Warpback: What We Played in August 2016

whatweplayed-august-header

This Summer has been dry… and I’m not just talking about the weather. Last month, the NPD Group announced that Grand Theft Auto V, a game that was released almost three years ago, was July’s best-selling game. But your friendly neighborhood Warp Zoned staff still plenty of new games to play last month, including the divisive No Man’s Sky and the crime-fighting Batman: The Telltale Series.

What else did we play? Find out after the break.

John Scalzo
Editor-In-Chief
While everyone else was off exploring outer space, I stuck to the grimy alleyways and shadowy rooftops of Batman: The Telltale Series – Episode 1: Realm of Shadows. I’ve never played a Telltale game before, but Batman: The Telltale Series sucked me in instantly. And being able to guide the Caped Crusader’s actions towards more noble choices was a welcome change of pace from other recent Bat-Media. I absolutely can’t wait to see where the story goes.

I also continued to chip away at the Story Mode in Quantum Astrophysicists Guild’s great puzzler, Tumblestone. The solutions are definitely getting trickier, but even when I’m blocked, it’s still a lot of fun.

Nicole Kline
Senior Editor
August was a whirlwind of gaming for me! I finally got Pokemon Go, and I’m already level 22. I caught so many at PAX! It was unreal.

I also played some Fallout 4 and a ton of the Titanfall 2 Technical Test, which I loved. God Eater 2: Rage Burst came out just as I was leaving for PAX, and I’m definitely going to play a lot more of that this month! I am so excited to finally dive back into that world. I was so into the first one!

Andrew Rainnie
UK Correspondent
My gaming time was consumed by the behemoth that is No Man’s Sky. I must say, all the noise in the press about the game being a lie has me confused, because I am enjoying it immensely. I never saw it as more than a space exploration game, where we would name planets and animals and other people might stumble across them. I never thought it would be Destiny, more Elegy For A Dead World meets Elite.

I take my time to explore the worlds, rather than rushing through the systems to the centre of the universe. I know other people have trawled through interviews with Hello Games CEO Sean Murray and accused him of lying and selling a half-baked game, but the fact that some early elements were toned down or removed does not make the game any less enjoyable. It’s a serene, visceral experience, one that I think I will have to have a break from as I just picked up Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Fallout 4, and Dark Souls III (I had a LOT of games to trade recently), but I imagine I will return to the universe, and continue my path, whatever one I choose.

Mike Ryan
Staff Writer
I too am currently playing No Man’s Sky, and share Andrew’s sentiment to an extent. I love a game where the story is discovered through progress rather than cutscenes, and the joy of discovery coupled with the anticipation of the unknown make No Man’s Sky a great experience. I hope Hello Games continues to update the game (a la Minecraft) to add more features in order to keep things fresh, but I am enjoying it thus far.

I also dove back into my retro collection and played Resident Evil 4 (jeez, is the GameCube really considered retro now?). It surprises me that I’m able to go back to Leon’s adventure again and again.

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