Top Story
Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok to feature more RPG mechanics
It’s not exactly a huge surprise that Ubisoft’s next entry in the Assassin’s Creed series will keep building on the RPG mechanics established in the very successful Assassin’s Creed Origins.
The leaks stem from 4Chan so a pinch of salt is advised, but several points have been independentely confirmed so it doesn’t seem to be invented from whole cloth.
The biggest news is four-player drop-in/out co-op, and a massive map covering Northern Europe. Ubisoft is expected to announce Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok at a PlayStation event next month, and the release date is supposed to be September this year.
Highlights:
- New weapon durability system
- Smaller inventory that can be expanded by upgrades
- Adrenaline will be replaced by Berserker Mode powered by elemental runes
- Sailing will return, with more emphasis on exploration and less on combat
- Improved parkour mechanics, particularly when interacting with trees
- Hidden blade is back along with one hit kills and customization options
- Stealth will be governed by particular skills, hiding in crowds requires disguise
- Expanded reputation system gates missions and involve factors like particular cities and officials, as well as clothing and crimes
- Conquest battles are back and allow players to wrest control of settlements from the Templar
- Dynamic wars and territorial disputes between kingdoms, players can capture settlements for fun and profit
- Players can organize and join raids on settlements, cities and forts
- Assassins seem to have some kind of connection to the Norse god Odin
- Difficulty now determines parry windows, health and reaction times and not just enemy health
- Improved progression system similar to Skyrim, no more level-locked regions
- Skills unlock through story progression or skill point expenditure
Time For A Quick Daily Quiz?
Which of these consoles was Doom not ported to?
- 3DO
- Atari Jaguar
- SEGA CD
- Super Nintendo
The answer will be revealed at the bottom of today’s issue. Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss what the answer could be.
News Bits
2019 is Pokémon GO’s best year so far
Niantic and The Pokémon Company are basically printing money with Pokémon GO, which had its best year since launch. Players spent an eye-watering $894 million, with $335 million of that made in the United States, $286 million in Japan and $54 million in Germany. Android is the biggest platform, with 54 percent of players.
Brand new Hearthstone solo adventure launching on January 21st
Galakrond’s Awakening is nigh, and will be the “culmination of the year-long narrative” that began in 2019, the Year of the Dragon.
Players must face a series of unique boss encounters using pre-built decks, and the first of the four instalments will launch on January 21st.
Daily Fact
Mario Party caused enough hand injuries to force Nintendo to respond
Mario Party for Nintendo 64 was supposed to be a fun and casual party game for up to four players, where players moved across a game board and competed in frantic minigames.
The minigames often required you to rotate the controller’s analogue stick, and the most efficient way to swivel the little nub was to use your palm. Unsurprisingly, this led to some nasty blisters and some rather unhappy parents. It got so bad that Nintendo was forced to settle a complaint from the New York State’s Attorney General by providing free ‘protective gloves’ to the over-eager youngsters.
Join up with our community on Twitter and Facebook to discuss today’s fact.
Daily News
Carlos is playable in Resident Evil 3 Remake
Capcom has spilled the beans about what changes they’ve made to Resident Evil 3 Remake, and the biggest news is that Carlos Oliveira will be playable this time.
The game takes place across a variety of locations in Raccoon City, but it’s hardly an open world. Nemesis will be hot on your tail wherever you go, and won’t be restricted to certain areas like in Resident Evil 2 Remake. Nemesis will also have a more aggressive pursuer AI, and sounds will play an important role in figuring out where Nemesis is and what he is up to.
Shinji Mikami considers Nemesis a side-story rather than a full chapter
There won’t be multiple endings this time, as the events and timeline have been narrowed down to a linear story. The Mercenaries Mode won’t be back either, since Capcom has been focusing on asymmetric online mode Resident Evil: Resistance instead.
Resident Evil 3 Remake launches for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on April 3rd.
Campaign to promote parental controls
A study conducted by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe found that only one in five UK parents bother to set up parental controls for their children aged 6-15.
A 2019 study by the NSPCC found that only 20 percent of parents of kids aged 50-15 use parent controls on internet connected devices. These numbers have prompted The UK Interactive Entertainment Association Ukie to launch a campaign to raise awareness of parental controls and how they can be used.
Put adults in charge without stopping the fun
Ukie will provide video tutorials and explanations showing parents how they can activate parental controls and what tools they provide, such as managed screen time, in-game spending and online interactions. All the information will be available on the askaboutgames.com website.
“It doesn’t take long to set up the controls and it means families can enjoy games together safely,” said Ukie CEO Dr Jo Twist. “If a child was given a bike at Christmas, we would expect them to also be given stabilisers – family controls are really no different,” she added.
The campaign is backed by former Manchester United and English national team player Rio Ferdinand, who also features in the campaign’s video material.
