Hey! Listen!
Welcome back to Press Start to BGN, Laurier’s gaming show by a bunch of Game Design & Development students here at Laurier’s Brantford campus. The program is very new and so is our show, so for those who don’t know Game Design & Development is headed by Dr Scott Nicholson through the Brantford Games Network or BGN, hence the name “Press Start to BGN” which sounds like “begin.” ______. Thanks for tuning in!
NEWS!
- dbrand, a manufacturing company for skins for electronics, has reported that the JoyCons’ coating does not “play well with any kind of adhesive”
- Nintendo Switch launch sales have surpassed Nintendo’s records in the Americas and Europe
- The Nintendo Switch cannot share microSD cards, rendering it unable to transfer game saves between consoles
- Several Switch owners have already reported Wi-Fi connection issues, as well as slower-than-expected download speeds
- Sign up for Quake Champions closed beta is now available on the Quake website: https://quake.bethesda.net/en/signup.
- Overwatch’s newest hero, Orisa, has been nerfed ahead of her full release; Ana, Junkrat, Winston, Sombra and Zenyatta will also have some changes
- Naughty Dog has revealed their first details for Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, and co-president Evan Wells has stated that “Naughty Dog doing an Uncharted after this is unlikely.”
- Voodoo Vince: Remastered is announced to be released on April 18th
- No Man’s Sky is getting an update this week that will bring planet exploration vehicles
What’s Coming Out Soon!
Games are coming out this week, so let me tell you about them!
- Lego Worlds (March 7th, PS4, XB1, PC)
- Lego is back with a brand new video game! Lego Worlds seems to be Lego’s answer to a thriving Minecraft community, and boy does it look impressive. Going back to its roots, Lego Worlds seems to be all about exploring, discovering, and most importantly, creating anything your mind can imagine, with those nostalgic little Lego pieces. As a sandbox adventure game, you can build dinosaurs, play with animals, ride motorbikes, and even adventure for hidden treasure! Pick up Lego Worlds on all next-gen consoles for $29.99.
- Neir Automata (March 7th, PS4, PC)
- PlatinumGames, the creators of Bayonetta 1 and 2, are back with a new game! This action-RPG is a sequel to Neir, but has no connection to the game. It’s a distant future where two androids work to make the world safe through the Resistance. There is a trophy for trying to see the main characters underwear 10 times, so there’s that. With multiple endings, the story is very deep and has much to explore. Pick it up if you liked Neir! Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands (March 7th, PS4, XB1, PC) The next game in the Ghost Recon series is finally out! In Wildlands, you play as a Ghost team, tasked with infiltrating and taking down a militia group that has taken over Bolivia in the near future. I played the Open Beta for this game, and I must say, everything feels good. Shooting is easy, sniping is fun, listening to conversations expands the plot of the story, and the seriousness of the game isn’t drowned out by comedic plug-ins that
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands (March 7th, PS4, XB1, PC)
- The next game in the Ghost Recon series is finally out! In Wildlands, you play as a Ghost team, tasked with infiltrating and taking down a militia group that has taken over Bolivia in the near future. I played the Open Beta for this game, and I must say, everything feels good. Shooting is easy, sniping is fun, listening to conversations expands the plot of the story, and the seriousness of the game isn’t drowned out by comedic plug-ins that ruin story. The only complaint I have about the game, is that there isn’t much to do past the story. There isn’t much to do in the open world other than explore (Ubisoft why). Pick up Ghost Recon; Wildlands for PS4, XB1 and PC for $79.99!
- Jelly Juggles (March 9th, iOS)
- Pong is back, and it’s… cute? Jelly Juggle is an adorable game about keeping your jelly in a circle. With nice music and easy controls, it’s going to be very interesting to see how this does on the app store. Follow Ian MacLarty (@muclorty) for updates on the game!
It’s a BRAND NEW MONTH! That means…BRAND NEW PS+/GAMES WITH GOLD GAMES!
The list isn’t as big as last month, but the games are just as good. For PlayStation+ we’ve got:
- Tearaway Unfolded (PS4)- Stephan’s recommendation!
- Disc Jam (PS4) Lumo (PS Vita, Cross buy with PS4)
- Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late (PS3)
- Earth Defence Force 2025 (PS3)
- Severed (PS Vita)
Games with Gold:
- Layers of Fear (XB1, March 1-31)
- Evolve Ultimate Edition (XB1, March 16- April 15)
- Borderlands 2 (XB360, XB1, March 1-15)
- Heavy Weapon (XB360, XB1, March 16-31)
Those are the Games out this week! Have fun playing! Don’t spend all your money, I know I can’t!
Topic of the Show:
This week on Press Start to Begin we talked about games we like to play when it’s raining outside. Games that we typically play on one of those “lazy days” where the only thing you plan on doing is relaxing. Sometimes that’s a game that was made with this aspect in mind. Other times, it’s a game that you have played multiple times and find that playing it has become a second nature to you. Whether you’re playing Off or Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 it all depends on the player and what they find bring a chill atmosphere and sometimes a warm and fuzzy feeling.
What We’ve Been Playing:
Stephan:
- Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
- In the newest instalment to the Zelda franchise comes Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In this action adventure game, players play as Link after awaking from a hundred-year slumber. This game is a large departure from the regular linear storyline the series is usually known for. This new instalment prides itself in its open world exploration and allows players to defeat dungeons in any order they wish. Explore to your heart’s content, available on the new Nintendo Switch system and on Wii U.
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- From Guerrilla Games comes their 2017 action roleplaying game Horizon Zero Dawn. In this game, players play as Aloy, an archer hunter who lives in a world overrun by robots. The game comes with an open world to explore, tribes to visit and side quests to complete alongside its main storyline. Discover the dangers and secrets lurking in this games world, now available on PlayStation 4.
Jelena:
- Mortal Kombat 10
- From NetherRealm Studios comes another instalment to their long-standing series, the fighter game Mortal Kombat 10. Play through the various game modes such as story, tower or Krypt in various combat battles. Play against your friends as one of the various in-game characters or your own created individual. Available on iOS, PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One and Android.
- Pokemon Moon
- From Nintendo comes another instalment to their Pokémon franchise, 2016’s Pokémon Sun and Moon. Pokémon is a role-playing game that has players catching various species of Pokémon, battling trainers be it online or in the game’s story mode, take care of their teammates in Pokémon Refresh and more. In Pokémon Moon, players can find Pokémon exclusive to their version of the game and has their game’s clock running twelve hours ahead of their 3DS’ clock when they play. Available to play on the Nintendo 3DS.
Cassie:
- Kirby: Triple Deluxe
- From Nintendo comes their 2014 Kirby instalment Kirby: Triple Deluxe. In this game, players play as Kirby as he tries to rescue Dream Land from insect evil forces residing in Floralia, a new land that has appeared above Dreamland. This instalment includes three new copy abilities on top of the twenty from the previous game, challenging battles and new puzzles to complete. Available on Nintendo 3DS.
- Night in the Woods
- From Kickstarter to reality comes Infinite Fall’s Night in the Woods. In this single player adventure game, players play as a 20-year-old cat named Mae who has just recently dropped out of college and has returned to her hometown of Possum Springs. Reuniting with her old high school friends, Mae begins to settle back into her small-town life but finds things are not going to be the same as they use to be. Play various mini-games, spend time with your friends and create a new chapter in your life in this spectacularly charming game. Available on PC and PlayStation 4.
- Smash Bros. Wii U (see Hunter’s section)
Hunter:
- Super Smash Bros.
- From Nintendo comes their fighting action platformer Super Smash Bros. In this game, choose your character from various Nintendo game instalments, from Mario to Pikachu to Lucas, and fight against your friends in various battle platforms. Fight using your character’s various abilities in various game modes against various people! Available on the Nintendo GameCube, 3DS, Wii, Wii U, Nintendo 64, and Virtual Console.
Paris:
- Street Fighter 5
- From Capcom comes their 2016 fighting game Street Fighter 5. Fight in the single player story mode or fight against your friends in a multiplayer match as you fight with one of the 20 available characters in this newest Street Fighter installment. This game introduces the new v-gauge that builds up as the player receives attacks and gives players three new skills to their characters. Available on PC and PlayStation 4.
- We Didn’t Playtest this at All
- As the name suggests, this game created by Chris Cieslik was not play tested at all. In this card game ranging from a playtime of one to five minutes, players all have the goal to win the game and get everyone else to lose. In all sorts of hilarious card based encounters, try your best to win in this two to possibly twenty player card game. Available in stores now.
Music:
Songs used this week: Uncharted 3 Drakes Deception: Nate’s Theme, The Legend of Zelda BOTW- Story Trailer Music, Off: Soft Breeze (Extended).
WRAP
That’s everything! We’re super excited to be doing this show and we hope you’re enjoying it too 🙂 We’re on every Wednesday at 7 pm on this site and if you have any questions or feedback feel free to tweet Stephan (@StephanReilly) or email reil4130 (at) mylaurier (dot) ca. Thanks again and catch you next week!