biteho.com

We’re certainly not short on new game releases this week, and the reviews for many of these games are already beginning to roll on in. One, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, is seeing a bit of an indecisive divide, with some outlets praising the survival game while others haven’t been as positive.

In Ancestors, you take control of a clan of apes in 10 million BC Africa and you must try and survive long enough for your lineage to endure until 2 million BC. You do this by eating, drinking, sleeping, reproducing, making mistakes, experimenting, and learning long enough until you can evolve and pass what you’ve acquired onto the next generation. The process is slow and dangerous, with both physical ailments and hungry predators repeatedly getting in your way.

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey launches for PC via the Epic Games Store on August 26. The game is also scheduled to release for Xbox One and PS4 in December. Below, we’ve compiled a list of some of the reviews that have already gone live for Ancestors, including our own. For a wider look at Ancestors’ critical reception, visit GameSpot’s sister site Metacritic.

• Game: Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey
• Developer: Panache Digital Games
• Platform: PC, Xbox One, PS4
• Release Date: August 27 (December on consoles)
• Price: $40 USD

GameSpot — 4/10

“Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey lingers for far too long on its most toilsome aspects. The game does reward initial experimentation, but then asks you to repeat processes over and over again without any means of securing your legacy. It’s an absolute grind to reach the closest that Ancestors has to an endgame goal–survive for eight million years–and one costly mistake, whether the game’s or your own, can erase everything you’ve accomplished. What small satisfaction the game does provide is consistently ruined by violent predators, though the threat does lessen once you make it far enough into the neurological network’s expansive skill and perk tree. But as it stands, investing in Ancestors’ journey demands too much effort for too little reward.” — Jordan Ramée [Full review]

PC Gamer — 5.8/10

“Alas, the lineage of the Chunky Monkeys were wiped out about million years later after losing a few fights and running out of fertile females, and my next two clans didn’t fare much better. Starting Ancestors over again from the beginning is a major drag, having to re-discover every leaf and plant I’ve already long since grown tired of gathering, sniffing, and tasting—not to mention repeating all those endless, ulterior backrubs. I haven’t completed Ancestors yet, but I’ve definitely had enough of it.” — Christopher Livingston [Full review]

Rock, Paper, Shotgun — No Score

“I wrote most of this review, then felt maybe I was being too harsh. So I took a break and went back. I wanted to enjoy it. This time I’d play slower, explore a bit, find new foods, new tools and places. For a while I did that, and thought: maybe this is just a game that rewards people with more patience. But it was not long before I was being devoured by a forest lion because of the crap dodge mechanic. That ape was the last primateperson of my lineage, and although I could continue by going back to the main menu and trying again from a checkpoint, I decided to let the future human race die out. In many ways, it was a relief to be so thoroughly digested. Thank you, big cat. You can keep this jungle, I don’t want it.” — Brendan Caldwell [Full review]

Polygon — No Score

“Trying to break down Ancestors’ many systems would be a mighty task for a review, and to be honest, I don’t understand enough of them to try, even with about 10 hours’ worth of play under my belt. The strongest motivation I found to try new things was boredom — and I mean that in a flattering way. I could stay near my clan, and eat and drink and sleep as a contented hominid for as long as I’d like, but why would you play any kind of game if you didn’t want to go on an adventure?” — Ben Kuchera [Full review]

VG247 — No Score

“Ancestors feels wilfully stubborn. Even after developing my memory neurons, form recognition and sense of smell, my avatar was still forgetting what a dead branch looked like every 50 feet, or the sound of a hissing snake. It doesn’t really feel like it’s about evolution at all, as each generation only remembers the skills you’ve reinforced and will forget the rest, which means you need to repeat the same actions for millions of in-game years. There is a direction of sorts – expand and evolve – but the lack of colour, repetitive noises and actions all blend into one. It’s initially interesting, but its bundle of ideas and systems stumble between clever and stupid, intuitive and clunky. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey needs more time to evolve.” — Lauren Aitken [Full review]

IGN — 7/10

“Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey’s greatest challenge is working out – or simply Googling – how its basic survival, crafting, and combat mechanics work. Once you understand them they become mostly trivial, and the main appeal becomes appreciating the exploration of the huge and lush prehistoric African map. Evolving your tribe’s abilities feels artificially drawn out, but it’s hard not to develop a soft spot for these disposable apes because of their authentic animations.” — Dan Stapleton [Full review]

Overwatch may be coming to Nintendo Switch. There’s been no confirmation, but a leak via Amazon could suggest an announcement of a Switch port might be coming soon.

Reset Era user Lady Bow discovered an Amazon listing for an Overwatch-themed Switch protection case. The listing has since been pulled, so we’ve reached out to the supposed creators of the case, PowerA, and Overwatch developer Blizzard, to determine its authenticity.

Alone, this might be very little. But in an interview with GameSpot last year, Blizzard senior producer Pete Stilwell said that the studio used the process of porting Diablo III to Switch as an opportunity to familiarize itself with the capabilities of Nintendo’s current hardware. At the time, Stilwell was adamant that Blizzard came away from the experience deciding to only work on a Switch port for Diablo III. However, he did go on to say that a Switch port for Overwatch is “feasible,” unlike StarCraft II.

An Overwatch-themed Switch case might be made without a port–especially since Amazon has a history of leaking products by listing tie-ins early–but it’s also totally possible. The leak could also just be fake, so take our speculation with a grain of salt. However, these clues do seem to at least suggest it’s possible Blizzard might be getting ready to announce a new Overwatch Switch port at BlizzCon 2019. The next most opportune venue for a big announcement such as this would be BlizzCon 2019, which is scheduled to begin on November 1. That’s just close enough that Blizzard may have already reached out to third-party vendors like PowerA to begin production on a Switch case to go with the new port.

Or maybe Nintendo will just announce that Tracer is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Who knows?

Overwatch is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC. In GameSpot’s Overwatch review, Mike Mahardy wrote, “Overwatch encourages a more tangible sort of progression: that of filling a critical role on your team and understanding its intricacies the more you play, adapt, and grow. There is a genuine learning process here. There is real value to the time you spend understanding these overlapping systems. It’s that intoxicating path of discovery that makes Overwatch so varied, so rewarding, and ultimately another seminal release from developer Blizzard. Overwatch is an intelligent cascade of disparate ideas, supporting one another, pouring into one another, and coiling around themselves as they flow into the brilliant shooter underneath.”

Life Is Strange 2‘s most compelling moments revolve around the unconditional love between Sean and Daniel Diaz. The road from Seattle to Puerto Lobos has been a long one, but watching the brothers adapt and ultimately thrive together regardless of their circumstances is a satisfying constant within the series so far. Enter Episode 4, where Sean finds himself alone in a hospital bed just a day away from being sent to a juvenile detention facility for something he didn’t do. While the central plot stumbles with some overwrought villains and an uninspiring environment to explore, Sean’s genuine characterization and relationships with nuanced characters continue to elevate the narrative. His singular drive to find and rescue his brother propels him, and you, forward in the chaotic penultimate episode of Life Is Strange 2.

Reality comes crashing down right out the gate in stark contrast to last episode’s trundling pace. The ramifications of the brothers’ fatal encounter with a Seattle police officer have caught up with them, but the more pressing issue is Daniel’s absence. This is as much a problem for Sean as it is for the dynamicity of the plot. With Daniel taking a backseat, his character development takes a hit, and the episode’s interactivity suffers from your inability to use his powers. Additionally, there’s less general decision-making, and there are only rare occasions where problem-solving is required, which is a shame for the puzzling-inclined.

As expected, Episode 4 pulls on the heartstrings just as much as its predecessors. One encounter features Sean facing off against an angry racist landowner, demanding to know why Sean is parked on his property. What transpires is unsettling and heartbreaking. Sean once again has to choose between his safety and his self-respect, and either decision will result in him screaming as he speeds away with tears streaming down his face. It’s a heart-wrenching moment, made all the more painful by the consistently stellar voice acting of Gonzalo Martin.

This event is followed by one where you must make a choice: trust a truck driver to give you a ride or continue Sean’s painful trek on foot. The choice is inevitably informed by Sean’s fractured trust in people, which you find yourself sharing as a result of his immensely sympathetic character. Life Is Strange 2 continues its theme of the best and worst of humanity living side by side. The grander implications of racism, politics, and what’s to be done about either aren’t questions the game attempts to answer (nor should it)–but seeing the impact on someone trapped in a hostile and divided world continues to be an illuminating and empathy-inducing experience.

While these plot moments are strong, the central storyline revolves around an evangelical cult that Daniel has become caught up in. The figures who head up the church–a manipulative, science-averse Reverend and her brainwashed muscle–are irritating and two-dimensional. The cult plotpoint feels oddly out of place from the road trip you’ve been taking so far, and it’s over almost as soon as it begins. Aside from serving as the impetus for some great character-building moments for Sean, it feels like a pitstop we didn’t need to take, bringing the narrative progress to an unnecessary halt.

The episode shines brightest in its well-written interactions between fascinating characters. These explore themes of independence, family, religion, and fear with the deft touch we’ve come to expect from the series so far. While many lack context, these interactions are delivered beautifully, and what they inform about the central characters is worth the bizarre circumstances that brought them about. One hugely important character drops into the story suddenly and without any kind of foreshadowing, for example. They kick off an important emotional turning point for Sean, but it’s borne out of such an absurd situation that the moment doesn’t carry as much weight as it would have under more sensible circumstances. The result is a series of truly engrossing conversations without the interlocking threads to weave them seamlessly into an equally engrossing larger narrative.

Unlike from the villains, the new characters and their backstories are compelling and authentic. This is also because the impact of choice takes a backseat–there is only one major moment this episode that will change as a result of your decisions in the story so far. This is equally delightful and frustrating. While only be able to make choices within the framework of how Sean would act can be disappointing, it ultimately allows the characters and their personalities to shine more, and that makes for a better story overall.

Life Is Strange 2 illustrates how self-interest can trump family values, good people make bad choices, and no matter how you feel about someone, you can’t control the person they are doomed or destined to be as a result of their choices. That goes not just for people around Sean, but Sean himself. It’s a palpable and universal message that Life Is Strange 2 continues to convincingly deliver on a mechanical and thematic level.

The supernatural collides with reality under the guise of radical religion in a way that feels too cliche, but spending more time with Sean and his confidants remains a delight. Whether you’re heading into the final episode in much the same place you were at the beginning–or under the chilling implications of a certain late game choice–watching Daniel wrap his arms around Sean in either circumstance exemplifies what makes the series work so well. Your Sean can be kind or standoffish, thieving or righteous, but your actions don’t change the love and adoration between the Diaz brothers–and that love is still the heart and soul of Life Is Strange 2.

World of Warcraft Classic is out now, and the release is proving to be wildly popular. It’s so popular that players are facing lengthy server queues to simply get into the game. Those who do manage to get in are finding other lines to wait in. Social media reports show that players are waiting in literal queues in-game to complete quests.

The images coming out of vanilla WoW are pretty striking. We’ve rounded up a few of the posts we’ve spotted on Twitter, and you can see them at the bottom of this post.

Waiting in line in the starting zones might sound annoying, but some people seem to be taking it all in stride. “All these people waiting patiently in the queue to kill the boss in #WowClassic – this is the politest thing I’ve ever seen in gaming, ever,” wrote Twitter user @Farore13.

The lengthy lines appear to be affecting multiple WoW Classic servers, so there appears to be no escaping the wait. However, your mileage will undoubtedly vary, and wait times will surely decrease with time and as players spread out into Azeroth. After all, WoW Classic was only just released hours ago, so a max influx of players into small areas is to be expected.

A dramatic video posted on Reddit shows off what it looks like when hundreds of players spawn in at the same time. It’s pretty incredible to see.

It’s not a completely new thing for players of online games to wait in literal in-game lines. You may recall that the on launch day for the original The Division, people waited in line to use a laptop.

WoW Classic, as its name suggests, is a re-release of the original MMO from 2004 with some functionality changes. It’s free for existing subscribers of WoW. For more, check out GameSpot’s rundown of everything you need to know about WoW Classic.

You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

This video has an invalid file format.

Sorry, but you can’t access this content!

World of Warcraft’s Classic edition is out now, and it’s helping World of Warcraft in general have a massive day on popular game-streaming site Twitch.

World of Warcraft is far and away the most popular game on Twitch today, August 26, and the release of WoW Classic undoubtedly played a major role in that. The game topped 1 million viewers on Twitch today, which is multiple times bigger than all other games.

Twitch’s public stats show that right now, at 10 PM ET, World of Warcraft has 593,000 viewers, which is well ahead of the No. 2 game, Fortnite, which has 120,000 viewers. It’s not surprising that the launch of a much-anticipated game would lead to a huge surge in viewers, and it will be interesting to see if World of Warcraft can continue to stay popular in the days and weeks ahead.

On Mixer, it’s a different story. Fortnite remains the most popular game by viewers, behind the Music category and Fortnite.

The downside to WoW Classic’s popularity is that players are facing lengthy server queues, even though Blizzard added an additional four servers ahead of launch.

WoW Classic, as its name suggests, is a re-release of the original MMO from 2004 with some functionality changes. It’s free for existing subscribers of WoW. For more, check out GameSpot’s rundown of everything you need to know about WoW Classic.

Fans have called on Nintendo to release Mario Kart on mobile devices for a long time, and it’s finally happening soon. Following a limited closed beta testing period, Nintendo’s next big smartphone game, Mario Kart Tour, will release on September 25. The release date was announced via the game’s brand-new Twitter account. Pre-registration for the game is now available, but it’s unclear if there are any benefits to doing so.

Like Nintendo’s previous Mario mobile games, Dr. Mario World and Super Mario Run, Mario Kart Tour is a free-to-start title that offers optional microtransactions. It’s not clear just yet how the microtransaction system works, but keep checking back with GameSpot for more on that.

Some people who got into the Mario Kart Tour beta, including Ethan Gach of Kotaku, said the microtransaction system brings down an otherwise enjoyable game. All of the previews so far for Mario Kart Tour are based on the unfinished beta that was always subject to change, so it’s possible Nintendo will tweak the in-game economy and microtransaction system for launch.

Mario Kart Tour features a number of familiar courses from previous Mario Kart games, including Choco Island 2 from the SNES game and Dino Dino Jungle from Double Dash for GameCube. You steer your kart by moving your finger left or right. You can also drift to get speed boosts.

There are 30 racers to choose from, while Mario Kart’s iconic items are also in the game. The beta period only featured single-player, and it remains to be seen if the final release will add real-time multiplayer. There were also reports about Mario Kart Tour being locked to vertical screen orientation on iOS and Android devices; it’s unknown if this will continue to be the case for the full launch.

Mario Kart Tour was originally expected to launch by the end of March, but Nintendo later delayed the game to Summer 2019. The game’s new September 25 release date is actually two days after Summer ends in the northern hemisphere on September 23, so this is technically another, albeit small, delay.