Tag: gaming news

Plants vs Zombies 3 Pre-Alpha is Out to Play

PopCap/EA’s has announced Plants vs Zombies 3, their new title in the garden defense game. The game is currently pre-alpha. Pre-alpha is very early launch of the game. Expect many glitches and errors before criticizing the game harshly. PopCap wants players to try out the game and provide feedback on potential improvements for the title.  The pre-alpha is free to play exclusively on Google Play store right now.

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The game has changed from landscape to portrait mode since Plants vs Zombies 2. Although the pre-alpha is currently out, you may not be able to play. If you can’t get access, PopCap says to try again another day as it will be opening up the pre-alpha in phases according to Gamespot. The pre-alpha is only available to the United States. EA has not announced a specific launch date for Plants vs Zombies 3. If the game is only in pre-alpha, don’t expect the game to launch until 2020.

The original Plants vs Zombies released in 2009. Due to the success of the game, EA bought the company in 2011 and helped them release Plants vs Zombies 2 but it was exclusive to phones. The second game was harshly criticized by fans for excessive micro transaction and the need for grinding which slowed down and made the game frustrating. I personally disliked the 2nd one for those practices after enjoying the first title so much. Hopefully the 3rd title won’t have the same issues.

Are you excited for Plants vs Zombies 3? 

Borderlands 3 will not Launch with Cross-play

Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox, talked about cross-play would be included in Borderlands 3. He was so adamant in the feature that he said it was a “prerequisite.” However, just because the CEO said something doesn’t mean things will happen.

As reported by Gamespot, a 2K representative stated that “Cross-play is something we’re looking at closely, but we don’t have anything to confirm or announce at this time.” This news comes out after the Microsoft Store pre-order page stated that cross-play was a feature. It has now been removed.

Cross-play between consoles and PC is a new luxury in the online game world. The most popular multiplayer games such as Minecraft, Fortnite, and Rocket League have the feature.Hopefully it can be included in Borderlands 3 in the near future as I would love to play with people of all consoles.

Twitch continues to dominate the Game Streaming Service

Video game streaming has become a bigger entertainment on the internet. There are so many different games to watch, personalities, and styles of playing. As game streaming has become more popular, more alternate streaming sites have showed up. YouTube Game Streaming has been around for a few years but recently Google shut down YouTube Gaming because it confused users. Facebook Gaming is the newest competitor and it can connect already fans of the games to streamers. Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, is the most popular service. Most of the audience data comes from StreamElements. StreamElements is a new growing streaming service. It started back in late 2017 and it allows streamers to show games through multiple channels; including Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook. It also has a professional interface and helps provide useful data to streamers.

Who has the biggest audience?

According to the Wall-Street Journal, Twitch maintains the highest amount of game audience with 70% of hours watched among all services. 2nd is YouTube which had 19.5% of audiences according to StreamElements. Facebook Gaming has approximately 5% while Microsoft Mixer has 3%.

It will be interesting to see if the other platforms can take more of an percentage from Twitch. The platform still has the easiest streaming service, search functions, and most importantly: a dedicated gaming audience. While there are many people use YouTube and Facebook, a huge percentage aren’t dedicated or people who enjoy games. Twitch started with a core audience in mind and has continually improved their services for viewers. Many online personalities also have their core audience on Twitch. Unless the company does something horrendous that would deter the personalities, I think Twitch will remain top dog.

 

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