TGO Daily | Friday August 27, 2021 | Pokémon Go & Overwatch Pivots
In the news: Niantic has a change of heart, Overwatch renames a character, Fortnite introduces March Through Time, Deathloop gets initial previews, and some news from Gamescom from yesterday.
TGO Daily | Friday August 27, 2021
✏️ From the Author
I just wanted to apologize for the lack of the newsletter yesterday! I sat down to write it around 10pm and promptly passed out at my desk until early morning.
This weekend I’ll be able to reset my sleep schedule and get back to something much healthier than passing out at the desk.
Big changes in my life are making me adjust my schedule around. My mind is much more balanced now, just need to do the same for my schedule!
Until next time,
Brandon
Niantic Reverts Decision in Pokémon Go
You may remember from the newsletter back on August 9th, where Niantic received some backlash from fans as they rolled back to pre-pandemic changes in their game. Originally they had made their game more accessible and playable from home to accommodate for the global pandemic.
One of the changes they had instituted was the radius of Pokémon Stops & Gyms being reachable within 80 meters away - they had adjusted it back to 40 meters. The backlash was pretty swift, with most fans saying this reduced accessibility, especially for people with disabilities.
In their original early August announcement Niantic said they would assemble a task force to address all the changes they’re wanting to revert. They’ve since shared that they’ll have the results of that team on September 1st, but will be reverting the radius change now. It’ll be interesting to hear what their task force has to say come September 1st.
Overwatch Renaming One of their Characters
The Overwatch team recently announced they will be changing the name of one of their heroes - Jesse McCree. The character is named after one of the developers who worked for Blizzard.
The real life Jesse McCree was let go from Blizzard earlier this month following the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing lawsuit, along with other prominent senior employees. Regarding the name change, the team stated:
“As we continue to discuss how we best live up to our values and to demonstrate our commitment to creating a game world that reflects them, we believe it’s necessary to change the name of the hero currently known as McCree to something that better represents what Overwatch stands for. We realise that any change to such a well-loved and central hero in the game’s fiction will take time to roll out correctly, and we’ll share updates as this work progresses.”
Next month a new narrative arc starring the character was to be released, but will now be pushed back to accommodate for the name change. A new FFA map will be released in its stead, and the arc will come out later in the year.
Fortnite & Time Magazine Honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The team over Fornite has been working with Time Magazine to create what they’re calling a “March Through Time” - celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s infamous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech from nearly 60 years ago.
The event will allow players to virtually ‘attend’ MLK’s speech and listen to it, coupled with footage from the March on Washington back in 1963. There will also be museum exhibits included in the event that delve into further details of the US civil rights movement. The event received contributions from the DuSable Museum of African American History, as well as the Estate of Martin Luther King Jr. to better grant authenticity to the project.
The event is accessible now from the ‘March Through Time’ tile on the Discover Menu. They have added objectives to complete during the event that will unlock an in-game reward - a “D.C ‘63” spray. I highly encourage you to check out the event. Less than 60 years ago can barely be called history - we can only continue to grow by understanding where we came from and what it took to get to here.
Deathloop Catching Journalist’s Attentions
News outlets were able to get some preview copies of Deathloop to play for only a few hours, but of course have already started detailing what their short experiences were like. I will be doing a review roundup once the game is getting full reviews, so this will be more of a brief coverage.
The main thing journalists are reporting is that the game is not what you would have expected it to be. It’s a mish-mash of different games all rolled into one unique experience. Whether the game not being what you’d expect is a good thing or a bad thing will remain to be seen. Regardless, journalists seemed enthused with the open world, the stealth and combat gameplay, and the feel of the guns and story.
Martin Robinson’s (Eurogamer) final words from his experience seem to sum up the experience others had quite well:
“Up to this point, though, Deathloop's made sense of its dazzling array of components, and held them together with an impeccable sense of style. There's a danger it might end up tying itself in knots, though at present it seems composed enough to help guide its players through the tangle. After those first few hours, as well, I can see why Arkane politely asked to look past the obvious comparisons, because while Deathloop might be built from familiar parts, it's quite unlike anything I've ever played.”
Catching up from Thursday:
Saint’s Row
Following up after Saint’s Row 4, the series is getting rebooted with a new story and a whole new chapter for the 3rd Street Saints. With Saint’s Row 4 having such an overwhelming amount of things to do, including the player going to Hell and back, Volition decided it was time to start over from the beginning.
Starting with the official announcement trailer, Volition says that Saints Row will cover the gang’s beginnings and rise to power. They also confirmed the game’s missions will all be available for cooperative play.
The game is currently slated to release February 25, 2022 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
Marvel’s Midnight Suns
From Firaxis Games (XCOM, XCOM 2) comes a very unique title - a Marvel superhero game that plays more like XCOM. They released their first trailer along with the announcement at Gamescom.
Midnight Suns is a turn-based RPG that, while playing in a vein one could compare to XCOM, Firaxis was quick to say that the game shares ‘zero mechanics with’ it. Jake Solomon, designer from the XCOM series, says that one of the major differences between this game and the XCOM games is the feel of combat and strength of the player.
“You’re doing these very large moves, these epic moves, and so the mechanics are just completely different, which results in you still scratching the same itch, because it is turn-based tactics combat where you’re controlling the team. But the fantasy is very different. And that means the mechanics are 100% different.”
Solomon also talked about how, in XCOM, you play as a soldier fighting an uphill battle against an enemy that is superior. In this, however, you’re playing the superior ones. Without the risk of permadeath, combined with the powerful moves, control is very much in the player’s hands right from the start.
Midnight Suns will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S March 2022.
Brandon’s Thoughts: I’m curious to see how they plan to balance the strength of playing as a hero. The struggle, and big part of the fun, in XCOM is having to plan carefully against an enemy that can overwhelm you very easily. Firaxis balanced XCOM well, so I expect them to do the same with this title, but we shall see. All I know is I couldn’t be more excited for it to come out!
🕹 Free Games
Epic Games latest free titles are out now until September 2nd. Make sure to add them to your library before they leave!
Saints Row: The Third Remastered - Now - September 2nd
Automachef - Now - September 2nd
💡 Read More
Halo Infinite Release Date Officially Confirmed Alongside New Trailer. The game will be releasing on December 8th.
Horizon Forbidden West release date set for February 2022 on PS5, PS4. I couldn’t be more excited for this game. The first one was so fun and I have high hopes for the sequel.
The Halo Xbox Series X is already sold out and being listed on eBay for $1,000+.
👋 Say Hello!
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Thanks for the read <3