Unplanned Leave

Hello everyone! 

I hope you're all enjoying the E3 hype, but by now some of you may be wondering where's the next Checkpoint post. It's with a heavy heart that I must bow out from this year's E3 and take care of my health.

Long story short, I have been experiencing dental surgeries for the last few months and they take not only a lot of time to perform but a lot of stamina. This time around I am exhausted enough that I must take time to rest and recover.
Ergo, I will not be able to continue my coverage of E3 this year.

My deepest apologies to those eagerly awaiting the next post and watching the live-tweeting of my reactions, but this is something I must put first, ahead of everything else.
Regardless, reviews for the newly released games will still be worked on and released as soon as possible, including Vampyr and Unravel Two. Thank you for your patience in my time of need.

Have a wonderful E3, enjoy the remaining conferences, have fun and game on!

Checkpoint - Bethesda E3 Conference 2018

G'day there!
Checkpoint is all about covering the long E3 conferences and boiling them down to the key features and comments about their upcoming products. All other conferences will be linked below
Have a great E3!

EA, Microsoft, 

RAGE 2

• "Devoid of all society/reasoning"
• Walker - Last Ranger of the Wasteland - protagonist
• Open world
• "An orphan of this wasteland"
• Vibes of Doom creatures from the flying enemies
• Swamps and forests, deserts
• "If you see it you can drive it"
• Rockets from cars main weapons
• "Seamless open world"
• Boomerang can explode and send enemies flying
• Protagonist has a Trevor-eske rage mode - weapons become more powerful
• Ground Slam ability
• Large mutant humans make a return
• Mad Max with a Party Boy attitude
• Spring (Autumn) 2019

Doom: Eternal

• Spiky brain demons
• Hell has come to earth
• DOOM GUY
• Twice as many demons, more powerful Doom Guy
• Full Debut at QuakeCon in August

Wolfenstein: CyberPilot

• VR game
• No release date given

Fallout 76

• Map size 4x  of Fallout 4
• "Untamed, very different wasteland."
• Same trailer as Xbox conference
• "One of the very first vaults to open"
• "Spent 25 years underground waiting for the vault to open (reclamation day)"
• New animations, similar art style to Fallout 4
• 16x the detail and different weather systems
• Six distinct regions - mission given from Overseer
• Folk lore used in the game
• New enemies, mythical monsters shown
• Each of the characters is a real person - Fallout 76 is entirely online
• You can play solo if you choose!
• "More softcore survival"
• Death won't mean the end, your character isn't tied to a server
• "All your progression goes with you"
• "You'll decide the heroes/you'll decide the villains"
• New weapons - flintlock pistol,
• Playable musical instruments
• Emotes
• GIANT MUTANT SLOTHS, Robot enemies
• DRAGONS?! "Scorchbeast"
• "Build where you want, move to where you want"
  C.A.M.P allows you to fully build your home and pack it up to take it where you want
• Nuclear Sites on the map "Do whatever you want with them"
  Get all the keycodes and information and drop nuclear bombs on your enemies
• World changes when you use the nuclear bombs
• Ghouls look fresh and wounds are still open
• "100% dedicated servers"
• Beta coming - Break It Early Test Application
• Special Edition: glow in the dark map, figures, POWER HELMET
• 14th November, 2018 release date

The Elder Scrolls: Blades

• Mobile game
• Console experience on a mobile
• "Follows your specific timings"
• Procedurally made dungeons
• Spells, combat make a return
• Character creator makes a return
• Entire game can be played in portrait mode
• Outdoor areas to explore
• Abyss - Rogue like experience - Endless Dungeon
  Arena -1v1 fighting
  Town - HUB story and quest mode
• Protagonist - Blade member in exile
• Town building mode in Story mode - visit your friend's towns
• Phone, to PC VR - all connect
• Someone on a phone can play against a guy in VR
• Free download - preorder is open tonight

Starfield

• "All new franchise in 25 years"
• Sci-fi
• Release date unannounced, possibly 2019-2020

The Elder Scrolls VI

• ASNFJDSFJGFJDLKSN
• New location, no information given, 

Announcements

• Elder Scrolls Legends: - coming to Switch, Xbox and Playstation
  Progress on BethesdaNet carries over
• Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset - Wolfhunter/Murkmire Story DLC (Later this year)
• Quake Champions - This Week Only Trial - Keep it free if downloaded this week
• Prey - Free Update - Story Mode New Game + and Survival Mode
  DLC: MoonCrash - "Every run is unique, every death matters"
  DLC: Typhon Hunter - One human, five mimics fight to the death
• Wolfenstein 2 - DLC: Young Blood following BJs twin daughters - 1980s Paris
  Can play solo or co-op - 2019
• Fallout Shelter coming to Switch and PS4, "still free" - released later today

Checkpoint - Microsoft E3 Conference 2018

G'day there!
Checkpoint is all about covering the long E3 conferences and boiling them down to the key features and comments about their upcoming products. All other conferences will be linked below
Have a great E3!

EA, Bethesda

Halo Infinite

• Powered by Slipspace engine
• Master Chief(?) returns
• No further information given

Ori and the Will of the Wisps

• No information given
• Side scroller like the original

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

• Japanese themed combat - linear world - platformer
• Giant monsters and boss battles
• 2019 release

Fallout 76

• Prequel - 4x size of Fallout 4
• West Virginia
• Protagonist is first to emerge into the wasteland
• Just as colourful as Fallout 4
• New mutants - flying enemies too

Captain Spirit

• In the Life is Strange universe
• Chris - protagonist - young boy
• Showing off the strength of a child's imagination - fighting their monsters, flying spaceships etc
• June 26th 

Crackdown 3

• Mr Crews shown off straight away
• Destructive capabilities return on explosives
• Cars and weapons can transforms to what you need
• Feb 2019 release date

Metro Exodus

• Multiple new areas to explore - ocean, inland
• Artyom confirmed, Anna your partner
• New weapons
• Gasmasks still a necessity
• MUTANT HUMANS
• Different forms of Nosalises
• Main antagonists - A Cult
• Feb 22nd 2019

Kingdom Hearts

• All major princesses from the last few years
• Jan 29th 2019 release date

Battlefield V

• Same story aspects from EA shown

Forza Horizon 4

• Multiple weather aspects - appears cleaner on cars - "Seasons change everything"
• Off road to standard to sports racing stylised cars - bikes also
• Set in Britain - all in a contained world
• 60FPS-Mode
• QuickChat on D-Pad - interact with people in the world
• "Great to play with others - seamlessly play in co-op"
• "Entire community will experience (the seasons) together"
• Winter allows new areas to be explored
• Blimps show off new World Events
• "New gameplay, new events" when seasons change
• Xbox One Windows 10 release: October 2nd, Xbox GamePass same day

We Happy Few

• Deeper adult content - appears to be a larger game
• August 10th 2018

Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition

• New characters
• "Brought to the West for the first time"

The Division 2

• "How do you save a nation when the enemies come from within?"
• Summer has arrived: Humidity instead of snow
• Wildlife appears - world appears more wild than NY
• Control Points appear in world to control
• UI seamless, menu options much faster
• Fast acting foam stops players
• "Hive" mine - finds enemies with explosives
• March 15th, 2019

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

• Mayan temples -"The Cleansings" major threat
• Lara unleashes a plague
• Puzzles and exploring mechanic makes a comeback
• Jonah also returns
• "He wants to alter the course of humanity"
• "Become the Tomb Raider" Sep 14th

Session

• New skate game - no release date mentioned

Black Desert

• Mediveal game - magic and mythical creatures
• "Reveal the hidden secrets - once and for all"
• Beta in the Fall

Devil May Cry 5

• Dark tentacle creatures destroying humanity - Demons now transformed
• New mechanical arm - time stopping abilities
• Giant Demon boss battles return
• Upgrade and change your mechanical arm 
• Dante has lost is original demon arm
• "Render them as realistically as possible"
• "We made it for you"
• Spring 2019

Cuphead:The Delicious Last Course

• New character: Ms. Chalise
• 2019

Tunic

• Fox - protagonist
• 3D mutliple platform explorder - chibi-eske
• Combat fighter
• Boss fights

Jump Force

• "The impossible is a reality" in separate worlds
• NARUTO?! LUFFY?! GOKU?!?!?
• Fighter
• 2019

Dying Light 2

• Open world combat and parkour
• Your Choice, your world
• "The Modern Dark Ages"
• "Your choices has concequence" everything you do changes your world
• Rope swinging
• "Peacekeepers" Faction(s) in the city 
• "One out of hundreds you have to make - carve out your own world"
• 
  

Battletoads

• Comic book stylised
• 3 player couch co-op
• 2019 release

Just Cause 4

• "The rules have changed, the enemy has changed"
• Black Hand - antagonist
• "This isn't a war, its survival"
• December 4th 2018

Gears Gears Tactic

• Mobile game
• Turn base genre

Gears 5

• Kait - protagonist
• War for humanity escalates
• All the original team members return
• Visit the original sites of the start of the Locust war
• New Hive antagonists - almost look like zombies
• 2019 release date

CyberPunk 2077

• "A city of dreams, and I'm a big dreamer"
• Living city, showing both the good and bad of it all
• Male protagonist - no name given
• No release date

Small announcements

• Fallout 4 on Gamepass today
• Nier Automata coming to Xbox 26th of June
• Sea of Thieves DLC, Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores - July and September release
• New Microsoft Studio - The Initiative, Undead Labs, Playground Games, Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games
• PlayerUnknown: Battlegrounds - War Mode - new weather system - Winter 2018
• Xbox Gamepass Fast Start - June Update for select titles - Fast Start for many game releases
  Dision, Elder Scrolls online, Fallout 4, ready today
• New Games: Outerworld, After Party, The Gold Club 2019, Fringe Wars, Below, Conqueror's Blade, Waking, Raji An Ancient Epic, Super Meat Boy Forever, Planet Alpha, Islands of Nyne Battle Royal, Sable, Harold Horbut, Bomber Crew, Children of Morta, The Wind Road, Wargroove, Generation Zero, Dead Cells, Ashen
• Gears Pop -2019
• Steaming network - Console-quality on any device
• New console hinted

Checkpoint - EA Play 2018 Conference

G'day there!
Checkpoint is all about covering the long E3 conferences and boiling them down to the key features and comments about their upcoming products. All other conferences will be linked below
Have a great E3!

Microsoft, Bethesda


PRE-CONFERENCE

• Madden Overdrive - Mobile game
• The Sims Seasons DLC - Seasons and their holidays - June 22nd

Battlefield V 

• Multiplayer
• Dive and smash through windows - move heavy weaponry with vehicles- deeper destruction mechanic
• Customise soldiers, weapons, vehicles
• Single player - focused on untold stories
• Xbox briefing further info - Nordly's War Story
• No lootboxes, no premium pass
• Battle Royal after launch

FIFA 19

• UEFA Champion League Tornament Mode - Career Mode
• Alex Hunter your protagonist - Career Mode
• Free World Cup expansion for FIFA 18
• Create your own ultimate dream team for the World Cup
• Sep 28th Launch Day

Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order

• Announcement: more info later
• "During the dark times, when the Jedi's are being hunted - between 3 and 4"
• Holiday 2019

Star Wars: Battlefront 2

• Further development on Heroes Ship
• Command Posts making a return
• Clone Wars returning as well - Geonosis "Largest level ever built"
• General Grievous, Obi-Wan, Count Dooku, Anakin Skywalker - new heroes

Unravel Two

• "You lose everything, even your spark"
• "Form a new bond" - blue Yarny
• "Fresh starts, second chances" 
• Co-op, or play it alone, "there's always two characters and one yarn
• Pick up other character if playing alone
• Split apart and play as both characters - physics puzzles
• Cling onto walls temporarily
• Constantly chasing your "Spark"
• RELEASED NOW

Sea of Solitude (SOS)

• "When humans get to lonely, they turn into monsters"
• Theme is loneliness
• Both bright coloured and incredibly dark
• Kate - protagonist
• "Bring all those emotions into balance" to make Kate a human again
• Open world
• Early 2019

NBA Live 2019

• Sep 7th release

MADDEN 19

• Trailer - no information given

Anthem

• "The Anthem is all that remains"
• Fighting giant monsters, robots, etc
• "Dynamic and living world - that will change whenever you play it"
• "Shared world we all experience together"
• Outside the walls is the meat of online, inside is the singleplayer
• "Gods left behind their tools - (they) clash against the Anthem of Creation"
• You are a Freelancer - skilled in your "Power armor" aka Javelin 
• Dominion - your "Ancient enemy"
• Customise/Personalise how your Power Armor plays and looks
• Cosmetics are purchasable - but you know what you're buying - no lootboxes
• It's possible to swim and fly (instant mechanic still remains)
• "Playing with other people feels like a choice" - Playing solo will be a little harder
• February 22nd, 2019 release date

EA Announcements

• Play Anywhere, Anytime - full HD stream coming in the future
• Origin Access Premiere - All new titles, access to the Vault, (Winter) launch
• Command and Conquer Rivals - capture areas and fire two missiles at your enemies to win - Android players can play Pre-Alpha now

Five More Wishlist Items for E3 2018

A few weeks back, I released a post called "Top 5 Wishlist for E3", and now that E3 is a few days away and now leaks are appearing almost daily, I thought it would be best to show a little hype in not only what's to come but what I hope to see at this years E3!

1: Final Editions of Current Gen Consoles
It's no big secret that we're in the last few years of the Current Gen consoles. Technology is constantly upgrading and updating and the next wave of consoles is approaching in the coming years. In previous generational releases, Microsoft and Sony have been known to release one final wave before the end of their lifespan. We have the PS4 Pro, we have the Xbox One X, now we simply need their upgraded forms. Small improvements to overall quality, better UI and most importantly, larger internal storage.
1TB simply isn't enough for the modern gamer. We need more, without the requirement of external hard drives.

2: Updated Console Controllers
If you follow me on any social media, you'll often hear me complain of my big, monkey sized hands. Doing everything, even writing this, is cramping my hand and hurting to write. One of the many reason I'm an Xbox fan is because their controllers are so much larger and fit my hands easier. With the return of the Duke hitting Australia next month, I'm ecstatic for its release, but there are other consoles out there I use that need an upgrade.
Sony, Nintendo, I need larger controllers. Please I beg you. 

3: Elder Scrolls?
Fallout 76 is looking to be one of the big launching points for Bethesda's conference this year, but many fans are left wondering where the rest of their timeslot is going. Skyrim has been re-released so often that it's become a meme to even mention new Elder Scrolls games at this point. With Skyrim on the Switch and now ESO Summerset's release, the time is perfect for another Elder Scrolls to take center stage.
It has been seven years since Skyrim first released. The time is now Bethesda.

4: Jet Set Radio Future
There has been absolutely no word on this from Sega or anyone from this speculation, and this is just pure hope from a die-hard fan of the game. But fans of the old game have been kicking up a storm of a HD remake, a remaster, or even a new game in the series, since Splatoon 2's eerily similar grinding controls made an appearance.
It has been 16 years since the cult classic game was released, and fans have been left out in the cold. Even making it a part of Xbox's Backwards Compatible system would be celebrated with fans. Speaking of...

5: Backwards Compatibility Overhaul
Microsoft has had a lot of success with porting the original classics of our childhoods to the current gen, many fans and critics alike praising this decision. Xbox has almost 500 games now in their selection, while slowing releasing Original Xbox titles as they're approved for release. The more it grows the more fans are asking: when is Sony and Nintendo joining in?
Sony has the Playstation Now streaming service and Nintendo is introducing classics when paid online service comes but this needs to be pushed hard, furthering the options and libraries. All the original Pokemon titles on the Switch, the original God of War games from Sony, etc. The last few years have proven a strong fact.
Nostalgia sells.

That does it from me, my next posts here will be of my new E3 coverage posts, Checkpoint. Have a great E3 and enjoy the ride!

Review - Detroit: Become Human

What does it mean to be human? While I write my review for this game, I want you to ponder this in the back of your mind. Think on it, dwell on the meaningfulness of your life. Pause as you read my words and reflect on you, right here and now. Take a moment from this time granted and think about everything that has lead you to this moment and will drive you to the next.
Because that is what Detroit: Become Human has done to me.

David Cage is infamous in gaming culture; Fahrenheit, Beyond: Two Souls, Heavy Rain, games that have and continue to live on in a legacy of their own making. Detroit: Become Human was a game that snuck up on me and something I went in to with very little knowledge of.
This game, also referred to in the game itself simply as Detroit, is a story driven dialogue of three main protagonist in city of Detroit circa 2038. Technology has boomed and Androids now serve humanity in menial tasks such as laborers, carers and so on. But these roles have lead to scrutiny: androids are mistreated, beaten, harmed and worse in many cases, and the protagonists will slowly be swallowed whole in the upcoming war.
Connor, a Cyberlife detective, is a top-of-the-line machine investigating the cases of Deviants, Androids who have broken away from their programming and become sentient. Kara is a caretaker for a man and his daughter, slowly discovering how twisted humans can be against her kind and even their own. Markus is a carer for an elderly man, slowly exploring the way humans work as he sees the injustice and mistreatment around him, and when he loses all he holds dear, everything comes apart.
While some characters are flawed more than others, each takes a shot at portraying these multiple sides of humanity, showing how different things can be from a simple question to an action, which brings me to the gameplay.

The gameplay is easy to pick up, and is best suited for any casual fan of gaming, while old hats should pick it up instantaneously. Detroit does offer a decent amount of exploration, puzzle solving by finding items and morality checks in getting them, it remains linear in most missions, resulting in Quick Time Events taking the majority of gameplay. Surprisingly, this does not detract from the gameplay aspect, as almost every mission holds a chance for the characters around you, and your protagonists to die. Miss a QTE, your friends are killed. Choose the wrong reply, you're killed. While it can make the gameplay rushed in certain missions, it adds a real sense of urgency to what you do with what time you have.
A high point I must add is the utterly beautiful graphics. The four years of development were definitely spent on the look and polish of the game, and each character looks incredible. Even on a base PS4, pores can be seen on characters faces! The background, lighting, each mission looks incredible and every character is phenomenally realistic. I also want to mention the soundtrack and musical score which was just as beautiful, resulting in a few tears now and again.
Voice acting was very well done, with the main cast doing a great job. The heart-to-heart between Carl and Markus, the growing conflict with Connor, Kara and Alice, Luther, North, Simon, almost every side character has a purpose in the story and each are very well done in their performance. Some scenes did come across somewhat stiff, but were quickly forgotten.

Finally the storyline; Each character's story takes place roughly at the same time until they begin to overlap or mingle within one another, but each has a point to their story. While personally I resonated with Connor and Markus more, Kara's story didn't have as much growth or development as theirs did. Connor's story is about the discovery of what it means to be a being, whether that being is a machine or human. Markus' story is how all people deserve freedom and the choices people make in order to achieve that freedom and its consequences. Kara's story begins and ends with protecting Alice, and while that doesn't detract from the other themes of her story, it certainly hinders it after a 30-40 hour run time.
Lastly I would like to mention the main menu; from start to finish you are assisted by Chloe; the very first android model. She talks to you about your experiences, quotes famous people and generally banters as your screen goes idle. Outside of this, you earn points the more you play the game, having the ability to unlock character models, cinematic trailers and behind the scenes, gallery stock photos and more. The reason I'm touching on this is the final option of the extras, that being a survey. The game asks you simple questions; would you let an android perform surgery on you, do you believe technology can become a threat, and so on. I enjoyed this little detail because you can see the stats of the player's choices and this made a nice little throwback to what the game is all about. Choices and their consequences. Which brings me back to my first statement.

Have you thought about my first question? Here is my reply, to both it and the developers behind Detroit; We are the protagonists of our own stories, stories that may never be told and many will fade away as time continues on. Each of us have made choices that have directly or indirectly affected our lives and the lives around us, never knowing what the other outcomes could have been. How many people have wondered what those other outcomes were, and if they'd have been worth it?
What does it mean to be human? Humans empathise. They are kind, thoughtful, and caring for one another. Even when the worst comes out in us, morphing us into horrible, irredeemable people, so long as that spark remains in one of us, our humanity remains.
Detroit: Become Human made me question my humanity, and while this game has its flaws in its storytelling, there is certainly enough here for a few playthroughs and exploring that topic for yourself.

Detroit: Become Human - 8/10