Remaster time…
The beginning of the twenties of this century is not only the socio-economic turmoil, but also the unflagging popularity of refreshing the cult titles that once enjoyed triumphs. This is how we have games adapted to modern realities, such as Command & Conquer Remastered Colection , the first installment of Final Fantasy VII Remake , Commandos 2: HD Remaster , Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time , Sam & Max Save the World , two parts of BloodRayne: Terminal Cut , remake of Demon’s Souls , Observer: System Redux , Neighbors back From Hell or Mafia: Definitive Edition. They were better and worse, and there were even such clashes as WarCraft III: Reforged , which did not fulfill most of its promises , or a completely messed up remake of XIII . The number of renewed hits, which I did not list all of, clearly shows that we can expect the trend to continue over the next year. Maybe some renovation of Earth 2140 ? Please…
– Artur Niedoba
A long wait for a trip to Night City
It will not be an exaggeration to say that most of 2020 from a gaming perspective was marked by the anticipation of Cyberpunk 2077 . From January we had a countdown to the April premiere, which … did not come. A great commotion was then caused by the postponement of the premiere to September, but also this date did not materialize, as did the next one, in November. Finally, the game went on sale on December 10. In the meantime, however, the excitement was reaching its zenith, thanks to numerous promotional materials published by CD Projekt RED, tempting with numerous opportunities that will be waiting in Night City. Many players still fondly remember Geralt’s adventures from the third installment of The Witcher,so no wonder expectations were high. The premiere itself was a huge and successful event, but it was not without problems. Cyberpunk 2077before the premiere, it received great reviews, but they were based on the PC version. Although it was not free from bugs, it was still in much better shape than the editions intended for the outgoing generation consoles (especially smoothness and cuts in graphics). Despite this, the game sells fantastically from the beginning, and we liked it anyway, even in this more problematic edition. It does not obscure the fantastically written story. It must also be admitted that the developers quickly started releasing patches and many of the most important bugs have already been patched. By February, two major updates are to be released, which will ultimately provide a noticeably better experience on older consoles. Hopefully that will actually happen and Cyberpunk 2077 it will spread its wings even more.
– Krzysztof Olszamowski
Half-Life 3 is still missing, but …
The announcement of the new version of Half-Life met with a very mixed reception. The vast majority of fans expected the continuation of the adventures of Gordon Freeman, so the announcement of the game not only does not tell about the famous physicist, but also dedicated VR technology was a big surprise and raised a lot of anxiety. While so far virtual reality goggles could not wait for a captivating title, so did Half-Life: Alyxturned out to be an exceptionally successful hit. Visually attractive, meticulous and perfectly using the hardware capabilities, the title for a moment even took over the Internet, overwhelming us with a lot of memes and videos depicting the game and “oh and ah” lucky people who had a chance to commune with this game. Ba! Even some teachers, struggling with the social novelty in the form of universal distance learning, used one of the locations of the virtual world to make the classes as attractive as possible and encourage young people to learn. Unfortunately, we still haven’t experienced the revolution on VR, but finally some light appeared in the tunnel.
– Artur Niedoba
Different “fairs” than usual
2020 will certainly be remembered for forcing social isolation for many months, and thus a significant reduction in cyclical events. Thus, for the first time in over twenty years of history, the famous E3 fair was not held. However, individual publishers took care to somehow maintain the tradition and in the summer there were numerous announcements of upcoming games. There was quite … an interesting experiment and instead of a few days of E3 and other events, basically all summer we were accompanied by Internet broadcasts with announcements from companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and EA. One of the largest network events was the Summer Game Fest initiated by Geoff Keighley, where we could watch numerous announcements of publishers and studios who did not create their own events. The broadcasts also included a remote version of Gamescom. Such a specific form of “supposed-E3”, which lasted from June to the end of August, had its advantages, but also distinct disadvantages. On the one hand, recipients were regularly inundated with interesting information, but also the whole thing was a bit blurry and it was often minor news. The saturation effect associated with several days of an intense series of conferences, full of trailers, was missing. Nevertheless, the format has potential and it may return in a better version this year. The saturation effect associated with several days of an intense series of conferences, full of trailers, was missing. Nevertheless, the format has potential and it may return in a better version this year. The saturation effect associated with several days of an intense series of conferences, full of trailers, was missing. Nevertheless, the format has potential and it may return in a better version this year.
– Krzysztof Olszamowski
The biggest positive surprise of the year – how many Assassin’s Creeda is Valhalla ?
Valhalla is the twelfth major installment in the assassin series. She saw the light of day last November. I approached her with a lot of reserve and distance after Odyssey , which was a great disappointment for me. However, it soon turned out that Valhalla is not only better than its predecessor as simply a game, but also much closer to the older installments of the series. Subsequent, ever newer parts gradually lost their Assassin spirit, which was the essence and core of these games. While Origins still had traces of it, Odyssey lost it completely in my opinion . This production lacks even the hidden blade, the hallmark of Assassin’s Creed titles . Valhallaand, to my joy, it comes back to the roots and seems to refer to the first games in the series, which made me very happy. It neatly combines the above-mentioned elements important for the cycle with modern mechanics and a slightly different formula, initiated by Origins .
It is therefore a full-fledged erpeg that offers a number of interesting activities that allow you to take a break from the main plot and action. We have access to an extensive skill tree. The hidden blade returns, and the Assassins themselves return, in their long white robes. The hero or heroine, on the other hand, does not belong to the fraternity from the very beginning. However, the threads are linked very smoothly and, above all, reliably. In general, everything that the game puts in front of us looks plausible, so you have the impression of being fully involved in the events. Three pennies are also added by well-written characters. Nice looking, sounding and composing with each other and a story that may not be very innovative, but sensibly led. Most importantly, it properly connects the threads of the Vikings, Assassins and Templars.
The fact that the production looks and sounds very nice pleases the eye and ear. It is a real treat for them. Therefore, it seems that Ubisoft has finally found the right path the series should take, although it has not yet fully settled in it. Valhalla is a solid proposition, well-made erpeg in which you feel a return to older traditions. The spirit of the first games is present, dressed in other trappings, but in the end it is. And it holds tight. Well implemented, reliably connected with the realities and playable. May it not be abandoned in subsequent editions.
However, purists may still be disappointed that there is still more emphasis on erpegy and action than on the purely Assassin theme. It’s a good move in my opinion, and the game itself is one of the best Assassin’s Creeds and one of the best RPGs of 2020.
– Wojciech Chmiel
A hard life for the crew of a certain ship
Impressive graphics, an extensive and open world, memorable characters, rich gameplay full of interesting solutions and a plot full of twists and turns, with a breathtaking finale that forces reflection. It all adds up to a great game and you won’t find any of these elements in the production presented here. Among Usis a game that premiered a few years ago, but it was 2020 that turned out to be a breakthrough for her, elevating it to the rank of one of the most popular and maintaining a really large group of active players. Simple, even trivial rules constitute a low entry threshold for new players, low price on computers and total free on mobile devices combined with a crossplay encourage purchases, and the undemanding graphics allow you to start production even on a potato. However, the greatest strength of the title lies in the gameplay itself, full of interesting and funny situational events and requiring players to combine. Who is Impostor? Who can i trust? Is the companion who follows me my enemy or my friend? If you’re still somehow not dealing with Among Uswhat are you waiting for?
– Artur Niedoba
The premiere of new generation consoles
November was an important month, as it was then that the PS5 and Xbox Series X | S devices hit the market, starting the ninth generation of consoles. Although so far, apart from the remake of Demon’s Souls on PS5, we have not seen any large first party titles , we can already see a significant leap in possibilities (especially compared to the basic versions of PS4 and Xbox One) and comfort of use. The consoles of both manufacturers are ambitious, trying to make the standard playing in 60 frames per second and 4k resolution, also introducing support for ray tracingand fast SSDs to minimize loading screens. So far the devices seem to achieve this goal for the most part, although of course there were some compromises (we rarely see “real” 4k, without resolution scaling tricks). Another step has also been made to diversify the experience, in a similar way to playing on PCs. Many games have simple graphic options that allow you to choose modes that prefer the visuals or smoothness (sometimes even 120 fps). It is also worth noting that the biggest premiere error of the previous generation, which was the lack of support for games from older consoles, has not been repeated. We will run almost all PS4 games on PS5. The same is the case with Microsoft, but in addition to games from Xbox One, there are also titles already operating under backward compatibility from the original Xbox and Xbox 360. Both Sony and Microsoft have also released cheaper models of consoles, designed exclusively for playing games from digital distributions. While the PS5 Digital Edition is exactly the same as the main version except for the lack of an optical drive, the Xbox Series S is noticeably different hardware. The console is as much as PLN 900 cheaper than the Series X, and in a much smaller housing there is a less efficient graphics card, less RAM and data space. Objective? Offer access to games from the ninth generation, up to 1440p quality. Importantly, the processor is not limited, the hard drive is also of the SSD type and the support for and Microsoft also released cheaper console models, intended only for running games from digital distributions. While the PS5 Digital Edition is exactly the same as the main version except for the lack of an optical drive, the Xbox Series S is noticeably different hardware. The console is as much as PLN 900 cheaper than the Series X, and in a much smaller housing there is a less efficient graphics card, less RAM and data space. Objective? Offer access to games from the ninth generation, up to 1440p quality. Importantly, the processor is not limited, the hard drive is also of the SSD type and the support for and Microsoft also released cheaper console models, intended only for running games from digital distributions. While the PS5 Digital Edition is exactly the same as the main version except for the lack of an optical drive, the Xbox Series S is noticeably different hardware. The console is as much as PLN 900 cheaper than the Series X, and in a much smaller housing there is a less efficient graphics card, less RAM and data space. Objective? Offer access to games from the ninth generation, up to 1440p quality. Importantly, the processor is not limited, the hard drive is also of the SSD type and the support for yes the Xbox Series S is noticeably different hardware. The console is as much as PLN 900 cheaper than the Series X, and in a much smaller housing there is a less efficient graphics card, less RAM and data space. Objective? Offer access to games from the ninth generation, up to 1440p quality. Importantly, the processor is not limited, the hard drive is also of the SSD type and the support for yes the Xbox Series S is noticeably different hardware. The console is as much as PLN 900 cheaper than the Series X, and in a much smaller housing there is a less efficient graphics card, less RAM and data space. Objective? Offer access to games from the ninth generation, up to 1440p quality. Importantly, the processor is not limited, the hard drive is also of the SSD type and the support forray tracing . However, only the next few years will show us whether a cheaper console can be a clear problem for developers.
– Krzysztof Olszamowski
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
Every two years or so, Blizzard introduces a new expansion to one of the most popular MMORPGs in the world – World of Warcraft . In 2020, it was Shadowlands . This time our heroes are transferred to the land of the dead, where a certain Jawler messed up a lot, and the souls of fallen warriors go straight to the worst place in the afterlife. Behind everything is the well-known Sylvanas, who after defeating the Lich King moved herself to the zone known as The Maw. So the story continues and it must be admitted that the story is really addictive.
Of course, the player does not live by the lore alone . After the not very well rated Battle for Azeroth, fans hoped for WoW to return in a big way. And they were not disappointed. Although it is not yet possible to fully evaluate the add-on (it is only two months old and there are still many patches ahead), the beginning should be considered successful. We have our hands full in the Shadowlands. We have to collect anima, discover new places, collect reputation for the faction of our choice and help souls trapped in the afterlife. In addition, there are also new dungeons. Everything is decorated with very nice graphics. The fact that World of Warcraft is doing great is evidenced by the fact that on the day of its premiere, ShadowlandsOver 3.7 million copies have been sold. As the publisher argues, the result meant that the position was “the fastest-selling PC game in history.” Unfortunately for Blizzard, Cyberpunk 2077 soon broke the record .
– Piotr Markiewicz
