Monthly Archives: February 2016

PAX South 2016 Mega Super Hyper Championship Fighting Game Edition

by Andrew Skelton (Outfoxed), Writer

 

sfv_character_story_-_ryu

Street Fighter and Killer Instinct have been two big names in the competitive fighting game circuit for quite some time.  So both games being showcased at PAX South was kind of a big deal.  I spent a good deal of time playing both games (purely for research purposes and not a vain attempt to get better at them, I assure you) to get a better feel for how they both feel and play.  With Street Fighter V set to release in February, and season 3 of Killer Instinct set to come out later in the year, it was a great opportunity to see how these games would pan out, especially given both will be a part of the Evo 2016 lineup.

 

sfv_character_story_-_m._bison

Street Fighter V

The Street Fighter franchise has had a long and illustrious career.  It’s fifth iteration shows those near three decades of experience in its design, polish, and execution.  While the competitive demo at PAX South did not include it’s final playable character, F.A.N.G., crowds gathered for a chance to try out the rest of the roster across multiple screens.  Center stage, of course, broadcast the match live to everyone that could see the giant screen above, and regular tournaments were held to show off who was the best of the best at the convention.

Street Fighter V PAX South 2016

My first match was played using the standard Playstation 4 controller, which was very responsive to move inputs and suffered no input lag whatsoever.  While keys could not be remapped (for everyone’s sake), they will be in the final release, which will let players set up their schemes however they would like.  The rest of my matches were played using an arcade fight stick, and I will be the first to say, this is how the game should be played.  While the PS4 controller was decent, an actual arcade stick outperforms it completely.  Maybe it’s because I grew up in arcades, but having that familiar button schematic under my fingers just felt a whole lot more natural.

Street Fighter V PAX South 2016

Best of all, the game is incredibly balanced.  I’m sure the character tiers will be in full effect soon enough, if they aren’t already, but from everything I’ve seen and played, the differences won’t be so night and day as they were in previous incarnations of the series.

 

Killer Instinct Kim Wu Season 3

Killer Instinct

Right next door, at the Astro Gaming booth, Killer Instinct was also being shown off, complete with all the season three changes (including several new characters; Rash from Battletoads and Kim Wu from KI2 were two I specifically saw).  Underwhelming, however, was the fact it was only playable on two screens tucked right next to the infinitely more popular Street Fighter V booth.  This led to circumstances where people would simply line up for the newer fighting game in the club instead of trying out the grizzled vet.

 

While the balancing changes were very nice for many of the characters, it remained hard to get any matches in to test them out, simply due to lack of interest.  The core of the game, however, remains mostly the same, with big, flashy combos being the name of the game.  In fact, that’s my biggest complaint about Killer Instinct:  even with the new additions across each game, it still feels the same as when the original was released in 1994.  Don’t get me wrong, it looks much, much improved, and the changes that have been introduced were very much needed, but when compared to a game like Street Fighter, which has added, changed, and adapted throughout its 30 year history, it’s not hard  to spot the aged mechanics.  To be fair, it’s not hard to spot the aged mechanics in Street Fighter either, but since Capcom changes things up so much, they’re also easier to see past.

Kim Wu Killer Instinct

Fans of fighting games will likely rush to either game this year.  Street Fighter V will be released for PS4 and PC, while Killer Instinct is already out now for XBox One and PC.  Both games are using a seasonal model, with new characters and balancing taking place with each season, with no need to purchase additional updates to the game.  All in all, there is plenty to be excited for if you’re a fan of either series.

 

PAX South 2016: Moving Hazard

By Jaime Skelton (MissyS), Senior Editor

Moving Hazard PAX South 2016

At first glance, Moving Hazard isn’t anything new. Zombies, shooters, zombies in shooters – it’s all been done before. Burning down hordes of zombies with bullets has been an easy ticket for the FPS genre. Yet Moving Hazard’s tagline, “Every Zombie Is Your Weapon,” was offering a different hook. I stopped by the game’s booth at PAX South 2016 to get hands on and understand this FPS’s distinct twist.

It was pretty clear from the moment I got at the booth that Moving Hazard was popular on the floor. With over a dozen computers running the game demo, the booth remained cramped and there were people waiting in line. Other games media were dropping in without appointments frequently. Thankfully I had an appointment, and after a few minutes wait, I scrunched in the back of the booth with Outfoxed to get hands on with the game.

Moving Hazard PAX South 2016 Gameplay

Essentially, Moving Hazard is a PvPvE game with two player teams and the AI-controlled zombies playing as a common enemy. The key to the game’s main calling card is an additional piece to the standard shooter arsenal: distractors. These tools are part of your loadout and allow you to manipulate the hordes of zombies, whether it’s distracting them for a while with a damper to keep them from gnawing your face off, or grouping them up to use PAM, a pheromone-laced molotov cocktail that sends them rushing after your enemies in an enhanced rage.

Moving Hazard PAX South 2016 Gameplay

Zombies are serious business in Moving Hazard, too. Ranging from the slow shamblers of classic horror films to the seriously powerful speed-rushers of 28 Days Later, even bumping into a zombie once can put a serious dent in your health. This is in part due to the fact that zombies of this alternate timeline are also affected by a parasite which makes them essentially immortal, developing buboes to fill in gaps and wounds. Sure, you can shoot them down, but it’s a pointless fight – you’re better off playing keep away and using them as weapons.

Moving Hazard PAX South 2016 Gameplay

And from the start of a match, zombies are all over. The map is constantly filled with the walking dead, to a point where you really can’t make one 360 degree visual sweep without spotting a few. Getting from point A to point B across the map requires not only careful pathing but being prepared to use a distractor or shoot down a zed at the right moment. And think you can stand still for a few moments safely? Guess again – you better make sure someone has your back, because there will be a zed gnawing on your neck-bone before you know it.

Put together with a squad-based competitive FPS, these zombie mechanics make Moving Hazard a game full of tension, of awareness and reaction. Even in a PAX demo full of newbies, I couldn’t really afford to take my eyes off the screen for more than a second or two to look at the developer explaining the game’s mechanics. It was fun, intense, and frantic, and it was clear skill and strategy will be playing a major role at the game’s competitive levels.

Moving Hazard PAX South 2016 Gameplay

The game will feature multiple PvP modes, along with a single-player campaign and co-op horde mode, plus multiple maps and features to offer a complete tactical shooter experience. Still in early testing stages, there’s plenty of balancing issues to address, but the game nonetheless feels relatively polished at this state of development. It’s 2016 release goal is hardly marketing hype and likely attainable. How well it will stand out against other zombie shooters, though, I think remains to be seen. With only one real mechanic making Moving Hazard a selling point over the cookie-cutter zed-FPS, Psyop and IllFonic will need to deliver a flawless product to make a dent into a saturated niche market.

 

WildStar Teases Frozen Arcterra Update

Carbine today released their first screenshots and sparse details about the next addition to the WildStar Nexus Saga, the frozen wasteland of Arcterra.

WildStar Arcterra Announcement

Arcterra promises snowballing villains as the more bosses you defeat in an area, the bigger and more abundant the baddies become. Meaning your frenzy will be rewarded by no doubt epic loot. The most epic of which likely to come from rare keys dropped by the biggest bosses, letting you into secret faction exclusive dungeons! Which will be key to completing the unique Arcterra reward tracks to snag yourself new winter outfits, mounts, and more.

On the story side you can join up with friends or play solo to tackle the next stage of the battle between Drusera and The Entity. What awaits you in the Vault of the Archon? You’ll have to play to find out!

WildStar Arcterra Announcement

Check out more screenshot teasers on the official site.