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Joystiq Weekly: Mordor's photo mode, The Evil Within review, Devolver's appeal and more

Thomas Schulenberg
Weekend Editor
Updated ·6 min read
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Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet.

As the Smash Bros. and Halo series have taught us, stopping the action to play around with in-game cameras can be oddly compelling (and gleefully annoying to rivals/co-op partners). If The Last Of Us: Remastered and Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor's inclusion of similar features are the start of a trend, we'd welcome it with open shutter arms. Repositioning the camera for the perfect shot of an epic summon in Final Fantasy 15? Showcasing the full scope of a crazy moment in the time-defying Quantum Break? Yes please!

There was plenty more to this week than snapping photos of an orc squadron's downfall though – Halo: The Master Chief Collection is expected to have a ~20GB day one patch, there were reviews for The Evil Within, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Bayonetta 2, and we got a full-frame perspective of publisher Devolver Digital. Check all that out and more after the break!


News

  • In I Am Bread, players use four inputs to control the corners of a slice of bread as it flops around environments. As if anyone else would have come up with the idea, I Am Bread is in the ovens of Bossa Studios, developer of Surgeon Simulator 2013.

  • Wanna play battlefield photojournalist when fighting back evil in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor? Well, lucky you – An update has added a photo mode to let players tweak angles, zooms, filters and more to make for the perfect snapshot moment, whether it be before, during or after a round of gruesome orc slaying.

  • No matter how many bouts you've conquered in Super Smash Bros. on 3DS, you've yet to build custom stages or find much of a board game-style experience. You might get your fill of both, however, should you also establish your champion status in the Wii U version.

  • Halo: The Master Chief Collection will likely be a prime chance to revisit the series' legacy, but you'll need about 20GB of free space on the day you get reacquainted with the Chief. On the upside, most countries will wield fresh energy swords on November 11, three days earlier than expected.

  • Anita Sarkeesian planned to appear at Utah State University, but was faced with a threat promising the "deadliest school shooting in American history" unless she canceled the event.

  • If you're an HBO fan, holding onto a cable subscription just to catch up on Game of Thrones should be a thing of the past in 2015. The network has revealed plans to launch a standalone subscription service next year, though what such a service may cost has yet to be announced.

  • The Guardian's call was strong enough to push Destiny to the top of this month's NPD report, with Madden 15, Super Smash Bros. and Shadow of Mordor trailing in respective order.

  • Speaking of Destiny, we're a month out from Bungie's call for heroes to curb evil and bond over cursing at the Crpytarch. Director of Online Services and Technology Zach Russel reflected on the early moments in the studio's latest fight for humanity, covering encountered issues and where the team hopes to take the cooperative shooter from here. Beyond humorous haunts, that is.

  • You don't have to keep an Xbox 360 or PS3 plugged in for Assassin's Creed Rogue, as Ubisoft has announced that PC fans can set sail across Rogue's seas in early 2015.

  • Among dashboard themes and support for archiving broadcasted sessions, an impending patch for the PS4 will add support for users to play tracks from a USB device in the background during gaming sessions.

  • While we're on updates, Xbox One users just got one this week. The download overhauls and adds options to the console's Snap feature for apps, with support for DLNA streaming and a Find My Controller feature also included.

  • This year will offer Halo fans more than a chance to relive the gussied-up past in The Master Chief Collection, as a top-down spinoff called Halo: Spartan Strike from 343 Industries and Vanguard Games is coming to PC and mobile in December.


Reviews

  • Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel flew Senior Reporter Jess Conditt to the moon, where she found the incessant threat of limited oxygen to be a "subtle yet effective mechanic, as it adds a layer of strategy to battles and exploration." Still, Jess warns that "when the missions begin to drag on and the loot becomes overwhelming, The Pre-Sequel could be an over-eager, try-hard installment of DLC for Borderlands 2."

  • Seeing Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami's name on The Evil Within could make you eager for more survival horror, but Managing Editor Susan Arendt warns that you should go in expecting a focus on action, so that "at least your disappointment will be more accurate."

  • A City Sleeps is a bullet-hell shooter that weaves developer Harmonix's musical talents into its gameplay, tying attacks to a pulsing backing beat. Contributing Editor Danny Cowan found the concept admirable, but added that the results are "too unpredictable and unwieldy for a genre that hinges on precise movement and crisp controls."

  • Double Fine is delivering extra treats with Costume Quest 2, which filled Weekend Editor Sam Prell's bag with "Pixar-like humor where kids, adults and everyone in-between can laugh at the same joke for different reasons." Unfortunately, CQ2's tricks became a little stale, with Sam commenting that "rarely is a game so blatant and nonchalant about the fact that it is having you perform the exact same actions over and over."

  • Platinum Games' remarkable witch unleashes another arsenal of ludicrous, creative attacks in Bayonetta 2, a sequel that Contributing Editor Earnest Cavalli says "oozes style and boasts gameplay that's both refined and lacking in excess."

  • Dying wishes are a lot more tiresome when the subject's ghost is watching your every attempt to carry said wish out. Contributing Editor Justin Clark drug, swung and flung the coffin of a dead king through Chariot's puzzling landscapes, finding that its "constant stream of devious, brain-bending obstacles" paired with the satisfaction of its co-op are "enough to earn a recommendation, with the caveat that you'll have to deal with one awful, rotten third wheel along the way."

  • Reviews Content Director Richard Mitchell bundled up to face the final piece of DLC for Dark Souls 2, the blizzard-plagued Crown of the Ivory Kingdom. Richard found the frosted areas to be "another challenging, varied addition" to the game, one that "throws in enough changes to keep things interesting."


Featured Content

  • With Hotline Miami, Broforce and Luftrausers in its portfolio, Devolver Digital's small staff has built a sizable presence for the publisher in the industry. Contributing Editor Brian Shea spoke with developers that have worked with Devolver as well as the team's own Nigel Lowrie to get a sense of where the publisher started and what makes it attractive to smaller development teams.

  • Wondering if Managing Editor Susan Arendt could further explain what she didn't care for in The Evil Within? Need to contemplate a version of Top Gear that's co-hosted by Bayonetta? Or maybe you're just in it for the Far Cry 4? Editor-In-Chief Ludwig Kietzmann and Community Manager Anthony John Agnello join Susan and Earnest to cover all of the above in this week's Super Joystiq Podcast.

[Image: Warner Bros.]