Latest News
Jul 4
Gaming as the Third Place
Jul 2
“This bug needs to be fixed ASAP!”: Nexon’s The First Descendant Suffers Opening Day Bug – Be Careful Out There
Jul 2
Destiny 2 – Act 2 of Episode 1: Echoes Launches July 16th
Jul 2
Destiny 2: The Final Shape Review
Jun 28
Destiny 2 Xur Inventory – Monte Carlo, The Wardcliff Coil, St0mp-EE5 and More
Jun 27
For the Destiny 2 Fanatics: Top 5 Must-Try Builds After The Final Shape
All News
“It’s a $100 skin…”: The First Descendant Microtransactions are Out of Control, and Fans Still Focus on the Barely There Clothing of One Skin
Less than five days ago, Nexon officially launched The First Descendant, a cooperative PvE looter shooter that promises to rival games like Destiny 2. The studio released this title on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and PC. However, some players have already expressed dissatisfaction with certain practices, particularly the inclusion of microtransactions. The […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Jul 4
Gaming as the Third Place
The culture around social interaction is constantly shifting, but those profoundly strange years of the pandemic were especially jarring. In the wake of such a weird cultural moment, I’m certainly not the only one left wondering how the dust settles, especially as it relates to how we meet up, build friendships and relationships, and socialize. If you’re a gamer, answering those questions requires an additional layer of complexity since we spend much of our free time in virtual worlds. I’ve found myself wondering where our favorite hobby fits into the equation.
For some years, the “third place” gave a name to a thing that’s been part of our lives forever. If home is your first place, and work is your second, the third place is the other social and gathering hub for your life as part of a community. But especially in the wake of COVID, it seems clear that many people have adjusted their relationship to social clubs, churches, coffee shops, bars, and public meet-ups. As many individuals disconnected from some of those social spaces, there’s a void we haven’t all yet filled.
Into that void have come the virtual places of our lives, whether they play out on social media or, as is likely if you’re reading this, in online games. Increasingly, games act as their own communities, often equaling or surpassing the thought and energy we put into other activities.
Indeed, much of that energy is the playing of those games – the countless hours of Call of Duty or Fortnite matches, raiding in Destiny 2 or World of Warcraft, or socializing and joking with friends in cooperative runs at Helldivers 2 or Deep Rock Galactic. We pour our attention into these games and are rewarded with relaxation, the excitement of discovery, and a growing sense of mastery.
Helldivers 2
It’s also the conversations and expertise that arise around those games. We comb through subreddits and community forums to discuss strategy. We read websites (like this one) and magazines to understand the games better. We build friendships that persist for years around shared adventures and discoveries in a virtual space, further fleshed out on platforms like Discord. In these places, even single-player games feel like social hubs for interaction and engagement as we seek out others who share our excitement for a given character or franchise.
Despite my love of games and the friendships I have formed as I’ve played them with others, I have to admit to some ambivalence. I treasure those late-night moments of triumph against a raid boss, but I miss more frequent in-person get-togethers with my buddies. I get excited about the many conversations about a game I like online, but I rarely feel like the connections I make there persist into real friendships.
None of that is to disparage the connections and enthusiasm we all find in our gaming. But there’s no doubt we can get too much of a good thing. Even with a nearly endless selection of games to enjoy, we’ve all come across sobering articles where we learn that many in the same demographic of core gamers feel lonely and isolated. That’s not a clear line of causation, but it does give reason to pause. If gaming is our new third place, is it meeting all the goals that older social gathering places once did? Should we really expect them to? That’s a heavy weight for someone’s hobby to have to bear.
I’d assert that the culture may have moved past the concept of a single third place. Whether it’s individual games, shared virtual social spaces, or traditional gathering places of the past, humans are animals that crave connection, and we make communities in the places we can. I don’t think we need to shy away from the interconnectedness that can arise from gaming, even while simultaneously seeking interaction elsewhere. At the same time, even while acknowledging my great love of games, I think they can be a trap that keeps us from forming other friendships and relationships. Like so many things in life, it’s finding a middle ground – embracing new routes to virtual connections without forgetting about the real-world options just outside our door.
This article originally appeared in Issue 366 of Game Informer
Jul 4
“This bug needs to be fixed ASAP!”: Nexon’s The First Descendant Suffers Opening Day Bug – Be Careful Out There
Nexon’s The First Descendant has just been released and has opened up to a favorable score on Steam and Metacritic. Nexon’s The First Descendant is an online-only shooter looter game functioning under the same umbrella as the likes of similar MMO lite giants like Warframe, Destiny 2, and The Divison 2. The game is based […]
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
Jul 2
Destiny 2 – Act 2 of Episode 1: Echoes Launches July 16thBungie has confirmed a livestream to preview and detail the upcoming new content in Act 2, though a date is still pending.
Jul 2
Destiny 2: The Final Shape ReviewThe Light at the end of the tunnel
The post Destiny 2: The Final Shape Review appeared first on WellPlayed .
Jul 2
Destiny 2 Xur Inventory – Monte Carlo, The Wardcliff Coil, St0mp-EE5 and MoreThe limited-time vendor offers the Season of the Undying armor, Polaris Lance and Jötunn Catalysts, and new Legendary weapons.
Jun 28
For the Destiny 2 Fanatics: Top 5 Must-Try Builds After The Final Shape
Bungie’s Destiny 2 recently got a major expansion pack called The Final Shape, putting Guardians against the franchise’s major villain, the Witness. The expansion added various new things to the game such as a new Prismatic subclass to the game, a new enemy faction, and the conclusion of the ongoing storyline. While playing the Destiny […]
The post For the Destiny 2 Fanatics: Top 5 Must-Try Builds After The Final Shape appeared first on FandomWire .
Jun 27
Concord Preview – Like Destiny Meets Overwatch<p><img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/06/06/e59e83bf/concord_promo.jpg" width="800" height="450" alt="Concord Firewalk Studios Hands On Preview PlayStation 5 PC" typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" /></p>
Platform:
PlayStation 5, PC
Publisher:
PlayStation Studios
Developer:
Firewalk Studios
Release:
<time datetime="2024-08-23T12:00:00Z" class="datetime">August 23, 2024</time>
Rating:
Teen
<p>Last month, <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/state-of-play/2024/05/30/playstation-reveals-first-look-at-concords-5v5-fps-gameplay-out-this">PlayStation released the first big look at Concord</a>, its upcoming 5v5 multiplayer hero shooter from <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/2023/04/21/playstation-acquires-firewalk-studios-team-developing-aaa-multiplayer-game">Firewalk Studios, a team it acquired last yea</a>r. Though the recent cinematic footage teases something like a single-player, narrative-driven heist game akin to a <em>Guardians of the Galaxy</em> movie, the gameplay reveal that followed showcased the strictly multiplayer experience in a new light. Admittedly, this reveal left me feeling blasé; it looked fine, but not necessarily something I hadn't seen before. However, after playing the game for a few hours during a recent preview event, I'm excited for more of the action. It feels like a mix of Destiny and Overwatch, but I am wary of the team's emphasis on lore and storytelling and if it will pay off in a multiplayer-only format. </p>
<p>Before going hands-on with Concord, Firewalk director of IP Kimberly Kreines and lead gameplay designer Claude Jerome walk me and my peers through a presentation to highlight the game's sci-fi world. Kreines explains Firewalk set out to make something "unlike anything out there today": a multiplayer experience that feels tactile and visceral, "like taking an action game and bashing it with a shooter," and characters that feel real. She explains that players control various Freegunners in Concord, together in an outlaw crew of mercenaries taking jobs that play out in the game's multiplayer matches. The government of this universe, the Guild, controls the freedom of the stars, but recently, a crew stole a Galactic Guide and our crew gains access to it, giving them (and you) access to this special map. </p>
<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/06/26/7f13d04f/daveers.jpg" alt="Concord Firewalk Studios 5v5 PvP First Person Shooter PlayStation 5 PC " typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" />
<p>I'm impressed by my first viewing of this map – it's sprawling, colorful, bright, and chock-full of locations, planets, points of interest, and more. But I later learn it's not something to interact with in the way you might in a single-player RPG (like I had hoped). It's essentially a massive library of lore, with each point of interset an entry to learn more about Concord. It's a neat feature, and while I'm a sucker for lore, it's one I can see a lot of players ignoring. The same goes for Concord's initial vignette, which players will watch when they first boot the game up. It's beautifully rendered, with excellent voice acting to match, and it's a short and fun burst of personality that gives some insight into the game's various characters. And though Firewalk promises a new one each week, I struggle to see a future where players tune in for a new one, anticipating what's next, at least in the game's early beginnings. When I ask if these vignettes will tell a wider narrative, perhaps across a full year of play, Kreines explains they are a mishmash of serialized stories, crew insight, and more – so probably not.</p>
<p>There's plenty more that speaks to the amount of character work, world-building (like map graffiti and props that tell of a recent rebellion and skyboxes that warn of incoming storms), and lore Firewalk is attempting to inject into Concord off the rip. It's clear the team wants its players to feel affection for these Freegunners the same way the Overwatch community does with its heroes. Throughout my time with Concord, though, I ponder the idea that a developer can create this affection from the jump. Sure, Overwatch certainly has it, but Blizzard has garnered that over years of work, with incredible gameplay at its core; it didn't force it into the experience with copious lore entries, a massive library of universe mythology, and more.</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mBnStS9d2xg" width="640"></iframe>
<p>Fortunately for Firewalk, a 5v5 multiplayer shooter doesn't rest its laurels on lore and storytelling – it's about the gameplay, and so far, Concord feels great. </p>
<p>Destiny is the closest comparison I can make, especially regarding its time-to-kill (TTK), map layout, first-person handling, and match progress. Though I was surprised to feel this (undoubtedly influenced by my recent journey to catch up on every Destiny 2 expansion), I probably shouldn't have been. Director Ryan Ellis, design director Josh Hamrick, lead character designer Jon Weisnewski, and Jerome all have experience working on Destiny 2, and it shows. </p>
<p>I immediately take a liking to Jabali, a machine gunner who can shoot Life Pulse Orbs at teammates to heal and Hunter Orbs at enemies to deal bursts of damage (you can probably already see the Overwatch comparison). Targeting enemies through Jabali's aim-down-sights is good fun. With a longer TTK than faster first-person shooters like Call of Duty, I have to focus on accuracy (and headshots) to eliminate enemies before they can eliminate me. Because each hero has unique abilities, it's critical I use my orbs in the heat of battle. Without the damage of a Hunter Orb, taking out handgun specialist Lennox (the Starlord-esque character from the reveal), whose bullets melt my health bar, would be tough. And even then, I have to watch out for Lennox's exploding knife and self-heal ability. </p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7jqQJhjf_3o" width="640"></iframe>
<p>As I play match after match, I enjoy that I have to think about each Freegunner's loadout. Will fire sorceress Haymar float above the field to throw down firewalls and blinding flash grenades? Is soldier Teo, who plays most like a typical first-person shooter hero, peering through smoke bomb fields he laid down with unaffected eyesight while I struggle to see anything but grey clouds? Does sniper Vale have a trip mine set around the corner? And does former recycling robot 1-Off have an air barrier down to block incoming projectiles like my orbs, both deployables that persist through each round unless destroyed? These are the seconds-long match-ups I consistently have to consider in every engagement. I enjoy this added strategy, and it separates Concord from the typical whoever-shoots-first-wins experience of the FPS genre. </p>
<p>These considerations are critical in Trophy Hunt, a team deathmatch variant where you must pick up a killed enemy's trophy to gain a point. In Cargo Run, which tasks players with securing a Blue Buddy robot and bringing it back to one of two zones, and Clash Point, where players compete for control of a single capture zone, these considerations still matter a lot, but perhaps not how Firewalk intends. The latter two modes are round-based and feature zero respawn. If killed, you're out until the next round. As a result, the other four players on my team (and the five enemy players) largely ignore the mode-specific objectives and instead focus on taking out the other team first. This is a typical issue with these game modes – looking at you, Search and Destroy in Call of Duty – but I still hope Firewalk finds a way around it in Concord. Otherwise, I can see myself sticking to Trophy Hunt and other team deathmatch-adjacent modes where I'm always in the action, thanks to the ability to respawn. </p>
<p>Fortunately, regardless of the mode, I have a great time with Concord's action. It's frenetic, with plenty of variables between well-designed maps (I enjoy the three of the game's final 16 I get to check out) and 16 Freegunners, each with unique abilities.</p>
<img loading="lazy" src="https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2024/06/26/e11bb6bf/jabali.jpg" alt="Concord Firewalk Studios 5v5 PvP First Person Shooter PlayStation 5 PC " typeof="foaf:Image" class="image-style-body-default" />
<p>Firewalk says there aren't designated Freegunner types, like tank, DPS, or support – instead, characters feature a mix of skills and weaponry that allow them to float between these traditional archetypes. In my experience, though, some characters definitely play like tanks, healers, and assault-focused heroes, and it didn't take long for my team to consider these builds when creating a crew for a match. On top of all this, there are plenty more systems I couldn't quite wrap my head around, like individual Crew Building that acts as a subset of your roster, Crew Bonuses, Freegunner variants, and more. But if the post-match summaries, which light up with unlocks and experience bars, are any indication, a lot is going on under the hood of this shooter, and I look forward to learning more about how it all comes together. </p>
<p>I left this Concord preview significantly more excited for the game's upcoming release on PlayStation 5, which will hopefully bolster its player base with a simultaneous PC launch. I have plenty of questions about progression, seasonal content, crossplay checks and balances between controller and mouse-and-keyboard players, and whether the emphasis on worldbuilding will pay off, but Firewalk has seemingly nailed the most important part: the gameplay.</p>
Purchase
Jun 27
Destiny 2 Unleashes Adjustments To Campaigns, Raids & More In Update 3.30; Read The Full Patch Notes HereRead the Destiny 2 update 3.30 patch notes from Bungie for the latest changes to the game.
The post Destiny 2 Unleashes Adjustments To Campaigns, Raids & More In Update 3.30; Read The Full Patch Notes Here appeared first on PlayStation Universe .
Jun 26
Destiny 2 Update Adds Epilogue Option to The Final Shape, Replaces Gambit Nodes in PathfinderSurges are gone from raids and dungeons, while an exploit to obtain double Exotic class items in Dual Destiny has been fixed.
Jun 26
Destiny 2 8.0.0.5 Patch NotesBungie has released a new update for Destiny 2, fixing many bugs and issues, including various game modes and features. The update also improves the campaign by adding an Epilogue option in the difficulty menu for Excision. It allows players to rewatch the end cinematics without replaying the entire thing. As for the Raids and …
The post Destiny 2 8.0.0.5 Patch Notes appeared first on Future Game Releases .
Jun 25
Destiny 2: The Final Shape – Salvation’s Edge Mastery Difficulty Goes Live TodayGrandmaster Nightfalls will also return to the looter shooter starting today, with players tackling Beyond Light's The Glassway.
Jun 25
The Final Shape has reinvigorated my love of Destiny 2The post The Final Shape has reinvigorated my love of Destiny 2 appeared first on Checkpoint .
Jun 25
Destiny 2 Xur Inventory – Crimson, Merciless, Shards of Galanor and MoreThe Agent of the Nine also has the Kairos Legendary armor set, new Legendary weapons and, oddly enough, a piece of Artifice armor.
Jun 24
Episode 357: Rhombus – Q&A QuestIn this episode of Q&A Quest, we discuss Destiny 2: The Final Shape. We also dig into the growing backlog of questions.
The post Episode 357: Rhombus – Q&A Quest appeared first on RPGamer .
Jun 24
Destiny 2: The Final Shape Accolades Trailer Highlights Critical AcclaimAvailable on consoles and PC, the expansion marks the end of the Light and Darkness saga as players gather to oppose The Witness.
Jun 21
We Almost Got a Different Final Cutscene in ‘Destiny 2: The Final Shape’ and Thank God That Didn’t Come Through
Destiny 2: The Final Shape, the long-awaited expansion that brought the Light and Darkness saga to a close, finally landed on June 4, 2024, following a four-month delay. While the expansion has been universally praised for its gripping narrative and emotional depth, it turns out that the original ending cutscene was a far cry from […]
The post We Almost Got a Different Final Cutscene in ‘Destiny 2: The Final Shape’ and Thank God That Didn’t Come Through appeared first on FandomWire .
Jun 19
Destiny 2: The Final Shape Review – Bungie Sticks the LandingThe Final Shape is jam packed with outstanding content, it's perhaps the closest Destiny has come to feeling like vintage, Halo era Bungie.
The post Destiny 2: The Final Shape Review – Bungie Sticks the Landing appeared first on COGconnected .
Jun 19
Destiny 2 Salvation’s Edge Raid Race Ended in the Most Destiny Way
On June 8, 2024, the Destiny 2’s Salvation’s Edge raid , the newest end-game challenge, was completed for the first time after over 19 hours. The team that crossed the finish line first wasn't one of the front runners or career raiders. Instead, it was Clan Parabellum, a group of six players who had been trying to reach World’s First and only ever came close during the past two and a half years of Destiny .
The frontrunners, streaming their attempts live on Twitch, wound up taking precautions to prevent others from taking their methods to heart. They blacked out their screen, muted all their audio, and. blurred their text-chats and buff indicators. They did anything to keep their lead. It didn’t matter. In the end, Clan Parabellum, a group who wasn’t even featured on the official raid race stream, was the one who took the first clear. They hadn't even been streaming on Twitch at all.
This victory feels intensely in line with the entire themes of The Final Shape , Destiny 2’s latest expansion and the culmination of the ten-year-long saga. In triumphing through frustration, exhaustion, and the dangers that The Witness, the antagonist of the entire saga, threw at them, Parabellum’s six-man crew showcased the things that make Destiny 2 unlike many other multiplayer looter-shooter RPGs. The new raid featured intense mechanical complexity, for one. The fourth stage of the raid, Verity, kept many teams stuck for almost eight hours, and others far beyond the World’s First clear. It focused on symbol memorization, positional precision, and clear communication between team members. All this happened while fending off hordes of dangerously strong flying bats with guns.
Contest-mode Destiny raids are always fraught with doom. Stress is high, enemies are hurting you way harder than they normally would outside of the highest difficulty challenges, and the limited team revives in this engagement make the smallest mistake costly. This one, the longest raid race in Destiny history at 19 hours, was nothing short of grueling.
Screenshot by Siliconera
Destiny is full of outsized heroes. The Awoken Queen, Mara Sov, Savathûn the Hive God of Lies, and Cayde-6 the Gone-but-not-forgotten Gunslinger, all factor into major world-changing events in the game’s narrative. Similarly, certain figures in Destiny ’s real world community have made their names by doing challenging activities.
Datto, one of the frontrunners of the race, makes in depth guides for raids like Salvation’s Edge. Esoterickk, another contender, is famous for his solo completions of endgame activities and helping people figure out how to follow in his footsteps. Saltagreppo, the person who’s team was in the lead for the majority of the event, is a three-time World’s First Raid champion, belts from the dev team proudly displayed in the room he streams in.
Image via Bungie
But Destiny 2 , its world, and its gameplay, are about something smaller. It's about groups of friends coming together and, through teamwork, coordination, and focus even when things are getting tough, defying the odds and coming out the other end. The lore is peppered with this and the game is designed around it.
In the interview segment in the most recent This Week at Bungie entry , folks from Parabellum talked about their favorite parts. They talked about coining the mechanic “Anime Eyes” the moment the Verity encounter made sense to them, and the good feeling and outpouring of support and excitement from the Destiny community. For it to happen in this raid, the completion of which unlocked a new 12-player mission to close out this saga of Destiny history, seems like a triumph out of a fable. Against the odds and racing against time, six teammates and their friends cracked a puzzle that stumped the very best. They flung themselves forward and seized their opportunity and now are immortalized parts of Destiny legend.
Screenshot by Siliconera
No one could have seen it coming, but that’s the beauty of it. After all, Guardians make their own fate.
Destiny 2 is available on the Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC
The post Destiny 2 Salvation’s Edge Raid Race Ended in the Most Destiny Way appeared first on Siliconera .
Jun 19
All Destiny 2 Update 8.0.0.4 Patch Notes
Jun 19
Destiny 2Destiny 2 is an action MMO with a single evolving world.
