Jill Uther

The Biggert Shocker award goes to the game that really surprised us. Final Fantasy XV did. Considering that it has been delayed, you would expect it to be a bit rough around the edges, but it simply isn't.In all our previous projects, we sound designers made individual settings for echoes to fit the exact shape of each area in the game. However, since NieR Automata strategy|https://nierautomatafans.com/: Automata takes place in a more open world, it would take a massive amount of work to do it that way. We’re aiming to cut down on all that effort while creating a realistic soundscape for the game by using a system that can manage echoes on the fly.What games have you been playing this weekend? Did you heavily praise the sun after dying for the 9999th time in the newly released Dark Souls III? Did you give a chance to the open beta of Doom and destroyed demons all night long? Let us know!After a bit of tweaking, we try it out and see how it feels. Then we tweak again, and test again, then tweak again, then… It’s repetitive work, but all this testing is essential to make NieR: Automata feel exactly as it should. Sometimes we end up spending an entire day just working out the perfect way to position enemies in a single fight scene!Nier, which creative director Taro Yoko has stated is the direct follow-up to Drakengard 2, follows suit perfectly for what these games offer up. Nier might take place a thousand-plus years in the future, but that changes nothing. There could easily be a whole essay on how all the games are connected (there probably is), but that’s not what this article is about. The series is asking deep questions, questions that might not be as obvious at first. The series, for as wacky and bombastic as it can be, is a reflection on events taking place in our world and how "we" fit into that world. It flips over rocks that might be hiding something nasty and at other points opens doors most people never want to peer behind. Not everyone wants to look at these things, nor should they be forced to. For those who usually let curiosity get the best of them or are looking for a deeper understanding of something, it’s worth pulling back the veil. Soon we'll be able to play the demo of the game ourselves. It will be released for PS4 on December 22nd , while the game will release in North America on March 7th, 2017, while Europe will get it on March 1This award is also special, as it comes with a second meaning, representing our respect for taking a decision that certainly mustn't have been easy, and that most studios and publishers probably wouldn't have had the guts to take. NieR: Automata was revealed by Square Enix back at E3 2015 , alongside the announcement that Bayonetta developer Platinum Games would be tasked with delivering some oomph to the game. Revolving around a future world where humanity has been forced to flee to the Moon after a sudden attack from alien beings and mechanical life forms, NieR: Automata tasks the player with restoring order to the world, taking on the role of one of these android warriors. It certainly sounds like the kind of high-octane action that Platinum Games is renowned During a livestream on Twitch hosted by several members of Naughty Dog, tons of new information was revealed about upcoming PS4 exclusive Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End : gameplay, length and difficulty of the game, photo mode and much more. You can read about it in the article. During a livestream hosted by the Japanese magazine Dengeki PlayStation, Square Enix Producer Yosuke Saito and PlatinumGames Producer Eijiro Nishimura showcased the how NieR: Automata will support PS4 The moment you manage to place your ship in a position that allows you to bring down a full broadside on an enemy while preventing them to shoot at the same time (a traditional maneuver that seamen call "crossing the T"), you'll feel like a god. Try to resist the temptation to scream "FIRE!!!" into the mic if you can. I couldn't.Weekly Famitsu featured this week the first two packs of DLC bikinis for PS4 and PS Vita exclusive Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 . Much to your astonishment (or not), they reveal quite a lot of the lovely heroines' body. You can see more of them in the article, but be sure not to read this at work.NieR was a charming game, but NieR: Automata seems to have the potential to surpass it in basically every aspect. With PlatinumGames providing its trademark stylish action, Akihiko Yoshida bringing his beautiful character design, Keiichi Okabe's music and the visionary direction of Yoko Taro, the pieces are really starting to fall in place.All that said, Nier: Automata is looking to be as equally impressive as its parent games. This series shines and maybe releasing earlier in the year will garner the attention Nier: Automata deserves. This is no JRPG newcomer; these games have been there the whole time and stand up to the best of them.Naval combat is absolutely fantastic. It's a mix of collaboration, tactical thinking and old plain guts. It definitely isn't limited to just shooting your cannons. The helmsman's prowess and the coordination of the men handling the angle of the sails to get the best out of the wind generate an extremely compelling gameplay mechanic.