Witcher 3 Downgrade, Why Are People Surprised?

I'm enjoying every minute of the Witcher 3. The game looks amazing, the combat has been improved for the better, and the stories you come across as you explore the world of Temeria keeps me glued for hours. But as I take a break after a long session as Geralt of Rivia, I noticed a lot of public outcry regarding CD Projekt Red's latest game - the final product looks nothing like the footage shown in 2013, the graphics have been downgraded. Many are disappointed, many thought that CD Projekt Red were the honest developers in the industry. I say - it's as expected. it's footage years ago.

Before anything, have a look at the footage comparing the old 2013-2014 footage material to the final product below.

See the difference? Claims about the downgrade seems pretty valid at this point and it raises a lot of issues this industry is facing. Did CD Projekt Red ripped off their loyal fans? Not really, it's more like we raised our expectations way too high, thus having fans pushing that 'pre-order now' button the moment the 2013 footage ended.

The developers could simply place a notice in the footage stating this is not a representative of the final product, end of story, but they didn't. The team wanted to reach that level of detail, but when it was time to actually make the project into a playable product, they had to be honest with what's possible for the given time and hardware provided. Having Witcher 3 released on multiple platforms could be the main reason to why the level of quality shown a few years ago was cut, but console systems are a big chunk of what will make this title a success financially. Releasing this as a PC exclusive isn't going to work for everybody involved.

We are mostly to blame.

Pre-ordering a game that's considered to be released after a year is mostly never a good idea, but the option will always be there once a developer officially announces a product. Games will be shown in trade shows or events, marketing teams will do their thing, and during all of that the developers will continue to develop the game and do a few changes along the way. If someone does get sold on what they've seen so far? Well, you'll have to expect the fact that the team might not release that level of quality or cut a specific feature, because changes happen during development.

I consider this a repeat in history. When Watch Dogs was first released, people were excited. Myself included. Come release day, we were welcomed with a very noticeable downgrade that people reacted the same way they are reacting now on the Witcher 3. So what's the difference with these two issues? One of them is actually a really good game, a potential Game of the Year even. No, we are not talking about Watch Dogs of course. Watch Dogs had so many elements going against it that it turned out as a complete disappointment in all fields. From repetitive gameplay, dull activities, to a story that can easily be forgotten right after the credits start rolling. Witcher 3 is the complete opposite of Watch Dogs, and it's quite sad some gamers might consider taking a pass thanks to this downgrade issue, missing out on a game that I consider a must have for any RPG fan.

CD projekt Red is considered as an open developer to their fan base, showing a lot of footage through the course of development. The negative reaction of how it looks compared to the 2013 footage took the developers off-guard. But with all the footage you show the public, and as much information you throw at them regarding the state of the game, there will always be that small few sold by it the moment they saw footage two years ago. You can't disregard some players that did make their purchase decision with that level of quality in mind. In an interview with Eurogamer, the developer confronted the downgrading claims:

“We don’t agree there is a downgrade but it’s our opinion, and gamers’ feeling can be different. If they made their purchasing decision based on the 2013 materials, I’m deeply sorry for that, and we are discussing how we can make it up to them because that’s not fair,” explains studio co-founder Marcin Iwinski.

“In a way, because of us not seeing it as a problem, and working hard on the game until the very end, that’s where we are today and that’s why we have to explain. I hope it shows our intentions, because we are not hiding anything. Considering our values, hiding is the last thing we ever want to do.

“And for those who are still not 100 per cent decided, I definitely encourage them to wait and see what we will be releasing in patches, updates and whatnot.”

Moral of the story? Expect games to change through the course of development. Do yourself a favor - Don't make a purchase decision like placing a pre-order thanks to a build released two years ago.

Patch 1.03 has already hit PC, PS4, and will soon on Xbox One, fixing a series of bugs and improving the current frame drops present in the game.

Ubisoft Officially Reveals Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Coming to PS4, Xbox One, and PC this October

We got the first bit of details the day we were recording this week's podcast, but now Ubisoft blew the lid wide open regarding Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Here's what we know.

Ubisoft is going all out with regards to Syndicate. For one, we know Ubisoft Quebec is in charge of this project, with nine other Ubisoft studios helping out (Montreal, Singapore, Annecy, Montpellier, Reflections, Sofia, Shanghai, Kiev, Bucharest). Syndicate has been in development for two years.

The game is set in 1868 London, during the Industrial Revolution. You play as Jacob Frye, an assassin taking back the city controlled by the templars. Oh, and he has a top hat.

Here's the full description of Syndicate via Ubisoft's Blog:

London during the Industrial Revolution. It’s a time of great technological and philosophical advancement, but it’s also a time of great hardship. The Church and the monarchy are losing power and money is rapidly becoming one of the chief dictators of human behavior. And when money is king, those who have it are the ones in control while those without it are tossed aside and forgotten. Desperation grows among the lower class, leading many of them to lives of crime in order to survive. It is here that we see the birth of organized crime, and the birth of a new era.

The Assassin Brotherhood has been all but eradicated, long kept away by the Templars controlling the city. But now – in the year 1868 – two young Assassins have arrived in London to reclaim the city by force, with street gangs as their armies and the oppressed masses as their eyes and ears. This is Assassin’s Creed Syndicate. Welcome to the Family.

Official Reveal Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifhdLJFIHQ8

In terms of gameplay, there are new additions to best suit the given setting. For one, you have a grappling hook to easily climb tall buildings, and vehicles like a stagecoache to quickly travel around the city. Fighting seems more fast paced thanks to Frye's brawler style with brass knuckles equipped, which is a good change from the dull swordplay that didn't have much change as the series progressed.

It is also confirmed that Syndicate will not have multiplayer. Ubisoft is considering this a single player experience, going back to the series' roots.

Gameplay Walkthrough

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psUgnkQ7mMs

The setting is really what's winning our hearts at the moment. A perfect time in history to explore for the series. How will the game perform? Too soon to tell since it was just revealed, but consider us curious of this year's Assassin's Creed.

What do you think about Syndicate so far?

Konami Confirms Cancellation of Silent Hills

It seems Konami is going through a rough patch. With the rumors of Hideo Kojima leaving after Metal Gear Solid V, everybody is wondering on the current status of the announced Silent Hill game by Kojima and Pacific Rim director Guillermo del Toro. Konami has finally reached out to kill the rumors and confirmed that Silent Hills is now officially cancelled, but is still developing the Silent Hill series. 

The worry that Silent Hills might get the axe started when Konami announced that the interactive teaser P.T will be removed from the PS4 PSN store on April 29 because the "distribution period and licence usage for the demo has now expired". Over the weekend, a tweet shared a statement from Guillermo del Toro confirming that Silent Hills will no longer happen.

https://twitter.com/tvsmatthackney/status/592177537427447808

Then, The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus, the main lead for the game, tweeted about the cancellation making it more likely that this is the case.

https://twitter.com/wwwbigbaldhead/status/592412551457198080

Now, Konami has finally released a statement regarding Silent Hills. In an email sent to Gameinformer, it is confirmed that Silent Hills is no more.

"Also, in response to what Del Toro said during the Q&A, Konami is committed to new Silent Hill titles, however the embryonic ‘Silent Hills’ project developed with Guillermo del Toro and featuring the likeness of Norman Reedus will not be continued."

P.T. was released in the PS4's PSN Store during last year's PlayStation Experience with no prior knowledge of what it was all about. Upon playing and completing what people considered one of the best games to have in your PS4 system, it was revealed to be a concept demo for a new Silent Hill game called Silent Hills by Hideo Kojima and Guillermo del Toro starring Walking Dead's Norman Reedus.

It's a bit disappointing to hear the cancellation. I finished P.T. and based on what I experienced, It got me excited on the collaboration and felt like this is what the franchise needs to get back on track.

To those that own a PS4, we highly suggest you find the time to download P.T. and play an amazing concept that won't see the light of day. If you miss your chance to download and play the interactive teaser, don't worry, there's always Youtube.

Destiny's House of Wolves expansion gets a release date, but it won't provide a new raid

Destiny players rejoice! Bungie just announced that the second expansion called House of Wolves will hit on May 19. Now the bad news - this expansion won't include a new raid.

Together with the release of the new trailer for the expansion and release date, Bungie released a post in bungie.net, announcing that there won't be a new raid in House of Wolves.

House of Wolves will not have a Raid activity. We didn't make this decision lightly. Our team has been humbled by the reception of Raids in Destiny and we are creating a new Raid for a release later this year. House of Wolves will have a new cooperative end game activity focused on variety, replayability, and skill – a new battle Arena called The Prison of Elders.

This might come as a disappointment for some players since raids in the game are considered a big selling point for the game. This new end game activity sounds more like a "horde mode" of sorts but time will tell when they give more information about The Prison of Elders.

Another problem we are seeing is that some players opted for the season pass to ensure 2 raids in the future. With this announcement, the pack only adds 1 raid. No word if the new raid planned later this year is included in the season pass.

Do you think it's a good decision not providing a new raid for veteran players? Sound off on the comments below.

Console version of Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls - what's different?

Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Edition is now out on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. You might think that it's a direct port to what's available on the PC version, but to our surprise the console brings a lot to veteran players and players that are not familiar with the series. A few changes to best translate the game with a controller, added mechanics only found in the console version, more multiplayer options, and we just might have the best version of the game yet.

Just to let you know - I own Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls on PC, it was a day 1 purchase. So why the move to console? Living in South East Asia, the online-only model to Diablo 3 always finds a way to frustrate me. I was unlucky enough to live in an area with unreliable internet service, so my enjoyment for the game always comes in bursts. With that said, the ability to play this game offline in the console version is mainly the reason why I coughed up money for a game I've already played countless times. Believe it or not, I still want more out if it, but I want to continue enjoying the game without the elements that make me walk away.

So yeah, there's offline in the console version.

But that's not all that was included. Blizzard has taken the extra mile to really make the game work well with a controller. The menu screen and inventory system has been changed to best suit the console version. The unique grid inventory system known by many action RPG fans was scrapped for the console version, and was replaced with a more simpler system. Items are now placed in a list, with your currently equipped weapon on the right side. Equipment on your character is also seen in a radial design making it easier to go from one piece of equipment with just the left joystick. Every aspect of the menu share the same radial designs, from lore down to skills. It may look like a step backward when looking from afar, but once you play the game with the new interface, it just feels right - easy to use, fast to navigate.

With combat, the controls  was done perfectly. It was quick to grasp, and the fast-paced combat remains intact even with the different control scheme. Each button is attached to a specific skill, with L1 or LT being your way of chugging your potions. The only major change done is the addition of the dodge mechanic - Moving the right joystick in your controller makes your hero roll to avoid danger. It's just like the dodge system found in games like God of War. The addition is to give the player more mobility for the player. Not really a game changer, but it does help the arcade-y feel I get when playing this version of the game. I also noticed melee characters such the Barbarian or Monk has a dash when executing a melee skill. This dash moves you slightly forward when you attacks.

New game mechanics

The console version also has interesting social features that reward or punish players in your friend's list. The first one is the Nemesis System - When a monster kills a player in their game, that monster hops to a friend's game via portal and attempts to kill him as well. That player that was invaded by your killer, has a chance to take revenge for you. From experience, this is a tough enemy that appears in the worst possible time in your game, catching you off guard almost 90% of the time. If you are lucky enough to kill this "nemesis" monster, you are rewarded with loot as well as a gift for your fallen friend which you can send, and that gift mostly comes out as a legendary item. If you fail to take revenge, that monster hops to another friend in that player's friends list until it's killed.

The second feature is the Mailing System. It's actually cool, trust me.

To my knowledge, you can't send gold to friends in the PC version. Here, you can share the wealth and equipment with friends. The best part of the mailing system is the gift items mentioned above. There's a chance that every legendary item drop (One of the highest tier of equipment in the game) can also drop a gift exclusive to a friend in your friend's list that plays the game. I've given a few gifts to friends and all have been legendary items. No one has sent me a gift so far...just saying. The Nemesis system and the mailing system might seem unnecessary, but it adds a small interaction with friends, giving the effect that you are helping each other out, even when you're not playing together.

Cooperative play done right

Another big feature, which I believe is the big selling point for this version of the game, is the addition of local cooperative play. Call up to four friends, order some pizza, and hunt for loot together in one couch. This feature works like a charm. The camera is set on all four players in the screen. It can get chaotic since that is four characters spamming skills like crazy people surrounded by monsters. Each player will have to share the menu screen when working through their items and skills, but a shortcut feature is placed on the directional buttons for a quick swap in items and skills. It's drop in, drop out. One players start by himself and anybody can simply join the game by turning on the controller and login into their profile. If they don't want to play, head to the menu and go drop out. Simple. With the PlayStation 4 version of the game, each player can login to their own PSN account, making any character will be saved for that specific profile. With PS+, I dropped by a friend's house and was able to grab my updated character and download it to a friends PS4 and play with my character. After my session with a couple of buddies,I went home, I upload my character online, downloaded the updated file unto my PS4 , and continued playing. I find no problems with it so far.

Online? Online is the same. Which is a good thing for those looking to band with strangers.

Apprentice mode

If there's one thing that happens over and over when starting an rpg game with friends, it's that after the first sessions, the next time you gather you'll find out there's a gap between each of your characters because someone played a little while you were away. It's understandable, people have different schedules. So Blizzard introduces the apprentice system only found in local play. If a character that's a lower level joins your game, that character's stats and damage is instantly boosted to fit the highest player in the group. So don't feel discouraged if your friend is 10 levels ahead. You can still play together, catch up in levels, and also get loot fit for your current level. This is a great feature, a feature I wish will take wind to other developers creating cooperative games with a leveling system.

Patch support

With patch 2.1 (New features like greater rifts, seasons, new items) already live in the PC version of the game, the big question is if console players will get patch support. Blizzard has confirmed that there will be patch support for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, also confirming that patch 2.1 will be heading to those consoles soon. Sadly, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 might not get patch support since developers find it harder to updated the game in the last gen consoles. We say "might" because anything can happen if pushed hard enough.

Those are the changes. Worth the plunge? It will set you back P2,395 for the PS4/Xbox One version, and P1,695 for PS3/Xbox 360.  Aside from what's mentioned above, the content are all the same - same acts, same maps, etc.