Welcome to TAG Roundup!
Ever wonder what you missed in the world of gaming last week? No worries – we’ve got you covered!
We read a ton of video game articles each week and wanted to share some of our favorites with the Average Gamer community. We’ll feature everything from previews to reviews and everything in between.
The articles we share will be from a combination of well-known sources (like IGN) and more niche blogs that you may not have heard of. In the previous TAG Roundup post, we talked about GTA: San Andreas, SNES controllers, Death Stranding and more!
Here we go!
Black Ops 4 Update – Gamespot
Most of you know that Black Ops 4 is my favorite Call of Duty (aside from Modern Warfare, of course). The latest update adds a new mode to their BR: Heavy Metal Heroes.
The change brings vehicles to the game, including ARAVs, ATVs and motorcycles. More importantly, you can now ride around in a tank, which is probably as overpowered as it sounds.
We’ll also see two new weapons which are typically found in the Zombie mode. The Savage Impaler and Winter’s Fury can now be used in Blackout.
Check out the article for the rest of the updates!
PS5 Backward Compatibility – Android Central
With the PS5 set to be backward compatible with all PS4, it begs the question whether we’ll need any future remastered titles. It’s great when developers upgrade the graphics and mechanics of an older game for the current generation. At the same time, should we really need to pay extra to play games that we already have?
I’m glad Sony is pushing for backwards compatibility, especially since Microsoft took this stance with the Xbone. Hopefully, this becomes the standard in the industry, or that Google Stadia is able to hold up to their lofty goals. I’ll be happy in either scenario.
Holographic Tabletop Gaming – Geeky Gadgets
The trailer for Tilt Five looks so awesome! Imagine having a virtual game board in your living room where the pieces are animated via on-board visuals. That’s exactly what this Kickstarter is promising to deliver.
It’ll come with glasses, an interesting looking wand controller, game board, USB cable and “a variety pack of nose pieces”. Players will be able to cycle through introductory games and it seems like a good opportunity for devs to get creative with their level development.
The kit launches sometime around June 2020 so keep an eye on their page for updates.
A Link to the Past in Dragon Quest Builders 2 – Game Informer
For my creator content of the week, I’m featuring Youtube BenXC, who went above and beyond to replicate The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. It’s one thing to replicate a masterpiece. It’s another thing to replicate a masterpiece within another game.
To put things into perspective, he put over 150 hours of his time over the course of half a year. That’s basically a full month of full-time work!
He placed 300k+ blocks and planted 2,500+ trees in his creation. Props to Ben for some serious dedication.
Medal of Honor in VR – The Six Axis
I’ve had an Oculus for a few years now but haven’t done much with it. Partially because I’ve had so many other awesome games to play, but mostly because there hasn’t been a game which intrigued me enough to go all-in with VR. I’m pretty sure EA is about to change this streak for me.
The upcoming Medal of Honor game will be a VR exclusive, releasing on the Oculus Rift. Graphics and animations in the trailer look extraordinary but the 10 hours of campaign mode seems short.
It’s coming out in 2020 and it may be my first VR purchase!
No Thumbsticks on Latest 8Bitdo Switch Controllers – Endgadget
Nintendo’s Switch Lite is a strange beast, sans the removable joycons of its 2017 predecessor. The console is made primarily for handheld mode, but our friends at 8BitDo couldn’t resist creating a new controller to match the uniqueness of the Switch Lite.
You won’t find any joysticks here. Instead, the manufacturer included two keypads. They look great for any of the games in the online classics library but won’t hold up well for more complex titles.
If you’re a controller fanatic and want to add to your collection, pre-order now for the October 30th ship date.
Images below are from Amazon.
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Harry Potter-esque Management Sim – PC Gamer
Spellcaster University has entered Early Access on Steam, a magic school simulator which puts you at the head of the school. Like Two Point Hospital, the player needs to construct, recruit and manage your university while The Lord of Evil plots to take you down.
Card game elements set this apart from the typical sim game. The decks are responsible for magic types and will help you build your school.
As with any Early Access game, there will be bugs to wade through. It’s up to the gamers to determine if Spellcaster is charming enough to deal with the growing pains of a partially developed game.
Minecraft Earth Coming in October – Mashable
Following the global success of Pokemon Go, many developers have tried to take advantage of the mobile AR craze. The Walking Dead had folks chasing around zombies, ARrrrgh encourages you to play hide and seek and Niantic re-entered the scene with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
Now, one of the largest games of all time is entering the AR scene. Minecraft Earth promises to bring their console creationism to your mobile phones. There will be a slow rollout of the game by country and you can sign up here to be notified when your location launches.
My prediction is that this user base will grow quickly given the resurgence of viewership on Twitch. I appreciate that developers are continuing to make use of the AR technology and get people moving around vs being glued to their couches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzCBCoC2bjs
All the Pokemon Drawings – AV Club
Bonny John is an incredibly gift artist. His site features several drawings from the Star Wars franchise, Marvel universe and gaming world.
Recently, we were blessed with his Pokemon art gallery, which featured the original 151 creatures which he drew in 151 days. I don’t think I’ve ever done anything for 151 days straight so I want to first applaud his dedication. Secondly, there’s a certain grace that he draws with which amplify the nostalgia effect.
He’s also got some Pokemon drawings from more recent generations and his logo is one of my favorite characters of all time. Go check him out!
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Crazy 30k Nintendo Collection – AV Club
The picture alone had my mouth watering! Charles Amble has managed to collect roughly 730 cartridges from consoles in the NES thru N64 era. He’s auctioning off the game room contents to have a family and stuff, supposedly “moving to a house with no dedicated video game room”. Bah adulting…
You can check out more pictures here and envy the collection which he listed in this Google doc.
That’s All For Now
There were plenty of other highlights from last week but these ones really stood out. Be sure to check in next time to read about video game current events.
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What were some of the most interesting things you read last week? Leave us a message in the comments so we can check it out!
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