Destiny 2 Microtransactions: Destined for a Resurgance?

During an earnings call, Activision determined that within the last quarter sales for Destiny 2: Forsaken have not lived up to expectations. The game had been heavily promoted and was even offered as a free title for PC gamers (available until November 18, 2018). It was also made available to PlayStation Plus subscribers as part of the free games line-up for the month of September. Nonetheless, the game has been under-performing in terms of player engagement as well as market performance.

During the call itself, Activision COO Coddy Johnson stated that “Some of our other franchises like Destiny are not performing as well as we’d like...” This could be a result of the core fanbase from Destiny 1 being deterred from purchasing the sequel and subsequent expansions because of poor business practices in the past which are just now starting to show repercussions. He seems to affirm this theory as he continues claiming "We have not yet seen the full core re-engage in Destiny, which has led to the under-performance against expectations to date. Some players are in 'wait and see' mode. If you're in, you're deeply engaged. If not, we think now's the time to bring players back."

Some players and critics alike believe that Exo Cayde-6's death in the overarching storyline however, may now have proven to be a critically severe tactical error from a business standpoint. As the only character with significant personality, acting as comedic relief, the tone of the franchise has perhaps become forever marred in an edgier, grittier manner. As such, it may be that players (such as myself) have lost interest and immersion considering that the character has survived the "Red War" of the main base game, only to fall victim to Prince Uldren and his Skorn underlings immediately afterwards. This may have deterred current players from purchasing the latest DLC in a denial of cycle sort of way. By not purchasing Destiny 2's Forsaken, Cayde-6 still "lives", albeit metaphysically.

Cayde-6

Unfortunately, what this means for Activision's long-term plan is that they intend to have future content released more frequently, and most egregiously, ramp up the monetization for the game. This most definitely is NOT a strategy that will be met with welcome arms from their players as it was clearly evident with the introduction of Eververse's costly "pay-to-acquire" exclusive items.

One potential monetization alternative would be a subscription fee on top of the $60 fee for the base game and the $40 fee for the expansion packs. However, I would suggest perhaps customizeable reticles (perhaps with clan tags as a feature?) or possibly adding "bases" where players could customize furnishings and hang out with other members of their group? There are less aggressive and invasive means of increasing revenue and player engagement.

Personally, I want to know more about guardians themselves. What do they do in their free time when they are not protecting the last city from enemies of the Traveler? What do they do for amusement that doesn't involve guns? Can they even reproduce considering that they were dead and then resurrected? What effects of resurrection on the anatomy does this have? Do guardians need to eat too? During a strike mission, the Ghost casually alludes to the fact that guardians are immune to Tetanus when entering a rusted water purification plant teeming with Taken spawn. Clearly, Bungie and Activision have room to ponder these aspects of their eververse-expanding world. Given enough time, they can create content that would make the game far more enticing to hardcore and casual players.

My greatest complaint with Bungie and Activision is the constant lack of transparency as well as a distinct habit of miscommunication of goals and ideals. There have been some gross violations of player trust such as when there was an Experience Level scaling issue for hardcore grinding players. Bungie & Activision have managed to shoot themselves in the foot time and time again by not communicating clearly and effectively with their fan base and it always reflects in their revenue. It's a hard lesson to learn, but a very necessary one to abide by. Treat your customers with respect and integrity, do not shortchange them, and listen heavily to feedback (both constructive and negative).

Works Cited
 

Schreier, Jason. “Activision Says It's Not Happy With Destiny's Sales.” Kotaku, Kotaku.com, 8 Nov. 2018, kotaku.com/activision-says-its-not-happy-with-destinys-sales-1830322804?utm_source=Kotaku_Twitter&utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Twitter&utm_medium=Socialflow.

Usher, William. “Apparently, Destiny 2 Has Been A Disappointment For Activision.” CINEMABLEND, CINEMABLEND, 9 Nov. 2018, www.cinemablend.com/games/2461140/apparently-destiny-2-has-been-a-disappointment-for-activision?fbclid=IwAR2dJVpFdJ2kFvhtA2Dzz4T7T-UQulrXE2_Fenx-5usyUYfMbw2n6XEHVsk.

Wood, Austin. “Destiny 2 Director Assures Players Bungie Is.” GamesRadar, GamesRadar The Games, Movies and TV You Love, 10 Nov. 2018, www.gamesradar.com/destiny-2-director-assures-players-bungie-is-not-disappointed-with-forsaken-despite-activisions-sales-concerns/?utm_content=bufferc8f1a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer_grfb.

Detroit: Become Human Review

Quantic Dream’s latest IP (Intellectual Property), Detroit: Become Human is a complex and intense game with multiple branching storylines that will conform to your choices with surprisingly meaningful results. A first playthrough of the game will run an average player roughly 10-12 hours so, on the outset, that doesn't seem like a very lengthy story, however, with so many alternative paths, the game has a significantly high replay value and it's incredibly fulfilling just to see what could have occurred had one of the other protagonists decided to make a different choice in an unfolding scenario.

There are three main protagonists: Connor (portrayed by Bryan Dechart) a prototype model that acts as an investigator/negotiator whose assignment is to discover the root cause of androids becoming "deviant", Kara (portrayed by Valorie Curry, recently seen as "Dot" in Amazon’s live action revival of The Tick), a housekeeper android who must care for a little girl named Alice, and Markus (portrayed by Jesse Williams whom is well known on Grey’s Anatomy) another caretaker model who looks after Carl, a renowned painter. Markus eventually believes androids should share equal rights with humans based upon the teachings of his mentor.

In Detroit, it’s the year 2038. The CyberLife corporation (largely responsible for the events that transpire) has invented affordable, lifelike androids that perfectly mimic people in appearance and capability. They can wash the dishes, fold the laundry, cook, tend to your children...they are the epitome of working class labor. However, over time, "deviancy" begins to rise and the androids begin to acquire free will. As such, the player will interact with these characters and discover their personal journeys and role in the grand scheme of the sentience movement.

Based on your decisions, you can change each androids personalities or motivations as well as the tone of their individual stories. The plethora of options are vast and numerous between chapters and checkpoints. How much control you have over the narrative varies wildly from moment to moment, from traditional and clear branching paths to more linear sections where you’re simply providing flavour (sincere, direct, or sarcastic responses).

My favorite character by far was Connor. He inevitably partners up with a human Lieutenant, named Hank Anderson (Portrayed by Clancy Brown). The initial relationship was somewhat hostile at first, but in my first playthrough, I intended to be the best partner I could to the Lieutenant and he eventually warmed up to me. He ended up being a great ally and one that was surprisingly supportive, especially in the final act. I grew very attached to both of them as they carried out their investigation. A grizzled cop and a cheerful android.

Kara’s story is deeply personal and intimate, taking on a very materialistic tone, one that is somewhat refreshing when compared to the machismo, adrenaline-fueled, and testosterone packed stories of Connor and Markus. It's a nice change of pace that provides a welcome contrast to all the running around and explosion dodging you do with the other characters.

All of the characters portrayals show a stunning amount of non-verbal expressiveness. The level of detail you can see in their faces is simply remarkable; facial hair, blemishes, freckles, and smile lines are all rendered in captivating detail with the animation showing just as much dedication. Even the weather effects are elloquently designed, with both the snow and the rain coating the characters and environments in a delicate manner. This game's environmental effects have to be some of the best implementation of weather to date. This game truly is a great experience to partake in.

One of the reasons I enjoyed Connor's storyline so much was due to the implementation of the "detective mode" allows players to scan the environment to reconstruct crime scenes, and fast-forward or rewind possible frames of time,

Markus in particular has a different ability that allows him to ‘pre-construct’ scenarios before executing them. I would have liked the opportunity to play around with this ability just a bit more, but even so, it was a neat feature that kept the gameplay fresh and unique.

SPOILER WARNING!!!

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Chloe at the main menu screen and it was nice that she greeted you each time you booted up the game. (In my case though, I didn't realize she would comment upon your progression. I played through the entire story all in one sitting and set her free). I was disappointed that she left and that the main menu screen would not have any replacement assistant or greeter.

My biggest gripe was that Markus gains a romantic love interest in North (portrayed by

Minka Kelly), and I felt like that was very forced. It wasn't quite as gradual of a progression as one would have hope and I honestly didn't like her character to begin with, so when the option came for me to kiss her on screen, I turned her down EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I didn't like that she was so negative and unsupportive of my pacifist approach towards gaining android freedom. As such, I was taken aback with shock and utter disgust when she attempted to swoon Markus. I simply didn't ask for any of it to happen, so it felt largely out of place.

Another issue I had was with the elevator scene at CyberLife with Connor. There were no non-lethal options and it infuriated me that up until this point I had ensured that he would not use a firearm to arm innocents nor would he disobey the android laws with regard to an unauthorized concealed carry of a handgun. Yet, the game and story would not allow me to pursue my anti-gun ideal. This even happened during the raid of Jericho and I kept asking myself "Where did he get the gun from? Who gave my RK 800 android a gun?!?" It sort of broke the immersion for me just a bit.

The characters can be quite robust and during play, gamers will grow attached to them over time, so much so that it becomes a real challenge to keep the androids away from danger and a sort of pseudo-fear creeps in during the quick time events that a character may not make it out of the scene alive with each failed button press.

The stakes were suitably high - particularly in its final act and I was adamant about Connor in particular. So much so that I was frantically trying everything I could to prevent what I would have considered to be an utter betrayal of my sanity.

Quantic Dream was extremely clever in allowing players to see the multitude of paths transparently through flowcharts introduced at the end of each chapter. This allows players to picture just how differently an intense scene could have played out if you had failed at certain points, enticing you to play through again.

Detroit: Become Human is an astoundingly interactive sci-fi drama where your choices can truly impact events to a greater and more satisfying degree than in most games of this genre.

Score:

8.5/10.0

B+ Solid storytelling with strong emotionally engaging characters

A Keenly Human Element - Detroit: Become Human

During a recent press event in Paris, Quantic Dream presented their latest gameplay demo of their new IP (Intellectual Property), titled Detroit: Become Human. The game is being directed by David Cage.

I suppose the most controversial portion of the screening needs to be addressed first and foremost...the trailer depicted acts of domestic and child abuse as well as graphic violence.

Kara, an android housekeeper, bears witness to an American father’s psychological and physical abuse of his daughter, Alice. However, she is not merely a witness, but a potential foil to the antagonist within this particular scenario. She (and thereby the player, via proxy) is capable of intervention. How the player goes about doing so however, is the key factor in preventing further conflict escalation. One's choices will affect the narrative in a multitude of different ways. Does Kara try to talk to Todd in order to calm him down? How does he respond? Will she take a more aggressive approach? Does she take Alice and flee? A world of possibilities is only a button press away. Yet, every choice has a consequence...If nothing is done, Alice will end up dying, making her death the least desirable outcome.

Todd is shown to be an aggressive father who has been left by his wife. Having lost his job “because of androids,” he lives with his daughter in a shanty house in the suburbs of Detroit. Kara had already been damaged by Todd once before and her memories have since been reset.

There has been a longstanding status quo between game makers and players not to address taboos and political aspects in games because of a prevailing notion that this particular medium is not suitable for handling the gravity of certain real-life situations or moral choices appropriately. As such, there has perhaps been a stagnation of meaningful narrative in games. David Cage and his development team's production may work to rectify this by treading through these uncharted waters, so to speak. Addressing difficult subject matter however makes navigating potentially more perilous for the medium’s writers and designers.

Conversely, this type of setup isn't all too different from those old "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" books from the 1980s, where readers would, at the end of each plot milestone, make a dramatic choice, and then turn to the indicated page to see how the choice played out.

"Art imitates life, but should there be a limit to what is shown?"

Despite that comparison, it is still quite possible that gamers will see the game as a trivialization of needing only to make the “correct” choices in order to resolve such situations. Many people may feel that such choice is a misrepresentation of the reality of those who has suffered from, or who knows a survivor of, domestic abuse.

Now, Kara's story isn't the only focus of the grand, overall plot. In fact, there are at least three protagonists total, all of which have interwoven plotlines. One such, involves the Android negotiator Connor, who is sent to try to determine what events transpired during a hostage situation and prevent another Android, Daniel, from causing harm to come to a young girl. By investigating the crime scene and talking to SWAT personnel, the odds of success increase dramatically within the allotted time.

The third Android, Marcus, is trying to start an Android revolution. Recently gaining sentience, he must decide whether to make his demands known through forceful protest, or peaceful persistence.

Connor and Kara's storylines seem to be the most interesting of the three (at least to me), but perhaps in time we will see more of Marcus' inspirations and motivations.

It takes an incredible amount of courage to tackle extremely unpleasant themes or portray traumatic scenes, whether it be in game design, movie making, or other artistic design. We still need to be cautious of the glorification of and desensitization to, violence.

Opinion Piece - My Destiny 2 Review

Well, folks, I caved. I figured it would happen, but what can I say? I enjoy my first person shooters (as long as they have elements of customization). I picked up my copy of the game through Amazon for $51.83 (Savings of $11.97 compared to the MSRP of $59.96). At least I didn't pay full price. I know I'll have to hop on the DLC Expansion bandwagon soon enough, but I feel as though any and all delay in payments towards that inevitability are a boon. Spoilers may follow.

In Destiny 2, the last safe city on Earth has fallen and lays in ruins, occupied by a powerful new enemy, named Dominus Ghaul and his elite army, the Red Legion.  Guardians are being attacked mercilessly after losing their connection to the Light and thus, by extension, the Traveler. Without their powers, they can no longer resurrect after death, leading to a whole new wave of Guardian genocide by the hands of the Cabal.

I'd say that the overall campaign is quite short, clocking in at roughly 10-12 hours of gameplay per character. The final encounter ends up being a bit counter-intuitive as some of your super abilities restrict you from actually being able to hit Ghaul effectively while he is mid-air (depending upon your class and subclass). It can be a bit frustrating as it's almost mandatory that you have a projectile-based ability, especially considering that the game provides you with near infinite super meter refills. You can still shoot him as per usual with your gun, but when the game itself offers you a chance to rain vengeance in a near limitless fashion with your ultimate ability, you'll definitely want to partake.

If the original Destiny was a 6.5-7.0/10.0, this game is probably a 7.5-8.0/10.0 on my grading scale.

Those players who were turned off by the original's lackluster storyline and numerous plotholes may find enjoyment jumping back into the franchise now as the plot feels much more in depth and emotionally compelling. The exploration of the game's overworld was at times, forced due to the lack of the ability to use your Sparrow (a speeder reminiscent of those used by Stormtroopers in Star Wars) until after completing the campaign. (Oddly enough, sparrow horns seem to be largely absent from this game...)

However, this restriction allows for players to appreciate their surroundings and perhaps wander into an unexplored cavern to discover a "Lost Sector" of the map. These are often cavernous expanses with numerous enemies and a Loot Cache that can only be opened with a "Key Code" that is usually in a powerful enemies' inventory. By defeating the Fallen Captain (or equivalent) players can claim the treasure inside.

Unfortunately, there are no new character classes in Destiny 2 nor are there any new enemy types (beyond the War Beasts that the Red Legion have in their armada), yet, there are some changes to the existing character subclasses.

My Exo Warlock named "F33db4ck"

The Hunter's Bladedancer Subclass has now been replaced with the Arcstrider which summons an Arc-empowered staff that can be used for extreme close-quarters melee combat. Unfortunately, it means the loss of the invisibility powers associated with the previous type.

The Sentinel Subclass replaces the Void Defender Subclass from the original game. It's still able to utilize the Ward Of Dawn ability, but only with the "Code of the Protector" Skill Tree/Perk Set. The Super Ability allows for Titans to use a shield as a projectile similar to "Captain America" from the unrelated Marvel Comics Universe.

Finally, the Solar-based Dawnblade Subclass has now replaced the Sunsinger Subclass. Unfortunately, this replacement comes at the price of being able to self-resurrect after being killed. However, Warlocks can now weave Solar Light into blades and smite foes from the skies.

At this time, players can not choose what Heroic Strikes they wish to partake in, nor can they choose a Strike's difficulty level (i.e. Easy, Medium, or Hard). There is however, a Prestige Level for Raids and Strikes, the latter of which has a recommended light level of 300. Everything has being orchestrated into two playlists per category: Strikes or Nightfalls in the one and in the Crucible, it's either Quick Play or Competitive Mode (Trials of the Nine is only available during the weekends). The missions are selected randomly for the Strikes and the Nightfalls change weekly.

Nightfall missions themselves have gone through a change as well. In Destiny's first year, the fireteam would be kicked back to orbit the moment everyone died, and they would have to restart the entire mission from scratch. However, that restriction was inevitably removed in Destiny's second or third year. Now, in Destiny 2, the restriction is that the Nightfall missions are on a countdown timer and must be completed within the limit or the party is returned to orbit to start anew. This can be a bit frustrating for players if the mission itself is particularly difficult. There is some respite though in that nearly every week there is a new objective that might allow participants to extend the time as it depletes. In some instances, it may be leaping through Vex Temporal Rings, in others it may be a requirement to shoot blue Vex Oracles (light blue boxes). Each success adds an additional 30 seconds to the clock and every second counts (especially for the boss fights at the end!). However, there are often modifiers present that can help or hinder fireteams, depending on what is generated.

Also, all of the multiplayer modes (except for the Raid and Strikes) are in in a 4v4 setup. It is no longer 6v6. This makes combat against other players a more "tactical" affair. On the one hand, this can be less of a mad chaotic clash, but on the other, it means that stages may feel too large or too small comparatively. It completely changes the pacing of the competitive scene especially considering that grenades and shoulder charges don’t always kill in one hit. Each match may feel a bit sluggish compared to the fast paced action of the original. Also worth mentioning is that in these game modes, power ammo can only be acquired by ONE team member each time it spawns, so you have to make each use count and designate an appropriate player. This can lead to more clear-cut clutch moments and perhaps a fewer cheap deaths. But it also may mean that one guy on your team with terrible aim ends up hogging all of the power weapon ammunition.

My favorite Hunter Helmet, the Celestial Nighthawk

Public Events now appear on the overworld map with countdown timers and quite a few players will join up to participate, but only through certain actions will the public event transition to a Heroic Public Event, which includes better rewards. These are usually more challenging to initiate, and unfortunately a bit more difficult to coordinate. While these occurrences happen often and are a welcome addition, they leave little in the means of variety, especially on the smaller planets. This means that if you're on the moon Titan, for instance, you're going to get really tired of seeing the same Fallen Walker (Spider Tank) three to four times in the last hour, despite needing to do several public events for a weekly Flashpoint challenge. Granted, there is an alternative public event featuring the Hive, but there isn't much variation to cycle through.

As for the cutscenes, some really terrific work has been performed. The voice lines are great and Nathan Fillion's performances as Cayde-6 are always a treat. There are a few quips and jabs at his character along with some more depth to Ikora Rey (portrayed by Gina Torres) and Commander Zavala's (played by Lance Reddick) personalities. Whereas the Awoken Titan is unwavering in his plan to assault Ghaul, we see a Human Warlock distraught, and rife with self-loathing to the point of nearly giving up hope.

Another improvement is that the time spent bouncing in and out of orbit has been drastically cut. You can travel directly to any planet you want to from the main HUD. It's still a nuisance that the loading screen is your ship traversing the cosmos without you being able to interact with it in any way, shape, or form, from orbit, but the duration of such has been significantly reduced at the very least.

Trading weaponry, gear, or shaders is still not possible in this latest iteration, which to some may be a bit of an annoyance. Especially since now that Bungie has decided to make shaders a single-use consumable resource. Shaders are cosmetic items that can be applied to armor to give it a color scheme that’s different from its original look. You can now customize individual pieces of armor, guns, or your ships with unique and colorful shaders, however, if you use that shader, it's gone for good, even if you dismantle the equipment you have attached it to. This is further complicated by the rarity of certain shaders and the fact that Tess Everis, the Eververse Trading Co. vendor, requires players to spend "Bright Dust" in order to purchase the more lucrative and legendary ones. This is occasionally obtained when opening a bright engram, or dismantling sparrows, Ghost shells, et cetera, but for the most part, Guardian Players will be acquiring Bright Dust by purchasing Silver with actual money. (I actually earned 1,300 units of bright dust from a Bright Engram. I'm debating what I should use the funds for...) She does provide additional (mostly cosmetic) items for our real world currency in the form of bundles, but the drops are always random. These purchases are known as microtransactions and are typically viewed in a negative light by most gamers as a poor business practice.

Players used to buy shaders from the vendor Eva Levante with an abundant, in-game currency called Glimmer, hence the outrage. The pivotal component of how shaders worked in the original Destiny was that they were permanent items. Once you unlocked a shader, it was tied to your account forever. Your entire shader collection was available for browsing via in-game kiosks, and your character could hold up to nine of them at once. There was only one major gripe that Destiny players had with shaders: They were an all-or-nothing style choice. When you put one on, the shader's color scheme was applied to your entire set of armor not individual pieces.

Granted, there is a new system in place with bright engrams every time you hit the level cap past 20, allowing Guardians to acquire some of these accessories freely, but it still forces players to make frequent trips to Tess Everis' kiosk. This is perhaps an attempt to entice someone to make an actual purchase. It's most likely, a psychological marketing tactic. This could be the "Foot-in-the-Door Method" at work.

Disappointingly, Destiny 2 doesn’t take the time to explain how its upgrade and infusion systems work. Mods can be a bit confusing at first glance and they eventually become a critical addition to gear later on. A missed opportunity for insightful exposition to be sure.

World activities, PvP, and Leviathan all have different group size requirements, meaning you’re often a person short for some activities or forced to abandon a team member when transitioning from a four-player Crucible PvP match into a three-man team activity like a Strike. This is a glaring issue.

The new Clan system in Destiny 2 does a great job of giving people a reason to stick together and rewards players for every milestone they achieve.

I think that the biggest saving grace of Destiny 2 is the feature called Guided Games (currently in beta) that allows experienced teams to queue into a lobby that brings along a new player which permits clans to teach players how to participate in say, a Nightfall Strike or the Leviathan Raid. Conversely, as a Clan or group, this is a suitable method of recruitment if the player in question is agreeable and skilled. The Guided Games option requires player to not only have a microphone, but it demands an agreement to a series of guidelines for acceptable conduct. If the agreement isn't accepted within sixty seconds, the player must start the waiting process all over again. It's a standard affair and the rules are determined by Bungie, but it can be a slight nuisance if you forget to select the "Accept" option while waiting (up to four minutes or longer) in queue. Raid wait times have been even longer at roughly 45 minutes+. This is absurd and most players are better off using the past method of trying an LFG page.

I myself have yet to participate in the Leviathan Raid at the time of this review, however, testimony from my closest friends and colleagues has revealed that it is quite a challenge, both mechanically, and mentally. Fireteams will have to be well co-ordinated in order to meet and exceed Bungie's high standard of puzzles and intense boss battles.

I haven't had the opportunity to play Trials of the Nine either, Destiny 2's answer to the previous Trials of Osiris but the current meta of the game thus far essentially demands the use of the MIDA Multi-Tool Scout Rifle. It has become the leading gun in competitive multi-player and Bungie has released an official statement claiming that it is working as intended and that there are counters to that weapon, but many argue that it gives an unfair advantage despite being fairly easy to acquire.

I myself utilize auto-rifles primarily (I hate burst fire because you have to repetitively click the trigger button. I prefer to press and hold.) and thus, I probably will not be utilizing the gun once obtained. I do enjoy my precision shots, but I specialize with sniper rifles. Plus, with an auto rifle, you have a higher rate of fire, and more hit markers (which helps the lag compensation).

Overall, the game feels like two steps forward, one step back. The series has potential, but it's never fully realized. There is always something that bogs down this game's level of enjoyment for me. It's usually something that could be easily fixed and that just serves to frustrate or confound me even more. With the Guided Games, it's certainly an improvement from using third party websites to organize a fireteam, but regular matchmaking would still be better considering the obnoxiously long waiting times.

Letter Grade: B- or C+

Replayability: Fairly high, despite some repetitiveness and monotony

Score: 7.5-8.0/10.0 (I'm leaning more towards 7.5)

Edit: So, I've managed to try both Trials of the Nine and the Leviathan Raid since this post was initially written. I've tried nearly every aspect of the Raid and completed it. It's not too difficult if everyone is oriented with where enemies spawn and what actions to take with regards to when. I have now completed the Platinum Trophy for Destiny 2. As for the Trials of the Nine, I haven't gone flawless, but with one victory, you can travel to see the Emissary of the Nine, thereby unlocking that trophy as well. PvP has unfortunately, devolved into the current Meta of needing to possess either the MIDA Multi-Tool or the Hard Light exotic Auto Rifle in order to succeed. The former aiding in movement, the latter aiding via ricocheting energy bullets in closed quarters. It's unfortunate that there is little variation amongst players outside of those two weapons. In light of this, my opinion of the game remains to be relatively neutral. It's a step in the right direction on one hand, and fundamentally flawed in the other. Time will tell if players have been swindled or not when the next DLC is announced and we get to see what is offered or what was cut from the initial launch.

Dragon Quest X Expansion Details - Time Travel and the Return of the Druid Job Class

Dragon Quest X’s next expansion, The 5,000 Year Journey to the Distant Homeland Online will arrive in Japan on November 16, 2017. According to an issue of issue of Jump magazine, the story will take players into the world of the past.

The latest iteration of the game features two essential key characters, including the knight in black (who appears to be reminiscent of an evil version of Dragon Quest XI protagonist) as well as a mysterious fairy named “Kyururu” who lends his unique powers to the hero player.

Apparently players will have a "fateful encounter" at the Eterne Kingdom, featuring completely new areas including fields of flowers, fancy roads, and ominous buildings.

Some of the additional characters that the player encounters include:

Meleade: A female you first meet in the past world. She’s a softhearted noble with a black cat.

Chacol: Meleade’s mischievous pet cat. Her collar and ribbon matches that of her owner, both being red. The cat's collar and Meleade's choker collar have a yellow star tag.

Quord: The commander of the Eterne Kingdom army, and the younger brother of Meleade. He’ll defend against anyone who tries to harm his sister.

The Druid job that was last available in Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past also makes a reappearance. It's a vocation that allows players to target and attack numerous enemies at once using the power of nature. It used to be known as the "Summoner" class in the original Dragon Warrior VII translation for the PlayStation 1.


Author's Note:

It would be interesting to see the timeline and progression of events, especially considering how far into the past the players will travel. It's a pity that this game has not been announced for Western localization.


Works Cited
Dragon Quest X Expansion Adds Druid Job And A Story That Takes Place In The Past. (2017, August 17). Retrieved September 07, 2017, from http://www.siliconera.com/2017/08/17/dragon-quest-x-expansion-adds-druid-job-story-takes-place-past/

Dragon Quest X Reveals Two Key Characters And A Cat For Its New Expansion. (2017, August 31). Retrieved September 09, 2017, from http://www.siliconera.com/2017/08/31/dragon-quest-x-reveals-two-key-characters-cat-new-expansion/

Dragon Quest X (Upcoming PS4 Version) Update and Beta Test Announcement!

Next month in Japan marks the release of the PlayStation 4 version of Dragon Quest X: Rise of the Five Tribes Online. Square Enix shared a brand new trailer (depicted below) that highlights scenes from the MMORPG title on PS4. The new “All in One Package” edition of the game, features enhanced visuals with improvements on facial textures and other parts of the game with 1080p resolution and 60fps performance on PS4 (which is a great improvement when compared to the original Wii version). It also contain the game’s first three expansions, or rather "versions" since it was launched back in August 2, 2012.

Dragon Quest X releases in Japan on August 17, 2017 for PlayStation 4 and Fall of 2017 (estimated September 21, 2017) for the Nintendo Switch. Both of which are priced at 4,800 yen (approximately $42.14 USD). The game is currently available on Wii U, PC, iPhone, and Android.

PlayStation 4 users will need to pay about 1,500 yen a month for five characters and the Switch version will cost around 1,000 yen (approximately $8.78 USD) to 1,500 yen a month (approximately $13.17 USD) for three to five characters.

A beta test for both versions was announced, and it will go live from Wednesday, July 19, 2017 through Thursday, August 10, 2017. Unfortunately, the Beta test application period ended Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 23:59.

The link to the BETA test can be found here: http://www.jp.square-enix.com/DQXBETA2017/

In order to participate, users must:

• Have a PlayStation® 4 / PlayStation® 4 Pro or Nintendo Switch ™ main unit 
• Have 16 GB of free space in their PlayStation® 4 / PlayStation® 4 Pro HDD
  
  OR:
• A Nintendo Switch ™ Main unit storage memory or microSD card with 16 GB of free space
  
  In addition:
• There must be an environment where you can connect to the Internet 
• Users must have a Square-Enix account
  
  If Nintendo holds up on their claim that their console is region free, the earliest Nintendo Switch users could see this game is September of this year.
  
  You can read all about my past posts regarding this title here.

Works Cited
Dragon Quest X Highlights Scenes In A New Trailer For Upcoming PS4 Version. (2017, July 06). Retrieved July 08, 2017, from http://www.siliconera.com/2017/07/06/dragon-quest-x-highlights-scenes-new-trailer-upcoming-ps4-version/

Dragon Quest X On Switch Gets Its First Footage, Release Dates For PS4 And Switch In Japan. (2017, May 27). Retrieved July 08, 2017, from http://www.siliconera.com/2017/05/27/dragon-quest-x-switch-gets-first-footage-release-dates-ps4-switch-japan/

Destiny 2 - New Legends Will Rise

After several months of speculation, Destiny 2 has finally had an official trailer. Unfortunately, not one scene of which actually included any gameplay footage. Destiny has captivated a devoted gamer fan-base since it first launched on September 9, 2014.

In the teaser trailer titled "Last Call", Cayde-6 (portrayed by none other than Nathan Fillion) recounts the events that transpired leading to the fall of the Vanguard's Hall of Guardians while presumably taking some "creative liberties" on his heroic performance whilst defending himself as well as his comrades Ikora Rey and Commander Zavala.

In the featured trailer, he makes an attempt at rallying the various Guardians spread throughout the ruins of what was once the Tower or the last city on Earth. Comically however, his motivational speech is not nearly as impressive as Commander Zavala's but with the promise of "loot", the Guardians in his midst are rearing to take on the Cabal who had the "Ghaul" to invade and destroy the Vaults containing the Guardians' arsenals (pun intended).

The official description of the reveal trailer reads as follows:

"Humanity’s last safe city has fallen to an overwhelming invasion force led by Ghaul, the imposing commander of the brutal Red Legion. He has stripped the city’s Guardians of their power, and forced the survivors to flee. You will venture to mysterious, unexplored worlds of our solar system to discover an arsenal of weapons and devastating new combat abilities. To defeat the Red Legion and confront Ghaul, you must reunite humanity’s scattered heroes, stand together, and fight back to reclaim our home."

More info is said to come via a future livestream on May 18th, 2017. Players who pre-order will be the first to obtain BETA access to the game, but there will be an Open BETA at a later date.

My Thoughts

My expectations for this game are at an all time low because I'm skeptical (and cynical) that the plot of this sequel will have any real substance.

In addition, knowing that Bungie had DLC expansions, I can at least somewhat predict that the same pattern will occur once again. As such, I suspect that Season Pass will be offered. Let's recap on when the original game released its downloadable content:

1.) The Dark Below released on December 9, 2014
(91 days from the time of the launch of Destiny or approximately 3 months).

2.) House of Wolves released on May 19, 2015
(252 days from the date of the launch of Destiny or 8 months, 10 days).

(161 days from the date of the release of The Dark Below Expansion or 5 months, 10 days)

3.) The Taken King released on September 15, 2015
(371 days from the date of the launch of Destiny or 1 year, 6 days).
(119 days from the date of the release of the House of Wolves Expansion or 3 months, 27 days).

4.) The Rise of Iron released on September 20, 2016 

(742 days from the date of the launch of Destiny or 2 years, 11 days)
(371 days from the  date of the release of The Taken King Expansion or 1 year, 5 days)

So we have a rough idea of how spread apart the expansions were for the first title. Does this mean that Destiny 2 will follow the same trend? Not necessarily, but at least it's a starting point. On average, each expansion comes out somewhere between 3-5 months apart from one another (with exceptions regarding the last one).

Shantae: Half Genie Hero - All the Fun with Half the Fat!

Hey everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season! I'm back to drop a quick post regarding the release of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero. The game came out officially on December 20, 2016 for PlayStation 4. The Wii U version will also be available on December 27, 2016.

I was fortunate to have gotten my backer code about a week earlier, so I made sure to hit it hardcore and I have to say that I truly enjoyed every moment of it, even the parts where I got slightly frustrated trying to figure out how to progress. (A platformer actually challenged me! Gasp!) Utilizing Shantae's transformations in tandem is absolutely crucial and from time to time, you may forget that she has a specialty for certain situations. (At one point in the final level, I kept trying to do a "Flappy Bird" subtle tap through a spike death trap using the harpy dance, failing spectacularly, each time I might add, for several minutes...forgetting I could've used another transformation entirely specific for that EXACT scenario saving a boatload of time...).

The music composed by Jake Kauffman is absolutely brilliant, catchy, and upbeat. I started humming the theme as I went along. There is a fair bit of backtracking throughout the levels, but the warp dance makes it far less cumbersome to explore the new areas you could not reach before and there were some really clever level design mechanics. There were plenty of comedic moments and times where I wished the game had been a wee bit longer. Overall, it's a fantastic adventure.

The only thing I could think of that I would have liked to have seen would have been Shantae doing an aerial somersault. I think that should be a move in her repertoire *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge* (I wanted SO badly to do one...).

In all seriousness though, I felt that a mild in-game tutorial of sorts would've benefited newcomers to the series. (It took me about an hour or so to realize that Shantae had a menu option using the PS4's touchpad...and the game completely floored me when there were options to deselect power-ups and that there were consumable items). Also, I wish that if there was only one thing only to take away from the Mighty Number 9 project, it would have been the search-and-highlight option for backer's names. Other than that, this was an excellent game and I heartily encourage everyone to give it a try!

Review Score: 9.0/10.0 A-
Definite Buy!

Please take a moment today (and perhaps a few throughout the week, if you can manage it) to post or retweet videos, fan art, reviews...or make use of the Fan Kit available here. Anything you can do to help promote the game that WayForward has worked so hard on, would be greatly appreciated!

Iron Banner Supremacy - A Broken Blade?

In an article titled Iron Banner Highlights Big Issues With ‘Destiny’s’ Multiplayer

by By Collin MacGregor, the Destiny community’s PvP (Player vs. Player) Iron Banner Supremacy mode comes under strict scrutiny by the author.

In the Iron Banner's Supremacy mode, two teams of six are tasked with shooting each other for “Crests”, which are engrams that are dropped after each successful kill. If a player runs or walks over it, their character picks that crest up. After an immediate kill, it will add a point to their individual scoreboard and a point to the team total. If another player manages to gather your crests after you have bested your opponent, they get one point for the retrieval and you get a kill point. It is ideal to pick up your downed allies' crest engrams as it is vital to prevent the opposing team from collecting them.

The first team to 150 points, or the team with the most points by the end of the round will win the match. This game mode is vaguely reminiscent of the "Kill Confirmed" archetype from the Call of Duty franchise. However, the exception in Destiny: Rise of Iron is that no points are awarded for the actual take-downs. The points are awarded solely upon crest retrieval.


Where MacGregor and I differ is in our opinion of the balancing of the game mode for this month's Iron Banner. According him the game has shifted the


"...balance of Destiny’s multiplayer considerably in the favor of certain classes. Support or distance based powers such as Nightstalker, Sunsinger, and Gunslinger feels shoved aside for the close quarters powerhouses like Striker, Bladedancer, and Stormcaller. Bungie has been trying since the games inception to find some sort of balance between all of the different guns and sub-classes, but this is the first time it’s truly felt broken. Now, I’m not asking for the entire game to revolve around snipers or allowing players to just camp in the back the entire match. However, one shouldn’t feel like entire gun archetypes are not viable due to everyone running exceedingly aggressive builds."

This is where Collin MacGregor and I disagree. I typically play as a Nightstalker Hunter in most PvP game modes (I'm honestly never really in the mood to switch) and I personally never saw any problem with the Nightstalker bow being used. In fact, it was IDEAL in the close quarter maps as I would be able to tether multiple opponents at once, gaining the "Wild Hunt" accolade nearly every time I unleashed it. I have seen many additional hunters utilizing the same effective strategy to circumvent the Stormcaller Warlocks and the Sunbreaker Titans. To me, what really seems broken is the lag time between picking up a crest engram and it disappearing from view. (I can't count how many times I've dashed towards a crest I thought was there, only to find out that someone had already picked it up.)

If anything, the lag and lack of partial credit towards kills is what has cause the balance in Destiny's latest game mode to be a bit skewed. I would rather have a top score of 250 with a point awarded for a kill, two for getting a crest, and perhaps three to four for the kill and retrieval of a particular crest.

I do agree with MacGregor with regards to the individual maps being a bit of a clincher on the game balancing front. Last Exit, Icarus, and Skyline are indeed full of narrow hallways and passages. As such, close combat tactics are preferred and encouraged. If other maps were rotated more frequently, we might see a drastic change in how the players respond in certain combat scenarios. However, with Rise of Iron only being  seventeen days old from the time of this post (September 20, 2016 is when Rise of Iron launched), this latest game mode being front and center for the new and improved Iron Banner is to be expected.

When I say "new and improved" I'm referring to the welcome addition of the female Iron Lord Efrideet as the head of the Iron Banner (via a nice introductory cinematic I might add!). The bounties for the Iron Banner now apply for the entire week and do not refresh daily, but now that the Tempered buff is no longer in play, it's far easier to rank up reputation levels. (I managed to get to rank 3 in the span of about an hour or two.)

My issue is that during battle, with everyone clustering together in an attempt to ensure crest pickup, it makes allies far easier targets for chain effects like that of the Zhalo Supercell and Stormcaller Warlocks. I can't count the number of times I've sneaked behind enemy lines just to flank the entire team and throw them off guard. So, perhaps spreading out a little bit wouldn't hurt on the teamwork.




Works Cited:

 MacGregor, C. (2016, October 05). Iron Banner Highlights Big Issues With ‘Destiny’s’ Multiplayer. Retrieved October 7, 2016, from http://heavy.com/games/2016/10/iron-banner-highlights-biggest-issue-destinys-multiplayer-balance-shotguns-snipers/ 

My E3 2015 Predictions & Expectations

Nintendo

I'd like Nintendo to ideally make a new Custom Robo game. The last one that came out was back in March 19, 2007 with Custom Robo Arena. The development company is called NOISE and has worked with Nintendo for a number of years, however, it has been quite some time since their last title.

As such, I think it would be a great undertaking if Nintendo were to re-visit the franchise, especially with the release of the upcoming game, Little Battlers eXperience. In that game, (which is based off of an animated series about kids building miniature, remote controlled mecha models, battling them, all while taking on a secret conspiracy that utilize the mechs for their own ambitions) players can customize their mechs with a plethora of different parts and weapons. I feel as though this would be the perfect time to make this upcoming year the year of the mechs!

This holds merit when one considers that the upcoming title Xenoblade Chronicles X has giant humanoid mech suits called "Skells" ("Dolls" in the Japanese version), which are used to combat the various enemies in the expansive open world environment.

I also expect to see Starfox Wii U with an all new trailer for the game, as well as a brief glimpse into the main plot (if possible). I've been a fan of the Starfox games since the release of Starfox 64 (I have yet to beat it sadly, as I've only recently downloaded the game on the Wii's Virtual Console). I did however manage to complete Star Fox Assault and rather enjoyed the game.


Although Nintendo mentioned that The Legend of Zelda for the Wii U would not be featured at E3, I still sort of hope that maybe they will toss out a teaser trailer or something to whet our ferocious appetites. In addition, I eagerly await more information on Fire Emblem and the Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem crossover.

I'd like to see a brand new Pokémon Snap, and a new Metroid game as well, but perhaps those ideas should be locked away for now. I think it would be fantastic to be able to once again revisit the Metroid Prime Hunters universe with a sequel that has a truly dedicated multiplayer first person shooter experience (most desired on the Wii U) with Samus Aran, Weavel, Sylux, Kanden, Spire, Noxus, and Trace.

Sony

The one game I'm most interested in with regards to Sony is Tom Clancy's: The Division. I eagerly anticipate more details and gameplay footage that will assure that my decision to purchase the game will be a worthwhile investment.


Microsoft, Activision, & et cetera

As for Microsoft, Bethesda, and the rest, I want to be surprised and dazzled by their showcases. I don't know exactly what to look for, but I'm hoping that overall, I will be impressed.

My Dragonball: Xenoverse Review: Not Quite Over 9000

Dragonball Z: Xenoverse is a Dragon Ball game developed by Dimps for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows (via Steam).

Essentially, Towa and Mira (Female and Male Demons respectively) have begun interfering with time using manipulative magic (possession, enhancement of abilities, et cetera) in order to wreak havoc which later results in the Demon God Demigra's release from the Chasm of Time (a prison dimension both separate and a part of time). Demigra, once freed, also begins to damage history almost to the point of being irreversible. The player's role as a Time Patroller is to fix the timeline with the Supreme Kai of Time and Future Trunks by restoring certain events during fights.

From Left to Right: Supreme Kai of Time, Future Trunks (Time Patrol Trunks)

It's fresh a take on the familiar Dragonball Z storyline without being a complete rehash of things most fans have seen and heard before. What is so great about the game is that your character feels like the center of attention and absolutely vital during the plot. It's more of an RPG (Role Playing Game) than it is a typical fighter. You can gain experience, level up, and allocate attribute points as needed.

One major aspect of DBZ Xenoverse is that you can pick from up to five different races to choose from when creating your own character. You can choose from Majin, Saiyan, Human/Earthling, Namekian, and Frieza's Race (Arcosian? It's never really explicitly stated that was the name of the villain's race, but at this point, I feel as though they Akira Toriyama probably should've properly named them.) There's a pretty decent selection yet, I'm kind of irritated that Supreme Kai or Android races aren't available and that there is no "thin" Majin options for males (They're all fat).

From Left to Right: Towa, Mira

The gameplay mechanics are decent, but they're not great. The combat system is a tad overly simplistic, almost to the point of being bare bones button mashing. It becomes repetitive and frustrating at certain intervals as you're alternating between strong melee attacks, weak melee, ki blasts, and ultimate or strike super attacks. The most irritating aspect however, is when players are fighting against more than one opponent, as the COMs tend to spam attacks and will attack mercilessly as you're locked onto only one of them at any given time. There is no training mode to practice acquired skills, nor is there a preview option for when the player acquires a new outfit or piece of clothing before purchase.

The AI is absolutely terrible for certain missions (in particular, the ones where you have to keep allies alive while maintaining your own health all while trying to defeat your opponents in the time allotted).

In addition, there are no beam struggles (which means no iconic laser clashes like the Galick Gun verses the Kamehameha).

The currently level cap is 80 (at the time of this writing) and I'm honestly hoping that will change. I'm questioning why it wasn't just placed at 100 for the sake of it.

FINAL VERDICT

Overall, this is a 7.0/10.0 (C) rank title. It's most certainly worth a rental, but depending on your preferences, it may or may not be worth an actual purchase. I would argue that it's not as good as DragonBall Z: Budokai Tenkaichi III (In my personal opinion, the greatest game in the franchise.), but it pulls its own weight. It far exceeds the most terrible game in the franchise, Dragonball Z: Sagas, that's for certain.

My Custom Character: David
"I'm going to tell you more about this game, but first, let me take a selfie!"

Key Criticisms

• No "Sonic Sway" defensive move.
• Android Race and Supreme Kai Race options are unavailable.
• No "thin" Majin options for male characters.
• No Super Saiyan 3 transformations for custom characters.
• Random Number Generator Reward System.
• No Versus Mode available via the title screen. (You must select a character first, then go from the central HUB city Toki Toki Tower to get to the local and online versus screens, respectively.)
• Occasional frame rate drops (Usually only occurs during intense combat with multiple enemies. I currently own the PS4 version of the game.) 
• Audio not in sync with dialogue.
• No proper Ki Blast Deflection (The basic ki blasts all characters have.)
• No "Dragon Dashing" (or "Dash Clash") - When two players dash into each other at the same time, they should enter the "clash" simulation where both players will battle it out (usually in a Joystick struggle) for the most hits. Whoever get the most hits (in the hit counter usually displayed on screen) would win the struggle and knocks the opponent away, usually to be followed up with continued attack.
• No adjustable difficulty settings
• Limited character roster (For instance, Majin Vegeta is unavailable. Dodoria and Zarbon are not available and "base form" Teen Gohan is not either. He starts off Super Saiyan)

Praise/Noteworthy Aspects:

• No QTEs (Quick Time Events) are present during the storyline, although clashes & beam struggles should be implemented.
• Nice overall story (albeit one without main character dialogue)
• Customization options are vast (Skills, clothing, et cetera)
• True to form graphics (although, some characters look like they've put on a lot more tanning oil than needed).
• Good Soundtrack

KEY ---- HOW I RATE GAMES ----

Typically, I use a scale of 1.0-10.0 (with 1.0 being the worst possible game and 10.0 being the absolute best). Additionally, I may use an A through F grading scale to further determine the quality (or lack thereof) of entertainment each game possesses. C rank games, for example, are of average quality while D rank games (while only slightly above F rank) are far worse. What sets D rank games apart from F ranked ones involves the basic fundamental playable mechanics of the game itself. (Most movie games fall under D rank category, while games like "Sprung" for the Nintendo DS fall under the F category as it should not even be considered a game).

Rent: This game is worth a trial run. It may have some aspects to it that are memorable or noteworthy, but may need a bit more polish. You'll have to try it to see if it's worth a purchase. Player discretion is advised.

Buy: This game is most definitely worth the money you've spent (possibly even more so). These are games you should go for.

Pass: This game isn't worth your time. It may have dropped frame-rates, glitches, poor storylines, bad or non-responsive mechanics, or other terrible components. I try to avoid purchasing poor games whenever possible and I read reviews (like you are now) in order to get a better idea of whether or not I'll like a particular game.