TGO Daily | September 7, 2020 | Avengers + Tony Hawk Released!
There are some franchises that manage to break past the cultural barrier between gamers and the rest of the world. Whether it’s Pac-Man, or GTA, they somehow wormed their way into becoming a household name.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater is one of those franchises. It feels like I hear more about these games from my non-gamer friends than anyone else. Today, we glimpse at the newest revival of the series, and perhaps the continuation of that legacy.
Welcome to week 3 of the newsletter. Thanks for being here :)
— Adrian
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Avengers and Tony Hawk have reviewed well!
Last Friday, two major games were released: Marvel’s Avengers, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2. I didn’t get a chance to cover their reviews as the day was dominated by Mario, but you should know that both the games are reviewing quite well.
Avengers had many critics heading into its release, myself included, but a majority of the feedback has been largely positive. Interestingly, while most games have a general critic consensus, Avengers is all over the place. For example, some critics loved the campaign, others thought it was tacked-on. In regards to the live service aspects of the game, there were many indications of potential, but no concrete evidence that it will be worthwhile. Here’s a good summary:
Marvel’s Avengers works well as a flashy single-player action-adventure if that’s all you’re looking for…and I can see value in picking it up for that alone. I’m a bit skeptical of the live service aspect’s ability to keep me grinding for loot once I hit the level cap, or finish the story-themed post-game missions, but now I’m over that initial hurdle, it is kind of fun to bash waves of enemies with friends.
Tony Hawk had a lot more people excited. Following some hesitance with the disaster that was Pro Skater 5, the franchise was totally redeemed. Critics universally commended its ability to recapture what made the original games so great, while modernizing and expanding it to keep you hooked.
I haven’t picked the game up yet, but Tony Hawk was a huge part of my childhood, and I look forward to revisiting it with a fresh coat of paint.
EA adds mid-game ads to UFC 4
Electronic Arts have had their feet dipped in controversy in the past week, not just because of the previously discussed Madden NFL 21, but also due to some marketing decisions with the newest UFC game.
Two weeks after UFC 4 had released on August 14th, they decided to add mid-game advertisements. They would appear as a transitional graphic in-between rounds of a fighting match — in the most recent case, promoting a new television show.
This is a concept that isn’t completely foreign to the gaming industry, Take-Two has done something similar with their basketball games, but this did not sit well with players. The biggest criticisms were pointed to the fact that it is not a free to play game (where advertisements are common), and that they didn’t appear until after the game’s release so that reviewers couldn’t see it.
In the end, EA pulled the ads and promised to never bring them back. It seems unlikely they’ll follow suit with the criticisms levied at NFL 21, considering the game sold 20% better than last year’s title.
The Witcher 3 next-gen announced — will be free to current owners
The Witcher 3 is getting a new next-generation version of the game, and it will be free to all current owners of the game on console and PC. Of note, the game will be receiving ray-tracing and faster load times, bundled with all expansions and extra content.
That version can be purchased separately when it releases, but that won’t be needed for anyone who owns the game right now. This is a pretty generous offer from the company, considering most “free next-gen copy” offers are coming from games releasing on both generations at the same time. Obviously the company will be looking to turn some heads when Cyberpunk 2077 releases in November.
Also In The News
Microsoft Flight Simulator now most-downloaded Game Pass PC title ever
Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning will be half off to owners of original game
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DCCLXXXIV