Team Liquid has had a hell of a 2021. To sum it all up, we got help from a leading community member: Tortious Tortoise. Tortoise is a regular on TL's subreddit, serving up recaps on the TL action. This time, he's here to look into a bigger question. Was Liquid successful in 2021?
What ever happened to arena shooters? We delve into the rich history of this beloved gaming subgenre, how its survived over the years, and what arena shooters look like in 2022. First-person shooters dominated the 1990s PC gaming scene. Classics such as Wolfenstein and DOOM reached critical acclaim and defined the genre for future generations. As the internet boom rolled out, developer minds started to focus on how this could change multiplayer. Thoughts of LAN parties and two players sharing a keyboard drip in nostalgia, but the arena shooter embraced online multiplayer. Origins of Arena Shooters PC gaming in the 90s was quite limited compared to the thousands of games on various stores we see today. It focused players on some critical titles for the arena shooter sub-genre—specifically Quake III Arena, Unreal Tournament, Half-Life Deathmatch and Counterstrike. Whilst Quake II revolutionised online multiplayer, its sequel and Unreal Tournament took full advantage of it. The big appeal with arena shooters were frenetic, high octane deathmatches. Starting with the same weapon and no buffs, players would pick up more advanced guns, health, defence and damage modifiers found scattered across the map. Quake III vs. Unreal Tournament This fast-paced gameplay required skill and quick reflexes, the main pulls for arena shooters. Whilst Quake III Arena focused on multiplayer-only gameplay, Unreal Tournament took the best arena shooter’s crown for its time. Still played today; Unreal Tournament featured more weapons, complete with dual fire options. For example, the now-iconic Flack Cannon fired white-hot scrap metal as a primary fire, with the secondary being a grenade launcher. It’s one of the best weapons in first-person shooter history. UT featured pin-point gameplay. An announcer was present for all matches to highlight player performance. “Dominating” and “Killing Spree” would be heard for kill streaks, backed by a synth original soundtrack. It’s a visceral delight that stood out from the crowd, also creeping into pop culture, its influence is still felt today. Arena Shooters: Reloaded The amount of content in the game was genuinely unreal; it also provided much better value for players overall compared to its competitors. It featured more maps, modes, characters and weapons than other arena shooters with a decent single-player mode to boot. Unreal Tournament also marked the birth of the Unreal Engine, a toolset that has gone on to power countless video games. However, the best thing about arena shooters like Unreal Tournament was their pick-up and play approach. With no levelling, skill trees or load-outs to think about, people could concentrate on improving their skills in a mostly even playing field. Arena shooters started to phase out as players moved to team-based experiences with more mechanics and realistic presentation. Map design also advanced quickly in the 2000s, allowing players to experience multi-platform strategies that were a far cry from the corridor/big room combos of the 90s. Gameplay Shift Games like Counter-Strike and Battlefield 1942 heralded a shift towards strategy and a more significant focus on teamwork. This transition would only escalate with the boom in esports scenes in the 2010s onwards. People wanted more from their games, and some titles did try to translate arena shooter mechanics into a more enticing format. The Halo series initially did a great job of transplanting arena shooter gameplay into a new generation. The weapon selection, vehicles and map layouts felt like a natural progression of the genre. Teamwork felt key to capturing the flag and in deathmatches, with new modes such as ‘Grifball’ and ‘king of the hill’ offering more ways to play with friends than ever before. Arena Shooter Crysis Crysis is also another excellent example of using the arena shooter formula to introduce new gameplay aspects. The title’s multiplayer flopped due to poor net code and the limited amount of people that could physically run Crysis on PC. Using powers such as increased strength and invisibility shook up deathmatches, introducing new ways for people to play. With gunplay and presentation being on point, this should have been a coming of age title for arena shooters. DOOM’s 2016 reboot was a great opportunity to revamp the sub-genre, given its shared heritage with Quake. Although it succeeded in some respects, there just wasn’t an appetite for it. It wasn’t until a few years before its release that tacked-on multiplayer modes were seen as an industry-wide plight. With DOOM’s multiplayer having been outsourced, there were concerns that Bethesda had included the mode simply to tick boxes on a checklist. That perception marred what was actually a fun and frenetic suite of online game modes. Rise of the Hero Shooter Hero shooters such as Overwatch and Paladins would carry the torch for arena shooters into the modern age. Although they have brought some pretty big deviations such as preset weapon loadouts, progression systems, and attack/defend game modes, there’s still a focus on quick, skill-based gunplay and memorising map vantage points. This sub-genre of shooter, which also includes games like Valorant and Rogue Company, has taken hold thanks to their emphasis on team gameplay, something that wasn’t core to the original arena shooter experience. However, that extra layer of strategy – especially when it comes to team compositions – make these games arguably more involving and engaging to watch. It’s no wonder why they boast such an esports following. The future of Arena Shooters With Epic still raking it in thanks to Fortnite, the chances of there being a new Unreal Tournament in the pipeline seem pretty slim. The company recently attempted to reboot the series with a focus on player-created content and assets. However, it’s very rare that we hear of any updates. What about id Software and Quake? There’s definitely scope for Bethesda to resurrect the long dormant series (again) with modernised sensibilities yet sporting that same speedy gunplay, punchy weapons, and fluid movement. This would seem like an open goal if not for the fact that Quake Champions had tried to do the same not that long ago. There’s something else, of course. With Bethesda now owned by Microsoft, could this stop Quake from making a return? If that meant drawing away focus from the company’s plans for Halo Infinite then yes, probably. Speaking of Halo Infinite, it’s one of the titles that brought arena shooters kicking and screaming into 2021. It has an unabashed classic style that, for many younger gamers, will be their first exposure to the genre. It’s facing fierce competition, however. Just when we thought traditional arena shooters were long done, along came Splitgate with its big killer twist, allowing players to create Portal-like gates during matches. Both games are currently free-to-play and have already massed millions of players between them. The stage is now set for a new generation of arena shooters and hopefully more will join them while other games look to reinvent the FPS in new and interesting ways.
With the start of League of Legends Season 12, Riot Games released a brand new trailer showcasing the new champion in Zeri, The Spark of Zaun, her abilities, and her gameplay. Zeri’s upcoming debut into League of Legends is not too much of a surprise as she closely releases alongside another character from Riot Games. […]
For Xbox Live and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers looking for something new to play this weekend, Battlefield 2042 is now free to play. DICE's latest shooter leads the charge in Xbox's latest Free Play Days promotion, alongside indie tactics title Star Renegades.
From now until 11:59 PM PST on January 9, you can see what Battlefield 2042 is all about for free, including taking its Portal mode for a spin. Any progress made in the game, including achievements and unlocks, will carry over if you decide to purchase the full game after the free weekend. The various Battlefield 2042 editions are currently on sale too, should you decide to make the jump.
If multiplayer shooters aren't your cup of tea, Star Renegades--a sci-fi, turn-based RPG that emphasizes quick-thinking--is also free to play this weekend. Should your characters fall in battle, you'll be warped to a parallel dimension to take what you've learned and fight once more against the overwhelming might of the Imperium. Unlike the other two Free Play Days titles featured this weekend, Star Renegades is not on sale and is currently $25.
Xbox initially announced the Lovecraftian horror title The Sinking City would also be free to play this weekend, but has since removed the game from its line-up.
Dead By Daylight developers Behaviour Interactive have announced major changes to one of its playable Killers. The studio has taken the decision to remove unlockable cosmetics for Leatherface following reports of in-game racial abuse. This change will come into effect during the upcoming mid-chapter update. As Leatherface, Dead By Daylight players are awarded grisly skin masks resembling the game’s Survivors if you kill them 25 times. It’s not hard to imagine how such a feature could be misused by toxic players to spread racial hate. Here’s an official statement from Behaviour Interactive in its latest developer’s notes: For those who may not know, The Cannibal can unlock the faces of the four original Survivors by sacrificing them 25 times. Members of the community have shared their experiences with people targeting and harassing them while using some of these masks. These reports were disheartening to hear, and we absolutely condemn this behaviour. We are not comfortable having these masks in the game when they are used as a tool to spread hate. To that end, we will be removing The Cannibal’s unlockable faces in this upcoming Mid-Chapter. Anyone who has ever played The Cannibal by the release of the Mid-Chapter update will be awarded 6,000 Iridescent Shards to compensate for their removal. We will not tolerate hateful activity and will continue to take every step necessary to protect the community. Dead By Daylight Review In case you missed it, we recently re-reviewed the multiplayer horror hit, bumping up its original score: “Dead By Daylight has evolved into somewhat of a phenomenon, proving that the often maligned games-as-a-service model produces more than just cookie cutter loot shooters. It’s still an acquired taste and a bit rough around the edges though stands out as one of the most unique ongoing multiplayer games of the generation.” What’s next for DBD? Chapter 23 has been officially announced and will feature a familiar Japanese horror icon. The upcoming content drop will be based on the original Ringu novel and movie. Here’s everything we know so far.
French esports organisation Team Vitality has announced a talent-focused €50m (~£41.8m) investment from esports venture fund Rewired.gg. The investment, which is expected to help develop ‘European super teams’, will be distributed throughout the next three years. RELATED: Duy Nguyen appointed Head of Business Development for Team Vitality Rewired.gg is a significant contributor in Team Vitality. […]
Rainbow Six Extraction will be available on Xbox Game Pass Day One, Ubisoft has confirmed. That is not the only news as the publisher has also announced that Ubisoft+ will be coming to Xbox in the future as well. Full details regarding Ubisoft+ launching on Xbox have yet to be confirmed including dates and how it will work. There is either the option of Ubisoft+ existing as a separate paid subscription on Xbox platforms, or going down the EA Play route and being bundled in with an Xbox Game Pass subscription. “By making Rainbow Six Extraction available to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass members on the day and date of its launch via Xbox Game Pass, we’re demonstrating that we believe in the value and choice that game subscriptions offer to players,” said Chris Early, Ubisoft’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Business Development. “Rainbow Six Extraction for Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass members is just the beginning. Ultimately, we will offer the Ubisoft+ subscription service to Xbox owners so that they can enjoy the full extent of our Ubisoft+ game library, including new releases, on their consoles.” “With Rainbow Six Extraction, Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass members are getting another blockbuster added to their library on the same day the title launches,” said Sarah Bond, Corporate Vice President, Game Creator Experience and Ecosystem at Xbox. “And because Rainbow Six Siege will be on both Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass as well, the Rainbow Six community and fans of tactical shooters will have plenty to look forward to playing together, no matter where they play.” Rainbow Six Extraction was originally known as Rainbow Six Quarantine, and that was revealed back in 2019 with a view for it to be released in 2020. Unsurprisingly, the game was delayed then too. Rainbow Six Extraction is a PvE experience where teams of three face off against an alien threat known as the Sprawl, in an effort to contain and eradicate it as well as rescue Operators that can then be added to the roster. Rainbow Six Extraction will be available on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Luna, and Stadia. The game will be available on January 20th, 2022. Source: Ubisoft
NA has long been the underdog in League of Legends. It's time to accept the identity and be the David to the East's Goliath. Only, this won't happen in one epic moment. It will take years of development, savvy, and belief to create a real, Worlds-winning breakthrough.
For Ibiza, esports was always the option. The single-minded PUBG star began in the ill-fated War Z battle royale and has never looked back since. Walking down that unclear path, he's found a team, a career, and a life for himself.
“What would happen if Halo and Portal meet up?” Splitgate happens. That premise has been used to promote this game since the beginning. But why, if it’s a mix between two highly-acclaimed games, then it’s not well-known? Let’s find out. Review: What Is Splitgate: Arena Warfare? Is It Worth It In 2021? As […]
