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E3 2019: My Highlight from the Bethesda Presser–Fallout 76 Wastelanders

Bethesda’s presser was about what I expected going in, as they announced ahead of time there would be no Elder Scrolls 6 or Starfinder news to be had. I was interested in how they were going to talk about Fallout 76 though, and I came away pretty excited about what the game has in store for players. It sounds like Fallout 76 is starting to become the game we all hoped it wold have been at launch. Because Wastelanders brings back NPCs.

I’ve played since the game launched (though I fell off a bit lately), and both Nick and I have enjoyed it. But he addition of NPCs, and a Battle Royale mode, are welcome additions. I’m hoping Fallout 76 can rebound from a poor launch like Elder Scrolls Online did and really build a strong player base.

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E3 2019: My Highlight From The XBox Presser–12 Minutes

I wan’t blown away by Microsoft’s E3 2019 presser, as it really did not reveal much more about games or hardware than we already knew. All of the games they did talk about looked good, but there was one in particular that I have not stopped thinking about since the trailer premiered–12 MINUTES.

Described by developer Nomada and “An interactive narrative that blends the dream-like tension of THE SHINING with the claustrophobia of REAR WINDOW and the fragmented structure of MEMENTO,” this game looks intense. The story hook introduced in the trailer grabbed me immediately.

No release date was announced, but this one is firmly on my radar now.

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I Can’t Stop Playing Apex Legends

Since it’s launch out of almost nowhere on February 4th, I have been absolutely obsessed with Respawn’s new Titanfall-adjacent battle royale game, Apex Legends.

And let me be clear: I am terrible at Apex Legends.

I also have not cared about battle royale games until Apex Legends.

I also have not been this addicted to a shooter since CoD 4: Modern Warfare.

And that is the magic of Apex Legends. The game is so well-designed. From the innovative pin system to the the three-person team structure, to ebb and flow of action, Apex Legends just feels incredibly fun to play. Sure, i get frustrated when I inevitably lose a 1 on 1 battle, because my aim is terrible. And yes, coming in second when you know you were one choice away from victory can be maddening. But those moments only serve to have me readying up to jump right back into the action.

I seriously cannot get enough of this game, and I can’t wait to see new heroes, weapons, skins and eventually maps for Apex Legends. Nick and I will be kicking off a new season of the Co-Op Critics podcast very soon, so you’ll get to hear us take a deep dive into our experiences with the game. And we will definitely be streaming a bunch of Apex on the Co-Op Critics YouTube channel, so make sure to check us out over there. Stay tuned!

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Our Three Favorite E3 Games That Are Coming in 2018

E3 2018 is in the books, and it seemed to be a little underwhelming this year. There really weren’t many surprises, and a lot of what was announced for the first time isn’t coming until 2019 or beyond. But there were some pretty cool announcements and updates on things that are coming out this year, and we’ve picked some of our favorites:

 

Spider-Man (PS4)–September 7

My favorite comic character of all time is getting a game that looks to be worthy of his legacy. We saw a lot of gameplay from E3, and the game is looking gorgeous. Mechanically, it looks like the Batman Arkham games, but with an amazing swing mechanic thrown in. Which is totally fine with me. It looks like Spidey is facing not only the Sinister Six, but Mister Negative as well. Sign me up.

 

Fallout 76 (Xbox One, PS4, PC)–November 14

Set well before the recent Fallout games, this new installment looks to be more like an online multiplayer game than a traditional RPG. Between the multiplayer and the crafting elements, this looks like a mix between Elder Scrolls Online and something like 7 Days to Die. As a fan of both of those games, I’m looking forward to this one.

 

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo Switch)–December 7

I have never really been into this series, but somehow Nintendo still found a way to get me totally pumped for this game. A lot of games toss around the “Ultimate” tag, but bringing together every single character from all of the previous entries seems pretty ultimate to me.

So that’s our top three E3 games for the remainder of 2018. Let us know what your faves were, and stay tuned for a look at what we’re excited about for 2019!

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E3 2018 Horror Games Wishlist

E3 is almost upon us, if you couldn’t tell from the myriad leaks that have already happened over the past few weeks. But even though a lot of what we’ll see has been spoiled, there are still surprises lurking–or at least I hope there are. As a huge horror fan, there are three games in particular I am hoping are announced, or that we see more about at this year’s E3:

 

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Until Dawn 2

It’s a travesty that we haven’t seen a sequel to one of the best horror games of this generation yet. Until Dawn was a superbly crafted slasher story, with great acting, and the wonderful “butterfly effect” system that saw every choise you make impact the outcome of your story. Supermassive Games has made a couple of well-received VR experiences since then, both of which are tied to the Until Dawn series, but now it’s time for a full-on sequel. Make it happen, Sony.

 

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Dying Light 2

Dying Light is hands down the best horror game of this generation for me. Techland has supported the hell out of it, and the game is still a blast to jump into and play three years after its release. We know they are working on a battle royale mode (which is a perfect fit for this world), and I’m actually hoping they push that feature into the sequel and just move forward with the next game. I’m betting we’ll see an announcement at E3, and I will be super disappointed if we don’t.

 

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Call of Cthulhu 

This game has already been announced and is in full development, but I want a lot more info at this year’s E3. CoC is using the rules engine of the fantastic pen-and-paper RPG, and with Chaosium’s involvement, we know this game will be true to the source material. The game follows private investigator Edward Pierce as he investigates the death of an entire family on Darkwater Island near Boston, Massachusetts, and discovers the impending revival of the Great Old One Cthulhu. We should at least get a release date at E3, and hopefully some good gameplay demos and developer interviews.

 

What horror games are you hoping to see at this year’s E3?

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Games We’re Excited About: June 2018

With all the focus in June being on E3, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a pretty sparse month as far as game release. Not So. This month we’re getting expansions, new IP, returning franchises and megahit ports. Here are the games were excited about this month:

 

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The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset (PS4, Xbox One, PC)–June 5
I first bought ESO when it launched on XBox One, and I probably pout four or five hours into my first character. But as a solo experience, it just didn’t match games like Oblivion or Skyrim for me. I finally got Nick and Jeff to get on board with Summerset though, so you can expect some co-op adventuring from us int he near future.

 

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Vampyr (PS4, Xbox One, PC)–June 5
I know next to nothing about this game, except from what I’ve seen int he trailers. It has a very “The Order: 1886) feel to me so far, and that’s enough to make me interested in checking it out. I’m hoping the blood-craving system has some sort of sanity-like effect that is deep enough to make being a vampire interesting.

 

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Flashback: 25th Anniversary Edition (Switch)–June 7
Flashback is still one of my favorite SEGA Genesis games of all time. It was mind-blowing when it came out, and I was such a fan that I actually tried several times to play its terrible sequel, Fade to Black. I didn’t pick up this remaster when it originally came out a few years ago, but i will gladly play through this again on the Switch.

 

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Mario Tennis Aces (Switch)–June 22
I like my tennis arcade-y, and I like my characters Nintendo-y. Enuff said.

 

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Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (Switch)–June 29
I still haven’t played the first Wolfenstein, despite having it on the hard drive of my PS4. But being able to take the sequel with me when i travel for work will definitely get me to play this one.

Those are the games piquing our interest this month. What’s on your list?

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Games We’re Excited About: March 2018

March is pretty packed month for game releases, with a great mix of sequels, new exclusives and long-awaited remasters. Here’s what we’re looking forward to this month:

 

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Kirby Star Allies (Switch) – March 16
Who doesn’t love Kirby?! No seriously, this game is actually about Kirby turning enemies into allies. I feel like Kirby is one of the most underrated franchises of all time, and I am stoked he’s coming to the Switch this month.

 

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Burnout Paradise Remastered (PS4, Xbox One) – March 16
Easily my favorite racing game of the modern console era, Burnout paradise is back this month! Not only does the game look amazing, but its fantastic soundtrack is completely intact for this updated version.

 

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Sea of Thieves (Xbox One, PC) – March 20
Rare’s multiplayer pirate adventure finally arrives this month, and I can’t wait to roucnd up the Co-Op crew and hit the high seas. I am also super tempted to get that exclusive Sea of Thieves Xbox One controller, as it is flat-out gorgeous.

 

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Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4, PC) – March 23
I had Ni No Kuni for the PS3 and put around 20 hours or so into it before falling off. The sequel looks great, and I haven’t sunk my teeth into a good JRPG in a while, so I’m hoping this one really hooks me.

 

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Far Cry 5 (PS4, Xbox One, PC) – March 27
Gotta be honest–I’m not the biggest Far cry fan. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is by far the most fun I’ve had with the franchise, but I’ve been following the development of Far Cry 5 with interest. This isn’t a day one purchase for me, but I’ll be p[aying cliose attention to how it’s being received, and I’m thinking it might be a summer game for me.

 

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MLB The Show 18 (PS4) – March 27
While MLB’s RBI Baseball gets incrementally better each year, it’s not even in the same ballpark (see what I did there) as The Show. Sony’s exclusive franchise continues to set the bar, and this year’s entry will be no different. And since my San Diego Padres are looking like they’ll be competitive this year, I’m even more excited to get my hand on this one.

That’s our list for March–what games are you excited about?

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Games We’re Excited About: January 2018

The New Year is here, and while January isn’t a smorgasbord of game releases that we’ve come to enjoy in the months leading up to the holidays, there are a couple of pretty bog releases this month. Here ate the ones we’re excited about:

 

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Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition (PS4, PC)–January 16
I bought Street Fighter V for PS4 when it came out, and fell off of it pretty quickly. Capcom really screwed up the launch of SFV, and hopefully with this arcade edition, they can bring people back to it. This version will include all of the characters that have been previously released, a handful of new ones, as well as a new arcade mode and team battle mode.

 

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Ni no Kuni: Revenant Kingdom (PC, PS4)–January 19
I put about 20 hours into the original Ni no Kuni, and while it was completely charming, I felt like it took a really long time to get going. I’m hoping its sequel–whch will no doubt be meant to appeal to those unfamiliar with the series as well–will bet better paced. But there is no denying that the visual style of Ni no Kuni is stunning, and that alone would have me checking this game out anyway.

 

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Lost Sphear (Switch, PS4, PC)–January 23
From the studio behind I Am Setsuna comes as new JRPG that hearkens back to the glory days of the SNES and PSX. I am expecially excited about the fact that this is coming to Switch, as Nintendo’s hybrid console is quickly becoming my RPG machine. The story in Lost Sphear involves a hero trying to save reality by restoring memories (I think).

 

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Monster Hunter: World (PS4, Xbox One)–January 26
Monster Hunter is another series I have tried to get into a handful of times, mostly because of the comparisons to the Souls series. All of the previous games have been too dense to hold my interest, but I’ll be lining up to try again when Monster Hunter: World arrives. From what I’ve read so far, the tutorial system is better than in previous games, which has me excited.

 

And those are the games we’re looking forward to this month. What’s on your list? Let us know in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter @CoOpCritics!

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Games We’re Excited About: December 2017

It’s hard to believe we’re almost at the end of 2017. This year has been one of the best years for game releases ever (something we’ll be talking about on the podcast soon). While most gamers have enough games to last them at least another year, we still have some releases to get to before we close out the year. Without further ado, here are the games we’re excited about for Decemeber 2017:

 

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Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Nintendo Switch)–Dec 1
I didn’t play the last Xenoblade Chronicles game, but after seeing Zelda and Skyrim on the Switch, I am totally stoked for Xenoblade Chronicles 2. A huge world to explore, an epic storyline, and dozens of hours of gameplay? Sign me up.

 

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Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris (PS 4, PC, Xbox One)–December 5
The first major expansion for Destiny 2 arrives this month, and I’m hoping it will provide some variety to a game that I was not terribly impressed with at launch. It looks promising, as the storyline focuses on a renowned Warlock named Osiris and takes place primarily on Mercury. There’s a new social hub, a new patrol space, a new Crucible map and more.

 

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Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (Xbox One)–December 12
The battle royale-style game that has been tearing up the PC charts is coming to the Microsoft’s Xbox Game Preview program this month. It will be interesting to see how it stacks up against Fortnite: Battle Royale, which has been doing extremely well on Xbox One. In the game, players parachute into a giant island map and battle to see who’s the last one standing.

 

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Resident Evil VII: End of Zoe/Not a Hero (PS 4, PC, Xbox One)–December 12
I absolutely loved Resident Evil VII (you can watch my playthrough on YouTube), and I’m particularly interested in these two episodes. End of Zoe is where we will learn about Zoe’s ultimate fate, and Not a Hero will feature series favorite Chris Redfield. The latter is free, while the former is $15. I’ll be grabbing both.

What games are you excited about for December? Let us know in the comments!

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BlizzCon 2017 Was Amazing!

I had pretty high expectations for my fist BlizzCon, and they were exceeded in pretty much every way. From amazing esports events to interesting panels to big news reveals, BlizzCon packed a hell of a lot of content into two days.

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As an Overwatch fan, there were several highlights for me. Being there for the reveal of new character Moira and the new Blizzard World map was a wonderful thing to experience with fellow fans (we got to go hands on with the new character and map later on). We even attended a panel where the devs walked through the design of Moira and how it had evolved over the course of the creative process. But the highlight for me was getting to watch a good portion of the Overwatch World Cup. The match between USA and South Korea was just insane, and the atmosphere reminded me of a WWE event.

On the panel side, there was a great Geek and Sundry panel about building community that really focused on the authenticity and genuine love that G&S was built with.

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We got to play an exclusive Diablo III boss run, check out the new Kobolds & Catacombs Hearthstone dungeon run, watch some of the Heroes of the Storm championship and so much more.

And to top it all off, Muse closed the show with a full set, and they were fantastic.

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I could not have had a better time at BlizzCon 2017, and I am definitely planning a return trip next year.