Tech,Space,Gaming, and Science Fiction News to wet your whistle
'Elder Scrolls' on mobile isn't great
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
The universe of Elder Scrolls feels too big to fit on a phone, and it kind of is. Elder Scrolls Bladesis Bethesda's attempt to give iOS and Android players a taste of its beloved high-fantasy franchise. It's a free game that includes streamlined character and city builders, and two different regions to explore (that's how many were in the demo on display at E3 this week, at least), the castle and the forest.
In the marketing material for Blades, Bethesda says the game also includes "cutting-edge combat," which is a bit of a stretch. The main mechanic involves pressing down on the screen and tapping when the attack circle turns gold, or pressing down on a diamond icon in order to pull up a shield. There are a few special attacks, each activated by tapping the icon when it's active. These maneuvers work against all manner of enemies, from undead soldiers to tiny goblins.
The baddies attack back, but rather half-heartedly, giving players plenty of time to load up their next moves without any real fear of dying. Once an enemy is vanquished, it disappears and leaves behind a bag of gold and/or a green gem; tap to collect and continue adventuring.
The game itself is animated in 3D and it looks like a pretty PSOne Classic -- it's fine for mobile or VR, but it would look out-of-date on current-gen consoles. This observation is only notable because Bethesda CEO Todd Howard wants to get the game on every platform imaginable.
"We are going to bring Blades to every device and system that we can," he said during Bethesda's E3 press conference. "Phones, PCs, consoles, also virtual reality, on mobile, all the way up to high-end VR on PCs. What's really cool is all of those connect to each other."
One of the mobile features Bethesda is proudest of, at least according to its E3 2018 media briefing, is the ability to play Blades in portrait mode, and this is where the game truly shines. It actually plays best in portrait mode, with the enemies and shield filling up the screen.
It's hard to knock a free game for not being robust enough in any sense, but there's no getting around it: Elder Scrolls fans won't miss much if they don't play Blades. There's always Elder Scrolls Online, and Bethesda just announced Elder Scrolls VI for real, though there isn't much information available about that title just yet.
Blades isn't bad, especially for a free, mobile-focused title. It plays off the formula Bethesda initiated with Fallout Shelter, a mobile game that made its way to Switch and PlayStation 4 just this week after a successful iOS and Android run. Both of these games feel like they're built to function as teasers for the main iterations, offering players a free taste of the full experience and enticing them to buy into a fully fledged title. They're perfectly fine, for what they are.
Note-taking app Evernote has fallen on hard times of late, culminating in its latest spate of job cuts impacting 15 percent of its workforce (54 employees). CEO Chris O' Neil -- an ex-Googler who took the reins in 2015 -- announced the firings at an all-hands meeting earlier today, reports TechCrunch . In a message on the Evernote blog , O' Neill admitted he'd set "incredibly aggressive goals" for the company in 2018. He continued: "Going forward, we are streamlining certain functions, like sales, so we can continue to speed up and scale others, like product development and engineering." The layoffs follow an exec exodus just weeks ago and the company's recent brand refresh (complete with a refined logo and wordmark). But critics are more concerned about its product, especially the free tier, which they claim lacks the perks to...
By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After six summers of researching, testing, and recommending window air conditioners, we've learned that quiet and affordable ACs make most people the happiest—and we think the LG LW8016ER will fit the bill in most rooms. This 8,000 Btu unit cools as efficiently and effectively as any model with an equal Btu rating, and runs at a lower volume and deeper pitch than others at this price. Little extra features like a fresh-air vent, two-axis fan blades, and a removable drain plug help set it apart, too. The LG LW8016ER is a top choice for an office or den, and some people will find it quiet enough for a bedroom, too. If our main pic...
Pre-loaded cartridges of cannabis concentrate are currently among the most popular means of consumption, and for good reason. They're discreet to use and easy to handle, a far cry from the dark days of 2016 when we had to dribble hash oil or load wax into narrow-mouthed vape pens by hand. But, frustratingly, an ever increasing number of oil cartridge manufacturers employ one-off design standards so that their products won't work with those of their competitors, thereby locking customers into proprietary ecosystems. We've already seen this with nicotine vaporizers -- which has a seen a massive rise in "pod systems" in the last few years, each outfitted with a unique canister and battery built to be incompatible with those of their competition. Is it too late for the burgeoning cannabis industry to set a universal standard for their product designs? ...
Comments
Post a Comment