With the weekend now finally upon us, though, it’s time to discuss our weekend gaming plans. Members of Nintendo Life have done just that, and we’d love for you to join in via our comment section below. Enjoy!
PJ O’Reilly, reviewer
Hello. This weekend I’m officially switching my brain to Christmas mode and kicking off the festivities by downloading a bunch of my favourite Xmas holiday games. As usual Breath of the Wild is gonna be getting its annual spin — I’ve still quite unbelievably got bits and pieces of that one left to discover — and I’m adamant that this year I’m finally going to beat Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, mop up every collectible and 100% that bad boy. I’ve also got Super Mario 3D All-Stars lined up to play through with my kids and all I need now is someone to hop over to my house, mull me some strong wine and put my tree up. Have a good weekend whatever you’re up to and stay safe out there!
Gavin Lane, features editor
With the holidays approaching, it’s time to start getting my Banjo-Kazooie save files in order. My tradition of visiting Freezeezy Peak on Christmas morn has admittedly fallen off in recent years, but having revisited Banjo-Tooie recently for its 20th anniversary, I’m more in the mood than ever. Therefore, I’ll have to find a couple of hours to blitz through Mumbo’s Mountain, Treasure Trove Cove, Clanker’s Cavern, Bubblegloop Swamp and Gobi’s Valley to make sure I can enjoy racing Boggy and saving the Twinklies on Christmas morning.
Otherwise, like PJ I’ve also been dipping back into Breath of the Wild after Age of Calamity, pottering about finding a Korok or two. Whaddagame, eh? I also picked up Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for 3DS this week (following the 10th anniversary of Epic Mickey on Wii). Castle of Illusion was pretty much my first ever video game, so maybe I’m going easy on it, but I kinda enjoyed the first thirty minutes I played, so I’ll dip back into that.
Jon Cartwright, video producer
This weekend I finally get to live out my fantasy of pretending I can speak Japanese by playing a game that until now was only available in Japan; Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light! I’ve played a handful of Fire Emblem games but my knowledge of Marth merely consists of Smash and a pop-sensation version of him in Tokyo Mirage Sessions – it’s time to finally right that wrong.
I’m also going to spend a lot of time staring at the Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 icon waiting for Tuesday’s launch.
Ollie Reynolds, reviewer
Hi folks! Bit of a quiet one this weekend I’m afraid; I’ve just rolled credits on Control (not the cloud version, I’m afraid!), so I’m currently experiencing that feeling of emptiness one gets when finishing a particularly strong game. I’m continuing my playthrough of Luigi’s Mansion 3, slowly but surely, and I’ve also booted up Resident Evil 4 yet again (I think this might be my tenth… no, twentieth time playing it through..? Who knows!), so I’ll have plenty to keep me busy.
Otherwise, this weekend will be dedicated to some Christmas shopping! I don’t know about anyone else, but Christmas is really sneaking up on me this year, and I’ve not even thought about doing any preparation until now. Still plenty of time though, right? Right..?!
My game of the week is Fire Emblem. While I still prefer the Super Famicom option, I can’t deny the joy of at long last having this one officially localized for us Westerners and hope Nintendo starts doing the same for other games in the series.
As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to leave us a comment below with your gaming choices over the next few days…
So when is Atlus planning on sharing this news? According to a teaser over on Twitter, all will be revealed next week:
This reveal is obviously expected to feature the same trailer and release date.
As noted yesterday, a western version of Persona 5 Strikers had been previously hinted at thanks to the appearance of an English-language version on the sites of several Asia-based online retailers.
Will you be adding this upcoming release to your Switch library? Leave a comment below.
Reminder: Unlock A Super Mario All-Stars Theme In Tetris 99 This Week
To continue Super Mario’s 35th-anniversary celebrations, Nintendo’s Switch Online battle royale game Tetris 99 is hosting a special Super Mario All-Stars limited-time event this week.
“Now you can tap back into that excitement when the Tetris 99 game on the Nintendo Switch system combines forces with Super Mario All-Stars, the collection that chronicles four timeless 2D adventures, for an all-star MAXIMUS CUP.“
Between 3rd December and 7th December, you’ll be able to unlock a Super Mario All-Stars game theme. Here’s a look:
If you’re wanting to relive the original Super Mario All-Stars game, keep in mind, it was recently released on the Nintendo Switch Online SNES service. Will you be participating in this upcoming event? Leave a comment down below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-06-2020, 05:08 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
Monster Hunter Film Director Inspired By A Metal Gear Solid Side Quest
Whenever I find out that a game I like has been picked up for a film adaptation, I cringe a bit. We're more likely to get something like Street Fighter: The Movie than we are Detective Pikachu. The people who make these movies so often seem to completely misunderstand what makes these games special. While we won't know if Monster Hunter is another dud until it actually comes out later this month, we at least know that if it fails, it's not because director Paul W.S. Anderson doesn't understand the source material. Talking on a recent Twitch stream with Capcom USA, Anderson revealed that he took some inspiration from the most obscure of obscure places: a side quest in a Metal Gear Solid handheld game.
Anderson is in deep. He's already said that he first played Monster Hunter 12 years ago, well before it hit American shores in any significant way, and has been trying to adapt it for nearly as long. One of the things that worried fans of the games in initial trailers is that our main character, portrayed by Milla Jovovich, isn't a native inhabitant of the Monster Hunter world. Rather, she's from our world; she and her team get pulled into Monster Hunter through a storm, and she has to adapt, working with Tony Jaa's character, "The Hunter," to survive and thrive.
There are two reasons why Anderson made Jovovich's character, Lieutenant Artemis, military.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-06-2020, 02:45 AM - Forum: Python
- No Replies
Python bool() Function
Python’s built-in bool(x) function converts value x to a Boolean value True or False. It uses implicit Boolean conversion on the input argument x. Any Python object has an associated truth value. The bool(x) function takes only one argument, the object for which a Boolean value is desired.
Argument
x
A Python object for which a Boolean value should be determined. Any Python object has an associated Boolean defined by the method object.__bool__().
Return Value
True, False
Returns a Boolean value associated to the argument x. The object will always return True, unless: The object is empty, like [], (), {} The object is False The object is 0 or 0.0 The object is None
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You can observe multiple properties of the bool() function:
You can pass any object into it and it will always return a Boolean value because all Python objects implement the __bool__() method and have an associated implicit Boolean value. You can use them to test a condition: 0 if x else 1 (example ternary operator).
The vast majority of objects are converted to True. Semantically, this means that they’re non-empty or whole.
A minority of objects convert to False. These are the “empty” values—for example, empty lists, empty sets, empty tuples, or an empty number 0.
Summary
Python’s built-in bool(x) function converts value x to a Boolean value True or False.
The bool(x) function takes only one argument, the object for which a Boolean value is desired.
Where to Go From Here?
Enough theory, let’s get some practice!
To become successful in coding, you need to get out there and solve real problems for real people. That’s how you can become a six-figure earner easily. And that’s how you polish the skills you really need in practice. After all, what’s the use of learning theory that nobody ever needs?
Practice projects is how you sharpen your saw in coding!
Do you want to become a code master by focusing on practical code projects that actually earn you money and solve problems for people?
Then become a Python freelance developer! It’s the best way of approaching the task of improving your Python skills—even if you are a complete beginner.
The 242nd GalaQuiz will be LIVE soon, win up to $50 in GalaCredit!
[www.indiegala.com] The GalaQuiz will take place in less than 120 minutes from this announcement Today's GalaQuiz[www.indiegala.com] hints are up. The theme will be Freebie #4 Redux Redux.
Wave Engine recently released version 3.1. Wave Engine is a completely free to use 3D game engine capable of targeting most platforms and XR devices. We have been keeping an eye on this engine since 2015 when we featured it in the Closer Look series. More recently we looked at Wave Engine again in 2019 when WaveEngine 3.0 was previewed after a long period of silence. After another long period of silence we received the 3.1 release which brings .NET 5 and C# 9 support as well as graphical improvements.
We are glad to announce that, aligned with Microsoft, we have just released WaveEngine 3.1 with official support for .NET 5 and C# 9. So if you are using C# and .NET 5, you can start creating 3D apps based on .NET 5 today. Download it from the WaveEngine download page right now and start creating 3D apps based on .NET 5 today. We would like to share with you our journey migrating from .NET Core 3.1 to .NET 5, as well as some of the new features made possible with .NET 5.
From .NET Core 3.1 to .NET 5
To make this possible we started working on this one year ago, when we decide to rewrite our low-level graphics abstraction API to support the new Vulkan, DirectX12 and Metal graphics APIs. At that time, it was a project based on .NET Framework with an editor based on GTK# which had problems to support new resolutions, multiscreen or the new DPI standards. At that time, we were following all the great advances in performance that Microsoft was doing in .NET Core and the future framework called .NET 5 and we decided that we had to align our engine with this to take advantage of all the new performance features, so we started writing a new editor based on WPF and .NET Core and changed all our extensions and libraries to .NET Core. This took us one year of hard work but the results comparing our old version 2.5 and the new one 3.1 in terms of performance and memory usage are awesome, around 4-5x faster.
Now we have official support for .NET 5 and this technology is ready for .NET 6 so we are glad to become one of the first engines to support it.
In the video below we review Wave Engine 3.1. All of the samples used in the video are available on GitHub. Please note this repository should not be cloned, it simply links to a different repository for each sample.
Deal alert: Apple’s latest iPad (8th Gen) on sale for $299
Apple’s new 8th Generation iPad is back on sale for $299 at Amazon, with inventory expected to be in stock by Dec. 13 for Christmas gift-giving.
Pick up Apple’s standard 32GB 2020 iPad (Wi-Fi) in Gold for $299, a $30 discount off retail. Or opt for the 128GB version for $395 and save $35 off MSRP. Both of these deals deliver the lowest 10.2-inch iPad prices available on the latest models with delivery dates at press time scheduled just in time for Christmas.
Review: John Wick Hex – Stylish Turn-Based Action With Too Many Rough Edges
John Wick Hex is a rather clever turn-based action/strategy effort that sees you step into the blood-caked boots of Keanu Reeves’ stylish and unstoppable killing machine – a man who’s always ready, willing and more than able to punch, kick, shoot and fling his gun at the heads of as many bad guys as it takes to do the bidding of the High Table of Assassins.
There are some really neat ideas and a nifty time-manipulation mechanic at the core of this one that can do a great job of making you feel as though you’re taking part in carefully choreographed fight sequences straight out of the movies – however, it’s all held back somewhat by slightly unreliable mechanics, janky character animations and a lack of variety running through its seven somewhat samey levels.
The story that’s told here ties nicely into the events of the John Wick movie franchise, and fans will no doubt be pleased to see the likes of Ian McShane and Lance Reddick reprise their roles as Charon and Winston, with Troy Baker also joining in the fun as the titular Hex, an angry man with a bloody score to settle. It’s all told through graphic novel-style cutscenes that bookend each of the action-packed levels and, although it doesn’t particularly go anywhere interesting or throw up any real surprises, it certainly gives proceedings a nice air of authenticity having the actors from the movies lend their voices to the tale – and Austin Wintory’s score does a fantastic job of setting the right mood.
Kicking off with a very quick tutorial, John Wick Hex wastes no time in flinging you into its turn-based battles, giving you a quick overview of its tricksy timeline mechanic, tactical options, movement, focus points, gunplay and so forth. Upon jumping into a level, you’ll find yourself in a Superhot-style world where time is paused until you make a movement. You pick your way across enemy-infested areas via nodes and slowly reveal your surroundings which are covered in a fog of war that hides your foes beyond a certain distance. Once you’ve got your eye on a bad guy, you can choose to take them out by shooting from range – an action which will draw the attention of anyone within earshot – or, more preferably, get up close and personal for some of Wick’s signature CQC bad-assery.
Where shooting an enemy may be loud, it’s also quick and easy, and doesn’t cost you any of your precious focus points – a vital resource for pulling off close-range strikes, takedowns or flashy stunt-rolls that can pull you quickly out of range of a bullet, foot or fist. Focus points can be replenished by finding a quiet spot and some space to refocus Wick, an action which results in him shaking his head in a very “woah, dude” Keanu way, giving you a fresh bar of points with which to take down anyone dumb enough to get too close.
Every single action you take in John Wick Hex also takes a certain amount of time to complete, a factor which is indicated via a timeline sat at the top of your screen. John has his own timeline and any enemies he’s currently engaging with also have their incoming action times represented alongside. An assailant who’s about to pull the trigger or throw a fist at you will have the duration of that action flagged up, giving you the opportunity to cycle through your choices in order to find a counter-measure that can be pulled off quick enough to beat them to the punch or interrupt their action. A parry is a quick option that will beat an incoming attack if you’re fast enough to get it in, for example, and simply stepping to the nearest node, crouching or rolling is a fairly reliable way of dodging a bullet.
The more complex the manoeuvre you want to pull off, the longer it takes to complete, with bandaging up wounds to heal yourself, reloading your gun or performing sick takedowns the most expensive options in this regard. It’s all very simple to understand and, when it’s flowing well, it does a fantastic job of making you feel like you’re a stone-cold killer capable of taking down a gangster, stunt-rolling across the floor to pick up a discarded gun and rising to your feet just in time to throw it at an incoming goon, nailing him right between the eyes before finishing him off with some CQC. Once you’ve completed a level, you can then watch the entire thing back in a replay from various camera angles, an element that would have really added an addictive, perfectionist aspect to things if it wasn’t for the fact it looks so glitchy and janky as it plays back your performance.
Indeed, there’s a level of jankiness here that really begins to eat into your enjoyment of John Wick Hex as time goes on. Animations are stiff and shoddy, replay camera angles are glitchy and enemies have a tendency to disappear into the fog of war when it seems you should definitely still be able to see them. More frustratingly, bad guys also often appear, as if out of nowhere, from a direction you’ve just been through and cleared out; this leads to frustrating deaths, with your best-laid plans falling apart in the process; stealth comes across as rather pointless when you get caught out by some unseen foe emerging right in front of your face.
As we already mentioned, there’s also a real lack of variety to proceedings; the core gameplay is undoubtedly quite fun, but what you’re doing in the opening level is more or less exactly what you’ll be doing by the time things wrap up some six or seven hours later. Yes, there are some tougher armoured bad guys who take more of a beating and a handful of bosses who you’ll need to grapple with in order to whittle down their focus levels before finishing them off but, overall, you’ll find yourself utilising the same small number of manoeuvres against the same small selection of grunts from start to finish. Randomized enemy patrol routes help to alleviate this repetition to an extent, and this is the kind of game that encourages you to perfect a level from start to finish, but – especially for the rather steep asking price on Switch – there really isn’t a lot to this one when all is said and done.
Performance in this Switch port is, thankfully, on a par with the PC and PS4 versions of the game with everything running smoothly in both docked and handheld modes – so if you’re already a fan you’ll be pleased to find this one arriving here in decent shape – but we just can’t help wishing there was more care taken with the finer details as this is so close to being a cracking little movie tie-in. With a bit more fluidity to those animations and replays, more variety over the seven levels on offer, some meaningful stealth and enemies who perform a tad more reliably overall, this would be an easy recommendation. As it stands, it’s a very clever idea that’s fun for a time, but winds up feeling fairly middle-of-the-road thanks to some disappointingly clunky execution.
Conclusion
John Wick Hex is a clever turn-based strategy offering with some cool mechanics that, when everything comes together, can absolutely make you feel like you’re Keanu Reeves’ unstoppable assassin, kicking, punching and shooting your way through an endless procession of hapless goons. However, there’s an unpolished element to proceedings, with a lot of repetition across the seven levels on offer, janky animations, shoddy replays and some unreliable AI behaviour that begins to grate after a time. With some more variety and a touch of polish, this could have been a really nice little movie tie-in, however, as it stands it’s just alright; a brilliant idea that needed more time in the oven.
Destiny 2's Trails Of Osiris Is Finally Coming Back--But Not This Week
Destiny 2's toughest multiplayer challenge, the Trials of Osiris, has been disabled for more than a month. Bungie says it has found the issue that led it to cancel Trials soon after the release of the Beyond Light expansion, and we now have a date for when we can expect Trials to return: December 18.
Bungie released the date on Twitter alongside its This Week at Bungie blog post. The fix for the issue is coming in a future update--but since Bungie didn't identify it as part of a hotfix coming to the game on December 8, we can probably expect the patch with the weekly reset on December 15.
The team has identified the issue and is currently developing a future Hotfix. Trials of Osiris is currently planned to return on 12/18. https://t.co/tfGUvyG2lL
Trials of Osiris is the peak player-vs.-player challenge that Destiny 2 offers, with loot rewards to match. Available only on weekends, it requires players in teams of three to take on other teams in a series of elimination matches. The goal is to win seven matches in a row without losing any, which is known as "flawless." Starting with Beyond Light, teams that can manage a flawless Trials run can win special Adept weapons, which offer stat boosts that aren't available anywhere else in the game.
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