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 Tabletop Simulator, Breath of the Wild and more!
At the top of the hour, we’ve got news from Riot’s latest title, Valorant. If you’re familiar with Overwatch and CS: GO, then this game will make perfect sense to you. If you’ve never heard of either game, hopefully I can shed some light for you!
Valorant Guide for Brimstone – Polygon
Riot Games is best known for titles like League of Legends and Legends of Runeterra. With Valorant, they now enter the world of first-person shooter games.
Dubbed as an objective-based FPS, Valorant brings unique agents to a shooter based on teamwork and coordination. Teams of 5 face off in an arena where the objective is to either detonate/defuse a spike (bomb) or kill all members of the opposing team.
Besides the hero abilities which can change the balance of the game, Valorant also made a major change in how we approach betas. The only way to get a beta code is to watch people play the game!
Specifically, there’s a list of Twitch streamers whose gameplay you can view in order to obtain a key. You’ll need both a Twitch account and a Riot games account to be linked in order to be eligible. I was lucky enough to get a key after leaving a stream open for four days, but I know several members of the Average Gamer community who are still in search of an invite.
Before the start of each round of Valorant, you’ve got 30 seconds to purchase weapons and abilities. If you survive the round, you’ll get to keep your items. If you’re killed, you’ll need to buy new things.
Valorant has gotten off to a wildly hot start, with hundreds of thousands of simultaneous Twitch viewers. I’ve only played for about an hour so far but I can definitely see the potential this game has!
Players are already working on guides and Polygon put one out to showcase Brimstone, a Controller agent. He’s a great support/zoning character and you’ll find plenty of tips to play him in this guide.
No word yet on how long the Valorant beta will last but the devs said they will be flexible with timing. I’ll be playing a good amount over the coming weeks and hope to share my own tips soon!
Let us know if you have advice for new players in the comments section, below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quwEfSmI8sk
PS5 Controller Reveal – Polygon
The controller for the PlayStation 5 was a close second for this week’s featured article. There have been dozens of leaked designs over the last year but we now have an official word from Sony! Here are some of the key features of the upcoming gamepad:
- Haptic feedback
- Adaptive triggers
- Built-in microphone array
- Share button being replaced by Create button
The reaction from the community has been mostly positive and some fans have even been creating anime adaptations of the controller. My guess is that there will be plenty of comparisons made between Microsoft and Sony hardware in the next month or so to start building hype. Stay tuned!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilwip_l6oq0
Free Google Stadia – Polygon
Last week, Google announced that they’d be giving new users two months of Stadia Pro…for free! Existing Pro members won’t get charged on their next two months to make things fair for the folks who already spent the money.
Things have been relatively quiet in the Stadia realm for the last several months, but it make sense that Google would try to capitalize on all the gamers who are stuck at home. The game list is decent at this point so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t pick up the free pass.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2Rwp-F-xVY
Temtem Update – PC Games N
Most of us know Temtem as the MMORPG version of Pokemon, but it’s so much more! The game made some bold changes to the Pokemon formula that paid off in a big way, and the recent update is bringing ranked matchmaking:
Ranked matchmaking will automatically scale your temtem to level 48 and max their SVs, so everyone is on a level playing field. The TMR, or Tamer Matchmaking Rating, works pretty much as you’d expect – you get points for winning, and players are matched based on their current rating. Wins will eventually earn you in-game money, though that system won’t start until the early kinks have gotten worked out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNul9J517i8
Minecraft Meets Diablo – EuroGamer
Diablo is a violent dungeon crawler and Minecraft is, well, not. Can the two co-exist? That’s exactly what the teams at Mojang and Double Eleven want to find out!
EuroGamer commends the beautiful soundtrack, party up feature and the various equipment you can acquire. The game is currently in beta mode and you can pick up the full version on May 26, 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgZSuKI2iBI
Object Finding Made Fun – The Verge
Hidden Through Time tasks you with locating hidden objects on-screen. There’s not much more to it, but the simplicity is rather inviting judging by the steam reviews.
The art style reminds me of a less eery version of Don’t Starve but your characters are never in danger. Once you find enough of the object/anima/person, you continue to the next level.
If Stardew Valley is getting too stressful for you, go pick up Hidden Through Time.
https://youtu.be/BEx6zHEH_bI
80s Twin-stick Shooter Madness- Forbes
It’s harder to describe the mayhem that occurs in Hyper Parasite. Maybe it’s just better to leave you with the description and a short trailer:
Collect and control 60 different characters as the body-snatching alien Parasite with a grudge against humanity. Fight to the top of the food chain: possess the President, push the Big Red Button and one-up the human race.
Great reviews so far and looks to be a nice challenge for folks who like chaos!
https://youtu.be/HZLsQDa3zro
The Best Gaming Mice – Popular Mechanic
Now that I’m on a path towards PC mastery, I’ve started to pay more attention to desktop peripherals. Popular Mechanic lines up 6 of the top tier mice that are available now!
A gaming mouse will typically feel more responsive than your normal mouse and it can be a good investment for serious PC gamers. Check their list to see which one is right for you!
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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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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