‘Rocket League’ Hits 30 Million Players

(Rocket League/Twitter)

Rocket League, the popular sports car soccer simulator, hit 30 million players today, the game’s official Twitter account announced. The game launched back in 2015 for PS4 and PC while it took until early 2016 for an Xbox One version. This does not mean 30 million copies sold because the 30 million includes guest accounts and players with multiple accounts.

By August 2015, Psyonix, Rocket League’s developer, announced over one million copies of the game had been sold on Steam as reported by GameSpot. The game started out as a digital only title but eventually received a physical release thanks to the help of 505 Games, which also produced physical copies of Terraria and Stardew Valley.

Gamesindustry.biz reported the physical version of the game has sold over one million copies while over 9.5 million copies of the game have been sold through Steam, PSN and Xbox Live. Psyonix also says the majority of physical copy buyers are new gamers and not just existing players picking up a physical version. The vast majority of sales still come from digital downloads.

Rocket League has remained one of Steam’s most played games since its release, averaging about 50,000 players concurrently on average. Dualshockers reported Rocket League had 25 million players as recent as January so the number has increased by five million in just a couple months. The Steam version of the game features cross-platform __play with PS4 players so the player base is even larger on those two platforms.

Rocket League recently announced a DLC pack that gives players the chance to use cars from the newest installment of The Fast and the Furious series that’s in theaters now. Psyonix announced a new collaboration with Universal Studios for Rocket League‘s new The Fate of the Furious DLC, and let’s players use Dom Toretto’s car, the Dodge Ice Charger, as a new playable car for $1.99. Players are also given six decals: Clean Cut, Crazy Sandwich, Flames, Rakugaki, Rally, and CCCXL. The DLC became available April 4.

Psyonix has also considered a Nintendo Switch version. Psyonix vice president Jeremy Dunham said they are looking into the possibility in a statement to IGN.

Just like all the other platforms, we are evaluating it. We’re looking to see what the technical requirements are. We’re looking to see what kind of true community demand there is. We’re looking to see how it would benefit the community as a whole. So we’re still in that evaluation phase. It’s definitely too early to say that it wouldn’t happen, but it’s also definitely too early to say that it would.

Xbox Plans to Make Reviews “More Meaningful”

A current loophole in the Xbox review system is the ability to review games that you have pre-ordered but not actually played yet. A post by Reddit user “funinsungorun” pointed out this flaw regarding the pre-order of Star Wars Battlefront 2 and the slew of five-star reviews given to the game. This causes the score of the game to be artificially boosted or lowered despite nobody having played it yet. This obviously is not a good thing to see a score for a game that isn’t available yet.

This has been a problem dating back to at least 2014, as shown by this thread that criticizes the ability to rate games just because you pre-order them.

A different user on Reddit pointed this out to Major Nelson and he mentioned the team was aware of the problem and was meeting about it today. Major Nelson then got back to the thread and told users about the meeting.

Quick update: Had the meeting…the team is aware. They also have a plan to address this and make reviews more meaningful. I can’t say much more but it could include some suggestions from this thread ;)

This has been a known concern for quite some time so it’d be surprising if the system doesn’t get changed to only allowing reviews on games you’ve played but we will have to wait and see. An article by Kotaku last year pointed out this flaw and how it plagues both the Xbox One and PS4 stores. The article showed Halo Wars 2 had 901 five-star ratings despite being months away from release.

(Gears of War 4 Windows Store Page)

There aren’t any clear-cut statistics on people who base their decisions to buy a game solely on these reviews but it does seem counter-intuitive to allow this type of reviewing to continue. Major Nelson makes it sound like a fix is on the way since the meeting was already scheduled.

Major Nelson has had a Reddit account for a year and a half now and has been listening to the community and has actually been active in it as well as evidenced by his comment history on the social media platform.

The Xbox team encourages users with concerns to voice them using the Xbox Feedback program which allows users to ask questions and get responses from the team. Users are also able to use the program to vote on which backwards compatible games they’d like to see next.

REPLAY: ‘H1Z1: Fight For The Crown’

H1Z1: Fight for the Crown is the first official team-based tournament for the multiplayer shooter, H1Z1: King of the Kill. There are 15 five-player teams that will enter the H1Z1 arena with the goal of being the last team standing. The teams are competing for a $300,000 purse with the first place team coming home with $180,000.

You can check out the full replay from last night’s action right here.

Eli Becht is a Heavy gaming contributor and a graduate of Central Michigan University. You can follow him on Twitter @elibecht or reach him by email at eli.becht@heavy.com.
April 23, 2017 1:34 am

‘C.A.T.S.: Crash Arena Turbo Stars’: Top 10 Tips & Cheats You Need to Know

Here are the top 10 tips/tricks/cheats you need to know for C.A.T.S.: Crash Arena Turbo Stars.

---

1. Listen to Your Uncle Tony

• Uncle Tony might look shady, but he knows how things work. Look out for his presents – from time to time, he’ll give you an additional box with weapons and gadgets.

---

2. __play With Physics

• You car fights automatically according to the laws of real-life physics. That often brings unexpected results. Sometimes, the weaker machine might win due to smarter design that is tuned to defeat the specific type of opponent’s vehicle.

---

3. Bet Wisely

• When betting on a car, assess not only obvious parameters like damage per second and health, but also the shape of both vehicles and try to imagine how the fight might go. Maybe one of the cars will flip before it reaches the opponent because the body is too tall?

---

4. Increase Your Rating

• Every fight, bet and promotion affects your rating (the blue cat icon next to your nickname). If you lose, the rating drops a little bit; if you win, it increases. Rating affects your position in league and global ranking.

---

5. Unlock Supply Boxes

• Supply boxes are your source for spare parts, gadgets and weapons. Opening them takes time. You have up to four slots for boxes. When all slots are full, keep fighting in Quick Fights to boost your rating.

Elton Jones is a senior contributor to Heavy who covers gaming, pro wrestling, movies and pop culture. He lives in New York City.
April 19, 2017 4:56 pm

Next Page

No Word On ‘Star Wars Battlefront 2’ Server Browser

One thing EA’s original Star Wars Battlefront caught flak for was its lack of server browsers on PC. Popular YouTuber Angry Joe asked if the sequel would be given a server browser on PC but did not receive an answer. What we did learn from the exchange is that dedicated servers are in. This was confirmed by Dennis Brännvall, Associate Design Direct at DICE. DICE is the developer of Battlefront II and the Battlefield series.

@AngryJoeShow @MrProWestie @spoki83 we will have dedicated servers, like always.

— Dennis Brännvall (@DICE_FireWall) April 16, 2017

This isn’t really a surprise to have dedicated servers but it was curious to not receive an answer regarding a server browser. Other games like Battlefield 1, for example, have a server browser so it would be surprise to be sure, but an unwelcome one, if Battlefront II didn’t include a server browser of some sort on PC. Dedicated servers are pretty much a necessary addition for shooters these days but now it seems like the days of included a server browser are dying. Games like Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and even the older Battlefield games thrived on having a server browser. In today’s age, it seems like including a browser is no longer a standard but is now a feature that has to be asked for.

To be fair, it definitely looks like EA has listened to fan feedback regarding their first game and is looking to remedy that with the sequel. EA said the game has dropped the Season Pass in order to avoid fragmenting the player base. They have since walked back those comments a little bit in a statement given to Mashable regarding the remarks.

While we’re not ready to confirm any live service plans just yet, what we can say is this we heard the feedback from our Battlefront community loud and clear. We know they want more depth, more progression, and more content. So we’re focused on delivering that in every dimension of Star Wars Battlefront II. We’ll have more to share about our plans soon.

Star Wars Battlefront launched with a $60 price tag and an additional $50 Season Pass if you wanted to get all the DLC.

We’ve learned a lot about Star Wars Battlefront II from EA’s conference at the Star Wars Celebration this past weekend. The game remains the same size with 40-man matches for ground battles and 24-man matches in space battles. The game will cover content from the prequel, original and sequel trilogies and introduce fan-favorites such as Darth Maul and Yoda. Maps we’ve seen in the trailer to be confirmed are Theed, Takodana, Hoth, Endor, Kamino, Mos Eisley, Yavin-4 and Starkiller Base.

A single-player campaign is being introduced after being absent from its predecessor. The campaign will put you in control of an Imperial agent from the moment the second Death Star explodes leading up to and through The Force Awakens. The story is fully canon and should help fans bridge the gap between the two movies.

Star Wars Battlefront II is available on Xbox One, PS4 and PC November 17, 2017.

Everything You Need to Know About ‘Halo Wars Definitive Edition’ On PC

If you purchased an upgraded version of Halo Wars 2, you were treated to a remaster of the original Halo Wars as well as getting the sequel. Halo Wars was more well received than its sequel and many fans didn’t want to shell out a premium price to get access to it, much like what is happening with Modern Warfare Remastered being locked behind Infinite Warfare.

Lucky for fans of the original, Halo Wars Definitive Edition releases today as a standalone purchase. Here’s everything you need to know about the release.

343 Industries, the current developer of the Halo series, announced April 17 that the game was coming to Steam. This coincided with a release on Xbox Wire that said it was coming to not only Steam, but to the Windows Store and the Xbox Store.

All units – we interrupt your fourteenth Halo Wars 2 Blitz match for a special update! Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, previously only available for Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition owners, will now be available to purchase individually in the Xbox Store, Windows Store and Steam on April 20!

The price tag is $20 around all the platforms so buyers of the $80 version of Halo Wars 2 didn’t miss out on a discount unless they were waiting on the Steam version. Unfortunately, the Steam version does not feature cross-play with the Windows Store version. This means the communities will be segmented. If you are looking to __play online, you’re probably going to want to pick up the Steam version over the Windows Store one. Also, the Windows Store version will not be able to __play online with the Xbox One version. You will, however, get a copy on both Windows 10 and Xbox One if you pick up the digital edition as it is an Xbox play Anywhere title.

Since this is a remaster of an Xbox 360 title, the system requirements are pretty modest. Older PCs should have no problem running this title. Here are the requirements you’ll need to meet.

MINIMUM:

• • OS: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit or higher
  • Processor: Intel Core i3 or Equivalent
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4200 NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M AMD Radeon R5 M240
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 12 GB available space

RECOMMENDED:

• • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 or Equivalent
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 560, 650, 750 AMD HD 5850, 6870, 7790
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 12 GB available space

You’ll at least need Windows 7 but if you plan on picking this up on the Windows Store, you’ll need to have Windows 10 for that.

Halo Wars was originally developed by the now defunct Ensemble Studios, the team behind Microsoft’s Age of Empires series and Age of Mythology. The company shut down after the release of Halo Wars in 2009.

You can pick up Halo Wars Definitive Edition on Steam, Windows Store and the Xbox Store for $20 today.

All units – we interrupt your fourteenth Halo Wars 2 Blitz match for a special update! Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, previously only available for Halo Wars 2 Ultimate Edition owners, will now be available to purchase individually in the Xbox Store, Windows Store and Steam on April 20!

‘Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series’ – Episode 1 Review

Game: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series
Consoles: PS4, Xbox One, PC, iOS, Android
Publisher: Telltale Games
Developer: Telltale Games

Telltale Games has transported us into a variety of worlds with interesting narratives that are woven out through our decisions. We’ve had to live in a world plagued by the zombie apocalypse, don The Dark Knight’s armor and defend Gotham City, solve crimes in a world inspired by fairy tales etc. Marvel Comics has jumped onto the Telltale Games bandwagon and the series that was chosen for this new partnership is an interesting one. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series brings Marvel’s outer space freelance defenders to the small screen with a quality 1st episode. Peter Quill (Star-Lord), Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon and Groot’s clashing personalities pulled us into an adventure we can’t wait to see fully unfold.

From the jump, it’s clear that Telltale Games paid close attention to the spirit of the Guardians of the Galaxy. As soon as you hit the main menu, the sound of an 80’s hit song reminds you of Peter Quill’s appreciation for great music from his era. Peter’s many personality quirks, such as his carefree personality and penchant to drop snarky comments during serious moments, help make every conversation you engage in a humorous one. Gamora is a headstrong warrior, Rocket is a smart-mouthed but dependable tactician, Drax is always out for blood (and horrible at dissecting inside jokes) and Groot is…well, he’s Groot. Watching how this rag-tag group of galaxy travelers interact with each other leads to some of the more hilarious exchanges in the game. This is one of the more amusing Telltale Games’ series released thus far, which gives it that special quality and helps differentiate it from the games based on The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us.

A common criticism brought against Telltale Game’s projects is its lack of actual gameplay. Their Batman series implemented more mechanics that gave us all way more activities to actively participate in. Guardians of the Galaxy improves upon everything seen in that aforementioned game. Peter Quill is armed with a pair of laser pistols, which you’ll enjoy blasting baddies with during the more action-packed sequences. This intro episode pits you against one of the most powerful villains within the Marvel Comics universe, which erupts into one of the best moments. Getting the chance to utilize the strengths of the entire team makes these instances even more satisfying to __play out and watch unfold. On top of all that, you’ll get to move around much faster this time thanks to the addition of a fast-walk button and jetpack boots that help you discover other options that help solve a problem. There’s a lot to take in during this introduction to the series, such as deciding how to take down a certain “Mad Titan,” the best approach towards dealing with rival factions, helping an ally with their sibling issues etc. The overall story arch in Episode 1 does an awesome job of getting you excited for whatever comes next.

Most of this initial episode is filled with plenty of provocative moments (experiencing Peter’s younger days happens to be some of those moments). However, the chapter that’s more dull than anything happens so soon after an intense action sequence. While this slower series of events doesn’t bring the whole chapter down entirely, it’s still jarring enough to cause you to be less confident about the next series of events. Luckily, things pick back up quickly and the best mechanics of this new series are put back into the spotlight. While we appreciate Telltale Games for their continued work on narrative-focused experiences, we still wish they’d put a bit more time and effort into improving their game engine. We still ran into the legacy problems their titles are known for – random bouts of slowdown and moments where the game freezes during an intense moment. Hopefully, these longtime issues will become a thing of the past when Telltale Games releases their next playable adventure.

Bottom Line

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series comes out of the gate strong. Telltale Games and Marvel Comics obviously did the work necessary to make sure the spirit of these heroes are perfectly represented. The 1st episode provides all the humor, action and heartfelt moments that fans of the 1st film and comics regard so highly. Special attention has been paid to the game’s more interactive sequences, which helps it differentiate itself from Telltale Game’s more slower moving titles. The bar part sequence may be a bit boring and the technical problems are definitely an annoyance, but this is a good effort from Telltale Games’ first Marvel Comics collaboration. We’re all in for this journey into the far-reaching galaxy.

Score: 8.75/10

Pros:

• The humorous banter, classic tunes and interesting group dynamic of the Guardians are well represented
• There’s a lot more actual gameplay involved with this new Telltale Games series
• The main plot threads intertwine into a supremely intriguing 1st chapter

Cons:

• The post-mission celebration sequence is a bit dull
• Those legacy issues Telltale Games’ titles are known for are here too, sadly…

Elton Jones is a senior contributor to Heavy who covers gaming, pro wrestling, movies and pop culture. He lives in New York City.
April 18, 2017 11:31 pm

30 Games We Want On The SNES Classic Edition

The SNES Classic is coming according to recent reports. This comes fresh on the heels of Nintendo announcing they are cancelling the NES Classic. This could possibly leave a sour taste in the mouths of some fans since there was still a rather high demand for the miniature NES. Unfortunately, it looks like scalpers win the day when it comes to the Mini NES Classic.

With the NES Classic in the rearview mirror, we can now turn our attention ahead toward the future the SNES Classic. The SNES Classic is going to be a mini version of the wildly popular Super Nintendo, much in the same vein as its predecessor. If it follows in the same footsteps, that means there will be 30 games available on the console. The Super Nintendo had a large library of games and some smash hits there. It can be hard to weed through all of them. With games this old, sometimes you’ll run into licensing issues.

Unfortunately, many titles on the Super Nintendo, such as the Final Fantasy series, were from Square Enix so there can be some difficulties getting those onto this system. It’s too early to tell right now since Nintendo may work something out.

Let’s take a look at some games that could be hitting this new rendition of a old console.

To start things off, let’s include some surefire additions. These are games that should definitely be on the console and, to put it bluntly, would be pretty disappointing if they aren’t.

• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
• Donkey Kong Country 
• Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy Kong’s Quest
• Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble!
• Super Mario World
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
• Super Mario Kart
• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
• Star Fox
• Earthbound
• Super Metroid

These are all games Nintendo should be able to get on there no problem since they are all available on the Wii U virtual console. There shouldn’t be any licensing issues there. If we’re looking at the list of games that were available on the NES Classic, it could be safe to assume the sequel to those games will make it onto the SNES Classic.

• Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
• Final Fantasy II
• Final Fantasy III
• Final Fantasy IV
• Super Castlevania IV

These games all have a predecessor on the NES Classic. Issues will likely arise with the Final Fantasy titles but we can still dream, right? This will lead into games that probably don’t have a shot in ending up on the console but ones we really hope for.

• Chrono Trigger
• Secret of Mana
• Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run
• NBA Jam
• Killer Instinct

These are all games that don’t have the best chance of coming to the console. Killer Instinct can be found on Xbox One these days and was part of the Rare Replay so it’s unlikely to make an appearance here. Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana are Square titles locked away by them, however, Chrono Trigger is part of the Wii’s virtual console so anything is possible. I don’t know much about how sports games licensing works but NBA Jam and Ken Griffey Jr.’s Winning Run are both pretty old so I’m not sure if they can just release those.

This brings us to the final nine games we’d like to see.

• Super Bomberman
• Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen
• F-Zero
• Super Street Fighter II
• Breath of Fire
• Super Punch Out!!
• Mega Man X
• Mortal Kombat III
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

Capcom and Konami published a lot of these games and they still churn out Nintendo games so it’s possible we’d see some of these games make it onto the console. A new Bomberman title was even a launch title for the Nintendo Switch so I think some of these games have a real possibility to make it onto the console.

What are your thoughts? I’m sure we missed some games you’d like to see so let us know in the comments.

How To Watch ‘H1Z1: Fight For The Crown’ Online

H1Z1: Fight for the Crown is the first official team-based tournament for the multiplayer shooter, H1Z1: King of the Kill. There are 15 five-player teams that  will enter the H1Z1 arena with the goal of being the last team standing. The teams are competing for a $300,000 purse with the first place team coming home with $180,000. The event is happening tonight and we have all the ways you can watch it.

The event is being broadcast live on The CW so the easiest way to tune in will be to find out what station The CW is for you and watch it there. The event begins at 9 p.m. EST. You can check out some videos about the event on The CW’s website as well.

ESPN says The CW network will become one of the first U.S. broadcast channels to air an esports competition.

This won’t be an option for viewers who either live out of the United States or don’t have access to The CW. You don’t have to fret though because the tournament will also be streamed on the Twin Galaxies Facebook page. The live stream of the tournament broadcast begins at 8:30 p.m. EST on the Twin Galaxies Facebook page. The digital episodes featuring team Echo Fox will air from 8:30 to 9:15 p.m. ET, with the Fight for the Crown tournament broadcast beginning 9:15 p.m. EST.

This Twitch broadcast is airing it as well.

Courtesy of H1Z1’s website, here are some stats of the players and teams competing tonight.

(H1Z1.com)

After tonight’s event, H1Z1’s website says you can head over to Twitch and watch after-show viewing parties hosted by Twitch users NMP, ANGRYPUG, Trick2g, Julia_tv, GassyMexican, Curvyllama, and Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.

To top it all off, H1Z1: King of the Kill is currently 40 percent off on Steam until April 24. Although H1Z1 is still in early access on Steam, it has split into two separate games. H1Z1: King of the Kill is the game being shown tonight at it is part of the massive online battle royal genre, in the similar vein of The Culling and Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds. The other game is called H1Z1: Just Survive and is mainly a survival game that has other players in it all trying to survive just like you. Both games have mixed reviews on Steam but still have many players still playing so now is just as good of a time as any to jump in if either game interests you. H1Z1 is also has plans to come to Xbox One and PS4 but those plans are paused as of now.

Will you be tuning into the tournament tonight?

‘Pokemon Go’ Nest Migration 19: What Spawns Have Changed?

‘Pokemon Go’ is available for iOS and Android devices. (Niantic)

A new Pokemon Go nest migration has just taken place.

In the free-to-play mobile game from Niantic Labs, a “nest” is an area in the game where the same species of Pokemon spawns at a high frequency and can reliably be found. When heading over to a Diglett nest, for example, you will almost certainly leave with one or more Diglett.

So that the game remains fresh, though, Niantic “migrates” these nests every two weeks, meaning they change what Pokemon spawn from them. That Diglett nest may now spawn Rhyhorn, or it may now spawn Psyduck.

There’s no real consistency to these changes; it’s not as if one type of Pokemon always migrates to another type of Pokemon, and the changes vary dramatically all over the world so that the experience of other players will not necessarily be your own.

However, a good way to see what nests have changed in your area, other than going out and manually checking them all, is to make use of The Silph Road’s atlas map. With this giant map of the game, players report what nests they have found all over the world.

What’s also helpful about this is that The Silph Road indicates when a nest was last verified. Therefore, if the nest was verified on or after April 20th, it’s up to date. But if it was verified before April 20th, it may no longer be accurate.

In the screenshot below, for instance, we can see that the Magnemite nest was verified by two separate players on April 20th, after the latest nest migration, and therefore it is up to date.

A Magnemite nest is seen on The Silph Road. (The Silph Road)

To give you an idea of what changes other players are experiencing, here are some of the nest migration changes that have taken place this time around via reports from Reddit users:

• Charmander -> Goldeen
• Diglett -> Kabuto
• Geodude -> Shellder
• Goldeen -> Drowzee
• Jynx -> Ponyta
• Machop -> Geodude
• Magikarp -> Misdreavous
• Murkrow -> Geodude
• Poliwag -> Machop
• Poliwag -> Shuckle
• Psyduck -> Totodile
• Qwilfish -> Chikorita
• Rhyhorn -> Houndour
• Scyther -> Pidgey
• Seel -> Magmar
• Sentret -> Cubone
• Shuckle -> Geodude
• Slugma -> Diglett
• Tentacool -> Totodile
• Vulpix -> Magikarp

Brendan Morrow is a Heavy contributor who covers news, politics, professional wrestling, and more. He has previously written about film for Bloody Disgusting, We Got This Covered, What Culture, and The Celebrity Cafe. Follow him on twitter @brendanmorrow.
April 20, 2017 9:22 pm

Weekend Hot Topic, part 1: Should Microsoft and Sony copy the Switch?

Would you be interested?

GameCentral readers discuss whether they’d like to see Xbox and PlayStation versions of the Switch hybrid console idea.

The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Turner, who asked whether you think the success of the Switch is likely to lead to Microsoft and Sony trying to create a similar console – and whether you’d be interested in one if they did.

Most readers assumed that a more powerful hybrid would either be impossible or prohibitively expensive, and even then they were split on whether they actually wanted it. Although a number suggested making a last gen, Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 version as an alternative.

PS Switch

I would love to see a PlayStation version of the Switch. I have said on these pages before that I thought the PS Vita was basically a Switch, in that it was a powerful handheld. Although I suppose the major difference being that the Switch games can be played either on the TV or the tablet, without any control compromises like what Remote __play suffers from between PlayStation 4 and Vita. Plus, you need a really good Internet connection if you are away from your PlayStation 4.

Therefore, if Sony were to release a Switch style console I would buy it in a heartbeat, as even though I prefer Nintendo exclusives it would be great to __play all the third party games that don’t come to Switch on there. Playing a fully-featured FIFA or PES on the move, or whilst watching TV would be ideal. So these are the types of games that I would most like to see on this hypothetical PlayStation.

Anything that could be played in short bursts. Zelda has proven that big open world adventure games can work too in a portable way, so games like GTA V could be great on there too. I now really hope that Sony and Microsoft release something like a Switch.
trukkurt (Steam ID)/Angry_Kurt (Twitter)/kurtlewin92 (Medium)
Now playing: The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild (Wii U) and Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PC)

Compatibility issues

I’m not at all surprising the Nintendo Switch has been a success. The ones predicting its failure are just the usual anti-Nintendo trolls who couldn’t understand why the Wii was a hit and the Wii U wasn’t. To them it’s all the same: when Nintendo succeeds it’s because they’ve scammed the market in some way and when they fail it’s because it’s obvious they would because they’re Nintendo.

I don’t like to think I’m a fanboy. When it comes to hardware Nintendo has just as many hits as failures, but what impresses me is they keep trying to push the envelope. To them a new console isn’t a question of what graphics card they can jam into it but of what it can physically do that’s different from the last one.

I think they’ve really hit the mark with the Switch though because it’s a console that suits their expertise perfectly and yet works against everything that Sony and Microsoft strive for. A hybrid console has to be underpowered if it’s going to be small enough to be cost efficient and there’s no way Sony or Microsoft are going to downgrade their machines to make a Switch equivalent.

On the other side of the fence Nintendo are very practised at getting the most out of underpowered hardware, relying on gameplay rather than graphics to sell (not that most of the Switch games don’t also look very good – but they’re no Horizon Zero Dawn). The console suits local multitplayer, another of their specialities, and families where the TV is in constant use – so again working to their strengths.

I think it’s a brilliant idea and I don’t see there’s anyway that Sony or Microsoft can copy it. They should just concentrate on offering the opposite experience, which I wouldn’t want to be without anyway.
Xane

Evolutionary niche

A PlayStation 4 or Xbox version of the Switch?

No thanks.

My Switch might be portable but it has only once been played off-TV, as I’m really not a fan of small screen gaming. Like most people I currently only have Zelda and to me playing that game in handheld mode is doing it a massive disservice – so back on the 50″ TV.

Now if the opposite was available; a Switch version of the PlayStation 4 or Xbox? Power, third-party support and the added secret ingredient of Nintendo we’d be cookin’ on gas!

I believe there’s nothing stopping Nintendo from releasing a ‘power dock’ at some point down the line; something akin to the PS4 Pro and Scorpio to boost the Switch’s power for those of us who want that bit extra from it.

I feel that handheld technology giving the kind of power that PlayStation 4 and Xbox currently generate is way too expensive, which is why Nintendo had to limit it. How would it work anyway? Most people still buy physical so the units would have to feature a disc drive (or some kind of infallible proof-of-purchase system to allow for a digital version) and at least 500GB, if not 1TB, of storage for the back catalogue OR a flawless distance-is-irrelevant tethering system such as the PS Vita possessed, but way better. And also, the best 4 or 5G connection for the millions of people who play online.

So I reckon each unit would be a minimum of £1,000 (given current tech prices and all the tech they’d need to cram in) and only those who have bragging rights and serious money to burn are going to buy. And of those who did buy them, they’d more than likely spend most of the time playing on the TV anyway.

So unless Sony and Microsoft want to backpaddle on the amount of power they offer I think for the time being Nintendo have cornered the hybrid market. In the words of Muldoon from Jurassic Park… ’clever girl’.
Phil Spearpoint

E-mail your comments to: gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk

Second opinion

I’d love an Xbox One or PlayStation 4 version of the Switch, specifically so that I could play third party games. That’s clearly never going to happen on the Switch so the only chance of getting big name games (imagine Destiny 2 as a portable!) is with Sony and Microsoft.

I’m not very techy but even I can imagine that the problem is going to be shrinking everything down so that it fits into a handheld and it’s not too expensive. Knowing how weird and penny pinching Nintendo is I’m not convinced they necessarily explored every avenue when it comes to that so I’d love for the big companies, with much more money behind them, to take a look at the same problem.

If it was £300 or less I’d buy it in an instant.
Crom

Switch Back

If the Switch continues along its current trajectory in terms of being a hit I don’t see how Microsoft and Sony will be able to stop themselves from copying it. I mean they never have before. They even tried copying the Wii U with all that tablet app second screen nonsense that quickly died a death.

I just don’t see how they do it though. I mean I would love to be playing Horizon Zero Dawn or Gears Of War 4 on the bus, but I don’t see how they get all the power of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 squeezed down into a handheld. Unless they have a big difference in power between handheld and TV mode, which immediately breaks the appeal of the Switch.

Especially with the PS4 Pro and Project Scorpio it just seems the opposite to what they’re about at the moment. Although I could maybe see Microsoft doing something that was purposefully less powerful but still compatible, or maybe only compatible with the previous gen. If the idea of all future Xboxes is to be backwards compatible then I could see that working and there’s still loads of great Xbox 360 games I’d love to play as portables.
Ishi

Anti-copy protection

I don’t know if it’d ever happen but I’d love for there to be PlayStation 4 version of Switch. Maybe they could make it so that it was always one upgrade behind. So there’d be a standard PlayStation 4 version that was a hybrid, but the PS4 Pro would be home console over.

That sounds pretty good to me as the games would still be compatible and even if the price was the same as the PS4 Pro you’d know you were getting the benefit of portability. I have to hand it to Nintendo I thought the Switch was a stupid idea bound to fail when I first heard it but it’s clearly a good idea. But it’s very different to the other consoles and Sony or Microsoft would need to dedicate a lot of effort to copying it. Which I imagine is one reason why Nintendo did it. Like the hardware equivalent of putting books around your desk when you’re doing a test.
Sinbad

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

Extremely compelling

Having just completed Zelda: Breath Of The Wild after playing 95% of it on a little 480p screen, when I’ve got two perfectly good 32 and 42 inch HDTVs, I know from first-hand experience there’s a place for Off-TV play. Managing almost 140 hours of gaming in under seven weeks is unheard of for me, and it wouldn’t have been possible if I’d played the standard way. All the while, l was able to sit with my wife while she watched whatever she wanted on TV and we could still chat about our usual extremely compelling daily topics.

The thing is, whether or not that should require a console you can take anywhere and whose portable component does all the processing (and is, as a result, more expensive), I’m not sure. After all, PlayStation 4 Remote Play is free and, although it somehow never occurred to me to try it till now, my experience with Zelda (and Mario Kart 8 back in 2014) should really have convinced me that it’s the perfect set up for me. I have a laptop and I rarely play games away from home, so I suppose it comes down to how well the feature works.

If the answer is ‘not very’ then I’d be all for a Switch-equivalent PlayStation4. If the answer is ‘perfectly’, I’ve got GC’s Hot Topic to thank for prompting me to make gaming fit more snugly into my life.

It goes without saying, though, that even Remote Play wouldn’t negate the benefits of a fully portable system for some gamers. Just because I personally could potentially get everything I want from what Sony already offers (in terms of set up if not games) it doesn’t mean there’s no place for alternatives, and I think that’s something many of the people who predict instant failure for the Switch just don’t understand.
Panda

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Weekend Hot Topic, part 2: Should Microsoft and Sony copy the Switch?

Should Microsoft make their own hybrid console?

GameCentral readers discuss whether they’d like to see Xbox and PlayStation versions of the Switch hybrid console idea.

The subject for this week’s Hot Topic was suggested by reader Turner, who asked whether you think the success of the Switch is likely to lead to Microsoft and Sony trying to create a similar console – and whether you’d be interested in one if they did.

Most readers assumed that a more powerful hybrid would either be impossible or prohibitively expensive, and even then they were split on whether they actually wanted it. Although a number suggested making a last gen, Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 version as an alternative.

In the cloud

I know some people don’t seem to like handheld gaming but I would definitely be interested in a hybrid console from Microsoft or Sony that was similar in concept to the Switch. However, I don’t see how it would in terms of the amount of power necessary/price needed so I don’t think they’ll do something that is literally the same.

What seem more likely to me is that they’ll wait until cloud computing is a thing and then it doesn’t really matter what size the console is as all the hard work is being done in the cloud. Problem is, as someone else pointed our recently, this was a big buzzword a couple of years ago and it never seems to have been brought up again since. Which I assume means it’s harder to do than was originally being intended.

It’d definitely need improvements in broadband for the majority of people, so I can’t see it happening for five to 10 years. By then, who know what Nintendo will be doing!
Scraper

Surplus to requirements

Personally, I probably wouldn’t buy a PSP3 or an Xbox Surface. I’m satisfied with the Switch.

The big bonus for me is that the Switch seems to be consolidating the Nintendo platforms, not diversifying them. Which would be the case if they were ‘added’ to the ranges of the others.

I’d want a few of the big third party AAA games to play, and as the Switch is actually impressively powerful for its form factor I would expect any clone device to be similar in power. Being a whopping 21 times smaller than the Xbox One it is bleeding edge tech, even if people refuse to accept it because it doesn’t push several teraflops. Having clone devices would therefore make it much more likely for the Switch to get the big Western AAA games and I’d be happy with that result.

It’d possibly give me the chance to __play the next Battlefront or Call Of Duty on my Switch, or if a set of ‘GameCube Joy-Cons’ are released, some serious driving sims too.

However, what I really want is the next big Monster Hunter to run in the Zelda: Breath Of The Wild engine, the next Pikmin, Pokémon, Animal Crossing, Xenoblade, Metroid, Luigi’s Mansion et al. And having a clone device out there competing won’t help those games get made.

So if others want it, then healthy competition is always good, but I like what I have already, the Switch feels custom made to my requirements already!
Antony White

Their own thing

I appreciate that Nintendo never do the obvious thing, and they obviously have a lot of fans, but I really do not want Microsoft and Sony to start copying the Switch. It’s been successful, but not that successful, and I’d much rather Nintendo be left doing their own thing.

I want my console to be as powerful as possible, for the best graphics possible, and I’m very happy with the direction we’re currently going in with the PS4 Pro and Scorpio. To abandon all that just so it’s portable? It’d probably turn me PC-only.

If Nintendo consoles get kids and non-gamers into video games then that’s great and I’m all for it. But there has to be something bigger and better that they can graduate to. And the for me will always be the PlayStation and Xbox.
Gorgonzilla

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Second sight

That unrealised idea of using the Wii U’s screen as a motion tracker in Aliens: Colonial Marines was a brilliant use of the technology. If Sony and Microsoft released a Switch imitator, I’d like an Aliens game to utilise the machine like that.

You could also use a second screen as a dashboard in driving games. A second screen could display instrumentation in a variety of simulators, for example to help replicate the interior of an X-wing without cluttering the main canopy view provided by your TV.

It would be handy to have a break apart version of the Xbox One to __play games on a train journey. Honestly, with the prevalence of smartphones and their cheap/free software I don’t think hybrid consoles with ever be a common source of mobile entertainment.

The Switch is a nice idea for gamers who don’t want to hog the family TV. Microsoft and Sony might struggle to sell a variant to gamers who don’t want an audience or a distraction whilst they play their games.

I imagine it’s hard to immerse yourself in the latest arcade adventure with the cast of EastEnders moaning away in the background.
msv858 (Twitter)

GC: The Switch doesn’t work as a second screen. You can’t see the touchscreen when it’s docked to the TV.

Limited juice

I don’t have a Nintendo Switch but the thing that worries me is not only the reduced power, but the fact that the battery life is so short. If the whole reason it’s underpowered and the price it is, is because it’s portable the fact that it only lasts two hours or so to me is completely pointless.

I’m not suggesting it’s Nintendo’s fault or that they’re doing anything wrong (the battery life of phones and tablets is also awful, in a way I’m surprise we all put up with) but for me the compromises are just not worth putting up with.

I felt the same way about the Wii and motion controls, but of course that didn’t stop Microsoft and Sony coming up with their own lame knock-offs of that idea. Hopefully they won’t be doing the same for the Switch. Not until there’s some sort of revolution in battery power.
Fodderoe

Vita Part 2

I’d love for Sony to make a new portable. A new PS Vita by preference, but I could get behind a Switch style hybrid as well. I have a very long commute and I love playing Vita on the way to and from work. But the number of new games is drying up and it’s a long time since there was anything but indie games and Japanese imports.

A Sony console that was exactly as powerful as the PlayStation 4 and could be carried around like a portable and used in front of the TV? That I would absolutely snap up. Almost no matter the cost, and I do assume it would have to be quite expensive?

Do I think it will actually happen though? No, not really. Sony are too invested in PS4 Pro and PlayStation VR at the moment to consider another radically different machine as well. Or at least that’s what I assume.
Ramsey

Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here

Portable grind

To be honest I’d probably always prefer to play on a normal TV, but I’d definitely like the choice and, in some ways, for companies to be given time to develop a great resolution in a portable screen for the hybrid device. A hybrid Sony Switch which matches the 4K Ultra HD 50 inch TV screen sounds good to me.

One thing I could take advantage of when using these type of devices is the levelling up when farming for XP or items of some kind. All I’d have to do is pick up the device and grind levels whilst chilling in front of a TV programme or something, and then pop the device back into the slot and continue the story on the bigger TV screen.

To be honest, I’d like to buy the Switch when more games I’d consider worth buying come out. But I always like to check out how a new device works out in the long run. Ultimately though I think the Switch will live its course and Sony and Microsoft will continue to make more powerful consoles and update them to keep in alignment with the modern TV technology of the time. And have the best third party support, whilst Nintendo will have the best first party ideas.

But this world of testing water with new ideas with VR and portable devices is far too niche a market. A console which just plays more graphically enhanced games is, in my mind, still going to be the normal thing to do. As that has kept the gaming industry as one of the richest type of industries in this modern age of ours.
Alucard

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People shouldn’t rush playing new video games – Reader’s Feature

The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – what’s the rush?

A reader comments on the urge to __play every game as quickly as possible and explains why he’s taking his time with Zelda.

Do you remember the days when there was a new Harry Potter book out every couple of years? Most of you probably will.

Well, I remember back then watching the news, because there is little else on the TV at stupid o’clock in the morning when I have to get up for work. There where droves of people flocking up to at midnight to get their hands on the latest instalment of the illusive franchise.

There were also a minority of people being reported on who wanted to be one of the first to finish reading it, and were actually sitting in the book stores to do so.

That’s just stupid, I thought to myself.

It’s been a couple of years since the last one and it’ll probably be a good couple of years for the next.

Are they even taking any of it in?

Or just speed-running through the words?

Is this just binge consuming?

I’m no Harry Potter fan by any stretch of the imagination, but if I were I’m sure I would want to relax, sit back, and enjoy it. After all isn’t that the point?

Yet I’ve seen the same behaviour in gaming over my fair share of years. Consumers rushing out to buy the latest game regardless of review scores, or lack of. Devoting a weekend to the game in order to complete it before the next supposed ‘best thing since sliced bread’ game comes out.

I’m guilty of it myself in my early years, I wanted to finish a game as quickly as possible and then pass it onto my friends to play.

Any problems just ask me, I’m the guy in the know. How popular and cool do I look?

I get the established franchises. They sell off the back of the success of the last instalment (like Harry Potter) but that doesn’t mean you have to blitz your way through it.

As I got older I didn’t have so many friends, well none with the same console as me anyway. I got married, had kids, bought a house and had a full-time job. Not that I’m complaining about that, but it does somewhat limit your time and your budget on gaming. And it implores you to choose a bit more wisely when purchasing a new game.

I’m a massive Legend Of Zelda fan. Ocarina Of Time is my favourite game of all time. I’ve spent the best part of the last 20 years hoping another Zelda could topple it. It never did. It got close a couple of times, but never did. I knew why and that was because Ocarina always felt more like an experience rather than a game. Everything after it always felt like a game, or kept reminding you that it was.

I only realised how good Ocarina was after I had finished it and I felt myself yearning for more. I didn’t rush through it, how could I? I had no Internet to fall back on and the only help I had where a few nice pointers in the monthly gaming magazines (remember them?).

I wish I would have realised how good it was the first time I was playing it all those years ago though.

Fast forward to 2017 and Breath Of The Wild is in full swing. This supposed best game ever hype had me intrigued. That first time you walk out onto Hyrule is very classy indeed. I thought to myself, ‘This is it, Nintendo have nailed it’. I got about 20 to 30 hours in and started to wonder if this game really is as good as everyone is raving about.

I certainly had my doubts about it. I wasn’t very good to be honest, the shrines are bland interior-wise and those shrine fights really would have been better if they were just past enemies from previous Zelda encounters. So yeah, you could say the jury was out.

I persevered with it though, and the game keeps knocking up surprise after surprise after surprise. Spoiler alert: ​has anybody else met Robin Williams yet? YouTube it​.

Pulling the Switch out of its dock and being instantly whisked into Hyrule, even during the adverts of your favourite TV show, really does help with the whole experience side of things. Like a memory, you feel you can access it at any time regardless of how brief.

Like I said, I’ve been gaming for many, many years now and I can’t recall a game that I consciously dragged out and tried to make last, not even Ocarina, for knowing how good it is.

I’m currently 100 hours in, two divine beasts down, and the third one keeps tempting me. Yet I’m still looking for distractions (and finding them) to prolong what has to be one of the greatest gaming experiences I’ve ever had.

It might, just might, be the greatest game I have ever played ever, but I’m sure time will tell me that. When, or if, in 20 years’ time I still have the same enthusiasm for it as I do today, like I do Ocarina.

What a game though, I have every intention of sitting back, soaking this up and enjoying every minute this game has to offer.

Nintendo, you really did nail it.

By reader freeway 77

The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.

Why Doom is such a great reboot – Reader’s Feature

Doom – a hell of a shooter

A reader dissects the Doom reboot and identifies the three main reasons it became one of the best games of 2016.

Wow Doom, eh? Its spent a good portion of its time at the top of a number of best game of 2016 lists, and was the subject of a lot of Inbox love weeks after its release. And belatedly I am now joining the Doom love-in. I was late to the Doom party because after I played the Doom multiplayer beta I was left cold. I couldn’t get my head around the Rocket League pacing and felt the map for the beta was fiddly and too compact to show the game’s party pieces off. I picked it up cheap and… what a game! I’ve thought about it for weeks now and think I can finally put my finger on what it is that Doom gets so right, and wanted to share it with my good friends on GameCentral.

Doom is a fantastic carousel, a murderous merry-go-round, of shotguns, plasma rifles, Gauss cannons; of glory kills, spewing health, and ammo modules of tactically placed power-ups and equipped runes. And the movement, oh… the beautiful balletic dance of frenetic sweeping movement. Like all the really good games it makes you feel much better at the game than you actually probably are, it makes you feel powerful and you fully buy into the power fantasy that the hordes of Hell would genuinely fear, write legends about, and eventually bury in a stone sarcophagus the one-man army of the Doom marine. Because of course he’s impossible to kill.

The design choices that make it such an essential experience range from the large to the small, but all of them were brave choices given the first person shooter standard template laid down by Battlefield and Call Of Duty. And just like the Doom marine, the bombastic confidence ended up blowing the competition away; like stuffing a bloated Mancubus’ heart down its own throat. Not that Call Of Duty and Battlefield are bad games, it was just refreshing to see a third party shake the scene up. And it can only help to promote the idea that smart innovation can have a place in modern game development. Let’s look at some of the design choices I think are integral to Doom’s success.

The speed

The movement speed is insanely fast and initially intimidating. You think to yourself: ‘Will the game make me think as fast as it moves?’ I worried I would need fast twitch aiming just to keep up. Would the enemies be as fast as I am? 30 seconds in I got my empathic answer. Nothing bar the supersonic Summoners could match my speed skater’s gliding movement. This enabled me to weave between the enemies, dodge fireballs with ease, and close the distance to get up close and personal when needed. It mitigates bad aim because you reposition at will and find a better position to fire from. The movement speed is closely linked to at least two other great design choices.

The environment

The environment in a game tells the player a lot about how the game should be played and Doom is no different, large set piece battles take place in areas that are best described as arenas. These are wide open spaces, some with lots of verticality and scope for clever movement. You won’t see the waist high boxes to hide behind, so prevalent in cover shooters like Gears Of War and Uncharted. The environment is telling you that you must move to survive. There is no recovery areas or safe spaces.

Power-ups adorn some of the high points in the arena and there is usually a liberal scattering of health power-ups and armour shards to fall upon in the heat of battle to stay alive. In most of the bigger encounters there is a pulsating blob which draws the player into the centre, again the environment is telling you to dive in and get stuck into the bad guys. Don’t be afraid to take them all on, beckoning you into the slaughter.

Power-ups, replenishing health, and ammo

Using the modern first person shooter template, we get the blood-spattered screen and fading vision to give us cues about your closeness to shuffling off our mortal coil. In Doom it a clear sound which you will have a conditioned response to, that is nearly the exact opposite to what you do in most first person shooters. Instead of backing off and waiting to recover you must rush forward and glory kill the nearest enemy. It’s a bold and attacking action entirely in keeping with the Doom marine’s fanatical hatred of all things hellacious.

It becomes your first instinct after a while, coupled with your awareness of the environment, to quickly see the shards of armour and health stashes which you only use when you’re truly on the run from Hell’s hordes. These are saved, to be hoovered up after the slaughter. And make no mistake, each major encounter is a glorious bloodbath. Power-ups, likewise, are to be used at the right time. These glowing balls of light illuminate the environment like an arcane lighthouse. With your zippy movement speed you are able to grab these generally whenever you want during battle, perfect timing of a power-up pickup becomes part of your strategy and it is so satisfying to grab a quad damage just as a massive demon spawns in the arena and you know you grabbed it just in time to deal the most damage.

Running out of ammo? No problem that’s where another design choice, the iconic chainsaw, comes in. Chainsaw-ing an enemy in half makes them explode in a shower of golden translucent ammo boxes to be scooped up, this gives the use of the chainsaw a cogent use outside of a simple coolness factor. It works on the weaker enemies best, as do glory kills for health replenishment, so you start to see weaker enemies less as adversaries and more as a resource to be used when you need a top-up during more challenging encounters.

These triumvirate of mechanics, in my view, are the departures from the norm which have garnered Doom its rightly deserved accolades. I think if we look at any of these mechanics in isolation, any one of these risky ideas may not have come off as intended and resulted in an unplayable mess. But together they form a symphony of a game, and a singular single-player experience. If you wavered about taking the plunge on Doom I would urge you to jump into the pit of never-ending carnage with your BFG and take as many demons back to Hell with you as you possibly can. Good luck!

By reader Dieflemmy (gamertag)

The reader’s feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. As always, email gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk and follow us on Twitter.