PersistentWorld

From the studio that brought us the brilliant Bloodline Champions and Battlerite, Stunlock Studios have always been tantalizingly close to creating something truly special. Their latest, V Rising, just hit Early Access, and Lewis is certain it's going to bleed you of your free time.

Lewis is pretty excited for New World, mainly because it has as his Mum would say "Good Bones." Here's why.

Over the weekend I visited Snowdonia in Wales. Over two days we climbed Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach (known as The Glyders) as well as the ever popular Snowden. I’ve always enjoyed walking - just to explore - and only took up mountaineering recently. While the ascent and descent of each mountain was long and arduous (around 7 hours) the summits made them all worthwhile. To reach the top and look out over the world below, especially on a clear day, is truly breathtaking.

My daughter regularly watches me play video games and being five, she’s starting to want to play them with me. Like most children her age she’s surprisingly good on a tablet or phone and can comfortably play simple games such as Angry Birds or whatever else it is ‘the kids’ now play.

I’d intended to write about the arrival of the dreaded lockbox into The Elder Scrolls Online but having already written about them in the past, I wanted to turn my attention to MMO worlds and more specifically, zones and the “busyness” of them. As a new player to The Elder Scrolls Online I’d every expectation that the majority of zones I’d pass through would be empty.

My time in The Elder Scrolls Online has been an odd one this week because despite my random adventuring across a variety of zones, I’ve begun to grow incredibly frustrated at how a AAA title, and arguably one of the last MMO giants, got something as fundamental as combat so spectacularly wrong.

I’ve still not found a guild, or touched crafting, but I have decided I really should begin to make my way out of Glenumbra. I still don’t know the secrets of Daggerfall and that alone is keeping me here. I’ve a couple of quests remaining in the zone but I have to admit I’ve grown tired of the same scenery. I also can’t shake the feeling that Abnur Tharn, whom I keep running into, looks frighteningly like Peter Stormare.

My life in The Elder Scrolls Online didn't start too well. After logging into my character - who transpires to be a level 15 night elf - I accidentally shot a guard with my bow. Entirely unintentional as I tried to discover how to turn my HUD on, I'd only be in Daggerfall for 60 seconds and already had a bounty on my head.

I’ve felt a little lost this weekend. I don’t know whether it’s my age, the fact my children occupy most of my time or that my tastes are simply changing, but many games I have are failing to capture my attention. Several times on Saturday I attempted to play Guild Wars 2 only to login, stare at my character, and wonder what it is that I could actually do that would hold my attention for more than five minutes.

Battlerite is important for us all. Not only is it a highly successful early access title, but it’s born from a developer’s continued passion for an idea, without the shackles of publisher constraints. It’s also a game that’s delightfully simple but devilishly addictive.

It’s with interest, then, that Amazon Gaming Studios should present Crucible, a game that for all intents and purposes is The Hunger Games wrapped in a new skin.

The MMO genre has huge potential to make use of live events. Orchestrated by developers for players to enjoy - even if for a limited time - they offer seemingly spontaneous content (despite requiring months of planning) that’s both original and unexpected. Live events also offer respite from the predictable roadmap we’re often fed.

Last week I wrote about my hopes for New World and how, as a sandbox title, it could offer a new lease of life for the genre. One particular point that I wanted to discuss in greater depth was the prospect of fully open, player versus player looting. I know many might instantly shiver at the thought but for a sandbox to truly be, well, a sandbox, it surely has to have it.

Amazon Game Studios have finally revealed their hand and the trio of games they revealed last week didn’t go unnoticed. While I think it’s fair to say the fanfare surrounding the reveal wasn’t rapturous (people don’t yet associate Amazon gaming with, well, gaming) there was certainly a smattering of interest surrounding all three titles, if for nothing more than the emphasis on Twitch integration.

My daughter and I regularly go exploring in the woods not too far from where we live. She’s five and on Sunday we were joined by my nephew, who’s also the same age. Despite living in the city, where we live is incredibly green and the woods stretch on for miles. We explored for hours, searching under logs, hunting down Goblins that were hiding amongst the bushes and running away from bears. Any tree markers we saw, Lily and Luca were convinced was the writing of Trolls.