Tag:

Outlaws

PLL championship: Key stats, X factors for Outlaws vs. Atlas

by admin September 14, 2025

Quint KessenichSep 14, 2025, 09:00 AM ET
Close

The 2025 Premier Lacrosse League championship is upon us. The final matchup represents the two best teams in the league this summer, as the New York Atlas face the Denver Outlaws.

There is no shortage of star power, as both teams dress rosters loaded with college icons and future Hall of Famers. Coaches Mike Pressler (New York) and Tim Soudan (Denver) both make their PLL championship debuts.

If the two teams’ regular-season matchup is any clue, we’re in for another classic. They met Aug. 2 in the Mile High City, and the game was won by Denver in overtime,13-12.

Who will hoist the trophy on Sunday?

Jump to: Broadcast details
Kessenich’s keys
Playoff stats

Denver Outlaws vs. New York Atlas

Sunday | 12:30 p.m. | ABC/ESPN

Injury report

Outlaws: None to report

Atlas: None to report

Quint Kessenich’s keys to the game

The Atlas are looking to win their first PLL championship, and are fortified by specialists Trevor Baptiste (FOGO) and goalie Liam Entenmann.

New York’s attack trio is dominant. Connor Shellenberger, Jeff Teat and Xander Dickson display uncanny chemistry and skill level.

Teat, the 2024 MVP, and Shellenberger, the favorite to win the award this summer, both eclipsed 40 points in the regular season.

Shellenberger sent the regular-season game with Denver into overtime with an isolation goal with 15 seconds to play. He produced a ho-hum five points in the semifinal win over the Philadelphia Waterdogs.

Dickson roams the slot area, and has filthy wrists to finish in a crowd.

New York has dangerous players at the midfield position too, in Bryan Costabile and Matt Traynor. Both require attention and are primary threats to score off the dodge. Reid Bowering, a lefty with savvy, sets roadblock picks and is a wizard from in tight. Traynor, a rookie from Penn State, had four points in the semifinals. Costabile has arguably been the most efficient and dangerous midfield dodger in the league this season.

Generally, the defense relies on Entenmann to make stops. Pay attention to Gavin Adler, who will likely draw the Pat Kavanagh assignment in this game. When the two teams met in August, Adler held Kavanagh pointless.

Meanwhile, Michael Rexrode will be in charge of marking Brennan O’Neill. Defensive midfielder Danny Logan is the best in the league at his position.

The Outlaws shrugged off a 30-day layoff to dispose of the upstart California Redwoods in the semifinals, shutting California down for a 20-minute stretch along the way. Denver leads the PLL in shot attempts per game at 45, and they play fast.

Denver has an impressive group, including four Tewaraaton Award winners: Brennan O’Neill, Jared Bernhardt, Pat Kavanagh and Logan Wisnauskas. That’s like an NFL team having four Heisman winners in the same huddle.

The Outlaws acquired Kavanagh in an offseason trade with Boston, and the 2024 Notre Dame graduate leads the league in touches and shots this season. His point production has tripled in year two.

Brennan O’Neill unleashed the fury in the semis, with eye-popping goals worthy of a superhero and six points total.

The enhanced ESPN App

Watch your favorite events in the newly upgraded ESPN App. Learn more about what plan is right for you. Sign Up Now

O’Neill had two goals on nine shots while being covered by Michael Rexrode in the August matchup. Overall, he is averaging 4.3 points per game since the All-Star break. He is tough matchup at 6-2 and 220 pounds.

Bernhardt had the overtime game-winner in the Outlaws’ victory, and is the smoothest and fastest ball carrier in the league. He runs at a speed that most can’t handle. Bernhardt was signed on June 2 after pursuing an NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons. His addition — and Logan McNaney in goal — has put Denver in position to grab glory.

Specialists Luke Weirman (FOGO) and McNaney both played at Maryland and have a track record of performance in big games; McNaney played in four NCAA title games for the Terps, and Weirman went 54% against New York in the August matchup.

McNaney went 8-1 as a starter this season, and leads the league in clean save percentage. Those clean saves allow Denver to transition from defense to offense quickly.

Denver has a vicious transition offense, with long-stick midfielder Jake Piseno and defensive midfielder Ryan Terefenko spearheading the end-to-end rushes. Terefenko effectively stays on the field and creates mismatches with well-timed picks to change matchups.

The Outlaws’ defense is a veteran crew, with close defenders J.T. Giles-Harris, Jesse Bernhardt and Mike Manley.

As my X factors for this game, I’ll highlight midfielders Justin Anderson, Graham Bundy Jr. and Dalton Young. Of course, I also have to acknowledge the Tewaraaton quartet; when slept on, they typically find production.

Postseason leaders

Outlaws

Leading scorers:

1. A Brennan O’Neill | 6 P
2. A Pat Kavanagh | 3 P
3. M Jared Bernhardt, M Dalton Young | 2 P

Faceoff:

Luke Wierman | 57.9%

Goalie:

Logan McNaney | 11, 64.7 SV%

play

1:14

California Redwoods vs. Denver Outlaws: Game Highlights

Atlas

Leading scorers:

1. A Connor Shellenberger | 5 P
2. A Jeff Teat | 4 P
3. A Xander Dickson, M Matt Traynor | 4 P

Faceoff:

Trevor Baptiste | 60.0%

Goalie:

Liam Entenmann | 18 SV, 69.2 SV%

play

1:35

Atlas beat Waterdogs to reach PLL championship game

New York Atlas defeat the Philadelphia Waterdogs 13-11 to advance to the PLL championship.

Source link

September 14, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Switch 2’s Most Impressive Port, Star Wars Outlaws, Just Got Better

by admin September 9, 2025

Star Wars: Outlaws recently landed on Nintendo Switch 2, and despite some initial fears that it would look and run terribly, the game is a bit of a technical marvel and easily the most impressive Switch 2 port yet. And now, a new update has improved this already wonderful-looking open-world action game on Nintendo’s hybrid console. Plus, a demo is coming, too.

Ubisoft and Massive’s open-world Star Wars: Outlaws was an incredibly gorgeous game when it launched last year. Sure, stealth sections could be annoying and combat could feel a bit stiff, but getting to walk around a perfectly recreated section of the Star Wars universe freely was amazing. And some later updates improved the game a lot, introducing some visual improvements on top of some significant gameplay tweaks. So I wasn’t sure what to expect when I booted up Outlaws on a Switch 2. Turns out, Ubisoft Red Lynx, who ported the game, did an amazing job. While it’s capped at 30FPS and lacks some of the higher-fidelity assets from the bigger console ports, this version of Outlaws is extremely playable, looks sharp, and feels great in handheld mode. As explained by Digital Foundry, it’s truly an extraordinary port. Now, Ubisoft has made it look even better with the game’s first Switch 2 update.

On September 8, Ubisoft put out a patch for Star Wars: Outlaws on Switch 2 that features numerous visual improvements. Players should now see less “pop in,” less flickering smoke, better shadows, nicer-looking leaves, and a host of other “small visual fixes.” For a game that already felt like it was pushing the Switch 2’s hardware to its limits, I’m impressed by Ubisoft cranking the knob a bit more to eke out an even nicer-looking port.

Oh, and if you want to see the game in action on your Switch 2 without buying it, good news: Ubisoft has updated the game’s FAQ page to confirm that a demo for Outlaws is coming. Ubisoft says it will “share more information soon” about this upcoming demo. Anyway, here’s the full patch list for the new Outlaws update on Switch 2.

General Gameplay

Fixed several issues where NPCs would not spawn, e.g. when chasing Kay during the ‘Crashed’ quest on Toshara
Reduced likelihood of Kay being stuck when traversing the environment
Improved hiding and detection when in tall grass on Akiva
Various stability improvements and other minor fixes

Graphics

Improvements made to visual quality when moving quickly through the world or using binoculars, with less “pop in”
Reduced flickering with smoke and lighting
Improved shadows at the edge of the screen when moving in cities and stations
Improved quality of leaves, cloth and other things that let light through
Various other small visual fixes and improvements

Camera

Fixed camera movement when traversing certain objects in certain ways with Kay

Fixed controller image types and directional button prompts when switching between Joy-Con and Pro Controller
Fixed the gadget inventory HUD not resizing when using the handheld preset custom scaling settings

Wild Card Story Pack

Fixed an issue where NPCs would not be highlighted when using Nix to plant a card

A Pirate’s Fortune Story Pack

Mynocks are now visible when attached to your ship

Source link

September 9, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Star Wars Outlaws Switch 2 launch on Game-Key Card was down to performance, not cost

by admin September 8, 2025

Star Wars Outlaws made its Nintendo Switch 2 debut last week, but rather than releasing the game on a physical cartridge Ubisoft opted for the Game-Key Card.

No data is stored in this card – instead it includes a digital license that requires the full game to be downloaded to the console’s internal storage to play.

Ubisoft’s decision to put Outlaws on a Game-Key Card became a topic of discussion on social media, with Digital Foundry’s John Linnerman pondering whether it was to do with the cost of manufacturing the Switch 2’s 64GB cartridge.

In response, Ubisoft audio architect Rob Bantin said the Switch 2 cards “simply don’t give the performance” needed to run the developer’s engine Snowdrop.

“Snowdrop relies heavily on disk streaming for its open world environments, and we found the Switch 2 cards simply don’t give the performance we needed at the quality target we were going for”, Bantin wrote.

“I don’t recall the cost of the cards ever entering the discussion – probably because it was moot.”

They continued: “I think if we’d designed a game for Switch 2 from the ground up, it might have been different. As it was, we’d build a game around the SSDs of the initial target platforms (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC), and then the Switch 2 came along a while later.

“In this case I think our leadership made the right call.”

Overall, Nintendo’s decision to introduce Game-Key Cards has been a controversial one. Especially when it comes to game preservation, as many are concerned that these cards will be dependent on servers supporting them.

Once those servers are turned off, as happened with the Wii U and 3DS eShops, these games may become unplayable. You can read more about developers’ concerns with Game-Key Cards and game preservation here.

Source link

September 8, 2025 0 comments

Key Vess and Nix have a campfire moment.

Game Reviews

Star Wars Outlaws’ Switch 2 Game Key Card Is Due To Tech Issues

by admin September 6, 2025

The Switch 2’s game key cards have proven a source of extreme consternation since the launch of Nintendo’s latest console. Physical carts in plastic boxes that don’t actually contain the game at all, making a mockery of game preservation and the entire purpose of owning a physical copy of your game. The reason for their use is usually presumed to be cost, given how expensive a 64GB Switch card is for a publisher (apparently $23 each!), and that Nintendo right now is not offering a smaller option to publishers. However, in the case of Ubisoft’s Star Wars Outlaws it seems it’s due to a more significant weakness of the Switch 2.

So far, tech geeks are super-impressed with how Ubisoft has managed to get such a large, complex open-world game working on the handheld console. As much of a step up from the original Switch as the Switch 2 might be, it’s still not exactly cutting-edge technology, and the requirements to be able to run on a handheld device can be restrictive. So great work by all involved! However, Outlaws has become yet another entry in the very long list of games releasing with nothing but a game key on an otherwise blank cart, and understandably people are narked about spending $60 to buy a pile of empty plastic.

More than anything else, it’s the knowledge that Nintendo absolutely will one day switch off the eStore that processes the keys to allow the games to be downloaded. As with every previous generation of digital store, the servers will go away, and the purchased games will disappear into the ether. This leaves people either looking at emulation (which Nintendo deeply loathes), or re-buying the same game again when it’s released as a “Classic” download on the newer device (where, hilariously, Nintendo makes it available via emulation). This all enormously sucks. So yes, one day your copy of Star Wars Outlaws Switch 2 will be nothing but a very bad-tasting SD card.

Except, it seems in this particular instance this isn’t an act of cost-cutting on a premium-price game. (For whatever reason, Nintendo has only offered 64GB cards for the Switch 2, driving up production costs and encouraging many to resort to key cards instead.) However, according to Rob Bantin (thanks Nintendo Life), the audio architect on Outlaws‘ engine Snowdrop, it’s because the streaming speeds between the Switch 2 carts and the console just aren’t fast enough to run the game properly. And that seems like it could be a big deal.

Digital Foundry‘s John Linneman posted on BlueSky to report how impressed he was with the port, reposting VGC‘s video about the tech, adding that DF has its own video on the way. Others replied, one person pointing out that the game is somehow only 20.2GB, but another expressing disdain that it’s a key card. After a bit of back and forth, Rob Bantin entered the conversation and revealed all.

“Snowdrop relies heavily on disk streaming for its open world environments,” said Bantin. “And we found the Switch 2 cards simply didn’t give the performance we needed at the quality target we were going for.” In other words, the game needs to be fully installed on the console’s SSD drive to be able to run properly. The audio architect continued, “I don’t recall the cost of the cards ever entering the discussion – probably because it was moot.”

It’s hard to know how big of an issue this is going to be for the Switch 2 over the next seven or eight years of its likely life, but given a 2024 port can’t run off the card because of speed limitations, other larger, open-world games could share some similar issues. We’re talking about games releasing in 2030 after all. However, Bantin offers some optimism. “I think if we designed a game for Switch 2 from the ground up it might have been different,” they added. “As it was, we’d build [sic] a game around the SSDs of the initial target platforms, and then the Switch 2 came along a while later. In this case I think our leadership made the right call.”

We’re stepping beyond my nerdy understanding here, but from my research the Switch 2 cards are limited to 400MB/s transfer rates, while the Switch 2’s SSD can offer close to 900MB/s. So that’s a obviously a significant difference. However, it’s crucial to note that Cyberpunk 2077 runs from its game card at 400MB/s, and there are few complaints there. So if games are intentionally designed for the Switch 2’s card limitations, this might not be a frequent issue? But, again, it does mean that releasing a cross-platform game could require a huge amount of heavy lifting to make a version that runs from a card, when the PlayStation, Xbox and PC versions will all be installing to SSD. (Why Nintendo doesn’t allow SSD installation from game cards is another massive question, and seemingly a very obvious solution.) And, let’s not forget, the Switch 2 will be overlapping the second half of its life with the inevitable PlayStation 6 and Xbox Series 2.

It’s all a pretty pickle for developers looking to release big games on the Switch 2, without pissing off audiences and rendering their games ethereal.

Source link

September 6, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Star Wars Outlaws dev comes out with first actually good reason for using Switch 2’s controversial Game Key Cards

by admin September 5, 2025

Many of us have a few things to say about the Nintendo Switch 2’s controversial game key cards, which don’t actually contain game data, and instead trigger a download from the Nintendo eShop when they are popped into the device. However, developer Rob Bantin, who is an audio architect on Ubisoft’s game engine Snowdrop, has revealed why the studio opted for key cards when it came to Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2.

In a reply to Digital Foundry’s John Linneman about Star Wars Outlaws’ use of key cards and whether or not cost was a factor, Bantin explained that full-fat cards “simply didn’t give the performance we needed at the quality target we were going for”.

Manage cookie settings

Bantin noted the Snowdrop engine “relies heavily on disk streaming for its open world environments”, adding they “don’t recall the cost of the cards ever entering the discussion – probably because it was moot”.

The developer said had Star Wars Outlaws been designed for Nintendo’s Switch 2 console from the beginning, things may have been different. “As it was, we’d build a game around the SSDs of the initial target platforms, and then the Switch 2 came along a while later,” Bantin said.

“In this case I think our leadership made the right call.”

Image credit: Eurogamer

Many third party developers have also opted for key cards for their own Switch 2 release. One high profile outlier was CDPR, which released Cyberpunk 2077 as a physical game cartridge with the actual game on it. Last month, it was revealed that out of all Cyberpunk 2077’s Switch 2 sales in June, over 75 percent were physical.

This is a news-in-brief story. This is part of our vision to bring you all the big news as part of a daily live report.

Source link

September 5, 2025 0 comments

Game Updates

Star Wars Outlaws Out On Switch 2 In Days And Footage Is Being Kept Secret

by admin August 31, 2025

Star Wars Outlaws is coming to Switch 2 in just a few days. It’s Ubisoft’s first big port for Nintendo’s new handheld hybrid. So why isn’t the company talking more about its 2024 blockbuster coming to the best-selling console of 2025? Maybe because it’s the latest Switch 2 port to reportedly run less than great.

Star Wars Outlaws, a stealth adventure about gangsters and bounty hunters on the fringes of the Galactic Empire, is currently the 10th best-selling game on the Switch 2 eShop thanks to digital pre-orders, but you won’t find it anywhere on the show floor at PAX West this weekend. Despite stations for fans to try big ports like Elden Ring and Borderlands 4 on Nintendo’s new hardware, a demo of Star Wars Outlaws was only playable behind closed doors, according to YouTube channel GVG‘s new hands-on video.

Even worse, the outlet was prohibited from sharing any direct capture footage of Star Wars Outlaws running on Switch 2. Over-the-shoulder recording wasn’t allowed either. The demo GVG tested included an early section inside of a Star Destroyer and a ship fight in space. The frame rate often appeared to dip below 30fps while the visual quality varied from good to unimpressive depending on the scene. And GVG didn’t even get to try any of the open-world sections down on planets.

There have been some potential red flags around Star Wars Outlaws‘ performance on Switch 2 for a while now. At a Partner Nintendo Direct earlier this summer, Ubisoft only showcased the game for two minutes, and most of that was developers (Ubisoft Red Lynx is doing the port) talking into the camera rather than direct feed of gameplay. What little snippets the publisher did share didn’t look outstanding either. Digital Foundry pointed to some impressive lighting effects at the time, but was left mostly with concerns about just how downgraded it would be from the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions.

How will Assassin’s Creed Shadows run on Switch 2?

While not officially confirmed, reading between the lines of recent Ubisoft earnings calls leaves the strong impression that Star Wars Outlaws isn’t the only current-gen exclusive the company is planning to port to Switch 2. Assassin’s Creed Shadows sounds destined to arrive eventually as well. Has Ubisoft been investing more resources in optimizing that port, knowing it’s the bigger franchise, at the cost of quietly leaving Outlaws to flounder a second time (remember, Shadows was originally delayed precisely because of Outlaws launch struggles last year)?

Right now, there are basically two buckets of third-party Switch 2 ports. One includes Cyberpunk 2077 and Street Fighter 6, which rarely remind you that you’re playing on weaker hardware than what the games were originally designed for. The other includes stuff like Hitman World of Assassination, which despite being serviceable, often feels like a noticeable downgrade (though things improved just this week with a capped frame rate option).

Elden Ring, which reportedly ran like goop when you hit the open-world sections, and now Star Wars Outlaws appear to be in that second bucket as well. Bandai Namco tried to prevent people from filming footage of FromSoftware’s first Switch 2 game at Gamescom 2025 as well, though that game at least doesn’t have a release date yet. Unless a day-one patch or series of other upgrades can improve Outlaws on Switch 2, there’s now a question of whether a potential Shadows port will fall into the “meh” column of ports as well.

Source link

August 31, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Lucasfilm’s Outlaws is getting a remaster

by admin August 22, 2025

A surprise gamescom announcement: Outlaws is coming back. The Lucasfilm 1997 first person shooter is certainly a classic, and Nightdive Studios expertise is bringing back classic games. The trailer looks inspired, check it out below along with info on the remaster.

Cologne, Germany | This week at Opening Night Live, Nightdive Studios — video game remaster developer and subsidiary of Atari® — in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, announced Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster, a faithful modernization of LucasArts’ classic 1997 western first-person shooter Outlaws™, complete with the 1998 Handful of Missions™ expansion. Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster releases for Windows PC, PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch later this year. Welcome back, pardner!

Fully remastered by the ace-high Nightdive Studios crew through the proprietary KEX engine, Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster brings gunslinging action and the iconic Wild West adventure to modern platforms with up to 4K resolution at 120FPS in one bountiful package. Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster will also include crossplay multiplayer with four game modes! Novice cowpokes and seasoned buckaroos alike will have a rootin’ tootin’ good time with Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster’s upgraded gameplay, high-resolution textures, redrawn art, enhanced rendering, and support for console gamepads with platform-specific features.

LucasArts’ Outlaws was released in 1997 on Windows PC and went on to become critically acclaimed and beloved by fans of the FPS game genre thanks to a riveting story, soundtrack, and gunplay inspired by the great Westerns of our time. Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster from Nightdive Studios brings the classic game and its expansion to Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo consoles for the first time.

“Following our release of Star Wars™: Dark Forces Remaster last year, we are overjoyed to continue our relationship and work closely with the amazing team at Lucasfilm Games,” said Stephen Kick, Nightdive’s Studio Head. “The influence of the original Outlaws + Handful of Missions on the FPS genre cannot be overstated, in terms of gameplay and narrative prowess. We’re honored to help bring this iconic Western adventure to modern audiences.”

Get ready for the good, the bad, and the even worse. One black day, ex-Marshall James Anderson’s quiet life with his wife and daughter was shattered by a fancy-dressed land baron intent on plowing down his farm to make way for a railroad. Now Anderson’s driven by revenge, which he’ll exact in a spray of gunfire. As the ex-Marshall, you’ll face a horde of ornery, gun-slinging outlaws and have to shoot your way through a twisted plot fueled by greed. Arm yourself with the iron best suited for the job, as well as your wits, to settle the score.

Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster Key Features:

Engaging first-person ground combat featuring five weapon types
Up to 4K 120FPS visuals on PC, PlayStation 4|5, and Xbox One and Series X|S
Modern gamepad support adds a new weapon wheel, rumble, and motion/gyro controls
Trophies and Achievements on Windows PC via Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles
A Vault filled with golden behind-the-scenes nuggets that fans will enjoy
Four Multiplayer game modes with crossplay across platforms — Deathmatch, Team Play, Capture the Flag, and Kill The Fool With The Chicken!

Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster releases on Windows PC (via Steam, GOG, Humble Bundle, and the Epic Game Store), PlayStation 4|5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch in Q4 2025.

Stay tuned to GamingTrend for more Outlaws + Handful of Missions: Remaster news and info!