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'Fortnite' finally nerfs the hated B.R.U.T.E. mechs
With the debut of Fortnite season X a few weeks ago, Epic Games added some superpowered B.R.U.T.E. mech suits to its battle royale game. According to the company, its mechs were intended to help level the playing field, but many high-level and even more every day-type players complained that they were just too powerful. Epic responded initially by limiting their appearances during the game's competitive mode, and added a new weapon, the "junk rift," that could help players fight back against them. That still wasn't enough to make players happy, and now changes are live across all platforms for Fortnite that have significantly depowered the B.R.U.T.E. by reducing the number of missiles it fires, how fast it fires them, the radius of the explosions caused by its weapons, and reduced spawning rates. Also, now players can't pick up materials while stomping or dashing through the environment.
'Metal Wolf Chaos' is Michael Bay's brain in video game form
If the last 18 months have shown us anything, it's just how fragile our American democracy really is. But it's nothing compared to what Michael Wilson, the 47th President of the United States, will face during his tenure -- specifically a full-blown coup d'etat led by none other than his own brother and Vice President, Richard Hawk. Good thing the presidents of tomorrow come equipped with power armor.
The Morning After: Wednesday, December 28 2016
It's Wednesday and we're talking about an Amazon Echo speaker that's involved in a murder case, artificial intelligence making smarter game opponents (and Samsung phones, oh, and a giant robot that you can get inside and pilot. My christmas presents suddenly don't look so hot. Yes, I'm an ungrateful swine.
'Titanfall 2' multiplayer tech test is now open to all
Jon Shiring, the lead engineer for Titanfall 2 at Respawn Entertainment, announced via Twitter on Friday that the game's first "Multiplayer Tech Test" session is now live. The open event (no pre-orders or game codes necessary) which runs through the weekend will give players the chance to try out the game's first two mechs (Ion and Scorch). Players will also be treated to five new competition styles: Bounty Hunt, 5v5, Pilots vs. Pilots and 8v8.
'Titanfall' is going free-to-play in Asia
Free-to-play games are big business outside of America and Titanfall is the next big shooter joining the ranks of Halo and Call of Duty in taking that route. Publisher Electronic Arts is working with Nexon (the company behind Maple Story and FIFA Online 3) to take developer Respawn Entertainment's mech-based shooter to China, Japan, Korea, Macau and regions of Southeast Asia including Cambodia and Thailand. Naturally, it'll only be a PC version of the game since that plays well in internet cafes, but any other details aren't known at this point. However, the F2P model could actually translate pretty easily considering the game's Burn Card system that rewards players with single-use power-ups is similar to how existing microtransaction-based games function. Stand by for Titanfall, Asia.
Giant Japanese robot will fistfight America's MegaBot
Get set for a live-action version of Transformers, as the company behind giant Japanese robot Kuratas has accepted a duel challenge from upstart US challenger MegaBot. However, it'll only fight on one condition: Combat must be hand-to-hand with no guns. Kuratas has been around for three years and even went on sale for $1.35 million at one point. Since MegaBot was only just completed, the Japanese company was taken aback by the offer to fight. Still, it couldn't resist needling its new rival. "My reaction? Come on guys, make it cooler. Just building something huge and sticking guns on it is... super American," said CEO Kogoro Kurata.
MechWarrior Online patches in 64-bit client
If you want to hang with the cool kids, you're going to want to ditch that creaky 32-bit client and get with the sleek 64-bit crowd! It worked for the Nintendo 64, and it's now working for MechWarrior Online. As part of the big patch rolling out today, MechWarrior Online is offering an "experimental release" of its new 64-bit client. This client supposedly uses all available RAM for better performance, but can be only handled by 64-bit versions of Windows. Other changes with the patch include several UI improvements that will make it easier to see who is queueing up for matches and which side is winning certain territories.
MechWarrior Online enters beta testing for Community Warfare
There's a lot of stuff packaged in with MechWarrior Online's Community Warfare update: Clan 'Mechs and hardware, the new Invasion gameplay mode, new maps, the dropship mechanic allowing players to get back into the action if their 'Mechs are destroyed. But you don't have to take our word for it. The update has entered open beta, so anyone who wants to start taking part in the conflict of the Inner Sphere against the marauding Clans can do so at his or her leisure. Piranha Games has also made an update to the way that the game handles units. Previously, "disbanded" units were frequently just being remade under a different leader or faction, but the game's structure meant that keeping the same identifying marks required the intervention of customer service. This update removes disbanded units in one swoop, allowing players who wish to disband and remake a unit to do so with greater ease. Check out the full update for the fine details and the corner cases.
Hearthstone: Goblins vs. Gnomes cards and mechanics
Hearthstone announcing its expansion, Goblins vs. Gnomes, is no surprise. The fact that it releases in one month is a surprise. At BlizzCon this afternoon, Hearthstone Game Director Eric Dodds discussed some of the expansion's new gameplay developments in their Fireside Chat. You can see all of the newly revealed cards in our gallery embedded at the end of this post or follow along to learn about the new Mech minions, Piloted Mechs, Spare Parts, and new class cards. Mechs Goblins vs. Gnomes introduces a new minion type: Mechs. Not only are many of the new minions Mechs, but a number of old minions will be placed in this new category, too. The Harvest Golem was offered as an example along with the Alarm-o-Bot and Mechanical Dragonlings. There are enough new Mechs included in the expansion that you could, if you wanted to, build a full Mech Deck.
MechWarrior dev vlog talks inner sphere quirks, faction switching
If you're a MechWarrior Online fan and you've got a spare 20 minutes, you might want to catch up with the game via the ninth installment of the MWO Dev Vlog. Piranha president Russ Bullock is interviewed regarding the changes to the inner sphere quirk system, while lead designer Paul Inouye updates us on community warfare -- including the ability to switch factions. Click past the cut to watch the full dev vlog!
MechWarrior Online vid talks upcoming changes
In a new MechWarrior Online video, members of the dev team take time to discuss the upcoming overhaul to the module system, gameplay updates, community warfare, and new maps. One of the neat features coming to the game is the match rejoin feature, which will give players a grace period to get back into a match and get rewards if they are disconnected for some reason. There's a ton of preview drops in this 13-minute video, and it's all yours to enjoy after the jump!
MechWarrior Online launches the Clan Invasion
MechWarrior Online has moved forward the internal game timeline to the year 3049, and with the change of date comes a long awaited event: the Clan Invasion. This fictional event in the BattleTech universe will now play out in the online game, as players will fight in notable battles with new 'Mechs on different planets. With the Clan Invasion begun, the team has begun work on creating Units for the game. Units are MWO's version of guilds and will include ranks and chat channels when they arrive in the game proper.
MechWarrior Online video blog answers game balance questions
MechWarrior Online has just released its fifth dev vlog, in which the team answers questions about the title in an eight-minute video. Some of the topics up for discussion today are clan battlemech cockpits, general game balance, and updates on the matchmaking system. You can check out the full video after the break to see if your pressing concerns got addressed!
Perpetuum playerbase trending upward, game enhancements coming
The Perpetuum team released a new dev blog this week, the better to remind players of where the sci-fi sandbox stands after its payment model switch and its Steam launch. The post says that the game's average player count is nearly five times higher than it was before, and that's with a Steam Early Access tag scaring people away. The blog doesn't disclose financial details, but it does say that the game is succeeding. "After months (years?) of worrying about what to put on your plate tomorrow, it's a liberating feeling to have that off of the list of things to worry about, and being able to just focus on making the game better," the post explains. With that in mind, it's time to delve into improvements. Those mentioned include a gamma revamp, quality-of-life upgrades, an assignment system revamp, and more! [Thanks Zoltan!]
MechWarrior Online introduces new Champion and Hero mechs
MechWarrior Online has introduced two new mechs this week: the Firestarter Champion Mech and the Loup de Guerre Hero Mech. The Firestarter sports five medium lasers, twin AMS, and jump kets, while the Loup de Guerre trebuchet features jump jets that allow it to leap over walls, medium pulse lasers, SSRMs, and more. Both mechs are now available in the MWO store, and you can check out the Loup de Guerre in action via the video embedded after the cut.
MechWarrior vlog talks achievements, the Banshee, and more
Interested in MechWarrior Online? Got a spare 11 minutes and 43 seconds? Then you'll want to watch the latest Ask the Devs vlog which covers a wide range of topics relating to the sci-fi MMO's ongoing development. Topics include recent jump-jet changes, the game's achievement system, design challenges on the Banshee, and more. The full video clip is embedded after the cut. If you're unable to view it, there's a transcript on the official MWO forums via the links below.
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Titanfall gameplay launch trailer prepares you for a mech drop
With Titanfall's launch just one week away, we feel the only proper course of action is to watch every video for the game that's in reach. That includes this gameplay launch trailer for the game, which combines an appropriate amount of drama, mech-like titans, explosions, bouts of slow-motion and guys getting punched in the face. Well, we could do with a little more face-punching, to be certain. If you're looking for more moving pictures related to the game, be sure to check out our video preview and our "beta massacre" special, in which six Joystiq staffers took on the game's PC beta as a team, meeting their digital demise collectively. Titanfall will launch on March 11 for Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. [Image: EA Games]
Puzzles And Dragons' next collaboration taps the robots of Evangelion
Having already joined forces with Batman and Hello Kitty, hyper-addictive puzzle roleplaying game Puzzle And Dragons will next feature the giant robots and angsty teens of the Evangelion anime series. The event begins on February 24 in Japan, with the rest of world following suit in March. As with the previous crossover efforts, this event will see Evangelion characters appear in the game as party members with their own, unique sets of attacks and abilities. Puzzle And Dragons will also receive a new Rare Egg machine shaped like the EVA-01, as well as an unknown number of Evangelion-themed Ultimate Evolutions. Like all Puzzle And Dragons crossover events, this new content will be added to the game at no charge to players. That said, this is a promotional effort designed to highlight the ongoing Evangelion reboot, Rebuild of Evangelion, so don't be surprised if you find appropriate ads within the puzzle hit. [Image: GungHo Online Enertainment]
Take a peek at MechWarrior Online's UI 2.0 upgrade
Piranha Games recently conducted a public test of the changes it is planning for MechWarrior Online's UI 2.0 upgrade, and No Guts No Galaxy's Phil Langenberg managed to snag a lengthy video of the new UI in action. According to Piranha, UI 2.0 is "a complete rework of the existing UI" designed to streamline mech customization and MWO's social features. The redesign is set for release February 4th. Check out the VOD of the stream after the break to get a closer look, with commentary, of what MWO will look like post-2.0.
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MechWarrior Online's Bullock on golden mechs and future content
Pirahna Game's president Russ Bullock is listening to the playerbase of MechWarrior Online. He is very aware of the number of complaints that have come in after a recent announcement of the pre-order sell of Clan 'Mechs, with prices ranging from under $30.00 to $500.00 for a gold-plated version. Although the complaints come from a range of topics, many concentrate on the timing of the announcement. After all, the developers only recently announced the Project Phoenix pre-order program. Some players see this new DLC pre-order only as a chance to make more money in lieu of producing more content. Other complaints stem from the prices of the pre-orders, and it's easy to see why. When we sat down with him recently, Bullock explained the costs in a few ways. First, the highest-priced items are simply collector's items. They look cool and do not have extras that go along with them that give them an advantage during combat. Second, all of the 'Mechs on the list can be paid for with in-game funds once released, minus some of the non-combat bonuses attached, meaning that any player who wants to can continue to pay nothing at all. Bullock wanted to emphasize that despite all of this, he knows that what the playerbase is really asking for is community-based features.
