Agent Lazarus is available now in Agents of Mayhem! But what do they bring to the fight in the not-too-distant future? See for yourself!
Yearly Archives: 2017
DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE 2 – Dabura and Majin Buu (Gohan Absorbed) Gameplay
PRO.. DUUUUUUUUUCE! Dabura and Gohan-Absorbed Majin Buu join the cast of Dragonball Xenoverse 2 soon! Check their fighting styles right here.
Let’s Rant: Business Practices in 2017
How did we come to this point as a people? How did we get here? It’s time for a “back in my day” . . .
When I was a young man, there were no pre-orders. At best, you could put something on lawaway, but that was primarily big things. You just had to have the money when it came out, because there were, generally speaking, always enough copies of a game. You know, like E.T. It had enough copies, right? There was no fear of not being able to get a game due to scarcity or shady practices. I’m more than old enough to remember those days. Back when you could just go to the store and buy a game, provided you had enough money for it (or you begged your parents for a Hanukkah gift, in my case). And the games were finished! They were complete! All of the content was there, but sometimes it was hidden. Mortal Kombat 2 had hidden fights if you could figure out exactly how to get to them. It was a mystery and there was almost no Internet to give you a hand! You couldn’t just Gamefaqs it.
There was no “Season Passes”, no DLC but admittedly, there was no way to do that! The only games that really got updates were arcade cabinets, and even then it was pretty sparingly. And even those, they had to send a team out to update them, they weren’t hooked up to the Internet. So when a game went out, you were pretty sure that it was the complete game! If they left something out or weren’t happy, what was the result? A new game! I remember the first game to see constant updates/revisions, outside of sports games. It was Street Fighter II. Almost no one I knew had played the original (Street Fighter, or Fighting Street on the Turbo Grafix 16) but it received numerous updates and reworks. Turbo, Champion Edition, Hyper Fighting, The New Challengers, Super Turbo, these were all editions of Street Fighter II. Of one game. And for each version, did people buy them? Of course, they did. You want to play fighting games at a competitive level, you have to keep up with this. Maybe this was the truly the beginning of this habit. Game companies started to realize just how powerful an update was.
It was a slippery slope for us. Sure, an argument could be made that “those games weren’t really complete, lots of content was on the cutting room floor”, or “with improved technologies, more content can come for a game at a later date without creating a whole new game/sequel”. Is that a fair assessment? Of course, it is. The problem is when companies gate content behind a pre-order, or create content and gate it behind DLC. Content that could have been in the goddamn game already was left out purely for greedy purposes. And sure, games have been 60 bucks for a long time and the cost of making games has gone up. That’s not a question. But when you go Gamestop’s route, and have a Bonus Mission, a Mission that’s probably in the game code that you can only acquire if you pre-order the game at Gamestop! That is one of the most predatory things I’ve seen from a company this year. It’s not the worst, but it’s surely horrible. It’s greedy, it’s predatory.This is a AAA Game, Assassin’s Creed: Origins. They don’t have to worry about “Will people buy it?” because it’s Assassin’s Creed! I could go on my Facebook, right now and ask who is buying it. I know a handful who not only did but a few who preordered the Collector’s Edition! I don’t mind limited editions of games so much. The ones that have awesome collectible stuff that hardcore fans are going to want to own. Fine, sure. I draw the line when it comes with content that regular folks can’t have right away/will have to pay for. Making people wait to play content if they didn’t preorder it is repugnant. Worse still if they never get to play a bonus mission simply because they didn’t go to Gamestop! Season Passes are pretty damn predatory too, but they aren’t even the biggest thing this year that’s upset me. I have not gotten used to them, because I think they’re vile and unfair. They already bought your game! They already own it! Why should someone have to shell out more than 100 bucks for a single game? And that’s the cheapest! There are games where people would probably have to dole out 120-200 bucks for a single damn game and all its DLC. The greediest, the worst is Middle Earth: Shadow of War.
I’ve been keeping up with how other companies have been talking about it, if they’re even mentioning the Lootboxes, and how scummy of a practice it is. How depraved and vile it is. You know what serious games journalists are saying? That “you should just not buy them, they aren’t a big deal, nor are they useful”. Are you serious? You know how you stop lootboxes in a paid game? By not purchasing the game! It’s repulsive that they want to create an infinite amount of money by preying on people who now “have the option to buy lootboxes”. Fun fact about me: I don’t have a gambling problem, but I do LOVE getting cool skins/cosmetics for games I play. For F2P games, I don’t mind this one bit. Overwatch was a game I purchased with real money. Every time a new set of skins would come out, I’d spend 20 bucks or so on lootboxes, to try and get the one skin I wanted. Sure, I could just “level”, but if it’s a temporary, limited-time event? I want them, and I don’t want to miss out! Did I get some of them? I did.
But now I don’t play Overwatch anymore. I know that compulsion’s there, that I’d want to them but that’s just not a healthy attitude. So, I can’t play Overwatch anymore. Luckily, there is a class-based shooter I can play that’s fun, that’s free, and my friends will play with me. But Shadow of War didn’t just “add lootboxes to a 60 dollar game”, no no no. In addition, the True Ending can be expedited through lootboxes! You want to see the “True Ending”? Better get to spending, unless you want to grind! Noone that I saw was asking “Will these lootboxes give an advantage in PVP?” I just … I want to know how we got here. The first DLC that I honestly recall was on the Sega Dreamcast. Me and my roommate had a dial-up Modem and a Dreamcast and could get their DLC that way. DLC is a way of pulling content from a game and making people pay more, and there are times when I can put that aside and spend on it for a game I truly love … therein I think, lies the problem. Is there a time when DLC is okay? Is there a time when pre-orders are okay? Pre-order crap is why I stopped doing it. I buy almost all of my games digitally, when they come out. Maybe the day before, because I know whenever I’m ready, I can just… have it.
What’s your least favorite greedy event this year? NES Classic/SNES Classic? Shadow of War? I’d love to hear about it!
Dragon Ball FighterZ: Gohan Character Trailer
Dragon Ball FighterZ reveals fan-favorite character, Gohan, and a short glimpse of his gameplay.
Total War: Warhammer 2 Review – Second Verse Same as the First?
by Jason Parker (Ragachak)
I enjoyed the first Total War: Warhammer. It was fun, and it was mostly the same offerings of the Total War franchise with a bit less of the political machination that I’m used to. Sure, there was political stuff going on, betrayals and the like, but Warhammer is less “Can I trust my second cousin to run this task for me, or will he run it into the ground?” and more “The moment I feel like I can’t trust them, I’m going to destroy their city, salt the ashes, and move on”. That is way more fun, anyway. Is this the best Total War game ever? Mm. Hard to say. In some ways, absolutely. But I’m not here to compare it to Total War: Shogun (which is, if I’m being honest, probably my favorite of all), but to look at this one as a whole. Personally, I think this is a huge step up from the first title. It feels more like a Warhammer title. And sure, there are people complaining that all eight factions aren’t playable yet, but the “Mortal Empires” update is on the way, so don’t fret. There’s still plenty to do here. Is it perfect? No, I’d say not. But behold, Total War: Warhammer 2: The Quest for the Great Vortex!
I think one of the biggest new features is the Vortex. The Great Vortex swirls and whirls, and it is a source of contention for all of these factions. They all want to control it for one reason or another. The campaign is a big race to control it, completing Ritual after Ritual, and then having to deal with frustrating, powerful groups of Demons as they march onto the island. Or … follow me, here … you can just ignore it! Let someone else do all the hard work and heavy lifting. Prepare a massive army and when it’s time for the final battle, they’re war-weary from having to defend from every Vortex ritual, you sweep in and take all the glory for yourself! I think it’s a neat idea, but I worry that the Vortex being the only main goal of the game will reduce replayability, at least a little. Of course, there is the other victory condition: destroy all of your foes! This was the most satisfying for me. While the High Elves and Lizardmen were scurrying for the Vortex, my Dark Elves were stomping the Skaven and the other Dark Elves out of existence.
Races won’t always get terrific benefits from being in areas that are outside of their sphere of influence (Lizardfolk in the desert, for example), but the buffs and bonuses claiming the lives of Legendary Lords will make the trip worthwhile. I think the game will become more exciting when the old and new maps merge and Mortal Empires comes out. Will that offer more victory conditions? I do hope so. While I’m not so wild about there only being a few ways to “win” the campaign, I do enjoy that each faction definitely plays differently. For now, we have Skaven, High Elves, Dark Elves, and Lizardfolk. And even the Legendary Lords play different/have a different difficulty rating from their counterparts. In some instances, they play differently on top of that. For an example, look at Malekith and Morathi of the Dark Elves. Morathi spreads Chaos Corruption, while Malekith does not. For this reason, I mark her as one of my first major targets in my Malekith playthrough, because I don’t want her nonsense corrupting the land. Then I can focus on what matters, the rest of the land. But as far as factions go:
High Elves: Lothern (Easy), and the Order of Loremasters (Hard). Intrigue: Influence can be used to recruit superior Lords, or it can be used to influence diplomatic relations with other factions. Very useful, that. Espionage: The shady, shifty High Elves can see direct lines to assets of their allies whom they have Trade Agreements with. Always be wary of trade with them. Martial Prowess: Greater coordination when High Elves enter battle at full strength. A rested army makes a superior army. Honestly, I found the High Elves kind of bland, other than the tactical/diplomatic stuff. Being able to influence others appeals to me. The rest was kind of … Meh. Not quite as fun as the other factions.
Skaven: Okay, this is probably my favorite faction, even with Dark Elves on the table. Queek Headtaker (Hard), Lord Skolk (Normal). Food: This is the major component of the Skaven gameplay. Food. The more food you have, the better. You need to maintain high food supplies to gain growth bonuses and to avoid starvation penalties. You can use food when you claim a city to increase its rank/power a bit if you have the spare food to do so. Skaven Corruption: It’s a detriment to the populous but lets you spawn additional Clanrats in local battles. However it can get too much even for Skaven, so be aware of the corruption levels. The Skaven are my favorites in this game because they retain that unique flavor that only the Skaven have in the Warhammer universe. The cities of the Underempire appear on the map as ruined areas, and unless you see a Skaven enter it, you’ll never know if you’re walking into an army, or simply some ruins to explore for treasure.
Dark Elves: Malekith (strong) and Morathi of the Cult of Pleasure (Hard). Though Malekith gains +30 with Cult of Pleasure, they just wound up being in my way, so most games I just crush them as soon as I possibly can. And Malekith’s ability to give a percentage of his XP to his lords is great for when you have Lords defending cities and not out killing stuff. Black Arks: These powerful Naval Units can be used to recruit new units, replenish weakened units, and bombard battles they’re within range of. Slaves: This was one of the hardest things to juggle for me. Slaves provide a bonus to provincial economies at the cost of public order. So you really have to balance this carefully. Murderous Prowess: Being granted a boon from Khaine, they gain increased combat prowess, should they kill enough enemies. So it definitely behooves you to be in the field with Malekith or Morathi, murdering armies. I enjoy the units and gameplay of the Dark Elves, but it might have been a bit above my tactical depth.
Lizardmen: Perhaps the most ferocious fighters, and the birthplace of Magic. Lord Mazdamundi (Easy) and Kroq-Gar (Normal). Only having Easy/Normal is sort of nice, and they’re a solid place to start for newcomers. Geomantic Web: Lizardman settlements are linked by a magical network that increases the power of their Commandments. Special Spawnings: Periodically, you’re given a mission which will reward you with special Blessed variants of certain units. These become top priority to increase the strength of your army. Bestial Vigor: There are Beasts for every task in the Lizardman army, but some might lose control and charge forward in battle, lost in their bloodlust. I had the easiest time conquering and marauding as the Lizardmen but were not quite as fun as the Skaven. But I feel like they might be easier to play for most players, given the base difficulty of both Legendary Lords.
Diplomacy, like I said, is pretty weak in this game. If you enjoyed combat in the last game though, you’ll continue to love it in this one. I also truly enjoy gaining powers/buffs for defeating other Legendary Lords. It makes conquering have a greater appeal and is just another reason for me to forgo the main story and just work on destroying all of my enemies. I will say that every unit in the game looks gorgeous on the battlefield, but moderate PCs may begin to slow down the more units there are at once. The majority of the game feels the same as the last one, including the skill tree for Lords/Legendary Lords. But unlocking powerful equipment and spells from completing objectives/killing Legendary Lords/searching ruins? That’s awesome. You really have to take care when building stuff in your cities though. It’s like a tech tree, and you don’t want to have too much overlap. The game will warn you when you have a building in already, and this was an issue for me because I was treating it like Civilization at first, spending time making sure all of my early cities were built in a similar manner. Don’t do this!
Only the Strong Survive. Or Cunning. Or Dinosaurs: 4/5
I enjoy the vast distinctions in the various factions. Each army plays differently on the field, and though I do think the AI isn’t a whole lot smarter, it was enough for me. Maybe it’s because I’m not an RTS God or even all that great at the Total War games. Some of the more tedious battles I’d rely on simply having a bigger, stronger army and auto-resolve because I knew I had virtually no chance of losing, but if there’s even a chance I could lose I handled it myself. I’m glad that each faction is different and special. From the high-cost but martially superior High Elves, to knuckle-dragging Rat Ogres, Black Arks unleashing hell upon coastal battlefields and aggressive, fury-filled Lizardmen, there’s a lot going on, and no matter which you want to play as, I think you will find enjoyment.
Of course, there’s always going to be that person that yells “WHERE ARE NORSCA’S NEW UNITS?!” and that is admittedly a fair question. They will be playable in the next DLC, but I hope they’ll have updated units. Mods aren’t quite there yet, nor are the quality-of-life changes that came with the last updates of Warhammer 1. But when Mortal Empires appears, so will these things. It’s not like they’re making you buy a Season Pass to get that content. I found the menus to be kind of tedious and annoying, and a trifle unfriendly. As far as the advisor goes, it was disappointing to have an occasional faction character advise you, then the other guy. I’d love to stay immersed by having a faction-character give me all of my advice/tutorials in that same style. I enjoy this game quite a lot, it’s a step up from the first game, but I still feel like it’s lacking a little something. I was a little disappointed in one thing: while I love how different the factions play, in gameplay and in combat; I’d like them to all be searching for a different goal. Everyone seeking their own benefit from the Vortex kind of felt bland to me.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War — Official Launch Trailer
War is here! Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is live, and it’s time to take back Middle-Earth from the Orcs with …. your own army of Loot Boxes.
Day of Infamy – FREE WEEKEND! [12th – 16th October 17]
From the creators of Insurgency comes the intense WW2 combat of Day of Infamy! Play it for free from the 12th to the 16th of October 2017!
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands: Free Weekend
From 10-12 to 10-15, you can play Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands for free! Do battle with the Cartel or with other players in the Ghost War PVP Mode!
Raiden V: Director’s Cut Launch Trailer
UFO Interactive Games announces the launch of Raiden V: Director’s Cut for PS4 and PC!
Raiden V: Director’s Cut features two player couch co-op, an all new story mode, new missions and ships, competitive boss missions, and more.
Assassin’s Creed Origins: Post Launch & Season Pass Trailer
What sort of free post-launch content/Season Pass content can you expect in Assassin’s Creed: Origins? Get a peek at it right here.


![Assassin’s Creed Origins Birth of the Brotherhood Trailer _ Ubisoft [US] - YouTu](http://www.onrpg.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Assassin’s-Creed-Origins-Birth-of-the-Brotherhood-Trailer-_-Ubisoft-US-YouTu.jpg)








