well, i can see that saying nice things about fortnite ain't gonna do much of anything for my credibility on this site, but i started playing it with my nephew last friday (at his urging) and found myself totally loving it. a friend described it as a "billion dollar shitpost" and, i mean, yeah: you can see a terminator dancing to gangnam style or a corn cob making kitty claws... and on and on. all that's just flavor, though, and the core battle royale game is really very good.

i gather the island map and its features are regularly changed—right now its theme is 'chrome', which introduces strange liquid metal to the landscape, allowing players to phase through chromed walls or to become chromed themselves, enabling a speedy metal slime form immune to fall damage. and that's just on top of the systems that apparently already exist... it's just a huge playground lending itself to all kinds of wild combat scenarios. and uhhh i haven't really got a handle on the building aspect yet, which seems important to a higher level of play, but there's so much you can do in terms of mobility, cover, etc even without that.

at the beginning of december there's some sort of cataclysmic event happening (titled fracture; there are currently mysterious cracks in the sky), and in online multiplayer games that is the shit i live for. evidently big changes are coming. i'm feeling the ache of having missed out on some cool stuff, but i'm also glad i jumped in at this point. besides, i'm stoked to have a game to share with my nephew.

Heeho weewo, it's-a Fortnite time! Me asf when I'm told we have soulless crossovers at the function. Hol on I'm dropping the Pit Fortnite log history bcuz shit goes uga bunga: I played for like, a month, july 2018 to have some fun with big friends of mine with wallets nearly as big. Then Unreal Engine 5 edition dripped circa recently idk, and that prompted to see what's poppin'. Hm, either much falsehood or I dont realize how much changed. A classic case of Mandela effect amongst PS3 fans "b-b-but the remaster looks the same!!" yes it does, but maybe you just haven't realised it didnt look as good looking back! It's a coin of the toss! Ahem ahem.

So, about the real noticeable changes, are a whole new map (it be rotating) and different core movement. Also more immersion when you gargle on Walter White's liquid blue meth. Hnnnh I love the obvious bots roaming around that a non-specific noob can kill! She's so crazy!! 🤪 No more are the days of tipping off the bus drivers and dropping on Tilted Towers then dropping in Tilted Towers to a suspiciously wealthy in construction materials mf. Same vibes as dropping on a villa and getting jumped by NPCs. Aint that some shit. Thankfully I had a teammate protecting me. Inshallah thank you I would not know of the new mechanics without a wonderful guide (and a great shot).

Before I knew it wouldn't be hard to find my footing, I went on the map creator and tested out a...well, test map. Wait no first I had to see a trailer and then it gave me a starter pack and then that. I havent touched Festival or anything aside from unranked really and I find it odd how they force me to check out lego skins when I'm browsing the shop, wallet thrown outside the window to make sure I dont act before I think. All of it was overthinking, I was a floss boy, she was a Legussy girl.

guy who has played 10 video games: we gotta hop on Fortnite dude this new season is peak

guy who has played 100 video games: final fantasy 6 is a narrative masterpiece [6 hour video essay]

guy who has played 1000 video games: dude we have to hop on Fortnite this new season is peak

Fortnite is an incredibly important video game which has been dishevelled from it’s rightful place as a beloved titan of the video game landscape, missing out on the respect and legacy it so dearly deserves. It was a game that encapsulated the hearts of so many upon it’s release, but quickly drew controversy primarily as a result of it’s success. It became a hot topic in discussions around addiction in video games, the controversial use of microtransactions, and on it’s impact on children regarding screen-time and distractions from school. Whilst these criticisms are fair, it’s important to recognise Fortnite is praiseworthy on several fronts, and as a review on the experience it offers I can only find praise swarming my mind when it comes to this video game.

As much as people don’t want to admit, this game is innovative in fun. There are countless opportunities to make fun within the game. Fortnite not only has incredibly satisfying gunplay and unique building gameplay but also innovates on the movement aspect of the game. Since it’s inception, Fortnite has added several opportunities for fun ways to get around the map aside from utilising the building mechanics. This includes a huge array of power ups that grant the ability to move with style, such as flying with a jetpack, swinging with either a grappling hook, ODM Gear from Attack on Titan, or Spiderman’s iconic web shooters, but also use shockwave grenades to launch you or your friends into the action. This in combination with the huge array of vehicles leads to an exciting way to traverse the map in new and interesting ways. You can also vault, grab onto ledges, slide jump, and sprint around the various locales, offering one of the most entertaining movement systems in a video game currently.

The seasonal format keeps the game fresh, introducing new gameplay gimmicks, a brand new arsenal of weaponry to experiment with, the aforementioned new movement techniques, and varied locations to explore and loot. This keeps the game from growing stale as many others in the genre have fallen victim to. There are also live events, that vary from cataclysmic lore-changing battles, to live concerts with some of the most renowned music artists in the world. The cosmetic and seasonal aspect of Fortnite is a breeding ground for excitement and hype, to the point where there will most likely always be a reason to revisit Fortnite even if you decide to take a prolonged break from the game. Fortnite evolves on a regular basis, what began as a fort-building wave-based shooter, turned into an iconic battle royale, but has now established itself as a platform for experiences derived from user creativity. This allows Fortnite to thrive, creating a whole plethora of minigames and modes to experience alike Halo 3 custom games or Roblox, which adds even more replayability and discoverability within the game.

Whilst many players, especially more disgruntled older player bases, will see collaborations with media titans like Marvel, Dragon Ball, and DC as cash-grabs, I see these as a fulfilment of childhood wonder. I would have dreamt for an experience like this as a child, to be able to play as your favourite characters across fiction in a near infinite number of game-modes, its just an opportunity for some innocent joy. I am not an advocate for microtransactional battle-pass oriented games, and a lot of criticism has been directed to Fortnite for these reasons which I completely empathise and understand. However, I think for what the market is, the game offers fair prices, with interesting and varied collaborations with licenced properties sprinkled in with some excellent original designs.

The art style that Fortnite has embodied is colourful and vibrant, setting itself apart from other shooters and battle royale games that focus on realism. The visual design allows for the game to achieve a timeless look that facilitates crossovers with various franchises whereby the characters are well-represented but also means that the game is accessible to more people on more systems with lower specs and allows cross-play so friends aren’t locked out of playing together. Although a certain portion of the video game community as a result sees the game as childish, it is insecure to think that of the game purely because of the art style especially in spite of the fact that it tends to look and function better than most.

Fortnite’s reputation was soured following updates and the increase in skill-level of those devoted to playing, especially when it came to the building mechanics. For those who struggle to meet the pace of experienced builders in the default battle royale mode, Fortnite also offers a no-build mode which is structured entirely around the gunplay and movement of the game. This focuses on the aforementioned movement and gunplay taking the spotlight, providing even more opportunities for casuals or newer players to enjoy the experience without the added pressure of learning the unique building mechanics that are specific to Fortnite. This is also a testament to the committed development team at EPIC that listen extensively to the community to bring new and exciting ways to play to their player base.

Despite the high skill cap within the player base it remains a game whereby anyone can win. It encourages different playstyles, you can play aggressively running in any direction you hear gun fire to get involved in the action, or you can play mostly passively, avoiding confrontation and waiting for your time to strike. Fortnite is a fantastic vessel for entertainment for both competitive players and casuals alike. It accommodates those who play videogames for fun and those who compete at the highest level to win. It is accessible to all ages.

Aside from the extremely valid criticisms around the monetary issues of Fortnite, I feel the vast majority of resentment towards the game is unfounded and unfair. Video games like Fortnite wouldn’t stick around simply due to having licenced characters and following hot trends, look at Fall Guys for example. The truth is the fundamentals of Fortnite are enjoyable to their core, it is filled to the seams with content, challenges, lore, and makes for an excellent game to play with friends or solo. I will defend this game to the death of me, it is a generational game and excels in everything it wants to be and more.

Goddamnit, turns out Fortnite is actually good. It's hard to argue that it's a bit overplayed, for sure, and the general mechanics aren't new, but it's addicting in ways that most battle royales just aren't and it's infectiously optimistic, bright attitude and bonkers cross promotional material make it hard to truly hate. It's just fun; that's sometimes all you really need!

Curious to see just how far this game goes in the future, and I can't see myself ever truly getting into the wider scene outside of no build mode, it's still a great time with friends and deserves it's popularity. Guess I'm a fan now.

Love revisiting this amorphous blob of skinner box contente every hundred-or-so days to see it take on a whole new form, almost unrecognisable to the one I experienced prior. The closest I'll get to channel hopping custom maps in TF2.
On one hand this fuckin game is an embarrassing heap of licences, brands and monetization. Stealing content from internet creators and selling them as pristinely packaged Emotes N Skins, gentrifying the culture of the moment into what is essentially a 33gb Nerf Gun advert.

On the other, there's a relative level of generosity on the user level that strings me along in a way that I need brain correction to effectively fight against. I bought one (1) season pass back in 2017 and have been able to afford every subsequent one through their rewards scheme. When the nefariously intended FOMO kicks in I still know they have my back to keep me a regular. The island of Fortnite goes through drastic changes with a suspicious enough regularity that I'm assuming the devs are crunching nonstop to keep the ship afloat. Entire mechanics and equipment can be introduced to the pool only to be removed without fanfare a few weeks later - They flooded the island and made a Waterworld season because why not. Should also be noted that Fortnite has a history of stealing unique mechanics from competitors hacking them in for themself.

This frustratingly enjoyable mid level engagement is kind of peculiar for me because my preference will always be single-player games, and I think Fortnite accommodates people like me, without a competitive bone in their body, by orienting a good three-quarters of the quest system around things that aren't related to combat. My sticking point with most of these games are that they just don't know when to chill, look at all the challenges on Apex or something, they're all different flavours of "deal xxx damage with x weapon". I throw on a movie or podcast and carve a path across the world map gathering materials, speaking to NPCs, doing environmental puzzles and prop hunts and finish a match in 3rd place under two rival streamers hopped up on GFuel haunted by the spirits of great architects, and still gain enough exp to unlock a handful of Battle Pass rewards. I unlocked Lara Croft by ringing doorbells until they broke. Help!!!!!!!
Also I know this will be contentious but I just straight up like the way the game looks. Any skin that isn't default is so meticulously modelled and textured it blows me away, the lighting as the day/nite cycle rolls over the trees and fog in the marsh and the autumn trees and the lakes and!!!!!! i could eat the screen and it'd taste like skittles. Anyway im logging this as mastered because i got 10 kills on the board right now.

Loads, epic cutscene, everyone is on rails and there's ninjas running around, this is sick!

Crazy bright menu everyone's dancing here's some emotes!

Cool!!

Okay now I play :D

3 minutes pass

In game, no gun, somebody else has gun. Blam blam I'm dead.

YOU PLACED #97

Bad luck, just try again

3 minutes pass.

Go for edge this time, somebody is already at the nondescript gas station I picked. Guns me down after I get to the ground.

YOU PLACED #99

That's literally last place...

Ok one more try :/

....

.......

.......

YOU PLACED #92

I got filtered by Fortnite, lobbies too sweaty. Pls fix MMR, I can't play.

Não me orgulho, mas fui crítico e tive preconceito com Fortnite por muito tempo, acho que muito disso deve-se ao modo construção, que era praticamente impossível de competir com a criançada que não tem responsabilidades e possuem tempo de sobra pra tryhardar o dia todo.
Porém, quando fui experimentar, tive uma grande surpresa; UMA EXPERIÊNCIA DIVERTIDÍSSIMA.
Por mais que as vezes o jogo coloque uns itens quebrados, na maior parte do tempo a grande variedade dos itens são muito boas.
Diferente de League of Legends, no Fortnite você consegue se divertir mesmo se seu time for muito ruim e/ou você perder a partida.
A melhor coisa do jogo, em minha humilde opinião, é o modo sem construção, pois ele remove a barreira de tempo/complexidade que o outro modo oferece.
A skins e os modelos 3D do jogo então, sem comentários, feitos com muito carinho pela equipe artística (menos aqueles de animes aí que ficam meio esquisitos, como Naruto, Goku e etc...), e as parcerias com outras franquias tornam tudo ainda melhor, com o único ponto negativo sendo que muito dos conteúdos são conteúdo legado, tornando impossível começar uma coleção ou algo do tipo para jogadores iniciantes.
Em suma, um jogo que oferece diversão mesmo se você tiver a habilidade cognitiva de um esquilo caolho.
Tempo de jogo: 100+ horas