PlayerUnknown's: Battlegrounds Review
Video game first-person shooters come and go. When one franchise has sucked the last penny out of its audience the next takes its place. From the "Call of Duty" series to the mech suit using 'Titanfall", shooting and respawning in a timeless loop has been pushed to its unfortunate limit. Fans have been growing bored, an apparent truth due to the falling sales numbers of such games, but the answer is here. "PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds" gives each video game fan the excitement and adrenaline rush they have been so patiently waiting for.
"PUBG" is an arena-style shooter game that was released by the developer Bluehole on March 23. The game was released on the gaming store Steam to over 2 million sales in the first month. The concept of the game is simple: Be the last surviving member. Players start each round by parachuting down onto an island with up to 100 fellow players. Upon reaching the ground, each player rushes out to find weapons, gear, and vehicles to help attack or defend against other players. This concept is fairly simple, but comes with a twist. As time progresses, a blue energy wall closes in on the players, damaging those who fail to outrun it, pushing them towards the middle of the map. As the wall grows ever closer, the combat becomes more ferocious as the participants are forced together. At the end of the shootout, the final remaining player is awarded the victor.
Strategies to approaching "PUBG" are endless. Players can jump out on the edge of the island and pick through the empty houses and farms for gear, using patience and stealth to survive or parachute down with other players and use speed and aggression to thin the group early on.
The game does not allow for players to remain still for too long, the above mentioned blue wall will damage those who refuse to continue moving, and airstrikes will eliminate those who fail to leave the red zones marking the coming attack. Additions such as these keep rounds short and exciting, a feature most video game lovers search for.
There are many positives to "PUBG'. Short entertaining rounds keep the player interested and engaged, and a large assortment of weapons and gear makes each round feel unique. The island is large and has some entertaining features which include soviet era symbols, multilayered buildings, and warehouses. The use of cars and boats makes crossing terrain swift, players left without such devices will feel slow and defenseless.
Gamer Keith Larson said, “The nature of the game having no respawns in each round creates a tension most multiplayer games cannot match, and this tension causes every action, or, inaction to carry way more weight on the players in game psyche, causing a much more stressful and intense experience than most multiplayer games available today.”
For all of its perks "PUBG" is far from perfect. Wi-fi issues lead to players being randomly dropped from lobbies and issues with the gravity of the game can leave players stuck in rocks or placed somewhere unable to move. Patches have been released to improve gameplay but reports of lag and poor gameplay persist. The fast-paced style of the game can also result in some players being killed seconds after reaching the island, a oftentimes frustrating outcome. The game was released in a beta form, with the developers promising patches and better performance in the future.
Not everyone is satisfied with PUBG, Brenden Caldwell, reviewer at Rock, Paper, Shotgun, said "But if you’re hoping for something a little fresh from one of the format’s experienced progenitors, turn now and walk sadly away. There’s absolutely nothing here of novelty. It’s just another shooter on a big map."
As an active player I am excited by what I see. As frustrating the wifi and connection issues are I am patient because this is game still being perfected. "PUBG' offers a real feeling gaming experience with a great risk-to-reward ratio. Group play lets players interact with friends and brings new challenges and entertaining diversity.
"PlayerUnknown’s: BattleGrounds" is a great addition to the current gaming scene. It has quickly become one of the most popular games on the popular streaming website Twitch, garnering the interest of many professional gamers and top streamers. "PUBG" brings the excitement the fans have asked for, and with updates expected, the experience will only get better.
At a Glance:
Player Unknown's; Battlegrounds
Release date-March 23, 2017
Release Platform; Steam
Developer; BlueHole Studios
Links:
Website link for PUBG
Popular format for watching PUBG gameplay
IGN's various reviews of PUBG
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