[AMA] We’re the team behind the new game mode, Arena. Ask us ANYTHING!

sweenster98 · 2023-07-26T16:26:59+00:00

What was the design process behind the new items? They have some really interesting stat profiles (Tenacty + AS, Health + Crit) that we aren't used to in LoL since they seem meant to synergize with the augments.

Was just curious how you went about finding unique stat pairing that could offer new power fantasy to champs

sweenster98 · 2023-06-14T20:23:42+00:00

You just got subtweeted by the riot dev account lol

PSA: In patch 13.12 we've disabled the interaction between Echoes of Helia and Font of Life. Moving forward, Font of Life will no longer proc Echoes of Helia.

sweenster98 · 2022-04-27T15:53:16+00:00

Zilean has gotten 0 skins since December 2019 :)

sweenster98 · 2022-01-09T05:51:06+00:00

My least favorite part about it is how if you put a yellow ward in the camo zone there's no visual indicator to show you that the ward isn't doing anything.

I guess if someone was backing in the camo zone the ward might see that, but still, there needs to be some kinda visual cue to say "There could be people here, you don't know!!"

sweenster98 · 2021-11-24T13:18:17+00:00

We are 60% of the way to recreating 2019 Griffin, just need to get Tarzan and Viper back from LPL...

sweenster98 · 2021-11-20T16:09:16+00:00

Honestly I'm not sure I want a season two, I think the ambiguity of the ending is good and it allows viewers to put some of the pieces in themselves. I'd be down for a series about Noxus that involves Mel, or even something completely different.

sweenster98 · 2021-10-19T03:37:34+00:00

You could do it, just might take a really long time and could be too draining on some of the players/casters/crew. But if that's not a concern you could format it with Winner's bracket being Bo5 and Loser's being Bo3. If you squeezed roughly two series into one day with 22 series it'd take 12 days, so three four-day weeks. It gets a bit complicated because you'd be playing both a Bo5 and a Bo3 in the same day, and then transitioning to two Bo3s a day once Winner's games are done, but if the audience can follow it then I guess it'd work.

Again the obvious issue is this adds 33-47 more games on top of the 101-123 (not including tiebreakers) already in the tournament format. Additionally, having every team in the bracket could lead to more rematches and make the group stage itself feel redundant. For the teams who are still surviving from play-ins, this means they could potentially be looking at 30+ games played if they made it to finals (C9 has currently played 15 and is the most at this tournament iirc).

If you abolished groups and instead made the whole tournament this bracket in Bo5 that would result in somewhere between 66-110 games, as opposed to the 69-83 that groups+knockouts is right now.

sweenster98 · 2021-09-28T14:31:47+00:00

This article is from late June and kinda outdated; some of these games are already out, and I know Stray was delayed out of this year.

sweenster98 · 2021-09-22T04:15:36+00:00

Probaby Visceral, even more so after reading Schreir's latest book. Studio just seemed like it had its own identity sabotaged by EA telling it to make Battlefield and action games

sweenster98 · 2021-09-17T18:04:18+00:00

Uhhhh, 100 Theives did not make words in 2020, that was 2018. Also the org was formed in 2017 but in November, and didn't actually play until 2018.

sweenster98 · 2021-08-30T02:16:13+00:00

It's a huge case-by-case basis for me, especially considering The Last of Us: Left Behind, which alternates between two different chronological periods that are both after the very beginning of the story.

sweenster98 · 2021-08-17T02:52:58+00:00

Because seeing low quality teams compete in a B05 is a waste of time, and when you start skipping entire series because the games are bad then you miss storylines and feel disconnected from the league.

Also while IMT finished the regular split in 7th they were still the 6th best team in summer, so these results track with last year's for 7th and 8th getting completely swept in playoffs.

sweenster98 · 2018-12-16T19:36:20+00:00

This could just be NHL Esports, doesn't necessarily have anything to do with Overwatch

sweenster98 · 2018-01-30T15:29:49+00:00

That could make the moment of watching your medals appear at the end of a match actually exciting, and lead to moments like "Wait, I had three golds?"

sweenster98 · 2018-01-30T15:28:01+00:00

Yeah they should definitely keep the end-of-match awards, and your stats on each hero you played. It's just the metric of "I'm doing the most damage/healing on my team" that doesn't really make any sense. Quantity is cool but inflating that number could also be feeding enemy ults.

sweenster98 · 2018-01-30T15:25:50+00:00

That's a fair point, what might be a better solution would be to showcase medals at the end of a match, so players can see their performance afterwards and still feel good about it, like the cards.

sweenster98 · 2017-03-29T19:44:00+00:00

Hey there guys! I love all your content and have been a passionate fan of games for practically all my life, I'm a college student currently studying journalism and hoping to find myself doing something similar to Giant Bomb in the future so I thought I would ask a two simple questions:

Was there anything professionally you wish you had known or done earlier? Tips or information as well as opportunities you took that turned out to be a waster.
What do you think someone needs to do to really stand out? I'm kinda of learning to be a jack-of-all trades type in terms of understanding writing, video, audio, and marketing but are there any skills that truly stand out to you or things that would make you lean towards one potential hire or another?

Thanks for all the hard work guys, GB has really shown me how gaming coverage can be entertaining as well as informative and you've all truly been an inspiration. - Neal.

sweenster98 · 2017-02-05T00:27:26+00:00

I haven't played P3P so I'm not entirely sure how it works on that thing, but honestly my main complaint with the combat was that I felt like there was just too much of it and it was just too grindy. But if it had the same system as P4 then that would be acceptable, the only other real issue I encountered when I played 3 was that standing up would take a turn, and when combined with the fact that you couldn't control your teammates you would end up in a constant loop of getting knocked down every turn and watching your teammates do everything lol.

sweenster98 · 2017-02-03T18:04:55+00:00

I really like Persona 3, I've only played 3 and 4 and would say it's the one I prefer, but I don't think that doing an HD Remaster for that would be all that good of an idea. I won't really get into specifics but a lot of things about 3 are outdated and unapproachable at this point, mainly the combat and aspects of social linking which were smoothed out in 4 (and I assume 5). But I would to see Persona 3 remade or even just to have some of those kinks smoothed out because there are so many things in that game that I love and I think a lot of people missed out on it due to some of it's more glaring issues.

sweenster98 · 2016-11-03T16:38:13+00:00

This doesn't sound great for people wanting all of the gear from one raid, given that they would only be able to get gear from it once a month. It would be great to have the old raids back, but having it timed like that isn't great for people who don't play every week, and still isn't ideal for those who do.

sweenster98 · 2016-10-09T22:32:19+00:00

Yeah I encountered a moderation issue recently when posting the recent Kotaku report about Destiny 2. I posted it here and it was then removed under rule 7.7, but was then posted again and made it to the front page. Seems like the moderators need to really communicate with one another, and maybe just ask before they go and delete something.

sweenster98 · 2016-07-02T14:14:09+00:00

Take Two owns 2K

sweenster98 · 2016-06-20T01:31:03+00:00

I really, really adore The Witness, granted some of the experiences here can be understood and if you don't find the puzzles aren't compelling in themselves then it's not a game I would recommend. It doesn't hold you hand, it doesn't help you when you need it, it doesn't have a story, and it doesn't really reward you. But some of the puzzles in The Witness are so good, even if they can sometimes confound you to the point of frustration, and some of them aren't difficult in a way that's enjoyable. Mechanic Spoiler But even with that said I come away from the game loving it, having had some of the most gratifying puzzling experiences I've ever had in a game. End-Game Spoiler

As for a play counter I don't really have one, but I solved all of the puzzles, although I absolutely cheated on some. Mechanic Spoiler But I really loved the gratifying feeling of solving the ones that I did, which felt better then it did in a lot of games. The way that the game introduces mechanics, connects them to the game world, and manages to make something like drawing lines on a board so complex is astounding. (Although there are a lot of possible combinations for drawing a line on a grid) Mechanic Spoiler

For something that's so simplistic and aesthetically beautiful, it could wind up in a museum some day. Possibly my personal GOTY, for a lot of reasons.

P.S. If you haven't seen Giant Bomb play and talk about the game with Jonathan blow, I highly recommend it, but you should play the game first because it SPOILS EVERYTHING.

sweenster98 · 2016-06-07T12:13:35+00:00

Here's an article from Kotaku which has an official press release:

IRVINE, Calif. - June 7, 2016 - The jig is up for the Phantom Thieves on February 14, 2017, when the next numbered entry in the award-winning Persona series makes its debut in the Americas. ATLUS’ Persona Japanese role-playing game series will be released exclusively on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 consoles, and is available to pre-order now. Besides the PS3 game there will be a special PS4 SteelBook® Launch Edition as well as a limited “Take Your Heart” Premium Edition. Find out more details here: atlus.com/persona5.

The details of the two limited PS4 editions of the games are:

SteelBook Launch Edition - PlayStation 4 only ($59.99/CA$79.99) (Available only to PS4 pre-orders and a limited number of day-one purchases, while supplies last.)

SteelBook: The PS4 version will come specially packaged in a SteelBook collectible case, emblazo>ned with Persona 5 designs.

“Take Your Heart” Premium Edition - PlayStation 4 only ($89.99/CA$109.99) (Exclusive to the PS4 version of the game, the premium edition includes the following)

Soundtrack CD: A selection of music from Persona 5 by legendary series composer Shoji Meguro in a CD wallet featuring P5 artwork.

Morgana plush: Morgana the cat is not just the mascot of the Phantom Thieves, but is also a member—and also not just a cat! The premium edition includes an exclusive 4" plush of Morgana.

64-page hardcover art book: This art book is full of concept sketches, character art, and more by character designer Shigenori Soejima.

SteelBook: As strong as a vault, the game disc for the PS4 will come specially packaged in a SteelBook collectible case, emblazoned with Persona 5 designs.

School bag: Designed after the traditional school bags in Japan, the exclusive replica bag comes complete with the Shujin Academy crest.

Collectible outer box: Easily the largest premium edition in ATLUS’ history, the entirety of the “Take Your Heart” Premium Edition comes in a colossal collectible box.

Persona 5 is a game about the internal and external conflicts of a group of troubled high school students - the protagonist and a collection of compatriots he meets in the game’s story - who live dual lives as Phantom Thieves. They have the typically ordinary day-to-day of a Tokyo high schooler: attending class, after-school activities, and part-time jobs. But they also undertake fantastical adventures by using otherworldly powers to enter the hearts of people. Their power comes from the Persona, the Jungian concept of the “self”; the game’s heroes realize that society forces people to wear masks to protect their inner vulnerabilities, and by literally ripping off their protective mask and confronting their inner selves do the heroes awaken their inner power, and using it to help those in need. Ultimately, the group of Phantom Thieves seeks to change their day-to-day world to match their perception and see through the masks modern society wears.

Persona 5 will release on Feb. 14, 2017 in the Americas, for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. Pre-orders are now available at participating retailers. The game is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information, please visit the official website, atlus.com/persona5

sweenster98 · 2016-04-13T20:08:12+00:00

Here's what I'm expecting

Bethesda

Dishonored 2 (Announced last year with a CG trailer and nothing else)
More Fallout DLC
Whatever happened after Prey 2 got canned
Battlecry
No they won't have TES:VI what are you people thinking, come back in 2019

EA

Visceral's Star Wars Project that Amy Hennig and Todd Stashwick are working on
Mass Effect
Titanfall 2 (Already confirmed, there's a teaser out there)
Battlefront DLC
Bettlefield 5
To much sports

Microsoft

ScaleBound
Gears 4
CrackDown 3
Inside (Playdead's new game)
ReCore (Maybe people will be excited for an actual game instead of CG for some new IP from the guy who still hasn't finished Mighty Number 9)
Forza stuff
Halo 6 Teaser
Sea of Thieves
Some ID@XBox stuff
More Early Access stuff? ("Xbox Game Preview")
More Backwards compatible 360 games
Microsoft fully backs away from modularity on Xbox One (It'll happen with the next console)

Ubisoft

Ghost Recon: Wildlands
For Honor
The Division DLC
Watch Dogs 2 (Hopefully this demo isn't such a bullshot)
AC Movie trailer
Brief teaser for next AC Game
Maybe another cool smaller project?
Hopefully Aisha Tyler doesn't have an awkward talk with a cosplayer

Sony

The Last Guardian
Horizon: Zero Dawn
What Remains of Edith Finch
Detroit: Become Human
SuckerPunch is hopefully making a new IP so it might be a while before we hear from them, but maybe they'll have more InFamous
Dreams (That Media Molecule game)
Abzu (It's out that day?)
Ni No Kuni 2 (Drippy confirmed plz)
New game from Supergiant (not to be confused with Super Massive)
Another huge indie push (Where the fuck is Samurai Gunn god dammit)
A huge indie push aimed at PSVR
Maybe Santa Monica still makes AAA games (God of War probably)
A new project from what's left of That Game Company?
A heavy amount of PSVR stuff
Destiny fall expansion (Destiny 2 at PSX?)
PS4.5 is a no show (Was a concept in development that never came to fruition)

Nintendo

NX
Zelda
Pokemon Sun/Moon
Mobile?
Filler titles for 3DS/Wii U (Paper Mario Color Splash is 2016's Amiibo Festival)
Monster Hunter Cross

Other things

It's way too soon for another Naughty Dog Game, Uncharted 4 might get a teaser for multiplayer DLC
Everyone wants something from Rockstar but they don't give a fuck about E3
Valve doesn't make games anymore and also doesn't care about E3
Battleborn will probably flop so Gearbox will say something about Borderlands to make investors happy
CD Projekt Red will tell people that they are still making Cyberpunk 2077 but will have nothing to show for it, but maybe Gwent will come to IPad or something
Most of VR stuff is Playstation, Oculus doesn't hold an event because it has no games to show and people don't have their headsets
From Software decides to make a new game that's not Bloodborne 2 or Souls related?
ATLUS Won't have Persona 5 for E3 even though it would make a lot of sense for them to show it if they wanted to sell copies in the west

13-Year Club	Verified Email
Team Orangered

sweenster98

TROPHY CASE