biteho.com

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!

Originally scheduled for September 2018, Bandai Namco delayed Code Vein to “ensure that the final product delivers on the expectations set amongst media and fans.” After playing through a gameplay demo at a preview event, we asked Code Vein producer Keita Iizuka what Bandai Namco has spent the past few months changing to deliver on these expectations ahead of the game’s new scheduled release in 2019.

“After the dev team really came together and discussed–we felt that the appeal of Code Vein and what was really good about Code Vein was just not there, not enough,” Iizuka said. “So we really wanted to brush up those elements so that the users can really get immersed and really feel what’s so good and unique about the aspects of Code Vein a lot deeper, a lot stronger. So that’s why we took some extra time to deliver.”

In Code Vein, you play as a Revenant, a chosen undead born into a world defined by blood. Revenants defend themselves from the Lost, the husk-like remnants of Revenants who lost sight of who they were and succumbed to their bloodlust. In order to survive, you arm yourself with powerful weapons and supernatural Gifts–the latter of which allows you to harness the blood you take from enemies to perform spell-like attacks. Combat is entirely stamina-focused, limiting how often you can attack, defend, parry, and dodge.

Code Vein is–both thematically and mechanically–very similar to From Software’s Soulsborne games. Where Code Vein aims to differentiate itself is in its Blood Codes and buddy system.

Blood Codes are items that change the stats of your character, allowing you to more easily wield specific weapons and equip certain Gifts. The melee-focused Fighter Blood Code, for example, raises your strength and dexterity stats–allowing you to more easily wield massive two-handed swords and axes. As a Fighter, you’re able to equip Gifts that unlock slow, but devastating close-range attacks, and also buff your overall damage output. If brute force isn’t working, you can switch to the spell casting-focused Caster Blood Code, parry-focused Prometheus Blood Code, or long-range Hunter Blood Code before jumping back into the fray. There are eight Blood Codes in total in Code Vein, and each allows you to equip up to eight Gifts at once for a variety of playstyles.

“This aspect of being able to freely create your playstyle and the flexibility of playstyles–this is something that was already in the works since the initial stages, but we wanted to focus on that aspect–to enhance it and brush it up a lot–so that the player can have more freedom and flexibility in how they play the game,” Iizuka said.

“We really wanted to expand the Gift variations and how you develop [your Revenant],” he continued. “[For example], there’s a Gift called Phantom Assault where you can vanish and instantly appear right where the enemy is and dish out your attack. So that’s one aspect of it, and we have other Gifts that you can sort of build around that as well. And so, I think that’s one of the ways we sort of added to the game to make it more [complete].”

Being able to completely respec your character into a brand-new class within seconds–as opposed to travelling to a certain location and paying an NPC to do it like in Dark Souls–is an intriguing concept, but it was difficult to discern how such a strategy works in practice based on Code Vein’s opening hour. We started out with three Blood Codes (Fighter, Ranger, and Caster) and a few of their respective Gifts unlocked, but there weren’t enough different enemy types to fight or weapons to find to take full advantage of what makes each Code unique. The opening area hides mostly swords and axes–implying melee builds are the way to go–so there doesn’t seem to be any point in investing in the Ranger and Caster Blood Codes early on. Perhaps later areas offer more reason to switch to bayonet rifles and blood magic, though it remains to be seen.

Code Vein’s other major feature, its buddy system, hasn’t seen much change since the game’s delay. In Code Vein, you meet other Revenants who each have their own questlines and stories. You can choose who joins you in combat, and they’ll help you fight and revive you if you happen to fall in the midst of a challenging battle. Bandai Namco designed the buddy system in order to make Code Vein’s difficult Souls-like combat more accessible for players new to these types of games.

“So the core concept of [Code Vein] is all about dying and trying again, kind of like [Dark Souls] and [Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice],” Iizuka said. “With that sort of difficulty level set, you have that sense of achievement, that sense of accomplishment when you finally beat that stage or beat that level. So that’s something we do value in this game, and that’s why we set the difficulty at where it is. However, the development staff really focused on how to motivate the player once they’ve failed, whether on a boss or stage. So, maybe you die once, and then we want the player to think ‘Maybe if I did this again, I could do it better next time around.’ So that’s where we put the most effort and focus in development, and one of the ways that we motivate the player to [immediately] retry a stage is the buddy system.”

One other player can join you and your NPC partner as well, though Code Vein is an entirely supportive experience. There are no PvP aspects “at this time,” Iizuka said.

Code Vein’s buddy system certainly makes things easier, but never to the point where the game felt actually easy. The game’s opening area is comprised of large open rooms connected by winding hallways and staircases, most of which have blind corners. So it was nice to have someone walk with you who points out hidden items you missed, warns of potential ambushes, and can take some of the heat off you when you need to heal. Being able to sacrifice your own health for each other is also a fun risk vs. reward mechanic, especially when you both can choose to lose almost all your health to bring the other one back to life. It’s easier to explore and try out new weapons knowing that one of you dying doesn’t necessarily mean the end and getting kicked back to the last checkpoint. Through the buddy system, death changes from a punishment into a learning experience.

In terms of a new release date, Code Vein’s fate is still a bit up in the air. However, the game remains scheduled for this year. “We are focusing on development for PS4, Steam, and Xbox One,” Iizuka said. “But as far as the possibility of porting to Switch or [the Epic Games Store], there might be a possibility down the line. We can’t really say for sure at this point.”

A little show called Game of Thrones is currently in the midst of its eighth and final season, and it is very popular. The ratings for Sunday’s Episode 4 have arrived–and they are massive.

17.2 million people watched “The Last of the Starks” across all platforms–including standard television and digital networks such as HBO Go and HBO Now, according to TV Line. Some portion of those people noticed the coffee cup, which has since been digitally erased (but not forgotten).

Episode 4’s 17.2 million viewers is down slightly from Episode 3’s 17.8 million viewers, which is the most-watched episode of the final season so far. Episode 2 has been the least-watched, with 15.9 million viewers. You can see a breakdown of viewers by episode below.

Episode 6, which is the finale of the entire Game of Thrones series, is likely to draw the biggest crowd, but whether or not it cracks 20 million remains to be seen.

So far, the four aired episodes have been together tallied more than 68 million views, and that doesn’t count all members of groups or families watching together and views from other means.

Check out our full Game of Thrones, Episode 4, “The Last of the Starks” review to see what we thought of it. You can also watch the preview trailer for Episode 5 and check out some fresh theories about where things will go from here. There are just two episodes left, but each one clocks in at 80 minutes, so there’s still plenty left.

Game of Thrones Season 8 Ratings:

via TV Line

• Episode 1 — 17.4 million
• Episode 2 — 15.9 million
• Episode 3 — 17.8 million
• Episode 4 — 17.2 million
• Episode 5 — Who knows.
• Episode 6 — Probably a lot; we’ll know soon.
• Total (so far) — 68.3 million.

The cancellation of Bayonetta developer PlatinumGames’ action-RPG Scalebound was one of the biggest news stories of 2017. Microsoft, the game’s publisher, took a lot of the heat about the cancellation. But Platinum boss Atsushi Inaba says Platinum is to blame as well.

“Both sides failed,” he told Video Game Chronicle. Inaba added that Scalebound the game “didn’t do all of the things that we needed to do as a developer.”

Inaba went on to say that it “wasn’t easy” to watch fans yell at Microsoft over Scalebound’s cancellation. “The reality is, when any game in development can’t get released it’s because both sides failed,” he said. “I think there are areas where we could’ve done better and I’m sure there are areas that Microsoft as a publishing partner wish that they could’ve done better. Because nobody wants a game to be cancelled.”

The studio head said Platinum learned “a lot of painful lessons” from Scalebound’s cancellation, and these lessons have helped the studio grow. Neither Microsoft nor Platinum have said why Scalebound was canceled, but Inaba acknowledged that the game might have been announced too early in development.

Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya was leading development on Scalebound, which had reportedly been in development for years before it was shut down. In the wake of Scalebound’s cancellation, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said the cancellation is ultimately “better for Xbox gamers.”

There was a rumor that Scalebound might be revived as a Nintendo Switch game, but that’s not in the cards, according to Video Game Chronicle. J.P. Kellams, who was a producer on Scalebound, said he knows “exactly why” Scalebound was canceled but details haven’t emerged as of yet.

Platinum is currently working on multiple projects, one of which is a game idea that “has never been done before.” For whatever it’s worth, Platinum says 2019 is an “incredibly important” year for the studio.