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 the PS5 Devkit, a new NES game, No Man’s Sky Beyond and more!
Here we go!
The Beauty of Hand-Drawn Maps – Kotaku
Ever wonder how those amazing video game maps are generated? They’re sprawling, detailed and intentional, an elaborate world for the player to explore.
Francesca Bearald has done tons of work on maps for big-name companies. Here’s a small collection of her work but feel free to check out more at her site and Artstation.
Anime Expo 2019 Cosplay – Kotaku
Over 110k people gathered in LA this year for Anime Expo 2019. The cosplayers were out in full force and showed off their creativity and dedication to their outfits. Here are some of my favorites, and you can see more about each cosplayer in their respective social media profiles.
Apologies in advance for the majority of these being scantily clad women…
https://youtu.be/1D8phcHLIbY
Grav-cycles and Future Soldiers – Gamespot
Disintegration is set to shake up the competitive shooter scene with game mechanics which combine squads comprised of both foot soldiers and mechs. The FPS action will focus heavily on strategy to gain an advantage over your opponents.
In the mech, called a grav-cycle, you’ll need to direct the folks on the ground as they use their character-specific abilities to shift the tides of battle. Being in a robot means your sustainability is high, so you need to watch out for your squishy, human teammates.
It’ll be very interesting to see how the developers balance the power of the mech vs the mortality of the ground troops. Fortnite has already had issues with mech vs human battles and it’s definitely a tough thing to get right. Disintegration is scheduled for a 2020 launch date on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Xbox One Controller on Switch – Imore
Nintendo’s joy-cons are great and all, but what if you already have some controllers sitting around for other consoles? You could already use a PS4 controller on the Switch, and now the Xbox One controller is a viable option.
With a wireless adapter and a couple of minutes of set up, you can be on your way towards xboxing with Nintendo. You can do this in both wireless tabletop mode and wireless docked mode. As someone with too many consoles, I can appreciate this quick hack which saves a bunch of money on buying additional controllers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IPi51r9K_M
Friday the 13th With Weapons – Polygon
When I first played Friday the 13th, it felt unfair that the survivors were roaming around with little to defend themselves. Now, developer Illfonic has an alpha version of Predator: Hunting Grounds which arms the survivors to the teeth against, you guessed it, a predator.
Described as an “asymmetrical multiplayer co-op game”, you team up with other commados on some covert missions. In addition to worrying about the predator, you need to kill the enemy AI who are there to slow your progress towards your mission goals.
The game is set for a PS4 due date in 2020 and my prediction is that the battle royale craze will still be ongoing by the time it comes out. It seems like an opportunity here for the devs but only time will tell if they decide to add a BR mode.
https://youtu.be/t-N2oBNU6P8https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkN7_TkbPb4
Cyberpunk 2077 Character Creation – Polygon
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most highly-anticipated games and it continues to get more hyped up each day. With the hype comes news about game features and mechanics.
There’s a great deal of depth to building your protagonist. You choose a “life path” which determines your back story followed by body type and appearance.
https://youtu.be/FknHjl7eQ6o
Moar Switch Controllers! – IGN
For gamers who want to customize their controller but don’t feel like putting a skin on top, you can grab a controller that’s already been painted by the manufacturer. Power A has some new $50 Switch controllers coming out later this month that will feature Zelda and Pokemon themes. This is definitely a case of buy now / think later, so just go do it.
Is This Civilization? – PC Gamer
The Civilization series is well known for being the pinnacle of world-building games. Developer Amplitude is building off the success of Civ’s formula and mixing things up with new features. Most notably, you’ll change cultures as time goes on, moving from one of ten “starter cultures” to a different civilization as you advance.
Another interesting aspect is that you can’t actually win this game. Ages will change and you can continue to pillage, but you’ll never be the victor of the map. It’s an interesting take on turn-based strategy games and you can try it out on Steam sometime in 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae-GbY2–BI
Twins in a Side-Scrolling Beat ‘Em Up – Gamespot
In Young Souls, you slash your way through baddies alongside your twin sibling. The fight animations look very sharp and the background world is fitting for the dismal backstory of the brother-sister duo.
Goblins come in all shapes and sizes – big, small, strong, derpy, scary, creepy, fast, etc. I really like how the dialogue bubbles follow the characters around and there are several types of weapons that you can customize to fit your playstyle.
The developers said you’ll need to change your gear frequently to keep up with your opponents, with the option to buy items ahead of entering dungeons. You can play with an AI or a friend sometime next year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TUHOOlIy4E
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.Â
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