No More Heroes 3 Review — Desperate Struggle
No More Heroes 3 asks the question, "What if E.T. came back to Earth 20 years after leaving and was an insufferable asshole?" It's the kind of offbeat set-up for a video game you would expect from the unorthodox minds of developer Grasshopper Games and game director Suda51, and this basic premise contributes to what is a strong opening for No More Heroes 3. Between its 80s anime-inspired opening, your first taste of Travis Touchdown's cathartic combat, plenty of call-backs, and a suitably inventive first boss fight, it makes it all the more surprising when this initial goodwill is gradually chipped away.
The first two games in the series were rough around the edges, but that was part of their charm. They were scrappy and stylish, both revered and derived, with a punk-rock spirit that made them cult classics. No More Heroes 3 is zany and maintains those coarse elements, but it also feels forced in a "How do you do fellow kids?" kind of way. You still have to go to the toilet to save your game and jerk off to recharge Travis' Beam Katana, so the juvenile humor remains intact--it just isn't very funny. Not because the jokes aren't landing, but because there aren't that many to speak of.
Most of the story revolves around returning alien FU; an intolerable antagonist who's prone to random outbursts of violence. There isn't much more to the character than that, and the conversations he has with his cronies are plodding and shallow, with dialogue that's often about nothing in particular--and not in the good Seinfeld way either. No More Heroes 3 still has a habit of breaking down the fourth wall to provide knowing commentary on video games and gamer culture, and there are plenty of self-deprecating lines and overt references to the likes of The X-Files, Terminator, Akira, and Rocky. But these are flimsy band-aids on a narrative that's disappointingly tedious.
Continue Reading at GameSpotNo More Heroes 3 Review — Desperate Struggle
No More Heroes 3 asks the question, "What if E.T. came back to Earth 20 years after leaving and was an insufferable asshole?" It's the kind of offbeat set-up for a video game you would expect from the unorthodox minds of developer Grasshopper Games and game director Suda51, and this basic premise contributes to what is a strong opening for No More Heroes 3. Between its 80s anime-inspired opening, your first taste of Travis Touchdown's cathartic combat, plenty of call-backs, and a suitably inventive first boss fight, it makes it all the more surprising when this initial goodwill is gradually chipped away.
The first two games in the series were rough around the edges, but that was part of their charm. They were scrappy and stylish, both revered and derived, with a punk-rock spirit that made them cult classics. No More Heroes 3 is zany and maintains those coarse elements, but it also feels forced in a "How do you do fellow kids?" kind of way. You still have to go to the toilet to save your game and jerk off to recharge Travis' Beam Katana, so the juvenile humor remains intact--it just isn't very funny. Not because the jokes aren't landing, but because there aren't that many to speak of.
Most of the story revolves around returning alien FU; an intolerable antagonist who's prone to random outbursts of violence. There isn't much more to the character than that, and the conversations he has with his cronies are plodding and shallow, with dialogue that's often about nothing in particular--and not in the good Seinfeld way either. No More Heroes 3 still has a habit of breaking down the fourth wall to provide knowing commentary on video games and gamer culture, and there are plenty of self-deprecating lines and overt references to the likes of The X-Files, Terminator, Akira, and Rocky. But these are flimsy band-aids on a narrative that's disappointingly tedious.
Continue Reading at GameSpotSkate 4 Is Coming to PC
The Skate franchise is officially coming to PC. The next game in the Electronic Arts franchise will launch on PC in addition to consoles.
Electronic Arts and Full Circle developers shared a video on Twitter to accompany the announcement, posting footage of a skateboarder performing a kickflip over a computer monitor. The display turns on to reveal the Skate logo.
PC_confirmation.exe pic.twitter.com/ubLRKoCw9P
— skate. (@skateEA) August 26, 2021
The Skate franchise had been a console-exclusive series until this point. The first three games launched on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The series has been dormant since Skate 3's launch in 2010, though developers shared a behind-the-scenes teaser last month to assure fans that the fourth Skate game is still in development.
Details about the upcoming Skate game are still sparse. An official title hasn't been revealed yet. However, EA's trailer from last month teases an open-world design akin to the seamless downhill map of Skate 2.
The new Skate game was announced back at EA Play in June 2020. EA later shared that Full Circle, the new studio behind the game, was launched for the express purpose of continuing the Skate series. For about the next Skate game, read our article explaining how the upcoming sequel could feature an emphasis on user-generated content.
J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.
Skate 4 Is Coming to PC
The Skate franchise is officially coming to PC. The next game in the Electronic Arts franchise will launch on PC in addition to consoles.
Electronic Arts and Full Circle developers shared a video on Twitter to accompany the announcement, posting footage of a skateboarder performing a kickflip over a computer monitor. The display turns on to reveal the Skate logo.
PC_confirmation.exe pic.twitter.com/ubLRKoCw9P
— skate. (@skateEA) August 26, 2021
The Skate franchise had been a console-exclusive series until this point. The first three games launched on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The series has been dormant since Skate 3's launch in 2010, though developers shared a behind-the-scenes teaser last month to assure fans that the fourth Skate game is still in development.
Details about the upcoming Skate game are still sparse. An official title hasn't been revealed yet. However, EA's trailer from last month teases an open-world design akin to the seamless downhill map of Skate 2.
The new Skate game was announced back at EA Play in June 2020. EA later shared that Full Circle, the new studio behind the game, was launched for the express purpose of continuing the Skate series. For about the next Skate game, read our article explaining how the upcoming sequel could feature an emphasis on user-generated content.
J. Kim Murphy is a freelance entertainment writer.
Starfield Videos Reveal Three New Locations From the Game
Starfield fans discovered three unlisted videos from Bethesda that reveal the lore behind some of the locations players might visit in the upcoming space RPG.
Earlier today, social media users began sharing three unlisted videos by Bethesda that offer a brief insight into locations in the game including cities called New Atlantis, Neon, and Akila.
While these videos are unlisted, Bethesda confirmed to IGN that these videos were actually shared with members of Constellation, a community club that people can sign up for on the Starfield website. Constellation members will get some new info, like these videos, first.
#Starfield - Insight into some of its locations:
— Shinobi602 (@shinobi602) August 26, 2021
The "pleasure city" of Neon, the United Colonies capital city of New Atlantis, and capital of the Freestar Collective, Akila.
Neon: https://t.co/Q7LFMTm8gO
New Atlantis: https://t.co/aSQMqTLN0A
Akila: https://t.co/sAQV8Q2xZO pic.twitter.com/fAXPFFqEdm
While these videos are now floating around online, they’re all quite brief — less than 50 seconds per video.
They offer a nice summary of three locations players will encounter in Starfield. This includes the metropolitan New Atlantis, the capital city of the United Colonies who are the most powerful and established military and political faction in the game.
There’s also Akila City the capital of the Free Star Collective, a loose confederation of three star systems and a bastion for personal freedom in space. And finally, there’s Neon, a pleasure city that began as a fishery before the ZenoFresh Corporation discovered one of the native fish species has psychotropic properties, transforming this outpost into a vice city.
Bethesda officially unveiled Starfield earlier this year as an Xbox exclusive and so far it's sounding very much like “Skyrim in Space.” Check out everything we know about Starfield so far in the video above, and keep an eye out for more potential news drops from Bethesda.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
Starfield Videos Reveal Three New Locations From the Game
Starfield fans discovered three unlisted videos from Bethesda that reveal the lore behind some of the locations players might visit in the upcoming space RPG.
Earlier today, social media users began sharing three unlisted videos by Bethesda that offer a brief insight into locations in the game including cities called New Atlantis, Neon, and Akila.
While these videos are unlisted, Bethesda confirmed to IGN that these videos were actually shared with members of Constellation, a community club that people can sign up for on the Starfield website. Constellation members will get some new info, like these videos, first.
#Starfield - Insight into some of its locations:
— Shinobi602 (@shinobi602) August 26, 2021
The "pleasure city" of Neon, the United Colonies capital city of New Atlantis, and capital of the Freestar Collective, Akila.
Neon: https://t.co/Q7LFMTm8gO
New Atlantis: https://t.co/aSQMqTLN0A
Akila: https://t.co/sAQV8Q2xZO pic.twitter.com/fAXPFFqEdm
While these videos are now floating around online, they’re all quite brief — less than 50 seconds per video.
They offer a nice summary of three locations players will encounter in Starfield. This includes the metropolitan New Atlantis, the capital city of the United Colonies who are the most powerful and established military and political faction in the game.
There’s also Akila City the capital of the Free Star Collective, a loose confederation of three star systems and a bastion for personal freedom in space. And finally, there’s Neon, a pleasure city that began as a fishery before the ZenoFresh Corporation discovered one of the native fish species has psychotropic properties, transforming this outpost into a vice city.
Bethesda officially unveiled Starfield earlier this year as an Xbox exclusive and so far it's sounding very much like “Skyrim in Space.” Check out everything we know about Starfield so far in the video above, and keep an eye out for more potential news drops from Bethesda.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.
Bravely Default 2 Is Getting a Steam Release Next Month
Turn-based JRPG fans, rejoice. Bravely Default 2, previously confined only to the Nintendo Switch since its release earlier this year, is coming to PC via Steam very, very soon. It's coming on September 2, 2021.
This makes Bravely Default 2 the first main Bravely game to venture outside of Nintendo consoles, with both Bravely Default and Bravely Second staying on the Nintendo 3DS.
There have been a few spin-offs, such as a browser-based sequel to the first game called Praying Brage and mobile game Bravely Archive, as well as an upcoming new mobile game called Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights. None of the spin-offs have made it West so far, however.
Bravely Default 2, despite its numeration, is not a direct sequel to either Bravely Default or Bravely Second. It's a standalone story following four new "Warriors of Light" who must recover four elemental crystals that were stolen from their homeland and restore balance to the world. It's a turn-based JRPG in every classical sense but adds on the "Brave" and "Default" systems allowing players to bank turns while defending from attacks, then use those saved turns at strategic moments for high-damage turns.
We had a great time with Bravely Default 2 when it came out back in February with our review praising its customizable combat and jobs systems, beautiful environments, and ease of picking up and playing despite its length. Perhaps its PC release means we'll also see it eventually make it onto other consoles as well, similar to its distant cousin Octopath Traveler.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
Bravely Default 2 Is Getting a Steam Release Next Month
Turn-based JRPG fans, rejoice. Bravely Default 2, previously confined only to the Nintendo Switch since its release earlier this year, is coming to PC via Steam very, very soon. It's coming on September 2, 2021.
This makes Bravely Default 2 the first main Bravely game to venture outside of Nintendo consoles, with both Bravely Default and Bravely Second staying on the Nintendo 3DS.
There have been a few spin-offs, such as a browser-based sequel to the first game called Praying Brage and mobile game Bravely Archive, as well as an upcoming new mobile game called Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights. None of the spin-offs have made it West so far, however.
Bravely Default 2, despite its numeration, is not a direct sequel to either Bravely Default or Bravely Second. It's a standalone story following four new "Warriors of Light" who must recover four elemental crystals that were stolen from their homeland and restore balance to the world. It's a turn-based JRPG in every classical sense but adds on the "Brave" and "Default" systems allowing players to bank turns while defending from attacks, then use those saved turns at strategic moments for high-damage turns.
We had a great time with Bravely Default 2 when it came out back in February with our review praising its customizable combat and jobs systems, beautiful environments, and ease of picking up and playing despite its length. Perhaps its PC release means we'll also see it eventually make it onto other consoles as well, similar to its distant cousin Octopath Traveler.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.
Relaxing Puzzler Dorfromantik Gets a Creative Mode, Out Now – Gamescom 2021
Dorfromantik – the relaxing landscape-building puzzle game – has released a Creative mode, allowing players to construct countryside idylls without worrying about the game ending.
Announced at Gamescom 2021, the Creative mode drops the score-chasing puzzle elements of the core game, allowing players to use unlimited tiles to create whatever they'd like to, across multiple biomes. The update also adds new configuration options and performance improvements. Creative mode has been added ot the game today.
Dorfromantik launched into Early Access earlier this year, and plays something like Carcassone Solitaire , asking you to fit together tiles in specific formats to earn points, constructing a bucolic landscape in the process. It's very, very chilled.
For more from this week's huge gaming event, be sure to check out our Gamescom 2021 announcements with all the details you need on how to watch Gamescom, the full schedule, trailer recaps and more.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Relaxing Puzzler Dorfromantik Gets a Creative Mode, Out Now – Gamescom 2021
Dorfromantik – the relaxing landscape-building puzzle game – has released a Creative mode, allowing players to construct countryside idylls without worrying about the game ending.
Announced at Gamescom 2021, the Creative mode drops the score-chasing puzzle elements of the core game, allowing players to use unlimited tiles to create whatever they'd like to, across multiple biomes. The update also adds new configuration options and performance improvements. Creative mode has been added ot the game today.
Dorfromantik launched into Early Access earlier this year, and plays something like Carcassone Solitaire , asking you to fit together tiles in specific formats to earn points, constructing a bucolic landscape in the process. It's very, very chilled.
For more from this week's huge gaming event, be sure to check out our Gamescom 2021 schedule.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.