Fortnite: Battle Royale is a genuinely free-to-play experience, but has still made a lot of cash for Epic Games. This is how…
Fortnite: Battle Royale is a free game is a game that anybody can play. Even if you don’t have a single cent to spend on it, you can still get the complete experience that the game is offering. A pay-to-win game, on the other hand, requires money to get the optimal experience the game provides. You might be able to play the game from start to finish or compete with other players online, but spending money will make the whole experience much more accessible.
You can’t pay for an advantage when you’re playing Fortnite; it is 100% fair. Practice hard enough, and you’ll be able to take on the best players. Nobody can pay for an overpowered weapon that can take out the players who have been working hard to get better over time. If people can’t pay for an unfair advantage, how does Epic games make so much money from Fortnite? Well, thanks to the guys at fnbr.co we can see exactly what people are spending their money on in Fortnite: Battle Royale.
Above, we have a visual list of every single item available in the Fortnite store as of June 3, 2018. There are so many items we had to split the original image because it was just too damn big. According to the official Fortnite subreddit, it would cost $2,935 to buy every item in the Fortnite store!
The amazing thing about every item shown above is that they’re all cosmetic. The items don’t make you better at the game; they help you develop and show off an in-game identity to whoever you’re playing with. It is the fairness that comes with the free-to-play format and the ability to create your own identity that has allowed Fortnite to spread far and wide.
There is even an argument to say that these items give you a disadvantage. If you’re rocking all sorts cool skins then people might target you more, as they could think you’ve got the skills to go with them.
Have you ever bought anything from the Fortnite store?
Have you seen them? If you haven’t, get back into Fortnite for Season 5! Golf carts recently hit the battlefield, along with a number of other changes to the familiar island we’ve come to love.
Despite Fortnite’s new rifts, skins, emotes, locations, and sports balls, the addition of driving to Fortnite likely deserves to be called the best change. Since many other battle Royale games – Player Unknowns Battlegrounds, for example – already allowed the use of vehicles, players have long expected some automobile in Fortnite. Now that it’s here, we’re glad to see the carts were designed with Fortnite’s characteristic charm.
There are a few technical details you should know. First, carts can be found in good supply at Lazy Links and Paradise Palms, two of the new locations which were ostensibly pulled into the landscape after the Great Rift of Season 4. Each cart sits four people: driver, shotgun, and two passengers on the back. They can be destroyed by gunfire with apparent ease. At top speed, they move much faster than a sprinting player and the roof acts like a bounce pad…
So what about combat?! To discuss this, we’ll go step by step and check through each position of the cart. Every one has a different role, and the successful completion of those could spell a Victory Royale; failure could mean a destroyed cart and a lost game, so read on!
Driver
Your job is to drive, naturally.
However, there’s more to that than you might expect. For one, you should know that the carts deal damage when they run into other players:
If you see the chance to run someone over, don’t waste the opportunity, and don’t miss!
At the same time, beware. As we’ve mentioned, the carts can be destroyed by gunfire, and are not very strong! If your enemies see you coming, it may be best to stay farther away and let your passengers engage in combat. When this happens, follow the Driver’s Number 1 Rule: keep moving, and avoid fire. A stationary vehicle makes an easy target, and a vehicle traveling straight ahead at the same speed isn’t much better. Get jiggy with it!
Finally, the driver is the parent/guardian of the vehicle. You’re responsible for making sure everyone’s inside. Don’t leave your friends amongst enemies or running through the storm!
Shotgun
Like the passengers, shotgun position can fire weapons. While driving across the landscape, you should be watching for signs of enemies ahead.
Once engaged with an enemy, note that the roof may impede your vision and doesn’t offer much cover. While this makes shotgun a difficult position, it still offers a huge plus: you’re closer to the front of the cart, and the ground…
That means building!
Is there a mountain in your way? Shotgun can build a ramp as the cart goes up. Are there people on both sides? Shotgun can create a wall to avoid a two-front war. Stay on top of it, keep fighting, and build well!
You are the brawlers. When driving, keep your head up and scour the landscape for signs of danger. You may see a group of enemies running before they spot you. When this happens, have your weapon ready and score a few hits before the building starts. Also, don’t forget to crouch back down if someone starts firing back!
Now, we admit that this requires excellent aim while moving. If you aren’t that type of fighter, no worries: once the enemies begin fighting you can always hop off and start building from the ground while your teammates keep rolling. Then, continue fighting the usual way!
Transport
Fortnite has an unspoken rule: transportation is combat.
On one hand, this relates to the storm. Since Fortnite’s weather itself deals damage, simply outrunning the storm may be your key to winning a fight. Why lose health when the environment will take care of your opponents? But on the flip side, you don’t want to be the team left behind, running for your lives. If the clouds are coming, get to that cart quick before anyone else does!
On the other hand, “transportation combat” can relate to positioning. Many battles are won with the use of jump pads and bouncers, all of which may help you get behind the enemy, on top of their fort, or simply to a safe place for healing. In terms of the cart, this may mean running, moving to higher ground, or a flanking maneuver.
(To flank: if you’re a passenger, hop off the cart while your teammates keep driving around. If you’re lucky, you may come up behind the other team while they’re distracted and catch them from multiple sides. If that doesn’t work, don’t panic: you may be the perfect distraction while your teammates get into position.)
Fun
Of course, don’t forget that we’re playing Fortnite here. Take nothing too seriously! Build a ramp, drive off cliffs, have drag races. If you’ve acquired one of the sports ball emotes, you can use the carts to get around Lazy Links for some golf, or visit the many other sports fields for a good time. Also, once the next set of Battle Pass challenges arrive, you can be sure the carts will help. Whatever the case, don’t forget to enjoy Fortnite’s new vehicles!
According to Overwatch lead designer Jeff Kaplan, Overwatch’s new endorsement system has had a significant impact in reducing toxicity. The post where Kaplan explains this can be viewed below:
As the post demonstrates, in the Americas alone, the number of players engaging in daily abusive behavior has gone down nearly 29 percent. While it remains to be seen if the numbers will remain at this level, this is undoubtedly already an impressive impact. While some players have complained that this system has led to people being “fake nice” in order to score XP and loot, a game environment of fake nice people beats out a toxic hellhole every time.
Overwatch had a noted toxicity problem in the past, with many players (especially women) feeling like the harassment and stressful environment turned them off of the game. Blizzard implemented smaller measures to curb this in the past. One example of a much less serious measure they took was automatically replacing the phrase “gg ez”, which mockingly means “good game easy”, with humorous phrases like “I feel very, very small… please hold me…” and “It’s past my bedtime. Please don’t tell my mommy.” The endorsement system seems to say that Blizzard is now taking in-game toxicity much more seriously than it has in the past.
Blizzard isn’t the only developer working hard to make their game communities less toxic. Ubisoft recently added an automatic chat filter to their popular online shooter Rainbow Six: Siege which boots players from games automatically for using racist or sexist slurs, among other words. While trash talk has been a staple of competition ever since man first picked up a ball, there comes a point where harmless trash talk becomes harassment. While this has been present in online gaming since its inception, saying “that’s just how the internet works” doesn’t cut it anymore.
The Overwatch roster currently features 28 playable heroes, with players able to take control of everything from a talking gorilla to a robotic monk. With such a huge list of characters to choose from, trying to find the hero that best suits your play style might seem like an impossible task. Whether you’re a new player or just trying to switch things up, here are a few tips to help you quickly find your best hero.
With 28 playable characters, your first goal should be narrowing down that list to a handful of characters that you think might be right for you. The best way to start your search is to think of the games you already play. Though there are a few more unique options, most Overwatch characters fit into some familiar play styles. If you’re a fan of classic first-person shooters like Call of Duty or Battlefield, starting with Soldier: 76 can be a great way to get the hang of the game. Doomfist has a lot in common with characters from fighting games like Mortal Kombat, and Widowmaker is just one of the sniper heroes that should appeal to all the marksmen out there. Team Fortress 2 veterans will also find some familiar classes: turret-building Torbjorn is reminiscent of the Engineer and Mercy will feel familiar to fans of the Medic. Take a look through the classes and see if anything sounds familiar to you. You might be surprised at what you find.
How Overwatch raised a jaw-dropping amount of money for breast cancer research
Rather than trying to settle on an individual character from the list, it can help to think of what role you want to fill. The hero roster is subdivided into Damage, Support, and Tank roles.
Damage heroes focus on dealing damage to the enemy team, as the name implies. This role would be most suited to a player with quick reflexes who prefers fast-paced, frontline combat.
Support characters are the healers of the game, and play an important role keeping the team at full health while at the same time enhancing their abilities with damage boosts and other buffs. This class may be tricky to get the hang of for more casual multiplayer gamers, but it can also be extremely fun and gratifying.
Finally, Tanks have huge amounts of health and armor, and generally come equipped with some kind of shielding or defensive ability. Tanks soak up damage from the enemy team while leading the charge to the enemy objective, and keep other players on their team safe from harm.
If one of these roles appeals to you more than the others, start testing out the characters in that role. Selecting your character by finding the role you want to fill is a much easier way to narrow down the list than sifting through each hero one by one.
Don’t Get Stuck
This is maybe the most important thing to remember when choosing your hero. We all have our favorites, whether it be Tracer, Reaper, or Reinhardt. It’s a tough thing to realize, but your favorite character might not be the character you’re best at playing. Focusing on playing a single character or a character that you like may be preventing you from finding the character you actually excel at. So instead of trying to play a character that just isn’t working for you, experiment and test out some new heroes.
Don’t Play Just One
Overwatch is much more fun once you start playing characters based on what your team needs. After you’ve found and mastered your first hero, try to master at least one hero in each role. Don’t be afraid to leave your comfort zone. There’s actually quite a bit of overlap between the roles. There are Support characters that play like Damage characters, Tanks that play like Support, and everything in between. There’s a bit of a learning curve to each hero, but the only way to learn them is to pick one and start playing!
One final tip to keep in mind: have fun. Overwatch is one of the most accessible multiplayer games out there, and such a huge roster means there’s a hero for everyone. Using the tips on this list will make finding your best hero easier, and the faster you do that, the faster you’ll start winning.
It’s been eight years since Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. We completely understand if by now you’re getting a bit tired of Lydia as a follower. While there are a ton of follower mods out there, sometimes if you want something done right it’s best to just do it yourself. So exactly how hard is it to make your own follower in Skyrim? We’ll show you in these 15 steps.
It goes without saying that you’ll need a copy of Skyrim to test this properly, so if you don’t own the game, here it is:
Alternatively, if you own Skyrim or Skyrim: Special Edition Steam, you actually already own the Creation Kit. On Steam you can find it in your Tools tab under ‘Library.’ Just scroll down and double-click to install.
Once you have the Creation Kit installed, we’re ready to begin. Please do not forget to saveyour progress oftenand be patient when working with this software. There are thousands of assets at work here, so it’s very touchy and crashes quite often.
http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Creation_Kit
1. Getting started
Once you’ve opened Creation Kit, you’ll be faced with this screen:
Click File > Open, then double-click ‘Skyrim.esm.’ Open it up. If a prompt comes up saying you haven’t selected an active file, ignore it. Similarly, if you get a message about missing plug-ins, just say ‘yes to all.’
Right-click on the massive list of actor names that appears on the left and say “new.” This will open up the character creation window. Now we’re ready to get working.
2. Name your follower
At the top left of the window that just opened, you’ll be putting in a ref ID. This is the unique tag that the game will identify your new character as. This will not be the character’s visible name! As such try and balance your Ref ID to be both unique and easy to remember, something like “JohnDoe101ActorFollower.”
After, type in your follower’s name. The “short name” afterward is optional. The name will be your character’s label in-game, while the short name is shorthand for quests. For example, “Jane Doe” might be referred to as “Jane” in your quest log.
Don’t touch any of the options below, like Invulnerable or Protected. We’ll do that later.
3. Assign Basic Traits
On the right, you’ll be presented with a handful of checkboxes for your character’s traits. Up top, pick your character’s race and sex. For the sake of this tutorial, we’ll be covering how to make a human follower, not an animal.
Next, you should tick the “preview” checkbox at the bottom of the window to see the character’s full body. This will help with the adjustments we’re about to make.
A character’s height and weight are very touchy, so if you make adjustments to their default they should be very minimal or they’ll look odd in-game. For reference, check the preview on your right as you go along.
4. Give your follower a voice
This next part is important. Still on the Traits tab, if you go down the Voice Type dropdown it will at first seem like you have a ton of options. This is sadly misleading. Most of these voices will unfortunately not work with follower characters. In order to find the ones that do, you’ll have to dig a bit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLgSYzOaTnA
In your object window on the left, expand the Miscellaneous options and click on FormList. In the filter up top, type “follower.” Now double-click the “VoicesFollowerAll” option and scroll through to pick the one you want for your follower. If you don’t know what these voice types sound like, check out this video for samples:
5. Set your follower’s stats
The stats tab is where you pick your follower’s level and how good he/she is with the various skills in-game. You can start by setting a follower’s level by simply typing it in the “Level Mult” portal, but we recommend a different approach:
Tick the checkbox that says “PC Level Mult” and it will unlock the two portals below that say “Calc Min” and “Calc Max.” From here you can put in the follower’s min and max level, so that they will better scale with the player character and the enemies you encounter. For example, our character starts at level 30 lowest, but caps at 55:
The bottom window has a variety of build options like Blade, Beggar, CombatScout, etc. Clicking through them will change which skills get priority for your follower. How good a follower is at any particular skill is a combination of both their “class” and their level window. Two CombatMonk class characters may have differing levels of Sneak depending on what level they are.
6. Set your faction
This tab and the next don’t have much wiggle room and aren’t as subjective as the past couple, so you’ll need to do the next steps exactly as written. Luckily they’re pretty simple:
Go to the Faction tab. Now right-click in the empty lined box and say “new.” Then type follower in the filter. Choose “CurrentFollowerFaction” and “PotentialFollowerFaction” options. They should both appear in the window.
Now select the “CurrentFollowerFaction” and press F2. Then type in “-1.” This basically sets your character as unassigned to you from the start, which means they will only join you after you speak with them, as is the default in this game.
Frankly, if you set this value as anything other than -1 it’s unlikely that your follower will work at all. Do it right and your factions screen should end up looking like this:
Before we move any further, NOW is the time to check the boxes under your character’s ref ID and name. A quick runthrough of what these mean:
7. Can your follower be killed?
CharGen Face: Your follower’s face will be in the preset faces at the start of game. Essential: Your follower cannot die. Protected: You cannot kill this follower, but enemies and falls can. Respawn: After this follower dies, it will come back. Unique: This is only one follower, and there are no duplicates of this character running around the game world. Summonable: This character can be summoned via conjuration. Ghost: Weapons and spells will go through this follower. Invulnerable: Weapons and spells will impact this character, but they will be unaffected. Doesn’t Bleed: No blood animation when this follower is struck. Simple Actor: Disables several of the facial animations on this follower. Doesn’t Affect Stealth Meter: If this follower spots you while you’re crouching, it will not affect your sneak meter.
Pick whatever combination of these you like, but you’ll at least need to check the“Unique”box.
8. What is your follower’s relationship with you?
In the Relationship tab right-click in the window and click ‘new.’ Again make your ID straightforward and official – something like “JohnDoe101FollowerRel.” Your Parent NPC portal should be auto-filled to match your follower’s ID. Keep it that way.
Then simply make the Child NPC “Player” and the relationship level “Ally.” It should similar to this when you’re done:
Skip the Keywords tab and click the one that says “AI Data.”
9. Set your AI Data
This section is a little more up to your discretion. The AI attributes here affect your follower’s expressions and behavior. We do recommend, however, that you at least set the Aggression to “Unagressive” and your Confidence to “Average” just so your follower doesn’t go berserk and start attacking you should you accidentally hit him. The Mood portal determines your follower’s facial expressions, so set that with whatever you think best suits your dude.
Setting the Assistance and Morality will affect whether your follower will perform unsavory actions like attacking or stealing if commanded. Finally, the combat style should more or less mirror the class you picked out back on the Stats page. Again this might take some trial and error to pick out the one best suited for your follower.
Skip the AI Packages tab for now. We’ll come back to it soon.
10. Set your follower’s outfit and inventory
In the Inventory tab you get to pick out your follower’s clothes. Click the dropdown under “Default Outfit” and pick the one you like. What you’re really setting here is what your follower will wear when they’re not in your service. That means when they’re wandering around their starting location and such. Any armor is best given to them by you, in-game.
11. Set up your follower’s perks and spells
Here’s where you pick your follower’s perks and, if they use magic, their spells. We made our example follower a mage just so you can see what it will look like. If you use magic, right-click in the “Spells” window and pick out any spells you want this follower to use.
Note: Your follower will always use the strongest spells available, and that means he’ll default to using high-cost magic if they have access to something like Incinerate, Icy Spear, or Thunderbolt. If you don’t want him to run out of magicka too fast, don’t give him these spells! You can see how much mana your follower has back on their Stats page.
Next, pick your perks. It might take some guesswork to determine which perk is which, but you can always come back to adjust later. We made our character (above) a destruction conjurer with some points in alteration if you’d like to compare:
If you choose a more warrior build, the page might look something like this:
Now tab over a few to get to the Character Gen Parts
12. Make a face
Now you finally get to the fun stuff – pick what your follower’s face looks like! We recommend you start by clicking the “head” checkbox at the bottom of the window for a zoom-in view to get the best possible accuracy.
Start off with cycling through the presets, then get more in-depth with the options in the Base Head Parts box. If you want to go really crazy click the next tab over, Character Gen Morphs, to fine tune your aesthetic.
13. Where does your follower live?
If you haven’t been saving your progress lately, DO SO NOW. This next part is notoriously finicky, and the kit will often crash here.
Notice the “Cell View” window towards the bottom right of Creation Kit. This is where any and all locations in the game are listed. Click where you want your follower to spawn. (We like Riverwood since it’s easily reached from the start.) If you get any error messages upon loading up your location, again just hit “yes to all.”
Navigating inside the Creation Kit takes some practice, but at it’s most basic, Shift controls the vertical angle while the mouse wheel zooms in and out. Be sure to take into account where everything in the game world was at the start, so you don’t accidentally save with a rooftop missing or something. If you do accidentally delete something, your best bet is probably just to close out and open the kit back up again.
Once you’ve found where you want to place your follower, all you have to do is drag it from the Object Window right into the map. Press ‘F‘ to make sure your follower lands on the floor correctly and doesn’t wind up embedded in the dirt or any similar embarrassment.
14. Nobody just stands still
The icing on the cake is to add an AI package. Tab over to it and right-click in the window. Hit “add” this time, not “new.” “New” is if you want to make a completely new AI package, and we suggest just using one of the defaults, especially if this is your first time making a follower.
In the filter that comes up, type “defaultsandbox” and pick one of the four options that start with “DefaultSandbox.” The number after just refers to the radius in which your follower will wander from where you placed him, so probably the bigger the better.
Save your progressonce you’ve set this!
15. Meet your masterpiece
From here all you need to do is boot up Skyrim and go to the location where you placed your follower! Once you meet your creation if anything isn’t working correctly, do not fear; it happens to the best of us. Just back out and re-open the Creation Kit and try and troubleshoot.
It might also help to check out some of Bethesda’s default characters in the Creation Kit to get a better feel for how you might want to base yours. For mages, we recommend checking out Tolfdir or Nirya. Brynwolf or Karliah for thieves, Faendal or Aela for archers, and Lydia or Farkas for warriors.
Don’t beat yourself up if you’re still having trouble with this. The first follower you make is always the hardest one. Follow our guide here as best you can, but you may still find your character isn’t one hundred percent what you want. Trial and error are your best teachers, and all the characters you make afterward can be modeled off your first as a blueprint, saving you a lot of work.
15 free Skyrim mods to satisfy fans until Elder Scrolls 6
One of the greatest joys in life is kicking back on the couch with a friend and playing video games. The hardest part? Settling on what to play. The PlayStation Now streaming service offers a huge variety of titles available to play instantly, including many that offer local co-op. These are the best games for when you’re looking to team up and kick some butt.
1. Resistance 3
If you’re a fan of action-packed first-person shooters, this is the game for you. Resistance 3 is set in an alternate-reality version of 1953 after a hostile alien invasion decimates Earth. The entire single-player campaign is playable in co-op mode. The drop-in drop-out feature makes for a low stakes co-op experience, and means you won’t have worry about replaying the same sections if your partner has to leave for a minute to get some pizza. The action is fast-paced and a diverse list of creative weaponry offers unique ways to fight your way through the alien horde. The story is also surprisingly deep and will keep you hooked all the way to the bitter end.
2. Resogun
Resogun is perfect for fans of bullet-hell shooters. In a lot of ways, Resogun feels like the neon-drenched older brother of Gladius. Players choose from a selection of unique ships, and then the action starts. Lasers, powerups, and boss battles abound. Though only two players can take control at a time, Resogun has the makings of an excellent party game. If you’ve got a group of friends over, passing around the controllers as you try to fight your way through the levels makes for incredible amounts of fun. Also, the killer soundtrack would make the perfect background music for any party.
Though it may seem like a kid’s game at first glance, Lego Star Wars is fun for anyone at any age. Players can drop in and out at any time, taking control of Lego versions of classic Star Wars characters or building their own characters from Lego bricks. As a team, you can solve puzzles and battle your way through levels from all six original Star Wars movies. The Lego games offer their own brand of lighthearted humor and poke fun at the series in a way that will get a laugh out of any Star Wars fan. Who knew Chewbacca looked so good in a top hat? If Star Wars isn’t your thing, a whole host of other Lego video games are also available on PlayStation Now, ranging from Harry Potter to Indiana Jones to Batman. The best part? Every single game in the series offers couch co-op.
4. Resident Evil 5
Resident Evil 5 is the first game in the series to offer split-screen co-op play, and it’s certainly one of the best. Players control B.S.A.A. agents Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar as they attempt to stop a viral outbreak in Africa. This game is like a more action-oriented, multiplayer version of Resident Evil 4. Playing through with the story with a partner is the best way to experience the game. Fighting through the horde and taking on the game’s horrific, intense boss battles with a friend at your side makes the victories that much more satisfying. Several other co-op Resident Evil games are also available on PlayStation Now, such as Resident Evil 6 and Resident Evil Revelations 2.
Borderlands 2 has everything you could want from a co-op experience. Borderlands is the love child of a first-person shooter and an RPG. The best part of this game is its customizability. Players can choose from four character classes and level them up with unique skills and abilities, meaning there’s something here to fit everybody’s play style. Whether you prefer hanging back and sniping from afar or getting more up close and personal, you can tweak your skills and gear to fit how you prefer to play. You can also save your characters, meaning the next time your buddy comes over, their character, skills, loot, and skins will all be right where they left them. Borderlands 2’s story also stands out, and there’s plenty of hilarious moments that will leave you and your friends in stitches. This is the perfect game for a night in. Make sure you have plenty of snacks handy.
With a huge variety of titles and co-op games to choose from, PlayStation Now offers something for everyone. Now that you’re armed with this list, the hardest thing you’ll have to decide on is what toppings to get on your pizza.
If you haven’t joined the online community of a game, you’re missing out on something special. There are a number of ways to do it and there are a whole lot of game communities, but joining the team almost always feels great. Almost always, because let’s be honest, some communities are, well…
That being said, gaming alone and gaming with a community is the difference between celebrating your birthday alone or grabbing pizza with the squad. If you haven’t already, we’d recommend giving it a try!
Choose a Method
As we’ve said, there are tons of ways to join a community, which makes it difficult to create discussable categories. But we worked together three pretty solid sections: console, online, and in-person communities.
Console
Many consoles like PlayStation and Xbox allow users to meet, collaborate, and communicate over games.
For example, Microsoft provides every game on the Xbox with a “Game Hub”, where users can collectively discuss, post videos, develop Clans, and create Group Requests, which joins the players in a party chat. Altogether, these abilities work great for games like Halo 5, where cooperative “fireteams” of Spartans go head to head in futuristic battles. Depending on those involved, the teamwork involved can bring teams together as friends.
So, whatever game you’re playing, make sure to check what your console offers. You may discover long-time teammates or a few buddies you can talk with to make gaming a bit more fun and friendly.
Also: many games, Fortnite especially, allow users to meet in-game. Here are some articles that discuss the topic more in-depth.
The main question to ask is, what do you want? There are many online resources that help communities gather, and even more application that can be used for the same purpose. Here are a few:
Reddit. Commonly called “The Front Page of the Internet”, this site offers numerous discussion pages, called subreddits, for literally anything. If you’re a game, make a Reddit account and subscribe to r/gaming. Do you have a specific game you enjoy? How about r/halo, r/bloodborne, or r/breath_of_the_wild? The downside to Reddit is that although posting, commenting, and discussing works well, it may be hard to find a specific group of people.
Facebook. A classic. Facebook excels at allowing users to create small or large groups. Thanks to the personalization, this makes it easier to plan events or work together, rather than posting memes. On the other hand, Facebook’s relative intimacy means you may need to search a while for the right group for you.
Twitch. This site does more than let you watch games: the following, commenting, and friending services enable the development of community like the other sites we’ve mentioned. However, in contrast with Reddit and Facebook, Twitch takes users right to the games with live feed videos of players. This hands-on style may be up your alley.
If a site wasn’t mentioned, we apologize. Please mention it in the comments below and remember: you don’t need to tie yourself down to one website. Most users have accounts on multiple sites. What matters most is what works best for each person!
In Person
Despite being in the communication age, meeting face-to-face can still create one of the best gaming experiences.
Keep an eye and ear out for opportunities in your community. Yes, it’s possible that nobody in your area actually plays the games you enjoy… but that’s highly unlikely. More often, you can discover fellow players through conversations about your interests. A number of gamer clans have been developed by adults who met in the office!
For the younger crowd, schools create the perfect environment to meet friends. If you’ve tried to discover teammates with no luck, consider making your own club or event: schools are often glad to accommodate student-run activities. With a little initiative, you may bring together a group of fellow gamers!
The second half of 2018 is gearing up to be a powerhouse. We’ve got AAA releases coming left and right, so let’s not miss a beat and get right into the 10 best games coming in the second half of 2018.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy (September 21) (PS4, Xbox One)
The Insomniac Games creation is emerging after a long hiatus. The Developers at Toys for Bob have worked from the ground-up to bring Spyro in all its HD glory to the current generation of consoles. If you’re a fan of the original or nostalgia or both, look out for this game this fall.
Warhammer 40k: Inquisitor-Martyr (July 5) (PS4, Xbox One)
Even though we are a few days past its release, Warhammer games are always a treat. Inquisitor-Martyr places you into the role of a Space Marine aboard the Martyr, a massive ship floating in space. With near top-down gameplay, it is very reminiscent of Diablo and early Warcraft titles.
We Happy Few is a very intriguing concept for a year dominated by Battle Royale. It’s a single-player survival experience set in a dystopian town where the populous is sedated by the upper-class. Flying under the radar as an early-access game on Steam, We Happy Few will be released in less than a month, so make sure to pre-order your copy.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 (August 31) (PS4, Xbox One)
Divinity: Original Sin II is not your typical action-adventure game. The concept errs towards high fantasy and plays much similar to Inquisitor-Martyr and Diablo. The graphics are stellar and, even though the learning curve can be steep, it’s worth giving this sleeper a chance.
A lot of hype has been surrounding Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man reboot. Most recently, a gameplay trailer was released which revealed the villains set to challenge Spider-Man at every corner. Spider-Man will boast a slew of new abilities and be able to interact with his environment in surprisingly unique ways. This is definitely a game to purchase if you’re a fan of the MCU.
Assassins Creed: Odyssey (October 5) (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Riding the success of Assassins Creed: Origins, Ubisoft Quebec has been hard at work on yet another chapter in the series, this time taking their stories to the land of Ancient Greece. In Sparta, you have the option to take control of either a Male or Female character during the Peloponnesian war and fight to become the most notorious mercenary in all of Greece.
Red Dead Redemption 2 (October 26) (PS4, Xbox One)
One of, if not, the most anticipated game of the year. Rockstar consistently releases quality titles and Red Dead Redemption is no exception. Set as a prequel to the first game, you take control of Arthur Morgan, an outlaw involved with the Van der Linde gang, and fight for survival against whatever the Wild West throws at you.
Overkill’s The Walking Dead (November 6) (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
Overkill’s new product is a Left for Dead-style game set in the comic book universe created Robert Kirman. The most recent title about the Comic was created by Telltale Games, so Overkill has some large shoes to fill. The game itself looks to be more survival oriented than run and gun, so be on the lookout for heart-racing gameplay and terrific graphics.
As we approach the end of the year, Bethesda is blessing the gaming community with another addition to the Fallout series. Fallout 4 was a triumph in more ways than one, but it also lacked in a few departments, mainly quest diversity. Fallout 76 looks to fix those issues and bring the community closer together by creating servers for players to enter with up to 24 to 32 other players. Bethesda claims the map is four times the size of Fallout 4, so you might be hard-pressed to find another player.
More destruction. Better physics. Extreme weather conditions. A release date near Christmas. What more can you ask for from a Just Cause entry? Avalanche and Square Enix are in South American once again, following Rico Rodriquez on his quest to rid the world of oppressive regimes. The physics engine has been taken to the limit with tornados uprooting bridges and sandstorms pushing helicopters off the tarmac. Just Cause games are designed to be adrenaline-filled fun and a new entry into the series is very welcome.
Details are slowly trickling in about the follow-up to Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic survival masterpiece, including an incredible new trailer showcased at E3. Here’s what we know so far about The Last of Us 2’s story, gameplay, and other rumors. If you still haven’t played the first game, be warned: spoilers are incoming.
The Last of Us 2 is set five years after the somewhat ambiguous ending of the first game. After finally reaching a research facility run by the Fireflies in Utah, Ellie was quickly whisked away. Marlene, the leader of the Fireflies, informed Joel that in order to find a cure for the infection, they would have to operate on Ellie’s brain, killing her in the process. Forced to choose between saving Ellie and curing the infection, Joel chose Ellie. He massacred his way through the Fireflies facility before finally reaching Ellie just as she was about to undergo the operation that would kill her. When Ellie finally wakes up from her drug-induced coma, Joel lies about what happened, telling her that the Fireflies had found other test subjects besides her and that they were still unable to find a cure.
The game ends with Joel and Ellie returning to the settlement run by Joel’s brother, Tommy. When Ellie once again asks Joel if what he told her is the truth, he doubles down on his lie, and the credits roll.
Several years later, Ellie is now a teenager. Joel will be taking a backseat this time around; Naughty Dog has confirmed that players will be taking control of Ellie in this installment. Joel will still have a large presence in this game, but what exactly that presence will be remains a mystery. In the game’s first trailer, we only see his silhouette, which led some to speculate that Joel is dead, and only remains as a figment of Ellie’s imagination. Though Joel certainly isn’t getting any younger, the latest E3 trailer seems to refute this. New character Jesse approaches Ellie at a party at Tommy’s settlement, remarking that her “old man,” presumably Joel, called him out for slacking while making his rounds. He also mentions that Joel always seems to take a greater interest when Ellie is on patrol with them.
This certainly sounds like the Joel we know and love, but also of note is the way Ellie reacts to this remark. She definitely doesn’t seem happy that Joel is butting in, which could mean several things. Though Ellie and Joel grew closer over the events of the first game, it ended with them somewhat at odds with each other. Just based on the way Ellie seems to resent Joel’s overprotectiveness, it doesn’t seem like that’s changed much in the five years between the two games. However, is this just Ellie going through a rebellious teenager phase, or did she find out at some point that Joel lied to her?
5 best games to play while waiting for The Last of Us 2
Whatever the reason, Ellie has grown up quite a bit since the last time we saw her. The new gameplay trailer shows her fighting off enemies with the same brutal combat style introduced in the first game. Melee combat, improvised weapons, and stealth are all returning in a big way in this new game, and combat overall seems much more fluid than in the first entry. Ellie transitions seamlessly between running, hiding, and fighting, and at one point we see her quickly crafting an explosive arrow mid-fight to get the upper hand on her opponents.
So, who exactly are these opponents? Details have been sparse on them so far, but Naughty Dog has revealed that they are a pseudo-religious cult known as the Seraphites. Their goal is towipe out sin as they see it, though what “sin” they’re attempting to wipe out remains unclear. The cult members all seem to share a similar appearance. Male members of the cult shave their heads, while women have the same braided hairstyle. Looking closely will also reveal that the cultists all have Glasgow Smiles, the same kind of scars that gave The Joker his distinctive grin in “The Dark Knight.” In addition, all members also seem to wear similar long, brown duster coats.
Aside from what they look like, we know that the Seraphites aren’t very nice people. They seem to kill in a particular ritualistic style that involves hanging and disemboweling their enemies, and will “clip the wings” of their targets by brutally breaking their limbs with a hammer. New characters Yara and Lev are a brother and sister duo who were formerly members of the Seraphites. Though it’s still unclear how their story intersects with that of Joel and Ellie, it seems likely that we’ll learn more about this vicious cult through them.
Aside from the Seraphites, we can also see graffiti of the Fireflies logo on a signpost in the game’s first trailer. This is the only hint we’ve seen that they might be returning in the second game. Joel’s rampage at the end of the first game left the group without any clear leadership, so it seems likely that if they do reappear, they’ll be out for revenge. If this is the case, between the Fireflies and the Seraphites, Joel and Ellie will certainly have their hands full.
Several new characters are also being introduced this time around. In addition to Yara and Lev, we’ve also met an unnamed woman voiced by Naughty Dog veteran Laura Bailey. Naughty Dog loyalists will recognize her from her role as mercenary Nadine Ross in Uncharted 4, and it seems like she’s bringing the same intensity to this mysterious new character. We’re also going to meet a few new residents of Tommy’s settlement. Shannon Woodward, who fans of HBO’s “Westworld” will know as park technician Elsie Hughes, plays Jesse’s ex-girlfriend Dina. She takes a starring role in the latest trailer, sharing a kiss with Ellie during a dance at the party. It’s unclear whether their relationship will develop into something more serious than a somewhat tipsy kiss.
One final important detail that Naughty Dog has revealed: whereas the first game was about love, this game is going to be about hate. From what we’ve seen so far, this game is going to have a much, much darker tone than the original. Between Ellie’s colder and more ruthless outlook and the brutal executions perpetrated by both her and the Seraphites, this game promises to be an extremely intense ride, and it seems like Naughty Dog won’t be pulling any punches this time around. Though no official release date has been revealed yet, Naughty Dog has been revealing a steady stream of new content since announcing the game, and we’re excited to see what else lies in store for Joel and Ellie.
The Last of Us 2 is coming. Naughty Dog has been dropping tantalizing hints for months now, and with a slick new trailer that dropped at E3 (below), anticipation for the sequel to their post-apocalyptic survival masterpiece is at an all-time high. However, Naughty Dog has yet to confirm an official release date, and if you’ve already replayed the original game, waiting might seem impossible. Fear not, because we’ve got you covered with five games you can play in the meantime to scratch that itch.
5. Fallout 4
One of the most memorable aspects of The Last of Us was the setting. Exploring the ruins of once-bustling American cities, now destroyed and slowly being retaken by nature, made for some unexpectedly poignant moments. Fallout 4 does an excellent job at recapturing that feeling. You can customize your own character and explore the vast wastelands of post-apocalyptic Massachusetts. The ruins of Boston also provided the backdrop for the first few chapters of The Last of Us, and you can actually visit some of the same locations, such as the State House, in both games.
Though the gameplay and overall tone is decidedly different, Uncharted 4 shares a large part of its creative team with The Last of Us. Naughty Dog guru and award-winning writer Neil Druckmann created the story for both games. This means that fans of the rich narrative in The Last of Us will find that same style of intricate storytelling here. This time around, Nathan Drake comes out of retirement to help his brother hunt down a fabled pirate treasure, an adventure that spans from windswept Scottish highlands to lush tropical island jungles. Joel’s voice and motion capture actor, Troy Baker, also returns in the role of Nate’s brother Sam. The graphics also look extremely similar to what we’ve seen so far from trailers for The Last of Us 2. This means that Uncharted 4 might be a good glimpse into what the characters and environments of The Last of Us 2 might look like.
Story-wise, this game feels like the long lost twin of The Last of Us. When you actually put both games on paper, their narratives are remarkably similar. Players control Lee Everett, a former university professor and escaped convict, as he rescues and cares for a young girl named Clementine. The two are forced to rely on each other as the world crumbles to the zombie apocalypse. Sounds familiar, right? If you’re looking for the same intense combat that The Last of Us offers, though, look elsewhere. Though not reliant on combat, this narrative-based game serves up the same stark moral choices players were confronted with in The Last of Us, and players will find out exactly how far they’re willing to go to survive in the post-apocalypse.
Troy Baker playing a grizzled, world-weary protagonist with a tragic backstory? Check. A young girl with the potential to save the world? Check. The pair being forced into a reluctant partnership that eventually develops into a much more meaningful relationship? Check. Bioshock Infinite almost feels like an alternate universe version of The Last of Us, which seems fitting considering Elizabeth’s ability to open portals into alternate realities. One of the most interesting aspects of Bioshock is seeing a different take on a very similar relationship, and will leave you thinking about how differently the story of The Last of Us could have played out. Gameplay wise, Bioshock is more of a combat-heavy shooter, and should appeal to the more action-oriented fans of The Last of Us.
If you only have to pick one game to satisfy your cravings for The Last of Us, look no further. When playing Tomb Raider, it becomes quickly apparent how similar the two games are in terms of actual gameplay. Tomb Raider puts players in control of Lara Croft at the beginning of her adventuring career. Shipwrecked on a mysterious island, she finds herself fighting for her life against ruthless cultists and other, more sinister forces. Players will find themselves scavenging for weapon upgrades, sneaking past deadly enemies, hunting for food, and pulling off brutal melee kills. Playing as Lara almost feels like getting an early taste of what it will be like to take control of Ellie in The Last of Us 2.
We don’t know yet when The Last of Us 2 will be released, and it could end up being a long wait. Now that you’re armed with these five titles to satisfy your cravings, that wait won’t feel quite so long.
