The Future of Visceral’s Star Wars Game

October 19, 2017 by Samantha Lienhard - Leave a comment

On October 17, EA announced the closure of Visceral Games, the developer behind games such as Dead Space, Battlefield Hardline, and Dante’s Inferno. This came as disappointing news to fans of Visceral’s titles… and also to Star Wars fans looking forward to the story-driven Star Wars game Visceral had in development.

Visceral’s Star Wars Game

We didn’t know a lot about Visceral’s Star Wars game, but what we did know was intriguing. It was a linear, story-driven action-adventure game set in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The creative director was Amy Hennig, most famous for her work on the Uncharted series, which led to much speculation that it would be an Uncharted-style game in the Star Wars universe.

Many fans theorized it might star Han Solo, while others viewed it as possibly the closest we’d get to the cancelled Star Wars 1313. Only a tiny amount of footage and concept art was ever shown, at E3 2016.

It was absent from E3 2017, with the official explanation being that this was Battlefront 2’s year.

EA’s Plans

With Visceral Games shut down, what will happen to their Star Wars game? In the official announcement, EA stated that the game will still be developed, but they are “making a significant change” to it.

Visceral’s project “was shaping up to be a story-based, linear adventure,” but with the change in developers, EA is “shifting the game to be a broader experience that allows for more variety and player agency.” They promise “a Star Wars adventure of greater depth and breadth.” EA Worldwide Studios and EA Vancouver will be working on it, and the new timeline is uncertain.

To fans looking forward to the game for exactly what EA described in its initial description, the news that it will now be broader and involve more player agency may not be a welcome one. At the very least, it will no longer be a linear game (or Star Wars Uncharted), and the wording makes it easy to imagine an open world or a “games as a service” model.

Whether it will still be heavily story-driven or not is unclear, and we don’t know if Amy Hennig will still be involved with the project. Either way, EA’s Star Wars game will certainly be different than what Visceral Games’ Star Wars game would have been.

How do you feel about the closure of Visceral Games and the planned changes to their Star Wars game? Were you looking forward to it before, and are you looking forward to it now? What do you think the final game will be like? Let us know in the comments.

In-Depth : Final Fantasy 15’s (FFXV) Luna (Lunafreya)

January 14, 2017 by Samantha Lienhard - Leave a comment

Final Fantasy XV is now available for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One, and one of the most divisive characters has proven to be Lunafreya.

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, or Luna, is the princess of Tenebrae, a kingdom taken over by the Niflheim Empire years prior to the start of the game.

She is also the youngest Oracle in history. Final Fantasy XV’s Oracles are people with the power to speak with the gods and cleanse the world. According to legend, the Astral Bahamut chose the first Oracle and gave her his trident. Ever since then, the power of the Oracle has been passed down from generation to generation.

The Oracle’s goal is to stop the Starscourge, a plague that lengthens the nights and allows demons to appear. The Oracle keeps the Starscourge at bay until the True King, from the line of Lucis, can stop it forever.

Luna and Noctis were childhood friends, and although they were separated before the events of the game and haven’t seen each other in years, they still share a strong connection and communicate with each other through written messages.

Personality

Luna generally appears calm and composed, even when in dangerous circumstances. She is fully devoted to her duty as Oracle, and in Kingsglaive, she says that she does not fear death. Rather, she fears “doing nothing and losing everything.” This can be seen even in Luna’s childhood, when she gives up her chance to escape from the Empire to help Regis and Noctis get away.

She shows great compassion when interacting with people, as well as forgiveness. In contrast to her brother, Ravus Nox Fleuret, she doesn’t hold anything against Regis for what happened in Tenebrae. She also continues to love Ravus after he allies himself with the Empire, and does her best to make Ravus see why she has placed her faith in Noctis.

In Kingsglaive, Luna shows little faith in magic and prefers not to rely on it. However, in Final Fantasy XV, Luna uses magic herself. The reason for this inconsistency is unclear, although it may be that she views her god-given powers as an Oracle as something quite different from the power Nyx and the other members of the Kingsglaive use. Likewise, she does not use magic in Kingsglaive, but she doesn’t have the Oracle’s trident, which might be necessary in order for her to use her powers.

Although Luna is almost always depicted as focused on her duty, she doesn’t lack other emotions. Although the game’s circumstances prevent us from ever seeing a carefree Lunafreya, a child in Tenebrae tells Noctis about how happy Luna was when she saw her wedding dress. This, among other signs, points to Luna genuinely loving Noctis.

Luna’s Role in FFXV

What makes Luna such a divisive character, though, is her role in the game. The story begins with Noctis traveling to marry Luna in a political union, accompanied by his friends.

Short flashbacks to their childhood show us the two of them together, and we also see Luna healing someone and reassuring the people. She also sends messages to Noctis with her dog, Umbra, in the form of a journal.

When Noctis and the others finally reach Altissia, where Luna is, she gives a speech and prepares to summon the Astral Leviathan. However, aside from this critical scene, her importance to the overall premise of the Starscourge, and her passing on the Ring of the Lucii to Noctis, Luna plays only a small role in the game.

She is important to the story, but only has a few moments in it. Many fans dislike this, as Luna is considered one of the main characters. Her on-screen interactions with Noctis are also few enough that some players were unable to get a genuine sense of their bond.

Luna vs. Stella

Of course, some criticisms stem from the differences between her and the heroine of Final Fantasy Versus XIII, Stella Nox Fleuret. Stella was planned to be a very different sort of character from Luna, an assertive young woman forced into combat against Noctis despite their friendship.

During the transition from Final Fantasy Versus XIII to Final Fantasy XV, the story underwent changes that the team felt no longer had a place for Stella. As such, she was removed from the game, and Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was created instead.

Playable Luna

Square Enix has plans to make additional characters playable through Final Fantasy XV updates and DLC. While no solid plans are in place to let you play as Luna, they have said they will consider it for future DLC since the demand is fairly strong.

Interesting Facts

Interested in learning more about Luna? Here are a few pieces of Final Fantasy XV trivia to share.

• Luna’s full name can be broken down into four separate pieces, each of which has its own meaning:
  • “Luna” means “moon.”
  • “freya” comes from Freya or Freyja, the Norse goddess of many things, including love, beauty, war, and death.
  • “Nox” means “night.”
  • “Fleuret” is both the name for a small fencing sword and the word for “blossom,” like the flowers that appear in so many scenes with Luna.
• The blue flowers that appear in several scenes are called sylleblossoms, and they are Luna’s favorite type of flower. They strongly resemble the real-world flowers called gentianas, a name shared by the Messenger who guides Luna, Gentiana.
• Luna’s wedding dress was designed by a real-world designer, Vivienne Westwood.

What are your thoughts on Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, or Luna, and her role in Final Fantasy XV?

Top 10 Cool and Funny Overwatch Memes

December 13, 2016 by Samantha Lienhard - Leave a comment

Since its release in May, Overwatch has taken the gaming world by storm. Not only do people love playing Overwatch, but it’s also given rise to some great memes. While many more Overwatch memes can be found, here are some of our favorites.

Note: we do not own any of these memes. We simply gathered them from around the Internet.

1. Overwatch: Team Fortress 2, but with waifus

Due to the similarities between Overwatch and Team Fortress 2, there are numerous memes about how Overwatch is just Blizzard’s version of the other game. So, what is the main distinguishing factor between Overwatch and Team Fortress 2?

Apparently it’s the waifus.

2. Attack Commences in 30 Seconds

In reference to the two teams waiting for a match of Overwatch to begin, one of the most common Overwatch memes is to pair the “Attack commences in 30 seconds” line with an image of characters staring at one another through a window or door. The version pictured above is an especially popular one.

3. Team Composition

Good team composition can be hard to come by in Overwatch, since sometimes you have far too many team members who want to play the same character.

4. Bastion’s Play of the Game

Bastion has led to an incredible number of memes, ever since the Overwatch beta. As a robot able to transform into a turret, this character can be devastating. As a result, Bastion players frequently get “play of the game” at the end of a round.

Bastion memes are numerous, whether they’re about the character being overpowered, players who main Bastion being evil, or just how often he defeats his opponents.

5. Photobombing Enemies in Junkenstein’s Revenge

During the Halloween co-op event called Junkenstein’s Revenge, it became popular for players to try to photobomb bosses. Boss characters are introduced with a dramatic camera shot that slowly swing out in front of them as they pose. If you place your character in just the right spot, you can appear in the boss’s introduction shot.

6. Heroes Never Die

When Mercy uses her ultimate to revive her fallen team members, she says “Heroes never die.” This has led to a wide variety of “heroes never die” memes. They range from the frustration (or horror) when it’s an enemy Mercy who does it, to the glory of being revived.

Note: when the opposing team’s Mercy uses her ultimate, she says her line in German.

7. It’s High Noon!

Meanwhile, McCree activates his ultimate (which lets him one-shot anyone in his sight), he shouts, “It’s high noon!” This became a popular meme quite quickly, with images that range from McCree’s satisfaction when high noon arrives, to enemies fleeing, to commentary on the unusual frequency of “high noon.”

These memes became so popular, Blizzard added a new line. When McCree’s ultimate is ready to use, he says, “You know what time it is.”

8. Dad 76

How did Soldier 76 become known throughout the fandom as an overprotective father figure toward the rest of the team? That’s hard to say, but not only is it a popular Overwatch meme, but Blizzard seems to enjoy it as well. In a new line added to the game, Tracer refers to Soldier 76 as “dad.”

There also was a special Soldier 76 event during Father’s Day, but that was entirely a coincidence. Probably.

9. Ah yes, “Reaper”

Since Reaper’s name is a word, he’s found himself in many reaper-related memes, from the Grim Reaper to the Reapers from Mass Effect. The Mass Effect Overwatch memes allow for even more variety, such as jokes about Reaper’s involvement with the Reapers or parodies of the infamous “Ah yes, ‘Reapers,'” line from Mass Effect.

10. Roses are red…

For Hanzo’s ultimate, he shouts, “Ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau.” The line itself has become popular and is used in many memes, but one of the most bizarrely popular ones is Hanzo’s version of the standard “Roses are red” poem:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
RYUU GA WAGA TEKI WO KURAU!

Other Overwatch Memes?

These are only a handful of the many memes that have come out of Overwatch. Do you have a favorite Overwatch meme we haven’t posted? Share it with us in the comments!

What Cheats Do You Want in Red Dead Redemption 2

November 9, 2016 by Samantha Lienhard - 1 Comment

Rockstar Games has announced Red Dead Redemption 2, the sequel to 2010’s Red Dead Redemption and the third game in the Red Dead series. It will be released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sometime in Fall 2017. If you haven’t already watched the announcement trailer, have a look.

Although actual cheat codes aren’t as common in games nowadays, Rockstar is one of the remaining developers who still likes to add fun cheats into their games. What sorts of cheats might we find in Red Dead Redemption 2?

The original Red Dead Redemption had a decent selection of cheat codes. You could do basic things like unlock weapons, spawn horses, alter your Fame level, etc., as well as cause more interesting effects, such as make animals friendly toward you with the Beastmaster code.

Jump forward a few years to Grand Theft Auto V, and you’ll see that Rockstar implemented an even wider variety of cheats: invincibility, flaming bullets, weather control, lower gravity, and more. While many players loved Red Dead Redemption’s cheats, several feel they weren’t nearly as interesting or varied as those found in the Grand Theft Auto series.

It’s safe to say we’ll see cheats return in Red Dead Redemption 2, but what will they be like? What types of cheats would you most like to see in Red Dead Redemption 2? Let us know in the comments.

Titanfall Sequel Confirmed for Xbox One, PS4, and PC

March 12, 2015 by Samantha Lienhard - Leave a comment

Just under a year ago, rumors claimed a Titanfall 2 was planned and that it wouldn’t be Microsoft-exclusive as the original had been. Now, those rumors have finally been proven true. Respawn’s CEO, Vince Zampella, has told IGN that 2014’s multiplayer shooter is getting a sequel, although it doesn’t have a set title yet.

The original Titanfall’s exclusivity was a business decision, and one which won’t be true of the sequel. The next Titanfall game will be made for the Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

According to Zampella, the game will include more lore, although whether or not it will remain multiplayer-only remains undecided. Respawn may take a different approach to DLC, as map packs “split the community and it makes it harder for matchmaking.”

That, along with the multiple platforms, is already making the second Titanfall game appeal to more players. However, many fans are still hoping for a genuine single-player mode. What would you like to see in Titanfall 2?

Games with Gold Titles Announced for March

February 26, 2015 by Cheats.co Staff - Leave a comment

February is almost over, and Microsoft has announced the next month’s titles for Games with Gold.

All month long, Xbox One owners who are members of Xbox Live Gold will be able to pick up Rayman Legends for free. This colorful platformer is one of the best rated Xbox One games, praised for its gameplay, local co-op mode, level design, and more.

Remember, unlike with the Xbox 360 version of the program, you’ll only be able to play this game for as long as you maintain your Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Games with Gold will be even better once March ends. In April, two Xbox One games will be included instead of just one. It sounds as though this increase in free games may be special for April, but we can always hope it’s a lasting change.

Join us in the comments below with your thoughts on Games with Gold and if you’re planning to download Rayman Legends.

Xbox One Bundle ($329) Rises to the Top

November 28, 2014 by Samantha Lienhard - Leave a comment

The Xbox One has trailed in sales to the PS4 for a long time… but the Xbox One Black Friday sales show a different picture. Black Friday and the days around it are times for massive discounts and excellent deals, and the Xbox One Assassin’s Creed Unity Bundle has proved quite popular. This bundle not only includes a download of Assassin’s Creed Unity along with the console, but also Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. This two-game bundle was already a popular item, but Black Friday sales made it even more tempting by cutting its price to $329.

It became a best-seller on Amazon, and many people reported seeing low stock on the bundle at retailers, as they quickly sold out. While many retailers other than Amazon have the bundle available online, it’s already out of stock at some of them.

An even better deal is available from Microsoft, which offers the same bundle with the choice of one additional free game. Many choices are available, such as Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Finally, for those of you who bought the Xbox One Assassin’s Creed Unity bundle from Amazon this week before the sale began, Reddit users have reported that Amazon will honor the discount if you ask.

This is a great deal, and an excellent move for the Xbox One. Will you be picking up an Xbox One thanks to these discounts?

Bungie Removes Second Loot Cave

October 14, 2014 by Samantha Lienhard - Leave a comment

If you were one of the many Destiny players who made use of the second loot cave, we have some bad news. In Bungie’s words, “the Fallen have also retreated from their hold over the Rocket Yard to discuss a new takeover plan.”

Yes, the latest Destiny update eliminated the loot cave. It also fixed several bugs and re-balanced weapons with several changes:

• Auto Rifles have 2% less base damage, a 1.25 headshot bonus, and lower stability
• Hand Cannons have better in-air accuracy
• Scout Rifles have 6% more base damage, increased damage dealt to aliens, better target acquisition, and more recoil tuning
• Shotguns have 20% less base damage when used at their maximum range
• The Shot Package perk’s cone of fire is wider, and you can’t use both it and the Rangefinder perk
• The Vex Mythoclast has 34% less base damage and a 1.50 headshot bonus
• The Pocket Infinity’s Enhanced Battery perk is gone, with the Speed Reload perk in its place

For the full details about everything that was fixed in the update, check out the official announcement. As far as we know, the stairs still work, but maybe it’s just a matter of time.

Now Destiny has “Loot Stairs,” Too

October 8, 2014 by Samantha Lienhard - Leave a comment

Remember Destiny’s loot caves? Well, now you’ve got another option: loot stairs! Operating on the same principle as the loot caves, a set of stairs in the Cosmodrone on Earth has enemies that will infinitely respawn as long as you stay far enough back until you’re ready to collect your rewards. It’s a great way to build up Legendary engrams and other great loot.

Youtube user MinistryOfGeeks has uploaded a useful video explaining how to find the loot stairs. The one negative point, as he demonstrates in his video, is that every 7-10 minutes, a ship spawns above the area and releases new enemies outside the building, which prevents the enemies from spawning on the stairs. You’ll need to get rid of these enemies in order to continue using the loot stairs.

Check out the video for the full details.

So, will you be making use of Destiny’s loot stairs?

A Second Destiny Loot Cave Appears

September 26, 2014 by Samantha Lienhard - Leave a comment

Well, the loot cave didn’t just appear. Like the previous popular loot-farming point in Destiny, this cave in Old Earth’s Rocketyard is a location where you can kill respawning enemies over and over again to get a lot of rare drops in a short period of time. All players have to do is keep their distance, and the enemies will continue to appear.

The original loot cave, found at Skywatch, was patched in a recent Destiny update. We bet this new one won’t be around much longer, either.

In the meantime, though, players can follow the lead of PS4Trophies and collect as much loot as they want.

Fans are divided on this issue. Some support Bungie and say this needs to be fixed. Others would happily spend hours outside the loot cave. Where do you fall? Share your thoughts in the comments below.