Today I’d like to talk about two
video game IPs that are of particular interest to me: Destiny and Evolve. Both
games are slated to be released by the end of this year. They are planned to be
released on both new consoles: PS4 and Xbox One. Since both games are going to
be released this year, we won’t have to wait long to play. Hopefully we’ll get
just enough time to save all our lunch money. Look for these titles by the end
of the year.
Destiny
Why should you care about this title?
For one, it’s being made by the same company that brought us Halo… as in the
entire series. Bungie is developing
this game after their rather public split from
Microsoft back in 2007. They stated a desire to work on new IPs. It must have
certainly gotten a little old working on the same designs and world since 2000,
when Microsoft acquired the company initially. Not to mention, it was stated
that Microsoft had a different business culture than the creators of Bungie
wanted for their own company. Thanks to great success with Halo, Bungie was
able to split from Microsoft and give us their next big title: Destiny.
For another reason you should care,
this game looks to be incorporating elements from multiple genres in order to
create an extensive and brand-new game universe. In a style that may be similar
to Borderlands, Destiny is
going to be a first person shooter with strong RPG elements. Meaning that you
cannot complete the game while ignoring the RPG aspects – meaning it’s not
fully FPS. Of interest to the MMO players will be a new game engine that is
attempting to create a living world. There are rumors of a world that can
generate its own content, content that is independent of what the developers plan
or control.
The world of Destiny is set in a
future post-apocalyptic setting. Humanity has explored far in what was a golden
age of development. What followed is what is referred to as “the Collapse,”
which resulted the loss of all human colonies and the end of the golden age.
The only humans known to have survived this calamity are those living on Earth
near a mysterious, spherical object that had appeared 100 years prior – an
object colloquially named “the Traveler.” It is from this Traveler that the
Guardians – the player characters – get their abilities.
Guardians come in numerous
varieties. For starters, there are 3 playable races to choose from: Human, Exo,
and Awoken. The races are a purely cosmetic choice, but also great if you want
to RP a character in the game. Humans are the typical race you see in Sci-Fi
games – balanced, tough, and relatable. Each Exo is a pre-calamity machine who
has become self-aware. Machines like this have been “rebooted” since the
collapse, which has removed all memories of their original functions or
purpose. Bungie has described them as being “sinister, powerful, and tireless.”
Awoken is a race of bluish-gray-skinned beings. Bungie has stated that this
race drew inspiration from vampires, elves, ghosts, and angels. In one of the
trailers, this species is shown to speak with a flanged voice – multiple voices
in one.
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| Which one do you think is my favorite? |
There are only three classes to
choose from: Hunter, Warlock, and Titan. Hunters are the gunslinger class,
described by graphics designer Lorraine McLees as a “combination of speed and
strength.” This class is the ranger class; people that use tracking, stealth,
and precision. Warlocks are the magic users. It is said that these characters
have studied the Traveler extensively in order to gain an understanding of the
power it wields. They are described as “Space Wizards” along the same vein as
Jedi (no laser sword!). The final class to choose from is the Titan class.
These guys are what you’d expect from the name: heavy weaponry and armor. In
this universe, the first Titans built the wall around the city – their heritage
being one of strength and sacrifice. Bungie has described this last class as
the equivalent to characters like the Master Chief or the Terminator. There are rumors of numerous subclasses from which to
choose, but nothing confirmed.
This game looks terrific based on
what’s been shown so far. Numerous gameplay videos and trailers have been released already on YouTube. It is recommended that everyone take a look at
them. Any people who love Borderlands and Halo should also love this game. From
the trailers, the game is being designed as an action game first. True to the
heritage shown to us by Halo, Bungie has created an enormous world in which we
can play that is rife with nuance and has deep history to explore.
Evolve
Why should you care about this
title? It’s being created by the same people that brought us one of the best
multiplayer titles out there: Left 4 Dead. In a similar
fashion to the game that gave them such fame, Turtle
Rock Studios has designed
this game under the four players per match principle. There will never be more or
less than four characters in each game being played. It’s a great concept that
makes it much easier to keep the game balanced. Hopefully the AI in this game
will be better than in Left 4 Dead… here’s hoping.
Evolve is centered on the idea of a big game hunt. The four players will
meet, be assigned or choose classes, and cooperate across a world to take down
a giant beast. One interesting tidbit to keep in mind: the monster is player controlled. That’s right; the game isn’t just
four friends against a boss. While you and three of your friends are on the
same team, a fifth person is controlling the great beast you’re all hunting.
This is the best kind of boss battle imaginable, and some people will
undoubtedly love the feeling of being a powerful monster going after the
hunters dogging it. What we usually see in video games is boss battles conform
to a specific set of parameters: there’s always a time to strike and a time to
dodge. Eventually we get so used to playing against bosses that we can beat
them in our sleep and the challenge is no longer there. By fighting against a
living person we have the opportunity to experience new gameplay every time.
It’s a concept of replayability that this developer is known for.
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| I have bad news... |
Hunters have abilities and
attributes specific to their characters. The four characters are Griffin,
Markov, Val, and Hank. Their abilities are divided based on balancing – so we
shouldn’t get two heavy hitters and two medics. Were this the case, how would a
team track the monster down? Without Griffin, the team would have no idea how
to follow the beast to where it regroups and grows. Being the trapper, it’s his
job to find clues as to when and how to strike the monster. One of his gadgets
is a portable arena which throws out a bubble force field that keeps the
monster confined to an area. Early on, this could be a very powerful device if
it traps the monster in a lesser evolved state. Markov is the assault
character. His job is to carry the team by outputting as much damage as
possible. A lightning gun is the main weapon of this class and does a huge
amount of damage up close. Supporting Markov is a character named Hank, the
pure support role. While a laser cutter can do a decent amount of damage, his
most important gadget is his portable shield gun – to lend extra shields to his
teammates. If a situation gets to dirty for Hank, he can always cloak and run
away, or he can request support from Val. No team is complete without a medic.
She uses a medgun to heal teammates from a distance, hopefully just like the
medic from TF2. Besides being
able to heal her team, she can also deliver status effects. While her sniper
rifle can weaken the beast’s armor – giving her team a damage bonus – she also
has a tranquilizer gun that will slow the monster down.
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| Can you guess the class by the face? |
Lastly we have the final character:
the monster. Called, the Goliath, this monster has the ability to evolve and
grow, hence the game’s title. When you begin, you’re big and strong enough to
take on the hunters one on one, but this isn’t a fair fight. At the beginning,
it’s critical that the Goliath run and gather strength to come back and deal
with the pesky humans. As you evolve, you learn additional abilities like
throwing boulders and breathing fire. Since the world comes with various types
of docile creatures big and small, it can be important to decide which animals
to kill and which to leave. Some of the animals take longer to kill and devour,
meaning you need to be careful how much time you invest at different points of
the game. Once the evolve meter is filled, be careful where you decide to
evolve – it takes time.
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| You'll probably be fine. |
One thing that makes this game
terrific is how quickly the tides can change. In one minute, the hunters are
laughing and going after the beast with ease. In the next minute there is screaming,
panic, and general mayhem as the beast comes to kill you. The game should be
called “Hunter” since you can never know at which point you become the hunted.
Based off of their previous track record, this game should be a lot of fun to
play, and it’s one to look forward do in the coming year. Thankfully, Evolve
will also be available on the PC to play.
I’m really excited to play both of
these games when I get a chance. Thankfully, neither game requires me to
purchase a new console or system. Since Destiny will be released on the Xbox
360 and Evolve will be released for PC, it makes it a lot easier for those of
us without money to play these games. Which of these games do you prefer? In
Destiny, which class do you think I want to play? Which would you play? In
Evolve, do you think the Goliath is the best character because of the Gargoyles TV show like me?
Leave comments on Facebook or below.
-Jack
-For more information on Evolve, there’s an excellent
video on YouTube here.
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