Metal Gear Survive

Metal Gear Solid 5 took the fan-beloved series to new heights with its shift to an open-world structure, but the road to release was anything but smooth. The turbulent development led to the infamous Kojima Konami breakup, putting a big question mark on the future of the franchise. Konami tried to take the game’s foundations and create another makeshift zombie open world out of it with Metal Gear Survive, but it was a spectacular failure. A barren open-world, repetitive missions, and uninteresting progression mechanics were some of the biggest issues that plague Survive’s gameplay loop – making it a really boring time.

True to the aforementioned leak, Volition’s reboot of Saints Row – which launched last year to less-than-stellar reception from critics and audiences alike – will lead PS Plus’ lineup for the month of September. It will be joined by Pearl Abyss’ MMORPG Black Desert (more specifically, its Traveler Edition), and Systemic Reaction’s alternate history open world first person shooter Generation Zero.

All three games will be available from September 5 to October 2 to anyone subscribed to the base PS Plus tier, PlayStation Plus Essential- which, of course, means they will be free to claim for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers as well.

Sony has also announced that it will be raising the prices of 12-month subscriptions for all three tiers of PlayStation Plus starting September 6. Read more on that through here.

Double Barrel Shotgun – Quake

Quake’s Double Barrel Shotgun is a great example, annihilating foes with explosive-sounding shots that don’t outright overwhelm the player. They still feel powerful though and reinforce that feeling of being a nigh-unstoppable Ranger against the world.

Generation Zero, a first-person shooter that has you battling robots, has also just received a new update that allows for a 60 fps experience on Xbox Series X/S consoles, as well as cross-play between PC and Xbox consoles. In addition to this, players also get access to a whole bunch of new content, such as base building and a challenge tree related to this new mechanic. There’s also an addition of voice chat to the game, which will of course be available during cross play as well.

You can check out a trailer commemorating the game’s arrival on Game Pass as well as full patch notes for its newest update below.

Call of the Sea among a few others will be leaving Xbox Game Pass today, as the new arrivals take their place.

Microsoft also recently announced Clarity Boost for Xbox Cloud Gaming, an initiative to improve cloud streaming on Edge browsers- read more on that through here.

Patch Notes: 

ADDITIONS & IMPROVEMENTS

Cross-play

• With the inclusion of Xbox Game Pass, Cross-play has been implemented as well. This will allow you to play with your friends across 2 platforms: Xbox & Windows 10.

60 FPS

• Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S now have the capability to run at 60 FPS.

Voice Chat

• Xbox and Windows 10 users now have access to in-game voice chat

BUG FIXES

Animation, Art, & Audio

• Fixed an issue where the spark SFX was very loud when attacking a machine with melee weapons
• Fixed an issue where the player character could end up in an unintended pose while riding a bicycle

Crashes

• [Community Reported] Fixed a rare crash that could occur when the player was riding a bike
• Fixed a rare crash where the player would crash when joining a MP game

Machines

• [Community Reported] Fixed an issue where players can loot machines indefinitely by leaving and rejoining the session
• [Community Reported] Fixed an issue where the reapers reinforcement was despawned prematurely after the reaper was destroyed
• [Community Reported] Fixed an issue where the reaper rival wouldn’t stop firing at the player
• Fixed an issue with machines not spawning if a client tries to start a mission while the host is away
• Fixed an issue where the reaper rival something wasn’t firing at the player if the player was already carrying this ammo type in its inventory.
• Fixed an issue where the reaper rival could sometimes be spawned underground

Assignments

• [Assignments] Fixed an issue where blowing up a machine with a gas tank didn’t count towards the assignment goal.
• [Assignments] Fixed an issue where the “Destroy 5 cars” assignment didn’t progress
• [Assignments] Fixed an issue where destroying machines with landmines didn’t count towards the assignment goal.
• [Assignment] Fixed an issue where destroying a machine while it was distracted by a machine wasn’t counting towards the assignment goal.
• [Assignments] Fixed an issue where no progress was tracked on “Destroy 5 civilian fuel tanks”.
• [Assignments] Fixed an issue where no progress was tracked when recycling some items.

UI

• Fixed an issue where long ammo names were clipping the hud
• Fixed multiple instances of text clipping in tutorials

Weapons

• [Community Reported] Fixed an issue with ammo for N60 and N16 couldn’t be found
• Fixed an issue where the drop rate for the U.S. Weapons was too low
• Fixed an issue when rapidly pressing the switch ammo button and removing the weapon from the quick slot, would make the weapon unusable
• Fixed an issue where the vision module would still be attached to the weapon when detaching the scope before the module
• Fixed an issue where shock ammo would stop working correctly after using it for a while

World

• [Community Reported] Fixed an issue where the player could become stuck in a crevice in the mountain region
• [Community Reported] Fixed an issue where there was a hole in the bridge to Östervik that players could fall through and get stuck
• [Community Reported] Fixed an issue where the bike station at Boo Bruk wasn’t functional.
• [Community Reported] Fixed multiple issues where terrain had seam holes or tears
• Fixed an issue where loot can be looted from a safe without opening it
• Fixed invisible collision at Ånnagruvan
• Fixed an issue where loot pick up status wouldn’t save
• Fixed an issue where an Incorrect amount of materials was shown after trying to build the same structure again but not having enough resources
• Fixed an issue where the POI would no longer show on the map after the player died

General

• [Community Reported] Fixed an issue where The Rival named ‘The Invader of Tyvöleden’ was misspelled, referring to the area known as Tylöveden
• [Community Reported] Fixed an issue where the player wasn’t able to obtain the Archipelago collectible painting
• General crash fixes and stability fixes
• Fixed an issue where players could not join a multiplayer session via invite while in single player
• Fixed an issue where region level didn’t match between host and client
• Fixed an issue where canceling matchmaking and backing out to the main menu would result in a deadlock

SYNDICATE (2012)

In 2012, EA and Starbreeze teamed up for a revival of the Syndicate series, only instead of making a real-time tactics game like the originals, they made a first person shooter. It was drastic shift, of course, and 2012’s Syndicate doesn’t ever match the heights of its predecessors- but it’s still a fun ride. It looked really good for its time and brought its cyberpunk setting to life really well, and there was a lot of fun to be had in its combat encounters.

With how many are still stuck indoors and all the death and hospitalizations, it can be easy to feel like we’re in the midst of the end of the world sometimes. But we’re not (or at least I hope we’re not), and there’s lots of stuff being given out for free in these trying times at least, and now you can play something about the end of the world that’s a bit more exciting and less depressing with Generation Zero.

The game was announced to have a free trial period that begins today and ends next week via Steam. The game takes place in an alternate 1980s Sweden where robot invaders have come and you must fight for survival as well as unravel the mystery of these menaces. If you enjoy what you play, you can also purchase it for 60% off.

Generation Zero will be free on Steam until May 4th. The game is also available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You can read out review through here.

THE DIVISION 2

The Division 2 moved away from the wintery urban apocalypse of Manhattan to sun-drenched streets of Washington D.C., and it proved to be an excellent change in scenery. The Division 2’s world is large, diverse, and impeccably designed, full of interesting things to do and sights to see, and brimming with the same level of detail that its predecessor displayed so proudly as well.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s release.

"Generation Zero was actually built on tech we developed for our self-published game theHunter: Call of the Wild, which is also in first-person. We mainly worked on animations and AI behavior, as the machines are quite a different beast from animals."

Did you have to make any notable adjustments to the Apex Engine’s toolsets for Generation Zero, considering that the game is first person unlike Just Cause or Mad Max? Did any of that align with work on Rage 2, perhaps?

Generation Zero was actually built on tech we developed for our self-published game theHunter: Call of the Wild, which is also in first-person. We mainly worked on animations and AI behavior, as the machines are quite a different beast from animals.

Given that Generation Zero is much more grounded than most of your other titles, were there any significant changes you had to make to development methods for laying down the game’s systems and mechanics?

In Call of the Wild, we have a background AI simulation for animal behaviors. We used that as a foundation in Generation Zero for a persistent experience of the machines. This means that if you damage a machine and then escape you can later encounter the same machines with the damage you inflicted earlier.

Can you share details about the game’s lighting system? Is there any support for Global Illumination?

The game does support Global Illumination already and the dynamic day cycle combined with the fully dynamic weather engine results in ever-changing lighting of the world.

How big is the world compared to Just Cause 4?

It’s really difficult to give an exact size of the game world seeing as it consists of several islands, but in true Avalanche Studios style it is, of course, huge and it will take many hours for players to traverse it in its entirety.

"New platforms like Stadia sound very exciting as they will help reach even more gamers worldwide – and more importantly players of all levels and that play on vastly varying types."

In our last interview you confirmed that the Xbox One X will have enhancements, but can you now share specific details?

Sure, the Xbox One X version of the game runs at a 1800p resolution at 30 fps. It also has higher resolution textures to fully make use of the 1800p rendering.

Can you do the same for the PS4 Pro version as well?

Of course! On the PlayStation 4 Pro, the game runs at a 1440p resolution at 30 fps.

How’s the game running on the base PS4 and Xbox One models in terms of frame rate and resolution?

On the base PS4 and Xbox One, the game runs at 1080p at 30 fps.

Do you have any plans to launch on Stadia?

New platforms like Stadia sound very exciting as they will help reach even more gamers worldwide – and more importantly players of all levels and that play on vastly varying types.

There’s not really any story to speak of in Generation Zero, though I think that’s the intention. The game takes place in 1980s Sweden. You star as a random teenager when robots suddenly attack. There’s some more layers to it and some bits of environmental storytelling scattered throughout, but that’s the gist. Aside from a few lines of text before you being a new game, there’s not much that’s explicitly told to you through the game. Generation Zero wastes no run time immediately shoving you into gameplay. Although a little more set-up would have helped establish the tone of the game, this is probably a welcome aspect for those players who just want to quickly get in and start shooting robots.

"There’s some more layers to it and some bits of environmental storytelling scattered throughout, but that’s the gist. Aside from a few lines of text before you being a new game, there’s not much that’s explicitly told to you through the game."

This is a pretty good-looking title. The wide open world you play in is beautifully realized and has plenty of variation in scenery. The weather changes from time to time and the rain effect coats your screen appropriately without becoming obnoxious. The presentation of the world is top notch and it should definitely be commended. If there was one nitpick that sprung up frequently throughout my playthrough, it would be with the house layouts. You’ll constantly be running through houses that look the exact same on the inside. Although it’s understandable, it does add to the tedious nature of playing this game, but we’ll get to that later.

Sound design is also on point in Generation Zero. Guns all give great feedback and running through foliage and over different textures sounds just like it should. Hearing the crack of far-off lightning or the rhythmic whirl of an approaching robo-dog is great and really helps immerse you into this situation. Presentation is top-notch here and it really helps sell this as a real, lived-in place.

Now, onto gameplay. Generation Zero is a survival looter shooter. To fight back against the tyrannical toasters, you’ll have a few tools at your disposal. Since you’re only a regular teenager, you’re not going to come into this adventure already decked out. You’ll scavenge through houses, barns, cars, and whatever other containers you can find in the countryside of Sweden. You can pick up guns, med-kits, noise-makers, and even little cosmetic accessories you can use to personalize your character. You can customize your weapons, change out their ammo types, and even select a few pieces of throwable equipment to have quick access to.

You’ll find that your enemies in Generation Zero can eat your health like no one’s business. Sometimes, a firefight isn’t always the best course of action. For these moments, you can use the game’s stealth mechanics. Although it’s not too in-depth, bars will pop up whenever an enemy’s around to let you know how aware they are of your presence. You can also use radios and flares to disorient your mechanical opponents and get the upper hand. Finally, there’s a leveling up system where you can improve your stats. All of this is fairly standard for the open-world shooter genre, but it is essential in order to stand a chance against some of the later machines.

"This is a pretty good-looking title. The wide open world you play in is beautifully realized and has plenty of variation in scenery. The weather changes from time to time and the rain effect coats your screen appropriately without becoming obnoxious. The presentation of the world is top notch and it should definitely be commended."

Gameplay in Generation Zero is competent. The guns feel nice to shoot and there’s always some treasure nearby or some mission to complete. The real issue comes from how dull the game feels to play. The gameplay loop of exploring, fighting, and looting is repeated over and over without any meaningful window dressing to hide the monotony. Even though it feels nice to stock up on hundreds of rounds for your pistol, it doesn’t feel nice to use those pistols rounds to shoot the same enemies for hours on end. And once you get burned finding a house or two filled exclusively with radios, even exploring can also lose its luster. While all the systems for a good game are here and work just fine, there’s a definite lack of personality that holds this game back from being a truly fun experience to play.

Although for many of us, the real appeal of this game comes from the enemies: the hordes of mechanized killer robots. Though these baddies can be terrifying if they corner you while you’re low on supplies, you may be wanting for variety after a while. For the first few hours with this title, you’ll be dealing almost exclusively with gatling gun-toting quadrupedal machines and some flying drone types. And although these are a good enemy type to get started with while your weapons are still weak, it won’t be long before you get tired of seeing the same enemies over and over. Later on, you’ll find more challenging opponents. Although aside from the bipedal walkers, the new enemies are simply bigger versions of what you’ve fought before. It’s too bad there aren’t more specialized designs but all the enemies does end up becoming intimidating, especially in packs.

What ends up letting the intimidation factor down somewhat comes from their AI. Enemy AI is a mixed bag in Generation Zero. While it can at some points show surprising amounts of wit, coordinating with other machines and listening for your footsteps, it can just as quickly break. Frequently, I would find that enemies who would approach a house that I’m holed up in would attempt to make a beeline straight for me, seemingly unaware of the walls they end up getting stuck on. They also like to bunch up in groups which, given their explosive nature, leads to most fights ending fairly quickly once you know where to shoot.

Generation Zero also has a multiplayer component that’s been pushed pretty hard in the marketing for this game. This game seems to be one that’s tailor-made for co-op fun. Although the AI isn’t so clever that you’ll have to coordinate tactics, it’s still a good time to blow things up with people you like. I wish I could tell you more about the multiplayer compartment but every time I tried to join a multiplayer game, the random matchmaking placed me with the same two players who kept kicking me over and over. Although I looked, I couldn’t find a multiplayer lobby list, so I was forced to give up my dreams of blasting robots with others.

"What ends up letting the intimidation factor down somewhat comes from their AI. Enemy AI is a mixed bag in Generation Zero. While it can at some points show surprising amounts of wit, coordinating with other machines and listening for your footsteps, it can just as quickly break."

Generation Zero is a competent product. The guns feel nice to shoot, the game is pretty to look at, and sound design is on point. But aside from technically performing as a video game, there’s just nothing that exciting about playing it. There’s nothing particularly interesting about what Generation Zero does or how it does it. Looking back at developer Avalanche’s previous efforts such as Mad Max and the Just Cause titles that just oozed with personality, it’s strange how vanilla Generation Zero is. Here’s hoping that Avalanche Studios can take this good idea and create something great out of it in the future.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Open world connoisseurs Avalanche Studios are almost ready with their next big project- co-op shooter Generation Zero will take players to an alternate version of 1980s’ Sweden not too long from now, and to hype up the game’s impending launch and to set the stage for what’s in store for us, they’ve put out a launch trailer for the game.

The thing that’s noticeable first and foremost is, of course, that the game is looking sharp, making use of the studio’s Apex Engine as it does (which you would have been able to tell with just one look at any one of the explosions shown off, to be honest). It also gives us a taste of all the different kinds of machines we’ll be coming across in the game that populate the open world, which seem to come in several shapes and sizes. Take a look below.

Generation Zero launches on March 26 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC. For more information on the game, check out our recent interview with the developers through here.