Hope you’ve recovered from your Halloween hangover because it’s time to recap this week’s gaming news! I’m listening to “Hot Shower” by Chance the Rapper on repeat to get myself hyped up for a packed weekend full of shenanigans. Before we get started though, I want to remind everyone that BlizzCon 2019 starts today. The opening conference will be held at 2 PM EDT, and we should find out if the rumors about Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 are real. I will be live-tweeting my reactions here so if you don’t follow me, you should change that ASAP.
Let’s dive in:
New Avengers trailer gives a better insight (to how they’re gonna fuck this game up)
Wednesday, Crystal Dynamics dropped this trailer for Marvel’s The Avengers, which gives us the most detailed look yet of what to expect from this title. Let’s break it down, shall we? First of all, this is not the narrative-based game we thought it was. I was thinking when this game was announced that it would be more linear like Marvel’s Spider-Man. Instead, it looks like they’ve taken the Anthem/Destiny route by creating a central hub and allowing the player to choose from solo or multiplayer missions. I am not a fan of this at all because most games that use this system struggle to maintain good pacing through the narrative., and the missions end up feeling very bland. Speaking of the narrative, it also looks like we’re gonna spend a TON of time playing as Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) in the main storyline, which is also a stupid decision. Why? Because I’m buying this game to play as the fucking Avengers! It’s like Jump Force. It’s literally the biggest collection of anime characters ever in a video game but you spend most of the time playing as your generic create-a-character. Can you honestly tell me that you’d rather play as Ms. Marvel, who’s main superpower is similar to Elastigirl, over Thor, Iron Man or the Hulk? Take gender out of the equation; I would be just as upset if it was a male character with the same powers. It just doesn’t make sense. And lastly, the gear and skins portion of the trailer is the nail in the coffin. There are only two ways you’re gonna earn that gear: with hours and hours of grinding the same missions, or with microtransactions. I guaran-damn-tee that its set up to force you to pay for it. So yea, I’m already completely out on this game and I don’t think there’s anything that Crystal Dynamics could do to change my mind.
Meanwhile, EA is actually changing my mind on Jedi: Fallen Order (which is a problem because EA sucks)
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”
The new launch trailer for Jedi: Fallen Order dropped on Tuesday, and dammit they’re really gonna make me buy this game aren’t they? There’s not a ton of gameplay in that trailer, and it’s only a minute long, but the one thing you can tell is the boss fights are going to be very Dark Souls-like, which is a great move by Remedy Entertainment. The game as a whole looks beautiful, the facial animations look like they actually put in the work, and that last boss with the double-sided lightsaber looks badass. If this wasn’t an EA product, I would already be sold. But there’s that feeling in the back of my mind still that I just can’t shake. Could this be the diamond in the rough? Could it be the title that makes me excited about Star Wars games again? The trailer really has me hopeful.
ANOTHER streaming service? How much money do these people think we make?
Well, HBO is doubling down on streaming by announcing HBO Max. It looks like it’s gonna replace HBO Now, and add a ton of new content like Rick and Morty, South Park, all the CW shows (Riverdale, Archer, etc), Doctor Who, and The Big Bang Theory. While it’s technically not another streaming platform, I think we can all agree this is starting to get ridiculous. So we now have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Apple TV, Disney+, DC Universe, and NBCUniversal Peacock (that’s not a joke) all launched or launching in the next few months. The first 6 are the only ones that really matter until NBC reboots The Office (rumored), but even then it would cost you $68 a month! So now it’s time to start picking and choosing, so let me share my notes on all of these. Netflix seems to be the biggest loser in all of this since they were home to many of the shows and movies that are now being pulled to these new services. But don’t count them out yet; they’re the originator of streaming and they’ll find a way to stay near the top with original series and movies. Hulu is an absolute joke, but it’s free with a Spotify subscription so it’s still in the game. Amazon Prime is gaining momentum with shows like Jack Ryan and The Boys, and their movies are good, but I don’t think they have that “must-see” series just yet. HBO Max is gonna be a must-have; it has the best original content, it has a great movie selection, and the addition of the above series is the cherry on top. Apple TV is the cheapest platform, but outside of See, there’s nothing really noteworthy. And lastly, Disney+ is the other must-have IMO. Original Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney shows and the entire library of each brand is enough to justify the $7 a month price.
EA banking on Apex Legends for all of 2020 is a horrible decision
Oh EA…you dumb motherfuckers. I don’t really care that you’re not making a new Battlefield game, but how idiotic is this decision? You really think you’ll make enough money with Apex Legends, a free-to-play title, to replace a Battlefield/Battlefront release? Your player base is dying! You had to PAY streamers to play the game for the Season 3 launch, and most of those streamers are now either back on Fortnite or playing Modern Warfare. So you know what this means for actual fans of this game? They’re about to get overloaded with microtransactions. That’s what EA does. Expect the Iron Crown fiasco to happen again because of missed revenue goals. Expect an earnings call very similar to last week’s Ubisoft call. There is absolutely no way that this plan doesn’t blow up in EA’s face, and I am all for it. Sit back, grab your popcorn, and watch this company burn.
This new trailer for The Witcher has completely changed my mind on the series
I’m not gonna lie I’ve been very skeptical of this series since it’s announcement. Henry Cavil just didn’t seem like the right choice for Geralt, and I had no idea whether Netflix would live up to the insurmountable hype. I mean, how can you when almost every media outlet is pinning this as the next Game of Thrones? This trailer is how. Do I think it will be the next GOT? No, but for those looking for a graphic R rated fantasy show, this is going to the best one out there until the GOT prequel. It looks gritty, it looks dark, and Cavil looks like he’s embodied the role perfectly. Again, I beg you not to walk into this show thinking it’s going to be as good as Game of Thrones. HBO has a much larger budget than Netflix, and they built that budget after multiple record-setting seasons. So don’t be expecting anything close to “The Battle of the Bastards” just yet. But if the show takes off after Season 1, it may give Netflix that must-see franchise they need.
