We've taken a few weeks off, but it's time for another edition of Beyond Co-Op. In this series, we cover gaming news that isn't co-op in nature. Hey, we all play single player and competitive multiplayer games anyway, right? The quiet winter months are... well, honestly, still fairly quiet. But as spring releases are just around the corner, news is ramping up a little bit. Here are the biggest stories in gaming this week.
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Titanfall Beta Begins
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Steam Tags Introduced, Abused
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EA Ruins Plants Vs. Zombies 2, Then Recants
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Nintendo Direct Recap
Titanfall Beta Begins
One of 2014's most highly anticipated games is getting close to release. IN advance of Titanfall hitting store shelves late next month, the beta has officially started. Anyone can sign up for the beta at the link below. Titanfall is probably the biggest Xbox One release yet, though it will also be available on PC and Xbox 360. Titanfall is multiplayer only, which, while discouraging to more casual gamers like myself, will probably not bother the Call of Duty and Halo crowd it is likely intended for. Several Co-Optimus staffers are in the beta, and I am certain they will share their thoughts on the game soon.
Source: titanfall.com
Steam Tags Introduced, Abused
This week, PC gaming mega-service Steam introduced a tagging system. The update allows players to tag games with their own custom labels, as seen in the picture above. The idea behind the tagging was to make it easier to find and categorize games for users with large libraries, or to find games that are most similar to games you already like in the Steam store. However, the tags quickly became a source of humor and commentary, as users included tags that had little to do with the actual content of the game. Tags exemplifying this idea include "bipolar", "walking simulator", and my personal favorite, "hipster garbage". Hopefully Valve will figure out a way to prevent the internet from being the internet, but in the meantime, the tag fuctionality is seriously lacking.
Source: Polygon
EA Ruins Plants Vs. Zombies 2, Then Recants
EA has a reputation for being money-hungry and a bit seedy (if you'll pardon the pun) and this week more evidence for this viewpoint was on display. The popular Plants Vs. Zombies 2, which is firmly in the free-to-play structure, took the monetizing a bit too far. In the game, lawnmowers are available to use as a last resort, if too many zombies get through your mean, green defenses. Lawnmowers previously repawned after each level. However, a recent update added the ability to buy more lawnmowers for about a buck each... and took away the respawn ability. Gamers cried foul at the blatant money grab, shouting that the gameplay had been fundamentally altered. EA quickly patched again, and claimed the "feature" was a "test". Pretty shady, if you ask me. Plants Vs. Zombies is a great game, and it's sad to see this sort of thing going on.
Source: Ars Technica
Nintendo Direct Recap
Another Nintendo Direct, Nintendo's regular hype/news video, was released this week. It was heavy on promotion for Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart for Wii U, but also included a few other choice tidbits. A new puzzle game featuring everyone's favorite pocket monsters is coming, dubbed Pokemon Battle Trozei. A second NES remix is coming, bringing more minigames using bits and pieces of Nintendo classics from the NES era. The video wrapped with more details about upcoming Wii U exclusive Bayonetta 2. Not a whole lot of news this time around, but Wii U owners will have some great stuff to look forward to in 2014 nonetheless.
Source: Gamespot