Gamescom Day 3 is wrapping up, and while the bulk of reveals and teasers were consigned to the previous two days, there were still some new images and videos dished out today. Check out the latest from Cities: Skylines, Dungeons 2, Final Fantasy XV, Hearts of Iron IV, and Stellaris!
Gamescom Day 2 has come and gone, and while the biggest reveal of the day was Blizzard's World of Warcraft expansion (read more here), other developers had plenty to share as well! In today's recap we've gathered the latest images and flicks from Defiance, Battleborn, RIFT, HEX: Shards of Fate, ArcheAge, The Technomancer, and Trove.
Blizzard has just unveiled the next expansion coming to World of Warcraft: Legion!
Gamescom Day 1 has come to a close, with reveals from Electronic Arts, Square Enix, and Ubisoft making the headlines. We've gathered the latest screenshots and videos from several games for you to enjoy: Destiny, Dream, The Crew, AER, Mega Man, Mafia III, Unravel, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, StarCraft II, Final Fantasy XV, and Project Daedalus - The Long Journey Home.
Gamescom opens its doors tomorrow, but convention news has already begun flowing out today. Microsoft held its Xbox press conference, showcasing titles such as Quantum Break, Crackdown 3, Halo Wars 2, Just Cause 3, and Scalebound. New videos from Guitar Hero Live, Dark Souls III, Forza Motorsport 6, and ARK: Survival Evolved were also released this afternoon.
It's no fun feeling like you missed out on something, right? Make sure you caught everything you wanted to see from Gamescom this year!
Gamescom: August 13th - 17th
As it stands, Gamescom is becoming a second E3 each year. And hey, we're not complaining! We love the spectacle of it all. In proper theatrics, all the major names have put together a hype video.
Let's kick it off with an official Gamescom 2014 trailer, a dramatic explanation of why the event matters and what to expect:
The time is near. They are watching. Your power is rising.
Cologne, Germany. You've Been Chosen.
Bioware has just released a 40-second teaser for their next game: (volume warning)
In the first part of our interview with Lead Class Designer David Williams, we focused on how Red 5 was increasing the depth of gameplay in FireFall by raising the skill cap, allowing highly skilled players to truly shine. We also talked about the incredibly powerful eSports toolkit that went live in the recent patch, and how Armies will form up and organize missions into the Melding. The first half wrapped up with a look at recent class revamps and the reasons behind them.
Concluding this mega-interview is a closer look at how class abilities and unlocks are balanced, and how the revamped crafting system fits into that. We also took a look at the lore that went into crafting the world, and what inspired the manga and overall art direction for FireFall. My discussion wrapped up with Williams explaining the team’s approach to beta and his thoughts on free-to-play.
With PAX Prime opening today, Red 5 has also launched a Founders Pricing promotion, with a 25% discount available on all packages throughout the weekend, even for those unable to attend. We’ve also got a hands-on closer look at the game itself, by our very own Paul Cleveland. And don’t forget to check out Part One of the interview if you haven’t already!
FireFall is a game that tries to struggle out of the conventional MMO straightjacket in every way possible. Californian developer Red 5 Studios threw out the traditional MMORPG model, instead opting for dynamic, action oriented FPS combat. Where you’d normally expect rigid character class restrictions, instead you’re invited to play whatever way you’re in the mood for.
But how do you get that unique game feel and identity? For FireFall, its latest mega-patch seemed to be a strong push toward that identity. With an emphasis on improving the fluidity and flexibility of combat systems, the team added a range of customization options that are likely to keep players testing and tweaking for months if not years. It’s all been about raising the bar so that player skill, rather than character gear, is what counts.
I recently had the chance to meet with David Williams, Lead Class Designer on FireFall, for an early morning play-through at Gamescom. Our giant interview is so big we’ve had to break it up into two parts! In this section we cover how the team raised the skill cap, revamped the classes and built an eSports toolkit. Part two looks at how Williams tackled class balance, building world lore and the team’s approach to beta and free-to-play.
