Microsoft Wants To Extend Cross- Platform Functionality

Interesting bit of news people!

Microsoft has enabled Xbox One’s cross platform functionality to Rocket League’s PC version and they wish to see more platforms connecting. Microsoft has announced that opening Xbox Live to PC games is also “an open invitation for other networks to participate as well.” Now both Xbox One and Playstation 4 have opened a channel with PC online players, will they connect with each other in the future? I first saw this news on Gamespot.com and I got quite exited, so I wanted to share this with all of you. There is no guarantee that this idea will be actualized, but at least this is the first move towards a world where console gamers could play more freely with each other. This would open a lot of neat possibilities in the gaming industry and in the gamer community. I for one would love to play The Elder Scrolls online with friends who have it on a different platform.

Play with passion!

auburn.geek

So what DO you play then?

Hi everyone,

I already wrote a short introduction before so you know a little bit of what to expect when reading my posts. Today I wanted to clarify my style in more detail and tell you about my gaming attitude which is that i play(and thus write about) whatever I want at any given time, not what is the next new or cool thing. Okay sometimes I get hyped just like anyone else and get sucked into the current game of the moment if it interests me (I’m not a hipster after all!). The reason why I’m telling you this is because my topics are not always following the hot gaming trends, but rather whatever I’m experiencing at the moment as a gamer. This may at times confuse someone who is following my posts so I think it’s important to explain myself a bit.

One question that I hear all the time is:”Do you play any cod/destiny/halo/Bo3?” and some people seem to think it weird that my answer is:”no, I do not play those games”. Why? Well they just don’t appeal to me. Not every gamer likes the same games, even if the games at hand are very popular among most. Anyway, after I tell people that I don’t play online shooters they usually ask “so what DO you play then?” as if these were the only games worthwhile. Well for everyone’s information I enjoy story driven roleplaying games like Arcanum, Morrowind and Fallout New Vegas the best. I love creepy horror games like Silent Hill 2 and Dark Fall. And I adore the passion of indie games like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. These are of course just a scratch on the surface since my gaming hobby is 20+ years old. But my point in this chaos of a post is that there are a whole lot of very good and interesting games in the world, some of which are old and/or unknown to the newest generation of gamers, and I love every freaking piece of it. This is what I am about, and what my posts are about. Games that I love, no matter what the platform or the age. I hope you will find something new everytime you visit my blog section, be it a game you never heard about or a gaming related idea you find interesting.

Play with passion!

auburn.geek

 

The Last Stand – Necron Overlord!

Releasing downloadable content (called “DLC”) for a video game seems like a common thing to do in the modern era. We see it all of the time; publishers and developers reveal their next iteration of content and offer such expanded adventures at a premium price for their loyal fans. Like it or hate it, DLC will not disappear. In fact, we have seen the idea of DLC consistently expand in the past few years with game companies offering day one DLC with their newly released video games, an utterly arbitrary and offensive practice that pushes the consumer to spend more than the already impressive $60 sum on a video game. Don’t forget your Season Pass! That will let you have access to all of the DLC! All you have to do is pay whatever price the publisher sets and you will get all of this content (good or bad) at a date the publisher decides. That’s fair, right?

I’m not bitter. Really, I’m not. I have simply grown weary of the constant barrage of advertised content that demands more money from me in order for me to fully enjoy the game and all of its planned content. Even some multiplayer games become incredibly exclusive with the release of new DLC, so much so that you may as well not even attempt to play with your friends because they want to run with the new content and you cannot afford it. It’s a problem that plagues plenty of people, but the issue stems from a much deeper problem in the industry.

The reason I bring all of this up is due to a relatively recent development by developer Relic Entertainment and publisher Sega. Their stand alone expansion known as Dawn of War II – Retribution was released on March 1, 2011, over five years ago from the time this article was written. Retribution saw positive reviews and had a decent launch, but what captured many people’s attention about the Dawn of War II series of games was the cooperative survival mode called “The Last Stand.” You and two friends play as a hero from one of the races featured in the game and work to survive the growing onslaught of enemies. Over time, you gain levels and can equip more powerful and unique equipment. Really, it’s hilariously fun.

Some time ago, Relic released the Tau Commander for purchase through the Steam store and he played incredibly well (maybe a little too well) as well as a slew of DLC for some of the factions to alter the cosmetic appearance of multiplayer characters and units. This doesn’t differ from many games as developers will release cosmetic packs that don’t alter the play of the game. We’ve grown used to such things and we shouldn’t expect this practice to ever disappear. Personally, I like that the developer is willing to design other faction-specific gear and units. It doesn’t change the gameplay but it makes you stand out or allows you to represent your favorite faction.

On March 10th, Relic surprised many in the Dawn of War community by releasing a new hero for their Last Stand mode. Five years into the life of Retribution, we get to see the very beefy and incredibly hard to kill Necron Overlord storm the arena! Trust me, he is a monster! Loaded with abilities that increase his health regeneration, offer area denial, or can resurrect teammates, he really adds wonderful flavor to the meta of the game. It is a shame, however, that Relic didn’t give this character any dialogue. Even the Tau Commander had several lines of script. Regardless, I adore that the developer has chosen to release this content for a game that many gamers still enjoy, but I have yet to mention the best part:

They released it FOR FREE during the Sega Publisher Weekend! Today (March 13th) is THE LAST DAY to get this content for free and keep it forever! I don’t know what the price will be when the sale ends, but I would capitalize on this deal while you can.

Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s friendly…

I greatly enjoy seeing a developer still support a game late in its life cycle. Even better, I appreciate that they do offer free content (even though it’s only for a limited time, get it now!!!). I only hope that other developers will see how this affects their community and how it instills a great deal of loyalty among their fans. Hurry everyone! Grab that free Necron Overlord and join me for some Last Stand!

Victorus aut Mortis!

-Valiant

South By Southwest Festival

Last week I sent off my interview questions for Demi Louise a singer/ songwriter from Oz, whilst doing a bit of research about her I came across a festival that she has played at and was headed back to play at the festival again for the second year in a row this month.

So what is South by Southwest festival you ask? Well South by Southwest  (SXSW) is an annual set of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences that take place in mid March in Austin, Texas, USA. SXSW  began in 1987 and has continually grown in size every year.

SXSW Music Component;

SXWS Music is the largest music festival of its kind in the world, as of 2014 the festival had more the 2,000 acts. SXWS Music offers artist- provided music and video samples of featured artists at each festival via their official YouTube channel, the event has grown from 700 registrants in 1987 to over 28,000 registrants.

The Music Festival has help launched the careers of many artists including that of singer-songwriter John Mayer who preformed at SXSW Music festival 2000, which led to signing with Aware Records, his first record label. James Blunt was discovered by producer Lind Perry in 2004 and shortly after was signed to her Custard Records, where he went on to release all three of his subsequent albums, other big nanes of the Music Festival attendees include; Talib Kweli, Lil’ Wayne, Big Sean, Kanye West, Indi bands MENEW, The Shins, Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga.

SXSW Film Component;

The Film Conference consists of keynote speakers, panels, workshops, mentor sessions with expert filmmakers and industry leaders. There are some big name that were past notable speakers including, Ryan Gosling, Nicolas Cage, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Seth MacFarlane, Henry Rollins, Amy Schumacher, Robert Rodriguez  and many more. The SXSW Film Festival and The SXSW Film Conference run simultaneously and celebrates raw innovation and emerging telent both behind and in front of the camera. Some past notable premieres include Furious 7, Neighbors, Bridesmaid, 21 Jump Street and Insidious. TV series Girls, Silicon Valley and Penny Dreadful also premiered at SXSW Film Festival.

SXSW Interactive Component;

SXWS Interactive focuses on emerging technology, that focus has earned the festival a reputation as a breeding ground for new ideas and creative technologies. In  2006 a video game component “Screenburn at SXSW” was added to SXSW Interactive but in 2013 was remamed to SXSW Gaming & SXSW Gaming Expo. The Interactive Festival has help app’s such as Twitter which gained a good deal of early traction and buzz at SXSW Interactive, the Foursquare was launched at the Festival along with legend Mike Tyson’s iPhone game.

This years SXSW Festival features

Music Festival: Four On The Floor UK Rock Band, NAS, DJ Khaled, Indie label showcase and heaps more

Film Festival: Secrets of the force awakens; a cinematic journey to world premiere, Documentary Theme Going home, Key & Peel, Meet short filmmakes and heaps more going on

Inteactive/Gaming Festival: Samsungs Galaxy Life, Virtual Reality with New York Times, The Five Gods of Smash, Sonic the Hedgehog: 25 Year anniversary, BATMAN: Telltale Unmasked with Greg Miller, LINE Webtoon – Women in Digital Comics just to name a few.

Without festivals like SXSW our creative geniuses wouldn’t have a platform to be heard or be able to showcase, nor would new talent be discovered or inspired so we have these festivals to thank for that and for new films, new TV shows, new music and new apps.

SXWS Festival 2016 Dates

Interactive: March 11-15th

Film: March 11-19th

Music: March 15- 20th

Held in Austin, Texas

http://www.sxsw.com

References: Wikipedia, SXSW

 

An Introduction From ‘Our New Geek In Town’ Auburn.Geek

Hi everyone!

I’m Jade aka auburn.geek and I’m the newest addition to the Skatronixxx site. This post is a short intro to my section of the blog! You will get to know me better by reading my future posts, which will be about gaming and other geeky topics. I will do my best to entertain you in a casual style, please note that I am not a professional writer and my opinions are my own! If you have any thoughts, topic suggestions or questions please leave a comment! Any rude or foul comments will of course be ignored and deleted, so let’s try to behave ourselves and have fun, right? If you want to see more content from me, check my instagram profile @auburn.geek  where I post random stuff daily.

Fable Legends Cancelled!

Oh snap!

In a recent news update from Microsoft Studios Europe GM Hanno Lemke, Microsoft has decided to cancel the development of the next iteration in the Fable series. Reported to have a potentially interesting online component similar to Dungeons & Dragons Sword Coast, wherein four players could explore a dungeon with a fifth player controlling the encounters and creatures, it appears as though we will never see Fable Legends.

In addition to this very sudden and incredibly unexpected news (considering how Fable has been a treasured series native to the Xbox), it appears as though Lionhead Studios may also close its doors permanently. Though not confirmed, Microsoft executives have opened a dialogue with Lionhead employees. Only time will tell whether Microsoft will shutter Peter Molyneux’s former studio.

While we have no information as to whether or not the Fable franchise will disappear entirely, this would not be the first time a video game has been cancelled and its developers disbanded. Perhaps Microsoft will retain the IP and entrust another studio with its work. Who knows! I certainly hope they follow that route as I have always enjoyed the Fable series and would love to have a cooperative adventure like the one promised in Legends.

Stay tuned for more updates.

-Valiant

The Division – What Does the Future Hold?

With less than 24 hours left for Ubisoft’s premiere demi-MMO, The Division promises players many things. Thought long dead and now raised from the ashes, The Division’s two betas showed incredible promise. Yet as I mentioned in my article “The Division – Two Weeks Until Apocalypse”, I had my worries concerning this game’s potential lack of content. 600 hours into Destiny, all I could think about was the immense potential such a game had and utterly squandered. We, the gamers, did not deserve such a fate.

While The Division’s Dark Zones have an impeccable flair and dynamic, my associates and I could not see ourselves constantly throwing ourselves into these PvP areas without a goal beyond simply acquiring loot. Logic holds that eventually you would find exactly what you needed and could not gain anything more. So what then?

Ubisoft recently addressed such issues in their “Ubiblog” and released a trailer detailing some of the post launch content available to Division players. Ubisoft promised that the first two updates of the game will be free to all players; April will see the first called “Incursions” which adds difficult squad-based content and a promise of powerful loot and loot trading (oh thank goodness), and in May, the second called “Conflict” releases which adds more to the Dark Zone and another Incursion to New York’s Columbus Circle.

Well, fancy that. It’s nice to see that Ubisoft seems to want to keep The Division alive with relatively frequent updates, much like how popular companies such as Blizzard add periodic updates to their MMOs.

Beyond these free updates, users will have to purchase the Season Pass to gain access to The Division’s expansions. I haven’t seen any price listed for the pass yet, but those who purchased the Gold or Collectors editions of the game will have that included. Here are the other updates and a little preview of what Ubisoft promises to deliver:

The first two are free!

Underground: Slated for a June release, players will have the opportunity to roam around Manhattan’s winding and massive subway system to eliminate a growing threat.

Survival: Expect this one in the “summer”. This looks like high level Dark Zone content as the trailer asks players whether he or she will be able to secure enough resources and escape or will he or she turn rogue. Interesting…

Last Stand: The third expansion set for the winter, this looks like a defensive horde mode mission where you can set up turrets and defenses to hold the line against waves of enemies.

You can watch the trailer here!

Personally, I remain cautiously optimistic about all of this. I want The Division to become this spectacular game it constantly promises me. Hopefully, Ubisoft can deliver and we will see some impressive content in the near future.

The Division releases March 8th for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and the PC. See you all there!

Victorus aut Mortis!

-Valiant

Dark Souls III – The Hype is Real

Dark Souls is something of a mystery to some people. The dark, medieval themes, the unforgiving and brutal combat, and the general lack of direct storytelling can put off a lot of would be players. Those detractors have a good reason to look warily in Dark Souls’ direction. Simply put, with From Software’s popularly difficult creation, you get exactly what you pay for: an experience unlike many of the triple-A titles you find on the market today. This franchise speaks to gamers in a unique way.

I remember playing the first Dark Souls on my Xbox 360. Unsure of the title, but aware of the reputation the game had as a “dying simulator”, I couldn’t pass up a $10 game set in a fantasy medieval world. Hell, I got my degree in Medieval European studies! Why wouldn’t I like this game? Booting it up and creating my character set me on a journey I would never forget. Ladies and gentlemen, I died an incredible number of times. I restarted my character when I realized that I had no idea how to optimize my stats. I began to slowly refine my combat style and discover the secrets and characters that defined more of the story. By the time I beat Dark Souls, something happened.

I fell in love with a series.

The insane difficulty of some of the encounters didn’t matter to me. From Software built a franchise that millions of gamers would come to rabidly adore, birthing a very own wiki dedicated to every secret, weapon, and combat style available to the players. The fantastic, though perhaps not as magical, Dark Souls 2 picked up after the first Dark Souls and improved on some of the combat formulas. It took a slightly more direct route in the storytelling, though did not modify the essential elements of a Dark Souls narrative. Essentially vague with its plot, Dark Souls 2 had difficulty matching its predecessor in terms of level design and a few pieces of the story. Regardless of this fact, I beat the second game several times and loved every minute.

Dark Souls has left a lasting impression on many other video games with its unique game-play and wonderfully impersonal multiplayer mechanics. Even with a game like Destiny, Bungie noted how they drew inspiration from Dark Souls and the way you connected with other players. Unlike many of those games, however, you always felt alone. Even as other players could come and go through your personal story, that creeping loneliness always sunk in once more. I identified with this feeling. I understood this feeling all too well.

You are the Ashen One, tasked with reuniting the Lords of Cinder. It’s a lonely road.

So you can probably understand my excitement whenever another article appears about the third iteration in the series, Dark Souls 3. The fine ladies and gentlemen over at Polygon received the opportunity to play four hours of the third game and having watched their video entitled “Dark Souls 3: The First 30 Minutes of Gameplay”, I can’t help but feel my heart beat a little faster. Unfortunately, I could spend a significant amount of time discussing everything I saw in this little preview so I can’t go into incredible detail. Beyond that, my first impressions of other people playing this game look good. GOOD. It captures the Dark Souls aesthetic and mood, the sound design seems equally lovely, and I am impressed by the upgraded visuals. Though I would love to see a Souls game with graphics as good as a heavily modded version of Skyrim, I also understand that such a decision would defeat the overall artistic vision of a game like this.

You all should go watch the video. Seriously. Tell me what you think!

Did you watch the video? I hope you did. Several things seem different about the game. Until I am able to get my hands on a controller and begin really digging into Dark Souls 3, I won’t be able to say exactly what they are, but it does seem as fluid as the second game in the series. Several of the starting classes seem similar as well. A lot of this information is drawn from Polygon’s report of their time spent with the game.

THE KNIGHT: Your overall tank who starts with high vitality (as always) and excellent starting gear.
THE MERCENARY: Polygon reports that the Mercenary has a high dex, perfect for those dual wielders.
THE WARRIOR: Hey there strength builds. 😉
THE HERALD: This seems new to me. Perhaps they are going for something along the lines of a hoplite? Polygon does mention that it starts with a spear and a healing spell, which could be wonderfully useful at the beginning of the game.
THE THIEF: Thieves have been around for awhile. Do you like backstabbing opponents and doing a lot of critical damage? The Thief is your choice.
THE ASSASSIN: This one is new. Apparently focused on mixing melee and offensive magic, the Assassin is a nice middle-ground for those who might want a little of both worlds.
THE SORCERER: All of you Dark Souls veterans know about the Sorcerer. Spells, spells, and more spells!
THE PYROMANCER: We all know him and love him. A unique variant spellcaster focused on flame magic.
THE CLERIC: My old standby, perfect for faith builds and wonderful for doing cooperative play.
THE DEPRIVED: Another constant character in the series, the Deprived once again starts with nothing but a shield and a club. Dark Souls on hard mode.

Other changes are readily apparent besides the classes. You have different starting item options, the enemies appear a bit more driven to kill you, and some of the characters you meet are new. A few, however, have been confirmed to return (or at least, they seem similar to the characters you met in the first game)! Andre the Blacksmith is back, baby! In addition, I’ve heard that the game does not incorporate a hallowing mechanic like the previous games did, which makes for a very interesting twist to one of the more consistent mechanics.

As you watch the video, you’ll notice that the player encounters a boss named Judex Gundyr. Midway through the fight, the boss becomes some sort of bizarre monster and his stats seem to skyrocket from the transformation. Apparently another new addition to the series, these transformations can affect bosses and regular enemies alike. Just what Dark Souls needed! A way to make it more difficult!

I CAN’T WAIT!

Veterans will also notice a blue bar underneath your health. This is called your “FP Bar” and represents some of your special abilities. Doing combo attacks with two weapons will drain your FP Bar and apparently, other weapons have special attacks as well (though this is not new to the series). You will notice that whenever the player gets his Estus Flask, he or she also finds an FP Flask usable for restoring this FP Bar. How useful! I am curious to see how this modifies the game-play and would love to see how players incorporate these powers into cooperative and competitive play.

Leveling seems the same, though the stats may influence a few more categories than before and just like the second Dark Souls, you can’t level at any bonfire. You have to head back to the very different looking Firelink Shrine and speak to the Firekeeper in order to progress.

Ok ok. Can we just stop for a moment and take a look at the visual design of the new Firelink Shrine? Wow. Just wow. This might be the most interesting, grim, and darkly beautiful of the series yet (I haven’t played Bloodborne, sorry everyone. I don’t have a PS4. Sad day.)!

You should see what they’ve done with the place!

Look, I could go on and on about the newest Dark Souls. The level of fanboy I have achieved almost ranks higher than my obsession with Warhammer 40,000. Almost.

Dark Souls 3 releases on April 12, 2016 worldwide with a Japanese release on March 24th. Available for PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One, I will certainly catch some of you online on the Xbox! Let me know what you think about the newest in the series and let me know if you want to participate in some jolly cooperation!

Happy gaming!

Victorus aut Mortis!

-Valiant

The Lord Inquisitor and Future 40K Media

This article is the second part of a two part series discussing the development of Warhammer 40,000 in popular media.

“I am the hammer.

I am the point of his spear.

I am the mail that is faced.

I am the bane of his foes and the woes of the treacherous

I am the end.”

–The Lord Inquisitor “Grey Knights” Teaser

Shivers. Shivers, ladies and gentlemen. I love Warhammer 40,000. It’s a rich universe filled with potential. Not only has the extensive history of 40K been widely detailed by Games Workshop and its Black Library writers, Warhammer slowly creeps into more and more modern media. Last week we talked a bit about the Ultramarines movie and how this film, while decidedly flawed in many ways, gave us hope for a future filled with more 40K movies and video games. Ultramarines did something right; it provided fans a mode of entertainment that allowed us to see some of our favorite warriors of the universe voiced by sublime talent and kicking serious butt. For any war gaming man or woman, this prospect further attaches and drives him or her farther into a fandom. To know that a company treasures its creation to such an extent that they want to project this creation into every form of entertainment available speaks bounds about the dedication of a fan-base.

Games Workshop, however, has not always practiced good business with retailers and its customers. The power creep present in every edition, the constant update of Codexes and price hikes of models, the utter inability to understand the power of online retail, and the absolute refusal to move the universe forward dissuades some and disillusions others. Few universes have the depth and history of Warhammer 40,000. Fewer still have the blatant mismanagement commonly known to Games Workshop. Do you remember how I said that 40K has such potential? With their superb Black Library authors, talented support staff, and a dedicated base of fans, Games Workshop could become a global juggernaut with the right maneuvering.

Do you know what I want to see? I want to see a Warhammer 40,000 movie on the big screen. I want to wait in line surrounded by fellow fans to see the epic premiere of a phenomenal film about some of my favorite fictional super soldiers. I want to see the hard work and dedication of people who not only get paid to do what they do, but people who want to do what they love!

Then, a man named Erasmus Brosdau walked into the light and declared that he had a wonderful idea. A Senior 3D Artist and Art Director at Crytek (the same people who made games such as Crysis and Warface), Brosdau began developing an idea. In 2010 he called upon talented artists and designers to begin development of a simple trailer. Currently at 1.8 million views at the time of writing, fans and curious minds alike devoured the beautiful animation and adored the potential. Titled The Lord Inquisitor, work has continued and a projected release date (April 2017) for a full film has been set. Since then, he has made a variety of other trailers, one being about the Grey Knights (the Inquisition’s personal force of Demon Hunters who are given the best equipment and tasked with annihilating the demonic threat without and within), and another showing the main character of Brosdau’s film, Marcus Allenbrisk. The quote at the beginning of this article is from the Grey Knights trailer (I also own a small force of Grey Knights in addition to my Raven Guard) and channels the dark science fiction nature of the intellectual property.

The attention to detail is absolutely dazzling.

Brosdau and his team clearly adore this universe. You can feel the painstaking care to which they crafted every frame of these trailers, forged every line of dialogue, and selected each song. Warhammer 40,000 can become this! Ultramarines gave us the example. Men and women like Brosdau can lead us forward into a new generation of 40K media. Anyone can appreciate an idea like this, not just fans of the 40K universe.

On the gaming side of things, Warhammer 40,000 has continued to make strides into the gaming medium. Probably one of the larger hits, the Dawn of War series created by Relic has seen substantial commercial success and opened up 40K to a larger audience. I’ll be honest with you all; playing Dawn of War II is what piqued my interest in Warhammer! I found the gritty science fiction themes utterly attractive and enjoyable. As I delved further and further into the history and the myriad factions involved, I found several friends who played the tabletop war game and invested in a few models to start.

Now I’m hooked. Games like Dawn of War and the wonderfully underrated Space Marine give us yet another form of enjoyment. It allows us to transpose ourselves into a world or a galaxy that we absolutely enjoy. Do not think that I discount the glorious work of the capable Black Library writers! Warhammer fiction, too, influences all of these mediums. Yet with a video game, a man or woman is able to place him or herself directly in control of a character’s actions and influence the outcome of a storyline. In my opinion, this greatly enhances the immersion, second only to actually playing a tabletop roleplaying game such as Dark Heresy or Deathwatch. Created by Fantasy Flight Games, these represent another way for fans and interested parties to dive into the lore and truly become a part of the universe.

The Warhammer 40,000 universe, however, can only survive as long as men and women continue to appreciate and relish the evolving content created by Games Workshop. With the new release of the Space Wolves’ Wulfen codex, it appears as though GW may finally begin to advance the storyline and give gamers the content they so crave.

As it has been shown by the men and women in Brosdau’s creative team and the many video game developers working on the newest Warhammer 40,000 title Eternal Crusade, enough dedication and passion for a project and lead to incredible results.

Happy gaming!

Victorus aut Mortis!

-Valiant

REVIEW: Far Cry Primal

Review: This article goes in depth about a game and opens a dialogue about the positive and negative aspects that compose that game. At the end of the review, the author notes whether he or she feels this game was worth playing. Keep in mind that this review reflects the author’s opinion; you may have a different experience with this game!

Time Spent: About 20 hours

Version Played: Xbox One

What a beast. Just bear with me, everyone.

Ok ok. No more puns. Sorry, but there are a plethora of animal puns just waiting for me. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, Far Cry Primal is the next installation in a series of games all about exploration, combat, and chaos. Primal, however, does something a little different than its predecessors. Set in 10,000 BCE, Primal puts you in the shoes of Takkar, a member of the Wenja ethnic group who desires to reunite his scattered people in order to fight against the cannibalistic Udam of the North and the fire-obsessed Izila of the South. You trade firearms for bows, spears and clubs. Your vehicles? Well, you don’t get any of those.

Instead, once you befriend and help the shaman Tensay, you can begin taming and riding the predators of the mythical land known as Oros. The setting of Primal astounded me; from the sweeping mountains to the lush grasslands, Ubisoft did a phenomenal job designing the environment. Even better, the game feels vibrant and alive with animals frolicking to and fro, birds calling out in the trees, and a variety of predators just waiting to ambush you. It’s a theme in Primal, really. Everything in this game wants to kill you.

This is Ull, leader of the Udam. He will kill you. And eat you. I’m serious.

The story begins with Takkar and a group of Wenja hunters attempting to meet with their brothers and sisters in Oros. Understandably exhausted and hungry, they stop to hunt a mammoth. All goes well until a saber tooth chances upon your group’s kill and single-handedly eliminates all of your compatriots. You must begin alone and find Oros, crafting equipment to defend Takkar from wolves and Udam warriors along the way. You eventually meet another Wenja by the name of Sayla and begin your journey to unite your people through judicious collection of resources to craft weapons, items, and upgrade your NPCs’ huts to unlock more powerful equipment and abilities.

One thing remains readily apparent when you begin playing this game; Far Cry Primal never breaks subtitle. Created entirely for this game, the Wenja language dominates all of Primal and I absolutely adore it! It adds an incredible sense of authenticity and immersion that few games have channeled. Ubisoft Montreal clearly shows their dedication to this iteration of Far Cry and carefully created the details, garb, and mannerisms of all of the NPCs from the variety of ethnic groups; from Tensay’s unique spiritualism and eccentric confidence to perhaps my favorite character Urki’s utter absurdity and drive to “advance humanity” through inventions such as bear repellant or flying using feathers, I have found myself drawn to watching and listening to these characters. The voice actors and their respective characters drew me into Primal.

It’s just a shame that you receive all too little interaction with these individuals throughout the relatively interesting, but ultimately dry main storyline. Truly, these men and women made Primal all the more interesting for me. They gave me purpose and drive. Whenever I listened to Sayla’s obvious suffering or Tensay’s story about his imprisonment among the Izila, I wanted to do something about it. Those characters and the superb acting and animation pulled at my heartstrings. That, ladies and gentlemen, represents excellent character development. Why, then, could the story not have done the same? The overall plot has promise, but when I completed the main story missions I simply felt incomplete.

I asked myself if I had missed something. Shouldn’t I celebrate the reunification of my people? Where is the victory? Primal gave me 20 hours of fun and entertainment. I just wish the end of the story made me feel as accomplished as the entire journey of the game did. The side missions, while useful for gaining experience and adding villagers to your growing Wenja village, become incredibly repetitive. If one of the Wenja doesn’t ask you to save some of your people being held captive, he or she may instead ask you to defend them from predators. Regardless, it’s the same variety of missions with potentially different enemies. These failed to grab my attention and I began leveling at such a rapid pace that completing these side missions became unnecessary. Even worse, your map displays every single side mission available and can be incredibly overwhelming at first glance (turn the map filter on to find what you need on the map). Thankfully, you can complete the missions at your own pace and are not required to complete most of them until you desire.

While the main story and its side missions do struggle, Primal manages to shine with its gameplay. The controls remain tight and fluid, movement comes naturally after an hour of play, and smashing someone in the head with a two-handed club has never felt as good. Taming predators, however, presents the most intriguing and enjoyable aspect of Primal. As you level up, you can allocate skill points to taming predators such as dholes (a small wild dog), wolves (including more rare varieties such as white or red striped wolves), and all the way to a saber tooth tiger, a cave bear, and the penultimate animal: the badger. Yes, the badger. No, I’m not kidding. Every animal has a special ability. The jaguar and black jaguar can attack enemies without alerting others to their presence, wolves increase your mini-map radar detection radius, and the badger can not only revive itself from death, it’s immune to poison, and terrorizes every animal in Oros.

A white wolf, one of the very useful companions in Primal.

Have you ever seen a many hundred pound cave bear run in fear from a badger? It’s hilarious. Your animal companions add wonderful flavor to the game and can serve a wide variety of utility purposes. Even better, three legendary animals exist in Primal that you can eventually tame by going through the proper mission channels. These animals have their own short story lines that truly sets them apart from any other animal you’ve tamed, but beating their respective missions is quite the mammoth task (I’m sorry, I had to). The missions are touted as so difficult that if you die during the mission, any damage you’ve done to the legendary animal carries over to your next try. I really didn’t have much difficulty completing these missions, but I can see why Ubisoft would enable such a feature.

Other features offer a nice degree of entertainment, such as your “Hunter Vision” which gives you the ability to follow the blood trails of animals and find valuable crafting material, or the ability to capture bonfires and forts to enable more fast travel points on the map. Even discovering wonderfully detailed and beautiful natural or man-made landmarks on the map only adds to the depth of Ubisoft’s design of Primal. Little problems like the inability to keep Hunter Vision enabled, resulting in you having to press the button every 10 seconds to turn it back on, and the repetitive side missions only slightly take away from the overall wonder Primal brings to a very modern or futuristic genre of games common to our era.

With that said, Far Cry Primal does not hide anything about it. It’s a Far Cry game with very obvious Far Cry elements just transposed into 10,000 BCE. If you enjoy this type of game, a game filled with action, adventure, a lovely Mesolithic setting, taming animals, and bashing heads, then absolutely pick it up. Though the story doesn’t impress, the side missions grow repetitive, and it has that general undertone of Far Cry absurdity, I constantly caught myself thinking about how excited I felt to go home and play Primal.

That’s a feeling we can all respect.

If you’ve played Primal, let me know what you think! Happy gaming, everyone!

Victorus aut Mortis!

-Valiant