作者彙整: Matthew Kato
New Gameplay Today – MLB The Show 19
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In MLB the Show 19, developer San Diego Studio is attempting to overhaul areas of the series, introducing March to October, a more engaging and dynamic version of the usually no-frills Season mode, as well as introducing Moments – a new way to play through baseball history and make your own.
March to October has you play through pivotal times in a season as your team pushes to get into the playoffs, with the experience changing as you gain and lose momentum during the year.
Meanwhile, Moments tasks you with playing through various real-life scenarios of different sizes, earning rewards throughout the rest of the game’s modes.
Game designers Nick Livingston and Ramone Russell stopped by the office to give us a personal tour of the modes, but also dish information on many other aspects of the game, including what’s up with Franchise mode this year, show off gameplay improvements in different areas, and more.
MLB the Show 19 is out exclusively on PlayStation 4 on March 26.
For more on the game, check out our coverage via The Sports Desk column, including Three Questions for MLB the Show 19’s Road To the Show Mode.
The Switch Sports Roundup
When the Switch came out, I expected the viable sports game options to be scarce. Fast-forward to today, and the genre still isn’t a strong suit of the system, but the Switch has put together a decent roster. Surprisingly, it’s not just all the same franchises you might expect.
Although the Switch will never have the online support or features of games on the other systems, here are some of the standouts on the console (sans racing titles, BTW). If you want to check out some less-traditional/popular sports, there are a variety of options from OlliOlli: Switch Stance to Rapala Fishing Pro Series, and Trials Rising.
Super Volley Blast ($9.99)*
Developer: Unfinished Pixel
In a video game context, volleyball could be simple to the point of bland, but Super Volley Blast avoids such a fate. The 2-on-2 title (including 4-player multiplayer) requires some positioning teamwork and strategy with your partner to set up your volleys across the net. There is some variety where A.I. opponents place the ball, and the timing of jump spikes can be hard to master (and a little inconsistent in my experience). Moreover, Super Blast Mode’s gameplay variations (there’s also a story mode) include Chicken Ball, Bomb Ball, Max 2 Hits, and others. Chicken Ball, in particular, replaces the ball with poultry with a penchant for erratic movements, making for a fun variation.
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NBA 2K19 ($59.99)
Developer: Visual Concepts
FIFA 19 ($59.99)
Developer: EA Romania
I’ve included these two games in one entry because they are already known quantities and for what they share in common: They’re modeled after famous triple-A counterparts on the other home consoles, and while they’re not 1-for-1 ports, suffering in areas such as graphics, online play, and other differences, they still offer solid sports experiences on and off the court/pitch. Click here for some of my thoughts about FIFA 19 on Switch in particular.
Football Manager 2019 Touch ($39.99)
Developer: Sports Interactive
The text and menu-heavy nature of this port of Sports Interactive’s revered soccer management title isn’t ideally suited for the Switch (here are some thoughts about this year’s game overall), but it’s worth it due to the options the game gives you as a manager. Oversee as little or as much of your team’s operations, from training to in-match tactics for the team and individuals. Football Manager can be a daunting game, but the Switch’s portability and streamlined nature of this port help it be more accessible.
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Mario Tennis Aces ($59.99)
Developer: Camelot
Aces (click for Kyle’s review) gives the franchise a return to form thanks to the inclusion of a full-on Story mode, augmenting the stellar gameplay, boss battles, racket break system, and first-person Zone Shots. Nintendo doesn’t deal in a lot of first-party sports titles, but Mario Tennis is good enough that it easily beats out less-accomplished licensed games like Tennis World Tour on the system.
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Rocket League ($19.99)
Developer: Psyonix
Not much more needs to be said about this fabulous and famous soccer-with-cars title other than it won’t take you long to get hooked on its crazy charm. It’s also worth noting that it has cross-platform play with the other platforms.
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NBA 2K Playgrounds 2 ($29.99)
Just before release 2K stepped in to publish this title, adding it as an arcade-gameplay counter to the publisher’s sim-based NBA 2K series already on the Switch. This sequel retains the gameplay of the first title, which is a good thing, surrounding it with more modes like Playground Champion and Season. Getting good players is a grind (aided by microtransactions, of course), but the arcade basketball itself isn’t bad.
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New Star Manager ($19.99)
Developer: New Star Games
This title was a free mobile game, and as such, it revolves around card packs for fundamental elements in the game from players to training, etc. The Switch version doles out packs as you level up, changing the tone of the title, and the optional analog stick gameplay is better than mobile’s touch controls. Overall, the game is about working your way up the promotion ladder while managing your players, staff, and stadium along the way.
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Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition ($29.99)
Developer: Digital Dreams
The Dynasty Edition of this spiritual successor to 1993’s Mutant League Football adds a multi-year Dynasty mode (complete with trades, and XP system, custom playbooks, free agency, and more), four new teams, and additional dirty tricks giving depth to the on-the-field experience that already pushes the envelope of the sport with traps and player deaths. For more on the game, here’s our review BEFORE the inclusion of Dynasty mode.
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Football Heroes Turbo ($14.99)
Developer: Run Games
Similar to Mutant Football League, Football Heroes offers a non-traditional gridiron experience. The title lets you punch players out of your way by button tapping – including when you’re on defense – and gives players power-ups like powerful hurdles, fumble-inducing tackles, and sure-handed catches as they level up. Your team also gets better as you make your way up the seasons ladder, adding more money to its salary cap and training points for the players. I played the Early Access PC version of the game, and was charmed by its look and rough-and-tumble gameplay, and intrigued by its team-building options.
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*Prices may vary
THE TICKER
Out Of The Park Baseball 20 Coming On March 22
MLB the Show 19’s March To October Mode Detailed
A Sports Newbie (Javy) Plays NHL 19 For A Week
GT Sport Update Coming March 5
Madden 19 Getting Series Of Fixes
Football Manager 19 Gets A Winter Update
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince Gets Gameplay Trailer & Release Details
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Some fans didn’t take to Trine 3 because of its length and attempt at 3D gameplay, but developer Frozenbyte says that Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince returns the series to the 2.5D gameplay that made it famous.
The game also reunites fans with the franchise’s three heroes, tasking them with defeating the evil unleashed by Prince Selius’ waking nightmares, via a new combat system as well as physics-based environmental puzzles. The Nightmare Prince also includes four-player co-op (local and online), new skills, and more.
In other Trine news, Frozenbyte has announced Trine: Ultimate Collection, featuring all the games in the series and extras such as a physical map of the world, a code for a digital artbook, a reversible cover sheet, and a soundtrack download code.
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Lord Drakkon Shows His Might In New Power Rangers: Battle For The Grid Trailer
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Mobile developer nWay (Power Rangers: Legacy Wars) has released a new trailer for Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid, heralding the nefarious designs of Lord Drakkon as well as giving fans a glimpse of the fighting game’s combat.
The trailer shows off some of Lord Drakkon’s combos, which the developer is saying range from “beginner-friendly” to complex, and he also has an uppercut special attack – a rarity in the game.
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid is a digital download-only title ($19.99) coming in April to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, with a PC release later in 2019.
Dirt Rally 2.0 Review – Staying Focused
Xbox One, PC
Efficiency is the goal in rally racing, from your co-driver’s no-nonsense pace notes (while under duress, I might add) to the fix-only-what-needs-fixing-now scramble of repairs between stages. Even when you’re hurtling down a country road in Poland reacting at speed to the semi-unknown, moving the steering wheel only as much as you absolutely need to is the difference between surviving to the next turn and sending yourself into a race-ending skid. This model of efficiency gives Dirt Rally 2.0 focus, channeling your efforts in the right direction and guiding you when you need it most.
Codemasters’ titles from the last few years have presented their own career mode wrinkles. Dirt Rally 2.0 certainly features a more fleshed-out racing organization than the first title, complete with staff to hire and car upgrades, but it isn’t the same as those in the F1 series or even the core Dirt franchise. Dirt Rally 2.0 is not as involved as those other Codemasters titles, but I appreciate that it cuts to the chase. Upgrading your staff gets you tangible improvements. Instead of a nebulous two-percent increase in performance, for instance, an upgraded staff takes time directly off your repairs and penalties for flipping off the track. That kind of specificity spurs you to put your credits where you need it most.
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Upgrading your car parts centers on each car individually. For instance, your rallycross car in particular wears through the clutch and dampers faster, so those are the areas you can upgrade first. While there’s something to be said for the freedom to do whatever you want, at the end of the day I had more credits in my bank to spend on getting other cars and upgrades because I didn’t feel pressured to spend them on stuff that didn’t make a material difference in the end.
I like how the game approaches how your car parts wear down, allowing you to quick fix them during an event at the cost of imparting more wear (something upgrades decrease). Wear also factors into the used cars (which you can test drive beforehand), which come needing their own repairs – something which would be helpful to know before you bought them.
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As prepared as I was with upgrades and repairs before an event, I was always nervous when starting a stage, even if I’d done it before. The track degrades in career events, which influences your tire compound selection and adds another variable to consider while driving. I tended to make my big mistakes at the beginning of a stage; even in the long, 10-minute-plus stages, I became more confident the longer I drove. I attribute this to both getting in a driving rhythm and with understanding how the car feels on the different surfaces. It’s also the game doing a good job in giving consistent feedback so I can subconsciously take into account the pacenotes, weather, surface, car handling, braking power, and other variables in an instant and usually make the right decision. Perhaps the outlier in this is the tarmac surface, which I struggled to get a handle on and was more slippery than I expected. I also would have liked more vibration through the gamepad to further differentiate the racing surfaces and conditions, adding another dimension.
While the staff setup and gameplay are Dirt Rally 2.0’s strengths, it’s only adequate in other areas. The multiplayer has timed events and championship sessions you can construct, but that’s the minimum you’d expect. The FIA World Rallycross Championship licensed season has no bells and whistles (and frankly I tire of going through all the successive heats in rallycross), and the random stage generation of Dirt 4’s Your Stage has been removed, cutting down on the number of stages you can race.
Dirt Rally 2.0 doesn’t have every feature under the sun, but I trust it. I know I can put together a good team that’s going to help me win events, and the gameplay delivers, letting me skate that line between confidence and foolishness without knowing the difference.
Score: 8.75
Summary: Codemasters delivers another captivating rally title that will have you swearing in fear and delight.
Concept: Add more career-type elements to the racing, which remains the real meat of the franchise
Graphics: The game is gorgeous overall. Objects occasionally pop in, but it’s not distracting. Lens flare and other graphical effects, however, can force you to favor certain cameras depending on the situation
Sound: The co-driver’s pacenotes are informative and excellent, even including this quip: “Is that a puncture on the right rear?” He knows damn well it is
Playability: Even without the luxury of being able to rewind after crashes, the game has enough assists and other ways to customize the difficulty so you can enjoy it at any skill level
Entertainment: Codemasters delivers another captivating rally title that will have you swearing in fear and delight
Replay: Moderate
The Past And Present Collide In New Days Gone Story Trailer
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In Days Gone, a church can both be a place where you reminisce about the happiest moment of your life and where you sledgehammer another human being to death.
Those are separate moments for Deacon St. John in the game’s latest trailer, where he wallows in a brief interlude from the harsh realities of his current life.
Days Gone comes out on PlayStation 4 April 26.
For more on the game, check out all the coverage from our cover story as well as this zombie-invested recent trailer.
[Source: Official PlayStation Blog]
If there’s one thing you can learn from this trailer, it’s that you should at least take off your stupid baseball cap when you get married. 閱讀全文
Buckle Up For Dangerous Driving’s New Trailer & Release Date
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Dangerous Driving – the latest chaotic creation from Three Fields Entertainment (Dangerous Golf, Danger Zone 2) – has an updated release date (April 9) as well as a trailer giving players a taste of the game’s high-speed hits and near-misses.
The game features eight different game modes, and whether you’re trying to string together combos in Heatwave or taking down all you see in the aptly-named Takedown mode, the game’s commitment to eye-watering speed, fantastic crashes, and threading the eye of the needle with a steady hand on the wheel remains. The game even lets you control a cop car so you can take out scofflaws with extreme prejudice.
Dangerous Driving also includes eight-player online and 30 courses set across seven locations.
When the game comes out on April 9 (PS4, Xbox One, PC), fans can get it for $29.99 digitally or at retail – including Danger Zone 2 as a bonus – for $39.99.
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Discussing MLB the Show 19’s First Details
MLB the Show 19 developer San Diego Studio has revealed a swath of information about the upcoming PS4 title (March 26) via a debut trailer, from gameplay to modes like Road to the Show.
In today’s Sports Desk I’m joined by Andrew Reiner and Brian Shea to discuss the trailer, what it says about the game, and the important questions it leaves behind.
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THE TICKER
Dirt Rally 2.0 Coming To Oculus VR in the Summer
Dirt Rally 2.0 Footage In Our New Gameplay Today Video
NASCAR Heat 3 2019 Season Update Info
New Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 MyClub Legends, Including Francesco Totti
Draft Day Sports: College Basketball 2019 Out Now
Time Is Of The Essence
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Customization – whether it’s visual or via multi-faceted weapons – is a big part of God Eater 3 (PS4 and PC), and what better way to rise to a fight against the Aragami than with a co-op crew ready for the occasion?
The game is out very soon – February 8 – and its latest trailer shows off timed Assault Missions featuring eight players. The task? Taking down powerful foes within a five-minute time limit.
Assault Missions aren’t the game’s only multiplayer. For more on this front, check out Imran’s hands-on impressions of God Eater 3. Also check out this previous trailer.
[Source: Official PlayStation Blog]
Hunting For Glory In Legendary Eleven
Eclipse Games’ Legendary Eleven doesn’t just go back to a simpler gameplay time for soccer video games, it also mines the sports’ storied past in a non-licensed sports title (Xbox One, Switch, PC via Steam Early Access) based around international teams from the ’70s and ’80s.
The game features 44 countries (with the likes of Algeria, Wales, Czechoslovakia, West/East Germany, USA, Uruguay, and many more) and three main modes: Friendlies, Legendary matches, and Championship. There is also online play (I played the PC edition), but by Eclipse’s own admission, this isn’t very fleshed out at the moment. Local multiplayer is a more viable option if you’re looking to play against others.
The Championship mode centers around the classic group+elimination stages format, and can be enjoyed in either four regional cups or a World cup-like tournament. The Legendary mode, on the other hand, focuses on thrilling moments from the international stage, replicating the Argentina/England “Hand of God” 1986 World Cup quarterfinal (with Armando a stand-in for Maradona), as well as challenging feats such as scoring four goals as the Netherlands against Argentina in 1974.
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Legendary’s gameplay isn’t fancy, but contains just enough to allow for back-and-forth games with some fun moments. Apart from your usual turbo, deke, and give-go passes, you can also enable optional super shots. These are slightly overpowered, usually unstoppable shots you can unleash after charging up a meter (through good passes, dekes, etc.).
If you’re using them, the game more or less revolves around getting yourself in a position to uncork one of these shots, but the game’s fundamentals don’t provide as solid of a foundation. Players frustratingly struggle to gain possession of through-balls into space as the ball is instead awarded to an opponent, teammate A.I. bunches together too much, teammates don’t pull up to avoid being offsides, and keepers aren’t the smartest bunch.
The one area where the game intrigues me beyond its surface is the stickers you can earn that boost your players. Thirty two of these can be applied to your team (but only four at once), granting them things like bonus attacking skill, a permissive ref, bonus endurance for you midfields, and more. These are earned through completing specific tasks such as winning a specific cup in Championship mode, and they could enable different styles of play. I’d be curious if you could take some of the mid- to lower-rated teams, apply a combination of stickers, and turn them into a counter-attacking force, for instance.
Legendary Eleven is in an in-between position – it’s not a triple-A title like FIFA, but it’s not focused on simulation either. The game contains some hands-on, moment-to-moment fun, but it’s too limited to truly go down in the annals of the sport.
THE TICKER
MLB the Show 19’s Debut Trailer
EA Stops Selling FIFA Ultimate Team Points In Belgium
Spike Volleyball Out Now on PS4, Xbox One & PC
