Battleborn Adding New Hero Pendles on August 4

[ffronw]

Battleborn Adding New Hero Pendles on August 4

//cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/1337/1337759.jpgThe newest Battleborn hero is coming early next month.

It's been a couple of months since Gearbox released Alani [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/167530-First-New-Battleborn-Hero-Alani-Shown-Off-in-Two-New-Videos], the first additional hero for Battleborn, but the next hero is about to join the roster. Pendles is a Rogue stealth character that was first shown off back in May. Gearbox describes him as,

"A cold-blooded killer, Pendles hails from the same water-world as Alani, Akopos. As most adolescent Roa do, Pendles left home to explore and learn about other cultures. Completely unimpressed with these new learnings, Pendles found more enjoyment in murdering those cultures. Even better, people would pay him for his new found hobby. Don't let his sweet pair of sneakers fool you. This assassin will sneak up behind you, poison you, eviscerate you with duel kamas, then slink away again in a blink of his one remaining eye."

If you own the Battleborn season pass, you'll get access to Pendles one week early, on July 28, along with a hero key to unlock him immediately. If not, you'll have to wait until August 4, when he becomes available to the general public. Of course, you'll still have to pay 47,500 credits to unlock him, so if you really want to play as the sneaker-wearing Roa, you'll want to start saving now.



Permalink

 

[Veldel]

To bad Overwatch murdered any chance of this game being a big hit xD

 

[DemomanHusband]

Doesn't this have under 2,000 active players at any given moment anymore? On Steam, at least. Something tells me the console versions have even less. I mean, I understand and applaud Gearbox's sense of obligation to actually release new content for their nearly dead game, but at the same time it's not as if this bomb is going to be saved.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

To bad Overwatch murdered any chance of this game being a big hit xD

I think Gearbox actually shot themselves in the leg by trying to release-compete with Overwatch. Very stupid of them.

 

[RaikuFA]

Doesn't this have under 2,000 active players at any given moment anymore? On Steam, at least. Something tells me the console versions have even less. I mean, I understand and applaud Gearbox's sense of obligation to actually release new content for their nearly dead game, but at the same time it's not as if this bomb is going to be saved.

Three words:

Free to Play. I wanted to try this but I hear waiting for a match is abysmal. Especially on console.

 

[karloss01]

Doesn't this have under 2,000 active players at any given moment anymore? On Steam, at least. Something tells me the console versions have even less. I mean, I understand and applaud Gearbox's sense of obligation to actually release new content for their nearly dead game, but at the same time it's not as if this bomb is going to be saved.

According to Steamcharts it has an average player count of 652.6. Compare this with Junes 998.9 and May's 4,274.6 it doesn't look good.

 

[DemomanHusband]

Doesn't this have under 2,000 active players at any given moment anymore? On Steam, at least. Something tells me the console versions have even less. I mean, I understand and applaud Gearbox's sense of obligation to actually release new content for their nearly dead game, but at the same time it's not as if this bomb is going to be saved.

Three words:

Free to Play. I wanted to try this but I hear waiting for a match is abysmal. Especially on console.

Oh geez, that'd be even more humiliating than its current situation, but it'd also make sense. They already lock heroes behind certain advancement goals or 'currency'. If they pulled an Evolve this early they'd probably ruin the game's dignity and reputation... Although that implies that a Gearbox slogfest with writing you'd find on a bathroom stall has any dignity to begin with.

The worst part is (from my experience at least) the game is somewhat fun. The beta made me interested in the game, but it had this really overbearing sense of shittiness hanging over it. Overwatch has unique characters that all fit within a certain style, animation that can almost seem pixar-esque with how elastic everything seems. Battleborn has all these weird, clashing characters with weird, poorly designed levels. Not to mention choppy Dreamworks animation where everyone snaps into a movement and expression with the only elasticity coming from jigglebones on characters.

On top of that, Overwatch is quick. You shoot, somebody dies. Set up a turret, somebody runs into it, gets shot and dies. Reinhardt charges somebody, you'll probably die or get stunned, then get a hammer to the face. With Battleborn, it's nothing but numbers and numbers and raid bosses and level grinding within raids and literal MOBA gameplay that's supposed to feel like a shooter.

Heh, maybe this really would be better F2P.

 

[Maphysto]

To bad Overwatch murdered any chance of this game being a big hit xD

I think Gearbox actually shot themselves in the leg by trying to release-compete with Overwatch. Very stupid of them.

They didn't try to compete with Overwatch, it was just really unfortunate timing. Hell, Battleborn was announced several months before anyone had heard a word about Overwatch.

 

[Imre Csete]

To bad Overwatch murdered any chance of this game being a big hit xD

I think Gearbox actually shot themselves in the leg by trying to release-compete with Overwatch. Very stupid of them.

They didn't try to compete with Overwatch, it was just really unfortunate timing. Hell, Battleborn was announced several months before anyone had heard a word about Overwatch.

And it was delayed from early February, which was the original planned release. They chose a really bad time to iron out some bugs.

 

[The Enquirer]

To bad Overwatch murdered any chance of this game being a big hit xD

I think Gearbox actually shot themselves in the leg by trying to release-compete with Overwatch. Very stupid of them.

They didn't try to compete with Overwatch, it was just really unfortunate timing. Hell, Battleborn was announced several months before anyone had heard a word about Overwatch.

They marketed it more as a shooter than a moba with shooting elements, that was definitely their fault. Then there's the fact that they're both shooting games with cartoon graphics. Even if they did everything in their power to not compete with each other, they would still have a lot of those comparisons simply for that reason alone.

 

[Spider RedNight]

On the one hand - Woo! I'm super excited for this character because so far my best is the bow-wielding sniper and the friggin' soldier! And I'm eternally optimistic that he'll have a voice actor that I love! Also he's a friggin' SNAKE and that shit's awesome!

On the other hand - -siiigh- C'mon, Gearbox. You can't... just... you just can't. Look, I'm upset at the poor timing of it all too but, I mean, c'mon. -points to Overwatch- It's BLIZZARD. You can't compete, that one has WAIFUS in it (apparently). Just go back to Borderlands 3 and everything'll be ooookay.

The worst part is (from my experience at least) the game is somewhat fun. The beta made me interested in the game, but it had this really overbearing sense of shittiness hanging over it. Overwatch has unique characters that all fit within a certain style, animation that can almost seem pixar-esque with how elastic everything seems. Battleborn has all these weird, clashing characters with weird, poorly designed levels. Not to mention choppy Dreamworks animation where everyone snaps into a movement and expression with the only elasticity coming from jigglebones on characters.

ALSO I feel like I need to disagree juuuust a little on this point - all the chicks in Overwatch look fairly similar, at least from a distance (Tracer, D.Va and Mei all have their brown hair parted on the same side. Really?), as compared to Battleborn which DOES have more varied designs. They don't all match because they're from different planets and different races, so there's more room for "creative" designs.

That being said, yes, the animations in BB tend to be more static and not as dynamic but I just disagree when people say "the characters are more unique in Overwatch" when... they really aren't, even personality-wise. Now, that isn't to say they AREN'T unique but I don't think that's a fair comparison to Battleborn because for what it's worth, the characters in BB ARE fun and they have a lot of intertwining lore and interactions (something I prefer over Overwatch, for instance). Also it makes more sense why the BB characters are all working together... I don't really get the whole "New Overwatch" thing. Then again, I'm not that bright so I might've missed something.

Then I realise what a hypocrite people might think I sound like considering my current avatar.

 

[saluraropicrusa]

snip

hey now, nothin' wrong with embracing the junk person identity. he's the best character in overwatch, after all.

i'd like to point out, though... even if some characters in the game have similar features, that doesn't stop them being unique/distinct. tracer, d.va and mei might all have hair that parts the same way (which i've never even noticed), but they also have totally unique silhouettes. i wouldn't even mistake pilot d.va for tracer, because their proportions and the way they stand/move are totally different. not to mention that mei has a totally different body type from either of them.

The worst part is (from my experience at least) the game is somewhat fun. The beta made me interested in the game, but it had this really overbearing sense of shittiness hanging over it. Overwatch has unique characters that all fit within a certain style, animation that can almost seem pixar-esque with how elastic everything seems. Battleborn has all these weird, clashing characters with weird, poorly designed levels. Not to mention choppy Dreamworks animation where everyone snaps into a movement and expression with the only elasticity coming from jigglebones on characters.

i don't know enough about battleborn to disagree here, but... hey now. dreamworks' animation is at least on par with pixar, especially with their more recent films. iirc there's a certain "choppiness" to madagascar's characters? but that seems intentional and those movies have pretty damn good animation overall.

 

[Poetic Nova]

I'd rather blame 2K here, they published the game. So I wouldn't be surprised if they made May the third the final release date, OW or not. Considering how cash grab happy they are.

 

[Spider RedNight]

snip

hey now, nothin' wrong with embracing the junk person identity. he's the best character in overwatch, after all.

i'd like to point out, though... even if some characters in the game have similar features, that doesn't stop them being unique/distinct. tracer, d.va and mei might all have hair that parts the same way (which i've never even noticed), but they also have totally unique silhouettes. i wouldn't even mistake pilot d.va for tracer, because their proportions and the way they stand/move are totally different. not to mention that mei has a totally different body type from either of them.

That's very true, I think I was mostly making a point that people say that the characters from Overwatch are "more unique" when in essence, they aren't though they're still plenty unique in their own rights. But from a literal standpoint, they can't be "more unique" than Battleborn's characters because Battleborn's roster is made of all sorts of races instead of just human.

I hope that makes sense, I'm not trying to be aggressive at all (I'm really bad with wording) but I don't get at all how people are like "ah the characters from Overwatch are more unique than Battleborn's" and I'm over here like "... Overwatch has a few robots and a gorilla but the rest are human. Battleborn has a snake man, a partial merwoman, elves, a couple robots, some aliens..." I dunno, people are weird. At the end of the day, it all boils down to personal preference, methinks

[[ and yes, I agree. I don't have much shame, if any at all xD ]]

 

[the December King]

Love the idea for the character! Anything that isn't human is cool in my books. On the other hand, if this game is just a multi-player shoot-em up like Overwatch, I guess I'll still pass. Never been a huge fan of arena games.

 

[saluraropicrusa]

snip

hey now, nothin' wrong with embracing the junk person identity. he's the best character in overwatch, after all.

i'd like to point out, though... even if some characters in the game have similar features, that doesn't stop them being unique/distinct. tracer, d.va and mei might all have hair that parts the same way (which i've never even noticed), but they also have totally unique silhouettes. i wouldn't even mistake pilot d.va for tracer, because their proportions and the way they stand/move are totally different. not to mention that mei has a totally different body type from either of them.

That's very true, I think I was mostly making a point that people say that the characters from Overwatch are "more unique" when in essence, they aren't though they're still plenty unique in their own rights. But from a literal standpoint, they can't be "more unique" than Battleborn's characters because Battleborn's roster is made of all sorts of races instead of just human.

I hope that makes sense, I'm not trying to be aggressive at all (I'm really bad with wording) but I don't get at all how people are like "ah the characters from Overwatch are more unique than Battleborn's" and I'm over here like "... Overwatch has a few robots and a gorilla but the rest are human. Battleborn has a snake man, a partial merwoman, elves, a couple robots, some aliens..." I dunno, people are weird. At the end of the day, it all boils down to personal preference, methinks

[[ and yes, I agree. I don't have much shame, if any at all xD ]]

no worries mate, i don't think you're being aggressive & i get what you mean.

i think there can be plenty of unique-ness/diversity even in just humans (compare, say, soldier: 76 to roadhog), but i wouldn't say one roster is more unique than the other. they're diverse in their own ways--and while i don't like mobas enough to play battleborn, i think the art direction and character design is really great.

 

[scienceguy8]

Love the idea for the character! Anything that isn't human is cool in my books. On the other hand, if this game is just a multi-player shoot-em up like Overwatch, I guess I'll still pass. Never been a huge fan of arena games.

The only similarities between Overwatch and Battleborn is the diverse set of characters dripping with personality, each with 3 battlefield-deployable skills. Beyond that, Overwatch has much more in common with Team Fortress 2 or Call of Duty Multiplayer, while Battleborn's similar to Monday Night Combat/Super Monday Night Combat or DotA. In Overwatch, you shoot opposing players who are standing in the way of your objective and they usually go down in a relatively short amount of time. In Battleborn, you shoot at enemy bots moving down predetermined paths while chasing away opposing players/ganging up on solitary players, and player-on-player engagements tend to be more drawn out. Personally, I've played both, but like Battleborn better. I like the longer matches and the back and forth of a good game of Incursion.

 

[Maphysto]

To bad Overwatch murdered any chance of this game being a big hit xD

I think Gearbox actually shot themselves in the leg by trying to release-compete with Overwatch. Very stupid of them.

They didn't try to compete with Overwatch, it was just really unfortunate timing. Hell, Battleborn was announced several months before anyone had heard a word about Overwatch.

They marketed it more as a shooter than a moba with shooting elements, that was definitely their fault. Then there's the fact that they're both shooting games with cartoon graphics. Even if they did everything in their power to not compete with each other, they would still have a lot of those comparisons simply for that reason alone.

Except it IS a shooter... ?

And it's not like they could've known Overwatch was even in the works. People seem to have gotten this weird narrative in their heads that by releasing Battleborn, Gearbox was somehow trying to pick a fight with Blizzard, when it was actually just two developers that happened to be working on two superficially similar IP's at the same time. People also seem to have gotten the idea that Gearbox somehow "botched" the advertisement of Battleborn, when in fact they advertised it no more or less than they did the Borderlands games, which have all been smash hits. The reality is that Blizzard simply had more revenue and industry clout, which allowed them to flood gaming media to the point that the devs couldn't break wind without someone writing an article about it.

Also, minor nitpick, but the fact that they both have "cartoon graphics" (an oversimplification that sets my teeth on edge) is irrelevant. Both games have a distinct and identifiable aesthetic; the differences in gameplay are what actually set them apart.

 

[kajinking]

At this point it wouldn't surprise me if the recent PC release of EDF 4.1 does better than Battleborn in the long run.

 

[The Enquirer]

To bad Overwatch murdered any chance of this game being a big hit xD

I think Gearbox actually shot themselves in the leg by trying to release-compete with Overwatch. Very stupid of them.

They didn't try to compete with Overwatch, it was just really unfortunate timing. Hell, Battleborn was announced several months before anyone had heard a word about Overwatch.

They marketed it more as a shooter than a moba with shooting elements, that was definitely their fault. Then there's the fact that they're both shooting games with cartoon graphics. Even if they did everything in their power to not compete with each other, they would still have a lot of those comparisons simply for that reason alone.

Except it IS a shooter... ?

And it's not like they could've known Overwatch was even in the works. People seem to have gotten this weird narrative in their heads that by releasing Battleborn, Gearbox was somehow trying to pick a fight with Blizzard, when it was actually just two developers that happened to be working on two superficially similar IP's at the same time. People also seem to have gotten the idea that Gearbox somehow "botched" the advertisement of Battleborn, when in fact they advertised it no more or less than they did the Borderlands games, which have all been smash hits. The reality is that Blizzard simply had more revenue and industry clout, which allowed them to flood gaming media to the point that the devs couldn't break wind without someone writing an article about it.

Also, minor nitpick, but the fact that they both have "cartoon graphics" (an oversimplification that sets my teeth on edge) is irrelevant. Both games have a distinct and identifiable aesthetic; the differences in gameplay are what actually set them apart.

Yes, it's a shooter, however they marketed it significantly more so as a shooter than a moba with shooting elements and far differently than they had. That's why all the "these games are the same" complaints kept coming up. Battleborn has significantly deeper mechanics in it due to the MOBA aspect and that's certainly something that they failed to capitalize on.

They are in competition with one another. When OW was released, Gearbox slashed prices down on Battleborn by over half, two thirds in the case of the Digital Deluxe edition. The very same day Gearbox also released a video for a new character. Additionally you can also see the average players dropped like an anchor during the month after OW came out, losing 76% of their players on PC.

Regarding the cartoon graphics that seem to make you grit your teeth so much: Both games feature a varied color pallet with unique environments and an overall style far more similar to each other and TF2 than anything else on the market.

My point being is that the two games, whether they wanted it or not, are in direct competition with one another.

Here's sources for all the information used:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.938621-Total-War-Warhammer-and-Overwatch-Release-Day-Discounts#23657033
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/167530-First-New-Battleborn-Hero-Alani-Shown-Off-in-Two-New-Videos
http://steamcharts.com/app/394230#All