other G series headsets, it offers some of the same features – like soft memory foam cups, a lightweight frame, and adjustable ear cups in place of an adjustable headband. It uses Logitech’s Lightspeed wireless technology, offering a low-latency connection using a USB dongle. There’s also the option to connect to mobile devices via Bluetooth (more on that later).
In the sound department, the G435 sports 40mm drivers. Dual beamforming mics, located on the left cup, replace the typical removable mic. It all works as intended; the drivers allow for solid highs and lows, while the interior mics do an admirable job of picking up the wearer’s voice in noisy environments. The G435’s external functions are limited to a power button, volume toggle, and mute button, all housed above a USB-C charging port on the left ear cup. There isn’t much in the way of adjusting one’s sound beyond using your PC or console settings.
For the most part, Logitech’s latest headset sounds familiar enough. Unfortunately, the G435 differs when it comes to durability. While I’m reluctant to use the word “cheap” to describe it, the headset felt extremely fragile during play. So much so that I’m afraid that an ear cup will snap off if it were to fall from a moderate height. That said, I put it to the test, and the headset held up through repeated drops from my desk to the floor. I’m still concerned about long term use though. Having the ear cups move up and down is worrying as well. While I’m not a fan of that design in general, the G435’s is made worse by how thin the bar is that connects them to the headband. I made sure to move it as gingerly as possible, lest I accidently crack some inner working and ruin the sliding mechanism.
Logitech G435 – Performance
Despite its fragile frame, I enjoyed most of my time with Logitech’s G435. The sound quality was good, with gunfire and explosions well represented. My friends could always hear me when gaming, though the twin mics did leak in a little background noise here and there. The absence of any surround sound options didn’t ruin most experiences; while I wasn’t always able to pinpoint the direction of an approaching Xenomorph in Aliens: Fireteam Elite, the game was still somewhat immersive sound-wise.
All of the G435’s buttons worked as intended. I liked how it emits an alert to let you know when you’ve muted/unmuted yourself. On one charge I got roughly 18hrs of play. And when it comes to the G435’s 10-meter wireless range, forget about it. I walked all around my house (two floors up and down) and never lost connection.
Like I said, my overall experience was good. There were a few hiccups to make mention of though. While the G435 quickly registers its USB dongle when plugged into a PC and PS4, I couldn’t get the Bluetooth function to work with my phone. At least, at first. There isn’t a dedicated button to toggle this feature on and off, and the QR code offered on the box housing the USB dongle and cables led only to a ”404 Page Not Found” message on Logitech’s website. I couldn’t get it working until a rep at Logitech explained that I could hold the Power and Mute buttons for 3 seconds to pair the headset to other devices (and that the QR code/website will be updated once the G435 launches).
The other hiccup centered on comfort. The G435’s foam ear cups are soft enough, but the adjustability of the cups falters. Because they only move so much, I had to keep readjusting them to relieve the pressure they placed on my ears. The cups would slide up ever so slightly over the course of a match or two and I’d have to fiddle with them before returning to play. Obviously, your mileage will vary here, but I imagine that the cups would have more room to move if the plastic bars were larger. They seem to stop at a point, where going any further would make them more susceptible to brakes, either from wear and tear or from sudden drops.
Logitech’s G435 will retail for $79.99, making it a budget to midrange headset. While it won’t compete with wired headsets in that price range, considering a lot of them come with more features and modes of connectivity (like the Turtle Beach Recon 500), the G435 presents a decent offering in the wireless department.
In Chapter 4, Life is Strange: True Colors begins accelerating towards its conclusion. This is a rollercoaster of a chapter, where many of your choices and decisions up to this moment begin to take effect. But there are more to make, especially if you want to get True Colors’ “good” ending. You need to end this chapter having made specific decisions in regards to Duckie, Eleanor, and Pike. You can lose their loyalty here if you’re not careful.
On a more positive note, Chapter 4 is where your efforts to romance Ryan or Steph can finally bear fruit. If you’ve been gunning for Alex to enter a relationship with one or the other, your hard work is about to pay off. You do have to make one more choice though, and it’s missable, so make sure you don’t forget about it. That and the rest of the important decisions you have to make are listed below.
More Life Is Strange: True Colors Guides
Chapter 4: “Flicker” Walkthrough
Duckie’s Sadness Puzzle [Missable]
At the festival, you can find Duckie off on his own. If you try to talk to him, he’ll be dismissive, but if you read his emotions, you’ll see that he’s sad and then get the option of picking out blue highlighted objects in the environment to learn why he’s sad.
You’re looking for a bear, a table, and a jukebox–all of which will tell you who Tabitha is and why Duckie is sad about her. Go back to Duckie and ask him to dance with you–he and Alex will then share a wonderfully wholesome moment together. You need to do this in order to get True Colors’ “good” ending.
Telling Riley About Eleanor [Missable]
Also at the festival, you can talk to Eleanor. If you read her emotions, you’ll see that she’s sad and learn that Riley is leaving Haven (assuming you followed our guide for Chapter 3 and chose to not tell Riley about Eleanor’s condition).
You can quickly leave the festival and go find Riley at the bridge leading out of town. She’s set to go off to college–this is one final moment to say goodbye, which you should take. This also presents another moment for you to tell her about Eleanor. Remember: Don’t do it. You need to prove to Eleanor that you’re a trustworthy person to get the game’s “good” ending and that means keeping her secret.
Giving A Rose To Someone [Missable]
Returning to the festival, you’ll see that there’s a lot of optional tasks you can complete. The one that you definitely don’t want to miss is giving a rose to someone. This basically locks you into the romance of your choice, so decide whether you want to give the rose to Steph or Ryan.
Personally, we recommend Steph (we think her romance with Alex is better) but we won’t judge you for going with Ryan. Once you’ve given your person of choice a rose, you can read their emotions to see how they took your confession. The person you chose will also ask to meet with you after the festival, which you should definitely do.
A Future With Steph [Missable]
You will only be able to get these choices if you chose to romance Steph. If you didn’t flirt with her and give her a rose, then this section doesn’t apply to you.
When you meet up with Steph, she’ll excitedly tell you that she’s leaving Haven to go on tour and that she wants you to go with her. She’ll ask if you want to go with her to Berlin, Salem, or the ocean. Your choice doesn’t matter–you’ll just get different dialogue depending on where you say you want to go.
After that, you’ll have the option to kiss or hug Steph. You’ve made it this far, kiss the girl.
A Future With Ryan [Missable]
You will only be able to get these choices if you chose to romance Ryan. If you didn’t flirt with him and give him a rose, then this section doesn’t apply to you.
When you meet up with Ryan, he’ll ask you to stay in Haven with him. With Steph leaving Haven, you could take over her duties at the record store, but Ryan also floats the possibility of you working at the Black Lantern full-time–basically taking over Gabe’s job. Your choice won’t impact the story beyond getting different dialogue.
After that, you’ll have the option to kiss or hug Ryan. You’ve made it this far, kiss the guy.
Signing Typhon’s Affidavit Or Taking Pike’s Fear [Mandatory]
You’re likely riding high going into Chapter 4, which fans of the Life is Strange franchise will tell you is basically a guarantee that something really, really bad is about to happen. And oh boy, does True Colors take a turn at the end of Chapter 4.
When confronted with the choice of signing Typhon’s affidavit–so you won’t be able to investigate the company any further–or taking away Pike’s fear so that he’ll help you investigate, you’ve got no great options. Option 1 means that Typhon gets away with it, but it ensures the company won’t hurt Ryan and Steph, and Option 2 means you gain an ally, but your current allies will remain in danger.
Go with Option 2 and take away Pike’s fear. It will make Alex feel that fear but more importantly it will ensure that Pike is brave enough to stand up for you later on in the story, ensuring you can get the “good” ending. And regardless of whether you’re feeling brave or fearful, you can’t stop what’s coming next anyway.
For the most part, Life is Strange: True Colors becomes a completely different game in Chapter 3: “Monster Or Mortal.” Though the first part and last part of the chapter are more of what you’ve already done, the majority of the chapter is spent on the LARP that Steph set up for Ethan, temporarily transforming True Colors into a turn-based RPG where you have to worry about health bars and status effects and whatnot.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t inconsequential choices, though. There aren’t as many as previous chapters, nor as many as in what is to come, but they are important all the same. Some will even lock you out of achieving the “good” ending. We’ve noted the relevant decisions you need to make below. As a final note: Chapter 3 is also where True Colors really starts hammering home on how Alex feels about music, herself, and Ryan and Steph. Be on the lookout for opportunities to dig into those areas.
More Life Is Strange: True Colors Guides
Chapter 3: “Monster Or Mortal” Walkthrough
Distracting Diane [Mandatory]
After Alex and Ryan clue Steph into Alex’s Empathy abilities and the trio decide to work together to stop Typhon, the group agrees that they’ll somehow need to gather evidence from Diane. To that end, Ryan and Steph come up with a wonderfully stupid, yet hilarious plan: One of the two of them will flirt with Diane to distract her and then Alex can take the opportunity to steal evidence of Typhon’s wrongdoings from Diane’s bag. You have to decide who should distract Diane.
Either choice in this scenario works out for you. The major influence of this choice ties more into whichever romance you want to pursue (if you want to pursue one at all). You’re not really picking who you think would be better to distract Diane, you’re picking who you think is more attractive and thus more distracting for Diane. So if you want to romance Steph, pick her; if you want to romance Ryan, say that he should be the distraction.
Influencing Diane’s Emotions [Mandatory]
When confronting Diane, you’ll have to invoke the grief she feels over Gabe’s death, either by appealing to her sadness or stoking her anger. Neither choice has an impactful effect on the ending of True Colors, though appealing to her sadness will seemingly rattle her a little bit more and she’ll seem genuinely guilty about what she’s done for most of the rest of the game.
Telling Riley About Eleanor [Missable]
During the LARP, you can stop into the flower shop to talk to Riley and check in on what’s going on with her attempts to hack the USB drive you got from Diane. Though Eleanor doesn’t want you to tell Riley about her condition, you can choose to tell her anyway.
Do not tell Riley about Eleanor if you want the “good” ending of True Colors. Doing so will prove to Eleanor that you’re not a trustworthy person, and you need her trust to get the “good” ending. That said, going this route will ensure that Eleanor remains alone as Riley will go off to college, so prep some tissues.
Charlotte’s Anger [Mandatory]
Alright, now we’re getting to the heavy hitting stuff. For the most part, everything you’ve done leading up to Chapter 3 has been fairly inconsequential, but Chapter 3 kicks off a series of choices that will have large impacts on what type of ending you get for Alex (like telling Riley about Eleanor). One of the biggest divergences occurs at the very end of Chapter 3, where you have to decide whether to take Charlotte’s anger away or let her keep it.
On the surface, this seems like a no-brainer. Charlotte’s anger stems from the grief over Gabe’s death, her disappointment in Ethan for having a part in Gabe’s death, and her self-hatred at herself for blaming her son for the death of her boyfriend. She’s contemplating suicide, so why not take that anger away?
The answer, as Alex puts it, is that doing so will fill Alex up with that rage instead. But there’s a greater question at play here: As destructive as this rage is, isn’t the act of feeling it just as important and valid as coping with it? Anger can be destructive, but it’s an important part of healing too.
In this particular instance, taking away Charlotte’s anger is the wrong way to go. It will make Alex so angry that she’ll push away her allies, Ryan and Steph. More importantly, it will prevent Charlotte from fully grieving and achieving a healthy emotional equilibrium–removing her anger will transform her into a husk of a person. She will no longer aid you in your attempts to take down Typhon, locking you out of the “good” ending.
The final mind you enter in Psychonauts 2 will take you to Fatherland Foibles, a theme park ride that gives you a different look at the events you’ve been hearing about in Grulovia throughout the game. While this is your last brain location, there are still collectibles you can grab to squeeze out those last few Intern ranks to upgrade your powers for the game’s finale. Here’s where you can find everything secreted away in your theme park ride through Grulovian history.
Emotional Baggage: Duffel Bag, Suitcase, Hat Box, Steamer Trunk, Purse
Half-a-Mind: 2
Figments: 98
You’ll make your way through several different segments of Fatherland Follies, and it advances like a theme park ride, so make sure you grab everything you can from each section before opening the door in each one that lets you move on. You won’t be able to backtrack through the level unless you re-enter it through the Brain Tumbler.
Duffle Bag Tag: Right after the ride stops for the first time, hop out of the cart and look behind the scenery with the Grulovians waving and singing. You’ll see a round tower turret with a door in the back. Open it and you’ll pass through a portal, emerging in another room where the Duffle Bag Tag is located. You can also break the gramophone you find here to stop that infernal song. (There are two more gramophones to find, and destroying all three will net you an Achievement.)
Duffle Bag Emotional Baggage: The Duffle Bag is also in this first section of the ride. Head up to the balcony scene where the Gzar’s family is fleeing wearing their ridiculous crowns. Head toward the back of the room and check to one side, near the curtains, to find the Duffle Bag hidden beside a drop in the floor.
Hat Box Tag: Look for the scene of Gzar’s family waiving in the first area of the ride. Get behind the props and you’ll find that you can climb up using some trampolines. That’ll take you up to an alcove that hides the Hatbox Tag.
Memory Vault: You should also find a big statue of Ford and Maligula in this section. Near Maligula’s feet, look for a train track and follow it through a door behind her statue to reach the Memory Vault.
Hat Box Emotional Baggage: In this same room near the Maligula statue, look for a spot where you can wall-jump upward to reach a higher platform with the Hat Box.
Half-a-Mind: Look for a water wheel at one end of this scene, near where you first entered. Jump over to the platform beside it to find the Half-a-Mind.
Nugget of Wisdom: Move on to the second part of the ride. When you come to the next locked door, you’ll find a treasure room on your right filled with Faberge eggs. On the right side of the room, among the eggs, is the Nugget of Wisdom.
Purse Tag: The main puzzle of this area is hidden in the scene where the family flees in exile through various locations. Avoid solving the puzzle until you’re done finding the collectibles. First, set the background to the wintery scene and move the props and family around so that you can climb up into it to locate the Purse Tag behind the igloo wall.
Half-a-Mind: At this same scene, set up the desert background with a cactus and the family in the center to make yourself another path to climb into the background. When you get there, you’ll find the Half-a-Mind waiting.
Purse Emotional Baggage: Check to the left of the bed in the scene where the Gzar is dying to find the Purse.
Suitcase Tag: This section of the ride also have a small graveyard. Check behind the tombstones to snag the Suitcase Tag.
Nugget of Wisdom: Back at the exile scene, you can advance through the puzzle if you set it to the ocean background and climb through the hole there. That’ll take you into a representation of the Lady Lucktopus room you visited way back near the start of the game. As in the real-world version of the room, look for a poster on the wall you can burn down with Pyrokinesis to reveal a hidden area; follow it to the end to find the Nugget.
Memory Vault: The third section of the ride takes you back to the Whispering Rock camp. You can punch your way through some of the blocks to get into the cabins you find here. Inside one of them, you’ll find the Memory Vault.
Nugget of Wisdom: Enter the other cabin to find your Nugget of Wisdom.
Steamer Trunk Tag: After you leave Whispering Rock, you’ll get into a disjointed area that’s behind the scenes of the ride. Continue on until you hit an area with a lot of Mental Connections, and you’ll run into a memory scene with Dr. Lobato. Look for some Dark Thoughts that will connect you to a platform with the Steamer Trunk Tag.
Steamer Trunk: The same path that led you to the Steamer Trunk Tag and Dr. Loboto can also take you to the trunk itself. Use the Mental Connections and dodge the fans, looking for an offshoot path to one side with more Connections. Follow it to the end to find the Steamer Trunk.
Suitcase: You can’t grab the Suitcase on your first pass through this level, so get ready to use the Brain Tumbler to come back. It’s located on one of the shelves in the gift shop at the end; you’ll likely see it during the cutscene, so make a mental note.
The Batman is scheduled for a March 2022 release date, but Warner Bros. is already excited enough about the film that it’s begun looking at spin-off series. A series centered on the Penguin, as portrayed in The Batman by Colin Ferrell, is in development at HBO Max, Variety reports.
This project is in very early development according to Variety’s sources; Farrell himself has been approached to star, but hasn’t signed anything just yet. Laura LeFranc (Agends of S.H.I.E.L.D., Impulse, Chuck) is attached to write the script for the show. The Batman director Matt Reeves and producer Dylan Clark have been tapped as executive producers.
The show would reportedly go into Penguin’s rise to power in Gotham. Introduced in 1941, Penguin AKA Oswald Cobblepot was first cast an an extremely on-the-nose villain who got his name for his short stature and strange facial features. However, over the years he grew into a villain that was a central part Gotham’s underground and a major player in organized crime. Penguin has owned casinos and lounges, and even become Gotham’s mayor for given amounts of time. Iconic portrayals include those in Batman Returns (Danny Devito) and Batman: The Animated Series (voiced by music legend Paul Williams).
There aren’t yet any other details on the show, including how long it would run or when it would hit HBO Max. The Batman is set to hit theaters on March 4, 2022 after multiple COVID-related delays. This is the second spinoff for the movie–a show focused on the Gotham Police Department as depicted in The Batman is already in development, announced in July 2020. Warner Bros. has been enthusiastic about pursing spinoffs for its movies–the recently-released Suicide Squad movie is getting a Peacemaker spinoff starring John Cena early next year.
Ted Lasso is doing well for Apple TV+, and the streaming service is rewarding the team responsible with a round of pay bumps, including a cool million dollars per episode for star Jason Sudeikis, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
According to sources, Sudeikis has closed a deal that will net him $1 million per episode for Ted Lasso Season 3, up from a reported $250,000 to $300,000 per episode for the first two seasons. Other cast members scored raises as well, including Brendan Hunt, Brett Goldstein, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, who have been boosted from $50,000 to $75,000 per episode up to $125,000 to $150,000.
Writers, too, are seeing pay bumps, thanks in part to the show’s impressive 20 Emmy nominations. Aforementioned actors Hunt and Goldstein are in this group as well, having written and produced episodes of the show. The writers were meant to begin work on Season 3 in August, but the negotiations pushed the start date out to September 13, according to THR’s sources. Production is set to begin in January 2022.
Call of Duty Vanguard sees Call of Duty returning to its roots… once again. It does that a lot. The first multiplayer beta opened up this weekend for anyone who preordered on PlayStation, and I spent a fair number of hours getting my feet wet ahead of its November 5 release date. If you, like me, have been playing the last several iterations of CoD, you will probably feel a sense of familiarity with Vanguard’s multiplayer. Actually, let me rephrase that: you might feel like this is last year’s Call of Duty MP with a WW2 skin. The only thing keeping me playing Vanguard instead of going back to Black Ops Cold War are a few interesting new modes.
Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, and Domination are back, as you’d expect. However, Hardpoint, a mode I never really liked, has been changed to a new Patrol mode, which I definitely like. Rather than capture and hold static points, Patrol has you protecting a small circle of territory that moves along the map (hence the “Patrol” moniker). When a team of internet randos comes together to cover and capture this moving target, it’s really fun. It’s far and away my favorite addition to this year’s multiplayer, as it encourages both active and passive team coverage and discourages camping.
Well, long-term camping at least. Since the contested area is constantly moving, it’s in the best interest of long-range shooters to post up in a sniper nest for just a few minutes. The area moves from wide-open spaces, to inside buildings, and back out again. It’s great, actually. It requires using all your shooting skills: close-quarters, mid-range, and long-range, all within the course of a few minutes.
It’s tough to tell who’s on which side.
In all modes, close-quarters combat is where I’m finding the most frustration with Vanguard’s multiplayer because it’s tough to tell who’s on which side. Last year’s Cold War pitted NATO forces against Warsaw Pact forces, whereas this year (at least in the beta) both teams are made up of the same Allied characters. More than once, particularly in the Hotel Royal map, I didn’t know who was who. If you’re melee-close to someone, the indicator over their head just can’t be seen, and even at a distance the muted red indicator often disappears into the muddy ochre and brown tones of the map. Thankfully, friendly fire is not a concern here (there’s no Hardcore mode in the beta) because there are split-second moments where I’ve made the wrong call. Also, plenty where I’ve hesitated when I shouldn’t have and got smoked.
I understand in 2021 no one wants to play as the Axis powers, but some sort of distinguishing feature between the two teams other than a small dot with their name in red would go a long way. I like being able to tell when I’m being approached by an enemy player by their character model rather than their Activision gamer name, and I don’t want to have to git-gud at increasing my speed glancing up at the words floating above their head.
Champion Hill is a cool twist on the battle royale formula.
One mode where this isn’t a problem is the new Champion Hill mode, a cool twist on the battle royale formula where instead of fighting to be the last team in an all-out war, you’re instead running around in what’s basically a glorified paintball battlefield. The premise is simple: you join a two- or three-person team, get dropped into an arena, and work to eliminate the other teams. There are 10 teams in all, each randomly battling one another 2v2 or 3v3, until only one team remains. During the matches you earn money you can use during breaks in the competition to buy upgrades like weapons, perks, and buffs, or spend during the match to upgrade your weapon. It’s fun, but matchmaking took a long time no matter what I tried. I’m not sure if that’s due to lack of interest or because it’s still in beta, so I can’t really fault it for that unless it persists in the final game.
Speaking of maps, the three that’re available in the beta are… just okay. Of the three, Gavutu, a rain-soaked South Pacific location, is probably my favorite because it has most of the features I like in a mid-sized MP map: a corridor up the middle, a wide-open space on one side, and a more clustered group of obstacles and buildings on the other. It still doesn’t quite feel right because in spite of the wide-open nature of the seaside of the map, it still feels a touch too small for the features it uses and during the course of the beta I never really got a feel for the “flow” of it. Hotel Royal, a small map with lots of CQC, is my least favorite of the bunch (in part due to the aforementioned friend-or-foe issues), while the Stalingrad-based Red Star gives me no strong feelings one way or another. I did appreciate how much Red Star reminded me of Call of Duty 2 from way back in the day, but other than that nothing really stood out to me about it. My opinion on the maps may change as I get more familiar with them, and week 2 will also open up The Eagle’s Nest, a map based on Hitler’s mountain stronghold (where it will be even weirder to not be fighting people dressed as Nazis).
Of the three maps, Gavutu, a rain-soaked South Pacific location, is probably my favorite.
Rank and loadout progressions have returned and appear to be exactly the same as they were last year, which was, in turn, very similar to how they felt in 2019’s Modern Warfare. You create your loadout with primary and secondary weapons, lethal and non-lethal weapons like grenades and Molotov cocktails, three perks, and your killstreak bonuses. Using a weapon during a match unlocks upgrades like optics, magazines, and different barrels, among others. Gaining rank with your Activision account opens up more weapons and modifications and… yeah, it’s pretty much exactly the same thing as last year, so it’s difficult to get excited about. One thing missing from the beta are unlockable skins, which add nothing to the gameplay itself but always push me to grind at least a couple of my favorite weapons to their highest levels. Hopefully those come back for the final game.
I did notice some weird ranking issues in both my profile XP and my weapon XP. Sometimes, for several matches, I’d accrue no XP whatsoever, in spite of all my efforts. Then, without warning, it would “catch up” and all the experience from the last 20 matches would suddenly appear at once. All the unlocks would come in a huge, delayed wave, which meant I wouldn’t be able to apply any upgrades to my weapons, or use new weapons, for extended periods of time. It meant missing out on the satisfaction of progression level to level, which is hopefully something they iron out before release.
The weapons feel modern and not World War 2-era at all.
The weapons also feel pretty much the same as well, which is to say that they feel modern and not World War 2-era at all. I understand the reflective sight actually predates World War 2 by a lot so it’s not technically historically inaccurate, but it still feels very odd to have them on small arms. The kill streaks, like the Recon Plane and Glide Bomb, are just the Spy Plane and Cruise Missile streaks from last year (and those were just versions of the UAV and Cruise Missile streaks from the year before). I appreciate the feeling of familiarity from year to year, but part of me hoped for new, more novel killstreaks to feel more era-appropriate instead of just relabeling them.
Additionally, skill-based matchmaking returns to Call of Duty in Vanguard and you’re probably not going to like it if you’re an old salt. Playing on PS5, which I’m admittedly not great at, I appreciated it. I usually play on PC and have a hard time adjusting from the joy of mouse and keyboard to controller-based play. For less competitive players like me, who just use CoD as an excuse to play online with friends for dozens of hours each fall, SBMM is a great way to ensure you win some and you lose some. But because you always play people of the same relative skill, there’s no way to know where you stand in the great player database in the sky. There’s also no way to shut it off, so it looks like a VPN remains your only option to skirt the algorithm if you’d rather not be matched with the same caliber of player.
In short, I enjoyed myself during my weekend with Vanguard – especially in Patrol mode matches – but not as much as I’d hoped I would. It’s hard to know if it’s the so-so maps, playing with a controller instead of my preferred mouse and keyboard, or because it just feels so much like Black Ops Cold War with a WW2-era skin on it. It’s still fun and I know I’ll put in many hours when the final game comes out, as I do at the start of every Call of Duty cycle, but there’s nothing really new here to get me excited about it. Hopefully my opinion will change as multiplayer evolves before its November launch, but if I had to score it right now I’d probably give Call of Duty Vanguard MP a 6. Remember, this is a beta and that score is in no way final, so be sure to check back around launch.
