GAMERS DECIDE - 2018

Celeste Review - Read Before You Buy

Foffy — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 21:05:19 +0000

Celeste - merely a charming platformer or one of the most endearing games released this year?

As someone who is familiar with platformers, I remember hearing about the buzz about Celeste earlier in the year when it launched. Only recently I decided to play it, and it seemed to be worth the great deal of praise the game was getting from players; it's currently listed as a "Must Play" under Metacritic's new system. Upon playing it, does it justify that title, but it may in fact be one of the best games released this year, and will go down as one of the sleeper hits of the year.

About Celeste

Celeste is a platformer that released earlier in the year, in January of 2018. Developed by Matt Makes Games, a small studio, the game focuses on screen-based gameplay and precision platforming, similar to games like VVVVVV and Super Meat Boy. It received near universal praise on every platform it released on, which included consoles. The PC version in particular has sold over 100,000 units since launch.

Celeste's Story

Celeste focuses on the story of Madeline, the games protagonist, who is on a journey to climb the mountain of Celeste. For Madeline, her intentions to do so is to prove herself, and along the way, it becomes clearer that she is wanting to do so less for accomplishments and other purposes. The mountain also plays a role in manifesting obstacles and challenges along the way, which leads directly into the core of Celeste's story, which I won't spoil here. It's a very personal story and one that I found much more interesting to follow than one would expect from a platforming game. I would imagine some of Madeline's goals and intentions could deeply resonate with players in ways one wouldn't be expecting, and is, in fact, part of the reason people seem to appreciate the game.

Madeline on her way to the mountain of Celeste

Celeste's Gameplay

As said earlier, Celeste is a platforming game, so the whole point is jumping and moving around the gamespace. What makes Celeste unique is the dash mechanic, for every time you jump, you are allowed to do one additional dash in the air, and this core idea gets expanded on with every chapter. You'll start learning that you need to dash to make the distance between two platforms, and later in that chapter learn that dashing on objects causes them to move, which you have to manipulate in order to get through the room in question.

The game also includes additional challenges besides the increased complexity of mechanics. Throughout each chapter, there are a great deal of optional items to obtain, such as strawberries, which are there for completionists as they're housed in the areas hardest rooms, to cassette tapes that unlock an additional, harder version of that chapter, expanding on the concepts further. This allows the player to choose if they just want to go through the story, which is about five-to-six hours, or really try to do and complete everything in the game, which essentially doubles the length of the game. Additionally, the game comes with assists to make various parts of the game easier, which actually allows the accessibility of the game to truly to be open to veteran players of the genre who want to have their skills tested, to newcomers who just wish to experience the game without feeling parts of the game are insurmountable.

Madeline dashing through the air, avoiding the spikes

Celete's Graphics

Celeste goes for a visual look very similar to small-team indie projects with a pixelated look, and yet, in that look a tremendous amount of character and charm emit from the screen. The game oozes personality, charm, and confidence in the look its going for. At no point did the games visual representation appear to be one of cutting corners but instead appears as one that absolutely sells the presentation it wises to present.

Madeline overcoming the harsh winds: a strong symbolism to the games challenge and her own story of climbing the mountain

Overall, Celeste is one of the best cases for a sleeper hit released this year, and while it may be overshadowed by the end of the year because of its early launch, it still remains one of the most charming, confident, and pleasing games to come out in recent memory. This is a game with a particular vision, and attempts to deliver on that as completely as one may expect.

Pros

- Pixel perfect controls

- A surprisingly engaging and appealing story

- Memorable cast and soundtrack

Cons

- Some challenges are a little too difficult in relation to where they are in some chapters

- It's one of those games that's so good you're sad it ends when it does

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Celeste Endings Guide (All Celeste Endings)

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Winston Guide: How to Be the Best Winston in the World

1337words — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 04:26:53 +0000

Although his name is technically Winston, he is often affectionately referred to as “monkey” in the Overwatch chat. But Winston isn’t your average ape; he is a genetically engineered evolutionary masterpiece, who also happens to be a scientist.

Originally a test subject in Dr. Harold Winston’s lab on the Horizon Lunar Colony, Winston (the gorilla) was involved in testing the effects of prolonged habitation in space. Dr. Harold noticed that Winston displayed far more rapid brain development than the other genetically engineered gorillas in the study, and took the young ape under his wing. The doctor taught Winston everything he knew, and when the other gorillas staged an uprising and took over the moonbase, Winston chose to flee to Earth, and outcast from his primate brethren. There he joined up with Overwatch, and honed his weapons and fighting abilities.

Winston is an excellent hero for beginners to pick up because he is easy to play and fun right from the start. He is also a Hero that is worth putting the time in to master, because Winston has a huge amount of unique playmaking potential when mastered.

Abilities

Tesla Cannon:

This is a great weapon for new players to use because you barely have to aim it! Just hold down right click! ...While this is somewhat true, it’s not quite that simple. Really, the Tesla Cannon has a lot more potential as you learn to master it.

What the Tesla Cannon does exactly is attack multiple targets at once, at 60 damage per second in a cone shaped range that is 8 meters long and 6 meters wide. It has a sizable amount of ammo, but conserving it can be really important during heated battles because this attack has a moderately long reload time of 1.5 seconds. It cannot headshot.

Jump Pack:

You’ve heard of a monkey on your back right? And you know how nobody wants that? Yeah, that's how you want to play Winston. The enemy team should be constantly having to deal with you flying around the map, diving on their support heroes, disrupting their back lines, etc… And the Jump Pack is perfect for that.

The Jump Pack gives Winston some of the best mobility in the entire game because of how fast it allows that monkey to cover a huge distance. The cooldown time is 6 seconds, and drops down to 2 seconds when Winston’s ultimate ability is activated (more on that later).

It’s really important for beginners to remember the Jump Pack can also inflict up to 45 splash damage on the enemy (in a 5 meter radius) when Winston lands.

Barrier Projector:

This ability extends a dome shaped shield that covers a 5 meter radius, and lasts for 6 seconds or until its 600 health is destroyed.The most notable thing about this barrier is the dome shape-- as it can uniquely protect from overhead attacks. There is a slight delay as Winston places the barrier beneath him. So if your on the move, or are jump packing through the air, be careful not to leave your barrier behind, and yourself in the open!

Primal Rage:

This is Winston’s melee ultimate ability. With this ultimate, Winston gives in to his animal nature and unleashes the beast within; boosting his movement speed, how often Jump Pack can be used, and his health by 500.

Primal Rage lasts for 10 seconds, and during this time Winston swings his arms violently causing 40 damage per swing and a huge amount of knock-back effect. Use this ability for much more than just kills-- more on that later!

Weaknesses:

Low Damage at Short Range Only:

Most heroes have an attack that is effective at close range, and at least somewhat effective at medium. Winston does not; his Tesla Cannon does literally no damage after a very short range

Also, the cannon’s damage is in a cone shape, so until you get used to that, it can feel a bit unwieldy and hard to direct.

Can Get Hit With a Lot of Damage Really Fast:

Winston is a large Hero, his figure takes up a lot of space on the battlefield. Large Hero means that he is also a large target; and, to top it all off, he has a relatively large headshot hitbox. All this adds up to the possibility of Winston taking a huge amount of damage very quickly-- especially when confronted by other Heroes like McCree or Reaper.

As a Tank, Winston Can’t Actually “Tank” Very Much Damage:

Taking a lot of damage really fast is not ideal for a tank, which is why Winston would fall in the off-tank category. However even among other off-tanks (D.Va, Roadhog, Zarya), Winston is the weakest whenever two of these off-tanks go toe-to-toe. Not only because the big monkey has relatively low health and armor, but because his weapon does so little damage per second and cannot headshot on top of that. Winston does have his bubble barrier, but with 600 health it can be destroyed rather quickly, and it has a relatively long cool down of 13 seconds.

Strategy Overview:

Winston is ideal for engaging in “diving” attacks. Diving, or Heroes that are suited for “dive-comp”, are great for jumping into a firefight right at the feet of the enemy, doing a large amount of damage and disruption, and then escaping quickly to safety. Making good use of Winston’s mobility is crucial to his gameplay strategy. Think of Winston’s tanking role as not just to soak up damage, but also to soak up enemy attention and any plan they might’ve had.

You’ll need to use the following skills to maximise Winston’s potential: positioning, awareness, communication, and combo-ing.

Positioning:

Winston’s positioning evolves over the course of the fight. At first you’ll want to be out of any direct line of fire, waiting for the chance to take control of an enemy or an area with your mobility. Winston is a tank, but he doesn't have enough health or shields to stand in the front the whole time. While at the same time, Winston can damage multiple enemies simultaneously, but only at close range and a small amount at a time.

All this adds up to you wanting to wait until the time is right, and the opportunity has presented itself, to dive on an enemy you know you have an advantage over.

You should always be in a position to go after back-line enemies like supports or long range attackers.

Awareness:

Choosing where and when you dive is crucial to your survival and to your role on the team. Jumping directly in front of (or in the middle) of a crowd of enemies is usually not going to work out very well (unless your entire team is diving along with you) and you’ll end up dying quickly.

Be aware of where the “squishies” are (enemies with low health and no armor), and if they’re vulnerable. Look for damaged enemies. Look for areas with isolated enemies that you can kick out and take control of yourself.

Communication:

Communicating with your team, whether through voice, or chat, or even using the preset commands is crucial to pulling of any sort of dive attack successfully. Your team needs to know when you are going in so they can either follow suit, support you from a distance, or support you when you jump back out.

Listening to what your team is saying is important too. Listen out for who your team is focusing, or which enemies are low, then jump in and finish them off!

Combo-ing:

Winston’s abilities can be weak and ineffective when used improperly on their own. Time your abilities to use in conjunction with one another. Dive into action with your jump pack, make sure you land on or near an enemy for splash damage, deploy your shield barrier, and fire away while safe inside your bubble. Add a melee strike to finish off a weakened enemy, and jump back out to safety as your Jump Pack has cooled down by now. Boom! You’ve essentially mastered Winston!

Below are more specifics on when/how to use each attack.

Using Winston’s Abilities to Your Advantage:

Tesla Cannon:

This weapon is excellent against other fast/mobile opponents (Genji, Tracer, Widowmaker) because of its automatic tracking ability; especially Genji as the Tesla Cannon cannot be deflected. Don’t use this attack to chase down Heroes with a lot of health and armor. They’ll kill you first in a toe-to-toe fight and it doesn’t do your team much of a service. What you want to look out for are enemies you have an advantage over, or clusters of damaged enemies.

Jump Pack:

Remember, you have to be in the thick of battle to be at all useful as Winston, but you also can’t take a huge amount of damage. So use your Jump Pack to be fearlessly mobile at all times. When playing Winston, a lot of the “damage” you can do to a team comes from disrupting their plans, distracting them, and making them weaker as a whole.

Barrier Projector:

You should try and find a balance between using Winston’s barrier whenever you can (because the cooldown timer starts immediately after it is deployed), and saving the barrier for crucial moments (like when you dive in to attack an enemy).

The Barrier Projector has excellent potential on control point maps where most of the fighting happens in one small area. The barrier is also great at defending attacks from above. Just remember that the barrier doesn’t deploy instantly, and with Winston’s quick movement speed and large size it’s easy to accidentally leave the safety of the dome.

Primal Rage:

Primal Rage is Winston’s most difficult ability to use, and it can actually benefit the enemy team by building their ultimate charge when you become a large target that can soak up a lot of damage. The most powerful thing about this ultimate ability is not the damage it causes but the health/speed it gives Winston and its knockback effect.

It is best to use Primal Rage for much more than just kills. Use this ability to clear the point, stall the cart, knock enemies off the edge of the map, or pummel a group of enemies trapped in small, confined areas. And because this ultimate fully recharges your original health bar and adds a whopping 500 on top, it’s best to use it right before you're about to die-- for a sort of “extra life”.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

Compensating for Winston’s Weaknesses:

Low Damage at Short Range Only:

If you can’t reach the enemy with your damage, bring the damage to the enemy by using your awesome Jump Pack ability. True, the Tesla Cannon does low damage, but to multiple enemies at the same time and without having to aim at them directly! So a cluster of damaged enemies is prime picking for a Winston to dive on.

Can Get Hit With a Lot of Damage Really Fast:

To solve this problem, make sure you stay on the move as much as you can. Jump in, jump out to healers, stay inside your bubble, and most importantly stay away from enemies you don’t have an advantage over.

As a Tank, Winston Can’t Actually “Tank” Very Much Damage:

As I mentioned earlier, Winston can only absorb a small amount of damage with his health and barrier, but he can absorb a huge amount of the enemies’ attention, planning, and patience by using his abilities to their fullest potential. A monkey on your back all game will really mess you up.

Tips and Tricks:

-Never stop moving!

-Use Winston with other dive-comp Heroes to achieve the full potential of diving.

-If Winton’s barrier has any health left, it’ll block 100% of any damage that happens outside of it; even powerful ultimates like D.Va’s bomb.

-Use your Primal Rage to ruin your enemies’ ultimates. Knock Moira out of the way when she tries to use her Coalescence ability!

Between his abilities and his voice lines (“sorry about that!”), Winston can be so much fun to play-- and so annoying for the enemy team to deal with! Try him out! You’ll instantly have fun because he is so easy to play. And then stick with this Hero because his potential can be off-the-charts when mastered. Just check out how many Top 500 players use Winston as one of their main heroes!

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Zarya Guide: How To Be The Best Zarya In The World

1337words — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 04:18:50 +0000

Zarya, a former weightlifter, gave up fame and fortune when her country needed her.

Hailing from the “Motherland” of Russia, Aleksanrda Zaryanova is one of the strongest women in the world, and she was ready to prove it in the weightlifting world championship. But, after years of training and dedication, on the eve of the tournament he hometown was invaded by omnics. Knowing first hand the destruction the Omnic Crisis can cause, Zarya withdrew from the tournament and instead enlisted in the national defense force, sacrificing fame, fortune, and her weightlifting dreams for honor, duty, and country.

Zarya is a challenging Hero to play, but is easy to understand and fun to master once you grasp the basics of her kit. Her ultimate ability alone is worth learning this hero for, as it has some of the best match-changing potential in the game. In this guide I’ll provide you with fundamentals you can use at any level to focus and improve your Zarya game.

Abilities

Energy:

This passive ability is key in understanding how to play Zarya. Your energy charge determines how much damage you can do with the primary and secondary fire of your particle cannon. The more damage your particle barriers take, the higher your energy, and the more damage you do as a result.

Zarya’s energy is measured in a scale of 1 to 100, and is shown just below your crosshairs by default. For each point of energy, you do 1% more damage. You automatically lose 2 points of energy per second, so it’s up to you to keep it high.

Particle Cannon (Primary Fire):

Zarya unleashes a beam of energy from her particle cannon that does 95 - 190 damage per second while it’s held on a target. It doesn’t lock on, you’ll have to aim it, which can be pretty tough against slimmer figured targets. Luckily, when your close to or at full charge, you don’t have to track a Genji for very long before you completely melt his health!

Particle Cannon (Secondary Fire):

Zarya lobs an explosive charge that also inflicts splash damage. This secondary fire is similarly boosted by her energy charge, and does 46-92 damage per shot, and 45-90 splash damage in a 2-3m radius. Like her primary fire, her secondary fire cannot headshot.

Particle Barrier:

This is your personal energy “bubble” that shields you and changes all damage it takes (up to 200hp) into charge that makes your canon more powerful. Even damage that normally passes through shields, like Winston’s Tesla Cannon, is absorbed by Zarya’s barrier. It lasts 2 seconds, or until it is destroyed.

The barrier can break after a certain amount of damage, but as long as it has at least 1 health left, the barrier will completely negate the incoming attack (even a D.Va bomb!). This ability has a 10 second cooldown.

Projected Barrier:

The projected barrier functions just like the personal particle barrier, but this time you bestow your bubble upon an ally. It absorbs up to 200hp worth of damage, and similarly lasts 2 seconds (or until it is destroyed). You can bubble a teammate up to 30m away, and all damage absorbed by the barrier still gets transferred into charge that makes your cannon more powerful!

Graviton Surge:

While this ultimate ability itself is not improved by the amount of charge you have, it’s great to use while you do have high charge. Graviton Surge is a gravity bomb that pulls all enemies within an 8m radius toward its center, and inflicts 5.5 damage per second for 4 seconds. But the real damage to those trapped in the Surge is from you and your teammates, as you fire-at-will upon them.

Weaknesses:

Weak Without Medium/High Energy:

I don’t see Zarya played very often at lower levels, and that may be because she feels weak (and actually is) when she does not have at least 40ish energy charge. Zarya has the lowest base health of all tanks, and her bubbles are short lasted with long cooldowns. So getting the most out of each bubble in terms of both protection and energy charge is crucial to being effective with Zarya

Vulnerable and Ineffective When Barriers are on Cooldown:

Zary can feel invincible when her personal barrier is activated, but this only lasts for 2 seconds, followed by a very long 10 second cooldown before it can be used again. So leading the charge and rushing ahead of your team (and shields) can seem really great for 2 seconds, but when that bubble runs out you are slow and exposed.

The same goes for your projected barrier, if you’re not aware of which teammate your going to bubble (or you’re in front of them so you can’t see them to bubble them), you’re not able to use a huge piece of Zarya’s arsenal.

Strategy Overview:

First things first, you need to build up energy charge. But, you also need to protect your teammates and yourself -- Zarya is a “tank” after all, but she is closer to an off-tank, and not a main-tank like Reinhardt and Orisa. Meaning that sometimes you’ll need be out on the frontline soaking up damage, and sometimes you’ll have to retreat behind a shield or cover. You’ll need to use the following skills to maximise Zarya’s potential: positioning, awareness, communication, and collaboration.

Positioning:

As I mentioned earlier, Zarya is not really cut out to be a main tank, so you’ll want to pair up with another tank (preferably a shield-tank) to use both Hero’s abilities to their fullest potential. Ideally, where you'll want to position yourself is out in the open engaging enemies at first, activating your bubble to build charge off their incoming damage, and then retreating behind a shield or some cover. While you wait for your personal bubble to cooldown, you can use your projected bubble to build even more energy. Then with your personal barrier ready again, it’s time for you to head back to the front.

There are of course tons of variables to every fight, tons of things that can be different with different team compositions. But, that pattern of going to the front and building charge when you have bubbles ready, and poking at the enemy from behind a shield when they’re in cooldown, is fundamentally how you want to play Zarya.

Awareness:

Keep a close eye on the cooldowns of your barriers, your charge level, and which enemies are in need of a barrier / could absorb a lot of damage to build your charge. All these things are extremely important to excelling with Zarya, and that's part of what makes her so difficult to play.

Communication:

Communication is key. It always helps to communicate as much as you can, but in addition to general strategy you should be letting your teammates know when you have a projected barrier ready for them; especially teammates with high mobility who are ready to dive into action: like Winston, D.Va, Genji, and Tracer. An excellent way to build energy charge is to bubble Reinhardt, and then tell him to drop his shield-- all of that damage that was directed at his shield is now absorbed into the projected barrier. Boom, you're at near full energy charge in seconds, and ready to do some damage. Communication is especially important when you are ready to use Zarya’s ultimate.

Collaboration:

Zarya’s ultimate ability charges very slowly (compared to other heroes), and thus one of the mistakes that even high level players make is holding on to the ultimate for too long, waiting for that perfect opportunity. When in reality you could have used Graviton Surge in a perfectly decent senario, and then built up another one in the time it took you to use your first.

Once you have your ultimate ready, let your team know, and put it to good use sooner rather than later. Check to see if your teammates have ultimates ready that would be devastating for the enemy when paired up with Grav: like Hanzo’s Dragonstrike, or Pharah’s Rocket Barrage. If you communicate with your team first and know they’re ready, you can just launch your ultimate and watch the multikills roll it. Make sure you wave for that Play Of The Game!

Below are more specifics on when/how to use each attack.

Using Zarya’s Abilities to Your Advantage:

Energy:

Zarya isn’t much of a threat with low energy, so you need to actively try to keep it high. When you have a personal barrier ready go ahead and taunt the enemy a bit, head out in the open and dare them to hit you -- just make sure you know how long the barrier lasts, and where your cover and healers are.

The higher your energy, the bolder you can be when attacking because you'll kill things faster (or enemies will retreat faster). But be careful, you’ll also be more of a target for the enemy squad since you’re so dangerously powerful. And when you die, you’ll be starting back at 0 energy again.

Particle Cannon (Primary Fire):

Use this to focus-down single targets, especially those who can’t block your beam; D.Va’s defense matrix, and Genji’s deflect don’t protect them from Zarya’s particle beam. This attack isn't the easiest to aim, and it can be tempting to get as close as possible, but don’t. You’ll want to maintain the ability to switch between the primary and secondary attacks on the particle cannon, and when your in point-blank range of a target, the splash damage of the secondary fire will hurt you too; that, and retreating back to cover with Zarya is very difficult.

Particle Cannon (Secondary Fire):

Zarya’s secondary fires a grenade-like ball of energy that is great for hitting multiple targets or enemies that are clustered together in a small/confined space. This attack can be eaten up by D.Va’s defense matrix, and Genji’s deflect so watch out! The particle cannon’s bombs are also great for hitting quick/slim/elusive targets like Tracer, Sombra, or Moira.

Particle Barrier:

Be cautious when using your barrier, don’t just pop it off willy-nilly. It has a long cooldown and your really vulnerable without it; and weak if you have low charge. It’s best used when you know there is going to be a sudden burst of damage coming your way: like right before an ultimate hits your, if you know a Reaper is after you, or if you’re about to consciously jump into the line of fire yourself. Just remember there is one thing that does pierce your barrier: melee attacks (Rein’s hammer, Winston’s ultimate, etc.)

Projected Barrier:

At the beginning of a fight, this is great tool for building ult charge. And as the fight progresses, the projected barrier is awesome for combo-ing with specific tactics. Ask your teammates to let you know when they're about to dive in, and save your bubble for them. They’ll be able to stay alive and cause more damage, and you’ll build up energy charge extremely fast.

This technique is especially great for protecting other players during their ultimates. It is very apparent to everyone on the battlefield when a DPS hero is using their ultimate, and often they’ll become heavily targeted as a result -- perfect time to cover them with a projected barrier (from up to 30m away!).

Graviton Surge:

On it’s own, Zarya’s ultimate doesn’t achieve it’s full potential. In terms of damage, the ultimate itself is weak actually. That’s why you need to make sure your teammates are ready to take advantage of it when the time arrives. At low levels I see so many desperation Gravs as a player (and the rest of their team) dies, leaving no one around to take advantage of the sitting-duck targets.

Graviton Surge is shot out as a projectile, and the black-hole epicenter of it is created when the projectile hits something (a floor, wall, cart, etc.), as long as what it hits isn’t a defense matrix or an enemy Zarya’s barrier (then it’ll be eaten up). So unless you have a specific plan for where you wanted to pin your enemies down, it's best to launch your Grav. so that it comes in contact with the ground in an open area where your teammates can pick-off the enemies easily.

Fire at will!

Compensating for Zarya's Weaknesses:

Weak Without Medium/High Energy:

Charge up! Always be on the lookout for opportunities where you can absorb damage, whether through your personal or projected barriers. And then once this energy is up, you'll have to maintain it as well. Look out for a Junkrat spamming damage or maybe a Torb turret, and then raise your barrier and charge up -- while destroying who’s shooting at you!

Vulnerable and Ineffective When Barriers are on Cooldown:

Always have excellent cooldown awareness. Be aware of when your team is going to charge in, and who might need the assistance of your projected barrier. A large portion of Zarya’s total health bar is made up of shields (indicated by blue bars). These shield bars will recharge when not taking damage. So when you see your health dip to around 50% or so, duck behind cover and let your shields recharge before you attack again.

Also, “don’t just stand there, do something” when you don’t have barriers available. Make the most of your cool down time by poking at enemies from behind shields, peek around corners and launch your secondary fire, or even arc it over the top of cover. You should always be building your energy, building your ultimate charge, doing damage, or all three at once.

Tips and Tricks:

-Use your personal barrier right before a Mei completely freezes you to surprise her and force her to run away (or use her Cryo-Freeze if she has it).

-Zarya's barriers act like separate health pools, so they can completely absorb high damage ultimates like Tracer or D.Va’s bomb, and even Junkrat’s Rip-Tire

-Sometimes it’s better to save a projected barrier to save a teammates life (like a Zenyatta being flanked) than to use it farming energy charge.

Zarya is a difficult Hero to play, but she also has a higher ceiling of mastery. In the right hands, she can completely control the match-- which is rare for a tank. Zarya is such a fun Hero to play because each battle is like a dance, or a Russian chess match, between you and your opponents. They need to damage you to win, but damaging you makes you incredibly strong...sometimes.

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The 11 Most Popular FPS Games in 2017 and 2018

Walkabwoy — Mon, 07 Aug 2017 15:04:16 +0000

Gun-Slinging Reaches a Whole New Level in These Awesome Shooters

With so many First-Person Shooter games out there on the market clamouring for your attention, it can feel like knowing which ones to pick up off the shelf is a mission in and of itself. So, which FPS games are the most popular? Which ones do you simply have to play in 2017 and 2018? Well, we’re about to make life a whole lot easier for you! So huddle down behind those crates in the corner, take a moment to reload and let us brief you on the most popular FPS games in 2017 and 2018 before heading back into that storm of bullets.

11. Battlefield 1

Battlefield 1 trailer

Battlefield has been around for ages—15 instalments, to be precise. Despite that, instalment #15, released in October of 2016, is called “Battlefield 1”—a fact that becomes even odder when you consider its immediate predecessor was given the number “4”. But we’re certain that Battlefield 1’s name is based on the fact that the game deals with World War I rather than the fact that the team at EA are still nursing a concussion from one too many headshots and respawns from earlier titles. Probably.

Battlefield 1 puts you through a series of historically based war stories from World War I and emphasizes working together. The game’s world designer goes so far as to actually say that gameplay will be significantly more difficult if you don’t join a squad in order to play. And while we are dealing with World War I, it would be wise not to allow your spoilt, 21st-century mind to underestimate the older weaponry you’ll find in-game. Otherwise, you’ll be choking on your foolish pride when someone takes you out, not with a bolt-action rifle or even a flamethrower, but with a good old shovel.

Battlefield 1’s most significant trait is probably the way it focuses on the humanity of the War. Far from being the near pointless glorification of war for its own sake that you’re likely to encounter in most modern military war games, the game focuses on the impact the War had on individual lives. This lends the game a very sad and dark tone, but it also remains true to the War itself and the people who lived and died through it in a refreshing way.

I did warn you! Never underestimate the simple power of a shovel to the face!

World War I takes the battle to the skies.

10. Call of Duty: World War II

Call of Duty: World War II trailer

There’s a new drill sergeant coming to town, and he’s called Call of Duty: WWII. He’s set to arrive in November of this year (2017) but, until then, it’s back to the training ground, boys!

No, seriously. Back to the training field. Off with you! That’s an order!

First off, there’s gonna be a few changes around here. There’ll be no more of that double-jumping and wall-running drivel you all got used to in the last 3 Call of Duty titles. World War II didn’t have that kind of tech. So, get your sorry heads outta those clouds and keep those boots planted on the ground, maggots! There’ll also be none of this “infinite sprinting” madness—if people could actually do that, the death toll wouldn’t have been nearly as high in the war. And no automatic health regeneration either! Squad members with med kits will have to do. This is war! If you don’t like it, go play a videogame or something… Leave warring to the real soldiers who actually know how to patch up a wound on the fly or dive (sensibly) for cover.

Slow and sturdy wins this race if you know how to play your cards right.

You could almost believe you were really holding the gun!

9. Quake Champions

Quake Champions trailer

Quake Champions promises to be a pacey arena-type shooter with loads of playable characters, weapons and skills to choose from. All of that translates into even more hours of running around through varied and sometimes fantastical levels, pulling out weapons out of your hammerspace and blasting screaming people to smithereens—even if there does seem to be something horribly wrong about that idea.

It also means a whole new level of plotting, planning, frenzied fragging, reflex kills and panicking when you realize you’re suddenly out of ammo right in the middle of a tense encounter. If you love the thrill of an arena Deathmatch where literally anything and anyone can be waiting to take you out just around the corner, you’ll definitely want to pick up Quake Champions this year.

Sudden and deadly skirmishes like this one are common place in Quake Champions. Always watch your back.

Things can get pretty gory pretty fast with weapons like this just begging to be used.

8. Titanfall 2

Titanfall 2 trailer

Imagine yourself in the thick of battle—you know, the running, the dodging, the bullets, the laser blasts. Just you and scores of other people that are out to collect your head and mount it on their wall. Nothing out of the ordinary. Now imagine that, certain conditions being met, you could summon your own gigantic mecha-sidekick to crash the party and add some serious firepower to your arsenal. Now that would be something, right?

That’s what the folks at Respawn Entertainment and EA thought, too (and we’re glad they did, because it was a pretty sweet idea!). These mecha-style exoskeletons, called Titans, are wicked cool, and plenty lethal besides. Each of them has its own special abilities and weaponry, which really takes combat in-game to a whole new level. You can choose to pilot your Titan or you can disembark and fight separately. The trusty thing will keep on attacking enemies on its own and will follow you around the battlefield unless you set it to guard mode, in which case it will stay put. Sit! Good boy!

Titanfall 2 adds to the thrill of its predecessor with the introduction of a single-player campaign, though it’s a little on the short side. The game focuses more on its multiplayer aspect. That’s where the Titans can really be used to their full potential. Forget dogs being Man’s best friend—Titans have our vote!

Dominate the battlefield with your trusty Titan sidekick at your side every step of the way.

Here’s to hoping this is either your Titan or it’s on a really short leash!

7. Halo 5

Halo 5 trailer

Released for the Xbox One and with a version called the “Forge mode” for the PC, Halo 5 continues humanity’s war against the theocratic alien alliance known as the Covenant. Follow the “supersoldiers” known as “Spartans” as they spearhead humanity’s defence against an extra-terrestrial threat hell-bent on wiping out the entire species, a strange alien entity called the “Flood” and several other unforeseen threats.

The plot thickens in Halo 5 with several twists and developments that will have massive implications for the in-game universe. In your hunt for the truth you’ll be rampaging your way across alien worlds, the home world and spaceships, taking on steep odds and doing your best to make it home alive when there are just so many ways to die and so many people ready to volunteer for the role of your murderer.

You’ll find yourself exploring bases like these a lot in Halo 5. Good thing you brought backup.

Frankly, traveling on foot on the battlefield gets old, not to mention it can be your undoing.

6. Destiny 2

Destiny 2 trailer

Here’s one more to add to your list of games to look forward to: Destiny 2. Set to be released for PC in October of this year, the game will pick up where the original Destiny left off. As was the case in the first game, Destiny 2 will be split between player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) game types.

Destiny 2 will feature 3 classes, as did Destiny before it. With each class comes special abilities, upgrades and boons, as well as 2 subclasses that allow for further customization of your character. The special moves sound pretty cool, too. Weapons and armour will see an overhaul in Destiny 2, and it will be interesting to see how these little changes will play out, come the day of release.

A look at the character design screen.

Sweet graphics make Destiny 2 a real visual treat.

5. ARMA 3

ARMA 3 trailer

If you think the terms “open world” and “military tactical shooter” sound scary when in the same sentence and referring to the same thing, you’re a smart cookie. You have a healthy sense of personal danger. If you don’t think that’s a big deal, don’t you worry—ARMA 3 will soon set you straight on that score! The game has been labelled a “simulation game” for a reason. ARMA 3 can start to feel frighteningly real!

You get to play in a beautiful, open environment. But that beautiful landscape can so easily become a femme fatale, sinking poisonous claws into you even as you are distracted by the spectacle that she is. Expect to die in ways you never saw coming. Expect to feel the frustration and the helplessness that can come from never knowing where your opponents are hiding in this massive, open world, or where the next bullet will come at you from. You can’t trust the trees nearby or that lone structure in the distance.

And yet, it’ll be clear that this is precisely what makes the game such a great FPS. It’s where sandbox meets FPS, and the results are amazing if a little daunting. The scenarios you can create are nearly endless, and the realism you can achieve is uncanny.

With an expansive map such as this one, it’s anyone’s guess as to just how many ways you can outfox your enemies—or be totally outfoxed by them first.

Arma 3’s world is truly grand and very detailed, as demonstrated by this aerial view.

4. Rainbow 6 Siege

Rainbow 6 Siege trailer

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 hardly needs an introduction—so I’ll just cut right to the chase. Rainbow 6: Siege is more than your average battlefield. No, young grasshopper, you do not simply walk in with the safety off and start spraying the whole place. For starters, you’d never make it very far. Secondly, that’s precisely the way to get hostages butchered on your watch. Rainbow 6: Siege stays true to the series’ focus on the finesse of battle. Might is wrong until you’ve employed the kind of tactical genius that can diffuse the very tense and delicate situations you’ll find yourself inevitably tiptoeing around all game long.

You’ll need spy drones, a diverse team of professionals, an even more diverse cadre of weaponry and fancy gadgets, brains by the buckets, and sometimes more than just a dollop of luck if you’re to get the better of these mad hatters running around with guns and waving their unreasonable demands under your nose. So think things through, abuse the art of subterfuge and show these goons what it means to be the brains of an operation.

Teamwork makes the dream work—so goes the old cliché. Except it isn’t a cliché. Not here.

A fully destructive world means many new tactical possibilities as well as hindrances.

3. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter Strike: Global Offensive trailer

Counter-Strike as a series has enjoyed a massive following. There are entire swarms of people you’d be convinced do nothing with their lives besides playing one Counter-Strike game religiously, draining it dry of all its secrets and then ambushing the stores so they can be the first to get at the next instalment, they’re that good at the game. Having said that, I hope you got the warning, newbie; and even then, it might not do you any good. Because Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is very much a worthy successor to the series, which means there will already be loads of cold-blooded experts just itching to go on a rampage and you’re likely to be on the wrong end of the food chain.

But if that’s not enough to intimidate you, or if you’re just too darn stubborn for your own good, your bravery and perseverance will be richly rewarded when you wake up one day and realize suddenly as the sunlight hits your windowsill that you, too, are now one of these insanely skilled wonders of human reflexes and cool-headed efficiency. Then you’ll think back to all those embarrassing kills you suffered at the hands of others—and it’ll all have been worth it. No pain, no gain, after all.

Bonus points for stealth and accuracy! No, really! Look at the bottom left.

Can’t say I’d very much like to be him right now…

2. Overwatch

Overwatch trailer

Cheers, loves! The cavalry’s here! Things are about to get messy fast. Overwatch by Blizzard Entertainment is all about going online, forming a gang of six and then going to town on your hapless opponents. With a whole lot of skill and a little bit of luck, they won’t even know what hit them.

That’s exactly what Overwatch is, though—a team game. Sure, it’s great if you are an ace on the battlefield, running around and racking up kills while remaining eminently untouchable to your opponents—like some kind of futuristic Achilles—but the real rewards are in what you do for the team. Assisting kills, defending teammates, healing and resurrecting allies all add up and the game keeps track of those points. Keep earning those points steadily and you’ll be “on fire”. Though that in itself doesn’t affect gameplay mechanics, it’s quite satisfying to keep it going, plus it helps your team that much more if you’re playing that well.

Overwatch is a great FPS title with a lot of appeal and a lot to offer in the ways of diversity and pure enjoyment. There are a lot of heroes to play through and master, and a lot of combinations to figure out before you can consider yourself a true veteran of the game.

Cheers, loves! The cavalry’s here! Heh, I just had to do it again. Say hi to the fans, Tracer!

Dynamic weapons and abilities can make for demanding encounters with the enemy. Think fast!

1. Star Wars Battlefront 2

Star Wars Battlefront 2 trailer

My inner Yoda tells me, through the Force, that a great conflict will rock the galaxy once again later this year. November will see the advent of Star Wars Battlefront 2, and it promises to be a thrilling and action-packed shooter that will once again call our attention to the iconic Star War series. So, run to the dressmaker and get that familiar brown uniform stitched up in a hurry, because you’re gonna be a big part of this interstellar conflict. You’ve gotta look the part!

We’re talking blasters, the Old Republic, the Sith, the Jedi, odd fighter spacecraft that resemble the letter H (or at least one of the Unown from Pokémon) and little green men with lightsabers that can cut you down in a flash. And, of course, the Force. Everybody knows that, no matter who else they want to pass off as “the hero”, the Force is the real MVP in the Star Wars franchise.

In other news, I’m also seeing that Emperor Palpatine will come down with a nasty case of the flu that will spread to the rest of the Sith and incapacitate them horribly just before the dawn of the New Year. But please, don’t quote me on that—I’m still young in the Force!

Waitaminnit…who’s using the lightsabre?! It seems even machines can use the Force now. Scary stuff.

First-person mode coupled with amazing graphics—always a win.

So, there you have it, the 11 FPS games that you simply must play in 2017 and 2018. Now that you know, it’s your job to start stalking the stores like the rest of us as we wait in eager anticipation for our chance to own these brilliant shooting games.

Liked what you just read? Here are a few others like it that you’ll probably find interesting too!

Top 10 New Shooter Games of 2017 (PC)

The 15 Best FPS Games To Play Today

Top 10 New Shooter Games of 2017 (PC)

Main Image caption:

The calm before the storm—one of the classic charms of first-person shooters.

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