Ghost Recon Breakpoint is the next evolution of the long-running tactical shooter franchise, expanding on the mechanics and features introduced in Ghost Recon Wildlands while refining stealth and action elements.
Ubisoft’s shooter will be launching later this year for current-generation consoles and PC, and during the announcement stream, we got to see how the game will work and the conflict that brought the Ghosts to the mysterious island Auroa.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint takes the action away from Bolivia and to the island Auroa, which is the home of the autonomous drone company Skell Technology. Led by the charismatic Jace Skell, the organization has promised to end food shortages, heal the sick, and erase poverty, but it has been criticized for its surveillance system. At least one politician has also been killed by a drone in an assassination, suggesting Skell has more nefarious motivations.
At the beginning of Breakpoint, Nomad and his Ghost team are sent via helicopter to Auroa for a routine mission, but fall under fire and are send barreling toward the island. This requires them to use their survival skills, almost like Lara Croft was forced to do in 2013’s Tomb Raider.
The Ghosts have suffered a betrayal at the hands of Cole Walker, the leader of a rogue group called The Wolves with the same training as the Ghosts. Walker first appeared as an ally in a DLC mission in Wildlands, which Ubisoft said was done to make his betrayal more impactful in the sequel. He is played by actor Jon Bernthal, known for his role on The Walking Dead and Netflix’s Punisher series.
Auroa will be a much more varied setting than Bolivia from Ghost Recon Wildlands. In the announcement trailer, we got a look at snow mountains, sandy beaches, jungles, a volcano, and a desert, and the environment will play a key role in how you make your way through missions.
Unlike in Ghost Recon Wildlands, you’ll be able to choose from one of four classes when the game launches, and this class and your progression will be carried across all of the game’s modes. This includes player-versus-player multiplayer, which will be included at launch, as well.
Among the classes are snipers and the stealth-focused “panther.” You can choose to make whatever combination of classes you wish when playing with other people. If you are playing solo, you will be alone as there will be no computer-controlled teammates at launch.
You will have more options for stealth in Breakpoint, and an active camouflage feature even gives you the ability to blend into your environment while prone. Using drones, you can play multi-character “sync shots,” which return from Future Soldier and Wildlands, but you will have to contend with enemy drones, as well.
A special heat-cutting tool will allow you to break through fences and stealthily move into enemy territory. You can also pick up and move the enemies you kill.
Eventually, you will end up going face-to-face with enemies that pack some serious firepower. Multiple enemy archetypes were shown in the premiere stream, including a rocket launcher enemy as well as a behemoth who wields a mini-gun. They are supported by drones, including ground-based vehicles that can cut down ghosts in a matter of seconds.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint promises to be an extremely detailed and customizable tactical shooter, and the “Gunsmith” feature from the previous two games returns. This time you will have even more control over statistical changes of your weapons and abilities, and you can fully customize your cosmetic gear, as well.
This approach to detail translates into the moment-to-moment gameplay. There are three “tiers” of damage for your character. The first will see them limp and lose stamina, and the second will impact their ability to aim their weapons. In the third, they will stumble and can only wield their pistol. If a Ghost falls, you can pick them up and move them to safety before healing them. You can also construct a resting area called a “Bivouac,” which allows you to recharge and change your class if you decide you don’t like the one you picked.
Hot off the success of The Division 2, Ubisoft plans to support Ghost Recon Breakpoint with post-launch content every four months. This includes the series’ first-ever raid, which will take place near a volcano.
Ghost Recon Breakpoint will release for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on October 4. The game will be shown during Ubisoft’s E3 presentation in June and at Gamescom in August. Pre-ordering the game guarantees beta access, and you’ll also be able to sign up for a chance to play it early.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
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