Crimson Glow Valstrax – Monster Hunter Rise

Valstrax debuted in Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate and even for Elder Dragons, it was quite unorthodox. Its wings are the main feature – when it’s not spewing Dragon energy or unleashing it in homing projectile attacks, they’re used to stab the player in various ways. But perhaps the most dangerous aspect of Valstrax is when it “takes flight”, shooting off into the sky like a jet and crashing down for massive damage.

So what makes Crimson Glow Valstrax, introduced in Monster Hunter Rise, so much more dangerous? For one, its dragon energy is now completely out of control, making it much more aggressive to the extent that it will ambush players on hunts. Its round-the-world attack remains but now you’ll have to deal with exploding patches of dragon energy (which can cause Dragonblight) when it slams its wings down and energy beams.

Long story short, this is one fight you’ll need to bring your best gear to, and always remember to look up.

Earlier in the year it was announced that a slew of old-school RPGs were making their way to consoles, all for the first time in their enhanced editions. Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate 2, Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, Icewind Dale, Planescape: Torment, and Neverwinter Nights were all said to be coming to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch, though there were no details as of then on when or what they would look like. Now we know, and boy, they are hitting us hard and quick with these.

All of the games will have both digital and physical releases across all three platforms. Baldur’s Gate, Baldur’s Gate 2, Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear will come bundled together. Planescape: Torment and Icewind Dale will release in another bundle at the same time. Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition will be the only one that is a solo release, and it will also launch a few months later.

The Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition pack and Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition/Icewind Dale Enhanced Edition bundle will both launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Switch on September 24^th in North America and September 27^th everywhere else. Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition will launch on the same platforms December 3^rd in North America and the 6^th in other regions. All three releases will retail for $49.99 USD. You can check out the announcement trailer below and, of course, all of these games are currently available on PC.

https://youtu.be/4fI0p4dSKlQ

In this feature, we’ll be taking a look at all the games that BioWare has ever made (barring a couple that were on mobile devices or made for web browsers), and ranking every single one of them, starting with the worst one, and counting down right to the very best.

Without further ado, let’s get started.

#17. SHATTERED STEEL

Though BioWare is a studio associated with RPGs and storytelling, the first game they ever made was something completely different. Shattered Steel was a mech action title, which took cues from the MechWarrior series, but went for a more accessible and action-oriented style of gameplay (which you can translate to “it had more mindless explosions).

Shattered Steel was a decent enough game, with enjoyable action and a story that, for its time, was at least mildly entertaining. It was, however, a far cry from the kind of games BioWare would build its reputation on and go on to be associated with, and is, as a result, often altogether forgotten.

Before they morphed into WRPGs, cRPGs used to be an entirely different beast. They would adopt the Dungeons and Dragons rulesets for computer games, and prioritize actual role playing with proper RNG and stat management, unlike what RPGs of later days would become. The zenith of this movement of cRPGs is represented by games like Baldur’s Gate 2, Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights, and Planescape Torment, arguably the greatest cRPG ever made.

Now, all of those, as well as the original Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate: Siege of Dragonspear, will be brought to modern consoles, exposing them to a modern audience for the very first time. Skybound Games and Beamdog announced today that all of these games will be launching on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4 in 2019. These will all be “Enhanced Editions”, according to the press release they made, which means they’ll be polished up with unpressed graphics and the like.

No specific release dates were announced, but I hope they come soon. I can’t wait to play them on my Switch.

We are bringing these amazing titles to #XboxOne, #NintendoSwitch, and #PS4! https://t.co/NbbPN8tQFO

— Skybound Games (@skyboundgames) February 7, 2019

You know the team that brought us the rather well done remasters of the Bioware AD&D role playing classics, Baldur’s Gate, and Baldur’s gate 2? Well apparently, they are working on an all new game in the series, set between the two games, that will try to bridge the events of the stories of the two games.

The game will be made using Infinity Engine, and it will specifically be developed to look and feel like the older, classic Baldur’s Gate games we have all come to know and love- but it will not be Baldur’s Gate 3.

“We’d be lying if we said we never think about doing a Baldur’s Gate 3 game, so we won’t say that. But we will say there’s nothing in the works yet regarding BG3 or a 5th Edition [Dungeons & Dragons] game,” the developer said. “That doesn’t mean the opportunity will never arise, though, so we’re preparing by starting a tabletop 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons game here in the office.”

Speaking specifically about Adventure Z- the game set in between the two Baldur’s Gate games- this is what they had to say:

“Right now all we can say about [Adventure Z] is that it exists and it’s a departure for us in terms of what we’ve done in the past. Also, the project might involve sharks… We’re looking forward to giving you more details mid-year.”

I don’t know why they would tease it now while holding the details back for later this year, but yay!

After plenty of rumours and speculations, the announcement has finally been made- Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate 2- the classic BioWare PC RPGs- are being remade.

However, they won’t be developed by BioWare. Developer Beamdog- originally founded by ex-BioWare employees who did work on the Baldur games- is working on these remakes. Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition is releasing this Summer, and Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition will be coming out later this year.

“Baldur’s Gate: Enhanced Edition and Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition will feature a re-forged version of the Infinity Engine with a variety of modern improvements,” reads the official blurb of the games on their teaser site.

“We have the original source code and are doing a significant update,” a Beamdog representative told Joystiq. The remakes will have “new and original content” too. “It’s being lovingly crafted in the spirit of the original with the help of some of the original developers,” the rep said about the new content.

Beamdog also released a re-release of MDK2, the BioWare developed title, last year. So they’re pretty experienced with old BioWare games. We’re guessing these Enhanced Editions will have all the expansion packs of the two games and upgraded visuals, and some extra content, as the rep mentioned.

No platforms, exact release date or any other info on the game have been announced yet. Stay tuned to GB for more info.