The Gaming News Corner

EA Fights for Loot Boxes at UK Parliament

Ever since Star Wars Battlefront 2 released, EA has been under heavy scrutiny from multiple governments; especially regarding the Loot Box system. Loot boxes have been a common premium content in many multiplayer games. Whether it is Overwatch, FIFA, or NBA 2K, many game companies are using loot boxes to make more profits.

What is bad about Loot Boxes?

Loot boxes usually contain multiple in-game items that can be difficult or slow to earn normally in games. However, there are no guarantees what you can obtain from a loot box. You could be spending money on items that aren’t very valuable. This could cause players to continue to spend money on loot boxes in hopes to obtain rare or good items in games.

EA says Loot Boxes are “Ethical” and “Fun”

Kerry Hopkins, EA’s VP of Legal and Government Affairs, stated that the company’s randomized purchases aren’t “loot boxes” but rather “surprise mechanics.” (PCgamesn) He states loot boxes are similar to Kinder Eggs or other surprise gifts. In regards to questions from the Scottish National Part, Hopkins stated: “our FIFA Ultimate Team and our packs – is actually quite ethical and quite fun, quite enjoyable to people.” Whether it is fun for players to spend countless dollars in hopes of obtaining a good player seems ridiculous. This is mostly to defend EA’s pack system as FIFA is one of their best selling titles and generates massive amounts of revenue to the player pack system. FIFA 19 sold 9.15 million units for the PlayStation 4 last year. It is the 3rd best selling game of 2018.

Hopkins and EA believe that loot boxes isn’t similar to gambling or leads to gambling addiction. Many governments believe loot boxes will lead people, especially children, to be gambling addicts. EA is hoping the government won’t make any laws to prevent the banning of the system as it generates massive amounts of revenue for the company. While many hardcore players are recognizing and complaining about loot boxes or similar systems, many other players are still purchasing them in hopes of getting their best characters, loot, or cosmetics.

I believe loot boxes should be removed from games. It creates an unhealthy habit because it causes players to spend more money then they should on a chance of obtaining their desires. If you want to just spend money on a character or cosmetic, then that’s fine. At least you know what you’re paying for but spending over $100 a month just for a chance is ridiculous. It is a smart business tactic for companies who can pray on consumers but it isn’t a healthy option in the long run.

Sources:

PC Games

Statista – FIFA stats

Ben’s 2019 E3 Review

I was going to do an article about each event but that would be too long and uninteresting so I will condense it into one. It will only be on the conferences and not the directs.

E3 2019 was pretty unspectacular. There weren’t many surprises as most of the games showcased had been announced in some far (Cyberpunk 2099, Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, and Halo Infinite were all announced last year). Maybe game companies are trying to move away from announcing their big games at E3. Electronic Arts and PlayStation didn’t present at E3 this year. Nintendo no longer has a press conference and has moved to a Digital Direct.

Microsoft –

Link

Bethesda 4/10

Besides Ikumi Nakamura being adorable and excited to talk about her new horror game, Ghostwire Tokyo, Bethesda didn’t show anything. The new games were cinematic trailers with no gameplay.

Ghostwire Tokyo

A new spooky game from Shinji Mikami. Details are still unknown but the trailer shows people being raptured and spooky ghosts appear. There seems to be a faceless protagonist who encourages people to fight against the darkness. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any gameplay shown.

Fallout 76 DLC

Battle Royal for dedicated fans of FO 76. Considering the poor reviews, glitches, and gameplay, I’m not sure this will attract any players back to the game. They are also adding NPC’s with actual dialogue trees. Hopefully, it will have better dialogue choices than Fallout 4.

Deathloop

A new game from the Dishonored and Prey team. The game involves two protagonists who are living in a crazy world where they have to kill each other. However, each time they kill each other they wake up anew and start all over again. The trailer looks colorful and fun but it was a cinematic trailer.

Ubisoft 6/10

Watch Dogs Legion

Looks like an interesting take to an Open World game. I haven’t played any of the series but the ability to control NPCs is interesting. Being set in a semi-modern London is surprisingly refreshing scenery.

Zeus, Gods & Monsters

Many demo players at E3 has reported the game is similar to Breath of the Wild. It is an open world game where you explore the world and fight mystical monsters. It is made by the same team as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Square-Enix 6/10

Final Fantasy VII Remastered

Yay Tifa. I am actually blown away with the visuals and gameplay. Although the first episode will only be Midgard, you can tell there is a lot of love put into the game. The battle system is created by the guy that made Kingdom Hearts 2’s battle system which is the best version of the series. I wonder how many episodes it will be considering how massive the original game is.

Microsoft E3 Review

Microsoft was the only console company to have an actual conference at E3 this year. All eyes were physically on them and there was a lot of hopes that they could steal the show. Their big showcase was the Xbox: Scarlett. The Scarlett is the code name for the next generation Xbox that will release Holiday 2020.

Scarlett

While the physical console wasn’t shown, the main take away is that it will faster, stronger, and the most impressive console ever (their words). It won’t release this year so it won’t have an early start against the PlayStation 5.

Halo Infinite

Teased back in 2018, the last Halo in the 343 Industries‘ Trilogy will release in 2020 when the Xbox Scarlett releases. The trailer looks like the opening of the game but it is unclear where it takes place after Halo 5: Guardians as Master Chief is found in space. It will release for Xbox and PC.

Gears War 5

The game will come out on September 10, 2019. Gears 5 will feature a new story focusing on Kat Diaz. The campaign will have a three-player co-op mode. There will be their famous Horde mode, mapmaker, and versus mode. A new mode called “Escape” will be a three-player co-op mode where you work together to destroy the enemy hives from within. If you pre-order the game or play on Xbox Pass, you’ll be able to play as the Terminator T-800 or Sarah Conners.

Final Review: 3/5

All eyes were on Microsoft and they didn’t deliver. The Xbox Scarlett messaging sounded scripted and really didn’t show anything about it. While it won’t be released until late next year, the trailer for it was awful and didn’t excite me. Halo Infinite also didn’t show anything besides a small trailer opening. It doesn’t have the same story impact as the original Halo trilogy. While Halo 5 sold well, it didn’t capture people’s attention as the game used to. However, the non-exclusive games that were shown are great. Star Wars: Fallen Jedi Order, The Outer Worlds, and Cyberpunk 2077 look amazing. At least we don’t have to watch the same trailers for PlayStation’s showcase. Luckily Keanu Reeves saved the day. “YOU’RE BREATHTAKING!!!”

Cyberpunk 2077 release date for 2020

CD Projekt Red’s new game Cyberpunk 2077‘s release date was finally announced for April 16th, 2020 for Xbox and PC. This is the company’s first huge game after The Witcher series. The game was announced in mid-2010s but now the game is finally being released. What was incredibly fun was that Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, Jon Wick) announced the game at Microsoft’s E3 presentation. He will be featured in the game as an AI companion who will help the protagonist burn down the city.

You’ll be able to customize your characters and explore and in-depth world. If it’s anything like The Witcher series, the game will be dense with plenty to do. Who said single player games are dead. Just remember, YOU’RE ALL BREATHTAKING!