Weekly Recap #365 June 14th – CyberPunk 2077, Destiny 2, Phantasy Star Online 2 & More!

Path of Exile’s “Legion” Update Arrives on PC, Receives Console Release Date: 0:33

The latest update for Path of Exile, Path of Exile: Legion, launched this week on both PC and console! Wraeclast’s mightiest military leaders have been locked in an eternal conflict for millenia within the Domain of Timeless Conflict. In this new expansion, you’ll journey there and do battle with these five armies and earn tons of rewards as you carve through their ranks. As your character progresses, you’ll work your way up to tackling bigger and bigger numbers of soldiers from each of the armies until, finally, you’re ready to take on the biggest challenge of them all: a five-army map. This is, without question, the hardest endgame challenge currently on offer in Path of Exile, and only the strongest of players will be able to conquer it. Also included in this update is a complete melee combat overhaul that makes melee characters feel more fluid, natural, and fun to play. For a full breakdown on what’s included in the new expansion, you should click over to Colton’s expansion announcement from the link in the description below.

Destiny 2 Announces It Is Going Free-to-Play This Fall: 1:29

In a bit more free-to-play news, Bungie dropped a massive announcement this week that Destiny 2 will be going free-to-play this fall! On September 17th, 2019, Bungie looks to put the game back into the hands of the players with all foundational modes, activities, and rewards available to everyone. Destiny 2 will also be launching on Steam at that time, and all of the PC players progress will go with them, making relocation easy. Cross-Saves will also be available in the fall, so you’ll be able to enjoy playing on your characters no matter what platform you choose to use in a given session. As if all that weren’t enough, Destiny 2 will also be launching on Stadia this fall. Stadia is the upcoming Google platform for game streaming that allows you to play your games on virtually any screen. Finally, the next update, called “Shadowkeep”, was announced, which sees players return to the Moon to take on a returning Eris Morn who wields a new horrific power that sleeps under the surface of the moon. That sounds kinda interesting.

Relic Hunters Legend Announced at E3 2019: 2:28

Now on to the main event of the week, E3! At the Kinda Funny Games conference, Rogue Snail announced Relic Hunters Legend for Steam! Relic Hunters Legend is a follow-up to Relic Hunters Zero and was created by the minds behind hit strategy RPG Chroma Squad. Relic Hunters Legend keeps the same art style and allows players to collect tons of relics and items which customize each character. It will also run natively in 4K resolution with unlocked framerates. You’ll also uncover the mysteries of the past, and get to know your favorite characters better through the game’s main story which centers around time travel and friendship. Rogue Snail also boasts that the game will be completely free to play with no paywalls, and that they will remain completely transparent on monetization practices for the life of the game. That’s pretty impressive!

TERA’s ‘Skywatch: Call to Arms’ Update Hits PC: 3:14

Speaking of big follow-ups, Tera’s newest update, entitled “Skywatch: Call to Arms”, dropped during E3 this week! With it comes an exciting new race class combination for Popori, granting them access to the Brawler class. This will also kick off a four week leveling event for players, giving them helpful items for hitting certain milestones like reaching level 65 with a Popori brawler. If you can do this by July 9th, you’ll earn the premium Kitten Hittin-Mittens weapon skin as a reward. The update also includes a new treasure map system and brings Gossamer Vault Hard mode and an updated Macellarius Catacombs instance for level 65 players to delve. The new treasure map system gives players the opportunity to earn pieces of a treasure map from high level dungeons. Once the two halves are assembled they’ll be send on an adventure through the game world to collect chests full of powerful loot.

Black Desert Announced Playstation 4 Launch and Pre-Order Date: 4:04

In another huge E3 announcement, during the second annual Into the Abyss event at E3 2019, Pearl Abyss revealed that Black Desert Online is coming to Playstation 4 in 2019! Pre-orders begin on July 2nd, and will include early access to the full game as well as additional in-game rewards. BDO will also support 4k resolution with the Playstation 4 Pro. Pearl Abyss additionally reevealed that Black Desert Mobile is launching globally in 2019 for iOS and Android platforms. Currently available in South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, Black Desert Mobile boasts stunning graphics, skill based combat, and the most robust character creation suite of any mobile game on the market.

Heavy Metal Machines Season 4 Has Begun: 4:49

On a quick competitive note, Heavy Metal Machines’ latest competitive season has already begun! Matches will continue every Saturday until the finals on July 6th. These will go on from 4PM until 10PM, and the best teams will go on to the finals to compete for a prize pool of roughly $3,700 USD. Not quite the prize pool of DOTA 2 but, ya know, its getting there!

Brawlhalla Crossover with Adventure Time: 5:13

Brawlhalla revealed their newest crossover event during E3 as well, the Adventure Time crossover! The newest patch for the game will feature a new Buddy game mode, a new Adventure Time Map based on Finn and Jake’s tree-fort home, bonus log-in gold, and most importantly new characters! Finn, Jake and Princess Bubblegum will all be playable as skins for Jhala, Kor, and Lord Vraxx. There were also a series of balance changes as always, including buffs to the Katar, Sword, Hammer, and Lance, and nerfs to the Scythe  and unarmed combat. Hopefully that doesn’t break the game, but I think they know what they’re doing.

Warframe Empyrean E3 Teaser: 5:53

Previously known only as Codename: Railjack, E3 2019 revealed the new Warframe: Empyrean expansion! Not much is known about the expansion, as only a teaser was shown, but more information will be made available during the full reveal at TennoCon 2019 on Saturday, July 6th. Just around the corner.

Ring of Elysium Teases New Game Mode at E32019: 6:12

Next up, Aurora Studio has a new game mode coming to Ring of Elysium which was shown off at their E3 2019 exhibition live on Twitch! This new mode will be different from the current Battle Royale mode and will take cues from the previously introduced Night mode. This new mode won’t have a shrinking area mechanic, which should make battles more intense. In addition, players cannot rely on blood packs or hiding as a means to survive. The new mode will also have a new win condition, offering a serious shakeup in how the game is played. To see the new mode in action, you can head on over to the official Aurora Studio Twitch channel and check out the VOD, which is still available.

Phantasy Star Online 2 Coming to Xbox: 6:50

Microsoft also had a huge MMORPG announcement to make during their press conference on Sunday! They’ve teamed up with Sega to bring Phantasy Star Online 2 and its massive community to the US in Spring 2020 for Xbox One! Phantasy Star Online is an instance based action-RPG with a massive following in Japan, and should do well on the Xbox One. This one’s been a long time in the running and I think people will be excited that its finally coming to the US.

Roller Champions Revealed at E3: 7:17

Likewise, Ubisoft showed off their new Free to Play sports experience called Roller Champions during their conference at E3! There isn’t a ton of information available about the game other than it will be a team-focused roller derby experience that focuses on player skill, cooperation, and intense roller-skate based combat.

SMITE: Ruler of Heavens Patchnotes Discussion: 7:36

Smite’s most recent patch, which launched during the festivities at E3, got the full breakdown treatment from Jason over on MMOHUts.com! Click on over and check it out with the link down in the description.

=== Other E3 Highlights ===

Final Fantasy VII Remake New Trailer & Gameplay: 7:58

Of course, there’s a lot to talk about, but by far one of our favorites is the Gameplay reveal for Final Fantasy VII Remake! The hybrid turn-based and real-time combat system looks like a blast, and the visuals and character interaction during combat maintain the game’s connection to the original. The only thing missing from the Scorpion boss fight was someone yelling a mistranslated line about attacking while the tail is up.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Announcement Teaser: 8:19

The developers of the Divinity series showed off a teaser trailer for Baldur’s Gate 3, a continuation of the hit RPG series that’s laid dormant for years. Whether this new iteration of the game will be a new story or continue with the cast of characters seen in the original two games is still unknown, but we can certainly hope.

Outriders Reveal Trailer: 8:37

During the Square Enix press conference at E3 they revealed Outriders, a game developed by the creators of Gears of War Judgement and Bulletstorm, People Can Fly. Outriders is a 1-3 player drop-in, drop-out cooperative shooter set in a dark, desperate sci-fi universe. Mankind is bleeding out on the planet of Epoch, and the only hope to set things right are the Outriders.

Age of Wonders Planetfall Reveal: 9:00

Age of Wonders: Planetfall got a new E3 Trailer, which showed off some of the factions playable in the game. One of these is a faction of dinosaurs armed with lasers and if that isn’t enough to sell you on the game, then nothing will be.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Quarantine Reveal: 9:16

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Quarantine will be a brand new 3-player tactical co-operative FPS game! The game centers around some kind of devastating infection that players will have to contend with, and will be available in 2020 for xbox one, Playstation 4, and PC!

New Borderlands 3 Trailer: 9:33

The new trailer for Borderlands 3, which I am super excited about, showed off more of the game’s story, where players will team up with three friends and take on the Children of the Vault. Children of the Vault is the name given to a psychotic cult that want to either recruit or destroy vault hunters. The four classes and their powers were also shown off briefly in the trailer, including the power to summon a giant mech or a series of beasts to do your bidding as either the gunner or beast master respectively. The Siren seems to have more of a focus on melee combat this time around, with the power to spawn six additional arms as one of their abilities. Finally, the operative teleports around the battlefield rapidly switching between weapons to deal with every situation he comes across. While the fear that Borderlands 3 may fall victim to the monetization practices of its publisher 2K games is ever-present, it’s kinda hard to see a trailer like that and not be excited for the game.

Doom Eternal Reveals: 10:31

Also another game I’m convulsing with excitement about, Bethesda showed off a good bit of the new Doom Eternal, slated for launch in November! DOOM Eternal will take players to multiple dimensions, and reveal overwhelming amounts of violence, carnage, and demon-slaying. The Doom Slayer’s coming back in a big way. They also revealed a new PVP mode where two players control demons versus one Doom Slayer – BATTLEMODE. Not so creative name, but a really cool game mode.

Psychonauts 2 Trailer: 11:00

In another huge Microsoft announcement, Microsoft acquired the developer behind Psychonauts and Brutal Legend, Double Fine! As a part of this announcement, a massive trailer for Psychonauts 2 was shown. Psychonauts 2 tells the story of Razputin Aquato, a gifted acrobat with psychic powers, as he fulfills his life-long goal of becoming an international psychic super-spy. In other words, a Psychonaut. Raz joins the Psychonauts at a dangerous time: a mole has infiltrated the organization and is planning to resurrect history’s most cruelly powerful psychic villains. Not knowing who to trust, Raz must dive into the history of the Psychonauts, and that of his own family, to fight the demons of their shared past.

Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Keanu Reeves & Release Date: 11:43

CD Projekt Red revealed at E3 not only CyberPunk 2077’s release date, but ted logan, aka john wick, aka neo, aka Keanu Reeves plays another badass in the game! Fair warning: the game’s E3 trailer is fairly graphic, so viewer discretion is advised, awesome overload is real and can be an issue. Keanu Reeves even made a special appearance at the press conference to show off his character, Johnny Silverhand, what kinda name is that? Awesome? and to reveal that the game will launch on April 16th, 2020. couldn’t happen soon enough.

Gods & Monsters Reveal Trailer: 12:22

The creators of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey showed off their new project, entitled Gods and Monsters. Not a lot was shown of the game, but the cartoonish art-style and lack of blood in the trailer suggest it may be a bit more tame experience than what fans of Assassin’s Creed are used to. We’ll have to see how that goes, trailer looks good.

Watchdogs Legion Reveal Trailer: 12:40

Ubisoft showed off a new Watchdogs game called Watch Dogs: Legion. The game centers around a near-future London which is currently facing its downfall. The people are being oppressed by an all-seeing surveillance state, private militaries control the streets, and a powerful crime syndicate is preying on the vulnerable. The fate of London lies with you and your ability to recruit a resistance force to fight back. No doubt this year’s E3 was a comeback, tons and tons of sweet games, sequels and more to look forward to starting in the second half of 2019 and well into 2020. Let us know in the comments below what you are looking forward to from the e3 announcements this year. All I know is, it will probably cost me a computer upgrade in order to handle it all.