THE LOWS
Samuel Roberts: Fallout without Obsidian
Obsidian commented on how unlikely it is that it'll make another Fallout game this week. With a rumoured Microsoft purchase imminent, it seemed like the chances of that happening were always going to be remote. Clearly, though, New Vegas resonated with a lot of players, and it would've been cool to see them get another shot at that universe.
Imagine an alternate reality where Bethesda Game Studios and Obsidian each took a turn to make a Fallout, and we had very different interpretation of that series every two or three years. I don't think our interest in the series would've waned at all.
Tom Senior: Exorcised
Aw. Blizzard has poured water on the smouldering rumours of a new Diablo game. “Good things come to those who wait,” says a Blizzard blog post this week, “but evil things often take longer.”
I’m still curious about the multiple Diablo projects in the works. Blizzard has a shooter, a card game, and an MMO, and it’s unlikely the studio will want more of those. We could see more Hearthstone crossovers, but ‘projects’ sounds bigger than that. Modern shooter looters owe a massive debt to Diablo’s finely honed loot and levelling reward systems, which makes me wonder what a big budget third person action game would feel like in the Diablo universe. Think new God of War with a more thorough loot structure. Alternatively we might get another expansion to Diablo 3. The last one was pretty great so I’d still get onboard, but it’s sad to know that we’ll probably have to wait for Blizzcon next year for anything concrete.
Steven Messner: Shot to the heart
For the last few years, EVE Online developer CCP Games has teased Project Nova, its PC-only shooter set in the EVE universe. Originally it was meant to be a spiritual successor to Dust 514, a game which aspired to let players directly affect events within EVE's universe. It was mostly a failed experiment, and Project Nova promised to do better, but after playing it I'm not convinced that will be the case at all.
For one, CCP is no longer striving to connect Project Nova and EVE Online in any meaningful way, and the pre-alpha build of Project Nova I played wasn't enjoyable. It felt clunky, boring, and derivative of much more exciting games. Of course, it is way too early to tell for sure, but I can't help but feel like Project Nova has no soul, no vision, and no real hook that would inspire me to ditch Warframe and Destiny 2. I'm working frantically to get more formalized opinions up on the site, so check back later this weekend to read my more in depth impressions.
Joe Donnelly: Release wait
After months of silence, Mundfish released not one but two intriguing teasers for its strange alternate Soviet-era shooter Atomic Heart this week. Neither gives too much away—one shows off a horrifying Clown Trap, the other depicts a facility massacre—which has me pining for more.
What's with the traps? What happened to those fallen soldiers? Are those glowing items collectibles, and, if so, does that mean this footage is in-game footage? So many questions, so little information. And I'm already hooked. My low this week, then, is Atomic Heart's poker-faced "2019" release window. Time to get specific, Mundfish. Thanks in advance.
Chris Livingston: Don't be mean to Bean
Hitman 2's first elusive target is Sean Bean, but I don't want to kill Sean Bean. I've grown quite fond of him in the way we sometimes grow fond of people (celebrities) we've never met and don't know and never will, and he's certainly experienced enough deaths in his various roles already.
Couldn't they have made it so other people are trying to kill Sean Bean and Agent 47 has to kill all those people instead? I'd be up for protecting Sean Bean. Leave Sean Bean alone! He's been through a lot.
James Davenport: Floored
I've done it. I moved. But I sold my desk back in California (it's too bulky and cheap to warrant an expensive moving truck) which means I'm, like the classic Tom Hanks movie, Deskless in Eugene. Right now I'm using a coffee table for my keyboard and monitor, while my chair is a few pillows set against the wall. It's not very comfortable for long periods of time. I'm going to get a desk, obviously, but I'd like to invest in a nice one, maybe build one myself. Get some dirty carpenter pants, let my mustache grow out, cover my skin in oil and dirt and summon The Final Desk from reclaimed wood. But I know the truth. I'll find a cheap one that does the trick at a thrift shop somewhere. Once more 'round the sun.
