By Ronald Gordon
Hello once again and Welcome Back to the Roundup! It’s the Critics Circle’s chance to gather up seme selected stories from our various members and give them each a shoutout for their hard work. This week we’ve got articles that the Circle Members have published on their respective sites, as well as a first-time NYGameCritics.com review from a new contributor.
Taking the spotlight for our first piece of news is Jacob Robbins. The associate editor for Graydon Carter’s Air Mail provided the Critics Circle with a review of A Memoir Blue. Cloisters Interactive’s new adventure game revolves around an interactive poem which Jacob mentions is, “about evocation—it wants you to feel more than it wants you to participate in its world. What makes the game’s focus on feeling work so well is its depriving the player of, well, any real information or context.” A Memoir Blue seems to draw its players in quickly and smoothly despite its short playtime, leaving players like Jacob with a wholesome yet emotional journey that he says, “will remind you that there is hope and light in times seemingly dominated by noise and darkness.”
Michelle Ehrhardt’s article on Tom’s Hardware advises people about the Best prebuilt PC and Laptop deals to be had during the coming shopping season. Nowadays, there’s not a place you can’t look that doesn’t have a computer or laptop for sale. With the specifications of each varying more and more, it can be hard to differentiate which PC or Laptop would be the best bet. Luckily Michelle understands this struggle and seeks to aid those that are looking into buying a prebuilt PC or gaming Laptop. “The good news is that while stocking issues may be limiting the availability of some of the latest RTX 30-series gaming rigs, there are still good deals to be had across the range of prices and CPU / GPU combos and we’ve listed them below.” The sheer number of varied sales and deals for anyone interested in a good bargain is impressive.
Circle Member Stephen Totilo published an article on Axios about the newly released edition of Unreal Engine. “While Epic may be known to much of the public for its hit game Fortnite, its core business has long been Unreal.” The success of the various editions of the Unreal Engine has been reliable game development software throughout the years. The launch of Unreal Engine 5 allows for a lot of new games and ideas to be developed in the near future, which I, for one, am excited for. Stephen writes that Unreal has, “dozens of partners, including PlayStation, Xbox and Tencent…followed by testimonials from recent Unreal Engine converts CD Projekt RED…the kicker that Crystal Dynamics, another studio that long operated its own in-house engine, would use Unreal on its next Tomb Raider game.,” Epic and Unreal Engine 5 already have major companies lining up to announce their expected use of the software for games in the near future.
Circle member Jordan Minor’s review at PC Mag of the Best Multiplayer Games of 2022 gives a shout out to the tough world of online gameplay. “If you’re interested in playing a game with at least one other person, you’ll find something that catches your eye here,” he says of the list that includes the always popular Fortnite to the COVID staple, Among Us to the award-winning It Takes Two. He jokes that, “The only things missing are music games, since plastic instruments don’t seem like they’ll be making a comeback anytime soon.” Check out Jordan’s list if you’re in the market for a fun and cooperative game or a thrilling competitive experience.
“The publisher has decided it’s time to … ghost this game” is part of the lede in an article written by Circle Member Joshua Rivera. Posted on Polygon regarding news about Ubisoft’s Ghost Recon, the article puts into perspective Ubisoft’s announcement regarding updates to the game. “In a statement published on the Ghost Recon Twitter account, publisher Ubisoft has announced that Breakpoint will no longer be updated,” mentions Joshua, signaling the end of Breakpoint’s updates and potential game changes, “Servers, however, will remain active for both Breakpoint and its predecessor, 2017’s Ghost Recon Wildlands.” Breakpoint had a significant amount of content added with its various updates, spanning two years of content since the game’s release. In his final lines of the article, Joshua mentions, “There’s currently no new Ghost Recon game on the horizon to replace it.” Fans of the Ghost Recon franchise will have to live with Breakpoint for a while until, if ever, another Ghost Recon game is announced.
Beyond The Circle
PaleyGX makes a return this year for its Grand Reopening after delays due to COVID-19 concerns. The gaming experience hosted by the Paley Center for Media comes back better than ever this Saturday and Sunday, April 9th and 10th, featuring many new consoles and events revolving around competitive and cooperative games. “The Ultimate Family-Friendly Gaming Experience,” is open to any and all who want to come and a enjoy the festivities. These include VR Games like Beat Saber on the Meta Quest 2, PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X games, exciting Minecraft Build Challenges or the chance to play against NBA 2K League Members, and so much more! April 9th is the only day where walk ups to the exhibition are free for all, so definitely be sure to save the date. If you’re willing to pay for a spot the next day on Sunday, April 10th, PaleyGX will be offering a sneak peek at Episode 4 of Paramount’s recent Halo Series, as well as extensions to events that happened on Saturday. Who knows? You may even spot Master Chief at PaleyGX. Here’s your invitation (Reservations are encouraged at this link toward the bottom of the page).
